The Seriousness of Sirius Potter

Sirius sat alone in his dormitory. So much had happened all at once that morning and then absolutely nothing happened for the rest of the day. He hadn't been able to concentrate in his lessons, the words of his teachers washed over him completely. All day long he had been wondering about what Michael might have said in his dad's office but he was more concerned about what Scott might have said. Now that Michael knew about Scott's blackmailing, would Scott cash in his chips and tell Professor Potter everything?

Questions, possibilities, different scenarios, all of them buzzed through Sirius' head. The door clicked open quietly; Michael's head slowly looked in.

"Hi Sirius,"

"Mike?" Sirius stood up as Michael entered the room, closing the door behind him. For a moment they stood in silence, unsure of what to say. The minutes went by without them; it was if time had no meaning for the two separated lovers. Finally they both decided they didn't need to say anything, instead they rushed towards each other into an embrace that was long overdue. They kissed frantically as if making up for lost time. Tears came to both their eyes.

"I'm so sorry ... I never meant to say that, I had no right to..." Sirius placed a finger to Mike's lips, showing him that all was forgiven. They launched themselves into another flurry of kissing and hugging. "Oh Merlin, I've been miserable these past few days," sighed Mike.

"It's been no picnic for me either," Michael gently took Sirius' head in his hands. They looked directly at each other and smiled, happy tears still falling down their faces.

"You silly bugger," said Michael still smiling. "Why didn't you tell me that git Scott was blackmailing you? If I'd known sooner then I would have ..."

"I know you would have, that's why I love you." The two boys sat on the bed, each holding the other's hands. Even though all they wanted to do was kiss, they had much to talk about. "What happened after the duelling lesson? What did my dad say?"

"Well, once we were in his office he demanded to know who started the fight. I told him I did and that it was because Scott was picking on you,"

"What did Scott say? Did he tell my dad about us?" Michael shook his head.

"No, he barely said a word. Mostly because he knows I'll give him more of the same if he ever does."

"And you didn't say anything about us?"

"No, because I knew you didn't want me to. You mean too much to me for me to do that. You dad docked a hundred points from Gryffindor and sent us out."

"A hundred points?" breathed Sirius. "I didn't realise..."

"Hey, you're worth that and more." They smiled again and pulled each other closer for another series of kisses. After a few minutes of heaven, they broke apart.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," sighed Sirius.

"There's more," said Michael in a serious tone. "After he sent Scott out, he asked me to tell you to go see him in his office at four o'clock. I think he wants to find out more about Scott's 'bullying'."

"But it's almost four now, what am I going to tell him?"

"Well, you could tell him that Scott was just being a bastard as usual. Your dad will have no trouble believing that. That way you won't have to tell him anything about us if you don't want to." Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment then stood up.

"No, no more lying," he said firmly. "It's time I told my dad, it's the only reason I've been so unwilling to tell people about us. I need to get it out of the way."

"You mean..."

"Yes, tonight you and I will sleep in the same bed. We won't have to sneak around anymore; we'll hold hands in public, everything! After I tell my dad it won't matter what Scott says because I won't care!" Michael rose and looked into the Sirius' eyes. He saw a determination that he had never seen in him before.

"Do you want me to come?"

"No, this is something I have to do alone. I'll be fine and I have a feeling that my dad will be fine with it as well. Then when I come back we can both have a laugh about what a silly bugger I've been."

After one final kiss Sirius headed down the stairs, through the common room and out into the corridor. When he arrived at his dad's office he knocked on the door without hesitation.

"Come in," came a familiar voice from inside. With a deep breath, Sirius opened the door and stepped in.