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first year, 
pureblood mania
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Positive that she was going to receive detention, for being late Professor McGonagall's class; Transfiguration. Aimee managed to sneak in the far corner of the classroom, as McGonagall was too distracted scolding Sirius and James, for disrupting her class. She was seated next to a Ravenclaw girl, she quickly acted as though she heard the beginning of the lesson.

Aimee tried to listen to the Professor the best she could, but James and Sirius were constantly chatting at the table near her. James would laugh at something Sirius said, then he would laugh at something James said. As McGonagall dismissed the class, everyone poured out into the crowd of students, Aimee shoved her way through reaching Sirius, she grabbed the back of his robe stopping him.

"Burke? What are you doing?" he pulled his robe from her hand.

"You dropped this in the library," she told him, handing Sirius the letter, he took the letter from her, he didn't say anything tensing up as he turned the letter over to see if it had been opened.

"I didn't read it," she quickly said, he relaxed a little. "Despite what you think of me, Sirius. I want to be your friend," he looked at her eyeing her cautiously "But if you really hate me that much, I'll leave you alone," she left him standing in the hallway.

He scoffed unconvinced of Burke keeping her word of not bothering him anymore. Sirius made his way back to Gryffindor Tower, he was surprised that she never opened his letter, he wasn't going to open it anyway. The chances of the word written in a letter being polite were highly unlikely.

He rushed through the Gryffindor common room, James stood from the sofa, as Sirius walked in. He creased his brows when he didn't even glance his way. He followed him up to their dorm room, James waited a moment as Sirius sat on his bed with his head in his hand he opened a letter, though he didn't have a smile or a hint of any emotion.

"You alright?" Sirius scrambled the letter into his pocket.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just had a run-in with Burke, that's all,"

"I thought you didn't like her," James questioned

"I don't,"

"Oh, I thought you were upset about her,"

"What how could you think that?" Sirius said, looking up at James

"Well, you do talk about her a lot it might not be nice things but you do talk about her,"

"I don't do that," a burst of laughter caused Sirius and James to snap their heads towards a laughing Remus and Peter.

"Are you kidding, you talk about her too much," Peter said

"I must point out I've never seen you actually hold a conversation with her," Remus informed him.

"I just don't understand it," Sirius spoke, as the three boys sat down to listen to him "I was so certain that my parents invited her family, so I could get to know her, on a more personal level,"

"Is that a bad thing?" Remus asked, "she seems like a nice person,"

"That's the thing, I think she is nice,"

"Then what's the problem," Peter asked

"What if it's all a plan, by her parents, I remember my cousin telling me a while ago that Elizabeth Burke will do whatever she can to make sure her daughter succeeds,"

"You sound so paranoid right now," James said, holding back his laughter.

"You can't be sure, that her daughter is actually in on it," Peter said

"Yeah, Peter's right, I think you should at least give her a chance, if she gives a reason not to like her then that's fine, but you're judging her before you know her," Remus told him.

Sirius knew deep down that Remus, James and Peter were right, Burke might not have anything to do with her mother's plan for success. He so desperately feared being judged because of his family, yet he was doing just that to Aimee Burke.

***

After a week had gone by, to his surprise, Burke actually kept her word, leaving him alone. No more calling his name in the corridors, or sitting near him in class. In fact, she hadn't said a word to him since she gave him his letter back. Not even a 'hello'. He made his way to Defence Against the Dark Arts class, with James who had been talking and asking questions non-stop. All about whether he had spoken to Burke yet.

As they both reached their classroom, James sat with Remus, nodding his head towards Burke, who sat at the back of the class on her own. Sirius walked back up the classroom, sliding in next to her, she didn't look up from her book, shuffling in her seat a little. James looked back at Sirius, he shrugged his shoulders, he glanced over her shoulder at what she was doing in her book.

She was drawing, while they waited for their teacher to arrive, 'she really good' he thought. Burke's head only snapped up when their Professor came to begin the class, Sirius thought it would be best to wait until the Professor had given them a task before talking to her.

"Hi," he said, though she must have not heard him.

"Hi, Burke," he said, she flicked her eyes over to him for a second, before answering him

"You need any help?" she finally spoke to him.

"Hurray, she talks, I thought you'd gone mute," laughing at his own joke, she rolled her eyes at him before turning back to her work. "So what are you doing after class?" he asked, she creased her brows wondering why he was bothering to talk to her.

"Nothing, I was just going to go back to my dorm to read,"

"Read? Why," he asked

"Because believe it or not some people like to read," she told him, turning back to her work again.

"Burke," she sighed, turning to face him

"Yes,"

"Do you want to go for a walk after class?" he asked she eyed him closely, he didn't seem to be joking with her.

"Why?" Aimee said, not certain of what to truly answer

"Just to talk, find out how our first few weeks have been," he told her, she nodded agreeing to go with him. He smiled turning to finally attempt his own work.

After class had finished Sirius left without her, she sighed, he offered to spend time with her, and soon took it back. Once she packed her bag she left the classroom, she was shocked to find him leaning against the wall waiting for her, Aimee walked along the corridor, as Sirius walked beside her.

"So where would you like to go," he asked her, she shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know, the lake maybe, I haven't been yet," Sirius nodded leading the way to the lake, they walked in silence for a bit which quickly became awkward.

"I see you Potter are good friends," Aimee said, trying to start some kind of conversation.

"Yeah, James is really cool, what about you? Make any friends yet," he asked

"Not really," she admitted feeling lame about it.

"What about Rosier, I thought you hanged around with him," Sirius assumed she would've befriended another pureblood in Slytherin house.

"Ugh no, he's one of them, pureblood maniacs," Aimee told him, "Forgive me if I don't want to be associated with that," she said, they fell back into silence. "So what're others in Gryffindor like,"

She said, to turn away from the subject of Evan Rosier. Though the silence between wasn't awkward, they were both thinking to themselves. 'She really didn't believe the pureblood views my parents did,' Which made him smile.

"Remus is quiet most of the time like to read a lot," Sirius said, "Another boy Peter, he doesn't talk much but when he does he can be funny, few girls too, Lily and Marlene I think her name is, they're pretty cool, and then there Alice, you know she just too sweet to make fun of," he continued though he could see she only asked so they weren't in silence again.

"What about Slytherins?" he asked, not truly wanting to know about them.

"I don't really talk to them, Evan seems okay one minute, then he will say something that puts me off, Snape keeps to himself. Your cousin Narcissa seems really cool," she told him

"Have you met Andy?" he asked

"Who?" she questioned

"Andromeda, Narcissa's sister, she's in her seventh year," he explained

"Oh, yes, she seems like a really nice person, I'm afraid I don't know her too well, what's she like?"

"She's great, I love her, she's my favourite cousin, I get along with her the best," Sirius told her

"Really," she chuckled

"Yeah, does that surprise you,"

"No, it's just Andromeda's older, I thought you'd be closer to her younger sister," he smiled

"As I said, Andy's great, you'd like her a lot,"

"What about their other sister, I never met her," she asked, hearing many stories about her, though she wanted to know his opinion of her.

"Bellatrix, she's tormenting, that for sure,"

"What do you mean?"

"Teases me and Reggie all the time, but she takes it too far sometimes," Aimee wondered what he meant by that, Narcissa never spoke of Bellatrix when they met.

"Do they all believe the same pureblood mania as your parents?" she asked unsure if she was stepping on some nerves, though he seemed unbothered by her question.

"Bella yes, Andy No, Cissy, I'm not sure, I think she does just not extremely," he answered

"Is that why you get along with Andromeda?" he creased his brows at her, "You're different Sirius, I can see that, why else would you ask me my opinion on muggles when we first met," she pointed out, he smirked, "why were you being so rude to me before?" her question cause his smirk to disappear.

"Well, you're a Burke, a member of the sacred 28, I thought you'd be like my parents," he admitted

"And I thought you'd be like the other pureblood boys I'd met, cruel and arrogant, but look at you, you're a Black who's been sorted into Gryffindor, I think that's a pretty big achievement," she said, causing him to laugh a little.

"Thanks, that actually makes me feel better about it, not that I'm ashamed or anything, but I am the first person in my entire family, not to be sorted into Slytherin," he admitted

"I imagine that's not easy," Aimee told him

"It's not that, it's more pressure," Sirius told her, he didn't understand why he told her, but like his friends told him, if she gave him a reason, he can go back to not liking her.

Sirius thought a lot about how she spoke, she could see that he was different, and yet still wanted to befriend him. In the weeks following their talk he sat with her in more classes, they spoke of similar topics, like Quidditch and new sweets that Honeydukes had announced. Today Sirius attempted to make Aimee laugh in class, however, he wasn't very successful.

"I'm going to check out the Quidditch pitch with James after class, you want to come?" Sirius asked her, moving away from her when McGonagall looked their way. She looked behind her at Potter, cringing slightly, though not enough for Sirius to notice.

"Not today, I promised I'd tutor someone," she lied, he nodded

"That's fine, we'll do something another time then," she smiled at him as they both turned back to their work.

After class, Sirius left with James while she made her way to the dungeons, she decided to sit in the common room for a change. Aimee was emersed in a world of the Hobbit though she hid the cover, so she wouldn't have people bothering her about reading a muggle book.

Aimee felt the sofa shift, she glanced over her book, Narcissa sat at the far end of the sofa, she closed her book assuming Narcissa wanted to talk to her. They sat in silence for a moment, then Andromeda sat on the arm next to Aimee, she shuffled up so she could sit next to her.

"We've noticed that you've been spending time with our younger cousin" she didn't answer right away, "Well have you?"

"Cissy! We don't mean to impose, we were just wondering if he's been nice to you," Andromeda explained

"Yes, we're kind of friends,"

"Kind of? What does that mean?" Narcissa questioned

"Well, we're partners, for potions, we talk occasionally in class, that kind of thing,"

"Oh, Sirius seems to like you," Andromeda said, she blinked quickly, shuffling uncomfortably on the sofa

"What?" Aimee asked, moving her hair behind her ear.

"He keeps looking at you when we're at dinner," Narcissa told her, she put her head down.

"I don't think he was, even if he were, we're just friends," she tried to sound certain of herself, Narcissa nodded slowly flicked her eyes up at Andromeda

"Has he invited you over for Christmas?" Andromeda asked

"No, but Regulus did, I think-

"Regulus asked you? So Sirius never asked you," Narcissa questioned

"No, he actually hasn't even mentioned Christmas," Narcissa hummed

"At least Regulus invited you, it's of an invite-only thing." Narcissa told her, "We'd be happy to help you prepare-

"Prepare?"

"Yes, our aunt, is very particular about her Christmas parties," Andromeda told her.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to offend her,"

They smiled at her as they left for their room, she shook her head. Why was Andromeda and Narcissa interested in her and Sirius' friendship, if she could call it that. She would like to believe he considered her a friend.

She reached into her bag, pulling out a sheet of parchment along with her quill and ink, she wrote to her mother hoping that she would allow Aimee to go to Grimmauld Place for Christmas. Maybe Sirius would invite her now that they were talking without any tension of disdain between them. She shook her head.

No. What was I thinking I didn't need Sirius to invite me. I was going to see Regulus. Not him.