Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or the world they live in. Anything that does not belong to JK Rowling (characters, plot, concepts, etc), however, is my own work. Please respect my rights to it. . . or I'll get ya. ;) I have also used The Harry Potter Lexicon for several reference points: I'm having trouble putting in the hyper-link or address, so just go to Google and type in "Harry Potter Lexicon."
Author's Request: I realize there may seem to be some discrepancies in my story so far. (For example, I have trouble remembering which spells do what.) I have to ask that you let me flesh it out a bit so that I can fill in some of the gaps. I promise to remain as true to JK Rowling as I possibly can. As the plot goes on, and there's just something that *really* doesn't sit right with you, then do let me know. I try to be accommodating. Also, because of school constraints, chapters will be short for awhile. Nothing I can do about this. I'll try to make it up to you.
Last but not least! THANK YOU! I was absolutely astonished how many of you reviewed the first chapter on its first day!! It was a great confidence builder. Thanks, and I promise to try to keep it up!
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The Snitch that James had nicked—Sirius still wasn't sure how he'd managed that one—was fluttering lazily around the room, seeming to have realized that no one was chasing it and therefore ceasing its frantic zooming. It had smacked into the rain clouded window over the table where Sirius was sitting a few times, making him suspect that it was somewhat damaged from its kidnapping.
He let out a tiny sigh and glanced at the watch wrapped around his wrist. The glass had been shattered and mended so many times thanks to a few unlucky run-ins with straying Bludgers that it had gone faintly foggy. He could, however, still make out the numbers well enough to know that Moony's study group was due to start at any second now, yet he remained the only one sitting at the designated table.
It was understandable, however. Both Lily and James had blown in and out of the common room, filthy and soaking from what had appeared to be a vicious Quidditch practice and asking Remus to excuse them from the session long enough to catch a quick shower. Both Remus and Sirius had exchanged suggestive glances, but had managed to keep their mouths shut at a sharp look from Lily. Remus had then had to dash out for a prefects' meeting, promising it would be short, and as for Wormtail, he had scuttled off to the library directly after dinner, wanting to grab a last minute book on cross-species transfigurations. As for Ani Hellsing, he hadn't seen her since dinner and had no idea where she might be.
Sirius sighed again and reached into his pocket, fingering the folded letter he found there. His surprise at seeing Alden, his father's menacing black Eagle owl, swooping into the Great Hall that morning was as great as if his father himself had strolled in, shaken Dumbledore's hand, and embraced his son with a kiss. Alden had landed before Sirius with a look of great scorn: like his master, Alden much preferred Regulus, Sirius' brother, and made a point of snipping at his fingers whenever he did deliver the rare letter to Sirius. Ignoring James' questions and carefully untying the letter from the owl's leg, he pocketed the letter, refusing to read it before an audience.
He'd read it just a few moments ago, when the common room had grown relatively empty and he was alone. He could feel his mood blackening as he read his father's stately hand.
"Sirius—
I write only to remind you of your instructions after the end of this term. Upon your return from Hogwarts you will come directly home—your mother and I do not wish to track you down as we were required to do last summer. If we find your marks and your conduct satisfactory we will consider allowing you to make a trip to visit your friend James, but until that point you will remain at Grimmauld Place.In other news, please give my and your mother's regards to your brother, Regulus. Due to an onslaught of recent business I have not been able to pen my usual weekly correspondence with him. I will see you at the end of your term. There will be no need to reply to this owl.
Your esteemed father, etc…"
He'd resisted the urge to crumple the letter and cast it into the smoldering fire. Instead, with great restraint, he'd folded it up and placed it back in his pocket and continued staring morosely out the window. The weekly correspondence dig was a nice touch: a none-too-subtle reminder to Sirius that he was unworthy of any sort of notice from his father.
Oh well, he thought. There go my summer plans with the guys. At the beginning of the term, James had grandly announced that Remus, Peter and Sirius were invited to spend the summer with him and his parents at a bed and breakfast outside of Bath. Sirius had been greatly anticipating the holiday—summers at his home were becoming steadily less pleasant, especially after last year when he had decided to avoid his parents and nip off to the Potters' straight off the train, as referenced in his father's letter. He could still remember his punishment for that one. He'd hoped by asking permission this year he would be given a little more leniency, and for a while he thought his father had finally relented. The plans for summer at the Potters' had been sustaining Sirius throughout his year—now, he had nothing to look forward to except the company of his younger brother and Kreacher, his mother's creepy old house elf.
The portrait covering the entrance to the tower squeaked open and Sirius hastily pulled his hand out of his pocket. Ani Hellsing tumbled through the hole, the portrait swinging shut behind her, and scanned the room with her eyes. They landed on Sirius, who casually raised one hand in greeting. She crossed the room towards him, picking bits of feathers out of her hair as she went. "Sorry about being so late," Ani said a bit breathily, her gold eyes bright in her flushed face. "I was off in the Owlery sending a package to my mum."
Sirius had seen her up there before whenever he'd gone with James to send a letter, and remembered—with a tweak of envy—that she had a tawny, deep eyed barn owl she called Ghost. She'd once held out her arm and let the handsome creature hop onto his shoulder, where it nestled and clicked affectionately at his ear. Ghost, it seemed, liked Sirius better than Alden did. "No worries," he said to her apology. "Remus had a prefect meeting and Lily and James dashed off for a shower. Besides, we've got all night."
"I'm going to need all of it," she said good-naturedly. "I've got piles of notes to review. That's why I sent the package off to Mum, as a thank you present; she's been sending me hints and tips by owl for a month now." She laid her Intermediate Transfiguration book on the table and sat in the chair at the table across from Sirius, tucking her legs up so that her robes fell over and around the chair, giving her the impression of floating in midair. She faced him—Those gold eyes make her look a bit like an owl herself, Sirius thought—and pulled her wand out of her pocket, twirling it over her fingers in a way that reminded Sirius of James. "I can't wait to get this thing over with," Ani went on conversationally. She aimed her wand at one of her textbooks and muttered an incantation under her breath. "The sooner I get the slaughter over with, the better."
"Not your best subject?" Sirius asked, repressing a chuckle as the heavy book sprouted what appeared to be crab legs and scuttled blindly across the table.
"Hardly," Ani said dryly. "I'm definitely more of a potions kind of girl."
"Potions," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Not my cup. I'll definitely stick to Transfiguration." He unsheathed his own wand and gave the counter spell, causing the book to lay flat and still once more.
Ani looked impressed. "Not bad," she complimented him.
Sirius shrugged. Normally, especially if James were there, that would be an open invitation to show her something really impressive. Instead, he gave her a lazy smile and waved his wand again. This time, the book shifted and morphed, changing into a thin, deep green bird with gloomy, glassy black eyes. Ani gave an appreciative gasp and clapped her hands together as the large bird spread its wings and flapped lazily towards the window. It pecked at the window and let out a long, mournful call. Grinning at Ani, Sirius waved his wand again, and the bird morphed back into a book.
"An augurey!" Ani cried out, delighted. "That's an Irish phoenix, right? I've never seen one before!"
"I thought it was appropriate," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair once more, "seeing as how their call brings rain." Her pleasure brought a smile to his face.
The girl tilted back in her chair, looking at him appraisingly. "You're just as good as Remus," she said thoughtfully. "You make it look like it hardly takes any effort at all."
He shrugged. "Remus knows more about the technical aspects of Transfiguration than I ever will," he admitted. "He's studied nonstop. He's definitely the best person in the year to tutor you."
"Modest, too," Ani teased.
He laughed in earnest this time. "I just like to give credit where credit is due," Sirius said. "Besides, Remus is the greatest."
"I certainly am," a laughing voice boomed nearby. Sirius jumped; he hadn't even heard his friend enter the room. The werewolf beamed at the two of them as he crossed the room and clapped Sirius happily on the shoulder. "Lupin the Great, that's me," he joked, winking at Ani. "Get your notes out, you two. As soon as the others show up, we'll start."
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"I will never understand this!" Ani bellowed, throwing herself back in her chair. In a fit of temper she hurled her wand across the room, casting a glare at the painting of a group of giggling school-age witches who shrieked and dashed from the frame as her wand flew towards them. The hazelwood wand clattered despondently to the floor.
Patiently, Remus summoned the wand back and handed it to her. Ani took it grudgingly and sat back, watching as James—infuriatingly—turned the needle on which she'd been practicing into a wriggling newt and back again. Her last attempt had turned the thing slimy and somewhat less rigid, but it did not produce the legs or eyes or claws—things she knew McGonagall would be looking for. She saw James glance at Lily, as eager for her approval as a niffler for a trinket, but Lily kept her eyes schooled to the notes she was scanning over. Ani grinned to herself. Lily was bound and determined to ignore James for the rest of the night if it killed her.
Remus patted Ani on the wrist comfortingly. "You're doing much better, Ani," he encouraged her. "At least you're getting results now. And remember, you're tired. It'll go much more smoothly once you've gotten some rest and can focus your whole mind on it."
"Even my whole mind is no match for this," Ani said with a defeated sigh.
"Give it a ten minute break, and try again," he suggested, and turned away, prodding Peter—who had fallen asleep and was drooling peacefully on a stack of Remus' notes—with the tip of his wand.
Ani rolled her neck and arched her back, hoping to ease the stiffness out of her protesting muscles. The common room was dark and silent, save for their voices. Even the rest of the fifth years preparing for their O.W.L.s had drifted upstairs to bed. The fire had almost died at one point until she had cast an ever-warm charm which brought the flames leaping merrily back to life. Only Lily and Remus still seemed to have their minds set on studying. Peter had fallen asleep, she, Ani, had grown frustrated and tired, and James was too busy trying to impress Lily to do any real kind of work. Sirius had seemingly grown bored and had taken to brooding, staring out the window. For some reason, his dark mood pulled a twinge in Ani's heart.
While Remus furrowed his brow and bent over to further explain trans-species transfiguration to a bleary eyed Peter, Ani stole a furtive glance at Lily. Her best friend still appeared to be engrossed in her notes, her green eyes flitting like hummingbird wings over the pages. Ani took the momentary lack of attention on herself and took a spare sheet of parchment. With deft fingers she folded it over and over in a familiar origami style; when she was small—back before she'd known anything about witchcraft, or any part of her family's heritage—her father had taught her the art of folding paper to keep her entertained. Upon entering Hogwarts she found that, though it took a bit more effort, parchment worked just as well. With a satisfied smile, she cradled the little creation, a swan, in her palm. Glancing at Sirius, she held the paper up to her lips and whispered a charm and set it off into the air.
His head snapped up as the swan drifted dreamily through the air, circling his head. A ghost of a grin traced his lips as he looked over at Ani and reached up to catch the little bird carefully in one hand, careful not to bruise its wings. Ani chuckled and turned to Remus, who was looking at her with an expression somewhere between exasperation and amusement. "I can't turn that damn needle into a newt," she told him playfully, "but I can turn paper into birds and I think that's pretty good, don't you?"
The sandy-haired boy threw his hands up and laughed. "Yes," he said, rolling his eyes. "I think we've reached a standstill." He pursed his lips, crossed his arms over his chest and announced, "You are dismissed" in an uncanny imitation of Professor McGonagall.
The other five laughed and slowly began to gather their things. Ani glanced up from a pile of papers to see Remus watching her steadily, a slight apprehension creasing his brow. His concern touched her. A slow grin tugged up the corners of her mouth. "Alright, you slave driver," she joked, unsheathing her wand once more. "But if I don't get it the first time, I'm going to bed!"
"That's all I ask," he replied, grinning.
Ani wedged her tongue between her teeth, concentrating hard as Remus and Sirius paused to watch. If I can do this, she thought to herself as her mind's eye pictured a newt's wriggling body, its cool, slimy flesh, and its bulbous, innocent eyes, I'll treat myself to a huge slab of Honeydukes chocolate on the last Hogsmeade day before the holiday. How's that for initiative? The silvery sheen of the needle began to morph, ever so slightly, and seizing the moment, Ani pointed her wand and shouted, "Transmogrify newt!"
Both the boys shouted as the newt wriggled off the table and onto the floor. "Accio Newt!" Remus cried out happily, and caught the squirming creature in his hand, changing it—quick as a thought—back into a needle. "Well done, Ani!" he exclaimed. Ani couldn't help but grin at the proud expression on Remus' face. "You'll smash that practical tomorrow!"
"Thanks to you," Ani said gratefully. She waved as Remus clattered up the stairs to the dormitory, a bounce in his step that made Ani feel somehow warm inside. I really ought to make a point to be better friends with Lupin, she thought to herself, watching his thin frame disappear up the stairs. He really is a great guy.
Suddenly, Ani felt a movement behind her and warm breath on her cheek. "Well done, indeed," Sirius said softly into her ear.
Ani swallowed hard—this was the closest she'd ever stood to Sirius Black before, not counting the time he'd been chasing James through the hall, wand drawn, and had collided with her, grabbing her by the waist and setting her safely behind him before dashing off again. She turned slowly, her mind scrambling for some witty retort, but as soon as she turned, he was gone.
A ridiculous grin spread across her face. Maybe she'd learn to like Transfiguration yet!