𝐒𝐈𝐗

" you first "

✤ ✾ ✤

. . . NOVEMBER, 1975

WHEN DAWN BROKE on the day of the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw match, there was a snake in Maeve's bed.

Twisting in her sheets, she blinked the sleep out of her eyes as her heart began to dance. There, on the edge of her bed, was a bright green snake. She yelped and scrambled out from her covers, tripping and knocking over a stack of Elara's books that hit Maeve's guitar with a discordant bonk. "There's a snake!" she shouted.

Avanti was up in an instant. She ran to the center of the room, hopping as if to evade the slithering reptile. "Snake? Where is it!"

Elara woke now and yawned. Her golden curls were a mess from sleep. "Snacks? It's so early."

"She said snake," Mimi howled from the other side of the room, pulling her quilt back over her head.

As Elara scrambled to her feet to stand on her mattress, Maeve snatched her wand off the chest at the end of her bed. She held it out in front of her and aimed at the comforter. The comforter, atop which sat an innocent, twisting green vine.

Maeve pressed a hand to her heart and breathed a deep sigh of relief. "It's only one of your plants, Avanti." A twining vine of a pothos plant that had gotten audacious in the middle of the night. It had gone all the way from its pot on the window to the end of Maeve's mattress.

"Too much growth serum," Avanti muttered, brushing the leaves off of the bed.

"Merlin, Maeve," Mimi said, sliding out of bed now that it was safe. When they had gone up against a Boggart in Defense Against the Dark Arts last term, Mimi's had been a pile of writhing snakes. "Is this another one of your jokes?"

"I only saw it out of the corner of my eye!" Maeve protested, trying for all of the bravado she could muster.

"It was an honest mistake," Avanti defended with a yawn. "And my fault for not keeping a closer eye on the plants."

Soon enough, the three girls had gone back to sleep. Maeve alone stayed awake and sat on the edge of her bed in the quiet of the dawn. In a matter of hours, she would be out on the Quidditch pitch.

People had been anticipating the match all term, but after word of the Hallowe'en party got around, it was now the hottest topic of the school's gossip. The rivalry between the Byrne twins was now a matter of legend. No one had the story straight, but everyone had their go at embellishing the truth. In some stories, it was Sorcha who was the villain, in others, Maeve had wanted to make a fool of her sister since birth. The Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs had all taken sides, and the stands around the Quidditch pitch were sure to be full to bursting.

Maeve was used to people whispering about her. Hogwarts was like a small Irish village; people who were always in each other's business. This, however, was different. As she brushed her teeth in front of the bathroom mirror, she contemplated what it would be like to live in infamy until this whole thing blew over. She raked her hands through her brown hair, pulling it into a tight ponytail. Perhaps the situation would continue to escalate. Perhaps it would be better to be expelled now and put the whole matter to rest.

The Great Hall was nearly empty as they ate their breakfast. A few early risers dotted the benches, but at this hour of morning it was almost only the Quidditch players who were eating. Maeve had piled her plate with two breakfast rolls with jam, several slices of bacon, and a hearty helping of eggs. Her nerves were getting the better of her as she shoveled food into her mouth.

"You're going to be sick if you eat all of that," Kian told her.

Maeve smiled through a mouth of food. She had always been a nervous eater. "I'll be sure to aim at you when I throw up on the pitch."

Though none of them would admit it, they were all nervous. Finn was muttering the names of plays under his breath as if studying for a test. Charlie had drank enough goblets of water to be hydrated for the next month, and Estella had said barely a word. William Reed, she found, had the nervous habit of being unable to stop talking. He was telling story after story while they all sat and tried to eat their breakfast. Edmund, the youngest on the team, sat next to Maeve, hunched over and nibbling on a bit of toast.

"How are you feeling?" Maeve asked him quietly.

He looked up at her with a pair of wide eyes. "I have this feeling that I'm going to make a fool of myself out there today."

"You might," Maeve conceded. "But you can't worry about that. If it happens, shake it off. I'll be right there next to you, likely making a fool of myself as well."

He smiled a bit, maybe just to be polite.

When they made it down to the changing room, the crowd outside was almost deafening. Charlie peaked through the curtains and announced, "Well, there's definitely an audience." Maeve scooted up next to him and peered through. She spotted Elara in the crowd right away and could only assume that Avanti and Mimi were sitting next to her. It was a sea of blues and reds, even amongst the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs.

"Then we'll give them a show," Finn announced. The team stood in front of him, dressed in their blue and bronze and looking rather sullen.

Maeve leaned on her broom. "Is that the start of your inspirational speech?"

He crossed his arms. "It is, actually. Today is not just about beating Gryffindor. It's showing everyone that we aren't to be pushed around. Last term was a disappointment, but it isn't going to be that way again. Things can change, and today is the day we prove it."

Madam Hooch blew the whistle to draw them outside. It was time for the match to begin.

Maeve blinked hard as she stepped into the cold gray light of the November morning. The wind had taken on a new chill, but she barely felt it. She barely felt anything other than contempt.

The announcer, a Hufflepuff seventh year called Kenny Paley, gave a loud whistle as he began. "And there are the players! This is sure to be the match of the century, a direct replay of the final last term. Except, this time, both of the Byrne twins will be taking to the pitch!"

Half of the crowd booed, the other half cheered. The sheer amount of attention was daunting. However, Maeve had made this bed, and she would lie in it.

Madam Hooch greeted Finn and Riley Gail at the center of the pitch. From this angle, she could see the nasty look that Riley had on his face. He leaned in and said something to Finn. Whatever it was, Finn spat on the ground and looked disgusted.

"I want a clean match today, lads," Madam Hooch told them sternly. "Let's play fair." Then she blew her whistle, and the game began.

"And there they go!" Kenny Paley's voice echoed across the pitch as the players took to the sky.

Maeve tightened her grip on her bat, her eyes immediately seeking out Sorcha. As the Gryffindor Beater hovered on the opposite side of the pitch, their eyes locked. A mirror image in a uniform of red and gold. Maeve remembered briefly all of the times they had practiced together when they were little. They would run around the yard with house brooms between their legs, tossing a football back and forth.

None of that mattered anymore.

James Potter, ever the skilled Chaser, immediately took possession of the Quaffle and darted towards the Ravenclaw goalposts. His movements were fluid, dodging Bludgers and opposing Chasers with ease. He tossed the Quaffle to one of his teammates, but Estella swooped in at the last second and darted off up the field. Sorcha aimed a Bludger right at her, but Maeve intercepted it with a powerful swing of her bat, sending it hurtling towards a Gryffindor Chaser instead.

"Fawley makes the shot, and Ravenclaw earns the first points of the game!"

Maeve didn't have time to dwell. She and Edmund were crossing paths up and down the pitch, focused on keeping the Bludgers away from the rest of the team. Sorcha swung her bat with a fierce determination, aiming directly at Maeve. Maeve dodged just in time, and Edmund sent the Bludger whizzing down the pitch.

"Nice one!" Maeve called, and Edmund finally began to loosen up.

Their score was being matched nearly hit-for-hit by Gryffindor. Each time Ravenclaw was up by ten, Gryffindor would score and the game would be tied. It happened over and over again until sweat was dripping into Maeve's eyes. Finally, Ravenclaw was up by twenty, and the score plateaued.

The Gryffindor chasers executed a perfect Hawkshead Attacking Formation. They weaved through the Ravenclaw defense, passing the Quaffle between them with impressive precision. Finn barely managed to block the shot, sending the Quaffle back into play. Another Bludger whistled past Maeve.

"Would you lay off!" Maeve yelled at Sorcha as they crossed paths. It was becoming ridiculous; the amount of Bludgers that had been aimed at her head today were enough to warrant several fouls.

"You first!" Sorcha shouted back.

High above the pitch, Kian began to move. He was locked in a fierce race with Gryffindor's Seeker. They twisted and turned, each trying to outmaneuver the other. Maeve barely had time to register their duel as another Bludger came her way, courtesy of Sorcha. She swung her bat with all her might, sending it spiraling towards a cluster of Gryffindor players.

"Vu is on the move!" Kenny called, nearly falling out of his seat in the bleachers.

The seconds ticked by, each one more intense than the last. Maeve's muscles ached from the effort. They had to win this. There was no going back if they lost.

Then, in a blur of movement, Kian dived. Maeve held her breath as he streaked towards the ground. Gryffindor's Seeker was right behind him, but Kian had the advantage. Maeve's heart pounded as she watched, every fiber of her being willing him to succeed. Please, please, I don't care if his ego inflates to the size of the moon, just let him catch it.

The crowd exploded as Kian's hand closed around the Golden Snitch.

"Vu's caught the Snitch! 300-130, Ravenclaw wins!"

Maeve slowed to a stop midair. The Ravenclaw stands had erupted in raucous applause and shouting. She could only imagine the party that would happen in their common room tonight. William stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly, and Kian was in the midst of his victory lap. Maeve just laughed with joyful disbelief.

There was an audible crack of wood on iron, and before Maeve could turn towards the source of the sound, a Bludger hit her square in the ribs.

It was lucky she wasn't flying very high. Her grip loosened from the shock and she fell all the way to the grass, hitting the ground and folding into a heap. A voice from above yelled, "And that's Byrne, down for the count after an illegal hit from–who was that?–the other Byrne!"

Agonizing pain radiated through her chest, and each breath felt like knives were stabbing into her lungs. Maeve could barely move, the pain so intense that it left her gasping for air. The world around her blurred as tears welled up in her eyes. She lay her head down in the grass and prayed that she wouldn't pass out.

"Maeve!" Estella shrieked as she touched down and ran over to her. "Are you okay?"

Maeve could only grunt in response. She turned her head and saw the slightly blurred figures of the rest of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team dropping out of the sky and running towards where she lay. Even in her state, Maeve could see the annoyance in Kian's eyes. She had stolen his moment.

"I can't believe this," Finn said, deadly cross. "She'd better get a lifetime expulsion for that! Hittin' a Bludger after the final whistle. What a cheap move."

Estella, who was gently trying to help Maeve sit up, shouted, "Could you save your threats, please! This is really not the time."

Charlie leaned over her. His head of floppy hair blotted out the gray sunshine. "Can you stand?"

Maeve opened her mouth to respond, but her breakfast suddenly decided to make its grand appearance. She twisted to the side and threw up in the dewey grass. Estella made a small gagging noise. Kian had the decency not to say, I told you so.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" a shrill voice shouted, shoving the growing crowd back to get through. Madame Pomfrey strode forward. "You two, help her to her feet. She needs to be taken to the hospital wing immediately."

Charlie threaded his gangly arm under hers on the left, and Estella did the same on the right. It was no use, however. It felt as if she was falling down a well. Almost as soon as Maeve was lifted to her feet, the daytime shifted abruptly to the darkest of nights.

✤

WHEN Maeve awoke, all of her limbs were stiff and her mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. She blinked twice. A blurry figure sat at the end of the bed. "Elara?" Maeve asked. It came out more like a croak.

The girl hopped off the bed and snapped a book shut, tossing it to the side. "You're awake!"

Her vision was still murky, but Elara now looked clearer. Her golden curls were still messy, but she was wearing a different outfit than she had worn to the match. "What day is it?"

"It's Sunday morning."

Maeve sat up completely. The table to her left held a bottle of Skele-grow, five get-well cards, and a large bouquet of flowers. They looked like they had been freshly picked from the bushes that were still blooming in the Herbology greenhouses. Pale purple heather, white mountain avens, and a few handfuls of sage. "Who sent flowers?"

Elara grinned and plucked the card out of the top. She handed it to Maeve. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

Maeve read the cramped script:

Sorry your sister's a prick! Get well soon.

—S & J & P

"Who's S-J-P?" Elara asked. Clearly, she had already perused Maeve's pile of well wishes.

Maeve crumpled the piece of parchment in her fist. "An opportunist, that's who. So, what happened?"

"You had four broken ribs from the bludger, and you busted your wrist and got a mild concussion from the fall," Elara relayed. "Madam Pomfrey hasn't let anyone in because she said you needed to rest."

"How did you get in here?"

Elara shrugged. "I told her I wouldn't leave until she let me."

Maeve grinned and pressed a hand to her ribs. They felt whole again, just slightly bruised from impact. "And what about the match?"

"You're famous, Maeve," Elara laughed. "Everyone's talking about you."

"I'm sure Kian is right pissed about that."

"Oh, he is. Finn said they were postponing the celebration until you were out of the hospital wing and Kian nearly lost it."

Maeve smiled slightly. "And Sorcha?"

Elara frowned. Her eyes roamed the room as she spoke, unable to settle on one spot for long. "Sorcha's on probation. They're giving her detention for what she did, but she's claiming she didn't hear the whistle to stop the game. McGonagall knows they need her on the team, so I think she went easy on the punishment. Avanti was watching Sorcha the whole time. Your sister didn't even look sorry when you were laying on the ground."

Maeve fell back hard on her pillow. Sorcha had done something so reckless, they were both lucky Maeve wasn't currently being taken care of at St. Mungo's. And yet, all she recieved was a slap on the wrist. The desire for revenge twisted in her throat.

Sirius's offer had never seemed more tempting.

✤

. . . DECEMBER, 1975

SORCHA BYRNE was beginning to annoy Sirius Black.

It was rare that he truly had a bone to pick with anyone in Gryffindor; most of the time, he couldn't be arsed to care. However, the combination of the Hallowe'en party incident and the Quidditch match had derailed any of the progress they might have made with Maeve. She now avoided them more than before, which Sirius hadn't previously thought was possible.

The task of becoming an Animagi was not something Sirius took lightly. They had come across the idea in their second year, and it had been one of their greatest ambitions ever since. Their attempts so far had not led them to success. The directions were cryptic, the exact ingredients vague. As such, it had not been without thought that they decided Maeve Byrne was the one person who might be able to help them.

James hadn't wanted to ask anyone for help; Sirius knew they needed to eat their pride and do it. After they ran into Maeve on the night of the full moon and Remus had explained the truth, Sirius knew they finally had an option. It had taken careful consideration and nearly an hour of convincing Peter before it was finally decided. Sirius had assumed it would be a simple task. He would charm her; he could charm anyone.

Anyone, it seemed, except for Maeve.

But now that Maeve had been out of the Hospital Wing for almost a week, it was high time she was reminded of their pending request for her help. James had the Quidditch pitch use schedule memorized, so they knew exactly when the Ravenclaw team's practice had let out. It had been raining for a large part of the day. The hallways reeked of ozone. Though James had been adamant that he should be there too, Sirius had decided that after the events of the Quidditch match, it would be best for James to sit this one out.

Lucky for Sirius, Maeve was the first one to come around the corner. He feigned shock at the coincidence and stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Byrne. I haven't seen you around lately."

She looked exasperated. "I've been busy getting hit with Bludgers, if you hadn't heard." Her dark brown hair was pulled away from her face, and the waves were shining with sweat. "This isn't a good time."

"It never is, is it?"

The rest of the Quidditch team came walking around the corner in a great clod of blue and bronze. Finn Doyle, the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, shoved his way to the head of the group. His face was nearly as red as his ruddy hair. "And what is it you want, Black?"

Sirius smiled lazily. "I was just walking down the hall, Doyle."

One of the Chasers scoffed. He came up to stand beside Maeve as if to defend her. Sirius recognised him as William Reed, the subject of too much of the school's romantic gossip. "You'll have to forgive us if we find that hard to believe."

Maeve just looked at him with a satisfied grin. She reminded him of Sorcha on the day she had finally beat Remus at wizard's chess. "You lot go on ahead. I'll see you later."

Finn looked back one last time with a threatening glare. Soon, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team had stalked back off to their ivory tower and he and Maeve were alone in the hall.

"Did you get the flowers?"

"Unfortunately."

"I picked them myself."

"I could tell."

Finally, he bit. "Have you given it any thought?"

She was relentless, and she was enjoying this. Sirius wondered if she was only playing the long game to remind them who had the upper hand in the situation. "Will there be consequences if I tell you I haven't?"

"Honeydukes candies come to mind. Or perhaps you haven't had enough of the changing staircases?"

Maeve gave a sardonic laugh and adjusted her broomstick where it rested on her shoulder blade. "Is this the strategy of the week? Threatening me?"

"I'm not threatening," he said smoothly. "I'm in the business of reminding, that's all."

Before this term, he would have laughed at the very notion of trying to convince Maeve to assist them with the task of becoming an Animagi. She was just as stubborn as her twin, and a great deal more sneaky. Sirius was still kicking himself for not putting together the pieces and realizing that Maeve had been the one brewing potions for Remus.

Constant reminders in the form of being a general nuisance were their chosen strategy. If Sirius couldn't charm her, he would pique her curiosity. So when it came time for Potions on Friday, they were already well prepared.

"You've got to be joking," he heard Maeve mutter, and Sirius couldn't help but grin.

By the time Maeve and her blonde friend Elara arrived at Potions, there were only two seats left. One was next to James, and the other was next to Sirius. Just as planned, Elara slid quietly into the seat in the back, leaving Maeve to walk grudgingly to the head of the room and sit down next to Sirius.

"I'd hate to think you had anything to do with the dung bombs Peeves had in the hallway," she hissed at him. Finally, it seemed he had cracked the veneer of her indifference.

"You know Peeves doesn't answer to anyone." Unless he was paid. Paid with fifteen dung bombs, to be exact.

Maeve didn't even look at him for the entire time Slughorn was giving his lecture. She leaned forward to scribble down notes every so often, but otherwise she continued to stare straight forward. It was clear she was busy off in her own little world, a world where Sirius Black did not exist. He leaned over slightly. The margins of her potions book were filled with cramped handwriting that read pH of mandrake leaves and endothermic–crushed ice?. For a brief moment he wondered if he had missed when Slughorn had even mentioned such a thing.

He leaned very close to her ear and whispered, "Endothermic?"

Maeve jumped slightly and her stool made an audible creak. Slughorn paused his lecture briefly, and then continued on.

"What is your problem?" she hissed back through gritted teeth.

"I'm just curious."

She covered up her notes with her arm and turned away from him. Lily Evans turned from her seat at the table to his right. They locked eyes, and she raised a red brow. What are you up to? She mouthed. Sirius just waved her off.

Once Slughorn was finished with his lecture on the Strengthening Solution, he sent them off and on their way to find the ingredients in the store cupboards. Most students had their notes in one hand and were glancing back and forth as they grabbed one item at a time. Maeve was at the head of the group and grabbed everything they needed in one go without even hesitating. She placed it all on their table and set to work. Sirius attempted to help only to be cut off when he tried to add the salamander's blood.

"But the recipe says–" he began.

"It matures better if you wait," she told him.

"And how would you know?"

She just looked at him. Her hazel eyes were eerily like a hawk's. "Would you like to think about that question, Black?"

"Oh," he realized. Strengthening Solution would be her specialty after brewing it for Remus for so long.

"Oh," she patronized. "Are you always this thick?"

And just for that, he dumped the salamander's blood into their cauldron. Before she could curse him on the spot, Slughorn came around and stopped in front of their cauldron. "Miss Byrne."

Maeve stopped stirring and looked up. "Yes, Professor?"

There was a piece of thick parchment clasped in his pale hands. "I heard a most interesting rumor about your ambitions to continue your education after Hogwarts."

"Yes?" Maeve responded, dumbfounded. She ran the charm of her necklace up and down the chain, nervous. Sirius had always thought she looked rather like a magpie collecting jewels. Almost every finger on her hand wore a ring, and she had at least three necklaces on at all times.

Slughorn handed her the slip of paper. "Most excellent. There is someone I hope you will be able to meet, one of my former students who shared your same ambitions. She will be in attendance at my Christmas party. I would be glad for you to come as well!" And with that, he swept away to oversee the cauldron that Peter was currently making bubble over with green goo.

"What's that?" Sirius asked her. He leaned forward, trying to read the cursive script. You are cordially invited to Professor Slughorn's Christmas Soiree.

She snatched the paper away, and her freckled cheeks flushed a deep red. "Nothing."

He laughed. "Don't tell me you want to go to Sluggy's Yuletide celebration. It's nothing but a blood purity party."

"You don't know what you're talkin' about," she told him, her voice lilting with her Irish accent. She poured the remainder of the nettle into their cauldron.

Sirius frowned as he recalled all of his mother's parties. Purebloods loved any excuse to get together and bore each other to death with the status of their lineage. "It's just a bunch of Slytherins who think they're better than everyone else. Exclusive invitations, networking connections. They only look out for themselves."

"Not all Slytherins are selfish."

At this he laughed. Her idealism knew no bounds. "Oh yeah? I'd like to hear one good example. All Slytherins are either thinking of themselves or worshiping the Dark Lord in their spare time."

Maeve just stared at him. One of her eyes began to twitch. "Do you ever shut your mouth?"

And they didn't speak another word to each other for the remainder of the class. Slughorn came around again and praised their success on the first stage of brewing the potion.  Maeve didn't so much as smile.

As soon as class let out, Maeve all but disappeared from beside him. James wove between tables to get to the front of the room and asked, "So? Do we have a deal?"

Sirius watched Maeve's blue-accented robes sweep out of the room and around the corner. "I believe we may still be at square one."

✤ ✾ ✤

a/n Sorcha & Maeve are SO 'You First (Re: Remi Wolf)' coded and it took me writing this entire chapter to realize it. I LOVE WRITING ANGRY TWINS!

This chapter was so fun to write!  Exploring the house dynamics and how Gryffindor be getting away with everything is so special to me.  I always like to save the secondary POVs for a bit just to establish the main character, but after this point you'll be getting more thoughts (or lack thereof) from Sirius Black!  Next chapter is the Slughorn Christmas party, another party where there is sure to be drama because what ELSE would happen : )