CHAPTER THREE

"Goodnight!" James called from his bedroom

"G'night!" Remus yelled back.

Sirius didn't say anything. His friends waited.

"See you in the morning Sirius." Remus called uneasily

"Yeah, 'night Padfoot." James called hesitatingly.

Sirius remained silent so his friends gave up, closed their doors and went to sleep. But Sirius remained awake in his room. He hadn't even bothered changing into his pajamas. I have to get out of here, he thought.

Sirius started pacing the length of his room until he figured what he would do. He needed to just go out walking- someplace nobody would recognize him.

Homgsmeade? No, too many people I know there.

Diagon Alley? No, people know me there too..

Finally after what seemed eternity, Sirius left his room and being sure to be quiet grabbed -not his robes- but a black leather jacket and headed out the door.

~*~

After a half hour or so of walking through total darkness Sirius started to see lights up ahead. A town, he thought, a muggle town.

Sirius shoved his wand deeper into his coat pocket and proceeded to walk up the cold dark streets of this muggle town. It being night, most lights were off and no one was out.

Sirius didn't care. He didn't want anyone to see him anyways; it wasn't as though they would know who he was.

Then he passed by a little store with a sign in the window that said JIM'S DRUG STORE open 24/7. He could just make out several figures moving around inside. Suddenly forgetting his wanting to be alone, Sirius flung open the door and found himself in a small room packed with miscellaneous objects on warped shelves. The room was poorly lit and looked as though it hadn't seen a broom or duster in years.

Standing by the checkout counter was a young girl, probably no older than Sirius. She had medium length brown hair that flipped out at the ends. Her eyes were a piercing green and she wore a knee-length jean skirt with a black shirt. She was scrounging in her purse and kept mumbling something to the clerk, a pimply, red-haired teen.

"I know I have one more dollar, just hang on a sec." She said desperately as she emptied the contains of her purse onto the counter.

Sirius began walking over to them, intrigued by the girl.

"One moment please sir, I really have to buy this. Sorry it's taking so long, but I really have to buy this now sir." She kept rummaging for change even though it was obvious she didn't have any more.

She sighed in frustration, "Do you think you can just write down my name and have me pay you back tomorrow? My name is Emma Carden; I swear I'll come sir. You see my little sister is sick and I really have to buy this cold medicine for her. Mum is out of town and I really have to get this. I swear I won't forget. I swear it."

The clerk just shook his head in boredom, "Naw."

"No? You won't let me? But my sister-"

"Don't care about your sis, girl," He said

Sirius walked closer still, observing the girl's reaction.

"Excuse me?" She threw up her gloved hands in confusion, "That's it?"

But the boy clerk didn't answer; he was looking at Sirius with mild interest. "You need something?"

It took Sirius a moment to figure out the muggle boy was talking to him. "Oh, oh no I just. Never mind." He looked away.

The boy shrugged and told the girl to leave. She walked out quite huffily and slammed the door behind her.

Sirius couldn't help but to feel sorry for the muggle girl. Plus, she was very attractive. He reached into his pockets and pulled out some wizard money. Then muttering a spell under his breath changed it into muggle money.

Sirius walked back up to the counter and handed the guy his fresh muggle money. "Cold medicine please."

"Right." The boy took the money and gave Sirius a funny looking bottle of thick, red liquid. There was a picture of a cherry on it.

Sirius quickly left with the bag in his hands and looked up and down the street, hoping to find the girl. He spotted her kicking a rock down the sidewalk.

"Hey."

She didn't turn around.

"Emma Carden!"

She spun around and looked up at him, let out a small shriek and stumbled backwards. Sirius caught her with his free hand and pulled her up close to him.

"Hey," He said grinning at her.

She twisted out of his grip and glared at him, "Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?"

Sirius was a little taken aback by her response but kept grinning. "I'm Sirius, I saw you in the store."

"Oh," she said relaxing a bit, "Sorry, it's just that it's late and you never know, who are you again?"

"Sirius Black." He handed her the bag.

"Cold medicine?" she said opening it, "You didn't have too. Why did you?"

Sirius wasn't expecting her to ask so many questions, "I dunno, you looked like you could use a hand."

She finally smiled at him, "Well thank you, really".

Sirius grinned back. God she was pretty, he thought.

"Do you live around here?" Emma asked.

"No, I'm just, uh, visiting."

Emma's face fell slightly, "So I probably won't see you again then, huh?"

"No, no. I'll be here until the end of summer."

"Oh, okay." At this point Emma began to blush, "It's just I mean, I was thinking I could take you out for coffee or something tomorrow. You know, to thank you."

Sirius was getting slightly worried, sure this girl was cute and quirky and he would love to spend more time with her. Plus she didn't know everything about him. But she was still a muggle and therefore nothing could happen between them.

"Yeah sure." Sirius gave in. Her eyes were just too green.

Emma giggled to herself, "What am I thinking? Ha! Talking to strange men in the middle of the night, taking stuff from them, then meeting them later!" She smiled unsurely up at Sirius.

"Oh come on now," Sirius walked closer still, putting his hand on her cheek, "Are you really scared of me? Am I really that much of a stranger?"

Emma blinked her green eyes at him, "Should I be?"

"You'll have to decide that for yourself," said Sirius, running his hand down her arm.

Stop it, he told himself, just stop she isn't like the other girls you've been with so don't treat her like one

But Sirius couldn't not be charming just as much as he couldn't not like Emma.

"Tomorrow then.." Emma said, breaking away from Sirius, "There is a little café down the street, meet me there at 4?"

"It's a date."

Emma, still smiling, turned away and kept walking down the deserted sidewalk- the medicine clutched safely in her hands.

Sirius stood there listening to her footsteps die away. Then turned and headed back to Remus's house.