Chapter 6: On My Mind

"Mind if I join you?"

Gemma looked up and saw Remus standing beside her, the same Charms book in his hand that she had open on the common room table. She gave him a smile and gestured to the empty seat. "Of course."

"Thanks." Remus sat down and opened his book. "I seem to have lost my study partner. And yours is missing too."

Gemma laughed. "At least yours is doing something valuable with her time. I believe mine is currently causing mischief." Lily was attending a private gathering with Professor Slughorn and other students, including Snape, who were excelling at Potions. And based on the conversation Gemma had overheard between James and Sirius, they were both intending to prank Snape at some point during the event.

"That is true. I'm hoping I can lean on your goodwill to help me get through this essay. Cleaning is not my favourite subject."

Gemma smiled. The Cleaning Charm was definitely one of the most boring charms to learn, and yet somehow Professor Flitwick had managed to create an assignment out of it. "It is dull, so having company is definitely a bonus."

As Remus settled in, they began to discuss the history of the spell and other associated charms, and soon their essays were complete. Gemma leaned back in her seat, sighed loudly and closed her eyes. She was tired.

It had been two weeks since her Dad had been injured, and one week since he had left St Mungo's fully healed. Gemma had been to visit him a couple of times, and had been relieved to see things between him and her mum were healing too. George Arwin had apologised repeatedly to the two females in his life, recognising that the stress of the war had gotten to him. He had admitted that while he had been lying on the ground, injured and believing he was going to die, he had realised how wrong he had been. Gemma had forgiven him quickly, knowing it had come from a good place, but she knew her mum would need a little more time. Cynthia Arwin's heart had been heavily bruised.

In the two weeks that had passed, school had remained intense but Gemma had relaxed more, meaning she was enjoying class again. Incredibly, she found she was picking up spells quicker when she was less focused on the specific details. 'Natural talent', Sirius had joked with her.

Sirius hadn't said anything to her about the night she had returned from her first visit to see her dad – what she had said and done – and for that she was grateful. She didn't regret any of it, but she didn't want things to become weird between them.

And the girls had all been incredibly supportive too over the last couple of weeks. When they had been having their dorm picnic dinner, Gemma had told them everything that had been weighing on her mind, realising how foolish she had been not to confide in them. And they had all shared their own concerns too.

Alice had spoken about meeting Frank's parents and her concerns over his mother. Lily had revealed that she had fought with her parents over the Christmas break because her sister was upset, and now she felt guilty for being a witch. And Mary had admitted that she was struggling with some of their classes – specifically Defence Against The Dark Arts and Transfiguration.

They had all cried and laughed and told each other off for not being more honest with each other. And they had promised to never hide so much again.

"You ok?"

Gemma looked over at Remus and smiled. "I'm fine. Just tired. It's been a long week."

Remus nodded in agreement. "It's somehow getting easier and harder." Gemma laughed. While out of class assignments were easing up – despite the odd overnight Charms essay – more time was being spent on the practical application of new spells learned last term, which made the lessons seem longer. "How's your dad doing?"

"He's much better, thank you. My mum wrote to me yesterday, said he's being a terrible patient but that means he's feeling stronger. She suspects he'll be back at the Ministry in no time."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "He's going straight back?"

"Seems that way. Although Moody – the Auror he was working with – has been partnered with someone else, so I think my dad will be doing less active fighting." Gemma shrugged, the old fears re-emerging. "At least I hope so."

"Must be tough, watching your dad fight in the war."

"It is. But despite this recent attack, he's a strong fighter and was capturing quite a few death eaters. I don't know what happened, but I don't think he's incapable. I think he just got caught out."

Remus nodded. "It's nothing like a war zone, but based on some of our duels in Defence, I can see how easy it would be to get caught out." Remus frowned. "Especially if someone is fighting dirty."

Gemma knew exactly what Remus was referring to. Earlier in the week, Smethyck – a Slytherin in their year – had decided to employ underhanded tactics when duelling Alice. She was lucky not to have been seriously injured, and Smethyck got multiple detentions with Professor Seymour as a result. Although Gemma had other ideas on what Smethyck's punishment should be.

Before she could reply, Remus continued. "Speaking of fighting dirty, I assume Mulciber hasn't given you any more trouble?"

Gemma shook her head. "No. And I haven't seen much of him since, either. I'm hoping it stays that way. I have enough to worry about with class and practice exams without adding Mulciber's vendetta to the mix."

"Well, make sure you're being careful, Gemma. I know you can handle yourself, but if he catches you alone, he won't hold back."

Gemma nodded. "I know. And I will be." She gave Remus a small smile. "Thank you."

They continued talking, discussing everything from class, to their friends, to the war waging outside the Hogwarts grounds, before they were interrupted by Peter and Mary.

"I'm telling you, it's Mistletoe Berries." Mary said as she stepped through the door, Peter following her. "Gemma will confirm. Gemma, Mistletoe Berries go into the Antidote for Common Poisons, right? Not Unicorn Hair?"

Gemma frowned, thinking. "Yes, the Antidote definitely has that in it. But Unicorn Hair seems familiar too."

"I think they both go in." Remus added, before he grabbed a book he had nearby. He flicked through the pages, with Peter and Mary looking over his shoulder. "Ah yes, here it is… Yes, both Mistletoe Berries and Unicorn Hair."

"So we were both right." Mary said, smiling at Peter.

Peter smiled back and nodded. "Good. Now I'm going up to bed. You've exhausted me, Mary."

Mary grinned at him, then placed her arm inside his. "I'm heading up too, so you can walk me to my dorm. Night guys!" They strolled off, just as Mary launched into another topic of conversation and Peter laughed alongside her.

Gemma turned to Remus. "Those two seem to be getting along well."

Remus laughed. "Peter assures me they're just friends."

"Mary says the same thing."

"You're not convinced?"

"I don't know. I guess time will tell."

A loud bang interrupted the near silence as the common room door flew open, followed by the sound of raucous laughter. Gemma looked up to see James and Sirius practically fall into the common room, both of them red in the face from laughing so hard.

Gasping for air, James spotted Gemma and Remus, before he burst into laughter again. Gemma couldn't help but smile and laugh in response to their hysterics.

They both stumbled over to their table, and James placed his hands on Remus's shoulder. "Mate. You. Won't. Believe..." James burst out laughing again, unable to complete his sentence. Gemma looked at Sirius who was laughing just as hard.

At that moment, Lily stepped into the room, looking frazzled. Both James and Sirius froze, their lips pressed together tightly to hold back laughter.

"Hic." Lily hiccupped, covering her mouth quickly, and Gemma heard the small sound of laughter escaping both James and Sirius.

Lily glared at them before heading upstairs. Concerned for her friend, Gemma decided to follow Lily. As she left the common room area, she heard the unmistakable sound of James and Sirius bursting into raucous laughter once again.

Sirius tried to stop laughing, but he was struggling to breathe. With tears in his eyes, he watched Lily storm upstairs before Gemma followed her. As soon as they disappeared from sight, he let the laughter out. As did James.

They had just come back from the dungeons where a simple prank on Snape had escalated to absolute hilarity. After sneaking into the Potions classroom earlier in the day, Sirius and James had swiped a bottle of hiccup potion, intending to pour some into Snape's drink during Professor Slughorn's gathering.

As Sirius kept watch, James hid himself under his invisibility cloak; an heirloom passed down from his father which rendered the wearer completely invisible. It was absolutely incredible and had played a huge role in their pranks over the years. James rarely allowed the others to wear the cloak, given how precious it was to him, but on occasion he did let Sirius use it alone.

As James crept into the room, Sirius had watched through the slight crack in the door that Slughorn and the other students hadn't noticed. Although Sirius couldn't see what James was doing, he knew the plan, and he knew the moment it started to go wrong. Lily was suddenly on her feet, heading over to where James was likely standing, just behind Snape. Concerned about being seen, Sirius had flattened himself against the wall as he heard Slughorn ask Lily to pass around the pot of tea. Moments passed, then James had appeared by his side.

"I freaked out." Pulled from his thoughts back into the common room, Sirius realised James was telling Remus the full story. "She was right there, and Snape could definitely sense me, so I just threw the potion into the cup and ran. Only I didn't throw it into the cup. I threw it into the whole damn pot." Sirius started laughing again as James continued. "After a few minutes, they all started going off. Each and every one of them, hiccupping. It was like they were singing a bloody song!"

Remus laughed with them both, as Sirius added more. "We listened to them for a while, laughing too hard to move, before we realised we needed to get out of there. So we went for a walk, calmed down, but then we started heading this way and walked past a couple of the students. Still hiccupping."

"I poured the whole lot in. They'll be hiccupping for hours!" James added, grinning. "Funny though. Good job we didn't steal the warts potion. Not sure Lily would forgive me for that."

Remus smiled. "Based on the look she gave you both earlier I don't think she'll forgive you for this. She obviously knows you were involved."

As they turned to go upstairs to their dorm, James shrugged. "She doesn't know for certain, and she'll find it funny in the morning. Not like it will make any difference to how she sees me, anyway."

"You still ignoring her in the hope she notices you?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. It's tough, man. I want to talk to her all the time, but I need to give her space." He nodded towards Sirius. "We agreed until spring, and it's only been a few weeks."

"Definitely give it a little more time. Then she'll start to see the real you."

James nodded. "That's what Sirius said."

Sirius grinned at his friends. "And I'm right about everything."

James and Remus rolled their eyes as they all stepped into the dorm. Peter was just stepping out of the bathroom. "Merlin, what's Sirius right about now?"

"Girls." Sirius replied. "Something you wouldn't have a clue about." Peter held up his middle finger, and Sirius laughed.

"I wouldn't say Peter knows nothing about girls." Remus said as he picked up his pyjamas from under his pillow. "He seems to have Mary wrapped around his little finger."

"Shut up. I told you we were just friends."

"Ooh." James started singing. "Peter and Mary, sitting in a tree."

They all laughed and Peter rolled his eyes. "You lot are idiots. I'm going to sleep."

"You going to dream about Mary doing dirty things to you?" Sirius asked, thinking about some of the posters he had in his old bedroom. They were mostly of half-naked women draped over motorcycles and fast cars. While they had first gone up to piss off his mother, he always enjoyed an evening in bed, imagining the women were real.

"Fuck off. She's a friend." Sirius laughed at Peter's outburst. He loved winding him up. It was too easy. "You don't hear me asking you if you're dreaming about Gemma like that."

The image of Gemma doing dirty things to him made a sudden appearance in his mind and he was surprised to find himself intrigued by the idea. He frowned. Gemma was a friend; he shouldn't think of her that way. Even if he did find her attractive.

Before he could respond, Peter continued. "Or asking Remus if he thinks about Lily like that."

"Hey!" James stood up, his expression angry. "Don't bring Lily into this."

"He started it." Peter pointed his finger at Sirius.

"No, I started it by mentioning Mary." Remus was always good at keeping the peace. "I'm sorry, Peter. We know you and Mary are just friends, just like Sirius and Gemma are, and I am with Lily." They all nodded in agreement and threw out a few apologies. They could never stay mad at each other for long. "Now, let's all go to bed. It's late." They all agreed and got changed and ready for bed. After each saying goodnight, James turned off the light.

The following week, all students were heading to Hogsmeade and Gemma was excited. It had snowed overnight and she absolutely loved the snow. She hoped to get some time to wander into the forest and enjoy the sight of fresh, untouched snow.

As the girls sat down for breakfast, Gemma noticed the guys a few seats down from them, but they were clearly focused on their own conversation. In fact, it all looked very conspiratorial as they whispered to each other and covertly checked their surroundings. Gemma was instantly intrigued.

"Is Frank walking with us?" Lily asked Alice, pulling Gemma's attention back to her friends. Gemma noticed Alice's cheeks turn pink.

"No. He's… staying here actually." Alice cleared her throat, focusing on her plate on food. "I'll probably head back a bit earlier myself. Maybe before lunch." She shrugged, as if ending the conversation, but Gemma knew something else was going on. There was a small smile on Alice's face.

Mary was also interested to know more. "Why is he staying here? And why are you coming back earlier?" Suddenly she gasped, startling them all. "Oh Merlin. You're going to have sex aren't you?"

"Mary!" Alice cried in a whisper, as she looked frantically around. It seemed no one had heard them, but Gemma knew then that Mary had gotten it right. "Keep your voice down."

"Is it true, Alice?" Gemma asked. "Are you?"

Alice's cheeks turned bright pink as she shrugged again. All three of them leaned in, needing to know more. "Maybe. We're never properly alone and with everyone going to Hogsmeade for the day we thought it might be nice to have some time, just us. Frank has asked his mates to stay out as late as possible – which is so embarrassing because they are obviously going to know what we're doing – and he told me to head in with you guys for the morning while he… sets up." Alice covered her mouth with her hand, half laughing. "I have no idea what that means."

Gemma laughed too. She had no idea either. She had no clue about any of this. Her mum had spoken to her last summer about relationships and how she should always make sure she trusts the person she was with and doesn't do anything she doesn't feel comfortable doing. But all the knowledge she had of the actual event came from books and films. And they didn't go into much detail.

"Maybe he's going to make it romantic for you?" Mary said. "Light some candles. Put on some music. Leave rose petals over the bed."

"Mary, you read too many terrible romance novels." Lily said, affectionately scolding her friend. She then turned back to Alice. "You're definitely ready for this? Frank isn't pressuring you?"

"He isn't, I promise. We've already done… some stuff. But I want to go further. I feel ready. He makes me feel so special and I know it will be amazing."

"What stuff have you done?" Mary asked, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Has he made you come? Has he kissed you down there? Have you given him a blow job?"

"Mary!" Lily cried, looking shocked as Alice and Gemma burst out laughing. Gemma noticed a few students look their way. Merlin, they might be drawing a crowd.

"What? They're good questions. The 'terrible' romance novels I read actually include a lot of detail about sex and I find it fascinating. Did you know some men like to have complete control in the bedroom? Even tie women up. And women actually like it too!"

"No one is tying me up." Alice said firmly. Then she laughed. "But I'd happily give Frank the option. I wouldn't say no to him being at my mercy."

Mary giggled and Gemma looked over at Lily who looked absolutely shell-shocked by the turn of conversation. Gemma wondered if her own expression mirrored Lily's. She wasn't quite sure what to say.

"So?" Mary prompted Alice. "What stuff have you done?"

"None of your business." Alice replied, grinning. "But I will answer your first question. Yes, he has given me plenty of orgasms and I can tell you now, they are far better coming from someone else. I was barely scraping the surface when I was playing around down there by myself."

Lily groaned, hiding her face behind her hands as Gemma burst out laughing, loving this new side to Alice. She was instantly intrigued about an orgasm from someone else. Gemma enjoyed making herself come – the few times she had done it – but she had always suspected there would be more to it when someone else was involved.

"I bet it's only better if the 'someone else' knows what they're doing though." Mary said, looking around the room and nodding towards James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. "How do you think those four would do?"

"Please stop this conversation." Lily said into her hands.

"Come on, Lily." Alice nudged her side. "Don't tell me after you saw James with his shirt off you didn't start thinking about what it would be like to…"

"No." Lily interrupted, her cheeks heating. "I didn't think anything."

"Liar." Mary grinned. "You can't hide from us, Lily Evans."

"I'm not hiding. I didn't think anything." Lily looked away and Gemma – like Mary and Alice – knew she was fibbing. "Except…"

They all leaned in. "Yes?" Alice asked.

"Well, maybe I did wonder… what his chest would feel like." They all grinned as Lily continued. "He just looked so… hard." She covered her face again and they all burst out laughing.

"I knew there was a minx in there somewhere!" Alice said, wrapping her arm around Lily's shoulders. "We'll get all those dirty thoughts out of your head in no time."

They all laughed again, Lily included this time, and then Mary turned to Gemma. "What about you? Who makes his way into your fantasies?"

As all three sets of eyes turned to her, Gemma considered the question. Who did feature in her fantasies? With so much going on, she wasn't paying any attention to herself in that way, and as she had zero experience when it came to boys, there was no one she was interested in.

Her eye caught movement just over Mary's shoulder and she spotted Sirius leaning back in his seat, stretching his arms high over his head. He was wearing a regular sized jumper, but the movement caused the material to tighten over his body and Gemma caught sight of his muscular arms and chest. She remembered the feel of those arms holding her when she had cried just a few weeks ago; how strong and powerful he had felt; how firm his chest had been as she had rested against him; how intoxicating his scent was.

"Ooh, she's thinking about someone." Alice teased, pulling Gemma away from those unexpected – and unwanted - thoughts. Gemma focused on her friends. Damn. Why was she thinking about Sirius like that?

Remembering the question, and not wanting to lie, Gemma told the girls a half-truth. "He's tall, ruggedly handsome, fair hair, blue eyes and a strong jaw."

Alice rolled her eyes. "She's talking about Robert Redford." Gemma laughed. Alice knew her too well.

"Oh, he is very attractive." Lily added.

"He is, but I was hoping you were about to reveal a secret crush, Gemma." Mary looked put out, so Gemma flipped the tables back onto her.

"Your turn, Mary. Who is your dream guy?"

"Hmm, how to narrow it down." She giggled then shrugged. "I don't know. I don't have a type, except they apparently have to be a jerk."

"What about Peter?" Lily asked.

"Stop asking me about him. I like him but I don't fancy him." Mary turned and looked over at the four Gryffindors. "Obviously Sirius is gorgeous. And while I can appreciate James is nice to look at, I don't want to get in the way of Lily who has finally admitted she wants to rub her face all over him…"

"I never said that!" Lily gasped, looking frantically in the guys' direction. "And be quiet. What if they hear you?"

They all laughed as Mary continued. "Remus is kind of cute. In a nerdy way."

At that moment, all four of the guys turned and looked their way, each narrowing their eyes as if they could hear them talking. The girls all started laughing, unable to help themselves, all likely thinking what Gemma herself was thinking; how would they react if they could hear their conversation?

The guys all stood up and made their way over. "What's got you girls laughing so much?" Sirius asked as he appeared behind Gemma. They were all clearly ready to go to Hogsmeade.

"Nothing." Alice said, acting innocent. "What had you guys looking so serious a moment ago?"

"Nothing." Sirius replied as he reached forward and stole a piece of pineapple from Gemma's pre-made fruit bowl.

"Oh sure, help yourself."

Sirius raised his eyebrow at her. "We both know you don't actually like pineapple. I'm doing you a favour." He reached down and took another piece. "You guys heading to Hogsmeade?"

Gemma moved her bowl out of Sirius's reach and gave him a stern look. "Yes, we're heading over soon."

Sirius grinned at her, then leaned over her completely to grab another piece. Gemma raised her hands to prevent him from crushing her and instantly felt the firmness of his chest. Merlin's Beard, he felt better than she had remembered. Scolding herself for the errant thought, she barely registered that Sirius had pulled back, thrown another piece of pineapple in his mouth and said goodbye. Luckily the girls hadn't noticed her momentary lapse either.

"James hasn't been himself lately, has he?" Mary said, as she watched them leave. "He's barely said two words to you, Lily. And he hasn't asked you out in a while either, has he?"

"No, he hasn't. Which is fine by me as I'd say 'no' anyway. But he has been acting different. Has he been different in class, Alice?"

Alice shook her head. "Not really. He's just getting on with it. He's still trying to make me laugh even though I swore I wouldn't out of principle. Although he did actually do something quite funny last week."

Gemma half listened as the girls discussed James's changed behaviour around Lily, but her mind was wandering to Sirius. What had gotten into her? She knew that she fancied him – or at least, that he was the most attractive guy she knew - but she'd never actually entertained thoughts of him in a more romantic way. But after the conversation they had just had about sex, Gemma suddenly couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to get closer to Sirius. To have him hold her and… no. He was a friend. Thinking about him in any other way would ruin their friendship.

Gemma focused back on her friends who were now discussing where they wanted to visit when they arrived at Hogsmeade. As per tradition, they wandered the shops for a couple of hours before deciding to go to The Three Broomsticks. But looking around at the blanket of snow heading into the forest, Gemma paused. "I really fancy a walk in the snow."

Mary shivered loudly. "I'm freezing. I left my warmer coat at home when I went back at Christmas, so I'm really keen to get inside. But you guys go ahead."

"I'm pretty cold too." Lily added. "I'll come with you, Mary. If that's ok, Gemma?"

Gemma didn't mind. She turned to Alice who was clearly debating what to do. "I do want to get back to the castle soon, before it gets too late. But I can join you for a little bit."

Gemma shook her head. "No way. You have plans, Alice. Go be with Frank. And have fun!" She winked at Alice who grinned and said goodbye to them all, then waved and headed back to the castle. Gemma turned to Mary and Lily. "You two go get warm. I'm happy wandering on my own for a little bit."

"Are you sure?" Lily asked.

"Yes, of course. I won't be out here for long."

Waving goodbye, Gemma turned and headed into the forest. Unlike the forbidden forest at Hogwarts, this forest was less dense and had plenty of wide open spaces for Gemma to enjoy the snow. Finding a quiet spot hidden far from the main village, she sat on a bench and looked around. Her fingers and toes were frozen, but she didn't care. She was staring at perfect, undisturbed crisp white snow. Heaven.

Sirius swore as he dove behind some snow-covered shrubbery, narrowly avoiding being hit. Damn James and his Chaser arm.

"Oomph!" Sirius heard Remus's cry, but he kept his focus on making more ammunition. He needed it to take James down.

"Come on guys! Is that all you've got?" James was baiting them, and Sirius wondered if he should have asked Remus and Peter to join forces. James was always good at these things. But it had been an impromptu decision to have a snowball fight - a way of distracting Remus.

Remus had woken exhausted after a bad night's sleep, feeling the first signs of his impending shift. After suggesting he stay at the castle, they had rallied around him at breakfast and encouraged him to join them. And now they were having a snowball fight in a bid to take his mind off of what was coming.

Lifting his head just above the shrubbery, Sirius watched as James danced on his feet. He was out in the open, holding a couple of snowballs in his hands, looking confident. James was too far away for Sirius to have a shot at hitting him in the face – once hit there, you were out - but he knew James wouldn't have the same issue. James could throw further than most and had incredible aim.

Ducking back down, Sirius crawled sideways in a bid to get closer to James. He heard Peter roar and laughter erupt as he clearly decided to take James on. No doubt Peter would be out soon.

Finding a large tree to hide behind, Sirius watched James bend to make more snowballs, then saw Remus charging towards him. In lightning speed, James was up and aiming at Remus's face, who went down laughing.

"And then there was one." James turned in Sirius's direction. How the hell did he know Sirius had moved? "Come on Sirius. Let's do this the easy way and I won't hit you too hard."

"Never!" Sirius shouted, grinning to himself. He gathered as many snowballs as he could hold in one arm, then prepared himself. "If I'm going down, you're coming with me, brother."

Leaping out from behind the tree, Sirius pelted his snowballs at James. And he carried on, even as he got hit hard in the face. He was out, but James was definitely going down. Continuing to throw snowballs until he was practically on top of him, Sirius leapt through the air and knocked James over, grabbing some snow and rubbing it in his face.

Laughing and spluttering, James pushed Sirius off before grabbing a fistful of snow and dropping it on his head. Sirius had barely caught his breath when Remus and Peter joined in, all four of them rolling on the ground, throwing as much snow as they could at each other.

Laughing so hard his side hurt, Sirius raised his hands in surrender. "Enough. Please, enough. I think I swallowed ten gallons of snow." Laughing, they each stood, and brushed snow off their clothes and out of their hair.

"I think I need a drink." Peter said.

"Me too." James agreed. "Three Broomsticks?"

They all nodded in agreement, then made their way to the main street in the village. As they approached the pub, they spotted Lily and Mary heading in as well. Sirius heard James take a deep breath, no doubt steeling himself to ignore Lily again.

Mary saw them and paused, studying them closely. "Why do you all look like drowned rats?"

"Hello to you too." James replied.

"We've just had a snowball fight." Peter added. "James won of course."

"But I think we got our revenge." Remus said as he ruffled James's already messy hair.

"Where's Gemma?" Sirius was certain he had seen her wandering around Hogsmeade with the girls. Alice wasn't there either, but he assumed she would be with Frank. And Gemma needed to be careful. Mulciber was likely still after her.

Mary stepped towards the door. "She's gone for a little walk into the forest. She loves the snow and wanted to enjoy it. She's meeting us here later."

Mary and Lily went in, followed by Remus and Peter. James was stepping forward when he seemed to realise Sirius hadn't moved. "You ok?"

Glancing towards the forest, he wondered if he should check on her. "Yeah. But I'm going to go check on Gemma. Make sure she's ok."

James raised his eyebrows. "You think she's not ok?"

"I'm sure she's fine. I just want to make sure. I think Mulciber's still after her, and I don't like the idea of her being alone."

James nodded and gave Sirius an odd smile. Sirius ignored it, turned and headed towards the forest. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to find her though. The forest was large, so she could be anywhere. As he walked through the trees, getting further from the village, he checked his surroundings. No one was nearby. He could transform, scent her out, and then change back.

Stepping next to a tree and doing a final check for privacy, Sirius transformed himself into Padfoot. Shaking out his limbs, he enjoyed the feel of the cool snow under his paws. Lifting his head to catch the various scents on the wind, he started to move through the forest again. Eventually the soft scent of oranges, vanilla and something uniquely Gemma, teased his nose. Following the scent closely, he came to a clearing and spotted her just ahead of him.

She was sitting on a bench, her body relaxed, her eyes closed, and she had the smallest smile on her face. Sirius stared at her for a while. She looked calm. Peaceful.

Sirius debated whether to turn around and head to the pub, or whether to transform and check on her properly. But then he froze, as he scented another person nearby. Glancing across the clearing, on the opposite edge to Gemma, a figure cloaked in a long black robe stepped forward.

Sirius was assailed by the stench of Mulciber, and a low, loud growl came from his throat as he too moved forward into the clearing.

Gemma had sensed someone nearby and was already reaching for her wand before she heard the sound of a ferocious growl. Looking around herself, and gripping her wand tightly, she assessed the situation. Crap.

A tall cloaked figure was standing directly opposite her, across the clearing. She didn't know who it was, but she had her suspicions. And then a dog – an enormous, menacing dog – was to her left, stepping into the clearing and growling so fiercely Gemma felt a cold chill down her spine. The dog was, at least, growling at the cloaked figure rather than her.

After a few uncertain minutes where Gemma prepared herself to fight both human and dog, the cloaked figure backed away and disappeared into the woods. Gemma averted her gaze to the dog, wondering if she would become the next target.

Usually she liked dogs. When they were half the size and rolling around asking for cuddles. Somehow she didn't think this dog would ask for cuddles.

Keeping her arm steady with her wand slightly raised, Gemma watched as the dog turned its attention to her. Then it started to move forwards. Keeping her focus on it as it prowled towards her, Gemma tightened her grip. Crap.

The dog stopped in the middle of the clearing and bowed its head. It moved forward again, before stopping and bowing again. After repeating the motion a third time, Gemma wondered if it was communicating with her. Was it telling her it wasn't a threat?

Uncertain, Gemma lowered her wand. Seeming to recognise the gesture, the dog walked forward again until it was just a few feet from her. Then it sat on the ground and looked up at her. Interesting.

"Hello." Gemma smiled tentatively at the huge animal, hoping to give off an impression of kindness. "I'm really hoping you're a nice dog and you're not about to maul me."

Gemma jumped as the dog moved forward again, but relaxed when its head butted against her hip. She smiled as she reached down and carefully laid a hand on its head. Rolling its head into her palm, Gemma soon realised the dog wanted the attention. The affection. Maybe the dog was asking for cuddles after all.

"You're a nice dog, aren't you?" Gemma put her other hand on its head and rubbed her fingers hard. The dog seemed to be enjoying itself, and Gemma laughed slightly. "Do you not have an owner who gives you head scratches?"

Sitting back down on the bench behind her, Gemma smiled as the dog continued to enjoy her attentions. Despite being absolutely enormous and quite scary looking, the dog was clearly a huge softie.

"Thank you for chasing that person away. No doubt they were up to no good." Gemma looked back out over the clearing. "I wonder who it was. Mulciber, probably. Although I'm surprised he didn't attack anyway." Gemma looked back down at the dog. "No offence; while you are very, very scary, Mulciber isn't the sort of person who backs down easily."

The dog rubbed its head against her leg, then sat beside her. Placing her hand on its head, she gently stroked it. Gemma wondered whether it had a home. It looked healthy, well fed. But obviously lacking in affection. It must belong to someone in the village.

"It's lovely here, isn't it?" Despite knowing the dog couldn't understand her or reply, Gemma felt compelled to speak. Its presence was a comfort. "I've always loved the snow, even though I'm terrible in the cold. But it's just so pretty. Especially here. It's so… perfect. Untouched. I don't know how to explain it, but it calms me." Closing her eyes, Gemma took a deep breath, enjoying the quiet.

Sirius sat beside Gemma, enjoying the feel of her rubbing his ears. He'd turned into Padfoot so many times with his friends, but he'd never had anyone rub him like this. It felt so damn good.

Gemma was silent, clearly enjoying the peace, and Sirius was happy to sit beside her. He had never intended for her to meet Padfoot – knowing it was a risk for him to be seen by anyone – but when he had spotted Mulciber and thought Gemma was in danger, he knew he had to step forward.

Whatever Mulciber was up to though, it wasn't about Gemma. She had been right when she'd said that he would have attacked regardless. Mulciber hadn't backed away because he was scared. Mulciber had backed away because fighting Gemma wasn't part of his plan. And that unnerved him. What the hell was he up to?

"I better go." Gemma's voice pulled him from his thoughts and he turned towards her. "My friends will be waiting for me and I'm getting hungry." She leaned down and rubbed his ears again. Damn that was good. "I hope I'll see you again. I'll try and come back to this clearing the next time I'm here. Which will be spring…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "I'm making plans with a dog. And you have no idea what I'm saying, do you?" Giving him a big smile and one final rub behind his ears, Gemma stood and left.

Sirius watched her walk away. He wanted to transform back, to share his secret with her. He wondered how she would react. Would she think him foolish to do something so dangerous? Or would she be impressed? He really hoped she'd be impressed.

But it wasn't his secret to share - not really. If he revealed himself to be an animagus, she'd be too close to discovering the others were as well, and too close to discovering that Remus was a werewolf. No way was he letting that happen.

Checking his surroundings were clear, Sirius moved through the forest and transformed back into himself. Reaching The Three Broomsticks, he soaked in the warmth of the room and the smell of butterbeer. He spotted Gemma in the corner, looking warmer as she sat with Lily and Mary, laughing about something.

Joining his friends, James handed him a pint of butterbeer that had clearly been sat on the table for a while. But Sirius didn't care. Taking a heavy gulp, he told the guys about seeing Mulciber in the forest, skipping over the parts where he had interacted with Gemma as Padfoot. They would only worry, and looking at Remus's troubled expression, Sirius didn't want to add to that.

They discussed reasons for Mulciber's behaviour, the most obvious being that he was meeting someone. Likely another death eater, for they had no doubt Mulciber was already part of Voldemort's following. They then collectively pushed the worry aside and moved the conversation onto a more positive subject – like the Quidditch Cup and how James and the Gryffindor team were definitely going to win this year.