"You know it's supposed to be haunted right?" Anika said as the young couple stood alone at the viewing point to the Shrieking Shack. Anika had decided that it would be best for her and Sirius to spend time alone away from anyone that might provoke Sirius' undirected anger at his brother.

"Really?" Sirius laughed, "I heard it was just a loud pack of wild animals." He had a glint in his eye at this comment and Anika understood that he meant his pack of wild animals.

"It could easily be," Anika mused, "I've never heard of an actual haunting that produces the noises some people have described."

Anika looked back out to the shack and analysed the boarded-up windows and doors wondering what kinds of magical protection had been placed on the shack to stop Remus in his werewolf form from escaping and how he was able to be snuck all the way to Hogsmeade every full moon.

"Have I managed it yet?" Sirius asked, drawing her attention away from the shack and back to him.

"Managed what?" Anika asked.

"To prove to you that you're more than a conquest," Sirius said, there was a glint of humour in his eye that Anika found incredibly endearing. She felt compelled to kiss him again but held herself back.

"Well, how many other girls have you bought on a date up here and snogged?"

"None."

"None? I struggle to believe that."

"I haven't taken any other girls on dates," Sirius stated, there was no hint of a lie in his words, "with all of the others it was just... well sex and snogging."

"Good to know," Anika replied sharply, "and I suppose that's what you want to do with me too?"

"No of course not, you're...you're different," Sirius fumbled to put into words exactly what he was feeling.

"And why is that?" Anika asked, as she spoke the grey sky was lit up by a flash of lightning and electricity hummed in the air just as it started raining lightly, but Anika wasn't ready for the conversation to finish so she stood her ground, allowing the rain to wash over her.

"Because... I don't know, there's something else here, you must feel it too," Sirius stated, taking her hand in his.

"I... I don't know what I feel, this all happened so quickly, I don't understand it," Anika confessed.

"Merlin Anika, I've had a crush on you for years and you never even looked twice at me until this week," Sirius complained, it hadn't happened quickly for him.

"Because you were shagging every other girl in school!"

"Because I couldn't have you!" Sirius countered, "Because you were off shagging bloody Aubrey and he is a better, safer, person than me, I'm not good, I'm not safe!"

"And why pray tell Black did you ever want to have me?" Anika demanded.

"Because you do something to me, Anika, something I've never felt with anyone else, it's like, I don't know, like we're-"

"-supposed to be together." Anika finished. She shuddered as the rain began to grow heavier and trickled down her spine.

Sirius gazed at her intensely, "Yes. You make me want to be a good enough person to be worthy of you, you make me want to be the safe option. I don't believe in soul mates or love at first sight or any crap like that, but if I did I'd say that I think you're my soulmate Anika Flamel. I've spent five years at the same school as you, but I never really knew you until this week and that kiss, argh that kiss, it feels like it-"

Anika cut Sirius off by leaning forward and kissing him again.

Their second kiss was better than their first if that was possible. With both of them acknowledging their feelings for one another it was like the raindrops falling on them were turned into molten lava. The kiss burned with an intensity that neither of them had felt before and soon their arms were snaking around each other, eager to be closer to one another, to intertwine their bodies together forever.

When they broke apart they were once again both gasping for air.

"You should be running away from me Anika," Sirius said in a low voice, "I'm not the right choice."

"I don't understand it either, but it doesn't feel like a choice" Anika confessed, blinking raindrops out of her eyes as the rain turned torrential, "when I kiss you, Sirius, it's like I was made for you and only you. I have never felt more human than when I'm kissing you."

After having been so soppy not mere moments before, the kiss had reignited Sirius' playful flirtiness and given him back some confidence, "well I suppose we should do it more often then."

Sirius pulled Anika into another breathless kiss, wanting to feel her lips against his, wanting to taste her, all of her. His hands roamed to places that were less than appropriate for being out in the open and Anika broke this kiss.

"Slow down," she said, "let's take this one step at a time." Sirius' hands moved back to her waist at her words.

"Okay, first step," Sirius said, "Will you dance with me Anika Flamel?"

"There's no music," Anika's wet brow furrowed, "and we're both soaking wet!"

There was a loud rumble of thunder.

"We don't need music," Sirius said chuckling, he took her by the hands and spun her around.

"What are you doing?" Anika laughed.

"Well in pureblood tradition, a wizard must dance with a witch before asking her permission to allow him to court her," Sirius said, "I thought you'd know that."

"Of course, I know that," Anika was still laughing and Sirius finishes twirling her around and the pair lapsed into a slow waltz-like circle together, "But you can't tell me that you're planning to court me? That's so antiquated!"

"I am indeed planning to court you," Sirius replied, "as anyone in my family can tell you, I'm a stickler for tradition."

Anika laughed at the sarcasm in his voice, he reached out and spun her around again and their pair began to dance properly now. Anika's heart was beating so fast with excitement, but she allowed herself to get lost in the perfect moment, just the two of them alone in the rain.

"Be mine Anika Flamel, just mine," Sirius whispered in her ear as they fell back into each other's arms and slowly spun around.

"Is that your old-fashioned way of asking me to be your girlfriend?" Anika almost squeaked.

"Yes."

"Then yes."