In the Night, it Rains (SiriusOC Marauders)

by Anon.Mou

A Sirius/OC, Marauders FanFic, introducing a 'new' character

Chapter 1

Stepping nervously onto the train, I gripped the handle hard. Waves of people pushed passed me as I barely noticed them. Maybe somebody spoke to me. Who knows? This, I thought numbly, this is the first train ride. Older students smiled, laughed, as they walked passed me. Some, I think, even gripped me on the shoulder and said something like "it'll be okay." I'm probably making this a big deal, but, it is something so great. I was going to Hogwarts. At the time I felt so self-conscious. My pants looked baggy on me, and they were the smallest ones they had. Unlike a lot of skinny girls, my arms weren't just sticks; that's what made my body so awkward, too. I had a sky blue T-shirt on, that was obviously way too big, because I had to tie it behind my back. Gripping on to my books with a death grip, I swallowed. The train whistled several times, and I gave up attempting to look for an empty seat. So, turning to the nearest cabin, I knocked on the window and stuck my head in.

"H-hey," I whispered to the three boys inside. "D-do you mind if I sit here?" All three looked up, smiled and then nodded.

"Of course," one said. He had shaggy black hair, green eyes and a devilish smile. His jeans were a dark blue and his black, long sleeve sweater had a white t-shirt underneath and still looked too big. "I'm James. James Potter."

"Remus Lupin," another said. His hair was short, messy and brown. He had glasses that sat on the brink of his noise and wore all fancy clothes. It looked like his mum had dressed him.

I looked to the last one, who sat by himself on the left. His black hair covered his ears, but parted nicely down the middle of his head. He had a sturdy structure and an independent nature. He was wearing black pants, not really dress pants, but fancy, and a black sweater. When his eyes meet mine, a warm, soothing energy washed over my body. I couldn't help but to smile as my heart fluttered ten times the speed of a normal beat. "Sirius Black. And you are?"

I carefully pushed my thin, long black hair beneath my ears. "I'm Tallamera," I croaked. Frowning I plumped down in a seat and dropped my bag in front of me. "I'm a First year. Are you guys?"

"Definitely," said James. "I'm so excited. I heard Dumbledore is an amazing headmaster." His bright green eyes looked to me, then to Sirius.

"What did you guys' do when you found out you were accepted?" Remus asked suddenly.

"Partied," said James, quickly followed by bursts of laughter. Including me. My surge of nausea and nervousness started to fade away.

"I agree," said Remus. "I couldn't, and still can't, stop talking about it. My life is now complete." He added a goofy smile, causing us all to laugh again.

"Well, I nearly fainted," I said. "My parents went there. So they knew I'd get it. But, I still had my doubts." They all looked at me, me and my straight face. Struggling not to laugh or smile, I said in a quiet voice, "Then, well, I partied." They laughed once yet again. We all turned to Sirius, waiting upon a response.

"I didn't party, for one thing," he said. "My parents, well, let's just say they weren't too happy on me getting 'accepted.' But, I'm here. I celebrated a bit on my own, by doing some family damage before I left." We all stared at him, shocked. But, all he did was smile. "No harm done. They expect it from me."

Silence stole our tongues. I was the first one to get mine back. "Uhm, what did you guys do over summer?" I asked. Sirius flashed a surprised look to me. I tried not to look at him, gaping over him, but I was completely aware of his being. Every time he moved, I knew. I've never felt like that towards a person before, and I doubt I would ever again. There was something about Sirius that set me teetering off balance.

"I went swimming," Remus said quietly, "A lot. I practically lived in the water."

"Yeah, that's nice and all," James teased. "But, I, well, I spent most of my time in the Wizard world. Watching kick butt Quiddich games, shopping for supplies for my parents, for me. It was a pretty…magical summer." As he started bursting into laughter, Remus, Sirius and I just smiled.

"Oh come on!" he panted. "I think that was pretty good." I rolled my eyes.

"You're a tease," I said lightly, but still smiling.

"Then I'm a pretty good tease," he said, putting his arms behind his head. I turned away from James and looked at Sirius.

"What did you do?" I asked softly.

"I don't think you'd want to know."

I looked at him shocked. "Who are you? Why do are you so…vague?" I asked in a quieter voice. Remus and James started talking over us. Sirius looked to me, his green eyes alert and put his soft lips to my ear and whispered, "I come from a long family line of trouble. And I knew that from when I was young enough to recite my first spell. I, on the other hand, wish to break that. Snap it right in half." He pulled away and looked to James and Remus who were smiling.

"Jeez, you two just met and you're already pulling some moves on her, Sirius!" James hooted. I felt blood rush to my cheeks in embarrassment, but Sirius just shrugged.

"At least I have ability to do such."

I couldn't resist myself. "Ouch, James," I said. "Ouch."

Chapter 2

Four Years Later

"Screw you, James!" I shouted. It was our fifth year already. Usually James ticked me off in the first couple weeks. Not the first few minutes. On the train ride over to Hogwarts, I plopped down in a seat next to Sirius, who was smiling as I made my noisy entrance.

"Only because you know I'm right," he said, sitting next to the window.

"No, I know you're wrong!" I growled. "You're a big bully sometimes, you know that?"

"What did he do this time?" asked Sirius. I looked and met his green eyes with my blue eyes. As always, I felt entranced by his gaze. Something pulled me to that boy. Man, I felt like I loved him. After knowing him for four years; knowing how he moved and acted. It was only a matter of time.

"He's a big bully!" I said.

"Am not!"

"Shut up, Potter!" I snapped. James eyes narrowed and his muscles of his jaw tightened. Angrily he pushed his hair behind his ears.

"You sound like Snape."

"Severus?" asked Sirius. "James, for Pete's sake, what did you do?"

"He was 'teasing' Snape," I barked. "By taking his stuff and calling him a loser and crap like that. All in front of Lily Evans."

"Lily hates you, you know," said Remus, finally making his entrance into the cabin.

"Thought you wouldn't make it," James said bitterly. "But look, I don't care if Lily hates me or not. I could care less about her. I have everybody I need right here."

"You're such a jerk," I growled.

"So what?"

"I-" I began, but Sirius squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. I did all I could do to not melt beneath his grip.

"Enough," he said. "Look on the Brightside. We're on our way to another year at Hogwarts."

My anger towards James melted partially away. "Remember when we first met?" I asked abruptly as the train lurched from the station.

"Like it was yesterday," Remus said.

"Yeah," James agreed. "You were like a skittish cat!" He was looking directly at me.

"I was not!" I retorted.

"We're too!" he said. "You came in here all quiet like and said 'c-can I-I sit here?' Or something like that."

"Bah," I waved my hand at him as if I were pushing his existence away. "I remember Sirius being all mysterious and vague. The first week he gave me the chills. Now that, I remember."

"I was," he said. "I've told you all about my parents. I had my reasons."

"I know," I said softly. It took every inch of my being to not reach over and hug him tight, to soothe him.

"You people," said James teasingly.

I stared hard at James then smiled to Sirius. "You know, you never did tell me how your summer was."

"Details!" he scoffed. "I'm Sirius Black- an Animagus. The shape of a wolf."

"You're just playing," I whispered.

"Am I?" he said just as soft, but playfully.

"Hey, people!" James shouted. "We're still here. You know if you want us to leave…" I quickly stood and stomped down on his foot; he let out a shout of anguish. Smiling triumphantly, I sat back down, and crossed my legs. It was in no way, no how, James would get the better of me. And it's always been like that and always will.

"By the way," Sirius continued, ignoring James moans of pain. "My summer then and my summer now, were completely uneventful." He pushed his luscious black hair out of his eyes. I bit my bottom lip.

"Yeah I guess."

"How can you guess?" Sirius asked politely.

"I'm smart like that," I replied. "Unlike…" I nodded my head towards James. Sirius chuckled and shook his head.

"My, my," he scoffed. "He really got you upset this time, didn't he?"

"Yes!" I practically shouted. "He's just a big bully; that's all."

"I'm more than that!" interrupted James. "I'm James Potter. That's got to count for something."

"No, not really," I growled. Stifling a surprise yawn, I curled up in a ball on the bench next to Sirius. "Don't mind, do you?"

He gently lifted my head and slid underneath. Gently putting my head down on his lap, he smiled down at me. "Now you can be comfy."

I completely blacked out.

Chapter 3

The train jerked still, and my eyes flashed open. "Are we there?" I mumbled, sitting up. I didn't want to; I wanted to lie back down on Sirius's lap and stay there forever.

"Not anywhere even close," Sirius grumbled. "We're out in the middle of nowhere!" The train slowly squeaked stop, and let out a bustle of steam. Sirius and Remus looked out the window at the stormy night, just as Peter Pettigrew came in.

"Hey!" he barked; Sirius slid his hand on mine. I jumped. From both things.

Peter eyed us warily as Sirius quickly removed his hand and jumped up within a second. "What is it, Peter?" he asked.

"Anyways, I practically sprinted down here. Something's going on up front," he answered, his bottom lip trembling.

"What do you mean 'going on?' " James asked, suddenly all business.

"Dark Wizards, robbers? I don't know," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "But there were some rapid blasts from a wand for sure." Sirius and I exchanged glances. James looked at Peter, then to Remus and finally to us.

"Should we help?" he asked softly.

"I don't kn-" I started, but was cut off with a scream as blue wizard fire came spiraling down the aisle. Other girls screamed and doors clanked open. Sirius grabbed me around the shoulders, in a protective motion. James jumped up, wand at the ready, and clambered through the door. Peter sat down, watching the door with anguish; Remus was staring after James. Carefully I grabbed Sirius's arm tightly. As much as my burning desire wanted me to get up and help James, I was glued to my seat. Maybe it was from fright. Or perhaps it was just from Sirius's arm.

I felt his warm, soft lips against my ear. "Stay here, and stay safe. I have to help James." Slowly, I nodded. But I oddly felt empty as his arm uncoiled from around me. I watched him with envy and desire as he left. Several minutes passed and I heard loud comments from heads peeping out from the cabins. There were no more blasts of fire, at least. A Prefect, not sure from what house, was telling everyone to calm and sit down while he went and checked it out.

Looking to Peter and Remus, I stood. "You're not staying, are you?" Peter asked.

"Of course not," I replied bitterly. "When do I ever listen?" Just as I was about to leave, James and Sirius came sprinting back in, knocking me to the floor. They slammed the door shut just as the trained hummed to life. I threw them a confused look.

"What was that?" I asked. Sirius held his hand out to me; I gratefully took it.

James looked to his feet and sat down, burying his head into his hands. I looked to Sirius. He smiled weakly. "Dark magic," he said. "Strong, Dark Magic."

"Are you alright James?" I asked weakly.

"More than," he whispered. "I'm angry at myself; I didn't know what to do. I faltered." With a crack in my heart and crept quietly over to James. Sitting down, I placed my hand on his bicep and squeezed it reassuringly.

"James, it's okay," I said. "You were the only student to get up and rush to help them. All you need is to practice your dueling skills. Defense Against the Dark Arts, you know?"

"I'm not bad at it," he retorted. "So I don't know why I froze. Thankfully Sirius was there." He gave Sirius a thankful smile.

"I'm guessing they were fully trained wizards?" I asked.

James nodded.

"Well then, that's the problem," I said. "You're still training. You haven't gone up against fully trained wizards that actually want to kill you."

"I-" James began, but I stopped him.

"More importantly, did you hear what that was all about?" I asked.

"They were asking for students," he said. "That dude…that dude was so creepy."

"Do you think it was Vo-" Peter began, but Sirius slammed his hand across Peter's mouth.

"Have you learned nothing?" he snapped.

"I-I-I," Pettigrew stuttered, but stopped, shaking his head. Remus shuffled his feet and squeezed next to James and I. I slowly got out of my seat and slunk down in the own across from James. Sirius quickly sat next to me, leaving Peter standing pitifully next to the door. His back was resting on the door and his hands shoved in his raggedy jeans pockets. Remus, as every year, was dressed in some kind of casual suit. It still looked like his mum dressed him.

"Do you really think it was, you know, him?" I asked in a weak voice.

"Maybe," James said. "I think we'll know once Dumbledore says something."

"Yeah," I whispered. Rubbing my hand where Sirius touched it, I nearly fainted. He was protecting me; and I didn't need to be protected. Looking to Sirius, I saw him looking at me. He smiled and looked to James.

"If it was," Sirius said, almost unsure of himself. "I wonder who he's looking for."

Chapter 4

When we were corralled off the train, we saw more teachers than usual. I found my way next to Sirius and gripped his arm. "Sirius, that, that attack must've been bad."

With his free hand, he grabbed mine that held on to his arm and transferred it down to his other hand. He was holding my hand. "I know," he said. "Come on, just stay by me. We'll get to the carriages and we'll be inside in no time." I nodded wordlessly, still stunned that he was holding my hand.

We didn't talk on the invisibly drawn carriages, just silently enjoying each other's presence. But he was right, we were safe and inside before anything else bad could happen. The whole carriage ride, Sirius was holding my hand. He helped me off when we stopped at the school. Still holding my hand, he walked with me inside. Then he let go. Not going to lie, it made me a bit sad, but I followed him silently to the Gryffindor table. We were the first to sit down, and then James, Remus and Peter sat.

"What happened to you guys?" asked James.

"We just rode in on an early ride," Sirius answered truthfully. I smiled tiredly.

"Ah, sure it was nothing else?" Remus asked. I hit him playfully with my foot underneath the table. He mimicked a pained face. We all laughed. "But are you sure?" I rolled my eyes.

"All those teachers were out and about," Peter said quietly. "I wonder what was going on."

Up front, Dumbledore stood behind his podium with a grim look on his face. "Welcome to and back to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry," he said. "We're looking forward to another great year of learning, magic and valued friendship. This afternoon, when the train was boarded, boarded by Dark Wizards indeed, they were…in league with very, difficult, dark Wizards. Why they boarded Hogwarts Express, sends a chill down even my spine. They were looking for a student. Whom, we do not know. Hogwarts will be tightly secure. I'm sorry, but rules will be strictly enforced for your safety."

Dumbledore continued, although I made no motion to listen to him. I slid my hand underneath the table and so did Sirius. Sirius grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed it gently, assuring that nothing would happen to us. I held his hand, somewhat tightly so that he could not pull away. I had never felt safer then, than I ever did before. And the best part? He made no motion to pull away.

After the feast, Sirius, James, Remus and I snuck away to the Gryffindor Common Room. We all curled up around the fireplace. Remus and Peter next to James and Sirius and I sitting across from them. For a long while we said nothing to each other. I looked over to Sirius and saw that he had something red stuck in his hair.

"Hold on," I said quietly, lifting my arm and pulling the prisoner out of his hair. I examined it in my hand: a red fuzz.

Sirius looked down in my hand and asked, "A fuzz?"

I nodded. "Yeah, well, it was bugging me," I replied, dropping the fuzz to the ground. Looking up, I saw my other three best friends smiling at us. I shook my head. "Enough of this…Let's talk like normal magical teenagers."

"I agree," said Sirius. "What classes are you guys taking?"

"The usual," James said. "Defense against the Dark Arts, Potions. Boring classes."

"I think everyone's taking those," I teased. "But can you believe we're taking the O.W.L's already?"

"Ah yes," Sirius said. "The bane of existence for Year five's." I smiled at what he said, and just at the sound of his voice. Something clicked in my brain and told me to examine myself, lest you look like a loser.

This time, I looked like I actually belonged in my body. It was just at the beginning of last year where my legs were still twigs and my arms looked too big. It wasn't a huge difference, but there was one. Now, thank the lord, I fit into size one jeans. I know it's still a small size, but the point was, they now matched my arms. I was flat everywhere: stomach, legs, butt, and chest. My robes looked horrible on me because they were so big. Examining my uniform underneath the giant robe, I loosened my tie and pulled my vest down.

"I hate this vest," I said bitterly. "They never fit me."

"It looks fine," Sirius said first. "Don't fuss over it." I leaned forward and but my hair up into a quick pony tail, the end of it reaching four inches passed my shoulder blades.

"Either way, won't make a difference," I said, yawning. "I'm glad to be back at Hogwarts. It's better than any other school I've gone to."

"Agreed," James said. Suddenly a hand came flying and hit James upside the head. He flew to his feet, angrier than ever, to come face to face with Lily Evans. She, unlike myself, looked like a sixteen year old. She had a figure, a bright face, full volume of hair. Her green eyes adorable. She was beautiful. Unlike me. I was the stick.

"What's your problem?" James shouted while he rubbed his ear.

"My problem?" she snapped. "I don't have any problems, you do. Do you really find enjoyment out of bullying Severus? You're a jerk!" They continued arguing.

And while Remus and Peter were intently listening to the argument, Sirius whispered, "Let's go upstairs, I want to show you something." We stood quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to ourselves and ran upstairs to the boys dormitory.

When we entered their room, I sat down in front of the window. Sirius sat next to me and pulled out a rock from his pocket. "What's that?" I asked.

He smiled. "I found it over summer."

"A rock?"

"No, well, yes," he said. "But just watch it." He pulled his wand from his bed at tapped the rock. "Lumos," he chanted. And as the wand began to glow, so did the rock. He flicked the light off, and in the palm of his hand, the small rock grew brighter. As it reached its high point, Sirius's hand started to tremble.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Nothing," he muttered. "It's just really hot."

"Well drop it then!" I snapped.

"It's almost done, see? It's already cooling off," he replied. I reached over and grabbed the rock from him. It was still incredibly hot; my hand wretched open and the rock dropped to the ground.

"Sirius!" I cried; my voice was full of concern. Reaching out a grabbed his hand, examining it for any horrible burns. I was relieved when I found none. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to show you." He looked down and kicked the dim glowing rock. "It's cool you know? Not really magic either. The glowing part isn't, but it's probably from my wand that makes it so hot."

"Don't do it again, please? I don't want you to get hurt…" I whispered. He curled up my hand and placed his over it.

"I'll be fine, okay? Besides, I'm older than you," he said. "I should be the one looking after you."

"I don't need looking after," I said with a smile.

Chapter 5

Eventually, and unwillingly, we left the dormitory and went back downstairs. It was only ten minutes or so, but Lily and James were still arguing. And what was worse, they were getting an audience. I let out a soft groan, and ran through the small crowd.

"Knock it off, James!" I snapped once I slipped between the two. James' cheek was bright red, with the shape of a hand. I turned to Lily, angry at her too and said, "You too." Lily and I shared a dormitory with three other girls. I didn't know her that well, but I didn't hate her. I would consider our relationship as only barely friends.

Lily's frown broke into a soft smile. I cocked my head. "Just control him better around Severus," she said. "I'll see you upstairs, Tallamera." I nodded.

"Come on, don't you guys have better things to talk about?" Sirius shouted to the small group of people around us. Quickly, they started to disperse. I turned my furious eyes to James.

"What did you do?" I whispered angrily.

"Nothing! She's the one who came over and started yelling at me," he growled.

"She was defending her friend!" I snapped. "James I don't understand you sometimes." I gave up with an angry push and walked away.

With one foot on the stairs and my hand gripping the rail to go to the girl's dormitory, I felt a hand grip my arm. I turned to see Sirius. "What Sirius?" I asked. "If you want me to just forget about whatever happened with James, I can't! He just can't go and bully someone. It's not right!"

"I agree with you partially," he said. "But, he's still your friend. Our friend."

"Oh, Sirius," I said gently. "I know that. He just gets me so angry sometimes."

He chuckled quietly. "I know that. But Snape isn't the best either…" Silence wrapped around us as I stood tongue tied, looking in his eyes. A couple girls pushed passed Sirius and flirtingly said 'hi.' I bit my bottom lip in irritation.

"You always do that when you're angry," he said.

"I do what?"

"Bit your bottom lip," he said. I frowned.

"Well, it's not my fault you have annoying girls chasing you around," I growled.

"Then why does it matter?"

"I need to get some sleep, Sirius, I'm tired," I said suddenly. He let go of my arm and smiled.

"Good night, Tal," he said. Tal was a nickname James gave me our first year at Hogwarts. He literally said 'your name's too long. I'm going to give you a new one.' It bugged me at first that he kept calling me that, it sounded like a guy's name. But, eventually, everybody, even my (favorite) teachers, started calling me by 'Tal' and, well, I just got used to it. And plus because of my illegal Animagi status, an Owl, my other nickname in the group was Hoot.

I smiled and replied, "Good night, Sirius."

Chapter 6

My first class of the day was Defense against the Dark Arts, with Sirius, James, Remus and Peter. We got a new teacher this year, so I was pretty excited to meet him. I was walking with the four others, when the head professor of Gryffindor stepped in our way.

"James, I-" he began, but James cut him off.

"Professor, I didn't do anything," he smiled, "Honest. It's the first day here, what could I do?"

"Nothing," he sighed. "Professor Dumbledore would like to see you. And you, Sirius, as well." I looked to James and Sirius with a questioning look, but the shrugged and went with the professor.

"What was that about?" I asked Remus and Peter.

"No idea," Peter replied.

"Not to diverge from the topic, but first full moon is in three days," he said.

"Already?" I asked. "Very well, can't wait." Even I was surprised by the devilish smile on my lips.

"Hoot, you need to not be so freaky," Remus said.

"And yet, I'm not the werewolf," I said. Letting out a soft chuckle I skipped on ahead of them. "Come on! You guys are slow!" I had called out carelessly.

About half way through the class period of 'Defense against the Dark Arts,' James and Sirius came in with Dumbledore behind them. I tilted my head as the teacher stopped talking and turned to them. "Ah, come in, yes, yes, come in." Dumbledore walked to the front while Sirius and James clambered into seats next to me.

I leaned to Sirius and asked, "What did he want?"

"He asked us about what happened on the train, to see what we knew and stuff," he said.

"Did you tell him about the wizard wanting students?" I asked.

"Of course! He already knew that, though," Sirius replied. "But he told us to keep a tight grip on our friends." His dark eyes were bright and alert, as if someone was about ready to through a curse at him. A deep wave of desire came crashing down on me, and more than ever I wanted to hold Sirius. I wanted to have him.

But then again, so did every girl.

"Tal?" he asked softly.

"I'm okay, really," I replied, eyeing the girl behind him whose eyes couldn't be more glued onto Sirius.

He shrugged, "Alright." I eyed the girl as Sirius turned away and whispered under my breath, "Confundus." At first nothing happened, and then she jumped like she got shocked. She looked at me and then to Sirius. Her eyes scanned the room unknowingly as I tried not to laugh. That's what she gets, I thought.

James saw her and he tilted his head. But when he saw me smiling, he smiled and shook his head. He mouthed, "You're so in trouble."

I shrugged and mouthed back, "She deserved it."

When Dumbledore left, our Professor turned back to us. "Alright, now that that's cleared up, open your books to page one."

The girl raised her hand. "Yes, Emma?" Professor asked.

"What's going on? Where am I at?" she asked. The whole class busted into laughter.

"James Potter!" the teacher shouted.

"It wasn't me, not this time anyways," James replied.

"Sirius Black?" Now he seemed unsure of himself.

Sirius had the perfect confused look on as he shrugged. "Give me a truth serum; I know I didn't do anything."

"Remus Lupin, Tallamera McCanning, Peter Pettigrew, James Potter and Sirius Black," he listed. "I know of your pranking history. If any of you used a jinx in class, which I know one of you did, you'll all receive detention. So speak up and save your friends."

I looked to James and he nodded. Standing from my desk I replied, "I did it" in a simple, careless voice.

"Very well, Tallamera," he said. "Detention, six o'clock in my office."

I nodded and sat back down. After the teacher used the counter spell to undo the Confundus, he continued lecturing. A note landed on my desk. Carefully opening it, I immediately recognized it as Sirius's handwriting.

Hoot, what was that for? Were you planning on getting detention on the first day? Did you want me to join you?

I whispered so quietly that it was barely a noise, "Did you want me to join you?" I wrote back, only if you want to. When the teacher turned his back I sent the note flying to Sirius. Sirius met my eyes and smiled widely.

At the end of the class period, both Sirius and I had detention at six o'clock.

Chapter 7

After school that day, Sirius, Remus, Peter, James and I gathered outside, around the tree that was by the lake. James hit my arm. "Hoot! I can't believe you! Detention on your first day, and I wasn't even the one to prompt you! You're becoming more like me every day. I'm so proud."

"God, I hope not," I teased. "Besides, she deserved it."

"Why?" Remus asked.

I shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal to tell you guys." She was staring at Sirius, I added to myself. Sirius…Sirius is too good for her.

"Whatever!" James cried with delight. "You're just like me!" I shook my head. "But what gets me," he continued, "Is that Sirius goes and gets himself detention too."

"Hi James, Tal, and Sirius!" A couple of Fourth years shouted as they walked passed. We waved.

"I'll get detention any time I want," Sirius snapped. I scooted closer to Sirius and grabbed his arm.

"Whoa," I said. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "It's just my parents," he said. "I hate the whole lot of them, my family."

"I thought you were living with James," I said, my eyes flashing to James.

"Oh, I am," he said. "But that doesn't stop them from knowing I'm here and sending me letters that I better return home."

"You're not, are you?"

"God no," he said. "I'd rather die."

"Then it's a good thing you don't have to," James said.

"Anyways, what do you think of the new Dark Arts teacher?" Peter asked. "I think he's exceptional."

"Yeah! You should have seen Snape sniveling over the Dark Arts!" James scoffed. I rolled my eyes; I lost my right to speak against James' bullying.

"He's a little oddball who is up to his eyes in the Dark Arts," Sirius chimed in. James gave Sirius a high five.

"Now that I think of it," I said. "You guys are all crazy." I lied down on my back in the warm grass. Sirius lied next to me.

In a gentle voice he said, "But you already knew that. So that makes you crazy too."

"Pshf, I knew that before I even met you guys," I replied.

"True, very, very true," I heard James say. He paused for a moment, then cried out, "Hey Lily!" I looked up into the tree, basking in the sunlight that broke through. The whole time I was aware of Sirius staring at me. I wanted to reach over, kiss him and then cuddle with him.

I broke down and quickly stood to my feet. Sirius sat up. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I-I forgot to do something," I said lamely. "I need to go to the library."

"Do you want us to come?" James asked.

"No, no," I said. "It'll be boring. You know me, take forever to go to the library and check out a book."

"Ain't that true," Remus said.

"I'll see you guys at d-dinner," I stuttered and then turned on my toes and sped walked away. I didn't know why I ran away from them. I just had to get away before I made a fool of myself, maybe. I just knew I just couldn't be around Sirius right now. I melt every time I see him.

I'm not sure how long I sat in the library, reading books on magic, or not even related to magic. Or books that were over two hundred years old. Amazing, really. But eventually, somebody sat in the chair across from me at my table. I looked up annoyed, until I saw Sirius.

"What do you want?" I whispered.

"I've come to get you for our detention," he said. "It's nearly six."

"It's already six?" I asked, hurrying to stand.

"Sit down, it's only five fifty," he said. "I've come early because I want to ask you what's wrong. Why did you run off earlier?" I sat back down and pushed my crappy, thin black hair out of my eyes. I looked at Sirius and his dark eyes, his dark hair and the structure of his face. There was no way he would ever like me, and yet, I keep falling for him each time I see him. "Tal? You can tell me." I licked my chapped lips and stacked the books, not meeting his eyes.

"It's nothing," I lied. I left because of you, because I don't want to make a fool of myself even more around you when James, Remus and Peter are there! I added thoughtfully.

"You're a horrible liar," he said.

"And you have a horrible way to keep track of your hair," I replied, his hand flew to his head. "Can you help me put these back?" I motioned to the three books that were stacked.

"Oh, but of course," said Sirius. "You really think I can't keep track of my hair?"

"I was joking," I said quietly, reaching for the pile of books.

"I wasn't."

"I know you weren't," I replied and stood up. He stood up as well, hurrying to catch me as I walked to put the books away.

"So why don't you tell me?" I can't tell you, because then I'll just dig myself a deeper hole.

"It's not important, that's why," I said, stopping to put the book away on the top shelf. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach it. I was skinny, not tall.

"I don't think that's the truth," he said, following me as I put the second book away. "You're Tallamera McCanning, Hoot, and Tal. You don't run away that easily."

"Sometimes I do," I said, pushing the second book into the shelf at about eye level. I paused for a second, and then shook my head. "Not important." I started walking away again, and I felt his presence right behind me.

In a more concerned voice, Sirius asked, "Why are you scared?"

I took three more steps, and started looking for where the book went. "Who in their right mind would say that, I, Tallamera, am scared of something?" Triumphant, I slid the book into its belonging spot and turned around. When I did, Sirius put both of his hands by each ear, almost as if he was pinning me, but wasn't touching me. I stood, gaping at him, and he smiled. His face was only inches away from my own. Grabbing onto the bookshelf behind me, as if I thought that it would help me, I bit my bottom lip and looked to the ground. We stayed exactly like that before who knows how long before one of us spoke.

"Why will you not tell me?" he asked softly.

"I t-think we should go," I stuttered, meeting his eyes. "T-to be early, is to be on time."

He frowned, and whispered, "Just tell me, please. I want to make sure you're alright."

"L-look I'm here, and I'm f-fine," I said, wishing with every fiber of my being that I'd stop stuttering. "I'm alright, let's just go."

"Why are you stuttering? It's just me, Sirius," he said quietly. "Good old Sirius Black."

I swallowed; his name was like heaven's bells to my mortal ears. "You know I'd don't like b-being pinned down," I whispered distractedly. "I b-break like a toothpick."

"I'm not hurting you and would never dream of the fact," he said, stone serious. I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath. Again, we stayed put, silent for another several minutes. Then without taking a second thought, I slipped underneath Sirius's arms. He stayed, pushing up against the bookshelf, for several seconds more with his eyes closed, until he pushed himself up.

"Let's just go please," I whispered.

Reluctantly he nodded. "You're one stubborn girl, Hoot," he said. "One stubborn girl."

"Trust me," I replied solemnly, "I know."

Chapter 8

I'm stubborn in so many ways, I thought as we walked into detention together. I don't let others deflect me. I don't let others choose for me, I make my own decisions. I take charge. I don't let others walk over me. I don't let others tell me what to do, unless they're teachers, of course. Nobody can change my mind, once I've decided something. I'm stern as a stone.

And yet, the worst of all I'm stubborn because I don't let myself have what I want.

In the library, I could have kissed Sirius. But no, I couldn't even let myself tease him. I couldn't do anything right when I was next to that boy. I could barely breathe. He made me so nervous when I was around him. I wanted him. I wanted to kiss him, to cuddle with him, to hold him. I wanted that boy more than anything.

"Hello?" Sirius asked into the empty air.

"Yes, yes," a voice called from the closed office. "Tallamera, Sirius, please do come in." We obeyed.

"So, what are we doing?" I asked.

"I just want to talk to you two at first, so please take a seat," he said. And again we obeyed. I watched the Professor sit down, dressed up very nice for the first day of school: a gray, casual suit and tie.

"I understand you two, along with James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew are amongst the school's worst prankers," he said.

"With all due respect, sir," Sirius started. "I guess we are, but that doesn't mean we don't try our best to learn the appropriate stuff that is required for students at our age."

"You are a clever one, Mr. Black," Professor Dente said.

"I'm polite," he corrected.

"And what about you, Ms. McCanning?"

"Yes, sir?" I asked quietly.

"Why did you jinx poor Emma Lee?" he asked.

"I had my reasons," I replied steadily, straining to keep my eyes on Dente.

"Surely you can share?" he asked. I could almost feel Sirius's triumphant beam shinning off of him. No way would I tell a teacher, especially with Sirius here!

"Lee is a jerk, sir," I lied smoothly. "She said something quite rude to me on the train ride here, and I was still feeling a bit hurt. See, personal." My eyes flashed to Sirius and I could tell he was about ready to explode with my lack of cooperation.

"Very well, Ms. McCanning-"

"My name is Tallamera or Tal for short, not Ms. McCanning," I interrupted.

"Okay, Tal," he said bitterly. "You two will be cleaning every single desk in that room until I see fit."

"Yes, sir," we replied rather lazily.

"Excellent," he said. "You two get to work, your supplies are in front of the room, under the chalkboard. I will be out talking with Dumbledore, and the job better get done."

"No worries," said Sirius.

"It will," I said.

"Good," he replied. "Get to work and I will be back no later than 6:45. Do not leave before I am gone." We both nodded as he left. Sirius stood first this time.

"Come on, let's get to work," he said. "The faster we get done, the faster we have to sit around and do nothing." I smiled.

Together we cleaned the thirty desks in the room in about fifteen minutes. Sirius talked most of the time while I remained somewhat quiet. At the end, we sat in the front of the room, with our backs against the wall. I yawned.

"Tired?" he asked.

"First day of school, of course I am," I replied.

"You still not going to tell me why you're so upset today?" he asked. I turned my head to him and stared at him.

"I'm not upset," I replied.

"Okay, then let's review, and then you tell me what's bugging you, okay?" he said. "So first, you jinxed Emma Lee, got detention, then you stormed away while we were just lying there. Then you put up a fight about not telling me what's wrong at the library and you lied to a teacher. I think that's a record for you."

"Why are you being so rough?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Because, sometimes, I feel like that's the only way I can get through to you," he whispered. "And I want to know what's wrong, because I want to help you. Because I'm your friend."

I felt myself wince at 'friend,' by God, I wanted more than that. "Maybe I don't want help," I argued.

"Well, from me, you don't have a choice," he said. He looked away from me, and stared at the door. I studied his face, his strict jaw line, his long black hair. His mischievous eyes. Then his well-built body. I let out a yawn, and giving up my relentless fight, I rested my head on his shoulder. I felt him tense up, and then relax as he realized I wasn't moving.

"Detention's not so bad," he said softly. "As long as you're not by yourself."

"Then it's a good thing you're here," I whispered tiredly.

"A very good thing."

I let silence surround us for a moment until I said, "You know how many girls would die to be in my spot, right now?" I asked.

I felt and heard him chuckle. "Enlighten me."

"About every single girl in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," I said. "I think you're out of luck with Slytherin."

"Wouldn't be surprised," he said. "What makes you say that anyways? It's kind of out of the blue."

"I just notice things."

"Just notice things?" he asked.

"Yup," I replied. "Like every girl practically drooling over you."

"Like you are now?" he asked. I breathed in some loose saliva, and sat up gagging.

"What?" I asked, startled.

"Well, you're literally drooling on my shoulder," he said.

"I am?" I asked, more relieved now, but still startled. "I'm so sorry." I started wiping at his shirt. He pushed my hand away.

"Besides, there's only one girl I like," he said. I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach and hoped that my face didn't show it.

"Really," I said in a not really convincing voice.

"Yup," he said. "I'm really happy to be back at school with her."

"That's sweet," I replied, swallowing hard. Shouting came from the hall and I turned to look at Sirius. He nodded his head to the door and we quietly ran to it.

"He's coming back at your fault!" somebody shouted. "And he's looking for students."

"Who, who is he looking for?" the same person asked. I looked to Sirius, he shrugged.

"I don't know!" the other snapped. "A powerful student, one that can complete a charge? I don't know!" I looked to Sirius, scared and mouthed 'James,' he nodded. Without thinking, I quickly reached down and grabbed his hand. He reversed his hand position so that he was grabbing hold of mine, instead of me grabbing his.

"Listen to me," the first snarled. "Call it off, now. These are students we're talking about!"

"I can't!" he cried. "He'll kill me."

"I don't give a damn, call it off," the first snarled. "I'd rather it be you then the students."

"Crucio!" When the unforgivable curse was spoken, my hand flew to my mouth. I heard cries of struggling. Tears stung my eyes. I threw my head into Sirius's arms as tears ran down my cheeks. Sirius wrapped his arm around me. There was a loud thud as somebody dropped to the ground, their wand clattering away; my body clenched. "I'm oh so sorry. Let's just erase your memory of the last hour. Obliviate."

The person, whoever it was, picked up the unconscious teacher and walked away from us. With an opening of a door, the Unforgivable user dropped the teacher, slammed the door shut and pounded off. I wiped tears away from my eyes.

"Sirius," I whispered, my voice uneven. "He used an Unforgivable Curse. An Unforgivable Curse! What are we going to do?"

"First, we'll get find the teacher who was hurt, and take them to the Infirmary," he said weakly. "Then we'll find Dumbledore."

I nodded slowly. "Come on," he whispered, pulling me gently up by my arm.

"Sirius, they're going after a s-student!" I cried even more. "What i-if it's you?" My body shook for a moment as my breaths shuddered. When I said 'you' I cried even harder. "What if it's James? Or Remus? You're all powerful wizards-"

Sirius grabbed my right shoulder with one of his hands and forced my chin up to look at him. "And what if it's you?" he choked. "But…" he sighed. "But that doesn't matter right now. First we have to help whoever is hurt and then tell Dumbledore. Okay?"

I nodded, my breathing stuttering. "So focus, okay?" he choked out. He was scared too, I noticed. "W-we have to help…" His scared eyes looked over me, and then closed them. He looked over to the door and walked out. I watched him go, wondering what he was thinking and then followed him out, scared out of my wits.

Chapter 9

Everything was quiet, as if nothing had happened. The hall ways above us were filled with chatter, but that was all. Sirius was looking around, for the possibility of where the teacher was. I pointed to a door on the opposite side of the hall, he nodded and jogged over. He jiggled the handle, locked.

"It's locked," he muttered and started fiddling in his pocket for his wand. Before I even realized it, I pulled my wand out, tapped the door and whispered "Alohomora." The door clicked open. Sirius pushed it open and we both gasped as we saw Professor Dente unconscious on the ground.

Sirius immediately bent down and looped one of Dente's arms around him. "Help me, Tal," he whispered. Without thinking I grabbed Dente's other arm and together we dragged him out of the closet and then to the Infirmary. We gathered a lot of strange looks as we staggered by, but we were there in almost two minutes. The nurse, gasped.

"What happened?" she cried. "Over here, quickly now! Come on!" She helped use put Dente onto the bed.

"He was hit with an Unf-forgivable c-curse," I stuttered.

"A what!" she cried. "Go now to Dumbledore! Now, now!"

"He also was hit with 'Obliviate!'" Sirius cried as we turned and ran out the door.

As we sprinted down the corridor, I asked, "Sirius, do you know where we are going?"

"Straight to Dumbledore!" he said.

"What if he's not there?"

"He will," he replied.

Sirius stopped at the phoenix statue and whispered, "Lemon Drops" and a set of stairs revealed itself. Sirius and I hopped up to the top stair and waited until we got to the top. Once we got to the door, Sirius knocked hard on it.

"Enter," Dumbledore called cheerfully back. Sirius walked pushed the door open and went in. "Sometimes we do not expect to see one so soon. How are you Sirius? And ah, young Tallamera, how are you?"

I looked nervously to Sirius. "Ah, I see you have brought not so good news," he said, coming down to meet us. "Better tell me now."

"Somebody's in the school," I said, short of breath, "who used an Unforgivable Curse on Professor Dente!" I felt my eyes tear up once more and I wiped at them.

"A what?" he snapped.

"An Unforgivable curse sir," Sirius said. "We heard them say it…We brought Professor Dente to the Infirmary. The wizard also said that somebody was coming, in search of a powerful student wizard."

He placed one hand on my shoulder, and the other on Sirius's shoulder. "Do you know who said the curse?" he asked.

"No sir," I replied; Sirius shook his head. "We were in the Defense against the Dark Arts room. We couldn't s-see them." He rubbed my shoulder.

"At least you didn't see the outcome right away," he said. "How was Dente?"

"Unconscious," Sirius said.

"Very well," he said. "Now, I will be out with several teachers, searching the school for anything out of the usual. I want you two to go straight to your dorms, understand? No stops in between."

"Yes, sir," we said in unison.

"Stay in there all night as well," he said grimly. "There may be a chance that that wizard knew you two were in there and wanted somebody to hear what he said. A student, one of my students that he wants."

"Who is 'he?'" I heard myself ask. Dumbledore pulled both of his hands away and smiled sadly.

"I believe it is, He-who-must-not-be-named. Whom you," he nodded to Sirius, "and James saw on the train, or at least, his minions."

Chapter 10

We left his office completely stunned, but obeyed his order to walk directly to our dorm. He who must not be named? In our school? How is that even possible? Well, he's not directly in our school, yet. But the thought he's targeted some kids, some students, to do his dirty work, well, that's just disturbing. Who in their right mind can be so cruel? Most of these students are even of age. A lot of them are still young and trying to find their place in this world. Who would take that away from them?

"Relax," Sirius whispered. "At least until we get to James and them."

When I unclenched my fists, they hurt. "Yeah, yeah," I said. "I'm scared, though."

"I know. Me too," he replied. We stepped in front of the portrait, said the password and slipped into the Gryffindor common room. Remus stepped in front of our way, eyeing us up and down.

"Well, well," he said. "Looks like something happened."

"Nothing good," I said sharply. "Where are James and Peter? We need to talk."

"There over there," he said, pointing by the fireplace. "Why-"

I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the others. When we sat down, we urgently told the three what had happened. The Unforgivable Curse; Professor Dente, what Dumbledore had said. Even James looked shell-shocked.

"That's kind of freaky, guys," Remus said. "And that's coming from the mouth of a werewolf."

I pushed my black hair from my eyes. "I'm not going to lie," I said quietly, "I'm completely freaked. And totally worried about all of you."

"All of us?" Peter asked sarcastically. "The only people in this group that we should worry about are James, Sirius and you Tal. Out of this group, there's a couple Year Sevens. So you definitely don't need to worry about me."

"Or me," Remus echoed. "Look, what we have to do is just watch each other's backs. Keep a close eye on everyone here. Especially during full moons. And if the time ever comes, protect each other like none other."

"I think that sounds like an excellent plan," Sirius said.

"Agreed," James replied. Silence fell down around us as we soaked up this information. Suddenly James snapped his head up, and said, "Now my arms are all goose bump-y." We all let out a nervous chuckle. He rubbed his palms on his black pants. "Alright, I'll admit it. I'm freaked."

"You're not the only one," I whispered. Remus and Peter nodded in agreement.

"Well, look," Sirius said, "We can't do squat about it right now." My head snapped to Sirius in confusion; was he angry? Or was he just as scared as the rest of us? He continued, "So I suggest we set our minds towards the full moon in a couple days. That's when we'll need our energy."

"I agree," I heard myself say. "Close group," I whispered, imaging us crawling out into the dead of the night and into the Shrieking Shack. And then there was someone else there. I flinched to get myself out of the daydream. Sirius tilted his head in curiosity towards me, but I shook my head, implying it was nothing. If there was one thing I had to do during this time, was stay strong. I was the eyes in the sky during our full moon rendezvous'.

After our talk, I said my goodnights and headed up to my dormitory. For several minutes I looked out the foggy window. The sky was cloudy, and in only a few spots did the clouds allow the moonlight to break through. From above, the lake, a former fear of mine, looked incredibly peaceful; lapping up against the shore, ignoring what was going on inside of the school. After all, it was just a lake. It could ignore the hustle and bustle of everyday life at Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. The lake was lucky.

Eventually, my breath clouded up the window too much, making it practically impossible to see out of. I gave up with a sigh and went to my bed. Across from me Lily sat in her bed, reading. She looked up at me, as if she sensed me, and smiled.

"You looked stressed," she said, closing the book in her lap.

"Oh, I am," I replied. "Look, I'm not much of a fan of Severus-" She made some kind of grunting noise. "But I'm sorry for the way James is acting."

She let out a sigh. "Well, it doesn't matter much, now does it?" she said.

"I guess not," I replied. "Night."

"G'night," she said, digging herself back into her book.

Chapter 11

The next two days, we spent guarding each other's back, petrified of any out of the ordinary thing that popped up. We would pop into the infirmary, Sirius and I, in the morning and after school to check if Professor Dente was alright. The whole day, three days after he was hit with a Crucio and Obliviate, he was coming about. The Obliviate had done some serious damage though, more than it was intended too; Dente could barely remember anything. He knew who he was, and who Sirius and I were and where he was. That was pretty much it. Well, really, he knew most of the staff, but he didn't remember why he was even at Hogwarts or much of his past. So taking his place in the class was our Potions Teacher, Professor Levi.

I felt horrible for Professor Dente. Almost as if it was my fault. If I could have gone out and helped him, he may have not been so badly hurt. But what would have happened if I got hit? I was so scared at the moment, I froze. Like James did when the Dark Wizards serving You-Know-Who boarded the train. But, if I was just a smidge braver, I could have helped Professor Dente that night. I could have helped James and Sirius on the train.

I could have kissed Sirius in the library.

But, it was time to face the facts. I was weak. Pathetic. A coward. Really, I couldn't do much compared to Sirius and James. That's why I was, am, so scared for them. If You-Know-Who was actually watching Hogwarts, then James and Sirius were in serious trouble. They're powerful wizards. Incredibly powerful wizards.

I was even pathetic compared to other sixteen year old girls. Like Lily Evans, they had a curvy body, weighed more than a feather and were so beautiful. Thick, full, bouncy hair. Bright eyes. While I on the other hand, barely weighed one hundred pounds. One-oh-one pounds, to be exact. My legs were sticks; My arms were sticks. My hair had some volume to it, but not much. It was pretty thin, too, my hair. When I was eleven, I didn't even fit in my own body, for crying out loud! My blue eyes were that bright either, but that's because of my black hair.

That's why a Mr. Sirius Black would never, ever, like me the way I do. I practically love the boy to death. He's amazing and any practical girl would say the same thing. If they didn't, well, let's just say my fist would hit their face at a tremendous speed. And if they did…

…I'd do the same thing.

My thoughts were a stray all day. It was third day of school. Three days after Sirius and I had detention. Three days after hearing the Unforgivable Curse. Three days after being scared beyond all normal means. But near the end of the day, as the bright yellow sun set, casted oranges, purples and blues all about the sky, I looked forward to the full moon. Remus, of course under Dumbledore's knowledge, and only Dumbledore's (save for us, of course), was already at the 'Shrieking Shack.' Although, it was claimed, the Shack was supposed to be haunted, it wasn't. It was only Remus's, poor Remus's cries of angst as he was a werewolf. Because he was away from people, which was a good thing indeed, he was inclined to scratch and bite himself. It was always such a horrible sight.

At the end of the day, I walked passed Lily and Snape, of course overhearing their conversation. Why wouldn't I listen to lovely Lily and Snape?

"There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?" Snape asked Lily.

"He's ill. They say he's ill-" she started uncertainly.

"Every month at the full moon?" he snapped. I turned to them, eyes bright and fierce.

"How 'bout you mind your own business, Snape?" I growled. "Remus is sick, so leave him and your petty obsession alone."

Snape turned his dark eyes on me. "And why should I listen to you?" he retorted.

"You will, because I will make you shut it if you don't yourself." I felt Lily's surprise look seared into the back of my head as I turned on my heels and left. I have to say, I felt a bit guilty on turning on Lily like that, but Snape needs to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business. And that other person is me. And James, Peter, Sirius and Remus; so by all means, Snape better watch it.

At dinner time, I sat in next to Sirius and across from James and Peter. James had a smug smile on his face, and Peter looked just plain excited.

"By God," James whispered. "It's the first full moon of the year. I hope Moony is well." I smiled at the name 'Moony.' James had given us all nicknames the first time we transformed into our Animagi; Sirius was Padfoot, James, Prongs, Remus was Moony and Peter was Wormtail. I, of course, was Hoot.

"I always feel so bad for Moony during the full moon," I whispered. "It feels so unfair for him to feel like that."

"That's why we're here," said Sirius. "It calms him down while he has a few prankster friends around him."

"I know," I said. "But I still feel bad. Having to bite and scratch his own self just because he can't anything else."

"Yeah, I know," Sirius said slowly. "I hate this time, but it's nice that we've finally conquered the Animagi stuff."

I took a huge bite of my Roast, and swishing it down with a gulp of meat. James eyed me wildly. "What?" I asked, taking another bite of Roast.

"Why are you an owl?" he asked quietly. "How does all that food fit in your stomach? Owls are dainty eaters, aren't they?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "No way, they eat mice, James," I said. "Besides, it's called having a fast metabolism."

"Yeah, right," he mumbled.

"So," I said, "We meeting in the usual spot?"

To which James replied with, "Yup. I've got the cloak, if you got yourselves."

I smiled, so did Sirius and Peter. I looked to them, and then back to James. "I think we're a go, James."

Chapter 12

At about ten thirty that night, we all slid from our beds and sat next to the fire spot. As always, I was the first person down. And the thrill of the Full Moon made me forget mostly everything that had happened the past few days. The boys, of course, all came down at once, James carrying the large bundle of his cloak underneath his arm. I looked Sirius up and down, pleased that his eyes carried the same excitement they always did during the full moon.

James and Peter were whispering excitedly as the skipped down the stairs and when they saw me, they stopped. "Hey, Hoot," James whispered. "Ready to go?"

"More than ever," I replied. The four of us gathered tightly together, me between Sirius and James, and Peter on next to James, as James threw the cloak over us. In the next minute we were hidden from the eye of any wizard.

Quietly and swiftly we navigated the school and the school grounds to the Whomping Willow's entrance to the Shrieking Shack. As we approached the willow, James pulled the cloak off of us, smiling.

"Well, here we go," he said. Without another word he sprinted underneath the Willow and slid into the entrance. Peter was next, dodging an aimed swing of the Whomping Willow. That left Sirius and I.

I turned to Sirius. "Well, this is one part I definitely don't miss."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked teasingly. "It's all about the thrill." He took a step, but for some reason, I grabbed him by the arm. "What?" he asked, immediate concern in his voice.

"Uhm, just be safe, okay?" I whispered.

"Always am," he said, then pet underneath my chin, as if I were already an owl. "That's better when you're an owl, Hoot."

"That's because I'm soft when I'm an owl," I replied bitterly.

"Don't be so down because of Dente," he said. "The nurse says he'll be fine-"

"It's not just him," I cried. "It's you four! What if something happens to you? I feel so guilty about what happened to Dente. I could have helped him, if I wasn't such a coward!" Sirius gently squeezed my shoulder.

"All will be well, okay, Tallamera?" I looked up as he used my full name. "Don't let it get to you too much, tonight. It's by the light of the full moon, and by God, that belongs to us."

I slowly nodded. "Try my best."

"Good," he said. "That's all I can ask for. We'll talk later, okay? And by the way…"

"What?"

"I'll race you there!" And with that, Sirius raced off down the secret tunnel with me trailing right behind him.

As soon as I dove into the tunnel, I quickly, and properly, transformed into my owl. And flying, oh my, was the best thing that could ever happen. I felt free, light and amazing. Utterly amazing. I did a loop in the air and then chased after Padfoot, Sirius, who was only so far ahead of me. The constant flutter of my wings was like a soothing heartbeat. Being an owl, it was me. It was all I could ever ask for.

After a few moments I flew over Sirius, did a couple of circles and then landed on his back. He skid stop immediately. I let out a cheerful hoot and he let out a playful growl. He padded up the exit and into the old Shack.

We immediately heard Remus above us, howling and yapping. The wind shook the shack as if a tornado was nearby. James started up the stairs and the three of us followed cautiously behind. I hovered above James, eyeing every inch of space I could. James and Sirius were below me, guarding each other in case anything would pop out. And Peter, being just a Rat, was somewhere in the walls. I think. Maybe, or maybe he wasn't. I was not quite sure. Perhaps I just didn't care. If I were human, I would have shrugged. But, I'll tell you, it didn't really work when I was an Owl. James, as a deer, suddenly careened around the corner and into the bedroom where Remus was at, followed by Sirius. With a frantic burst of energy, I angled my wings and sped through the door like a missile. I landed on the ground next to Sirius and saw Remus. It was possibly the scariest thing of my life. It even made me forget of all the chaos and stress that had happened in the first three days of school: You-know-who, the betrayal, the Unforgivable curse, and last but not least, Sirius.

Remus was a monster, to put it in simple terms. I fluffed out my wings and shook my head. This was Remus: my best friend, my unofficial brother. I knew what I had signed up for, but was in no way giving up with him. I let out a strained 'hoot,' and regaining my courage, I waddled up to Remus. I put a gentle wing on Remus, an obvious human motion, and he seemed to calm at my touch. I could tell, even though crazy, that deep down, he was there and he knew it was me. His shaking body lifted his head and his wet nose sniffed me. Out came his tongue. I let out a startled 'hoot' as it crossed against my feathers. Remus howled up towards the moon. He was on his feet in an instant.

Sirius padded up next to the 'froze-in-place-me,' and howled along with Remus for a heartbeat. And then both cut off as James approached. Remus the Werewolf eyed James with curiosity and a certain type of hunger. Sirius saw it as well and let out a warning growl as he stepped in between James and Remus. He shook his giant dog head in the motion of 'no' and Remus seemed to understand it. After we settled down, James led us out the door and outside.

The rest of the night was just a blur.

Chapter 13

Sirius jerked awake the next morning freezing cold and drenched in sweat. His hands were gripping the sheets so tight his knuckles were white. And when he let go, his hands hurt as they uncurled. He pushed his wet hair out of his eyes and looked out the window that was across from his bed and next to James (who was snoring so loud it would have woken the dead). It was still dark outside and when he checked his watch it was only five thirty. He had only been in bed a little more than an hour. And it wasn't even the monster James that woke him up. It was a dream. Well, more like a nightmare.

He slid from underneath his covers and sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his eyes as if doing that, would rub away the exhaustion he felt. He let out another yawn, and too scared to go back to sleep, he grabbed a fresh pair of clothes for the day and slipped into the showers. The whole time, just thinking.

Tallamera was in his dream. And so were James and Remus. Peter was God knows where, but his closes friends were there. He could hear Snape laughing in the back. Snickering. All he wanted to do was punch the kid. And that was for just being in a dream. And then the worst of it, Voldemort was there. A chill slowly climbed up his spine, forcing him to twinge and shiver, even though the water was hot against his skin.

The nightmare was too realistic. That's what freaked him. He could hear Tal screaming in the background, begging for him to help, but he couldn't reach her. He thought, I was in the Shack right? He wiped his hands down his hair, washing it with soap. And every time he opened a door, he found somebody else than who he expected. The first door he opened, he found James, cut up and bruised badly. Underneath the dim light, it looked like he was just a puff ball of puss, bruises and blood. Again, Sirius shivered. In the dream, Sirius knelt down, immediately pulling his wand out, and helped James. He heard Tal shout, her cries in between, "Please, Sirius, help me! PLEASE DON'T, NO, NO, NO!" Then she cried out a scream. It was obvious, the last part was directed to her attacker, but that didn't help him as he fumbled to help James. Yelling out in frustration, he hurled a healing spell towards James. In a blinding speed, he stood and rocketed through the door.

"Sirius, where are you!" Tal had cried. In the shower, Sirius gripped the nozzle of the shower so tightly that the veins beneath his skin bubbled towards the surface. Just thinking about how Tal sounded made him cringe with disgust. "Sirius…Please…" It was just a dream, he told himself. Just a dream.

Even so, in the dream, Sirius had turned and looked to see if he could pinpoint to where the sound was coming from. Upstairs, he noted. That's where she has to be. Tal let out another scream. His teeth clenched. He quickly transformed into a huge black dog and sprinted up the stairs, faster than any dog ever could. When he got to the next floor, he transformed back into a human and kicked open the door in a raw anger. Instead of Tal, he found Remus. He wasn't as bad as James, physically, but he was twitching on the ground. His arm was twisted in an awkward position and his skin all over his body was bright red.

"SIRIUS HELP ME! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" He heard Tal cry. Tears surfaced in his eyes as he knelt to help Remus. "DON'T…PLEASE! CAN'T YOU JUST STOP! SIRIUS!" He felt himself choke even in real life. Tal was being hurt and he couldn't find her. He could just hear her tortured cries. But he couldn't leave Remus. Sirius released the shower nozzle and buried his face into his hands. He turned off the water after he had finished washing and grabbed a towel to dry himself with.

"Remus, what happened?" he asked his twitching friend on the floor. Remus suddenly jerked up, his arm hanging lazily next to his side, and grabbed his arm.

"It's burning!" he screamed. "Touch me once there and here and you just can't get enough, eh? The moon soars through the sky, and yet, it doesn't stop from scolding it's children. See? The dimensions of each and every time period you can't just see, you feel. You feel every single cell burning and then you scream to Neverland! And oh, but by the time you get there, you're swimming in the depth of your own blood, you just drown miserably until you are born once yet again!" Sirius's eyes had grown wide as saucers as not a single word of Remus's made sense. What happened? Why was his friend going crazy?

Sirius had grabbed his wand tightly and muttered a spell under his staggering breath to help Remus sleep. Once Remus fell to the floor, he heard Tal scream again. "Sirius, I need you! HE'S HURTING ME! THE BLASTED-" Her voice had cut off with another scream. Sirius had muttered another healing spell then retraced his steps to the hallway. One last room.

He sprinted across the hallway, pushed open the door and at last he found Tal: in the clutches of none other than Voldemort. He cringed as Voldemort laughed. He twitched as he threw the hurt Tal to the ground. Sirius ran to her. Voldemort disappeared. At that point he didn't care. He knelt down and cradled her head.

"Tal," he had whispered.

"You finally come," she choked. "When I needed you, you weren't there. Why do you not care? Have you lost all feelings to me? WHY DID YOU NOT COME?"

"I couldn't find you," he whispered as tears fell down his cheeks. Sirius, in real life, slipped into his uniform and wiped a tear away from his eye. He pulled his arms through his robe and pushed open the doors and rushed down the stairs.

"You weren't there!" she cried. "I hurt…I hurt so much."

"I'll help you, just let me-"

"Turn around, boy," Voldemort had snapped. Unwillingly, he did. "Avada Kadavra!"

With that, Sirius had jerked himself awake, trembling and scared for his friend. Only did his breathing remain even is when he realized it was just a dream. Now, as his hand gripped the stairs as he raced downwards, he felt even more scared. Why did he dream that and why was it so realistic? Maybe it was just the stress of the Full Moon and running around as wild animals. But with all that has happened recently, he couldn't be too sure of himself. Maybe he should talk with Dumbledore? No. He'd dismiss it as a dream, because it obviously was. And why would he bother the Headmaster about it? He needed to talk about it though, and he knew he couldn't talk to James, Remus and Peter; they'd just make fun of him. It wouldn't have felt right talking to Tal about the dream.

Maybe it was his subconscious trying to tell him something. Sirius collapsed down into the chair wanting to scream. Suddenly, he stood, pacing. What am I going to do? He asked himself. He sat back in the chair and fidgeted with the edge of the arms, constantly moving around, not being comfortable with anyone spot.

Just keep your mind of the dream, he told himself. It's Friday; it's a good day. Now just think straight and we'll all be happy.

Chapter 14

I had crawled out of bed the next morning exhausted. Wait, I didn't crawl out of bed. Lily pushed me out of bed. She wasn't as angry as I thought she'd be with me, but she was upset. I muttered 'well, Snape does need to stay out of our business,' but she had just ignored it. I was glad. I really didn't want to be low on her list. However, I was thankful for her waking me up. I stumbled to get ready and when I eventually made it downstairs I found my group of guys sitting around the fire waiting for me. For some odd reason, I saw a look of relief spread across Sirius's face. He was probably just happy for me to finally be downstairs. I wasn't exactly 'happy' to be awake, but I was happy to be able to see him.

I walked up quietly and smiled me greeting. James looked to me yawned, and said, "Well, well, there's sleeping beauty," he said.

"I'm exhausted," I whispered. "But that was so fun."

They all nodded. "I barely got any sleep," Sirius said quietly.

"I noticed that," said Peter. "You were up before any of us."

"Yeah, why?" James asked.

Sirius shrugged. "D'nno," he replied. "Maybe my body just wanted me to get up. Anyways, let's go down and get some breakfast, so we might actually be able to make it through the day."

I couldn't help but to smile.

On our walk down and through the majority of breakfast (that lasted about fifteen minutes before we practically sprinted to class) Sirius remained silent. Throughout Defense Against the Dark Arts, Sirius seemed withdrawn even when James prompted him with teasing Snape. What was with that boy? Why was he so quiet when he was practically the most outgoing guy (besides James) that I knew?

I looked passed Sirius and saw Emma Lee staring at Sirius. Her body grew ridged as she saw that I was looking at her. Since I put her under the 'Confundus' jinx, she did not trust me at all. Not even an ounce. Excellent. I smiled a contorted smile and waved at her. Her face practically flushed with color as she hid her eyes into her notebook. Sirius saw me and raised an eyebrow, I just smiled and shrugged. When the bell rang, our temporary teacher shouted over us, "A roll of parchment, On the Effects of Jinxes Gone Wrong, due on Monday!" I let out a soft groan. I looked up and saw Sirius was already making his way to the door. That's it; that crosses the line.

I ran up to him and grabbed his arm. "Okay, what's up with you today?" I asked him as we made our way to 'The History of Magic.'

"What do you mean?" he growled, yanking his arm away. A dark shadow crossed over my face called anger.

"What do I mean?" I repeated. "You didn't talk at all this morning; you left me behind in class today. Speaking of class, it didn't even look like you were paying attention."

"Maybe I'm just tired, Tal," he said uncertainly.

"Yeah, right," I said. "I know you when you're tired and you're never this withdrawn."

He sighed. "I'm just thinking," he replied steadily.

"About what?"

"About stuff," he snapped. I narrowed my eyes.

"Why are you so cranky today?" I growled. "I'll I'm doing is trying to help you and you freak out at me." I pushed passed his arm and skipped up the stairs to History of Magic, leaving Sirius behind.

Why was he being so mean? I mean, he could just be tired, but even so, he's more talkative when he's tired, not angry. I gripped my books with a death grip and didn't look back. For the rest of the school day, I spoke not a word to Sirius Black. Even though it went against everything my heart wanted me to do.

After school I was talking to James. "You know what's up with Sirius?" I asked glumly.

"Nah," he replied. "Guess what happened to Snivelly?"

"What?" I asked blandly. At that moment I really didn't care.

"The Charms teacher yelled at him," said James, "And it looked like he was about to cry big time."

"James," I started, but stop. If you can beat 'em, join 'em. "Really? What a toad."

James looked at me like I was about to curse him. "Did you-"

"Yes," I replied. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"Excellent!" he said. "That means…you are really becoming like me?" He smiled hopefully, but I hit him playfully on the arm.

"Don't get your hopes too high up," I said.

"But don't get them down too low, either, right?" he teased. I couldn't help but to smile and giggle softly. "Did the famous Tallamera McCanning just giggle?"

"No," I replied, laughing. "I, Tallamera Rose McCanning, do not giggle."

"Sure sounded like it!" he said joyfully.

"You wish."

"I do indeed," he said. I raised my eyebrow and was about to ask him why, when Peter Pettigrew sat in between us.

"Hey, Peter," I said.

"Hi, Tal," he replied.

"Where's Sirius?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

"Practically being surrounded by drooling girls," he replied bitterly.

"What?" I asked, maybe a little too sharply.

"He's being a flirt," James said, nodding his head to the portrait entrance. Sirius came in laughing with a couple other girls, Emma Lee being one of them. I felt my hand tighten around my quill underneath the table.

"Tal, I swear," James continued, "That you're the only girl that's not drooling over me or Sirius."

I struggled to swallow, my anger crawling up my throat painfully and forcefully. "Well, I've known you guys for a while," I said painfully as I saw Sirius laughing. His black hair falling behind his ears and his eyes closed. "Besides, isn't that a bit cocky?"

"You know it's true," he pointed. Sirius started walking towards us and I quickly shoved everything in my bag. "You're still mad at him?"

"Yeah," I whispered.

Sirius sat down next to me, sending my jealousy and anger flags high. I accidently snapped one of my quills in half as I was putting it away. "Hi?" he said cautiously.

I bit my bottom lip, closed my eyes and shook my head, not trusting my words. I pulled out my wand, tapped my quill and whispered, "Repairo." My voice cracked. But my quill was fixed. I put it in my bag, and stood quickly. I turned away and walked as fast as I could up the stairs.

Chapter 15

"What did I do now?" Sirius asked grumpily after Tal had left.

"I don't know," James pondered. "Maybe because you were a jerk all day today? Didn't bother to apologize, either. Maybe 'cause you're a flirt?"

"You're a flirt too," Sirius pointed out.

"I'm a good, subtle flirt," James said. He waved his hand to stop Sirius from going on. "That's not the point."

"Then what is the point?" he barked. "I can't get a girlfriend? Or can't have one according to you?"

"Nothing's according to me," James said, holding up his hands in surrender. "But you might-"

"Look," Sirius interrupted, "I wasn't really flirting with Emma Lee and them. I don't want to date any one of them. They're just friends."

"It didn't look like it from here," Peter said.

"Yeah," agreed James.

"I was helping them with Muggle Studies," Sirius growled.

"I'm not telling you anything, or trying to command you or whatever," James said. "Just apologize to her, okay?"

"Why?"

"You know how Tal is, Sirius!" James growled. When Sirius didn't answer, James went on. "We all know how Tal is. She's a girl, you know? She's not stupid."

"Look, I didn't come over here to get lectured," Sirius growled. "I came to chat with friends."

"Fine, fine," James said. "Let the subject fade away. But Tal isn't going to forget overnight. Trust me," he added chuckling, "I should know this best of all."

I sat on my bed, with my head buried in my arms. I heard the door open, then shut. A hand gently rubbed my shoulder. I looked up, surprised. It was Lily.

"You okay?" she asked. "I saw you run upstairs. You seemed upset." I rolled over and sat up next to her. I looked around; we were the only two girls in here.

"Not going to lie," I said, "I'm completely upset. Frustrated, angry…jealous."

"You've got a thing for Sirius, don't you?" she asked suddenly. My blue eyes snapped up to her, startled. "It's obvious, from a girl's perspective."

I gave in. "How?"

"From what I've noticed, anytime you're around him, except today, you're alive," she said. "You're bright around him. Anytime he says something, you're eyes are glued to him. You two are totally inseparable, too."

"I guess that makes anything obvious," I whispered, and then pulled my feet up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs. "He's such a…an idiot sometimes."

"You can tell me, if you want," she said. "Then I'll try to help you best I can." I felt our relationship as somewhat friends, after five years, take a big step.

"Something was off about him today," I said yawning. "He said it was because he was tired, and I've known him for such a long time, and he's not like that when he's tired. He completely just freaked at me after Defense Against the Dark Arts and blamed it all on exhaustion. Then he goes on about his day like nothing was wrong. Oh, and the best part was, was when he came in with three girls around him, laughing and flirting." I spat the word out like poison. Then I realized Lily was the first person I admitted to that I liked Sirius.

She nodded, "That sounds like a move James would pull," she said. "Totally ignorant, careless and such a jerk."

I smiled. "Yeah…"

She smiled as well, then said, "Trust me; I know guys can be such an ignorant jerk off most of the time. But don't give up quite yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes, if Sirius is like James," she pondered, "Then it'll take some time for things to get through his thick head."

"They're almost exactly alike," I laughed. "But Sirius is better."

"Coming from the girl who's head over heels!" she teased. We laughed for a couple moments.

"I think you're the only sane one out of the four of 'em," she said.

"I always think that," I said, smiling.

"Even if Sirius and James are such jerks to Severus," she said. "Sirius is lucky to have you. He should open his blind eyes and see it."

"He's too narrow sighted to see anything," I replied bitterly. "Besides he probably is in love with Emma Lee or somebody."

"Don't cut yourself short," Lily said. "If he doesn't open his eyes, I'll make him."

I laughed. "Thanks, Lily."

Chapter 16

I felt better after I had talked with Lily so I went back downstairs to talk with my friends. Maybe even Sirius would apologize. Yeah. Right. I hopped down the last three steps and made my way to Sirius, James and Peter. Remus should be back soon and I couldn't wait. Out of everybody, I could talk to Remus the most about my issues. Remus was my caring friend, James was my idiotic friend that I still loved, and Peter was my helpful friend and Sirius, well, yeah. I squeezed back into my chair that was between Sirius and the wall. They all looked up at me and smiled.

"Hey," I said.

"Are you-" Sirius began.

James cut Sirius off. "Are you okay?" he asked. I raised my eyebrow but shrugged.

"I guess yeah," I said quietly.

"You seemed pretty upset when you left," Sirius added cautiously. I threw him an angry look, but turned back to James.

"Sorry, I'm…Oh, I d-don't know," I said, giving up completely. I buried my face into my hands and let out a groan. I heard James whisper something, then I felt a hand rubbing my shoulder.

"Can I talk to you Tal?" Sirius asked quietly. I let out a long sigh, but eventually nodded. We both stood and left the common room. We walked in silence up the stairs, and then through a couple doors. In through the last door, it looked like nobody had been in there for ages. Cobwebs were in some places and it was freezing cold in there. Sirius pulled my hand to a nearby wall and we sat down.

I looked ahead of me instead of at Sirius. "What do you want?"

"For you to accept my apology," he said.

"Yeah, here's a quiz for you," I said a bit crueler than I had meant. "What are you sorry for? Or are you just doing what James is telling you?"

"I'm doing this on my own freewill, Tal," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I'm such a jerk. I shouldn't have snapped at you this morning."

"Will you tell me why then?" I asked. Before he could start, I continued, "And don't say 'cause you were tired. I know you Sirius."

"Alright, Alright," he said quietly. "In general terms, I had a bad dream."

"A bad dream?" I asked. "That's why you freaked?"

"It was so realistic…" he whispered. I clamped my mouth shut as I realized he was incredibly stressed about it. "There was…You-know-who in it."

"But-"

"Just wait," he said. "Then there were you, James and Remus in it. All of you being or had been tortured by him. And I couldn't help you all."

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Sirius, it was a dream, we're all okay," I said.

"You didn't have it though," he pointed out. "I woke up in such a fright."

"I know," I said quietly. "But we are alright."

"The thing that bugs me, though, Tal," he said. "With You-Know-Who sulking around the school and wanting Students…"

My jaw dropped. "I didn't think it through," I said. After a minute of silence, I rested my head back against the wall. "I'm scared," I whispered. "Even more so now than ever."

"See, I'm worried too," he whispered. "But then my mind jumps back to saying that it was a dream." He loosened his tie around his neck.

"Maybe you should talk to Dumbledore?"

"I thought about that, but it was just a dream," he said.

I didn't realize how good it felt to be talking to Sirius, finally. My heart ached to talk to him all day, but my stubborn brain said no. So I didn't. But sitting with him and just talking felt nice. I let out a struggled yawn. He chuckled and I felt the hum course through his body and into mine. It felt almost reassuring.

"Tired?"

"Exhausted," I replied grimly.

"I've told you what I've been upset about," he said. "Why did you leave in a rush today? When I sat down, you know?"

"I know of course," I replied. "But I'm not the one who's apologizing."

Sirius smiled. "All's fair in…" he started but shook his head. "Never mind."

I rolled my eyes. "All's fair in love and war?" I asked. "Well, well, that's a weird quote to recite now."

"Yeah, well," he started, but I shook my head.

After a moment's silent, I asked the question that was engulfing my heart, "Remember when we were in Dente's room before that attack?" I asked; he nodded. "You told me you like a girl. Was that girl Emma Lee?"

His face contorted until it broke out into a smile. I felt my stomach plunge into the deepest depths of despair and utter blackness. "Emma Lee?" he asked. "You think I like Emma Lee?"

"Well, yeah," I said, starting to feel a bit foolish.

"Is somebody jealous?" he teased.

"By God, no," I retorted instantly. My embarrassment turning the tides.

He started laughing and I raised my eyebrow. "Emma Lee…hm," he started. "Do you think she likes me?"

"I think practically every girl likes you," I replied. "Maybe except Slytherin."

"And you," he added quietly. He sighed and then smiled sadly. "No, I don't like Emma Lee."

"Then who?" I asked, somewhat pleased.

"May I quote the most stubborn girl I know, 'Not important,'" he said cheerfully.

"May not be important to you, but is to me," I replied almost unwillingly.

"Oh, is it now?" he said. "Why don't you tell me who you like and I'll tell you who I like."

"Ugh."

"Not fair if you're on the other side, now is it?" asked Sirius.

"Of course not," I replied bitterly. He smiled that great smile of his. His strict jaw line, his luscious green eyes. Why does everyone, except Lily, think I don't like him? Everybody in the blasted school thinks I love him as a brother. No, I don't. I love him. Again, the deep pits of desire arose in me and I chose to not ignore them. Or maybe just a little ignoring will be done.

"Why don't you guess who I like, Sirius?" I heard myself ask.

"You know that makes it hard for me, right?" he asked.

"How?"

"There's a lot of guys in this school," he said. "A lot of guys seem oh so worthy of you."

"'Oh so worthy?'" I asked. "Yeah, right. No guy likes me unless they're…blind."

"Blind? Come now, surely you think not?" he asked.

"Dude have you looked at me?" I asked stupidly. He smiled, for some god forsaken reason. "I'm a stick," I continued, choosing to ignore the smile, "My hair's flat as paper and lifeless. I have no figure, at all. And I'm just flat."

"Flat? Well, flat doesn't always have to do with body shape," he said. "I'm flat. But it's what the personality is and isn't that matters. You definitely don't have a flat personality."

"You're a guy, you can't be 'flat,'" I retorted. "Why can't you just tell me who you like?"

"Because, there has to be equilibrium!" he said jokingly.

"Equilibrium? What's that?" I asked.

"Something Muggles believe in," he said. "Science and stuff. It's weird."

"You're weird," I said. "You should just tell me."

"As soon as you tell me!" he said with a smile.

"Maybe I can ask around."

"Maybe you can."

"I think I will," I said. "Ask James and Peter and Remus first, of course. Then maybe Emma Lee…"

"That girl won't go close to you, you know?" he asked.

"I know, trust me, I know," I said with a contorted smile on my lips.

"You worry me, Hoot," he said.

For a long while, I stared at Sirius curiously. "I worry a lot of people," I said at last. "Even me. And even, you'll find this hard to believe, the Werewolf."

Chapter 17

Soon, as always, days slurred by into weeks and weeks were blurred into a couple of months. Before anything else strange happened, it was October 31st. Halloween. The Hall, as usually, was decorated with grand Halloween supplies. Pumpkins floating, candy everywhere, spiders crawling up and down and my favorite, the ghosts of the castle appearing here and there. I was happier then, than when school began. After a week of visiting Professor Dente both morning and night, the nurse told us, Sirius and I, that we could only visit after school. We'd visit every other day, after school.

Professor Dente had been regaining a lot of his memory since the beginning of the incident. He remembered his life before hand and his family- which was indeed a big step for him. I was incredibly happy for him. And plus, there was no other signal from You-Know-Who prowling around the school, hunting down students. Hopefully Dumbledore scared him away.

And on top of that all, Quidditch season had started and James was playing Chaser again. He was an excellent Chaser. The best Gryffindor had ever had. We already had our first game and we won easily against Hufflepuff. Our next game was with Ravenclaw, and every single student in the Gryffindor House was pumped up for the game that was even a couple months away yet. James was excited, too.

During our Halloween feast, I sat in between Sirius and James, and across from Peter and Remus. I felt a tug on my shirt, "Come on, can I talk to you, privately?" he whispered in my ear and I immediately knew it was: Frank Longbottom. I nodded.

"'Course," I said, still munching on candy corn.

"Be right back," I said and stood up. Sirius raised his eyebrow, but nodded.

"Be quick, though," he said. "Don't wanna miss even more desert." I smiled.

"No, I wouldn't." With that, Frank led the way out of the Hall and down the hallway. We stopped in an empty classroom and sat up on the counter next to the window.

"Hear me out, kay?" he asked suddenly.

"Uhm, okay?" I replied startled.

"Let's say, I like a girl," he said. "You suggest making a move?"

"Depends, how well do you know the girl?" I asked.

"I'd say pretty well."

"I'd say go for it," I replied. "Is that really why you dragged me away from the feast? I mean, I'm always open to help a friend, but still, I was enjoying that candy corn."

"I could tell," he said. All too suddenly, his lips found mine and we were kissing. Kissing. The word and action seemed all too foreign to me. I don't know if it was because I was startled, or it was my first kiss, we kissed for a long time. For how long, I wasn't sure. Something I was sure about was that it was just wet. Blech.

Finally he pulled away, and I was still startled that he might pounce on me again. "I made my move," he whispered. I nodded slowly.

"Yes, yes, I can see that," I said. He tilted my chin up and looked into my eyes.

"You are so beautiful, Tallamera," he said quietly. "Your eyes are so deep and mysterious." He kissed me again, this time I was prepared for it, but I was still scared to death. Kissing somebody; me. The stick finally got her first kiss.

"Tal?" It was Sirius. By God, it was Sirius. I broke away and looked to the doorway. His face wore somewhat of a hurt expression. Why, I didn't know. "I don't mean to interrupt your, ah, snogging, but…yeah."

"Sirius," I whispered so quietly I don't think even Frank heard me. Why was I kissing him? We've known each other since year one. He's been in practically every class of mine, and we've known each other. But why him? Why did Sirius have to come? I felt like a scream was going to explode from my chest.

"Never mind Tal, just never mind," he said, his voice obviously strained, and walked away. I stared after him in distress. Forgetting Frank behind me, I ran out the door to find Sirius.

What have I done? Luck was against me, students flooded out of the Hall and I began to wonder then how long I was gone. Where was Sirius? I needed to find him. He'd have to go upstairs to the Common Room eventually, but eventually wasn't now.

"Tal! There you are!" I heard Remus say. I turned around quickly.

"Have you seen Sirius?" I asked. "I have to talk to him."

James came up. "No, he left looking for you," he said.

"Tal?" Another voice: Frank. Not now! I pleaded silently. I turned to face him. "What's wrong?" I examined him properly now, after we had kissed. We were about the same height, him being an inch taller. He was well built, and his face stern. His bright green eyes were attractive, but not as much as Sirius's were. The only unattractive thing about him, I admitted, was his dorky glasses.

"Everything," I whispered. "Look, can we talk later?"

He frowned, but nodded, "Yeah, sure." After he had walked off I turned back to James and Remus, who were smiling.

"Oh god no," I moaned.

"So, ah, what happened between you two?" James asked, tilting his head up.

"Yes, what would be so interesting that you two would have to 'talk later?'" Remus chimed in. I rubbed my eyes. They'd never live this down. Don't tell them anything. But they were my friends and it would have been wrong not to tell.

"We kissed okay?" I said quietly. "Well, he kissed me."

"Oooh!" James started. "Nice!"

"No it's not!" I growled.

"What you don't like him?" Remus asked. "He's not a bad choice for you."

"I only have one choice," I hissed.

"So you didn't enjoy kissing him?" James asked. "You wouldn't want to do it again?"

"I-"

"Want to break his heart?" Remus asked.

"Listen-"

"Why don't you like him?" James continued. "He's a nice guy."

"Shut-"

"I think you should date him," James said.

Without thinking, I snapped my wand out and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" Instantly the two were tied up tighter than a snare drum and dropped to the floor. I turn and ran to the stairs, receiving more than the wanted looks.

"Tallamera McCanning!" A voice boomed. A powerful voice. I turned around to face an older man, with a long white beard and long white hair tied back into a pony tail. It was Headmaster Dumbledore. I swallowed nervously and walked back. He looked to the other students and smiled dully, "Please, go on. Nothing to see here." When I was about five feet away, I stopped.

Dumbledore said, "Relashio," and both James and Remus slowly stood with a look of anger on their faces. I smiled; they deserved it. Dumbledore placed a firm hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed. "Tallamera, I understand that these two are, forgive me boys, immature mostly, but that doesn't mean you can curse them. That's not how things run around here." I tilted my head just a little bit, but nodded.

"Sir, they wouldn't leave me alone," I replied solemnly. Dumbledore arched his eyebrows. "I'm just trying to find somebody and I'm going out of my mind trying. Plus, with stress of school and…I'm just so angry right now!" I had no idea where this was coming from. Maybe it was true. Maybe it wasn't. Dumbledore smiled.

"Ah, yes, I do understand," he said quietly. "But, preferably, I would not like you going around cursing students, Tallamera."

"Yes, sir."

He nodded firmly. "Don't let even the darkest of magic get to you," he said. I looked confusingly at him. What did he mean?

"Yes, sir," I said quietly.

"Very well, now get along if you don't mind." The three of us nodded and I immediately took off. I knew once Dumbledore was out of sight, they'd 'come after me.' As soon as I rounded the corner, I ran into Frank.

Great, I thought. "Sorry Frank-"

"Can you talk now?" he asked.

"G-give me a couple minutes okay?" I whispered sweetly. He abruptly nodded. With a sharp turn, I sprinted up the stairs and into the Gryffindor Common Room.

When I slipped in, I wasn't met with a wall of people as I had expected. Smiling sadly, I looked around searching for one person only. And yet, he was nowhere to be seen. Being my stealthy self, as best I could, I slipped up the stairs to the boy's dormitories. The first entrance, I knocked softly.

"It's Tal," I whispered.

After a minute of silence, I took a step away from the door. I heard no movement within the door. There was one last place I could check. Set off at a slow jog down the stairs, I left the Common Room, which was more crowded with people than before. I climbed several more flights of stairs. My legs were starting to grow weary after I reached the floor I was looking for, but I ignored the feeling. When I opened the door wide open, I heard a muffled 'ow' from behind. I was right, again. I took three steps, turned and shut the door, only to see Sirius sitting behind it, rubbing his foot.

"If you knew I was here, there was no need to slam the door on me," he said as I sat down next to him.

I shrugged. "Why'd you run away? I was looking for you."

"Guess I just needed to get away from the real world," he replied bitterly. I smiled and patted his leg.

"Trust me; we all need a break from reality," I replied, letting us get wrapped up in an eternity of silence.

"Do you like Frank?" he asked suddenly.

I frowned. Remember, I told myself, this is why you're here. "I don't know, Sirius. At least, I don't think so," I said. "I think, I did what I did was because he was the first guy to take an interest with me-"

"-Or he's the first to just show it," he said quietly.

"Or that, but I doubt it," I said simply. "Anyways, I think I just got caught up in all the emotion. I don't really like him."

"And we've come back to this."

"Every time, lately, we seem to have this conversation," I pointed out.

"I know, strange isn't it?" he asked.

"Not really," I replied, shrugging. "So why'd you run away?"

"I wouldn't say run away…"

"Well, I did," I said. "So tell me."

"I think you should do whatever makes you happiest," he said.

"What?"

"That's that."

"Sirius, if you don't want to tell me, fine," I said. "I'll just go." Sirius didn't speak up so I stood and put my hand on the door handle, when I turned back to Sirius.

"You know Frank's gonna ask me out," I replied quietly. "I think so, anyways. I'm not a true mechanic on love. But what should I do?"

"Follow your heart."

Feed up with an inadequate answer, I stormed out of the room.

Chapter 18

The next day, I was right, Frank Longbottom did indeed ask me out, with Sirius standing right next to me. I had to turn him down. And after about a week, things between Sirius and I fell back into the category of normal. Without any more threats of the impending You-Know-Who attacks, life was pretty good at Hogwarts and zoomed to Christmas. Remus, James and Peter were going home. Sirius and I were staying here. If I wasn't nervous enough around the boy.

The morning of Christmas, I had slept on the couch. Well, fell asleep. We were just about the only two in the Gryffindor House. Or maybe we were. Sirius popped his head over me, smiling. "Wake up, sleepy," he said. "It's Christmas!"

"Where am I?" I mumbled.

"In the Common Room," he said. "You fell asleep."

"Great," I said, pushing myself up off the couch. I fluffed my hair up, suddenly startled by the presents underneath the tree. Sirius plopped one down in my lap. It was a small, square box and fairly light. The wrapping paper was silky beneath my finger's touch and bright silver to my eyes.

"That one's from me," he said. "Got it while we went to Hogsmeade."

"That's thoughtful," I said, smiling. Being as calm as I could, I ripped the wrapping paper off. It was a jewelry box and when I opened it, I saw the world's most beautiful necklace staring back at me. The chain was gold. There was a blue ball enwrapped in a swirling lion, that's paws gripped back onto the chain. Its eyes dazzled in the light overhead.

"Sirius, it's beautiful," I whispered. He scotched right next to me so our legs were touching. He pointing to an inscribing on the bottom.

"Gryffindor," he said, and then flipped it over. "Did this one myself: Tallamera McCanning."

"Sirius! That's so sweet!" I wrapped my arms around his neck. He stood up and walked behind me.

"Here, allow me to do the honors," he said. His arms came down around me and grabbed the necklace, unclasped it and wrapped it around my neck. "Looks like a million bucks." I smiled, stood and reached under the tree for my present.

It definitely wasn't as good as his, but it will have to sustain. I gave it to him and watched him open the fluffy package. He pulled out a cloak. "Not as good as James's, but it'll keep you warm."

"Love it," he said simply and slipped it on. The next forty-five minutes we sat there, laughing, talking and opening presents.

"Ah, Hoot," Sirius said at last. "It's so quiet with everybody gone!"

"Well, duh, I wonder why!" I said quietly.

"Let's go for a walk!" he said cheerfully, standing up from the chair.

"Where?" I groaned.

"Where? Let's go…" he said, pondering the thought for a moment. "Let's go to the Shrieking Shack."

"The what?" I asked, surprised. "Sirius, don't you suppose that's a bit far?"

"No, come on, let's go!" he said, yanking me up off the couch.

"Sirius, please!" I cried. "Why do you want to go there?" I didn't stop walking and nor did he, because his fingers were laced through mine.

He smiled that deep, luscious, alluring smile of his. "Just trust me, m'kay?" he asked sweetly and I groaned. He knew my one and only weakness: I couldn't say no to Sirius.

Reluctantly, I followed Sirius out of the dormitory and through the Castle's corridors. Eventually Sirius dropped next to me, smiling. I raised my eyebrow at him. He had just shrugged and remained silent. I swear he was glowing that minute. He was so graceful, so powerful. Once yet again that school year and my life, I felt the deep longing for him in the pit of my stomach. Out of the corner of my eye, I examined his proud walk as I had down every time I walked with him. His steps were with purpose, as always. He walked with his head held high, but not too, and the muscles underlying his skin were strict. His deep green eyes were focused and determined. I felt myself smiling and quickly looked away.

"Ahh, it's a lovely Christmas," he said softly. I felt the blood race to my cheeks. When we approached the exit door we commonly used for the full moon, we stopped. Quickly, we looked behind us and then, once satisfied that we were alone, we slipped out the door.

Snow crunched under our feet as we made our way to the Whomping Willow. As much as I loved going to the Shrieking Shack for Remus, I hated the way to get there. Sirius and I cautiously approached just outside of the reach of the Whomping Willow. We looked from each other and then back to the Willow. Without thinking, I dropped into my Animagi form, an Owl and flew around the Willow. Below me, with the Willow distracted, Sirius ran, also in his Animagi form, to the entrance. Once he was in, I shortly followed. He was waiting for me, as himself. I perched myself on his shoulder and 'hooted' delightedly. Sirius only laughed, but started walking down the passage way. Cobwebs were corralled on the ceiling and dust gathered around the walls.

Sirius lowered me to his arm. "I would greatly appreciate it if you'd turn back," he said. "I'm taking this walk so I can talk to you." I flew off his arm, spun and turned back to me. I looked back at him, smiling.

"No free rides?" I asked pitifully.

"M'afraid not," he replied, shaking his head; I smiled and then he did as well. He caught up to me and slipped his hand in mine. I felt my cheeks grow hotter than hot. Quickly I glanced between our hands and to his eyes. He was smiling.

"C'mon now," he said, pulling me in the direction of the Shrieking Shack. I nimbly followed him. The only thing I was aware of was his hand holding mine.

Chapter 19

Sirius helped me out of the passage way and into the old abandoned house. The house creaked and almost swayed with the wind. I stepped nervously into the shack. For some reason, old houses freaked me out. I always felt that they would cave in or something when I moved. Sirius stepped beside me and grabbed my hand. Silently, he led me through the shack and into an empty room with a fire place. He pulled me gently over to the wall next to the fire place and sat down.

"It's so nice here," he said. Then added, "Sometimes. Not when Remus is transforming."

I pulled my hand away. Be careful, I told myself. Always be careful around Sirius. "That's very true. True, true indeed."

Sirius frowned. "Have I ever told you how stubborn you are?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Pardon?" I asked. "Why are you asking me that now? You've known me for five years, Sirius. I'm sure you've told me more than once."

"I'm sure it's been more than that," he replied bitterly.

"What's wrong now?" I asked, shocked. Why was he so bitter? "It's Christmas, relax."

"Oh, please, relax?" he growled. "What's wrong is you're stubborn." Instinct caved in and I shot to my feet.

"Sirius Black!" I shouted. "Stop saying that!"

He looked up at me. "It's true, and you know it."

"Why are you being such a jerk?" I growled. "I agree to come here in the first place, instead of sitting in the Common Room and being warm. You should be thankful that I came. Although, you have seemed to realize that I can't say no-" I stopped short, realizing where I was going. I took a deep breath, relax, I told myself.

"What I'm trying to say," I said, "You shouldn't be all angry at me. I'm here. You should be happy and not yelling at me!"

"I'm not yelling at you!" he said, now starting to get to his feet. "I'm only proving a point."

"Jeeze, you're nice," I snarled. "Calling me stubborn? That's very nice of you. And of course that's not yelling or being a complete, thick headed idiot!"

"Tal-"

Oh, no, I thought angrily. I get this one. "No, Sirius!" I interrupted. "Lily was right about you, ya know?" The past few weeks, Lily and I would stay up late and just talk. Quietly, of course, we didn't want to be mean and wake up the others. But I told her about Sirius, she told me her worries for Snape. She thought Severus was getting too involved in the dark arts. She also said that Sirius would come around, if he wasn't such an idiot.

"Lily?" Sirius asked, surprised. "Lily Evans?"

"Yes, what other Lily do I know?" I growled. "She says you're just like James. Thick-headed, arrogant, a complete jerk and a blind idiot!"

"Stop being so stubborn and let me get a word in edge wise," Sirius snarled. Oh, boy, if I didn't love the boy, he would have received a slap across the face. I turned on my heels and headed for the door. But lucky me, Sirius stepped in front of me.

I threw my hands in the air. "Okay, what do you want me to do?" I growled. "I give up being stubborn. Now move."

"No," he said.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" I shouted. I pulled my wand from my pocket and aimed it at him. "I'll body bind you. And you know I will."

"Tal," he started, "Just listen." Good, he didn't doubt me.

"I'm listening, seeing as I've got no choice."

His expression darkened. "Stop. Being. So. Stubborn!" Then, the crazed happen. Something I would have never imagined. Never; not once. Okay, maybe in my fantasies, but I'd never thought in reality.

His lips met mine.

Chapter 20

We kissed for a long time, for how long though, I'm not completely sure. When we broke apart, I felt his thumb rubbing my cheek and then pushing the hair out of my face. Dumbstruck as I was, I slowly lifted my trembling hand, opposite to his, and rested it on his cheek. It was as if we were from different planets and we were looking at each other for the first time ever. I felt like I was looking at him anew. His green eyes seemed brighter and more energetic than they have in a couple weeks' time. The smile that hung on his lips was warm and welcoming.

After remaining in the silence, just staring at each other, Sirius whispered, "You've got no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Remembering the first time I realized I just liked Sirius, in the third year. "No, I think I do," I replied gently. Outside, the wind battered the shack, making the floorboards above our head eerily creak with anticipation. Abruptly I dropped my hand. "Wait, what do you mean 'long?'" Sirius dropped his and grabbed mine. He took a step closer to me and put his lips next to my ear.

"Tal," he began, "I really…scratch that. I think I love you." My hand automatically tightened around his. Is what he was saying true?

"I love you too," I blurted. "I always have loved you one way or another. But I-I do…" I stopped myself before I stammered on. As always, I had a tendency to ramble when nervous. Sucking in a deep breath, I let out a sigh before anything else could happen. Sirius pulled away, but not too, and rested his forehead on mine.

"How long have you known?" I heard myself ask.

"You've been acting crazy all year, Tal," he whispered. "I knew something was up, and didn't want to accept that it had anything to do with me. Although James had hinted on it a few times."

"James hinted on it?" I asked sharply and then pulled away. "No wonder why you didn't listen; it was wise."

"No it wasn't," Sirius pointed out. "He's crazy for Lily, you know that? I think he may actually have sense in what he says when he talks about girls."

Sirius held firm onto my hand, I shrugged the thought of pulling away, out of my head. No need for caution now. "Maybe he does," I said, "Maybe he doesn't. Only time will tell."

He let out a cough and croaked, "Anyways, didn't come here to talk about James."

"I'd imagine not," I replied; Sirius pulled me close.

"I want to talk about us," he said carefully, as if he were still treading on thin ice. I felt myself smile at his caution.

"I think we both agree," I started, "We should be more then friends."

"I know so." I felt his lips press against mine and a cold chill was sent down my spine. He was mine. Oh, sweet merciful God, he was mine at last.

"Well, well, isn't that just touching." It was such a cold, creepy voice, that I broke away from Sirius screaming.

Chapter 21

Two wizards and a witch stood in the doorway, tauntingly. Once I had caught my breath back, I realized that that voice was from the beginning of school. The one who shot the Unforgivable curse at Professor Dente. I shuddered to think of what that would feel like. As the three took a step into the room, my hand gripped Sirius in a death lock. So these were the people that had been antagonizing the school all year. From day one until now. My teeth were clenched tight together and the muscles in my jaw, tense and ready to release like a spring.

"Alright, drop your wands," the witch said. Both Sirius and I hesitated. "I SAID DROP YOUR WANDS NOW!" Her voice, like the wizard's, was as ice cold and sharp. My hand involuntarily dropped my wand to the ground. It landed with a cold thud. Sirius's wand followed shortly.

"Wh-what do you want?" I asked quietly. "Why are you h-here?" The witch laughed bitterly in both their faces and I felt Sirius wince.

"Wh-wh-wh-what?" the witch mimicked. I felt a tear spring to my eyes, but blinked it away.

In a loathing manner, through clenched teeth, I growled, "What do you want with us?"

"None of your concern," the wizard who shot Dente snarled.

"You think these two are good, Lestrange?" the witch barked. My eyes flashed back to Lestrange who, the one who shot Dente, smiled grotesquely.

"I would wish t' find out, Bella," Lestrange growled. "Why not give the boy back 'is wand and 'e'll test?"

"I will do no such thing!" Sirius barked. But as I could have suspected, the witch, Bella, ripped me away from Sirius with her wand pointed at me.

"Nott! Get the boy's wand," Lestrange growled, then jerked his head towards Bella. I meet Sirius's eyes, his full of anger and injustice, mine full of fear. What's-his-face Nott, shoved Sirius's wand in his hands.

"C'mon boy, wand at the ready or your girlfriend will be really sorry."

I saw Sirius wince and yet he made no move. "BELLA TAKE THE GIRL UPSTAIRS AND SHOW HER HOW TO FEEL SORRY!" Lestrange bellowed. Bella dragged me, literally kicking and screaming out of the room.

"TAL!" I heard Sirius scream.

The witch, laughing like a mad man, dragged me up the stairs as I screamed. I wanted to go back. I wanted to be next to Sirius. The witch pulled at my hair and in between gasps of laughing, she hissed for me to shut up. So I screamed, "SIRIUS HELP ME!"

Chapter 22

"SIRIUS HELP ME!" Sirius had heard her cry for help before and this time it was worse. This was real life; he couldn't just wake up and find her sleeping on the couch downstairs. That doesn't work in real life. Quickly, Sirius brought his wand up and aimed it at Lestrange.

"Bring her back!" Sirius hissed.

"Ooo," he taunted, "I've 'it a sore spot."

"BRING HER BACK!" Sirius shouted. "I'll participate in whatever madness you want. Just bring her back!" His wand was shaking and he instinctively knew that, if he let his fear and anger control him, he'd fail the duel. Sucking in a deep gulp of air and exhaling slowly, his wand slowly ceased shaking, although his mind was frantic. Why did this have to become slightly real? Above his head he heard Tal scream and it made him flinch. He felt the bottomless pit of dread in his stomach.

"I can't do that, now," he said coldly. "Bring 'er back?" He bellowed out a laugh. "Maybe this 'ay you'll learn t' not disobey me." Sirius glared coldly back at Lestrange.

"SIRIUS, HELP ME, PLEASE!" Sirius let out a pain filled cry. He loved her and she was being tortured because of him. Why did he beg her to come here? He wanted to be left alone, didn't want to be interrupted as he told her how he felt. And now, she was being tortured- another scream, followed by a tear trailing down Sirius's cheek- and it was all his fault.

"Wand at the ready, boy," Lestrange snarled. "Maybe you can fight for your girlfriend."

"Locomotor Mortis!" Sirius shouted, but Lestrange yawned and waved his hand as if the spell was nothing.

"C'mon," he snarled. "You a'scared? Listen to 'er screams. Listen to 'ow she cries for your 'elp."

"Sirius, PLEASE HELP ME!"

Wincing, he cried out, "Reducto!" Again, Lestrange blocked it as if it was a feather attacking him. Sirius burned in anger. Why him? Why her? Why could it not be him up there?

"Block this 'ne!" Lestrange snarled viciously. "Crucio!" Sirius had been so stunned from the curse's name, the curse itself hit him square in the chest and he fell twitching to the floor. His whole body was flaring with pain all because of one spell.

"Sirius!" It was Tal. Something inside of him snapped.

"'ittle Baby misses 'is girlfriend!" Lestrange scoffed. Sirius stood slowly to his feet, his fists bawled tight in fury. "Let's see 'ow fast 'e gives up now."

"CRUCIO!" he screamed. His curse found the mark, and Lestrange fell twitching to the floor. Sirius turned to Nott and screamed, "Stupefy!" The shocked Nott hit the wall, unconscious. Without stopping, Sirius sprinted over Lestrange and out the door. He immediately headed for the stairs. Hearing footsteps behind him, Sirius threw a silent 'stupefy.'

"Sirius! PLEASE STOP! PLEASE!"

"TAL!" Sirius screamed as he raced up the stairs.

"You little insignificant-" he heard Lestrange start behind him, but flung another 'stupefy' behind him.

When Sirius rounded to the top, he listened. He heard Tal's muffled cries and ran down to the door at the end of the small hallway. He ripped it open, his wand pointed out. Seeing Bella over Tal, he stiffened.

"Get your filthy little hands off of her," Sirius growled.

Slowly, Bella pushed herself up to her feet, her hands bloody. Sirius clenched his teeth together as he saw the blood. "So, that's was what was goin' on," she said, laughing in a high pitched squeak. She pulled her straight, messy brown hair away from her devil green eyes. "Well, you think you can beat me? I don't know how you got passed them, but you think you can do it again, carry the girl? You've lost, boy."

In an act of desperation, he realized he was right and lowered his wand. "Smart boy after all." Lestrange came in, running into Sirius and knocking him to the ground. Sirius crawled over to Tal and reached for her bloody hand. Her arm was bloody and so was her stomach. Her small chest rose and sank quickly as she gasped for air. All his fault.

"I'm sorry," he managed to whisper. He felt a hand grab his ankle and roughly pulled him away from Tal. "I'M SORRY!"

"YOU 'ITTLE TOAD!" Lestrange screamed as he yanked Sirius to his feet. His hand bolted across Sirius's cheek, the sound of a smack echoing through the entire shack. "You dare use a Crucio against me? You sick 'ittle, conniving-"

"Put the boy down, Lestrange." It was one voice coming from the door way. One voice that Sirius was most glad to hear.

When he looked passed the startled Lestrange, he saw an older man with a long white beard and hair. Blue robes draped over his shoulders and arm as he held out his wand. He was not alone; behind him stood two more professors. One a wizard, short black hair and a witch with gray curly hair. The people that had come to save them.

Dumbledore, McGonagall and Dente.

Chapter 23

Lestrange dropped Sirius to the floor as McGonagall and Dente shouted some kind of curses. I couldn't hear what they were saying; I hurt too badly. My stomach made me gasp for breath and I couldn't even move my left arm. I don't know what Bella did to me, but it made everything so hazing and painful. Moments before I was aware of Sirius holding on to my hand, then getting ripped away. Now everything was unclear.

Sirius, I think, grabbed my hand again. Maybe it was him who leaned over me. "Tal!" he whispered. It was definitely Sirius. "It'll be okay, Dumbledore's here. They've got the three. Just hang in there okay?"

"I am," I mumbled back, hoping it sounded like what I was aiming for. Sirius cradled my head in his lap, still holding my hand.

Then everything just went black.

When I regained consciousness, I was on a bed. No doubt at the Infirmary at Hogwarts. It was quiet; I didn't feel like open my eyes quite yet. Then, I felt a hand grabbing my own. I squeezed it and then opened my eyes and saw a thick black haired boy sitting next to me. His eyes were a dark green and obviously tired. But as soon as he took a double take, his eyes grew brighter and a smile danced on his lips.

"Hoot," Sirius whispered.

"What happened?" I croaked. "How long have I been out?"

"I'll tell you the easy thing first, about a week, Tal," he said. "James, Remus and Peter, they all been in here-"

"But not as long as you," a nurse growled. I smiled polietely. She laid her hand on my other hand and said sweetly, "I'm so glad you're awake dear. You gave us all a scare."

"I don't remember much," I said quietly.

"Bella, Lestrange and Nott were their names," Sirius growled. "Bella tortured you. Although, I wasn't sure if she used a crucio curse on you."

"I remember that part," I said. "She did. Oh God, Sirius, it was horrible!" I wrapped my arms around his neck. The nurse let out an impatient sigh and I immediately broke away and mumbled my apologies. Sirius snatched my hand back up.

"Dumbledore'll want to talk to you," Sirius said. "He talked to me, but he wants to know what happened upstairs."

"I know," I said.

"If you're feeling up to it now," the nurse implied quickly. "Here he comes now."

"Tallamera," he said joyfully. "I'm so glad you're awake and alright."

"Me too," I mumbled.

"Do you think you could tell me what Bella did?" he asked, then motioned Sirius and the Nurse to leave. The obeyed somewhat reluctantly. I nodded.

"They came from nowhere, really," I said quietly. "Bella g-grabbed me and rushed me up the stairs, p-pulling on my hair. When we got up there she started calling me M-Mudblood and-d all that. It didn't really scare me; but she had a kn-knife and…" My voice faded out as I touched my sore stomach. "She cursed me then, with the Crucio. Then she started saying, 'The Dark Lord'll be glad to get rid of you, Mudblood. The boy downstairs will have to do.' I still don't understand why they wanted Sirius…"

"It is a strange thing indeed. I do not imagine that You-Know-Who is wanting more power and using young students to get the job done," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps by corrupting the minds at a young age, he'll seek to have an easier future."

"Oh" was all I managed to say.

Later that week, with classes in sessions, the nurse finally allowed me to leave the Infirmary. It was after school hours and I practically sprinted to the Gryffindor dormitory. When the portrait opened, after several attempts to get the password right, I found Sirius sitting with James, Remus and Peter by the fireplace. I ran over there and kissed Sirius.

And oh boy, did that feel good.

Epilogue

Sirius and Tallamera continued to be together even after their years spent together at Hogwarts. Their love continued to grow and swell, while kicking dark wizard's butts. The five of them, including Peter Pettigrew (although a spy, of course), were an unstoppable force that almost seemed to scare Voldemort. They had stopped a reasonable amount of dark wizards and witches (including Bella) in the First Wizarding war.

But as always, good things will come to an end.

Even before the Potters, Tallamera was the first to fall. In protection of her friends, she stood up to the Dark Lord himself and was hit with the Killing Curse. Sirius, of course, was devastated. But as soon as the death of Tallamera had happened, events started to fall in place. James and Lily Potter were murdered and The Boy Who Lived, well, lived. Sirius dueled with Peter Pettigrew, the only two that knew about the change of the secret keeper. And from then on, I'm sure you know what happened.

BUT because I don't like sad endings, I'll make YOU, the reader, a little happier.

The moment Sirius had died, he was greeted with his long lost love, Tallamera, and James and Lily. Together, for the next two years watched over Harry Potter. Having no connection to the boy, Tallamera had never presented herself to him. Eventually they were greeted with the rest of the Marauders. All except Peter Pettigrew, of course. And yes, the name 'Lestrange' whom the young Sirius Black had dueled at the end was no mere coincidence. Lestrange was related to Bellatrix Lestrange by marriage and was one of Voldemort's first Death Eaters. It was a way a writer could use obvious foreshadowing. Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed (horrible German grammar by the way which has been bugging me practically the whole time) In die Nacht, Regnet Es {A Sirius Black Love Story}.

-FIN-