~ROAC~ (incomplete)

~EIGHT~

"Three: protect you and Lily from Voldemort and his followers at all costs."

Sudden tears pricked at Bell's eyes and she blinked them away. What had she ever done to deserve a friend like Sirius? Her gratitude for his friendship washed over her like a wave and she looked down, fiddling with the buttons on her sleeve cuffs, trying to hide the tear that escaped her eye just then. Sirius paused, noticing, but made no remark and only smiled softly at the paper in his hand, giving her a chance to restabilize, the kindness of which almost sent another tear rolling down Bell's cheek. After his respectful pause, Sirius went on,

"Four: get Regulus out from under Walburga's thumb, maybe get him to move in with me."

This startled Bell a little, but she didn't let it show. She knew Sirius had a strained relationship with his younger brother but hadn't known why until this moment. She suddenly felt a little silly for not having realized it was Walburga's doing. Of course it was. A very dark thought having to do with Sirius' mother and tar and chicken feathers crossed her mind but she quickly pushed it away as her best friend continued, lightly tossing his hair out of his eyes,

"Five: help to finally convince Evans to give James a chance."

Bell's eyes lit up and she gave a small laugh. Sirius raised an eyebrow at her interruption of his reading but she waved off his pretended annoyance as she replied, "I have that on my list, too." Sirius grinned. "About time, isn't it?" "Oh, definitely." They both chuckled for a moment, the mood lightening from the more sober subjects of his earlier goals, and Bell leaned back in her beanbag as Sirius continued,

"Six: get a memorial item from every friend to remember this year by."

Bell smiled at that. What a good idea. She had a similar one on her list, but it was a little less about possessions than it was regarding the preservation of memories.

"Seven: take the perfect picture with you just in case we..." 

Bell's content smile faltered. "In case we fall out of contact after this year?" Sirius nodded wordlessly and she laid a comforting hand on his arm. "We won't. I swear it on Dumbledore's ever-lengthening beard. The day we lose touch is the day that man shaves." Her joking brought a small smile to Sirius' face and Bell felt satisfied that she'd reassured him.

"Eight: graduate from Hogwarts with high enough grades to become an Auror." 

Sirius turned a pleading grin toward Bell and she laughed, dropping her voice as the distinct, brisk footsteps of Madam Pince drew closer. "Of course I'll help you. Whatever you need, whatever subject, as long as I can help you achieve your dream." 

Sirius' smile, just at that moment, was already all the thanks Bell needed.

"But-" Immediately Sirius' grin drooped into a sort of puppy-dog worry that almost made Bell want to pat him on the head apologetically. "I won't do your assignments for you. I'll help, but I won't write your Potions essay because you got hungover at one of Lockheart's parties." The excited and thankful smile she'd cherished just a moment ago returned to Sirius' face. 

"Yes, yes yes, of course." 

Bell raised an eyebrow and he added sheepishly, "Not even once?" 

"Maybe once. If I'm feeling especially generous."

"QUIET!"

The pair startled as Irma Pince's sharp, nasally voice snapped across the bookshelves toward them. Bell shook her head, chuckling softly at the irony of her command, but stopped as the librarian's piercing gaze snapped back on her for a moment. Madam Pince made the universal gesture of "I've got my eye on you" to both Bell and Sirius before she went on her way and Sirius shivered, pretending to have goosebumps just from Madam Pince's chilling presence. 

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her blink." After a short, purposefully-quiet laugh at Bell's joke, Sirius scanned his list again and brought them back on track.

"Nine: boost Peter's confidence in himself. Ten: help Remus smile more."

Bell's heart warmed and she couldn't help but smile. All those girls who said Sirius Black was a player who only cared about himself or that he made reckless, spur-of-the-moments decisions without a thought for those around him had never seen the true Sirius as she had. Sure, he was known pretty widely around the castle as a flirty prankster, but there was so, so much more to him than what those girls thought. They'd never seen the way he worried over Remus when he was in poor health, had never heard the way he praised James' Quidditch skills without an ounce of jealousy, had never known the silent kindness with which he passed his scarf to Marlene in the winter, hugged Peter after a difficult test, and kept Bell focused on late homework nights with cups of coffee and encouraging smiles. This was the Sirius she adored, the best friend she could never ask anything more of, and this- this was exactly why.

"Eleven: skip. Twelve: skip."

Bell raised an eyebrow at Sirius but said nothing. He, apparently seeing her expression out of the corner of his eye, nodded, acknowledging that he wouldn't be able to skip any more of his goals, as previously agreed.

"Thirteen: leave a legacy of the greatest prank ever pulled at Hogwarts, surpassing even the Prewett twins' final escapade."

Both of Bell's eyebrows lifted this time in her surprise. "And how do you plan to do that? The giant aardvark piñata with the almonds and ever-multiplying toads will be hard to beat." Sirius nodded earnestly and replied, shooting her a mischievous smirk, "I have a few ideas, but they'll have to wait until the very last week or else I'd risk getting expelled." 

"That crazy, huh?" 

"Exactly that crazy."

Bell widened her eyes comically and gave a low whistle. "I'll be on stand-by with Madam Pomfrey and a stretcher- that is, if I'm not involved." Her conspiratorial grin faded as she heard Madam Pince's footsteps again, this time coming from around the other bookshelf, and she had to stifle a laugh when the strict librarian snapped for them to shush again and Sirius tensed up like a deer in headlights. He laughed it off (quietly) and in a few seconds returned to the topic at hand...