A/N: WOW SO MANY REVIEWS, GUYS! MERLIN! I'm so so sooo glad that you're liking the story so far! Can't wait for you to see what happens next! *sinister laughter* (Just kidding. Or am I?)
Ok, so this a bit of a 'filler' chapter. It's short and isn't really important for the plot but I really wanted to write some SiriusxEaston interaction, so there's that! The next few chapters will be longer and a tad darker...
Hope you'll enjoy!xxx
P.S I'm sorry to say that after this chapter my posting schedule will change drastically. Chapters will come out approx once a week:( I've been on a roll this past few days because I had a break but now my uni starts again...so yeah, it's really sad.
"D'YOU RECKON WE COULD GO to The Rolling Stones concert this summer?" Penelope mused, her nose stuck in another magazine while the two girls were climbing the stairs back to the castle after the Care of Magical Creatures.
"I don't know, Pens, depends on my parents," Easton replied distantly, her mind busy with what had happened the previous night. She'd talked to Sirius Black. Not about him , not next to him, with him. And she flirted. Why did she do that!?
"It sucks that we can't even play music here," whined Penelope, "My parents got me a sick Walkman for my birthday and I can't even use it! And Magic is supposed to be fun."
Surely it had been all the sugar because never in her right mind would she have done that.
Merlin, what if he decides to take me up on that offer?
"I mean, I bought the complete ABBA album that I don't get to enjoy until Christmas–are you even listening to me?"
What is wrong with me?
"Tony!"
Easton jumped from the loudness and blinked rapidly at her very angry friend.
"Have you heard a word I said?" Easton maid a "sorry I didn't listen but I still love you" face but it didn't really work on Penelope, "Some friend you are," she huffed, "what's up with you today anyway? You're all pensive and whatever, I don't like it."
Tony stopped in her tracks, "Are you implying that I tend not to think?"
"Not so much you don't." Penny replied as they continued their way, "Anyways, if we are not allowed to play music, we can create it ourselves," she declared.
"Penny, no—"
"—Remember that song we danced to this summer, on my birthday?"
"How can I not? As soon as it came out you said you'd play it on your seventeenth birthday but, Penny—
"You are the dancing queen—"
"—oh Merlin—"
"Young and sweet; Only seventeen," Penelope started singing, swinging her hips in tact, "Dancing queen—Come on, Tony, sing along!"
Easton tried to get out of Penny's grip and escape the embarrassment but she knew her best friend too well to think that this would work. So she didn't fight it.
"Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah," Easton joined in with her low and a bit husky voice that could barely take the high notes and made the lines sound like a cry for help.
Penelope grabbed Easton by the arm preparing for the best part, "You can dance! You can jive! Having the time of your life," they sang–or more like screamed–together. "Ooh, see that girl," Penelope narrowed her eyes, flipped her hair and pointed a finger at Easton.
"Watch that sc—"
"Hey there, Greengrass!"
Her eyes widened at the sight of him but it was too late to retreat. And so she tried to wave at him. And she did. But she also stumbled. And then fell. Right on her sorry arse.
"Merlin, Tony!" Penny hurried to help her up, "Are you alright?"
Easton quickly looked up to see if Sirius had noticed the humiliating fiasco but the Marauders were already nearing the castle.
"Yeah, m'alright," she grumbled dusting the dirt off her robes.
Penelope's face changed in a matter of seconds and turned from that of concern into that of rage, "You better be because I'm about to kill you for not telling me WHY THE HELL SIRIUS BLACK SAID BLOODY "HEY THERE, GREENGRASS" to you!," she yelled in her best Sirius Black impression while continuously attacking Easton with punches that were surprisingly hard and aggressive for a little Hufflepuff.
"OW, stop it—OUCH, that really hurt! Hey, Penny, really—"
"Serves you right!" she punctuated each word with a punch.
"So do you—OW—want me to tell you or do you—STOP—want to keep hitting me?" Easton shielded herself from the Hufflepuff with both arms.
"I can't decide, give me a second—"
"HEY!"
"Alright, I'm done," Penny sighed, exhausted by her vigorous assault, and stepped away.
Easton eyes her with suspicion.
"Really, I am. You're safe," Penelope assured.
"Can we go now?"
And so the two friends continued their climb to the castle, where they quickly found a private spot to gossip in an alcove behind one of the tapestries. Easton told Penny everything—from the conversation she'd shared with Sirius (although it was hardly a conversation, seeing as 'a conversation' demanded two people to actually talk) after which she received another much-deserved punch. Every now and then Penny would let out an excited squeak or stare at Easton in utter disbelief. By the end of the story, Penelope's jaw was practically reaching the floor.
"You're telling me," she began slowly, "that you spent the night with Sirius Black and didn't even try to shag him?"
Easton wanted, she really wanted to think that the question was a joke but Penelope looked dead serious.
"Erm…no?"
It took the Hufflepuff some time to truly take in this information.
"You are no friend of mine," Penny then spat and made to leave the alcove but then suddenly paused, "you didn't even snog him?" she asked in astonishment.
"What—No!"
Penelope looked as if Easton had betrayed her in the most horrible way possible.
"Goodbye, friend."
"Penelope, stop it!" Easton ran after her.
Penny saluted without slowing her pace, "Our friendship is over!"
"Oh, for Merlin's sake! What are you, five?"
It went on for an embarrassingly long time.
"How did you get into NEWT level Charms again?"
Easton wasn't really offended by this question, for she knew that Lily Evans was genuinely curious. And that curiosity was more than justifiable.
"No idea," Easton shrugged practicing—or rather trying to practice—a fifth year's spell wand motions, "I'm always on the verge of complete failure but somehow manage to stay afloat. I think it irritates the hell out of all the professors and, to be honest, I can't say I don't love it."
Lily only laughed at her silly quirks and opened the book, "Do you have any specific spells you want to practice? Any incantations?"
"Lily, I don't even know what it is I don't know," Easton deadpanned, "Like seriously, I'm not even joking—"
"Did someone call for me?"
"Oh no," Lily almost whined, her face the grimace of pain at the sound of the voice.
Oh no, Easton ground internally.
"I certainly heard something, Pads," mused another voice that caused Lily to tighten her grip on the Charms book.
"Okay, Easton," she began way too loudly. Evans tried to compose herself and ignore the sounds but wasn't doing a great job at it; Easton could notice her left eye almost twitch of anger. The whole image was rather scary, really, "We can start with—"
"Is it truly her or do my eyeglasses fail me?" James Potter exclaimed dramatically.
"It sure is, Prongs," agreed Sirius Black, "A fine sight indeed."
Oh boy, it won't end well.
"Lily—"
"How about we practice hexes, Easton? I could think of a great guinea pig—"
"—I don't know if that's wise—"
"Oh, Evans, I found you at last!" Potter threw himself on the chair opposite the two girls and cupped his face directing his dreamy hazel eyes at the red-haired witch, "did you miss me as much as I missed you?"
Easton concentrated all her attention on her wand, trying to get the hang of the movements and miserably failing because of the certain Marauder. Why did he have to be here? She'd managed to pass through almost all stages of grief and live with the idea that the "Nightly Rendezvous" had been nothing but a dream. This unfortunate encounter set her at least two steps back.
"Potter," Lily was almost shaking with anger, "don't you have any Head Boy duties?"
"I'm waiting for you to guide me like the brightest star in the sky—"
"Hey!" Sirius looked positively hurt.
"—Sorry, mate—"
For a mere second Easton pulled her eyes away from the wand to glance at Sirius and instantly regretted her curiosity, for he had caught her peaking at him and…winked?
Absolutely not expecting this turn of events, Easton got ridiculously flustered and in her anxious attempts to pull herself together, lost the grip of the wand entirely. The piece of wood fell on the table with a dull thud.
Easton froze.
"S-sorry," she forced out a tight smile and slowly picked up the wand.
But no one seemed to have noticed that, except for Sirius, of course, who grinned at her knowingly.
That wanker.
"Easton," Lily high-pitched.
"Y-yes?"
"Easton, I think we've covered enough today," she exclaimed fiercely, looking anywhere but at James, "Do you mind if we call it a day?"
"S-sure, but Lily—"
"Great!" she quickly stuffed all her belongings into the bag and got up from the table, "Have a nice day!" Lily made a point of throwing a deathly glare at Potter before she stormed out of the library.
Which left Easton…
"That was," Sirius looked at the grandfather clock that proudly stood in the library, "two minutes, Prongs. New record!" He leaned back into the chair in a most relaxed manner as if he owned the whole place. And oh, dear, was that a sight. Easton tried to keep her eyes off him, she honestly did and yet once again found herself staring at him. Easton wished there was a better name for it but there wasn't. She was staring at him. Penelope would call it 'eye-fucking', the perverted little Hufflepuff she was.
Shamelessly and with a hunger of a starved wonderer, Easton was slowly scanning his shaggy raven hair that fell into his face, his robes that looked as if he had halfheartedly put them on after a quick shag in a broom closet (which quite possibly was the truth). And the way the first few buttons of his white shirt were undone leaving so much more to her pure virgin imagination…
"Hey, Greengrass, what do you think?"
And he talks.
As if on cue, Easton's cheeks flared up and she was positive it didn't escape Sirius's attention. Nothing ever did, as far as she could tell from the years of crushing on him.
"Sorry?" she asked in a croaked voice. Why the bloody hell was her voice so croaked?
"You're a girl," James pointed out as if it was a great revelation.
"Well, I'd like to think so, yes," Easton started aggressively fumbling with the wand looking between the two Marauders and at the same time trying to escape direct eye-contact with Sirius.
James she could handle, though he, too, was devilishly handsome with his cute and dorky personality but there was this roughness and boldness to Sirius that almost dared you to do something stupid in front of him. Which wasn't a difficult task for Easton, who did something stupid on a daily basis. Her life just wasn't complete without stupid. It was a universal rule.
"As a representative of the other half of humanity, would you say that our ickle Jamsie here," Sirius ruffled James's hair which made the latter jerk away and glare at his dear friend, "—has any chance of wooing Evans?" Sirius's brows jumped suggestively on the second last word.
Easton couldn't really properly hear what he was saying all because there was that little sound in her head, a voice even, screaming why the hell hadn't she left when she had the chance.
It probably had a point, come to think of it.
"Erm…I—well…y-you see," Easton rumbled.
James was looking at her expectedly with such hope in his eyes that it pained her to disappoint him. However, there was very little Easton could say to help the bloke. It's not like she was a relationship guru, seeing as the only time her life took a romantic turn was in a muggle park when a boy had so gallantly presented little Easton with a flower. Or was it a weed? She couldn't tell back then. Not that she could now.
"I m-mean, there's always a c-chance…"
Clearly, it was all James needed to hear, because his face instantly broke into a toothy grin.
"Told you, Pads!" he exclaimed victoriously and jumped off his sit, "She'll come 'round, just you wait!"
Easton wanted to tell him to keep it quiet but Madam Pince's murderous scowl did it for her and was a thousand times more effective too, for Potter instantly shut up and toned it down.
"Evans's probably in the common room," James mused and fixed his glasses that'd slid down his nose, "I'll go check on her!" he whispered excitedly and ran out of the library stumbling with every step in his eagerness.
And then there were two.
Easton wanted to volunteer to kill herself right there and then but Sirius didn't let her, "Poor Evans, she has no idea what's coming her way," he laughed.
Was she supposed to say something? What was she supposed to say?
Unfortunately, her alerted brain didn't have any more time to think—suddenly Sirius leaned on the table, his face moving closer to hers, "So tell me, Greengrass," he drawled mischievously. Easton just sat there, absolutely speechless, blinking at him, "What's your favorite muggle band?"
Having lost any ability to talk, Easton just raised her brows in surprise. What was he driving at?
"I'll just take a guess then," Sirius's wicked smile and that devilish glint in his stormy eyes made her stomach flip, "Is it the Zombies? Pink Floyd? Queen, maybe? No? Alright…Beatles then? Wait," he leaned back a little, deep in thought, which gave Easton an opportunity to breathe, "I think I know what it is," his smile grew with each guess as did Easton's confusion "It's a wild one but could it be….ABBA?"
Oh no he didn't.
Easton knew there was no limit to perfection but sincerely hoped that this rule didn't spread on other things; things like embarrassment. She liked to think that once you'd reached what you thought was the pits of it, it couldn't get any worse.
Apparently, she was wrong.
And Sirius Black doubling in laughter in front of her, trying to keep it down to avoid Madam Pince's wrath, was the perfect proof.
"You have a beautiful voice, I'll give you that. And the way you take those high notes," he looked into the distance and sighed, as if there was not a word worthy enough to properly describe the wonder that was her singing, "One day you'll give Miss Warbeck a run for her money, missy, you mark my words," now he sounded like her old grandfather Greengrass with a cigar in his mouth.
It was sheer luck that her wand didn't break because instead of directing all her anger at Sirius, who totally deserved to be hexed, Easton was assaulting the poor wooden stick. It took all of her to finally stop fumbling with it and start packing her things, all the while fuming with rage.
"Greengrass?"
She couldn't hate Sirius. Or could she? No, he was Sirius. No one in their right mind hated Sirius. Except for all the poor souls he had hexed. And all the Slytherins. And probably some more people.
"Hey," the subject of all her thoughts finally stopped laughing; he sounded a bit guilty now, "I'm sorry, it was insensitive. See, Remus-my personal moral compass-gives me a subtle kick whenever I'm being an arse but he's not here right now so I'm kind of lost."
Easton liked that he was trying to explain himself to her. But she still didn't say a word, didn't even look at him and threw the bag over her shoulder.
"Right, I was a complete arse," Sirius admitted, "Your singing's really good though, Greengrass, I'm not kidd—hey, Greengrass!"
But she was already walking away. With a smile on her face.
