The Awakened Sleeper

Author's Note: I just want to thank those of you who are continuing to follow this story. Your reviews keep me motivated. I enjoy telling this story, and I'm glad you all are having a good time reading it. As always, I have to thank my beta, PirateQueen, for her awesome support.

"Any kiddie in school can love like a fool, but hating, my boy, is an art."

-- Ogden Nash

Chapter 9

Schoolboy Crushing

"Cressida, are you going to pout and sulk all day long? If so, let me know. I'll head down to Honeydukes, buy Lily's sweets, and be on my way. You don't seem to be too chuffed about spending the day with me anyway."

Cressida, none too pleased with the fact that Lily stayed behind at Hogwarts, had not said one word to Tegan on the way to Hogsmeade. Tegan had made several attempts to engage Cressida in conversation, but to no avail. Now, as the two girls stood on the outskirts of the village, Cressida stood there glaring at the small blonde, her arms folded across her chest in irritation.

"Bollocks, Tegan! You know I love spending time with you. It's just that I had plans for all of us today--plans that included Lily." Cressida sighed as she pulled her chopsticks out of the pocket of her cloak and jerkily twisted her hair into a knot. "You'd think that after more than five years of friendship, she'd just skive off for the day simply because it was something important to me."

Tegan turned her charcoal gray eyes up to the sky as if she were pleading with the gods for patience. "No," she began calmly, "I'd think that after more than five years of friendship, you'd understand how important Lily's schoolwork is to her and not be so...effing selfish. Don't worry, Cressida. There'll be more than enough time for you to butt into Lily's love life later."

Cressida whirled around to face Tegan. "I'm not butting in, I'm intervening. There's a difference. And effing? Since when do you say effing, Tegan?"

"Since you started acting like a whiny little..." Tegan's voice trailed away as she looked around, preparing to utter the next word. "...bitch," she whispered meekly.

Completely shocked that her normally demure and mild-mannered friend was testing the waters of vulgarity, Cressida stood there for over a minute, mouth opening and closing like a fish as she tried to form a response.

"If you're going to say things like that you have to say them with conviction, Tegan, not like you think your mother is going to suddenly Apparate and say, 'Gotcha'!" Cressida said as if she were teaching a class on the fine art of swearing. "However, that was quite the ear bashing, complete with swearwords. I'm so proud of you! I'm glad my years of debauchery haven't been a total waste."

Tegan looked down at her feet, hiding the smile that was trying its best to form on her lips. "Don't try to change the subject. I know this tactic of yours, Cressida. I've seen you use it on Lily too many times," she said, lifting her head as she regained her composure. "You make some cute little comment to divert her focus away from the matter at hand. It doesn't work on her, and it won't work on me."

"Okay, Tegan," Cressida replied, holding her hands up in capitulation. "You win. I'll be dead serious from now on. No more flippant remarks. You're right. I've been a right little shit today, but calling me selfish? That was a step too far. Everything I planned for today was for her benefit, not mine. I'm thinking of Lily, not myself."

Tegan stepped in front of her. Since Cressida was wearing a pair of high-heeled boots and was several inches taller than usual, Tegan had to look up even higher in order to stare her misguided friend in the eye. "If you were truly thinking about Lily, you wouldn't have made such a big stink about her not coming with us. You would have respected her wishes."

Cressida opened her mouth to tell Tegan just how far off the mark she was, but promptly closed it again. Who was this girl? She looked like Tegan, but she definitely wasn't acting like her. "What's going on with you today? You're being assertive and, dare I say, confrontational."

"You know I don't like being argumentative, but sometimes you have to get in a person's face to make her see when she's wrong." Tegan gave Cressida a hesitant smirk. "Guess who I learned that from?"

Cressida shook her head, feigning ignorance. "You know, I have no earthly idea!" She looked down at her boots as she really thought about the things Tegan had said, and was forced to admit to herself that it all made sense. "Thank you," she continued, "for putting me in my place, Tegan. I'm sorry I was so rude to you on the way here."

"You're welcome, and your apology is accepted. Now let's get going. It's a bit too chilly out here for my taste," Tegan said as she pulled her cloak tighter around herself.

"Agreed," Cressida replied.

The two girls set off down the path that led to the High Street. "I really am proud of you, you know," Cressida said as they began passing some of the homes on the fringes of the town. "You didn't back down. You stuck to your guns, and I respect that. My baby is growing up!" she gushed as she reached over and tousled Tegan's closely cropped hair. "I love your hair. I know I've said it before, but you're so lucky you have the facial structure for short hair. I would look absolutely terrible with short hair, but it's so cute on you!"

Tegan blushed at the compliment. "You don't think it makes me look like a boy?"

"Who cares if it does? Androgyny is very popular with Muggles right now. You know, like David Bowie?"

"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose it is cool." Tegan, whose mother was Muggle-born, was very knowledgeable about Muggle culture. The girls' shared interest in Muggle society was one of the reasons they had become friends. "I only wear it like this because it's convenient. I'm not trying to make a fashion statement or anything."

"Oh, of course not!" Cressida said as she winked at Tegan.

Now that the two of them had made it onto the High Street, Cressida began scanning the groups of students and villagers who were walking down the street, bustling in and out of shops.

"Where is he?" she mumbled.

"Who?"

"Sirius!" Cressida called, for she had just spotted him standing in front of Honeydukes along with James, Remus, and Peter. She waved her hand so he could see who was calling his name. "C'mon, Tegan, let's go and say hello."

Tegan's face blanched. "T-that's okay," she stammered. "I can wait for you."

Cressida rolled her eyes. She had momentarily forgotten that Tegan had a major crush on Remus, and was deathly afraid to speak to him. "He's a nice enough bloke, Tegan. I'm pretty sure he doesn't bite."

"I know, but--"

"What happened to the assertive girl who called me a bitch a few minutes ago? What about coming out of your shell?"

"I don't think I can be like that around him," Tegan replied in a small voice.

"Look, they're coming this way. Just be yourself, and you'll be fine."

Tegan looked unconvinced. "That's easy for you to say. Your self is interesting and exciting. Boys like that. I'm myself every day, and it hasn't got me anywhere."

"Tegan Watts, just shut it and trust me!" Cressida hissed out of the corner of her mouth. She immediately produced her warmest smile as the boys approached. "Good afternoon, gentlemen," she said brightly.

"Ladies." Sirius returned the friendly greeting by grinning and giving both girls the briefest of nods. "Did you just get here?"

"Yeah, we had a bit of a delay, didn't we Tegan?"

"Uh-huh," Tegan mumbled to her shoes.

"Tegan, are you okay?" Remus asked as he bent down and turned his head sideways so he could see her face. "You look a little pale."

"Oh, I'm just a bit cold," she said. She lifted her head up and risked a glance his way. "We've been out here in this wind too long, that's all."

"Well, we were about to go to Honeydukes when Cressida called," said Remus politely. "You can join us if you want to. Both of you, of course."

Tegan smiled at him as Cressida replied, "Thanks, Remus. I think we will. So, anything new and noteworthy at Zonko's?" she asked after noticing that each of the boys had a Zonko's bag in his possession.

Peter began rummaging through his bag as the group began walking towards Honeydukes. "Uhhh...lemme see...where is...here it is!" He produced a small green rectangular box and tossed it to Cressida.

"Frog spawn soap? And what, pray tell, is the purpose of this lovely little invention?"

"Well, it's...uh...I mean, it's used for.... You know, I honestly don't know," laughed Peter as he took the soap back from Cressida. "I just bought it because it sounded cool."

As the rest of the group laughed at Peter's absurdity, James, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, asked, "Where's Lily? The two of you are usually joined at the hip."

Cressida glanced over her shoulder as she answered him. "She had a lot of studying to do. We tried--I mean I tried," she amended after a nasty look from Tegan, "to talk her into joining us, but it was a no-go." As she gave him a sympathetic smile, she thought to herself, I hope he doesn't ask what subject she's working on.

"So...what subject is she studying?" James inquired in an unconvincingly indifferent tone.

Damn it! Cressida hated lying, but that didn't mean she wouldn't do so in a pinch. "Er...I'm not really sure. She didn't really say." Silently, Cressida willed Tegan--who, at times, was honest to a fault--not to say anything.

"Of course she said what subject she was studying, Cressida," Tegan said exasperatedly. "I'm sure you remember, as the two of you argued about it at great length. She's researching that potion again, James."

I'm going to have to have a little talk with Tegan about the necessary evil of the little white lie, Cressida thought as she said aloud, "Oh, that's right. I must have blocked it out. You know, because I hate arguing with Lily."

"Oh," James said dejectedly. "So she's with Snape, right?"

Cressida sighed inwardly as she replied, "I suppose so."

After hearing the disappointment in James's voice, Tegan immediately threw Cressida an Oops-I-Just-Realized-You-Were-Lying-To-Keep-James-From-Finding-Out-That-Lily-Is-Studying-With-Severus-Snape look. Sorry! she mouthed to Cressida when she was sure James wasn't looking.

Cressida responded with an expression that reassured Tegan that she wasn't angry about her being a bit slow on the uptake. It was hard to be angry at someone who was so endearingly naïve at times. She doesn't have a deceptive bone in her body, mused Cressida. Bless her...

After several moments of uncomfortable silence, Sirius said, "Hey, maybe we can figure out a way to test Peter's soap on Snivellus! A little harmless Snape-baiting never disappoints."

Remus, in his capacity as the group's official voice of reason, said, "And just how do you think you're going to manage that? He's not stupid enough to just accept it from you, you realize?"

"As if I would even consider just walking up to him and slapping it into his hand," Sirius said, holding his own hand to his heart in mock offense at the audacity of Remus suggesting such a thing. "That would be unimaginative and completely lacking in style. Say, Cressida," he said, lightly clapping his hand on her back, "d'you think Lily might be up for a little harmless mischief-making?" He winked at her and discreetly jerked his head in James's direction.

For some reason, butterflies were performing aerial feats in Cressida's belly. Maybe it was because she admired the way Sirius was trying to distract James and lift his spirits, or perhaps it was the warmth from the hand that he had yet to remove from her back. Cressida smiled at Sirius, signaling that she understood his intent to cheer up his mate.

"Are you daft?" she inquired. "Lily would just as soon gouge her own eyes out with a rusty spoon before breaking any rules."

"Technically, she wouldn't be breaking any rules," replied Sirius, his eyes twinkling at the prospect. "She'd just be giving him a little gift. There's no rule against gift-giving, is there, Remus?"

Before Remus could answer, Cressida said, "The day Lily participates in one of your little schemes will be the same day you decide to sing Celestina Warbeck's entire catalog of songs in front of the whole school. Professor Slughorn could brew up a batch of that Euphoria Elixir to loosen you up a bit, and I'm sure Professor Dumbledore wouldn't mind conjuring up a stage for you."

Everyone, including James, laughed uproariously. "I hate that I missed your musical debut in Slughorn's class," he managed to say through the laughter. "Remus and Peter were kind enough to fill me in on the details though, Sirius."

"Yeah, they're a couple of saints," Sirius replied sourly.

The group had finally reached Honeydukes. Hogwarts students were streaming in and out of the extremely popular establishment. As Cressida began to enter the sweet shop, Sirius lightly placed his hand on her elbow and gently pulled her aside. She opened her mouth to protest, but when he lifted his eyebrows to indicate she should be silent, she thought better of it and remained quiet.

Once the rest of the group was out of earshot, Sirius said, "So...Lily told you about my melodious singing voice, did she?"

"Of course she did," Cressida answered, a devilish grin stretching across her face. "I hope I didn't embarrass you too badly."

"The blow to my ego was a small price to pay to make James feel a little better."

"It was a noble sacrifice," Cressida said with sarcastic earnestness. "Look, I really tried my best to get Lily to come with us. It seems my powers of persuasion were a bit lacking today."

"I know you did. I found out first hand what happens when you try to dissuade Lily Evans when her mind is made up," he said, running his hand through his hair as he recalled their conversation in the corridor.

"Yeah, I got an earful from Lily after your little encounter. She was particularly pissed off at you that day, and so was I," Cressida said, frowning in disapproval. "I've been meaning to ask you why you felt the need to confront her like that without talking to me first. That was a huge mistake that could have been avoided."

"Well, I know that now," said Sirius, sheepishness creeping into his voice under Cressida's glare. "But you weren't there in Potions that day. She's getting way too chummy with Snape."

"You're overreacting, Sirius. Lily is only being nice to him because they're study partners."

"No, you aren't reacting enough," he said vehemently. "The two of you don't understand. Severus Snape is up to his eyeballs in Dark magic, Cressida. And you've seen who he hangs out with. My parents think very highly of both the Rosier and Wilkes families, and that's never a good sign."

"Believe me, I know exactly where you're coming from, Sirius," Cressida said, feeling a brief wave of nausea at the fleeting memory of Evan Rosier's hands on her body. "I've already warned Lily not to trust Snape."

"Well, she didn't listen. She's convinced that he's actually sorry for what he said about her last June."

"I know. I was standing there when he apologized. Believe it or not, he actually sounded sincere."

"A Slytherin sincerely apologizing?" Sirius said incredulously. "That's not possible. He's clearly up to something."

"That's exactly what I said, but she still believes him. Listen to me, Sirius. Lily's no lightweight. She can handle herself. Confronting her like you did only made her dig in her heels."

"But--" Sirius began to protest, but Cressida silenced him by pinching his lips together.

"Next time you get the notion to talk to Lily about Snape--don't," she said sweetly. "Just come and find me; I'll talk to her myself. Okay?"

"Mmkay," he managed to answer before Cressida released his lips. "Did you have to grip my lips so hard?" Sirius asked as he tried to rub away the pain.

"Sorry, but I had to be sure you were listening," Cressida said with a smirk. "Now I know that the next time we have a discussion you won't interrupt me because you know what will happen to you if you do."

"This was another lesson, was it?" Sirius asked. His mirthful gray eyes skimmed over Cressida's face before settling on her eyes.

Even though the gusty winds had chilled Cressida to the bone prior to their arrival at Honeydukes, she felt rather toasty at the moment. "Yes, it was," she said, unflinchingly meeting his gaze. "It wasn't a planned lesson, but a teachable moment presented itself; I had to act on it."

As Sirius continued to stare at her, Cressida began to feel self-conscious. He keeps staring at me. Is there something in my hair? "What is it?" she asked as she subtly began patting her hair, inconspicuously searching for a leaf or twig.

"Nothing," said Sirius offhandedly, suggesting that there was indeed something going on.

"Then why do you keep staring at me?" Cressida asked, now running her fingers over her face and checking them for smudges of dirt.

Sirius refused to answer her. He just stood there returning the smirk that she gave him earlier and continued to stare.

"What is it, damn it!" Cressida exclaimed.

"Okay, okay!" Sirius said, barely able to contain his laughter. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. It's not every day that Cressida Corwin loses her cool. If I'd known it was this easy, I'd have stared you down a long time ago."

"You smug son of a bi--"

"Now, now, Miss Corwin, watch your language," he admonished, enjoying the fact that he had successfully turned the tables. "I was staring because I realized that I was looking into your eyes without having to look down. So then I guessed you had to have on heels or something, which," Sirius said, looking down at Cressida's feet, "you do. Nice boots, by the way."

"Thank you," Cressida muttered wryly.

Sirius flashed his teeth at her and continued. "So then I started thinking about something that's been bothering me for a while."

"What would that be?"

"How in the world do you girls hike all the way to Hogsmeade and back to Hogwarts without complaining about your feet, especially since most of you are insane and refuse to wear comfortable shoes?"

Not expecting this bizarre twist to Sirius's train of thought, Cressida blinked in disbelief. He stares into my eyes, and all he can think about is my shoes? she thought angrily. Unbelievable! Sirius Black has the emotional capacity of a potato.

Cressida exhaled huffily. "It's a Cushioning Charm, Sirius. The same one they use on broomsticks. Now if you'll excuse me," she said in a brusque, business-like voice as she pushed past him, "there's a box of Honeydukes chocolate calling my name."

"They're like a shot of Firewhiskey...your eyes," Sirius suddenly murmured to her over his shoulder.

Cressida stopped in her tracks, her hand resting on the door handle. "What?" she asked, not daring to turn around.

"They're the same amber brown color; that's obvious," he stated as he turned around to face her. "Staring into them, you feel a warmth as intense as the heat you feel running down your throat after knocking back a tumbler full of the stuff. Just like Firewhiskey, the heat stays with you--it lingers. Once you've had a taste of it, you never forget that feeling. I could never forget your eyes, Cressida."

Cressida had purposely kept her back turned while Sirius was speaking, scared that maybe he was just joking around. Over the last couple of years, she had received more than her fair share of lines from blokes trying to convince her to meet them here or there. They had all been just that--lines. Lines of words strung together with no meaning or emotion behind them--nothing real. She didn't think she could bear it if she looked into his eyes and saw that this was simply more of the same.

Taking a chance, Cressida slowly turned around until she was looking directly at Sirius. He looked as if a healer had just told him he'd contracted some fatal disease, and he was waiting on the prognosis.

"Aren't you going to say anything at all?" he asked.

There was a slight tremor in his voice--whether it was from anxiety, embarrassment, or fear, Cressida couldn't tell. Deciding that anyone this keyed up had to be serious, Cressida slowly smiled at him. "Do a lot of hard drinking, do you?"

He cocked his head to the side and returned the grin, an unmistakable look of relief spreading across his face as he did so. "Used to steal a swig or two of Ogden's, once I learned how to pick the lock on my father's liquor cabinet."

Okay, so maybe he's got the emotional capacity of a puppy instead of a potato, Cressida thought to herself as she walked up to him. I can work with that. She looked down and reached for his hand, linking her fingers with his.

"Oh, really? Quite the little alcoholic, aren't we?" she asked, laughter in her voice.

Sirius nodded earnestly. "Yeah, I can't make it through the morning without reaching for the sauce." He lightly squeezed her hand as he said, "I meant every word, you know."

Cressida winked at him as she squeezed his hand back. "I know you did," she whispered. "Now, come on," she said as she turned towards the front door of the sweet shop, dragging a beaming Sirius behind her. "I'm cold, and that chocolate is practically serenading me with an aria."

*~*~*~*

After spending a substantial amount of time drooling over the myriad of confections at Honeydukes, the group had purchased their respective selections and proceeded to The Three Broomsticks. Now the six of them were huddled into a booth, enjoying a spirited conversation about their favorite Quidditch legends. Actually, five of them were enjoying the conversation--Sirius was preoccupied with the thoughts swirling around in his head and was having trouble focusing on what was being said. As he sat there watching Cressida speak animatedly about her fascination with the grisly demise of "Dangerous" Dai Llewellyn, he couldn't help but think back to their first year at Hogwarts.

Back then, Cressida Corwin had been a Quidditch-obsessed, pigtail wearing tomboy with a strange fascination with Muggles. His eleven-year-old alter ego decided that because she didn't giggle and gossip with the other girls about silly girl things, she might actually be worth getting to know. As he watched her eyes dance with exhilaration, vivid memories of the two of them enthusiastically discussing their picks for the ultimate Quidditch team came flooding back to him. Sirius could remember looking into those same dancing eyes years ago and thinking to himself that a girl who loved Quidditch that much wouldn't be so bad to have around.

Yet their potential closeness had petered out somehow. At some point between their first and second years, Cressida realized she was a girl and began behaving that way. The pigtails disappeared, and she and Lily had become inseparable. She had found her best mate, Sirius had found his, and they never had a chance to build on the friendship they had begun during their first year. They would greet each other in the common room or occasionally sit in the same vicinity during meals or Quidditch matches. Aside from the classes they took together, that was the extent of their contact.

Then sometime during fourth year, Sirius realized Cressida was a girl, too. By that time, unfortunately, so had every other male student at Hogwarts. Every few weeks or so, she was rumored to be dating a different bloke. It seemed like guys were queuing for an opportunity to be linked with Cressida for a while. Even though he was quite taken with her, Sirius wasn't one of them. He had received his fair share of attention from the opposite sex as well. Although he found most of the girls who expressed interest in him to be rather insipid and lacking in personality, they kept him occupied. Yet somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, he always found himself comparing them to Cressida.

Every time Sirius had made the decision to tell Cressida how he felt about her, she was always seeing someone new. And because he would never approach a girl who was already spoken for, he always had to put his plans on hold. However, today he had finally done it. Sirius had finally gone a step beyond the flirtatious dance he and Cressida had been involved in since the beginning of the term and had given her an inkling of how he really felt about her. Now as he sat there watching her, he couldn't imagine why he had hesitated for so long.

Vaguely aware that someone was talking to him, he looked around at his companions and said, "Huh?"

"What do you think?" James repeated impatiently.

"About what?"

James looked at Sirius like a third eye had just developed in the middle of his forehead. "What's with you? You've been out of it since we got here."

"It's nothing. I've just got a lot on my mind, is all." Sirius quickly glanced at Cressida, who was sitting directly across from him. The meaningful grin on her face told Sirius that she knew exactly what he'd been thinking about.

"James and Cressida were having a bit of a disagreement about thrill-seeking Quidditch players," Remus explained.

Cressida leaned forward and looked to her right so she could look at James as she said, "Yes, James is under the mistaken impression that the Broadmoor brothers were more daring than Llewellyn--"

"--while Cressida here is deluding herself that the opposite is true," James interjected.

"Oh, come off it, James! The Broadmoors were nothing more than a couple of bullying show-offs."

"Bullies!" James exclaimed incredulously. "They were Beaters, Cressida! Beaters are supposed to be aggressive. What do you expect them to do? Go up to their opponents and say, 'Excuse me, but I'd be ever so grateful if you would allow me to knock you off your broom'?"

Cressida rolled her eyes. "There's aggression and there's excessive force. They were suspended at least fourteen times! I think that clearly puts them on the excessive side of the spectrum. That's not daring, it's intimidation."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," James replied, his voice rising slightly. "There's nothing wrong with putting a little fear into the hearts and minds of your opponents. It throws them off their game."

"If someone has to resort to fear tactics to win, I think that shows a lack of skill and talent. Llewellyn was talented enough to take risks and do whatever it took to win, without being thick enough to get suspended for it. They created an award in his honor, after all."

"He was thick enough to get killed by a Chimaera, wasn't he?" James muttered under his breath.

"I heard that! That's not exactly fair, is it? I'd like to see how you fare against a Chimaera."

Remus was sitting between the two combatants. Like everyone else at the table, he'd been watching the two of them have a go at each other like he was watching a verbal tennis match. He had flattened himself against the back of the booth as much as he could to avoid the line of fire.

"If this is going to turn into a brawl, let me know ahead of time, please," he said. "I'm not too keen on a punch meant for James connecting with my face."

"Honestly, Remus! This is just a friendly little debate between friends. Besides," Cressida said as she pushed up the sleeves of her black cable-knit jumper and began cracking her knuckles, "if I wanted to hit James, no mistakes would be made, I promise you." Even though she was still addressing Remus, she had not taken her eyes off James.

"What was that you were saying about intimidation, Cressida?" James asked, returning her gaze with a smirk.

"Why, James? Feeling intimidated?"

"Hardly."

Before Cressida could open her mouth to retort, a pretty young woman approached the table balancing a tray with six bottles of butterbeer on it.

"Hello, all!" she greeted cheerfully.

"Hi, Rosmerta," all four boys responded in unison. Cressida and Tegan merely smiled politely.

"Here you go! Six butterbeers," Rosmerta said as she placed the bottles on the table in front of her patrons. "Sorry it took so long, but we've been so busy! It seems that all your school chums decided to stop by at the same time."

"That's okay," said a red-faced Peter. "We didn't mind the wait."

Rosmerta beamed at him like he was the cutest little puppy in all of creation. "You're such a sweetheart," she gushed. "Well, enjoy your drinks, everyone! Call me if you need anything else." She turned and proceeded to walk away. Momentarily forgetting that they were in mixed company, three male heads turned to watch her voluptuous hips sway as she departed.

Wanting to prove just how serious he was about her, Sirius stared fixedly at Cressida as his friends participated in one of their favorite pastimes. Cressida cocked her eyebrow at him and smiled, silently challenging him to look. However, Sirius was resolute in his decision to resist temptation. He simply picked up his bottle of butterbeer and took a gulp.

Tegan had been sitting with her mouth gaped open as she watched the three boys ogling Rosmerta. "Pigs! You three are pigs--openly gawping at Rosmerta's arse while Cressida and I are sitting right here! I guess Sirius is the only gentleman sitting at this table."

Now James, Remus, and Peter were the ones with mouths wide open, shocked that Tegan--who had said all of three words up until now--had not only spoken, but had told them off as well. Sirius had choked on his butterbeer after hearing Tegan swear, and was now in the middle of a coughing fit.

Only Cressida was smiling broadly. She clapped her hands as she said, "Now that's how you swear, Tegan. Well done!"

The three recipients of Tegan's wrath had the good grace to redden in the face as they mumbled their apologies. Tegan responded by shaking her head in disapproval and muttering, "Boys."

Cressida turned to Sirius and said, "I'm impressed. Unlike your mates, you were able to suppress your inner pig. Tegan is right. You seem to be a true gentleman."

Sirius briefly glanced at his three best friends as they silently nursed their drinks and was forced to smother a laugh. He was certainly no cad, but of the four of them, Sirius was probably the least gentlemanly of the group. While he sympathized with his friends' plight, he saw no reason to correct the girls' character assessment.

"I have nothing but the utmost respect for women. Their objectification is wrong, and I'm ashamed and embarrassed that my friends would engage in such behavior." Sirius quickly took another gulp of butterbeer to keep from laughing at the stunned expressions on his friends' faces.

"Slow down, love," said Cressida. "I said that you seem to be a gentleman."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, please, Sirius! You wanted to look at Rosmerta so badly, I swear I saw beads of sweat break out on your forehead. You looked like an addict in desperate need of a fix," Cressida replied. It appeared that she was trying to keep from humiliating Sirius further by attempting to contain her amusement. However, the remainder of the group had no such compunction and was laughing so hard they were receiving glances from people at surrounding tables.

Sirius ignored their squawking laughter as he sat there immersed in his own confusion. So maybe Sirius hadn't been as convincing as he thought he'd been. Yet Cressida wasn't mad. Apparently, she thought it was so funny that she was having a rough time trying to hold it together.

While the others were distracted, he leaned forward and quickly whispered, "Why are you so happy about it?"

"Sirius, Rosmerta is very pretty and has a lovely shape," Cressida patiently answered. "Frankly, I'd have been worried if you hadn't wanted to look. If a bloke walked into this pub right now with thick wavy hair, cute dimples, and a rock hard stomach, do you honestly think I wouldn't look?"

"So why read them the riot act for doing something you would do?"

"I didn't make a big deal out of it, Tegan did. I thought it was rather funny myself. But she had every right to react the way she did. Out of respect for the ladies sitting at the table with them, they should have used more discretion, Sirius." She picked up her bottle and took a sip.

As he watched Cressida drink her butterbeer, he thought about how he'd react if she blatantly drooled over some other guy right in front of him. A brief surge of unwarranted jealously rose in him at the thought, and he understood completely why Tegan had reacted the way that she had. Sirius had more respect for both girls than to put them through that.

Remus had overheard the last few words Cressida had spoken to Sirius while he was recovering from his jubilant reaction to her earlier comments. "No disrespect was meant by what we did. It's usually just the four of us together, so..."

Cressida opened her mouth to respond, but before she could do so Tegan said, "So you just acted the way you normally would. It's all right, Remus. Just don't do it next time."

"Next time?" he asked, grinning. "You mean you're willing to muck around with us pigs again?"

"Sure," Tegan replied, a blush spreading over her face as she smiled back.

"Well, I certainly hope so," James said. "I haven't had this much fun in Hogsmeade in a while. We've had a few good laughs at Sirius's expense--that's always fun. Plus, I was threatened with violence--"

"I didn't threaten you!" Cressida loudly interrupted.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You just let me know that you're talented and skilled enough to bash my face in."

"Exactly."

"Despite that," he said addressing the group at large, "this has been enjoyable. We really have to do this again." He raised his butterbeer and said, "Agreed?"

Everyone else raised their bottles and said, "Agreed!"

After taking another swallow of butterbeer, Cressida looked at her watch and said, "Oooh, I need to go!"

"Go?" Sirius asked, looking down at his own watch. "It's still pretty early."

"There's something I need to get at Scrivenshaft's. It won't take long," she said as James and Remus slid out of the booth to let her out.

Sirius began to gather his things. "I'll go with you--"

"No, no. Stay here. I'll be right back. In the meantime, maybe Tegan can talk some sense into James about the Broadmoors."

Tegan looked up at Cressida apologetically. "I don't mean to belittle Llewellyn's performance, but I actually tend to agree with James on this one," she said.

James smiled triumphantly at Cressida as he sat back down. "You can't beat team loyalty, Cressida."

She stuck out her tongue at James before turning to Tegan and saying, "Some friend you are." Tegan simply shrugged her shoulders. Cressida poked her tongue out at Tegan, too before waving at everyone. "See you later!"

As everyone waved and said their good-byes, Sirius shook his head. She's a funny, witty, Quidditch fanatic who doesn't care if I stare at other girls and is insanely beautiful to boot. I'm doomed...

*~*~*~*

Cressida walked out of Scrivenshaft's twirling the brilliant blue-green peacock feather calligraphy quill she had just purchased for Lily. She had spent a considerable amount of time trying to make a choice between the peacock quill and a beautiful jet black ostrich feather quill. Ultimately, her lack of funds made the decision for her, since the ostrich quill was several Galleons higher in price.

Cressida had acted like a bratty little child earlier, and she felt guilty for making Lily feel badly about staying behind to do her schoolwork. Deep down, she had known that nothing would keep her straight-laced best friend from shirking her responsibility or keeping a promise--even if that promise had been made to Severus Snape. Nevertheless, Cressida had continued badgering Lily relentlessly, accomplishing nothing more than pissing off her friend in the process. Cressida felt that the gift would be a nice accompaniment to the crow she would be eating when she saw Lily again.

As she placed the quill back into its packaging, Cressida caught some movement from the corner of her eye. Quickly glancing to her right, she saw the last person she expected to see--or wanted to see for that matter. When he began to approach her, she quickened her pace, desperately trying to get to a more heavily populated area.

"Cressida, wait!" called Evan, as he increased his speed to catch up with her.

"Sod off, Rosier! I'll scream bloody murder if you lay one finger on me." Though forceful, her voice trembled slightly.

"You have every right not to trust me after what I did to you last term," he panted, now practically jogging to keep up with Cressida. "But I'm asking you to please let me explain--"

Cressida stopped in her tracks and whirled around to face Evan. "Explain? Explain? There is no explanation, no justification for what you did to me," she spat at him with disdain.

"You're right, Cressida," he said as he anxiously pushed his gold-flecked brown hair back from his face. "There's no excuse for what I did. I know I don't deserve it, but I'm asking you for just five minutes of your time." He took a few steps toward her as if to ensure that their conversation remain private, but Cressida scuttled backward toward the entryway of the alley behind her.

"Okay! I won't get any closer to you than this, I swear. In fact," he said as he held his hands up, "I'll keep my hands in my pockets." With that, he plunged both his hands into the pockets of his cloak. "See? Please, Cressida, this has been plaguing me for months. Just five minutes?"

Cressida quickly assessed her surroundings. This area of Hogsmeade wasn't quite as popular with the students of Hogwarts, so there was no one around that she recognized--only a few villagers scattered here and there. Not as big a crowd as she would have liked, but enough people to hear her if she screamed. Even though she was scared out of her wits, Cressida felt that she could handle herself if Evan tried to get physical with her. She'd done it once, she could do it again.

Against her better judgment, Cressida said, "Two minutes--make it fast."

Evan seemed to relax a bit. "Thanks, Cressida. I really appreciate--"

"One minute, fifty-five seconds to go."

"Okay, okay! Like I said, there's no excuse for what I did, but I wanted you to understand why I did it."

"Oh, is that all?" Cressida asked with a saccharine grin. "We can end this ridiculous conversation right now, because I already understand why you did it. You're a freak!"

"Cressida, please hear me out," Evan pleaded, his desperation evident in his voice. His behavior was slightly unnerving to Cressida. It was almost as if he was seriously attempting to apologize to her. With a curt nod of her head, she gave her consent for him to continue.

"Thank you," he said soberly. "Cressida, I've fancied you since fourth year. You're dead gorgeous, a blind man could tell you that. But, that's not the only reason why!" he quickly added when Cressida narrowed her eyes at him. "You've always been a bit of an oddity. You know--marching to the beat of a different drum and the like. I've always admired the way you do exactly what you please. You don't give a toss what other people think of you.

"Me, on the other hand? I'm completely obsessed with what other people think of me. That's what kept me from expressing my feelings sooner. I was too bloody scared about what the other Slytherins would think of me if I even tried to talk to you. I was too worried about what it would do to my image.

"So I kept it all to myself. I found a so-called perfect girlfriend that everyone would approve of--my parents, my friends. Bronwen is acceptable, but...she isn't you, is she?" Evan stopped talking, his lips forming a grim line across his face.

"How did any of that give you the right to paw at me like I was a whore? How did that give you the right to say to me that you knew that I'd already spread my legs for half the bloody school, and that I was going to do it for you, too?" Cressida was so filled with rage that she didn't feel the huge tears rolling down her face. "Do you remember saying that, Rosier? I know I'll never forget hearing it--not as long as I live. With one sentence, you made me feel so vile, so...unclean." She hugged herself as she remembered how shameful Evan had made her feel.

"I remember," he murmured as he hung his head down. "I remember every time I see you in class. I remember every time someone mentions your name. That day in the corridor, my plan was to finally tell you how I felt. But when you turned me down so brutally...well, I guess my ego couldn't handle it. I lost my temper, and I took it too far." He looked into Cressida's eyes and said, "I'm not proud of what I did to you. I can only hope that you'll find it in your heart to forgive me someday."

Cressida said nothing as she studied Evan's face. On the surface, he seemed to be truly remorseful. It actually appeared that Evan Rosier was attempting to atone for his actions. Then she focused on his eyes. There was no emotion of any kind behind those brown eyes. His eyes were not the eyes of a person who was looking for absolution. They were the eyes of someone cold and calculating--the eyes of an accomplished manipulator.

Cressida began clapping as she took several steps towards Evan. "Bravo! It's too bad we don't have a drama club at Hogwarts, because you'd be a natural."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, a frown line forming between his eyebrows.

"That was a nice try," she replied, laughing sardonically. "I can't believe I nearly fell for it. My favorite part was that 'I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me' rubbish." She took in a deep breath as if she was trying to regain her composure before she said, "You really should try your hand at comedy."

Cressida looked into Evan's eyes again, just in time to see them darken slightly. In that instant, a cold sweat broke out all over her body. This time his eyes weren't cold and emotionless. This time they were filled with malice. Every warning bell in her head was telling her to run, but she was frozen to the spot with fear.

"I can't say I didn't expect things to turn out this way," Evan uttered silkily. "That's one of things I like about you, Cressida--you're so damned clever." Before Cressida had a chance to react, Evan whipped his right hand out of his pocket, his wand firmly gripped in it. "Stupefy!"

The last thing Cressida saw before losing consciousness was Evan's sadistic smile bathed in a flash of red light....