A Marauder's Love Story

Chapter 4

We spotted Kyle and Blake waving madly at us as soon as we walked through the great hall doors.

We smiled back and walked quickly to sit next to them. They looked at us suspiciously and Kyle opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted as Professor Mcgonagal marched through the doors with a crowd of nervous first years at her heels.

We turned to watch as one by one, they got called up to a stool, and Mcgonagal placed an old tattered hat on their head.

The sorting hat, it was called, would place them in the school house most fitted to their personality, abilities, and mind.

I grinned and clapped as Jones, Hestia was sorted into Gryffindor. She smiled widely and plopped down from the stool, making her way over to our cheering table.

I glanced towards the end that she sat at and saw James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all sitting there, smiling and welcoming her happily.

I stared for a few seconds, watching them curiously, until Sirius looked up and his eyes met mine. I saw them narrow slightly and I couldn't help but glare back, and quickly look away, not wanting the moment to last much longer.

The sorting ceremony lasted for awhile, and finally ended with Dumbledore's usual words of welcome and reminder of the rules.

I smiled in anticipation as he raised his hands, "And now, my dear children, enjoy the feast!" He said, smiling warmly at us and then turning to sit down with the other professors.

"YES! Finally!" Blake yelled, grabbing at every plate within arms length.

I laughed, my eyes widening slightly as I watched him and Kyle pile a mountain of food onto their golden plates.

"Ew, are you really gonna eat all that?" Gabriela murmured distastefully from beside me.

"Ov- crorse- wee- arth-!" Kyle said, scarfing down a huge piece of chicken along with a spoonful of potatoes.

"EW! Don't talk with food in your mouth... That's disgusting!" Gabriela shouted, turning her face away from him in disgust but still laughing slightly.

I laughed and looked away from them, scrunching up my nose.

"Ew she's right, that's nasty. Didn't your mothers ever teach you table manners?!" I said jokingly, smirking at them.

They grinned back shamelessly and shrugged, looking back down at their plates eagerly. They quickly began shoveling more food into their mouths, not glancing back up at us.

Gabriela wrinkled her face in disgust, "You guys are so... repulsive sometimes, ya know that?" She said disgustedly.

"But you love us anyway!" Kyle sang rather loudly as he gulped down a large sip from his goblet.

I felt someone's stare flicker onto us as he said this, and my eyes quickly met Sirius's piercing gaze, glaring at us from only a few seats down.

I heard Kyle's laughter die down, as he noticed Sirius. "Got a problem, Black?" He yelled to him, the tension in his voice evident as he spoke.

James's hand flickered to his pocket and he slowly began to pull it out, gripping it tightly and watching Kyle with narrowed eyes.

"Don't even think about it, Potter!" Gabriela snapped, her wand completely out and firmly in her hand, but not pointed at anyone. Her eyes were narrowed darkly and I could tell her patience with James and Sirius was wearing thin as she sat rigid and stared coldy at them.

"Put that away...," I whispered, putting my hand lightly on her shoulder, "They're not worth getting in trouble our first night back."

She rounded on me, pulling her shoulder away roughly, and meeting my gaze with her cold stare.

"Who's side are you on, Vanessa? Have you switched sides after just one night of flirting away with Black?" She snapped icily, giving Sirius a moment's glare and then turning her dark eyes back on me.

Kyle and Blake seemed to stiffen at her words and I turned to see their eyes staring at me in what looked like a three way tie between shock, anger, and betrayal.

"What are you talking about, Gabriela?" I asked evenly, turning back to her.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You were practically sitting on his lap in the carriage... And how about running in the rain holding hands? Who knows what else you two got up to," she said furiously, turning her cold stare every few seconds on Sirius and then back to me.

"That was only because of the storm! He was just trying to calm me down because I was upset... nothing else," I said.

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "If you want to be with Black," she started, saying his name disgustedly and glancing over at him for a moment and then back at me, "that's your choice... but just know that you won't be seeing us too much then."

"No... I don't want to be with Black! I would never do that... not after what he did to you guys," I said turning to Kyle and Blake. "Black is nothing to me. I hate him just as much as you guys do!" I said honestly, searching their faces for a reaction.

Both Kyle and Blake's faces seemed to soften a bit. They seemed to believe me as they smiled back slightly and nodded.

"Are you sure you wouldn't ever-?" Blake started, but I held up my hand to stop him.

"I don't like Black, I've never liked Black, and I NEVER WILL like Black...ESPECIALLY like that! In fact I'm pretty sure I hate Black...along with Potter and Lupin...oh and I guess Pettigrew too," I said turning my narrowed gaze on James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, who had been watching our fight silently and glaring at us from their seats.

"Well don't worry then, Brighton, because I've never liked you either...never have...and I never will. You're honestly not worth my time." Sirius said coldly.

I felt my chest tighten at his words and I gave him one last glare before turning back to Kyle, Blake, and Gabriela, who smiled at me, seemingly satisfied by my fight with Sirius.

I smiled back halfheartedly, just enough to convince them that I was over our fight and had moved on like they had.

"Sorry," Gabriela whispered under her breath to me.

I smiled, glancing in her direction quickly. "Just forget about it," I whispered back, watching as Kyle and Blake dug back into their food and mumbling to eachother.

"Ok," she said with slight hesitance. "And you're sure that you don't like him at all?... like not even a little?"

"I promise you, I don't like Sirius Black... He's nothing," I said.

"Except an egotistical, selfish, bloody arsehole," she muttered before turning back to Kyle and Blake with a small smile on her face.

I heard her laugh along with Blake as Kyle cracked a joke that I completely missed. I was just sitting there staring blankly around at the other Gryffindors at the table.

My eyes wandered down to where James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter sat laughing and talking to eachother.

I felt my chest tighten again as Sirius's words echoed in my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder why it bothered me when I knew it shouldn't.