THREE BELIEVE IT 
TW: homophobic language

     It wasn't until three days later that Victor got a chance to speak to Sirius again. This time it was just the two of them in passing between classes — no Maeve or Marauders in sight which was all Victor could ask for. He nodded to Sirius as they walked behind a wall outside. Without a word, Victor pulled out his back of muggle cigarettes and handed one over to Sirius who lit it with his wand.

"You're the best, mate, Maeve would kill me if she found out I got my hands on these," Sirius laughed, "She thinks they're gross."

Victor laughed as he inhaled and exhaled smoke, "They are gross, but man is it relaxing. Anyway, you're lucky you get them from me. Anyone else would charge for them — these things are hard to come by since my parents hardly let me venture to a muggle offie."

"Then I owe you one," the dark-haired boy scoffed as he took a long drag from the cigarette. Victor watched with careful eyes as the boy's cheeks hollowed around it before breathing out the smoke that was dark against the snowy background. Thankfully, Sirius had said exactly what Victor needed him to.

"Consider me taking you up on that offer," the boy teased with a biting grin as Sirius realized he has completely walked into that one. Victor should have known cigarettes would be the way to his heart. "Come on, you had to have seen that coming."

Sirius groaned, "Damn it, you blinded me with your magic nicotine! I hate you, arsehole."

"Help me get revenge on James, please!" Victor exclaimed, "I literally don't think I've ever said please in my life that has to mean something. Don't tell me you're too scared to play a little friendly prank on James! It's James!"

"That," Sirius punctuated his dialogue with a drag of his cigarette, smoke spilling out of his pale lips as he finished his sentence, "is exactly what I'm afraid of. He'll kill me! Besides, what he did wasn't that bad."

Victor shook his head, "Anything we do to him will be equal or lesser value, promise, we just need an idea."

"We'd need to get Moony on board, he's the idea man," the dark-haired boy sighed as he tossed the cigarette butt onto the snow and held out a hand for another one. Victor rolled his eyes but handed him another one nonetheless.

"Oi!" a new voice rounded the corner, it was William Alexander — a boy in their year who happened to be the Slytherin prefect, "Where'd you get those? I should confiscate them! Or report you!"

"If you want one, you can just ask, Billy," Victor scoffed tiredly as he handed the curly-haired boy one who immediately placed it between his lips.

The boy shook his head as he lit it, "It's more fun to see the look o' your faces. And don't call me Billy or else I'll start calling you Vicki. Sirius, seen Remus anywhere?"

Sirius shook his head, "Try the library. If not there, then the Gryffindor common room, oh wait! You can't get in, never mind! Bummer. Tell Reggie I say hi."

"Arsehole, tell him yourself he's your brother," William shook his head before nodding to Victor, "Thanks for the cigarette."

"Imma starts charging you ten galleons a pack if you aren't careful," Victor threatened in lieu of a goodbye. The curly-haired boy just shook his head and walked off, the only thing left being the footprints in the snow. "He's such a dick."

"Not as bad as you," Sirius teased with a wink and a small smile. "Okay, so say I help you. Hypothetically, of course. I am absolute rubbish at ideas, Remus is the brains. I can help you execute on the off chance we even get that far before James figures it out because Remus and I both such at keeping secrets from James. It's like he has a secret power he just knows when we're lying which means we're gonna have to do this quickly and quietly. This is all hypothetical, of course."

"Of course," Victor reiterated with a sarcastic nod, "So, what can we do to get little Remus on our side? You gonna work your magic?"

Sirius scoffed, "What magic?"

"Oh, you know, Remus is a little fruity, I'm sure you could flash a smile and flip your hair and he'll be right on your side," Victor wasn't sure why he said this like it was a bad thin bc considering he was a little fruity. Still, it slipped out before he could stop it so now it hung in the air.

"Please, Remus would never go for me," Sirius scoffed as if this was something he already knew, "Been there done that. Besides, Remus is already banging good ole Billy so I'm no use in that department."

"No! Really?" Victor gasped, this being a genuine surprise for him. That was certainly not a pairing he had to expect but then again, Hogwarts was filled with odd couples. He still couldn't believe the sweet and quiet Jasmine Adams was dating the loud and proud Frank Sakai. Victor's mind raced back to what Sirius had said: been there done that. Done what? That's what Victor wanted to know. Maybe he didn't want to know. The last thing he wanted to do was give himself any sort of hope. Regardless of any attraction to men that Sirius may or may not have experienced, he was still Maeve's boyfriend. Victor needed to respect that first and foremost.

Sirius nodded, "Yes, really! Why'd'you think he was just looking for 'im? Thought they were just pals? Nah. I don't blame Remus, though. William's quite the looker."

Victor shook his head, "I can't believe this. I refuse to believe this is a real conversation we're having."

"Believe it, Vicky," the boy teased, "Don't use that information against him, he'll murder me if he knows I told anyone. I'm kind of bad with secrets if you couldn't tell."

"It's 'cause you're an attention seeker," the boy said with a shrug, trying to hide the smile on his face as he took a long drag from his second cigarette in a shoddy attempt to distract his racing mind. Sirius practically admitted to being attracted to men right next to him. He should be rejoicing, but he couldn't allow such a thing to happen. He could never think such things as long as he was still friends with Maeve. She was more important than some stupid boy, he had to keep that in mind.

"I don't need to seek attention when you give it to me willingly," Sirius winked at him like the git he is, "Thanks for the cigarettes. I'll find a way to get Remus on our side."

With that, Sirius was gone, leaving Victor with a half-finished cigarette and a reeling mind. There was no way the conversation they just had was real, but it was. Victor didn't know what was worse, the fact that there was a very real chance that Sirius liked boys or the fact that he was still very much dating his best friend. Just when life couldn't get any worse, Sirius Black had to blow through town. Victor shook his head to himself and lit another cigarette.