Midnight

Author's Notes: I've been writing a huge Harry Potter fanfic that is, primarily OC/Sirius centric and while I was thinking about the fifth book and what I'd do with that, this little thing came about. It is loosely based on the story I'm in the process of writing, but I have yet to get to any Sirius/OC fluff and was absolutely dying. Thus, this little short was born. Please enjoy!

Brianna Davis loved sleep. As much as her kind didn't need it, her being an elf and all, sleep seemed to be something that she engaged in as more of a hobby than an actual need for rest. Sleeping became an art form for her; ritualistic at best. Every evening she would wind herself down with a calming glass of wine and a book about whatever genre currently holding her fancy. Sometimes she'd take at least an hour long soak in the bath to work out all of those pesky tight muscles she normally accumulated during her semi-stressful days. After said calming effects the elf girl going on woman flitted around whatever room she currently resided in and lit candles in various places. They weren't particularly large candles and shined for twenty minutes before burning down. Any bed she used harbored at least four different pillows of sizes and, sometimes, shapes. To top off her nightly routine, she adorned silk nightdresses (she'd rather use pajamas, but with her being princess heir to the elves and all she had to dress the part, even at night) and hang a green silk, leaf pattern, dressing gown on a hook beside her nightstand. Then she cleared her mind of all troubled thoughts and worries, focused on something pleasant, and drifted off into the comforting darkness that was unconsciousness.

With all of this being said, it was safe to say that she hated being interrupted from sleeping for any reason. Nightmares rarely plagued her; she'd made certain of that after the first month of discovering her love for the art, so she was rarely woken because of that. The usual culprits tended to be a person, beast, or thing that startled her awake in the middle of the night and interrupted her peace. Normally, it was one of the dorm girls getting back from some late-night rendezvous during the school year. During the summer months and in previous years, the person who always disturbed her was her cousin, Landion, who took great pleasure in being as annoying as he possibly could (sometimes she didn't know if he was a cousin or irritating younger brother).

This particular night, however, set a new precedent.

Brianna had descended into her usual happy place where she dreamed of experiencing the great histories of the world when she was violently awoken by the sound of an explosive CRACK and something heavy and obviously male landing on her feet. She responded with the appropriate prelude to violence which included the igniting of a medium sized fireball in her dominant hand which was clenched into an offensive fist. She tensed, ready to lunge, when the orange illuminated figure made the first move and grabbed her lower arm.

"Bri, don't! It's me! Sirius!" hissed the man urgently.

The bronze haired elf gaped for a moment before extinguishing the flame. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Sirius, what the bloody hell gave you the idea that it was a good idea to startle me while I'm sleeping?" she asked in an almost-calm voice.

In the dark, the man grinned at her. She knew he was grinning. The infuriating man always did that when he knew succeeded in irritating her.

"Sorry," he said without any bit of remorse.

She rolled her eyes and brought her legs under her body while fixing him with a very unhappy look.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

He shrugged, "Just wanted to pop in and say high."

Brianna pinched the bridge of her nose and continued her interrogation, "In the middle of the night?"

He was silent for a little while before finally replying in a subdued voice, "I can't… sleep. Not tonight at least."

It took her a moment to process what he said, but apprehension dawned when she did.

"Oh," she replied.

Right. Harry's hearing was tomorrow… er… today and Sirius was worried. What could she say to that? She was worried too; especially since Harry had been in her care when the dementors attacked.

Brianna reached out and placed a hand on one of his shoulders in an effort to comfort him, but knowing that it probably wouldn't be much help. Sirius was a hard person to settle; especially when his nerves were on high alert for whatever reason.

She didn't say anything. Whatever he needed, he would tell her though why he felt the need to go to her for his problems she couldn't comprehend.

It was at least five minutes before Sirius relaxed and shifted his body to sit next to her at the head of the queen sized bed. Brianna shifted her position on his shoulder as he did so while keeping her hand in place.

"I've failed him as a godfather," he murmured in a voice that would have been barely audible to the human ear, but was crystal clear for her.

She didn't respond and waited for him to continue. This wasn't the first time they had this conversation.

"I couldn't protect him from Voldemort and I couldn't protect him from the dementors. He's lived his entire life without love or acceptance from his own flesh and blood. He's a constant target. His parents are dead and I'm useless," he continued.

She squeezed his shoulder gently.

"You're the one who's protected him these last four years. You're doing my job and you shouldn't. You're not his legal guardian, I am. I need to do my duty, but I can't do it without getting thrown back in Askaban," his voice was thick and heavy, like he was close to breaking down but was trying valiantly not to.

Brianna's teeth momentarily grazed her bottom lip as an uncertain feeling washed over her. As much as she wanted to be there for him, she wasn't sure if she was the person he needed to talk to about this.

"Sirius, you've been in Askaban. You couldn't exactly help that you weren't there for him," she said softly.

"Askaban was my fault. Going after Wormtail that first time was a mistake and now Harry's paying for it!" his baritone voice cracked slightly.

A heavy silence hovered around them while Brianna waited for him to settle. When she deemed him ready, she spoke in a soft voice that was almost meek and innocent but exactly what she knew he needed to hear, "Harry doesn't think you failed him. He loves you. You're like a father to him. Hell, sometimes I think you are his father in his eyes. The way he listens to you when you speak, like your words are holy writ, speaks to how much of a father you are to him. In his eyes, you haven't failed him even though it seems like it to you. I don't think you failed him. Quite the opposite, really. I think you saved him. You showed him that someone could care about him, that someone would want him near, that he could be loved. Harry needs your support, Sirius, not your self-pity. The more you go on about how much you've failed him and focus on yourself the greater the chance of you actually failing him becomes. Focus on Harry. Hell, even focus on him while he's in school. Be his father. He's never had one personally, so that shouldn't be difficult."

It was dark and she knew that Sirius could barely make out her form, but she could see him as a clear black and white image (mostly black, mind, his favorite color seemed to be anything dark and dreary) and she knew he was gaping at her. She wasn't surprised. This bit of reproof was long awaited and, probably, should have been given sooner.

"My point is," she continued, "you're here now and that's all he needs."

There was a pregnant pause while he stared at her. From what she could see, he was thinking about what she said. Due to the darkness created by the natural dimness of the Black House Brianna couldn't quite make out the expression on his face.

She looked away from him and stared blankly at the wall. If anything, it was she who failed Harry. After all, he was directly in her care at the time of the attack and he was also already in danger from the line of work she was training him for. She should have acted faster. If she had, Harry wouldn't have needed the hearing.

"Bri," his gruff voice carried to her ears and startled her out of her reverie.

She looked back at him and waited for him to continue. He surprised her by leaning over and placing his lips gently on her left cheek. They lingered in that position for what seemed to be an eternity and when he finally pulled away Brianna felt her heartbeat speed up.

"Thank you," he told her.

This was the difference between consoling teenagers and adults, Brianna reflected later. Teenagers were just relieved and sometimes listened (maybe). Adults listened to one and were actually grateful for the advice. Sirius, though, reacted differently than expected. There was a certain amount of affection to his gesture than most other adults showed. It caused her body to react in odd ways, feeling flushed with pleasure and affection. There was something between them that had been there from day one, but she was never able to identify it accurately.

"Well then, I believe that there's nothing much keeping you up now-," she was cut off by his soft chuckle of mirth and felt a glare form around her eyes.

"No, I think there are a few other things keeping me up," he said.

They had this conversation before as well, where he would tease her and she would get mad and he would laugh. Brianna let out an exasperated sigh. Of course he would be like this!

"Sirius, at least go back to your room! Some people like to sleep," she said half-heartedly because he always seemed to convince her to let him stay in some way or another.

He pouted. She could tell he pouted and she knew that he knew she could see him.

"But it's boring up there," there was a slight whine in his voice.

"Oh for goodness sake! How old are you? Thirteen?" she snapped.

"Maybe."

"Sirius."

"Bri."

They stared at each other for a moment before Brianna finally gave in. In all honesty, she hadn't wanted him to go. She was just annoyed at the fact that he felt the need to be nocturnal when she wasn't.

"Fine," she grumbled, "stay, but I'm going back to sleep."

"I'll watch you then."

Another pause.

"Sirius."

"Yes, love?"

"That's just creepy," growled Brianna.

"Really? I'd like to think of it as a show of my undying devotion to you."

"What undying devotion?"

Suddenly she felt what she knew to be his forehead rest on the crook between her neck and shoulder. Something must have been wrong with her body. Her lungs seemed to have a problem with taking in oxygen and the beats of her heart became suddenly sporadic. He had done this once; this thing where he would do something intimate and seemingly sweet. Her world dissolved around her as her nose was met with the subtle fragrance of whatever scent he used to wash himself.

Barely five seconds passed after his sudden move when he said, "Do you really want me here?"

Brianna sighed and leaned her head against his. For someone who had spent twelve years in Askaban, Sirius certainly had soft hair.

"Sirius, as annoying as you can be, I can't say that I don't enjoy your company. In any case, we had our late night rendezvous last year. Why break tradition?" she asked in a half joking, half serious manner.

He let out a short bark of a laugh and drew away from her. Brianna found that her skin tingled with loss and she frowned at it. She found that such was the case for her ever since they spent the evening together at the Yule Ball.

"Why indeed?" he asked with a soft smile on his face while gently poking her arm.

She glared at him even though she knew that he couldn't see her.

"Keep doing that and you'll lose a finger," Brianna threatened.

He snorted, "Violence is such a turn off!"

She blinked, completely missing the innuendo, "Huh?"

He blinked and then covered his entire face with a hand as he dissolved into fits of laughter.

"Sirius!" she squeaked in indignation at his evident humor.

Really, she didn't see what was so funny.

Sirius shook his head as he finally regained control of his senses. Brianna stared at him the entire time waiting for an explanation.

"I'm not going to get into it," he told her when he finally was able to breathe.

"Why?"

"Because, well, mostly because I'm mortally afraid of your aunt."

Brianna snorted, "My aunt? She's harmless! Explain."

"She'll threaten to castrate me!" he insisted.

Brianna felt a bit confused about that. Why would a joke warrant castration?

As if sensing the question forming in her mind, Sirius interjected thusly, "It's the type of joke I'm referring to, love."

She blinked owlishly at him, not caring that he couldn't see her face. She was very confused at this point. He sighed.

"Bri, I was referring to violence in being a turnoff from sexual fantasies. Unless you're into violence…" he trailed off realizing that digging the hole deeper was a bad idea.

Brianna growled, "Sirius, for heaven's sake! You're thirty-six years old!"

"I was also kidding!"

Brianna pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a frustrated groan, "I'm going to sleep now."

She shifted until she lay on her back with her body buried inside of the warm covers. Brianna's eyes closed as she made a valiant attempt to return to her previous state of sleep. She was interrupted by movement next to her.

Sirius, apparently, felt the need to get under the covers with her.

She sighed. This was getting ridiculous!

"Sirius! We've had the inappropriate talk before! This is one of those things that falls into that category!" she hissed.

She heard him shift, but kept her eyes firmly determinedly shut. She really wanted to sleep.

"You won't let me watch you sleep, so I might as well," he reasoned.

What made it worse was the fact that it actually happened to sound reasonable. How did he manage that?

The elf girl let out a long, drawn-out, sigh. If she was being honest with herself, and with this thought she was, Brianna didn't want him to leave. She liked spending time with him. That was the crux of the problem. Year four at Hogwarts obviously spoiled her with his midnight visits to the girl's dorm room every other night. It started out as his answer to her request to meet about the tasks and Harry's protection, but they evolved to something completely different.

"Why would you want to watch me while I sleep anyway?" she asked genuinely curious.

A pause hovered in the air awhile before he answered, "Something to do."

The way Sirius answered her question alerted Brianna's suspicious senses. The answer seemed a bit too thought out to be the real one and she wasn't certain if continuing that line of interrogation would be a good idea.

"You've watched me sleep before, haven't you?" she asked with a bit more sharpness in her voice than she meant.

He chuckled, "Only when you were dreaming. You talk in your sleep, you know. I'll admit, it was a bit endearing so I watched for a few moments before I woke you."

Brianna opened her eyes as she snorted and turned over on her side, facing him. He was watching her. It wasn't the creepy kind of gaze. In fact, it was soft and non-invasive, like he was content to stay on his side of the bed. She smiled.

"Sirius, that's still creepy," she said softly.

"It wasn't like you didn't know I would be there. If I had been doing it in secret without you knowing at all, then it would be creepy," he pointed out.

She raised an eyebrow, "You snuck into a girl's dormitory where the majority of women there were considerably younger than you and under age."

"Yes and let's not forget your Third Year, love? When you willingly brought me as a dog into that very same dormitory to prove to everyone that I wasn't a Grimm," he reminded her.

Brianna laughed. She actually laughed. It had been ages since she let out a proper one; not since Voldemort's return and her near death experience.

The urge to scoot closer to him washed over her, was fought and nearly won, but was willfully restrained. She didn't need to make the situation, a good one, incredibly awkward.

"I still haven't quite forgiven you for that, you know?" she told him in a light, teasing, tone.

"In my defense, I was trying to go after Wormtail and not get caught!" he said.

She giggled and mentally winced at the sound. Of every noise she could have made it had to be a giggle!

"Still not quite forgiven," she replied impishly.

Brianna closed her eyes at that point to breathe out some of the tension she was feeling. Sirius' scent was borderline intoxicating and the more they spoke, the more she felt every wall around her heart melt into a puddle of goo. Those strange feelings festered inside of her ever since the Yule Ball. Every time she saw him the skin on her pale peach face flushed with a small, rosy, tint. Her teal eyes flickered in his direction every once in a while appreciating his lean physic slowly healing from his time in Askaban. She would notice the progress his body made as Sirius slowly, but surely, recovered from his gaunt, mal-nourished, state; the result of his incarceration. Normally, she was able to ignore it, but whenever he was near her or alone with her or both the resolve she worked so hard to build crumbled into a pile of rubble.

At first, she repressed these strange feelings and emotions for later study. Since her fourth year was, literally, a fight to keep herself and Harry (mostly Harry) alive Brianna had figured she'd deal with them later on during the summer. The Voldemort returned, Dumbledore re-established the Order of the Pheonix, and Harry was under the threat of returning to that hell hole known as the Dursley's. Taking Harry on as her apprentice created another reason for her to push all of those confusing thoughts about Sirius to the side for another summer and her mind was kept busy.

Now she was forced to confront them because the man, who loved his godson as his own flesh and blood, couldn't even attempt to rest due to extreme worry and self-loathing.

The sudden pressure on her left hand laying a few inches from the pillow outstretched startled her from her reverie. She opened her eyes and inspected the calloused, considerably larger, appendage that belonged to Sirius. The fact that her heartbeat quickened ever so slightly was stubbornly ignored. Brianna's gaze moved to the owner and was startled to find that he was asleep, or at least appeared to be.

"Sirius," she whispered.

There was no answer, just the quiet rhythm of his breathing. She smiled and allowed her eyes to flutter closed and a content smile to travel to her lips.

The End