The next night, Sirius, James, and their friends Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin were all in bed, quietly discussing girls they had taken fancies to, classes, joking about their fellow classmates, and the like. Remus mentioned that due to the difficulties and challenges inflicted upon him as a child, he wouldn't dare drag anyone into such danger.
"You're not dangerous, Remus," James said, tossing a crumpled up piece of parchment into the air repeatedly. "You've just got a furry little problem." He shrugged. "No biggie."
"Never disregard someone else's problems; especially if you yourself have never experienced them," Sirius said distractedly. He was laying on his stomach doodling in a spare potions notebook he'd been given.
Remus gave him a grateful smile. "What're you working on?" he asked, pointing with his chin at the book.
"Just doodling," he replied, embarrassed at what exactly he was working on. For some reason, Sirius couldn't get Adrienna's eyes out of his head. The hazel-grey color had such a fiery passion within them, a twinkle of mischief, and a kindness that resonated with him. James caught the ball of parchment and threw it at him. He started when the slightly sharp edges struck him just above the eyebrow. He looked over at James, not realizing he'd dropped his book on the ground where it had fallen open.
James was on it in an instant, thumbing through it. "The bloody hell are these?" he asked. Sirius scrambled to his feet, trying not to portray the panic he felt. "Drawings of eyes?"
"Yeah. They, er, fascinate me," he said, blushing deeply in spite of his attempts to appear casual. "Nothing wrong with that, is there?" A wave of panic overwhelmed him and he sat down hard on the bed when he saw a page he had drawn a full facial drawing from memory of Adrienna while they were in the library one day on.
Remus, noticing his distress, came over to look. "These are excellent drawings, Sirius," he commented, peering over James' shoulder. "Have you considered taking Magical Arts next year?"
"N-no," he stammered. "Didn't cross my mind."
"These are of that girl, aren't they," James said. It was a statement, not a question.
"Not just her!" protested Sirius. He snatched back the book, stuffed it under his pillow and fell into bed, covering up with the blanket in a smooth, graceful move. "Goodnight, mates."
"Night," Peter said, not wanting to get involved. He lay down and blew out his candle, rolling onto his side to face the window.
Remus waited to go back to bed until, with an accusatory glare, James climbed into bed with a snort. He extinguished the other candle before going to bed himself.
The next morning, a Friday, and also the day before a Hogsmeade weekend, Sirius woke surprisingly early and, not wanting to wake anyone, dressed quietly before sneaking downstairs and out of the Gryffindor common room. He wandered the halls before bumping into Adrienna in the third floor hallway. She was perched in a window reading the same book he'd seen her with before, The Chrysalids.
"Hey," he said quietly. She jumped slightly before turning her head and seeing him out of the corner of her eye.
"Hi," she said in the same tone. "What are you doing up so early?"
"I dunno," replied he. He walked to her feet and leaned against the wall, arms lightly crossed in front of him. "What's so fascinating about that book? You must have read it like a million times by now."
She sighed and bookmarked her place before closing the book. "This book speaks to me. It's about a boy who was born with a gift that many people don't approve of. So he and a group of about twenty people are forced to hide their talents or risk torture, sterilization, and possibly, death. They eventually are found out and have to go on the run. It says that it's okay to be different, it's good in fact. That not everything that's different is bad."
Silence reigned for a brief spell. This fascinates me, Sirius thought. "Do they make it to safety?" She gave him a smile before handing over the book.
"Guess you'll just have to read and see for yourself," she said with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes.
"So, I was wondering," he said as he took the book. She tilted her head in a curious fashion. "If you're not doing anything this weekend, would you like to grab some butterbeer at the Hogshead?"
She blinked. "Sure," she said after a moment's hesitation.
He grinned before smothering it to draw it back down to a smile. He drummed his fingers on the underside of the book. "Well. I'll see you at the Hogshead, then," he said. "In the mean time, I'll get to reading this book. Thanks."
"No problem," she said. "Happy reading."
"Thanks. Have a great day." And with that they went their separate ways.
