'Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warning: Suggestive behavior; mild sexual content.

Chapter 27 – Deception, Discoveries & Stolen Moments

The clatter of utensils against plates and the rise and fall of young voices spilled into the hallway as Ofelia approached the Great Hall for dinner. Pausing briefly in the doorway, her eyes swiftly located her brother, seated with Severus Snape at one end of the Slytherin table. Happily, the rest of their little entourage appeared to be elsewhere at the moment, Ofelia noted as she walked briskly toward the empty spot next to Snape.

"Good evening," she said, sliding into place next to the darker of the two wizards. "Severus, may I trouble you for some tea?"

Snape handed her a steaming mug, accepting her thanks with a slight incline of his head and the hint of a smile.

"Where were you keeping yourself all day?" Arturo asked in a quiet voice. "I looked everywhere for you."

Ofelia smiled brightly. "Obviously not 'everywhere' as you did not find me, did you?" At his scowl, she waved her hand dismissively and continued. "You really should work on your sense of humor, Arturo. I daresay it will make your days more pleasant, after all."

"You did not answer my question," her brother pointed out.

"I was visiting with my fiancé," Ofelia said, evenly. "As I am required to do."

"And where was this visit taking place?"

"The Gryffindor Common Room," she replied. "As you well know, I have been spending time there due to my complete inability to invite him into our own Common Room. I am quite welcome in the Tower, however, which makes this business a bit more tolerable."

"And do you also pass the time with those friends of his? Potter, Lupin and the like?"

"They are most often there, as well. Sirius and I are more apt to sit off by ourselves but on occasion I have spent time with them. Is there a purpose to this interrogation?" Ofelia placed her mug down on the table in front of her gently; her eyes, however, reflected her irritation with her elder sibling.

Arturo recognized that he had pushed his sister too far, which, as history proved, would make her even more reluctant to part with any useful information. As his own sleuthing efforts had continued to be fruitless, he immediately sought to repair the breach. "I am merely interested in your life here, Ofelia; I apologize if I created the impression that I was interrogating you."

Ofelia failed to smother a small snort at this statement, surprising herself as much as the two wizards sitting with her. Dear Merlin, she thought, perhaps I am spending too much time with Sirius and his friends!

"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," Severus muttered disdainfully, echoing her thoughts.

"I swallowed the tea too quickly," she said weakly, supporting the lie by daubing at her nose daintily with a napkin. "At any rate, Arturo, I am not the only Bullstrode who is enjoying the companionship of those from other Houses, am I?"

Arturo's eyebrows rose dramatically as he returned her gaze. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

Ofelia smiled secretively. "Oh, Arturo, it's alright; I really don't think our parents would object."

"Ofelia," he said, raising his voice slightly and leaning toward her across the table. "I do not know what you're talking about."

Ofelia leaned toward him, as well. "Arturo, you don't have to be coy with me!" When he continued to glower at her, Ofelia shrugged. "I was walking down the staircase for dinner and I heard her – Delilah Hornsby – gossiping with one of her group about her secret rendezvous tonight." Arturo said nothing, but his expression showed his confusion. "At 9 o'clock? The Astronomy Tower? No? Oh," Ofelia allowed her voice to trail off as she feigned uncertainty – followed quickly by remorse. "Oh, Arturo – I am sorry. I was certain it was you of whom she spoke; I know that you've been rather casually seeing her and so I just naturally assumed…."

Arturo's face reddened and he appeared to have lost his ability to speak. Finally finding his voice, he glanced around and mindful of Severus' poorly concealed interest in their conversation, Arturo spoke quietly. "There's no apology necessary; of course you are quite correct. One does not like to be the subject of gossip, however and so I…"

"Of course," Ofelia murmured. "How could I not understand, given my own situation? Discretion is always advisable in these matters, after all. We shall say no more about it. Severus, Professor Slughorn was speaking most admiringly of your willingness to explore the more difficult brewing projects to expand your knowledge. I would be very interested in hearing about those efforts, if you'd care to tell us."

Severus almost choked on his pudding; rarely did anyone express an interest in his personal potions studies – much less a beautiful and highly desirable witch, friend though she may be. Recovering quickly, the young wizard began expounding upon his current project, which could result in the extension of the efficacy of Polyjuice potion from one hour to, potentially, as much as twice that.

Having set Severus the task of explaining something he truly loved, Ofelia knew he would become lost in the telling, allowing her to drop periodic, "mm-hmm's" and "oh's", while surreptitiously observing her brother. Arturo was clearly lost in thought, his posture and demeanor very much like his sister's; Ofelia recognized that he was paying no closer attention to Snape's lecture than she was. Clearly, the wizard was working very hard to uncover the identity of the wizard who would be enjoying the dubious charms of Ms. Hornsby that evening.

Suddenly, Arturo rose, causing Severus to stop, mid-sentence. "Excuse me, Severus, Ofelia. I just remembered something I must do straight away." And with that, he was crossing the hall in long strides, soon disappearing through the entrance doors.

"That was … sudden," Severus said, turning to Ofelia.

Itching to see where her brother had gone in such a hurry, Ofelia nodded briefly. "I just think I'll check to make sure he's alright," she said, rising and soon making her way across the hall, as well.

"Must run in the family," Snape muttered, glaring down at his teacup as if he held it responsible for the mass desertion of his table.

********

"It would appear that Ofelia managed to plant a fairly large seed of doubt in her brother's mind," James observed, smiling.

"Did she also have the opportunity to send her message?" Remus asked.

James nodded. "She and Lily walked up to the Owlry before dinner. Now, we wait for the response."

"Do you ever doubt that this plan of ours will work as well as we think it will?"

"I worry, Moony, I worry," James replied. "But in the end, I think it will be successful. I'll admit that I'm not fond of the variables. We don't know this Michael bloke, after all. Pair that with the risk that the Slytherin crowd will spot Ofelia in Hogsmeade and muck up Ofelia's meeting … like I said, I worry."

Remus smiled. "Well, as long as you're on track with worry, I'll occupy myself with a nap."

"Alright, there, mate?" James' face reflected his concern.

"Always, James. Always," came the reply.

As the werewolf rose stiffly and began to make his own way out of the Great Hall, James couldn't miss the pronounced limp – a side effect of the most recent full moon. James watched his friend through the doorway and, as he was turning his attention back to his plate, his eyes swept over the Slytherin table and caught Severus Snape – whose own gaze was fixed on the now empty doorway through which Remus had just passed. James raised his eyebrows in challenge to the Slytherin wizard, who refused to rise to the bait. Instead, Snape held his gaze while he rose, holding it for several moments before he, too, left the Great Hall.

XXXXXXXX

The night was cold and still and Sirius wrapped his heavy woolen cloak more tightly around him. Withdrawing his wand from an inner pocket, he cast a warming charm as he confirmed that he was alone. Better early than late. He had left the Tower in sufficient time to ensure that he would reach his destination well in advance of Delilah. Her parting shot about not being kept waiting rang true for Sirius as he had experienced the rough edge of her tongue in the past and was not anxious to repeat it.

As he waited for the young witch to arrive, Sirius wandered over to the wall encircling the tower and leaned against the ancient stonework. Gazing up at the clear night sky, he immediately spotted the constellation Orion and his own namesake, the brightest star within it. Although he knew this little tête-à-tête was necessary, Sirius wished more than anything else to be beyond all the subterfuge, beyond the need to hide his relationship with Kate. She was right though; if they did everything properly now, they would be together that much sooner.

The sound of a door opening and closing interrupted the boy's thoughts and Delilah's voice confirmed his suspicions that his date had, indeed, arrived.

"You're early."

Sirius turned to see Delilah walking slowly toward him, her robes unbuttoned to expose a significant amount of cleavage. Bringing his eyes back up to hers, he smiled in what he hoped was a seductive manner. "I didn't want to ruin my chances."

The witch returned his smile and, as she drew level with him, reached up to put her arms around his neck. "Sirius, you never have to worry about ruining your chances with me." With that, she leaned in and kissed him, her tongue sweeping over his bottom lip, seeking entrance. An image of Kate's face came into Sirius' mind unbidden and he thought that perhaps thinking of her might make this particular encounter somewhat bearable. Obliging the witch in his arms, Sirius parted his lips and surrendered control to Delilah, who immediately took advantage of it. Deepening the kiss, she caught Sirius' tongue with her own while her fingers entangled themselves in his hair to hold him in place. Delilah was very good; practice, after all did make perfect in some things. More importantly, she was completely self-involved; making her believe that he was enjoying the moment was not that difficult. As Delilah's enthusiastic snogging continued, Sirius responded, keeping his ears open for any sound that would indicate that Arturo had, indeed, found his way to the Astronomy Tower as Ofelia had indicated she thought he would do.

XXXXXXXX

Arturo quietly climbed the last few steps leading to the tower. Although his borrowed Invisibility Cloak concealed him from view, it would not silence any inadvertent noise. Beneath the gauzy fabric of the magical cloak, Arturo smirked; whilst Lucius Malfoy was an arrogant, self-absorbed prat in the majority, he did prove useful at times. Malfoy's misplaced attraction to Ofelia had secured her brother the use of Lucius' precious cloak – an item that until tonight, the cool blonde had managed to keep secret from all but Ofelia. When Arturo had confided in Lucius his suspicions regarding Delilah's clandestine plan for the evening, the other wizard had proved most empathetic. After all, it had been Lucius who had first brought Sirius' indiscretion with Delilah to Arturo's attention. Malfoy's relationship with Narcissa Black made him privy to the family's overall contempt for her younger cousin. He also understood the intricacies of arranged marriages and knew of the conditions Arturo's father had placed on the one between his daughter and the Black heir. Arturo was Slytherin, shared the same political and philosophical beliefs as all proper families in their class; if the wizard wished to have cause to break the marriage contract then Lucius had made it abundantly clear that he would do what he could to assist. The fact that Malfoy hated the Gryffindor boy with a passion only fueled his enthusiasm. Loan him the Invisibility Cloak? Of course, if it would aid in Arturo's information gathering. Malfoy made it plain that he was greatly looking forward to the fallout Arturo's report would undoubtedly cause the Black heir when the news reached home. Arturo had assured him that he would give Malfoy all the details to pass on to Walburga Black in London. He, of course, would communicate directly to his parents.

Turning toward the closed door to the tower, Arturo removed his wand from his pocket and cast a quiet listening charm at the thick, dark wood. Silence. As he had followed Delilah, the wizard was certain that she was there. He pushed the door and was gratified when it moved forward silently, allowing him to step out onto the cold flagstone surface of the Astronomy Tower. Obscured by shadow, Arturo kept his back to the stone wall and carefully slid along its surface until the young couple came into view. A grim smile formed on the boy's thin lips as he observed the boy Delilah had come to meet. He had been right. Sirius Black was locked in what appeared to be a passionate embrace with the attractive young witch. Black's eyes were closed tightly in what Arturo interpreted to be ecstasy. As he watched, Arturo saw Delilah's hand detach itself from Black's long hair and drift south, toward his belt.

XXXXXXXX

Sirius felt Delilah's hand move from his hair to his neck, down his chest and, finally come to rest on his belt. When her hand slid lower to cup him through his robes, Sirius made a small noise of surprise that was, of course, muffled by Delilah's unrelenting kisses. He reached down and took her hand in his, raising it to his shoulder. Delilah pulled away to look at Sirius' face.

"What's wrong? Don't you want to?"

Sirius thought he heard a muffled sound – a scuffle - a short distance from the doorway. Arturo, he thought grimly. It's show time.

"It's not that I don't want to," Sirius said. "Of course I want to. Just … not here."

Delilah looked at him shrewdly. "Not here?"

"Delilah," Sirius said softly, then leaned down to capture her lips briefly. "We're on the Astronomy Tower. It's the dead of winter. My bits will not be equal to the task, if you get my meaning." He smiled wryly.

Delilah pouted. "I wondered what was wrong with you; you're not your … usual self," and she accentuated her comment by sliding her hand down for a quick squeeze before Sirius captured her wrist again.

"Delilah," Sirius' voice had a hint of warning.

"Oh, alright – fine," she huffed, stepping away from Sirius and crossing her arms over her chest. "But when…"

Sirius forced himself to take a step forward and gather the offended witch in his arms. "Soon, love. Listen," staring into space, he made a great show of seeming to search his mind for an appropriate assignation spot, "I've got it. Tomorrow afternoon, meet me in the empty classroom just beyond the library. One o'clock; just after lunch. I'll be waiting."

Delilah's eyes narrowed and she gave him a seductive smile. "Tomorrow; one o'clock," she said softly, then leaned forward and placed her lips on his in a blistering kiss. "I'll be there – and there won't be any excuses."

"Tomorrow; I promise," Sirius replied. "Now, let's go inside."

"I could come to your Common Room and sit with you by the fire for awhile," Delilah's voice had a wheedling edge to it.

"Or, I could use the time to finish my Transfiguration and Charms assignments so there's nothing to interfere with our plans tomorrow…"

Delilah let her hand to slide down Sirius' arm until she could entwine her fingers in his. "Now that's a plan I can agree to; let's go."

XXXXXXXX

As the pair made their way swiftly to the door, Arturo was forced to gather the cloak more tightly around him to avoid Delilah's arm coming into contact with it. He waited until the door closed and he could hear their footsteps fading on the staircase before he removed the cloak and walked over to the wall. Heart rate accelerated, breath coming quickly and hanging silver in the cold air before him, Arturo felt a sense of victory race through him. I have you now, Black, he thought to himself. Tomorrow afternoon, there will be nothing to interfere with my plans to unveil your deceit to my sister. Smiling grimly, the Slytherin covered himself with the cloak once again and retraced his steps to the door. Bellatrix will send the owl to Walburga while I send mine to Father. Our family will certainly be spared the likes of you once your true colors are revealed.

XXXXXXXX

Sirius dropped Delilah back at the entrance to her own Common Room just as curfew expired. Mentally patting himself on the back for borrowing James' Invisibility Cloak, the wizard withdrew it from the pocket of his robes and hurriedly concealed himself. As he made his way back to the Gryffindor Tower, Sirius' mind replayed the events of the evening. While convincing Delilah to give him another tumble had been easier than he'd imagined, Sirius realized that he'd not quite anticipated how difficult that tumble would be to execute. When once Delilah's attributes had inspired great physical responsiveness, now he seemed immune. Hopefully, Arturo had seen and heard enough to take the bait and he would be spared a repeat of tonight's performance. In the well-heated classroom, he would be hard pressed to come up with an excuse for a lack of performance ability, Sirius mused. Approaching the portrait, Sirius glanced around then removed the cloak.

He gave the password to the dozing Fat Lady and quickly climbed through the portrait hole and into the Common Room.

"How'd it go?" James' voice greeted him from the squashy chair in front of the fire.

Sirius smiled at his mate. "She will be meeting me at precisely 1 o'clock tomorrow afternoon." Glancing around, he realized that he and James were the only occupants of the room. "Where did everyone go?"

"A couple of third years staged an impromptu duel a while ago. Let's just say that their tempers far outweighed their skills. Horrid mess. Loads of minor casualties. Old Minnie was right beside herself. Came swooping through the door in her robe and slippers and banished the injured to the hospital wing and sent everyone else to bed," James gave his friend a mischievous grin that was immediately returned.

"Everyone else but you, I suppose?"

"Well, I offered to stay behind with Lily for a while and make sure everyone stayed in bed."

"Lily?" Sirius glanced around the room once again to find that he and James still appeared to be alone.

"Did I hear my name?" Lily's voice floated down from the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories. Sirius turned to find her poised on the bottom step, smiling in his direction.

"Back from your date, are you?"

Sirius snorted, disgust evident in his posture. "Some date," he grumbled. "Definitely not who I wanted to be with, I can tell you that much."

"Ah, well perhaps I can help you with that," Lily glanced behind her and moved to one side of the wide staircase. As Sirius watched, still frowning, Kate appeared to stand beside Lily; his frown vanished at the sight of her.

"Kate! Wait –," Sirius turned to James who was now standing at the foot of the boys' staircase, "that 'impromptu duel' wasn't as impromptu as you'd have me believe, was it?"

James shrugged. "It's possible they might have been provoked – a little. But don't worry; Remus said he was happy to rack up a detention for the cause! You owe him some of Honeyduke's finest, I'm afraid."

Sirius' eyebrows rose as James spoke. "Remus? Now that's a story I want to hear…" he paused and turned back toward Kate. "…tomorrow, though. For now, I have other plans."

"All of Gryffindor is either in their dorm rooms or the hospital wing – for the night. Lils and I will make sure that no one comes down from the dorms," James smiled.

Sirius felt his heart swell with appreciation and affection for his friends. "No chance any of the 'patients' will recover quickly enough to return to their beds tonight?"

Lily shook her head. "No chance at all. The little charm that hit them will keep their entire bodies blue until dawn."

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "How can you be so sure?"

"I cast it. 'night, Kate," Lily hugged her friend lightly then headed up the stairs toward the dorms to keep watch.

Sirius looked over at James who was watching the redhead's retreat with a loopy grin on his face. "You've got two hours, Pads," he said quietly. "After all, Lily and I need to get some sleep!" With a nod in Kate's direction, James, too, disappeared.

"Kate," Sirius said softly, his attention back on the young witch who was making her way across the room to him. "Merlin, I've missed you!"

Kate smiled as she drew level with the dark-haired young wizard. "I missed you, as well. And how is Delilah this evening?"

Sirius pulled her toward him and felt his heart leap when Kate reached up and wound her arms 'round his neck in return. "Frustrated," he whispered, an evil grin touching his lips.

Kate giggled. "Exactly what I'd expected you to say," she replied.

Sirius leaned forward until his forehead was pressed against Kate's. "Nothing happened," he said quietly.

"Hence, her frustration," Kate whispered back, smiling. She drew back so that she could clearly see his face before adding, "Sirius, I know that you don't want to do this; I'm not angry with you and I'm not jealous of Delilah Hornsby!"

Sirius let a small growl escape from his throat. "You've no reason to be! I don't care a whit about her. It's just you."

Kate nodded. "Was Arturo there?"

Sirius nodded. "I'm almost certain of it. I didn't see him, but I heard movement a few times and, when we were leaving, I opened the door for Delilah and I'm sure I heard breathing very close to where we were walking. He must have an Invisibility Cloak; I would have seen a shimmer if he'd used a Disillusionment charm."

"Then, phase two begins tomorrow," Kate replied. At his nod, she added. "This could get unpleasant for you very quickly."

"Mmm, I know. But if Ofelia is able to carry out her end, we'll get a bit of a breather," he said, looking into her eyes. "Merlin, you're lovely," he breathed. "And I don't want to spend the two hours we've been given talking about Ofelia or Arturo…."

"… or Delilah," Kate finished. "Nor do I."

"Good," Sirius took a step back and picked up Kate's hand, leading her to the sofa. With a wave of his wand, he refreshed the fire, which immediately leapt up and began crackling merrily. The couple sat close together and Sirius enfolded her in his arms. "This is what I wanted; what I want. Just you. Only you."

Kate stroked his cheek, then slipped her hand around to the back of his head and gently urged him forward. She had the barest glimpse of a wondrous smile before their lips met and her eyes closed. Only you, echoed in her mind as she parted her lips and met Sirius' tongue with her own. They kissed deeply and Kate felt an exquisite tension begin to build low in her belly. She tightened her hold on Sirius, weaving her fingers through his long hair and massaging his scalp gently. Sirius groaned softly in response, wrapping his own arms even tighter about her waist, nibbling her lower lip, then drawing her tongue back into his own mouth as their kiss intensified. He pressed forward gently, easing Kate back against the overstuffed arm of the small sofa and he followed, lying half on her and half against the cushioned back. Eventually, they needed air and Kate was the first to break the kiss. Neither moved for a moment, instead simply looking at each other with slightly glazed expressions.

"Katie," Sirius said softly. "I meant it before when I said that I love you. I do; really."

Kate smiled in response and brushed her hand over his cheek. "I know you do. I love you, too." She paused. "Amazing feeling, this."

"Utterly," he agreed, returning her smile. "Enough breathing; I'm going to kiss you again." And he did, silencing her soft laughter at once. As he kissed Kate, Sirius felt his body respond as it had not with Delilah and he knew, pressed against her as he was, that Kate could undoubtedly feel it as well. He broke the kiss then, breathing deeply before dropping a light trail of kisses across her cheek, down the line of her jaw and to the side of her neck. Kate shifted beneath him as the tension inside her began to grow stronger. She could feel Sirius' arousal pressed firmly against her hip and the thought that she – she – could do this to him made her catch her breath.

Sirius brought his mouth to the delicate shell of her ear and he nipped the soft lobe gently. "Katie," he whispered raggedly, pressing more firmly against her. Kate shifted beneath him slightly, earning another low groan from the now very aroused wizard. Her movement brought his thigh in closer contact with her center and Kate gasped at the feeling this provoked. "Sirius," she sighed, closing her eyes as she kissed his temple, and raised her hips slightly to intensify that feeling again. Suddenly, Kate felt Sirius lift himself off her and when she opened her eyes, he was sitting with his back against the cushions, face flushed and chest rising and falling quickly.

"Sirius?" Kate questioned, watching him as she, too, sat up.

"I had to stop," he said breathlessly. "If I hadn't, I don't think I would have been able to. I know you're not ready. And even if you were, I don't want your first time to be on the Common Room sofa." Sirius shifted slightly and bit his lip. "Contrary to my reputation, I'm not that big a git!"

Kate reached over and brushed a piece of hair from his forehead. "I don't think you're a git at all. I'm sorry I let things go as far as they did; I got quite carried away as well."

Sirius turned his head to look at her and he gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry, Katie. I just…"

Kate edged closer to the uncomfortable wizard and kissed his cheek. "I know. Truly." She turned his face toward her and kissed his lips tenderly. "I'm sorry," Kate whispered.

Sirius groaned. "Not helping. Not."

Kate released him and scooted back to the opposite side of the couch. Both were silent for a while before Kate chuckled. "Care for a game of Exploding Snap? That should be comparatively safe," she teased.

Sirius smiled and reached for her hand, holding it tightly in both of his. "Katie, I'm going to be honest with you. I don't think I can stay here with you tonight and not touch you – not kiss you. And I won't push you in any way, so…"

Kate squeezed his fingers. "So, perhaps we should just say goodnight then. It's alright; I feel the same way." She released his hand and stood and Sirius immediately did the same.

"Can I walk you home?" he asked, giving her a cheeky grin as he offered his arm to her.

Kate laughed. "Absolutely."

When they reached the bottom of the girls' dormitory staircase, Sirius hugged Kate close to him once again. "Good night, Katie," he whispered into her hair. "I love you."

Kate kissed his cheek gently. "I love you, too. Good night."

Sirius watched her up the stairs, and then turned toward his own. He passed James on the landing outside their dorm room and grinned ruefully. "This is not easy, Prongs." He spoke quietly, his expression sincere.

James nodded, returning the smile. "But worth the struggle, right, Pads?"

Sirius nodded, his smile softening. "Well worth the struggle." He glanced at the closed door. "Think I'll hit the showers."

James laughed. "I sort of thought you might, mate. I'm heading off to bed. See you at breakfast."

With a nod, Sirius went on ahead, grimacing in discomfort and reminding himself that this was all very worthwhile indeed.