From the Beginning..

Outside by the lake, two figures stood talking. "Sirius, do you mind if ask you something?" James said.

"Fire away," Sirius replied shoving his hands into his pockets.

"When are you going to admit to yourself that you're in love with Ariadne?"

The smile on Sirius' face died. "I don't know what you're talking about."

James crossed him arms and smiled. "Was I in that much denial about Lily?"

Sirius stood looking at him for a moment, then sighed. "Yes, yes, I believe you were." They both smiled at each other.

"Go tell her. I'll let Remus know where you've gone." Sirius nodded as James started walking away. "You'd better hurry," he called, "she won't be awake much longer!"

Sirius smiled to himself before turning and walking back towards the school.

In the infirmary, Madame Pomfrey checked her over and gave her a tonic. "Here, this should do the trick." She drank the liquid and felt the pounding in her head begin to ease.

When she was released, she was surprised to find that Snape was waiting for her. "Are you better now?" he asked with a small frown. She looked up at him and nodded. "The pain is gone. Thanks for bringing me. I don't think I could have stood that pain all night."

He nodded tersely. "Come on, I'll walk you back."

The walked in silence most of the way back to Gryffindor tower. "I'll leave you here," he said. "You're friends don't like me very much."

She nodded. "Thanks again." To his surprise, she grasped his hand and squeezed it before turning and walking away.

He stood there watching her for a few moments before walking towards Slytherin's tower.

She stepped through the portrait doorway and noticed that Sirius was waiting for her in the common room.

"Ariadne," he said walking over to her. "I was about to come looking for you. Where have you been all this time?"

"I was running to get back from the library and bumped into Severus. I hit my head when I fell and he took me to see Madame Pomfrey."

His eyes widened as she spoke. "Are you alright? He should have been watching where he was going," Sirius snarled.

Ariadne laid a hand on his arm to calm him. Even blocking she could still feel the waves of hatred coming off him.

"It's okay, Sirius. I'm fine, and there's no harm done." She thought of how late it was. "What are you doing here?"

He put his hands in his pocket and walked back into the center of the room. "Actually, I, um, wanted to talk with you."

She raised an eyebrow. "About what?" she said walking over to him.

He turned and looked down at her. "About this," he whispered. He leaned down and softly kissed her. "There's something about you," he whispered, "that has gotten under my skin." He ran a finger down the side of her face. "From the first moment I saw you, I knew something was different, besides your being a yank." They both laughed. "I've never felt like this, I don't think I've ever really cared about anyone else before."

Ariadne closed her eyes. She knew what he was feeling. She could feel him. Since that first day, she always knew when Sirius was near or watched her. Her skin would start to tingle all over. She had never had this reaction to anyone before. "Sirius, I-,"

"Don't. Let me finish," he took a deep breath. "I'm not perfect, there will probably be times when you'll want to hit me over the head with something. I'm impulsive, stubborn -," Ariadne pushed him down on the couch to cut him off.

Leaning over him, she said, "I love you, too."

Sirius pulled her down to thoroughly kiss her.

They stayed that way, sitting on he couch talking quietly and kissing until the sun came up. The portrait hole opened to admit Remus, James, and Peter. The couple looked up as they walked in. "It's about time you've done something right, Sirius," Remus said smiling.