“So.” Pause. “How was your week?”

“Pretty good.” Another pause. “How was yours?”

“Fine.”

They reached the group gathered at the front gates. When Mariah turned to wave at some of her Hufflepuff friends, Sirius stole a glance over to where James and the rest of his friends were standing. James offered him a double “thumbs up” while Peter began kissing the air. Remus, of course, tried unsuccessfully to shush them. Sirius gave them a glare for good measure.

Mariah turned in the direction of the Gryffindors, who thankfully ceased their ridiculous motions when her glance came their way. “I must say I’m surprised that you didn’t bring your friends with you this morning. I almost never see you without them.”

“Well, they are my best friends. But today isn’t for them. The last thing I need when I’m trying to woo a girl is for James Potter to distract her.” Or to make teasing comments all afternoon, he thought. “I too am glad that came alone.”

“I promised you a fair chance, didn’t I?”

Sirius nodded. The group began to migrate down the path toward Hogsmeade and their conversation dimmed again. What was wrong with him? Sirius Black wasn’t the nervous type. Why did he find himself tongue-tied around this girl? Desperate to avoid coming across as boring, he said the first thing he could think of.

“So, who do you think will win the Quidditch Cup this year?”

She gave him a funny look. “Well, unless Ravenclaw manages a minor miracle, I’d say Gryffindor’s probably got it clinched.”

Only then did Sirius realize he’d probably just brought up a very touchy subject, the Hufflepuff Quidditch team being as unbelievably bad as it was. He tried to assuage the situation. “Oh, I don’t know, there’s still several months, plenty of time for Hufflepuff to make a comeback.”

“Sirius, have you been watching the same games I have? Because much as I love my House, our Quidditch team stinks.” Mariah looked rather annoyed.

There was no good answer to that. If he disagreed, he’d be lying, but to agree would be unnecessarily cruel. He decided then to take the only option available – he’d change the subject.

“Isn’t Professor Binns the most boring teacher ever?”

Mariah nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I sleep through the majority of his classes.”

“Me too.” Uh oh. Not much more to say on that subject. They lapsed into silence and continued walking.

Occasionally one or the other of them broke the uncomfortable quiet with a question or a comment, but rarely did the resulting conversation last more than three responses. By the time they arrived in Hogsmeade, he knew that Mariah hailed from Brighton and had a younger sister, Clary, who would start Hogwarts in the fall. He’d avoided revealing too much about his own unpleasant family situation but had admitted to being from London and having an older brother with whom he didn’t get along.

“Shall we get a drink,” asked Sirius as they walked down the main street. “Do you like butterbeer?”

“Yes, that would be nice,” replied Mariah, so they set off for The Three Broomsticks.

Many of the students were of like mind, so most of the tables were already claimed when they arrived. Sirius scanned the crowd, looking for an appropriately secluded table. He stifled a smirk when he saw Snivellus sitting by himself in a far corner. He nearly decided to lead Mariah toward a table near the Slytherin git when he realized that forcing a confrontation was hardly going to endear Mariah to him. He glanced at her. She’d also seen Snape, and was looking in his direction with a frown.

“There’s a free table over there, let’s grab it before anyone else comes in.” He maneuvered her away from Snape’s direction toward a table near the window. They sat down silently. Mariah looked around the room, apparently surveying who was in attendance, before turning her attention back to him.

Again Sirius struggled to think of something to say. “So, what kind of music do you listen to?” Surely that would be a safe topic.

“I’m not too picky about it,” she responded. “Darby likes listening to muggle pop so that’s what I listen to the most, I suppose.”

“Cool,” replied Sirius, though he was thinking that he knew nothing of muggle pop, least of all whether it was cool. “My favorite band is Four Warlocks From Dublin.”

“I don’t know them, sorry.”

They sat quietly for a few moments, then Madame Rosmerta appeared to take their order. After they each ordered a butterbeer, Sirius tried again. “What do you like to do, for fun I mean.”

Mariah thought a moment. “Nothing too exciting, I think. Reading, dancing, things like that. Oh, and growing things. I’ve got several exotic flowers growing in my room.”

“Cool,” nodded Sirius again, thinking that Herbology was probably the second most boring subject they took after History of Magic.

“What about you?” prodded Mariah.

“I like Quidditch, of course, and swimming when the lake is warm enough. I suppose you do a lot of swimming in the summer, living in Brighton.”

“A little,” she replied, “Silas and I go to the beach sometimes, but it stopped being as much fun when I started having to bring Clary along. It’s hard to have fun while you’re trying to keep a little kid out of trouble.”

“I’m sure,” Sirius didn’t have a younger sibling so he couldn’t relate, but to him it would have been nice to have a younger sister to play with, assuming she was more like him and less like his brother Regulus.

Their drinks arrived and for a few moments they drank silently. Mariah was staring a little off his left shoulder. Sirius wanted to turn to see what she was looking at, but that would have been too obvious. Instead, he racked his brain for yet another topic of conversation.

---

Mariah fought the urge to look at the clock. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent such a tedious afternoon outside of the classroom. She had to give Sirius credit, he was being very polite and not at all leering or creepy but he was just . . . boring. She almost felt sorry for his pitiful attempts to make conversation, but since he brought this whole thing on himself, she only had a little sympathy to spare.

She looked around the room as she sipped her butterbeer and smiled to herself as Silas walked in with a small crowd of older kids. She’d give him hell later for suggesting she submit to this torture. She watched as Silas approached a table a little ways behind Sirius. An older Ravenclaw girl who Mariah didn’t know was already sitting there. Mariah watched as the girl smiled when Silas sat down across from her. They were too far away for Mariah to hear their conversation but she could definitely see a lot of smiling going on.

Did Silas have a new girlfriend? If so, why didn’t he tell her? After all she herself had confided to him the least he could do is reciprocate. Mariah took another swig of her butterbeer and nodded in response to whatever inane comment Sirius had just made. She assessed the girl sitting so cozily with her friend. She had very long, straight black hair and wore too much makeup, decided Mariah. And way too skinny. Silas would look ridiculous dancing with her, she’d probably snap if he squeezed too hard.

“Mariah?” Sirius was trying to get her attention. Damn, what was she thinking?

“Sorry, I was daydreaming. What did you say?”

“I asked if you wanted me to get you another drink,” repeated Sirius.

“Oh, sure, thanks.” Sirius rose to get the drinks, freeing Mariah to continue her assessment of the sight before her. The girl threw her head back as she laughed at something Silas said. I’m sure it wasn’t that funny, she thought. The girl is obviously trying to impress him. Oh, if only she could hear what they were saying. Now Silas was laughing too. Why hadn’t he told her? Mariah felt herself fill with annoyance at his betrayal. She’d thought they had the kind of friendship where they could tell each other everything but apparently it only worked one way. She glared over at her friend and his simpering idiot of a date. Except that she probably wasn’t an idiot, was she? Few Ravenclaws were, after all. Was this the girl who had gone with someone else to the Yule Ball, the girl who’d already found a date when Silas asked her? Had she tired of her first choice already, or had the other boy tired of her? Either way, she wasn’t good enough for Silas. Mariah vowed to ask one of her Ravenclaw friends what she knew of the girl later.

Sirius returned with the drinks. Mariah forced herself to return her attention to her date. She’d promised to give him a fair opportunity, and she was, but they obviously had nothing in common. Hopefully he’d realize that soon.

The two fourth-years drank their next butterbeer over stilted conversation. Sirius’ attempts were valiant to be sure but Mariah’s attention was very much elsewhere. She knew she answered appropriately and when necessary but she fervently wished it would end soon. She was only half aware of what she and Sirius were discussing, as she was far more focused on other goings on.

Silas stood, and held out his hand to his companion, who accepted it as she stood. Mariah averted her head at the sight and found herself looking toward the far corner of the room where Severus still sat, alone. He was reading a book, back turned to the room. Oh yes, thought Mariah with a sneer, Severus was too good for the rest of them.

As if he heard her thoughts, Severus put his book down and turned in her direction. He returned her gaze with the most evil of looks. What was his problem? Part of her wanted nothing more to do with him, but the part of her that liked him wanted to understand what was wrong with her, to make him hate her so much.

“It’s not working, is it?”

Mariah’s head snapped back to her date. “What?”

“You. Me. It’s not working. You don’t even have to tell me.” Sirius stared intensely at her. “It’s pretty obvious that we really don’t have anything to say to each other.”

“I’m sorry, I did try, you know.” Now that she’d gotten what she wanted, she felt slightly chagrined at the downcast look on her companion’s face.

“I know. It’s kind of funny, actually. I’ve spent the last five months or so completely obsessed with you, and now, in just one afternoon, I find I’ve been completely deluding myself this whole time.” He sighed. “James was right, after all.”

“James?” Mariah was confused, and more than a little bit offended by his words. “What did James have to do with this?”

“He thought that the only reason I wanted you was because Snivellus, I mean Snape, had you. That I never would have liked you otherwise.”

Mariah stared at him in shock. It took several seconds to control her anger enough to respond. “How wonderful to know that I don’t meet with the amazing James Potter’s standards!. Why was it so unthinkable that you might like me? Am I that repulsive?”

“Of course not,” soothed Sirius. “I guess it was that you aren’t my usual type is all.”

“And what type would that be,” sneered Mariah. “Beautiful face, perfect body, am I getting close here?”

Sirius had the good sense to look embarrassed. “Something like that. Look, I really am sorry. I certainly never meant to hurt you, and I really am sorry that things didn’t work out between us.”

“Well, that makes one of us,” snapped Mariah. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Look, maybe it would be best if we forgot any of this ever happened. You go back to your life, and I’ll go back to mine.”

“All right,” Sirius sighed. He took her hand. Mariah fought the urge to pull away. “I really am sorry, Mariah.”

She looked back at him, sensing that he genuinely was sorry. It didn’t excuse his being a total arse, but the thought counted for something. “Apology accepted. I’m sure you won’t mind if I leave now.”

“Will you be all right walking back yourself?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll just meet up with my friends.” She stood. “Goodbye, Sirius.”

“Goodbye, Mariah.”

Mariah turned toward the door, her eyes resting on Severus, who was now standing by the door. He’d been watching their little spat, they must have been quite loud. His disdainful gaze had turned into a scornfully delighted one – he’d witnessed her humiliation and had apparently enjoyed it immensely. She stormed over to him.

“I see Black has finally come to his senses and seen you for what you are. I never would have credited him with so much sense.”

“What is your problem?” she hissed. “What did I ever do to you?”

Severus’ lip curled as he looked down on her. “You exist.”

Mariah gasped. “You are truly sick, Severus. It’s no wonder you don’t have any friends.” She pushed past him and ran out of the pub. She ran past the crowd of students standing outside, not noticing who she ignored. She was overwhelmed with the rejection of the day. She ran down the street and into the park. She’d lied to Sirius, she had no intention of seeking out her friends. Right now, she wanted to be alone.

She found a solitary tree and threw herself underneath it, curling into a ball and sobbing. There must really be something wrong with her. It had taken little more than an hour of her company for Sirius to lose interest; that must be a record, even for him. And his friend had thought he was crazy for wanting her in the first place! Even Severus Snape, arguably one of the least liked students at Hogwarts, was disgusted by her. And Silas…

She opened her eyes, feeling a hand on her shoulder. Speak of the devil. Silas was kneeling beside her, looking concerned. “What do you want,” she snapped through her sobs as she pulled away.

He didn’t let her go. “Easy, ‘Riah, I just want to know what’s wrong. Why do I keep finding you this way?”

“Please don’t feel obligated to bother yourself on my account,” she sniffed. “I’m sure your new girlfriend wouldn’t appreciate it anyway.”

“Girlfriend?” Silas was incredulous. “What girlfriend?”

“Don’t deny it, Silas, I saw you together! It doesn’t matter, I mean, I don’t know why I thought you’d tell me anyway, it’s not like we’ve known each other all our lives or anything. And why should I care whether you’ve got a girlfriend anyway…”

“Wait a minute,” Silas grabbed her chin and turned her to face him. “Mariah, what girlfriend? I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Mariah couldn’t believe would still dare deny it. “Silas, I saw you, at The Three Broomsticks, laughing and holding hands with some Ravenclaw not a half hour ago. Are you trying to tell me I’m imagining things?”

“No,” replied Silas slowly, “not imagining things, although definitely misinterpreting them. Mariah, Delilah is not my girlfriend. We’re just friends.”

“Just friends?” asked Mariah suspiciously. “Do friends usually hold hands the way you two were?”

“Mariah, did you fail to notice that she walks with a rather sizeable limp? Of course I helped her out of her seat. I’d do the same for anyone. She’s just a friend, Mariah.” Silas’ expression was earnest, and he seemed almost desperate that she believe him.

“Oh.” Mariah gulped, feeling rather chastised and silly. “Ok, I’m rather embarrassed now.”

“Were you crying because you thought I had a girlfriend,” Silas asked incredulously.

“No. Yes. Well, only partially.” She broke down, telling him of the multiple rejections she’d received that day and how hurt she’d felt when she thought he’d gone and found a girlfriend without telling her.l

“So let’s take a count, shall we? Not only am I not good enough for Sirius Black or James Potter, I’m even rejected by Severus Snape, even though I’m probably the only friend he ever had,” she sobbed. “What is wrong with me?”

“They’re just a bunch of idiots, ‘Riah, you don’t need them,” soothed Silas as he held her, smoothing her hair.

“You’re just saying that. Please, Silas, I want to know. What is so wrong with me? Why can no one like me for who I am?”

“I like you,” answered Silas simply.

Mariah sighed, thinking he didn’t understand her. “That’s not what I meant. You don’t count, Silas, you’re practically my brother, you have to like me. I meant really like me.”

“No,” he replied forcefully, sitting her up to face him. “I am not practically your brother, I don’t have to like you but I do like you. Very much, actually.” He held her gaze as if waiting for her reply.

“You do? Since when?” Mariah’s suspicion beat its way through the fluttering feeling that had appeared in her stomach with his words. Where did that come from?

“Oh, since pretty much forever,” he replied, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her close. “Do you mind terribly? Should I not have told you?”

Mariah tried to ignore the fluttering so she could think. Silas liked her? She’d never really considered that possibility, despite Sirius Black’s assessment earlier that week. Silas certainly was one of her closest friends. But could he be more? Maybe he wasn’t all that good looking, but she didn’t really care about that. He had a nice smile, and was gentle and strong and a good dancer, and they certainly never suffered from awkwardness or a lack of things to talk about. He did have that way of making her feel safe. Was that enough? Mariah remembered her reaction to Delilah, the Ravenclaw girl; was it all betrayal that he hadn’t told her, or was she actually jealous? Maybe she was, she really wasn’t sure. Silas was still watching her, waiting for her answer. What the heck? The possibility was certainly worth investigating.

She smiled back at him finally. “No, I don’t think I do mind, actually. But I don’t understand.” She pulled back a little. “If you liked me, why did you tell me to go out with Sirius Black? And you told me you’d wanted to go to the Yule Ball with someone else?”

“Questions, questions,” he murmured. “I thought there was little chance you’d change your mind about Black, and I really did think that you’d both realize quickly that you weren’t suited. It was a gamble, true, but the odds were in my favor. And as for the Yule Ball, you’re the only one I wanted to go with.”

“But you said…”

“Not what you think I said. I said the girl I wanted to ask had gone and found her own date. And you did, didn’t you?” Silas was holding her again and planting kisses in her hair.

Mariah was finding it hard to concentrate on her objections as she became more enveloped in his arms and warmed by his soft kisses. New as the idea of a boyfriend-Silas was, she thought she might get used to it. “Sneaky, weren’t you.”

“Yep. Very sneaky. So,” more soft kisses. “what do you say to giving us a chance? Same terms as you had with Black, if you decide you don’t want to see me any more I’ll leave you alone.”

“That sounds reasonable,” she agreed, turning her head up to his. “But who will hex you in your sleep if you break your word?”

“I don’t think it’s going to come to that, do you?” He leaned a little closer, their lips almost touching.

“Nah, probably not.” And then they were together. “Mmm… definitely not.”