If Love is a Game...

Chapter Eight

The Howler and Snogo Choco Bars

On their way to lunch after two other classes, Double Potions was still fresh in their minds. Lorena couldn't get over the fact that Lucius had been scared to death that his hair was gone. The image in her mind was so delightful that she said she'd cherish it forever. Lily was mentioned at how shocked and upset Narcissa had been. Sara was just now telling how her cousin, Rodolphus Lestrange, looked like without hair.

"To put it simple, it almost scared me," Sara giggled. Krystyna, Lily, and Lorena laughed. "I mean, I was petrified and thought my eyes would pop out! He does not look good without hair, I'll tell you that. He looked like some monster." Lily agreed.

They walked into the Great Hall and sat down opposite of each other, Krystyna by Lily and Lorena by Sara on the other side. Suddenly, the Marauders over took the seats next to them. James slid in the spot next to Lily, Remus dropped himself in the seat next to Lorena, Sirius scooted himself in the seat next to Krystyna, and Peter timidly sat in the seat next to Sara.

"'Hello, Krystyna, don't you just love me?'" Sirius said, mocking Lucius again. Everyone laughed. "I don't see how Malfoy can stand at how bright his hair is. I bugs the crap out of me! I guess I'll have to get use to it though or did you finish concocting the antidote yet, James?" James, who still had his newly colored red hair, nodded his head.

"Yeah, I have it done," James replied nonchalantly.

"So that's why you weren't in Arithmency!" Lily exclaimed. "You were skiving on class to make the antidote." James shrugged his shoulders.

"We only reviewed today, right?" James replied. Lily grinned.

"Well..."

"Tell me I didn't miss anything!" James said, horrified at the thought.

"Nope, we just reviewed and I wish I could've missed it too," Lily sighed, smiling brightly. James sighed with relief and grabbed a goblet full of pumpkin juice. He took a swig of it.

"Whew, you had me going there for a second, Lily," James replied, relieved.

"How was Ancient Runes?" Sara asked quietly.

"Today, it was rather fascinating," Krystyna chirped.

"Mm hm, fascinating indeed," Sirius agreed. Remus rolled his eyes. What they thought was fascinating was how they could escape passing notes to each other in the back of the classroom without getting caught. Sirius's idea of "fascinating" was Krystyna. Only the gods knew what Krystyna thought was "fascinating". Sara nodded her head.

"You're in Muggle Studies, right?" Peter asked her quietly.

"Er--yeah, I am," Sara sighed nervously. Peter nodded his head.

"I am too," Peter muttered.

"Really, I've never seen you there," Sara noted curiously, louder than her usual volume. Her eyebrows were raised as she looked at a nervous Peter. He merely nodded his head.

"I sit in the back so she doesn't call on me," Peter murmured.

"Oh, I see," Sara sighed, nodding her head.

"I'm glad to be in Ancient Runes, myself," Lorena quipped. Remus nodded his head.

"I agree," he said. Sirius gave James a fleeting look who grinned. Suddenly, any mail that had not been able to come at breakfast flew in at the time. Only a few owls dropped in. And one beautiful and large golden owl dropped a scarlet letter in front of Krystyna. She blanched.

"Oh no," she whimpered. She'd gotten a Howler from her parents no doubt.

My, how word gets around, Krystyna thought.

"I'll be right back," Krystyna whispered to them. She grasped the letter and took off out of the Great Hall. She shut the door and it exploded on her.

"HOW DARE YOU DO SUCH A HORRID THING?!!! I NEARLY DIED OF SHOCK!! WHAT HAS BECOME OF YOU?!!! SNEAKING OFF IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT WITH NONE OTHER THAN JAMES POTTER, REMUS LUPIN, PETER PETTIGREW, LILY EVANS, AND SIRIUS BLACK!!! SIRIUS BLACK!! WHAT HAVE WE TAUGHT YOU IN ALL YOUR LIFE!!! IT HAD TO BE SIRIUS BLACK, DIDN'T IT!! YOU DID IT JUST TO SPITE YOUR FATHER AND ME, I SUPPOSE!! WHY COULD IT NOT HAVE BEEN LUCIUS MALFOY?!! TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE IN THE BLACK BOY THAT IS NOT IN LUCIUS!! OUT OF ALL OF THE BOYS, IT HAD TO BE SIRIUS BLACK!! AND I THOUGHT WE BOTH TOLD YOU NOT TO HANG AROUND THE MUDBLOOD ANYMORE?!!"

"Mum... oh, dear Lord..." Krystyna whimpered, watching the scarlet letter scream at her.

"WE ARE BOTH TERRIBLY DISGUSTED WITH YOUR FOWL BEHAVIOR!!! YOU ARE FILTHING THE MELANIE NAME AS WE KNOW IT!!! WE ARE ASHAMED OF YOU!!! HOW COULD YOUR FATHER GO TO WORK WITH LUCIUS' FATHER WHEN HE KNEW THAT?! HOW COULD HE FACE HIM?!! AND ALL OF THE LADIES ARE WONDERING WHAT WE TEACH YOU!! IT'S DOWN RIGHT DISGRACEFUL!!! "

Krystyna sighed. She had a different meaning of the word 'disgraceful' than her mother did. She thought that calling Muggle-born witches and wizards Mudblood and treating Muggles badly was disgraceful. Talking and being seen with Sirius, James, Remus, Peter, and Lily was disgraceful to her parents. The Howler continued its assault.

"BUT THAT'S NOT EVEN THE WORST PART OF IT!!! YOU WERE IN A CLOSET WITH SIRIUS BLACK ALL NIGHT!!! I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT HORRORS YOU DID IN THE CLOSET WITH THAT BOY!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!! YOU CERTAINLY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING DIRTY, I HOPE TO THINK!!! WHY WERE YOU IN A CLOSET WITH HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE?!! CERTAINLY YOU DON'T ENJOY HIS COMPANY!! I MIGHT'VE DIED!! I'VE ALREADY HEARD RUMORS THAT YOU WERE CAUGHT SNOGGING HIM BY A PREFECT!!! TELL ME THAT ISN'T TRUE!! IT CAN'T BE TRUE!!! GOOD HEAVENS, YOU ARE THE HEIR TO THIS FORTUNE AND YOU'RE SPENDING YOUR SCHOOL NIGHTS IN CLOSETS WITH BOYS!!!"

Krystyna sighed and rolled her eyes. Her mother made it sound like she did that every night of her life. She made it sound like even looking at Sirius Black would make your eyes burn in the sockets. Of course, she did burn up, but for a different reason.

"OF ALL OF THE BOYS IN HOGWARTS, IT HAD TO BE SIRIUS BLACK!!! SIRIUS BLACK!!! I WAS ABSOLUTELY APPALLED TO EVEN HEAR THAT BOY'S NAME AND YOUR NAME IN THE SAME SENTENCE!!! IT SHOULD BE LUCIUS MALFOY AND YOU; NOT SIRIUS BLACK AND YOU!! IT'S TERRIBLE! BLACK HAS BETRAYED HIS FAMILY AND HAS MADE HIS MOTHER IN RUINS! THE HEIR TO THE FAMILY HAS DISOWNED HIS OWN FAMILY!! CERTAINLY HE IS NOT THE TYPE OF MAN YOU ARE LOOKING FOR! CERTAINLY YOU CAN'T LIKE HIM LIKE THAT OR EVEN AT ALL!! LUCIUS IS THE PERFECT HUSBAND FOR YOU, AND YOU STILL DISOBEY US!! HE IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD, BUT YOU PUSH HIM AWAY!"

"Lord, my parents really need to get over that," Krystyna sighed. She rolled her eyes and continued to stand still as the Howler continued its verbal assault on her.

However, it made no indention in her because she didn't care what her parents thought. Over the years, her parents told her she was a disgrace more than a million times. How could it have an effect on her now? She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed again.

"I THOUGHT YOU CROSSED THE LINE WHEN YOU CONTINUED TO BE FRIENDS WITH THE MUDBLOOD!! I THOUGHT YOU LEARNED YOUR LESSON IN THE SUMMER! I THOUGHT YOU CROSSED THE LINE WHEN YOU TOLD YOUR FATHER THAT YOU WOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH LUCIUS MALFOY IN THE FUTURE!!! BUT YOU'VE GONE EVEN FURTHER!!! YOU ARE NOW SPENDING YOUR TIME WITH SIRIUS BLACK AND GOING AFTER HIM!! WE ARE ASHAMED OF YOU!! WE TOLD YOU NOT TO EVEN GO NEAR HIM!! AND I THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS AN EMINITY BETWEEN YOU TWO!! NOW, IT IS SUDDENLY OVER AND YOU HAVE FEELINGS FOR HIM THAT SHOULD BE FOR LUCIUS?!! IT IS HORRID AND DISGUSTING!! SIRIUS BLACK!! YOU ARE FILTHING YOUR OWN LIFE AND RUINING THE GOOD MELANIE NAME!!"

The letter suddenly tore itself up and burst into huge flames. Krystyna sighed as she watched the burnt ashes fall to the ground at her feet. She shook her head.

"Yes, nice hearing from you too, mum," Krystyna muttered to the black ashes. She grinned and turned to walk back into the Great Hall. Only the gods knew what awaited her there. She was angry about her mother calling Lily a Mudblood out loud for everyone to hear, but held it in. She was also angry how her mother was still determined for her to go with Lucius Malfoy.

"Did someone mention my name?" a voice drawled lazily from behind her. She spun around to see a platinum blond haired man behind her. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes, but if I had had anything to do with it, I wouldn't have been mentioned at all," Krystyna replied quickly. She turned around. Suddenly, she felt a hand go through her hair and she shivered. She closed her eyes and took a breath.

"Nice blond hair," Lucius noted. Krystyna opened her eyes so she could roll them. She turned to face him again, angrily this time.

"Ah, but not the same color as your hair," Krystyna chirped. "Now get out of my face, you poof!" She turned around and walked away before Lucius could say anything to her. She walked back to her seat between Sirius and Lily. Sirius noted that Lucius Malfoy walked behind her. The plates, goblets, and silverware were still rattling from her mother's explosions. Krystyna immediately turned to her best friend.

"Lily, I'm so sorry," Krystyna exclaimed exasperatedly. Lily just stared at her.

"Why--what for?" Lily asked. Krystyna looked down at her plate, which showed her reflection, and then back at Lily.

"For... for my mum calling you that," Krystyna explained. "I--I didn't expect it. I'm really sorry that you had to hear that." She looked around the Great Hall. Students of all ages and some of the teachers were staring in her direction. She looked back at Lily, who smiled.

"It's no problem," Lily replied softly. "I know that you and your family have different views of me and I understand that fully. It's okay, really." Krystyna smiled.

"Thanks, Lily," Krystyna whispered. And then, she turned to face Sirius. "And I guess I'm sorry for what my mum said about you, too." Sirius grinned.

"Hey, it's no biggie," Sirius said. "I've gotten use to that kind of stuff a while back. Your family, my family, they're really the same. I'm use to it. You don't need to apologize." Krystyna smiled loftily and sighed.

"Well, that's a relief," Krystyna sighed. "I was afraid that you'd two be offended." James puffed up indignantly.

"I was offended by the Howler," James quipped dignantly. Krystyna looked at him. Lily turned to look at him with her eyebrows raised.

"Oh, really, James," Lily said. "Tell me, how were you offended?"

"Krystyna's mum only mentioned me once in all of her incessant screams!" James exclaimed. "I think I deserve more credit than that! I was the one that gave Sirius the idea to ask Krystyna to come. I was the one that poked him so he would ask her to come. I was the one that locked them in a closet together. And I was the one who started talking about it! One lousy mentioning... and it wasn't even that rude." Everyone laughed.

"Malfoy stalking you, still?" Lorena questioned. Remus looked over at her. Krystyna nodded her head. Sirius huffed.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it stalking," Krystyna answered. Lorena scowled angrily and then sighed. She shook her head.

"And to think, your parents were all so giddy when you became friends with me," Lorena said thoughtfully. "Remember them, Krystyna? They kept thinking that I'd set you up with Malfoy or something of the sort. That turned out a tad bit opposite, eh, Krystyna?" Everyone laughed again while Krystyna nodded her head. Sara looked down at her watch.

"Oh, great, we're going to be late for Divination again!" Sara exclaimed, jolting out of her seat. Peter almost fell over at the shock of her quickness. Lily looked up.

"What time is it?" Lily asked her.

"12:48, you know it takes us almost twenty minutes to get up to the North Tower!" Sara exclaimed. Lily groaned and let her shoulders drop considerably.

"You're right, we have to go," Lily said grudgingly.

"That means us too," Remus chirped. "I don't see the point in such a small limited time to go somewhere that far up." Lorena shook her head as she got up from her seat.

"I agree, it's pointless," Lorena huffed. James looked at Sirius again and bit his lip. They got up from their seats and grabbed their bags.

"Hey, why don't we just go up there together?" Sirius suggested.

James nodded his head. "Yeah, all eight of us are going to Divination class," he agreed. Krystyna rolled her eyes up to Sirius's.

"Um... sure," Lily replied. "Why not? Do you have any disagreements, Sara? Lorena?" Sara shook her head.

Lorena shook her head. "Nope, I don't," she answered.

"Great, let's get going then!" Sirius exclaimed. "We don't want to be too late." They nodded their heads and began to walk out of the Great Hall quickly. Sirius wrapped his arm around Krystyna jokingly and they laughed. He looked back at Lucius at the Slytherin table and grinned. Lucius satisfied himself by glaring at him, but wanted to throw his goblet at him. Sirius laughed as they disappeared through the huge doors.

~*~

A month and a half had gone by. It was the morning of Halloween, October 31. Many of the Gryffindors were awake and the showers were being used. The dormitories were especially rowdy with laughter and shouts; there was a Hogsmeade trip today. As usual, most of the girls were primping in the bathroom while the boys were having fun.

Sirius threw a pillow across the dormitory and it smacked Peter upside the head. While Sirius guffawed loudly, Peter threw the pillow back. It hit Sirius in the stomach. Soon, they were smacking each other with their pillows. Remus walked into the dormitory in jeans and t-shirt. He was rubbing a towel over his head to dry his wet hair. Suddenly, a pillow smacked him.

"Oops, I'm sorry, Moony!" Peter squealed. Remus grinned and picked up the pillow. He chucked it back at Peter and it hit him.

"Next time, watch where you're launching those things, Wormtail," Remus said. Peter nodded his head and grabbed the pillow, but Sirius smacked him with his pillow.

"C'mon, Remus, join in on the fight!" Sirius laughed as he attacked Peter again. Remus merely shook his head and sighed.

"No thanks, Padfoot, I think I'll pass on that offer," Remus said as he rubbed the towel over his head again. He dropped it on the floor and shook his head. Tiny droplets of water flew across the room. Sirius grinned as Remus started searching for something in his trunk.

"Oh yeah, you need to look all nice for Lorena," Sirius joked. Remus looked up at Sirius with his head stuck in his trunk and shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry that I don't want to look like a rugged mess," Remus replied. Sirius shook his head. Peter took the opportunity to hit him in the face.

"Hey, I'll get you for that, Peter!" Sirius shouted. Peter squealed as Sirius leaped over his bed to snatch him. Peter wretched the dormitory door open and scampered out of the room. He slammed the door shut. Sirius sighed and rolled on his back. With his head hanging over the bed, he watched--upside down--Remus hastily brushing his brown hair. He sighed. Remus looked down at him.

"What?" Remus said. "What are you thinking about now, Padfoot?"

Sirius grinned guiltily. "Krystyna," he admitted. Remus rolled his eyes and dropped the brush in his trunk. His hair wasn't as neat as it could be, but it was alright. Sirius rolled back on his stomach and sat up straight. "Hey, c'mon, I'm just thinking of how we use to hate each other and now this..."

"Please, you're making me feel nauseas, Sirius," Remus told him flatly. Sirius swung his legs over the bed and stood up.

"You have to think about it though," Sirius said excitedly. "I mean, it's just so great. I can talk to her, joke around with her--she even lets me practically hug her now! That's more than I thought would ever happen." Remus pulled a cloak out of his trunk and placed his arms in the sleeves carefully.

"You said that you would change and you did," Remus explained. "You don't go around hexing people randomly--except for Snape and the occasional Slytherin--and you aren't big headed anymore. You're not boastful or a show-off. You're just Sirius Black." Sirius grinned.

"Yeah, if I knew that it would have had this affect on her, I would've changed long ago," Sirius said thoughtfully. He gathered his cloak and put it on. "Well, c'mon, I told James that we would me him at the entrance before we left for Hogsmeade!" They walked out of the dormitory.

~*~

The girls Seventh Year dormitory was a traffic and danger zone. Marissa was asking where her favorite light blue cloak was, digging everywhere in the room; Jessie was putting on make up while talking about her boyfriend, Seventh Year Daniel McDermick from Ravenclaw; Sara was just trying to put on some chap stick because the cold made her lips chapped and crack; Lorena was on a rampage to find her missing shoe, still fuming on her argument with Lucius Malfoy last night; and Krystyna was fixing her hair while talking to Jessie.

"Daniel is so sweet!" Jessie exclaimed while putting some soft pink lipstick on. She checked herself in the large mirror and continued. "I mean, today is going to be a perfect day. He told me that he has everything planned out for the day. I want to look absolutely glamorous!"

"I don't think you need too much make up to look that good though," Krystyna chirped while putting her black hair up in a very messy bun; she liked it that way.

"Of course, I know that," Jessie sighed while adding some mascara to her eyelashes. "I'm just so excited and all. I really like Daniel." Krystyna nodded her head while she checked her hair in the mirror and looked at Jessie.

"I know, and you look great," Krystyna noted. Jessie smiled and began to put her make up away. Krystyna walked back to her bed to grab her shoes that were cleverly hidden under her bed so she wouldn't lose them. Lorena was never that organized. Clothes were everywhere; mainly because of Lorena and her quest to find her missing left shoe, but also because Marissa couldn't find her light blue cloak. Krystyna jumped over some books on the ground.

"Where is my effing shoe?!" Lorena yelled angrily. She dropped to the floor and began to search under Sara's bed. Lorena had gone so far under that she saw a shoe. "There's my shoe! How'd it get under Sara's bed?" She grabbed it.

"Oh my gosh!" Sara shrieked, twisting her feet and falling down. She landed on some clothes.

"Wait; that's not my shoe; that's Sara's shoe!" Lorena said loudly. She had grabbed Sara's foot by mistake. She let go and pulled herself out from underneath the bed. "Sorry about that, Sara." Sara just laughed.

"It's okay, Lorena," Sara guffawed. She felt a lump underneath her stomach. She pulled herself up on her knees and began digging through the large pile of clothes. She pulled out a tennis shoe and held it in the air. "Is this your shoe?" Lorena looked up and bolted over to her.

"Yeah, thanks!" Lorena said happily while taking the shoe. Sara smiled.

"You're welcome," Sara said, standing up. Lorena began to pull her shoe on her foot while hopping around the room on the other foot that already had a shoe on it. Marissa pulled herself out of her trunk and sighed grumpily.

"Where is that cloak of mine?" Marissa cried out. Lorena stepped on some parchment and yelled as she fell backwards. She knocked over Marissa and they both fell to the floor. Marissa fell face first into another pile of clothes. When she pulled her head up, she squealed with delight. "Hey, there it is." She snatched the cloak and put it on. Dazed, Lorena sat up with her shoe finally on her foot. She helped herself to her feet. Her vision was blurry so she sat down on the nearest bed, Sara's bed.

"Hurry it up!" Krystyna exclaimed, slipping her dark blue cloak over her body. "I told Lily that we would meet her up at the entrance before we left for Hogsmeade."

"Yeah, she's waiting for us... with James Potter!" Sara snickered. Marissa and Jessie giggled loudly. Krystyna rolled her eyes as she buttoned her cloak. Lorena already had hers on. She stood up. Krystyna walked for the door and grasped the doorknob.

"I'll be down in the common room waiting, okay?" Krystyna called.

"Okay, we'll be right there, Krys," Lorena replied. Krystyna shook her head at her newly adapted nickname that Lorena had given her in one of her Half Awake moments and opened the door. She walked out and shut the door. When she took a step to go for the stairs, she almost ran into Sirius who stopped immediately so he wouldn't run into her. In cause, Remus bumped into Sirius causing him to move forward a little, but stopped himself from bumping into Krystyna.

"Good Morning, Krystyna," Sirius chirped exuberantly.

"'Morning, Sirius," Krystyna greeted happily. She smiled. "'Morning, Remus."

"Hope you slept well last night because today is going to be one packed day," Sirius exclaimed. Krystyna nodded her head.

"I slept rather well last night," Krystyna noted. "Hope it was the same for you two, too." Remus was glad that Krystyna could still include both Sirius and him in a conversation. Most girls would usually overlook the fact that he was standing behind Sirius; Krystyna wasn't most girls though.

"Yeah, I slept real nice," Sirius said.

Remus nodded his head. "Yes, even through Sirius's snores, I slept well," he added. Sirius looked back at Remus and grinned. He looked back at Krystyna.

"Still, I've just woken up so I'm a little tired," Krystyna yawned. It was rather earlier in the morning than she would've liked to been awake. She'd wanted to sleep in, but couldn't.

"Here; let me help you down these stairs then," Sirius said. Without warning, Sirius picked up Krystyna awkwardly when she was caught off guard. He somehow got down the stairs with her in his arms and then collapsed on the couch. As they laughed and giggled abundantly, they rolled off the couch and onto the carpet. Remus slowly walked down the stairs. "That was easy enough."

Krystyna giggled as she sat up straight. Sirius sat up next to her as he laughed. Remus leaned against the stair railing as he watched to two Seventh Years. Peter was chuckling softly as he sat on the chair. He'd seen the entire thing. Sirius stood up and extended his hand to Krystyna.

"Wotcher, Peter," Krystyna said as Sirius pulled her up to her feet.

"Hello, Krystyna," Peter murmured shyly. Remus looked around the common room and then back at Krystyna who was brushing some dust off of her cloak sleeve.

"Where are Lorena and Sara?" Remus asked softly. Sirius bit his lip so he wouldn't start laughing.

"They should be down in a minute," Krystyna replied, doing her other sleeve. "Lorena was just finishing up. She woke up late." Remus nodded his head absentmindedly.

"Oh, I see, okay," Remus sighed. At that moment, Lorena and Sara burst out of the dormitory and ran down the stairs. Lorena wrapped her arm around Remus playfully.

"'Morning, Remus, you look all good," Lorena exclaimed boisterously. Remus merely grinned at the shock of her coming so close to him.

"Good morning to you, too, Lorena," Remus said shyly.

"Should we get going now?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, we should," Sirius said. Everyone walked out of the common room with Krystyna and Sirius in the very back of the group.

"Do you need me to carry you down there too?" he whispered. She just laughed as they walked out of the portrait behind their friends to find Lily and James.

~*~

James was leaning in the large doorway just before the grounds by the lake and Lily was leaning beside him with oodles of students passing by them, speaking loudly and laughing rowdily. The loudest were the Third Years, talking about what they would buy in Honeydukes, the candy shop, and what they would fill their bags with from Zonko's, the joke shop. The six friends began to try and make their way to the Head Boy and Girl.

As usual, there was a small scuffle in the crowd between a few Fourth Year Gryffindors and a handful of Fourth Year Slytherins. Before one of them could use their wand, a Slytherin pushed a Gryffindor and then began using common Muggle fist-fighting techniques. A Slytherin jammed the palms of his hands in a red-headed Gryffindor boy and sent him smacking into Sirius.

It was such a hard smack that he bumped into Krystyna who bumped into Peter who bumped into Lorena who landed up falling into Remus's arms on accident. Lorena was all laughter; Peter was gathering himself up embarrassedly; Krystyna was apologizing to Peter and helping him up; Remus was in shock that Lorena was in his arms, laughing; Sara--who had missed the domino effect--was snickering; and Sirius was picking up the fallen boy. The Fourth Year looked embarrassed and angry.

"I--I'm sorry," the red head stammered, not looking up at Sirius. He was instead looking down, letting his very messy red hair show vividly.

"It's okay," Sirius said to the younger boy, who reminded him so much of his younger self. He looked back at the origin of the fight where it was still taking place, but with punching and kicking instead of shoving and pushing. The shouts were getting louder. There were no teachers in sight. "Who are they?" He nodded at the three Slytherin boys.

"Jeremy Oden, Mark Speth, and Rodger Cunningham," the Gryffindor boy answered quickly. "They get on my friends' and my nerves all of the time. They make jokes about us and we don't like it."

The boy reminded him more of himself. Krystyna looked over and saw a growing fight between more than just two Gryffindor boys and three Slytherin boys--it was growing to a vigorous mob. She immediately locked eyes with Remus who still had a calming down Lorena in his arms and gaping. She raised her eyebrows and he pulled Lorena up to her own feet.

"What's your name?" Sirius asked the boy. The Gryffindor bit his lip. "I'm in Gryffindor too, ya know." This seemed to calm the angry boy down.

"Bill Weasley," the boy answered.

"A Weasley, good family," Sirius replied. Bill grinned. Krystyna pulled her wand out with Remus following her lead. They were taller than all of the fighters and they quickly became aware of their presence, except a Second Year and a Fourth Year. The Second Year Gryffindor had his head jammed in the Fourth Year Slytherin's chest beating his fists on the Slytherin's back while the Slytherin had the boy in a painful head lock. Remus scolded the other students as Krystyna took on the challenge. There were still many shouts.

"Get--off--of--me!" the Gryffindor boy's muffled voice screamed.

"Then, stop hitting me!" the Slytherin boy shouted back. The Second Year pushed hard and he finally accomplished in tackling the Slytherin boy on the ground. They began to roll around while hitting each other.

"Stop it! Stop it!!" Krystyna ordered. They weren't listening to her and continued to beat each other up while the other kids stimulated it with their chanting. "STOP IT!!"

Everything seemed to stop around the entire vicinity of the fight. The pupils had immediately stopped fueling the scrap with their shouts and were silent. Remus no longer had to push the students back. The Slytherin boy had his fist raised high in the air behind him, lingering over top of the Gryffindor Second Year, who was sporting a bloody lip and developing a black eye around his right eye. The Fourth Year Slytherin glared at the boy underneath him.

"Get up," Krystyna hissed with venom. The Slytherin, sensing her irritation, slowly got up off of the Gryffindor. The blood on the Gryffindor's face matched his red hair. Her eyes immediately flickered to the Fourth Year Gryffindor boy beside Sirius. She pulled him to his feet quickly. She looked at the two and then used the Healing Charm on the Gryffindor. The blood that came out from the Slytherin's fists disappeared and the cut vanished.

"That's twenty points from both Slytherin and Gryffindor for your insane Muggle fighting tactics!" Krystyna told them sternly. The Gryffindors, seeing as how she was in Gryffindor, kept their mouth shuts, knowing that they deserved such punishment, while the Slytherins let out a line of malice shouts.

"That's not fair!"

"It's stupid!"

"You can't do that for just some little fighting!"

"They started it! We only ended it!"

"Just because you're a Prefect, doesn't mean you can do that to us!"

"I'll give you all detention if you keep up with this unruliness!" Krystyna yelled over the shouts. They all died down. "You, your name? I know everyone else." They all looked at their feet, ashamed.

"Charlie Weasley," the Second Year muttered. "He said something about my mum and dad." Krystyna glanced at the Fourth Year Slytherin boy.

"I see, well, get on to your Tower," Krystyna sighed wearily. "I shouldn't let you go to Hogsmeade, but I can't stop you now so get going--all of you." She made sure the Slytherins were gone. Bill had run to catch up with his friends.

"Remind you of some people?" Sirius asked. Remus merely grinned. They met up with James and Lily.

"Good morning!" James greeted.

"Let's get going!" Lily said. They left for Hogsmeade.

~*~

James had leaded them all into Honeydukes, as usual, for their first stop in Hogsmeade. He happened to be practically in love with chocolate and candy. He walked up to the counter, pushing people aside to make a walkway so Lily could follow him.

"James Potter, still my best customer, what can I getcha?" the man behind the counter greeted loudly. James shook his hand.

"Good day, Archie, fine day it is today," James said. He leaned over the counter and winked. The man, Archie, grinned and nodded his head knowingly. It must've been a secret code for something. Lily stared at James. Archie ducked behind the counter and popped back up holding a candy bar. He slid it on the counter towards James secretively. James picked it up and stared at it.

"What is it?" James asked.

"That is a Snogo Choco Bar," Archie quipped. James raised his eyebrows. He glanced at Archie and then back at the bar.

"Snogo Choco Bar, really?" James said inquisitively. He grinned slyly. "What's it suppose to do? It looks like a regular chocolate bar to me." Archie gave a loud hoot.

"Yes, so does every other chocolate bar in this store of mine," Archie replied, laughing loudly. "If a person takes a bite out of it, it's supposed to reveal if they fancy the giver of the chocolate or not." James's grin broadened.

"How is it supposed to reveal it?" James asked. He looked up at Archie. "I mean, how does the giver find out?" Archie sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know; there are many different variations of reaction," Archie replied quietly. "It all depends on how much this person likes you. If they don't fancy you, they could slap you." James thought of something. He pulled out some galleons.

"I'll take eight, Archie!" James explained. Archie pulled out another seven chocolate bars and handed them to James in a bag.

"You got a deal, James," Archie said. "You're the first one to buy these so if you're to use them, do it where I can see so I can know what happens." James nodded his head. He made his eyebrows jump and then turned to Lily who hadn't heard the conversation.

"Here you go, Lily," James said affectionately, handing her the candy bar. Lily took the candy bar and looked at it.

"Thanks, James, you really shouldn't have!" Lily exclaimed as she unwrapped it happily. She had a thing for chocolate just like James and forgot to read what it was called. James grinned.

"I know, I shouldn't," James muttered so that Lily didn't hear. Lily took a bite out of the chocolate bar and chewed on it. She swallowed and something like she never felt before came over her. She couldn't control herself and her emotion went loose.

"Oh, James!" Lily said loudly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big wet kiss on the lips. Before he could react, Lily was kissing him. Suddenly, he realized that Lily was kissing him, so doing the only thing he could think of in his shocked state, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back. After half of minute or so of kissing, Lily stopped. She was gaping at James.

"I did not just do that!" Lily squealed, her hands to her mouth. James's eyes were so wide that they could've popped out. He was just in shock. "I just did that!" In an attempt to forget about it quickly from her embarrassment, she took another bite out of the chocolate bar.

"Oh, no--oh, yes!" Lily said loudly again, pulling James into another kiss. James kissed her back, feeling that his one lucky day had finally arrived. She finally stopped. "I did it again!" She looked at the wrapper on the candy bar.

"James!" Lily shouted. James couldn't stop grinning. He turned to Archie was who laughing hysterically. He nodded his head.

"I love it," James said hoarsely, "and I didn't even eat some."

"Here, take some then," Lily sighed, handing him the bar. Without thinking, James took it and took a large bite out of it. He swallowed and Lily suddenly realized that she shouldn't have done that. "Oops--" James, being that he fancied her a lot, practically picked Lily up and kissed her for what seemed like forever. He finally stopped.

"Let's do that again!" James said ecstatically. He lifted to chocolate bar to his mouth.

"No!" Lily yelled, taking the chocolate bar back from him. She wrapped it back up and put it in her pocket safely. "If we kiss anymore, my lips will go sore. You snog hard." James merely grinned and was in a complete daze. Then, his idea struck him again.

"I'm gonna 'pass' one to Sirius for Krystyna!" James said excitedly. Lily snickered. "And then one to Lorena for Remus!" Lily laughed. "And then one to Sara for Peter!!" Lily guffawed loudly. She punched James on the shoulder playfully.

"Oh, you're terrible, James," Lily giggled. James nodded his head.

"I know, thanks," he replied. She giggled loudly. "You go on and distract Krystyna, Lorena, Sirius, and Remus. I really want to see if Peter likes Sara or not. He gets extremely quiet around her." Lily shook her head, but continued to giggle. She composed herself and walked over to the other four to talk to them. James nudged Sara who was looking at some more sugar quills; she finished his last one.

"Here, give this to Peter," James whispered. Sara took the chocolate bar. She looked up at James who was looking at Peter.

"Why?" Sara asked. James looked down at Sara and put his hands on Sara's shoulders firmly. He closed his eyes and nodded his head.

"Because, I hear Peter really likes these chocolate bars," James mumbled. "I can't give one to him, Sirius is too busy, and Remus is too busy, Krystyna can't do it, I'm not asking Lily, and Lorena won't do it." Sara shook her head serenely

"But... but I--I..." Sara stammered.

"Just do it, Sara, you're in Gryffindor," James murmured. He gave Sara an encouraging push and she watched James shoo her away. Her mind was warning her against it; James Potter was a practical jokester, a Marauder. She smiled brightly and looked at Peter, telling herself in her mind that she was supposed to be brave, and this was Peter Pettigrew after all--only shy, little Peter Pettigrew. Though, they were about the same height. She was always the smallest one in the group.

"Hey, Peter, watcha looking at?" Sara asked curiously.

"Um... orange sherbet balls," Peter murmured shyly. Sara nodded her head and picked up one. She twirled it around in her hand.

"I love those things," Sara noted conversationally. She dropped it back in the jar. "Hey, I really don't want this chocolate bar, do you want it?" She held out the chocolate bar. He looked at it curiously.

"Er... sure, okay, thanks, Sara," Peter said, louder than usual. He took it from her hand slowly. "This is new, I haven't seen it." Sara finally noticed that it was new.

"Uh... yeah, it is," Sara said, nodding her head. Peter took the wrapper off of the chocolate bar and took a bite out of it. He swallowed and the same emotion came over him before he knew it. Suddenly, he gave Sara a quick peck on the cheek. Embarrassed that he'd just done that, Peter went scarlet and shocked that it just happened, Sara blushed furiously.

"What is this?" Peter asked confusedly.

"I don't know, James gave it to me and told me to give it to you!" Sara replied embarrassedly. She turned to find James who was watching Lorena. "Oh, no."

Lorena stared at the chocolate bar. "Hey, Remus, here ya go!" Lorena said happily, shoving the chocolate bar in Remus's hands. Remus stared at it.

"What is it? Why are you giving it to me?" Remus asked quietly.

"I don't know what it is, but it's chocolate," Lorena replied. "I'm giving it to you because I feel like it. Can't I give you a chocolate bar once in a while?" She smiled. Remus looked up at her.

"Um... I guess, thanks, Lorena," Remus said, while taking the wrapper off. Lorena shrugged her shoulders.

"No problem; we're friends," Lorena said.

"Right, friends," Remus said. He took a bite out of the chocolate bar. When he swallowed, he licked any remaining melted chocolate off of his lips. "Hey, that was pretty good..." The same feeling swooped over him before he could stop. He should've known. Suddenly, Lorena found herself being held by Remus and being kissed. Very caught off guard, Lorena just fell into his arms again. Remus finally put her back on her feet straight and gaped.

"Friends... right, friends aren't supposed to snog friends!" Lorena said boisterously. Remus was still gaping. "Seems, like someone wants to be more than just friends."

"This stuff is good!" Remus said loudly, which surprised Lorena, seeing how Remus was usually quiet and calm. She laughed while he took another bite absentmindedly and kissed Lorena again.

"Hey, give me some of that stuff!" Lorena said. Remus handed her some. "What's it taste like?" Remus thought about it.

"Er... blueberries and chocolate," Remus replied. Blueberries just happened to be Lorena's favorite fruit. She took a bite and kissed Remus. "Hey, I think I like it even more now!" Lorena just laughed. Sirius tapped Krystyna on the shoulder. She spun around.

"Hey, you want this?" Sirius asked. Krystyna looked at the chocolate bar. It seemed harmless.

"Um... okay, sure, thank you, Sirius," Krystyna replied, taking the candy bar. "What is it?"

"It's new and really good, I hear," Sirius answered calmly.

Krystyna took a bite out of the chocolate bar. Suddenly, she found herself in a whirlwind of emotions. The next thing she knew, she had her arms wrapped around Sirius's neck and her lips planted on his. Sirius was so shocked and overjoyed, he almost passed out, but luckily didn't. He did the only thing he could do: kiss her back.

Her lips were just as soft as he had imagined. The sweet smell of her breath through all caution to the wind; her fingers combing through his once tidy black hair; her body pressed against his like a pattern; the way she kissed like it flowed to a song; the way she seemed to be falling against him and into his arms, they all drove Sirius mad.

She felt as though she'd lost all sense to reality. The wall around her heart was crumbling like it was weak--and it was--but it was nice to have someone so close, so near to the touch and heart. She never knew it felt so good to be this close to anyone; she never knew it could make all her thoughts scatter. His arm wrapped around her slim waist, his other hand resting against her back, pushing her a little closer to him with every second they kissed.

She felt safe; more safe than she'd ever felt in her entire life. She felt like she could take on the world with him; she felt brave. She couldn't feel the ground underneath her feet, she couldn't feel the crowd around her; she couldn't hear the noise of the multitude... she could only feel his grip on her; she could feel his warm body against hers; she could hear the light breathing of his breath as he kissed her softly.

She didn't want to stop-she felt like she couldn't. It felt so good to be loved and she didn't want to let it go... not yet; not ever. Krystyna finally felt safe and loved.

Their kiss seemed to last longer than James's with Lily. James seemed a little confused. They kissed again and again and again until James broke it up. He pushed them apart abruptly and ruined everything. They opened their eyes to stare at each other.

"Okay, enough with the snogging!" James yelled. "Get your stuff and let's go to Zonko's!"

Thoroughly embarrassed and blushing furiously, Krystyna scampered off to pay for her candy. They left Honeydukes.

~*~

It was late that night after the Halloween feast. Krystyna was as usual sitting by the fire reading. Sleep never occurred to her easily on days like these. Her mind had been especially restless since her first real kiss. She was ecstatic yet slightly sour. She didn't really know why... yet.

I'm seventeen, and that was my first kiss. It's kind of pathetic, you know, Krystyna thought. She couldn't help but agree. Sirius had probably kissed many girls. Actually, I know he has. And it was a perfect kiss at that, I'll give him that. I didn't want to stop. What does that make me? Like every other girl he's snogged?

But he didn't seem to want to stop either.

You know what Lily said in the beginning of the year... it's different with you... or is it? Could I just be one other trophy on his list? No, no, I'm not. Sara heard Sirius say that to Lucius... you make her sound like some trophy... and is that really true? Could I just be another trophy to both of them...?

But the look in his eyes; the way he burns when he touches me; the way he laughs... they all seem so real and not fake. But... I've let no one enter my heart for these types of affections. No one's ever gotten even close enough to holding hands with me. I've built a wall around my life--my heart--and no one's seen that side of me.

Maybe Sirius just wants to be the first one to break through... to break through to me and then leave me out in the cold--crushed and alone. I don't think I'd be able to stand that. But I'm falling for him; falling for him hard; and I don't think I'll be able to take the crash without him. Gods, I sound like some Muggle romance book.

Krystyna couldn't bear to think if that was all she really was to Sirius. Was she really someone he cared about or was it all just a lie to be the first one to get to her heart--her soul? She'd started building the wall when she first came to Hogwarts. Lily knew her the best--and even she didn't know her like she thought she did.

Krystyna was a different person on the inside, but Sirius could always get through to that person easily. With one word out of his mouth, with one look in his eye, with one touch from his hand, she opened the doors. Maybe she shouldn't be so open... she'd only get hurt in the end. But how could she not? How could she not let him in? That was the problem; she couldn't. She always let him in.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Sirius sat down on the couch beside the chair she was sitting in. She'd later learned that her chair was also known as his chair. He smiled at her and her dark thoughts were immediately chased away.

"About today at Honeydukes..." Sirius began, not sure what to say.

"It was real," Krystyna blurted. Sirius looked up at her, stared at her, cared for her. But he didn't get what she had just said. What was real? "For weeks, I don't know how many times I've wanted to be brave enough to do that." Sirius gaped at her. Was she telling the truth? Was he hearing straight?

"What--why?" Sirius stammered. Krystyna smiled loftily.

"Because... because I just don't know why," Krystyna replied. "You can just look at me, smile at me, say one word to me and I fall apart that easily. I've... I've never been so close to someone. Lily doesn't even know this much about me as you do, and I haven't talked to you like this for six years. It just amazes me at how once we were enemies and now... I can't stop thinking about you."

Sirius couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had to be hearing things. This wasn't the Krystyna Melanie he knew, who let no one get close to her heart. She was somewhat like Remus--secretive and very protective of herself. She was guarded, but let her guard down when with him. He really did feel special like that.

"Re--really?" Sirius stuttered. Krystyna nodded her head. "I--I can't believe this. I can't believe this. That's the exact same way I feel about you!" Krystyna smiled.

"Is that so?" Krystyna said, though she already knew it. She stood up and plopped on the couch beside Sirius. He grinned and nodded his head.

"I really care about you, and I don't want anything to happen to you," Sirius whispered. Krystyna looked up at him.

"Why do you say that?" Krystyna asked him. Sirius looked into the fire, burning in his eyes. The fear, the darkness, the overwhelming worry that gripped him every night before he fell asleep came over him. It was bad enough feeling it for his friends, for his classmates, even for his enemies that were slowly falling into the darkness, but feeling it for Krystyna felt like he was plunging into ice water. He felt like someone was pushing on his head, holding him under the ice water so he wouldn't be able to come up for air. To just breathe...

"I've just been having this real bad feeling that Malfoy and your parents have something up their sleeves that we won't be able to find until it's too late," Sirius said quietly, "and it'll be more painful for both of us to bear." Krystyna leaned her head against Sirius's shoulder tiredly. She was getting tired. Today had been a long day and her thoughts added to her drowsiness.

"Let's hope you're not a true Seer then," Krystyna yawned. She closed her eyes. Sirius leaned his head against hers. She felt safe once more. He felt the worry and fear vanishing slowly.

"Yeah, let's hope not," Sirius murmured. He closed his eyes and doused the fire with his wand. The darkness closed around them.