A Forest

Suddenly I stop
But I know it's too late

I'm lost in a forest
All alone
The girl was never there
It's always the same
I'm running towards nothing
Again and again and again and again

Sirius woke up much groggier than usual. He suspected it was due to the dreamless sleeping potion that Mrs. Longbottom had given him. The sun was barely up according to the magical illusion of the sky outside. The room was filled with light that only those who would wake up at the crack of dawn would ever notice and Sirius was rarely ever one of those type of people. But sleep was futile and he decided to get downstairs and see if he could muster up something to eat with his muggle cooking skills, which, by the way, were nonexistent. He walked out of the blue room he and James had taken up, careful not to wake the still sleeping form of his best friend. Lucky bastard, he thought bitterly.

So in the clothes he had adorned from the day before, though were much more tatty and worn, he descended the stairs that would lead to the entrance room. The glare of the white hurt his eyes and instead of getting adjusted to it he just walked on by and entered the more welcoming kitchen. To his surprise it was filled with not only, the Lupins, who lived just shy of the forest, but the Potters and the Longbottoms as well. Did they live here?

Apparently his presence was a surprise as well, though if it were a good one he could not altogether tell because whatever they had talked about before Sirius had entered the room was quite officially closed. For now anyway.

"'Morning Sirius!" Mr. Potter said, sprightly.

"Hello." Sirius said slowly. He knew that tone of Mr. Potters' voice and he had not gathered his wits about him yet-if he were being led into doing something he wouldn't like doing, then he would not like to be easily lured.

"You're up awfully early, dear. Didn't get enough sleep?" Mrs. Potter asked in her usual doting manner.

"Seems that way." Sirius said simply.

He placed himself into an empty seat that was somewhat away from the other adults who had seated themselves at the table, tempting plates of sausages and eggs and bacon situated in front of them, the smells seducing Sirius.

Reading his mind, Mrs. Longbottom said, "Here you go, Sirius, dear. Eat up, you need to fatten yourself up. How are you to grow up strong if you've got nothing in those bone and muscle?" She walked away cheerily, as if it wasn't four in the morning. God, how did she do it?

Sirius gave a last yawn of lethargy and began work eating up his food. The others at the table paid him no attention and immediately diverged into conversation of their own. They discussed matters about Voldemort and about the Ministry; things that Sirius had heard of before but never bothered to pay much attention to.

Suddenly the door flew open and in came a very messy haired Remus, who was rubbing his eyes.

"Could you do me a favor and change the color of that room?" He said grumpily.

"Oh, sorry Remus, dear, but that room has a purpose of its own, just like all the other rooms. The white has got to stay." Mrs. Lupin said.

Remus grumbled and groaned but sat down at the table next to Sirius anyway. Sirius didn't stop him, nor did he look at him, there was something different about today. Something was established the day before: something that may change them for good.

Slowly, the others woke up and came into the kitchen for their breakfast, but the person that Sirius most anticipated had not come yet. Perhaps Mrs. Longbottom had given her a sleeping potion too and its effects were still not wearing off. She did have many things to sleep through and it would not have been easy if it weren't for the potion, especially the ordeal she had gone through. And I thought I had it bad enough . . .

The kitchen door swung open again a few minutes later and Jaimie walked in rather worn and bewildered looking but nonetheless looking as good as any of them could possibly be.

However, when Sirius came in the adults did try and keep their conversation secret and did stop talking for a few minutes, but with Jaimie, the change in their attitudes was much more pronounced. They seemed to become uneasy and shifted uncomfortably; the squeaking of their chairs as they changed their position seemed to echo into oblivion. They seemed to avoid looking at the others' eyes.

Perhaps Jaimie was too sleepy to notice and perhaps the others didn't see a change when they had entered, but Sirius certainly knew it, and he wasn't quite sure how to react. However, the discomfort died down after the Lupins gave everyone at the table subtle, disproving looks and Mrs. Longbottom directed Jaimie to sit down.

Like a zombie, Jaimie did as she was told and took a seat next to Lily, all the while not looking at Sirius, who was careful to note so. Leaning to his right, Sirius whispered to James, "Is it me, or is Jaimie avoiding me?"

James looked up at Jaimie for a moment, considering the situation then turned back to Sirius and gave him a shrug. He promptly began consuming his food.

Flustered, Sirius turned to his left where Remus sat and whispered, "Do you think something is bothering Jaimie?"

Remus gave him a questioned look and said, "Of course."

"Well, what do you reckon it is?"

"Well, don't you think you'd be distant too if you were kidnapped by a Death Eater? Especially one who seemed to be waiting for you? But you heard Dumbledore, we can't question her about it."

"I'm no twit. I wouldn't question her about it if my life depended on it."

"Are you sure?" Remus asked, seriously.

"What?"

"I'm serious. Think about it: anything could have happened to her. She knows a lot more than we all realize. We all do. That Death Eater could have killed her or worse kept her as sort of collateral damage-only they didn't. Why? Did they turn her as spy? You noticed how the adults all went quiet when she came in. They think that's exactly what happened to her. They'd like nothing more than to interrogate her only Dumbledore says they shouldn't. I know it. Everyone listens to him."

"Do you really believe that?" James asked suddenly.

"Believe what?" Remus asked.

"That Jaimie is a spy or something?" James said.

"Of course not! I'd trust Jaimie with my life. She wouldn't, even in a million years or on her death bed, betray any of us. But they don't believe it, and I sort of see where they're coming from. Even my own parents have a hard time believing it. But I ask you this," He turned to Sirius with nothing but deadly triviality on his face, "Is that do you trust her enough to believe that what she said had happened really did?"

James nodded fervently.

"Of course I do!" Sirius said, with a shrug. "Besides, If I feel differently Jaimie would flay me alive and roast me on a spit."

Remus looked at him with suspicion or doubt, he couldn't tell.

"Of course I trust her, alright? Just because we're having a serious discussion does not mean that I can't have a little fun."

With that, the discussion was closed and Remus and James returned to their meal. With a last small glance Sirius looked at Jaimie and was surprised to see that she was looking back at him. It seemed that Jaimie was surprised too and quickly looked on elsewhere.

But there was no denying it: Jaimie definitely was avoiding him and all of a sudden, Sirius' resolve was tested.

Now in a bad mood, Sirius ate the rest of his breakfast and was about to hurry to his shared room when the door swung open yet again and in came Alastor Moody and Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom's husband.

"Listen up, young ones. You all have been invited to a meeting with Dumbledore." He said briefly before sitting down at the table and resting his elbows on the table and his chin in his hands.

Mrs. Lupin pushed his elbows off the table and giving him a look that stated plainly "mind your manners."

"Well?" James asked.

"Well, what?" Moody asked nonplused.

"Where are we to meet him?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"Why can't you tell us now?" Remus chipped in.

"Because if I did that, I'd have to kill you." Moody added, his face completely serious, normal eye fixed on Remus' face while his blue eye was transfixed on James.

James and Remus sat aghast, both of them leaning heavily against their chairs; afraid of Moody's next action. Then to their immense relief, Moody's face broke into a smile of delight, or at least they hoped it was, it didn't make much of a difference. In fact it made his face look more twisted.

"Oh Alastor, stop scaring the kids! They've got enough on their plates as it is."

James was about to say something but thought otherwise at a look from his father.

When their meal was done and their rooms returned to their usual impersonal states, they were all ordered home by floo powder except for James and Sirius who remembered only too vividly the state in which they had left their home. A major part of their house was destroyed by some explosion that were yet to be explained to them, the support beams would surely have collapsed and their two story home would probably look like a deflated soufflé by now. In the study opposite the kitchen/dining room, the fireplace, which Sirius had first traveled through to get to headquarters, was rekindled with fire and sprinkled with floo powder. Peter was the first to go through, nervous to find out the state in which he would be received in his home, then Lily who gave a hug to each of them in turn including James who beamed happily, then Remus who had briefly promised to see them again, and last of all to leave was Jaimie, who, for lack of anything to say just stood in front of Sirius as they tried to say their good-byes. Awkwardly, she gave Sirius a hug, mumbled farewell, waved to James who stood idly apart from them then went through the emerald flames and disappeared.

With a sigh, Sirius sat heavily on one of the comfy armchairs in the study, where James promptly joined his best friend.

"What's eating you, mate?" James asked conversationally.

"Nothing." Sirius replied flatly, "Do you want to play wizard's chess?"

"Sure." James agreed. Then, "Don't worry about Jaimie, she's just probably mulling things over. Not exactly healthy for a girl who's been through what she has, but what can you do. Nothing, just support her." He added wisely.

"Since when have you been the master of relationships?" Sirius asked, surprised.

"You can scoff all you like, but you know I'm right." James picked up the white chess pieces and proceeded to place them on his side of the board.

"We'll see. How come you get to be white?"

A/N: Hola amigos! Well, this is probably the longest update I'd had to do. What with midterms, essays and class changes I haven't had much time to update much of anything. Please note that this chapter was about Sirius, the next chapter might be the same as well maybe it'll be both about Jaimie and Sirius, because of course, they're going to get news the news of a lifetime. I'll leave the rest to you lovely people. yes its that time again for the songs I've used for those people who don't really know the music I absolutely love, well for the most part anyway:

11. Sleeping Beauty

12. Taste of Honey, The Beatles

13. Ordinary Day, Vanessa Carlton

14. Hard Day's Night, The Beatles

15. A Forest, The Cure