She’d noticed Severus watching her as well, a couple of times. His was a very different sort of watching. While Sirius stared at her as if he was restraining himself from taking her into his arms, Severus sneered at her as if she were the most lowly creature imaginable. It didn’t make sense, his vitriolic hatred for her. He’d gotten what he wanted, an “Outstanding” on their Herbology project and a successful hoodwinking of Sirius Black. She’d remained pathetically ignorant of his plans until he himself chose to reveal them. He might scorn her, certainly, but why did he hate her so badly?

Whatever. She had other things to worry about now, such as passing History of Magic despite her tendency to sleep through class and of course, resolving the Sirius Black issue.

She’d have to wait to pass History of Magic, thought Mariah as she saw Sirius Black finally walking toward her purposefully.

“Mariah, I’m sorry. I’ve tried to stay away from you but I just can’t do it any longer.” He stopped as if waiting for a response, but continued after receiving none. “I don’t know what it is about you, whether it’s the adorable way you play with your curls or the disdainful way you look at me or the way you sometimes trip on the crooked stair right before the fourth floor but I just can’t stop thinking about you. Please, Mariah, have pity on me and come with me to Hogsmeade this weekend.”

Mariah waited to make sure he was done with his rather original proclamation of … whatever it was felt… obsession, perhaps… before replying. “Ok.”

“I know you don’t like me now, but perhaps if you’d just get to know me better you’d… did you just say ‘Ok’?” Black had obviously planned his rebuttal so carefully he’d neglected the possibility she’d accept upon first (well, more like hundredth) request.

She gave a little half smile. “I did. But there are conditions,” she added quickly as she saw Black’s face break into a grin.

“Anything,” he promised.

“Very well then,” she continued. “My conditions are these: I am agreeing to one date only, so the two of us can get to know each other a little better and then to assess whether there is any possibility of fonder feelings growing between us. Since you haven’t been dissuaded thus far, I’m giving you this one chance to convince me that I would want to date you again. Thus, if after our trip to Hogsmeade I still do not have a desire to pursue a relationship with you, you will agree to never bother me about it again. And that includes staring at me from across the room, by the way, I hate that.”

Black looked suitably chagrined at her words but prodded further. “You sound convinced you’ll still dislike me after our date. How do I know you’ll give me a fair chance?”

“I give you my word that I will. I must admit I find it unlikely my mind will change, but I will keep an open mind and give you a fair chance. But you have to promise that if I ask you to leave me alone afterwards that you will.”

“I promise,” the Gryffindor immediately vowed without a second thought. “You won’t regret this, Mariah.”

I’m regretting it already, thought Mariah. “I hope not, Sirius. You should know that I have a friend in Gryffindor waiting to hex you in your sleep if you break your promise.”

“By ‘friend’ I assume you mean Cloverleigh? Don’t think I haven’t noticed the dirty looks he’s been sending my way lately. He’s rather overprotective for a ‘friend’, isn’t he?”

Mariah stared coolly at him. “I don’t think so. We’ve known each other forever, it’s quite natural that he’d look out for me.”

“Whatever you say, Mariah, but I think his interest is a little more personal than that.’

“I seriously doubt that, considering he’s the one who convinced me I should give you a chance,” retorted Mariah.

“Did he? I guess I’m mistaken then. Anyway, I’ll keep my promise; if I don’t succeed in winning you over I’ll leave you alone. But I think you’ll like me if you give me a chance.”

“Enough,” said Mariah, looking at the clock. “I’ve got studying to do. I’ll meet you outside the Hufflepuff Common Room on Saturday at half past eleven. Ok?”

“Ok. And Mariah?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

---

Sirius floated down the hall. Or at least he felt like he floated. Mariah had finally agreed to go out with him! He’d waited so long he almost couldn’t believe it. He wanted to shout it from the top of the Astronomy tower, but she feared he’d change her mind if he did. So he decided to do the next best thing. He headed down the stairs toward the dungeon.

“I knew I’d find you here,” jeered Sirius. “It’s not like you have any friends to hang out with after classes.”

Snape looked up from the cauldron he’d been stirring and rolled his eyes. “Even you, Black, must recognize the idiocy of starting anything in the potions dungeon. Professor Fellis would be most displeased were he to have to clean up bits of Gryffindor scum from the floor.

“Oh, I’m not here to start anything, as you put it, Snivellus. I just wanted to share my big news with you.”

“Dumbledore’s come to his senses and expelled you, finally? If so, please don’t let us waste any time with insincere goodbyes.”

“Hardly,” sneered Sirius. “No, I’ve come with really good news. About Mariah.”

Snape snorted. “I’m afraid you’ve mistaken me for someone who cares.”

“She’s going with me to Hogsmeade this weekend.”

Snape covered his mouth in mock shock. “Oh, goodness me! Well, you’d better hurry to the owlery if you want the Daily Prophet to receive the news in time. Although you’re better off owling the Quibbler, they’re much more likely to be interested than I am.”

“What, you don’t care that your girlfriend has finally seen the light and likes me now?” Sirius prodded. “I find that rather hard to believe.”

“Why should I care? Mariah served her purpose, I have no further use for her. You’re welcome to her.”

“I am?” asked Sirius in amazement.

“If you really want her,” shrugged Snape. “She’s utterly useless in bed. But then again, I doubt that you’d notice.”

Sirius felt his stomach heave at the thought of his darling Mariah giving herself to this … filth. He pushed the visual out of his mind and retorted, “More likely you didn’t know what to do with her. How dare you talk about her that way?”

“She’s just a whore, no one worries about how they talk about a whore,” Snape turned back to his cauldron. “Now, if you have nothing more to say, I would like to return to my work.”

Sirius wanted to wipe the smug look from the Slytherin’s face. He wanted to dump the ingredients of the cauldron all over him and hope that he melted away as a result. He took a step forward, but then remembered that Mariah had always hated it when he taunted the greasy git. He didn’t want to give her an excuse to change her mind about Saturday’s trip to Hogsmeade. Thus, he exercised all the self-restraint he could find to turn and walk away.

He didn’t see Snape set his cauldron aflame in anger a few moments later, or hear his muttered curse of “little Hufflepuff whore.” He spent the next few days alternating between excitement for his coming date and fighting the intolerable mental image of Mariah’s body entwined with Snape’s. She couldn’t have really slept with him, could she?

---

“Please, Darby, tell me I’m not crazy for agreeing to this madness.” The girls were gathered in the Hufflepuff girls’ bathroom, preparing for their excursion to Hogsmeade later that morning.

Erin stopped applying her lipstick. “Insane? I think you’ve finally come to your senses, dear. That Sirius Black is a delectable bit of manhood; I wish I were in your shoes.”

“What about Alexander? I thought that was going well?” asked Bronwyn in confusion.

“Oh, him,” groaned Erin. “He’s becoming quite a bore, actually. He keeps talking about getting a job in Hogsmeade next year to be near me instead of going to apprentice at St. Mungo’s like he’d been planning for years. Can you believe that? As if I would want a man to give up his career for me. I’m afraid I’m going to have to have a little talk with him soon, before he actually goes through with it.”

Mariah stifled a chuckle as she recalled her discussion with Silas at the Yule Ball. Erin really did seem to only want someone until she got him. “Erin, don’t let me stop you from pursuing Sirius Black. After today I don’t plan to see him again.”

“But Mariah, I thought you promised to give him a fair chance,” protested Darby.

“Oh, I will,” assured Mariah. “But honestly, I doubt there’s anything he can do to change my mind about him. I think he’s a conceited bully.”

Darby pursed her lips. “Perhaps. But it seems he was right after all, wasn’t he?”

Mariah closed her eyes. She’d confided in Darby after Severus’ confrontation, told her more than she’d actually told Silas. Her friend had been surprised; she’d truly thought that Severus liked Mariah, but Darby’s surprise quickly turned to hatred out of loyalty to Mariah. The newfound animosity naturally increased Darby’s sympathy for Sirius Black.

“Right about what?” asked Bronwyn. Mariah hadn’t confided in the other girls, since she’d never admitted her feelings for Severus to them in the first place.

“Just that some people deserve what they get,” sighed Mariah. She didn’t want to think about Severus anymore. It hurt too much. She looked at the clock. “I suppose we’d better hurry up. The sooner I do this the sooner it will be over.”

****

Sirius paced outside the Hufflepuff common room. He’d arrived a half-hour early because he was too excited to sit still. His friends had wanted to accompany him, but for some inexplicable reason he didn’t want them there today. He didn’t want to share Mariah’s company with anybody.

The door opened – several Hufflepuffs came out. Sirius skimmed their faces, but Mariah was not with them. He sighed and continued to pace. He looked at his watch for the umpteenth time since he’d arrived. 11:27. In four more minutes, she’d be late. He sat down on the floor, then decided that must look undignified and so stood and began pacing again.

The door opened once again – Sirius recognized Mariah’s friend, Darcy or something was her name. The girl caught his eye and came up to him, smiling at his apparent distress. “She’ll be out in a minute. Relax.”

“Thanks.” The girl smiled and walked away with her friends.

More pacing. 11:29. He leaned against the wall, trying to appear casual and unconcerned. 11:31. The door opened again, and finally, mercifully, Mariah emerged. She was casually dressed, a blue jumper over an ankle length skirt. Her hair was pulled back from her face but several stray ringlets poked out from the side of her head nonetheless. On anyone else, Sirius would have found it quite ridiculous. On Mariah he found it enchanting.

“Hi,” she greeted him with something resembling a smile.

Suddenly nervous, he smiled back. “Hi. You look very nice.”

“Thank you.” She stood a moment as if waiting for something. “Shall we go?”

“Sure.’ Sirius started to reach for her hand but then thought better of it. No sense scaring her this soon into their date. “Let’s go.”