Sorry this took forever!

Disclaimer! I don't own J.K. Rowling's stuff.

Chapter Seven

Sirius stared up at the sky, utterly relaxed as he watched clouds spinning slowly overhead. Despite their presence, it was a beautiful day. The sky was a bright and happy blue that went on forever only interrupted by cheerful white puffy clouds. He didn't know exactly how a cloud could look cheerful but these ones definitely managed it, maybe it was just because they weren't grey.

He felt the slight pressure of Max's head shifting as she readjusted her position, the top of her head digging into his shoulder slightly before settling back again. They'd been doing it for a while, laying quietly, occasionally breaking into conversation or lazy laughter at a sudden thought. It had been a very blissful afternoon. The cloud's spinning was slowing down again, so slow now it was almost stopped in its path. Sirius tensed up his leg and gave another gentle push against the ground, sending the merry-go-round off again, spinning the clouds round and round. He and Max lay in a line, heads next to each other, feet dangling off the metal disk as it spun. They were surprisingly comfortable in between the poles bracing their arms on to stop from sliding off.

"That one looks like a duck." Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Which one?"

"That one."

"What? The one that's moving?" Max smirked

"Don't you see it?"

"I dunno, what kinda duck you think you see, but I see no duck shaped clouds."

"It's that big one with the bulge."

Max smirked, "You would see the big one with the bulge."

"Oi! Get your mind out of the gutter!" Sirius said in mock outrage.

"Why are clouds always friendly things anyways? You've seen a duck and three bunnies so far. Where are the tigers and piranhas I ask you?"

"They're clouds. They're fluffy. Fluffy things can't be fierce; could you ever really be frightened of a giant cotton ball?"

"You obviously haven't seen the Holy Grail."

"What?"

"Monty Python an- oh never mind!" Max said waving her hand dismissively at him before returning it to its previous position. "I don't understand how you don't know anything about anything."

"Nah, I just know more things about other things than anything." He explained making Max smile and roll her eyes.

"Shut up." She commanded so as to cut off any further nonsense babble from her companion, "I'm kinda hungry; wanna go grab an early dinner or something?"

"Yeah sure- no wait, ugh," Sirius groaned looking at his watch, "I gotta go, my parents are expecting me home now-ish."

"What for?" Max asked rolling over to face Sirius. "You never have to leave this early."

"They're having this stupid dinner party, it would be 'improper and noticeable if I were absent'" He said taking on a high pitch voice in a poor attempt of an impression of his mother.

Max laughed, "Oh well, can't have that, can we?"

"I wish I didn't have to go." Sirius said as a dark expression came over his face, "I hate all those people."

"I wish we never had to go, we should just stay out here all night."

Sirius smiled at the thought as he stood up, "Yeah that would be better, I'll bring the blankets, you bring the food?"

Max grinned "Now that's not fair! Sticking me with getting the food! Where would I get a never ending food supply?"

Sirius shrugged, "You're the money here, I'm no good."

"Well I already knew that."

"Oh, ha ha."

Max smiled and stood up, brushing off her pants. "So I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Of course!" Sirius said wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a light hug. "I'll have to tell you about all the terrible things they subject me to tonight."

"Ugh, I have to listen to your moaning and groaning all day?" Max smirked.

"I beg your pardon! You should feel honoured by any and all inclusion in my life!"

This declaration was only met with laughter and a hand playfully shoving his head.

"Oi!" he said swatting her arm away. He swiped out a hand at her, just missing her own head as she ducked and danced cheerfully out of reach.

She came to a stop just outside the gates of the playground at the sidewalk tilting her head to the side, a cheeky smile gracing her lips as she waited for him to catch up. She looked vaguely antsy, fueled by a nervous excitement that was awaiting retaliation, ready to jump out of the way. Sirius smiled in amusement at her behavior, she was being uncharacteristically cheerful compared to when they normally have to head home.

"What's up with you?" He asked as he slid his hands into his pockets, stopping a short distance from Max.

"What? Nothing. I'm just waiting for the revenge attack." She said dramatically, pushing her brown hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind an ear.

"I'll get you back later." He shrugged casually, nevermind that light teasing and a shove of the hadn't really warrented any sort of revenge attack.

"I don't believe you." She accused putting her hands on her hips.

Sirius shrugged, "I have to catch you off guard."

"Not gonna happen. I'm always on watch." She said confidently as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Nothing's gonna slip by me."

Sirius' mouth automatically quirked up into a smile at the challenge, "You think so huh?"

"Absolutely."

He took a few slow, deliberate steps by her towards his home –ugh, he was gonna get so much shit from his mum for being late- "I'll get you. When you're least expecting it."

She turned as he walked by her, making sure she was always facing him, her twinkling eyes constantly watching.

"Oh Max- you've got a bug on your shirt."

"WHERE?" She instantly shrieked, jumping and spinning, smacking swiping at her arms and shirt. As she fought her invisible enemy Sirius was overcome by a round of barking laughter. Her reaction was absolutely priceless.

"I'm satisfied." He said with a contented nod. He smiled feeling a happiness swelling in his stomach at this small moment, it was silly and inconsequential but it somehow was perfect. Max stopped checking herself to glare at Sirius and he smiled happily in return.

That moment kept replaying in his mind like his own personal mantra. It was all he could do to keep himself from snapping. Everything went downhill from that moment: he was late home and got blasted by his mum for it, had to dress up in his uncomfortable dress robes, got interrogated by Mr. Rosier- one of tonight's ever so bloody lovely dinner guest- and pretty much listen to and suffer through a power-hungry, pure blood mania themed evening.

How was it even possible for such a peaceful and amazing day to come to this kind of end? How could the Universe and all things magical allow this? It's like anytime something good happens it has to be balanced out back to neutral with unequivocal malevolence. Although the way the evening was going Sirius was sure that the evil would blow the good out of the water. The Wilkes and Rosiers' were both present which unfortunately for Sirius meant Evan Rosier and Terrell Wilkes. All evening they'd been trying to get a rise out of Sirius, although in a more discrete manner than usual which was as much as they dared under the noses of Mr. and Mrs. Black. Although they didn't really need much help considering how the direction of current conversation was sitting with Sirius.

"Albus Dumbledore is a weak minded fool," Mr. Wilkes stated with a pointed nod, "Letting all sorts of riff raff into that school; blood traitors and mudbloods, all sorts of filth and contamination!"

Mr. Wilkes stuck Sirius as a boisterous man that said far too much. He been very open about his opinions and Sirius had been trying his best to control himself from doing something that would get him into too much trouble.

"Yeah, it's pretty unbelievable the kind of scum that he allows there." Sirius said angrily looking pointedly at Evan and Terrel. The two boys glared back but said nothing. Sirius winced as the point of his mothers shoe attacked his shin. He looked towards Mrs. Black to see her cold warning look before she turned back to her guests conversation.

"Here, Here!" Mr. Rosier chimed in raising his glass and taking a drink before continuing darkly, "The standards of Hogwarts have severely declined in his coming. It's like he has no shame! He just lets any old person in, is it even a requirement to possess magical talent now?"

"I agree father, while Slytherin remains pure, you should see the kinds of people that reside in the other houses." Evan shook his head in disgust, "I pity Sirius here for having to put up with them."

Sirius glared at the boy's smirk as he was thrown into the snake pit.

"Oh yes my boy," Mr. Wilkes turned to Sirius, his expression hinting at a sneer. Out of the corner of his eye Sirius saw the slight tick in his fathers' jaw and a coldness seem to shadow his mothers face, both so minute but so obvious to him. This conversation was going in what could be a dangerous direction for his parents, they didn't want to draw any more attention than necessary to Sirius' 'shame'. "My son has told me that Gryffindor and Hufflepuff in particular are quite …overrun. What do you think? It must be frustrating."

"I manage." Sirius said angrily through clenched teeth under the commanding stares of his parents.

"How about you Terrel? Going well in school?" Sirius' mother asked effectively ending any attention being paid to Sirius' embarrassing social associations.

"He's not doing as well as we'd hoped," Mr Wilkes answered for his son, "But he takes after his old man in Quidditch don't you my boy."

Sirius was getting sick of the 'my boy's from this darkly jovial man. His jolly demeanor was an off-putting and blatant lie. Sirius had seen it, his cruelty and malice was hidden well but it was still there.

Terrel smiled at the praise and continued, "Yes, I made captain, the cup's going to be ours this year."

"Best chaser there is!" Mr. Wilkes stated.

Sirius bit back a scathing comment about a fumble Terrel made the year before in the first game that had cost Slytherin their standing.

"Too bad you can't play anymore Sirius, why'd you miss the last game of the year by the way?" Evan asked, his face not betraying his knowledge of Sirius being in the hospital wing, having been blinded in a duel by Evan himself.

Sirius shrugged and gave a false grin, he held back an angry twitch he made towards his wand. He was trying not to give Evan any satisfaction at making him miss the most important game of the year on his account but more importantly for losing a duel against him, "I was sick, besides it didn't stop us from winning the cup did it?"

Rosier was still smirking and Sirius' hand moved to sit on the wand that was in his pocket, clenching his jaw angrily.

"Well this year will be different," Mr. Rosier commented, "With young Terrel here as captain the team's bound to be unstoppable. Already got some new strategies in mind I suppose?"

"Of course sir, unfortunately nothing I can mention in front of the opposition." Terrel said in what was supposed to be a good-natured way, but was accompanied by a smug superiority that told his real feelings towards Sirius.

Sirius honestly couldn't care less about Wilkes' Quidditch plays. He just wanted to beat that smug look off his pretty boy face. He hated everyone at this table. He hated this dinner. He just wanted to get out. Sirius was suddenly gripped by an idea, nothing that he hadn't done before but definitely nothing he'd considered doing in the middle of a dinner party. He could leave.

But he would be noticed, he argued with himself.

It would be so easy though, just excuse himself to go to the bathroom, out the window –the small window-, don't the drainpipe –the drainpipe he'd always considered but never been desperate enough to try shimmying down- and then he'd be free!

He'd get so much shit from his parents later though. It would embarrass them so much.

It would embarrass them so much. Sirius' mouth quirked up ever so slightly before he could catch himself. He looked across the table towards his mother and saw the look she was giving was practically seething.

Don't you dare, the look said.

Sirius scowled at how watchful she was but at the same time couldn't help but feel a little smug that he had the potential to upset her so much with less than a smile.

She knew he was up to something so he'd have to wait. Not that it was likely he'd get a chance to excuse himself and not have her hovering about but he needed to at least try to get the hell out of here. He just needed to keep an eye out for an opportunity.

That opportunity didn't present itself until they'd moved to the parlour for tea. Sirius was too busy trying to suppress his anger at the chosen topics of conversation to notice that his mother had momentarily excused herself. His attention was drawn to her absence however, when his brother discretely kicked his foot.

"Pay attention, dumbass." He muttered nodding toward Kreacher who was extending a teacup out to him.

Sirius accepted the cup with a scowl as his father and their dinner guests erupted into laughter at a story Mr. Wilkes had just told.

"Look, it's almost over, can you just not be a prat for another hour?" Regulus quietly demanded with a glare.

"Wait," Sirius perked up glancing at the other occupants of the room, hope flaring up in his stomach, "Where's the she-devil?"

"Regulus rolled his eyes at his brother, "She's gone off to show Mrs. Wilkes and Mrs. Rosier the new Davignon piece, I sear, she loves that painting more than-"

But Sirius honestly didn't give a fuck about what his mother loved, he just knew that he had this small window of opportunity to take advantage of. He put the teacup and saucer on the table with a clink and stood up abruptly.

"Sirius? What are you doing?" Orion black asked, a hint of a threat lay under his tone. His question attracted the attention of the other occupants of the room.

"Bathroom." Sirius grunted turning and weaving between the couches as he strode out of the room before he could be stopped. He was definitely going to get hell for his impolite manner, but he didn't give a shit, he couldn't stand being with those pricks any longer.

He left the room and leapt up the stairs taking them two at a time, he felt as if at any second his mother would jump out and shriek at him to get back downstairs. He reached the landing and practically threw himself at the bathroom. Whirling quickly around so his shoes squeaked on the tiled floor, he snapped the door shut with both hands holding it in place like it would burst open if he released it. After a few moments silence to tell him no one was following, he clicked the lock and spun taking three long strides to reach the window. Quickly throwing it open he squeezed his head and shoulders out taking a deep breath of freedom.

Now down to business, he looked to his right at the drain pipe, his ticket to escape. His shoulders immediately sagged in disappointment. The metal pipe clung meekly to the side of the building, looking old and neglected. There was no way that thing would hold his weight. He momentarily considered magically reinforcing it but he knew that he'd be caught for underage magic, which would pretty much instantly land him in trouble. He smirked at the thought; an owl disrupting his parents little dinner party to say that he'd been doing illegal magic to escape down a drain pipe.

His parents would be pissed.

It would be hilarious.

They'd lock him away for the rest of the summer.

It was so tempting just for their reaction.

He shook his head with a smile, his mind instantly playing Remus' reprimands and James and Peter hysterical with laughter if they found out his willingness to risk his neck by climbing a shitty old drain pipe to escape a tea party.

With a last longing look at the drain he slid the window closed. Just in case anyone was waiting outside, he flushed the toilet and washed his hands. He stared in the mirror, mentally preparing himself to endure another hour of torture.

Sirius didn't get to do so nearly as long as he'd wanted when he was interrupted by a fist pounding on the door.

Behold the she-devil.

"Sirius! What the hell are you doing in there?"

"Fuck off, Evans." Sirius said rubbing his face tiredly.

How long had he been standing there? He didn't care if he missed detention, he skipped out on the last few but if Lily Evans was angry enough to come up to his dorm and bang on the bathroom door, then he must be pretty late.

"SIRIUS BLACK, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE THIS BLOODY MINUTE!" Lily yelled through the door, "YOU THINK I DON'T HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN SURPERVISE YOUR BLOODY DETENTION? YOU'RE TWENTY FIVE MINUTES LATE AND THAT'S TEWNTY FIVE MINUTES I WASTED AND HAVE TO LOSE AGAIN WHEN YOU ADD IT ON TO YOUR TIME! THAT'S ALMOST BLOODY HOUR, BLACK, AND WE HAVE O.W.L'S COMING UP, NOW STOP WASTING MY TIME AND GET THE FUCK OUT HERE!"

"Alright, alright woman. Don't get your knickers in knot!" Sirius muttered. Sheesh does she sound stressed!

He stepped out into his dorm to see a quite irate Lily Evans, flaming red hair bunched up in a messy bun, uniform looking messier than was standard but definitely more comfortable- like she hadn't had the time to change but was definitely not in the mood for her shirt t be tucked in.

"Come on," She snapped, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and dragging him out of the room and down the stairs to the common room.

"I'm not a bloody dog on a leash Evans, let me the fuck go!" He was vaguely aware of his friends sniggering in their corner of the common room. Everyone present had apparently heard her shouting and watched as she ignored his comments and continued to drag him as he awkwardly crouched to make up for their height difference. She stopped at a couch, releasing him as she grabbed her book bag and swung it over her shoulder, picked up a pile of books and shoved them into Sirius' arms, then grabbed another for herself.

"Move before I make you." She growled, looking at him in rage.

Sirius rolled his eyes but did as she said, marching solemnly out of the tower.

An hour later Lily and Sirius had situated themselves in a potions classroom. Lily was practicing wand movements, occasionally stopped to check a book or scribble something down on her parchment. Sirius meanwhile was scrubbing half-heartedly at a particularly old and tortured looking cauldron. He was more focused on his memory from earlier; he'd snuck out after the party -snuck out the proper way, that is- when his mother had quit watching him like a hawk. Suspicious old hag. The proper way, depending on the parents, was simply walking out the front door, or the back he supposed. His mother was already in bed, his father was working in the study, so a little while after he went to bed Sirius just got up walked past in his pajamas as if he were going to the kitchen for water and headed out the front door. They never seem to notice that there's no return journey, or at least not for a while anyways.

He walked over to Max's place and knocked on her bedroom window. He'd given her a bit of a fright he remembered with a smirk. When she'd pulled back her curtains her face was an amusing mixture of surprise, anger and just a hint of being pleased to see him. She'd crawled out the window and after giving him a fair punch in the stomach for doing that in the dead of night, they'd gone and settled down at the end of the block while he ranted about his stupid parents and their friends and Rosier and Wilkes. She sat in silence smirking at his outrageous and dramatic exaggerations of the evening, puffing away on her cigarette.

Merlin, he missed her.

If only-

"What are you doing?" Lily glared at him, disturbing his thoughts.

Sirius looked down and realized he'd stopped scrubbing all together.

"Sorry." Sirius said, though not really sorry in the slightest.

"Don't be sorry, just get it done so we can leave." Lily snapped, turning back to her work.

He got back to scrubbing, noticing out of the corner of his eye that every now and then she'd glance up to check on him, scowl then continue working.

It was pretty annoying, normally he wouldn't care, but he wasn't in the mood. It just wasn't as funny when he was trying to wallow in his own self-pity he thought bitterly.

"You don't have to watch me you know, I'll be a good boy and stay till it's done. You can go." He bit out.

"No, actually, I can't," Lily countered angrily, "You've skipped out on your last couple of detentions so now you need a bloody babysitter."

"Shouldn't the Heads be doing this then?"

"They've got N.E.W.T's coming up so they shunted the task onto us prefects. Thanks a lot," Lily added sarcastically.

"How'd I get graced with your delightful presence then? Why didn't Remus do it?"

"He tried to offer but since you two are friends he wasn't allowed, like he'd help you or something." Lily rolled her eyes, "If you didn't hex the head boy's little brother last year maybe he'd be more inclined to have let him, but as it stands he doesn't want to make your life any easier."

"Aw, so you offered then Lilikins?"

"Don't call me that."

Sirius made a weak impression of a smirk, vaguely amused that his unenthusiastic attempt at getting a rise out her was successful.

"And no, I wasn't the first choice but after you blew off detention last time and Tim couldn't-"

"Who?"

"Tim Jones,"

Blank stare.

"The sixth year, Ravenclaw prefect," Lily rolled her eyes.

"Continue." Still no clue who he was.

"Well he couldn't get you from your dorm since he's not a Gryffindor. So obviously the next choice was to be a Gryffindor."

"So you?"

"Apparently, I'm scary or something." Lily said sounding slightly offended at the description.

Sirius let out a bark or laughter, "Fair enough." He continued scrubbing, "So how bored are you right now?"

"What?" Lily asked in confusion.

"That was possibly our longest conversation not to mention our most civilized. How bored are you?"

Lily scrunched up her face saying slowly, almost cautiously, "I'm not bored, I'm just… stuck."

"How so?" Sirius was a little surprised that he was talking so much. He hadn't even talked this much to his mates for the couple of weeks. Though it was nice, talking without being bothered about why he was acting weird.

"Maybe I'm just tired or stressed or something, but I can't for the life of me get this spell."

"Which one?"

"Disillusionment Charm! I just can't do it!" Lily said finally sounding as panicked as she really felt, "And I just know it'll be on the O.W.L's! I was out that day and Meghan's stupid notes are bloody useless!"

She looked pretty stressed, it seemed like she was about to crack or something. Sirius didn't know why everyone went absolutely nuts over O.W.L's every year. He remembered in third year when he and James had blown up Rolf Hodgens' Notes, he'd flipped! It was hysterical! They hadn't actually blown up his notes, just hid the real ones and used blank parchment. But it was enough. He almost laughed as he remembered the Hodgens chasing them all the way around the common room.

"It's not funny! Stop smiling!" Lily exclaimed in a shrill voice. "I knew I shouldn't have talked to you. Stupid stuck up Sirius Black and-"

"Calm down Evans! I wasn't smiling at you!" Sirius defended quickly, "Damn woman! Don't freak out!"

"Don't you 'woman' me!" Lily threatened, her temper heating up, standing and pointing a finger at him threateningly.

He pictured Max in that exact same stance after he'd scared her that night. Brown hair blowing around her face, not looking remotely intimidating in her tank top, pajama shorts and bunny slippers.

Focus!

"No- ugh!" Lily was so frustrating, Sirius wanted to pull his hair out, "Stop getting so defensive about everything! I'll help you!"

"Wait- You'll do what now?"

Sirius got up and crossed over to her, ignoring the suspicious looks she was sending him. He snatched up the notes and scanned through them. He had no idea why he was helping her, maybe to distract himself. Or to shut her up. Either way made sense in his mind.

"Well no wonder you're not getting it! These notes are all wrong!"

"They are?" Lily asked in an amusingly desperate mix of relief and hope. "So it's not me? I'm not a hopeless failure?"

"Not in the slightest," He sat down, "Okay the problem is that it say here to do a Amaribius flick, but it's more of a swish, not the quick one, I can never remember the proper name but it sounds really similar-"

"Amarniverous?"

"That's the one! Anyway, she probably just wrote it down wrong- but anyway it's like-" Sirius pulled out his wand and made a complex swishing motion, "-that."

Two hours later with the disillusionment charm down and plenty more group studying done Sirius and Lily looked at the clock in surprise.

"Shit Sirius, I've got to go, detention was supposed to be over earlier and I was going to meet up with Meghan to study."

Sirius snorted, "Like she's much use."

"Hey!"

"Sorry." Not really.

She scowled at him lightly but quickly changed her expression back to worry, "Well anyway, I need to go, but you're not done."

"That's alright, Evans, I stay here like a good little boy." Sirius said returning to his table.

Lily bit her lip nervously as she glanced at the door. Then she hunched her shoulders and pulled her wand out quickly cleaning the remainder of the cauldrons.

Sirius looked at her in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that." Lily scowled beginning to pack up her things, "Don't make a thing of it, I just- owe you for, well, you know and- this isn't a thing! It's not going to be a regular occurrence!"

"Oh- er, thanks." Sirius said awkwardly. She was one weird bird.

"This doesn't mean I'll let things slide, nothing's different."

"Er- right."

"So, uh, see you later." She said, swinging her bag up onto her shoulder and grabbing all the books, somehow managing to balance what had been a two person job on the way over in her arms. She cast one last scowl at him before heading out the door like his agreement was somehow offensive.

Sirius sat back down at a desk, not quite ready to go back to the Gryffindor tower and face the boys and that mesmerizing envelope.