A/N: Okay, this is Valentines Day, which also means Sirius gets another card from his weird secret admirer. Don't blame me for the song. It was a friend's idea.

CHAPTER NINE: THE HUNT FOR THE ADMIRER

January drifted by. They had started to practice how to become Animagus.

Without much luck on the night before Valentines Day they headed back to the common room talking avidly.

"You need to concentrate on the animal, be the animal." Remus said as they entered the portrait hole.

The common room had been decorated with large tacky pink balloons and streamers. Lily and all the other girls were sitting talking (as usual) and giggled when the boys past. They were heading upstairs though.

"Sirius, a card might not even come, and it would be tomorrow, since tomorrow is Valentines Day anyway." James said, but sure enough, another card was in place on his bed.

"Sirius, who knows what goes on in that girls mind! What kind of song is it going to be?"

Sirius opened the card, and out came the song;

'The first flush of youth was upon you when our eyes first met

And i knew that to you and into your life i had to get

i felt light-headed at the touch of this strangers hand

an assault my defenses systematically failed to withstand

cos you came at a time

when the pursuit of one true love in which to fall

was the be all and end all

love is only a feeling

(drifting away)

when im in your arms I start believing

(its here to stay)

but love is only a feeling

Anyway

the state of elation that this union of hearts achieved

I had seen, I had touched, I had tasted and I truly believed

that the light of my life

would tear a hole through each cloud that scudded by

just to beam on you and I

Love is only a feeling

(drifting away)

when im your arms I start believing

(its here to stay)

but love is only a feeling

anyway, anyway

Love is only a feeling

(drifting away)

and we've got to stop ourselves believing

(its here to stay)

cos love is only a feeling

Anyway'

"Sirius, that song was...normal- I know who it is!" James said, smiling at the confused faces. "Well, not exactly, but tomorrow, we interview the Goth girls!"

Sirius fell asleep soon after that. Yet before he did he didn't rip up the card. He put it in a draw.

He was in the great hall. James was holding up a list of students and was holding the sorting hat. He called girl names one by one and the sorting hat called out with each one 'NO!'.

Sirius wanted to go up and stop him for some reason, but he couldn't. He was in a cage. It was getting smaller...smaller...

"Sirius wake up! Today we hunt!" James said, shaking Sirius awake.

The foursome of boys walked downstairs to breakfast. When they got there James let Peter go off to eat but kept Remus and Sirius.

"Okay men, what we need to do is scan each house table for Goth girls. Let's start with Hufflepuff." And soon enough, they found a group of Hufflepuff girls who were Goth's.

"Hello ladies." Sirius said, walking up to them.

"Hello Sirius." They chorused.

"Have any of you been sending me cards?" He asked sweetly.

"No Sirius." They chorused.

James did Ravenclaw and even Slytherin, but no luck.

"Okay, someone is lying." James said as they finally sat down to eat.

"Obviously...hey James, check this out." Sirius pointed up to all the owls coming in. Twenty were heading straight for Sirius and James.

"I feel so loved!" Sirius and James said together. The split up the mail (to each his own) and opened all the cards.

"Wow, a lot of fifth years like us..." James said, reading a fancy card from a fifth year Ravenclaw.

"Looks like you guys won't have trouble in the girl department..." Peter said sadly as Remus got a few owls himself.

Sirius picked up the last letter. It wasn't a Valentines Day card. It was from home.

Dear Sirius,

So, you decided not to rat me out. That was very wise of you. Next time I want you to do the same thing. Next time; Easter holiday. If you don't show up, don't expect your little friend's family to last very long. Some might say that truck keeps coming back for more.

Your loving mother

Sirius burnt the letter and ran fro the hall. He ran straight for his dorm, pulled the curtains around his four poster.

He sat up, crying. What was he to do? He had two options; tell someone and wait for James's mum and dad to just be killed, or go home and be almost killed again. Why didn't his mum just let him stay here? What else did he do?

Sirius bent over and opened his draw he pulled the card out and left it to play on his bed. It gave him a strange twinge of hope, bravery. So he went home. Fight back, that's one thing he could do. Yet his parent's were like mafia, if his mum was arrested or hurt, someone else would go and hurt, maybe even kill James's parents. He had to face the music. Although the music playing right now was much more relaxing.

"Hey strange Goth girl, your giving me hope and I don't even know you, did you know that?" He said to himself. The song that was playing ended, but strangely, instead of leaving quiet or repeating its self, it played another song;

'I'm not feeling so bold

Can't you see I don't want to grow old

And my photograph's an epitaph of parody

I don't want to be me

I'm not feeling so sure

It would help if you offered a cure

If I wait, it's too late for the remedy

I don't want to be me

You won't save me

Cuz I'm not the fortunate one

So don't blame me

If I decide to go hide or instead to just run

I'm not feeling so well

Maybe we could just sit for a spell

And make amends, it depends on my injury

I don't want to be me

I don't want to be me

I don't want to be me

You won't save me

Cuz I'm not the fortunate one

So don't blame me

If I decide to just run

You won't save me

Cuz I'm not the fortunate one

So don't blame me

If I decide to go hide or instead to just run

If I decide to go hide or instead to just run

If I decide to go hide or instead to just run'

"What is up with this card?" Sirius asked himself as he closed it. This song just basically told him that there was nothing to do except face it, or if he ran try and make up with James later. That wasn't right. So he had to face it. That was settled.

"Yo, can you turn it down? That music is so loud I can't hear myself like, think!" the girl with the valley girl accent opened the dorm door.

"Maybe that's just because you don't think." Sirius said to her, putting the card in his draw.

"Ohmygawd! Sirius!" The girl ran to his bed and flung the four poster aside. "Did you like, get my card?"

"Yes I did, and I 'like totally' don't like you." Sirius almost choked out. He didn't realize how hard it was to talk knowing you are going to be beat to a right bloody pulp.

"Why Siri? I really, like, like you!" She said, looking a bit put out.

Two people walked in.

"So that's all it takes to make a lunar chart?"

"Yeah, but one thing is certain, you don't want to mess it up. Put to much pronunciation on 'full moon', and it gives you a whole different ma- Clara? What are you doing here?" Sora had just walked in with James. Apparently, she was explaining how to make a lunar chart to him.

"I am talking to Siri! Of course, if James would rather talk to me I wouldn't mind, Siri is being a stupid head." Sirius nodded vigorously to James.

"Yeah, c'mon Clara, lets go and talk." James said, ushering her outside. She followed and James closed the door. Sora was about to go but Sirius spoke up.

"Sora, you said your foster parents beat you?" He asked quietly.

"What's it to you?" She asked a bit crossly.

Sirius shook his head meaning she misunderstood him. "If you knew in advance what they were going to do- what did you do to try and prevent it?"

Sora sat down on James's bed. "Most of the time I couldn't. Although I took up running. Early in the morning and late at night. Before they would wake up and after they were in bed. It cleared my mind and the pain I was putting on my legs from over-doing it helped me to become stronger. It would hurt less if I got a chair whacked across my head. Mind you, it still hurt."

Sirius's heart sank. Now what? He sucked in some rouge tears and muttered 'thank you'.

Sora didn't get up. "Why, do your parents beat you?"
A/N: Okay, I am leaving it off there. I guess now you realize why I added Sora. Sirius could be open with a loner without worries that everything will spread. Why she tells him I don't know.