Change of Heart

Chapter 1-

Another grand day at Hogwarts. The sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze, the students were chattering and laughter filled the air. A pretty brunette girl with a radiant smile stood near a tree talking to a handsome boy with dark hair that hung elegantly over his face. It was an endearing sight, really. An airhead and a womanizer. Just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it?

Ah, but who has such a bleak outlook on life? Who could possibly make this gleeful moment feel similar to that of the feeling of anticipation the people in the French Revolution had before they went to the guillotine? Severus Snape could, but that isn't the point. Although Snape may be harboring several psychological problems, my point is that if any girl in this school had a half of a brain, even a fourth, they would not be talking to Sirius Black. In three days, maybe only two, this girl will coming sobbing into the Great Hall, wailing about her broken heart. Real heart warming, isn't it?

"Courtney, are you even paying any attention to me?" someone snaps.

I look down to see a glaring red head rolling her eyes at me. My best friend, Lily Evans, was having one of her 'I-Hate-James-Potter-the-Scum-of-the-Earth' rants. Honestly, who can pay attention to those rant things? They hardly ever vary. They're getting more frequent because he's been made Head Boy and with Lily being Head Girl, one of them will not come out of this with all of their limbs. I have a feeling that I'll be enduring several more of these.

"No," I answer.

"Don't you even have the decency to lie and say that you were?" she asked, giving me a half-hearted glare.

"No, I was watching Black sweet talk his newest victim," I replied, craning my neck to get a better view.

"Oh, really? Where?" she said eagerly, pushing me over to get a peak.

"I give her three days," I commented.

"Are you crazy? She'll be pushing for two days. You and I both know that Black favors tall, stupid, blondes," Lily laughed.

"She might be brunette and short, but she definitely makes up for it in the intelligence department. The girl can hardly tell which end of the wand to hold," I pointed out.

"This is true," Lily said thoughtfully, "I still only give her two days though."

"Fine. Your loss," I said, "Three sickles as usual?"

"Let's make it four. She's a tough one to judge," she replied.

This what Lily and I like to call Black Betting. This is a weekly occurance in which we observe Black and his latest giggling idiot and guess how long Black will keep her around until he gets bored and dumps her. This year will prove to be difficult. Because it is our seventh and final year at Hogwarts, chances are that Black is going to attempt to date nearly every girl in the school. It's only the first week of school, so he's getting his pace set.

"Did you do your Potions?" I asked, looking through her bag.

"Yes, why?" she questioned, not looking up from her Astronomy chart.

"Just wondering," I shrugged, sneaking the essay out to copy.

"Alright," she muttered.

"Lily, did you know that there was a love letter from Potter stuck to the back of your essay?" I asked, smirking at the envelop decorated in hearts.

"That's lovely," she said dryly, "Do me a favor and destroy it."

"Will do," I said and set the letter on fire.

"Oi! Meadowes! What do you think you're doing!" someone yelled, running up to us.

"Burning this piece of parchment. What does it matter to you, Potter?" I questioned innocently.

"That was for Lily," he spat in a scandalized tone.

"Oh, really, didn't notice," I mumbled, scribbling down a copy of Lily's essay.

"Yes, you did. Both of you! I heard you!" he argued.

"What, were you spying on us or something?" Lily snorted.

"Er...no...course not," he muttered, shuffling his feet around.

"You are so-" she started angrily, only to be interrupted by Sirius Black.

"What'd I miss, Prongs?" he asked, breathless from his sprint away from his airhead.

"Meadowes burnt the letter!" Potter cried, and pointed a shaking finger at me.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied, dipping my quill in the inkwell.

"You know, you're a real mean, stuck up prude, right?" Black questioned.

"Bite me," I retorted, refusing to look him in the eye.

"My point exactly," he said.

"Go away," I snapped, standing up to face him.

"What did I do?" I exclaimed.

"Does mean, stuck up prude ring any bells?" I shouted, my temper rising quickly.

"What's your problem, Meadowes? Need any help removing that pole from your arse?" he asked.

My temper reached a boiling point and before Sirius Black knew what was coming, my foot connected with his balls. His eyes widened and he let out a short grunt of pain before he dropped to his knees, grasping himself. I shot him one last disgusted glare before I stomped off to the castle.

"I think you said a bit too much, Padfoot," Potter said to his friend, patting his back, "Just walk it off, mate, just walk it off."

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So maybe I acted a bit rashly...but he deserved it. It's not my fault he's a nosy, arrogant git. He had it coming. It'll...er...build character. Yes, it'll build character.

Alright, alright. So I feel a bit guilty...just a bit. I mean, if I was a bloke I don't think I'd want anyone to kick me there. Then again, he asked if I needed help getting the pole out of my arse. I think I take back what I said about guilt. I feel refreshed. The only thing that could possibly beat this moment is being able to nail that blasted Mrs. Norris a good one.

I hardly noticed where I was going until I collided with someone, knocking both them and myself to the ground.

"Oh, sorry, Remus. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," I said, scrambling to get his books for him.

"It's alright, Courtney, really. I wasn't paying attention myself either," he assured me, giving me a hand off the ground.

Remus Lupin is the only Marauder I can stand. I'd actually say that we're friends. He sometimes joins Lily and I in the library or during class. Why he hangs out with morons like Black and Potter is something that I'll never know.

"Yes, just a few things on my mind," I muttered, "irritating things."

"What'd they do?" he asked immediately.

"Potter spied on us I think and Black said, I quote, 'Need any help removing that pole from your arse?'" I said bitterly as he winced.

"Sorry about that...they...er...don't tend to think before they open their mouths," he said, walking to the common room alongside me.

"Black just has some issues with me for some reason, but I'm used to that...and, well, do we really need to say anything for Potter? He's just not the brightest crayon in the box at times," I laughed.

"I'll agree with you on that one...actually both. Merlin only knows why Sirius doesn't like you. It's like Lily hating James. There's no valid reason behind it," he said.

"Lily has a reason!" I argued, "The guy practically stalks her!"

"He doesn't really know that he comes on a bit a strong," Remus said, chuckling.

"Yeah," I mumbled thoughtfully and was pulled out of my thoughts by a loud groan.

"Come on, Padfoot," James urged.

"I'm going to kill Meadowes when I find her," he snarled.

I had to cover my mouth so I didn't laugh when they came into view. Sirius had one arm slung over his friend as James was dragging him to the portrait hole. His other hand was still in the same place as it had been when I left. He's so dramatic. I rolled my eyes and as soon as I did, I felt his intense glare on me. Bugger. He's spotted me.

"I think I'll be heading off, Remus," I whispered nervously.

I'll admit it. Black is a bit scarey when he's angry. I can handle him being cocky and rude, but when he's angry like he is now, it's best to stay clear. His face seems to darken like the sky does before a big thunderstorm and he seems taller, which would seem impossible being that he's nearly a head taller than me.

"Oh no you don't, Meadowes!" he bellowed, miraculously healing as he stormed towards me.

I was so scared when I saw him stomping towards me that I could have thrown up. Everyone in the wizarding world knows what the Blacks are like. They're up to their eyeballs in the Dark Arts. Nobody is going to tell me that Sirius didn't pick up a good bit of information living there. I was surprised when Remus stepped in front of me.

"Just leave her be, Sirius," he said calmly.

"You're standing up for her, Moony! She kicked me in the...in the," he threw his hands wildly around to get his point through.

"She probably had good reason to," Remus replied.

Sirius didn't say anything to this. Potter's muffled laughter could be heard though.

"I don't think offering your help to remove the pole from her arse was the nicest thing to say," Remus scolded.

"It's for the good of the people!" Black protested.

He didn't look nearly as intimidating as he had before. There was a ghost of a smile on his face. Remus had a definite calming effect on him. Regaining what little pride I had, I bit back at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped.

"I'm saying that if the pole was removed, you'd probably be a lot nicer," he snapped back, his anger begininng to return.

"I'm not mean!" I argued.

"That's what you'd like to think," he muttered.

"You little-" I started, getting wound up.

"Padfoot, you told Rhonda that you'd meet her in the common room, remember?" Potter piped up, obviously lying because he pulled a face and darted his eyes around.

"I did?" Black responded, puzzled.

"Yeah," Potter said.

"There's a girl named Rhonda in our school?" Black asked, still bewildered.

"Haha, Padfoot. You're a funny one today," he jeered, clapping his back and leading him through the portrait hole.

"I'll have to thank Potter for that one later," I sighed and slid down to the floor.

"It's a good thing Sirius is gullible," Remus laughed, sitting down next to me.

"I'm just glad he stopped that fight," I mumbled, playing with my hands.

"You turned white as a sheet when Sirius spotted you," he commented.

Remus is so bloody perceptive. He has this keen sense of things, like when people are upset, afraid, or lying. He must of noticed that I was scared out of my wits...then again, anyone with eyes could tell.

"Really?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"I think you underestimate him, Courtney. He's not going to hurt you," he said softly.

My breath caught in my throat. It's scarey how Remus knows what I'm thinking. I considered his words though. Would Sirius really sink so low as to hurt me? Knowing his normal, outgoing personality, I wouldn't think so. There's always that nagging fear in the back of my mind though, reminding me that he is a Black and does not like me.

"I need to get that Potions essay done," I said briskly, standing up.

"Alright," Remus said, looking suspicious.

"I'll see you around, Remus," I called back as I hopped through the portrait hole.

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A/N-How was it? Should I continue with it? I had the idea floating around in my head for a while and decided that I'd try it out and see how good or bad it turned out. Please review!