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Genuine Gemini
By: P.P.V.V.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine, but the wonderful J.K.R.'s. I am merely borrowing the characters for this story. This is a standard disclaim.
Summary: For Sirius Black, power is everything and he is not afraid to use it. Enter Lily Evans, whose only desire is to be invisible, but uncovers the horrible truths that he is hiding. Now, she holds the power in her hands.
Onward.
CHAPTER 1
- Silence -
Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is move on
And the easiest thing to do is forget.
Sirius opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He could see nothing in the darkness and he was glad of that. The curtains were drawn tightly closed – he didn't remember the last time he had opened them. He was so used to groping in the darkness that he never bothered to pull them back.
How strange…he hadn't had that dream for the longest time. In a few moments though, he forgot all about it as he absently made his way to the washroom and cleaned up to go to school.
When he finally stepped out of his dark apartment and into the morning light, he was almost blinded. Sighing, he brushed his bangs away from his face and pulled his helmet on before jumping on his motorcycle and revving away.
The morning breeze felt good, his jacket flapping behind him in a small effort to pull him off his seat. He gripped the handlebars tightly and bent closer to his machine. He was oblivious to his surroundings as he sped past the school gates and down the stretch of land that led toward the main school building.
"Sirius Black!" A shout rang out over the school yard the moment he parked. He turned his head in the direction of the sound and pulled his helmet off, irritated. A few meters away, Professor Slughorn, his homeroom teacher came puffing down the parking lot steps toward him.
"'Morning, Sir!" Sirius greeted, kicking the stand to his bike down and turning the key in the lock before clambering off his vehicle.
"Do you know what time it is?" Slughorn demanded, through gasps of breath.
Sirius scratched his cheek. "Uh…"
"How dare you be late for the first day of school!"
"Was that what it was today?" Sirius wondered aloud, hooking his helmet onto the bike securely. When he was done, he clapped the Professor on the shoulder. "Nothing like a good jog in the morning, is there, Sir?" He asked cheerfully. "If you make it a habit of yours every day, you might not have such difficulty keeping up with me."
Slughorn looked indignant, his face turning redder. "Why…you…"
Sirius swept a hand through his hair, which reached his shoulders in length. "Don't you have a class to teach? What are you doing out here?"
The professor seemed to shake himself out of his speechless shock. "What do you mean by coming to school in such a contraption? And at such a high speed too!"
The boy knocked on the vehicle's wheel and sighed. "That's what this baby was meant to do. You can't tell it to go any faster than it was built to." He turned to go to class then, the Professor jogging to keep up, his suspenders threatening to break with the way his stomach bounced up and down.
"T-Tomorrow, you had better not be late Mr. Black." He warned Sirius.
Sirius gave him his most innocent look. "I'll try not to be, Professor. I wouldn't mind the honor of you fetching me again though." He held the door open for them and waited until the teacher had stepped through before stepping in after him.
The school was huge, a place where one could easily get lost if they were not familiar with their surroundings. Luckily for him, Sirius knew the school inside out like the back of his hand. He often wandered the building for the best places to hide and relax where no one would be able to find him.
As soon as the Professor began to walk, Sirius crept away, up to one of these places. He heard Slughorn's cry of rage at seeing his tardy student missing again and the boy chuckled to himself.
The fat bastard.
He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and made his way up to the roof. From there, he could see the whole school property, and then some. It was a sight he had grown accustomed to seeing every day for the past year.
He put a cigarette in his mouth and was about to light it when it was suddenly yanked away from his lips. "Wha…?"
"You should know these things are bad for you."
"Remus."
"I knew I'd find you here." Remus said, smoothly pocketing the cigarette and snatching the rest of the pack from Sirius, who pouted.
"I just wanted one…" When Remus made no move to return them, Sirius swore and leaned over the railing, looking at the distance below him. Fourteen stories up was a long way to fall…. "I couldn't sleep last night." He murmured. "I'm so tired…"
Remus rolled his eyes. "You never sleep."
Sirius shrugged in reply. He lifted a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun, surveying the landscape of the school campus. A few stragglers hurried towards the entrance doorways, rushing to get to class. He watched them for a minute, before turning to his friend again. "How did you know I was up here?"
"Sirius, I can read you like a book." Remus shook his head so that his sand-brown hair obscured one eye from view. Unlike Sirius, who was rugged and dark, he was clean-shaven and pale. He was also a few inches shorter.
Sirius did not respond right away to that, clasping his hands together thoughtfully. "I don't know why I bother to come here…" He said after a while. "I hate this place."
Remus smiled slightly. "This is only your second year. If anyone should hate this place, it would be me. If you don't like it, why not go back to your old school?"
Sirius' fingers tightened around themselves so that his knuckles turned white.
White.
Like the walls.
Like the sheets.
Like his face.
Like….
"Sirius? Hey, Sirius!" Remus shook him and Sirius looked up sharply, taking in a deep breath. "Are you okay?"
Breathe…he told himself, forcing his fingers to relax. The vice-like grip made his hands ache and he rubbed at them, uncertainly. "Yeah…yeah…I think…I need a smoke." The visions dissipated, burying themselves in the folds of his memory as he tried to drown them out.
This time, Remus handed him one, his face pulled back into a worried frown. "You don't look good at all. Maybe you should have stayed home."
The taller boy fumbled with the cigarette before managing to light it and inhale. He let his breath out in a cloud of smoke, and with it, he poured all his problems to blow away with the wind.
They stood on the balcony for a few moments more, in silence as Sirius seemed to be brooding over something but finally, the dark haired boy put the cigarette out and proclaimed himself ready to go to class just as the bells tolled around them, signaling that first period had ended.
He tugged his jacket firmly around his shoulders as they entered the school once more. "At my old school we'd wear uniforms." He informed Remus as they moved down the staircase toward the main floor. "It's too bad they don't here – I miss seeing all the girls in skirts."
Remus chuckled. "You're sick."
"I know." Came the arrogant reply. Then he paused and retreated a step back up. His friend stopped too and glanced in the direction in which he pointed. Two girls had entered the stairwell. One was wearing a pair of jeans, the other, a plain white skirt. "Speak of the devil." A wide grin spread across his handsome features. "Just wait for them to climb the stairs." Sirius said, mischievously.
The girls did not spare them a glance and proceeded to move up the stairs past them and Sirius chanced a peek once they were high enough. Remus rolled his eyes and tugged him along. "Wow…" Sirius was saying, "that was…whoo wee!"
"You really should be suspended." Remus growled lightly as he pushed his way into the hallway. His cheeks were flushed slightly.
Sirius pulled his arm out of his grasp. "Oh, live a little!" he teased. "If the girls didn't want us boys to look up their skirts, then they wouldn't wear them so short."
"You're just begging for a slap." Remus hissed, as they passed a group of girls that were huddled around the hallway's bulletin board where special events were usually tacked. Today, a list of the class room numbers were had been posted. "Hurry up: what do you have now?"
Sirius sighed and reached into his pocket for the timetable he had shoved in there the night before. It was rumpled now, but he could have cared less. "History." He said. "With Professor Binns."
The other boy scanned the bulletin board quickly. "Good. So do I. We're in room 204. If we go now, we could probably grab seats."
"The closer to the door, the faster I can get out." Sirius quipped, stuffing the timetable back into his pocket.
The halls were already packed with students as they moved to queue up for their next class. A few students called out to them, greeting them good morning.
They made their way up to the second floor, pushing past the throngs of people. Sirius' legs were hurting by the time they succeeded, and he felt as though his energy had been completely drained, but he kept his back straight and forced himself to keep moving. It wouldn't do to show people his weakness.
He focused himself instead on following Remus, his eyes trained on the other boy's back. He couldn't wait to get to class suddenly – if he could put his head down and rest for just a moment… "Sirius!" The shout made him look up.
Narcissa.
She had her hands on her hips, a confident smile on her face. "Fancy seeing you at school today." She teased, sliding up to him and slipping her arm through his. Today she wore a white see-through shirt so that the bright pink tube top she wore underneath was clearly visible. Her blond hair fell in waves around her pretty face. "Why didn't you call me during the summer?" she pouted.
He winked, making no move to remove her arm from his. He let himself relax slightly allowing her to hold him up momentarily. "I was busy. Surely you're not the only woman I see."
Narcissa tugged on his arm, giggling. "I'll wait for your call tonight then." She whispered, slipping away just as her boyfriend, Lucius, made his way up to them. She quickly rushed over to him, and threw her arms around his neck.
Remus was narrowing his eyes. "Do you really waste your time with women like her?" he asked.
"I play with girls who ask." Sirius said, shrugging. "Why deny them? I would never do anything to a girl who is unwilling."
"It's a wonder you haven't picked up a girl yet." Remus told him, sarcastically.
"I'll score one today, just you wait." Sirius taunted.
"How much are you willing to bet?"
"A hundred bucks, flat on." Was the immediate response.
"Do I look like I'm made of money?" Demanded Remus.
Sirius tilted his head to the side slightly. "Then you know you'll lose."
Remus rose to the bait. "A hundred it is then. But I've got to choose the girl, or I win by default."
They were interrupted by a cheery voice. "Oh! Placing bets already, I see. You two are so notorious for it."
Sirius sidled away as the newcomer made a move to put him in a headlock. "Pete -"
"-Are you joining any teams this year?" Peter interrupted, falling into step with them.
"Basketball." Reus said, switching his book bag from his left shoulder to his right. "You gonna join too, Sirius?"
"If I don't get paid for it, then my answer is no."
"Cheap ass." Peter whispered good-naturedly, gaining a chortle from the both of them.
A few more girls greeted Sirius, batting eyelashes and giving him alluring smiles. He returned hugs and kisses as they came his way unabashedly, and because of that, they ended up being late for class after all. Professor Binns did not notice though, nor did he seem to care as he was bent over his desk, intent on reading something.
The class, in the meantime, took the opportunity to goof around, talking in loud voices.
All the seats next to the door were occupied and so were the ones at the back. In fact, the only two seats remaining were one at the front and the one directly behind it.
The boys exchanged glances at each other. "This sucks." Remus groaned. "I'm not sitting in the one up front."
"Rock, scissors, paper, then." Sirius said, putting out a fist. "It's only fair.
Naturally, Remus agreed, and he won, taking the seat behind Sirius, who had to sit at the very front, right under the Professor's nose.
Beside him, a forlorn figure was busily occupying herself by meticulously putting her pens and pencils neatly in a row on her desk according to length. Her head was down and her shoulders hunched in an attempt to dissuade anyone from conversation.
Instead of being deterred, Sirius became intrigued and he bent his head closer to hers to get a closer look.
She wore a green coat that was frumpy and overly large for her small frame. She had pulled the hood of it low over her face so that her eyes and cheekbones were hidden from view.
Stitched into the hood's material was a pair of dark goggles from which she could see out through.
Feeling Sirius staring at her, the girl shied away. That caused him to grin.
Never had a girl done that to him before. He was known to be a playboy and he relished in the fact that he could attract girls to him faster than any guy without much effort.
"Hey, do you think I could borrow one of those?" He asked, indicating one of the pens on her desk with his finger.
The girl paused and rather than answer, she shoved one over to him, roughly.
Not put off, Sirius flashed her another charming smile. "Thanks…uh…what was your name?"
But she was saved from having to reply because the Professor stood suddenly, the desk beneath him shaking.
"All right, class has begun." He announced, clearing his throat. The students piped down, reluctantly taking their seats. He looked down at the paper in his hands. "If you are not in the Seventh Year History class, then please leave the room." Here, he looked up briefly. When no one moved, he returned to scanning his sheet. "We'll take attendance then. Please stand when I call your name."
One by one, the students rose when their names were called. Whether they were present or not did not seem to faze the teacher at all. He reminded Sirius of an Ox at the plow, rumbling through the list.
His fatigue began to creep up on him as the Professor's voice droned on. He let his head rest on the desk as he waited for roll call to finish. He was starting to fall asleep until the Professor read aloud, "Lily Evans." And the girl beside him stood.
Now wide awake, Sirius leaned over to whisper, "Lily Evans, huh? What a pretty name," when she sat back down.
Lily flinched slightly, but remained silent. "Hey," Sirius prodded, "would you mind if I called you by your first name?"
Still no response.
He poked her gently. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
"Mr. Black, please start reading from page 7 since you seem so eager to keep talking." Professor Binns snapped, glaring at him from behind the desk.
"I would if I could, but I can't, sir." Sirius said, tartly, as he stood. "I don't have a textbook." The class tittered at that and stared interested.
For a moment, the Professor stared at him and then he gestured to his seatmate. "Then, borrow it from her!"
Lily seemed to shrink in her seat as all eyes turned to her. Slowly she nudged her textbook toward him.
Sirius bent to retrieve it. "Thanks darling." He whispered gratefully. "I'll give it back to you later." But as soon as the class ended, Lily shot out of her seat and left the room without a backward glance, ignoring Sirius as he called after her.
That was weird…he thought, fingering the textbook's hard cover. She was definitely different – he didn't know whether he was offended or amused.
Remus watched after her too, draping one arm around his friend's shoulders. "Sirius what one earth did you say to that girl?"
"Nothing!" Sirius protested.
"You scared the living daylights out of her."
"I did not!"
Sirius hoisted the textbook in the crook of his arm as Remus moved to his desk to stack his things away. "If I were you, I'd give up trying to talk to her." He shoved his things into his bag in a disorganized fashion before leading his way out of the class.
"Why is that?"
"Lily Evans has never spoken a word to anyone at this school." Remus said, knowingly. "She's the notorious loner and she's actually happy about it. Everyone says she's a little messed up in here." He tapped the side of his head slightly for emphasis.
Sirius pursed his lips at that.
A mental case…
He almost missed Remus' next words and he barely stopped himself from colliding into him when he suddenly stopped, turning around. "I've come to a decision – the girl you've got to ask out today should be Miss Evans."
"W-what?"
"Or the bills are mine." Remus said, grinning.
The cheat.
Sirius looked down at the textbook again, remembering the way she had practically thrown it at him in her haste to have him quit talking to her.
Most girls would have jumped for the chance to talk to him. But Lily…she was different and he liked that. He was up for the challenge.
"Deal."
To Be Continued…
AN: I know there are those fics where the only reason someone asks Lily out is because of a bet. This will be different, I promise. There will be a twist in the magical aspect, but I'm trying to keep it as down-to-earth as possible. It's AU, after all. Please tell me your thoughts on whether I should continue.
Thanks for reading,
-P.P.V.V.
