Detention

3

Two weeks of detention. McGonagall - although surprised and hiddenly amused by the original and seemingly truthful excuse Iris had come up with - had decided after hearing both explanations that the two Gryffindors had come up with that they would both be serving after school detentions for a fortnight.

On the way back from McGonagall's office that night Iris walked in silence with Sirius trailing behind her by a few steps. Sirius was wondering why the news about the detention had seemed to shake Iris so much. When McGonagall had said it he noticed her face pale considerably and her hands began shaking. The almost playful atmosphere that Iris and he had shared moments prior to McGonagalls arrival seemed to disappear quickly and he wondered if it was more than just a do-gooders fear of getting in trouble that had caused her to be so . . . terror-stricken.

"Hey Smith, are you actually going to tell me your first name or am I just going to call you Smithy for the rest of the year?" Sirius asked as he quickly caught up with her fast pace, noticing the tremble in her hands was still there.

"Who said we'd be talking after tonight Black?" She asked with a forced playfulness and it was easily detectable though Sirius ignored it, thinking he was in no position to pry in on her life when he knew nothing about her.

"I told you, I'm going to make you see me differently." He said matter-of-factly and Iris quirked an eyebrow and gave him a fleeting side glance.

"And why do you want to change the way I see you? I don't even know you." Iris asked and Sirius shrugged.

"You interest me, so I will make your opinions change Smith." He sounded so confident and Iris wouldn't admit it but she was intrigued and wanted to know more about why the bad boy of the school wanted to change her mind. After all, everyone thought he prized himself on his rough exterior and the amount of girls he could snog within a week. Apparently his record was thirteen.

"Everyone is entitled to an opinion, Black"

By the time their short conversation came to a somewhat close, both teenagers had reached the fat lady's portrait and stopped in front of it while she looked down on them from where she stood.

"Why are you two out of bed? You shouldn't be out at this time of night! I do hope you we-" Sirius cut her talking off by almost shouting the password to her which was followed by her quiet grumbling as the portrait hole opened up for them.

Once they were both shut inside the common room, Iris swiftly made her way towards the girls dormitories while Sirius went towards the couches near to the fire where three huddled figures were basically lying on top of each other while they slept. Sirius watched her as she made her retreat and just before she was completely out of sight he shouted after her,

"So how about that first name Smithy?"

He heard stifled laughter before she backed up from her first few steps up the staircase to the dormitories and appeared behind the wall that mostly hid her from sight.

"You'll have to earn it Black."

Then she was gone and he was left slightly stunned as he walked towards his friends who had appeared to have fallen asleep while tracking someone on the Marauders Map that they were still in the process of completing.

Just after Sirius picked up the discarded map from the floor by Peter Petigrew's feet and began walking towards his own dormitories, he heard a quiet meow and an all black cat walked in from the direction of the portrait hole. It stopped to look at Sirius for a moment, it's piercing green eyes stared straight into his and held his stare like it was looking for something, then it seemed to loose interest or find whatever it was looking for and stalked away from him. He watched it make its exit as it went in the direction of the girls dorms and then shrugged his shoulders, ignoring the cats weird behaviour and then continued going towards his room.