Chapter 22: Lay It All On Me

Gemma stared at the letter in her hand and sighed. Again. It had been over a week since she had received it and she still couldn't quite process the situation. Her dad was having to go to America as part of his investigation into the poisoning case, and her mum was going with him. Gemma would be alone for Christmas. Stuck at Hogwarts.

Throwing herself back on her bed, Gemma stared at the ceiling and tried to pull herself out of her melancholy. She was being selfish; students were at risk – two of her friends included – and so the work her parents were doing was vitally important to removing that threat. And as a future Auror, she supported their decision. But as a seventeen year old girl who loved Christmas; she was sad. Disappointed. Frustrated.

She sighed again. Maybe Christmas at Hogwarts wouldn't be the worst; she'd be able to catch up on her assignments, get ahead on learning some new spells and charms, and maybe even read a few new books. But she would be lonely. Very few students stayed behind at Christmas and Gemma wasn't sure if anyone else from Gryffindor – from any year – would be around. Merlin, she might find herself the sole occupant of the entire Gryffindor Tower.

She chuckled slightly at the thought. Maybe she could pretend she owned the castle; that her dreams of becoming a successful Auror had come true and she was able to afford a magnificent home with hundreds of hidden rooms and corridors and passageways. Maybe she could ask Sirius if she could borrow the map – Merlin, maybe even the cloak from James – and use her free time to explore the depths of the castle. Maybe she could actually make her ten days of loneliness fun.

Gemma sat up as she heard the sounds of her friends climbing the stairs towards the dorm. It was mid-December and classes were winding down in preparation for the festive season. The girls had all wanted to go for a walk in the snow, but Gemma had declined. A clear sign she was feeling sorry for herself, as she loved the snow.

The door opened with all three girls stepping inside and giggling at something. Gemma smiled up at them. They had each offered to stay with her during the holidays multiple times, but she had declined them all. As much as it had warmed her heart that they would sacrifice their Christmas breaks for her, she didn't want them to miss out on anything. She couldn't be that selfish.

Lily had plans to visit with James and his family, given they were now an official couple and moving at quite a pace. In the weeks since their first date, James had repeatedly found opportunities to get Lily alone and Gemma knew her friend was not complaining. Lily going to meet James's parents was a big step, and they all suspected the holidays would be the perfect time for them to declare their feelings for each other.

Frank was allowed to return home for one day – Christmas Day – and so Alice and her family were planning to spend the time with the Longbottoms. Alice wasn't sure how well that would go down, but all she really cared about was seeing Frank. And there was no way Gemma would let her best friend miss out on that special moment.

Mary didn't have any important or special plans, but Gemma couldn't let her stay. The person responsible for poisoning Mary, twice, was still unknown, and Gemma knew Mary was looking forward to getting home and not having to be careful over what she ate and drank. It was clear to them all that Mary wasn't eating and drinking normally, and their already slim friend had lost weight over the last few weeks. It was a constant worry.

"I'm being serious!" Mary laughed. "Filch was literally chasing them down the corridor, waving the broomstick at them."

Lily and Alice both chuckled in disbelief at whatever story Mary was sharing. Gemma was intrigued, but Lily caught her eye and went over to her immediately. "Gemma, how are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, thanks."

"You still feeling sorry for yourself?" Alice asked, nudging her side and grinning at her. Gemma couldn't help but laugh. Her best friend knew she was wallowing and called her out on it; as any best friend would.

"Shut up." Gemma smiled at her friends. "Let me have one more day, then I promise to be more positive."

"Half a day, or I'm dragging you outside and burying you in the snow."

Gemma rolled her eyes as she laughed at Alice's threat. "Fine."

The girls started moving around the room, unwrapping themselves from their many layers and talking about settling downstairs with hot chocolates and a game of cards. Gemma smiled. That sounded like the perfect way to spend an afternoon, and would definitely distract her from her unhappy thoughts. Offering to get the fire started and the chocolate warming, Gemma made her way downstairs.

Sirius watched as Gemma shuffled around the common room, setting a fire and warming some chocolate while she dragged a table and some chairs together. She looked happier, giving other students warm smiles as she moved around the room, but Sirius could still see the sadness in her eyes.

Ever since she had learned she'd be spending Christmas at Hogwarts, alone, she had looked set to burst into tears. She hadn't of course; she'd pulled herself up and carried on as normal, but Sirius could tell it was getting to her. She'd never admit it, but Gemma needed her family and friends. Sure, she was independent and appreciated her own space, but she liked being around people. Her people. The people she trusted and cared for and chose to be near. Being alone at Christmas truly sucked.

For her. For Sirius, being alone was something he was used to. He'd never had the fun, family-filled Christmas celebrations some of his friends had, with the previous year at James's being the one and only time he'd actually enjoyed the season.

The other girls joined Gemma and he watched them from afar. And he knew James was now watching Lily, too. In fact, he was surprised James hadn't leapt up and joined them, just so he could be close to his new girlfriend.

Gemma laughed at something and Sirius's balls tightened. He loved that sound. Especially when it was him causing it; when he tickled her waist or the back of her knee or the inside of her thigh. Merlin's Beard. How long had it been since they'd done anything remotely sexual? Too long.

After their time together in the shack had been interrupted, Sirius had only managed to get Gemma alone a couple more times and only long enough for them to repeat some of what they'd already done. He wasn't complaining; he'd bring Gemma to completion using his fingers any day of the week, but damn he wanted more. He wanted to kiss her, lick her, taste her. He wanted to bury his cock in her and finally, finally know what it felt like to have sex.

But school work and their investigation into the poisoning had limited their time together. If they weren't in class, they were writing assignments, and if they weren't writing assignments, they were following different students around, trying to identify a lead. But so far; nothing. Fortunately, there had been no further attacks, but according to Dumbledore and George Arwin, they were no closer to finding a link between Florey and Hogwarts. It was frustrating.

Sirius sighed as he continued to watch Gemma with her friends. She smiled and laughed and seemed to have genuine moments of happiness, but her eyes told a different story. The urge to remove that sadness was strong, and Sirius fought back on it. Sure Gemma was a friend, but she was practically an adult and she didn't need him fighting her battles for her. And what could he truly do to help anyway? Have her stay with him at the Potters'? Or offer to stay at Hogwarts?

Sirius paused for a moment… then he leaned forward and caught James's attention. "I'm staying here. For Christmas."

James looked confused. "Huh?"

"I'm staying here for Christmas. At Hogwarts." He glanced over at Gemma and knew he was making the right decision. "With Gemma. You know, keep her company."

James stared at him for a moment before a knowing grin slid across his face. "Of course. You'd know just the right way to 'keep her company'."

Sirius rolled his eyes but chuckled all the same. He'd be lying if that didn't factor into it. Ten days alone with Gemma. They could do anything – everything – they'd ever wanted and never once be interrupted. The fact that he'd be removing some of the sadness from Gemma's eyes was an extra bonus. "I won't stay if you don't want me to. But she's miserable. And it's not like you'll be completely alone. Isn't Lily planning on spending half the holidays with you?"

James grinned. "Yep. And with you out of the way, maybe I can convince her to stay over. You know, save on the travel back and forth."

Sirius laughed. "Thanks for mourning the loss of my company so thoroughly. My bed isn't even cold."

James laughed loudly in response. "She won't be going anywhere near your bed!" They both chuckled, then sobered. James smiled at him. "I understand why you want to stay for Gemma. I was surprised none of the girls were, but it sounds like Gemma drew a hard line with them. She might push back on you too."

Sirius had heard the same thing; that the girls had all offered and Gemma had told them no. He wasn't surprised. She might be unhappy about it, but she'd never want to put her problems on others. He smiled at James. "I won't tell her I'm staying. I'll pretend to pack, head off with you guys, then sneak back in." The more he spoke the more he liked the plan. If he managed to surprise her – scare her even – she'd be so pissed at him. He laughed to himself. An annoyed Gemma was always fun to deal with, especially as he could think of a few enjoyable ways to redirect that energy.

A couple of days later, Gemma hugged her friends one last time and waved goodbye from the door to Gryffindor Tower. She had contemplated walking with them all the way down to the station, but the weather was cold, wet and windy. Her plan to settle on the sofa with a good book in hand was definitely a better idea. She glanced around the common room; as expected, hardly any students had stayed behind. Apparently there were a few from some of the other houses, but from Gryffindor only three third years and two first years had stayed. All five of those students were elsewhere, thank Merlin. Hopefully a sign they would be staying out of her way.

Gemma grabbed her Auror book – she'd search the library at a later date for some new books – and settled on to the sofa. Minutes ticked by quickly as she immersed herself in the past and read through dangerous wars, heroic saves and impressive records. She made a mental note of a spell referenced in the book which she hadn't heard of before. She smiled to herself. Every time she read the book she discovered something new.

The hairs on the back of her neck lifted just as a creak sounded behind her. Gemma turned, her eyes moving quickly around the common room. There was no one there.

Shaking herself for being foolish, she turned back to her book, but struggled to concentrate. Despite not hearing any further sounds, Gemma was certain someone was watching her. Maybe through a crack in the door? Maybe through a hole in the wall, or through one of the paintings?

Acting as calmly as she could, Gemma leaned forward and placed her book on the table. As she did so, another small creak filled the space, and Gemma sensed movement to her right. She grabbed her wand and blasted red sparks in the general direction of the noise, hoping she could startle whatever or whoever it was into revealing itself. It worked.

"Fuck!" Sirius appeared before her as he threw the invisibility cloak to the ground and shook out his hand. "Merlin, Gem. A little further over and you'd have hit my dick."

Gemma glared at him, surprised and shocked that he was still at the castle and in the common room with her, but also annoyed that he had been sneaking up on her. Bastard. She smiled sweetly at him, then aimed directly for his penis. He jumped out of the way, then pulled his own wand. Gemma couldn't help but laugh, before she attacked again.

This time Sirius was prepared. He deflected her blasts of red sparks before delivering his own. They laughed and duelled as they moved around the room, Sirius slowly closing the gap between them. A shiver of excitement raced through her as she realised he was stalking her. And she couldn't wait to find out what would happen when he caught her.

As if reading her mind, Sirius lunged and wrapped his arm tight around her waist, lifting her in the air. Gemma squealed as he pulled her backwards with him, then fell down with her onto the sofa in a tangle of limbs. His hands moved to her waist and tickled her frantically as Gemma tried to pull away, laughing so hard she almost cried. "Stop! Please stop!"

Slowly Sirius stopped tickling her but left his hands on her body. Breathing hard she looked up at him and realised their positions. Sirius was on top of her, one strong thigh pressed between her legs and his hands resting firmly against her waist, his fingertips brushing under the curve of her breasts. A shiver ran through her.

"What are you doing here, Sirius?" She sounded breathless, and she knew it wasn't just down to running around the room. "Did you miss the train or something?"

Sirius shook his head and smiled at her. "Nope. I was never leaving. I decided to stay here for Christmas, with you."

Gemma frowned, confused. "Why?"

"Because you didn't want to be alone and I had no other plans except eating all of James's food and getting in the way of his time with Lily. Besides…" Sirius grazed the underside of her breast with his thumb as he smiled down at her. "…now we have the whole of Gryffindor Tower to ourselves and I can finally do this."

Before Gemma could take another breath, Sirius was kissing her. Hard. Deep. She moaned into his mouth and opened for him, spearing her fingers through his hair as he explored her mouth with his tongue. His hands gripped her tightly as he rocked his thigh against her core and Gemma shuddered at the sensation. She was hot, wet, aching.

"Sirius." She moaned as his lips made their way to her neck and he nibbled the soft, sensitive skin. Acutely aware of where they were – despite there only being five other students who could possibly walk in on them – Gemma pushed him away slightly. "Not here. Upstairs. My dorm."

Merlin, what was she saying?

Sirius pulled back, a wolfish grin on his face. "I thought you'd never ask."

Standing quickly, Sirius grabbed Gemma's hand and tugged her to her feet. He quickly grabbed James's cloak, before taking her hand again and dragging her towards the stairs. He took them two at a time, and Gemma had to run to keep up with him, her heart racing at what was to come. Instead of heading to her dorm though, Sirius opened his own door and pulled her inside.

She'd barely made it through before Sirius closed the door and pushed her up against it, kissing her hard and fast as his hands roamed her body. Gemma was excited, breathless, nervous. Sirius was a man on a mission, and she was his destination.

"Tell me you want this." He growled as his hands sought the skin under her jumper. "Tell me you want to go all the way, Gemma. Tell me you want to have sex with me."

"I want this." She didn't hesitate. She was nervous, but she knew what she wanted. "I want you, Sirius. I want to have sex with you."

"Fuck." In a few quick moves, Gemma saw her jumper fly over her head and thrown to the side, followed swiftly by her bra. Somehow Sirius had removed his own jumper at the same time, because suddenly his firm, bare chest was pressed against her, crushing her breasts between them. Her nipples tightened into hard points as his hands ran down her back and roughly grabbed the cheeks of her arse over her jeans. He pulled her towards him and kissed her hard.

Gemma ran her hands up his arms, his biceps, over his shoulders. Merlin, she liked his arms. Strong, powerful, capable. She moved her hands to his waist, then ran her fingers against the seam of his jeans. She wanted them off. She wanted him naked. Her fingers fumbled as she tried to undo the button of his jeans, and she suddenly realised she was shaking. Damn. She needed to not be so nervous.

Sirius pulled back from her and she almost whimpered at the loss of his touch. But the gleam in his eye told her they were far from over. Sirius kicked off his shoes as he slowly undid the button and zipper on his jeans, and Gemma held her breath as she waited for him to reveal himself. Slowly – so fucking slowly – he lowered his jeans, then his boxers, and stepped out of them, kicking the clothing away so he stood tall and proud in front of her.

And Merlin, did he have a reason to stand tall and proud. Gemma had seen Sirius's cock before –even stroked it a couple of times – but still, it somehow seemed larger, thicker, harder. Merlin, would it fit?

"Gem."

Gemma raised her gaze to Sirius and saw concern in his eyes. She shook herself for creating doubt between them. Of course he would fit, and it wasn't like he was going to just shove it in without any care for her. Besides, she was so wet right now that they'd probably have no issues even if he did.

She stepped forward and reached for her own jeans. "I'm ok. I was just taking you in." She threw him a smile she hoped was sexy. "And there's a lot of you to take in."

Sirius's eyes flared at her comment and she fought the wave of heat to her cheeks. She was trying to be bold and sexy, so blushing like the inexperienced young woman she was would not do. Gemma focused on the task at hand; she toed off her pumps and removed her jeans and underwear.

She heard Sirius's low growl as she kicked away the last of her clothing, and even as she resisted the urge to cover her body, she couldn't anyway. Sirius was back in front of her, his arms around her and his lips crashing over hers. Gemma melted into him, all her nerves washing away as she relaxed into the safety of his arms.

She barely noticed him moving her backwards. Or the sudden tilt as she landed on her back, on top of a soft mattress. All she felt was Sirius, surrounding her, on top of her, pressing into her. Her legs opened as his hips settled against her core, and she felt the heavy weight of his cock against her stomach.

Sirius kissed down her throat, over her collarbone to her breasts. He nipped them both lightly, but didn't stop. Instead he travelled further down, over her waist and hip bone. Gemma's breath caught in her throat as she realised his destination. Merlin, she hadn't expected him to do that. Not yet, anyway.

"I've wanted to do this for so long." Sirius forced her legs wider apart with his broad shoulders as his lips kissed along the crease between hip and thigh. The sensation was overwhelming and Gemma gripped the sheet under her hands tightly. Sirius kissed the inside of one thigh. "I've never done this before though." He kissed the inside of the other thigh. "So you'll need to tell me…" His fingers brushed against her curls and she could feel his breath over her mons. "…if you enjoy it or not."

Gemma cried out at the first swipe of his tongue. The feeling was beyond anything she'd ever experienced and her body shook as he continued to lick into her. She was close already. Flicking his tongue higher, Sirius grazed her clit and the sensation made her jolt. She wanted that. Wanted more. He did it again; grazing her clit but not giving her enough and Gemma whimpered. She didn't want to beg, but Merlin she would. She was so damn close.

"Please, Sirius." He grazed her clit again and pulled back. "Please!" He chuckled slightly and the vibrations added to her pleasure. Then he licked up her slit one more time, before circling and sucking on her clit.

It was too much. Gemma gripped the bed sheets and screamed her release, her whole body arching and shaking under the intense pleasure. As she rode out her orgasm, Sirius placed small kisses all around her mons, the insides of her thighs, down to the sensitive spot behind her knees. Her body went limp.

"I'd say you enjoyed that."

Gemma slowly opened her eyes to see Sirius leaning over her, a knowing smile on his face. His lips glistened with her moisture and she was tempted to kiss him again. That had been the best orgasm she'd ever had. Merlin, would it always keep getting better and better?

She laughed at his comment and reached for him. "Yes. That was fucking amazing Sirius. Are you sure that was your first time?"

He chuckled and laid down next to her, his head resting on his hand. "You're very responsive. Every time your breath hitched I knew I'd done something you liked. So I just kept going with that."

"Well, thank you." She paused for a moment, looking down at their bodies and his hard, jutting penis. "Would you like me to… return the favour?" She swallowed heavily. The thought of having Sirius's entire cock in her mouth made her pulse quicken and her throat dry.

"Maybe one day." Sirius moved over her and placed himself on his knees between her legs. "For now, I like our original plan."

Gemma smiled and nodded. "Me too."

He leaned over her to reach into his bedside cabinet and pulled out a condom. Gemma smiled. She liked that he was being considerate. She knew the boys of Hogwarts were all given condoms in sixth year, just as the girls were given a small tincture to take after sex as a preventative. Despite the wizarding community being more traditional in their views, such as no sex before marriage, Hogwarts – well, Pomfrey - hadn't wanted to take the risk. So, she had volunteered to run awkward sex-education classes and had provided the students with everything they needed to have safe sex.

Watching Sirius roll on the condom drew Gemma out of her thoughts. There was something incredibly sexy about him stroking his own cock. He caught her eye and smiled at her. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Ready."

"Apparently it will hurt, but I'll be as gentle as I can. I promise."

"It's ok. Alice told me what to expect."

Sirius lined himself up with her core and pushed forward, slipping through her folds. Gemma tensed at the first sign of intrusion, but forced herself to relax. Sirius leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, as he rolled back, then pushed forward again, this time entering her further. He repeated the motion, until eventually he hit her barrier and pushed forward with more force.

A tight pinch tore through her core and Gemma gripped Sirius's back, her nails digging into his skin as he seated himself fully inside her. She breathed deeply, waiting for the uncomfortable sensation to ease. It didn't hurt, but her body was stretched in a way it never had been before.

"Fuck." Sirius was holding himself still above her, his arms shaking slightly. "You feel so fucking amazing. Fuck. You're so fucking tight." Gemma smiled at his comment and the amazement in his tone. She'd forgotten this was his first time too. "Are you ok, Gem?"

Gemma needed him to move. She tilted her hips upwards slightly and they both let out a moan. She smiled. "I'm good. Great. But I want more." She tilted her hips again.

Sirius growled and kissed her hard. "Me too."

And with that, he started to move. Sirius pulled back from her before gently thrusting back in. His movements were slow and careful, and Gemma arched herself into him, meeting him thrust for thrust, trying to feel more.

As if sensing her need, Sirius picked up his pace. Harder and faster he thrust in and out and Gemma tried to keep up. Her nails scored his shoulders and back as she panted beneath him, lifting her hips, trying to get extra friction against her clit, trying to reach that high. Sirius shifted above her and moved one hand down to where their bodies joined. Without slowing, he placed his thumb over her clit and rubbed in a tight circle as his hips continued to pump into her.

His mouth found her breast and his lips wrapped around her hardened peak, sucking deeply. The combination of his lips on her nipple, his thumb on her clit and his cock thrusting inside her, Gemma shattered. A million tiny pulses of pleasure broke over her body as she came hard, crying out Sirius's name.

One, two, three more thrusts and Sirius held himself firmly inside her, the shout of his own release echoing around the room.

Sirius could barely breathe.

Merlin's Beard. That had been the most extraordinary moment of his entire life. He'd never come so hard. Never felt anything so incredible as his cock being buried deep inside a tight, wet, hot pussy. Gemma had gripped him like a fist. And she'd milked him for all he was worth.

Realising he was close to collapsing from exhaustion and would likely crush her, Sirius reluctantly pulled himself from her. He heard a small whimper from her lips and he looked down at her. Her face had creased in pain and he scolded himself for not taking more care with her. Just because it was both their first times, didn't mean the experience would be the same for them. After all, Gemma was the one who had to accommodate him.

"I'm sorry." He said, standing on shaky legs and pulling off the condom. "I should have been more careful."

Gemma sat up on her elbows and smiled at him. "I'm fine. Just a small twinge when you pulled out. I think I'll be sore for a little while."

He frowned at her. "Shit. Sorry, Gem."

"Don't be!" She sat up further and reached for him. He joined her back on the bed. "It's a good sore. Those muscles have never been used before. I expected this. And I don't regret a single thing." She looked down, a small crease in her forehead. "I really hope you don't either."

He reached for her and held her cheek in his palm, bringing her gaze back to his. "I regret nothing. I just wish it hadn't hurt you."

She smiled. "It was a small pinch and a little twinge at the end. That's all. The rest of it though..." She blushed and Sirius held back a grin. "…well, the rest of it was pretty amazing, Sirius."

He grinned then. "It really was."

Staying behind for Christmas at Hogwarts was the best decision he'd ever made. When he'd first snuck back into the common room and found her reading alone, he'd questioned whether she'd be happy to see him, and whether she'd be willing to go all the way. It had been so long since they'd done anything, his worries and doubt had crept in. But as soon as he had her in his arms; Merlin, no hesitation from her side. And he'd finally, finally been able to go down on her too. He could still taste her on his lips. Fuck, she'd been so sweet he'd wanted to lick her for hours and never let her up again.

"What are you thinking about?" Gemma tilted her head and was watching him carefully. He wondered if he should tell her the truth.

"Just thinking about how awesome it's been, finally getting you alone, naked and under me." He loved watching her blush at his comments. She seemed to like it when he talked dirty to her. "Also thinking about how I want to lick your pussy again and what other positions we could try."

Merlin, wasn't that the truth. All his dreams lately had featured Gemma; under him, above him, bent over, on her knees. His cock perked up at all those ideas.

Gemma brought her knees to her chest, effectively closing herself off from him. He frowned slightly. Had he said too much? She wrapped her arms around herself and gave him a small smile. "I like the idea of that, Sirius, but not today."

Ah. She was concerned he would pounce on her immediately and ask for round two. He placed his hand over hers. "I'm not expecting us to do anything else today. Or ever again, if you don't want to. But I'm staying here for Christmas which means we've got ten days to ourselves. So if you did want to have sex again, you only have to ask."

Gemma played with his hand as she smiled. "I can't believe you chose to give up your Christmas with James and his family. Although, I suppose you do get sex out of staying, which I imagine you wouldn't have gotten at James's."

Sirius laughed. "Nope. At best I'd have taken care of myself in the shower but even then I'd have been terrified Euphemia would have heard me!" They both laughed, then he sobered and stared at Gemma. He hesitated before telling her the truth. "Know that I would have stayed regardless of whether you wanted to have sex with me or not. You were sad, Gem, and I didn't want you to be alone."

For a moment she didn't say anything, but her eyes told him that she appreciated his decision. Eventually she cleared her throat, nodded once and mumbled her thanks. Sirius smiled. Gemma didn't like to admit she was anything but strong, so knowing he had seen her vulnerability would have affected her. He scoffed to himself. That sounded familiar.

After a few more quiet but comfortable moments, they both began to stand and dress. Sirius admired Gemma's backside as she crossed the room and picked up her underwear and jeans. He held back a groan. Forcing his fully erect cock into the confines of his own underwear and jeans, he threw his jumper back over his head just as Gemma pulled hers down.

"So." He said, slipping on his shoes. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

Gemma looked at the time. It was almost noon. "I might go grab an early lunch, then maybe find a new book from the library to read. Or work on some of my essays."

"Lunch sounds good. Mind if I join you?" Sirius didn't really know what he was going to do for ten days but he figured he'd find ways of entertaining himself. The top entertainment was standing in front of him, of course, but he could hardly keep Gemma tied to his bed the entire time. Although that thought did conjure an intriguing image. He shook himself. No, he needed to do other things during his time at the castle.

"Sure."

He followed her out of his dorm, listening to the sound of the wind and rain hammering against the windows. It was damn miserable outside. Shame, as he wouldn't have minded an afternoon flying around on his broomstick.

He caught Gemma's attention. "James mentioned he's been working with you on casting spells while you fly. If the weather picks up, maybe we could do some practice runs. I'm not as fast as James, but I'd happily chase you around and try and knock you off."

He grinned at her as she laughed. "Wow, thanks. Although, that would be useful. If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it."

He nodded his agreement and together they walked to the Great Hall to have an early lunch. There was barely anyone around; a handful of students plus Professor Hyde and Professor Slughorn. They ate slowly, getting distracted by their conversation of discussing plans for the next ten days, what their friends were likely getting up to and how Gemma's parents were getting on with the investigation. Full from overeating, Sirius happily walked Gemma to the library where she selected too many new books to carry alone, and they made their way back to the common room together. He grabbed her Auror book to read – he wanted to read more about her parents – while she picked another, and they settled in front of the fire.