Sirius sat in the Gryffindor common room during his free period, his mind going over what had happened at breakfast. Hugging Pitch had not been his idea, but when he did hug her, he'd felt a kind of... spark, which ran through his body. He'd brushed it off, assuming it had been a static shock, but when Pitch had let go so hastily... Sirius didn't know how to explain it. It felt like he was missing something now.

"Hey, Pads, you alright?" James asked, sitting down next to Sirius and breaking him away from his thoughts.

"Yeah...yeah I think so," Black replied hesitantly, before looking up at James.

"Did you feel a sort of... well, I don't know... shock when Pitch hugged you?" he asked his bespectacled friend carefully. James shrugged, a smirk spreading into his face.

"No, but I have to admit, her body pressed up against mine was pretty hot," he answered cockily, sending a cheeky wink over at his best mate. A low growl resonated through the room, and it took a while for both boys to realize it was coming from Sirius.

"Whoa, mate, chill. What is with you?" Prongs exclaimed, though he had a large smirk on his face. The strange, bizarre jealousy that pumped through Sirius's veins just wouldn't settle; even though he knew James was hopelessly in love with Lily, Sirius was almost livid at the thought of his mate with Pitch.

"I'm fine, James, I'm fine. But you and Pitch? Not a chance. None at all," Padfoot managed to say through gritted teeth, attempting to keep his tone playful. Of course, James could see the jealousy, and his entire face lit up suspiciously.

   Oh crap.

"Really? Well, let's have a little bet then. As you know, they're holding a Halloween dance this year, like Dumbledore said at the beginning of the year, and it's in 10 days. The first one to kiss her before then, tongue and all, wins 10 Galleons in cash and the loser has to buy the winner 5 Galleons worth of whatever the winner wants. Seems like a fair prize, don't you think?" he asked, smirking slightly at his friend's obvious discomfort. James didn't believe Sirius was up to it, but it was all going to plan so far.

"What's the catch?" Sirius asked warily, not trusting his mate's plan at all. And for good reason. James had to think for a minute or two -a dangerous task for him- before answering the question.

"The rules. Number one: the deadline is midnight, October 31st. Number two: you have to date her for a month before breaking up. Number three: no girls in between. And number four, you cannot tell a soul outside of the Marauders of our plan. Breaking the second, third and fourth rules means you instantly lose, breaking the first rule just delays it," Prongs replied, now grinning. He had to take it... Padfoot had to take the bet... James hoped so, anyway. Sirius groaned loudly, exhaling in defeat. To be honest, it was the thought of getting 5 Galleons worth of Honeydukes that swayed him.

"Fine, for Godric's sake, I'm in. As Wormtail is our witness, I will win this bet," he swore, plastering a smug grin on his face, though it was very fake. He and James shook on the bet, and Sirius retreated to the boy's dormitory with Peter close behind him.

   James remained in the Common Room, and he instantly went over to Remus, who had been studying in a quiet corner.

"Moony, he agreed!" James chuckled, watching his friend's face light up. Remus almost started squealing, he was that excited.

"Sheesh, Rem, it's not that exciting," Prongs laughed, calming the hyper boy down.

   It worked. Kinda.

"You really think it's going to work though? There are plenty of flaws, we can only somewhat guarantee Sirius's side, but Pitch, not so much," Remus pointed out, and James had to admit, it was true.

"Hey, don't sweat it, it'll definitely work. It's foolproof!" James said reassuringly, though it was more to convince himself than anything.

"I know it's foolproof," Remus sighed. "But is it Sirius-proof?"

"They're practically made for eachother, Moons. It's gonna work," Padfoot said firmly, though he fell silent when he heard footsteps on the dormitory stairs.

"Hey, what you guys talking about?" Sirius asked, coming down from the dorm with a smile on his face. James and Remus quickly plastered on grins and turned to face their friend.

"The bet. I've explained the rules to Moons, and he's going to referee," James lied smoothly, glancing at Moony. Sirius nodded, grinning brightly, but he said nothing.

"Come on, we have to go to the next lesson, free period is over," Remus said, breaking the silence. The boys reluctantly grabbed their things and left the comfortable common room, sluggishly heading to class.

   A week later, Pitch pulled Remus aside whilst they waited outside of the Transfiguration classroom with a serious look on her face.

"Hey, Remus? What's going on with Black and Potter? They're acting really strange," she said softly, glancing around for the two idiots as she spoke.

"Stranger than normal?" Remus asked with a thoughtful frown, "Is that even possible?"

"Yes! They've been flirting with me, insisting on opening doors and pulling out chairs for me. Always helping me carry my books, and generally just keeping me company. It's not normal for them!" Pitch exclaimed indignantly. In her mind, there had to be some alterior motive. There was no way they were just being nice.

   Remus looked as though he was deep in thought, before up with the strangest conclusion.

"Maybe they just genuinely like you," he suggested, and his tone of voice implied that he was being serious. Pitch's eyes widened with disbelief.

"What are you smoking, mate? Because, one, I want some, and two, it is impossible for them to 'like' me. Potter has a thing for Lily Evans, and Black has a pick of any girl here... out of the ones he hasn't already slept with. And I wouldn't want my first time to be with an obnoxious idiot like them," Pitch said snappishly, not really realising what she had said. When it dawned on her, her cheeks went bright red, and she spluttered, trying to redeem herself. Remus simply looked at her cryptically.

"Hmm, so you're less like Sirius than I thought," he muttered thoughtfully. Thankfully, Pitch was saved by the arrival of Professor McGonagall.

   Everyone started filing into the final class of the day, and Pitch was just about to take her usual seat near the back with Rita, when Peter Pettigrew slid into her place.

"S-sorry Pitch. I invited him to sit next to me today," Rita explained hurriedly, a dark pink tinge spreading across her rounded cheeks. Pitch merely shrugged off her annoyance and looked around for an empty seat. Murphy's Law, the only empty one left happened to be next to Black. With a groan, she reluctantly took the seat.

"Hello gorgeous," Black whispered, winking at her, which earned him a sharp glare. Pitch turned back to listen to McGonagall, who was talking about some Halloween Dance.

"This year, Professor Dumbledore has, for some absurd reason, in my opinion, decided to hold a Halloween Dance, instead of just the usual feast. There will be a Talent Competition, a Costume Contest, and apparently a special midnight surprise. He also apologizes for the change of plans at such short notice," the Professor said, wrinkling her nose up at the idea. Pitch was convinced the old witch was against all sorts of fun.

   Students started whispering excitedly amongst themselves, but Pitch's face fell slightly. She had no talent, or a single decent costume, or even an idea. What was she going to do?

"So, Pitch, what are you gonna go as?" came a smirk-tainted voice from beside her. Pitch rolled her eyes, and turned to face the owner of the voice.

"If I was going to tell anyone, Black, I certainly wouldn't tell an arrogant, idiotic toe-rag such as yourself. You would probably stalk me the whole time if you knew, like you have been for the past week," Pitch replied coolly, giving him an icy look.

   Transfiguration slowly drained the young girl's energy, and by the time the class was over, Pitch was nodding off on her desk.

"Miss Pitch, would you be so kind as to remove yourself from my classroom? I have papers to grade," McGonagall said suddenly, standing in front of Pitch's desk and sounding rather irritable.

"Sorry Professor," Pitch apologised, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, before shoving her things into her bag and leaving.

   Ten days. That was all she had to find a talent, and a costume. Ten days to pull together something decent. She was screwed.

"Hey, Pitch! Need help with your books?" Potter asked suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. He and Black had appeared on either side of her, goofy grins on their faces. She sighed and stopped abruptly, sending glares to both of the boys.

"I do not need your help. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. So could you please... LEAVE ME ALONE!" she snapped harshly, yelling the last part and resuming a brisk walk away from the dumbstruck idiots.

   She needed to find a talent. Fast.

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