If It Hadn't Been for Remus

I yawned and slowly got up out of bed, rubbing sleep out of my eyes while my legs were practically freezing to death. I never should have worn a nightgown. I glanced across the room and looked at my ginger friend, Noelle, who was wearing a pair of sweatpants. Now she knew how to plan ahead. Eventually I decided it was just stupid standing here and that I should go down and shower. I grabbed a pair of robes out of my dresser drawers and glanced at my red and yellow striped tie. It really was a wonder I ended up a Gryffindor. Before my friends got to know me, they marveled at how I didn’t get sorted into Ravenclaw. I was rather smart, getting high grades in all my classes the first four years, and my friends recently started betting how many Outstandings I would make on my OWLS this year. It made me want to laugh. But when they got to know me better they all agreed that I should be in Gryffindor, my random ditziness being one of those deciding qualities.
After I was all dressed up in my clothes and my brown hair in two low pigtails I met my two best friends, Noelle and Cassie (short for Caspian, and she is a girl) in the common room. We did our usual bout of trying to scare Noelle’s twin brother, Herman, as he was coming down from the boys dorms, and very nearly succeeded this time, seeing as he was dead tired, and forgot about the morning’s usual antics. But then he grabbed hold of one of my pigtails and said he wouldn’t let me go until Noelle promised to do his chores over the winter holidays.
“But Herman,” Noelle said, batting her eyelashes, “It isn't Faile's fault that you're scared so easily. Gosh, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were a girl myself."
Now for those of you that are only children, Noelle might sound like a relentless bitch. For those of you that have siblings, especially twins, know that it's a love hate relationship.
Somehow I ended up getting free, though I'm not really quite sure by what means. All I know is that somehow we ended up at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, scarfing down our food, where all the drama began. Now, Noelle and Cassie are great mates of mine. They are my two very best I ends and I would trust them with my life... If not my love life.
It all started when Cassie was talking about her sweetheart, Denzel. He was actually pretty cool, me and Noelle both approved of him. He treated Cassie well, and was practically in love with her. Me and Noelle would have secret arguments about who the maid of honor would be, not that Cassie ever heard.
But then Noelle had to ask the dreaded question... "Y'know Faile, you've been more dreamy than usual lately, is there someone you like? Tell me!"
I'm sure I would have been able to sidestep the question, that is, if Cassie kept her mouth shut.
"Oh, I thought you knew, she likes Sirius. I mean, isn't it obvious? She's always glancing over in that direction during Potions. Though I doubt anyone else but us would notice, after all, we are her best friends." Cassie smirked at Noelle and Noelle gave her a dirty look.
"We'll anyway, what're you going to do to get him to notice you?" Noelle asked, and looked at me inquisitively. " I mean he's always hanging out with his friends, James, Remus, and Peter. He doesn't seem all that interested in girls right now. But you could play that to your advantage, and just get him to notice you."
"Hold on a second there, Noelle." I said, "Who says I want him to notice me anyway. All that would happen is I would get humiliated, he's really popular with girls after all."
"But," she said pouting.
I gave her a look and she got the message, no matchmaking today. Before long it was time to go to our first class, which meant potions. I really like potions, and was good at it too. Professor Slughorn really like me and this other girl, Lily Evans, because we were both really smart. I didn't know her very well, but we were a bit like rivals, always trying to be the top in our class.
The first thing Slughorn had done our very first day was assign random seats so that we would sit with someone other than our friends "to work better" he said. I ended up getting put with Remus Lupin. He was very quiet at first, and didn't talk to me much, but gradually we became friends and I grew to like him very much. He was a great guy, and gave good advice. He was very levelheaded, and every time I had a problem, I would come to him.
"So Remus," I said to him, while putting some stinging nettles on to boil, "I need your advice on something...." He looked at me nicely as if to say to continue on. "Well, you're a guy, so I figure I'd ask you this. Lets say I like someone. This someone I really don't know very well, but he seems like a really nice guy. He can be a bit of a troublemaker, and is really popular with girls. I do know one of his friends, and get along with him very well though. Um, this person doesn't really seem to be interested in girls right now. He doesn't have a girlfriend, or anyone he likes, at least it seems that way. Noelle thinks I should tell him I like him. Thoughts?"
Remus sat there for a while and pondered what I had said. "Well, you said he's a nice guy. If he's a decent guy the worst that could happen is he would reject you nicely, without making a big deal out of it. Though sadly, I can't vouch for every guy in our year. He is in our year, right?"
"Yeah. Actually, he's in this class." Probably not the smartest thing I have ever said.
"Is that so," replied Remus, "Let me think about it overnight. I'll tell you my opinion tomorrow morning.

Sirius pov
Well, today was another normal day. Other than lunch. While I was drinking my pumpkin juice, Remus asked me about the weirdest question he could have ever asked me. It went like this....
"So Sirius, are there any girls that have caught your eye lately?"
Which resulted in me spitting pumpkin juice out all over his face. Needless to say he wasn't exactly pleased. I'd not really thought about something like that lately. I mean, there were always pretty girls... "I don't know. Not anyone in particular lately."
James sniggered,"oh, like we don't notice you always looking over at Remus's table in potions. And we all know you are most certainly not gay. You like a brainy little falcon."
"Wouldn't she be a lion, because she's in Gryffindor?" I asked, a bit confused.
"Her name means falcon, dimwit." James laughed at me again.
Faile, I mused. Faile, falcon. I guess that makes sense.
"How do you know that anyway?" I asked James.
"I heard her telling her friends about it first year. Anyway, you should ask her out." James said waggling his eyebrows.
"James," I replied, "Not every wizard chases after witches that obviously have other priorities." I said, looking pointedly down the table at a Miss Lily Evans, who was currently already started on the potions essay that was due on Friday.
"Actually," said Remus, "I agree with James for once. Ask her out."
I did a double take right then. Remus never agreed with James. Every time we had a plan Remus would begrudgingly go along with it, mainly because we were his friends. He was the levelheaded one.
"Well, okay" I said, "if Remus thinks so. But not today, tomorrow."
"In fact, just ask her to the Yule Ball," said James. "Girls love stuff like that."
I sighed got up, going to the Owlery to think.

Faile's pov
The rest of the day was pretty normal, though I felt like someone was looking my way during lunch. But then again, I've always been a little jumpy. When I went to bed I was wondering what Remus's advice would be, and wasn't sure what to hope for.
The next morning at breakfast I was sitting with Noelle and Cassie. We were talking about what Remus might tell me to do. I was basically being a wuss.
"But what if he says he doesn't like me back," I said. "I'd feel like a complete idiot."
"But Sirius isn't a bad guy-" Noelle was saying when a girl a seat or two down said, and rather loudly might I add..
"Faile, you like Sirius Black?!"
Before I knew it, everyone was looking at me. Some curious, others murderous. I could feel my face warming up, probably a tomato red by now. I got up quickly, accidentally dumping my bowl of oatmeal onto the floor. Before I knew it, I was dashing out the large doors of the Great Hall. The ground seemed to fly beneath my feet, as I made my way through the halls, to outside. I ran past Hagrid's hut and down by the lake. When I felt my face, I noticed I'd been crying. The tears were silly, I wiped them away. I'd just been humiliated, sure, but I'm sure everyone would have found out eventually. I figured I'd stay here until the first hour was over, so I wouldn't have to face Remus. And then I'd go back and find Cassie. At least, that is, until I heard a voice.

Noelle pov
"Oh no," I said, "this is all my fault. We need to go after her."
But Cassie held me back, nodding her head toward a certain boy in our year with a mop of black hair who had just followed after our little falcon. I grinned and walked over to Faile's friend Remus, and James, Sirius's best mates. "So," I said while raising one eyebrow.
Remus smirked, "Just wait for it..."

Sirius pov
I was eating my buttered toast, rather slowly mind you, while trying to figure out how to ask Faile to the Yule Ball before the day was over. I could get Remus to tell her to meet me somewhere, he was her potions partner after all. Though much to my dismay, my concentration was broken by some obnoxious girl saying something very loudly. I took me a minute to figure out what she was saying. But when I did, my head jerked over in that direction, the toast falling out of my hand onto my plate.
I saw Faile running out of the Great Hall. And knew I had to follow her.
When I finally caught up with her by the lake I heard her muttering about something and saw her wipe her face, like she'd been crying.
"Are you okay," I asked slowly.
She jerked around and looked at me with wide eyes. I could tell she had been crying, because her eyes were red and puffy. But I could also tell she was trying to act strong, like what happened in the cafeteria didn't bother her. I admired her for that.

Faile pov
I looked over at Sirius. I guess he followed me. I decided to be strong, and put a smile on my face. I didn't want to be the kind of girl that fell all over boys because they had a problem, or the kind of girl that fell all over boys in general.
"What are you doing here." I asked.
"Well," he said, looking kind of sheepish, "I guess I followed you, to find something out."
"What would that be?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you like me?"
I swear my face got red again. I wasn't prepared for him asking me straight out like this. "Umm," I tugged at my hair while looking down at my feet before meeting his eyes, "yeah." And then I held my breath.
"Well that's great," he said grinning, "I like you too."
I very nearly did a double take right then and there. I was about to ask him if he was joking but then remembered something Herman said about that hurting a guy's feelings. So needless to say, I hugged him. I ran up to him and nearly hugged the life out of him, though I only reached up to his chin.
He just laughed and hugged me back. When he was about to let me go I stood up on my tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek, causing him to turn a light shade of pink. He hadn't been expecting that. Screw what I said earlier, I guess today I was one of those girls who fell all over guys, but for me it was one guy in particular. And his name was Sirius Black.

Epilogue

At the Yule Ball later that month, the two groups of friends had essentially converged into one from the result of Sirius and Faile dating. Remus and Noelle were the next couple on the list to set up, Cassie was still going out with Denzel, and James was still going after his Lily. Who was avidly ignoring him.
"Oh come on James," Faile said teasingly, "Severus isn't all bad. He seems rather sweet together with Lily. I think he has a crush on her."
"Snivellus is a slimy git," James said pouting, while he watched the almost-couple dancing with all the other happy duos on the dance floor. "I don't see why she's friends with him, when she could be going out with me."
Sirius and Faile just laughed at James, and his singlemindedness.
"Wanna dance," Sirius asked, holding his hand out to the falcon standing beside him in the sapphire blue dress.
"Please," she said dramatically, "lets get away from these dateless wannabes," while shooting a pair of eyes over at Noelle and Remus, who had gone together as "friends".
When they were finally on the dance floor Sirius put his hand on the small of her back and they danced slowly to the music, both silently wondering what would have happened if it hadn’t been for Remus.