Chapter 12: Ride

Gemma breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the courtyard. The first couple of weeks of April had brought mock exams and warm weather; a painful combination when students were expected to sit inside the Great Hall for hours wearing their full school uniform. She felt warm.

Alice stood next to her and ripped off her cloak. "I swear I've left a sweaty bum patch on my chair."

Gemma laughed as she removed her own cloak, and saw Lily and Mary doing the same. "Me too. I wish I had worn my skirt today."

"Oh, well I wish I had worn my trousers." Mary said, flapping her skirt. "My thighs have been rubbing together all morning."

Lily dropped her cloak and bag onto a bench. "We have a free afternoon at least. Maybe we freshen up then head down to the lake?"

"Oh yes." Alice grinned. "I'd be up for a quick swim."

Lily frowned. "That's not quite what I suggested."

"Ladies." James, with Sirius, Remus and Peter, appeared from the castle looking equally warm and relieved to be outside. "We were just discussing having a game of quidditch. Fancy it? Girls against boys."

"How would we play quidditch?" Lily asked. "No one is allowed to use the pitch and there aren't enough of us."

"Ah, that's where it comes in handy to have special privileges." James stepped forward. "Gryffindor have the pitch today, but we're not practicing. We've basically already won the cup, so the team has decided to rest while we can and do a few practices next week. And as for numbers, we'll play a reduced game."

"I do like the idea of flying around in the breeze." Alice said, shaking out her shirt which she had untucked from her trousers. "How does a reduced game work?"

"One Keeper, two Chasers and one Beater." James replied. "No Snitch in play, so no Seeker, and we just play for a set length of time and winner is based on number of goals scored. Don't even have to have the Beater, could just go with three Chasers."

"I'll be the Beater." Alice said a little too quickly. Then she grinned at James who retreated slightly.

"Great." He mumbled.

"I'm up for it." Mary said. "Can I be a Chaser please? I don't think I'd want the responsibility of trying to stop James scoring."

They all laughed, then Lily stepped forward. "I'll be the Keeper." She turned to Gemma. "If you don't mind?"

Gemma didn't mind what position she was in; she just wanted to be up in the air, in the breeze, not melting on the ground. "I'm happy wherever."

"Great." Sirius said, smiling at them all. "I'm usually the Beater. Remus, you in goal again?"

"Yep."

"Great." James turned towards the steps that took them down to the quidditch. "Let's go then."

Gemma laughed with Alice as they headed down to the pitch. Alice was definitely a little too excited about playing Beater, but she had some rage to let out.

Frank had been accepted into the Auror Programme – NEWT results dependant – and Alice was obviously thrilled. But being the new, more intense programme, Frank was only able to have direct contact with one person while he was away. He had chosen Alice, which had made her incredibly happy until Frank had been sent a rather rude Howler from his mother. Apparently Mrs Longbottom didn't agree with Frank that Alice was the best person; she didn't agree that Alice would be able to pass relevant messages on; and she certainly didn't agree that Alice would keep Frank better informed about the war.

It had been an awkward few moments for both Frank and Alice as the Howler had torn into him in the middle of the common room, but Frank had shrugged and laughed it off, simply pulling Alice onto his lap and announcing that clearly he had made the right choice.

But Gemma knew that no matter how kind Frank was in the face of his mother's comments, it didn't stop Alice from feeling hurt by the disapproval. So today, Alice clearly had a desire to hit something. Hard.

As they arrived, Gemma watched James and Sirius unload the Quaffle and one Bludger. Sirius grabbed a Beaters Bat and handed it to Alice, then picked one up for himself. "Watch out." Alice sidestepped just as Sirius batted the Bludger away. "We better get up there quick. Keep that thing busy."

Alice grabbed a broomstick and flew up with Sirius on her tail. Lily and Remus grabbed some protective Keeper gear, then followed. Gemma, Mary and Peter joined James.

"Ladies first." He said, holding out the ball.

Mary gladly accepted it, then climbed onto her broom and flew up to the centre. Gemma climbed onto hers, and kicked off from the ground. The rush of cool air was welcome and she closed her eyes for a moment to really enjoy it. She circled around the pitch, getting used to flying again. It had been a while. She didn't dislike flying, but she didn't spend her free time flying like some did.

"Ready?" Peter called.

"Ready." Mary shouted back. Mary threw the ball in the air, then flew up to grab it back instantly. James and Peter had both swept in at the same time, but weren't able to catch it. Mary headed straight for goal, but was caught out by James who managed to grab the ball from her arms.

James turned and headed straight for Lily. Gemma chased after him, her fingertips scraping the Quaffle as he pulled it back for a shot, but she'd done nothing to stop his throw or aim. The ball sailed pass Lily and the boys were ten points up.

Sirius hit the Bludger away again. He knew he should be aiming it at Gemma or Mary, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. Both of them were so focused on the Quaffle, even if he hit it in their general direction he worried they'd fly into it. So instead he focused on getting it away from Alice who clearly had no issue aiming it at James and Peter.

The boys were winning, as expected, but Sirius could tell James was playing a relaxed game. Despite taking an early lead, he was moving slower than usual and throwing with his left arm, which was his weaker arm. It was only fair though, otherwise it wouldn't be very fun for any of them.

Sirius watched as Gemma weaved past Peter and headed towards goal. She'd seemed hesitant at the beginning, but now she was clearly more confident. She didn't fly much, but she was good at it once settled. Gemma took aim and scored; her third goal of the match. Sirius wanted to celebrate with her, despite being on the opposite team. He figured he just wanted the underdogs to win.

He'd been surprised that both Mary and Gemma had scored, and Lily had saved a couple of goals; one of them from James. That had been a funny moment. James had clearly been torn between embarrassment and respect. Luckily respect had won out and he'd gone over to give her a high five.

Whoosh. The bloody Bludger whizzed past his ear and Sirius ducked. He turned and saw Alice staring at him. "Sorry." She called.

Sirius scoffed. He doubted she was that sorry.

The game continued and the boys carried on scoring twice as many as the girls, until finally the game was drawing to a close. Gemma had the ball and was heading for goal; it was likely to be the last attempt of the game, so neither Peter nor James tried to stop her. Even if she scored, the girls would still lose.

Sirius watched as she lined herself up with the goal and Remus swayed side to side, laughing as he tried to put her off.

"Shit!" Alice's cry was the only warning Sirius had before he saw the Bludger fly past him at speed, heading straight for Gemma.

"Gemma!" Sirius raced forward but he knew he wouldn't make it.

Obviously hearing his shout, Gemma turned towards him and - luckily - the Bludger only connected with her broom, but it still sent her spinning into a frenzied circle. Remus lurched forward and grabbed hold of her, both of them struggling to maintain balance. Sirius made it to them just as Remus steadied his own broom, then helped Gemma with hers.

"You ok?" Remus asked, not removing his arm from around her waist. For some reason that bothered Sirius. She was clearly stable now. She didn't need Remus to hold her like that.

"Yeah." Gemma replied. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Oh Merlin, Gemma, I am so sorry." Alice cried as she flew past Sirius and almost crashed into Gemma herself. She ripped Gemma from Remus's arms and hugged her in mid-air. "It went totally out of control. I tried to hit it away from the game but I didn't connect with it properly." Alice looked up at Remus. "Thank Merlin you moved so quickly."

Sirius frowned at Alice. She had been too wild during that game, hitting the Bludger like it was a balloon not a one hundred and fifty pound ball of rubber. Sirius was tempted to call her out.

"It's ok, Alice." Gemma said. "I'm ok. It's all part of the fun."

Sirius nearly scoffed. Traditionally the Bludger was his favourite part of the game, but not when someone like Gemma was involved. She might be strong and powerful when it came to spells, but she wasn't used to being hit hard by that damn ball and she didn't have any of the protective gear on. He started to wonder if they had all been a bit foolish to play like this.

"Incoming." James pointed to the sky. The Bludger was coming back, fast. "Think we need to finish now."

Sirius sighed, then started to fly up towards it.

Gemma called after him. "What are you doing?"

"Catching it." He moved up further and heard the sound of it whistling through the air. "Stay back."

He overheard James telling the others that he did this often; which was true. Sirius always volunteered to catch the Bludger after a friendly game like this. As soon as the ball connected with his chest, Sirius tightened his knees around his broom, wrapped his arms around it, and allowed himself to be pushed back. He fell for a bit, before he was able to push back against the force and stabilise himself.

Gemma flew over to him immediately. "Sirius, are you ok?"

He smiled at the look of concern on her face. He wondered if anyone had ever cared so much about something as trivial as him catching a Bludger. "I'm fine, Gem. I just need to get this bugger back in its box." Gemma nodded and flew down with him, and he heard the others coming down as well. As they touched the ground, Sirius glanced at her. "Are you ok after your almost-hit?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. I probably could have saved myself, but it was good of Remus to grab me. Although I'm gutted I missed that final shot."

Sirius laughed as he bent on one knee and tied the Bludger down. "You did well. You scored some great goals. You should have considered joining the team."

Gemma laughed back. "No chance. And I only did well because James was clearly not playing properly and I doubt Peter and Remus were either." She nudged his arm with her knee. "You weren't exactly playing out there either. I think you missed the point of the game."

Sirius stood up and looked down at her. "No. I didn't. We shouldn't have played with the Bludger; it was too dangerous and I realised too late that it could have gotten you or Mary hurt."

Gemma looked a little startled by his comment. "Oh. Ok."

"Besides, I was never going to aim the Bludger at you, Gem. You would have hexed me into next week for the cheek of it."

Gemma laughed just as James appeared, carrying the Quaffle. "Great game, Gemma. You girls did well."

"Thanks."

"Come on guys." Peter called from the side of the pitch where he was standing with Lily, Alice, and Mary. "Lily suggested we head to the lake."

"Sounds good." Gemma ran off, and she was joined by Remus who had been putting away the Keeper gear. He put his hand on her back and Sirius narrowed his eyes. Why was Remus touching her so much? Was he following the stupid flirting advice Sirius had given James a couple of weeks ago? Did Remus like Gemma?

"Ooh, maybe if we ask nicely the girls will agree to go skinny dipping." James whispered, nudging Sirius and grinning from ear to ear. Sirius couldn't help but laugh, even though he knew the suggestion was ridiculous.

As they walked to the lake, Sirius kept watching Remus and Gemma. They weren't walking together and they didn't seem to be glancing at each other, but maybe he was missing something. He cursed at himself. He was being ridiculous. Who cared if Remus liked Gemma or Gemma liked Remus? It would make no difference to him. No difference at all.

A few days later, Sirius walked the corridors heading towards the Quidditch pitch. James and his fellow Chasers were down there, practicing goal shooting and teaching some of the new Chasers who were going to take over once the older students left.

It was just over one week until the Quidditch final, and the players were taking it easy. Slytherin would need a miracle to win.

As he arrived outside the Great Hall, he heard female laughter from around the corner. He immediately smiled, knowing exactly who that laugh belonged to. He sped up, turned the corner, expecting to see Gemma with her friends, but was shocked by the sight in front of him.

Gemma was sat on a bench with a closed book in her hand, smiling up at Garrett who was leaning casually against a pillar next to her, a smirk on his face.

That stupid fucking bet. One week before the final and he was trying it on.

Before he could stop himself, Sirius rushed forward and placed himself between Gemma and Garrett. He pushed the bastard back. "You're done here."

Garrett stepped back, his hands raised. "Woah, Black. What the hell is your problem?"

"Sirius?"

Sirius ignored Gemma and stared at Garrett. "I said, you're done. Leave and don't come back."

"Sirius!"

He continued to ignore Gemma, his focus on Garrett. Garrett's eyes flicked to Gemma, than back to Sirius. "She your girlfriend or something?"

"She's a friend."

"If she's just a friend, then you have no right telling me what I can and can't do."

Sirius grabbed the front of Garrett's shirt and once again ignored Gemma's startled cry of his name. "I have every right to tell you what you can and can't do when it involves Gemma and a disgusting bet you have with your idiot friend." Sirius enjoyed the small look of fear that entered Garrett's eyes. "Now fuck off and stay the hell away from her. And tell Hodgkins to do the same."

Sirius shoved Garrett back, who stumbled slightly. He recovered, straightened his clothes and sneered at Sirius. He mumbled something that Sirius didn't catch, before he turned and walked away. Sirius watched him go.

"Sirius." Gemma's hand appeared on his arm and he turned to her. She looked pissed, and he wondered if that was directed at him or Garrett.

Gemma stared up at Sirius in disbelief. What the hell had just happened? One minute she had been quietly reading her favourite Auror book, then she had been interrupted by Garrett, and while the story he had been telling was quite funny, she had really just wanted to return to her book; but then Sirius had turned up and had been pushing Garrett away and talking about some bet. A bet that apparently involved her.

"Sirius, what the hell was that?"

"I don't like him." Sirius gave nothing away which infuriated her more.

"Well I can see that. But what did you mean when you mentioned a bet?"

He sighed. "Garrett and Hodgkins made a bet over who could kiss you first." Gemma frowned. Well, she wouldn't have kissed either of them. "Hodgkins bet he'd kiss you before the final Hogsmeade trip, but Garrett bet he could kiss you before the Quidditch final. So you need to stay away from them, Gem. Although they should be staying away from you now anyway."

Gemma took a deep breath, processing the news that she was part of a bet. Part of her didn't care much, mostly because she knew she never would have kissed them, but then she thought about what it would have been like if she had wanted to kiss one of them. If Ivan, for example, had only kissed her as part of a bet. That would have been humiliating. And hurtful.

"Bastards." She looked up at Sirius. "Thank you. For defending me like that." She paused for a moment. "Although you could have just told me about the bet. I'd have just ignored them or served up my own form of payback."

Sirius chuckled. "I have no doubt. And I figured you wouldn't actually go near them; but then I heard you laughing and I wondered if Garrett had managed to charm you."

Gemma snorted. "Hardly. He was telling me a funny story, but he was only passing. If he'd have tried anything I'd have hit him with my book."

She waved the huge volume in the air and Sirius laughed. "That would certainly do some damage."

"Exactly. You don't want to get on my bad side."

Sirius grinned then winked. "Never."

She turned and packed her book back in her bag. "Since my quiet reading time has been disturbed, what are you up to?"

"I'm heading down to see James. Want to join me?" Sirius held out his arm, inviting her to take it.

She smiled and looped her hand through. "Yes please."

"Happy birthday!"

Gemma smiled at her friends as they piled onto her bed. It was finally April Twentieth, and Gemma was now seventeen. "Thanks girls."

"Presents!" Mary cried, thrusting a rectangle gift into Gemma's face.

Gemma smiled and took the present. "Thank you." She opened it up and laughed loudly when she saw the title of the book in front of her. Scandal and Seduction. "Merlin, Mary. What's this one about?"

Mary grinned. "Scandal and seduction of course. It's new out; I haven't read my copy yet but I figured you should start your own collection."

"Thank you, Mary." She flicked to the first page. She wanted to start reading it already. She always enjoyed the first few chapters where she was transported to a brand new world and the main characters were introduced.

"Here you go." Lily placed a similarly shaped gift in front of her. Gemma wondered if it would be another book, but it was much thinner.

"Thank you." She opened it up and revealed a beautiful silver photo frame with a picture of the four of them inside. The picture changed, moving from different shots they had taken over the years. "Oh wow, Lily. This is lovely. Thank you so much."

Mary leaned over and Gemma handed her the frame. She studied it as the photos changed. "It's beautiful."

Alice laughed and pointed to one of the pictures. "That was that day we went to Hogsmeade and got caught in that awful rain."

They all looked at the picture and Gemma smiled. "We had no idea we were about to get absolutely drenched."

"I wish I hadn't worn my favourite top that day." Mary said, clearly admiring herself in the picture. "It was never the same, even after we magically dried it."

Alice handed Gemma another gift. "Here you go, this is from me." She turned to Mary. "You got a new one though, didn't you?"

Mary nodded. "Yes, but it wasn't quite the same."

Gemma smiled as she opened her final gift which was long and slim. Really long, in fact. Longer than her wand. She frowned in confusion as she pulled out a beautiful and intricately carved wooden box. She loved it, but had absolutely no idea what it was. Gemma looked up at Alice who was chewing her lip.

"It's a box for your wand." Alice said nervously. "I know that sounds silly, but we found them in Morocco and I thought they were so beautiful, I had to pick one up for you. I've had mine hidden in my trunk all year as I didn't want to show it to you before your birthday." Alice stood up and grabbed hers out of her trunk. Gemma admired the different but equally beautiful pattern. "I know our wands don't really need a box because we keep them close by all the time but…"

"Alice." Gemma interrupted. She absolutely loved her gift and it was an incredibly useful and beautiful item. "I love it. It's so beautiful. And you know I'm rubbish at leaving my wand lying around; I've stepped on it five times just this week."

Alice laughed just as Lily and Mary reached over to pick up the two wand boxes and admire them. Then the two of them agreed to go down to the Great Hall to pick up some breakfast so they could all have breakfast in bed.

After Lily and Mary left, Gemma sat with Alice on her bed. "Thank you for my gift, Alice. It's really beautiful."

"I'm so glad you like it. I was really worried you'd think it was silly."

"Not at all. It's amazing."

Alice beamed. "So, how do you feel now you're seventeen?"

Gemma laughed. "Exactly the same as before."

"Seventeen sounds so much older though, doesn't it?"

"I suppose so. I'm legally an adult in the wizarding world, which is cool. Although I'll probably still be dependent on my parents for the next two or three years. I can do magic outside of school now though. Oh, and I can apparate. Or at least, I can learn to apparate."

"I wish they would teach us that as and when we turn seventeen, rather than making us all wait until we're in seventh year."

"That would be fun, but I guess it's easier for them this way. Didn't they try it a few years back and half the year lost parts of their bodies because no one was teaching them properly?"

"Yes!" Alice cried, her hand flying to her mouth to stop laughing. "It was about ten years ago. Apparently one boy lost his… you know." They both burst out laughing. When they finally calmed, Alice grinned at Gemma. "Speaking of boys; you're still getting a lot of attention. Anyone caught your eye?"

Gemma sighed. The simple answer was 'no', because she hadn't been interested in any of the boys who had started talking to her over the last couple of months. And she didn't have the energy to even try and get to know them.

As for the more complicated answer… well, Gemma didn't want to discuss that with Alice. She didn't want to admit that her feelings for Sirius were confusing and constantly changing.

Most days it was so obvious that they were just friends that Gemma would question her own sanity for ever thinking otherwise. But then, other days he would look at her differently; touch her differently; say something that made her insides warm. Those were the days when she wondered if she wanted more. And when she wondered that, she wondered what that really meant. Did she want a relationship with Sirius?

Tired of always stumbling over her own thoughts – and aware that she needed to answer Alice – Gemma pulled herself back into the room. "No. I'm not sure any of the guys approaching me actually want to get to know me, and even though I want what you have, I don't think I have the energy to try. Is that awful?"

"Not at all." Alice reached up and tucked a piece of Gemma's hair behind her ear. "I'm incredibly lucky that I took one chance and he turned out to be everything I could ever wish for. But look at Mary; she puts herself out there all the time and she still hasn't found anyone." Alice frowned. "Probably because Hogwarts is mostly full of idiot teenagers. But my point is, you don't have to force it, Gemma. One day, you'll meet a boy who you instantly click with. He'll make you happy; make you laugh; make you feel special. You'll find him unbearably attractive and compare every other guy to him. And you'll wonder how you could ever spend a moment of your life without him."

Gemma stared at her friend. She had known that Alice loved Frank but she hadn't quite realised how much. "Wow, Alice."

Alice blushed. "I know. Merlin, Gemma, sometimes it scares me how hard I've fallen."

"Well, Frank has fallen just as hard."

"I hope so."

Before Gemma could reassure Alice, the door opened and Mary and Lily walked in. They carried in baskets of fruit and pastries and Gemma's stomach rumbled in anticipation. This was a good start to her birthday.

Sirius sat with James in the common room and watched the girls play card games. It was Gemma's birthday and she seemed to be having a nice evening. She started laughing at something Lily had said, and he smiled as she kept on laughing. Whatever it had been had obviously been hilarious; all four of the girls had tears in their eyes and looked unable to breathe through the laughter. Sirius and James both started to chuckle.

"What are you two laughing about?"

Sirius looked up to see Remus and Peter standing in front of them. James pointed to the girls. "Them. Look at them. No idea what they're laughing about though."

Sirius noticed that Remus and Peter both gave the girls a quick glance, but didn't seem to find it funny. Sirius frowned. "What's up with you two?"

Remus nodded his head towards the stairs to their dorm. "Let's talk upstairs."

They all headed upstairs where Remus pulled out their map from his pocket. He cast the charm to reveal its contents, then pointed to a spot on the map. Sirius and James leaned in.

Sirius frowned when he read the three names hanging around in a corridor not far from Gryffindor Tower. One was his brother, but the other two… "Lestrange and Avery?" Sirius looked up at his friends. "What the hell are they doing out and about? They're supposed to be in detention for the rest of the year." After what they had done to Gemma, it was the least they deserved. "Where's Slughorn?"

"We questioned that too." Remus opened the map further and pointed to the Dungeons and Slughorn's office. "Slughorn is in his office, but with Smethyck and Garth."

"So we decided to check it out." Peter said. "We walked the corridor and saw Regulus, but he wasn't with Lestrange and Avery. He was with Smethyck and Garth."

Sirius stared at the map in confusion. "That doesn't make sense. The map is never wrong."

"How can it be showing them in the wrong place?" James asked. "Unless…"

He trailed off but Remus nodded his head. "Unless they're not really in the wrong place. They just look like they are."

"Fuck!" Everything clicked into place for Sirius. "Polyjuice Potion. They're using Polyjuice Potion to wander the halls undetected."

"And whoever they use is then posing as them in detention." Remus added. "It's actually quite clever if you think about it, but it potentially creates a problem."

Sirius sat down heavily on his bed. "It definitely creates a problem. I have no doubt they'll come after Gemma again."

"We think they've only just started doing it." Peter added. "I know for certain I saw Lestrange and Avery in detention last week. And Remus thinks he saw them there the other day."

Remus nodded as James jumped in. "I saw them there last week. And Polyjuice Potion takes a while to make. At least we're on to them now; we can keep an eye on them."

"And keep an eye on Gemma." Sirius added.

"You really think she's still in danger?" James asked. "Even with Mulciber gone?"

Sirius scoffed. "Just because Mulciber is gone doesn't mean he isn't pulling the strings. Plus, Lestrange and Avery have had all their rights taken away. No chance they aren't pissed about that and no chance they don't blame Gemma."

James nodded and Remus folded up the map. He turned to Sirius. "You going to tell her?"

"Of course. She needs to know so she can watch her back." Sirius looked at the dorm door and thought about Gemma sitting down in the common room, enjoying her birthday. "But not tonight. I'll tell her tomorrow."

The others nodded and they agreed to stay up in their room. They sat on their beds and talked about everything and nothing, and Sirius allowed himself to be momentarily distracted.

The following morning, Sirius sat in the common room and waited for Gemma to come down. Eventually she did, looking tired after what he imagined had ended up being a late night.

He stood to greet her. "Good morning."

"Oh. Good morning, Sirius." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Fancy joining me for breakfast? I have something important to talk to you about?"

He almost laughed at the look of confusion on her face. "Sure. Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine. I just want to talk and I figured we'd both be happier doing it with a full stomach."

Gemma suddenly grinned at him. "You do know me well." She moved towards him and slotted her hand into the crook of his arm, like she had the other day after his altercation with Garrett. It made him smile. "Shall we?"

He nodded then led her out of the common room and down the corridor. He asked her questions about her birthday and laughed when she revealed the joke Lily had told which had made them all cry with laughter. As they entered the Great Hall, Sirius directed her to a couple of seats at the very end, away from other students. He wanted to make sure no one overheard.

Once seated, with plates piled high, Sirius looked up at her. "Lestrange and Avery have found a way to get out of detention."

Gemma narrowed her eyes. "How?"

Sirius explained their Polyjuice Potion theory based on what Remus and Peter had seen on the map. "So you need to be careful, Gem. Last night they were Smethyck and Garth, but we don't know how many Slytherins are involved."

Gemma nodded as she pushed a piece of tomato around her plate. Sirius smiled. She clearly didn't like tomato but never seemed willing to admit it. "Ok."

Sirius looked up at her. "That's it? 'Ok'?"

She laughed. "What do you want me to say?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I thought you'd have more of an opinion on it."

She put her fork down and leaned back. "It doesn't surprise me that they've found a way to get out of detention, but to be honest, I thought they'd do it sooner. And while I know they are probably still a threat, they haven't actually tried anything and they haven't even sent someone after me in their place. It makes me wonder if maybe they've just moved on."

Sirius didn't like Gemma's response. "I don't think they have, Gemma. They were near Gryffindor Tower last night. And they could be using Polyjuice Potion to be anyone. Plus, Smethyck and Garth are in our year; they might turn into them, join our class and…"

"…and what?" Gemma interrupted. "They're hardly going to attack me in the middle of a classroom with other students and a professor around." Sirius sat back in his seat, frustrated, just as Gemma leaned forward. "Sirius, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but I'm not going to spend the rest of the year hiding in my dorm. I'll keep my eyes open and I'll watch my back. I won't trust anyone from Slytherin, not that I do anyway, and I promise to be careful. Isn't that enough?"

He sighed. Yes, of course it was enough. But he hated that there was danger surrounding her. He hated that he could practically see the inevitable - her getting hurt – but could do nothing to stop it. He leaned back in. "Yes, it's enough. I just want you to be safe, Gem." He paused at his words. "Like I do all my friends."

She smiled at him again. "I know. You're a good friend, Sirius. You care about people." She laughed. "Well, some people." He laughed too before she continued. "But you're going to have to get past this overprotective nature of yours once we hit the real world. If I'm going to become an Auror, I can't have my friends worrying about my every move."

Sirius smiled but it felt forced. Merlin, she was right. He knew she was capable of taking care of herself, that she was one of the strongest witches in their year, but it didn't stop him from worrying. He couldn't understand it. There had been plenty of times in the past where he had been concerned for James or Remus or Peter, but his knowledge that they could handle anything thrown at them always won out. But with Gemma; no matter how many times he told himself that she was strong enough to handle anything heading her way, the part of him that worried for her safety always took over.

He kept his smile in place and reassured her that he wouldn't always be this way. Even though he didn't quite believe it himself.

The final weeks of April moved slowly, the highlight being the Quidditch final where Gryffindor were officially crowned champions. Gemma celebrated with her House and enjoyed the distraction from school work. Classes were getting repetitive as the school year started to draw to a close, and Gemma found herself itching to learn something new.

When May arrived, it was much of the same. The fifth years were taking their OWL examinations while seventh years were taking NEWTs. Being caught in the middle, the sixth years kept their heads down and did what they could to support their fellow students.

Frank was focused and feeling the pressure, which meant Alice was equally quiet. Gemma tried to distract her, but she knew her best friend was nervous. Frank's career was riding on his NEWT results – much like theirs would be the following year – and Gemma knew just how important becoming an Auror was to him.

Gemma hadn't encountered Avery or Lestrange since discovering their use of Polyjuice Potion to escape detention. Sirius had agreed to keep an eye on them each evening, and he confirmed that the map showed them both to be sitting in Slughorn's office. And, as Sirius had very firmly told her one evening when she had questioned it, the map didn't lie.