Shooting Star

Chapter Twenty

I passed my test, so I was okay now. Everybody was still being gentle with me, like I should be totally fucked up about my parents. Of course I was a little sad, but I was honestly okay. It was starting to piss me off.
I expected Lily to act like this. I expected Sirius to, to an extent, but he was actually worse than Lily. I expected Remus and James to not, though. I expected them to go back to normal. But no, they treated me like a bloody flower vase. Peter was even nicer than normal, but that could be because he wanted me to not think he was evil. Even the professors were too nice.
It was starting to piss me off.
Normally I didn't exactly enjoy snogging Sirius; it made me uncomfortable. But now every time he kisses me it's all gentle and shit and it's annoying.
If I got up, James followed me. I'd ask what he was doing, and he'd say, "Escorting you, of course." I really didn't need an escort every time I had to pee.
I'd go to ask a teacher a question, and Remus would come. "What are you doing, Remus?" "Just making sure you're okay." Apparently he couldn't check from a distance over three feet.
Whenever I said I was going to get something, Peter would jump up. I left my Potions book in the dungeons, and he went all the way down there to get it.
Lily was constantly by my side, unless one of the boys was with me. If anybody went so far as speaking sharply to me, she glared at them until they walked away.
Even Sev was extra nice. He kept his sarcasm to a minimum (for him, anyway) and didn't try to insult the boys. He didn't try to get me to talk to Lily on his behalf either.
It was really bloody irritating.
Lucius Malfoy was still a prick, though. Who would've thought I'd appreciate that?
So I'd take matters into my own hands.
I went up to the boys' dormitories and snuck up to their room.
James' bed, Remus' bed, and then Sirius'. I shook him gently.
His eyes shot open and he sat up, grabbing his wand from beside his bed.
"It's me." I whispered.
"Oh. Hey." He smiled, reaching out for me.
"No, come with me." I said.
Normally he would have fought for me to stay with him, but since he, like everybody else, was humoring me, he got up and let me lead him out. "What's going on? Are you all right?" He asked as we got in the common room.
"Yeah." I started kissing him.
"Whoa, whoa." He held his hand out, holding me back. "What are you doing?"
"Kissing you, what does it look like?"
"Are you trying to avoid your problems?"
"No." I kissed him hard, like he used to kiss me.
"Bloody hell." He said, and kissed me back.
We did that for a while, and then I kissed him once, gently, and pulled away from him. "Goodnight." I smiled.
"Excuse me?" He grabbed my hand and pulled me back as I tried to walk away.
"That's what you've been doing to me." I shrugged.
"Turn you on and then walk away? No."
"No. You used to kiss me like that. Now you're being all... Nice."
"Was I not nice before?" He smiled and pulled me to him.
"Well, you were. But you weren't, you know, gentle."
"Sorry." He kissed me lightly, his arms loose around me. "I'll do better." He kissed me gently.
"You aren't."
"I'm being gentle!" He said indignantly
"Exactly! Stop!"
He gave me a weird look. "You want me to be... Not gentle?"
"I want you to be like before. Hold me tighter."
He tightened his arms fractionally.
"Tighter!" I wanted to cry.
He pulled me so close that his hands almost reached his sides. "Better?"
"Yes. Thank you. Now kiss me hard."
He kissed me gently.
"Harder, Black."
He kissed me a little bit harder.
"Black."
He smashed his lips onto mine.
"There you go." I smiled, kissing him back.

"You know, Taylor." James said as he stuffed his face with breakfast foods. "I don't like your name."
"Pardon?" I said, and they all stared at him.
"Particularly your last name." He said.
"Pardon?" Sirius said.
I stared at James like he was crazy. "Okay...?"
"I think you should change it." He nodded, sipping his drink.
"Pardon?" Lily said, an exasperated look on her face.
"Oh, really? To what?" I resisted a laugh.
"Black." He nodded. "Yep. Sounds good to me. What about you, Moony?"
"I think it suits her." Remus agreed.
Sirius rubbed his hands over his face, cheeks just as red as I'm sure mine were. "Bloody hell, Prongs."
"Just a suggestion." James shrugged. "What do you say, Taylor?"
Lily stared at him, jaw dropped. Peter looked back and forth between me and Sirius.
"I'll take your suggestion into consideration, but I think someone else should offer their opinion first. Sorry, kid."
"Hey, I'm not kid! I'm older than you!"
"So? Not mentally."
He nodded in agreement. "True."
"Gotta get to class." Sirius said, standing up.
"Aw, James. You embarrassed him." Lily grinned.
"What about you, Evans?" Sirius asked innocently. "Do you wanna change your last name? Lily Potter has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
"You're right, Padfoot! It does!" James said.
Do they have some sort of pact or shit about this?
"I think we should get to class, Pete." Remus said quietly, standing.
"I'll come." I said.
"Me too. Let's go." Lily said.
"I'm coming too." Sirius rushed out after us.
"Oi! Class doesn't start for a quarter of an hour!" James yelled.
Too bad.