It was freezing. Charlotte shivered, pulling her cloak tighter around her as she waited for Sirius to show up. She hopped from one foot to the other, trying to stay warm. Her shoes against polished floor made a rhythmic tapping sound. It was a simple beat, but inspired her voice.

"Where do I go from here, there's nothing left for me to do

I'm waiting for the ends of time so I can run right back to you

Where do I go, where do I run, where do I hide

'Cos everywhere I turn I can see your smile

Every time you laugh my heart runs a mile

Anywhere I go I know you'll be there

But you'll never know- how much I care...

How much I care... about you..."

"Wow, Charlotte, you're more far gone than I thought," Lily's voice remarked out of nowhere. "Pull out your mirror from your pocket when I'm speaking to you."

Charlotte did so. Lily's face had appeared in her mirror. "What do you mean, more far gone than you thought?" she asked warily, wondering where this was going.

Lily shrugged. "Sirius," she said simply. "You fancy him." Upon seeing Charlotte's stricken face, she backtracked. "Okay, okay, I won't make you say you like him, but at least tell me what you like about him."

Sighing, Charlotte said, "All right, um, Sirius. Well... he's really funny, and he's sweet when you really know him. And he's got that effortlessly good hair, and his blue eyes are kind of intense. He has that sort of slow smile and lazy walk, and his grades are above average, if only by a little bit. I guess he's okay."

Lily looked skeptical at that last statement, but only said, "Okay. Well, what don't you like about Sirius?"

"Sometimes he's arrogant, vain, conceited, and show-offy," Charlotte rattled in immediately, as if trying to prove her dislike for him. Lily, of course, didn't buy it.

"The 'like' list is longer than the 'dislike' list by three," Lily stated matter-of-factly, causing Charlotte to blush. "And then it's still only sometimes, you said."

Before Charlotte could say anything else, a cough emanated from around a corner. "Bye," Lily blurted, then disappeared. Charlotte his the mirror hastily as Sirius rounded the corner.

"Um, your hair... it's red. Like, red-red, not hair red but tomato red. Did you do that on purpose, or what," Sirius pointed out.

"No, it's not. My hair is dark brown, not 'red-red.' You need to get your eyes checked. Oh, wait, I forgot that dogs are colorblind!" Charlotte said nastily, pursing her lips and closing her eyes.

Sirius' eyes widened. "You're a... you're a Metamorphmagus!"

"I- No, I'm not."

"You are, I saw your hair change colors! My cousin is a Metamorphmagus, she thinks it's the greatest thing in the world. She changed her nose around, it's such a laugh."

"No, it's not. I don't like it, okay?" Charlotte turned away, mumbling. "I like things that stay the same, things that don't come and go at a whim, like lives and..." Her voice broke, and she promptly turned into a sheep. She took off at a canter.

Sirius swore loudly, switched into a dog, and loped off in the same direction that Charlotte had. As soon as he passed her, he turned around and herded her to the nearest bench. She became a human again and sat on the bench. "Who...?" Sirius asked quietly, sitting down beside her in his human form.

"My dad. He was the magic one, so when he died, my mum... she didn't know what to do with me. So she dumped me at King's Cross the following term and took off without so much as a goodbye. At the end of the year I realized she wouldn't be there waiting for me. Remus was so kind to have taken me in for the next three summers after that. Lily offered, but I knew her sister was a magic-hater and wouldn't tolerate another witch in the house, much less a Metamorphmagus. I began trying to hide my Metamorphmagus-ness, but when I feel... extreme emotion... things happen. Mostly it's my hair changing colors to reflect my emotions if I'm feeling something strong. I know I'm supposed to control it, but I..." Charlotte shivered.

Sirius was absently running his fingers along Charlotte's palm and up to her wrist. She shivered again. "Sirius... Sirius!" Charlotte whisper-yelled. He pulled his hand away quickly.

"Sorry, I... I didn't know I was doing it. I... sorry."

"No, it's not that, that was... We should be getting back. The Fat Lady could be asleep by now, and then we'll be stuck. And I'm a prefect, I can't be caught," Charlotte worried. "Really, I shouldn't even be here."

"Moony sneaks out as well, and he's a prefect too. Take a walk on the wild side, Lottie, live vicariously. I know it's in you," Sirius said, standing up.

"No it's not. It's not me, it's not in me, I have to walk on the safe side. So I don't get hurt." Charlotte stood up too and began to walk down the corridor.

Sirius didn't try to follow.