Semester Two

The boy walked up, cornering her outside between a grove of trees.

"What do you think you're doing?" She demanded at the boy in silver and green robes.

"I think I'm finally getting you to stop moving for a few minutes." He said with a grin.

"Why?"

"Because, I have an urge to see just how long that hair of yours is." He said, reaching towards it.

"No." She said, taking a step back.

"Come on love." He said, pleadingly, sounding exactly like the other one.

"No." She said with finality, "And don't call me love." She said, shoving him out of her way.

She started away, but felt the jerk on her hair as it all came cascading down her back.

"Are you bloody mad?" She demanded, whipping around in anger. She didn't even know his bloody name, blighter.

"Did I say you could leave?" The Slytherin demanded.

She whipped out her wand at this, going utterly dead inside. "Do I look like someone who you can order around?" She asked in a silky soft tone.

He walked towards her with that look in his eye, but she shook her head and shot a curse at him, non-verbal, that caused one to itch all over and feel as though things crawled under your skin. In seconds he would feel as though his skin was being eaten away by the bugs - she'd learned the curse from her lovely step-father.

He fell down and began screaming and trying to crawl away, but she just stood over him, her expression vacant and a small smile curling her lips.

"Did I say -" She asked in a vacant voice. " - you could leave?"

Sirius, James, Remus, Lily, Dawn and Anya where all walking towards the Black Lake when they heard the screaming.

Dawn's eyes went large and she rushed forward, everyone else not far behind.

Sirius saw the seventh year Slytherin writhing on the ground and a dark haired female standing over him. He couldn't tell who she was, all he could see was a mass of curly hair reaching all the way to the girl's hips and he could hear laughter that reminded him a lot of his crazy cousin Bellatrix. Dawn rushed forward.

Sirius watched as the girl pointed her wand at Dawn. Remus plowed into Dawn, pulling her from the crossfire, and Sirius plowed into the unknown girl as James pulled Anya and Lily away.

He heard the unholy screaming begin when he first touched the girl. She sent a curse that hit him in the arm, causing a slice down his entire right arm and totally deadening it. Then she stood and looked his way. He didn't recognize her. Her eyes where an unholy, burning green, and her hair seemed to devour her with the amount that surrounded her and the way that it curled.

Before he could do anything, Dawn stepped in front of him.

"Its ok sweetie, it's me… Dawn." She said, holding her hands out as though to a wild animal. "You know me honey, you know who I am. Whatever he did," she said, looking towards the boy, "he won't get away with it." He heard her whispering towards the girl. "He hasn't gotten away with it." That was when he realized… it was Zoe.

He watched her eyes go from the writhing boy, to Remus standing threateningly to the side, to Anya, who was creeping towards Remus, to James and Lily, to himself standing behind Dawn. She moved so fast he hadn't realized Dawn was gone till he saw her standing behind Zoe.

Remus, James, and Anya started forward, but Sirius held a hand out when he heard the growl - yes, an actual bloody growl – come from the girl and saw her sister's short shake of the head.

Zoe tried to understand what was going on, she remembered the boy, with the hands, then he fell to the ground, she looked over to him and gave a short smile.

Sirius watched the smile that came to her lips as she glanced towards the boy, it was short and evil.

Then she glanced away and finally looked at who was surrounding her. They were her sister's – and possibly her – friends. She glanced from Remus, the boy who was so protective of her little sister, to Anya, her sister's best friend, to James and Lily, who were perfect together, to the boy in front of her, who she finally noticed was dripping blood all over the ground.

She turned to her sister. "Stay." She said, not wanting to risk her sister anywhere near the Slytherin scum.

She walked towards Sirius, slowly, waiting for him to lash out at her for hurting him.

Sirius watched her walk up to him slowly, almost cautiously. He felt like one of those people who willingly surrounded themselves with dangerous creatures like dragons, just waiting for those same creatures to attack.

"If you let me, I can fix that." He heard her say softly.

Dawn stared in astonishment as Zoe walked up to Sirius and offered to heal him. She started forward, but one look from Sirius stopped her.

She watched, even more surprised and confused, when her sister healed him, then stood on tip toes and kissed his cheek and whispered something in his ear.

She then proceeded to do the same to Remus and Anya. By this time Dawn's eyes were so wide she expected they were the size of saucers.

Zoe nodded at the two over to the side then turned towards the Slytherin on the ground. She spoke the counter curse then gathered her stuff and left.

"What in the bloody hell did my sister say to you?" Dawn demanded at the pair as she followed them away from the Slytherin.

Remus shrugged and looked at Sirius, but at his own shrug, he turned to Dawn. "She just said thanks, and sorry."

Dawn's eyes fell from the pair and she began gnawing on her bottom lip.

"Vat are you hiding Liz?" Anya asked.

"Nothing. Honestly, I don't even know what the episodes are about." She said,

"Episodes?" Sirius asked, emphasize heavily on the s.

Dawn looked towards the Black Lake, then turned towards the group standing in their little circle, and decided if she could trust anyone, it would be them. She walked a bit farther, then sat, waiting till the rest sat as well.

"One day she comes home from her mum's, and she's… different. About a year later we're on this walk and these boys corner us. We are just ten, right, and there is no way we can win against them, so my sister backs us against a wall and sticks me behind her." She looks at the group, then looks back to the grass she'd begin dissecting.

"So I'm in the corner and she's in front of me and they reach for her hair right, because she started wearing those buns when she was like nine - actually, it was right after she came home, after the change - and she goes completely mental." She shuddered at the memory of the look on her sister's face that day.

"She doesn't even have her wand yet, but she says a few words and all the sudden the boys are on the ground and we're running."

"We get back home and she just looks at me and says 'No one will ever hurt you. I promise.' Then she turns and walks upstairs, not even telling mum or dad." She paused and looked around, silently whipping the tears - she didn't remember shedding - from her cheeks. "After that, it seems like anytime she has one of them and I'm around, that's what happens. I don't know how to explain it, or even understand it, but there it is."

They all sat in silence, then Sirius spoke up. "Well, I guess we just have to hope like hell that they aren't common and that none of the Professors find out about the whole thing."

Zoe walked into the Gryffindor Common Room. It was nearly three in the morning, so she hadn't expected anyone but her to be up. It was a good thing she hadn't bet on it, because she would have lost. She saw Sirius sitting there staring at her, and for once she didn't have the urge to run.

Sirius watched the girl freeze in front of him. She was soaking wet, her hair plastered to her body and water running down her legs onto the carpet. He walked up to her, but for once, he was at a loss as to what to do.

Zoe stared up at him a moment, but then decided. "Are you going to ask or not?" She demanded softly.

He nodded, but still said nothing about the episode from that afternoon.

"Can I tell you a story instead?" She asked.

"Sure…" He said a bit hesitantly.

"There was this little girl I once knew, she was from France actually. Her parents were… very loyal to a cause that she didn't even understand. And they wanted her to be as well. She'd watch other families, and they seemed so happy, and she'd wish for those families." She paused and looked around. "Well, the family moved to England and that's when her mother finally decided that it was time to tell the little girl a truth she'd never even guessed at. She had another family, well another father who had a different family. Her mother told her she was going to live with them sometimes, that her father had demanded it and she couldn't refuse."

"She met her real father, and her real father's Muggleborn wife. They had this little girl too, she was younger, by a couple of months, and they became really good friends. Sometimes, she becomes a little over-protective of this other girl, and she does things that she wouldn't normally, such as attack people who aren't, necessarily, dangerous to her or this other girl." She stopped and looked at him, waiting.

"So this girl, does she have a name?" He asked, slowly lifting up her chin so he could look her in the eye.

"It's a … Mystery." She answered hesitantly.

"Oh, ok." He said with a smile. "Is there more to this story of little… Mystery's?"

"A lot, but I think that's best saved for another night." She answered with a short smile and stood to leave.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down to the couch. "I know that this is… odd, but if you give me a chance, I think it could mean something."

"This coming from the biggest player in the school, second only to his best friend."

"James is only like that because he's trying to get Lily's attention, and if you remember, its working."

"Then why are you?"

"Because, I've been doing the same thing." He answered, then quickly added, "Just not for Lily."

Zoe laughed at the face he made while divulging the last bit, and then looked deeply into his eyes. She didn't want to push this. "For now, how about just a kiss goodnight."

He smiled, then leaned forward and softly brushed his lips across hers. She pulled away, smiled, then headed for her bed.

Zoe woke the next morning with a feeling of something close to euphoria, only it passed that by a mile. He'd kissed her, and not because he'd been trying to get another name on his stupid list. She thought happily. Zoe flung herself from her bed and raced to the bathroom.

As she looked at herself in the mirror, she wondered what she should do with herself. She couldn't put heavy makeup on, or wear anything revealing. It wasn't her style. So instead she threw a light line of black eyeliner across her eyes, a small smattering of lip gloss, and - instead of putting her hair up into its super tight bun or braid - she threw her hair into a high ponytail and braided a few thin braids into the tail.

She walked out of the bathroom and everyone in the room seemed to freeze.

"Umm…" One girl said softly.

"What in the bloody hell did you do to yourself?" Was Lily's not so soft demand.

Zoe looked around at the room. "Nothing." Was all she could say.

"Are you wearing makeup?" Dawn asked.

Zoe shrugged. Before anyone else could speak, she quickly gathered up all her books she'd need for her classes before lunch and bolted out, only to run smack into all of the Marauder's, excluding Sirius.

James stared at Zoe in stupefaction. "What in the bloody hell did you do to yourself?" He demanded in his not so subtle way, unknowingly matching Lily's exact words and tone.

Remus rolled his eyes. "What he means to say is you look lovely today Zoe." Remus said politely.

James shook his head. "No, what I mean to say is what in the bloody hell did you do to yourself?" He reiterated.

Zoe shrugged, unable to answer, and ducked behind them, running for the portrait hole at top speed.

Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea. She thought to herself.

No, it's not. She argued.

All these people are noticing.

So…

So? So that means everyone is going to notice, even the Slytherin.

So. Your hot, flaunt it.

That means that they are going to be worse, if that's even possible.

Nah, you got Sirius to protect you.

I don't need Sirius to protect me.

But you want him too.

So not the point. She said, finishing the argument with herself and seating herself at the Gryffindor table.

In no less the thirty seconds, Ashley had skirted the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff table and was slamming herself down in the seat beside Zoe, clear surprise and stupefaction on her face.

"What in the bloody hell did you do to yourself?" She demanded, asking the same thing that seemed to be coming from everyone.

Zoe huffed in irritation. "Nothing. Gash, can't I even do my hair differently without the whole bloody world noticing?" She demanded, slamming her knife down on her plate.

"Nope. Apparently not." She heard a male voice say behind her.

Zoe turned with a smile. "Well, maybe I'll just cut it off then." She informed him.

Sirius got this funny expression on his face that was a mix between pain, denial, and determination. "You won't." Was all he finally said as he took the seat Ashley had vacated in her surprise.

Zoe arched her brow at him. "Won't I?" She asked.

"Nope." Was all he said as he scooped food onto the plate sitting in front of him.

"And why not?" Zoe demanded.

"Because I like your hair and it would be criminal if you cut it off." He explained in his best Professor voice.

Zoe let out a huge - and amazingly real - laugh at that, causing most of the people in the vicinity to look her way in surprise.

Ashley stared at the two, and promptly sat down across from them, surprise and confusion quickly filling her.

"Well, with such a valid argument, it's hard to refute." Zoe said. "I suppose I won't cut my hair off." She finished, turning back to her plate.

Ashley was still staring when James, Lily, Anya, Dawn, Remus, and Peter walked into the Great Hall. James took a seat beside Sirius, Lily beside James, Peter across from them, Anya beside him with Dawn beside her, and Remus took the seat beside Ashley, quickly grabbing her hand and giving it a quick squeeze in worry.

Ashley turned to him, then nodded her head shortly at Zoe and Sirius, trying to ask him without words what was up.

He shrugged, telling her in his own way that; honestly, he had little to no idea.

Ashley glanced at the two once more, than decided she would find out sooner or later. She once more grabbed Remus' hand - under the table of course - and scooted closer, her thigh brushing his all through breakfast.

Zoe sat comfortably - the hair from her pony tail pulled over her right shoulder and laying in her lap - her left side pressed firmly against Sirius as he played lightly with the ends of her hair. She gently traced the outer seam of his pants while they ate.

She was feeling happier then she had in a long while, which was why, when James told them all Quidditch practice in ten, she wasn't surprised. Her happiness had to end sometime, and Quidditch practice was just the thing to do that.

"I hate you James." Sirius hissed.

"Yeah well, hate all you want, we still have practice in ten." He hissed back.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Quidditch Nazi." She threw at James, then went back to her food, this time focusing on food rather than the gorgeous guy sitting next to her. Well, tried focusing on her food. That was kind of difficult when he was running his fingers through the hair that was lying on her lap, and incidentally stroking the top of her thigh as well.

James stood and stuck his head between Sirius and Zoe's. "Now you have five." James hissed sweetly.

Zoe flicked her hair, making sure to smack him with the ends. "Thanks." She said just as sweetly.

Sirius shoved James back and stood, holding out his hand to help Zoe up. "Ready for practice beautiful?" He asked.

Zoe almost blushed, almost. "Ready for me to kick your ass you mean?" She asked.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You don't want to hurt me." He said reasonably.

Zoe looked him up and down. "I suppose that wouldn't be helpful. Would it."

Sirius shook his head and laughed, leading them both to the Gryffindor changing room.

Sirius glanced at her once more. "And if you didn't understand before, you look amazing." He told her.

Zoe smiled as heat rushed threw her. And all threw practice, the heat stayed with her. Other than that, practice was… practice. It went off without a hitch and just reinforced everyone's expectation of James once again being Quidditch Captain, even James.