Sirius Black was finally fifteen. He was now a Fifth Year. A real, honest-to-Merlin Fifth. He hadn’t been sure that this year would actually come; last year he’d nearly drowned thanks to an accident involving James, Peter and a passing Hufflepuff that Peter had taken a fancy to. Not fun, especially when one took into consideration Sirius’ dislike of swimming. Due to various incidents, the fact that Sirius and James were still alive was incredible. Fortunate, but incredible all the same.

The view of the lake was very serene. Georgie the Giant Squid paddled its way around the chilly water. A few brave souls were actually playing in the water; mostly insane First Years. Stupid kids. He shook his head at them, tousling his perfect black locks. Some hair fell into his face, poking him in the eye. A grimace graced his face unattractively (although some would protest that nothing he did could make him look unattractive) as he pushed it away. It persistently fell back into place and he stubbornly pushed it back again. A cute Fourth Year passed him and giggled. He smiled at her (it was a simple smile, she wasn’t that cute) and waved as she wandered off.

Sirius returned to contemplating the lake. There was nothing very exciting going on at that very moment, not that he knew of anyway. And he usually knew if something exciting was going on.
Usually, anyway. But as far as he knew, nothing was happening that would make him go, “Merlin, how could I have missed that!” He’d find out later either way.

Since there was nothing exciting going on, Sirius Black was bored. And bad things tended to happen when Sirius Black got bored. At the moment, he sadly had nothing up his sleeve. There was a Dungbomb in his pocket (there was always a Dungbomb in his pocket) but nothing up his sleeve. That disappointed him; he needed something to do, and he needed it soon.

With a loud, exasperated sigh, he fell back onto the grass from his sitting position. His arms were flung out to either side of him, which was not the safest position if he wanted his arms to not be stepped on. Oh well. Laziness overpowers the wish to not be stepped on. Sirius’ arms remained flung outward.

His gray eyes stared up at the sky. It was filled to the brim with steely gray clouds, nearly the colour of his eyes. It didn’t feel like it was going to rain, though, and he loved the rain enough to know these things. So with calm, bored gray eyes, he watched the wind blow the clouds across the sky.

“I’m bored!” he shouted suddenly to the skies, sitting up. The First Years turned to stare at him. He stared back. A bit shaken by being stared at intently by a Fifth Year, a Fifth Year who just happened to be Sirius Black no less, they returned to their madness (a.k.a swimming). How they could swim when there was a chilly air blowing, Sirius Black had no idea. Of course, he didn’t know how anyone could do anything in the cold. All he did was lay on the grass and shout that he was bored because Sirius hated the cold. It wasn’t even really that cold out; there was only a bit of a chilly breeze blowing, but that was to be expected for September, even early September.

With this idiot’s dislike of the cold, you’d think that he’d be wearing a long-sleeved robe, perhaps, maybe a light cloak. Nope. This idiot boy was wearing a t-shirt (one that he’d given Remus money to buy for him; muggle clothing was pretty awesome, if you asked him) and jeans (guess where he got them. That’s right; Remus got them for him). And, wait till you hear this one, he was barefoot. Wow. Cower in the face of his idiocy, please.

When nothing happened after his yell, he decided to yell again. Yelling was fun.

“I’m still bored!”

He could always do that Transfiguration essay he’d been assigned. Homework already! Can you believe this? It was only the end of the first week of school, and he already had a Transfiguration essay, a Potions essay, extra practice in Charms, extra practice in Transfiguration on top of the essay, and that Astronomy star chart.

Being a Fifth Year was going to be lovely, wasn’t it?


((Shannon is angry that her font colour won't work. --;||

The cool air felt wonderful on Channing's warm face, the Charms essay lying on her lap three-fourths of the way done, and her Transfiguring homework halfway done inside her back pack at her feet causing quite a strain on her sanity. It wasn't like she wasn't prepared for the hard work that was known for the new fifth years; she was very aware of what was to come with school work. However, the work did tend to get a bit overwhelming at times.

Sighing, Channing set the parchment and quill aside and rested her head against the large tree which was a few feet away from the edge of the lake. A slight shiver ran up her spine which caused a smile to form on her lips. She loved the cold; everything about it was soothing and calmed her stressed nerves. Pulling her zip-up hoodie closer to her body, she closed her eyes for a moment as the wind picked up, causing her thick, brown hair to fall from her shoulders to tumble in loose waves down her back.

She was never the kind to care what she wore. If it was comfortable and affordable, it was wearable in her eyes. Although, most, if not all cloths were affordable in her family so comfort was the key thing to Channing. Her family refused to wear anything muggle made, saying that it was horrific, distasteful and insulting to wear something made from muggles. She couldn't care less, to be honest. Muggle clothing was very comfortable to Channing, and she enjoyed the vibrant colors and makes of their clothing. She would wear clothing from her parents every so often, just to make them happy and get them off her back. It was difficult when the vast majority of her family were from Slytherin and very pure in blood, and they never ceased to try and push their opinion and draw the line where she could live her life how she wanted to, and how they wanted her to.

As frustrating and unfair as her life can be at home, Channing never found a more powerful rush of relief than going back to school. She loved the teachers and friends she had at Hogwarts, and it gave her the time she needed to forget about her father, forget about her dead mother, and forget everything she had to go through when she was home. All the ridicule she endured with being a Ravenclaw in a Slytherin family was forgotten when she walked through those Hogwarts doors.

Opening her eyes, Channing zipped the black hoodie over a blue tank top with a slight v-neck and pulled her sleeves down. The sound of laughter in the water caught her attention and she gazed into the lake with a questioning gaze. A handful of first years were playing in the chilly water, they were probably testing the patience of the Squid, or just being childish as most first years were. Channing didn't understand the rush of excitement of playing in the water just a few yards away from the giant Squid.

She could feel the cold wind of September pick up and figured that it would be freezing in the water. Just thinking about how cold it was made her shiver. Pulling the hoodie closer to her thin frame, she tucked her long legs underneath her which were covered in dark blue jeans - another one of Channing's attempts to be different than her family - and her black and blue flats. With a deep sigh, Channing picked up the almost finished Charms essay and quill and began thinking of where she had left off. But just as she placed the quill on the parchment a loud shout startled her, causing the quill to dance off the page, along with a line of black ink.

Groaning, she dug around in her bag for her wand and pointed at the spot on her parchment to make it go away. Once it was gone, Channing looked up in search of the reason for the shouting and spotted a young boy sprawled in the grass. She couldn't tell if he had made the noise, not sure that she knew what the noise was exactly, so she decided to get back to her essay before she forgot what she was writing about.

However, just like before, as soon as she picked up her quill, the cry, and "I'm still bored!" caused her to jump with a start. Biting her lip to keep from screaming, she looked over at the young boy again, seeing a few first years a few feet away, and a young forth year walking away from him, none of them she thought the one who had said it. She set her parchment and quill down angrily, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes with another groan, sitting forward and resting her elbows against her knees.

She knew she should have done her homework in the Common Room.

Severus Snape's dark eyes surveyed the black lake. This was the first time he had been out on the grounds since he had arrived at school. He was savouring the last rays of warmth there would be before next summer. It was about time that the leaves starting changing to colours and this always led to a bitter winter.

The Black Lake was one of his favourite places to do homework, when he weather was nice. His memory drifted to how him along with Lily would come and sit for hours, not saying a word. For they hadn't needed to. Their silence had been as good as talking, and to Sev, just being with Lily was the best thing ever.

He had planned on finishing up his potions essay, but since he had only a small portion left he decided he would save it for later. He had better savour the nice weather while it lasted.

He sat with his back against a beech tree. The green leaves had already started to fade into oranges and yellows in some places. He breathed in the scent of the lake water mingled with the leaves that drifted down through the breezy air. He couldn't help thinking how much happier he was at Hogwarts than at home, his parents constantly fought and it left him wondering why they did not get divorced. His mother would be better off without that rude, insensitive muggle around.

Just when he thought he was completely relaxed something loud disrupted his drifting thoughts. When he looked to the source he saw none other than Sirius Black.

Hatred bubbled up inside of him, Sirius - along with James Potter- were the only reasons he disliked Hogwarts. He considered getting up and going back to the castle but he reconsidered, Sirius had not even seen him yet and he hoped it stayed that way.

As much as Channing wanted to continue her homework (and she did, there was nothing better than the time after her work was finished) she couldn't find the will to concentrate anymore. Part of her was begging the other half to continue working; it was better if she finished this right then than have to cram it all in before her next class. And the other part of her was telling the begging part to shut up for once and let Channing have some time to rest and actually enjoy the outdoors rather than try and figure out how to transfigure a rat into a silver goblet or why it was important to know how cast spells without speaking. It was all just too much for her to handle at that moment.

With a soft sigh, Channing gave in to the side that just wanted to relax and began to carefully roll up her parchment and cap her ink bottle. After placing all her belongings in her bag, she decided a long walk along the edge of the lake wouldn't be a bad idea. It had been a while since she had time to think by herself without the constant worrying of school or family matters. Even during summer there had been nothing but bickering from her father who had come home for a month to visit. He never quite understood just how different Channing and her brother were from each other. He was also oblivious to the fact that she will never be a Slytherin no matter how loud he yells at her.

There were times were he would just ignore her all together, treat her as if she was the "un wanted child", and as much as it hurt to know that her own father wished she were never born, she liked the solitude it gave her. She was able to think, for what moments she was given before the next up-roar surfaced, about what she was going to do after school, or to dream of a life that didn't include a shameful past or an un-loving father. Yes, she took those moments very graciously.

Standing from her spot resting on the tree, Channing walked to the edge of the lake, careful not to get too close to the edge, not know just how irritated the Squid was now that the fearless First Years were playing deeper in the water. She shoved her hands deep in the pockets of her hoodie and began walking the length of the lake, thinking that by the time she got all the way around the lake, her head would be clear enough and she would be able to focus on her paper.

As she began walking, she noticed a rather greasy haired boy sitting by a thin tree a few yards away from where she was walking. He, too, had noticed the shout she had and looked rather angry. Channing had been irritated that she had lost concentration but the boy didn't look like he was doing anything so she was puzzled at why he was so angry. Shrugging inwardly, she continued her walk along the lake side.

Channing had it easy, being a Ravenclaw in a family of Slytherins. If she wanted to complain, she could spend a summer day in Sirius' shoes. He was a Gryffindor in a family of Slytherin pureblood-oriented maniacs and never got off easy for it. Sure, he had sympathy for her. He identified with her. But he would still have the undying notion that his situation was worse than hers.

His family had never gotten over the fact that he was a Gryffindor as well, and that no amount of shouting or lessons could change that. They had turned a deaf ear to eleven-year-old Sirius trying to convince them that it wasn't his fault, that he really had tried to get the Sorting Hat to put him in Slytherin, that he had pleaded and pleaded with Dumbledore to change his House. They had ignored him and blamed him for dishonouring the family.

Sirius sighed, staring back up at the cloudy sky. Nothing to do. No one had answered his yells and he thought that it was rather obvious that he wanted someone to come over and entertain him. But no, apparently not. Come on, people, how much more obvious could it be that he was bored and wanted company?

He was tempted to sit up and look around for somebody to bother, James or Remus or Peter for example, but discarded the idea on the simple premise of him being too lazy. So he lay there on the grass for a few moments, drumming his fingers on the ground and watching the clouds go by. Finally, boredom overpowered laziness and he pushed himself into an upright position. Erk. Movement. That was annoying.

His gray eyes searched the grounds for anyone in particular that was interesting. James was nowhere to be seen, unfortunately. Remus was the same, probably hiding among his dusty book friends in the library. Peter was most likely inside, perhaps in the Kitchens. None of his fellow Marauders was outside or otherwise nearby to entertain him. Sigh.

But who else was there? Was Snivellus outside? Sirius scanned the grounds eagerly, but did not see the slimy-haired git. He was at such an angle that the Slytherin was hidden behind the tree. Sirius did, however, see Channing Lamport. A cute Ravenclaw girl that he had spoken to once or twice. Hey. Maybe she would talk to him and save him from boredom.

But getting to her would require movement. More movement than he wanted to perform. He thought for a moment before yelling, "hallo Channing!" She didn't hear him, being just out of earshot. He frowned. She was the only person outside that looked vaguely interesting.

Once more, boredom outvoted laziness. He pushed himself off the ground, putting all of his weight on his bare feet. Brushing the grass off of his jeans, he sauntered confidently over to Channing.

"Hallo Channing," he said with a smile once he finally reached her. "How are we toda-" He stopped in midword as his eyes landed on someone in particular.

"'allo Snivellus," he sneered, lips curling into a smirk. His wand was suddenly in his hand and being twirled lazily through his fingers, a talent that he was rather proud of.

As Channing looked from the greasy young boy, she noticed that the squid had dived down under the water and was no where to be seen, save for a few ripples here and there over the water. The First Years had apparently found it to be too cold to be in the water - or they had lost interest in the squid now that he was underneath the water - and had moved to the grass, taking a liking to throwing scattered twigs and such at each other.

She heard faint footsteps behind her and stopped when she heard a fairly familiar voice call her name. Turning, she smiled when her eyes caught the sight of the handsome Sirius strutting her direction, a confident smile spread on his face. With looks like that, there was no reason not to be confident.

She was just about to respond to him when he was stopped short. When she followed his gaze Channing noticed he was speaking to the greasy headed young boy she'd seen when she first started her walk. Snivellous. Snivellous. Oh! He must mean Severous Snape! She remembered having Potions with him last year. Poor kid always got picked on because of his hair and nose. Though she remembered him as a jerk and no-it-all.

Shrugging inwardly, she looked to Sirius again, lifting a slender brow when she noitced his wand out, twirling effortlessly in his fingers. "Hey, Sirius," she replied at last, hoping that he wouldn't do anything stupid and throw a spell at Snape or anything. Looking to Severous, she nodded once with a, "Severous," before turning to Sirius.

"How about a walk along the lake, Sirius?" She asked, taking his arm and tugging lightly. "The First years might head back into the water, and I have a feeling the Squid might come up again." She really didn't want to see anyone fighting, and with the look that covered Sirius' face, there was no doubt he hated the greasy haired boy.

Snape's dark eyes scanned the calm scene. He watched as a fifth year Ravenclaw he identified as Channing.. something or other.. got up from a nearby tree. It seemed most people were out just enjoying the weather, or in Sirius' case, dying of boredom.

His lips curled into a sneer at the thought of a dead Sirius. If only boredom could kill.. but that was only wishful thinking. Besides, if it did, he'd be dead as well, for he was often bored.

He snapped out of his rather pointless thoughts when he saw Sirius Black approach the girl. He sighed and realized that at this angle Sirius could see him. He attempted to inch around the tree, out of viewing range, but-too late. Sirius had addressed him.

Severus' eye darted from the wand in Sirius' hand to his smiling face. To Snape's dismay it seemed, he was about to be used as a boredom buster. "Hello.." Snape drawled, his eyes hard and cold as the black lake on a calm day.

Countercurses flew through Sev's head, but he didn't know which curse Sirius would choose and he terribly wished he did. The only silver lining to the whole situation was that Lily had not accompanied him, for he had been put in an embarassing predicament. Lily seeing him now would be the worst thing ever.

Her heartbeat hammered in her ear, a dull thud in harmony with a muffled ringing. An orchestra to accompany the throbbing vein in her temple, a headache settling in.
Despite the pain she could practically hear whispering in her ear, slumber also decided to throw it's two cents into the mix. So now, drowsiness lulled her into comfort, as a burning headache caused her to wince the moments away.
"Enough!" Lily Evans now shrill voice sounded in the Gryffindor Girl's Dormatory. Her attempts at perhaps a well-deserved nap had been foiled by the unexpected headache, and, naturally, this wasn't something to make her happy.
Lily sat up, gazing around her. The still room was warm, the merciful sun reaching its arms through the window, pouring its contents onto a pool beneath the window ledge. Her rustic gold and deep red blankets pushed to the foot of the bed, her pillows still askew in all directions due to her tossing about. Lily shook her head, releasing a soft sigh in defeat, and slid out of her bed.
Ambling carelessly towards the window, she stretched rather ungracefully and, upon reaching the ledge, stared out onto the grounds. Students were scattered across the seemingly ever-green grasses of Hogwarts. This content scene scattered the moment her eyes hit sunlight, however. The headache had not subsided, and the sun only agrivated it.
The fiery girl growled unimpressively; fine, the headache didn't like the sunlight? Lily was willing to battle fire with fire. Stubborness seemed to win, as she turned on her heel (a little to quickly, for she became a little dizzy after doing so), and walked with purpose out of the Gryffindor common room, towards the giant oak doors leading to the outside.
It probably wasn't the best of ideas. Maybe her headache made her immune to reason and logic, but the calm and comfortable manner of the day continued to lure her further outside.
Before she even knew it, she was gazing out at the lake. The sun playing on its surface, and Lily smiled, the loveliness forcing her to forget her pounding headache, her sleepiness, even her annoyance. The first years romping near the lake stole glances at her, but she ignored this as well. 'I probably look like a horrorshow right now,' she thought with a grin. Her brilliant red hair was tousled and messy from laying down, which was out of character for her usual appearance of being very put together.
Lily tilted her head, warmth swallowing her, but all this was instantly interrupted by an all too familiar voice. Sirius Black. But she'd be civil. For now.
Her eyes wandered until they found the three she'd found the student she'd been looking for. Pleasantly surprised, however, to find that Channing and Severus were there as well. She walked over, wearing a welcoming (or what she thought might be welcoming) smile.
"Hallo, Channing, Sev," she swallowed hard,"Bla-I mean, Sirius." She was going to regret being nice, wasn't she.

A walk around the lake with Channing? Perhaps, perhaps. But not until after Sirius gets rid of dear Snivellus...or at least humiliates him a bit, or hurts him a tad. Or gives him purple tentacles all over his body. That last one sounded good indeed. Sirius had practiced this one long and hard to get it right, and when in a magical duel, it was one of his favourites.

"A walk sounds good Channing," Sirius said, his eyes never leaving Snape and the smirk still playing on his lips. "But not just yet. Hold on a few moments, won't you?" His smirk turned to a softer smile for her briefly before becoming hard and mischievous again. This was the smirk he used when picking on Snivellus. It reached his eyes, always, and his eyes glimmered with hatred for the greasy-haired, big-nosed Slytherin.

If Lily had been there, Sirius would not have gotten this far. And he would be getting yelled at severely by now. Lily would have been Snape's saving grace and he didn't want her there? Slytherins were idiots, that was Sirius' philosophy. And Snape demonstrated that point daily to him. Well, in his point of view, anyway, and that's all that mattered to him.

It was at times like this that Sirius wished that he could do silent spells. They hadn't learned them yet, but he and the Marauders had been practicing them so that they could wow the crowd when they finally did learn them, and Sirius was hopeless at them. It was a shame, really; it would have helped him immensely in dueling.

Sirius stopped twirling his wand through his fingers and gripped it tightly. This was a sure sign that Snape would not be getting out of this. Now it was just a matter of time until the first spell was fired.

"Tarantellegra," he said, flicking his wand Snape's way. It was a relatively simple spell that he had learned a few years ago. The first time he had tried it, it had made purple tentacles sprout out of his ears. That had not been fun. He was forced into the Hospital Wing to get them removed.

"Oh, hallo Evans," Sirius said casually, keeping his eyes on Snape just in case the bugger tried to retaliate. He was fairly certain that he could disarm the Slytherin quickly enough to save his own arse from any hex sent his way. "How are you today?"

Great. A defender for the Slytherin. Just what Sirius needed.

Snape began to lift his wand, he never took his eyes off of Sirius' face. All he wanted to do was to get out of here, before anything could happen, spells raced through his head, he finally decided it would just be easiest to disarm him. But as soon as he came to this realization, his wand slipped out of his hand. He lifted his hands to look at them, and instead of five fingers he saw 5 shiny suckers. Great, now he was a relative to the giant squid! He was bloody purple!

"You'll regret that Black." Sev drawled, bending over to pick up his wand, but it was impossible. Every time he went to snatch it up, it fell out again. Why couldn't squids have thumbs why!?

Bubbling with anger he closed his eyes thinking of a way out. But the only way, it seemed was to run across campus, back into the slytherin common room, where /someone/ would be nice enough to preform the counter and get rid of these idiotic tentacles!

He closed his eyes and braced himself for this, but before he had even set one foot out, Lily was there, looking rather sick and disgruntled, but still beautiful as ever.

He didn't say a word, this was all too embarassing. He had been saved countless times by Lily from Black and Potter, he didn't want it to be like that again. He was smart wasn't he? Well then why did he always have to be baled out by a.. Mudblood! A Gryffindor mudblood! Of course he kept these thoughts to himself, or else Lily would hate him forever. He loved her so much, and it pained him to realize that she was all these things. All those things he was against and hated.

Here we go.

This was just what Channing feared: a duel between Sirius and Snape. She knew of Sirius' hate towards the greasy haired Slytherin, but hadn't seen the hate he had towards him until right then. When Sirius looked at Snape, the hatred towards his emanate in his dark orbs as his lips curled up in a sinister smirk. There was nothing she could do now to stop him from throwing a spell at the helpless Slytherin. And it was a bit unfair, though Channing didn't mind as much, not having a friendship with Snape to care if he got hexed or not. She knew Sirius wasn't going to do anything to hurt him, just scare him a bit, and have some fun with him.

When Sirius' wand lay tightly held in his hand, Channing knew he was about to throw a spell. And as the bright light flew from his wand, she had to take a minute to see straight, blinking a few times to get the white circles from her eyes to go away. When her vision cleared, she saw the purple tentacles sprouting that replaced Snape's fingers, his wand lying on the ground next to him.

She looked up as her name was spoken and smiled when she saw the red-headed Lily Evans walk over to the three. "Hiya, Lily!" Channing said with a warm smile despite the little boy fight happening just then. She noticed Lily's reaction to seeing Sirius and rose a brow slightly, wiping the surprised expression from her face quickly before anyone noticed.

Turning to Sirius, she noticed his triumphant expression right away, and couldn't help but smile and shake her head slowly. Boys. When she was about to take his hand and drag him from the little scene from the tree, he had spotted Lily as well. Oh, what a sight for Lily to see, her best friend being picked on, yet again, by the notorious Sirius Black.

Darnit. He'd messed up the spell again. Tarantellegra was supposed to make the victim's legs dance uncontrollably, despite what the name of the spell implied. Instead, he had caused Snivellus' fingers to transform into tentacles. Oh well, he'd take that as well. The thing was not to act like anything went wrong. Act like he had meant to screw up the spell. A triumphant smirk graced his lips, but his eyes stayed hard.

"Will I really?" Sirius said doubtfully, an amused tone making his voice sound light. "I doubt that I'll be doing any regretting any time soon." Because what was Snape going to do to him? The baboon couldn't even pick up the wand, let alone point it at him and fire a spell. The poor soul. If it had been anyone other than Snape or another Slytherin, he might have felt a bit bad for them. They would have been the victim of another of Sirius' spells-gone-wrong which, Merlin knew, there were enough of.

Sirius had never understood the relationship between Snape and Lily. Snape was an undeserving Slytherin, a stupid blood-centric Slytherin and Lily was a brilliant, muggle-born Gryffindor. The friendship was not appreciated by either of the two Houses; it was a bit of a Romeo and Juliet story, only a dimension where Juliet held no romantic feelings for Romeo. Aw, poor Romeo. No, not really. Sirius hadn't felt bad for Romeo when Remus had made him read the play; he hadn't much liked the guy at all, in fact. From swearing his love to Rosalie to instantly falling for Juliet? What the heck, Romeo? And what the heck, Snape, thinking that Lily Evans would ever love you back? Soon, Sirius hoped, soon she would realize what an arse you are.

"Hi Lily.." Snape said with a slight smile. He shoved his purple fingers in his robes "Why don't we go somewhere else?" he asked, flicking his head toward the castle. He wanted to be as far from Sirius Black as possible, and by the way Lily's greeting sounded so did she.

This was the one person that was on his side, hopefully forever. They had been through so much together, and he just wished she could see his point of view on more things. He sighed and once again directed his gaze at her. Instead of the cold hard expression he normally wore it was one of deep caring and softness. This was the only expression Lily knew, because it was the only one he ever wore around her.

This moment reminded Snape more than anything of the time when Tarantellegra was last used on him. He had been rushed to the hospital wing. He gave an internal shudder, he hoped that he didn't have to go there again, because it had caused him a great deal of pain.

(Agh, soz for the shorttieeee post)


Oh, yeah. She knew it, she knew she was going to regret being civil to that arrogant sod. Lily could feel her veins bubbling, the hot-white anger that began to boil inside her burning her inside, her pupils emanating angry fire. Why did Black always find the need to torture her poor friend? Okay, so he was a devote Slytherin. That certainly hadn’t stopped Lily from befriending him.
“Siris Black!” she yelled, her voice somewhat shrill and strained, “You filthy....DOG.” Funny choice of words, no?
A whole plethora of thoughts, hexes, spells, and delicious charms floated through her thoughts, tempting her. And before she could really physically retort, her hand had flown to her wand buried within her robes, her fingers clutching it with what seemed to be all her strength, her knuckles slowly contorting to turn a violent white. But, alas, no, she couldn’t. She wouldn’t dare lower herself to Black’s disgusting standards. Though, she did have every reason to.
She swallowed hard, her sudden swing of emotions leaving her a bit bewildered as she cooled slightly. The lump in her throat decreased, and she allowed her tense shoulders to loosen. Lily turned to her friend, her back facing Sirius, no longer even giving him the pleasure of her acknowledgment.
“Yes, Sev,” her eyes narrowed a little, perhaps from affection for her friend for her voice was now significantly softer. But Lily felt her chest heavy, she craved the last word. Something with the power to sting Black deep.

Severus exhaled sharply. "Great, come on.." he mumbled and jerked his head toward the castle for a second time. This was the only way he could point due to the fact that his hands were shoved in his robes. He thought about life with no hands but came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be to pleasurable. Especially if he couldn't hold a wand.

"Could you get that for me." Snape cringed with embarassment as he once again used his head nudge to indicate his wand laying on the ground.. "I'm uh.. kinda.. yeah.." he trailed off.. his face gained a very rare burst of color. He was blushing.

He started to walk ahead of Lily toward the castle and thought of what he would do about his new purple fingers. He guessed he could get Lily to preform the counter jinx, however much embarassing it would be. He knew that it would be much more embarassing if he had to beg someone in the Slytherin common room to do it for him. Not many seemed to like him, even from his own house.

His mind wandered to what had just happened. He wondered, as he had wondered so many times how Sirius the filthy Gryffindor had managed to outsmart him, again. Snape was the smarter more well behaved one. He had done nothing but loathe Sirius, and again he had ended up the one affected by it all. He sighed inwardly, welcome to the life of Severus Snape.

A part of Channing felt bad for Snape. What would she do if her fingers were replaced with a bunch of tentacles? That was the question she kept asking herself as she watched Snape stir uncomfortably and attempt to pick up his belongings so he could leave before he made a complete fool out of himself...well, more of a complete fool. She felt bad that Lily had to see him like that; his tentacles squirming and the suction cups, well, suctioning. She could only imagine how embarrassed Snape was that his crush was witnessing his defeat against Sirius, the notorious bad-boy.

But that part was quickly over thrown by her pureblood side who told her to can it. It was funny; there was no doubt about that. And Snape deserved it for always being so slimy and mean. Her brother constantly told her stories of what him and Snape would do around the halls of Hogwarts. Pranking students and what not. Shame on the two.

Sighing, Channing un-zipped her hoodie slightly as the weather began the warm. The wind was still a bit strong, but she was getting a little warm with her sweat shirt zipped up all the way. She looked to Sirius who had a disappointed, though she couldn't tell why, and his expression turned snide as Snape threatened Sirius would regret turning his hands into squid-like tentacles.

It was slightly amusing and odd to watch Lily and Snape together. The two were incredibly odd in the way they hung around each other. Lily was oblivious to the fact that Snape was ga-ga for her, and Snape obviously didn't mind being totally ignored by her, never stopping to show her just how much he was obsessed about her. It was very much a Romeo and Juliet story.

Turning to Sirius, Channing shoved her hands in the pockets of her hoodie and nodded her head towards the lake. "It looks like the party died," she implied, noticing that Snape had lead Lily away from the tree to where ever Snape decided to go. "Care for that walk now? I'm sure Snape will be miserable for a while thanks to you." It wasn't intended as an insult in the least. In fact, the wide, joking smile that lit up her face was enough to tell that she wasn't insulting at all.

At Lily's attempts to yell at him, Sirius flashed her his cheeky grin and swept a grand, fancy bow. Insufferable though this boy was, you had to admit that he had style. "Dog am I, Lilster?" he wanted to know, the intolerable cheekiness coming through in his voice. Watching her hand fly to her robe pocket, where her wand probably was, he added, "would you honestly consider hexing a dog, as you so put it? It's a bit cruel to hex a dog, don't you think?" Oh, the irony of her word choice. True, none of them could yet appreciate it, except for Sirius' already existing love of dogs and perhaps his namesake being the dog star, but still. Soon enough, the irony would be apparent to him.

Sirius laughed loudly as Snape blushed. It had always been an amusing site to him, seeing Severus Snape blush. Perhaps it was because the greasy boy was always so pale that the colour was just funny. Or maybe it was because it meant that he was being tormented, and tormenting Snape was the best hobby Sirius could think of. Either way, he laughed. There was no bark-like quality to it, not yet.

"'s'matter, Snivellus?" Sirius drawled, residue from the laughter still in his voice. "Can't get your wand yourself? Need Lily Evans to protect poor little you?" There was no mistaking the mockingness dripping from his voice, no mistaking the pure and complete loathing. Severus Snape was the person that Sirius hated the most in this world, family members aside. The slimeball was the person that he took pleasure in making miserable, the one that he could torture and torment without qualms. What's more is that Sirius honestly believed that Snape deserved it. True, he wouldn't be able to give you a concrete reason. It was simply a feeling, a hunch, that something Snape had done or would do warranted all the misery the Marauders could dish out. And that was no puny amount.

Sirius resumed twirling his wand through his fingers, relishing in yet another simple victory over the Slytherin. He nodded sadly at Channing's statement. "Sad, really," he said. His gray eyes were steely and filled with hatred as he watched the retreating backs of the unlikely pair. "A walk sounds nice. And trust me, he will be quite miserable for a while," he agreed, moving his eyes back to Channing. His gaze was lighter and more laughing, especially upon seeing her joking features.

Just to prove it, he jabbed his wand discreetly at Snape's back, muttering the incantation for the Colour Changing Jinx. Turning Snape a lovely shade of a pink would do wonders for both his complexion and his mood, don't you think?

As Snape walked away with Lily in toe, Channing couldn't help but notice his hunched back, with his hands – or tentacles for that matter – shoved deep in his pockets. It was a shame that such intellect was wasted on such a greasy haired know-it-all git. She felt sorry for Snape at first, but as she looked at the two odd figures walking towards the school, she began to feel sorry for Lily.

Lily was a very nice girl with a big heart, but in Channing's mind, you had to draw the line somewhere. Not only was Snape a Slytherin, the scum of everything that is scummy, but his rudeness was something Channing could not stand. How that girl deals with him for more than one hour was beyond her.

Shaking her head slowly, she ran a few hands through her hair and rolled up the arms of her hoodie as the sun above her shone bright, heating her up after the morning chill in the air. But her attention was turned away from the warming weather and onto the back of Snape as it suddenly flushed a bright shade of pink. Before she could stop herself, a laugh escaped her lips and she quickly covered her mouth as it was a bit louder than she had realized.

Sirius' hate for Snape was evident in the way he looked at Snape, and the way his voice changed when he was speaking to him. There was so much dislike in Sirius' eyes for that boy that Channing didn't even know existed. Something was obviously going on between those two boys that she didn't know of. Ugh, boys.

Turning to Sirius, Channing smiled brightly, glad that Snape was gone and that Sirius was back to his smiling, joking self again. The sun was going down so if they were going to go on their walk without the Head Mistress yanking them back inside, they should get started. She nodded her head towards the Lake and smiled brightly.

"I don't think pink's really his color," Channing said jokingly, looking back to the pink Snape and laughing once again. It was just too funny not to laugh. "How about that walk now," she said with a smile.

And hey, look at that. Sirius had made Channing laugh. He grinned along. It really was a funny site, Severus Snape, such a gray, greasy, grimey Slytherin pureblood idiot be pink. However, the difference between Channing's laugh and Sirius' grin was that Sirius' mirth had a sharper undertone of malice that Channing's lacked. Sirius Black always seemed like such an easy-going guy which he was...most of the time. He had a darker side that not many saw, and not many wanted to. One of the reasons that he was Gryffindor and not a Slytherin was his lack of cruel tendencies, but that did not mean that he could not be cruel when he wanted to. Even most Slytherins he would not simply attack out of the blue; they would have had to have done something to him first. And even then, he would not be all out cruel; he would be mean, but not cruel. To Snivellus, though, this rule did not apply. To Snivellus, he could be outright cruel at times. And why? Again, even he wasn't completely sure why Snivellus got to be the brunt of all of his frustration. He just did.

Hey, Sirius never claimed to be logical. Logical was Remus' thing.

"Nah, pink suits him completeley," Sirius returned, his usual joking, easy-going self back once more now that Snape was walking away (with Lily Evans, which still baffled him) and a pretty Ravenclaw was waiting to take a walk around the lake with him.

"A walk'd be nice," he said with a smile. It was a slightly-more-dazzling-than-usual smile. It erased all signs of the hatred that had been etched into his face just moments before, and the atmosphere seemed to lighten considerably. The usual twinkle in his eye returned in response to more of her laughter.

And now, for some drama. He liked dramatic exaggeration. And such a fact was proved when he swept a deep, grand bow and offered his arm to Channing.

"Shall we go, Miss Lamport?" he asked in a high-class, snotty voice. "I know this lovely place over yonder where we can rest for a spell, perhaps conjure up some food."

--

((So sorry about the minor powerplaying there, but it was mentioned in Emily's post for Channing. I feel bad, but you haven't been on for me to ask if it was okay. So...yeah. Sirius did something right for once.||
((And yeah. I know the post sucks.||

As Channing thought about it, pink really did suit him well. However, talking about the smelly, greasy haired Slytherin wasn’t important anymore. Not only did he have the lovely Lily Evans to talk to – which never stopped creeping her out – but Channing was due for a walk with the ever so popular Sirius Black. It made her laugh when she thought of how “popular” Sirius was. He was notorious for being some what of a man-whore, talked about by all the girls in their year and gawked at by afar by girls of all ages. Young boys wanted to be just like him, boys their age wanted to know his secret, and boys older then them wished they’d known that when they were their age.

Channing didn’t see what the big fuss was about, personally. Yeah, he is devilishly handsome, and funny at that, but she couldn’t see herself being one of those girls who obsessed over him daily. To her, he was just a fun guy she liked to hang around. And who made funny jokes and acted like a snotty rich man.

As Sirius bent in a swift, playful bow, his arm extended for her to add to his joking act, Channing could feel her mouth curl into a humorous smile. Gathering her composure, she decided to play along – what was a good drama if only one person played? She stood straight, pulling back her shoulders and lifting her chin in that snotty way her mother and her friends did when they talked about muggle-borns and poor people. Her face was smile-less though her eyes held the humor she was trying to conceal for this act as she slipped her arm through his offered one.

“That sounds lovely,” she said in her best snotty mimic of her mother’s voice; an air of confidence, elegance and a bit of arrogance. “I find myself quite ravished, actually.” Meeting Sirius’ eyes with hers, her eyes lit up with playfulness and she motioned towards the lake. “Do lead,” she added with a smirk.

Sirius? A man-whore? Never. Not the Sirius Black I knew. Sure, he liked the attention, and sure he kinda liked not having to look far for a girl to take to a dance or to Hogsmeade if he wanted, but still. He wasn't as interested in romance as some people thought but because of the public belief, he tended to play along at times. Sirius' image was important to him; if they thought he was romantic and lovely and all that jazz, then he felt the pressure to be romantic and lovely and all that jazz.

But while he might not be so much of a man-whore at heart, he certainly was an attention-whore through and through. If Channing didn't see why girls fawned over him, that had to be fixed, even if just for the sake of his ego. And mark his words: quite soon, Channing would be amongst the number of girls that Sirius had charmed. Mark his words. Because Sirius tended to be stubborn and would try nearly anything to do something he thought impossible. Just for the thrill of doing it and for the ability to rub it in others' faces.

The smile Sirius took as a good sign; she obviously was not one of those uptight prissy girls who hated a bit of play-acting, but one could never be completely sure. And- aha! Yes, she had decided to play along! This was good. Sirius liked it when a (cute) girl appreciated his dramatic personality. Because indeed, what was the use of drama if only one person carried it along? Exactly. It needed two people at the least much, if not all, of the time.

Sirius straightened his posture, placing his shoulders back, his chest out, his chin slightly angled in the 'oh yeah, I'm better than you' position, the playful grin twinkling in his eyes rather than twitching at his lips. Oh, acting. Sirius loved acting. It was often said that if he hadn't been born a wizard, or even if he'd been a wizard but not a Black, he probably would have wound up an actor, and a successful one at that. The muggle world would never know what had hit it if Sirius Black became an actor. But no, he was set on becoming an Auror. Or a superhero. Either one would do.

"Come, Miss Lamport," he said in that high-and-mighty snotty tone of his. If Orion's voice had been less...angry, Sirius probably would have chosen him as a model for the voice he was using. But as it was, he was playing it by ear and hoping it sounded good.

He began to walk closer to the lake and, once they got close enough that if one of them fell they would fall into the water, he made a right and began walking along the shoreline. The feel of the earth under his bare feet was an interesting one; in certain places, it made an odd squelching sound. Because water plus dirt equals mud, which Sirius stepped through at certain points during their walk.

After making his way a few yards down the lakefront, he suddenly stopped.

"Here we are, m'dear," he announced extravagently. It really wasn't far away from the rest of the Hogwarts world, and the spot wasn't really that special. But oh well. He didn't feel like walking anymore.

"Does it suit your fancy that we sit and rest here?" he inquired, still using that snotty tone. "Or shall we find some other place, more shaded from the sun to suit your fair complexion?"

So he wasn't a man-whore, but he surely was a player, that was for sure. As much as he might deny it, Sirius was an attention seeking man-whore who liked to keep his reputation for getting girls strong by "playing along" in the game his peers gave for him. But of course he was just playing along; nothing was actually true in this so called game. Channing couldn't grasp the fact that Sirius was a player who had girls on his mind twenty-four-seven, but came off as a sweet, funny fifteen year old boy. The stories told about him sounded as if an older, much more experienced, cocky boy did all of that. But it was Sirius. And again, were they just stories, or were they real? She has seen him around with other girls before, and of course, she can't be the one to blame: she had been with many guys herself, however, she had always found it hard to move on from her past boyfriend.

Each relationship she'd had – though scrutinized and watched under the protective eye of her twin brother – been very special to her and she held each of them very close to her heart. Of course she hadn't loved any of them; love was too strong of a feeling for her to just throw out there without meaning it, but she had cared deeply for them. Did Sirius feel the same way about the women he got with? Or did he disregard them as if they were yesterday's leftovers? The question buzzed through her head as they walked the short distance to Sirius' little spot which wasn't anything special though it did take a bit of mud-walking to get there. When she thought of all the girls she had seen him with, thought of all the stories she'd heard, she figured him to be just that: a player only in it for the game, and she became angry that she was probably the next one on his list to cross off. But when she looked at him, really looked at him, she didn't see anything like that. She saw a funny, down-to-earth little jokester who enjoyed walking around in the muddy earth with no shoes or socks on because he liked the mud to squish in his toes. 'Player' or 'womanizer' didn't even come to mind when she looked at him, and it bugged her to no end. It could be a trap, Channing, she told herself as the neared their destination, he could only be putting on this disguise to fool you into falling for him and he'll use you like all the others.

The damn angel and devil were sitting on her shoulder and she didn't know which one to listen to. The angel told her to give him the benefit of the doubt, to get to know him as the REAL Sirius and not the man who's had rumors and stories galore spread about him through out Hogwarts. She wasn't the type to judge some one based on their looks, so why judge someone based on the rumors and stories? However, the devil was twittering in her ear annoyingly saying that she should play along with his little game, make him think that she was actually falling for it and then turn it on him, use his own little game against him.

Now she knows why temptation is so big when you have a pesky little devil perched on your shoulder.

However, she wasn't going to choose either the angel or the devil. She knew she couldn't just lie to him and make him believe she was falling for him and then turn on him like that. She was a pure-blood, but she wasn't vile. Instead, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, because she knew that she would like to have that be done to her if she was in Sirius' place, though she was going to be careful and pay attention. If this really was a game, she'd know soon enough.

When they stopped, though not far from where they started but that didn't matter, Channing took a quick look around, still using her snotty expression and looking down her nose at everything. It was quite entertaining to be playing an arrogant person, especially if she could do it without getting whipped by her father.

"I guess it will suffice," she replied in an air of nonchalance, giving her hand a little wave. "The weather is gloomy like my mood, so I see no need to search for another location to care for my skin complexion."

Nodding, she gave the place one more look-around and said, in her best arrogant voice of her mother: "Yes, this will do just nicely."

A player? It depended on what context you used it in. If he had a date with one girl, he wouldn't make a date with another girl. That just annoyed him, and he found it to be hypocritical and idiotic and intolerable, to date two. Besides, he hadn't yet found a girl that could hold his attention for too long anyway. Perhaps there was something in particular that he was searching for, and he just couldn't find it.

Sigmund Freud would have a field day with Sirius indeed. Not enough love in his childhood and such a messed up family did this to him, Freud would have probably deduced. He was just a poor, lost soul searching for something that he'd never really had before. Perhaps that was why he clutched so tightly to the Marauders; it was all linked to his childhood and the lack of love in it.

Sirius was not heartless. He did feel bad when moving on from one girl, but there were kinds of pain that he was good at hiding, that being one of them. Hence the reputation for not caring. It wasn't that he didn't care, it was just easier to hide the pain than to feel it.

The funny thing wtih Sirius was that he didn't really put up a charade for girls, there was no facade. There was no trap set for the unsuspecting pretty female to meander into: he really was that goofy, easy going, generally fun guy who enjoyed taking a walk around the Lake in bare feet. He honestly liked the feel of mud under his feet, between his toes. The squelch. Disgusting to others, perhaps, but to Sirius, it was fun. And Sirius lived for fun. Fun could be watching a storm, splashing through puddles, walking through mud, taking a walk with a girl who appreciated his dramatic side, whatever. So long as it wasn't boring, Sirius was usually okay with it.

The angel on Channing's shoulder was right. She should give Sirius the chance. He was just a cute, lovable little five-year-old at heart. True, he was a five-year-old with hormones then, but he had come to the conclusion in his Second Year that he didn't need girls to make himself happy. Snogging was all fine and dandy, don't get him wrong, but romance was more of a side thing than an active pursuit, I guess you could say. The rumours and stories were usually spread by idiot girls who wanted to primp themselves up, making it seem like they were engaged to him. Thus, the rumours were more puffed up than reality. He used to try and discourage such things, but now he just didn't care.

"My apologies for your gloomy mood," Sirius returned quite carelessly, his haughty tone smothering any note of concern. He twirled his wand once and flicked it, summoning over a few twigs for him to Transfigure. Conjuring was not his strong point, but Transfiguring he could do. "I'm glad it suits your fancy, then," he drawled before jabbing his wand at one of the sticks and muttering an incantation. The stick became a large blanket with more than enough room for both Sirius and Channing to sit comfortably. Next, he Transfigured some plates, utensils, and mugs.

"Would you care to provide the food, then, or shall I?" Sirius asked, half-slipping out of his persona but not minding too much. He sat down on the blanket, laying down and stretching.

"Pop a squat," he said, sitting back up, his persona completely gone.

Having a twin brother in the Slytherin House, a father coming from the Slytherin house, and her whole family pureblooded, she knew what it meant to be sneaky, player-y attributes with her male relatives. Merlin knew her brother did enough for the both of them together.

And she also knew what it felt like to be shunned and not given enough love as a child. Being the “wrong twin” had always left an emotional scar on the happy-go-lucky Ravenclaw. People wouldn’t be able to tell, which is how she liked it. It was better if her friends didn’t know more than they had to. Of course she wasn’t going to lie and say that she didn’t have a twin brother in Slytherin – they did look very much a like, you know – and if he was in Slytherin the pre-conceived notions that he was a sly, cocky son of a biscuit was already anticipated from Channing. However, she didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for her that she was ignored as a child, and the many things that she got for being the “odd ball” of the family.

And to be honest, she really didn’t want to think of such depressing thoughts right then. She was hanging out with Mr. Sirius Black. If anything, the two could forget about their private family problems and have a fun time just hanging out. And if their day started out with turning a helpless Slytherin boy pink, than she wasn’t too worried for the rest of the day.

She stood back as Sirius transfigured a blanket, plates, utensils, and mugs before sitting down; so cliché. But she couldn’t help but laugh a little as patted the spot next to him, his snooty accent gone now, only to be left with his boyish grin and playful, joking tone.

“I can do the rest,” Channing replied as she took out her wand from the inner pocket of her zip-up jacket and gave it a little flick while carefully muttering the transfiguring spell she had remembered at the bundle of rocks scattered against the tree. The largest rock transfigured into a loaf of bread, the two medium ones into matching sausage wedges, and the three small ones into bundles of grapes. Smiling, she floated the food onto the blanket and beamed over to Sirius. “So…how’d I do?” She asked, taking a seat on the comfortable blanket and tucking her feet underneath her.

Sirius liked keeping his family problems in a box. It had its own space in the back of his head, and he kept the box there. It was spelled shut, locked tight and piled underneath whatever other baggage he kept back there to keep it from entering his mind too often. It bothered him enough to be annoying, but not enough to drive him emo just yet. Though to say his surname, Black, was well-known in the wizarding world was an understatement, many knew that he was, excuse the pun, the black sheep among a herd of white. He wasn't allowed to forget that, either; his family refused to acknowledge that he was any more than an irksome, imposing visitor in their house, and they were certainly less than friendly towards him in school. But it was just fine with him; he had his friends now, and he enjoyed throwing the insults right back. And reminding them that they were related was usually very entertaining.

Depressing thoughts weren't exactly on his agenda either, now that you mention it. He liked to keep his depressing thoughts tucked away in another box, saved for nights when he was plagued by wakefulness by insomnia. There was nothing better to do besides stargaze, one of his favourite things to do when wide awake at one in the morning, or even set up a prank in the common room, but he couldn't do that every time. He'd get predictable.

But he was with Channing at the moment. A funny, dramatic, smart and cute girl. And he was Sirius Black. What more was needed? Besides food, of course. Sirius did like food. And no picnic could be complete without some.

Cliché? Maybe. But cliché was okay. It would be fun, having a picnic. So long as Channing could provide the-

Aha, the food. Sirius grinned. Mm, grapes. Sirius did love his grapes.

"Very good," he approved, nodding as he plucked a grape from the stem thing. "I approve." He popped the grape into his mouth, chewed briefly and swallowed. "Delicious. I do love grapes." He took another to prove his point, a happy smile on his face.

Today was going to be lovely. He could feel it.

Keeping his family problems stored in a little box and shoved in the farthest corner of his brain sounded like something Channing did, though it was more of a pretty, decorated box – something she did when she got bored. And she made sure that the box was stored underneath all the old memories and unwanted emotions which was kept in different boxes. She also threw a blanket over it, thinking that would help lighten up the mood of her brain; not wanting to give the wrong impression with such an alarming pile of unwanted stuff in the corner. As hard as she worked trying to keep all the problems locked up, it actually worked...most of the time. There were those times where they would slip out of their confined boxes, usually to a pesky mouse toppling over the pile of neatly stacked boxes, causing them to burst open and fill her head. It usually occurred during times where Channing wasn't doing anything, just sitting leisurely in a moment of hopeful relaxation, at night where her mind was as fragile as a bruise on the skin, or when she was extremely emotional, which, in turn, would cause a Domino effect, which is no good for Channing Lamport.

See, ever since she had made her own life away from her Slytherin/ pureblooded family, she had vowed to make her life different from her family's. Channing worked hard at finding her own personality and what worked for her, which was a kind, fun-loving personality, with a big imagination, and an even bigger smile and heart. She loved making people laugh, and helped out her friends when ever she could. Though there was a part of Channing that she couldn't change no matter how hard she tried. And a part of her didn't want to change it, because it made her who she was; different from everyone else. Her knack of mischief and her slight dry sense of humor was something that wasn't found in the Ravenclaw house very often. Though people from that house were known to be slightly witty and cocky, her love for trouble and dry sense of humor came from her father's side of the family. And even though her twin got the better half of the Slytherin side of the family, she wasn't spared in the personality of a Slytherin in any aspects.

Anyway, back to where I was trying to get to.

You see, having such a strong, well rounded personality like Channing's, there are those times where the worked-for security that her personality gave her cracked and she was forced to go back to the scaring emotional rollercoaster her past gave her. I know everyone has their emotional days, and some might be a bit more complex than hers. However, when hers surfaces – which is rarely – it can be disastrous.

But enough of all of that boring stuff, she didn't make all that food just to look at it, did she?

"Why thank you," Channing replied to his complement on her transformation of their picnic. It had been the first time she had actually used different objects to transform them into different things as well, so she was fairly proud of herself. Plucking a grape from the patch in front of Sirius, she popped it into her mouth and savored the juicy sweetness that filled her mouth. "As do I," she agreed after she had swallowed the morsel and reached for the loaf of bread but frowned when she noticed something was missing. "Darn it," she exclaimed, frowning down at the loaf of bread and meat before looking up at Sirius, "I forgot a knife." Instead of blushing with embarrassment, like she used to do when she did something wrong or forgot something, she simply smiled indifferently, giving a slight shrug and a light hearted laugh. "I'm a genius."

Sirius grinned at Channing, grabbing a few more grapes and easily devouring them. True, it wasn't very gentlemanly, but there was a certain boyish air around him at the moment, a certain charm that made his eating habits, while neither polite nor completely repulsive (you should see him at feasts), amusing and cute. He was not put up much of a front that day either; there was not much said that did not come straight from the Sirius Black nature. Channing should consider herself a lucky girl, to be picnicking with one of the most (the most if you asked him) sought after guys in the Fifth Year (the school if you asked him). But Sirius was not thinking of that, not at the moment. Nor was he thinking about the Charms he needed to practice or the prank that needed to be pulled. All he was thinking about was having a pleasant time having a picnic with a cute Ravenclaw girl. Who had, apparently, few observational skills. He laughed lightly and picked up a knife from the group of utensils he had Transfigured earlier.

"No worries," Sirius smilied, handing her the knife. "I gotcha covered."

Another grape (or two...or five) was shoved into his mouth.

And then an idea dawned on him. With the bread and sausage that Channing had Transfigured, there was a potentially delicious sandwich waiting to be made and eaten. Well, if you consider shoving food into one's mouth "eating," that is. And yes, Sirius enjoyed bread and sausage sandwiches. Who didn't?

But, alas, he had given the knife that was within reach to Channing, and so had to wait to make and consume the sandwich that was calling to his stomach.

So while he waited, why not enjoy the lovely day? And talk. Because Sirius Black did love to talk.

"So Channing, how's life?" Short, sweet, simple. And perfectly executed with a classic Sirius Black smile. "Going well, I hope?" And there. The twinkle in the eye, the smile, the sincerity. To some, it would ring of monologues practiced in front of the mirror. But in fact, Sirius did hope that all was going well for Channing; he had taken a liking to this girl.

He brushed hair out of his eyes, which had moved to the Lake once done asking Channing how she was. The water rippled in several places, moving away from where the First Years had been; he blamed the Giant Squid. And if the First Years running away from the water's edge with shocked looks on their faces was anything to go by, the squid had startled them and scared the annoying little kiddies away. Finally, a bit of peace.

"Aw, I think Georgie scared the poor Firsties," Sirius observed, sarcasm obvious. Georgie, of course, referred to the Giant Squid, who had been named thus on the boat ride in Sirius' first year. The name had stuck.

This day was sure to be an enjoyable one. He knew it already. And that would be nice...Enjoyable days were always fun. Especially since Sirius had his fair share of horrid days, and sometimes a bit more than his fair share. After all, him and Channing actually had much in common whether they knew it or not. Sirius as well tried as hard as possible to keep himself separate from his family. Wholeheartedly he became a Gryffindor that Godric would have been proud of, except for, perhaps, Sirius' extreme House-ism. But not even striving for Godric's approval would cause Sirius to drop his grudge against Salazar's House; one of the Black traits he had retained was the ability to hold a grudge for a long time and a reluctance to let one go.

Sirius rarely, if ever, let anything get out of its box stored at the back of his head. And if anything escaped like a rabid squirrel, well, he simply escaped to the Astronomy Tower to wait it out. Or sometimes even the Room of Requirement, although it drove him crazy to be in there for long periods of time.

As Sirius popped a few more grapes in his mouth, looking totally cute while doing so by the way, Channing felt herself smile humorously as a flash of a younger Sirius shoveling food into him mouth. Some how a big chocolate cake took the place of the grapes he was tossing in his mouth and a short laugh escaped her lips as the image of the younger Sirius became covered with chocolate cake all over his face. What an odd thought.

"Oh, right," she said when Sirius handed her the knife that was obviously there from his Transfigured earlier. Duh. "Thanks, Sirius." She gave him a bright smile and taking the knife from him and beginning to cute the loaf of bread into reasonable slices. She kept her eyes down as she cut the bread and gave a slight shrug to Sirius' question. "Nothing special, really," she replied simply, careful not to slice her finger by working rather slowly. "It's been crazy with my school work; I've never felt this stressed in my life." Sighing softly, she cut the bread a little quicker as she became more confident that she wouldn't slice her finger off. "I'm sure I'll die of exhaustion once out OWLS come up," she added with a little groan.

With a nod at her finished work, Channing handed the knife to Sirius. "But I'm having fun with you so I'm not too worried right now," she smiled brightly, "wana turn?" Channing could tell that he was hungry; having a brother she knew the signs of the hunger bug when it struck. He was piling food into his mouth with a shovel, basically inhaling the grapes like they would leave in .2 seconds. When her brother was hungry, he would raid the kitchen for anything and everything and in about an hour there would be a satisfied look on her twin's face and no food in the pantry. Channing had seen these signs many times, and she had even grown to seeing the pre-signs and was able to stack up twice as much food and even hiding some for her when her brother went Hulk and devoured all the food.

Channing's gaze was drawn to the Lake as Sirius spoke about Georgie, the Giant Squid who the pesky little First Years had been taunting by wadding in his home. A smile spread across her face as the First Years startled by the Squid. Serves them right. Annoying First Years.

"It's about time," Channing replied, sarcasm obvious in her tone as well. "They were too loud anyway," she said with a laugh, running a hand through her hair. The weather had warmed a bit since she had left the warm, stuffy confines of her Ravenclaw Common room but she enjoyed the slight breeze that ruffled through her hair and tickled the back of her neck.

They had a lot in common indeed. Channing didn't quite like walking around the Hogwarts grounds in her bare feet, but she figured it was relieving to him. Their pasts were quite alike, and though both of them refused to let their pasts creep up on them. They were both very strong individuals and have been through enough to last them the rest of their lives. And as high as Channing's guard was on Sirius, she couldn't help but feel something inside her pinch with a feeling she wasn't familiar with. It scared her. But as much as it scared her, she couldn't help but want to feel more of it.

Young Sirius (and present Sirius) had been very fond of chocolate cake, actually. He didn't get to eat it very often, Mother not being the best cook and Kreacher obviously not much of a baker. And he had never been allowed to simply shove it into his mouth so impolitely. 'A Black must always be polite,' his mother had said. The idea that there had been a sharp reprimand every time Sirius had so much as thought about doing something remotely impolite was nearly unthinkable now, the way he ate.

"No problem," he replied, returning her bright smile with one of his own. And he nodded at her comment about the stress; this year was harder than he'd anticipated, even after watching the Fifth Years last year. But no: this year found Sirius Black actually doing his own work! True, it wasn't all of the work. And true, he had yet to do a thing for Muggle Studies and History of Magic for himself, but Transifguration he'd done all on his own (but that didn't count, it was his favourite subject) and Defense Against the Dark Arts (same as for Transfiguration). heck, he'd even done much of the Potions work for himself and that was a first. He despised Potions. He could be good at it, but he didn't want to be. Potions was too reminiscent of his family members and their strengths.

"I know!" he agreed, watching her cut the bread. "There's so much this year. heck, I'm doing homework," he added meaningfully. "If I'm doing some homework - not all of it, mind, I still have a reputation to uphold - then everyone else should be drowning in work." Mm, the OWLs. Not fun, not fun at all. "Those aren't gonna be any fun at all," Sirius agreed. "So many will suffer death by studying...a tragic way to go." He shook his head solemnly. "The world will grieve the loss of so many brave souls."

But anyway. He grinned again.

"Today's gonna be fun," he stated, taking the knife. "It's fun now, but still." He took the knife and the bread and cut himself two slices. "Thanks, by the way," he added, refering to her giving him the knife. Manners, Sirius? Wow. This was a first. I don't think even he realized what was going on there, with the thank you. The smiles he knew, those he controlled precisely. But the thank you? That was a tad odd.

"Idiots, the lot of them," Sirius added. "One of them - Chadd is the last name maybe? He's a muggleborn Gryffindor - one of ours, Merlin help us - tried sucking up to a Seventh Year Slytherin...what's-his-face...I don't remember. The kid, though," he shook his head again, a bemused expression on his face. "I don't think he'll ever be able to see a squirrel again without running away in fear." He had to admit, however reluctantly, that it had been an interesting prank. Very amusing.

The smiles she knew were coming; she had given some herself, hadn't she? They were typical for a friendly conversation, something shared between two good friends sharing something entertaining, funny, or something unknown to anyone else but those two friends. But that politeness, as gracious as Channing was for it, was slightly surprising. Sirius Black, notorious for being the "bad boy", for going "against the grain", just said 'thank you' to her?

Wait, was this a joke?

No. Sirius Black just said 'thank you' to her. Weird…

Mentally shaking it off, Channing sat back on her hands, idly watching his face as he spoke. She didn't know what it was, but there was a quality about Sirius that fascinated her. The way his hair moved with the breeze, not totally being whipped into disarray, but simply just swaying to and fro, once in a while brushing over his brow and in front of his eyes. And those eyes, the way they lit up when what he was saying got interesting or exciting. His smile made his eyes even more enticing, and she caught herself staring at them a little too closely. Grateful that he wasn't paying close attention to the way she was looking at him, she continued to observe him in a less obvious manor.

That smile, however, was one that she couldn't forget even if she tried. And trying not to seem too obvious with the whole looking-at-Sirius-without-making-it-look-like-she's-staring was slightly difficult. Slightly. Okay, it was really difficult. Merlin! Did he really have to have such a dazzling smile? That smile could make Dumbledore's knees weak – if Dumbledore was a woman. The way his eyes lit up, making the silver grey pools appear bright and almost luminescent, caused a slight blush to dust the buds of her cheeks. She had never been so intrigued by a boy before. Sure, she thought some were 'oh my gosh' cute, and others were 'cute' cute, but she'd never catch herself staring at a boy. And even when she attempted to stop the staring, she continued to catch herself wandering over to his beautiful grey eyes and coarse black hair. It didn't help that her heart was doing a weird thumping rhythm that refused to cease, even when she took a few good breaths in hopes to calm her rapid heart beat. Nothing worked. And it confused Channing to no end.

Sirius was funny, yes. Handsome, ok, yes, that too. He knew how she felt in regards to her family troubles; he'd been there before. And for the life of her, she could not figure out when she could get along so well with him. Usually Channing would meet a boy, they'd make the usual ' hey, I'm a boy, I'm hot, let's snog' lame pick up line and she'd date them for a little while, only in an attempt to get them off her back, satisfy their hunger per say, and dump them when she couldn't handle their immaturity anymore. She couldn't stand all the rude, jerky pricks that tried to get with her. Her biggest pet peeve was some one who used some one else to get what they wanted. In the beginning, she'd just play along, go with what ever he wanted and try and make him happy. That was when she had no self respect what so ever and couldn't care less what she was doing. No one in her family cared about her, so why should she care about herself?

But that was a long time ago. Now, she was careful to pick out the bad seeds and keep the good ones. There were a few good ones; they were decent if anything. They'd open doors for her, carry her books while walking her to class, and respect her when she told them not to move too fast. But never had she felt so strongly to any of them. As she thought about it, the main attraction she had to any of them was physical. Sure they had the qualities of a 'good seed' and weren't going to (excuse my French) screw her over, but she never really felt that connection with any of them. They got along well, had a few good laughs, and generally had fun together, but never had she caught herself staring at their grey eyes which lit up exactly half a second after he started smiling, none of them had her staring at their thick black hair that swayed just slightly in the breeze, every so often brushing over his eyes. None of them made her heart do a weird thumping dance. Except Sirius.

Was she interested in Sirius? Or could it be because she was so grateful for his politeness that she took to staring at him and picking out every beautiful feature on his face? It sounded very odd that she would respond to some one saying a mere 'thank you' by blushing and a quick heart beat. Very odd…

Channing blinked a few times when she realized Sirius had spoken and she tried desperately to remember what it was that they were talking about. Something about a Chadd…a Seventh Year Slytherin? She felt embarrassed not knowing what they were talking about, seeing as how he was probably replying to something she had said. Instead, she decided to respond to his last comment, which surprisingly, was easily remembered in Channing's head.

"Today's going to be tons of fun." Smiling, she leaned forward and plucked a few grapes off the bundle, and throwing one into the air, she managed to catch it in her mouth effortlessly. The fact that she was totally comfortable in front of this boy was surprise enough. If she hadn't made the grape into her mouth, and it had been anyone else but Sirius, she would have blushed profusely and mumbled something like an apology. But with Sirius, she felt totally comfortable and if she hadn't made it into her mouth, she would have picked up another grape and tried again. No mumbling, no apology. "The food's great, the company is even greater. There can only be more fun to be had!" She gave one of her own smiles, not as dazzling as his, but one that suited her well in her mind, and popped another grape in her mouth.

She sighed when she remembered that they were talking about school work, but cocked a brow slightly when he admitted that he, Sirius Black, was doing school work. "You, doing school work? Some one pinch me!" Laughing, she ate another grape, chewing it idly as she tried to imagine Sirius doing school work. "Well, those brave souls won't have to deal with the OLWs if they die while studying," she stated, shaking her head and giving a light sigh. "I know I sure will be studying myself into insanity. Merlin knows I'm doing that already." With a quick roll of her eyes, she sat up and lifted her hand in the air, which held her last grape.

"Quick! Open your mouth!" To anyone, that may have seemed a bit odd to say. Heck, maybe Sirius would be confused. But to Channing, having fun was being silly, and if she could be silly in front of Sirius without feeling completely ridiculous in the process, than so be it. And she needed to work on her aiming skills as well.

Sirius liked his bad boy image. Liked it a lot, actually. It gave him the liberty to do whatever he pleased: good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable, always interesting, always causing an adrenaline rush, never boring. Don't stop moving, never stop doing something. No day but today, after all. Who knows what could happen, especially with the rumours of Voldemort and his supporters whispered behind closed doors. His image allowed him to live for the present moment, not worry about tomorrow, or the next day or the next week. All he had to do was what he wanted or felt. If he didn't like someone, he didn't pretend to be their friend. They got told right to their face that they were disliked. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if he did like someone, he acted on that. Impulse was his best friend.

Hm. Channing looked pretty today, Sirius noticed as he blabbed about something. Black hair, very nice. Not many girls had black hair. It was sad, really. Sirius loved black hair. Maybe it was because his hair was black, so he was just biased. That was very possible. And her eyes were rather nice also; he'd never sat close enough to her to see them. Coloured in a way to remind him of Honeyduke's Chocolate. Yum. He approved wholeheartedly. Chocolate was always great, and chocolate-coloured eyes were just lovely. Very pretty. Sirius had never really gotten the chance to bother Channing before, and she surprised him. It was a pleasant surprise, though. She was nicer than he'd thought she would be and certainly much more humble than your average Ravenclaw, which Sirius enjoyed. And besides that, she was funny. And entertaining. And dramatic. Sirius loved dramatics, loved acting and loved a girl who would act with him, who wasn't afraid of being silly. Which Channing certainly wasn't.

To add on top of that, it was fun hanging out with her. Other girls he'd liked hadn't been fun to talk to at all. Half of them had been cute and flirty girls who just wanted to say that they'd had it going with Sirius Black. They had only enjoyed Sirius Black the Image, not necessarily Sirius Black the Actual Person. Because, although some would deny it, they were actually two separate people. True, he didn't always separate the two, but he felt like he could around Channing. It was alright to walk next to her through the mud in his bare feet without worrying that she would think it rude or stupid. He wasn't, in fact, worrying about anything at all. It was odd and a tad scary; he felt like he could, in fact, be Sirius Black Without the Image, a rare thing itself if you were not a Marauder or one of his closer friends.

Why yes, he did have to have such a dazzling smile. It was his advantage. And he was good at smiling, if one could be good at such a thing. He liked to think that he had perfected the art of smiling; so many smiles for so many different things. Including getting out of trouble, catching someone's attention, impressing someone and cheering someone up. But he was sure that he could do so much more with this great power. He was just lazy and didn't feel like figuring out what else. Much better to just do as much as possible and figure out what smiles work in what situations. Live by experience.

And she was blushing? Hm. That wasn't exactly a strange occurrence around Sirius, but still. She just didn't seem like the usual blushing sort of girl. She seemed more like the kind of girl that would have some laughs, enjoy his company, act dramatic with him, but not act like the normal blushing girl who studied every pore on his face. But whatever, this was a good sign, wasn't it? Blushing could mean that she liked him, and if Sirius was right, he might actually like her too. But this felt different. Like Channing, most of the others had been physical attractions. Only a few had really appealed to him personally. Channing was pleasantly different from the others.

And hey, she can catch grapes in her mouth after throwing them up in the air. That was pretty cool. Sirius had a fifty-fifty track record with that skill. Sometimes he could do it, sometimes he couldn't.

"Company's greater than the food? Same can't be said from my end," Sirius said teasingly. He wasn't being mean, not at all. But he was a natural teaser; he loved sarcasm and joking around. Easy going was definitely a way to describe him, and he sometimes took it for granted that others were the same way. Well, he figured that Channing would be okay with it. She was, after all, catching grapes in her mouth. How exactly that figured out to being okay with teasing, he wasn't quite sure. It just did.

Sirius reached over and pinched Channing. " 's'at good?" he wanted to know, a joking smile on his face. "You're not dreaming, love, trust me. And true, true. If Death by Studying wasn't just so hideously boring, I might actually be open to it if it meant I didn't have to take the OWLs."

Open his mouth? Hm. It probably wasn't so dirty as his guttermind leapt to believe. Even if it was, he opened his mouth. And noticed the grape. Aha. He'd have to catch that thing in his mouth? He could try.

The grape would probably wind up in his eye. Or his hair. Or his lap. Or, really, anywhere but his mouth. But oh well. Entertainment, that's what the whole thing was for. Just having fun.

Dramatic + Entertaining + Funny = the best Ravenclaw girl. Ever.

But Channing wasn't the bragging kind of person.

However, she could say that Sirius was right when he said they were going to have fun together. Channing was having the best time in a while at Hogwarts in her five years, and she couldn't be more grateful for Sirius Black who had made going to school at Hogwarts – and being in fifth year, for that matter – more enjoyable. And she wouldn't have known in a million years that Sirius Black would be the cause of her happiness. However, she had been proven wrong before, and she was obviously wrong in believing all the rumors and stories about Mr. Black. And she was glad that she was wrong.

At his teasing comment Channing pretended to be hurt, placing a hand on her chest and wrinkling her face up in pain. "That was harsh," she began, "although, to tell you the truth," she wiggled her finger in an attempt to get him to move closer as she continued in a soft whisper, "your company's lacking its 'greatness'." Oh, she had a sense of humor. What girl didn't? Well, when she thought about it, actually, there weren't many girls who would have brushed Sirius' comment off as easily as Channing did. She, unlike most girls, had a brother and knew how to laugh something off, or, like this situation, turn the tables. Channing wasn't worried about hurting Sirius' feelings with her comment; she was just playing along. If Sirius could joke around, so could Channing. And they both were comfortable messing with each other, so something felt right in doing so.

"Much better," she said, rubbing the spot on her arm lightly where he had pinched her, looking up to the blue sky. "Thank you, oh Mighty Sirius, for opening my eyes to the great beauty of Sirius Black actually doing school work!" She said, her voice low in that baseball announcer way. "I had a feeling I wasn't dreaming," she laughed humorously and shrugged, "well, if you have time, I could help you study. That way, if we both die while studying we'll know it's not going to be boring." Smiling, she ran a hand through her hair, only to have the wind blown her strands around her face.

A bright, childish smile spread across her face when Sirius opened his mouth and she lifted the grape, aiming it for his mouth. "Now hold still," she warned, really aiming for his mouth but Channing wasn't known for her good aim, "I'm not sure you'll be able to keep your reputation of being a ladies man if you've got one eye," she joked, closing one eye and flicking her wrist, sending the grape flying through the air between the two and cried, "yes!" when the grape landed in Sirius' mouth. "Score!"

Channing was one of the best Ravenclaw girls ever. That Sirius had met, anyway. He was sure that Rowena had been simply delightful, and that the Gray Lady had been a pleasure as well. But as they were both dead and buried somewhere (although the Gray Lady had some semblence of life, it wasn't the same) Sirius was quite content with Channing. She was breathing, which was a plus. Corpses were not as much of a turn on as living people.

Although Lily Evans was pretty cool herself. True, she wasn't a Ravenclaw, but she was still worth mentioning. I mean, come on now. Red hair, green eyes, certainly far from ugly. Unbelievably intelligent. How much better could you get? Or, rather, what more could you ask for? True, she could be a bit nicer to certain people like Sirius, but they had shared some nice moments. Like that time Lily the Prefect had caught him sneaking into the Gryffindor Common Room last year after curfew. No wait, she got him into detention for that one. Or the time that he'd...no, she'd yelled that time. Well, they had had some moments without screaming or detentions. Or even threatening of detentions. There had been some good-natured teasing and laughing, even. But those moments had always been few and far between. He had a feeling that moments like that with Channing would fill every day, with the yelling days few and far between.

Some rumours about Sirius were true. Like the fact that he could be a narcissistic jerk. He could indeed be a narcissistic jerk sometimes, though not so often as certain people thought. He could be shallow and materialistic, although he wasn't sure why. Girls that were attractive he was attracted to. It had been simple. They needn't have personality, just look nice. It had always seemed so natural. And Channing was pretty, yes. But not so much as some of the other girls he had flirted with, snogged, gone out with. But he liked her so much more.

Explain this to him, please. Because he didn't know how to handle it. It was a new feeling for him, and he wasn't sure he liked it. But at the same time...It was a thrill. A new thrill. And it elated him.

Overall, Sirius was very confused on the inside.

On the outside, he showed that he was having a good time. Which he was. He was having, in fact, one of the best times he'd had with a girl for...quite a long time, if not ever. He showed a dazzling smile, copyright to Sirius Black. He practically radiated happiness in that funny Sirius Black way.

It was a talent of his, being able to mask whatever he wanted to hide and change it into an outward expression. Acting was easy for him when he wanted it to be.

Harsh? Ha. She'd never heard Sirius say something 'harsh' before. He played along, leaning a bit closer with a grin on his face, waiting to hear the rest. Once he did, he withdrew with a scoff.

"Love, you don't know how good you have it," he informed her, a teasing smile playing on his mouth. "Picnicing with Sirius Black? There is no better company." He sounded so self-confident and braggy, but there was a joking quality to it. Now was obviously not the time to be arrogant. Now was the time to be fun and funny.

"You are very welcome, O Lowly Channing," he observed. "Sirius Black doing schoolwork isn't necessarily a beautiful thing. True, Sirius himself is," again with the joking quality, "but the schoolwork? Ehhh not so much. Sirius Black should not do schoolwork! He should be out and about, wreaking havoc everywhere he goes! He should not be chained up like a beast, forced to labor!" One could practically hear the music of rebellion playing in the distance. Do you hear the people sing?

"But definitely, I could use the company," Sirius said. "Remus refuses to study with me most of the time now. Prob'ly has something to do with the fact that I get distracted more easily than he does." He laughed a little. "Apparently, Remus doesn't like it when his books pages flip randomly to a page five chapters ahead of where he was studying from." Studying with Sirius and his tendency to have a short attention span was far from boring.

Sirius held still. Channing threw the grape. He waited for it to land in his eye, or somehow wind up lodged in his nose. Much to his suprise and pleasure, it landed neatly in his mouth. He laughed (not necessarily the best thing to do with a grape in one's mouth), chewing the grape briefly and swallowing.

"Ladies would love me, one eye or two. I'm that good."

Lily Evans had nothing on Channing that was for sure.

Back to what really mattered.

A jerky Sirius was something that Channing could deal with. She did have a twin brother in Slytherin. It didn't really matter that he was in Slytherin, but after spending time with Sirius, she found that he was more and more like her brother. Well, her brother was a little more of a jerk, but Channing new how to deal with his jerkiness. She assumed that Sirius' jerkiness wasn't so horrible. Besides, she was sure that she could bring out his funny side more than his jerky side anyway so she didn't mind him being a jerk sometimes.

And if Sirius was confused, Channing didn't know what she was.

She hadn't felt like she did when she was with Sirius before, and a part of her wanted it to stop before it hurt her. There was nothing that she feared worse than falling in love and giving some one control of her heart. It made her vulnerable, weak, easy to get hurt, and that scared her. But the other part told her to just relax; if she was going to run forever, when would she be able to actually live her life the way she wanted? She couldn't let fear control her life forever.

The smile brought one to her lips and she found herself laughing, even though she knew he was being annoying on purpose, she still found it hilarious. Not to mention he was adorable when he smiled like that. "No better company, eh?" She teased back, lifting a slender brow and leaning forward slightly. "Whatever you say, Sirius," she wanted to say something smart back, something that would keep them throwing out cocky remarks, but she knew that it wouldn't lead to anything worth talking about. Stroking egos really wasn't her style, even if it was just for fun. But he was cute when he was cocky, she wouldn't deny him that. He was darn cute when he acted self confident and braggy.

"Aw, poor chained up Sirius," she said sadly, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout. "It should be against the law to make you actually work! And to keep you away from tearing up the world and showing it was 'Sirius Black was really made out of'? It's a crime!" Laughing, she took a piece of cheese and popped it into her mouth and chewed idly, gazing up into the tree they were sitting under. "But I'd love to help you out if you need it," she said, bringing her gaze back down to Sirius and smiling, she continued, "I'm sure I can handle your easy distractions. My brother is a lot like you, so I'm full trained to handle you mister Sirius Black." She teased with a wink.

Shaking her head, she grabbed a few more grapes and popped them into her mouth, chewing slowly before saying, "I hear the ladies already love you," Channing said, rolling her eyes on the inside. "But when they hear that you can catch grapes in the air, they won't be able to keep their hands off of you!" Shaking her head, she took a piece of cheese and took a bite before saying, "You must be a lucky man!"

Sirius did not enjoy being compared to Slytherins. They were slimey little snakes and he, he was a gallant, valiant, golden lion. Snakes and lions were not on the same playing field. It was not fair to the snakes to compare the two. Besides, Sirius was compared to his family too much for his liking. To pile on top of that, he was likened to Damien Skywells and Evan Rosier much too much for him to be happy. So to add Chase Channing to the mix would not make for a happy Sirius.

Besides, everyone knew that he was so much better than those Slytherin baboons anyway. Sirius was much funnier and much more entertaining than any grimey little wannabes any day. Don't try to tell him that he isn't, either, it won't work out very well. He's in denial that any Slytherin could ever aspire to be like him. It degraded him for such a thing to even be implied.

Channing needn't worry. Sirius wouldn't hurt her willingly or purposely, not now. His past actions with past girls aside. This was different. He had absolutely no will to leave, to snog some other girl, to even look at a different girl. All that mattered at this moment right here was sitting with Channing, making her laugh, seeing her smile. Channing had nothing to worry about, not while Sirius was there. And he had no intention of leaving any time soon. Physically or emotionally.

Sirius would like to make it clear that he was 'darn cute' all the time, whether he was acting braggy and confident or not. Thank you.

"No better company indeed," he agreed lazily, laying down on his back. Stretching himself out slowly, he placed his hands underneath his head to form a makeshift pillow. Ah, the comforts of being outside. Sirius loved lounging around outside, whether on the grass or in his tree. The fresh air, the simple comfort of the natural world.

The tickle of a bug crawling around on the stomach of his shirt.

Glaring at the offendor, he removed a hand from behind his head and brushed it away, in the opposite direction of the food and Channing.

"Stupid bugs," he muttered, putting his hand back where he had taken it from. Realizing that Channing was talking, he made an effort to listen to the rest of what she was saying.

"That it is, actually," he said. "These teachers should be arrested, giving us so much homework that I actually have to do some of it! It's terrible." Mm, study sessions with Channing. That sounded like fun. Er...fun in the sense that...she makes learning...interesting? Yeah, let's go with that sentiment, shall we? "Hm. Can you teach Charms? I'm hopeless at them." He looked up at her from his spot lying on the blanket he had Transfigured. A good job, if he did say so himself. "New spells? Yeah, not so much. Unless it's Transfiguration, I'm good at that."

Like her brother? Wasn't he a Slytherin?

"'s'at a good thing or a bad thing, being like your brother?" Sirius wanted to know, a grin still on his face despite the fact that he was being compared to a Slytherin.

"Oh, they do," Sirius assured her. "You needn't worry about my reputation too much."

"Do you know what I wish?" Asked Channing, her gaze skyward, her eyes flitting from cloud to cloud, she lingered on the interesting ones, picturing them in her mind as different things. The lump on the left was a bunny's tail, but if she turned her head slightly to the left it was a fin on a dolphin. Moving her arms up over her head, she stretched languidly, straitening her legs tight so she could feel every muscle in her body taunt and become warm with strain. When Sirius didn't answer she turned her head towards him, having to look up slightly. "I wish I could take a glass container, any kind, really, fly up into the sky and capture some of the clouds in my container…"

She tried to imagine what the cloud would look like stuffed in her glass jar. For some reason, she couldn't picture it any different than a clear jar. But she was sure it would look like something.

Sirius had nothing to worry about. As far as Channing knew, he far surpassed all Slytherins. She enjoyed their company only for the drama they ensured. Slytherins loved drama; they breathed it. And, having a brother and father from Slytherin, Channing was surrounded by drama. As a girl, Channing enjoyed watching drama; it was far more entertaining than her normal friends. Don't get her wrong, she loved her friends, maybe it was because she was a girl and she liked drama just as much as the next girl, or maybe it was just her way of making herself un-bored. Either way, she wasn't about to compare the coolest guy she's ever met in all of Hogwarts to some sleazy Slytherin who was filled with drama and nothing more.

And besides, Sirius provided enough entertainment to last her a long time.

Turning over on her stomach, she saw Sirius squirming on the grass and found herself laughing, her laughter causing her to bounce slightly on the ground. "Awh, poor little bug!" She joked, propping herself on her elbows she smiled up at him as he brushed the bug off of his shirt and grumbled about the bug. Shaking her head, Channing ran a hand through her hair and rested her chin in her hand, gazing up at The Bug Hater.

"Charms? Hmm…" she bit her lip, thinking about her charms class. Ah, that's right; it's the class she didn't think about too much. It was that easy for her. "Yeah, I can teach you Charms." She laughed softly when he brought up Transfiguration. "I can see that," she said playfully, picking up a grape and tossing it in her mouth. "You did a very good job at transfiguring all of this. See, I knew you weren't as stupid as every one plays you off to be."

Sighing, she pushed herself up to her feet and brushed off the grass. "C'mon," she said, holding out her hand to him, "let's do something adventurous; I'm feeling the urge to break the rules or something." Her eyes were filled with laughter; this was the most fun she'd had in a very long time. "You up for some trouble making?"

"What do you wish?" Sirius asked in return, curious as to what this burst of random would lead to. To fly up into the sky and catch a cloud...that would be quite the adventure, if Sirius did say so himself. Of course, there was more mischief to be done if one had that kind of power, and you can rely on the fact that if he were capable of such a feat, mischief would be carried out. Much mischief. "That's cool...If a broomstick went that high, I'd go get some cloud for you. It'd be fun." Tilting his face upwards, following Channing's gaze, he grinned.

"Know what that cloud looks like?" he asked with a laughing tone, pointing at one. It was shaped rather suggestively, in Sirius' opinion. But, then again, most everything seems suggestive in Sirius' opinion. There was no concern as to whether or not Channing would find it inappropriate, only the assumption that she would understand what he was talking about.

He hoped that she did get it. He didn't want to have to spell it out for her...But hey, if it was necessary, it was necessary.

Drama? Sirius was the main source of drama in his family. But all in all, he didn't mind drama so much as you might think. Perhaps it was the way he was born and raised Slytherin and, as Channing thought so truthfully, Slytherins lived for the drama. Perhaps it was simply his entertaining and dramatic personality. Who knows? Who cares? Sirius enjoyed a good helping of drama every once in a while. If there was none to be found, which was rare, he caused his own. Or, he did that anyway.

"Don't go all soft on me now, 'aw'ing at a bug," Sirius said, eyeing her warily. "Just an annoying little bug. Nothing particularly 'aw' about it." Joking around, of course, but he enjoyed Channing's less-than-"girly" attitudes. Awwing over a bug was not particularly necessary.

Ah, well. Whatever.

"That's what the professor said," Sirius warned. "I'm utterly hopeless at picking up new spells." He adopted a high-pitched, whiney tone in a decent impression of the Charms professor: " 'Don't worry, Sirius, a few tutoring sessions and you'll be doing new spells in a jiffy, just like those friends of yours.' " Then, in his own tone: "Two sessions later..." The professor's: " 'Get out of my classroom. You're completely hopeless; not even Dumbledore could teach you!' " He shook his head, pretending to be disappointed. "It was quite upsetting. So upsetting, in fact, that I had to send him a gift of lovely tea cups...that explode into fireworks." He grinned mischieviously. "He didn't enjoy that one too much, let me tell you. I was surprised. I figured he'd appreciate such a thoughtful gift. Dumbledore, while slightly amused at my splendid reenactment of the entire ordeal, was not amused at the fact that the poor guy's mustache caught fire from the fireworks." He shrugged, as if to say, 'what? it's not my fault the guy's an idiot.'

"And thank you. I try," he said, pretending modesty with a smile. "And wait- Who plays me off as stupid? If James has been spreading rumours again, he is a dead man."

Sirius took her hand and stood, laughing. "No. I can honestly say that I am not up for some trouble-making," he said seriously. Then, breaking the facade, "Do remember who you're talking to, Miss Lamport. Do you have anything in particular in mind?"

"What a gentleman," Channing said with a smile, giving him a playful wink. She turned her head to look up at the sky to where Sirius pointed. Seeing what he was pointing at, she gave a soft sigh and shook her head. "Real mature, dude," it sounded a bit harsh but as she turned to look back to her friend a smile lit up her face. It was true, she did think as immature as Sirius did.

"Haha," she laughed, noticing another bug attempt to crawl on the blanket next to Sirius' leg. "They seem to like you, Sirius." Drawing her brows together, she thought about what he'd said about the professors, trying hard not to laugh at his mockery which was very much like her professors. "But what they don't know is how different people learn differently," she thought out loud, remembering back when her mom used to teach her brother and her when they were little. "Some people need less coaching; they can do well mostly by themselves, but they just need a little push to get started. Others need a lot of coaching, hands on stuff, you know? Everyone's not the same, so you just have to play around until you find a learning style that suits you." When she finished, Channing placed her hands on her hips and gave an intelligent looking smile (well, she thought it looked intelligent enough) and gave a nod.

When he was standing up, she gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Bud. I'll help you pass the exams, or your classes for that matter. And, for future reference, warn me before you set fireworks off in my face." She gave him a playful nudge and another wink before saying, "That way I'll be ready to beat you to it."

Shaking her head, she disregarded Sirius' ridiculous remark about James. Those two… "Yes, it was James this whole time. He's got nothing better to do than to spread rumors about your sorry butt." Sticking her tongue out, she took his hand in hers. "Very funny," she replied to his teasing remark. "I just wanted to make sure," she dragged out the last word in a kind of child like way, like when a kid is whining its way out of something they did by saying 'it wasn't meeeeeee'. Or something of that matter.

"Not really," she replied, "I was hoping you would supply the excitement for the night."

"Oh, I'm always a gentleman," Sirius said with a smile. "And every story that James will tell you is a lie. I'm telling you right now, I never hid Remus's chocolate and whatever James tells you about itching powder is bull." Those were both blatant lies, of course, but he was doing it be a little silly. He was in a particularly good mood. He could be silly. "I am very mature," he asserted with a grin. "Don't be jealous of my maturity." Haha, Sirius. Very funny.

"Of course they like me," Sirius said, brushing the bug off of the blanket. "Everyone likes me. Haven't we had this conversation already?" He listened to her musings about how different people learn differently. And agreed with what she said, actually. The intelligent smile, though, made him grin. "You gonna help me with that?" he asked. "The Charms professor is already sick of me. I do believe last time he told me to come to his classroom for a practice session, he chased me out of there. He was yelling something about how he hated students like me because we never try." He thought for a moment. "Oh. I think it was cause I made his shoes into slugs or something. Totally on accident. But he thought it was on purpose. Can't they trust me? What, do they think I'm some good-for-nothing prankster or something?" He sighed and shook his head. It was a sad, sad day when a professor couldn't trust Sirius Black.

"And it's a deal," Sirius said. "You make me pass the exams, and I will warn you before something explodes in your face." He put his hand out for her to shake on it. And beat him to it? Au contraire, mon cher. "Ha. You beat me to it? We'll see about that," he said, grinning widely.

"He really doesn't," Sirius said. "Sides, the kid's obsessed with me or something. Has to spend every waking moment doing something that reminds him of me. It's rather odd, actually. I think St. Mungo's might be the place for him. And sorry butt? I think my butt is actually pretty awesome, not sorry." He looked over his back to look. "Yeah. Pretty awesome." Oh, you narcissist, you.

"No ideas? None at all?" He sighed. "What, do we have to give you lessons in being a delinquint like we had to for Roxy?" That had been quite the spectacle, if he said so himself. "You have to have some idea of havoc to wreak!"

"Riiiiiight," Channing replied with a brow lift. "Whatever you say, Saint Black," she knew he was lying. Please. With a twin brother in Slytherin, it was hard to fool Channing. She gave him an 'oh, please' look when he claimed he was mature. "You and I both know how small your maturity level is. Do I need to point out that cloud you showed me just a few minutes ago?" He couldn't deny here there. "See. You're definitely not mature. No one's mature enough to be my friend." She added jokingly as she flipped her hair in an attempt to copy the 5th year Slytherin girls and their obsession with talking with their hair.

Being a good friend, Channing held back the urge to smack Sirius across the head. The boy did know how to pump his ego up. Lifting her right hand, she stuck out two fingers close together like how she saw a muggle girl do. The girl was wearing an obnoxiously flamboyant blue vest with an ungodly amount of patches and pins. Her skirt unfortunately matched her vest and she had on an ugly pair of brown tights with white sneakers. She had stuck out her hand just like Channing was doing when she was presenting a box she had to a man on the train they were riding. Channing had asked her mother why the girl was doing that and her mom had said that they do charity work to fund for school trips and help out the community. She was actually talking about her hand signs and the reason for dressing like a blue troll but she didn't press her mother any further. "I promise," she said with a nod, wanting to do whatever it took to help Sirius pass the exams. Because, let's be honest, life would be boring if he was held back a year. When Sirius said 'good for nothing prankster' Channing couldn't help but laugh. "Of course, Sirius. Everyone thinks that!"

Taking his hand she gave it a shake. "Yes we will," she agreed with a grin of her own, "you'd be surprised how quick my draw hand is." Raising a brow, she tilted her head and looked behind him. "I wouldn't go that far to say it was awesome," she teased, shaking her head. "It looks pretty sorry to me."

Channing laughed, "No, I don't think lessons in delinquency are really necessary." She thought for a moment. "You know any bewitching spells we could use on the chairs in the Great Hall?"