Sugar & Spice

My first day at Hogwarts was one of the most uncomfortable, awkward and humiliating experiences of my life.

When I realised I wasn't going to get any breakfast, I downed the rest of my tea and slammed my mug onto the table, not looking forward to being hungry until lunchtime.

"Does anybody have Transfiguration?" I asked to nobody in particular.

"We do," said Black, clapping an exhausted Remus on the back. I grabbed my bag and slung it across my chest, then waited for the other two to stand.

It took a good ten minutes to get to the Transfiguration classroom, and while we walked, I tried my best to memorize everything around me, but I knew if I ever tried to find it again, I wouldn't. Hogwarts really was an incredibly large place.

When we swung open the door to the classroom, I found McGonagall and the whole of the rest of the class staring at us.

"You're late to your first lesson, Ms. Tamsworth," She stated matter-of-factly, and I grimaced, edging my way to the first available seat.

"Take a seat next to Mr. Black, please." I groaned inwardly.

Black, who had already passed Remus and I and taken his seat next to a busty blonde (a quick glance at her told me that my skirt definitely wasn't too short; I could see the tip of her lacy black garter from where I stood), whirled around in his chair.

"Hannah sits next to me!" He protested indignantly, just loud enough for everybody in the class to hear. She gave him a withering glare.

"'Hannah' will go and sit next to Mr Armstrong, Mr Black, and you are to address me as Professor. If I have to tell you that one more time, I shall issue you with a detention." She dismissed him and turned to the class as if nothing had happened. "I feel that it is my duty to inform you, class, that this year is going to be far more difficult than last year. Regardless..." I quickly made my way to my seat, avoiding looking around for fear of meeting the curious glances sent my way.

Black leaned back so his chair was on its two back legs and linked his fingers behind his head, watching me as I reached into my bag and brought out my ink, quill and parchment.

"...pair up with the person sitting next to you and attempt to transfigure the puppies that Ms. Longbottom is now kindly passing out into blackbirds."

A cheerful-looking girl with dark shoulder-length hair smiled as she handed us two very cute puppies before moving to the next table. I'd read up on inter-species transfiguration, but I had a feeling that it would be a lot more difficult to actually do.

With a thunk, Black's chair landed on all four legs. He waved his wand lazily at the dazed-looking grey pup that blinked up at me. It immediately turned into a blackbird and flew to the ceiling, cawing.

"Well done, Mr Black." McGonagall said dryly, momentarily looking up from her desk. "20 points to Gryffindor," He gave her a smug smile and leant back onto the back two legs of his chair, once again looking down at me. I, in turn, gazed up at him, my mouth slightly open.

"How did you do that?" I asked in disbelief. He grinned at me.

"Because I'm brilliant." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I scoffed and cleared my throat before pointing my wand at the black puppy sitting in front of me on my desk. I said the spell and waved my wand the way I thought I was supposed to.

Nothing happened. Black rolled his eyes.

"So. Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked lazily, picking at his nails. I gritted my teeth.

"I can't concentrate on Transfiguration with you asking me stupid questions, Black."

"Oh contrare, my dear. I think this question is extremely relavant."

"Pff, to what?"

"...Everything."

I decided to ignore him from then on, and he didn't push it, to my relief. He began doodling on the piece of parchment I'd pulled out of my bag.

By the end of my class, all I had managed to do was wind myself up. I sighed sadly as Alice Longbottom took the puppy away so that I could work on it some more next lesson.

"I would like you all to write me 16 inches on how and why it is useful to be able to transfigure inter-species animals. To those of you who haven't yet mastered the spell - that's everyone apart from Black and Miss Evans - I want you to practice before next lesson. You may leave."

The class groaned and people began standing up to put their things away.

I fully realised then how much I was going to need Black's help this year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That evening after I'd had dinner and a quick shower, I slung my bag (which now contained all my homework and practice assignments) over my shoulder and made my way downstairs into the common room to find Black standing by the girls' staircase, tapping his foot impatiently.

"'Bout time," He commented impatiently the second he saw me. I ignored it.

"Where are we going to do this?" I asked. He rolled his eyes but answered my question.

"I found this unused classroom today on the fourth floor. That's the best place to go." I sarcastically indicated with my hand the direction of the portrait hole.

"Lead the way," I said. You rude bastard I added in my head.

He shrugged away from the wall he'd been leaning against and I followed him out into the corridor.

We walked in dead silence for about five minutes until we reached said classroom. He held the door open for me in what I suspected was a rare act of gentlemanly manners and I brushed past him inside.

"So. What are you going to tutor me on today?" I asked, feeling exceptionally awkward. He sat down on top of a grubby-looking table, not bothered that his trousers were getting streaks of cobwebs, chalk and dirt on them.

"Well, I'd actually planned on not doing anything at all. But after watching you in class -"

"Hey!"

"- I reckon you need all the help you can get." He finished smoothly, ignoring my interruption.

Of course he was completely right, but I didn't want to admit it.

In Potions, when Professor Slughorn told us to start making a Draught of Living Death, everybody had immediately lit the fires underneath their cauldrons without effort.

Except me.

I'd tried to cast the spell about 5 times before Black came over and lit it for me, rolling his eyes, but thankfully not commenting.

Of course, it would all make complete sense if I told Black I didn't know even the most basic spells because I'd thought I was a squib for nine years - then he wouldn't think I was as dense as I appeared. But I had a sense of pride, and so that was out of the question.

"Sit." Black ordered and I obligingly sat on the table opposite, which looked a bit cleaner than the one Black was sitting on. He pulled out a red cloth-bound book which read Basic Charms Grade 1. "I got this out of the Library today. It's the book people learn out of in their first year -" He put up a hand to cut off my remonstration, and then continued. "- but if you know all the spells in here then we should have finished within the hour. Then we'll move onto the next and so on. Relax - I just want to figure out how much you know so far, okay?"

I huffed and crossed my arms across my chest. I really hoped that I could cast these spells without a hitch or else Black would tell everybody I was hopeless.

He picked the first spell in the book, and kept his finger on it while looking up at me. I felt an odd squirming in my stomach as his eyes met mine but I pushed it from my mind.

"Right - cast an lock charm on that door." He pointed to the classroom door. I felt relieved; this was one of the few spells I'd practiced the day previously when I'd experimented with my newly-purchased wand. I pointed my wand at the door, locking it with ease. Then I unlocked it before he could ask.

"Good. Now... levitate that chair." This was a bit more difficult. I knew the theory, and as far as I was aware, it wasn't a particulary hard spell, but I'd never cast it before.

I bit my lip and swish-and-flicked my wand ("Wingardium Leviosa!"). The chair gave a feeble lurch and fell over onto its side.

Black sucked in a quick breath and then blew it out slowly.

"Oh boy," He breathed, and I cringed. What had I gotten myself into?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Sirius's Point of View

I sucked in a shocked breath.

She couldn't even levitate a chair. It was like she'd never used magic before or something. I knew she wasn't stupid, and she wasn't slow... so what the hell?

I looked up at her, trying to keep the surprise from my face.

"Were you home-schooled, Tammie?"

She fiddled with her fingers, not looking up at me. She was really quite adorable. She mumbled something only somebody with super-sonic hearing could possibly have caught, and I leaned forward, frowning.

"Pardon?"

"Something like that," she answered louder, still twiddling her thumbs.

"Damn it, Tamsworth! I can't help you if you don't tell me anything. It's my job to teach you, right?" I said, trying to get her to tell me whatever was on her mind.

Her head whipped up to look at me; she held my gaze steadily, her eyes flicking between mine as if searching for something. It was like she was looking into my soul.

No. She's definitely not stupid, I thought, my heart pounding from the simple look. I sat back, a bit taken aback by the rush of feeling I felt.

She looked beaten and defeated, but tried to hide it, suddenly fascinated with the hem of her skirt. I watched as every time she pulled at the fabric it revealed a few more inches of her leg. I didn't say anything, waiting for her answer.

"When I was... um, until last week - I thought I was... uh... it's complicated." I sighed. She'd tell me eventually, I guessed.

We spent the next three hours on the book. Any spells that she still couldn't do (which was about a quarter) I wrote down for next time.

As she was gathering her things, I decided I should speak up.

"Uh, I think we should have lessons every night. I'm also going to ask McGonagall to tell the teachers not to give you any homework for now - until you're fully caught up."

She looked up at me, and I was saddened to see that her eyes sparkled in the dim light of the torches. She cleared her throat and looked back down at her bag, running her fingers over the buckle.

"I'm never going to catch up, am I?" She asked quietly. I stared at her, my heart in my mouth. She sounded so... earnest - so unlike the other girls I knew, with their bravado and their manipulative wiles.

I fumbled for a moment, not knowing what to say. This, I can assure you, was a first for me.

"If we have lessons every night, and the teachers don't give you more homework, then it should be fine," I finally said. "You might even be caught up before Christmas." She nodded, not looking at me, and slipped the bag over her shoulder before leaving the room without another word.

I just stood there, staring out at the corridor she'd disappeared into, utterly bewildered and feeling a bit like I'd been hit by a bus.

Wow.

Just before she was out of hearing range, I heard her break into a run.

*Rosie's Point of View

I walked to the end of the corridor and then as soon as I couldn't see the entrance to the classroom Black was in, I started running. I ran all the way back to the common room, a couple stray tears sliding down my cheeks.

So stupid, I thought. You actually thought you could do this?

And Black... he seemed to have a way of making me feel different. More vulnerable.

I wouldn't let him get to me again.