~This chapter is more of a preface, containing bits from their previous years in Hogwarts, just to help you understand their relationship and catch you up! Enjoy, Review, etc.!~
RAVENCLAW!" He could see it etched over her face, the same feeling the spread through his gut. He could already feel his father's fist aside his head for messing up, ending up in Gryffindor. She wasn't in any better place, and now they were being separated.
Mechanically, she walked over to the Ravenclaw table and sat down besides the tan boy that was motioning for her. His knees were bouncing with nerves. Whispers filled the hall, two kids from notorious dark wizard families were going into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw? Not Slytherin? He shivered and watched Hollow give a tiny nod at the prefect, who laughed and ruffled her hair.
James, a boy he met on the train, sprinted towards him. "Look at her!" He motioned grandiosely towards a girl under the hat, her red hair rested in a simple braid. "Look at her hair! Its amazing!" Sirius didn't get what was so great about her, or any girl really.
The feast started, his stomach hurt too much from anxiety to actually eat anything. He was absolutely going to get a letter from his parents over this, already, he was dreading going back home.
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"Sirius!" Hands clutched his shirt, panicked, he wrapped his arms around the small frame, and rested his head on hers. "Th-th-they-" her voice snapped as he sunk to his knees with her, giving her every bit of comfort he could as she sobbed.
She smelled off floo powder, probably having grabbed too much of it. Behind him, he could hear James trying to stave off his parents, not that they would upset.
"Low," he whispered, "you're here now. Its okay." Her face was pressed hard into his chest, the front of his shirt was growing wet. Eventually, the tears subsided, gently, he slipped his hands on the side of her face and gently titled her back to get a better look at his friend.
"Merlin," he whispered as he caught immediate sight of blood. Her nose and lip were dripping, meeting at the point of her chin. Mint green eyes looked up at him, one was surrounded by an already blue ring, a small maze of purple lined the ring, promising that blood vessels were damaged. Her cheek was red, promising to bruise later. "What happened?"
"Bella told them I kissed Gary Felin." She pressed her face back into Sirius' chest. Chewing on his cheek, he rested his head on hers, Felin was a muggle born.
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Her shoulders were hunched as she drew. Scattered among the room was compasses, drawing materials, ink bottles, crumpled parchment, and open spell books. James paced, his hair was naturally rumpled, like the rest he was running on three days no sleep, and an overdose of coffee.
The last month had comprised of them all drawing out to scrutinus detail, parts of the grounds. Now these drawings laid in front of them as Hollow, deemed now the master artist, carefully worked everything over into one, single piece.
They worked in the Room of Requirement, it supplied them with caffeine, beds, a desk, materials, and privacy.
A healing cut set on the jaw of Hollow, her slender hands were stained with red ink. The ink contained traces of their blood to provide the map with energy, the parchment was already enchanted, and as long as Hollow was able to make this map to scale, they would finally succeed.
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"Personally, I'm hoping you're a unicorn." He laughed as Hollow stood in a clearing of the forest. A sweet pine needle smell surrounded them, making Sirius antsy to break out into the woods and go for a long run. The moon was a waning crescent and every star was shining.
It had finally happened, they had come out as animagi to her, and she immediately wished to join them. She had found the muddy paw prints in their dorm, and noticed how they always disappear with Remus on the full moon. The lycanthropy was already known to her, as to why they were out in the midst of danger, was unknown.
After a week of nudging and bribing, they broke. James took her every evening to the Room of Requirement to help her prepare for the transformation.
"With my luck, I'll be a skrewt." Her white blonde hair was changing, revealing slight tints of blues and purples. "Or a fish." A wave of panic overwhelmed him, what if she was a fish? Could he get to the Black Lake before she died? "Sirius." He snapped his head towards her, laughing at the absurdity of his panic attack.
"You ready then? Remember the spell?" He no longer required a spell, nor did James. He figured, unlike Peter, her ability with nonverbal spells, would aid her in not needing a wand to transform.
"Yeah, yeah." She nodded, he took a seat on a log and waited with mild apprehension, realizing that maybe becoming an illegal animagus wasn't the best idea James and he had come up with.
A large animal stood where Hollow had. It was similar to a German Shepard, but yellow eyes, and gray fur confirmed his win in the bet with James. She wasn't the red fox James was certain she would become, she was a timber wolf.
Fear skipped through him when the beast moved at him, but relaxed when she placed her paws on his shoulders and knocked him off the log. Screaming, he laughed and transformed into his dog and initiated a long game of chase in the cool night.
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"I wish," she sighed, "that the year wasn't going to end." He nodded as they all laid under "their" tree. James and Remus were looking around for Lily.
"Look, the blood traitors are in love!" Sirius groaned at the voice of his cousin. Besides him Hollow tensed up, but showed no other sign of caring. "Fancy a dip in the lake?"
"Go away Bella."
Severus was standing besides her, along with Flint, Malfoy, Davison, and Carter. "Can't the little git swim?" Her eyes flashed with amusement. He placed a hand on Hollow's shoulder James and Remus stood up. Peter had vanished at the idea of conflict, probably a rat in the tree.
"What do you even think you're capable of?" Hollow stood, her hair swishing down to her hips, she was smaller than Bellatrix despite being the same age. Sirius stayed where he was, Malfoy wasn't going to fight. Davison might if everyone else was. Carter and Flint were both giant and mean, but they were notoriously clumsy and slow.
He arched an eyebrow at Bellatrix. "Yeah, what are you capable of?"
"It's not bathing,"James called, grinning, "did Severus teach you how to keep that much grease from sliding off your hair, or did you teach him?"
Carter cracked his knuckles, Sirius mimicked the motion, the grin forcing its way on his face.
They all hit at once. Bellatrix slammed her way into Hollow, knocking the smaller girl over. James was met with Flint, Remus with Davison, and Sirius found a rather foul smelling Carter on top of him. Fighting wasn't difficult for the young Black, he had grew up scraping and learning how to take a hit. He grabbed the silver tie, and yanked it down, forcing Carter to comply. When the other boy tried to stand up, he delivered a strong kick to his stomach.
The boys dispatched of their attackers easily. James was a sneaky fighter and was willing to do anything to win. Remus was stronger than he looked, and when his adrenaline hit, there was nothing anyone could do to stop the scrawny boy. It was Hollow that surprised Sirius.
She had managed to get on top of Bellatrix. Unlike his cousin, Hollow wasn't about pulling hair and slapping. Pale fists rained down on the shrieking Slytherin. The Ravenclaw girl grabbed the other's throat, forcing her to stand up with her before backing her into the tree.
"Come on, what are you capable of?" Her hair was blood red now, Bellatrix was crying, the tears mingling with blood.
As much as Sirius hated his cousin, he wrapped an arm around Hollow and ripped her away, carrying her away from the deranged Lestrange. "I'll fucking kill you!" She shrieked before running towards the castle.
Lucious and Severus remained. "Get away." James spat, picking his glasses up from the ground.
"I don't think I will."
Sirius ignored them for the moment, instead, he looked over Hollow, her hair was fading back into black, not the white blonde it had previously been. "You alright?" She scratched on her forearms and one on her cheek, but looked no worse the wear.
"I'm fine."She offered a smile, turning to see what was happening.
"Nice one James!" He cheered as his best friend disarmed the greasy teen. They laughed as a crowd came running.
"JAMES POTTER!" A furious redhead was standing there, her eyes hurt, but her jaw set.