"James?"
Turning his head to look at Sirius as they were walking down the path to the Black Lake, James frowned as he noticed his friend was looking down, only to realise he had unconsciously slipped his hand in his.
"Uh…"
"What are you doing?"
"I think that would be obvious, don't you? I am holding your hand," he had to squash down an urge to laugh as Sirius' look was utterly priceless as he lifted his head to look at him.
The other had slowly gotten used to James' touchy-feely nature and rarely flinched any more when he reached out to him or slung an arm around his shoulder, something for which James was very glad as it had taken a lot of concentration to keep himself in check.
From the looks and reactions Sirius gave sometimes, James had began to suspect his friend didn't come from a very loving home; a suspicion that only deepened whenever he learned of more things the other wasn't familiar with, like praise or even simple touches.
"You don't say," Sirius raised an eyebrow, unaware of James' thoughts. "I do have eyes, you know? I just fail to understand why you would do so. Are we going to have to run from something?"
Although that made James chuckle nervously, he also felt a small thrill of joy at the progress he had made in the trust department as the other hadn't pulled back yet.
"No, why would you think that?"
"Because that is usually when you grab me," Sirius easily said. "But there is no teacher yelling our names now for us to run from."
"Right, I hadn't noticed I did that. Do I really need a reason to want to hold your hand, though? Unless it is making you uncomfortable?" James' semi-confidence faded to worry as Sirius' expression remained unchanged, but as he tried to pull away, Sirius' grip tightened slightly.
"You do not make me uncomfortable. It is just...unfamiliar. I thought hand-holding was something reserved to little children and couples?" The pure confusion and puzzlement on his friend's face as he stared down at their hands like it was a complicated puzzle made James swallow back another smile.
"Friends can do so, too, you know?"
From the sceptical look send his way, James knew the other didn't really understand the friendly gesture. But that was not much of a surprise as Sirius had admitted James was the first friend he had ever made as his parents had kept him extremely sheltered.
It wasn't something that had truly surprised him as everyone knew about the occasional assassination attempt that was made on the Black Heir's life and although there hadn't been one at Hogwarts so far, James knew that the other boy had been kept from the public as much as possible to prevent any.
It had made him wonder if the Blacks' thought Hogwarts would be safe enough for him, but he had not spoken up as people would hardly dare to try anything under Dumbledore's watchful nose.
A soft tug on his hand made him look up to find Sirius staring at him.
"Sorry, I zoned out for a moment."
"So I noticed."
Answering the small playful smile send his way, James cleared his throat. "What were you asking?"
"I just said that I might not be overly familiar with friendship and all its quirks, but I must say that I have never seen boys walk hand in hand anywhere."
"Yeah, it might be something usually only girls do," James swallowed; his mouth suddenly dry as light grey eyes stared into his intensively. "But who cares about that if we would like to do so as well?"
He was aware that he was not making a whole lot of sense and he really couldn't explain very well why he was doing what he did without looking like an idiot, though he took it as a good sign as Sirius still hadn't pulled back.
"So you want to hold my hand for no specific reason other than that you can?"
"Pretty much, if it is not making you uncomfortable?" Trying to suppress the smile that once more threatened to take over, James tried to wait patiently as the other lifted their hands up to look at them with a fairly blank expression.
If James was completely trustful with himself, then he would have to admit that he hadn't really thought about it as Sirius had just been right beside them and he had just slipped his hand into the other's without a single thought.
The slightly cold hand in his put him at ease the same way his parents' touch always did and felt completely natural to him, something he wasn't quite sure he would be able to prevent from happening again if his friend decided he wasn't comfortable with it after all.
Growing up as an only child, he had been left as the sole receiver for any hugs and caresses his parents had to offer and as a result, he had found himself to have grown into a rather tactile person himself. Not that he had a lot of people to be tactile with in his life, or he had felt the desire to hold the hand of the few friends he had before, Sirius just made him feel at ease and brought him comfort even if he didn't really need any at the moment.
It was not intended as a romantic gesture or felt like one, though James was aware it could very well be taken as one.
"I make you feel at ease?"
The question made him realise he had spoken out loud, but he nodded even as a faint flush crept up.
"You have since the moment I met you," he admitted honestly as that was the truth. The moment those grey eyes had met his for the first time; there had been something that had drawn James to the pale boy sitting all alone in that compartment in the train. A pull that was only growing stronger as time passed and made him feel like he had known Sirius his whole life.
"So it is not just me?"
The sincere questioning surprise in those warm grey eyes brought a smile to James' lips once more, happy to have confirmation as well.
"No, it is not. Do you mind that I am holding your hand?"
Sirius glanced down at their hands once more. "It is...comfortable...and warm."
"Then would you mind if I might do it again in the future?" James felt the need to ask, shifting a little nervous as Sirius stared at their hands for a long moment in silence before shaking his head.
"No, I wouldn't mind," Sirius' body automatically tensed as voices raised behind them, relaxing again as a small group of Ravenclaws ran past them to get to the lake, not paying them the least bit of attention.
Grey eyes hesitantly met his own brown ones before looking back at the group now a fair distance away. "Would you mind if I did at times?"
"Not at all," James smiled. "If we like to, why not? And who is anyone to say that we can't? We are friends and friends can walk hand in hand if they want to. I'm sure Remus would be overjoyed if you were to hold his hand some time as well."
James had caught Remus' fingers flexing several times whenever the boy walked beside Sirius as well, it had made him wonder if the other boy felt the same pull James did.
If his frequent smiles and the natural way he gravitated towards Sirius whenever he was around were any indication, he did and James couldn't help but smile as he realised it was that same aura that put people at ease that was drawing people to his side as even Peter always seemed more at ease whenever Sirius was around, too.
"Remus would be? Why?"
"Because you put him at ease as well," James laughed. "Don't look so surprised, everyone with eyes can see that. But you shouldn't do so if it is not something you want to do. Never let anyone force you to do something against your will."
"I'll think about it," Sirius promised, making James smile once more. "But on a different note, can I ask you something?"
"Of course," James nodded.
"Didn't you have detention with Slughorn this afternoon?"
"I do," James glanced at his watch. "In fifteen minutes, crap."
Being treated to a rare laugh as Sirius shooed him off, James hurried off, leaving Sirius behind to stare at his retreating form before fondly shaking his head and turning to continue on his way to the lake.
But he hadn't taken more than a few steps when the same Ravenclaws returned in a hurry, this time joined by several others and he automatically stepped aside to let them pass.
"Why is she naked?" One of them laughed.
"Olivia and Emily pushed her out while she was changing," another answered and dread filled Sirius as they laughed even harder.
Everything in him screamed to follow them so he took off after the running group; following them back to the castle and through the hallways before coming to a stop as they joined a fairly large group of cheering Ravenclaws standing in a wide circle.
From his current position he couldn't make out what they were cheering at, but from what those girls had said, he had a sinking feeling it was the girl they had mentioned.
Pushing his way through the crowd, he came face to face with a crying blond girl who was indeed in a far state of undress and without thinking he pushed forward while shrugging off his over-cloak.
"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded as he wrapped it around her to give her some cover.
"Go back to your own tower, Lion," one of them sneered. "This is our business."
"Humiliating someone is your business?" Sirius bit out, moving to stand before the trembling girl as she tightened her hold on his cloak to keep herself covered.
"Stay out of this, she deserves this," a brown-haired girl said. "What do you care? Or is she your little girlfriend?"
Most of the group laughed at that, bit Sirius ignored them as he stared the girl down, mentally cataloguing their expected spell range as the group ranked from first to at the most third years.
"What could anyone possible do to deserve something like this?"
"Would you relax, it's just a bit of fun," the same girl laughed. "It's got nothing to do with you."
Wet silvery grey eyes met his startled as he turned to the girl he was protecting and she tensed even as he raised his hands to show he didn't mean her any harm. "Where are your clothes?"
"In the dorm," she swallowed as tears ran down. "I can't figure out the riddle and they won't let me think."
"In the dorm?"
"I was changing out of my uniform when they pushed me out," she looked down, a bright flush covering her cheeks and Sirius growled even though he had already known that.
"You think it is fun to do this to anyone?" He hissed, anger washing over him as they laughed once more.
"She is an oddball, of course it is fun," a blond girl beside the brown-haired one sneered. "Now get out of our way, I'm getting tired of you."
Glaring at the girl, he pushing his way through the panicking group to the door, quickly locating the bronze eagle-shaped knocker on it. "Can you open up so we can retrieve her clothes?"
"What creatures walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the..."
"I don't care about your stupid riddles, open up or I will make you," Sirius cut him off, not at all in the mood to figure out a riddle.
"The Riddle must be answered to be able to pass," was the response.
"Fine, have it your way," he raised his wand while pushing the girl behind him to keep her safe. "Confringo."
His shield rose automatically to protect him and the girl as the entire wall before him exploded and stones rained down around them, though he couldn't bring himself to care for his overpowering of the spell used and ignoring the shrieks behind him, began to climb over the resulting rubble to go up the tight spiral staircase.
Ignoring his surroundings as a few people jumped to their feet once they reached the Common Room, he turned to the girl again. "Where are your possessions?"
She gave no sign of surprise or discomfort as she pointed to the door next to the large statue before leading him over at his indication.
"Get dressed," he ordered as he spotted a few items of clothing on one of the beds where she must have been changing before being pushed out. Raising his wand once more, he shrunk the trunk and picked it up before turning to give her some privacy.
The rustling of clothing told him she was getting dressed and he turned when he heard her coming back to him, not asking any questions as he led her back out of the dorm without a word.
"What do you think you are doing here?!" one of the Ravenclaws who had been in the Common Room had overcome his surprise and was moving towards them, but Sirius only glared at him.
"Taking her away from your despicable lot," he snarled, ignoring the spluttering behind him as he led the girl down again and helped her down from the rubble once he was down.
"What have you done!" the same brown-haired girl from before was staring at them, covered in rubble and clearly livid. "We were just having a little fun!"
Before Sirius could truly think of what he was doing, he reacted and the girls shrieked as their clothes suddenly disappeared, leaving the entire group around them in just their underclothes.
"What's the matter?" Sirius bit out as they desperately tried to cover up. "It is just a bit of fun, right? Nothing more than what you deserve. If any of you ever dares to humiliate her or anyone else like that ever again, I will make sure that person regrets it for the rest of their lives."
He noticed with grim satisfaction that although several of the older Ravenclaws desperately tried to use their wands to return their clothes, he had anticipated their spell range correctly and they simply failed.
Seemingly realising the same thing, the Ravenclaws gathering their wits fought to climb the spiral staircase, but to his surprise access seemed to be denied to them despite there not being a door to stop them.
As they screamed in frustration and apparent humiliation, Sirius realised Hogwarts was stopping them from entering the safety of their tower and he mentally cheered at her.
"You can't do this," the Ravenclaw from the Common Room had followed them down and only now could Sirius see that he was a Prefect as the badge glistered in the light, but he didn't seem any more capable of leaving the stairs than those below were able to climb them.
A few of the angry group raised their wand, but it took barely a whisper to disarm them and he huffed out a laugh.
"Watch me," grabbing her hand, he turned to find a crowd of people had gathered in the corridor but they immediately parted to let them through, leaving the shrieking and screaming group behind.
There was no way he was going to leave her with the Ravenclaws after this, not when they had been the ones to lock one of their own out like that. What was the worst was that no one had made any move to help her, all of them only laughing and anger once more washed over him at their behaviour.
"Where are you taking me?" She eventually asked timidly as they were halfway to Gryffindor Tower.
"Gryffindor Tower. I'm not leaving you with that lot."
"Why are you helping me?" noticing that she had to run to keep up with his quick pace, he slowed down to normal walking and she breathed out relieved.
"Why didn't they?" Sirius shot back.
"They think I am odd," she softly said.
"Being odd is no excuse for them to treat you this way," Sirius said.
"It is to them," she came to a stop so he turned to her. "I didn't even thank you."
"You should not have to."
"But I want to," a small hesitant, sad, watery smile crossed her pale lips. "I won't be able to stay at Gryffindor Tower, though. The teachers would never allow it."
"They won't have a choice. You are staying there until it will be safe for you to return, not a moment before."
"You would go against the teachers for me?" she looked surprised. "Why?"
"No one deserves what they did to you, that's why," he simply told her, fully intent to keep his promise to not let her return until it was guaranteed they wouldn't be able to bully her again.
"Thank you, Sirius."
"How do you know my name?" It should disturb him, the familiarity with which she spoke to him, but yet it didn't and instead he found himself answering her smile.
"I'm Pandora," she said instead and a squeeze in his hand made him realise he was still holding it.
"Sorry," trying to pull back, her grip tightened and he looked up to meet frightened eyes.
"Please, let me hold on for a little while longer," her other hand came up to cover his completely between hers, trembling slightly and a wave of protectiveness flushed the last bit of anger out of his system as he looked in those wet eyes.
Although different in colour, the fear in them was remarkably like Remus' after he woke from a nightmare or the full moon approached and he found himself unwilling to do anything that would keep that fear there.
"Did you find yourself a new friend?" the voice was familiar enough that Sirius did not tense at the sound of it, letting Pandora hold onto his hand tightly as he turned to find Peeves floating their way.
"Yes," it was not really true since he didn't know the girl behind him, but Sirius found that he did not dislike the idea of her becoming one with time. "The Ravenclaws were humiliating her, so I took her away from them."
The hands holding onto his slid up to instead wrap around his arm and he could feel her shift to half hide behind him.
"I heard," a dangerous glint flashed through Peeves' eyes as the black orbs followed Pandora's movement, telling Sirius that Hogwarts had already alerted Peeves to what had happened. "You keep on adopting strays."
"Were you send to stop me?"
"On the contrary, I am the cavalry today," a pleasant smile crossed Peeves' malicious features as he gazed down at him. "Or the unneeded back-up, since you did not seem to need much help stopping them yourself."
"I couldn't very well let them continue tormenting her if I could stop it."
"No," Peeves agreed. "Are you hurt?"
"No, I disarmed them before they could raise their wands. I did harm Hogwarts while getting to her belongings, though."
"She understands and doesn't mind because of the reason you had for doing so," Peeves laughed maliciously.
"Are you going to make them miserable?" Sirius couldn't help but ask as a hand curled into the back of his robes and Pandora shifted further behind him.
It didn't really make Sirius feel comfortable to have someone who wasn't James that close to him, but he didn't move away as she hid her face against his shoulder blades as if believing the Poltergeist couldn't get to her if she just hid far enough. He was aware enough of emotions to realise she was just scared and was using him to hide from any potential harm, something for which he could not blame her.
"From what I understand, you already did that quite well," Peeves' expression tightened and he drifted off a little, clearly aware he was frightening Pandora even more than she already was.
"Not nearly enough."
Black eyes met his before shifting to Pandora, who tensed as if sensing his gaze and pressed herself further against Sirius' back and agreement flashed through the Poltergeist's eyes. "I will rectify that. Where are her possessions?"
"I have those here," Sirius held up the shrunken trunk.
"They will not like that you are taking her."
"Does it look like I care in the slightest?" Sirius raised an eyebrow, making Peeves crack out a laugh.
"No, you do not. It might be wise to remember that help is given should it be needed, to let say, keep someone from entering," a sly grin spread over pale lips. "Or trying to force someone to leave when unwilling to do so."
Understanding what he meant, Sirius nodded. "That would be helpful."
"The Founders would not have tolerated treatment of this kind," Peeves' smile turned slightly more genuine. "But you have what they did not."
"I do?"
"You have made friends, ones who will not hesitate to come to your aid in their own way."
The words were cryptic and Sirius didn't really understand what he meant, but still found himself nodding in gratitude, knowing better than to question the Poltergeist. "Thank you."
"Whatever for?" Peeves tipped his hat at them before flying off with a cackling laugh and the strong hold Pandora had on Sirius' arm lessened in strength the moment he disappeared.
"I'm sorry," she gazed to where Peeves had disappeared around the corner.
"What are you sorry for?"
"He was trying to be kind, but I..." she trailed off; swallowing thickly as she slipped her hand in his again and looked down.
"He understands," Sirius squeezed her hand. "We should get to Gryffindor Tower before we run into less friendly faces."
Nodding, she walked by his side and in no time at all they reached Gryffindor Tower, which was thankfully mostly deserted.
Spotting Evans sitting with a book near the fire, he made his way to her, pulling Pandora with him.
"Evans, can I speak to you for a moment?"
Evans turned to him, but the moment she spotted Pandora, the annoyance on her face immediately changing to concern and she rose to her feet. "What happened?"
"Pandora is going to need a place to sleep for now and seeing as it would be inappropriate for her to stay in the boys' dorm I was hoping she could stay with you?"
"I...of course," Evans nodded, turning to Pandora with a smile.
"Hello, I'm Lily. You look like you could use a moment to freshen up, why don't you come with me?"
Pandora's silvery grey eyes flashed to Sirius uncertainly.
"I'm not going anywhere," to prove his point, he sat down on one of the chairs not too far from the fire.
"I still have your cloak," Pandora reached up to undo the cloak Sirius hadn't even realised she was still wearing.
"Why don't you hold on to that for now and return it to me later when you are more settled?"
"I...thank you," the smile she gave him was a lot less watery now and she let Evans guide her away while clinging to the cloak that was clearly bringing her comfort.
Mere minutes of waiting later saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick stepped into the Common Room, their eyes immediately finding him.
"A word in my office, Mister Black," McGonagall looked close to livid, but was clearly doing her best to hold onto her temper as the few Gryffindors present looked very interested to see her.
"Sorry Professor, but that will be impossible as I promised Pandora I would stay right here until she has returned," Sirius said as he rose to his feet. "Anything you have to say to me will have to be done here as I refuse to break my promise."
"You blew up Ravenclaw Tower. I do not think you are in any position to want anything."
"Only the front door and even that only because the knocker refused to allow me entrance despite me asking."
"You had no right to enter the Ravenclaw Tower in the first place," McGonagall bristled. "One hundre..."
"One moment, Minerva," Professor Flitwick held up a hand. "Everyone, leave us."
The few Gryffindors present seemed to realise he wouldn't take no for an answer and they scrambled to leave the Common Room.
"Right, you mentioned Pandora, why would she be here?"
"You mean to say that your brave little Ravenclaws didn't tell you why I blew up their front door?" Sirius huffed out a humourless laugh as Professor Flitwick shook his head.
"They said you broke into the tower and then Vanished everyone's clothing in retaliation of a harmless little fun."
"I suppose that were the same Ravenclaws who thought forcing a young girl out of her dorm and into a crowded hallway while she was changing clothes is considered a little fun," Sirius asked sarcastically.
"What?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed but Professor Flitwick's eyes flashed.
"Tell me everything," he demanded.
"There is not much to tell. I was at Black Lake when a group of Ravenclaws passed, laughing among themselves about a girl some girls called Olivia and Emily pushed out of the tower naked. I followed them and found a large group of first to third year Ravenclaws surrounding Pandora, who was indeed in only her underclothes. When they refused to cease their so called little fun, I intervened."
"Olivia and Emily, you say?" Professor Flitwick' expression had changed from angry to outrage. "What are their surnames?"
"I don't know. I assume it were the blond-haired and brunette in charge."
"And you took Pandora here?"
"She is refreshing herself a little with Evans," Sirius indicated to the girls' dorm.
"Why did you not come get a teacher?" McGonagall asked; her temper deflating a little now that she realised there was more to it.
"And leave her to be ridiculed in the meantime?" Sirius looked at her incredulous. "I asked the knocker to allow me entrance so I could retrieve her clothes. I only blew it up when it refused."
"You could have tried to answer the riddle," Professor Flitwick raised an eyebrow. "Although I do admit that might have been hard to do under the circumstances."
"I'm sorry that I blew up Ravenclaw Tower's entrance, but I do not regret doing it to help Pandora," Sirius glanced up as Pandora and Evans came down the stairs, the former immediately tensing as she caught sight of the two teachers.
"Ah, Pandora, I am sorry to hear about what has happened and will make sure those involved in the despicable action are punished," Professor Flitwick concentrated on her. "Are you all right?"
"Thanks to Sirius," Pandora nodded, glancing at Professor McGonagall wearily before hurrying across the Common Room to Sirius' side, sliding her arms around his arm once more. Understanding her need for reassurance, Sirius let her. "He helped me when no one else did."
"I realise that now and for that you will not be punished for your actions, though I will need to take points for the retaliation you took," Professor Flitwick turned back to Sirius. "Twenty points from Gryffindor."
"That is not fair, Professor," Pandora spoke up softly. "He only retaliated because they kept taunting me."
"Nonetheless, we cannot let such behaviour go unpunished," Professor Flitwick had the decency to look unhappy with it, but Sirius didn't care about the points.
"Thank you for taking my Claw in, I will be taking it from here," Professor Flitwick reached out to Pandora, but Sirius shifted back to keep her out of his reach.
"I am afraid that will be impossible, too, Sir," Sirius placed a reassuring hand on Pandora's arm. "She is not going back there until I know for sure it is safe for her to do so."
"What do you mean, safe?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Are you implying she would not be safe?"
"How safe can one be when her own dorm mates did this?" Sirius raised his eyebrow. "Until you can guarantee nothing like this will ever happen again, she will remain here."
"That is not for you to decide, Mister Black," McGonagall sounded irritated, but Sirius paid her tone no mind.
"No, it is not, Professor. It is Pandora's."
"I want to stay here," the girl immediately spoke up, tightening her hold on Sirius' arm. "At least until I know this will not happen again."
"I promise you that," Professor Flitwick nodded. "But you cannot stay here."
"I can. I was told that help would be given when it is needed and no one could force me to leave if it was not safe for me to do so," Pandora swallowed. "I do not feel safe in my dorm."
"Who told you that?" McGonagall's eyes narrowed.
"That doesn't matter," Sirius wasn't about to reveal that Peeves had given them that information, not wanting the Poltergeist to get into trouble on their account. "She has made it known that she doesn't feel safe in Ravenclaw Tower and as such, she will remain here."
"She cannot sleep in the boys' dorm," McGonagall protested.
"And she won't," Evans spoke up as she drew nearer. "Pandora can stay with me in the first year girls' dorm for as long as is needed. There is already an extra bed there, Professor."
"An extra bed?" McGonagall's eyes were unreadable as she looked between the three of them, clearly thrown of by Evans backing them up.
"It wasn't there when I woke up this morning, but it was just now," Evans nodded. "It must be meant for Pandora."
"You see, Professor, Hogwarts has already decided Pandora is to stay here for now," Sirius refused to back down from that intensive gaze and instead held it no matter how uncomfortable and nervous it made him. " At least until it is safe for her to return."
"I can guarantee you that nothing like this will ever happen again," Professor Flitwick swore.
"With all due respect, Professor, but how?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You cannot be there all hours of the day and even if you could somehow ensure she would be safe in her dorm, what is to stop them from targeting her on the way to class or when she needs to use the bathroom?"
"I..." Professor Flitwick blinked, horror crossing his features. "I cannot."
"So until you can, Pandora will remain here for as long as she would like to," Sirius looked up as James entered.
"Remain outside, Mister Potter," McGonagall ordered, but James shook his head.
"I can't do that, Professor. I am here to stop you from trying to force her to return to her dorm and will not leave until she can stay," James shot Evans a curious look as he passed her to come stand on Pandora's other side.
"I can dock a lot of points for this," McGonagall threatened. "Or give you detention until the end of the year."
"That is your good right," James nodded. "But that won't stop us from keeping her here."
"Mister..."
"She can stay here tonight," Professor Flitwick interrupted her kindly. "I will look into the full situation in the meantime and do what I can to ensure nothing like this happens ever again."
"Filius!" Professor McGonagall raised a single eyebrow, but Professor Flitwick didn't even look at her.
"This arrangement was clearly approved by Hogwarts and a single night cannot do much harm and will give all those involved a chance to calm down," nodding to Pandora, Professor Flitwick sighed. "I will get to the bottom of this and make sure those involved are punished accordingly."
"We will be awaiting that justice," James nodded, placing a hand on Pandora's shoulder and although Sirius could feel her tense, James gave no indication of having noticed.
"Very well, but you will be hearing more about this," McGonagall frowned. "Please refrain from blowing anything else up."
"I will, Professor," Sirius nodded.
"Before I forget, twenty-five points for coming to the aid of one of my Claws," Professor Flitwick gave a small incline of his head to Sirius before the two of them made their way back to the entrance.
"Oh, one more thing," Professor Flitwick turned back to them. "Do you have anything to do with Peeves wreaking havoc on a couple dozen of my Ravenclaws just now, Sirius?"
"I don't know what you mean, Sir," Sirius managed to keep a straight face as the Professors both looked at him curiously for a long moment before disappearing through the entrance again.
"Right, that was intense," James stepped away from Pandora and turned to face her. "Hello, I'm James."
"Pandora," giving him a small smile, she shook his hand. "Thank you for your help."
"Not a problem, although I am not quite sure what I was helping with. You blew something up?" James frowned as he turned to Sirius.
"You mean that you don't know what happened?" Evans raised an eyebrow.
"Not a clue. I returned from detention, which Slughorn had forgotten about by the way, to find several Gryffindors standing outside, trying to eavesdrop on what was happening in here. I just caught the last of what you said about keeping her here and decided to help."
Evans stared at him incredulously before throwing her hands up in defeat and turning on her heels, muttering something about impossible idiots under her breath.
"So, what did you blow up?"
"The entrance of Ravenclaw Tower. I didn't have the patience for the Riddle," Sirius cleared his throat as James stared at him.
"What was the riddle?"
"What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?" Pandora revealed softly. "The answer is actually quite simple when I can think about it."
"A human," Sirius and James answered at the same time, smiling as they looked at each other.
"Maybe I should have let the knocker finish his riddle, after all," Sirius sighed.
"This was more dramatic," Pandora admitted, flushing as they looked at her incredulous. "It was. Everyone looked frightened of your temper even though you weren't losing it at all, just impatient."
"How did you know I wasn't angry?"
"I just knew," Pandora shrugged, glancing at the door Evans had retreated through before turning back to them again. "You made a lasting impression on Professor Flitwick."
"How so?" Sirius asked curiously, cocking his head to the side.
"He called you by your given name. He only does so with students he truly likes," Pandora smiled as James grinned widely.
"Then I know I will need to work hard to gain that status, too. Can't let you have all the fun," he teased Sirius as he flushed.
Noticing Pandora shifted her weight and glanced at the door Evans had disappeared through longingly, Sirius smiled. He could understand her desire to just hide away for a while, not having to face anyone.
"You know you don't have to stay here with us, right? They aren't going to be able to force you to leave against your will. I will see you at dinner, unless you would like me to fetch something to eat from the kitchen so you can remain here?"
"No, I won't let them get to me," Pandora swallowed. "If I do not face them now, I might never dare to do so again. But while I do not wish to let them get to me, would you perhaps stay with me during dinner?"
She flushed and shifted nervously, but it had not even crossed Sirius' mind as an option as he fully intended to remain with her for as long as she needed it to feel safe again.
"I had kind of expected you to remain at the Gryffindor table during dinner, at least for as long as you want."
"But what if Professor McGonagall tries to force me to return to Ravenclaw Tower?" she asked softly.
"She can't, remember?"
"And even if she could, we won't let her," James promised her, sending her an easy grin that she answered hesitantly with a nod.
"Thank you, I cannot say that enough," she glanced at the door once more.
"Go settle in, we'll come get you when it is time for dinner," Sirius promised and with another small smile, she hurried off.
Watching her disappear through the door, James turned to him. "So, what happened to make you blow up Ravenclaw Tower's entrance and why was she wearing your cloak?"