Don't own anything recognisable from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Chapter 10.

Reconciliation.

They were in Dumbledore's office discussing what Pat had discovered.

Harry was sat between Pat and Sirius; he was perched on his chair in a tensed poise. Sirius was gripping Harry's hand looking intently at Pat. She was looking at Harry trying to help him to understand what she was saying.

Dumbledore was – as usual – leaning back on his chair listening to the situation. He had, however, run out of Lemon drops earlier that day, and had to content himself with a cherry lollipop he had found in the bottom of one of his drawers.

"Someone could be looking at us now?" Harry asked hesitantly. "They could know what we were saying?"

"Not here, Albus has placed a counter charm on this room. However, we can't place such a powerful charm everywhere, so they will be able to see you anywhere else." Pat answered his question sympathetically. "Harry, please try to understand that I am doing everything in my power to find out whoever is causing these accidents."

Harry looked at the floor; it wasn't enough that he had defeated Voldemort when he was a baby. He was in danger again.

"Harry, listen to me." Sirius spoke for the first time since the meeting started. "The whole place is full of people who will protect you. Pat, myself, Albus, we are just a few. However, if you don't help us, then we can't protect you."

Harry looked at Sirius. "What do you mean?" He asked, a crease appearing in his forehead as he frowned.

"I need you to promise me some things. Firstly, that you will not go anywhere alone. Secondly, that you won't use your cloak of invisibility, but that you will carry it around with you and use it when you are in danger. And thirdly, that you will not go off campus until we get things sorted. This means no Hogsmeade, and no trips to Hagrid's hut. Understand?" Sirius was deadly serious, his voice was low and menacing, but there was fear in his eyes.

"The teachers will not be informed of anything said in this room." Dumbledore leaned forwards in his chair. "You may tell Hermione and Ron as they will be the ones to look after you, that is if you want to. Anything of any importance, or relating to the bowl must be said in this room. I have cast a charm on it that repels the bowls power. Understand?"

Harry nodded.

They were leaving the room when Sirius caught Pat's elbow.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked. Making sure that Ron and Hermione had arrived to escort Harry. Nodding she headed in the direction of his classroom.

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

They reached his classroom in silence. It was dinnertime so the corridors were clear. Pat looked at his hand, still grasping her elbow. She shivered, but she wasn't cold.

As soon as they got through the door of the classroom she shook him off her, and walked away from him, creating as wide a gap as possible.

"Well…?" She asked impatiently. He had avoided her for ages now, and she wasn't in the mood for casual conversation.

He tossed her notebook on the desk in front of her.

"Where did you…?" Realisation dawned she must have dropped it when she ran into him. "Thankyou." She said politely.

He shrugged and she turned to go. She reached the door when another banging noise met her ears, and something hit her heels. Looking down she saw...

"My Diary?" She looked at him the unasked question in her eyes. He stood by his desk, his hands rammed in his pockets to stop himself from taking hold of her.

'He doesn't know the password.' She thought to herself and reached down to pick up the book.

"Cleopatra…"

The book registered it before her ears did, and snapped open to the first page. She straightened up swiftly, gasping as if she had been burnt.

"How did you…?" She looked at him suspiciously. He looked back, a blank expression in his eyes. "You read it." She said. It wasn't a question; it was a statement.

"Yes." He didn't bother to lie. "But not all of it… I was thinking about us and that night we had together." He took a couple of steps towards her, but seeing her stiffen, he stopped. "I only read that bit. I…" He hesitated. "I can't say I'm sorry for reading the diary."

She picked up the book and turned to open the door, disgusted with him.

"Wait. I want to say sorry for not trusting you though."

Pat paused, her hand still on the doorknob.

He laughed a bitter laugh. "I'm not very used to trusting people, I think I've told you that." He sighed.

"Is that why you ran out that morning?" She asked, tentatively. Still facing the door.

He looked at her back; she could feel his gaze going through her. "No… yes. I… well; I wasn't sure what you thought of me. I was… worried about what you thought of me." Her back stiffened with the emotion. "It's stupid I know. I'm sorry for everything."

She turned to face him, hope rising up through her despair. "You didn't have to read my diary to know my thoughts, you could have asked me." She smiled harshly. "You didn't even have to ask. I chased after you! I wanted to explain!"

"I know… I couldn't listen." He sighed running his fingers through his already ruffled hair. "How can I apologise?"

She smiled faintly. "Well, you have been an arrogant pigheaded fool."

He grinned back. "You missed out some other expletives!"

"Oh no! No I haven't. I've called you every name under the sun! I'm surprised your ears weren't burning!"

He walked slowly towards her, like she was prey and he was stalking her. "My ears, and well… every other body part I have were burning when I read your diary." He raked an eyebrow wolfishly.

" 'Adonis'?" He asked. " 'Love-god'? 'I hope its not the last'?"

She felt the heat rising in her stomach and flooded up her neck as his voice lowered seductively.

He reached out and caressed her neck and cheek where the blush was.

"I always wonder where else this is on your body." He stared fixatedly on her cheek where he was softly stroking her. "Do you know that I had to teach a whole class sitting down because I was thinking of you and couldn't get to a shower?"

He put his other hand on the door behind her blocking all escape. His other hand ran lower than her cheek, caressing her breast, and back up to her neck.

She put her hands on his chest, willing them to push him away, but she was powerless against him. "Sirius, we're in your classroom! …" She said, shocked by his actions. "And I haven't forgiven you yet." She added hastily.

He looked distractedly around at the clock. "It's six thirty. I don't have another class today." He turned back to face her, and started to nibble at her earlobe. "And I'm working on my apology."

"Sirius!" She gasped in pleasure, shots of electricity running up and down her body.

She heard the click of a lock, and his other arm went around her body cradling her back.

Her hands ran down his chest finding the hem of his jumper, finding their way back up underneath. Her fingers wound their way through his black curly chest hair.

"Have you forgiven me?" He murmured while nibbling gently.

"Sirius…" She groaned, she couldn't think straight.

"Have you?" He asked gently.

"God, yes okay, just carry on." She sighed contentedly.

He stopped nibbling. "Have you ever done it in a classroom before?" He teased.

"Don't be dim! You know that last night was my first night!" She bit his lower lip to punish him.

He smiled saucily at her. "Well… we may have to come here a couple more times, just so you can have something to compare it against! We'll start an experiment going, you can see where you prefer to …" His voice trailed off and he put his lips close to her ear, murmuring slowly. "We'll have to go to my room, your room, the shower…  is there anywhere else you fancy?"

She lifted her arms compliantly as he slid off her top. She rested her lips gently on his and murmured. "I'll think of somewhere later but for now, stop talking."

~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ ~ ~ ~

So they began a pattern, which became apparent to every person in Hogwarts.

During the day Sirius would teach History of Magic while Pat would continue with her case protecting Harry.

During the night they would smuggle themselves into a new and interesting place "purely for a comparative study" as Sirius would put it.

One Thursday night Sirius arrived in Pat's room.

She was sat on a chair looking intently at the door, when he had come through a moving wall in the shower.

He opened the bathroom door silently and crept up behind her. His arms outstretched ready to grab her around the waist.

"Are you waiting for someone special? Should I go?" He said as he grabbed her tummy and spun her off the chair.

She hit him around the head forcefully. "Who..?!?!" She yelled.

He set her down on her feet and rubbed his head, his face in a forced upset pout. "You only had to tell me to go!" He said, and shoulders slumped he headed back towards the bathroom.

"How did you get in?" She asked, pulling his shoulder so that he spun to face her.

 He had pursed his lips making kissing noises. "I knew you loved me!"

She mock hit him. "Don't be silly." She kissed him when the wounded look on his face appeared.

He grabbed her hand and winked at her. "This is how I got in!" He showed her the loose tile. "There's a passageway straight from my room to yours!"

She looked swiftly around the dark passageway. "Are these all around the castle?"

"Yes. I found them when I was a student here!" He looked at her closely. "Why? Is there somewhere you want to go?" He quirked his eyebrow suggestively.

"Well… I did miss dinner!" She said looking at his square in the face. He had the decency to blush. Earlier she had gone to see if they could walk to dinner together, when he had jumped on her.

"Okay! Lets go to the kitchens. I can incorporate food into the experiment!"

Several images of a chocolate covered Sirius flashed through her head.

"Cleopatra! Are you coming?" He had already gone through into the darkness and she couldn't see him.

"Sirius?" His face suddenly loomed close to hers.

"Coming? Or do I have to call you Cleo in front of everyone?"

He knew how much she hated her name, except from when he said it to her.

They went through many different passages and Pat found herself getting lost, relying completely on Sirius' warm hand that guided her.

"Do you know where we are?" She asked tentatively.

"Ummm… Kinda." He answered back. "We should turn this corner here and then take the middle of the three passages."

"Sirius!" She said, panicking when they turned the corner. "There are four passages!!"

He turned to her, a worried look in his eyes.

"Looks like we're lost." He said.

"LOST!!" The scream could have caused a million people to wake up. She grabbed hold of him tightly. "Sirius what do you mean Lost? You had better get me out of here…"

He grinned at her, putting his arms around the body that was pushed up close to him. "I like it when you play the damsel in distress!" He pushed the wall to the left of him and it slid away, revealing the kitchens.

"Sirius!" She growled warningly. He ignored her.

"What do you want? Sweet or savoury?" He went over to the fridge and opened it.

She stood by the panel still. "Sirius!"

He looked at her, innocently.

"Never do that again!" She growled.

"What, never?" He asked grinning at her stern face.

She nodded slowly.

"But it's the only way I get cuddles!" He whimpered.

"If you do that again, you won't even be getting kisses!" She said in a firm voice.

He paused in his food hunt. "No kisses?" He asked a strange look on his face.

"No." She said firmly.

He approached her, his face inches away from hers. "Never?" He asked again.

"Nope!" She said, folding her arms over her chest.

His lips were centimetres away from her lips. She could fell his breath slowly brush by them.

"Never ever?" He asked.

"Well…" She gave in, you could never be mad with Sirius for long. But before he had a chance to kiss her she walked over to the fridge. "Sweet or savoury?" She asked him.

"Oh, sweet. Definitely sweet." He said as he walked over to her and took her in his arms.

A/N

Phew!!! An exceptionally long chapter for me!!! Don't be expecting another!!!!

Anyway, to the reviews…

Siriuslyinlove.

Thanks for your review. I have an idea for a separate story for Remus and Lunar. I have written a rough draft of a chapter, if you want it then e-mail kismet@saintly.com and I'll send it to you. (Or I'll start posting it at the same time or before Severus' story!!!) I hope Sirius' apology is okay for you. I wasn't sure whether he would actually apologise or whether he would charm his way out of it, so I've gone for a bit of both (although I don't think Pat would have minded him just charming his way out of it!!!)

Cosmic Diva.

Thanks for reviewing for the first time. Yes they have to kiss and make up!! (Although I'm not sure if I'd have forgiven Sirius as quickly as Pat did… Okay, maybe I would!) I love writing romantic scenes about as much as I love writing "hurdle" and "cliff-hanger" scenes!!! (Maybe more!!) Please keep reading!!!

Mrs Grim.

I know that Sirius shouldn't read her diary (I would blow a fuse if someone read mine (Which is why I don't keep one any more!!!)) It was just a way for them to get back together, cos otherwise Sirius' pride wouldn't let him go after her… Or would it???

Regarding Remus and Lunar… I do have a very romantic soul (You don't need to go far for the proof!!!!) Their separate story should be posted soon, so even though I know it isn't Sirius could you still read it… (There are only a few chapters left in this story!!)

I agree with your point about Harry, after all he is a 14/15 yr old boy in this story (Set after GoF) and I've not yet read a story where he is like one!! (I don't have a brother so I wouldn't know how a 14 yr old boy reacts, but I don't think perfect is a word I would use!!)

Ahhh… Back to the shadow. Read the first part of the next chapter and they'll get closer. (It's making me crazy when I've already finished the story, but I don't want to post it in case I miss anything my reviewers point out!!!)

P.S. You're welcome for the review. Get the other guy back!!! (For other readers who are incredibly confused at this point he is a great character, and if you want to find him Mrs Grim's story is in my fave stories part!!!*plug plug*)

I've just noticed that I've written way more to Mrs Grim then anyone else!!! (Sorry!! I try to answer questions!!)