Hpov
After my date with Sirius, I wasn't too worried about other girls and eventually they seemed to give up. School was normal, Gryffindor was in the lead for both the house and quidditch cup, and everything would have been perfect if it hadn't been for the strange stories in the paper that kept cropping up over the past few weeks.
"Two more people have gone missing." James he said to no one in particular and frowning as his eyes scanned his copy of the evening 'Prophet'. He was with Lily, Remus, Sirius, Alice, and I sitting by the common room fire. We were doing a variety of things. I was working on a potions essay with Remus, Lily was reading for her Arithmancy quiz tomorrow, Alice was writing a letter to Frank, and Sirius, as usual, was trying to distract me from homework.
"You should take a break." He said pulling me into his lap and I dropped my book.
"Sirius-" I started but he cut me off with a kiss.
"Can't you take a little break?" he asked his eyes pleading when we broke apart.
"To do what?" I asked grinning.
"Talk." He said kissing me again.
"That's not talking." I said amused breaking away from him and he looked disappointed. "Are you sure that's what you really want?"
"It is," he said. "But I can't help that my lips like yours."
"Are you going to let go of me?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Why should I have to let go of my girlfriend?" he asked.
I blushed. It was still so strange hearing him say that while referring to me.
"Get a room." Remus said rolling his eyes.
"This is a room mate." Sirius said still grinning at me and not bothering to look at Remus.
"Your own room." Alice said and Lily giggled.
"What?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing." Lily said. "It's just you and Frank used to snog in the common room all the time."
"Speaking of Frank." She said grinning happily. "Guess who's coming to visit this weekend for Valentine's Day?"
"Wait what?" I asked distracted and looking away from Sirius. "Valentine's Day is this weekend?"
"Yeah Hal." Lily said amused. "Where have you been?"
"Classes, the library, the hospital wing, the library again, and then her dormitory. In that order." Sirius said smirking.
"Yeah and you've been following her around." James added causing everyone to snicker.
"What is everyone doing for Valentine's Day?" Alice asked curiously.
"I'm going in to Hogsmead with Patricia." Remus answered. Patricia was the Ravenclaw he'd been dating since before break. No one really knew what was going on with them, but they seemed to be in a kind of sort of relationship, but nothing he seemed to want to define. Part of me wondered if Remus might have a fear of commitment.
"I'll be with Frank." Alice said happily. "Lily?"
"James and I are going into Hogsmead as well." She responded.
"Hal and I don't have plans apparently." Sirius said smirking and I rolled my eyes but then he frowned. "Does anyone know what Peter is up to?"
"No, in fact, I have no idea where he is." James said frowning. "Has anyone seen him?"
"Last I saw he was talking to Valerie just after lunch." Remus said going back to his essay.
"Valerie?" I asked in surprise. Valerie had refused to talk to me since we got back. It was irritating really that she was acting so immature, but I decided just to let it go, there was no point in pushing the boundaries especially when every time she saw me, she looked as if she was ready to jinx me in my sleep.
"Yeah, I think he was planning to ask her out for Valentine's."
"Did she say yes?" Lily asked curiously.
"I dunno, I didn't actually hear what they were saying but she was laying the charm on pretty thick from what I could tell."
"That's interesting." Alice said frowning.
"She's probably just trying to make Sirius jealous." Lily said shrugging. "She can't have him, so she goes for one of his mates."
"That's fine with me." Sirius said wrapping his arms tightly around me and pulling me closer to him. "As long as she leaves me and Hallie alone."
I smiled as he kissed me on the cheek.
Being in a relationship with him was felt a little like whiplash. Right now Sirius was in what I called 'perfect boyfriend mode.' When he was like this, he was ridiculously sweet and lovable, and for lack of a better word, perfect. But other times perfect Sirius seemed to disappear. He still had secrets and I had no idea what he and his friend got up to. It was strange, one day he'd seemed totally involved, the next he was distant, and I had no idea why.
I'd brought this up to Lily a few times and while James never seemed 'distant' to her, she admitted that he too had secrets from her. We'd spent a great deal of time with Alice trying to figure them out, but eventually we'd given up. We really had no idea what they got up to when they went wandering around at night.
"What do you want to do for Valentine's Day?" Sirius asked me curiously while the others continued the conversation about Peter and Valerie. He seemed distinctly uninterested in his friend and my roommate's relationship.
"Anything," I said shrugging. "As long as we avoid Madam Puddifoot's."
"Agreed." He said grinning. "We could always go adventuring again, who knows, we could visit the shrieking shack and you could bring home a pet ghost."
"No Kindle is enough for me." I said grinning. The phoenix had apparently taken a liking to captivity. He enjoyed roosting in the owlry with the rest of the school owls and came to visit me every now and again. While he didn't deliver letters, I had to admit I was fond of having him as a pet. "But adventuring does sound like fun."
"It's settled then." He said grinning. "This Saturday we'll skip the whole cards and romantic crap and do something fun."
"I like the way you think." I said smiling.
Just then the portrait hole opened and Peter walked in looking distracted.
"Hey Peter!" James said grinning. "How did the attempt to ask out Valerie go?"
"Good." He said smiling almost guiltily back at us, his eyes darted to me quickly before he continued. "She said yes."
"That's excellent mate." Sirius said and he sounded like he meant it.
"Yeah. Hey I've got a question for you lot."
"What is it?" Remus asked.
"What are you guys working on in potions this year? Like what's the curriculum so far?"
"Well we just finished enhancing elixirs." Lily said helpfully.
"But what does that include?"
"Well a variety of things." Alice said looking up from her letter. "Soothing solutions, love potions, euphoric inducers."
"Yeah that's what I thought." He said frowning.
"Why?" I asked curiously.
Again he glanced at me nervously.
"Just wondering." He said in an innocent voice that I for some reason didn't believe. "Valerie just was asking some questions about it."
"Why would she care what we're doing in potions?" I asked frowning.
"No idea. When's the next quidditch game James?" he asked quickly, clearly wanting to change the subject.
"Next Saturday but Gryffindor doesn't play for the next couple of weeks." He answered and the boys launched into a discussion about the Gryffindor chances for the quidditch cup but I kept an eye on Peter. He still looked nervous and wanted to know why.
Sirius didn't tell me what we were doing for Valentines Day, all he told me was that we'd be spending the day outside and considering the grounds were still covered in snow I decided to wear something warm.
"Sexy." Alice snickered when I finished putting on boots, my hat, gloves, a ski jacket, and my scarf. She and Lily were dressed much more elegantly. Lily with a cute sweater dress and boots where as Alice had gone the whole way with a stunning red dress with a cut out back.
"At least I'll be warm." I said refusing to be embarrassed. Alice might have a cloak but nothing was going to protect her toes in those heels from hypothermia.
"Well it's a good thing you've got a great personality." She continued winking as Lily laughed. "Because with that jacket it's clear that's all he's getting to see tonight."
"Oh shut up." I said darkly and made my way to the common room.
I made my way down to the common room alone seeing as they were still getting ready, to find the boys were already waiting.
"Sirius mate, I think you're girlfriend's been eaten by her wardrobe." James said laughing and I rolled my eyes.
Sirius grinned and I was irritated to see that even in snow clothes he looked amazing.
"I think she looks cute." He said. "Like an adorable pillow."
"Let's just get this over with." I said darkly and he laughed.
"After you love." He said opening the portrait hole and we stepped outside. "You know it's probably a good thing you're wearing so many layers though. I was worried you might take Alice's advice."
"What?" I asked confused.
"Remus told me she was trying to convince you to wear one of her dresses."
"Oh, that advice." I said with a shudder. I remembered the one. It was a bright pink cocktail dress and a pair of heels I was certain I'd trip and break my neck in if I'd been trusted by anyone enough to wear them.
"Not that I would have minded." He said grinning shiftily. "But, I didn't think you'd want to be cold."
"Where are we going?" I asked curiously as we made our way to the grounds and but instead of joining the crowd of students going to Hogsmead, he took a left and started walking straight towards the forbidden forest.
"To a very special place to me." He said. "You've actually been there before."
"I have?"
"Yes." He said nodding and taking my hand as we walked, suddenly I regretted wearing gloves.
We stepped through the trees and talked about nothing in particular for a while as we walked, and just as I was starting to wonder if he knew where we were going, the trees began to thin and I found myself for the second time this year in a clearing in the middle of the forbidden forest, only this time it was covered in snow.
Next to the small lake, which had frozen over completely, was a small table, with a jar of blue fire in the center. It was so warm it had melted all the snow with in five feet of it. It was set with two plates and all of my favorite foods both wizarding and muggle. Next to it, were two pairs of ice skates.
"This is incredible." I said amazed. "How did you do all this?"
"By waking up very early." He said amused at my dumbfounded expression. "Oh and there's one more thing."
He whistled and I saw a flash of scarlet fly out of the trees. He took my hands and faced my palms upward and I jumped as there was a burst of fire, and a bouquet of roses appeared in them.
Kindle, who by now had returned to his usual size, fluttered down and landed on his shoulder and Sirius grinned.
"Kindle might have helped a little." He said and I laughed. "Sorry if it's a little too romantic, but I figured they are your favorite."
"I love it." I said smiling. "This is the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me."
"Well I'm glad that title belongs to me." He said looking pleased with himself. "So what do you want to do? Eat, skate, train Kindle how to sing the Hogwarts theme song? Ouch!" he said when Kindle bit him on the ear and I had to hold back a giggle.
"None of the above." I said shifting the roses to one arm freeing my right hand.
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
I bent down grabbed hand full of snow and threw it at him while saying.
"I challenge you to snow ball fight."