This is Chapter 12: Little Secrets again. I didn't realize how it cut out
some things when I updated or why it was formatted like that. So for those
of you who might have missed a few things, here it is again. Sorry I
haven't updated so long, but I'm going to start working on the next chapter
now. I just haven't had the time. Check back soon!
Love,
Carmen
THE RAIN ALWAYS FALLS
Chapter 12: Little Secrets
Dawn was breaking early the next morning. Sunlight streamed into every corner of the Gryffindor Tower, and it soon was flooded with the smell of sweet dew. Carmen gently awoke. Still with her eyes closed, she breathed in the fresh morning air and sighed deeply. It was unbelievable. Could it be possible that yesterday, less than twenty-four hours ago, she, Carmen Willow, had kissed Sirius Black? Oh, what bliss. Could it have all been a dream? Some wonderful fantasy of hers? But no, she could recall every detail - the wind rushing through her hair, his dark eyes bearing into hers, his soft lips.She stretched with happiness filling inside her. It was no dream; it was real.
She opened her eyes smiling. She gently pushed back the hangings around her four-poster. The sun had just risen. Of course no one would be up yet. It was Sunday and they would all be sleeping in. Carmen's eyes moved in the direction of the photograph on her bedside table. Sirius winked at her and she smiled more broadly.
Deciding that she might as well go down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast and then perhaps go to the library, she got up and began dressing rather carefully. When she finished, she reached for a book on her nightstand then quietly crossed the room, opened the door, and gently closed it behind her. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs of the girl's dormitory, she found the common room deserted. She exited through the portrait hole and began slowly making her way downstairs.
While walking, her thoughts came across what happened after she and Sirius finally touched back down to earth. They had talked for hours about nearly everything - classes, books, their families, and so much more that she couldn't even remember. Oh, how easy it was to talk to him. She never had that before.
Without consciously realizing it, she had walked all the way to the ground floor and suddenly found herself outside that Great Hall. She entered through the towering doors and turned to the Gryffindor table where the only other person in the entire hall was sitting. Carmen was surprised to find that, of all people, it was Sirius.
Heart leaping, she strolled over to him. He was staring at the wall opposite him with a dazed look on his face. Hearing footsteps, he turned and saw Carmen coming toward him.
"Hi," he said, suddenly smiling as he leapt from his seat to meet her halfway. "How are you?"
"I'm fine and you?" she asked breathlessly.
"Good. Listen, I just want to say that I'm sorry," he said rather quickly.
"Why?" Carmen asked, her smile fading slightly.
"Well, for just - just coming out and kissing you like that yesterday."
"Oh," her stomach plummeted and heat rose in her neck. Was he saying what she thinks he's saying? "That's okay. I'll - I'm just heading up to the library." She felt on the verge of tears and began to turn away, but he grabbed her wrist.
"No, don't go! What I meant to say was that I'm sorry for coming out and kissing you like that without any warning. You're better than that. So I thought that if you weren't doing anything, we could spend the morning together and have a picnic breakfast."
"Oh," she sighed, a smile returning to her face. "Oh, well, I was planning on going to the library this morning, but, sure, I'd love -"
"That's brilliant!" he interrupted. "We could have a picnic in the library!"
Smiling in spite of herself, she shook her head and said, "Let's just go outside, Sirius."
He offered her his arm, and together they walked through the oak front doors out onto the sunlit grounds.
**********
"So, we've done Charms, Potions, Transfiguration. Is that it?" Morgan and Remus were sitting in the back of the library around midday on Sunday. They had been working on homework all morning in hopes of getting most of it done, so they could have a free week ahead of them.
"I think so. Why don't we get a head start researching electricity for Muggle Studies?" he asked, pulling another book toward him.
"Oh, come on, Remus. Let's take a little break. Why don't we go outside? Please?" she added, shrugging her shoulders and smiling.
He looked at her and couldn't help but smiling himself. "Well, okay." They closed all of their books, placed them in their bags, and in no time at all, they were stepping out into the sunshine. There was silence for a minute or so as they walked across the sloping lawn toward the lake.
"So, Remus," Morgan said, breaking the silence. "What do you want to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do you want to do when you get out of Hogwarts? I mean, that's what the O.W.L.s are all about, aren't they?"
"Oh, well, I was sort of thinking about going into medicine."
"Oh, what kind?"
"Well, researching diseases mostly, but my choices are rather limited."
"How so?" she asked, turning to him. "Do you mean with the O.W.L.s you pass?"
"Err.yeah." He had almost let something slip.
"Well, that's very noble of you." She blushed. "I'd love to do something where I could help others, but I'll never be able to do anything like that," she said kicking the grass.
"Well, why can't you?"
"Oh, I'll never get the N.E.W.T.s to be a healer or something like that."
"Don't say that, Morgan," he said. "You're much smarter than you give yourself credit for. I mean, you've improved so much, and I'm actually learning things from you now."
"Really?" she asked tentatively.
"Of course."
"Thanks, Remus. You know, I think that I might really like teaching. I want to help people like how you helped me."
"You'll be a teacher, don't worry," he said, blushing slightly. "Um.Morgan?"
"Yes?"
"Err." He took a deep breath. "Would you like to - to go down to Hogsmeade for a little while - you know, since we've finished everything?"
"Sure." She smiled.
They spent the rest of the day walking through the little shops, chatting as if there was nothing in the world to be worry about.
**********
James was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling in the late afternoon. He had just been to see Lily and was looking forward to explaining to Sirius his latest plan to get back at the Slytherins, but Sirius and Remus were no where to be found. He took a snitch out of his pocket and let it go. It attempted to fly out of the open window, but just before it got out of reach, he caught it. He only did this on two occasions: when he was showing off and when he was bored. (A/N: Ten points to Gryffindor for whoever can guess which one he is.)
After several minutes of pointless snitch catching, Sirius opened the door to the dormitory.
"Finally," James said, stuffing the snitch back into his pocket. "Where were you, Padfoot? I haven't seen you all day."
"I was out," Sirius said simply.
"Okay. Doing what? Did you get Peeves to kiss Malfoy and Snape without me?" he asked with disappointment.
"Of course not. It would be an insult to do that without you."
"Then where were you?"
"Err.Studying."
"Studying?" he said with a laugh. Sirius nodded his head. "Come on, Padfoot, you can tell me. We're like brothers."
Just at that moment, the door opened once again, and Remus come in.
"And where were you, Moony?" Sirius said, attempting to shift James's attention.
"Err.Studying," he replied, sitting on his bed.
"Come on!" James said. "Sirius already tried that one, and I know he's lying. What do you two know that I don't?"
"Well, I don't know what Sirius was doing, but I really was studying. Then I went to Hogsmeade with Morgan."
"With Morgan?" Sirius asked with interest, turning to face Remus.
"Not like what you're thinking," he said hastily. "We're just friends."
Sirius and James both gave him mischievously knowledgeable smiles as if they knew what Remus was really thinking the entire day.
"Padfoot," James said at once, "where were you? If you don't tell us, I'll - tell McGonagall that you were the one who set off fireworks at the sorting last year."
"Fine," Sirius said, realizing defeat. "I was with Carmen, but she wanted to get some reading done or something before dinner, so that's why I'm here - telling all of this to you."
"Carmen? Are you two going out?" James asked.
"When did this happen?" Remus said.
"Yesterday," he answered simply without a trace of embarrassment.
"And you didn't tell us?" James asked, outraged. Remus, however, smiled.
"Well, let's see. By the time I got back, you were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you. You know, the last time you woke up and saw me, I got bombarded with a pillow. Couldn't risk it, mate," he said, shrugging.
"So, what happened?" James implored with interest.
Sirius went into an explanation of what happened the night before, and then told them that they spent the day together, talking.
"Oh, so polite, our master troublemaker," James said when he finished.
"I don't want to blow it. She's - well - she's different. I really like her," he said, honestly.
"A prefect and a marauder," James said, shaking his head, not able to conceal a small burst of laughter. "What a match."
**********
"Who are the flowers from?" Morgan asked, indicating a vase full of bright white lilies on a nightstand. Lily was still in the Hospital Wing. Morgan was sitting on a chair next to her bed.
"Oh, James," she answered.
"And these?" she asked again, pointing to a bouquet of daises next to them.
"Andrew."
Morgan smiled. "So, how are you?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I'm fine," Lily answered. "Madam Jacque said that I might be able to get out of here sometime next week."
"That's fabulous! You could play quiditch in November!"
Lily smiled. "I'd love to play again. I already miss it. I really want to try to do this new move that James was explaining to me this morning." Once again, Morgan smiled. However, Lily didn't notice. There was a knock on a plank of wood somewhere nearby. Both of them turned to see Carmen standing some ten feet away. They motioned her to sit down, and she smiled and walked over to them.
"Hi," she said, pulling up a chair. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, and you?"
"I'm very well, thank you," she said, placing the book she was carrying on her lap. Carmen seemed different than usual. Noticing this, Morgan and Lily both asked, "What's up?"
Carmen blushed slightly. "Oh, gosh," Morgan said, smiling ear to ear. "It's a guy, isn't it?"
"Maybe," Carmen said. Part of her wanted her knowledge to go to the grave with her, yet the other half was dying to tell her friends her secret.
"So?" Lily asked.
"If you must know - it's Sirius."
Their smiles broadened and all of them burst out laughing. "Well, it's about time," Lily said. "I was afraid that poor Sirius would die if you two didn't get together soon."
"So, did you kiss?" Morgan asked, lowering her voice a notch.
Carmen bit her lip, but couldn't contain the smile that was dying to come out.
"You did," Lily said, leaning forward and smiling more broadly.
"You know, I really like him - I do. He's so sweet. When we - kissed - he took me on a broom ride and we flew over the lake."
"How romantic! Having your first kiss while soaring through the air," Morgan said, sighing.
"Oh, Carmen, I'm so happy for you. Sirius is really nice," Lily smiled. She suddenly noticed the Divination book in Carmen's hands. She raised her eyebrows slightly. Carmen looked down at the book, then up at Lily and shook her head.
Twenty minutes later, Carmen and Morgan said goodbye and began walking down to meet the guys for dinner. The second they walked into the Great Hall, Sirius, Remus and James came panting up behind them. Sirius took Carmen's book from her and led her over to the end of the table. James took a seat across from Sirius. Slightly exasperated, Morgan and Remus followed.
A few Gryffindors looked up the table toward them and turned quickly, giggling all the way. Carmen soon noticed this and was quite bothered. "Why are they all doing that?"
"Well, word travels fast here in Hogwarts, you know," James told her with a wink. Carmen looked from James to Sirius and smiled.
On the other side of the room, a Slytherin girl with bright blond hair leapt up from her seat. It was Sally. She practically ran over to the other end of the table and took a seat next to Snape and Malfoy. Snape bent down slightly to talk to her. She leaned over and whispered something behind her hand, staring at the five Gryffindors. A truly evil smirk appeared on his face as he straightened up and began to speak to Malfoy.
"Wonder what they're up to?" Morgan asked.
"Oh, probably planning something horrible to do to me and Sirius," James said, glancing at the Slytherins without interest. "So when do you think we should talk to Peeves?" he asked Sirius.
Shifting his attention away from the other end of the hall, Sirius said, "Well, I was actually thinking that we could do something else. What we planned just isn't enough."
"You know, you're right."
"Why don't you two just stop all of this here?" Carmen asked. "You did say that you got them back for the last time. So now you're even."
"And if you do something else, they might decide to do something really horrible to you," Morgan added.
"Girlfriends have no influence on the Marauder's pranks," James said smugly.
"Fine, I'm only trying to help," Carmen shrugged.
THE RAIN ALWAYS FALLS
Chapter 12: Little Secrets
Dawn was breaking early the next morning. Sunlight streamed into every corner of the Gryffindor Tower, and it soon was flooded with the smell of sweet dew. Carmen gently awoke. Still with her eyes closed, she breathed in the fresh morning air and sighed deeply. It was unbelievable. Could it be possible that yesterday, less than twenty-four hours ago, she, Carmen Willow, had kissed Sirius Black? Oh, what bliss. Could it have all been a dream? Some wonderful fantasy of hers? But no, she could recall every detail - the wind rushing through her hair, his dark eyes bearing into hers, his soft lips.She stretched with happiness filling inside her. It was no dream; it was real.
She opened her eyes smiling. She gently pushed back the hangings around her four-poster. The sun had just risen. Of course no one would be up yet. It was Sunday and they would all be sleeping in. Carmen's eyes moved in the direction of the photograph on her bedside table. Sirius winked at her and she smiled more broadly.
Deciding that she might as well go down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast and then perhaps go to the library, she got up and began dressing rather carefully. When she finished, she reached for a book on her nightstand then quietly crossed the room, opened the door, and gently closed it behind her. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs of the girl's dormitory, she found the common room deserted. She exited through the portrait hole and began slowly making her way downstairs.
While walking, her thoughts came across what happened after she and Sirius finally touched back down to earth. They had talked for hours about nearly everything - classes, books, their families, and so much more that she couldn't even remember. Oh, how easy it was to talk to him. She never had that before.
Without consciously realizing it, she had walked all the way to the ground floor and suddenly found herself outside that Great Hall. She entered through the towering doors and turned to the Gryffindor table where the only other person in the entire hall was sitting. Carmen was surprised to find that, of all people, it was Sirius.
Heart leaping, she strolled over to him. He was staring at the wall opposite him with a dazed look on his face. Hearing footsteps, he turned and saw Carmen coming toward him.
"Hi," he said, suddenly smiling as he leapt from his seat to meet her halfway. "How are you?"
"I'm fine and you?" she asked breathlessly.
"Good. Listen, I just want to say that I'm sorry," he said rather quickly.
"Why?" Carmen asked, her smile fading slightly.
"Well, for just - just coming out and kissing you like that yesterday."
"Oh," her stomach plummeted and heat rose in her neck. Was he saying what she thinks he's saying? "That's okay. I'll - I'm just heading up to the library." She felt on the verge of tears and began to turn away, but he grabbed her wrist.
"No, don't go! What I meant to say was that I'm sorry for coming out and kissing you like that without any warning. You're better than that. So I thought that if you weren't doing anything, we could spend the morning together and have a picnic breakfast."
"Oh," she sighed, a smile returning to her face. "Oh, well, I was planning on going to the library this morning, but, sure, I'd love -"
"That's brilliant!" he interrupted. "We could have a picnic in the library!"
Smiling in spite of herself, she shook her head and said, "Let's just go outside, Sirius."
He offered her his arm, and together they walked through the oak front doors out onto the sunlit grounds.
**********
"So, we've done Charms, Potions, Transfiguration. Is that it?" Morgan and Remus were sitting in the back of the library around midday on Sunday. They had been working on homework all morning in hopes of getting most of it done, so they could have a free week ahead of them.
"I think so. Why don't we get a head start researching electricity for Muggle Studies?" he asked, pulling another book toward him.
"Oh, come on, Remus. Let's take a little break. Why don't we go outside? Please?" she added, shrugging her shoulders and smiling.
He looked at her and couldn't help but smiling himself. "Well, okay." They closed all of their books, placed them in their bags, and in no time at all, they were stepping out into the sunshine. There was silence for a minute or so as they walked across the sloping lawn toward the lake.
"So, Remus," Morgan said, breaking the silence. "What do you want to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do you want to do when you get out of Hogwarts? I mean, that's what the O.W.L.s are all about, aren't they?"
"Oh, well, I was sort of thinking about going into medicine."
"Oh, what kind?"
"Well, researching diseases mostly, but my choices are rather limited."
"How so?" she asked, turning to him. "Do you mean with the O.W.L.s you pass?"
"Err.yeah." He had almost let something slip.
"Well, that's very noble of you." She blushed. "I'd love to do something where I could help others, but I'll never be able to do anything like that," she said kicking the grass.
"Well, why can't you?"
"Oh, I'll never get the N.E.W.T.s to be a healer or something like that."
"Don't say that, Morgan," he said. "You're much smarter than you give yourself credit for. I mean, you've improved so much, and I'm actually learning things from you now."
"Really?" she asked tentatively.
"Of course."
"Thanks, Remus. You know, I think that I might really like teaching. I want to help people like how you helped me."
"You'll be a teacher, don't worry," he said, blushing slightly. "Um.Morgan?"
"Yes?"
"Err." He took a deep breath. "Would you like to - to go down to Hogsmeade for a little while - you know, since we've finished everything?"
"Sure." She smiled.
They spent the rest of the day walking through the little shops, chatting as if there was nothing in the world to be worry about.
**********
James was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling in the late afternoon. He had just been to see Lily and was looking forward to explaining to Sirius his latest plan to get back at the Slytherins, but Sirius and Remus were no where to be found. He took a snitch out of his pocket and let it go. It attempted to fly out of the open window, but just before it got out of reach, he caught it. He only did this on two occasions: when he was showing off and when he was bored. (A/N: Ten points to Gryffindor for whoever can guess which one he is.)
After several minutes of pointless snitch catching, Sirius opened the door to the dormitory.
"Finally," James said, stuffing the snitch back into his pocket. "Where were you, Padfoot? I haven't seen you all day."
"I was out," Sirius said simply.
"Okay. Doing what? Did you get Peeves to kiss Malfoy and Snape without me?" he asked with disappointment.
"Of course not. It would be an insult to do that without you."
"Then where were you?"
"Err.Studying."
"Studying?" he said with a laugh. Sirius nodded his head. "Come on, Padfoot, you can tell me. We're like brothers."
Just at that moment, the door opened once again, and Remus come in.
"And where were you, Moony?" Sirius said, attempting to shift James's attention.
"Err.Studying," he replied, sitting on his bed.
"Come on!" James said. "Sirius already tried that one, and I know he's lying. What do you two know that I don't?"
"Well, I don't know what Sirius was doing, but I really was studying. Then I went to Hogsmeade with Morgan."
"With Morgan?" Sirius asked with interest, turning to face Remus.
"Not like what you're thinking," he said hastily. "We're just friends."
Sirius and James both gave him mischievously knowledgeable smiles as if they knew what Remus was really thinking the entire day.
"Padfoot," James said at once, "where were you? If you don't tell us, I'll - tell McGonagall that you were the one who set off fireworks at the sorting last year."
"Fine," Sirius said, realizing defeat. "I was with Carmen, but she wanted to get some reading done or something before dinner, so that's why I'm here - telling all of this to you."
"Carmen? Are you two going out?" James asked.
"When did this happen?" Remus said.
"Yesterday," he answered simply without a trace of embarrassment.
"And you didn't tell us?" James asked, outraged. Remus, however, smiled.
"Well, let's see. By the time I got back, you were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you. You know, the last time you woke up and saw me, I got bombarded with a pillow. Couldn't risk it, mate," he said, shrugging.
"So, what happened?" James implored with interest.
Sirius went into an explanation of what happened the night before, and then told them that they spent the day together, talking.
"Oh, so polite, our master troublemaker," James said when he finished.
"I don't want to blow it. She's - well - she's different. I really like her," he said, honestly.
"A prefect and a marauder," James said, shaking his head, not able to conceal a small burst of laughter. "What a match."
**********
"Who are the flowers from?" Morgan asked, indicating a vase full of bright white lilies on a nightstand. Lily was still in the Hospital Wing. Morgan was sitting on a chair next to her bed.
"Oh, James," she answered.
"And these?" she asked again, pointing to a bouquet of daises next to them.
"Andrew."
Morgan smiled. "So, how are you?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I'm fine," Lily answered. "Madam Jacque said that I might be able to get out of here sometime next week."
"That's fabulous! You could play quiditch in November!"
Lily smiled. "I'd love to play again. I already miss it. I really want to try to do this new move that James was explaining to me this morning." Once again, Morgan smiled. However, Lily didn't notice. There was a knock on a plank of wood somewhere nearby. Both of them turned to see Carmen standing some ten feet away. They motioned her to sit down, and she smiled and walked over to them.
"Hi," she said, pulling up a chair. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, and you?"
"I'm very well, thank you," she said, placing the book she was carrying on her lap. Carmen seemed different than usual. Noticing this, Morgan and Lily both asked, "What's up?"
Carmen blushed slightly. "Oh, gosh," Morgan said, smiling ear to ear. "It's a guy, isn't it?"
"Maybe," Carmen said. Part of her wanted her knowledge to go to the grave with her, yet the other half was dying to tell her friends her secret.
"So?" Lily asked.
"If you must know - it's Sirius."
Their smiles broadened and all of them burst out laughing. "Well, it's about time," Lily said. "I was afraid that poor Sirius would die if you two didn't get together soon."
"So, did you kiss?" Morgan asked, lowering her voice a notch.
Carmen bit her lip, but couldn't contain the smile that was dying to come out.
"You did," Lily said, leaning forward and smiling more broadly.
"You know, I really like him - I do. He's so sweet. When we - kissed - he took me on a broom ride and we flew over the lake."
"How romantic! Having your first kiss while soaring through the air," Morgan said, sighing.
"Oh, Carmen, I'm so happy for you. Sirius is really nice," Lily smiled. She suddenly noticed the Divination book in Carmen's hands. She raised her eyebrows slightly. Carmen looked down at the book, then up at Lily and shook her head.
Twenty minutes later, Carmen and Morgan said goodbye and began walking down to meet the guys for dinner. The second they walked into the Great Hall, Sirius, Remus and James came panting up behind them. Sirius took Carmen's book from her and led her over to the end of the table. James took a seat across from Sirius. Slightly exasperated, Morgan and Remus followed.
A few Gryffindors looked up the table toward them and turned quickly, giggling all the way. Carmen soon noticed this and was quite bothered. "Why are they all doing that?"
"Well, word travels fast here in Hogwarts, you know," James told her with a wink. Carmen looked from James to Sirius and smiled.
On the other side of the room, a Slytherin girl with bright blond hair leapt up from her seat. It was Sally. She practically ran over to the other end of the table and took a seat next to Snape and Malfoy. Snape bent down slightly to talk to her. She leaned over and whispered something behind her hand, staring at the five Gryffindors. A truly evil smirk appeared on his face as he straightened up and began to speak to Malfoy.
"Wonder what they're up to?" Morgan asked.
"Oh, probably planning something horrible to do to me and Sirius," James said, glancing at the Slytherins without interest. "So when do you think we should talk to Peeves?" he asked Sirius.
Shifting his attention away from the other end of the hall, Sirius said, "Well, I was actually thinking that we could do something else. What we planned just isn't enough."
"You know, you're right."
"Why don't you two just stop all of this here?" Carmen asked. "You did say that you got them back for the last time. So now you're even."
"And if you do something else, they might decide to do something really horrible to you," Morgan added.
"Girlfriends have no influence on the Marauder's pranks," James said smugly.
"Fine, I'm only trying to help," Carmen shrugged.