Sirius Black sighed and rolled over to bury deeper into his covers. He could hear soft snores from the other boys, even the whisper soft breathing of Remus Lupin. Sirius had been having quite a good dream involving Snape and a dozen doxies but something had woken him.Probably Peter, Sirius grumbled to himself, and wondered if Peter would wake up if Sirius shoved a pillow down his throat. That boy could snore. He had almost fallen back to sleep, his eyelids were heavy and only the slits of his eyes were visible, when he heard a faint tinkling. Strike that: a loud tinkling. He sat up and was about to ask James what he thought it was when he realized James was still asleep. And so were Remus and Peter.
How they were still sleeping, he didn't know. That tinkling was awfully loud. He looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. It was really pretty and sounded faintly like a lyre, but yet more like little bells and Sirius had absolutely no idea what it could be. It was after two in the morning; everyone in Gryffindor tower was fast asleep, or should have been at least. Maybe it's that fifth year couple, Sirius thought, and smirked gleefully. He hopped out of bed, his bare feet making soft scuffing noises on the wood, and paused at the door. James would be SOOO mad if I went out without him, he thought. That of course, sealed deal. He could take on James any day.
Besides, a rough tumble and a couple of punches was a good way to start the day, Remus had said. Then again, that had been after McGonagall had given the entire group a week of detention after James and Sirius decided to battle it out the muggle way at the Gryffindor table in the great hall one day; Remus might have been being sarcastic. You couldn't always tell with Remus. He was a quiet one. Usually, in Sirius' book that meant suspicious, but Remus was all right.
Sirius took one last look around the dorm room, making sure none of the other boys had woken up, and slipped out the door. The tinkling was louder now and it was making him feel sleepy and excited at the same time. He went down the dormitory steps two at a time; the tinkling was getting louder, and as he turned the corner, he saw a ball of light. It was pearly white and tiny; Sirius could have fit it into the palm of his hand. He tried to grab it but it darted away from him. Sirius laughed and ran after it.
For some reason, he was reminded of that time when he was little and he had snuck out of the house to play ball down the street with some muggle kids. It had been great fun; he'd even gotten to explore a creek, though his mother thrashed him later for messing his good robes. That of course, was after his father had whipped his back raw for playing with "despicable, worthless, muggle scum." Sirius didn't try to see those muggle children again, but he never forgot the carefree feeling he had had the entire afternoon. It was the feeling of being a free, of having no worries besides that of what game to play next. In number 12 Grimmauld place, with its dark halls and "no touch" policy, he was restricted and tied down by years of tradition; respectable pureblood boys who wanted to marry well did not play.
Sirius felt his heart clench a bit as he thought about his family, but the ball of light let out a soft ring and moved towards the portrait hole. He ran after it, dodging the comfy chairs and pillows scattered about the common room, trying to find his footing with only the dim light provided by the tiny ball. The common room fire had long burnt out and the house elves hadn't been allowed to restart it at night since Sirius and James had snuck down one night for some fun and set half the common room on fire. Sirius looked back on that memory with great fondness.
The portrait hole swung open and Sirius followed, climbing up and over into the hall. Why didn't they make the stupid hole low enough for first years he grumbled. It was embarrassing having to clamber over it in front of the upper years.
The bell tinkled again, this time with what Sirius thought was an impatient tone, and moved rapidly down the hall. Sirius ran after it; it was singing now, or least that's what he thought it was doing: a soothing melody that had him weaving slightly as he ran after it. He thought he heard a faint sound, almost like a siren going off, but he didn't pay it any mind.
The ball of light was the only thing that mattered now; he had to follow it. He didn't know how long he'd been running, there were dim memories of a couple of staircases and a dark corridor, but suddenly he was in a room he didn't recognize, though he thought it might be in one of the south towers. This is a long way from Gryffindor tower, he thought distractedly, but it didn't really register. He felt mellow and content. The ball had stopped moving and he went over to look at it. When he got closer he realized it was a tiny fairy.
She giggled at him and acted as if she wanted to be petted. Sirius obliged and sat down in the middle of the room. Moonlight was pooled across the floor and he was happy for no reason at all.
Halfway across the castle, James Potter had woken up to the most horrendous noise he had ever heard. It was a high, piercing wail so loud and painful he clapped his hands over his ears as he sat up in bed. He could see Peter and Remus doing the same, but Remus was writhing around the bed in agony and it took James a minute to realize why: werewolf senses. Remus's hearing is so much better than a normal human, this sound must be killing him, James thought and struggled to get out of his tangled sheets and make his way over to Remus. Peter was already there and was trying to help Remus by putting pillows over his head. It was then that James noticed Sirius wasn't in the room. Two seconds later, the wail quieted a bit: it was no longer painful, but just as loud. "What's going on?" he yelled. Before Peter or Remus, who had recovered enough to sit up but was still shielding his ears, could answer a loud voice echoed through the castle. "ALL STUDENTS REPORT TO THEIR COMMON ROOMS IMMEDIATELY. ALLSTUDENTS REPORT TO THEIRCOMMON ROOMS IMMEDIATELY.THIS IS AN EMERGENCY." The wail had quieted enough for Remus to let go of his head, though he was still wincing slightly. They could hear the rest of Gryffindor tower now; people were yelling and the prefects seemed to be trying to restore order. The three boys scrambled out of the room and joined the throng of students making their way to the common room. Molly Weasley was trying to take a head count but everyone was talking loudly, asking others what was going on. The portrait hole slammed open before anything more could be said and Professor McGonagall ran in. Her face was stark white and she made a beeline for Molly Weasley, who was prefect. "Is everyone accounted for?" she asked.
"I don't know, mam," Molly said, "I've been trying to count but no one will settle down." "Sirius isn't here!" James shouted, running up to McGonagall followed closely by Peter and Remus. "He was gone when we heard that wailing!" McGonagall looked sick to her stomach and immediately raised her wand. "No one is to leave this room until I get back. Do you understand? Open the door to NO ONE." And with that she turned back to the portrait hole, already running. "But Professor," yelled Lily Evans, who was in a huddle with the girls of her year, "what's going on?" "The PAN wards have fallen" McGonagall replied and then she was gone.
Okay, I started this story a while back and then got busy and couldn't finish it. Now I have the time and I'm going to complete it. Maybe not super fast, but it will get done.
So tell me what you think. I don't have a beta, so forgive me if there are grammar mistakes.