All Bets Are Off

All Bets Are Off

Chapter One: Inner Battles

"Torrence, are you sure you are all right?" Lily Evans asked her best friend, Torrence Spinnet, out of concern for her. They were standing in Lucky Owens's, Lily's boyfriend for over two years now, upstairs bathroom. Torrence stared at her reflection in the mirror hanging above the slightly small sink. It was not the fact that she thought herself plain that she found herself to be hiding away in a friend's bathroom. It was more the fact that she was uncomfortable around Lucky's older brother's friends. They were in their twenties and she was merely a seventeen year old.

Just last night, Lily had informed her of the party Blue was throwing for her best friend's birthday. Of course, Lucky had to help seeing how he was so deeply in love with Lily. It was supposed to be the biggest party of the summer. Indeed, it was fore almost everyone Lily and Torrence knew from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been invited and had shown up. The minute Torrence had stepped through the door leading into Blue's two-room, cozy apartment, Cole Walker had been the first to spot her. Cole was one of Blue's friends and he had always had this slight crush on Torrence, but for a man in his twenties, a crush went much deeper than a few petty kisses.

Torrence glanced away from her reflection long enough to offer Lily a weak smile. She wanted her friend out there, in the heart of the party, rather than in the bathroom with her just because she felt uncomfortable around a few men. After all, this party was thrown especially for Lily.

"I'm fine, Lily, really. You should go on and enjoy yourself rather than worry about me. I just need a break from it all, a few moments to myself."

Lily returned Torrence's smile as she ran a hand through her long fiery, red hair, her emerald eyes still holding the concern she felt for Torrence. She wanted to make sure she was all right before she decided to leave her alone in the bathroom. "Are you sure? I don't mind staying in here with you."

Torrence shook her red head at Lily, her hazel eyes lowered to the sink as she tried her hardest to fight back the urge to ask Lily if she would not mind staying with her. Lily bit down on her bottom lip as she shrugged her shoulders, leaning towards Torrence and embracing her in a friendly hug only to offer her comfort. "Alright, well, if you want to come out and join the party, look for me." When Torrence shook her head a second time, Lily let out a deep sigh before she left the bathroom, closing the door behind her softly.

Left alone to her thoughts, Torrence took a seat on the edge of the bathtub, her eyes focused on the door opposite her, the one that would lead her towards the party.

A few seconds had passed in complete silence before the door to the bathroom Torrence occupied swung forward. Her hazel eyes snapped towards the doorway in surprise, her mind having been preoccupied with thoughts of Cole and how forward he had been with her. Standing in the doorway, more like leaning against it, with his arms folded across his dangerously broad chest happened to be the last person she expected and the last person she wanted to see. Sander Creighton. Sander, he had a way with women. He was known for his skills of expertise in that area. He even had the nerve to brag that he could bed any virgin within his line of vision. Apparently, Torrence was that virgin he planned to bed that evening. With his dark brown hair, a few loose strands always hanging in his face, and his dark blue eyes, you had no need to expect him unattractive. He was, by far, the best looking boy at Hogwarts, or was before he graduated two years ago. Yes, Sander was nineteen years old.

"Gorgeous, I haven't seen you at the party at all tonight. What's wrong? Are you shy?" Sander quirked a dark eyebrow at Torrence as he allowed a smirk to graze his lips. He, while having been attending Hogwarts, had always thought Torrence one of the sweetest girls he would ever have the pleasure to bed, but unfortunately, he had never had that chance. He might be getting it tonight, though, if he played his cards just right.

Torrence looked up at Sander as if he was a fox and she the rabbit, her hazel eyes as wide as saucers. For some odd reason, Sander had always unnerved her like he was doing now. "I--I just feel like being alone." She couldn't help the trembling tone of her voice. She feared Sander and what he was capable of doing.

"Alone, my sweet? Are you so sure you would rather be alone than with me?" Before Torrence had a chance to even comment on Sander's question, he had stepped into the bathroom, advanced towards her, and had an arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her from the edge of the bathtub and into his embrace. Sander was always so forward with women. It was his gift and he never failed at it. He could have smiled from the pleasure at seeing Torrence's full, pouting lips part slightly in shock, but he decided on a leer. Even his leer could attract a woman to him.

"Really, Sander, that's quite all right." Torrence could have praised herself for the calmness of her voice when her knees felt so weak from Sander just holding her. His right hand had slid down the length of her back to where he was cupping a butt cheek in his palm while he steadied her trembling body with his other hand. Tonight was his night. Tonight, he would be bedding Torrence. It might not be in a bed exactly, but a bathroom would do just fine. He knew he was frightening the poor girl. Her fright only made her even more beautiful than when he had first laid his dark blue eyes on her. Her innocence was what attracted him to her though, that and the air of sweetness she had circling her. Sander's leer transformed into a cold smile. He knew what he would do tonight and he would make sure Torrence enjoyed it as well, it being her first time.

"Darling, we have plans for this night." Sander whispered, his hot breath caressing Torrence's right ear, causing her body to tremble slightly in response. He brought the hand he had positioned upon her lower back to the neckline of her blouse, slowly allowing it to roam down through the valley of her breasts though her cloths still covered them. Finally, he grasped the hem of her blouse and pulled it over her head, dropping it to the floor of the bathroom. "Relax, gorgeous, I won't hurt you." It was a lie. He knew he would wind up hurting her, but at this moment, he did not care. Torrence's breathing had heavied from the fear slowly growing in the very core of her body. She could not believe Sander was trying to do this to her, to a virgin when clearly she was not ready for it. Of course, Sander would not care if she pleaded with him to put a stop to all his perverted thoughts. She did not want this!

Clad in her white, lacy bra and her jean skirt that came to the area just above her knees, Torrence closed her eyes tightly, wanting so much to cry out in her fright for help. Who would come to her rescue anyway when everyone was downstairs, in the living room, dancing and having a great time at the party?

"Open yours eyes. I promise you will enjoy this as much as I will." Sander whispered into Torrence's right ear, his hand cupping her left breast even though her bra still secured them in place. Thankful that Sander had not even bothered to remove her skirt, Torrence took a deep, uneven breath in her attempt to calm her nerves. What was she going to do? Sander was about to do the one thing she knew she would never be ready for, at least not for a few years.

~*~

It was parties like these, parties that let you do whatever you wanted and got away with doing anything. That was probably why so many people came to them to find a good time and find someone else looking for the same thing, usually involving sexual pleasures. It was, after all, the reason Sirius Black and James Potter showed, not that they could not recieve some anywhere they went, but Blue's parties were the best and if they were lucky, they would find more than a couple girls to bed at this all-night party.

You could probably ask any girl that went to Hogwarts, screw that, any girl they have met and they would tell you how much pleasure you could recieve from these two. More so Sirius actually. James was still after this one girl, one that most thought he would never have. Mostly because she has been with her boyfriend for two years now, and seeing them together, you would think them inseparable. Still, James would not give up; hell, he probably would not ever give up until he had her. That did not, however, stop him from having a good time, as most would say; he probably had a different girl in his bed four days a week. What was wrong with getting some exercise while waiting for a certain someone to come to her senses?

"Prongs, you are going to burn a hole in the back of his shirt. Give it a rest, will you? There are plenty of other girls at this party." Sirius Black said with a roll of his eye, taking a swig from his glass filled with some sort of alcohol he was drinking. They had been there an hour now and since Lily came down from somewhere upstairs, James had been glaring at the couple the entire time.

"They do not look happy, do they? Oh shut it. I do not care what you think!" James snapped at his best friend whom was about to answer with one of his smart remarks. Sirius merely shrugged. He did not care anymore.

"Alright, whatever, mate. I will be upstairs with Denise, or is it Dakota? Hell, maybe both! If you need me, come on in. Just please knock if you do." With a slight wink directed in James's direction, he made his way through the crowd, careful to smack Lily's ass on the way while earning an indignant gasp and glare from her person. He nodded his head in James's direction. Who knew? Maybe she would take the hint and talk to him. Sirius was one of the few that thought they belonged together, but he would not mind having a go with Lily himself. She was one of the few he had not touched only because his best friend was seemingly in love with her.

Sirius had found out in his fifth year that girls wanted him in one sense or another and he was not one to argue, especially with a pretty face. Sirius was feeling rather lonely as of late though. He wondered what a good relationship would be like, but did not dwell on it. Being a young adult was all about having fun, was it not? His longest relationship had lasted about a week, but only because this one girl had cast a spell on him, so he would not leave her, and as you might guess, Sirius was not all that pleased when it wore off.

Actually, telling James that he would be up here with a couple females was a lie; he wanted to be alone with his thoughts which happened to be extremely out of his character. Sirius did not much care though. He was determined. Like James, Sirius wanted a relationship with a certain someone only no one knew about it. He was not about to ruin his reputation, that and he was good friends with this girl and he did not want to ruin that either, though it was quite tempting.

"No, stop. Please..." A voice was heard from the room on his right, a very familiar voice which sounded quite helpless at this moment. One thing he disliked was when girls were being forced into sexual intercourse. Sirius himself took pride in the fact that he never had to do anything of the sort and probably never would. He waited a moment longer, hearing another startled gasp, and without a second thought, he entered the bathroom. He saw one of Lily's best friends and a friend of his since he had pranked her in their first year; Sander Creighton on top of her with Torrence's shirt and skirt discarded on the floor, now she only clad in her undergarments. This was something that Sirius himself was turned on to, though, that was not the first thought on his mind.

"Get your fucking hands off her, you fucking bloody bastard!" Sirius growled, his voice low and dangerous. Remus was not the only marauder that could have a dangerous temper, though certainly more extreme. Yes the Marauders is what they called themselves and if you went to Hogwarts and didn't know of the extremes they went to, to get a laugh or revenge on someone in the school, then there was something wrong. Anything that went wrong would be pointed in their direction even if it wasn't them that did it. Actually they probably wouldn't keep track anyways, they wouldn't be able to deny any of it, well truthfully that is.

Sander backed away from the girl in his arms with a smirk his eyes lighting up maliciously as Sirius stood there his fists clenched at his sides. Oh he was going to enjoy wiping that smile of his face.

~*~

James had followed Sirius out of the living room, quick to glare at his friend layed his hand on the girl he was so fixated with, backside. He was, however, surprised when she looked his way confused for a moment then her eyes rolling as she crossed her arms over her chest. James was even jealous of her arms, he didn't know how he stayed so calm when she started to date Lucky, how he kept his cool, but he didn't think it would last so long. He would change that though, if it was the last thing he did.

Lily hated how Sirius was so forward with her, actually he hated James more, why she did not know, but he was in her thoughts far too much. Almost like an inner battle with herself to realize something, something she wasn't about to give into. She had half a mind to march over there right now and yell at him for staring at her so intently the entire time he was at the party. Actually that's exactly what she was going to do, he had some nerve to treat her this way.

What way is he treating you though? Lily scoffed at her own thoughts, "He acts like such a prat. He is always asking--"

Exactly. He wants you, and you return the feelings, do you not?

"I sure as hell do not, the bloody arrogant pig! Wait, oh shut up I am not about to argue with myself over something so stupid!" She finished the small argument she was having and approached Potter who was looking so smug, if only she could slap that face right off of him. "Potter do me a favor and leave, you are driving me insane!"

"Why is that Evans, I'm not doing anything, just enjoying myself." James said this with a half grin, he was getting to her and they both knew it, well he knew, he just had to make her know it herself.

Lily narrowed her emerald eyes up at a smirking James. He always had to have such haughty remarks. She was tired of his insults directed at Lucky as well. Everything he commented on that had to do with Lucky ended in insults. "You--you--" Shaking her head at James, she whirled on her heel and proceeded towards Lucky whom had taken a seat on the love couch beside one of Blue's friends, a beautiful blonde that Lily only knew as Sandra. Oh, how she wanted to escape the probing eyes of James. He caught her arm in a firm grip before she had a chance to even take two steps, his smirk now replaced with a serious frown.

"Let my arm go, Potter, before I call Lucky over here." Lily bristled, her eyes narrowed to slits. How dare Potter treat her like this! He acted so possessive of her whenever they were in the same room with each other and he had no right! Lily could have threatened James with a few curses for all the good her threat did. He merely shrugged his shoulders as his fingers tightened their grip upon her forearm, not enough to hurt her of course. "I'm warning you, Potter."

"Or what, Evans? What do you plan to do to me, hm?" James asked in an amused tone of voice. It always struck him as amusing whenever Lily tried to threaten him with Lucky's strength, as if Lucky could cause him pain.

Lily felt her cheeks redden from the feel of James's fingers skimming the bare flesh of her right forearm. She hated the fact that he could cause this reaction in her from just a simple touch. Why though? Why must she blush when he would touch her bare skin? He was only Potter, a boy she has known since her first year at Hogwarts. He was nothing special to her. Well, at least she hoped not.

While Lily and James dallied in the living room amongst the many guests of the party, Sirius found himself facing one of the few people he could say he actually loathed, and by loathe, he meant with a passion. Sander and he have never gotten along, not since Sirius first learned of Sander's nature. He enjoyed giving women pain, pain with his own sexual pleasure.

Sirius glanced down at Torrence briefly, having seen her shakily scoop her blouse into her arms as she tried her hardest to stand, but failed miserably when her knees buckled and she sunk back to the floor of the bathroom. Keeping his dark grey eyes trained on Sander in alert, Sirius moved to Torrence's side and helped her to her feet. At the feel of her secured breasts pressed into his side as she clung onto him, her sinuous arms wrapped around his lean waist, Sirius bit down on his bottom lip hard in order to prevent the feel of desire coursing through his body. That, of course, did not help, and he knew if Torrence merely glanced down to the lower half of his body, she would know exactly how he felt for her, how he wanted to take her voluptuous body in his arms and take her away to paradise with him. He could never tell her that in words, however, he absolutely refused do it.

"Are you all right, love?" Sirius asked in concern as he kept his eyes glued to Sander's pretentious face. Torrence had not spoken a word since he had found her in the arms of Satan himself. She seemed a little shaken by what could have taken place had he not come when he did. Sirius waited for her reaction, any reaction, with a few loose strands of his long black hair falling into his eyes.

Torrence closed her dazzling hazel eyes tightly as she recalled the event that might have taken place in this bathroom, something she was not ready for. After a few seconds of silence, she was finally able to find her voice though her tone was soft and he could barely hear it. "I--I just want to go home."

Sirius shook his head in understanding. He might be one whom slept around with many girls, but when a boy, a man really, forced himself on Torrence, or any other girl for that matter, he knew he would beat that pompous arse to a bloody pulp. "Of course. Why don't you wait outside the bathroom? I'll be there shortly." Sirius watched almost with growing desire as Torrence pulled her blouse over her head, covering her breasts fully from anyone's view, and with a weak smile plastered onto her face, she exited the bathroom as if she had been to hell and back. With Creighton, she probably had been.

Sander watched the retreating back of Torrence before he returned his dark blue gaze to the bastard who had ruined his fun. Sirius Black. Always one to protect the ladies. That might be the reason why so many eagerly took him to their beds. Yes. He knew of Black's reputation. Who didn't? It was almost as great a reputation as his, except he enjoyed the virgins.

"So, decided to play hero, eh, Black?" Sander asked with a sneer slowly forming upon his lips, those same lips he had used to taste the flesh of Torrence's breasts right before Black had made his entrance.

"No, Creighton. I loathe the idea of you putting those slimy hands all over a girl like Spinnet." Sirius hissed through clenched teeth as he slowly advanced towards Sander, his fists clenched tightly. Sander stood his ground as he folded his arms across his chest lazily, as if Sirius was not a threat to him at all.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Sander asked softly as Sirius finally reached nose-to-nose with him with the exception of the inch that separated them, Sirius being taller. He knew Sirius had a strong left hook when he felt like using it, but he did not intimidate him. If anything, Black amused him. Why should he care if he fucked some virgin? After all, Sirius was the same way. Only, he would not touch a virgin unless she meant something to him.

"This," was all Sirius said before he threw his left fist at Sander in his fury, feeling as his knuckles connected with the graduated Slytherin's nose and sent the nineteen year old tumbling into the bathtub. His knuckles were sore, but that mattered not to him as he stood over Sander, his fiery gaze matching that of a thunderstorm. "If I see you touch, much less come near about an inch of Torrence again, I won't be responsible for your death." With one last angry glance down at the stupid bloke, Sirius whirled around and left the bathroom, slamming the door behind him with such great force that the shelves on the wall in the hallway shook violently.

Torrence was leaning on the opposite wall facing the door of the bathroom, her breaths coming out in short puffs. It appeared that her nerves were still frazzled from her encounter with Creighton. She had her eyes closed once more and Sirius could not help admiring her beauty without her being aware of it.

Shaking his head as he slowly walked the distance needed to bring him to Torrence's side; he cupped her chin gently and watched as her eyes snapped open in alarm. He flashed her a smile as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders in comfort, squeezing her left shoulder tenderly. "Are you ready to leave?"

Torrence only shook her head as she gazed up into Sirius's dark grey eyes. They were so beautiful; she had to admit it. Sirius, he knew, wanted nothing more than to capture those full, trembling lips with his own and press his body against hers. He knew if he did, however, she would feel his desire for her, and he did not want to frighten her anymore than she already was. Not being able to help himself, he pressed his moist, experienced lips to the temple of her forehead, knowing he had embarrassed and surprised her before he even pulled away. God, how beautiful Torrence was when she blushed. Without another word, Sirius led her down the stairs and towards the front door of the apartment. Before he left, he caught James's attention and called him over.

"Hey, Prongs, I'm taking Torrence home. Tell Remus where I've gone if he asks and tell him Torrence is fine. I will most likely, no, definitely see you all in the morning."

Sirius nodded his head at his best friend before he steered Torrence out of the apartment and towards his most prized possession, his huge black motorcycle. He did not expect Torrence to have ridden before, so before she could protest to climbing upon it, Sirius grasped her waist firmly and hoisted her onto the back of the bike. "Hold onto my waist." He insisted of her as he climbed onto the bike himself. With trembling hands, she slid her supple arms around his lean waist and pressed her right flushed cheek to his back.

This is pure heaven. Sirius allowed a grin to graze his lips as he cranked his bike. Soon, they were off into the night, heading in the direction of Torrence's muggle home, seeing how both her parents were muggles.

James watched until Sirius was no longer in his line of vision until he turned to a curious Remus. Remus had been in the kitchen, having such a serious conversation with Andromeda Black, Sirius's cousin, that when James had interrupted him, Remus had nearly bit his head off with his snapping tone.

"Padfoot took Spinnet home, Moony. I didn't want you to worry about it or her. I don't know what happened, but by the look on Spinnet's face, I would say something she feared happened."

Remus raked a hand through his shaggy brown hair, his tender brown eyes scanning the living room in the Owens apartment. Many people he knew from Hogwarts had been invited, plenty he disliked, but some he never saw before.

"Moony?"

Remus returned his full attention onto James, having heard the worry in his friend's voice despite his attempt at keeping a cool tone of voice. Remus's sensitive hearing allowed him to detect few things a regular human being would never be able to hear. Remus was a werewolf after all. He had many abilities normal teenagers his age lacked. At the thought of Sirius caring for Torrence, knowing of his friend's love for sexual intercourse and play, Remus grew uneasy. Torrence was one of the sweetest girls he had ever met apart from Lily and he would hate to think Sirius would even violate her privacy as he knew he would try.

"I'm going to head home, Prongs. The full moon is in three nights and I do need my sleep." Without waiting for James to even acknowledge his statement, Remus left the apartment. He truly was tired and he did need a few hours of sleep before the full moon, but his mind was preoccupied with images of Sirius and Torrence. Exactly how far would Sirius go with her if she even gave him the slightest chance?

Lily was still standing in the middle of the room when James again entered, walking right towards her. He wanted to finish the conversation they were having moments before. James did not mind that his two best friends left the party; he knew he was reaching Evans finally and if he kept this up, she soon would be his. He wanted to feel inside her to taste her juices; it ached so bad, he wanted her so much.

"Now, love, where were we exactly?" His husky voice reached her ears as he stepped into her view. His smile was light but Lily could see right through it. He wanted something from her, and that something he was never going to get.

"You were just about to leave me alone, actually you did, but you came back. Would it be asking too much for you to disappear from this planet? If not, London would be just fine." A small chuckle came from James's mouth, one at which Lily wanted to slap him for. Looking into his hazel eyes, a slight shiver made its way up her spine. How the hell was he doing this to her? It wasn't fair. She hated him, or so she thought.

"I'm sorry Evans, but that's just not possible. I would leave much too many disappointed people behind." A small sigh escaped Lily's mouth, her pouting lips drawing James's attention to her flushed face. If only he could just take them in his, to him, even that would be bliss. "Alright, Evans, just give me five minutes alone. Will you allow us to talk?"

"As far as I'm concerned, we have nothing to talk about, you're a pompous arse and I am out of your league--"

"Just five minutes..." James's voice became pleading, it making her want him to stay with her for more than just a simple conversation, though, she would never admit it.

"Fine, five minutes. That is all you have." Lily crossed her arms over her chest, moving to leave the living room and down the hall to an empty guest bedroom Torrence usually stayed in when she was over. James gave a victory grin in which no one saw, which was probably just as well, if Lily had, she would not even be looking at him much less letting him talk to her.

"Now, what did you want to talk about that was so damned important?"

~*~

Sirius landed in front of Torrence' familiar house, her arms still wound tightly around his torso. He loved the feel of her; the ride was very pleasurable for him. He swore if he did not get any action soon, he would burst. What surprised him was that after they landed on solid ground and in front of her house, she made no move from her position. She happened to not want to move. She felt safe holding onto him like it was the right thing to do and how it should be.

"This is your house, isn't it, Spinnet?" Sirius smirked. Maybe he did not have to hide his feelings for her. It seemed she was feeling the same as him. Torrence jumped from her position as if something had pierced her skin, her head had been buried into the strength of his back, before she glanced up at Sirius, her face a bright scarlet.

"Um, I, well, Yes. This is my house." She said quietly, embarrassed, before she unwound her arms from around his lean waist, much to the displeasure of Sirius, and climbed down from the bike. No vehicles were in the drive way so that must mean both her parents were out. Just as well, Sirius may be able to work his magic on her. This, however, was not the case for Torrence. She did not feel like being alone right now, she was still pretty shaken up from what happened at the party. If Sirius had not shown up, oh god, she tried not to think about it.

"Hey, love, you okay?" Sirius was worried about her; she looked like she lost all focus just staring at the ground in front of her, her body shaking slightly. He hopped off his bike and met her at her side, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders and bringing her closer to his side.

"Yes, I--Actually Sirius, would you consider staying with me, just for a while?" She looked up into his grey eyes hopefully. That was something he could not say no to. He would have in the first place anyway. Maybe, just maybe, tonight would be his lucky night.