BOOKWORM [Sirius Black] [DISCONTINUED]

[T H R E E]

LILY FOLLOWED MAIA to the Great Hall, keeping up with her long speech going about how she was terribly sorry about everything and that she wouldn't do it again. Severus also apologised - albeit very quickly - to her and patted her back.

"- You know, Slughorn might not even make it hard for you! You'll probably be sorting the storeroom and I know you like alphabeticalizing everything anyway so it'll be a breeze! Maybe he'll just get you to scrub the potion floor without magic, in which I don't think is bad - because we're muggleborns and we're used to it -" Maia sighed and Lily stopped her rambling.

"Well that sounds a little slave-ish." Maia spoke but Lily payed her no mind.

"Oh my merlin! I'm sorry! You probably got an ear full from Black about it. I'm just making things worse, Sorry, sorry. I'm terribly sorry." Maia stopped and faced her dead on. Putting her hands on Lily's narrow shoulders, she spoke.

"Lily Marie Evans -" Lily glared at the use of her middle name. "- I'm completely and utterly fine with this detention. I mean it was inevitable. No student can go seven years without detention. You couldn't." Maia remembered the time Lily got detention for helping another kid out in Defense against the Dark Arts. Maia thought back to when they had an awful  teacher. He was very cold and mean. He also thought that students should have a deal of punishment for helping others, as "independent learning is essential for students".

Maia, herself, thought it unfair that Lily got detention that day; and apparently Dumbledore did too. At the end of the week, said teacher got the sack and they were put with a cool substitute who let them colour in for a lesson every fortnight. She was soon then appointed their full time teacher for DADA. Her name was Prof. Tilina, but she let her students call her Tilly. She's was like a second mother to Maia. To the point Maia got to stay up late (past curfew) just to sit and have tea and biscuits with Tilly. It certainly was good to have a second - more mature - opinion in difficult situations. Tilly really helped her through everything.

"That is quite true, but I'm still terribly sorry." Maia shook her head and smiled.

"Don't be."

"Oi, Look Padfoot! It's your wife!" Potter yelled loud and clear. Lily's usual smile turned dark - almost like a scowl. Maia whipped around and glared at the person who's voice it belonged to.

"Can you shut up?" Maia yelled.

"Yes, for once I agree with Sterling. Please shut up about this!" Black sighed heavily. They both looked at each other and nodded curtly.

"I saw that look. I totally saw that. It begins! Ahh, I remember when I first fell in love." Potter wiped a false tear away. Maia groaned.

"Oh rack off, Potter." Lily sighed.

"I'd like to touch your rack - if you know what I mean." James wiggled his eyebrows and Lily glared at him. Maia looked grossed out and gave Potter a disbelieving look.

"To be honest," Lupin spoke, his head poking through a book, completely ignoring Potter and Lily's exchange. "I like the idea of you two together, and I'm sure I'm not alone." I turned around and glared at the other resident bookworm.

"Look! There is nothing going on with Black and I and there never will. So stop trying to set us up!" Maia stalked away - probably to her dormitories, Lily following close behind. Unbeknownst to them, Potter rubbed Black's back as Black seeped in first rejection that he ever had gotten.

___

Black kept the ice-pack applied to his swollen head as he sighed miserably. Quidditch was normally a wonderful game, and blocking attacks from bludgers was ridiculously easy - especially when you're the beater. However, this time the Quidditch gods were not on his side. After a close preceding with a bludger that managed to nip his head slightly - there called a time out and Sirius was taken to Madam Pomfrey's where he was pampered and scolded for playing 'the most dangerous sport young witches and wizards can play'.

"Hello Black." A girls voice rung in his ear. Having a mini heart attack, he turned his head to the right to see Maia Sterling.

"Oh, it's you." He snarled.

"Oh, it's you." She mocked. He glared at her.

"Stop mocking me."

"Stop mocking me." She smirked.

"I'm serious!" He snarled, his nostrils flaring.

"I'm serious!" She mocked again. His anger melting away like magma, he smirked.

"I must say Sterling, I know you're in love with me -" "No, I'm not." "But honey-" "Don't call me that." "I'm Sirius. You-" Sirius leaned over and poked her on the cheek. "-are Maia Sterling."

"Ugh. Stupid bet." Maia growled under her breath.

"What was that, Sterling?" He raised and eyebrow and leaned a little closer. He took the ice-pack off his head and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh! Nothing! Nothing at all! I didn't say anything, you need to get your ears checked." She rushed her words. Sirius' eyebrows raised even further but he let it go.

"Why are you here Sterling?" He sighed, as if being around her is a chore. Maia re-adjusted her place in her chair and stretched.

"Do I-" She yawned. "-need a reason-" She then stretched. "- to come to see you now?" Leaning back on the pillows, he grunted. She wasn't even looking at him, and was looking at a bed on the far end of the room.

"No, but it's not like you would particularly choose me over a book," He looked over at her and smirked annoyingly. "Am I right, or am I right?" She just waved him off with an agreement. That was pissing him off. He turned his head and looked over. A guy - Slytherin - was sleeping. Since Sirius hated Slytherins above all things, he didn't bother learning the name of them. The only two Slytherins he knew were Regulus Black - his snooty little brother - and Snivellus Snape, the greasy friend of Lily Evans and Maia Sterling.

"Who is that?" He asked.

"Mark Lettering." Maia sighed dreamily.

"Okay," He said slowly. "Why are you staring at him?" He whispered.

"Because he's attractive." Maia whispered sharply. Sirius recoiled and scoffed - as if that remark hurt his ego.

"He's a Slytherin though!" Sirius crinkled his nose in disgust.

"So? Sev is in Slytherin and he's my friend."

"Yeah, but you're you." He retorted.

"What do you mean by that?" Maia asked, her lips sinking into a small frown.

"He's Snivellus. It's obvious that you're hanging out with him because of Evans." Sirius rolled his eyes and before she could retort he grabbed her arm and whispered oh so carefully in her ear - all while retaining eye contact.

"Look, I'm telling you enemy to enemy, you don't want to associate with Snape anymore. He's chosen the dark arts over you and Lily. He's gotten new influencing friends who think Muggleborns are scum. Unless you want his dark reveal to hurt more than it should, I'd cut ties with him now." Maia recoiled.

"Severus is a great person! How dare you- next time you say stuff about one of best-friends I'll hex you into oblivion!" She growled. Sirius sighed and threw his head back. 

"Fine then. Don't come crying to me when he yells at you and Lily for having muggle parents." Sirius locked his jaw in place, which if Maia knew anything about Sirius, it's that he's stubborn and once his jaw locks in place there's no arguing. Only Maia has ever got him out of that stubbornness once, and that was when she said she'd give him some of her Honeydukes candy. However, since she had no candy at all, Maia could only walk out.

What in the Merlin is Black talking about?