It was a pretty day, and the weather reflected in the mood of a certain grey-eyed person who rubbed his hands together, at the prospect of the night that had arrived. Indeed, when his house-elf Darla peeked into his room, Sirius Black’s handsome - but you already knew that - face looked quite cheerful.

“What is it, Darla?” he asked, and the house-elf was certain that there would be a quirky, happy spring in his step, when he walked this night.

“Darla has seated Miss Chang in the drawing-room, master,” the blue-eyed creature returned. She gave a friendly, little twitch of her ears as she spoke, this house-elf who wore a very neat apron - you could tell, at the very first glance, that this here, was a house-elf both well-treated and absolutely content.

“I see," Sirius said calmly, but there was no doubt that the news made him prettyc cheerful. "Is there anything else, DarDar?”

DarDar. He did not call her that often but, when he did, it was a sure sign that he was in an awesome mood. Which was exactly why Darla hesitated to speak again. She knew this would ruin his current joy. Ruin it. “Miss -" she hesitated, Sirius raised an eyebrow, and the house-elf decided it would be best to get it over with. "Miss Miller has just arrived.”

OH GOD! Sirius’s eyes widened, and he felt like a knot had arisen in his chest to constrict his respiratory system. He could not breathe, he could not breathe ... Oh God, this could not be. Sherry Chang was here because he had invited her - asked her on a date, to be more exact - and now Nicola Miller had arrived. The Nicola Miller who wore the shortest clothes she could find; the Nicola Miller who was always up for a snog --

-- the Nicola Miller who was, well, his girlfriend.

This could not be happening.

He grabbed at the nearest sofa to steady himself. “I hope," it was Sirius Black's turn to hesitate. "I hope you ... did not let her in, Darla?”

The house-elf did not have the time to feel embarrassed. She did, after all, know her master well. “She is in the living room," she returned, with unblinking, blue eyes. “Darla did not think it would be ... best if she was seated with Miss Chang.”

“You’re a life-saver, Dar!” Sirius exclaimed, not at all embarrassed that even his house-elf knew the things he could be up to, sometimes - and the need to, of course, not seat the current and the prospective girlfriend within ten miles of each other. “Could you lead her here? ... and wait, just – just close the drawing room door before you do that – Oh God… This is such a mess," he was muttering rather darkly to himself, now. "We can’t have Sherry seeing her.”

“Indeed, master.”

The house-elf nodded, took a bow, and backed out of the room. She was glad she had a master who did not take trouble ... too seriously. But behind her, Sirius Black bit his lip, the cogs in his mind whirring at what he was sure was breakneck speed, as he attempted to figure a way out of the mess he was sure to land into, soon.

Because if Nicola saw Sherry – he was dead.