Chapter 26: Evasions

On Monday, Lauren was eating lunch in the Great Hall with her Ravenclaw dorm-mates. She and Karen were listening to Robin, a tall girl with light brown hair, ramble on about the newest issue of "Teenage Witch's Weekly".

Suddenly, Robin stopped talking mid-sentence. Her jaw dropped open just slightly. Lauren turned around, wondering what Robin was looking at. Sirius was standing right behind her, a smile on his face. "Do you mind if I sit with you today?" he asked.

"Of course we don't," Robin said eagerly. Karen gave Robin a swat on the arm and said to Sirius, "Please ignore her." Sirius gave another smile, causing Robin to sigh. He looked around nervously as he sank onto the bench next to Lauren. "Hey," he said softly.

This was more than a little strange. For the past seven years, Sirius had never sat anywhere else but at the Gryffindor table with the rest of the Marauders. Now he was definitely considering that he might have made a mistake by coming over there.

But he changed his mind when Lauren said, "Hey," back and grabbed his hand, squeezing it for reassurance. He squeezed back and grinned at her before he rested the back of his hand, which was now entwined with hers, on her leg.

"So what are you guys talking about?" he asked the table.

Karen said sarcastically, "Oh, Robin here was just talking about all the cute boys in her favorite magazine, weren't you Robin?"

He glanced over at the girl Karen was gesturing towards. And immediately felt like looking away, as the girl was staring at him unflinchingly. He knew that girls found him attractive, but he found the whole staring thing a little disconcerting and usually tried to ignore it. Everyone knew that he and Lauren were together now, so it'd been a while since he'd received one of those looks. And besides, wasn't this girl one of Lauren's friends? Not wanting to be charming at all, he smiled at the girl uncomfortably before breaking the eye contact.

The tension at the table, especially between Karen and Robin, was quite apparent, so Sirius turned to Lauren and asked, "Can I walk you to class?"

Lauren smiled at him and nodded her head. Then she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Can we go now? I have a serious matter to attend to before class."

Sirius turned his head to look her in the eyes. What he saw there made him stand up immediately, pulling Lauren up with him.

"Well, see you guys later," she said cheerfully.

"You're leaving now? There's still fifteen minutes before classes start!" Robin said, whining slightly.

"We know," Lauren and Sirius said in unison as they hurried towards the huge doors of the Great Hall and out into the hallway. Sirius was walking quickly, dragging Lauren along with him. After turning a few corners, he stopped abruptly. Lauren almost ran into him, but he grabbed her around the waist.

He pulled her close to him and leaned down to kiss her neck. Lauren felt herself go weak in the knees, and she clung onto Sirius to keep herself upright. Meanwhile, he took a few steps forward, pushing Lauren's back up against the wall. He took her wrists in his hand and held them against the cool stone wall above her head. With the other, he tilted her face up towards his.

They kissed furiously in the hallway for the next several minutes. Then the bell sounded, echoing through the otherwise deserted room they were occupying. Sirius gave her a quick kiss before grabbing her hand. They ran to get to Muggle Studies on time.

Later that evening, Sirius was on his way to the Shrieking Shack. James and Peter had already left, since he was a little behind on his Transfiguration assignment. He had just finished, and was hurrying to be able to make it before Remus' painful transformation. He skidded to a halt around the corner in front of the main doors, seeing Lauren there with her fellow Ravenclaw prefect. He paused, not sure what he should do. He didn't have the invisibility cloak, so he couldn't just sneak past unnoticed. And he couldn't just waltz out there. Lauren might be his girlfriend, but she wasn't going to just let him off the hook in front of…whatever the bloke's name was, who happened to be standing much closer to Lauren than he liked.

His jealousy got the better of him and he strode around the corner, whistling softly. Lauren and…Lovegood, he remembered finally, both turned to look at him. Lauren's face lit up as she realized it was him, but then her eyes narrowed and she mouthed angrily at him, "What are you doing?"

He shrugged and approached them.

"Black…you do realize that it's after hours?" Lovegood asked diplomatically.

"Oh, really? I hadn't realized it was so late. See, I was in the library…" he trailed off mid-lie when he saw Lauren's disappointed expression.

"Well, mate, I suppose I can't blame you. NEWTS year is pretty rough, isn't it? If you just head back to the Gryffindor dorms, we'll just forget we ever saw you, right Lauren?" John asked as he turned to his partner.

"Right," Lauren agreed, not looking at Sirius.

John noticed the way that Sirius was looking at her and he quirked an eyebrow as he suggested, "Lauren, why don't you accompany him?"

"Um…okay," Lauren said, and Sirius stepped closer to her.

They walked around the corner, and Lauren paused to whack Sirius in the arm. "What is the matter with you?" she asked furiously. "Just because I'm doing rounds doesn't give you free reign of the school!"

He held up his hands apologetically. "Lauren, I know. I wasn't…I didn't like how close he was standing to you!"

Lauren rolled her eyes and let out a huff of frustration. "So now you're so jealous you're spying on me?"

"No…I just happened to notice when I was—" Sirius broke off as he glanced at his watch and realized he didn't need to get into this. He didn't have enough time.

"When you were…?"

"Nothing, Laur," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and walking in the direction of the Ravenclaw dormitories.

Lauren noticed this immediately and shrugged his arm off. "Where do you think we're going?" she asked, stopping in the middle of the hall.

"I'm walking you to your dormitory," Sirius replied, checking his watch again. 'Damn, I'm going to be late…'

"Sirius, I'm supposed to be walking you to your dormitory," she said, aggravated by his behavior. "You were the one out after hours."

"But, Lauren," he said, glancing at his watch again, "Your shift is over now, and I thought that I should be a gentleman and escort you."

"Actually, Sirius, my shift isn't over. I have to be there when we report to the prefects who have the shift after us."

Sirius sighed.

"Besides, I have to go to the greenhouse to get my ingredients."

"What?" She was planning on going outside? By herself?

"My NEWT Potions project, Sirius. Some of the ingredients have to be picked during the full moon."

"Uh…you can't wait until next month?"

"Sirius, what is wrong with you?" Lauren asked, annoyed. "I have to pick them tonight or my potion won't be ready in time for…when it's due."

"But it's dangerous outside at night," Sirius countered, blocking her way. He would not let her go outside when Remus was a werewolf. She could get hurt, bitten, or even killed.

"Sirius!" she exclaimed, stepping around him. "I can take care of myself. Besides, you are supposed to be in bed, dreaming about Quidditch or something."

"Did you get permission to go outside?" he asked desperately, walking next to her again.

"Since when do you care about following the rules?" she asked pointedly. That was probably the most hypocritical question he'd ever asked. This from the boy who was an illegal Animagus.

"Did you?" Maybe he'd found an exc—nevermind.

"Yes, Sirius! It's very important."

He frowned and tried to think of another way to stop her.

"Lauren, it can't wait until tomorrow morning?" he pleaded.

"Um, Sirius, I think you're missing the point of picking the plants during the full moon."

Realizing that he wouldn't be able to convince her otherwise, he said simply. "You can't go outside."

"Care to tell me why?" Lauren asked. She was beginning to grow impatient with him. She glanced at her watch and frowned. She had already missed the shift change.

"Er…no," he said, "It's…official Marauder business."

"Oh," Lauren said, the sarcasm hiding her hurt, "You mean the Marauders that I'm supposed to be an honorary member of?"

"Well, yes…but…" Sirius faltered. He hadn't wanted her to find out like this.

"I see," Lauren said, more than slightly hurt. "So you were just trying to…what? Make me feel like you trusted me?"

"Lauren, I do trust you, it's just…I can't…" Sirius murmured, cupping her cheek in his hand.

She pulled away, tears filling her eyes. "Sirius, go back to your dorm."

He sighed and nodded, dropping his hand down by his side. "You're still going to the greenhouse?"

"Yes!" Lauren replied exasperatedly.

They had been arguing so long that Sirius didn't realize that they were already at the doors.

"Lauren, please don't," he said again, putting himself between her and the door.

"Sirius, why are you being like this?" she said, pushing her way past him.

"I'm coming with you," Sirius announced, following her.

He took her hand and pulled her the whole way, looking around cautiously.

"Sirius, you're going too fast!" she complained. Her legs were not nearly as long as his, and he was practically running across the grounds. His grip on her hand was really tight, too. He seemed nervous for some reason.

"Shh!" he replied, dragging her along.

Sirius waited impatiently while she carefully selected the herbs she needed, making sure they were the perfect age for her potion. She wanted absolutely the best ingredients she could get to make the most effective solution. If she could nail her Veritaserum antidote…

"Are you almost done?" Sirius asked her, pacing back and forth.

"Almost," she called back. He was really making her nervous, pacing like that. And his impatience was making her feel rushed. He didn't have to come out here with her anyway.

She was kind of disappointed, too. She'd always thought this place was kind of romantic, especially when the flowers were in bloom, like they were now. And the moonlight was streaming in…she turned and looked at Sirius for a second, almost sighing at how beautiful he looked bathed in the silvery light…she shook her head. He was being an annoying git. There would be no romance for her tonight. She turned back to her list and moved over to her last ingredient, fluxweed. She cut it precisely, and gathered it into a small bundle, wrapping it in a piece of parchment.

"Okay," she said, standing up and removing her gloves. "I'm ready."

"Good," he replied. "Let's go."

She quickly put all of the herbs in the inside pocket of her robes and followed Sirius out the door, stepping into the clear night air again.

Sirius took her hand, not seeming as anxious now for some reason. He smiled at her and she smiled back, moving closer to him.

He stepped back though, and began to walk back to the school.

Lauren looked up at the sky. Her view of the constellations was diminished by the brilliantly white full moon shining down on the Hogwarts grounds, but the sky was beautiful nonetheless. She sighed, wishing even more that Sirius wasn't being such a—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a very loud, very long howl. It didn't sound like it was very far away.

Sirius grabbed her hand and looked around. They were pretty far from the greenhouse, but the boat shed by the lake was only a couple hundred meters away. He immediately ran towards it. Lauren stumbled behind him but kept going, sensing his urgency.

When they reached the shed, Sirius raised his wand, frantically whispering "Alohomora" as he pointed it at the door. He opened the door and quickly pulled Lauren inside, noting her trembling body.

"What was that?" Lauren asked breathlessly, her eyes wide with fear, as he put a locking spell on the door.

Sirius took her hand and led her to the middle of the shed, and starting pacing. She stood beside him, watching him intently. She really wanted him to hold her, she was so afraid of what she had heard outside, but she knew that he had an explanation for what was going on.

"I'm going to tell you something really important. I don't really know how to say this, so I guess I'll start at the beginning. When James and I met our first year here, we became friends immediately. But Remus was pretty reserved and kept to himself a lot. By the second year, we couldn't help but wonder about his strange behavior, and about how he seemed to get sick around the same time every month. On top of that, one night each month, he just disappeared. After a little bit of research and some guessing, we figured out that he's a werewolf," Sirius said quickly.

Thoughts about werewolves and memories she had concerning Remus suddenly started swirling in Lauren's mind, but she pushed them aside and nodded for him to go on.

Sirius continued, saying, "When we found out, we wanted to do something to help him. That's why we decided to become Animagi. We worked on the spell for three years before we could transform. Starting our fifth year, every full moon, James as a stag, Peter in the form of a rat, and I would sneak out to be with Remus. Our company makes him safer and happier. We mainly run around, exploring the Hogwarts grounds and sometimes Hogsmeade."

Sirius paused again, looking at Lauren. He expected her to be shocked. It was a lot of information to take in at once. However, Lauren was gazing back at him with tears in her eyes.

Lauren couldn't even begin to imagine the pain that she knew Remus had to go through every month. Suddenly all the times she had noticed him looking quite exhausted made sense. She closed the distance between herself and Sirius, twining her arms around his neck.

Sirius stood there for a second before he placed his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. Lauren whispered into his ear, "You are an amazing friend."

They stood there like that for a while, until they heard another howling sound coming from nearby. Sirius immediately let go of her and said sharply, "Stay here." Lauren nodded, slightly scared by the look of fear she had seen flit across his face. She watched as Sirius stood and cautiously stepped out of the shed, locking the door behind him. Lauren moved so she could see out the window.

She gasped when she saw a large creature careening towards the shed at a maddening pace. Sirius disappeared, and suddenly a huge black dog was blocking the entrance to the shed. Sirius was barking at the werewolf, but it just kept running. The dog and the wolf collided in midair.

Lauren knew that...Remus...could smell her. She watched in horror as they fought viciously, scratching and biting in front of her eyes. She realized she had been holding her breath when she exhaled loudly after catching sight of a large stag galloping towards the shed.

Together, James and Sirius drew Remus away from the shed. Lauren sank down to the floor, feeling horrible. 'Why did Sirius let me come out here?' she thought furiously. 'One of them might be hurt!'

A couple seconds later, Lauren heard a noise coming from outside. She lifted her head up, and watched as Sirius silently entered. Lauren jumped up and rushed over to him. There was a large gash on his left arm right below his sleeve. It was too long and too deep to be remedied completely by a healing charm. She felt more tears gather in her eyes as she looked up into Sirius' face. He looked exhausted, but relieved.

"You're so stupid," she said tearfully as she buried her face in his chest, her arms hanging limply at her side. His arms wrapped protectively around her back.

Soon they were both sitting on the floor, holding each other tightly. Lauren drifted off to sleep in his arms. Sirius, however, stayed up all night, stroking her hair and making sure that James was still keeping Remus away from the shed.

At five-thirty in the morning, he looked out the window. The first signs of daylight were creeping across the sky. He looked down at Lauren, who was sleeping peacefully in his arms.

He watched her for a moment before leaning down to kiss her gently on the lips. Her eyelids fluttered open. "Good morning," he said softly. "Do you hate me?" he asked. Lauren cocked her head to the side, pretending to ponder the question. Instead of answering him verbally, she pulled his head down for a kiss.

When they broke apart, Sirius said with a grin, "I'll take that as a no." Lauren rolled her eyes, but allowed Sirius to pull her up to a standing position.

Then she followed him as he started walking in the opposite direction of the school, towards the Whomping Willow. Safely out of its range, James, Remus, and Peter were laying down on the grass. Remus and James stirred when they heard approaching footsteps. They both stood up quickly, not bothering to wake Peter, who was snoring loudly.

Remus was looking down at the ground. Lauren let go of Sirius' hand and moved so she was standing in front of Remus. He lifted his head slowly, and Lauren saw the pain and remorse in his eyes, as well as a deep scratch on his right cheek. Not knowing what else to do, she put her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Tears were falling from her eyes. She felt so sorry for him, but she knew that he wouldn't want her pity. She just wasn't strong enough to hold them in. She hurriedly wiped her face with one hand.

Sirius watched with interest as Remus' eyes opened wide in shock once Lauren's arms were around him. After a couple seconds, though, he gingerly placed his arms around Lauren, patting her shoulders before hugging her in return. Sirius was surprised when he didn't feel a shred of jealousy. In fact, he felt happy as he watched his girlfriend comfort one of his best friends in the world.

After what seemed like forever, Lauren let go of Remus. When she stepped back, she took both of his hands in hers, holding them loosely between them. She didn't say a word, but she knew Remus understood her. They smiled at each other before releasing hands and walking over to Sirius.

Sirius grinned as he put one arm around Remus. When he lifted up his other arm to place it around Lauren's shoulders, he winced. Lauren heard him inhale sharply, reminding her of his injury. "Sirius, you and Remus should go to the hospital wing," she said in a concerned tone.

"Remus has to be back in the Shrieking Shack when Pomfrey gets there," Sirius explained. "But if I go there, she will ask about how I got it," he said, his face determined. "It doesn't hurt that much, anyway…" he trailed off.

Lauren knew better than that. "Okay, James, you'll help Remus to the shack with Peter? I will…figure out what to do with Sirius," she said, surprised at how motherly she sounded.

"Oh, I'm sure you can think of something," James said wickedly, winking over her head at Sirius.

Lauren sighed loudly. Boys sure had one track minds…

James woke Peter, and the five of them walked in solemn silence along the dewy grounds. Then they split and headed in their assigned directions.