NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.
Fate
Chapter Four
"Hurry, boys; we'll be late!"
Grace Potter's voice floated up the stairs. James, his wild hair still damp from a shower, hopped around as he tried to pull on his shoes.
"We're coming, mum," he called down to her as Sirius slipped into the room, his hair still dripping and a towel wrapped around his waist.
Five minutes later, the two of them managed to be downstairs, fully dressed and ready to go They'd spent the afternoon playing quidditch and had lost track of time. The Potters had been invited over for dinner at the Dawson home and they were going to be cutting it close to the time they had been told dinner would be ready.
Grace ushered them out the front door, hurrying them along as Joseph strolled behind them. They would be apparating. Once they cleared the charms that did not allow anyone to apparate or disapparate to close to their home, James attached himself to his mother and Sirius grabbed Joseph's arm and the four of them disappeared with a crack.
They reappeared on a dirt lane in the countryside. Behind them was a sleepy-looking village nestled in the hills. James had told Sirius that the Dawsons lived outside the village of Edgworth in Lancashire. He and James followed behind Grace and Joseph as they made their way up the lane, following a tall, ivy-covered brick wall that ran alongside the lane.
"When do you reckon we'll get our O.W.L. results?" James asked.
Sirius shrugged. "Dunno, mate. I hope it's soon. If I didn't pass History of Magic and have to take it again, I'm bloody blowing my brains out."
James snorted. "Sounds less painful than sitting through that class again at least."
Sirius followed the Potters when they turned towards wall. Pushing aside some ivy, they ducked down and disappeared through the wall. Following their lead, he found there was a gate and he ducked through. Straightening, he was surprised to see a large brick home, also covered with ivy. The grass, trees, and flowers were all vibrant and he guessed that a spell probably helped to keep them so.
"I wonder if Sam knows you'll be with us," James mused as they headed up the path.
Sirius shrugged as he continued to look around.
"How'd your parents meet hers again?" Sirius asked curiously. James had never told him, he didn't think. They were both upper class purebloods; they were bound to know each other that way. But he was curious to know what had made the two families so close.
"My dad was her dad's mentor when he joined the aurors," James explained. "And they were close even when they were working as equals. Dad's retired now, of course, but they still…work together."
Sirius glanced at Grace and Joseph walking ahead of them before softly saying to James, "The Order?"
James nodded. "Yeah."
They'd reached the door and Joseph reached out to knock. A moment later, the door opened, and a woman stood on the other side. She was short, with wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and Sirius knew right away that this was Samantha's mother.
"Hello, Joe," Elizabeth said with a smile, moving to hug Joseph with a kiss on his cheek before greeting and embracing Grace. She stepped aside to allow them in, closing the door before turning to smile at James and Sirius. "I believe Samantha's in the library, James. Why don't you two go up there? Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."
James led the way up the main staircase, turning left at the top and heading to the library. The door was partially open and James turned back to Sirius, a mischievous grin on his face as he brought a finger to his lips. Sirius rolled his eyes, but stayed silent as James quietly pushed the door opened. As they stepped inside, Sirius glanced around. It was different from the dark library he had grown up in. The room was bright, but comfortably so, with bookshelves lining the walls. The books were well taken care of, unlike the musty Dark Arts books back home. Samantha was seated on the sofa, which sat in front of a fireplace. Her back was to them, resting against the arm of the couch, and her knees were drawn up, a book placed on them.
She turned a page; she hadn't noticed them.
James snuck up right behind her, slamming his hands down on the sofa arm on either side of her, leaning close and exclaiming, "Hey, Sam."
She didn't flinch and turned another page. "Hello, James."
James's face fell, and Sirius couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter, quickly turning it into a cough at James's accusing glare. Samantha glanced over her shoulder, and seemed surprised to see him there.
"Black," she said by way of greeting before turning back to her book.
"Dawson," he said with a nod, moving further into the room as James sat down on the sofa beside her feet. Sirius seated himself in the armchair opposite the sofa.
"So they didn't tell you Sirius would be here?" James asked her.
She shrugged. "I'm sure Adrien was supposed to let me know."
Her gaze remained on her book and James frowned, reaching out and snatching the book from her hand.
"What are you reading?"
He flipped through the pages, ignoring her glare.
"It looks boring to me."
"Then give it back," she snapped.
"Let me see," Sirius spoke up, reaching out.
With a grin, James handed the book off to Sirius, moving the book out of Samantha's reach when she leaned over and tried to grab it. With a sigh, Sirius leaned back in the chair, flipping through the book, reading a line here and there.
"I dunno, James," he eventually said. "It seems pretty interesting to me."
Samantha snorted, bringing Sirius's gaze to her. "It's not exactly your type of book."
Sirius smiled crookedly at her. "Oh, really?" he asked, amusement in his voice. "And just what book would be my type?"
She shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. How to Be an Even Bigger Prat perhaps?"
Sirius's eyes danced as he released his bark-like laugh.
"Is that even a real book?" James asked her.
She gave him an irritated look. "I wouldn't know, would I?"
Sirius was still chuckling as he leaned over, holding her book out to her. She scowled as she snatched it from his hands.
"You're funny, Dawson," he told her, lightly brushing his finger over her nose. Her scowl deepened and he shook his head at her. "Don't frown, love." His finger moved to poke her on the forehead. "It'll give you wrinkles."
She swatted his hand away, her scowl not disappearing. Turning back to her book, she flipped through the pages to find where she had been before James had stolen it.
"Has Adrien let anything slip about the Order?" James asked her just as she began to read again.
She shook her head. "No. He's just as careful as everyone else. And you know how he is. He's never liked to talk about it around me anyway."
James leaned back with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's no help at all," he grumbled.
"Hm. We only have two more years. At this point I suppose we'll just have to be patient."
James shot her an irritated look. "Speak for yourself."
"Asking James to be patient is like asking Lily to fall in love with him," Sirius spoke up, causing James's irritated look to turn to him.
"Well, I didn't ask, did I?" Samantha replied. "So he'll have to live with it."
James scowled at the both of them. Sirius chuckled at him and behind her book, Samantha smiled.
"Samantha," Elizabeth's voice called out from downstairs. "Dinner is ready."
As Sirius and James followed Samantha out of the library and down the kitchen stairs, James elbowed Sirius in the ribs.
"What was all that about?" James hissed soft enough so that Samantha would not hear.
Sirius gave him a sideways look, his face twisted in confusion. "What are you talking about Prongs?"
"'You're funny Dawson.'? 'Don't frown, love.'? And taking her side against me? You were flirting," James accused.
Sirius snorted. "I most certainly was not."
"Don't give me that," James argued crossly. "I know you and your whoreish ways. You'll flirt with nearly every girl who will look your way." He gave Sirius a threatening look. "Don't you start messing with her."
"I'm not going to, Prongs. I promise."
Sirius seemed amused by James's accusation. Samantha Dawson intrigued him, but that was all. She was not the type of girl to seek out pointless flings in the broom cupboards, and even if she were, he would not bother her out of respect for James. He knew better.
James shot him one more untrusting look before he allowed the subject to drop just as they stepped off of the stairs and into the kitchen where everyone was gathered.
Dinner was chaotic. With ten people gathered around the dining room table, there was no other way to describe it. After half an hour, the plates that had been piled high with food at the start of dinner were nearly bare. Everyone had finished eating and the room was filled with talk and laughter.
"The Appleby Arrows are easily the best," Joseph was arguing.
"The obvious choice is the Wimbourne Wasps," Brennan Dawson replied with a roll of his eyes. Brennan was a tall man, with shoulder-length brown hair that he kept tied back at the nap of his neck and kind brown eyes.
"I'm rather partial to the Holyhead Harpies," Samantha's uncle spoke up with a grin and a wink, his blue eyes dancing.
Christopher Nottingham was Elizabeth's brother and Tabitha's husband. Like the Dawsons, the Nottinghams were an old pureblood family. The two families had always intertwined.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, dear," Tabitha said as she tossed her thick braid over her shoulder, slapping her husband good-naturedly on the shoulder.
"Of course, darling," Christopher replied, grin still in place.
Shaking her head, Tabitha turned back to the conversation she had been having with Elizabeth and Grace as the three men laughed.
At the other end of the table, Samantha was being forced to listen to James, Sirius, and Adrien recount the game that had won Gryffindor the quidditch cup. Several times already, she had had to duck as Adrien threw his arms around as he talked about how heated the game had been.
"I'll bet the game seemed just as heated from the stands, didn't it, Dawson?" Sirius asked her, turning his grey eyes on her.
She was surprised at the question and had only opened her mouth to answer when Adrien said, "Sam doesn't like quidditch."
"There's nothing wrong with quidditch," she spoke up, glaring at her brother. "And I like to watch it."
James grinned. "You just don't like brooms."
"Really?" Sirius's gaze turned to him.
James nodded. "Bloody terrified of them, she is. Me and Adrien couldn't even get her to play Shuntbumps when we were kids."
"Sounds unnatural to me," Sirius replied, turning back to Samantha with a grin.
"It is," Adrien agreed.
"Yeah. I remember this one time, we tried to put her on a broom and she-"
"James," Samantha interrupted him with a sweet voice, smiling at him as she slipped out her wand, twirling it around in her fingers. "Don't make me hex you."
"Ah." Adrien reached up and plucked the wand from her fingers, slipping it into his robes. "No underage magic at dinner."
"Yeah," James agreed with a grin. "No underage magic at dinner."
"You're lucky he stopped me, Potter," she snapped. "Just wait until we're back at school."
"I'm not scared of you, Sam," James laughed. He elbowed Sirius. "Isn't she terrifying, Padfoot?"
Sirius opened his mouth to aid James in teasing her when the sound of breaking glass came from upstairs. Instantly the whole table fell silent, and eyes jerked upward to the ceiling. Brennan, Joseph, and Christopher were already on their feet, wands drawn, their eyes intently on the foyer as they strained to hear anything else. With the room completely silent, they could make out the slightest sound of footsteps upstairs.
"They're heading towards the main staircase," Joseph whispered. "Brennan, me and you will head up the staircase. Adrien, you come with us. Christopher, you can try to take them by surprise from behind by going up the kitchen stairs. Grace, you, Elizabeth, and Tabitha stay in the foyer, watching all entrances. We don't know where else they may be."
Brennan's gaze turned down the table, locking eyes with his daughter before glancing at James and Sirius. "The three of you go with Christopher," he instructed. "In the cabinet over the stove, you'll find a coffee mug. It's a portkey. It will take you somewhere safe. You are to stay there until we come and get you, do you understand?"
At their nods, Brennan gestured for everyone to go where they had been instructed. Brennan, Joseph, and Adrien quickly moved towards the main staircase with the three women following after them. Christopher beckoned Samantha, James, and Sirius to come up behind him as he moved towards the doorway to the kitchen.
"Pull out your wands," he instructed.
James and Sirius complied but Samantha swore under her breath. "Adrien has it."
"Stay behind us then," her uncle replied as he moved into the kitchen, keen eyes glancing around the kitchen. "You three stay here until I clear the kitchen."
He moved into the kitchen slowly, wand poised, ready for attack. When he reached the other side, he looked around one more time before motioning for Samantha, James, and Sirius to come to him. They'd only taken one step inside the kitchen when shouts came from upstairs. They froze, their gazes turned to the ceiling.
Christopher cursed. "The kitchen's clear," he told them. "I need to get upstairs. Get out of here."
"Come on," Sirius said as Christopher disappeared, moving towards the cabinet Brennan had told them contained the portkey.
Samantha continued to gaze at the ceiling, worry playing across her face.
"Let's go," James said softly. "They'll be alright." He reached out to grab her hand, pulling her along with him as he followed after Sirius.
"Well, well. What have we here? Did you three think you could sneak away while all the adults did the work?"
The three of them whirled around at the voice as a woman stepped into the kitchen from the hallway, a crude smirk playing across her thin lips. Her hair was long and black, her dark eyes heavy lidded, and her high cheekbones reminded Samantha of Sirius's. James and Sirius had their wands pointed at her in a flash and James pulled Samantha behind them.
"Bellatrix," Sirius spat, hate dripping from his voice. Samantha recognized her name instantly. Bellatrix Lestrange, formally Black, was Sirius's cousin and a notorious Death Eater who was working her way up highly into Voldemort's trust.
"Sirius, dear. Is that any way to speak to family? Oh, I forgot. You ran away and your mother blasted you off of the family tree. A traitor to the family name. That's what you are."
Sirius's eyes hardened. "What are you doing here, Bella?"
She sneered at him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Just sending a message from the Dark Lord to anyone who stands in his way." Her gaze flickered to James. "Stupefy!"
Before they were able to do anything, the stunning spell hit James in the chest, causing him to collapse to the ground unconscious.
"Prongs," Sirius yelled, grabbing hold of Samantha's arm and dragging her back several steps, making sure she stayed behind him. With every step they took, Bellatrix moved as well, stepping over James to move closer to them.
"Stupefy!"
Bellatrix brought her wand up, deflecting Sirius's stunning spell as she laughed, "You're going to have to do better than that."
Sirius clenched his jaw tightly and sent another stunning spell at her. She deflected it just as easily. Samantha felt useless watching over Sirius's shoulder as he and Bellatrix exchanged spell after spell. Sirius was pulling out anything that he could think of, but Bellatrix seemed to stay a step ahead of him. They all knew that he was fighting a losing battle.
With a smirk, Bellatrix suddenly made a swooping motion with her wand. Sirius was too slow to block it, and the spell caught him in the chest, knocking him off of his feet and throwing him backwards into the cabinets. He slumped to the ground limply, his wand lying in his open hand.
Samantha stared, wide-eyed, at Bellatrix as her gaze turned to her. Unable to help herself, Samantha backed up a couple of steps.
"Just the Dawson is left standing," Bellatrix taunted cruelly, pointing her wand at her. "What shall I do with you?"
A loud crash suddenly sounded from upstairs, drawing Bellatrix's gaze. Having no time to think it through, Samantha acted on impulse. If she could just get to Sirius's wand, at least she wouldn't be defenseless. It was only a couple of feet away. She turned and moved towards his wand. The movement caught Bellatrix's eye.
"Crucio."
The spell seized her and excruciating pain overcame her, causing her to collapse to the ground. She writhed in pain, her blood burning through her body, feeling as if it was on fire, her head feeling as if were about to split open. The pain was unbearable and she arched her neck back, releasing a terrible scream as Bellatrix laughed over her.
Sirius groaned a brought a hand up to his throbbing head. Someone was screaming and he jerked his gaze up to find Bellatrix standing over Samantha, who was writhing in pain from what he knew was the Cruciatus Curse. He gripped his wand tightly, pushing himself to his feet.
"Expelliarmus!"
Bellatrix saw him move out of the corner of her eye, breaking the curse she had on Samantha to deflect Sirius's disarming charm.
"Sirius," she pouted as he rushed to Samantha's side, dropping down beside her. Her body trembled from the after-effects of the curse. "You interrupted me. I was having so much fun."
"Leave her alone," Sirius growled, looking up at her, pointing his wand at her threateningly.
Bellatrix cocked her head to the side as she peered down at him. "So valiant. Only a Black who has abandoned his family would stand up for a Dawson. Would you like to take her place then?" Sirius did not reply, only glared up at his cousin. Bellatrix smirked. "Very well. Crucio."
This time it was Sirius who writhed on the ground in pain as a scream ripped from his throat, despite how hard he tried to hold it back. Samantha tried to push herself up, but her body still shook and her arms would not support her. She caught sight of Sirius's wand beside her and reached out, taking it up in her hand.
"Stupefy!"
Her shaking hand caused the spell to go off course, striking Bellatrix in only the hand. The Death Eater shrieked, breaking the curse on Sirius to glare down at Samantha, her wand once again pointed at her.
"How dare you," she snarled, a madness Samantha had never seen in any person flashing across her eyes. "You're too much trouble. I should have disposed of you from the beginning. Avada Ke-"
"Expelliarmus!"
The spell missed, but had the desired effect when Bellatrix whirled around, turning her attention away from Samantha. James had pushed himself up into a sitting position, his wand trained on her as he glared at her from behind his glasses.
"It seems I'm going to have to kill all of you. We weren't told to, but I'm sure the Dark Lord will appreciate the sentiment." Her wand came up to point at James. "You first, then." She gasped before she was able to continue, clutching her left forearm in her hand and she scowled. "This will just have to wait for later."
She disapperated before anything could be done.
James's shoulders slumped in relief. They'd been far outmatched. They'd only been distracting her from each other. Somehow, they'd lucked out. If she had not been called away, they probably would have been killed. With a bit of difficulty, Sirius pushed himself up. He was shaking from the curse, but not as bad as Samantha; he had not been under it as long.
Footsteps suddenly began thundering down the stairs and a moment later, Adrien burst into the kitchen. He paused for a moment, his eyes taking in the kitchen before they fell on his sister. Eyes widening, he rushed to her side.
"Kiwi," he said softly.
She looked at him and gave him a small smile. "I'm alright," she murmured.
She tried to push herself up, but her arms still would not support her. Slipping his hands on her shoulders, Adrien helped her up, allowing her to lean against him. More footsteps sounded and Samantha's parents burst into the kitchen, followed closely by James's.
Sounds were beginning to become distant to Samantha as her body reacted to the Cruciatus Curse.
"Take her upstairs and give her this."
She was vaguely aware of being lifted up and closed her eyes at the movement of being carried out of the kitchen, voices following them as they went.
"He's still unconscious."
"We should take him to St. Mungo's."
The voices faded away as Adrien carried her up the stairs and headed to her room. He put her down on her bed, and a goblet was held up in front of her.
"Drink this."
She reached out to take the goblet, but he continued to hold on to it as she pulled it towards her, and he tilted it up so that she could drink. When the goblet was empty, she settled back against her pillows, her eyes closing.
"It'll get rid of the shaking, but I'm afraid you'll be sore for awhile."
Even as he said this, the shaking was subsiding and a sharp ache was settling in its place.
"How is everyone?" she asked quietly. "I heard someone say St. Mungo's."
"Everyone's okay," Adrien assured her. "Uncle Chris got hit by a spell and won't respond so they took him to St. Mungo's. But he'll be okay. There's a few minor injuries but nothing serious. Everyone's okay."
She nodded, her eyes still closed. Silence fell between them and she was moving closer to sleep when Adrien spoke again.
"I'm sorry."
Her eyes opened and she turned her head to look at him. "What?"
"I'm sorry," he repeated, his gaze firmly on the wall. His hand reached into his robes and slipped out her wand. "If I hadn't taken your wand…"
She shook her head. "It wouldn't have made a difference," she told him softly. "We were outmatched."
"Still, I shouldn't have left you unarmed."
"It was an accident," she assured him. "As soon as I heard that noise, the fact that you had my wand slipped my mind too."
He nodded but did not seem convinced. She sighed.
"Adrien," she said gently, placing her hand on his. "It wasn't your fault. Please don't blame yourself."
After a moment, he nodded and gave her a small smile. "Alright, Kiwi. You're right."
"Like always," she said with a smile, causing him to let out a small laugh.
"Like always," he agreed. "Get some sleep," he told her, watching as she struggled to keep her eyes opened. "We can talk more in the morning."
She nodded and her eyes slipped closed. After a moment, he stood from the bed to leave, but her hand shot up to catch his.
"Please stay. Just for a bit longer."
Her eyes did not open, but there was a vulnerability in her voice that he hated to hear.
"Alright," he agreed. "I'll stay as long as you want."
He pulled her desk chair close to the bed and settled in it as she slept. He sat there in the dark for a long while, trying not to think about the way the night could have gone. They'd all made it out alive. Would they be so lucky next time?
He opened her bedroom door as quietly as he could, allowing the light from the hall to illuminate the room well enough to see. She was sound asleep as he walked to her bed and with a sigh, he sunk in the chair that was still by the bed. Adrien had stayed with her for a long while, but had eventually gone to bed himself. Brennan had wanted to come see his daughter hours ago, but he'd had other things to attend to first. He'd had to fire call Moody to let him know of the attacks. Moody had then come over to help him and Joseph try to figure out how the Death Eaters had gotten through the charms. The Dawson home was surrounded by a heavy layer of charms, including charms that informed them if anyone with a dark mark was near and anti-apparation charms. Their best guess was that the Death Eaters had managed to find a weak spot and had broken all of the charms.
The three of them had then spent several hours reconstructing the charms, being careful to leave no weak spots, and putting a heavier layer on than before. Brennan had still been worried and walked the perimeter several times to recheck them.
Elizabeth and Tabitha had taken Christopher to St. Mungo's and Grace had looked after James and Sirius. He'd just heard from Elizabeth that Christopher had woken up and the healers planned to release him at some point the next day. Once he had received that news and everyone at the house was in bed, he felt he could relax and go to bed himself. But before he did, he wanted to stop by his daughter's room.
Now he sat by her bedside, watching her peaceful face as she slept. "I'm sorry, love," he whispered. "I should have protected you better."
He knew the war was getting worse. But he wanted to protect his family. Despite how close they were to the war, no matter how much Voldemort saw their family as a threat, he wanted to keep his family shielded. He didn't want anything to happen to any of them. But tonight he'd allowed his daughter to get hurt and he felt as if he'd failed them all.
Samantha sighed and shifted in her sleep, and she winced. He leaned forward and ran his hand over her head. He knew how sore she must be.
He stayed there for nearly an hour before he felt he was reassured enough that she was alright to go to bed. He left only when Elizabeth had returned from St. Mungo's and came looking for him. He held her close that night, and before he fell asleep, he promised himself that he would not let any harm come to his family again. Not while he drew breath.
Sirius sat in bed, leaning against the wall as he looked out the window into the Dawson's back yard. After Samantha had been taken upstairs and Christopher to St. Mungo's, Grace had made sure he and James were alright. They'd then been shown to the guest room they would sleep in that night when Grace was sure they were okay. Before she'd gone to St. Mungo's, Elizabeth had insisted that the Potters to stay the night.
Now it was early morning, the light outside weak, telling the world that the sun was getting ready to rise. Sirius had been restless all night. James had told him of the Order several times. He knew what the Potters and Dawsons, alongside others, were fighting for. He knew that they risked a lot to stand up to Lord Voldemort the way they did. But he'd never really given much thought to the consequences. He'd grown up in a family that had the same views as Voldemort. But he'd heard the stories. He'd seen how vindictive the Slytherins could be. He'd heard how cruel and unforgiving Voldemort was. But when he'd seen his cousin torturing Samantha so viciously the night before it had opened his eyes to what exactly was going on in the war. It had given him a glimpse of what exactly they were up against. It had made him angry, and it had made him want to fight back. Now he couldn't wait for the day when he was no longer expected to just sit back and watch.
Sirius glanced at James, who was sleeping soundly in the other twin bed. He was envious of the other boy's ability to sleep so soundly even after the night that they had just had. Sirius had been tossing and turning all night until he'd given up on sleep altogether. His eyes burned from lack of sleep and he wished he could turn off his thoughts enough to sleep. Swinging his legs over the edge of his bed, he pushed himself to his feet, throwing his robes on over his pajamas and pulling on his shoes. Perhaps a walk would help to clear his mind.
He slipped from the room and made his way down the hall to the back door. He closed the door behind him as softly as he could before pausing, breathing in the fresh summer air. The air was chilly at this time of morning and he wrapped his robes tighter around him as he stepped off of the patio. He'd seen part of the garden from the guest bedroom window, but out here, he could see just how big it was and he headed towards it to get a better look. He stopped suddenly when he saw someone was already occupying the garden. Samantha was seated on a large rock, her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees, her gaze glued on the horizon, watching as the sun began to peak over the hills.
He hesitated only a moment before he made his way over to her. He seated himself on the rock beside her, crossing his legs and leaning back on his hands. Samantha watched him out of the corner of her eye but did not say anything.
They sat there in silence, watching as the sun slowly rose into the sky. It wasn't until the sun was completely visible, bathing the world in the orange glow of sunrise, that Sirius spoke, turning to look at her. "How are you?"
Samantha exhaled softly, her arms tightening around her legs. "I'm alright," she responded softly. "A bit sore, but it won't last." She turned her head, her blue eyes meeting his gaze steadily. "What about you?"
He shrugged, one side of his lips turning up into a smile. "I'll live," he replied. "You got it a lot worse that I did."
Samantha dropped her gaze, turning her attention back to the sun. Sirius watched her for a moment longer before he looked away. He couldn't get the image of James collapsing to the ground out of his head, Samantha screaming on the floor…
"It's early," he said, trying to distract the images from his mind. "Couldn't sleep?"
He saw her smile slightly. "No, I have to admit. I slept fairly well considering. I just fell asleep so early."
"I'm envious," Sirius replied. "I watched James sleep like a baby all night. I was tempted to throw something at him."
She let out a soft laugh. "You get used to it after awhile."
His gaze dropped down and he studied the rock's surface. "I know about the war. I know what Voldemort's doing, I know that innocent people are dying. But I never realized that James, and you…" His eyes moved back up to her. She was looking at him now, a slight frown of her face. "That attacks like this could happen to you, to him. That people I actually knew would have their lives put in danger."
"I've grown up with it," she told him quietly. "Pretty much from the very beginning, my family has been trying to stop him. But he grew more and more powerful. My brother, mum dad…Uncle Chris and Aunt Tabitha. We're all that's left. And every day I worry that something will happen and that they'll be taken from me, too."
She turned away from him, lying her head on her knees. She didn't know why she'd told him that. She supposed that for once, it was nice to have someone willing to listen who wasn't so close to home.
"Count yourself lucky, Dawson," he said softly. She lifted her head and her gaze jerked to him in surprise. His gaze was glued to the horizon, the breeze blowing his hair about, making it hard for her to see his eyes. "That you have a family who loves you as much as they do."
She was silent for a moment. "Your cousin," she spoke, drawing his gaze. "She said that…" she trailed off, hesitant to continue.
"That I ran away? That I abandoned my family?" he supplied. She faltered before nodding slightly. "It's true. I did. Wouldn't you have done the same? If your family agreed with his views?"
She was long in replying. "I don't think I would have had that kind of courage," she eventually admitted quietly.
"I don't agree," he told her. "I think you would have had the courage to leave long before I did. You know how to stand up to what you believe far better than I."
She gave him a small smile. "But it's my family who has taught me to."
He turned to look at her. His grey eyes were surprised. He had never thought of it that way. The only thing he'd ever learned from his parents was how not to be. He wondered what it would be like to grow up with a family like Samantha's, who would teach him how to be the best person he could, who would love him no matter what. Something in his eyes must have betrayed his thoughts, because her smile grew a bit.
"You're lucky, too, Sirius," she told him.
He blinked. He'd never before heard her say his name, but it slid from her lips as easily as it would have if they had been the oldest of friends. It was foreign, and he wondered why they'd never talked like this before. She was different from the female company he usually kept. She was not carefully calculating her words to make sure she told him only what he wanted to hear. She had no intentions of pleasing him enough for him to allow her to follow him to bed that night. They were talking after a night that came close to taking their lives. If the previous night had not happened, they probably never would have had such a conversation. But this was one of the most heartfelt conversations he'd ever had with a girl, and even before it was over, he was wondering if he'd have a chance to have another.
"You have the Potters. They may not be blood, but blood's not what makes family. They care for you as if you were their son."
Sirius had not thought of it that way, and realized she was right. He did have the Potters, and they did care about him as if he really were family. He nodded, giving her a smile, before they fell into a comfortable silence.
"Do you regret it at all?" Samantha asked him just when he'd begun to think their conversation had drawn to a close.
He did not have to wonder what she meant.
"No," he replied after a moment's thought. "They were never my family. Not really. Family doesn't act that way towards one another. I was alone there."
"Then it's good you left," she said more bluntly than he expected from her. "In times like this you have to stick close to those who care for you."
He inclined his head in agreement. "We have to keep our friends close. Because there will come a time when they'll be the only thing holding us up. None of us should ever be alone."
She hated to think of a time like that coming along, but she knew he was right. Silence fell between them once again, but this time both felt more at peace of mind. Eventually, Sirius slid off of the rock, drawing her gaze to him once more.
"I think I might be able to get a bit of sleep now," he told her.
"Good," she said with a small smile.
He returned her smile. "Thanks for the chat, Dawson."
She watched him go, a bemused expression on her face. Even though they both were close to James, they rarely talked save exchanging pleasantries. She'd never realized how interesting talking to him was and she wondered if anything had changed or if they would go on as if it hadn't happened.
Back in the guest room, Sirius fell into the most restful sleep he'd had in a long while.
End Chapter