Not such a Good Girl
A/N: I owe my childhood to J. K. Rowling, so it's a good thing that she wrote and owns the Harry Potter series and not me.
This fic was written for the HPFC forum's 'This Means War' competition, round two, run by halffictionalprincess. My song prompt was 'Good girls' by Five Seconds of Summer, and although I hadn't heard of it until now, I enjoyed listening to it (I'm a fan of 'She's so perfect', or whatever it's called, as is). The task was to write 1000-3000 words, any pairing, using our individual prompts. As always, I sort of struggled to wrap up this fic, probably spending too much time on the start, but I do hope you enjoy this nevertheless. Thank you for reading, and I promise to get it beta'd soon!
2993 words
Sirius awoke with a jolt. One moment, he had been chasing his brother into a room and watching as he bowed down in front of a faceless man, cradling his left forearm in pain, and the next he was in a comfortable bed, writhing around in the twisted sheets. A glean of sweat covered his forehead and he absentmindedly wiped it away with the back of his hand as he allowed his eyes to adjust to the room's suffocating darkness. It took him a few minutes before he realised where he was.
Fumbling on the bedside, he clasped his hand around his wand. Stifling a loud yawn, he carelessly waved his wand, bathing James' room in a warm pool of light. A wooden clock on the dresser ticked away silently, signalling that it was just past midnight. The usual Quidditch posters and pictures of semi-nude Muggle girls were plastered on the walls, as clothes and cauldron cake wrappers littered the carpet from the previous night's antics.
The sight made him smile slightly- not for the first time, he was glad that he had accepted the Potter's invitation to stay with them over the Christmas break. Although he had finally come of age a few months ago, he did not fancy the idea of spending the holidays roaming the school hallways alone, nor did he particularly feel like sharing any more practical-joke tips with Peeves.
It took him a few moments more before he realised what had woken him up. He saw that the door to the bedroom was gaping open slightly, and he knew it must have squeaked. James had never bothered to oil the door's hinges or fix them with a simple charm- though the raven-haired boy was probably used to the irritating sound it made, it annoyed Sirius to no end.
Looking to James' empty bed, the sheets rumpled as usual, he realised that the boy must have not long left the room. His mind instantly burst with curiosity as to where his friend had gone. The boy never left without him to go on adventures, yet he knew the boy had not simply gotten up to get a drink of water- being a little lazy, James would have simply summoned a glass to the room. He wasn't much of a light sleeper either, so it was highly unlikely that the boy had gone walk-about just to clear his head.
Flinging his arms into the air above his head, Sirius finally allowed a wide yawn to part his lips. He stretched out his long legs and slowly stood up, testing his weight against their sleep-induced numbness. When they did not immediately give way beneath him, he grabbed his robe as it dangled from the best post, raked a hand through his long hair and slowly stumbled to the door. He wanted to find out what James was up to, and following him seemed like a good option. Besides, thinking to the dream he had just had, he knew he wasn't likely to be getting much sleep as it was.
The door squeaked again as he awkwardly shuffled past it, and he bit his tongue to stop from cursing out loud. He could just hear the soft padding of James' feet as he made his way down the staircase, and didn't want to tip the boy off that he was being tailed. There was no chance that Mr and Mrs Potter would awaken though- being elderly, both had retired to their beds earlier that evening and wouldn't be up for at least eight more hours. What he would give to be able to be that dead to the world.
Hearing the doors to the grand living room downstairs slide open, he decided he'd better get a move on. Jogging as quietly as possible, he reached the staircase easily and took the stairs two at a time. He was thankful that the wood was carpeted, even more so that Hedwig, the Potter's house-elf, had not appeared yet. As sweet as she was, the elf was fairly old and was wise to some of the trouble the boys often got themselves into, making it her habit to check up on the boys some nights.
He made sure to quieten his heavy breathing before he peered into the silent room. He immediately spotted James and watched as he tip-toed to the large stone fireplace, his bottle-green cloak fastened over his shoulders. The white light from the tip of his wand glistened off the smooth glass surface of the various photo frames as wandered past the low coffee tables around the room. With a well-practiced hand, the boy gently lifted a lid from an intricately carved glass container and scooped up a generous amount of its finely powdered contents.
Sirius quickly ducked behind a tall armchair as James turned around. He must have sensed that he was not alone, for he paused before replacing the lid.
"Anyone there?" he whispered, his voice coming out a little hoarse and betraying his nervousness. "Padfoot, is that you?"
He was half-tempted to crawl to the other high-backed chair and hide beneath its shadows. It would have been fun to scare James out of his wits by jumping out behind him. In fact, if he remembered correctly, he still owed the boy a good fright.
A few weeks ago, James had dared him to kiss the Giant Squid. As soon as Sirius had plunged into the icy lake in acceptance of the seemingly easy challenge, Remus and James had nicked off with his clothes. Of course, he had not minded in the least running around the grounds in his birthday suit- it was more having to serve the tedious detention Professor Slughorn had abashedly given him that called for revenge.
However, the curiosity he had was now running rampant through his veins, urging him to find out what James was up to. Leaping out now would only serve to spoil any chance he had of succeeding. As such, he remained where he was, crouching against the chair's stiff back and cursing in his mind the way his knees ached as he did so.
"Hed-" the boy caught himself just in time, realising that uttering the elf's name would cause her to appear. He carefully put the lid on the jar and continued squinting into the shadows, "uh, is anyone there?"
It was hard work holding in the laughter that threatened to escape Sirius' mouth as he heard the slight crack in the boy's voice. Evidently, he must have been anxious whatever he was doing, and it only served to raise his suspicions more.
James appeared to have concluded that he was simply hearing things, turning around and stepping into the fireplace. In a more confident tone, he held out his curled fist and dropped the glittering floo powder into the lit hearth.
"122-124 Eldred Street, Cokeworth!"
The bright green flames engulfed his slim figure and in a moment, the boy was gone. Sirius blinked rapidly, trying to remove the fire's glare that now harassed his retinas.
The address James had used was not familiar to him, and he tried to imagine where it would lead to. He knew for a fact that Peter was cooped up in his house in Liverpool, and Remus was paying a visit to cousins in Surrey that he had not seen since he was five and furless, so it could not be either of them that he was visiting at this late hour.
Giving James a head start in case he toppled over the boy, he jumped into the fireplace after him. He knew that the Potters would not mind his use of their floo powder for they had plenty, but he still felt a pang of guilt at using it without their permission. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the soot now covering his bare feet, before quietly uttering the same address.
His stomach churned and his head spun as the flames took him through the network. When the world finally righted itself once more, he stumbled onto somewhat dusty floorboards. He really wished that he had not consumed quite so many Fire-whiskeys hours before, his head now pounding painfully. If it weren't for his new mission, he would have sat down right there on the wooden floor.
Still, the final feint ding of a bell could be heard, and he looked up to see a small brass bell swinging from above a red door that had not long clicked shut. Curiously, he swivelled his head back and forth to get his bearings. He was in a shop of sorts, given away by the presence of a glass counter to the side, on top of which an old-fashioned register was perched. Shelves lined the walls, boasting envelopes and writing instruments to be purchased at low prices.
He wanted to find out how Muggles survived without the use of owls, but knew James was probably getting farther away. Pausing only to check his reflection in the door's glass panels, he swiped away a stray strand of brown hair and left the building.
The cold air was a shock to his body, and he pulled his cloak tighter around him. As it was late December, snow had taken to the street's pavements, coating them in a thick blanket of white. It had ceased falling, but the night breeze had a sharp bite to it that he did not want to stay in. His feet froze, so much so that they now burnt. Hopping from one foot to the other, he cast his eyes around for any sign of James. Footprints were pressed into the ground but were too faint to see clearly in the poorly lit area.
Looking around to make sure no stray Muggles were about, he closed his eyes and held his breath. His body quivered, and his heart raced. It felt like little pin pricks were coating his body, as his veins rapidly changed from ice to fire. He fell to his knees and hands, revelling in the protection the newly formed velvety pads on his paws now gave him.
Although he could still see what little colour the world offered so late, he could now also detect auras of heat from any living creatures nearby. The wind blew his shaggy black fur, and he suppressed the need to howl at the looming golden moon. Pressing a shiny and wet nose to the ground, he gave a sniff and wagged his tail- James had not long left, and he could now easily follow the musty scent left behind.
Paws pounding the ground, he set off once again in search of his friend. Cats hissed as he passed by, clanging on the metal dust bins as they scampered away from him. It was not long until he came by his best friend and he hurriedly backed into a clump of prickly hedges from his view.
He needn't have worried hiding however, as James was too occupied to notice his company. The boy was throwing pebbles at a second-story window of a neat little house, his tongue stuck out in concentration. His voice carried through the chilly air, still hoarse.
"Lily! Pssst Lily! It's me!"
If any passer-by had happened upon the scene at that moment, he was sure they would have been startled to see a dog with its mouth hanging wide open. He couldn't believe he was hearing it right- James had snuck out to see Lily Evans? Perhaps it was another Lily- the one he knew spent most of her nights studying in her dorm and could not stand the bespectacled boy now calling her name.
It seemed he was wrong, however, as not a moment later the window flew open and golden light spilled out on the lane. His peer's head peered out the window, her silky auburn hair falling in waves by her face.
"You're late, Potter," she rose an eyebrow in amusement, as James muttered a vague apology. "Just give me a sec to grab my things."
The girl disappeared beyond the window again, lace curtains falling back into place. He watched as James huffed and a cloud of mist trailed from the motion. If it weren't for the crinkling of his eyes, one would have thought he was impatient to get out of there. Still, he seemed to jump in anticipation as the houses' front door opened and Lily quietly stepped out.
She ran to James, and Sirius sat watching as the two embraced. James picked her up and spun her around, before holding her at arm's length. It was a good thing that he had superior hearing in his dog form, for he would have missed their whispered conversation.
"You look stunning Evans!"
"Shhh, Petunia's still up in the next room, she'll tell Dad if she hears us!"
"So-"
Sirius almost let out a loud bark of laughter, literally, as she hit James on the shoulder with an audible thunk.
"Shh! He thinks I'm in my room studying. He was ever so proud when I became Head Girl this year; he thinks I can now get into any University I want."
"Ooh, wouldn't want Daddy to find out his little princess is being naughty now, would we?"
"Oh shut up Potter," she hissed, though her eyes continued to twinkle with mirth.
"Just kidding," he leant down and pressed a kiss to her nose. "Let's go then, shall we? I didn't bring a broom but we can always go to the park or something and hang out there."
"You mean make out?"
"Umm, yeah? Ouch, stop hitting me! Ok, ok, I'm just kidding."
"I hope you're not," she bit her rosy bottom lip and leant closer, "je ai une surpise pour vous."
As he continued to watch their banter, Sirius thought his jaw would permanently freeze in its wide position. He couldn't believe how cheeky and crass Evans was being. She was the epitome of the perfect student and daughter, and he refused to believe that she was currently seducing his best friend using the so-called language of love. Evans always spent her time in the library, she always studied- she was the potions prodigy of Gryffindor, putting them all to shame. If it weren't for her rather fiery temper, he would have thought she belonged in Ravenclaw.
As James' hazel eyes popped out of their sockets, Lily slowly shrugged open her red coat. His own head tilted slightly, he could just make out a few folds of black lace and felt himself plodding forward to get a closer glimpse of what she was revealing to his mate.
Unfortunately, stealth was not his forte at that moment, and he gave a resounding yelp. One of the shrub's thorns had stuck itself into his leg, causing him to burst forth across the Evans' front lawn. He bounded past the bewildered couple, not stopping until he hit the picket fence lining the property. His teeth gnawed at the sore spot, futilely trying to ease the pain, before deciding it would be easier to do so using his hands.
Once again closing his eyes, he felt the familiar sensation of ice and flame in his blood stream as he became human. He didn't care to put his robes back on, only stepping into his trousers as he shook them from their fixed position on his back.
"Got ya, you little bugger!" Triumphantly, he pulled the thorn from his leg and flicked it into the air.
"Padfoot?"
His spine tingled as he jumped, knowing he was caught. Smiling sheepishly, he ran a hand through the back of his hair. "Ah, hi Prongs…"
James stared at him, closing his eyes and breathing out steadily. "I had a feeling you were following me. You do know curiosity killed the cat, right?"
"Eh, I'm a dog mate, don't think that really applies, do you?"
"James, what's going on? Is that little puppy ok? It gave me such a fright, poor thing."
"It's alright Lily. I've got it covered."
Sirius could hear footsteps approaching in the crunchy snow, and soon Lily stood next to James. If he wasn't in trouble, he would have enjoyed seeing her look so uncharacteristically perplexed.
"Nice outfit Evans," he grinned and Lily scowled, huffily closing her coat around her.
"What are you doing here Black? Don't tell me Potter brought you with him," she seethed, rounding on James.
The boy held his hands up in surrender, not willing to be on the receiving end of her wrath.
"Easy Lils, I didn't know he was following, I swear. Look, I'll sort it out, ok? Just go get ready and we'll leave soon, just you and me, okay?"
He couldn't help himself and as Lily stormed away, he called out to her, "I thought you were a good girl! Pity if your daddy found out, hey?"
He didn't care that James was likely to jinx him the next day for that little lie and watched as she turned back to them. He was happy that James had finally, somehow, gotten a date with the impossible girl, but wasn't sure he liked that she was the reason behind his escapades. He was expecting an indignant reply from her, yet instead she was smirking.
"You know what, Black? 'Good girls are bad girls that haven't been caught.' Enjoy standing out here in the snow by yourself," she winked at him, crooking her arm around James' elbow.
The boy sent Sirius a look over his shoulder that said 'I'll deal with you later' as he allowed her to pull him away. As they left him alone, he shivered and picked up his damp coat.
Looking back towards the house, he spotted another lit window. He stooped down to brush the snow in the hopes of finding a suitable pebble, before clutching one and hurling it at the pane. If Evans was such a bad girl, perhaps her pretend to be perfect sister was too.