Part I: Pursuit

Chapter 1



I was always one of those girls who fell for a smooth talker. Not just any smooth talker would suffice, however. He had to be a smooth talker with class--something that evidently showed that he was more mature than the boys in my year. Someone not like James Potter.



Of course sappy endings (which meant happy endings, in my view) would come automatically with a smooth talker. Everyone but me underrated clichés. I happened to love clichés, and that is probably why I settled for a sappy love life. I even looked it up in the dictionary; it meant “overly sweet or sentimental�. Well, I had a sweet tooth, so how could this be any different? I was hopelessly romantic, though my quick-tempered personality would convince anyone else otherwise. I suppose it was a façade I hid behind; it gave me comfort. I told myself that when Mr. Right came along, I would let that mask drop.



All my friends were currently taking a tutorial in potions, so I had nothing to do but sit in the common room and attempt some homework. I was sitting in a Gryffindor armchair pondering all this when a sudden blast of water hit the side of my face. I screamed and turned to face my aggressor, already guessing who it was. I was right.



“Potter!� I shrieked, jumping from the chair and brandishing my own wand. I did not care that water was dripping down my cheek; all I cared about was getting back at the messy-haired git. On impulse, I sent a flock of birds from the tip of my wand to attack his black locks.



The birds did their job well; soon Potter’s hair was engulfed in yellow fluff balls. Behind him, Sirius Black was barking with laughter. Remus Lupin shook his head apologetically, and Pettigrew tittered.



“Nice work, Evans,� Black congratulated me, still surveying Potter. “I think blonde suits him.�



“Good,� I sniffed airily, wiping the water from my face.



Potter seemed to have finally recovered. “Aww, don’t be like that, Evans. It was only a joke.� He gave me a wry smile as he waved away a couple of remaining birds hovering by his head.



“Everything to you is a joke, Potter,� I growled, narrowing my emerald-colored eyes at him. “And just to let you know, I do not appreciate it at all.�



“Let’s not get the ladies mad now,� Black advised Potter, grinning at me.



Rolling my eyes, I started up the stairs to the girls’ dormitories. Honestly. They were seventeen years old and still acted as though they were three. When would they grow up? I found myself wishing that the fulfiller of my desired sappy ending would come soon.



*



I found myself marching to the boys’ dormitories approximately three hours later, seething the whole way. It just figured that tonight was the night Potter and I were to conduct the Head Boy and Girl duties, patrolling the school. Evidently he had forgotten, but I prided myself on not forgetting anything. Ever.



Rapping on the door, I swept some hair from my eyes and waited for someone to open the door.



There was noise from the other side of the door. Black opened the door a crack, and seeing who it was, gave a little meep-like sound and snapped it shut. I was about to knock again when he re-opened the door, grinning broadly. His grey eyes were twinkling mischievously at me. “It’s you. Can’t get enough of Potter, can you?�



“Yeah. Right,� I retorted, though I could feel my face flushing in the effort of keeping cool. Okay, maybe I admit Sirius Black was a bit cheeky and funny in that way only he could pull off. But I needed to get the message across that his childish behavior was not tolerated by those more mature than him. “It’s more like right now is the time to do our appointed Head student duties.�



Black raised his eyebrows and wiggled them. “And what might those duties be, exactly, Evans?�



“Stop giving me a hard time,� I growled. “Potter!� I pushed through Black, who had been obstructing the door. My eyes instantly found James Potter, who was pulling a shirt over his bare chest.



I groaned and averted my eyes. Potter yelled and disappeared behind his four-poster. “What are you doing, changing when a girl is in your dormitory?� I demanded, trying to rid the image of Potter’s well-developed abdominals from my mind. One would be surprised that such a skinny figure could obtain such impressive muscles.



“Sirius, I told you to guard the door!� Potter complained loudly from behind the bed. I could only see the top of his head, which was covered in his ever-messy black hair.



Black sniggered. “Sorry, mate. It’s just that this girl is so dang headstrong. If she wants something, there’s no way to stop her.� He winked at me, and I glared at him. It seemed that I acted much more childish with this band of boys; they somehow seemed to unhinge that schoolgirl mindset. That is why I found myself glaring, prodding, and shooting snide remarks at them, which was not my nature otherwise.



“Potter, we have to do patrol the halls, if you remember,� I said in an exasperated voice. Why did Professor Dumbledore choose James Potter to be Head Boy, of all people? I had expected Remus Lupin to be chosen; that at least made sense, as he had been a prefect the year before. Shaking my head, I decided I would never understand the male mind.



“Yeah, I remembered.� Potter reappeared from his hiding spot. “Sorry, can’t let ickle Lily see me half clad,� he explained, completely unruffled now. He ran a hand through his hair, making it untidier, as I’m sure he had intended.



I tried to regain my composure and motioned towards the door. Potter turned to his friends. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,� he told them, saluting. Only Pettigrew saluted back. Lupin rolled his eyes and Black grinned.



“Sure you will,� Black jibed, winking.



“Don’t start, Padfoot,� Potter warned good-naturedly, taking a step towards his best friend.



I sighed and grasped Potter’s arm, nearly yanking him out the door. “Not now, Potter. We have things to do.�



Black took a hold of the doorknob. “Have fun, you two. And behave.�

Part I: Pursuit
Chapter 2

Once out of the Gryffindor common room, I found I could breathe normally once more. Potter sauntered beside me, occasionally shooting glances at my face. Beams of moonlight slipped through the high windows, accompanying us down the corridors. Thankfully, there were no misbehaving students to reprimand.

“You’re unusually quiet tonight,� I commented. His silence disconcerted me greatly, as his voice never ceased to ring in my ears.

He just grinned cheekily. “I’m savoring the silence, as it were. You know…just me and you, walking down a dark corridor with no one in sight…�

“Come off it, Potter. I’m not walking down this hall with you for any other reason than scholastic.� His closeness made my heart thump. Why was my heart palpitating? I don’t like Potter. He is a lazy, bigheaded git. Right?

Smiling wryly, Potter peered at me through his spectacles. “Okay, I’ll stop it, just for you. For now, at least.�

“Thank you,� I muttered.

A few minutes of quiet passed before I sparked a conversation out of pure irritation that Potter was assuming the silent role. “So, what did you do this summer?�

To my surprise, he flushed at this. I could still see the colour rising to his cheeks when he replied, “Quidditch, hanging around, stuff like that.�

Eyeing him suspiciously, I pointed out, “Why are you blushing, then?� A smile was edging the corners of my mouth. “Surely playing Quidditch and hanging out isn’t embarrassing for you, is it?�

“I’m not blushing!� Potter retorted playfully, looking away.

“Don’t you lie, now,� I warned, allowing myself to laugh. His face was still turned away. “You’re blushing and you know it.� Reaching up, I took a hold of his chin and forced him to look at me. “Yeah, there’s no denying it, Potter. You’re blushing. So now you can tell me what exactly you’re so reluctant to mention.�

Sighing, he surrendered. “Fine. I was volunteering at St. Mungo’s. My parents made Sirius and me go—�

I laughed. “Sure they did, Potter.� Lowering my voice, I admitted, “I won’t deny that I think what you did was most admirable in the wizarding community, especially for a teenage wizard.� Only after did those words emerge from my mouth did I realize that I had praised Potter, something I had never done before.

“Why, thank you,� Potter said, looking just as taken aback by my compliment as I did. His tone of voice changed to a teasing note as he added, “Well, maybe my parents didn’t have a hard time convincing us to go…I’ve always had it in my heart to contribute to the ‘wizarding community’, as you call it.�

Cocking my eyebrow, I nodded. “Whatever you say, Potter.� After a pause, I inquired, “Why did Sirius go with you? He’s never struck me as the sort of person to help out at a hospital over summer holidays.�

“Oh, did you not hear? He’s living with me and my family now,� Potter said casually.

“He’s what?�

“Yeah, he ran away from his house—you know his family is a bunch of pure-blood fanatics—and came to live with us. It’s been great fun.�

Snorting, I replied, “I’m sure it has.� I tried not to think of the mischief the two of them caused, now that they were virtually inseparable. We had completed our round of patrolling and set back toward the common room.

The cessation of sound caught up to us once more. This time, I hoped Potter would come up with something to say. To my relief, he did.

“You smell.�

“Er, thanks a lot, Potter,� I said, half-amused, half-insulted.

Looking alarmed, Potter shook his head vigorously. “Not in a bad way; you smell like—like flowers.� Eyeing me, he added, “Nice flowers.�

I fought down the urge to giggle. “Well, thanks, I guess.� Smirking, I leaned my face into his chest and sniffed. “You smell like…I don’t know, but you smell nice too.� That was an understatement. He did smell heavenly, but I wasn’t about to confess that. I’d admitted too much already. Laughing at my absurdity, I commented, “Just forget what I said, Potter. I’m not making much sense tonight.�

Grinning, he replied, “You’re making enough sense…for me, anyways.�

We continued in silence, as the lull in the conversation had made itself known. Every now and then his shoulder rubbed against mine, not accidentally, I’m sure. For some strange reason unknown to me, it did not irk me like it would have on a usual day. When I gave him a questioning look he just grinned in that way he always did.

“I must admit, Potter, that you are considerably more pleasant when you’re not around your friends,� I told him honestly at the portrait hole. What was with it with guys and having alter egos? Tonight I sensed that I’d touched on a part of Potter that I had not noticed before, something under his usual performances.

Potter grinned once more. “That Potter charm working on you already, is it?� His hazel eyes were twinkling.

“I wouldn’t be so bold as to call it that.� I was losing my cool. I could feel it. Darn that James Potter, who had unnerved me thoroughly that night. Without another word, I crawled through the portrait hole and proceeded to my dormitory.

To contribute more to Hogwarts and get some job experience, I had decided at the beginning of the school year to help Madam Jambon in the Hospital Wing. Professor Dumbledore was the one who suggested I volunteer; he had commented that about fifteen years ago, a pupil, Poppy Pomfrey, had also studied under Madam Jambon when she was here, and now Pomfrey was a budding nurse.

It was my dream to become a Healer; it seemed indubitable to me that being a Healer was the best way to secure others’ welfare in the wizarding world.

So that is what I did every Thursday evening. I was exiting the Wing when a loud voice issued from behind me. “Hey, Evans!� It was the unmistakable voice of Sirius Black. “Wait up!�

“Hello, Black,� I said indifferently, starting to walk back to the common room. I was accustomed to his spontaneous conversations directed at me.

Jogging to catch up to my strides, Black grinned. “What’s up?� he asked earnestly and predictably. Even though he was really quite annoying and one of those pupils who I just rolled my eyes over, I had to admit that he was extremely good-looking—without a doubt, he was the best-looking male in our year.

Shrugging, I answered. “Not much. I just ended my session in the Hospital Wing helping Madam Jambon.�

He wrinkled his nose, flicking some black hair casually from his eyes. “Why would you help out there?�

“You’re sure one to talk,� I said coolly. “If I hear correctly, you and Potter both helped out at St. Mungo’s over summer, correct?� I had to look away to conceal the smile spreading across my face.

Black blushed only very faintly. “So what? James suggested it—I don’t know what he was thinking, exactly—must have been on firewhisky or something…�

“Wait a second.� I grabbed Black’s arm to stop him from walking. “Potter wanted to volunteer at St. Mungo’s?�

Black smirked. “Yeah.� He lowered his voice: “Don’t tell him I said that, though. That’s just what I could conclude from that event.� A barking laugh escaped between his lips. “Now let go of my arm before James sees us; he’ll be jealous.�

“What are you two up to?� Potter’s voice asked. He had rounded the corner and was shooting us accusatory glares.

“Just chatting,� Black assured Potter. “Don’t worry, mate, I’m not trying to steal her from you or anything; she’s all yours.� Potter seemed relieved at this information and laughed.

Coughing in disbelief, I spat out, “Excuse me? Now I’m just being handed over like some possession?�

“Are you saying that you were mine in the first place?� Black laughed.

I huffed, “You are impossible!� The countenance of Black and Potter was too hilarious to stay serious for long. I don’t know what came over me, but I started laughing.

They joined in, and for an odd but enjoyable moment, we stood in the middle of the hall, overcome by an effusion of laughter. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Between laughs, I gasped out, “Why—are we—laughing?�

Black just chuckled. “I have no clue.�

“Well, before I’m seen laughing like an idiot, I’m going to go now,� I told the boys, who were still laughing. “Don’t be late for dinner; it’s not a very good example to set for the first years.� I started to walk away, determined for them not to see the grin still on my face.

“I think she just wants to see more of us,� Black barked, laughing. “She’s addicted.�

Spinning around, I retorted, “You wish, Black.� With a roll of my green eyes, I turned my back on him and Potter.

“It’s not me wishing, it’s Potter!� Black jibed. I could hear them chortling and then a thud as Potter punched his friend in the stomach.

*

“Where were you?� Dorcas, one of my close girl friends, demanded as I entered the dormitory. A smile played across her face. “Were you held up by an unusually sickly patient?�

“I bet she finally decided to snog Potter,� Marlene (another friend) quipped playfully. She studied her blonde hair in the dormitory mirror. “It’s about time, Lily!� Surveying her eyelashes, she reached for her wand to lengthen them with a charm.

Flopping onto my bed, I shook my head. “Snogging Potter definitely isn’t on my ‘to do’ list.�

“Sure,� she grinned. “Denial is the first sign of love, you know.�

“But I did get held up by Potter and Black,� I revealed reluctantly, ignoring Marlene’s comment; I was accustomed to her jibes. “I was on my way back from the Hospital Wing when Black decided to strike up one of his pointless conversations.�

Marlene laughed. “Well, I was the closest.�

Alice, another of my roommates, just smiled wistfully to herself as she folded up some extra robes and stowed them in her trunk. Her round face blushed when we all looked at her.

“And what are you smiling about?� Marlene asked suspiciously.

“It could only be one person…� I piped up.

“Let me guess…� Dorcas let out an uncharacteristicly high-pitched sigh, “Perhaps—Frank Longbottom?�

We all laughed, Alice included. “It’s not my fault that he’s the kindest bloke I’ve ever met,� she told us, blushing even more. We waited for her to continue, but she didn’t.

Marlene decided to take charge. “Well, did he ask you out?� Her grin was one that could easily rival the one Alice was currently wearing.

Blushing even more furiously, Alice nodded slowly. I could almost see the wince in her face as she braced herself for our reaction.

Predictably and in accordance to the main reaction type of the female population, we squealed. Dorcas declared that her prescience was beyond the scope of human knowledge, I cheered, and Marlene ran across the dormitory to hug Alice.