Sirius P.O.V.
I turned to grin at Courtney, who was sitting on the porch with Lily while James and I started our snowball war. A snowball wizzed past my face. Crap, Courtney keeps distracting me, James almost got me then. I faintly heard Courtney let out a laugh and she called out to me, "What's wrong Sirius?"
"You're what's wrong, you bloody evil woman," I shouted back to her, scanning the yard for James. I had made sure earlier that he didn't have his invisibility cloak so he couldn't cheat and get me, but you could never be sure with James.
"What did I do?" she answered, feigning innocence and smiling slightly at me. I was caught by her smile, but shook myself out of it. I couldn't afford to loose this war...that would not be good.
"You keep distracting me." I saw a devious smile creep on her face and instantly I knew she meant to get my attention away from James long enough for him to nail me with a snowball. "You're evil, you are."
"Well, according to James, you've always won these snowball things, so I figured it was James' turn to win."
"And she's damn right," James voice called from somewhere to my left, so naturally, I spun around with a snowball raised in my hand only to be met with nothing. "I think poor ole me deserves some victory for a change." His voice came from behind me, so again I jumped around, but he wasn't in sight. Where the hell was he hiding? Damn Potter.
Both the girls were quite enjoying this by now, as if they knew something I didn't. Which, they probably did. "Alright, Prongs enough games," I muttered, backing away into a hedge that surrounded the Potter garden. Luckily, Mrs. Potter had this weird charm where her plants would stay in full bloom all year round, no matter what season it was.
"Since when was this a game?" James asked me, but try as I might, I couldn't spot the cheeky little bugger.
"You're right, it's an all out war. But I'm gonna get you, just you watch."
"Woah Padfoot, scandalous. I thought you were with Cory? This is some startling new information," he crowed obnoxiously.
"Shut it you prat. You know what I meant."
"I sure did, Padfoot, I sure did," his taunting voice echoing around me while I was hidden away in the plants. If James was standing in front of me right now, I know exactly what that git would be doing. He'd be either smirking at me or winking like the git he is. Did I mention he's a git? Because he is. A complete, utter, stupid, annoying, cocky, arrogant...damn him, I'm getting sidetracked again. See, this was his strategy all along. Getting Courtney to turn against me and distract me was his sick, twisted plan. He is so going down.
"Oh, Sirius," Courtney said in a sing-song voice. The tone in her voice told me she was up to something immediately. "I have something to tell you."
"Be quiet Daniels, I'm trying to figure out where that cheeky little arsehole has got to."
"But...but this is important." This time, I looked over at her, only to find her sitting there with a pout on her face and nearly taking my breath away as she was standing and leaning against a post. Her red hair tumbled past her shoulders in loose waves and curls, her cheeks flushed from the cold air. I knew she was trying to distract me, but I couldn't help myself. There's this feeling you get everytime you look at the one you love, and if it's the right moment, they take your breath away. That's how I felt looking at Courtney right then.
"Oh all right, but only for a moment," I relented. She looked so stunning at the moment, I couldn't stop myself from walking over to her. However, I restrained myself from sprinting for her but I did have trouble with that. Even speed walking didn't seem fast enough to get to her. "What is it?" I asked her, leaning against the side of the wooden post she was also using to support her weight.
"Only this," she whispered seductively before pulling me in for a kiss. I would like to tell you that I took control and managed to get a kiss as well as a win out of this, but sadly that is not the case. Courtney kissed me so instensly that, and I'm almost ashamed to say it, I melted into her touch. I felt my knees go weak and had to put a hand on the post to keep myself from falling over. I could not believe how she could reduce me to such a quivering mess.
And, just to my luck, as she pulled away, a very wet, solid mass of freezing snow slammed into the back of my head. Courtney grinned wickedly at me and James finally revealed himself to have been flying around me on his broom. Sneaky little git.
"YES! I won!" James screeched in triumph, hopping off his broom before it even touched the ground and punching a fist in the air. "I beat Sirius! I beat Sirius," he chanted excitedly, twirling around and kicking snow up everywhere.
Courtney watched him amusedly, while Lily laughed her head off. "Big deal," I snorted, somewhat indignant by the way he had won. "You cheated anyway."
"Did not, there's nothing in the rules that says I can't have an accomplice," James smirked evilly and high fived Courtney. He turned to Lily and asked, "Aren't you going to give the winner his victory kiss?"
Lily made a face. "Are you suggesting that I would have had to give Sirius a kiss if he had beaten you?"
James looked absolutely horrified at the thought and shook his head vigorously, so hard I thought for a moment whatever brains he had left were going to fall out of his ears. "No, that's not what I meant...I just...could you....um..."
I started roaring with laughter at the confused expression on his face. At least I was getting something out of this humiliating loss. Courtney smiled at me and said, "Sorry for tricking you. He made me." She pointed an accusatory finger at James who glared at her.
"Do you want me to tell him?" he threatened, shaking a fist at her.
Courtney looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. "Meh, do what you want." She and Lily went back inside the house. I waited until they were inside before rounding on James.
"Tell me what exactly?" I asked through gritted teeth. James struggled to pull my hands off the neck of his coat.
"C-can't b-breath," he chocked out, which made me release him.
"You'd better tell me what you threatened Cory with," I growled, glaring furiously at him.
He looked uncertain for a moment and then cleared his throat, "Well, I'll only tell you if you promise to not strangle me, or the person involved." I gave him a curt nod of the head, so James launched into his tale. "Well...erm...you remember Davey Gudgeon right?"
"Of course I do," I muttered, remembering how Courtney had become friends with him after we broke up. He infuriated me with the obvious way he flirted with her, though she seemed oblivious to the fact.
"Okay, so, please don't get mad, but he...he er...asked Cory out on...on the train ride home." James flinched away from me as if he expected me to beat him senseless for telling me this.
"And...what did she say?" I asked slowly, fearing the answer.
"Er, yes?" but his answer came out more like a question.
I took a deep, steadying breath to calm myself. Courtney had said yes to Davey Gudgeon, which meant we were not really back together until she ended it with him. I'd never imagined that someone would have the nerve to ask her out when pretty much the whole school knew I was going to go after her. "James...would you please assist me in murdering that rat when we return to Hogwarts?"
"Sorry mate. I don't want to go to Azkaban at only 17, Lily and I still have to get married," he cried out, shaking his head at me as if I should have gotten that.
"Oh really, you're going to marry her?" I asked with a snort. Somehow, I couldn't picture James settling down...maybe it was because of our age, or maybe it was just the fact that I was still angry over Gudgeon asking out my girl.
"Yep, right after we graduate," he said proudly, brushing some of the snow that had managed to stick to his pants. "I'm planning on asking her soon."
"That's bloody mental. You want to get married when you're eighteen?" I said in shock. I knew James loved Lily, but I didn't think he would want to commit himself completely to her so soon. It was slightly unerving that I didn't know my friend as well as I thought.
"Of course I do," James said, as if he couldn't believe I'd ever ask such a thing. "You were going to have an arranged marriage when you turned eighteen if you didn't leave home," he pointed out.
"True, but they would have married me off to some freakshow relative of mine."
"Or maybe it would have been Courtney," James said suddenly. That, needless to say, made me loose my voice completely. What if I was going to be married to Courtney? The idea made me feel a little light headed and dizzy, so I sat down with a bump on a chair that was previously occupied by Courtney. "She is a pureblood isn't she?" he questioned, looking over at my now pale complexion.
"Yeah...yeah, she is."
James shook his head at my stunned expression, grinning to himself. "Well...once you've got all that," he gestured to my face, "back in line, I suggest you come inside. Lily said something about hot chocolate." It took me a minute to come back to my senses, but I had been imagining what a future like that with Courtney would have been like. Sure, it terrified me to no end, but the thought also felt inviting and...pleasant. Yes, I could definitely see myself with Courtney in the future, but married? Somehow, I didn't think that would happen even it was an arranged marriage.
-Shopping with Lily in Diagon Alley-
Courtney P.O.V.
"Really Lily? I don't want to," I whined as she pulled me into a dress store for witches after her. "Why can't I just wear something I already have?"
"Partly because the only things you have are some of my borrowed clothes as it would be too dangerous for you to return home at the moment." She shot me an annoyed glare, but I could tell it was fake. We were currently in Diagon Alley, looking for dresses for James' annual Christmas party. He always had it the day before Christmas Eve, so it was almost a week after my mother's stupid ball. Even though it would be a party full of all our friends from Hogwarts and James' cousins, I still didn't want to go. I'd never gone the past couple of years because of Sirius, so I had no idea what would happen.
The only reason I was out here was because Lily had somehow managed to convince Mrs. Potter to let me out with her, promising that she'd be extra careful and cautious. I had tried to pretend still being unwell, but Lily had seen right through my little act. "Lily, neither of us have ever even been to one of James' Christmas parties. And from knowing James, there's not going to be shortage of alcohol."
"Oh, who cares?" Lily dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand. My jaw dropped nearly to the floor when she said that. What had happened the good girl Lily? Prefect Lily? Responsible Head Girl Lily? Oh, that's right...she fell for James bloody Potter. I'm going to kill him. He's the reason my best friend is more lax about the rules and wants to go to a stupid party.
"James has been a bad influence on you, Lils. I think it's time to stop it," I said, hiding a grin when she glared ferociously at me.
"I have no intention of stopping it with James."
"Traitor," I commented mildly, looking around at all the frills and lace with blatant disgust. God I hated this damn dress shops. They're so...girly.
"Me? A traitor? You were dating Sirius first! Now who's the traitor?" Lily contradicted me huffily before beginning to search through the clothing racks for a dress.
I rolled my eyes and said, "Well, if you're going to force me to attend this stupid party, then I might as well look hot."
"That's the spirit. Think of how Sirius'll be drooling over you," she said gleefully before shoving a pile of dresses into my arms. "And just for the party Cor, I think you should change your hair back to brown. You'll be able to wear the colors that look best on you then."
"I'm not changing it back to the brown it used to be," I grumbled, pulling and strand of red hair forward.
"Well, change it to a brown you like then," Lily said exasperated. I did what she asked though, after several minutes of complaining. Instead though, my hair was a rich chocolate brown with caramel colored highlights running through it.
Lily smiled at my hair and said, "That looks amazing. Just as good as the red."
"You think?" I asked shyly, examining my curly hair in a mirror that happened to be conveniently attached to the wall.
"Definitely, but you have to change it back to red before we go. I want to surprise Sirius." She grinned excitedly and headed back towards the changing rooms, with me following grudgingly. "You're going first missy," Lily said sternly, shoving a pile of dresses towards me and pushing me into a stall.
I scowled but rummaged through the pile of darker toned dresses, trying to find one I took a liking to. I picked up a purple dress with flower designs all over it. No, most definitely not. The green wouldn't work either, I didn't like the styles or the shades. However, a royal blue dress caught my eye. I held it up and examined the thing. Eh, why not? It's not as horrible as the others.
It was a strapless number with little white circles all over it, giving me the impression of bubbles. And, it wasn't too short, so it would probably end halfway down my thigh. I pulled the thing on and went to show Lily without even glancing at myself.
"So, watcha think?" I asked, spinning around to display the dress for her.
Lily clapped her hands together excitedly and squealed, which I took as a good sign. "Oh, it's perfect Cor. You'll give Sirius a heart attack!" I snickered at the thought and went to change back into the jeans and t-shirt Lily had loaned me.
"All right, your turn," I said, plopping down in her chair and running a hand through my hair. I'll admit, the brown didn't look as bad as I thought it would. Maybe the other shade just wasn't the right tone for me. Whatever, now I have to pay attention to Lily.
After an hour of me asking Lily if I told her she looked good, would it make us get out of there faster, she finally found a black and white dress that bunch up at the bottom. Black rose designs covered it, so it seemed like a perfect fit for Lily. Haha, ironic, she's named after a flower, but she's wearing roses. Okay, so it's not that funny. Give me a break, I've been stuck in a dress shop with Lily for almost two hours...it's like torture.
-Two Hours Before the Party-
So, our dresses were on, and the nails were done. All that was left was the hair. This was the part I hated the most. Lily had done hers in a side braid, which looked good since her hair was so long. Now came the part I hated.
Lily brushed, pulled, pushed, and curled my hair until I was sure it was all going to fall out. Eventually, my hair came out in loose curls and waves that had a beachy look to it, so I liked it. If only Lily would have let me use my metamorphmagus powers for that. But nooooo, she said all the imperfections of the hair were what made it perfect. If that makes any sense.
She handed me a pair of black, open toed flats which would be way more comfortable than the heels I had seen some girls wear before. Those things looked like medieval torture devices. No joke.
"Okay, I'm dooone," Lily exclaimed in sing song voice once she had finished applying my makeup. Thank god I warned her if there was too much, I wasn't going downstairs at all. She had put on some gold, brown, and blue shades of eyeshadow that made my chocolate colored eyes pop, along with a bit of blush, eyeliner, and mascara. It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, but I still didn't think I was 'drop dead' gorgeous.
"Finally," I grumbled, making my way towards the door.
"Not so fast, missy," Lily scolded me, "You can't leave the room until Mrs. Potter calls for us."
"Oh, she wants us to make a big entrance does she?"
"Well yes, plus she wants to see a speechless James," Lily said with a grin. That got me started in a fit of laughter. James never really learned to shut his mouth, even after all those detentions scrubbing out the bathrooms with a toothbrush.
James and Sirius repeatedly tried to sneak in the room, so Lily threatened to...you know what, I don't want to repeat what she said. It's too horrible. But, that made them stop their attempts to break into our room, so Lily calmed down for awhile.
Then, Mrs. Potter had to go and rile her up again by knocking on our door and telling us it was time to come out. Lily was busy freaking out over if she would trip and fall or something else equally 'embarassing' in front of James. Personally, I loved the idea of tripping down the stairs, but it would be a challenge for me not to. I always trip when I'm trying hard not to. It's a curse.
We walked out of the room and to the top of the staircase, where Mrs. Potter announced our arrival. The party was in full swing, but everyone turned to look at us. I almost fell over myself laughing at Sirius' expression. His jaw was slack and his eyes looked distant and dreamy. Heh, sucker. I've got him wrapped around my little finger.
Both him and James stood waiting for us at the bottom of the staircase. I let out a small snicker at both their stunned expressions, but Lily subtly tried to kick me so I would shut up. If I started laughing, then she would start laughing, and what followed would be a huge pile up in the Potter home.
"Lily," James breathed out, as if he had been holding a breath he didn't mean to, "you look amazing."
"Excuse me," I said, raising an eyebrow at him. "I do believe there are two of us standing here." Sirius was silent, so I decided to tease James for a bit.
"Okay, okay. Cory, you don't look like you just crawled out of bed this morning, nice job." Classic James, a small compliment hidden in a montrous insult.
"Why thank you. I made an effort just for you tonight," I said, throwing him a wide smile and turning to Sirius, who was still quiet. "Um...hello?" I said, waving a hand in front of his eyes. "Knock, knock, anybody home?" I asked, rapping him softly on the forehead. That seemed to jolt him back to his senses and Sirius threw me the most dazzling smile I had ever seen.
"Sorry, you just missed them," he said jokingly, offering me an arm as I about fell off the stairs laughing. "But you look absolutely gorgeous," he whispered in my ear as he led me away.
"Thank you, my good sir," I said, curtsying low and grinning widely.
He returned the grin and slide his arms around my waist, hugging me for a moment. "You're all mine tonight," he mumbled, his lips brushing against my ear. I blushed at that, and pulled out of his embrace.
"Did James tell you?" I asked, biting my lip a little nervously. I wasn't sure how Sirius was going to react to that bit of news.
He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, he did."
"And...are you mad?" I prompted, walking beside him as we headed towards James, Lily, and several other people from Gryffindor.
"A little..." Sirius said quietly. He suddenly turned to face me and looked me straight in the eye. "But I want to know if you want us to be together."
"Of course I do," I said, slighly angered that he would think that. "I wouldn't have kissed you otherwise."
A relived expression crossed his face and he kissed my cheek softly before leading me out onto the dance floor. "Don't you want to talk to your friends?" I asked surprised. I hadn't thought Sirius was one for dancing.
He smile that breathtaking smile at me again and shook his head. "Tonight, all I want to do is be with you."
"When did you become the soppy romantic?" I teased, putting my arms around his neck as we danced to a slow song that had came on.
"Ever since I met you," he said softly, catching my gaze with his. I smiled at him and put my head on his shoulder. He pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around my waist as we slowly turned on the spot to the music. This was wonderful. I didn't think anything would ruin my night, but sadly, something like that always happens.
I don't know why Davey Gudgeon was here, or how he'd gotten into the party at all, but he saw me dancing with Sirius, who was constantly bending over to mutter something in my ear to make me laugh or kiss my cheek softly. And, of course, that made him mad. You see, he thought I hated Sirius after our fight, so I was going to date him and forget all about Sirius.
"Courtney, could I have a word," he growled, glaring daggers at Sirius who sneered at him.
"What makes you think she wants to talk to you?" Sirius challenged, pulling me closer to his side, which I thought was over protective and sweet at the same time.
"Funny, she was talking to me at school and avoiding you, so I assume she would like to," Davey countered, folding his arms across his chest.
Sirius' expression was nearing the danger zone, and I could tell. "Sirius, please don't," I whispered, tugging slightly on his sleeve. "Don't cause a scene." His gaze snapped from Davey to me and he sighed reluctantly.
"Fine, for you," he relented. "But this doesn't make you any less mine tonight," Sirius muttered in my ear, turning to walk over to Remus, who I hadn't noticed before.
"What are you doing with him?" Davey hissed angrily at me. "I thought you broke up with him!"
"I did," I replied simply, not really wanting to get into a fight. "But things have changed between us. There was a small misunderstanding is all."
"Small? Oh please, I heard he shouted at you for cheating on him with Lupin which you didn't. You call that small?"
"Yes, I do." He glared at me and caught my wrist tightly in his hand.
"Need I remind you of what you said to me on the train."
I glared angrily at him, not infuriated he had dared to touch and now blackmail me into dating him. I had only agreed to go out with him, not said anything more than that. He obviously read more into that though. "Let go," I snapped, raising my free hand to punch him. I was not going to be pushed around by this big headed, Ravenclaw prat. "You know, I used to think you were really sweet and funny, but you've changed my mind," I said, jerking my arm free of him.
"Oh really," he said angrily, taking a threatening step towards me. Okay, that does it. You messed with the wrong girl, Davey. Say goodbye to your two front teeth. I was about to nail him square in the face when an hand caught my arm and pulled me away before I could do any real damage to the git.
I turned to hit whoever had a hold of me, but relaxed when I saw it was Sirius. "Good news, Sir," I said, a grin now spreading across my face. If Davey thought I was going to go out with him now, he had another thing coming. "I'm completely available now."
"Wonderful," he said, returning the grin. "Now, would you mind terribly if I turned that git into a slug?" Sirius asked, pulling out his wand and twirling it eagerly in his hand.
"Yes, I would mind. Only because then you'd be too busy with him to be with me," I breathed into his ear. I heard his breath catch in his throat and he leaned forward, intending to kiss me. "No...not right now."
Sirius looked slightly disappointed, but shot me a devilish grin. "Fine, I'll save it for later." He winked at me and pulled me back out to the dance floor.
Hours later, after all the guests had gone home, Sirius and I were in the living room. I was perched on his lap with his arms wrapped around my waist and mine around his neck we kissed. I never realized how much I truly missed Sirius until now.
"Let's go upstairs," he whispered into my ear before placing a small kiss on my mouth. I nodded as he swung me into his arms and carried me up the stairs. We fell back onto his bed, kissing intensely. I felt his fingers slip higher up my back as his fingers gently played with the zipper of my dress.
One of my arms was still wrapped around his neck, but the other had slipped down underneath his shirt. Seconds later, it was off his head and my hand had now travelled down his bare skin to the waistband of his pants. His breathing became heavy and ragged, as did mine as we continued to kiss like this.
Suddenly Sirius pulled away, a pained expression on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up beside him as he put his head in his hands.
"I-I want you Cory...so much it's almost scary," he whispered into his hands.
I put my head on his shoulder and put an arm around his neck again. "Who says I don't want you too?" I mumbled, suddenly aware of every detail of the room.
Sirius looked at me with surprise and said, his voice barely containing the excitement he felt, "You do?"
I nodded, but hesitated, biting my lip uncertaintly. "I don't want to be just another one of those girls who don't mean anything to you."
"You mean everything to me Cory," Sirius said, shifting closer to me. "You won't be another one of those girls, because I love you." Our eyes met and for a moment we were silent. "But I want our first time to be special," he added after a long minute of silence.
I decided then what I was going to say. "It will be special, simply because it is our first time," I replied back, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Are you sure?" Sirius asked, now hesitating instead of me. "You don't have to."
"Are you trying to convince me otherwise," I joked lightly before leaning in closer to him. "Sirius...I want to." That dazzling smile I had only just seen earlier tonight made its way onto his face again. Sirius closed the last of the distance between us, letting our lips meet gently. Slowly, he pushed me back onto the bed and put a hand on the zipper of my dress again. He pulled it down almost achingly slow. There was no going back now.
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Oh snap! Watcha think of that, huh? Hehe, I feel evil, but I have a question for all of you. Do you guys want this to end with Courtney living or dying? Just a thought, because I think I'm going to plan a sequel to this, but I wanted to know what you guys thought. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, which was a long one by my standards. See ya later!
VOTE, COMMENT, FAN!!!