The Girl Who Believed

Sirius' POV

Sirius' POV

"I can't believe you willingly said we will stay back, Prongs!" I exclaimed as we sat in the common room. I wanted to spend some time with Athena.

"Padfoot, we need to let Moony get closer to them," James said, "because if they trust him then they will believe him."

"They already trust him. He is always welcomed to hang out with them. It's been hours and they are still hanging out together," I said.

"Guys, how about we grab the invisibility cloak and go see what they are talking about?" Peter suggested.

"That's actually not a bad idea, Wormtail," I said then looked at James.

"Fine, let me go get it and get the map in case we need it when we come back," James said and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please," I scoffed. "As if they will stay past curfew."

James just rolled his eyes and went to our dormitories to get the stuff. Just as he came back we heard laughter coming from outside and the portrait door opened. The girls and Remus came in and they were laughing. I looked at Athena stunned. She has a beautiful laugh, like music to my ears. The way she crunches her pretty little nose and lean forward while laughing is cute. The twinkle in her beautiful eyes makes them look like stars.

Once she saw me she stopped laughing. I wish she didn't stop. I want to make her happy, not sad. God, I shouldn't have gone on with the bet. I wish I called it off and stayed with her. Instead I broke her heart and now she can't stand me. I wanted to fix it and try to get back to her but, I was ashamed. Remus and the boys knew my feelings for her. When I mustered up the courage last year to pursue her, Remus stopped me.

He said that I have to be patient and be sure that she's over what happened. This year though, when I saw her on the train, I couldn't hold it any longer. She's grown even more beautiful than she was. She changed for the better. She is more outgoing and confident now and has amazing friends, I'm proud of her for achieving that. I just can't wait any longer.

"Hey, how was your little picnic?" James asked.

"It was fun," Caroline said, looking at Remus. I don't know why Remus doesn't ask her out already. He likes her and it's obvious that she likes him.

"That's great! What did you talk about?" I asked Athena.

"Stuff," she said.

I moved to the side of the couch making space for her to sit down.

"Tell me," I said patting the spot next to me. She raised her perfect eyebrow.

"Girls, let's put our stuff up and head to dinner," Lily said.

And with that she left with her friends.

"Details. Now!" I demanded from Remus.

"What did you do today?" he asked me.

"What did I do?" I asked confused.

"Well, I managed to successfully say something about James," Remus said and James pumped his fist into the air. "YOU, however, I didn't even get to finish the sentence before she cut me off. She said that you were picking a fight for no reason."

"Well, she and that Hufflepuff were flirting! What did you expect me to do?"I asked, the memory making me angry again.

"I expect you to keep a level head. You can't just glare at any boy who talks to her and pick fights with her and expect her to be happy about it," Remus said.

"They were flirting!" I exclaimed again. Remus sighed.

"I understand how you feel, but Remus is right. You need to keep your cool," James said. I sighed.

"What do you suggest I do?" I asked, "And don't say give her time, because I can't do that anymore."

"Show her you care," Remus said.

"You don't think I'm trying? She isn't talking to me and when I try talking to her she either glares at me or ignores me," I said.

Just then the girls came down and they were chatting.

"That's so cute and romantic," Athena awed.

"I know right, I really hope it's Nick. She's had a crush on him for 2 years now, right?" Caroline said.

The girls completely ignored us and headed for dinner.

At dinner, I decided not to give up and go sit with them. Remus tried to stop me but I told him I will sit beside her whether he comes or not. So, he came anyway saying that he wants to make sure I don't do something stupid again. Smart guy.

The boys and I surrounded the girls like everytime and Lily and Athena groaned.

"Hey, kitten," I smiled as I sat beside her. She glared at me. Adorable.

"So, Athena, what was the romantic gesture you and the girls were talking about?" Remus asked, distracting her from glaring at me. I don't know if I should be upset or thankful.

"Remember Lydia? My muggle friend I told you about? Well, yesterday was her birthday and she received a gift from a secret admirer with a card and a bouquet of roses. There was a poem in the card. It's so cute. We are trying to figure out who the secret admirer is, though." she said with a smile.

"That's sweet," Remus commented.

"Yeah, I hope it's Nick," Lily said, "She's had a crush on that guy for 2 years. Last time I saw him I caught him looking at her a couple of times."

"You know this Lydia girl?" asked James.

"Yes, Ay lives close to me so we visit each other regularly and I know all of her friends. They became mine, too," said Lily.

"Do they know about the wizarding world?" asked Peter, curiously.

"Yes," said Angela, "They are really accepting and sweet. Caroline and I met them a few times when we visited Lily and Ay."

"They are," Caroline agreed.

After dinner, I decided to apologize to Athena. On our way back I stopped her and asked to talk to her.

"What do you want, Black?" she asked.

"I just want to talk to you for a minute. Alone," I said.

"No," she said and turned to leave.

"Please."

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of everyone. There are no secrets between us," she said.

"Fine, I want to apologize," I said. Everyone, except Remus, stood still. I almost never apologize.

"What did you just say?" she asked, shocked.

"I'm sorry about today. In herbology. I shouldn't have acted that way," I said nervously. I'm really shitty with apologies.

"Okaay? Um.. alright. Just don't do it again," she said then grabbed the girls and left quickly.

I sighed.

"Finally, you do something right," Remus said smiling like a proud father.

"Oh shut up. Let's go to the dorms," I said, "I have an idea."

"I hope it's a good one. Because I have a feeling that if Athena forgave you and you guys get together then Lily will give me a chance," James said and I rolled my eyes.

"Let's go to the dorm, and we will discuss it there."