three the set up

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NOW, NADIA DIDN'T THINK OF HERSELF AS A POUTY PERSON. When she didn't get her way, which happened much more than she liked, she was good at letting the disappointment and the whines about how unfair it was roll of her before grinning and bearing whatever she was given instead. But this...this was much more than getting a bad grade even though she deserved a better one just because her professor didn't understand her argument, or arguing with her dad over this or that...no, this was her dream.

         Not her dream, really, because this wasn't her main goal in life. No, she aspired to be more – but she also aspired to show every single person at Hogwarts who didn't think she belonged so incredibly wrong. And Prefect was just the way to do that. To be the model student, the one who excelled in class, the one who followed the rules – the model wizard who could become Minister of Magic if she so wished one day. Not that she would, she didn't like the idea of being in charge of so many people or talking politics.

         But she worked hard for this. So incredibly hard. She pulled the long nights to get the highest marks to prove that she knew more shit about magic than those who were pureblood, never cheating or taking the easiest route. She went above and beyond in every aspect, getting involved in clubs, gaining the favor of her professors, following every rule to a T and never letting her anger get the best of her when she didn't get her way.

         And then there was Sirius – who didn't work hard for his grades, didn't give a shit about them, wasn't a model student, didn't go above and beyond, yet he still managed to be a Prefect! Fucking perfect! Of course she works her ass off for this position, to be taken seriously by her peers and show the world that she deserved to be at Hogwarts, and Sirius Black who didn't give a single flying fuck got the same role as her, diminishing her hard work.

         It was unfair, and she was definitely whining and pouting, but she didn't give a shit. Not really. Not when it was coming and utterly unfair of Headmaster Dumbledore and whoever else decides the Prefects thought that Sirius Black was a good idea.

         "Stop glaring at your chicken," Lucille said calmly, cutting into her own meat and delicately eating it. She was so pristine, and Nadia couldn't help but feel barbaric next to her sometimes. "It did nothing wrong to you."

         "I'm imagining the chicken to be someone else," Nadia muttered but did shake her head, shoving off the glare and roughly biting into her meat.

         Lucille rolled her eyes, already over Nadia's pity party when it had hardly even begun. "I know who you're imagining, and pretending to have lasers in your eyes as you burn holes into it won't change anything."

         "I hardly see why you should be complaining. I got Clarissa Holloway, who we can all agree is much worse," Loren cut in, a snarl as he mentioned her name.

         "Hear, hear!" Lucille did agree.

         "Okay, yeah, Clarissa is objectively worse," Nadia started, "But at least she takes herself seriously, and it's honestly not a surprise that she's a Prefect. Of course she's a prefect – she's Clarissa Holloway! But Sirius Black? Who did he bride to get this position?"

         Loren shrugged. "Headmaster Dumbledore always has seemed a bit too fond of the Marauders."

         "Yeah, else they wouldn't be able to get away with half the shit that they do," Lucille nodded.

         "But I mean – why him? Remus Lupin would be a better choice than him," she grumbled.

         "Of course you'd think that," Lucille teased, a knowing smile reaching her lips as Nadia's cheeks darkened into a blush, "It's not like you're wrong, though, but Headmaster Dumbledore always has subverted expectations. James Potter got Head Boy last year, which should not have happened. Heard he's good at it though."

         "Lily Evans whipped him into shape," Loren explained, "Perhaps you can do that Sirius."

         Nadia couldn't help but snort at that, "Yeah, right. Like I'll be able to stand him long enough to create the model citizen out of him. Fat chance."

         "You'll have to get used to him," Lucille told her.

         "At least tolerate him a bit more than you do, otherwise you'll have a shit year," Loren added, "Like me, really."

         "Clarissa Holloway isn't going to a shit about you, stop worrying about her. She'll probably just ignore you like she does everyone else who isn't in Slytherin," Nadia shook her head, "Sirius, though, he'll annoy the shit out of me. I can feel it."

         "He does like to talk," Lucille mentioned, "We had Muggle Studies last year and he never shut up."

         "Exactly," Nadia pointed her fork towards Lucille, nodding as if she had already won the argument.

         Loren's eyes flickered away from their table to Gryffindor's then back to her. "I can see why he was chosen," he mentioned.

         "Oh, yeah? Did he seduce Headmaster Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall?" Nadia teased, laughing a little at him.

         He didn't waver under her jabs, letting them roll off of him before shaking his head. "Look at him. I'm serious – just turn around for a second!"

         Nadia levied a good at Loren before relenting with a sigh and turning around, taking a look at Sirius Black. He was so enigmatic, such an alive presence. She could feel the weight of his large smile from where she was, practically hearing his laugh. All eyes were towards him – not just his friends, but others at the Gryffindor table. The first years who looked so frightful during the Sorting Hat Ceremony now enthralled by him.

         "So they like him," Nadia conceded as she turned back around.

         Loren shook his head. "Not just like him – you saw it, come on. They – They admire him, even the people who just met him. He's a leader, and they'll listen to what he has to say."

         "But he's –"

         "No, he's not like us, but people listen to him. They respect him through liking him, people respect us because you have a mean glare with those icy eyes."

         "My eyes are not icy!" Nadia objected.

         "They are," Lucille disagreed with her. She made a noise of betrayal and Lucille rolled her eyes, "Nadia, I love you. You're my best friend and even I'm sometimes intimidated by you. It's a mean glare, but your eyes are nice when they aren't angry."

         "Eyes can't be angry."

         "Yours can," Loren interjected, a sheepish smile on his face. "Sorry, Nadia."

         She frowned to herself, wallowing a little bit more. Her eyes weren't mean, they were her eyes! Regulus didn't think her eyes were angry, she almost said that too to prove her point, but then they would be asking why Regulus Black had an opinion on her eyes.

         As her gaze flickered over to him, she felt herself drown a little deeper because there she was, about to be subjugated to Regulus' older brother while he still despised him. Regulus wasn't all too open about Sirius and the events surrounding his departure from the Black family, she just knew that he had been disowned, living now with James Potter, and that he had made no attempts since then to talk to his younger siblings. What he didn't want to share, she never pushed him to, but his quietness about Sirius soured her feelings toward him.

         Maybe he was a leader, and perhaps people respected him and liked him, but she certainly didn't. Somehow, in someway pertaining to the events following him being disowned, Sirius had hurt Regulus and their sister Remelda, and that was not okay.

         "I hope Clarissa Holloway makes your life a living hell," she spat out, training her angry eyes on Loren so she was sure he got the message.

         His eyes did widen. "You don't mean that."

         "Don't tell me what I mean!"

         "Nadia, Loren, calm down," Lucille commanded, but they both held their positions, "Now."

         Loren broke first, as he always did, and Nadia gleefully followed, knowing that she was victorious even if Lucille gave her a look of disappointment. It cut deep for a second, as if Lucille was her mother, but she shook it off when Lucille looked away from them both and continued eating.

         Lucille changed the subject, detailing her summer vacation to Italy, because of course she went to Italy. With her father being a prominent figure in the Ministry, he had the money, so why not? And Loren then traded his own vacation story of visiting his sister in France while Nadia listened. She didn't have her own vacation story to share, but she never did, and they never asked for own.

         It came time then for Headmaster Dumbledore's welcoming speech he always gave at the end of dinner, and when it was over they all stood up, walking together in the large crowd to the Ravenclaw tower.

         She distantly thought she heard her name being called, but shook off the notion because there was no one who should've been, but then the voice got louder – too loud to ignore – and she turned back to see Sirius Black rushing after her, a gigantic grin on his face. Of course.

         "I'll meet you guys in the common room," she muttered to her friends, going to the wall of the corridor, waiting for Sirius to catch up to her. He eventually did, out of breath but still the same grin on his face that infuriated her.

         "We didn't get a chance to say hi earlier on the train," he explained, heaving out large breaths.

         "So you thought now should be the time?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

         He simply shrugged. "Better than never, eh?" he quipped, "You ran out of the cart pretty fast, I never had a chance to catch you."

         "I had some last minute homework to finish," she rolled her shoulders, lying.

         His eyes narrowed a little before nodding. "Right," damn, he didn't believe her, "Well, I just thought that we should get to know each other a little since we'll be working together."

         "If you show up," Nadia muttered.

         "What?"

         "Oh, nothing," she lied again, tone light and breezy. "Look, I appreciate the effort, but I doubt that's necessary. I'm already prepared to take on our conjoined duties on my own, you don't need to worry about it."

         "You think I'm going to flake?' he asked, tone shifting from light to something with more weight.

         "I just don't think you'll take this seriously. I mean, I've seen you around her, you don't take anything seriously," Nadia shook her head.

         "I – I do take things seriously, it's kinda in my name!" he looked taken aback, still ready with a joke but not lighthearted, "Look, I will show up, so you don't have to worry about that, and I'm not going to leave everything up to you."

         Nadia pursed her lips. "I'll believe it when I see it."

         "What's your problem with me? I haven't done anything to you," Sirius asked.

         "Oh? Really?"

         "Well, I'm usually good at remembering who we've pranked, and usually it has some reason behind it, so yeah. I think I'd remember if we did anything to you," Sirius said, full of confidence.

         "You didn't do anything personal to me," Nadia conceded, "But I've seen you. In class, out of it, too. You don't care. You goof off. So sorry if I don't think you have it in you to take something seriously in your life."

         "This is different," Sirius puffed up his chest, "And I'm not going to slack off – just you wait."

         Nadia hummed indifferently, messing with her hair now. "I guess you'll just have to surprise me."

         "Good thing I'm full of surprises," Sirius smiled, "And here – I'll give you a surprise right now. I'll give you a favor. I have plenty of connections 'round here if you want an extra trip to Honeydukes during the week, or access to alcohol or weed, or anything. Anything you want."

         "Anything?" Nadia quirked up her eyebrow.

         "Anything," he confirmed with a confident nod.

         Nadia leaned back against the wall, a smirk emerging on her face. This – now this was perfect. A favor, and a favor she could actively cash in on to get what she wanted. Young Nadia would be screaming at the thought of Sirius Black helping set her up with Remus Lupin, but whatever means necessary to get to her end goal.

         That would be nice.

         Of course, she could not be selfish and ask him to actually make an effort with his siblings, that might make Regulus happy, and she would hate to see his displeasure if she ever mentioned anything about her new working relationship with Sirius, but...

         But she wasn't going to force Sirius to talk to Regulus and Remelda, she wasn't sure if that was even what they wanted and she doubted Regulus would be forthcoming with his wants towards Sirius, so selfish it was.

         "Then I want a date with Remus," she decided, a victorious smirk resting on her features, "Set me up with him."

         "Remus? You want a date with Remus?" the way he said it sounded incredulous, like she couldn't imagine why she would want to be with him mixed with a layer of something else.

         She didn't wonder it much, simply nodding. "You said you'd give me anything I wanted, and I want a date with Remus. Convince him, and I'll try not to be such a harsh critic towards you. Now, do we have a deal?"

         Sticking out her hand, her eyes waited on Sirius'. He sighed, but offered his own hand, shaking theirs together. "Deal."