Chapter 3
A walk in the snow
The blizzard had stopped and the sky had turned to a starry midnight blue by 9:00. Sirius and Erica crept out of Gryffindor tower and headed down to the main hall under James loaned invisibility cloak.
They reached the entrance hall and opened the huge oak doors and headed outside. Folding up the cloak they went towards the lake.
"Wow...look at all those stars..you can even see the Little Dipper!" She also named a few other constellations.
"How do you know all of this?" Sirius asked in wonder.
"I read...a lot." Erica laughed.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
"Most people laugh at me...they say I know too much for my own good. That..that I'm like..Snape even.." She muttered sadly.
"LIKE SNAPE!!" Sirius howled with laughter, "No, no, no! Your nothing like him! I think it's great..that you know all this stuff." he said proudly.
She smiled, feeling better, and continued to star gaze for a while.
"Finish your paper?" Erica asked, after a long relaxing silence.
"Yeah it was easy..for once." he said taking her hand. She smiled and they stood and walkied along the edge of the lake bordering the Forbidden forest.
"I never thought you would come out here..I mean break rules and stuff.." he said quickly.
"I break rules all the time!" she said laughing at Sirius's shocked look.
"Really? Like what did you do?" he asked pretending to look at her suspiciously.
"Well...I've taken potions a load of times, you know, from the private stores...and I've gone to the library late at night and taken books.."
"I...well...wow..does James know?" Sirius stuttered.
"Probably not, but now you know how much I'm like James now..a lot more than you thought.." she gave a mysterious smile.
"Your telling me!" Sirius said rubbing his head in thought. "So what about this 'secret'? Will you tell me now?"
"Maybe..." he paused and looked at the pleading look on her face, "Ok, ok!" He couldn't resist puppy dog eyes. He lead her to a rock next to the lake and began pacing before her.
"Well..you know...Lupin?"
"Uh...yeah..of course I do."
"Well..it's ...him...well..."
"That he's a werewolf?" Erica asked calmly.
"What?! How?! Who told you?!" Sirius said nearly falling over.
"I knew already..I've known for a while."
"How? When?" he asked quickly.
"Relax!" she laughed, "I didn't tell anyone, I found out myself. I've known about him for a...hmm.. two years now."
"And..your not scared of him?" Sirius asked mildly impressed, most people would have shunned Lupin if they knew what he was.
"Of course not!" she said shocked that Sirius would think such a thing, "Lupin has never given me any reason to fear or hate him. He's as much as my friend as he is yours!" she said firmly.
"So..how did you find out.." he asked her slowly.
"Honestly! Sirius, it's obvious. I'm surprised no one else has figured it out! Lupin always goes missing around a full moon and looks really ill before it."
"Ok...well.."
"There's something else you want to tell me?" she asked curiously, "Well get on with it! We're burning moon light."
Sirius paused unsure of if he should say it or not.
Erica sighed, "If it will help..I swear I'll never tell anyone... even under torture. Well?" she asked mildly interested in this 'secret'.
"Well, ok. James, Peter and I are Animagus...."
"Wow...in your fifth year?" she asked in shock, "That's amazing..considering your grades..what are your forms?"
"James is a stag, Peter is a rat and I'm a dog.."
"Hmm.."
"Wow you didn't seem impressed long.." he seemed a little put out.
"Well it's not all that amazing since I can do it too.." she said lazily.
"You..you mean you can do it too?!" he nearly yelled at her, "What's you form?!" he asked a little more calmly.
"A Unicorn." she said smiling sweetly.
"That's a lot like a stag..do your forms look alike because you two are related?"
"Right, at least that's what I think. Bother our forms have hooves and horns..well he has antlers ans I have a single spiral horn but..it's close. It runs in the family too. Aunt Anna is a pony and Uncle Oran is a kudu."
"What's a horse..and a kudi?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Kudu," she corrected, "A horse looks like a unicorn but doesn't have a horn and are in different colors, and a kudu has two spiral horns and has the body of a ram." she explained calmly.
"Oh..I see."
"We're even now..we traded secrets, you can tell James, Lupin and Peter if you want...but no one else!" she said forcefully.
"Ok..same for you, don't tell anyone."
Sirius went over to the rock and say next to her. They were quiet for a while. Erica put her head on his shoulder and sighed. Sirius leaned back and gazed up at the sky sighing happily. Erica eventually looked to the silver watch on her wrist.
"Oh my gosh!" she jumped up.
"What?!" Sirius yelped falling off the rock into the snow.
"It's 4:00am!" she said helping him up, "we have to get back to the common room before someone wakes up and notices we're gone!"
They started plowing through the snow towards the castle.
"Wait!" Sirius called quietly, as he caught up to her. He quickly threw the cloak over them...they were in such a hurry they never noticed eyes watching them from the third floor........
Going as fast as they could, they headed back towards the Gryffindor common room. They only had to stop once to avoid Peeves (who was throwing ink pellets on the portraits, who cursed and yelled). After saying the password (noble) they were safe. Erica slowly headed towards the girls dormitory.
"Wait!" Sirius whispered after her. He quickly ran up to her and kissed her on the cheek.
"That wasn't very proper.." she smiled, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a real kiss. He held her a little closer for a moment longer until the chiming of a near by clock told them it was 5:00.
"Wow......" he whispered still holding her close.
With a smile she gently slipped from his grasp and went up the steps whispering a soft "Goodnight" over her shoulder. Sirius walked over to the fireplace where the fire had long burned out. He thought for a while, he would have a lot to tell the guys in the morning.....
The blizzard had stopped and the sky had turned to a starry midnight blue by 9:00. Sirius and Erica crept out of Gryffindor tower and headed down to the main hall under James loaned invisibility cloak.
They reached the entrance hall and opened the huge oak doors and headed outside. Folding up the cloak they went towards the lake.
"Wow...look at all those stars..you can even see the Little Dipper!" She also named a few other constellations.
"How do you know all of this?" Sirius asked in wonder.
"I read...a lot." Erica laughed.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
"Most people laugh at me...they say I know too much for my own good. That..that I'm like..Snape even.." She muttered sadly.
"LIKE SNAPE!!" Sirius howled with laughter, "No, no, no! Your nothing like him! I think it's great..that you know all this stuff." he said proudly.
She smiled, feeling better, and continued to star gaze for a while.
"Finish your paper?" Erica asked, after a long relaxing silence.
"Yeah it was easy..for once." he said taking her hand. She smiled and they stood and walkied along the edge of the lake bordering the Forbidden forest.
"I never thought you would come out here..I mean break rules and stuff.." he said quickly.
"I break rules all the time!" she said laughing at Sirius's shocked look.
"Really? Like what did you do?" he asked pretending to look at her suspiciously.
"Well...I've taken potions a load of times, you know, from the private stores...and I've gone to the library late at night and taken books.."
"I...well...wow..does James know?" Sirius stuttered.
"Probably not, but now you know how much I'm like James now..a lot more than you thought.." she gave a mysterious smile.
"Your telling me!" Sirius said rubbing his head in thought. "So what about this 'secret'? Will you tell me now?"
"Maybe..." he paused and looked at the pleading look on her face, "Ok, ok!" He couldn't resist puppy dog eyes. He lead her to a rock next to the lake and began pacing before her.
"Well..you know...Lupin?"
"Uh...yeah..of course I do."
"Well..it's ...him...well..."
"That he's a werewolf?" Erica asked calmly.
"What?! How?! Who told you?!" Sirius said nearly falling over.
"I knew already..I've known for a while."
"How? When?" he asked quickly.
"Relax!" she laughed, "I didn't tell anyone, I found out myself. I've known about him for a...hmm.. two years now."
"And..your not scared of him?" Sirius asked mildly impressed, most people would have shunned Lupin if they knew what he was.
"Of course not!" she said shocked that Sirius would think such a thing, "Lupin has never given me any reason to fear or hate him. He's as much as my friend as he is yours!" she said firmly.
"So..how did you find out.." he asked her slowly.
"Honestly! Sirius, it's obvious. I'm surprised no one else has figured it out! Lupin always goes missing around a full moon and looks really ill before it."
"Ok...well.."
"There's something else you want to tell me?" she asked curiously, "Well get on with it! We're burning moon light."
Sirius paused unsure of if he should say it or not.
Erica sighed, "If it will help..I swear I'll never tell anyone... even under torture. Well?" she asked mildly interested in this 'secret'.
"Well, ok. James, Peter and I are Animagus...."
"Wow...in your fifth year?" she asked in shock, "That's amazing..considering your grades..what are your forms?"
"James is a stag, Peter is a rat and I'm a dog.."
"Hmm.."
"Wow you didn't seem impressed long.." he seemed a little put out.
"Well it's not all that amazing since I can do it too.." she said lazily.
"You..you mean you can do it too?!" he nearly yelled at her, "What's you form?!" he asked a little more calmly.
"A Unicorn." she said smiling sweetly.
"That's a lot like a stag..do your forms look alike because you two are related?"
"Right, at least that's what I think. Bother our forms have hooves and horns..well he has antlers ans I have a single spiral horn but..it's close. It runs in the family too. Aunt Anna is a pony and Uncle Oran is a kudu."
"What's a horse..and a kudi?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Kudu," she corrected, "A horse looks like a unicorn but doesn't have a horn and are in different colors, and a kudu has two spiral horns and has the body of a ram." she explained calmly.
"Oh..I see."
"We're even now..we traded secrets, you can tell James, Lupin and Peter if you want...but no one else!" she said forcefully.
"Ok..same for you, don't tell anyone."
Sirius went over to the rock and say next to her. They were quiet for a while. Erica put her head on his shoulder and sighed. Sirius leaned back and gazed up at the sky sighing happily. Erica eventually looked to the silver watch on her wrist.
"Oh my gosh!" she jumped up.
"What?!" Sirius yelped falling off the rock into the snow.
"It's 4:00am!" she said helping him up, "we have to get back to the common room before someone wakes up and notices we're gone!"
They started plowing through the snow towards the castle.
"Wait!" Sirius called quietly, as he caught up to her. He quickly threw the cloak over them...they were in such a hurry they never noticed eyes watching them from the third floor........
Going as fast as they could, they headed back towards the Gryffindor common room. They only had to stop once to avoid Peeves (who was throwing ink pellets on the portraits, who cursed and yelled). After saying the password (noble) they were safe. Erica slowly headed towards the girls dormitory.
"Wait!" Sirius whispered after her. He quickly ran up to her and kissed her on the cheek.
"That wasn't very proper.." she smiled, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a real kiss. He held her a little closer for a moment longer until the chiming of a near by clock told them it was 5:00.
"Wow......" he whispered still holding her close.
With a smile she gently slipped from his grasp and went up the steps whispering a soft "Goodnight" over her shoulder. Sirius walked over to the fireplace where the fire had long burned out. He thought for a while, he would have a lot to tell the guys in the morning.....