Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter Five
After returning to the Gryffindor Common Room, Darwin found that her friends had been anxiously awaiting her arrival. As soon as he saw her, James began firing questions at her about what had happened with Remus.
She found this rather annoying, and gave him no answer, only a baleful look. When her dejected mood had become apparent to all those present, everyone grew quiet, and seemed to wait for her to speak. She took a seat on the sofa next to Sirius and remained quiet for a moment. He flung a comforting arm around her shoulders and then quietly asked:
"What did Remus say?"
Darwin let out an agitated sigh,
"This has nothing to do with him!" She said a little more forcibly than she meant to. Sirius looked inexplicably relieved.
A moment of uncomfortable silence passed. Then, reluctantly, Darwin related the story of what had happened in Hogsmeade that day and what she had seen in the Hospital Wing. As she did, she kept her head bowed and her eyes trained on her hands. She could feel Sirius begin to rub back in slow circles which she found very comforting. In this moment of anxiety Darwin was particularly grateful to have a friend such as Sirius.
When she had finished, another uncomfortable silence arose. As the group consisted mostly of people who had a knack for humour and mischief, but were somewhat inept when dealing with empathy and tragedies not directly involving them, no one quite knew what to do next. None of them were really the type to get all teary-eyed over anything and everything ill that ever befell mankind, but all were savvy enough to realize that such an event was not to be taken lightly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Darwin could see Lily's face turn slightly red, and tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.
James, who was very astute in his own way, was very quick to notice this.
"Lily, what's wrong?" He asked softly.
"My parents, they're Muggles too." She said, her voice sounding very tight.
James almost laughed.
"Oh, come off it! You've got absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm sure it was just a couple of insane extremists trying to get some attention." He told her, very self-assured.
Lily seemed to consider this for a moment.
"I guess you're right, but I can't help thinking-"
"But nothing. I don't want to hear another word about this. Those nutters have been around forever."
Lily didn't look very convinced. Darwin made a mental note to talk to her before they went to sleep, sans the Marauders.
Soon after, the group broke into conversation, but Darwin was still rather distracted by what had happened. Having grown up in a Muggle environment, she was never really aware of the dislike for Muggle-born witches and wizards in the Wizarding community. Even though it was a rather obscure position, Darwin had to admit to herself that she was not all that surprised that it existed. Having grown up in Montreal, and having an English father, she was used to discrimination based on heritage. The French-Canadian's hated anything and everything that could be connected to English Canada, and they even more vehemently hated anything that could be connected with England. During her childhood, her father had had a difficult time finding work, though he always managed to maintain a sunny disposition. One of her earliest memories was of being in a grocery store of some sort, and seeing another child there. The child had been standing next to her mother, and while Darwin's mother was occupied with placing a particularly heavy object in the shopping cart, Darwin had scampered off to see the other child. But as soon as she neared, the other child's mother turned, seemed to recognize Darwin, and then snatched her daughter away in a hurry. Darwin hadn't understood then, but she understood now why that had happened.
It was a very unpleasant thing, to know that something about her, something that made her who she was, and something that she couldn't change, was so despicable to someone else. She found herself feeling the exact same thing she had felt so many years ago, now that this issue of being Muggle-born had presented itself. If these people who hated Muggle- borns were really just a small group of fanatics, that wasn't really a problem. But what if they weren't? What if their numbers grew and grew? She very quickly decided that there was no use in thinking about these things, and so she decided to focus her attention on something else.
Very quickly, and not surprisingly, her attention fell to James, who was telling Sirius and Peter a story from his childhood.
"This happened right around the time I was learning to read." He began. " I was all excited that I had learnt how, so I would look through the house, to try and find things to read. Since most of the times I had read at school had been out loud, at home, I would do the same thing- sit at the kitchen table and read out loud. Well, one day, my mom had some company over, so I took the opportunity to look in her room for something read. Well, what I found was a harlequin romance." He paused for a moment to laugh with Sirius.
"So, I went straight to the kitchen, sat down next to my mom, and started reading. After reading two sentences, I had already made mention of 'milky white breasts' and a 'pulsating member'. I've never seen my mom so embarrassed. I was grounded for a week." He finished with his trademark rolling laugh, followed by Peter's silly giggle.
Sirius laughed too, and Darwin, who had been in a daze up until that point, noticed that she was curled up next to him quite comfortably. He had his arm draped around her, and his hand rested on her upper arm. Even though they were best friends, they were never very physically affectionate. In fact, Darwin was somewhat puzzled by the way Sirius was acting. He would act like this with his girlfriends, not with her. Just as she was pondering this, Sirius reached over with his free hand and grasped one of Darwin's hands. His hands, which were much bigger than hers, were very warm, and he moved his thumb in slow circles on the back of her hand. He did all this while still maintaining a very lively conversation with James, and he seemed to act in an almost absent-minded manner. After a few moments, something very deep inside Darwin had to admit that she was enjoying the attention.
All of Sirius' girlfriends were so pretty and perfect, and now, for the moment, he was treating her as he treated them. She smiled inwardly to herself, and though she never would have admitted it at that moment, she was most definitely sexually attracted to Sirius.
Sirius and James could seemingly talk for hours and not get tired. On this particular occasion, the conversation had moved to the newest Quidditch gear and the status of their favorite teams. Even if she had wanted to, Darwin could not had carried on an intelligent conversation concerning Quidditch. So she remained curled next to Sirius. Very soon she grew tired and rested her head on his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind, and he even tightened his arm around her.
It was very odd to be positioned like that, and be able to listen to Sirius talk and feel his voice vibrate through him. She had never before noticed how broad his shoulders were and how good he smelt. Now, this isn't to say that Darwin was falling for Sirius, because she wasn't. She still saw him as nothing more than a very good friend, however, it's just that at this moment, she began to see him in a new light.
Presently, however, Darwin was nearly asleep.
James, astuteness never failing, noticed this.
"Hey Siri, it appears as though you're so boring, you've put Darwin to sleep."
"I'm not the boring one." He shot back.
Sirius turned his face toward Darwin, but didn't have to go very far.
"But I digress, it is way best your bedtime young lady." He said, his charming smile filling Darwin's vision.
"Go to hell." Was her good-natured response.
"Oh, and you're cranky too. You really do need to get to bed."
Then Sirius did something very unexpected. He swooped his arm under her knees and his other arm behind her back and lifted her up.
"What are you doing?" She asked immediately.
"Taking you to bed." He gave a sly little smile and his eyes glinted. Inexplicably, a little chill ran down Darwin's spine.
"You sexist bastard!" Lily reprimanded, but in a good-natured way. Lily was a feminist at heart, and pounced on any opportunity to scold any male for being sexist.
"She has two perfectly working legs and she can get herself up to bed very easily on her own. Without your help." She said sternly, but couldn't stop a smile from escaping.
"Oh, shove it Evans." Sirius told her, and began to make his way toward the staircase which led to the girls' dormitory, still carrying Darwin.
"Next time Sirius, I swear, I'll slap you." Lily called to Sirius' retreating back.
Sirius just laughed.
Sirius was surprisingly good at carrying Darwin, and she very soon suspected that he had done this before. He didn't bump her head against the wall once, and most definitely didn't drop her or loose his grip.
They arrived at the sixth year girls' dorm to find it darkened, light only by a few bedside candles, with two of the other sixth year Gryffindor girls already asleep.
"Which bed is yours?" Sirius whispered in her ear. On the surface, this my have seemed like a very practical thing, as to not wake the other girls, but Darwin couldn't help but feel another chill down her spine.
"That one." Darwin replied, and pointed in the direction of her four-poster.
Silently, Sirius carried her over to her bed, and then very gently set her down. Sirius sat down on the side of the bed next to her.
"Thank you, prince charming, that was very chivalrous of you." Darwin told him sarcastically.
"Anytime." He told her, his voice still soft, his dark eyes fixed on her face.
"Sirius, you kind of suck at this. I'm still going to have to get up to change my clothes. I'm not sleeping in this." She said with a giggle.
"Just sleep in the nude." He said slyly. "Or I could always just change your clothes for you."
In response to Darwin's shocked look, he said "Using my wand of course."
"Oh!" Darwin quietly exclaimed, embarrassed that she had assumed otherwise. "No, no, that's quite alright."
"You're sure?" As Sirius said this, he moved his face closer to hers, and his hand went to her hip. Darwin was momentarily distracted by the warmth she could feel through her clothes coming from Sirius' hand.
"Quite sure." She replied, slightly uncomfortable.
Then, suddenly, Sirius leaned forward and kissed her. This wasn't the chaste little pecks on the cheek he normally gave her, this was a real kiss. Darwin was so surprised she didn't even think to close her eyes, hence, she got an unflattering close-up of Sirius' cheek. It lasted only a few moments, his hand tightened on her hip, and then it was over. He gave her a smile.
"Goodnight." He said simply. He gave her another quick peck on the corner of her mouth and left the room.
Once he was gone, the first thought that entered Darwin's mind was 'What the hell just happened?'. Sirius, her best friend for years, had just kissed her. Not only that, he had been very openly affectionate and flirtatious toward her. This was certainly new and at the same time, very odd. Sirius had never, ever shown even the slightest romantic interest in her. He had always maintained that they were just friends and she had done the same. On her more insecure days, Darwin would account this to her being undesirable, however, most of the time, she would simply attribute this to Sirius wanting to maintain their great friendship. But then, what the hell was he doing?
To add to her confusion, there was the issue of Remus. Remus, who was dreamy and made her feel nervous and light-headed, and who had seemed oddly interested in her. It was late, and she was tired, and she just didn't know what to think. In a daze, she managed to change into her night clothes and then get back into bed. She tossed and turned late into the night, trying to make sense of both Sirius' and Remus' actions, but as the night went on, her thinking became more and more muddled, and eventually she fell into an uneasy sleep.
As these things often go, she awoke late and found the dorm empty. She cursed, then in a rush, she hopped out of bed and in record time, got ready for the day. She made her way out of the Gryffindor Common Room, her hair still wet and her clothes ruffled, seeing only two other students. Both were seventh years, she knew, and she assumed that they had spare first period today.
She had Potions first today, which meant she had to go all the way from the Gryffindor Common Room on the seventh floor, to the Potions classroom, located in one of the dungeons. She figured she had already missed breakfast and didn't bother stopping at the Great Hall.
She had never really been one for strenuous physical activity, and after running half the way to the Potions classroom, she had to slow down to a walk, a painful stitch in her side. As she drew closer to the dungeon where her Potions class was, she wished that she had thought to put on her school vest or sweater when she was getting dressed. The air was cold down here and there was an ever-present draft. The slight sweat she had worked up in her half-hearted run to class was now causing her to shiver slightly.
She walked somewhat dejectedly towards her class, knowing that a horrible reprimand awaited her. Their Potions Master, Professor Eakins was a cheerless man with a short temper who fidgeted a lot and spat when he spoke. He didn't seem to like any of the students and none of the students seemed to like him.
Darwin had her eyes trained on the floor as she walked, keenly watching the shadows her feet cast each time she took a step. The halls leading to the dungeons were lit only by torches, which never failed to create a very gloomy effect. She was alone in the hallway, and each time she stepped a small echo sounded.
Suddenly, she thought she heard a voice. A hurried, short whisper, which was almost forceful. She stopped short. She waited a moment, then she heard another whisper, although this one seemed to be a different voice. She stood and listened. The voices seemed almost frantic. She could tell that they were coming from somewhere up ahead, and in spite of herself, she silently crept forward, straining her ears all the while.
Soon, she was able to make out a few words of what was being said.
"Heard anything—planning----last night---" Said the first.
"Watched her all day— knew exactly where---"Replied the second.
Darwin crept closer still. The voices seemed to be coming from the hallway that turned to her right, about ten feet ahead.
"----very sorry the attack was unsuccessful, but they inform me that they appreciated our efforts----plan again soon." Said the first voice again, and to Darwin that voice seemed strangely familiar, but she couldn't quite place who it belonged to.
Immediately, her mind jumped to the conclusion that the two people were talking about the attack in Hogsmeade the day prior. From what she heard, these two students, for from their voices she knew they weren't Professors, had somehow been involved in the attack. She could feel herself beginning to get nauseous and worried. Someone in the school would do that? She had always thought of Hogwarts as a safe haven, a place where the fanatics could not penetrate, a place where she would always be safe. But now, she couldn't be sure.
She remained huddled against the wall, one of her hands gripped motionlessly to one of the slightly protruding stones in the wall's surface, the other clenched into a fist. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears, and her breath coming in short gasps.
The two voices continued speaking, although they dropped their voices even more so that Darwin had to strain even more to catch what they were saying.
"----another attack----soon----Hogwarts—"Said the second voice.
"—to soon—patience is a virtue----" Hissed the first.
As Darwin stood rooted to the spot, she hadn't noticed the quill she had been carrying slowly sliding out of her grasps. She noticed it too late and before she could react, it clattered to the ground, making a sound which anywhere else would have been minute, but here in the dungeon hallways, that little sound echoed tremendously.
The voices stopped abruptly and her heart leapt into her throat. For a moment, nothing happened, then the voice that Darwin vaguely recognized said harshly:
"Someone else is here."
His voice seemed abnormally loud as it broke the atmosphere of silence that had existed a moment prior. Darwin quickly decided that it was in her best interest to not be found by these students and quickly ran back the way she had come. She ran faster then she knew she was capable of. Very soon though, she heard the rapid footsteps of someone pursuing her.
She had to hide, and quick. She could never outrun anyone, especially this other student whom she assumed was male, by his voice. As she ran, she looked around frantically for somewhere to hide, but all she saw were locked doors and the walls of the hallway. The overall darkness of the dungeons made it very difficult to see, and her panic wasn't helping either. Then, up ahead, just as she felt herself beginning to tire, she saw a door up ahead that she knew wouldn't be locked. It was a Bathroom, the only problem was, it was one of the Boys' Bathrooms.
For a moment she hesitated, but then she quickly decided that she would rather face an embarrassing situation in the Boys' loo than face, what seemed to be, sympathizers of the Death Eaters.
She reached the door and pushed into it with all her weight. She hurried ran in and scanned the room. The girls really did have nicer bathrooms. The bathroom was empty, save for one person and it was none other than Remus Lupin.
He was standing by one of the sinks, staring at her in bewilderment, his hands, forgotten, were under the faucet's running water.
Score one for Remus, he's got good hygiene, her mind said irrationally.
"Hey." He said tentatively.
Darwin didn't say a word. She could hear the faint footfalls of her pursuer, and in a flash, grabbed Remus by the collar and pulled him into the farthest stall, against the back wall. Thankfully there was nothing unpleasant in the bowl, and Darwin locked the door behind them.
"What's going--"Remus began but he was promptly shushed by Darwin.
Darwin knew she had to get their feet out of view so she sat on top of the toilet's tank, and then pulled Remus into a standing position, his feet planted on the toilet seat. Immediately, he leaned forward and placed his hands on the wall behind Darwin for balance.
"Don't move. Don't say anything." Darwin whispered fiercely.
Remus curtly nodded his head and said nothing. Then, a moment of silence passed, which afforded Darwin the opportunity to reflect that it was a somewhat awkward position to be in. Her blood still pounded in her ears, and she was almost wheezing. Then, her heart nearly stopped. She heard the door to the bathroom slowly creek open and two sets of footsteps enter.
"This is stupid, not to mention disgusting. Why would anyone hide here?" Asked one.
"We can't be too careful. I'll just have a look." Said the voice that Darwin was so close to recognizing.
Then, the speaker began to slowly walk across the room, his footsteps stopping at intervals, to, Darwin assumed, check under each stall. She could feel herself breaking out into a light sweat, her heart was in her throat and she couldn't move. She tried not to breath, for fear that it might give them away.
The footsteps drew closer. Her hands were clammy and she thought she might faint. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of polished black shoes. They stopped in front of the stall two down from the one her and Remus were in. The door silently swung open. Nothing there. They moved to the stall right next to them, the sound of the footfalls pounding in her ears, the door swung open, nothing there.
"Come on!" Said the voice belonging to the other person. "There's no one here."
Oh please, oh please, oh please, Darwin thought frantically.
"Alright," Said the other, and it was shocking just how close he was to them, probably only two or three feet. "I suppose you're right."
The polished pair of black shoes diapered out of view and Darwin could hear the footfalls get quieter as they retreated. Just as she thought they were in the clear and as she let out a sigh of relief, she heard one set of the footsteps stop, then the other.
"What is it now?"
She waited with bated breath.
"Nothing." The voice, resigned.
She heard the door which led to the hallway open and then the two sets of footfalls exit. She stayed where she was for a moment, and grabbed Remus' hips to ensure that he did the same. When she was sure they were really gone, she heaved a huge sigh of relief, lifting her face up to Remus'.
"What a relief." She said with a goofy smile.
"What was that all about?" He asked, very confused.
"Let's get out of here and I'll tell you."
Remus climbed down, unlocked the door, and exited the stall, with Darwin close behind. The clod air hit her sweaty fresh and made her feel refreshed.
In one of her rare moments of vanity, she made her way over to the row of sinks, and looked in one of the mirrors there. Her hair was a mess.
"What are you doing?" Remus asked with a smile. "You look great." He said this last sentence in that same low, enticing tone he had used in the Hospital Wing the night prior.
"My hair's all messy, I just have to fix it. It'll only take a second."
Usually Darwin wore her rather long hair tied back in a messy bun at the bottom of her head. Today, however, after all the running she had done, her hair was all frizzy and the bun was a mess. She slipped her hair elastic off and then very quickly began running her finger through her hair, as a means to comb it. Very few people saw her with her hair down and Remus seemed mesmerized by the sight.
"I've never seen your hair down before." He said quietly.
"I don't like to wear it down. It gets messy that way and having hair around my face bothers me."
"It looks really nice, you should wear it like that more often, or at least once."
"Maybe." Was her simple response.
After tying her hair back into it's back, and smoothing the hair on the top of her head down with a little water, she turned to face Remus.
"I'll tell you what happened now, but first, can we get out of here?"
Remus only laughed. He left the bathroom first, to ensure that no one was in the hallway, then motioned for Darwin to follow him. Then, as they walked toward Potions class, which, by this time, Darwin was very late for, she told Remus everything she had heard.
When she had finished, she said "I know that voice, I just can't place who it belongs to. Any ideas?"
"Of course. It's easy. The one that was checking the stalls was Severus Snape, and the other one was Lucius Malfoy."
"Do you think they had something to do with the attack? Maybe they're in league with the Death Eaters."
Remus seemed to consider this for a moment.
"You know, at any other time, I'd tell you that you were overacting, but after what just happened, I'm not so sure."
"Do you think we should tell someone? A Professor, or the Headmaster maybe."
Again, Remus thought for a moment.
"No, not yet." Was his response. " Malfoy's got a powerful family and some powerful friends. You don't want to become his enemy for no reason."
"I guess you're right. But this, combined with what happened in Hogsmeade last night, is really making me uneasy." She admitted.
"Don't worry." Remus said, puffing up his chest. "You have me to protect you."
Darwin began to giggle.
"What? You don't think I'm capable of protecting you?"
Darwin only giggled more.
"Come on. I'm big and tough and play Quidditch. What more could you want in a bodyguard?"
Darwin broke into full-fledged laughter.
"Oh, you think that's funny, eh?" He asked, and before she knew it, Darwin was pinned against the wall, being tickled mercilessly.
"Remus—stop----can't breath---"She sputtered.
He obeyed, but moved in very close to Darwin and placed a hand on either side of her head.
"Seriously now, what's so funny about the suggestion of me being your bodyguard?" He asked, attempting to be serious.
"Nothing's funny, it's just, you're so cute."
Remus suddenly pushed away from the wall, his eyes closed, grabbing at his chest as if he had been shot.
"What's wrong?" Darwin asked.
"Cute? She says I'm cute and asks what's wrong." He moaned forlornly. "Guys can't be cute."
"But you're cute in a very good way."She told him sincerely.
"Cute, say, in a way that you really like?" He asked slyly.
"Maybe."
"Cute in a way that makes you want to go on a date with me?"
"Maybe."
"Oh, playing hard to get are we?" He asked mockingly.
Darwin gave a laugh. "Maybe."
"Okay, Darwin, I'm about to ask you something, and I will never talk to you again if you say maybe. Yes or no, will you go out with me?"
Darwin thought for a moment.
"Maybe."
"That's it!" Remus exclaimed, turned on his heel and headed towards the Potions class.
"Wait! Wait!" Darwin called as she ran after him. "Yes! Yes, I'll go out with you."
Remus gave her a baleful look.
"How do you know I still want to date you?"
Darwin faked like she was shocked.
"Oh, is that how it is then? Not good enough for you?" She asked, pretending to be annoyed.
Remus' response- "Maybe."
"Oh shut up." She said and playfully slapped him in the arm.
They continued walking toward the Potions classroom.
"So, does this Saturday night sound good to you?"
"Very. But what are we going to go?" She asked. There wasn't a lot one could do for a date on the Hogwarts grounds and this weekend wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, although, the current circumstances considered, they probably wouldn't have gone there anyway.
"You'll see. "Was his only response.
They entered the Potions classroom and were promptly assigned detentions for that evening, although Darwin didn't really mind. She found herself more and more intrigued by Remus and really wanted to spend more time with him, even if it was in detention. By this time, she had all but forgotten what had happened with Sirius the previous evening, and attributed his actions to him just being silly. She also made a mental note to tell the others what she had overhead Malfoy and Snape saying on her way to class.
A/N: Many thanks to my one reviewer, but I'm curious- is anyone actually reading this? I'm hardly begging for praise, just wondering. It would be nice to get some feedback, even if there are only a few people reading this. But not to worry, for anyone who is reading this and enjoying it, as long as one person is having fun, so am I, and I will continue writing. Well, until next time, bye bye.
Chapter Five
After returning to the Gryffindor Common Room, Darwin found that her friends had been anxiously awaiting her arrival. As soon as he saw her, James began firing questions at her about what had happened with Remus.
She found this rather annoying, and gave him no answer, only a baleful look. When her dejected mood had become apparent to all those present, everyone grew quiet, and seemed to wait for her to speak. She took a seat on the sofa next to Sirius and remained quiet for a moment. He flung a comforting arm around her shoulders and then quietly asked:
"What did Remus say?"
Darwin let out an agitated sigh,
"This has nothing to do with him!" She said a little more forcibly than she meant to. Sirius looked inexplicably relieved.
A moment of uncomfortable silence passed. Then, reluctantly, Darwin related the story of what had happened in Hogsmeade that day and what she had seen in the Hospital Wing. As she did, she kept her head bowed and her eyes trained on her hands. She could feel Sirius begin to rub back in slow circles which she found very comforting. In this moment of anxiety Darwin was particularly grateful to have a friend such as Sirius.
When she had finished, another uncomfortable silence arose. As the group consisted mostly of people who had a knack for humour and mischief, but were somewhat inept when dealing with empathy and tragedies not directly involving them, no one quite knew what to do next. None of them were really the type to get all teary-eyed over anything and everything ill that ever befell mankind, but all were savvy enough to realize that such an event was not to be taken lightly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Darwin could see Lily's face turn slightly red, and tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.
James, who was very astute in his own way, was very quick to notice this.
"Lily, what's wrong?" He asked softly.
"My parents, they're Muggles too." She said, her voice sounding very tight.
James almost laughed.
"Oh, come off it! You've got absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm sure it was just a couple of insane extremists trying to get some attention." He told her, very self-assured.
Lily seemed to consider this for a moment.
"I guess you're right, but I can't help thinking-"
"But nothing. I don't want to hear another word about this. Those nutters have been around forever."
Lily didn't look very convinced. Darwin made a mental note to talk to her before they went to sleep, sans the Marauders.
Soon after, the group broke into conversation, but Darwin was still rather distracted by what had happened. Having grown up in a Muggle environment, she was never really aware of the dislike for Muggle-born witches and wizards in the Wizarding community. Even though it was a rather obscure position, Darwin had to admit to herself that she was not all that surprised that it existed. Having grown up in Montreal, and having an English father, she was used to discrimination based on heritage. The French-Canadian's hated anything and everything that could be connected to English Canada, and they even more vehemently hated anything that could be connected with England. During her childhood, her father had had a difficult time finding work, though he always managed to maintain a sunny disposition. One of her earliest memories was of being in a grocery store of some sort, and seeing another child there. The child had been standing next to her mother, and while Darwin's mother was occupied with placing a particularly heavy object in the shopping cart, Darwin had scampered off to see the other child. But as soon as she neared, the other child's mother turned, seemed to recognize Darwin, and then snatched her daughter away in a hurry. Darwin hadn't understood then, but she understood now why that had happened.
It was a very unpleasant thing, to know that something about her, something that made her who she was, and something that she couldn't change, was so despicable to someone else. She found herself feeling the exact same thing she had felt so many years ago, now that this issue of being Muggle-born had presented itself. If these people who hated Muggle- borns were really just a small group of fanatics, that wasn't really a problem. But what if they weren't? What if their numbers grew and grew? She very quickly decided that there was no use in thinking about these things, and so she decided to focus her attention on something else.
Very quickly, and not surprisingly, her attention fell to James, who was telling Sirius and Peter a story from his childhood.
"This happened right around the time I was learning to read." He began. " I was all excited that I had learnt how, so I would look through the house, to try and find things to read. Since most of the times I had read at school had been out loud, at home, I would do the same thing- sit at the kitchen table and read out loud. Well, one day, my mom had some company over, so I took the opportunity to look in her room for something read. Well, what I found was a harlequin romance." He paused for a moment to laugh with Sirius.
"So, I went straight to the kitchen, sat down next to my mom, and started reading. After reading two sentences, I had already made mention of 'milky white breasts' and a 'pulsating member'. I've never seen my mom so embarrassed. I was grounded for a week." He finished with his trademark rolling laugh, followed by Peter's silly giggle.
Sirius laughed too, and Darwin, who had been in a daze up until that point, noticed that she was curled up next to him quite comfortably. He had his arm draped around her, and his hand rested on her upper arm. Even though they were best friends, they were never very physically affectionate. In fact, Darwin was somewhat puzzled by the way Sirius was acting. He would act like this with his girlfriends, not with her. Just as she was pondering this, Sirius reached over with his free hand and grasped one of Darwin's hands. His hands, which were much bigger than hers, were very warm, and he moved his thumb in slow circles on the back of her hand. He did all this while still maintaining a very lively conversation with James, and he seemed to act in an almost absent-minded manner. After a few moments, something very deep inside Darwin had to admit that she was enjoying the attention.
All of Sirius' girlfriends were so pretty and perfect, and now, for the moment, he was treating her as he treated them. She smiled inwardly to herself, and though she never would have admitted it at that moment, she was most definitely sexually attracted to Sirius.
Sirius and James could seemingly talk for hours and not get tired. On this particular occasion, the conversation had moved to the newest Quidditch gear and the status of their favorite teams. Even if she had wanted to, Darwin could not had carried on an intelligent conversation concerning Quidditch. So she remained curled next to Sirius. Very soon she grew tired and rested her head on his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind, and he even tightened his arm around her.
It was very odd to be positioned like that, and be able to listen to Sirius talk and feel his voice vibrate through him. She had never before noticed how broad his shoulders were and how good he smelt. Now, this isn't to say that Darwin was falling for Sirius, because she wasn't. She still saw him as nothing more than a very good friend, however, it's just that at this moment, she began to see him in a new light.
Presently, however, Darwin was nearly asleep.
James, astuteness never failing, noticed this.
"Hey Siri, it appears as though you're so boring, you've put Darwin to sleep."
"I'm not the boring one." He shot back.
Sirius turned his face toward Darwin, but didn't have to go very far.
"But I digress, it is way best your bedtime young lady." He said, his charming smile filling Darwin's vision.
"Go to hell." Was her good-natured response.
"Oh, and you're cranky too. You really do need to get to bed."
Then Sirius did something very unexpected. He swooped his arm under her knees and his other arm behind her back and lifted her up.
"What are you doing?" She asked immediately.
"Taking you to bed." He gave a sly little smile and his eyes glinted. Inexplicably, a little chill ran down Darwin's spine.
"You sexist bastard!" Lily reprimanded, but in a good-natured way. Lily was a feminist at heart, and pounced on any opportunity to scold any male for being sexist.
"She has two perfectly working legs and she can get herself up to bed very easily on her own. Without your help." She said sternly, but couldn't stop a smile from escaping.
"Oh, shove it Evans." Sirius told her, and began to make his way toward the staircase which led to the girls' dormitory, still carrying Darwin.
"Next time Sirius, I swear, I'll slap you." Lily called to Sirius' retreating back.
Sirius just laughed.
Sirius was surprisingly good at carrying Darwin, and she very soon suspected that he had done this before. He didn't bump her head against the wall once, and most definitely didn't drop her or loose his grip.
They arrived at the sixth year girls' dorm to find it darkened, light only by a few bedside candles, with two of the other sixth year Gryffindor girls already asleep.
"Which bed is yours?" Sirius whispered in her ear. On the surface, this my have seemed like a very practical thing, as to not wake the other girls, but Darwin couldn't help but feel another chill down her spine.
"That one." Darwin replied, and pointed in the direction of her four-poster.
Silently, Sirius carried her over to her bed, and then very gently set her down. Sirius sat down on the side of the bed next to her.
"Thank you, prince charming, that was very chivalrous of you." Darwin told him sarcastically.
"Anytime." He told her, his voice still soft, his dark eyes fixed on her face.
"Sirius, you kind of suck at this. I'm still going to have to get up to change my clothes. I'm not sleeping in this." She said with a giggle.
"Just sleep in the nude." He said slyly. "Or I could always just change your clothes for you."
In response to Darwin's shocked look, he said "Using my wand of course."
"Oh!" Darwin quietly exclaimed, embarrassed that she had assumed otherwise. "No, no, that's quite alright."
"You're sure?" As Sirius said this, he moved his face closer to hers, and his hand went to her hip. Darwin was momentarily distracted by the warmth she could feel through her clothes coming from Sirius' hand.
"Quite sure." She replied, slightly uncomfortable.
Then, suddenly, Sirius leaned forward and kissed her. This wasn't the chaste little pecks on the cheek he normally gave her, this was a real kiss. Darwin was so surprised she didn't even think to close her eyes, hence, she got an unflattering close-up of Sirius' cheek. It lasted only a few moments, his hand tightened on her hip, and then it was over. He gave her a smile.
"Goodnight." He said simply. He gave her another quick peck on the corner of her mouth and left the room.
Once he was gone, the first thought that entered Darwin's mind was 'What the hell just happened?'. Sirius, her best friend for years, had just kissed her. Not only that, he had been very openly affectionate and flirtatious toward her. This was certainly new and at the same time, very odd. Sirius had never, ever shown even the slightest romantic interest in her. He had always maintained that they were just friends and she had done the same. On her more insecure days, Darwin would account this to her being undesirable, however, most of the time, she would simply attribute this to Sirius wanting to maintain their great friendship. But then, what the hell was he doing?
To add to her confusion, there was the issue of Remus. Remus, who was dreamy and made her feel nervous and light-headed, and who had seemed oddly interested in her. It was late, and she was tired, and she just didn't know what to think. In a daze, she managed to change into her night clothes and then get back into bed. She tossed and turned late into the night, trying to make sense of both Sirius' and Remus' actions, but as the night went on, her thinking became more and more muddled, and eventually she fell into an uneasy sleep.
As these things often go, she awoke late and found the dorm empty. She cursed, then in a rush, she hopped out of bed and in record time, got ready for the day. She made her way out of the Gryffindor Common Room, her hair still wet and her clothes ruffled, seeing only two other students. Both were seventh years, she knew, and she assumed that they had spare first period today.
She had Potions first today, which meant she had to go all the way from the Gryffindor Common Room on the seventh floor, to the Potions classroom, located in one of the dungeons. She figured she had already missed breakfast and didn't bother stopping at the Great Hall.
She had never really been one for strenuous physical activity, and after running half the way to the Potions classroom, she had to slow down to a walk, a painful stitch in her side. As she drew closer to the dungeon where her Potions class was, she wished that she had thought to put on her school vest or sweater when she was getting dressed. The air was cold down here and there was an ever-present draft. The slight sweat she had worked up in her half-hearted run to class was now causing her to shiver slightly.
She walked somewhat dejectedly towards her class, knowing that a horrible reprimand awaited her. Their Potions Master, Professor Eakins was a cheerless man with a short temper who fidgeted a lot and spat when he spoke. He didn't seem to like any of the students and none of the students seemed to like him.
Darwin had her eyes trained on the floor as she walked, keenly watching the shadows her feet cast each time she took a step. The halls leading to the dungeons were lit only by torches, which never failed to create a very gloomy effect. She was alone in the hallway, and each time she stepped a small echo sounded.
Suddenly, she thought she heard a voice. A hurried, short whisper, which was almost forceful. She stopped short. She waited a moment, then she heard another whisper, although this one seemed to be a different voice. She stood and listened. The voices seemed almost frantic. She could tell that they were coming from somewhere up ahead, and in spite of herself, she silently crept forward, straining her ears all the while.
Soon, she was able to make out a few words of what was being said.
"Heard anything—planning----last night---" Said the first.
"Watched her all day— knew exactly where---"Replied the second.
Darwin crept closer still. The voices seemed to be coming from the hallway that turned to her right, about ten feet ahead.
"----very sorry the attack was unsuccessful, but they inform me that they appreciated our efforts----plan again soon." Said the first voice again, and to Darwin that voice seemed strangely familiar, but she couldn't quite place who it belonged to.
Immediately, her mind jumped to the conclusion that the two people were talking about the attack in Hogsmeade the day prior. From what she heard, these two students, for from their voices she knew they weren't Professors, had somehow been involved in the attack. She could feel herself beginning to get nauseous and worried. Someone in the school would do that? She had always thought of Hogwarts as a safe haven, a place where the fanatics could not penetrate, a place where she would always be safe. But now, she couldn't be sure.
She remained huddled against the wall, one of her hands gripped motionlessly to one of the slightly protruding stones in the wall's surface, the other clenched into a fist. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears, and her breath coming in short gasps.
The two voices continued speaking, although they dropped their voices even more so that Darwin had to strain even more to catch what they were saying.
"----another attack----soon----Hogwarts—"Said the second voice.
"—to soon—patience is a virtue----" Hissed the first.
As Darwin stood rooted to the spot, she hadn't noticed the quill she had been carrying slowly sliding out of her grasps. She noticed it too late and before she could react, it clattered to the ground, making a sound which anywhere else would have been minute, but here in the dungeon hallways, that little sound echoed tremendously.
The voices stopped abruptly and her heart leapt into her throat. For a moment, nothing happened, then the voice that Darwin vaguely recognized said harshly:
"Someone else is here."
His voice seemed abnormally loud as it broke the atmosphere of silence that had existed a moment prior. Darwin quickly decided that it was in her best interest to not be found by these students and quickly ran back the way she had come. She ran faster then she knew she was capable of. Very soon though, she heard the rapid footsteps of someone pursuing her.
She had to hide, and quick. She could never outrun anyone, especially this other student whom she assumed was male, by his voice. As she ran, she looked around frantically for somewhere to hide, but all she saw were locked doors and the walls of the hallway. The overall darkness of the dungeons made it very difficult to see, and her panic wasn't helping either. Then, up ahead, just as she felt herself beginning to tire, she saw a door up ahead that she knew wouldn't be locked. It was a Bathroom, the only problem was, it was one of the Boys' Bathrooms.
For a moment she hesitated, but then she quickly decided that she would rather face an embarrassing situation in the Boys' loo than face, what seemed to be, sympathizers of the Death Eaters.
She reached the door and pushed into it with all her weight. She hurried ran in and scanned the room. The girls really did have nicer bathrooms. The bathroom was empty, save for one person and it was none other than Remus Lupin.
He was standing by one of the sinks, staring at her in bewilderment, his hands, forgotten, were under the faucet's running water.
Score one for Remus, he's got good hygiene, her mind said irrationally.
"Hey." He said tentatively.
Darwin didn't say a word. She could hear the faint footfalls of her pursuer, and in a flash, grabbed Remus by the collar and pulled him into the farthest stall, against the back wall. Thankfully there was nothing unpleasant in the bowl, and Darwin locked the door behind them.
"What's going--"Remus began but he was promptly shushed by Darwin.
Darwin knew she had to get their feet out of view so she sat on top of the toilet's tank, and then pulled Remus into a standing position, his feet planted on the toilet seat. Immediately, he leaned forward and placed his hands on the wall behind Darwin for balance.
"Don't move. Don't say anything." Darwin whispered fiercely.
Remus curtly nodded his head and said nothing. Then, a moment of silence passed, which afforded Darwin the opportunity to reflect that it was a somewhat awkward position to be in. Her blood still pounded in her ears, and she was almost wheezing. Then, her heart nearly stopped. She heard the door to the bathroom slowly creek open and two sets of footsteps enter.
"This is stupid, not to mention disgusting. Why would anyone hide here?" Asked one.
"We can't be too careful. I'll just have a look." Said the voice that Darwin was so close to recognizing.
Then, the speaker began to slowly walk across the room, his footsteps stopping at intervals, to, Darwin assumed, check under each stall. She could feel herself breaking out into a light sweat, her heart was in her throat and she couldn't move. She tried not to breath, for fear that it might give them away.
The footsteps drew closer. Her hands were clammy and she thought she might faint. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of polished black shoes. They stopped in front of the stall two down from the one her and Remus were in. The door silently swung open. Nothing there. They moved to the stall right next to them, the sound of the footfalls pounding in her ears, the door swung open, nothing there.
"Come on!" Said the voice belonging to the other person. "There's no one here."
Oh please, oh please, oh please, Darwin thought frantically.
"Alright," Said the other, and it was shocking just how close he was to them, probably only two or three feet. "I suppose you're right."
The polished pair of black shoes diapered out of view and Darwin could hear the footfalls get quieter as they retreated. Just as she thought they were in the clear and as she let out a sigh of relief, she heard one set of the footsteps stop, then the other.
"What is it now?"
She waited with bated breath.
"Nothing." The voice, resigned.
She heard the door which led to the hallway open and then the two sets of footfalls exit. She stayed where she was for a moment, and grabbed Remus' hips to ensure that he did the same. When she was sure they were really gone, she heaved a huge sigh of relief, lifting her face up to Remus'.
"What a relief." She said with a goofy smile.
"What was that all about?" He asked, very confused.
"Let's get out of here and I'll tell you."
Remus climbed down, unlocked the door, and exited the stall, with Darwin close behind. The clod air hit her sweaty fresh and made her feel refreshed.
In one of her rare moments of vanity, she made her way over to the row of sinks, and looked in one of the mirrors there. Her hair was a mess.
"What are you doing?" Remus asked with a smile. "You look great." He said this last sentence in that same low, enticing tone he had used in the Hospital Wing the night prior.
"My hair's all messy, I just have to fix it. It'll only take a second."
Usually Darwin wore her rather long hair tied back in a messy bun at the bottom of her head. Today, however, after all the running she had done, her hair was all frizzy and the bun was a mess. She slipped her hair elastic off and then very quickly began running her finger through her hair, as a means to comb it. Very few people saw her with her hair down and Remus seemed mesmerized by the sight.
"I've never seen your hair down before." He said quietly.
"I don't like to wear it down. It gets messy that way and having hair around my face bothers me."
"It looks really nice, you should wear it like that more often, or at least once."
"Maybe." Was her simple response.
After tying her hair back into it's back, and smoothing the hair on the top of her head down with a little water, she turned to face Remus.
"I'll tell you what happened now, but first, can we get out of here?"
Remus only laughed. He left the bathroom first, to ensure that no one was in the hallway, then motioned for Darwin to follow him. Then, as they walked toward Potions class, which, by this time, Darwin was very late for, she told Remus everything she had heard.
When she had finished, she said "I know that voice, I just can't place who it belongs to. Any ideas?"
"Of course. It's easy. The one that was checking the stalls was Severus Snape, and the other one was Lucius Malfoy."
"Do you think they had something to do with the attack? Maybe they're in league with the Death Eaters."
Remus seemed to consider this for a moment.
"You know, at any other time, I'd tell you that you were overacting, but after what just happened, I'm not so sure."
"Do you think we should tell someone? A Professor, or the Headmaster maybe."
Again, Remus thought for a moment.
"No, not yet." Was his response. " Malfoy's got a powerful family and some powerful friends. You don't want to become his enemy for no reason."
"I guess you're right. But this, combined with what happened in Hogsmeade last night, is really making me uneasy." She admitted.
"Don't worry." Remus said, puffing up his chest. "You have me to protect you."
Darwin began to giggle.
"What? You don't think I'm capable of protecting you?"
Darwin only giggled more.
"Come on. I'm big and tough and play Quidditch. What more could you want in a bodyguard?"
Darwin broke into full-fledged laughter.
"Oh, you think that's funny, eh?" He asked, and before she knew it, Darwin was pinned against the wall, being tickled mercilessly.
"Remus—stop----can't breath---"She sputtered.
He obeyed, but moved in very close to Darwin and placed a hand on either side of her head.
"Seriously now, what's so funny about the suggestion of me being your bodyguard?" He asked, attempting to be serious.
"Nothing's funny, it's just, you're so cute."
Remus suddenly pushed away from the wall, his eyes closed, grabbing at his chest as if he had been shot.
"What's wrong?" Darwin asked.
"Cute? She says I'm cute and asks what's wrong." He moaned forlornly. "Guys can't be cute."
"But you're cute in a very good way."She told him sincerely.
"Cute, say, in a way that you really like?" He asked slyly.
"Maybe."
"Cute in a way that makes you want to go on a date with me?"
"Maybe."
"Oh, playing hard to get are we?" He asked mockingly.
Darwin gave a laugh. "Maybe."
"Okay, Darwin, I'm about to ask you something, and I will never talk to you again if you say maybe. Yes or no, will you go out with me?"
Darwin thought for a moment.
"Maybe."
"That's it!" Remus exclaimed, turned on his heel and headed towards the Potions class.
"Wait! Wait!" Darwin called as she ran after him. "Yes! Yes, I'll go out with you."
Remus gave her a baleful look.
"How do you know I still want to date you?"
Darwin faked like she was shocked.
"Oh, is that how it is then? Not good enough for you?" She asked, pretending to be annoyed.
Remus' response- "Maybe."
"Oh shut up." She said and playfully slapped him in the arm.
They continued walking toward the Potions classroom.
"So, does this Saturday night sound good to you?"
"Very. But what are we going to go?" She asked. There wasn't a lot one could do for a date on the Hogwarts grounds and this weekend wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, although, the current circumstances considered, they probably wouldn't have gone there anyway.
"You'll see. "Was his only response.
They entered the Potions classroom and were promptly assigned detentions for that evening, although Darwin didn't really mind. She found herself more and more intrigued by Remus and really wanted to spend more time with him, even if it was in detention. By this time, she had all but forgotten what had happened with Sirius the previous evening, and attributed his actions to him just being silly. She also made a mental note to tell the others what she had overhead Malfoy and Snape saying on her way to class.
A/N: Many thanks to my one reviewer, but I'm curious- is anyone actually reading this? I'm hardly begging for praise, just wondering. It would be nice to get some feedback, even if there are only a few people reading this. But not to worry, for anyone who is reading this and enjoying it, as long as one person is having fun, so am I, and I will continue writing. Well, until next time, bye bye.