It had become glaringly obvious that I had lost weight over the summer. My waist was much thinner, my face was narrower, my thighs were slimmer, I had dropped two clothing sizes, and many other physical changes had occurred which led to this conclusion.

I looked like an entirely different person.

It really was no shock when I walked onto the Hogwarts Express and none of my friends recognised me. Well, none of them aside from Miranda, who waved me into the carriage with a smile when she spotted me.

"How was your summer, Moran?" she asked excitedly, slightly bouncing in her seat. I simply grinned at the bubbly girl, shaking my head at her overly-excited nature.

"It was good. Percival and Gwaine finally moved out, so Guinevere and I got separate rooms. Galahad was attacked by Ms O'Malley's cat, although I'm pretty sure he riled it up first," I rattled off a few of the events that had occurred.

Llewelyn and Connors, who sat across from Miranda and I,  shared a look before putting on their "interrogative face" as I liked to call it.

"Moran, what on Earth have you not been eating?" Connors asked, most likely meaning to come across as teasing or concerned? I couldn't be sure. I simply rolled my eyes light-heartedly with a sigh.

"You know Adam, my muggle cousin?" I asked, glancing at the chipping polish on my fingernails. The girls nodded, showing me they knew who I was talking about. "He made a bet that I couldn't survive a week without fizzy drinks. I took it further and eliminated fizzy drinks, candy, and sweets from my diet. I took up running too," I motioned my hands to myself, "This was the result."

Miranda grinned brightly, now stomping her feet in excitement. "That's awesome!" She exclaimed, restraining herself from throwing her arms around me and squeezing me to death. I laughed slightly at her. The girl was always so excitable.

Our moment of fun was soon interrupted by the forceful opening of our carriage and the entrance of one of the school's biggest drama queens. Miranda released me upon the arrival of our somewhat unwelcome guest. He searched the carriage frantically, squeezing himself between me and the wall of the carriage.

"If anyone asks, I've been in here bothering you," Sirius said, watching the carriage door very closely. Miranda, Llewelyn, Connors and I shared a look.

"I'm going to the snack cart," Llewelyn announced. Connors followed after her, shooting me a smirk as she did so. Sirius hauled himself onto the seat across from me and Miranda, watching the door as he did so.

"They are such witches!" Miranda complained, acting as if Sirius Black hadn't busted into our carriage and seated himself across from us. I rolled my eyes with a smile.

"Miranda, it's Sammy and Jenna. What do you expect?" I asked, watching the hyper girl as she clenched her skirt into her fists.

"Oh shit, here we go! Talk to me!" Sirius called out, finally facing us. Miranda laughed at that, her fists unclenching and reaching to clutch her chest. Sirius and I faked a hearty laugh along with her.

The door was forced open again and a furious Severus Snape stormed in followed by an equally as fuming Lily Evans. Miranda was shocked into silence by their angry presences, and slowly, Sirius and I stopped laughing.

"Sirius Black, what have you done?" Lily shouted, red blooming in her face. Miranda and I shared a look, both wide-eyed due to the outburst.

I looked over both Lily and Snape, not seeing what Lily was going at Sirius about. Then, the distinct lack of silver and green that was replaced by gold and red caught my eye. Sirius had charmed Snape's robes to don Gryffindor colours!

I subtly motioned for Miranda to look at Snape's robes. She glanced at them, taking a double take and slapping her hand over her mouth to stifle giggles. I jabbed her sharply in the side and turned to Lily.

"Lily," I spoke up, diverting the girl's attention to me, "It was James, not Sirius. Sirius has been with us since he got on the train." Lily gasped then, storming out of our carriage. Snape followed behind her with a sigh.

I rolled my eyes, turning my attention to Sirius, who was already watching me with a hint of a smirk on his lips.

"I owe you one, Moran," Sirius said. I shook my head at his nonsense.

"No, you don't."

"Uh yeah, I do. What can I do to pay you back?"

"Nothing."

Sirius leaned forward, smiling coyly.

"Oh, I'll think of something."

——

When faced with the familiar feeling of discomfort toward my self, I was one to hide away in a quiet place to find peace and comfort. Often times, I found myself going into the library and sitting in a lonesome corner, working on essays or reading to pass my time. I had done so even before Hogwarts had taken over my life.

Now, even as a fourth year, I still sought comfort in the silence permeated by the smell of old books. However, it seemed that this time, I wouldn't be able to feel comfort in my most comfortable place; Sirius Black wouldn't allow it.

"I've thought of something," he said, lazily plopping into the chair across from me. I sighed, looking up from my book. "I'm going to take you out on the best Hogsmeade date of your life."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"Sirius, that's ridiculous. I've already told you that you needn't pay me back. I'm sure you would've lied for me as well," I said, crossing my arms on the table. Sirius shook his head.

"Nope. We're going on that date, and you will love it," he stated, holding out a hand, "What say you?" I sighed, making a show of relenting by shaking his hand. Sirius then manoeuvred his hand so that he could hold mine properly and intertwined our fingers.

"What are you doing?" I asked, feeling the rhythm of my heart speeding up and my cheeks beginning to flush. Sirius smirked.

"Giving you a preview of our date."

——

While I quite enjoyed being on a date with Sirius, I knew deep down inside that he was only doing this to return a favour—which I insisted he didn't have to, but Sirius never listened to me. Sirius had a string of girls lined up to go on a date with, and so I knew this was nothing special for him. For me, it meant a lot, but I would never tell him that.

He still saw me as that chubby girl that tripped over a step and fell on top of him in second year. There was no way he could ever have seen me as anything more because, well, it just simply wasn't possible. Therefore, this date meant nothing to him; it was a simple pleasantry to return a favour.

I sighed dejectedly, plucking a pack of magical playing cards off a shelf. Sirius had insisted that he needed prank supplies, so the only sensical thing to do was go to Zonko's. As soon as we entered the joke shop, I made my way to a rarely-seen corner of the shop and hid away there, hoping to calm my racing heart.

I knew thinking this date was real would do me no good, yet when Sirius had taken my hand and led me inside, I allowed myself to believe—for a brief moment—that it was all real. That was a very dangerous thing to do. If I continued to do so, nothing would stop me from feeling broken-hearted when all of this was said and done.

"Of all the things in this shop, you want playing cards? Really, Moran?"

Startled, I put the cards back on the shelf and turned to the intruding man.

"What's the difference between magical playing cards and muggle ones? Do these do magic tricks for you?" I asked, hoping to get my mind off his overwhelming presence. Sirius considered my question, watching me closely, before plucking the cards off the shelf.

"I'll buy them and let's find out," Sirius said, offering me a rare smile, which did nothing to calm my racing heart. Great. I'd gone and let my feelings cloud my mind again, and so when this date was over, I would be broken-hearted.

I shook my head, reaching to take the cards from him. "Sirius, you don't have to do that," I insisted. The stubborn boy only smirked wider and shook his head.

"Of course I do! What kind of date would this be if I let you buy everything? Let me be a gentleman for once," he said imploringly, taking my hand in his free one and dropping his smirk. I sighed. He always knew how to persuade me.

"You're not a gentleman to all your other dates?"

Then, his smirk was back.

"Well, I'm not trying to impress all my other dates."

I scoffed. There was no way he was being serious about this. No bloody way. Sirius Black only wanted to repay me for covering for him on the train.

"Surely you're not being serious." Sirius sent me a look of mock offence.

"I am Sirius!" He exclaimed in his dramatic little way, "And don't call me Shirley!" I rolled my eyes good-naturedly.

"I'll bet you say that to all your dates," I replied. Sirius sighed, the fun bleeding from his eyes. I felt a momentary sense of remorse.

"Come on, love. I'll pay for your cards and we'll go back to the castle."

——

"I swear Slughorn hates me because of that stupid remark I made about his fat arse back in second year. He gave me a bloody T," Sammy remarked, burying her face in her hands, "My parents will actually murder me!" Llewelyn laughed, stabbing a chunk of waffle with her fork as Connors' hair fell into her syrup. Miranda, ever the wonderful friend, pulled Sammy's hair out of the syrup.

"Well," I began, swallowing my waffle, "Maybe you could offer to scrub a cauldron or two for a higher grade." Sammy looked up, mouth agape.

"No! That's too hard!" She insisted, picking up her sticky hair and inspecting it. Jenna sighed, rolling her eyes.

"What did you do this time, Black?"

I turned around, only to be faced with Sirius Black's stomach as he stood directly behind me.

"Scoot over. I need to speak with Moran."

Cautiously, Jenna scooted over, throwing me a curious glance. I simply watched as Sirius straddled the bench between Llewelyn and me in order to face me. Miranda and Sammy struck up a barely-there conversation to subtly listen to whatever Sirius had to say. Jenna didn't even try to pretend to not listen.

"I want to take you on another date."

I raised my eyebrows incredulously, blinking in disbelief. Surely he couldn't still feel obliged to pay me back for the prank. Surely the date was enough.

"Sirius, the one date was enough. You can't still mean to pay me back. A simple lie isn't worth all this," I replied, watching Sirius' expression blank. I frowned, raising an eyebrow.

Miranda and Sammy stopped their fake conversation and stared at me with open mouths. Confused, I turned back to my food and pushed the waffle around on the plate.

Sirius left the table abruptly, storming out of the Great Hall.

"Was it something I said?" I asked, looking around at my friends for an answer. Llewelyn scoffed.

"Moran, he asked you out. You just rejected him."

Suddenly, I understood. Helga, Sirius really did like me. I dropped my fork.

"Oh, shit."

——

After my rejection, Sirius had taken to avoiding me. Of course he had; he was a bloody drama queen.

Eventually, I'd had enough of Sirius' childishness, and roped Remus, James, and Peter into helping me out. This time, I had something to make up for, and I wouldn't—no, I couldn't let this opportunity slip me by.

I sighed, drumming my fingers on the table. Three of the four Marauders had promised to have their fourth member here five minutes ago. They understood how important this was to me; I'd made sure they knew.

Then, the loud sound of James' voice filled The Three Broomsticks, and pure anxiety began to fill me. Depending on how this went, Sirius would either hate me and leave, or he would stay. There was no way of knowing.

I swallowed thickly and played with my fingers as the boys' voices grew closer. I knew what I had to do. I had to confront Sirius and set everything straight. I knew this wouldn't be easy, but it was necessary. I needed answers. I needed confirmation that Sirius wasn't just playing around with my feelings; I needed to understand what his true intentions were.

Sirius was shoved into the seat across from me.

"We'll be in the booth behind you. Don't think of leaving, Sirius, or we'll do something drastic to your socks," Remus said. Sirius finally looked at me. He froze in his seat, entirely surprised by my presence, and even more so by the shy smile I offered him.

James patted Sirius on the back before following Remus to the booth behind us.

Sirius began to look around, quite obviously avoiding my eyes.

I cleared my throat to gain his attention, but Sirius did nothing more than turn his head toward me, still not meeting my eyes. I recalled my rehearsed speech to the forefront of my mind.

And so, I began, "I know this isn't an ideal second date," his eyes snapped to mine then, confusion flourishing in his irises, "but I wasn't sure how else to go about it considering..." I trailed off, clearing my throat again. Sirius still watched me curiously, intent on listening to every word I spoke.

"Anyway, I wasn't sure that you actually liked me, which is why I rejected your offer of a second date. You see, I've liked you for quite a while now. It's just that I was really chubby back then and I felt unattractive, and I thought that if I told you, you would laugh at me or let me down gently." Sirius opened his mouth as if to protest, but I shook my head.

"Let me finish, then you can say whatever you'd like," I asserted. Sirius closed his mouth and nodded for me to continue. I gave him a small smile. "When you came to me with the offer of a date as a way of repayment for my lying for you on the train, I thought it was simply...that. Repayment. The entire date, I kept reminding myself that you wouldn't be going on the date with me otherwise."

I let out a gentle laugh, realising how dumb I had been to assume and not ask.

"When you offered the second date, I honestly thought you were still trying to pay me back for the train. I didn't understand why you would want to date me—honestly, I still don't," I paused briefly, swallowing thickly. Sirius leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on the table.

"But when I figured it all out, I kept trying to talk to you, but you would turn the other way every time I came near. You were avoiding me as if I were a problem you didn't want to face. I knew I had to talk to you. If I didn't, I would go through the rest of the year with a burden on my chest, and I would have a lot of unanswered questions." Sirius furrowed his brows, looking away shamefully. "I went to Remus after Astrology, and I told him that I needed him to find a way to get you here to meet me, and I had something really important I needed to discuss with you, but you wouldn't let me talk to you. And now we're here."

I cleared my throat again, playing with my fingers under the table. "I think I've made everything clear, and now I would like some answers, Sirius. Normally, I wouldn't be this assertive—I'm a Hufflepuff, for Helga's sake!—but this is the only way I could get you to talk to me, so please talk to me."

It was Sirius' turn to clear his throat. He slowly leaned back in his chair, running a hand down his face.

"We've reversed the roles, love. I'm supposed to be the Gryffindor, but I've been a right Hufflepuff by avoiding you. You're a Hufflepuff, but you've grown some Gryffindor bravery to put all this together."

I sighed, burying my face into my hands.

I was wrong. Of course I would be the one to jump to some ridiculous conclusion that Sirius Black of all people could actually like me back! How ludicrous! How preposterous! Sirius Black could never like me! Just because I'd gone and lost some weight doesn't warrant his affection! Helga, how stupid could I be?

But I was stupid.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, love. You've done absolutely nothing wrong," Sirius said, offering me a gentle—and rare—smile. "I should've just been a fucking Gryffindor and out with it! Instead, I beat around the bloody bush and had you making all sorts of wrong assumptions. I'm sorry, love. I really am."

My head shot up at Sirius' rare apology. He was chuckling lamely at himself, scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, Godric, the mess I've made!" He sighed. Sirius straightened up in his seat, steeling his eyes on mine. "Moran, I've liked you since you tripped on that step and fell on me. I just didn't know what it was. It was like this weird, nauseating feeling in my stomach that made it hard to breathe, and I didn't want to tell you that. I thought I was sick!"

"And I went to tell you so many times, but I always chickened out. I thought that maybe if I went out with other girls, the feeling would go away, but it never did. I left each date feeling like I'd done something wrong—I felt guilty. But when you showed up on the train at the beginning of the year, I knew that if I didn't finally steal you for myself, some other meathead would come in and sweep you off your feet, and I'd be left in the dust. So I pranked Snivellus and ran into your carriage."

Sirius stopped himself and backtracked.

"Just to clarify, your slimmer self is sexy, but I still found you extremely sexy just the way you were. If anything, you're just as sexy as you were before, you've just added a little spice," Sirius said with a smirk.

I felt my cheeks colour pink, and my palms grew sweaty. My heart beat harder, and I could hear my blood gushing in my ears.

"Love, you've always been sexy to me, but I thought other guys—"

"Godric, Sirius! Shut up about the sexy! I think she gets it!" James exclaimed from behind us.

I let out a laugh at the dramatics of James.

"I do understand what you mean, Sirius. Carry on."

Sirius offered me an apologetic smile, but did carry on.

"So, this is our second date, huh?" He asked, his smirk returning to his face. I nodded with a smile. "Then I haven't been a proper gentleman! I'll go get drinks!"

Sirius arose from the table and headed off to the bar. Remus, James, and Peter came around to my booth.

"Looks like you two have everything squared away. We'll be at Honeydukes if you need us. Have fun!" Remus said, walking away. Peter followed him after waving goodbye, but James stayed behind for a moment more.

"When you two have your first baby Padfoot, can I be the godfather?" James asked, sticking out his bottom lip pleadingly. My eyes widened as I spluttered incredulously.

"Sod off, Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, returning to the table just in time and flicking his friend on the back of the head. James laughed heartily.

"Fine, fine! I'll ask in about ten years."

Sirius rolled his eyes, setting a Butterbeer in front of me and settling across from me with one of his own.

"Don't listen to him. I was a mopey sod when you rejected me, and now he's trying to torture us."

I laughed at that. A handsome smile bloomed on Sirius' face. He took a sip of Butterbeer to hide it.

——

EIGHT YEARS LATER

Baby Harry was the most adorable creature I'd ever set eyes on; I wouldn't dare say such a thing to Sirius, though. The way he reached out with his pudgy little hands grabbed onto the nose of whomever was currently holding him, along with his rosy, chubby cheeks and paired with his bright green eyes only cemented my belief.

The only time I couldn't find it within myself to think sweet thoughts about the little guy was when he woke us up in the middle of the night, screaming his little lungs out. In times such as those, I cursed Lily and James for leaving him with Sirius and I, but I did feel an ounce of remorse for the little guy. It was, after all, his first time spending a night away from home, without his parents.

And so, as I cradled the screaming babe to my chest, gently rocking him, I felt a maternal rush of affection seize me for the first time.

"You poor thing, it's okay," I cooed, bouncing him up and down in my arms. The fussy boy still cried, but it was significantly lesser than thirty minutes before. Finally, Harry blinked blearily up at me and reached up with his pudgy hand for my nose. Once his fingers were clasped around my nose, Harry sunk into dreamland. Finally. I sighed in relief and continued to bounce him, just until I was sure Harry wouldn't wake up again.

When I knew it was safe to put him down, I gently pried Harry's little fingers from my nose and lowered him cautiously into his cot. I tucked his little deer stuffy—one Sirius insisted Harry needed—under his arm, and Harry pulled it onto his little chest. I breathed out a sigh of relief and backed away from the cot slowly.I left the room as quietly as possible, leaving the door open a small crack.

A warm hand was placed on my hip, and I knew Harry and I had woken Sirius up too. I sighed out tiredly, leaning against my silent husband.

"I didn't mean to wake you," I whispered, scared anything above a whisper would set Harry off again. I turned on Sirius' arms to face him. Sirius yawned quietly, shaking his head.

"Mini prongs woke me up first. I just followed you when you got out of bed," he whispered in reply. I buried my face into his chest, entirely exhausted. "You know," Sirius began after a moment's pause. Oh Helga, I knew what he was going to say next. "I think we should have a little one of our own." I hummed in acknowledgment, hoping Sirius would understand that I didn't want to discuss having children in the hallway just outside a room with a sleeping baby in it.

Obviously, I had hoped for too much.

"Just think of it, love. Think of little feet running around this empty place, think of the sounds of joyful little giggles as they get up to mischief, think of them asking for one more story even though you've read them five, think of the warmth children could bring to this place. Doesn't it seem a bit large for the two of us? Don't you want to try to fill every room with a little bugger that's half me and half you? Come on, love, think of it."

I let out a muffled groan into Sirius' chest. Only he would think this an appropriate time and place to discuss the prospect of children. Then again, was there really ever a time and place to discuss children?

Sure, I did want to have a baby or more with Sirius, but I felt—fearful, for some reason. Perhaps it was fear for my lack of knowledge in parenting, or other underlying fears relating to my past self? I couldn't be sure. I did want a baby with Sirius. That was the only thing I was sure of.

Sirius brought a hand up to the back of my head and started playing with my hair.

"Love?" He called out softly.

I simply reached up and pressed my lips to his in a gentle kiss. It was enough to slip out of Sirius' arms and go to bed while he released himself of the dazed cloud he was put under.

——

4164 words.

It took me so long to write this, and it still didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped. Oh well.

Anyway, I hope you guys liked it at least!

Here's the hint for the next one:
-Abused the role of Head Boy
The first to correctly guess the hint receives a follow!

By the way, you guys may still request. In order to do so, go to my Request Book, go to the Harry Potter section, and make sure to read the rules and guidelines to request!

ALSO, if I reply with "I'll consider your request," that does not mean I've accepted it. That means I will take it into account and see if I have any inspiration for it. I won't reply anything else if I decide not to write it. I will respond with something like "I've accepted your request!" if I have accepted it. I just wanted to clarify that, as some of you have been confused.

Alright guys, have a lovely rest of your day/night and keep your chin up. This world's getting really crazy. You guys need to hold on for just a little longer, and I guarantee things will be looking up soon.

I love you all!
—Juju