She arrived at the Three Broomsticks a little late, to see her date waiting for her outside the door. “I'm so sorry! I had to wait forever at the apothecary counter.”

Sirius smiled. “It's no problem. I just got here, myself.”

They went in and found a table. Emily knew a thrill when Sirius held her chair for her. He ordered for both of them and was a gracious host. Emily could feel herself becoming starstruck even as she told herself not to. She had to tell herself to say or do something intelligent and not to sit there like a bump on a log.

“So, why were you all by yourself in the bleachers the other day?” she asked.

“I was watching Potter fly. He wanted to know if the tail of his broom was wobbling. It's a good way to keep all the other people away, too, if they don't know I'm there.”

“I thought you enjoyed that crowd of people. Don't they, you know, belong to you?”

“I could have sworn they only came after you sat down. You must be the life of the party wherever you go.”

His grey eyes sparkled meaningfully at her. He was flattering and flirting with her shamelessly, and she needed to keep her head. She asked a question about their homework in Transfiguration and let him talk. She imagined what History of Magic would be like if he were teaching it instead of Professor Binns. It would be the most popular subject at the school.

They finished their meal and left, Sirius again holding her chair for her. He insisted on paying, too. They walked outside into the cool October air and headed toward Hogwarts.

“May I walk you back to the school?” Sirius asked.

Emily nodded. “I guess you might as well, if we're both going that way...”

He gave a great bark of a laugh and reached for her hand. Breathe, Emily told herself, looking everywhere but at the handsome boy who was holding her hand. One of the dreamiest guys at school was holding her hand and laughed at something she said. Emily's other hand had the bag with her purchases so she didn't have one free to pinch herself.

Suddenly he pulled her into an alleyway. “Is there somewhere you need to go?” she was going to ask, when she noticed his face was right next to hers. An instant later Emily was receiving her first kiss, ever. And then her second kiss. The third kiss was definitely in the offing when a scuffle behind her made Emily turn around.

Emily craned her neck to see; Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew were exchanging jinxes with Severus. “Stop that! You're not supposed to be doing magic outside of school grounds!”

Lupin managed to disarm Snape and the three Marauders, as they were becoming known, had him at their mercy. Emily pulled out her wand. “Protego!” The hexes aimed at Snape bounced away harmlessly and he was able to get his wand back.

Emily turned around and glared at Sirius. “Were you just a decoy, to make sure I wouldn't interfere or something?” Sirius just looked at her. “I guess it worked! I thought—Shame on you!” She looked at Lupin. “Some prefect you are! Shame on you all!” She ran out of the alley as some professors came out of a nearby tea shop. Emily adjusted to a steadier pace to walk the rest of the way back to the school. When she got back she took her packages to her dormitory and then went and hid in the library.

---

Hours later, Severus found her in a small nook behind the restricted section. “It's dinnertime.”

“I'm not hungry.”

“You'd better eat, anyway.”

“I would probably be sick.”

“Thanks for the assist, in any case. They got detention, even Black.”

“Thanks for being right and only increasing my humiliation.”

“About what?”

“You said, and this is almost a direct quote, that girls lose their brains when those gits are around. Clearly I lost mine when one of the gits pulled me into an alleyway and kissed me. Also clearly, he didn't want me to see my friend getting knocked around by his friends.”

“But you did not lose all of your brains. You kept enough of them to see what was happening, and to do something.”

“It was my first kiss, Severus. The first time a boy's lips ever touched mine, and I'm never going to get that back.” A tear ran down her cheek.

“Did you enjoy it?” He fixed her with that tell-me-all stare he had.

Her eyes turned the slightest bit dreamy. “It hit me like a Jelly-Legs Jinx, I wanted it to go on and on, except when that one stopped, he kissed me again and it was even better.”

“Then remember that. Forget who it was even with, if it helps. I take it we're not going to practice Charms this evening?”

“I'm really not up to it.”

“How about tomorrow?”

“Maybe.”

---

After a week of enduring the looks and whispers that went with being Sirius Black's girlfriend for a day, Emily was grateful to see that the school's rumor mill turned to something else. The conversation in the Great Hall turned to how well the Quidditch standings were going or what pranks the Gryffindors and Slytherins were playing on each other. Sirius Black's love life was always a hot topic, too, and Emily was not surprised to discover that there was another girl already being seen with him.

As fall progressed to winter, the topic of who was going to the Yule Ball with whom that year became prominent. The Yule Ball was usually held only in conjunction with the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but since it had been decades since the last tournament and it would likely be decades before another would be held, they continued having the Ball at regular intervals without it.

Emily walked into the library one evening and saw that Severus was sitting at their usual table with his head in his hands. She sighed, because only one thing made him this dejected. She dropped her books loudly on the table, earning a glare from Madam Pince, but getting Severus's attention.

“What happened, this time?”

“She was in the hallway so I went up to her just to say hi and see if I could talk to her, but then Potter came by and said, 'Get away from my girl.' Lily said, 'I'm not anyone's girl,' and the two started arguing, and then they just walked away from me as if I weren't even there.” He glowered. “Some day Lily Evans is going to notice me. I will make her love me if I have to.”

“I'm not sure that's the best path to the female heart.”

“And you are speaking from your vast experience with Sirius Black?”

“Ouch, I get your point. Tell me this, though. If you're able to make her do anything, is she really the person you claim to love so much? Wouldn't you rather have her love you because she chooses to love you for your great qualities?”

“It doesn't matter.” He started tapping on the table top and Emily pulled out her History of Magic book. She pushed her chair away from the table and read it on her lap. Until Severus got the fidgets out, or whatever he was doing, he was useless as a study partner. Finally he reached into his bag.

“Here, can you read this?”

Emily took the parchment, expecting the Arithmancy essay they had due in two days. Instead it was a letter.

Dear Lily,

If you only knew how sorry I was for speaking that way last year, you would relent and be friends with me again. I want to be your friend again. I want to be more than friends with you...

She had to stop. “Severus, I thought we agreed that I wasn't going to read any more of these. It's really not healthy. You've got to let it go.”

“I can't let it go.”

“Well, at least you better burn this and stop writing them. The arch-Slytherin you are should know that stuff like this could be stolen and passed around. Some people might think it's creepy.” She looked at him, worried. “Isn't this the sort of thing you should be practicing your Occlumency on?”

He looked chagrined. “You are probably right... Do I really have great qualities?”

“Yes, and I can't imagine why Lily Evans hasn't noticed them.”

He brightened. “Maybe she will. Here, can you go over my Arithmancy essay for me?”

“Trade you.”

They went over each other's essays, making comments in the margins. Then they went on to Transfiguration and finally discussed the best way to swish and flick while performing the spells given in their Charms homework assignment. Finally, seeing Madam Pince's looks, they started packing up for the night.

“Same time tomorrow?” asked Emily.

“No, I have a meeting.”

“Not those people, again.”

“They appreciate me, and they will give me the power I need to make Lily notice me. You could come...”

“They disturb the heck out of me. I really don't want to know what goes on during those meetings. I guess I'm destined to just be your study partner.”

“Some day you may have to pick a side.”

“I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

“Don't wait too long.”

“Did I wait too long when it came to Black?”

“No, I guess you did fine.”

They were out in the hallway.

“Oh, hey, did you have a date for the Yule Ball?”

“I'm going with a bunch of girls from my house. You?”

“Me, too.” Seeing the incredulous look on Emily's face, “Oh, no, a bunch of us snakes are going together and then we can dance with anyone we want.”

“This is where I go upstairs. Well, see you in class, then.”

She went up the stairs while he went down.

After a few minutes, two heads popped out of an invisibility cloak.

“So are they an item?”

“I don't think so. They just study together. I'm pretty sure I was the first one who ever kissed her. She had this really sweet look on her face until you idiots came into view.”

“Oh, so you have a special relationship with her. Can we make Lily think they're an item?”

“What if I wanted to be an item with Smith? That could well be the future Mrs. Sirius Black and mother of the next notorious generation of Blacks.”

“Sorry, mate, you aren't an item with anyone. Or rather you're an item with everyone. I've been working on Lily for over five years, you know.”

“Do you really think Lily fancies Snivellus?”

“Not exactly, I think she frets over him. If I could just get her to stop thinking about him...”