"Let me get this straight; you want to snog me."
"Aha."
"At a party, in front of dozens of people."
"Aha."
"To make your boyfriend jealous."
Lily bit her lip anxiously. "So you'll do it?"
Sirius Black raised his arms over his head in a languid stretch before propping his feet on the desk beside them. "Sure. Why not."
Lily sighed with relief, giving him a thankful grin. "Brilliant. Thank you."
"There's just one problem," Sirius added gravely just as she began to relax.
Her face fell. "Oh?"
"Well," he said thoughtfully, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "I'll kiss you, sure. But what makes you so confident I'm going to invite Johnny boy to this party, anyway?"
Lily frowned, but not too hard, as she needed to remain on his good side. She reached down into the bag by her feet, revealing the jingling money tin and placing it on the desk. She had been hoping she wouldn't have to pay him after all – that he might do this one favour in good faith – and that she and the girls would still be able to afford their gramophone. So much for that plan...
Sirius dropped his feet from the table as she opened the lid and he leaned forward in his seat to examine the contents.
"Forty galleons," she said proudly, pushing the tin closer to him. "Rumour has it you've been denied your inheritance. I'm sure this is more than enough incentive to invite John to the party."
He released a low whistle, fingering a few of the coins before dropping them back into the tin. "Yes, this will do nicely. Very nicely."
Lily tried hard not to sneer. "Spend it wisely," she told him curtly instead. "It was supposed to be a gramophone for my dorm."
"Will do," he grinned, reaching out to take the tin. But Lily snatched it away quickly.
"You'll get it all when you've fulfilled your end of the deal."
He narrowed his eyes, falling back into the chair. "So, when do you want to practice?"
Lily scoffed. She should have expected this from Sirius Black. "Very funny. I'm sure you we mange just fine without it." But surprisingly, when she looked back up at him after tucking the tin away in her bag, he did not appear to be smirking in his usual fashion. He looked rather serious. "You really think you need practice?"
"We," he said firmly. "We need practice, not me. You can't really expect to make Johnny boy jealous if he sees us bumping noses."
She laughed. "Are you that bad? Really, with your reputation, I would never have guessed."
He rolled his eyes. "Stand up."
"What?"
He rose sharply to his feet. "Stand up."
She did so hesitantly. His eyes were set determinedly upon her lips and he cocked his head to one side as he towered above her.
"I am not," he said in a deep voice, taking a slow step toward her. "Nor have I ever," he added, coming closer again. Lily gulped as the back of her thighs came in contact with the desk. She was trapped. "Been a bad kisser."
"Oi!"
He laughed as she yelped, dropping back into his chair. "See? It's not comfortable is it - kissing someone you don't know."
