Argh, i'm sooo sorry it took me so long, i'm currently trying not to fail all my AS levels, and its not going well.

I guess that'll teach me to take greek...

Anyway, enjoy, and thanks to spingles (agnes-says-hello) who made me post XD

Iz xxxx

Chapter 19

or

Lily deals with her emotions like a crazed crack head

He didn't ask me again, and clearly he's as good at lying as me, because by the time we got back to the Common room we were bo

Sirius didn't ask me again, and clearly he's as good at lying as me, because by the time we got back to the Common room we were both smiling, even if the walk back had been in silence, and a brooding silence at that.

He delivered me safely to Flavs who was sitting with Remus in the best seats by the fire.

Flavs, in her usual sensitive way, said 'Jesus fucking Christ, what happened to your face? You look like you got beats from an angry hippogriff'

'Me?' I replied, innocently (or as innocently as possible with a black eye) 'No, I just fell off my broomstick.'

'That's funny' said Remus, looking directly at me in a way that was very unsettling given that I was lying through my teeth 'Your broomstick is in the corridor with all the others.'

'Yes, I …uh…. borrowed a school one. Bloody long way to go, and I thought I'd have a fly…' I smiled lamely, and tried not to look like I was lying. Although recently people seem to assume I am.

Which is somewhat distressing.

Except Sirius who had gone back to looking like someone had set his shoes on fire. He's not worried about ME, you understand, but gryffindor's pride has been insulted and even though he has NO IDEA about who hit me, he's just itching to go and find James, so the two of them can get lots of exercise jumping to conclusions, and then go and beat up Snape.

Unless I can go and talk to James first, which I can because I'm head girl, damn it, and if I see Sirius on his way to the hospital wing, he'll be in detention so long he won't know what hit him.

Or perhaps, you know, a punishment that would actually stop him doing stuff I don't want him too, because I have a sneaking suspicion he can run faster than me, and would therefore reach the hospital wing first.

Also, that whole seeing thing is really one of the problems of having a boyfriend with an invisibility cloak.

Oh, the tribulations of my life.

But anyway, it didn't come to that, because I accidentally gave him a huge head start. I went up stairs to get a jumper for literally FIVE MINUTES and when I came back he was nowhere to be seen.

It did occur to me then that even if I hadn't told the truth, some plausible lie to make the others keep an eye on Sirius would actually have been quite a good idea.

But whatever.

I can't be expected to do everything around here.

I went out anyway, ostensibly to start Patrols, and took out my fury on a couple of late night revellers, although perhaps four detentions is a little harsh for a late sixth year.

But, to be fair, I warned him I was going to give him another detention for every time he said 'BUT…'

Which I did.

This also taught me that he was more likely to be a Gryffindor than a Ravenclaw, given that he did it three times before he seemed to fully understand either the futility of his task, or exactly how the whole detention thing was going to work.

Still I feel I have helped someone understand a little better the ways of the world, so it wasn't a completely pointless exercise.

And the way the world works is, I get what I want.

By the time I had not so casually worked my way around to the Hospital Wing it was of course long after visiting hours, although I had no doubt that Sirius was still inside under James' Invisibility Cloak.

Or not given how apparently lax the security is in this place.

I waited until I figured Madam Pomfrey had settled down to one of her, I suspect, juicy magical romance novels and slipped through the doors.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times; it would be much harder for evil to have its wicked way in Hogwarts if the teachers made at least a token effort to enforce some discipline.

Exactly as predicted, James was sitting up, his face lit up slightly by a flickering Lumos, conversing with Sirius' head, suspended apparently without support, at his bedside.

The light went out as I approached and my footsteps became louder.

'It's alright' I whispered 'It's only me. And you can come out again Sirius, I know you're there.'

His head became visible once more, though it was clear he was still not a little pissed at me.

James relit his wand, and studied my face closely, so that I put up my hand to my cheek and ran a finger gingerly along my lip, both of which I could feel developing into really spectacular bruising.

'Fucking HELL' he said in the hard voice that I hate, so that I hung back slightly, not quite liking to touch this angry James, and feeling anger rise in my own chest, because I had come to find James to be reassured, not pushed into acts of extreme retribution.

'What?' I said mutinously. 'Getting punch – up withdrawal?'

A look of confusion passed across his face, and I relented a little.

'I thought you were dying, anyway.' I said in a tone which was meant to convey sincere sympathy if this was the case, but also a strong implication that it was entirely his own fault.

Which it was.

Apparently I'd relented too quickly because his customary grin returned.

'So what happened? Sirius is convinced that you've uncovered a nest of death eaters and they beat you for being some kind of affront to their evil.'

Accurate bastard.

And the look of triumph on Sirius' face would have tipped off a monkey, even if James wasn't an expert at finding the weaknesses in people.

They were both looking at me, very hard.

Now, I don't know how you deal with pressure/ emotion/ tension of any kind. Probably you solve it maturely in a calm and dignified manner.

Maybe you cry, I don't know nor am I ever likely to.

Personally, I like to become incredibly angry in as short a time as possible, and scream at other people.

Usually with creative metaphors.

And seeing as James was lying down and looking all tousled, it seemed a little harsh to start laying into him so I rounded on Sirius.

'And you, you BASTARD, I don't know what right you feel you've got to run around AFTER HOURS and tell the world my private business after I SPECIFICALLY told you not to. Just because you think you're freaking LUKE SKYWALKER on some crazy freaking jedi crusade against your father. Well, I've got news for you – he's got no freaking powers, and I'm not a crazy bitch with swiss roll for hair, so you can just freaking STOP. And where the hell do you get off telling on me to MY BOYFRIEND?'

Sirius turned white with fury, leant over the bed so his face was close to mine and said, very softly,

'Don't tell me what to do, Evans. Do NOT tell me what to do.'

James' hand closed around his wrist, and he muttered something under his breath that I couldn't make out, but that seemed to make Sirius nearly apoplectic with rage. He stepped backwards and promptly fell over a chair.

Never let it be said that human misery is without its humour.

Unfortunately, Madame Pomfrey seemed to have chosen that moment to tear herself away from the exciting world of werewolves who make magical hearts beat fast, and actually do her job, and her voice came very distinctly from her office.

'Sirius Black, if you are out there in the next thirty seconds when I put my head out of this door, I would advise you to be very careful, because I will not be admitting either you or Mr Potter to this Hospital Wing, unless I have it signed in writing from reliable teachers or other responsible adults, preferably with orders of merlin, that you were hurt through no fault of your own.'

Sirius looked as though he was going to stay, and medical care could be damned, but Madame Pomfrey's voice came through again, louder and higher than before,

'SIGNED IN TRIPLICATE, MR BLACK'

and his is nerve seemed to fail him. He legged it, though I suspect brooding and plotting were on his mind a little more than was ideal.

I, on the other hand, seeing as how I have short legs, as I think I've mentioned, and cannot run very fast threw myself under the bed.

Not that I'm exactly a stranger to Detention, but I really didn't want to explain AGAIN about how I appeared to have walked into about seven doors and looked suspiciously like I must have some kind of concussion.

Much as I love those conversations, especially with figures of authority.