Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The title "I Feel Good Enough" is a excerpt from the song "Good Enough" by Evanescence.
I Feel Good Enough
Introduction
Thirteen-year-old Sirius Black came bounding down the spiral staircase of the boys' dormitory, not noticing the protests as he knocked over a load of books that a first year was juggling. Rather, upon reaching the entrance, he ran a hand through his hair and put on the smirk he had been practicing in a mirror in his dormitory.
As he strutted - er, walked - across the common room, he was more than a little aware of the sets of female eyes that were following him. Sirius had been blessed and, unfortunately, knew just how lucky he was. He was quite tall for thirteen and had the handsome Black family looks, as well as a vault in Gringotts filled with gold. It was too bad that the young wizard had no idea how to use his gifts. Nevertheless, those would come with time, he figured.
So, after throwing said smirk (with a spontaneous wink addition) at a pretty fifth year, who promptly blushed, Sirius glanced around the Gryffindor common room, searching out his friends. When he was unable locate them, he didn't even try to hide the look of contempt on his face.
'Bastards,' Sirius crossed his arms, circling around once more. 'Think they can go to dinner without me?'
Before he could figure out just what he was going to do to teach them a lesson, Sirius stopped short, surprised to see the lone, reddish-blonde head poking over the top of the sofa near the fireplace. Double-checking quickly to see that his suspicions were correct, he decided that this was something worth investigating. It isn't every day you see a young teenage girl without a crowd of friends protecting her from the horrors of adolescence.
"Addie."
"Don't call me Addie."
"Fine, Addison," Sirius drawled, vaulting over the couch and landing squarely on Addison Sydney's pile of library books.
"Smooth, Black," Addison rolled her eyes, trying to return to her reading.
After removing her wand and a quill from his arse, Sirius regained his cool. He leaned forward and tipped the cover of her book and quickly read the title What to Do When You Crave Blood. After raising an eyebrow, he looked down at the other books, recognizing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander lying open on the floor, a moving drawing of a man showing off his long fangs beaming up at them. Next to it was a pile of at least six other books, each relating to vampires in one way or another.
"Vampires, Addie?" Sirius raised an eyebrow and gave a playful smirk. "Should I wear a scarf in your presence from now on?"
Addison tried to ignore him, but he made it quite impossible as he began bouncing the book up and down from the spine.
"You are quite pale. Maybe I'll carry some garlic?"
Addison rolled her eyes, pulling the book out of his line of grasp. "If you'd pay any attention in class, you'd know that we have an essay for Defence on vampires – and don't call me Addie!"
"I haven't started it just yet," Sirius admitted, enjoying the look of frustration he was putting on her face. Then, feeling sly, he waggled his eyebrows at her, "Maybe we can meet up later and you can help me out, if you know what I mean?"
"No," Addison replied promptly, staring down at her book. However, unless Sirius was sorely mistaken – which he rarely was – there was a glimmer of a smile playing on her lips.
Sirius leaned back into the scarlet sofa, his hands rested behind his head and his legs stretched out in front of him. He knew from experience that this particular pose made it more than a little hard for anyone to ignore, especially if they were working. There were countless times that Remus had made him move across the common room because he was trying to study and couldn't while other people were at leisure.
It was obvious that his plan was having an effect on Addison, who kept fidgeting and sparing fleeting glances in his direction. Finally, she slapped her bookmark into her book and shut it with a snap. She turned to him and gave him a very annoyed look.
"Is there a specific reason you're pestering me?"
"Pestering you?" Sirius asked, looking quite scandalized. "Why would I do such a thing?"
"If I knew I wouldn't have asked, don't you think?" Addison asked cheekily.
Sirius grinned. "Addie, I'm pretty sure like you."
Addison gave him a look of disbelief. "Oh, Black, you certainly know how to woo a girl. Take me now."
"Wait, no, that's not how I meant it," Sirius panicked. Damn, he hated being thirteen. "You know, as a friend."
Unable to conceal a smirk, Addison decided to go easy on him and nodded in understanding. "Don't get your knickers in a twist. I'm only teasing."
Sirius opened his mouth to retaliate, but decided against it. Rather, he asked, "Where is your usual band of friends?"
Addison narrowed her eyes slightly, a rather irritated look on her face. "Hell if I should know."
"Do I sense tension?"
"Dory came up with some daft reason to be upset with me," Addison waved her hand frivolously. "She does it at least once a week and always with me for some reason. The others usually go along with it."
"Even Evans?" Sirius asked, knowing that the two were connected at the hip.
"Oh, no, Lily knows Dory is off her rocker," Addison shook her head. "I'm sure Nicole and Sophie do as well, but it easier to just go along with her. She always gets over it within a day or two." She looked as though she wasn't completely convinced before continuing. "They went down to dinner before. I thought I'd wait for them to finish before I went down so I don't have to deal with any looks from down the table."
Sirius nodded. "Makes sense."
Suddenly, Addison let out a laugh. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this - I'm sure you don't care."
"Why do you say that?"
"When was the last time you talked to me, Black?" Addison asked, smiling slightly. Before he could answer, she cut him off saying, "Other than to copy my homework."
She had him there, so Sirius shrugged. "I'm turning over a new leaf."
"I'm sure you are."
"Look, Addie, as I said, I like you as a friend," Sirius continued, crossing his legs. "I think that if we tried, we'd get along just famously."
"Think so?"
"I'd put a Galleon on it."
"Well, I'm beginning to agree," Addison nodded. "However, I'll be winning that Galleon if you continue calling me Addie."
Sirius smirked. "Well, then, Addison, care to join me for dinner? It seems my mates have left me high and dry as well."
Addison looked around the room and, when she didn't see her dormmates, looked sceptical. Reading her mind, Sirius spoke up again.
"I'm sure Ido won't give you any trouble if you're sitting with us."
Unable to believe that she was even thinking about agreeing with him, Addison thought about this. It was common knowledge that her group of friends and Sirius's didn't get along too well, but she had a suspicion that it was only because of their gender differences, despite their common ages. In fact, the row Addison had found herself in this time was because she had agreed to tutor Peter in Arithmancy. Weighing her options as her stomach began to grumble, she decided she really didn't care.
"Let's go," Addison nodded, quickly stacking her books and leaving them next to the couch, figuring no one would mess with them.
As the two retreated from the Gryffindor Tower and began the familiar trek to the Great Hall, they began to fall into conversation, much as if they had been friends for quite some time. They quickly discovered that they shared an interest in Defence, loved Quidditch, and their favourite colours were orange. Their birthdays were within days of each other and they both wished Potter and Evans would get over their feud already.
"So, I take it you don't like it when people call you Addie, Addie," Sirius pointed out the obvious as they turned the corner and approached the Hall.
"Loath it," Addison nodded.
"Care to explain?"
"Perhaps another time," Addison smirked.
"Well, you do know that I'll need some sort of nickname for you, since I have to say Addison like that every time," Sirius said as though it was the most logical thing in the world.
"I don't really have any other nicknames," Addison admitted, thinking. "My middle name is Leah, if that helps."
"Addison Leah Sydney," Sirius said thoughtfully. "Wait - Sydney as in Sydney, Australia?"
"I guess," Addison shrugged. "It's not as though I'm from there, though."
"I shall call you Aussie," Sirius proclaimed, leading her through the entrance.
"'Aussie'?"
"That's what I said."
"You're joking."
"It's either that or Addie," Sirius said plainly, walking straight past Addison's friends, who were all looking at her in disbelief, and heading toward his own.
"Aussie it is, then," Addison agreed, unable to suppress a smirk at both her friends' faces and the conversation.
"You bloody berks!" Sirius exclaimed suddenly, hitting James Potter, his best mate, upside the back of the head as he sat down, Addison taking the chair next to him. "You could've waited."
"When you start smirking into the mirror, there's no telling when you'll stop," Peter Pettigrew spoke up from across the table, nudging Remus Lupin with his elbow so he'd look up from his book to see their visitor.
"Addison?" Remus asked in shock.
"Excuse me, it's Aussie now," Sirius pursed his lips as he helped himself to some mashed potatoes.
Remus gave Sirius a look and said, "What is it with your odd obsession of giving everyone nicknames?"
"You don't like Moony?" Sirius asked innocently.
"You didn't give me much say in the matter."
"Me either," Addison nodded.
"I don't have a nickname," James spoke up. "Why's that?"
"Oh, you have loads, James," Sirius retorted. "There's berk, as I just mentioned, Jamie, Jamesie, Jamison, Jam - "
"Those aren't nicknames," James rolled his eyes. "Those are you shortening my name."
"Technically, that's what a nickname is," Addison said playfully, buttering a roll.
"Aussie, I'm liking you more and more," Sirius nodded. "This girl knows what she's talking about."
"You're bloody mental," James rolled his eyes dramatically, turning back to his roast beef.
"You're one to talk," Peter put in, then ducked out of the way as James threw his fork at him, which hit a Ravenclaw sixth year in the back of the robes.
As the Ravenclaw got to his feet and began to look around to see whom the culprit was, Remus gave Addison an almost apologetic look.
"Welcome to the Marauders, Addison."
Author's Note: Just an FYI, this is the introduction, meaning that the chapters will be much longer than this. If you've read anything by me before, you'll know what I mean. I hope you stick around to see what happens to Addison and her friends. (-: