All the Time in the World | Sirius Black

12. Friendly Company

With Slughorn's Christmas Party coming around the corner, I got a lot of unnecessary attention from the boys around the school. It reminded me of the Yule Ball during my third year. Boys from all grades, even first years, would stare at me as Lily and I would pass in the halls. Giggling groups of girls would pass by male participants of the Slug Club.

"These boys are mental," I gasped as Lily and I scurried away from a group of them.

"I heard Regulus Black is going to ask you to the party," Lily gossiped.

"As in Sirius's younger brother?" I said. Lily vigorously nodded. "No way, I'm not going to go with him!"

"Who are you going to go with then?" Lily asked.

"I have no idea," I groaned as we made our way to lunch.

The table was empty on either said of us, leaving Lily and I to talk freely amongst ourselves. We spoke about who our prospective dates could be and who we definitely didn't want to bring.

"You have options, I don't," Lily popped a grape into her mouth.

"Options? You're the one with two boys fawning over you," I scoffed. Lily raised a brow at me. "Potter and Snape!"

"Aurora!" Lily threw one of her grapes at me.

"Don't 'Aurora' me! You know I'm right!"

"I reckon Sev fancies you more than he does me," Lily took a sip of her pumpkin juice, "and you have Sirius."

"Like I'd bring him," I mumbled. "He would probably make fun off my dress or complain the entire time— or even worse, embarrass me!"

"No, you have that boy wrapped around your finger—"

"As do you! James would eat bubotuber pus  for you if you batted your eyes," I laughed.

"You are the worse, Pyrites," Lily glared at me.

"Right back at you."

With only a day until the Party, I started to feel the nervousness of finding a last minute date to accompany me to the event. It was just sad if a girl turned up alone to a party. Lily and I were in the same boat, dateless.

We argued back and forth about asking the best friends to be our date; it was almost as if we were the same person. James and Sirius seemed to know our apprehension because every time we'd pass them, they always gave those annoying, knowing smirks. The day after Slughorn's Christmas Party was the full moon so I knew Remus was feeling bad; another reason, I told myself, why it would be a bad idea to ask the boys to the party. Remus needed them more than Lily and I needed partners.

"So I've heard a rumor—"

"I'm going to stop you right there, Lover Boy," I spun to see Sirius looking smug. "Whatever rumor you heard is either fake or false, so I don't want to hear it."

"So you aren't going to the little party alone?"

"Can it, Black," I rolled my eyes and continued my trek to the library.

"Despite me not being in the Slug Club, I reckon you need a date and I would love to fill the position of being it," Sirius said smoothly.

Without looking back at him, I answered slyly, "who says I want you as my date?"

When I heard the lack of footsteps, I knew I stunned him and giggled.

"You, Aurora Pyrites, are an evil woman," Sirius said once he caught up with me.

Although I was on good terms with Severus again, he hadn't accompanied me to the library since then. For the last week I had been by myself, but it wasn't the same loneliness I felt when I isolated myself from my friends. Desperate for some kind of attention I said,