"I'LL DO IT BUT ONLY IF YOU agree to the terms," Farrah started as she pulled Sirius into an empty classroom.
Sirius' lips curved into a smirk, watching the girl as she poked her head outside to make sure no one had seen them come in.
Good, he thought, She had considered it.
"Terms? You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?" Sirius taunted.
"I have," she answered, ignoring his jab. It was the truth. If she was going to do this, she had to do this carefully. Merlin knew what Regulus would do if he found out. Especially, right now when he already had so much going on.
"Am I going to have to sign a contract? Make a blood pact? Perform the Unbreakable Vow?"
"You know what," Farrah said, "I should have known you were just acting the maggot. Forget about it, forget about this."
"Farrah, wait," Sirius said as the girl turned to walk away. He grabbed her by her hand and pulled her back towards him, "I'm serious."
"I know you are," she responded with a smile that quickly faded, "But I think you're taking this for a joke. It isn't the same for the two of us. I don't want to hurt Reggie's feelings and you don't care about that-"
"I wasn't aware that my brother had feelings."
"He'd say the same about you," Farrah said, "But he's my best friend and I won't do anything that I know will hurt him-"
"Now I'm confused. You started this saying that you'd do it but now you're saying you don't want to hurt your friend. You can't do them both."
"Would you stop interrupting me so I can explain?!"
Sirius opened his mouth to say something else but Farrah narrowed her eyes at him. The boy shut his mouth and gestured for her to continue speaking.
"Thank you. As I was saying before, I don't want to do anything that'll hurt him. I won't. But... if he doesn't know, it won't hurt him."
Sirius smirked, "Are you suggesting we run around in secret, MacMillan?"
Farrah struggled to swallow, as her throat and mouth were suddenly very dry. She nodded, "Just... just until I find a way to tell Reggie about it."
"And when will that be?"
"I don't know!" she exclaimed, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, "But no one finds out about this until I've told him."
"Not even my boys?"
"Especially not them," Farrah said, "I love them but James and Peter both suck at keeping secrets. Remus is okay at it but he's not good under pressure. The last thing I need is one of them squealing at Regulus because he stared at them for too long."
Sirius snorted, "Have you no faith in us?"
"No, not as much as I'd need to have. Do we have a deal?"
The Black smiled, extending his hand out for the girl to shake, "Yes, we do."
Farrah took his hand and shook it, a smile growing on her lips despite the ferocious bubbling of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. As if sensing her worries, Sirius pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it, before whispering, "It's okay, Farrah. It'll be fun."
The girl bit her lip. She had no doubt that it would be fun. The question was, was fun worth possibly destroying a friendship?
She pulled away from him, shaking her two hands as if to shake the nerves from them. She swallowed, "You should be getting to class now."
Sirius nodded, "So should you. Unless you're back to 'Classes smasses' MacMillan."
Farrah groaned, "Good Godric, that was one time!"
"Some things only have to happen once for them to remembered. They're called unforgettable moments."
That night, Farrah was already in the kitchens when Peter and Remus got there. She had been there for half an hour and had started the reading for McGonagall's class while enjoying a cup of peppermint tea. As the Gryffindors sat across from Farrah, they eyed her carefully. The girl continued to read her book and sip her tea, waiting for one of them to say anything.
After what felt like three hours, she couldn't take it anymore, "Any reason in particular you lads are looking at me like I've grown another head?"
"You're going out with Sirius?" Peter asked.
The Slytherin girl choked on her tea and started to cough. Remus was at her side in an instant, patting her back while shooting Peter a look.
"What?" Peter responded to the hard stare Remus was giving him, "If Farrah's losing her mind, we need to find out now."
"Who-" Farrah choked out, clearing her throat before she started again, "Who told you that?"
"Who do you think?" Remus asked, still rubbing the girl's back, "But he also told us not to mention it to anyone, not even you."
Farrah rubbed her temples with her eyes closed, "I told him not to tell anyone at all."
"So it's true?!" Peter exclaimed, "He asked you out... and you said YES???"
"Shhhhh," Farrah hushed the blue-eyed boy, "I'm trying to keep this on the downlow and it won't help if the entire castle hears you."
"I mean, you've got to understand his surprise," Remus said softly, "It is Sirius Black we're talking about."
"Isn't he you guys' best mate?"
"Yeah, but that's because he's a great friend. Sure, he can be a little ignorant at times, but overall he's someone you'd definitely want on your side. But, Sirius has never been the type to ask girls out. I don't think he has since... probably third year, maybe," Peter said, before thanking the house elf for the hot chocolate they had just brought him.
"What Wormtail is saying," Remus added, "Is that it was just surprising to hear that Sirius asked you out. And, more surprising to find out you had said yes."
"I'm not too sure it was the right decision myself," Farrah said, "One thing. I tell him do one thing, just don't tell anyone until I can find a way to tell Reggie. Does he listen? No. What's the point in doing this if he won't hear anything I have to say?"
There were a few moments of silence before the girl sighed and stood up, "Maybe I should just tell him never mind. This really didn't make sense anyway."
"No, Farrah, wait," Remus stopped the girl, "Sit down for a moment."
She obliged and Remus took a deep breath, "Sirius is... a special boy."
"By special, do you mean highly egotistical?"
"Yes, yes, I do," Remus answered, "But under all of that ego, he cares about a few things. It's really deep down but he does. This is one of those things."
"And I'm supposed to believe that because you say so?"
"Well," Peter interjected, "He did ask us to cover for you for the next Hogsmeade trip."
"What?" Farrah asked, turning to the shorter boy.
Peter nodded, sipping on his beverage, "He knew you'd need a solid reason for not being with Regulus and Josh so he asked us to ask you to stay back in the castle with us in front of them so that they wouldn't be too curious about why you aren't with them."
"Did he now?"
"Yeah," Remus said, "He kept mumbling something about terms and emotions."
Farrah couldn't help the small smile that came to her lips. She wasn't the only one who was thinking this through. Not only had Sirius heard her and agreed, but he was also doing things that would make it easier for her. He had taken a calculated risk telling the guys, because Farrah had specifically told him not to, but it was a risk that might have worked out in both their favors.
"Okay, but neither of you can breathe a word of this to anyone, you understand me?" Farrah said, switching her gaze from Peter to Remus.
The two boys nodded, "We swear a Marauders' pact of honor."
Farrah smiled, shaking her head as she took another sip of her peppermint tea. She couldn't help but think that this just might work out after all.