A shrill shriek rang through the air, making Sirius look up from his spot by the tall willow.

The sight he saw pulled at his heartstrings in a way that confused him. Kelpie Jones was out on the Black Lake. Her hands were crossed behind her back and she was gliding effortlessly, with a smug grin on her face as Evans tried to catch up.

A small section of the frozen lake had been charmed to make for this muggle sport called ice-skating that she and Evans were apparently into. James had dragged him and the boys down, to follow the girls much to Sirius' annoyance. It was too cold for this. Remus agreed, preferring a cup of hot steaming cocoa back in their dorms but James had managed to convince them by mentioning a certain blonde which had made Remus blush.

Marlene had caught on to ice-skating rather quickly and had already managed to tackle Jones to the ground where she lay swatting her arms in a frenzy with a wide smile on her face. Her cheeks were red from the cold.

Even from his distance, Sirius noticed the snowflakes that fell on Jones' face and melted. At that moment he felt particularly jealous of the ones he could see landing on her lips. He frowned. Sixth-year in particular had been strange so far. He couldn't understand why Jones' date with Benjamin had bothered him. All he knew is that he wanted to sock the boy in the face for kissing her.

As if sensing his gaze Kelsey looked in their direction, looking straight at Sirius with a blank expression. She was still pissed at him for getting her that detention on her very first date. He broke out of his trance when Remus elbowed him and muttered something in his ear while glancing her way. Sirius focused on her and smirked.

'You're staring' he mouthed. He saw her roll her eyes and remove her glove. She then expressed her not-so-hidden disdain for him with the help of a certain finger which only fueled his need to annoy her.

He got up, deciding to make his way over and do that in person when he saw a figure skate up to her from behind and jump-scare her. He clenched his fist at how pathetic Benjamin Macdonald was acting in his effort to gain her attention. He didn't see the irony.

Forgetting him, Jones turned to give the Prefect her undivided attention.

She smiled at Macdonald with that exhilarated look, one that showed she was happy to see him. Even though it wasn't directed at him, Sirius couldn't deny how her face lit up and how it did things to his insides he didn't appreciate. Deciding that he had seen enough, he instead gathered his belongings and made up an excuse to head back inside.

"I reckon, I haven't seen anything that pathetic, ever."

Sirius stopped in his tracks for he knew that voice.

"What do you want Reggie?" Sirius was agitated. He didn't have the patience for this now.

"Tell me: Do you think staring at her like a lovesick puppy will do you any good when you and your hooligan friends harass that mudblood under the pretext of pranks?"

Sirius took a deep breath. "Firstly, I do not stare at her - or anyone for the record like a lovesick fool," he insisted. What did Regulus know? The kid hadn't bothered to have a proper conversation with him in two years. "Secondly, what my friends and I do is none of your business." This was not the time and place to address the mudblood comment. He knew how deep his family's influence ran.

Regulus scoffed and stared at him quietly for a few moments in consideration.

"You call them friends, I call them a freakshow," said Regulus.

It was Sirius' turn to stare at his brother in silence. This was the same boy who had looked up to him for ten years. The same boy who ran to him when their mother got too rough. This was the same boy who had drunk the blood purity spiel.

"What do you want?" Sirius gritted.

"I keep hoping you'll come to your senses brother. But it seems I'm the only one who does."

"Family," Sirius laughed dryly.

"If you only-" Regulus began again but Sirius cut him off.

"And to think that I keep hoping that you will come to your senses," Sirius hissed furiously. "And see those two people that call themselves our parents for who they really are."

"I'm sure if you can still get Potter over to our side-"

"Tell me," Sirius strode over to him to look him dead in the eye. "Who was it that protected you when father dearest drank too much?"

Regulus stared back adamantly.

"Tell me: Who was it who protected you from dear cousin Bella's merciless taunts?" Sirius continued.

He saw Reggie's Adam's apple bob as he gulped and averted his eyes.

"And tell me: Who was it that helped you dig a grave for the muggle girl down the street they killed because you smiled back at her at the playground. I reckon not many nine-year-olds have experience getting their hands dirty now do they?"

This time, Regulus glared back at him with a cold glare for bringing that up. Instantly, he grabbed Sirius by the collar.

"You may not remember it, Reggie," Sirius laughed maniacally. "But I was the one who's always been there for you."

"And you're also the one who ran away like a coward!" spat Reggie. Sirius' gaze flickered into guilt.

The dream faded into nothingness as Regulus let go of him reluctantly and walked away.

Sirius woke up groggy and irritated. Those were two distinct memories of two people he wanted nothing to do with. It pained him but he kept a brave face. It was going to be a long day and he could already feel it.

He managed to spend the rest of the day mindlessly going through classes. At one point, he found himself sitting with Remus and Astrid in the library while they sent him funny looks. He didn't talk much instead opting to dwell on the dream that kept haunting him. Everyone else seemed to be walking on eggshells around him. Everyone except Wormtail.

It simply wasn't his day and watching Kelsey talking to that Ravenclaw boy in the library hadn't improved his mood either.

Who was he to tell her who she could talk to or sit with? is what Moony's silent look told him in the library when he felt his stomach drop. And now, he found himself sitting in one the deserted courtyard of the clocktower, while he fought the urge to return to the library and talk to her.

Why couldn't she have just listened to him?

He regretted some - no most of his words and her apathy to him as a result of that had been apparent whenever she saw him since.

"You're a fool."

Like deja-vu Sirius felt a familiar presence sit down next to him.

"What do you want?" Sirius turned to see his brother. Memories of the dream resurfaced. Regulus smirked as if amused. "Don't tell me you're back for another black eye?"

"It feels as if we've had this conversation already," said Regulus.

"I thought you'd rather be dead than be seen with a blood traitor?"

Sirius saw something like uncertainty flicker in his expression temporarily but it was gone.

"And I thought that she would have actually lasted longer than your other frolickings. Seems I was wrong. Shame really, considering how long you were pining after her-"

"Don't talk as if you know anything," Sirius cut him off in frustration.

"I know enough. I've watched you. I've watched her," Reggie shrugged. "Pegged you for a blood traitor but never a fool."

"Come to tell me to change my mind again have you?" Sirius asked icily.

"I think that we were well past that the day you ran away and left me alone," Regulus seemed agitated.

"You could have come with. I would have still taken you-" Sirius tried to reason with him but more for himself.

"Forget it," Regulus let out a scoff and got up. "I just came to tell you to be careful around the seventh-years from my house..maybe pass on that message t"

"Whatever," Sirius grunted, not bothering to watch as he walked away. He got up sometime later to make his way back to the common room.

"Would that work for you?"

Sirius heard voices as he turned around the corner.

"Sure. It's not as if I see those games anyway. I mean, another Gryffindor versus Slytherin final? It's getting like really predictable," the voice chuckled. "I really could use your help reviewing magical creatures instead. I'm a nightmare in that subject contrary to my popular name."

Sirius paused as Kelsey and that Ravenclaw boy stood in front of him in the hallway as a few other students too made their way back.

Her gaze fell on him almost immediately and she stiffened, making him sneer. He still remembered her walking off with Remus the other night instead of sticking around to serve him detention. Her indifference bothered him even though he knew it shouldn't.

"Didn't realise there were people using the library as an excuse to avoid the shame of not making it to the Quidditch finals," said Sirius.

"It's called studying, Black. Maybe you should try and pick up a book sometime," she squinted her eyes. "..instead of girls. Might learn a thing or two."

"You mean like you?" He didn't know why he said it. But he wanted to make her look at him.

Kelsey gripped her wand and was about to step over to him when the other boy stopped her.

"Don't. You're a prefect," the Ravenclaw boy reminded her.

And yet she's done much worse, thought Sirius. The boy knew nothing about her. Unlike him!

Sirius eyed his hold on Kelsey's arm. She sent the boy a smile. After confirming their plans, they left separately, leaving Sirius fuming in silence.

Sirius stormed into the common room and found Isabelle right where he needed her. Hanging about a less than friendly looking Mckinnon and Lily - most likely asking after him. He sauntered up to them and pulled Bella down onto an empty love seat in a corner and crashed his lips into her without thinking twice.

"I think we need to hold an intervention," James whispered leaning in. Remus and Wormtail looked where his gaze was.

"That's mental," Remus mumbled under his breath as he watched his best-friend furiously snog the lips off a poor girl. It clearly seemed that she was trying to keep up with Padfoot.

"He's back to normal, yeah. That's right," Peter said with a small smirk. Remus caught the expression.

"Just don't look. It'll go away," said Lily joining them. She appeared just as distraught at having witnessed Sirius and Bella's face up close.

"He needs to come to his senses," Remus stated.

"It's pathetic. He's miserable without her. Even I can see that," James contemplated out loud. "And he's showing it in the worst way possible."

"I'd be surprised if she ever lets him within five feet radius ever," Marlene piped up as she took the last empty seat. "I think she told me something about her old man and this trick he taught her to keep boys away. She's talking about going full-" Marlene stopped speaking when she saw Mary and Dorcas enter. They beckoned her over and she left that thought unfinished.

"Now that Marlene's gone," said Lily, remembering why she had joined the boys. "Who's in charge of searching the restricted section next?" she asked.

"I can do it!" Peter chimed in eagerly. This was it. This was his way out as he thought about the plan.

"I thought you'll be in the common room celebrating with us on the day of the Quidditch finals?" James bore into Peter.

"O-of course. But I could still do this early in the day. They cancelled the Divination practice sessions." Peter felt a little warm as he lied.

Remus eyed him without being obvious about it. He knew for a fact that they had indeed not been cancelled on good authority from Belter, the other Hufflepuff prefect himself. A sick suspicious feeling made its way to his gut.

Chances were, it was a harmless lie. But then he remembered the extreme drama surrounding what Kelsey claimed. As much as he hated it, he made it a note to keep an eye on Peter himself.

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