Valyn wouldn't wake up, not even when Sirius smacked her as hard as he could.
It was four in the morning, when Sirius always went to this spot. He'd strolled here, listening to Valyn's angelic voice play from her atrocious sketch, mesmerized, but when he'd saw her, he'd dropped the parchment on the soaking dew. She was wheezing pathetically, curled underneath the window, and she was freezing to the touch.
Sirius picked her up. Her dragon was nowhere to be seen. Sirius held her in his arms; she weighed more than she looked to. He tucked her cold, limp body close to him and started speed walking. He had to get inside; then, all he had to do was yell.
He rammed his shoulder into the door and it opened- he yelled loudly.
"Help!" Professors and House Elves always seemed to be in earshot at Hogwarts. "Help!"
Filch was the first to come into view, and he stepped heavily on the ground five times. Sirius was rushing towards the hospital wing, but it was on the other side of the castle. As if on cue, Valyn's breathing stopped, and her body began to spasm into itself.
A House Elf rushed forward and took hold of both Sirius and Valyn and Apparated them into the hospital Wing.
Madam Pomfrey rushed over when the gunshot sound of it sounded, and Sirius rolled Valyn into a bed at her direction. He shooed to the edge of the bed at her command, and Madam Pomfrey began casting spells.
Sirius was only then overwhelmed with a flood of emotion.
He was angry. Why had she been there? Why had she looked for that spot? Why had she found it?
He was afraid. What was happening to her? What if it got worse? What if she died, if he'd found her too late?
He was a lot of things, and most of them didn't have names that he knew.
It was a flood of feelings all too familiar to him, things he hadn't felt in a long, long time. Mother'd done a lot of shitty things when he was younger, after Father had died. She often couldn't be woken, often spasmed in front of him. Terror and horror and hatred surged in through him, familiar but still very, very impactive. He sunk to his knees at her bed.
What the fuck was going on- with Valyn, and with him?
"It's just an asthma attack, Sirius," Pomfrey said. "But it doesn't want to get under control. I need you to go get her inhaler; just knock on the Slytherin wall until they open it."
"They're not going to let me in, and they won't give her inhaler to me." Sirius said.
"Then have them accompany you," Pomfrey said, annoyed.
She didn't understand... But he couldn't argue. He turned and walked as quickly as he could.
Asthma, huh? Why had it acted up in the corner? Sirius didn't know much about that, but Wormy had it and it didn't just randomly work up, at least for him.
Had she been running? Why hadn't she had her inhaler? Wormy always had his. Did singing make the asthma work up?
He pushed her from his mind. He could ask her when Madam Pomfrey got her conscious again. As for himself...
He'd promised himself when he came to Hogwarts he wouldn't allow himself to care about anyone other than himself. His relationships with his roommates had started off cold and hateful... But eventually, when they were all worried about remus dissappearing, he couldn't deny how... Happy, his three friends made him. He'd changed his promise on the train home; never, ever would he let love make him feel the way his parents made each other feel, or made him and Reg feel. Never, he'd added, would he feel more than desire for a girl; he hadn't that far, and James and Peter had been well into their wet-dream self-discovery portion of puberty.
But in second year, he'd started crying at night, and could only be comforted by sharing Remus' bed. They didn't touch or anything (James said that would have been 'gay'; something bad, to most people, anyway.) at first. But after the first time Remus came back from a full moon, exhausted and near tears himself, Sirius had curled into him, and Remus had curled back.
It didn't stop until fourth year, when Moony started dating Emmaline.
Sirius had been very, very hurt. He'd loved Remus, in his own way... Drawn him pictures and snuck him food from the kitchens. Remus had been something solid to cling to, a salvation... And Remus had started going with Emmaline, a prissy, girly girl. Females were the root of all his problems; his mother, his cousins, Dolores Umbridge, and now Emmaline.
But Sirius had gotten over it... In a really dick-ish way. Remus left Emmaline because he'd started to like Marlene (who definitely had been in love with Remus since first year.) But she didn't know... And Sirius had kissed her, knowing full well that Remus was going to ask her out; really, that was his only motivation.
But that night Sirius had found out the 'temptations of the pleasures of the flesh', as Mother had referred to it. And he'd become addicted; every girl, every House, was his target. He worked up a bit of a harem, and never had the same girl more than once in a row. He'd at least snogged over half of the girls at Hogwarts- including Emmaline, Remus' first girl, Marlene, his crush, Alice, Frank's girlfriend, and Lily, his best mate's girl.
But James, to this day, didn't know that, and he was sure Lily would never, ever tell that she'd found comfort in sharing a bed- or rather, desk- with an arrogant rake one day in fifth year, after O.W.L.s, after she'd lost her best friend.
It had taken Sirius admitting that to Remus for their friendship to really be normal again. Soon after that, they'd started their Animagus transformations.
And now, here they were, a new girl in their midst. He hadn't liked her; she was snotty looking and uppity, though he couldn't ignore she was extremely attractive to him. Not many girls peaked his interest the way she did... But no one had made him so bloody angry, either.
She'd spoken weird, too, pronouncing things in a weird way that he did not like. American accents, he decided, were atrocious. But she was fiery and righteous.
He remembered seeing her behind his bed. It'd been hard not to laugh; did she think she was covered? He'd enjoyed slowly slipping off his towel, dressing in the slowest, most endearing way possible... Had she really looked away? What a shame. And then that deer-in-headlights look when she'd crawled onto his bed like a toddler, sitting in front of him. She'd been so... Innocent, and pure, and bright. That shouldn't have endeared him the way it had.
And the things she'd said! Of course she didn't like him. The only girls who did only wanted to share an hour or two, and that was perfectly fine with him, as he wanted just that with them and nothing more. And she'd suggested...
And then she'd kissed him. By Gods, was she a bad kisser... Just sat there with her little lips on his bottom lip. Still, her touch had set fire to his skin, and it had taken all he'd had to get rid of his cigarette before pinning her to his bed.
Her stupid, gigantic robe had been much in the way; he couldn't rub her hips, tickle his skin against her breasts, but that was probably for the best. When he'd started kissing back, she'd learned quickly, and soon became one of the best kisser's he'd ever tasted...
And her mouth itself. She tasted odd; she wasn't sweet, she wasn't salty, she was... Sour. Her saliva seemed tangy, but... He'd liked it. He drank from her, not sure what she'd eaten, but wishing she'd never eat anything else... She was cold, too, her tongue like thick, round, soft ice in his mouth, and he liked it. It was so, so mad... But he needed her.
And then James had came in, and Sirius had broken the kiss. He'd almost let her get away before remembering the prank he'd started with Moony... And he'd given her the feather bomb. Luckily, she hadn't inspected it, just ran off.
And then the next morning... She used the shield charm too much. But she'd faught off three people quite easily; Remus never involved himself in that, And when Snivellus had joined in... She'd protected him! That had turned Sirius from exhilerated to furious in a half of a moment. He could have shown her levicorpus, shown her which side she should choose...
And she'd ruined it. He was going to accept her! Didn't she want that?
And what she'd said to McGonagall... No one talked to the Headmistress like that, but she didn't know; it was awesome. Sirius had been amused again. And she'd suggested Dumbledore use legilimens on her... Did the girl have any secrets? Dumbledore could have- and probably did- see them kissing...
And then, in the classroom. He'd been angry at her, for teaming with Snivellus, for her superior attitude, for her self-righteousness, for making him want her.
He couldn't clearly remember what he'd said to her, but she'd cried. And what she'd said to him...
And, and, and. He needed to pay attention to where-
But he was lost. His feet knew enough to lead him here, to the dungeons, but...
Where was he?
"Fucking cunt," He exclaimed, then spun in a circle. Then, as loud as he could; "Myrtle!"
It took a moment, and he thought she wouldn't come, but the ghost of a girl his age called Moaning Myrtle slowly appeared. "Yes, Sirius?' She cooed flirtatiously, but he knew she was still mad at him.
"I seem to find myself lost," Sirius said, looking around. "Can you lead me to the- no, actually. Can you go into the Slytherin girls' dorms and get me an inhaler?"
"Why?" Myrtle asked, circling Sirius.
"My... Friend. She's got asthma; she needs it."
"So? Why should I care about your 'friend'? I'm sure you have lots-"
"I'll send her to your bathroom later," Sirius said. "I'm sure you'll get along great."
Myrtle turned to him. "Promise?"
Sirius smiled his brightest grin, and Myrtle all but swooned. "I promise."
She disappeared, and came back about five minutes later. "I found it in a little purse... Next to your rotten cousin, Andromeda." Myrtle made a face, and Sirius laughed wolfishly, taking it. "Thanks, doll. D'you know where I am?"
"She sure does," said a voice behind him before everything went black.

Sirius woke up sometime later, head wet, brain pulsing painfully. Everything was dark, and Sirius was groggy... He rolled over, onto his back, and the back of his head stung- more. He sat up with a groan, then touched the back of his head. Blood. Where was he? What happened? The last thing he remembered was her pretty voice...
Fools, said I, you do not know. Silence likes cancer grows...
Sirius lay back down and listened to her sing. So pretty... Blackness overtook him.