Alex sat on the couch by the fireplace, working on her Charms homework. She scowled as a shadow came over her parchment. “Oy, can you move? You’re blocking my li- oh, hi Sirius!”
Sirius stood in front of her, frowning. “Since when do you do homework when you could be spending time with any boy of your choice, namely me? I thought- oh never mind. You’re just turning into Lily.”
He turned as if to leave.
“Sirius, wait!” Alex cried out, surprising herself.
“Yes?” Sirius asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.
Alex faltered. What exactly did she do that for? “I- I am not like Lily! In fact, er… can you help me with this essay? I can’t remember the wand movement for the Baking Spell.”
“Oh.” Sirius said, looking disappointed. “Yeah, sure. No prob.”
He sat down next to her, leaning towards the piece of parchment. He just sat there for a minute. “Um… Sirius? What are you doing? I thought you said you’d help me.”
“I will. I’m just seeing what you have so far.” Sirius sat up, nodding. “Well, the first thing you do is pull down the tip…”
Alex bent over her homework, writing as Sirius dictated. He leaned in closer to make sure she had it all. “I think you’ve got it.” He said, satisfied. “Perfect.”
Alex sat up again, ready to thank him. What she didn’t know was that Sirius was bending over her, so as she straightened, her head hit him in the chin. “Oh! Sirius! I’m so sorry. Let me see that. Did I hurt you?” She ran her finger over his chin, checking for swelling.
“Not much.” He was able to grunt out, very distracted by Alex touching her face. “It doesn’t really hurt.” He looked down at her.
Her face becoming flushed, she asked, “Are you sure? Do you need something to make it feel better?”
“Well,” he said thoughtfully. “There is one thing.” Leaning down, he did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her.
Alex was surprised at first, then gradually kissed him back. Somehow, they were now standing, and his arms were around her waist. Alex slipped her hands up behind his neck, oblivious to everything else.
*
Lily walked into her dorm, surprised to find that, of all people, Alex was reading a book on a Friday night. Taking a closer look, Lily could tell that Alex was not reading (the book was upside down), and her eyes were bright and cheeks flushed. “Alex?” she asked.
“Oh, Lily!” Alex exclaimed. “I just had the most magical thing happen. I was sitting in the common room, doing homework (here Lily snorted) Honest! And then Sirius came in and helped me, and then I accidentally hurt him, and when I was seeing if he was alright, he KISSED ME!” She stopped, out of breath. “Well?”
Lily smiled. “I’m happy for you. Really. But where is he now? Usually when you find your next boyfriend, we have to drag you away from him.”
Alex frowned. “Well, he’s not exactly my boyfriend. And the funny thing is, after a while, he asked what time it was, and when he saw the clock, he jumped a little, and ran out of the room. Maybe he doesn’t like me. Do you think he doesn’t like me?” she asked anxiously.
Lily laughed. “Of course he does! He probably realized that he was late in playing some prank or another.”
Alex smiled. “You’re probably right. By the way, can you help me with my Transfiguration? I got… er… distracted.”
Laughing, the two girls fetched their textbooks to do their homework by the light of the full moon.
*
Sirius ran down to the Great Hall, where James and Peter were waiting for him. “Padfoot! Where have you been?” James hissed.
Sirius smiled. “I was-“
Peter interrupted. “I think he means, you were you with?”
Sirius’ smile widened. “Alex.”
James’ eyebrows lifted. “Really! Well, it’s about time. You two are perfect for each other.”
Sirius started to make a small noise, but James cut in. “Come on! Moony’s probably waiting for us. The three Marauders slipped under the Invisibility Cloak and snuck off to the Whomping Willow, ready for a night of running around on the grounds.