A/N: TRIGGER WARNING— non-graphic scene of kind of OD'ing?
It was another week of avoiding Sirius and reading every book she could on shapeshifting before it all went awry. Naturally, it was thanks to Ben.
"That's it," he announced one afternoon, startling Hallie and Asha from their work. "You two need to chill."
The girls exchanged confused looks.
"What are you talking about?"
"Asha, you need to stop writing the Charms essay. You've gone over it so many times and who cares if you get an E or an A anyway?"
Asha was horrified. "You think I might get an A?"
"And you. I didn't used to worry about you." He turned to Hallie in an accusatory manner. "I don't even know what the fuck you're been doing lately, but you need a break. You forgot to turn in your Potions homework, didn't you? It's like you guys have opposite problems now."
They both began to speak up defensively but Ben shut them down again.
"Some Hufflepuffs are having a party tonight and we're going. I don't want to hear any excuses. It's been way too long since we've gone out together and I'm sick of sitting here watching you guys just work."
"You could try doing some yourself," Asha muttered and Hallie exchanged eye rolls with her in solidarity. Ben ignored them.
"9:00 in the common room. If I have to drag you both out myself, so be it," he said firmly.
"Maybe he has a point," Hallie said, eyes closed as Asha expertly did her makeup that night. "We haven't done anything fun in a while."
"I've missed this." Hallie opened her eyes and the two exchanged fond smiles. "But," Asha continued, worried. "It's OWL year. I don't know if we're even meant to have time for fun."
"We'll be more productive later if we have some breaks," Hallie said gently. Asha had been working with almost manic energy all morning.
"I guess." They fell quiet for a contemplative moment. "Ok, close your eyes again. I need to finish blending your eyeshadow."
"How dressy are we going? Because I was thinking jeans with that white flowy tank. I don't know about shoes though."
"If we're actually going out, we're doing it right. No jeans," Asha said firmly. She went into her trunk and rummaged around for a bit before throwing a black skirt at Hallie. "Wear that with the black strapless top you have and my ankle boots with the heels. And I'll borrow your red dress."
She could definitely do an all black outfit; that was her sweet spot. The shoes were another problem.
"I'll just wear my trainers. Like a dressed down look that's comfy too."
"I can't be the only one in heels; you have to wear them. It'll tie together the whole outfit. And those shoes aren't painful at all, I swear!"
Hallie eyed her warily.
"Ok, but only because you promise."
Ben was pleased at their effort in coming out and they left the common room to head to the Hufflepuff rooms without alerting Filch or any patrolling prefects. Ben and Asha elected to have Hallie lead the way, both because she knew who was on patrol that night and which paths they took and also because she was less likely to get in trouble if they were caught.
Hallie threw an amused glance back at her friends, who hung back in fear of running into Filch. Cowards.
She turned the corner and twisted her ankle painfully.
"Stupid fucking heels," she hissed furiously, blinking the tears out of her eyes.
"Ok, so they hurt," Asha conceded. "But weren't they worth it for the outfit?"
Hallie shoved her lightly into the wall, Asha shoved Hallie back, and Ben was about to get between them until—
"Jameson?" someone said in a disbelieving whisper. She squinted but couldn't see who the shadowy figure was at the end of the corridor until he lit his wand.
"What are you doing out after curfew? It's not your patrol time." Sirius sounded genuinely concerned. Hypocrite. Behind him, James, Remus, Peter, Lily, and Marlene peered at them curiously. Lily kept sending frustrated glares towards all of them, but at James in particular. Marlene appeared highly entertained. The boys just gave her interested glances. The Marauders sneaking out was almost a given, but Lily and Marlene joining them was unexpected—particularly Lily, who was one of the most vocal prefects against their pranks.
"Worried I'm encroaching on your troublemaking territory?"
He snorted. "More like worried you'll get caught and my favorite prefect won't be able to help me anymore. No offense, Moony."
"None taken," Remus shrugged amiably.
"Didn't she give you detention?" Peter sounded bewildered.
"I didn't mean to!" she protested, feeling uncomfortable under their gazes. She realized with some surprise that she had never interacted with Sirius in front of others.
"Are you headed to the 'Puff Party?" James cut in. "We could go there together."
She exchanged looks with a wide-eyed Asha and Ben, who simply shrugged.
"That would be nice," Asha spoke up tentatively.
Hallie found herself grateful for James Potter's extroverted nature as they set off in one large group. Everyone was engrossed in a discussion over who had the best common room (Slytherin was a unanimous no given its location in the dungeons) so she was able to hang back in silence. She ended up next to Sirius, their arms brushing ever so slightly as they walked. He looked straight ahead, his expression relaxed but blank.
"Are you… ok?" she asked tentatively. He wasn't as talkative as he usually was. Was it because his friends were all there? Did he not want to be seen with her?
He gave her a side glance she couldn't quite decipher. "Are you ok? Last time I saw you, you were going to the hospital wing and were happy about it."
Oh, right. She'd forgotten about their last interaction in nervous anticipation of their next one. Hallie had planned to follow him next time during patrols to better observe his transformation. Once she had a better working theory, she would have brought it up to him within the week.
"Sorry." She blushed. Merlin, she probably looked like a crazy person to him. Though he could turn into a dog so he had no right to judge if that's what he really thought.
"No head injury though? I figured you wanted some space after I saw you…" he trailed off, sounding uncharacteristically uncertain.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "I just… I wanted to ask you something."
WHY did she just say that?
Sirius turned to look at her more fully now, with a raised eyebrow and gleaming smirk. "Yes?"
She hesitated, taken aback by his sudden odd confidence.
"Here!" James announced, once again saving Hallie from having to ask.
The Hufflepuff common room had people pouring in and out, the music so loud that Hallie couldn't believe she hadn't heard it earlier.
"Silencing Charm," Sirius confirmed. "We tried them in our own common room but their's seems stronger. What did you want to ask me again?"
Before she could think of what to say (she wasn't well-versed in asking someone if they were an Animagus but it seemed lacking in tact to do so in such a public setting), Asha latched onto her arm.
"Look, they have the Daisy Draughts, my favorite drink!"
Hallie was dragged through the crowds to the drink station until she lost sight of Sirius.
"Sorry, did I pull you too hard?" Asha said, unconcerned. "You looked kind of freaked out. Two Daisy Draughts please!"
Ben sidled up next to them, a drink already in hand. "His favorite prefect?" he asked quietly.
Hallie blushed. "I think he was just joking."
"Right."
Asha passed her a drink. "I think I see Emelia dancing. You two don't mind if I join her, do you?"
"Actually I think I'll join you too," Hallie said, hastily turning away from him.
Despite his needling, Hallie could admit Ben had a point. She'd missed being surrounded by her friends and yelling the lyrics to her favorite Weird Sisters song in the past few months of OWL and Sirius stress. She turned to Asha and exchanged a bright smile with her friend who appeared equally relieved to be out.
"Ooo, is that Georgie? I should say hi to her, I haven't seen her in a bit. Be right back!"
Hallie waved goodbye to Asha and turned back to Emilia and some of her other classmates in the hoard of people in the center of the Hufflepuff common room. She had lost sight of the Marauders early on but Lily's red hair caught her eye from the other side of the room. Lily was in a heated discussion with Marlene. Mindlessly dancing and singing along to 'Where My Witches At' with the crowd, Hallie followed Lily and Marlene's distressed gazes across the room to where James was comforting an ill Remus. Hallie had thought Remus looked a bit pale on their way over, but now he looked like he was about to pass out.
"Hallie!" Ben grabbed her shoulder and jerked her away from the scene.
"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing his grim expression.
"It's Asha."
Hallie followed him to one of the rooms branching off the common room that had a closed door. Asha lay on one of the couches, her usually tanned face drained of color. Hallie choked on a gasp and ran forward, checking her breathing.
"Someone found her and got me," Ben said grimly. "She's breathing but we need to get her to the hospital wing right now."
"The hospital wing?" Hallie looked at him disbelievingly. The hospital wing was on the far side of the castle. "That'll take way too long!"
"I can try to use some healing spells to hold her over on the way there?" he suggested. "I know it's not much, but we need to rush her there now."
"But we need something stronger to make sure it's safe to move her! Like a potion or, or something!"
"I know, but there's no way we can get that right now," Ben said, clearly frustrated. Hallie hesitated, looking down at Asha's limp body.
"Sirius," she said to herself. Then louder, "I need Sirius!"
"Are you out of your mind? This is not the time to think about Sirius fucking Black," Ben said disbelievingly.
"I'll be right back. Just… watch over her."
Hallie stumbled to her feet and ran back out into the main room. She pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring the dirty looks people gave her. She couldn't take too long, who knew how long Asha could remain passed out… Right when Hallie felt on the verge of tears, she caught sight of a head of shaggy dark hair. Sirius was lounging on one of the couches with a blonde girl pressed up against him and her legs thrown across his. He was faced away, laughing at a joke someone else made. She tilted her face up to his and Sirius turned his head to meet her and they were both leaning in—
"Sirius!"
He looked up, eyes meeting hers instantly. His eyebrows furrowed as he scanned her face.
"What?" the girl snapped.
"Sirius." Hallie swallowed, struggling to get the words out past the heavy lump in her throat. "I—it's, it's an emergency."
"We're kind of busy right now. Maybe you can find someone else." The blonde glared at her.
Sirius didn't even look down at her. "Sorry, Alicia, I have to go."
The girl's jaw dropped open but Sirius simply got up from the couch.
"What's wrong?" he demanded, throwing an arm around Hallie's shoulders and steering her through the crowd. "Why are you crying?"
Hallie swiped under her eyes, wincing at the dark smudge of makeup that came off on her hand.
"A-Asha," she said, speaking quickly so he wouldn't notice how her voice shook. "She just passed out and Ben and I don't know what's wrong."
"Damn. The Hospital Wing's all the way on the other side of the castle."
"We need a bezoar, I think. Just to stabilize her for now until we can move her. But we don't know where to get one so—"
"I'll take care of it," Sirius said firmly. "Where's Asha now?"
"In the room off by the bathrooms." Hallie looked at him nervously.
"I'll meet you there in a minute." And just like that he was gone, disappearing through the crowd.
Hallie stumbled back to where Asha was laying down and shut the door behind her.
"Where the hell were you?" Ben looked stressed. Never a good sign. "I have her under some stabilizing charms but that's not going to last long."
Before Hallie said anything, the door opened. Remus and Peter filed in. Remus immediately knelt down and checked her pulse and breathing.
Ben gave her an odd look. "You got the Marauders?"
"We needed to get a bezoar. Who else do you know that could break into the potions room?"
He tilted his head to concede her point. "Bezoar, good idea," he muttered. They watched Remus silently cast some spells, occasionally asking Peter for some help. Hallie silently reached out for Ben's hand and he grasped it tightly.
"I can't be sure, but it looks like some of the reactions we've seen from people taking Energizing Elixirs and drinking right after," Remus said grimly.
"Energizing Elixir…" She bit her lip, trying to force back tears. "Ben, I had some in my bag when I confiscated it and I forgot to give it to McGonagall. You don't think she…?"
Ben grimaced. "I saw her going in your bag for a quill this morning. She might have seen it there."
Sirius and Jame burst in the room, Sirius with a faded piece of parchment and James triumphantly holding out a grey stone.
"Here you go, mate," James handed Remus the bezoar, flushed and out of breath. He caught Hallie's eye and gave her and Ben both a comforting smile while Peter patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Remus knows what he's doing when it comes to healing spells."
Remus stood up and sighed. "She's taken the bezoar. With any luck, we should be able to take her to the hospital wing without much trouble."
"What if we run into any professors on the way there?" Peter asked, nervously.
"Wormtail, mate, we kind of want to find the professors this time," Sirius said dryly.
"Oh, right." He turned red.
Ben and Remus magically levitated Asha off the couch and Peter went ahead of them to clear a path to the Hufflepuff entrance without attracting suspicion. While James consulted the old parchment (it looked suspiciously familiar to Hallie, though she couldn't quite place it) to lead them through the hallways, Sirius put a hand on her back.
"She'll be ok," he said quietly. "We'll get her there in plenty of time. All the students who've taken the Energizing Elixir have been healed."
Not trusting herself to say anything without crying, Hallie simply nodded tightly.
At long last, they finally reached the doors of the hospital wing. From there, it was all a bit of a blur. The Marauders gently steered Hallie and Ben towards some chairs while they lifted Asha into one of the beds and updated Pomfrey on what happened.
Hallie and Ben just sat silently and watched Pomfrey alert Slughorn and McGonagall to help her and run around giving Asha various potions.
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Ben finally spoke up hoarsely. "But I'm glad you called them to help."
"Me too." Hallie couldn't imagine figuring out how to get Asha to the hospital wing, much less explaining to the professors. The four Marauders had kindly stepped in to do all the work for them.
After a while (Hallie didn't know if it had been five minutes or an hour), Professor McGonagall peered over her spectacles at Hallie and Ben huddled in the corner and then at the Marauders who were crowding the professors and Pomfrey to see what they were doing with Asha.
"We have done all we can Ms. Chaudhari tonight. The six of you have been tremendously helpful to your friend, but it is time to let her rest." Upon seeing Hallie and Ben exchange hesitant looks, McGonagall was quick to reassure them in a softer tone that Asha would be fine. "You should be able to see her later this week. Now, I believe some of you need to rest yourselves after what has been an emotional night, no?"
Her sharp eyes peered directly at Hallie. She had been worried for weeks over what had been going on with Sirius and now that Asha was hurt, she was just overwhelmed. Hallie opened her mouth to thank Professor McGonagall, but what came out was a sob. Ben wearily rubbed her back and Sirius came over to wrap his arms around her and tuck her in his shoulder.
"Potter, Lupin, Black, Pettigrew—you four can walk Jameson and Reynolds back to the Ravenclaw dorms. I'm sure I don't need to tell the four of you that you need to go straight back to your own rooms after." Her tone turned sarcastic, and the four boys appeared slightly amused, Peter the only one even a bit sheepish.
"Come on," Sirius muttered in her ear, helping her up. "You'll be able to sleep soon."
Their odd group of six meandered out of the hospital wing. James, Remus, and Peter all quietly talked to Ben, with James enthusiastically showing him the strange parchment he had been using all night. Hallie and Sirius followed them from a few feet back. She shuffled her feet along mechanically, not looking up. Her heavy cry in the hospital wing had left her feeling a tiny bit better but she was still exhausted. Not just physically, but of avoiding Sirius.
"It's not your fault, you know." Sirius kept his arm around her shoulders and was probably holding her up a bit too. "She'll be well in no time—"
"I know you're a dog," she blurted out.