Emily watched her study partner go across the room and ask Lily Evans to dance. Lily agreed and they set out. Severus was a surprisingly good dancer. He had a natural grace that he had perfected by practicing dueling and he and his dancing partner looked very good together. They seemed to be talking together, too.

Sirius Black and James Potter came into the room and saw the two dancing. They conferred by the door and then Sirius walked out toward the couple and cut in. A dark look crept over Severus' face as Sirius separated the two, and Severus swept out of the Great Hall. Sirius tried to pull Lily toward James, but she slapped him away and walked over to some tables where Gryffindor girls were sitting.

Emily ran out to find Severus. She saw the front doors close and ran out to find him in the gardens, poking at the bushes and cursing under his breath. “Severus, she wouldn't dance with either of them. She went and sat over by the girls.”

“Yes, but she only danced with me to tell me that she does not want me to contact her any more. She thinks I've gone too far over into the dark arts.”

“She just doesn't understand. Leave that group and she will come around. We still have a year and a half of school...”

“Leave it alone, Emily. I told you. I had two destinies. If the one doesn't work, I have to follow the other.”

“Severus, you can do whatever you like. You aren't locked into anything.”

“I do not agree with that, and deep in your heart, you know I am right. If I am not mistaken, one of the wonder twins is even now coming, and it would seem he hopes to see you. It looks like destiny is trying her hand with you.”

“But, Severus—“

“Tell me what you think of destiny after Black takes everything you have to offer, and then dumps you to the side like all his other girls, Emily. Good night.”

Severus blended into the darkness and Emily watched him move like a shadow toward the castle. The nerve of him! It's not like she was going to take a tumble with Sirius Black out here in a rose garden in the middle of winter. She had a starry eyed experience the one time and wasn't going to get caught up in that sort of thing again. A different shadow was moving toward her.

“I thought I might find you here.” It was Sirius Black.

“You are a total and complete jerk, you know. You didn't have to split them up.”

“What's it to you?”

“They were dancing so well together. It was a pity that you cut in.”

“Look, Emily, James really wants to dance with Lily and thought Snape was bothering her.”

“He could have waited until the next song. Plus, you were a bunch of prats at Hogsmeade that weekend.”

“You never gave me a chance to explain... I had no idea that those guys were going to prank on Snivellus that afternoon.”

“Don't ever call him that in my presence.” Pale though they were, Emily's eyes were snapping at him.

“Whoa! If you insist!” He put his hands up in what was supposed to be a calming motion. “I didn't even realize he was your friend. How serious are you with him?”

“We're just study partners, and friends. We see each other a few times a week and look out for each other from time to time.”

He leaned in. “I would like to be your friend, Emily Smith. I would like to be more than your friend...”

He leaned down the rest of the way and kissed her. Emily's third-ever kiss hit her just as hard as the first two had. When there was just the barest brush of his tongue along her lips she thought she would faint. It was over too soon. She reached behind herself and found a piece of statuary to lean against and tried to remember what she had been thinking about when Sirius came out to the garden.

Sirius took a step back and surveyed his handiwork. This one was so innocent and sweet. He peeked at her neckline and admired the roundness he saw there. He cleared his throat. “I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that.”

Her eyes opened and he watched a look move across her face, telling him that he was forgiven for any trespass. She was somehow eager as well. Delightful. She would do anything he wanted if he went slowly with her. He needed a distraction.

“You know, I had to move out of my parents' house. They hate that I'm a Gryffindor and that I'm not as in love with pureblood politics as they are.” He stood there, astounded at what he had just blurted out.

The look on Emily's face went from dazed to sympathetic and concerned. “Oh, I'm so sorry.”

“I don't know why I'm bringing it up. You seem so sympathetic.”

“I won't tell anyone or anything like that.”

“It's OK, most of the world knows all about it. My brother certainly does. I'm sure it's all over Slytherin House.”

“So where do you go—?”

“I've been living with Potter. His parents treat me as if I were his brother, unlike those unnatural Blacks. I'll be of age, soon, and then I'll be able to get a flat of my own. I have an uncle who left me a vault full of money. They've no doubt blasted both of us off the family tree for that.”

“Wow, that's a lot to handle while we're still students.” She looked up at him with concern.

He was tempted to kiss her again. But he could see Slughorn coming.

“Hey, this is the Yule Ball, after all, why don't we go dance?” Without waiting for an answer, Sirius took her hand and led her back to the Great Hall. They danced together for the rest of the night, and when it was over, he walked her to the Ravenclaw door. He wouldn't kiss her again but merely pressed her hand as he said good evening. His sparkling gray eyes said what his lips wouldn't, and he noted with satisfaction that he left behind a starry-eyed girl as he went toward Gryffindor tower.

In a quiet hallway a voice asked him, “You see her knickers, yet?” It was James, under his invisibility cloak.

“No, we still haven't even had a proper snog, yet. It's coming, though. It will be a much longer campaign than I'm used to, but all the sweeter for that.”

“Longer than it's taken me to get with Evans?”

Sirius laughed. “Nothing is that long, Mate. Any luck on that front?”

“Every time I went to ask her to dance, she set me up with a different wallflower. I'm pretty sure some of them weren't even Gryffindors.”

---

Emily felt as though she were pulled in two directions during the weeks that followed. She often found a pair of gray eyes sparkling at her in the Great Hall or when walking to class. She always blushed and couldn't control the smile that spread over her face whenever she was in the same room as Sirius Black. He always had a devil-may-care grin on his face and at times seemed to be looking right at her.

On the other hand, study sessions with Severus were a bit tenser. After his seventeenth birthday that winter, he spoke more and more often about joining the group of people who worked so much in the dark arts. Emily could almost see his once sweet eyes turning more and more hollow and empty.

One day, just before Valentines, however, they finished up their homework and were laughing over some of the couples they knew were trying to match up. The old warmth was back in Severus's eyes and Emily just stared at him for a few moments under her eyelashes. Really, Severus could be a bit of a catch with his lovely eyes. His mouth was interesting, too. She imagined that mouth kissing her as Sirius's had and decided it might be just as thrilling. And his hands—what would it be like to have those long, gentle fingers touching one? Add that quiet voice to the mix...

“What?” Severus was looking at her intently.

“What, what?”

“You shivered. Are you cold?”

“Oh, no, I just had an odd thought...”

His look became speculative. She didn't really like that look. It was like a command to tell him everything. It was almost as if he were trying to find out what she was thinking, like he was probing her mind. She broke the stare and picked up her bag.

“I guess, since we're done, we should get back to our houses.”

“Yes.”

Emily gathered up her books and walked back to Ravenclaw. It didn't do any good to think about what she was thinking about. Even if she didn't have a thing with Sirius, and she didn't know what to call it, Severus was dead gone over Lily. Lily should take a better look at what she was passing up.

“I was hoping I would find you here.”

Sirius Black was standing on the staircase between the fourth and fifth floors. He walked up the stairs with her and then grabbed her elbow, steering her into a classroom.

“Emily, I was hoping we could talk for a minute or two.”

“OK, talk.”

“I really like you.”

“Really?” There she was, blushing and smiling way too much, again.

“Really.” Suddenly he was kissing her again. There was her fourth kiss ever, and her fifth and sixth and tenth. The toll rose higher than she could count and then his tongue slid across her lips again, but this time she found her mouth opening to him and her tongue was—oh, she hoped her breath was all right—her tongue was moving with his. His hands were sliding around her back and pulling her close, not tightly, but close.

When he released her, she just stood there, breathing heavily. Finally she looked up at him.

“So, Em, will you be my girlfriend?”

“Y-yes Sirius, I really like you too.” She caught her breath and smiled at him again. He was already beaming that smile of his at her. Sirius took her school bag and walked her to the Ravenclaw door. When they reached the Eagle door knocker, he brushed his lips over hers in farewell. He watched her into the door and walked back toward the Fat Lady.

“That was entirely too easy,” said a voice beside him in the hallway.

“Potter! How long have you been watching?”

“Long enough that I thought we were both going to see the color of her knickers for sure, tonight.” James pulled his cloak off.

“I don't think she's that kind of girl, Prongs.”

“Then why do you bother? I thought you only date one kind of girl.”

“She's just so nice. She smiles every time I catch her eye.”

“So you're not going to shag her?”

“Oh, I'm definitely going to shag her, but probably not this school year. Maybe not next year, either. And James,”--He looked seriously at his friend--“you are not invited to watch. Hopefully by then you will have your own girl.”

“Ah, if it could only go from your mouth to Evans's ear!”