Hey ya'll! I didn't die! Aren't ya'll excited! Well, get excited!
EsScaper: Yay! I love when people love Narcissa! She's so much fun. But sorry, she's not here this time. She'll be back though, don't worry.
BrennQT: I do like a lemon drop. I totally agree with groovy Dumbledore on this issue. Does anyone else notice how groovy Dumbledore looks lately? Groovy.
Llailin: I'm glad you liked his commentating. I've always thought that Sirius would have made an awesome commentator, but if he's playing the sport, how could he do it? Why by being out for injuries, that's how! And you're right, this chapter is more miserable. Sorry about that, but it is meant to be a darker story in general. And sorry abt Remus too.
Lwelyn: Haha, yes, glad you're happy about the lack of slash. I know I said it before, but I just can't see Sirius and Remus like that. It just doesn't work with me. Yeah, I know its late, and so is this one. I'm sorry! I'm trying tho, I promise. Haha. I love getting into a good healthy debate about Harry Potter couples. My roommate and I have been in about seven heated ones already. It so much fun! I should be a lawyer or something. I like to argue too much.
Lil Smartass: Wow, distracting from homework…kinda like how I just wrote the last five pages of this and all these little notes while I have to exams to study for tomorrow…yeah. I'm sorry that your James and Sirius keep you in the dark. I know the feeling too. But Remus will know eventually, that's all I'll say on that. Oh, thank you for the muse offer. Perhaps I will kidnap Sally one day.
Everyone else: I'm very happy that ya'll loved Sirius's Quidditch commenting. And I'm sorry ya'll are concerned that Remus is still in the dark. I'll talk more on that later.
Note:Sirius has a drean in this chapter. The paragraphs in italics are the dream. It cuts back and forth, and this site won't accept my little symbl things for some reason. It mught be confusing, just just rememer italics means dream.
Chapter 13
Come late March, Sirius was finding himself more and more restless. He wanted to get up and do something. But, of course, as he was reminded constantly, healer's orders were no. He wanted to fly. He wanted to run around. He wanted to challenge some poor unwitting soul to a duel at dawn on the field of honor just in time for McGonagall to hear him and ban him from all halls with suits of armor.
Why was everyone wearing their knickers a size too small?
As it was, Sirius was stuck inside, gazing longingly at the Quidditch pitch as Professor McGonagall lectured over some wand technique. Sirius didn't care. He probably already knew it, and if he didn't it wouldn't take much effort on his part to learn.
Sirius leaned his chair back on its back legs. He didn't care if McGonagall noticed. She'd failed to break him of the habit for years, one more lecture wouldn't do it.
McGonagall had turned her back to the class to write something on the board. Suddenly, something hit Sirius in the side of the head. He looked around to see James grinning like a maniac at him. Sirius raised a brow and unfolded the paper. Through the corner of his eye, he could see Lily straining to see what was written, hoping to be able to stop them before they began. Sirius grinned at her and shook his head. James and Sirius had caught onto her long ago. They had started charming all their notes. To all other eyes, the words were illegible, not even appearing to be the writer's hand. But the boys could read it just fine.
Sirius's dark eyes skimmed the words and lit up. An evil grin spread across his fair face. He spared a quick maniac glance at Lily before turning to James with a thumbs up. Lily bit her bottom lip and turned back to the front of the room, sparing nervous glances their way every few minutes.
That night, the four boys crept silently through the Slytherin common room. Everyone else in the castle was sound asleep, dreaming away, ignorant of the terror that was soon to befall them. The boys had already gone through the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw common rooms, decorating them lavishly with very untasteful items. The Slytherins deserved something extra special, the boys thought. After all, they were all such good friends with them.
Remus walked up to a snickering Sirius and frowned as he saw a portrait of Mrs. Black expanding and gluing itself to the wall. "Sirius, you can't do that," Remus hissed.
"Why not," Sirius asked. "God knows it would scare the crap out of me to see that wench's face in the morning again."
"If you put a picture of your mother up, everyone will know we did it."
"Everyone'll know we did it anyway," Sirius said. "Who else would pull late night pranks, let alone sneak into other common rooms?"
"He's got a good point, Moony," Peter said from his lookout position. James nodded, flicking his wrist to turn the snake statues in to rather childish looking bunny rabbits. Remus turned them pink before bringing his amber eyes back to Sirius.
"Merlin," Sirius sighed. "Will this make you feel better?" He turned and transfigured several portraits to become the mothers of some of the Slytherins. He muttered under his breath and raised a brow at Remus. "Happy? There's more of them now. And they'll pester their own children for hours. Silencing charms should make them louder."
"If they talk to their children, why isn't your mother saying anything to you," Peter asked.
Sirius's eyes darkened and his face fell flat. James turned to Peter, a livid look on his face. Remus bit his bottom lip and wisely said, "We should get out of here now." Sirius was the first to sweep from the room. James was quick to follow. He slapped Peter upside the head as he moved passed to get to Sirius. Remus left last, walking beside Peter as the smaller boy rubbed the back of his head, muttering.
The next morning at breakfast, Sirius sat moodily in his regular seat. Lily was pouring over some Charms homework to his right, and James was attempting to lean over him to talk to her. Peter sat on the other side of the table, next to Remus, trying desperately to apologize to Sirius for his comment last night. Obviously Remus had explained to him what such a comment would have meant to Sirius.
Sirius saw no reason to engage in conversation with the pudgy boy for a few days. He could stew in his own for a while. Sirius didn't need the likes of a blundering idiot like Peter Pettigrew reminding him of what a failure his mother saw him as.
James finally decided to leave Lily alone for a few minutes and turned to Sirius. He gave him an odd sort of look, which Sirius easily translated. James was concerned about Sirius's mood, thanks to Peter. Sirius just shook his head. He didn't want to deal with it right now. James understood and didn't press anything.
Sirius felt rather moody for the rest of the day. He was short tempered with almost everyone who crossed his path. He jinxed three fifth years that bumped into him, and he was very hard pressed to keep from doing the same to Lily when she scolded him. James was a bit irritated with him about it, but Sirius didn't particularly care just then.
Sirius hadn't had to think much about his mother and her distain for him lately. Regulus hadn't even been seen in the same corridor as him for months. Nothing was around to remind him of his old life. But then Peter had to say something about her! Sirius wanted to slam his fist into Peter's face. He knew that Peter hadn't meant anything by it. Peter didn't think before he spoke, and he wasn't bright to begin with. He couldn't really help the things he said, but it didn't make Sirius any less angry.
The boys turned into bed that night rather early. The mood in the room was still tense, as Sirius's bad mood hadn't yet subsided. James turned off the lights with a flick of his wand, and they all settled into sleep.
Sirius shuffled a bit, turning over onto his back. He smiled happily in his sleep. Sirius didn't dream often, at least not that he remembered. And they certainly never made him smile.
Sirius stretched out in the grass under the oak tree. The sun shone around him, golden rays warming his skin. Fairies flew lazily about the golden sky, some resting for a few moments in the branches of the trees. One brave creature floated before Sirius's face. She pressed her tiny nose to his before flying away. Sirius smiled after her and rested his arms behind his head. It didn't occur to him to worry what Mother would say about grass stains on his shirt.
There was a noise off to the side. Sirius opened his eyes to see Regulus standing there. He was in the sailor swimsuit Mother thought was so darling. He smiled warmly at his brother and waved for him to follow him. Sirius smiled back and stood up.
Sirius pushed the comforter back and stood from the bed. He stumbled a bit as he walked to the door and pushed it open. He walked out of the room.
James blinked and lifted his head. He stared at the blurry door, knowing that the dark blurry figure that had just left was Sirius. What was he doing? James rubbed his eyes. Sirius never got up in the middle of the night. He shrugged and rested his head back on the pillow.
Regulus led Sirius down the path through the meadow. Sirius looked up and saw the family's summer cottage just above the hill. He stalled for a moment, observing the merry looking white walls. Regulus noticed his brother's slack and turned to wave him onward. Sirius laughed a jogged to meet up with the younger boy. Regulus hopped onto a log, and Sirius followed, both laughing as they tried to stay balanced as it tilted upward.
James couldn't get back to sleep. It had begun to rain before he had awoken, and now the thunder and lightning were becoming a bit of a problem. He turned over from his back to stomach to his back again. He couldn't get comfortable. He grunted and looked to the side. Sirius still wasn't back yet. What in Merlin's name was he doing? The bath room was just across the hall.
In curiosity, James leaned over his bed and pulled the Map from his truck. He slipped his glasses over his eyes and whispered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Lines of ink traveled down the worn parchment, and it wasn't long before the whole of Hogwarts was written before his eyes. James scanned the levels, and he soon found Sirius slowly walking down the hall that led to the Astronomy Tower. James smirked.
But then his face faltered. Sirius was moving rather slowly, and no one else in the castle, besides Filtch and his cat, who were down in the dungeons, was moving about. James looked in the other dorms, but saw no other students moving. Sirius wasn't meeting anyone. What was he doing?
Suddenly, cold dread filled James's heart. Something wasn't right. He needed to go get Sirius and bring him back to the room. James flew from his bed and out the door.
Sirius and Regulus finally came up to the stiff banks of the creek by the cottage. Regulus cried for Sirius to come see something. The elder brother lifted his head to see their three cousins waving at them. The girls were calling loudly and giggling. They then turned around and jumped down into the cool waters. Regulus and Sirius laughed.
Freezing rain beat down on the grounds of Hogwarts. Even creatures in the Forest had taken shelter from the harsh waters. Sirius walked slowly out onto the study platform of the Astronomy Tower. On his face, he wore an expression of one inside a pleasant dream. His eyes were closed, yet he was walking.
He shuffled over to the edge of the tower and pulled himself up on the railing. He cast his face down, and had his eyes been opened he would have seen the long fall he could make.
Sirius and Regulus looked over the bank to see their cousins paddling about with their parents and the boys' own floating lazily in the cool water. "Hello, darlings!" Mrs. Black called up happily, a sweet smile on her face.
"Hello," Sirius called back, waving at his relatives.
"Come on," his uncle cried. "The water's wonderful." The girls clapped and waved the boys down.
"Jump," Sirius's father called. Regulus did just so, causing a wave of water to hit Andromeda. She cried out and shielded her face, but laughed and splashed the boy when he resurfaced. Sirius laughed heartily from the bank. Andromeda was the only one who didn't really mind being splashed.
James ran through the castle halls. He had to get to Sirius. Something was not right. Something was very, very wrong. The way to the Astronomy Tower seemed much longer than normal. James quickened his pace. He had to get up there.
James threw himself up the long, winding staircase. He gasped for air but refused to slow down. He couldn't. He needed to go faster. "Padfoot!" he yelled.
Sirius smiled down at his family and lifted his foot to step off the steep bank. Mother didn't seem to worry that he was still in his clothes. They could be easily dried and cleaned with a flick of a wand anyhow.
"Padfoot!"
Sirius raised his brows in confusion,and he looked back. Was someone calling for him? But what was Padfoot? He started to turn back.
"Jump!" his mother's voice cried shrilly. "Jump, you little traitor!" The lovely world around Sirius suddenly became quite dark and dreadful. It was as though he was in a forest of thorns with a river of blood. His mother's cold, skeletal hands reached up and latched onto his arm. The touch of her skin on his burned. She began to pull him down.
James could see out onto the work platform. Sirius was out there. James's heart skipped nearly three beats. He was standing on the rail, one foot in the air, ready to step off. Then Sirius yelled and became very off balance. He was about to fall.
James flew out the door and grabbed onto him. He jerked backwards and was able to pulled Sirius back onto the safer ground. James grabbed Sirius's shoulders and tried to turn him around. Sirius began to kick and scream. "No! No, let me go!"
"Sirius," James cried, rain pouring down around them, "Sirius, wake up."
Sirius shook again and his eyes opened. He stared at James in confusion and looked around wildly. When he realized where he was, his eyes filled with fear like James had only seen before when the Blacks had come to his home to demand Sirius back. "Shit. Oh, shit," he muttered, hands gripping his matted hair firmly. "Holy shit."
James didn't know what to do. His heart was still racing from fear and from the run. His hands shook as he reached out to grab Sirius's shoulders. He could hardly see through his fogging glasses. James couldn't think. He was too scared of what had almost happened. "What," he tried to ask. "What—?"
Sirius fell back to his haunches, breaths coming in short, raspy gasps. His skin was deathly white, and he was shaking like a leaf. "They—they tried to-to—" He could barely get a word out. James took Sirius firmly by the shoulders and tried to force the other to look him in the eye. "There was th-this creek, an-and she wanted me to-to jump."
James's eyes darkened. There was no way. James held in a particularly vulgar curse. They hadn't given up. The Blacks were still trying to off Sirius. But what James couldn't understand was how they had been able to force him out here.
Sirius took several long, deep breaths in hopes to calm himself, at least enough to talk. "It—it was up at the summer house. Everything was nice, and all the family was there," he said. "I was following Regulus to the creek. The girls were there, Andromeda too. Father called for us to come swim with them too." His eyes widened in to nearly perfect circles. "And shit. I nearly jumped down there. I—I—" He couldn't continue.
James wrapped his arms around Sirius, and the other boy clung to James's shirt like a frightened child. James's mind was in a panic. Sirius's parents had somehow gotten into his dreams and forced him to sleepwalk up to the tower. They were trying to make him fall. They were trying to kill him. God, if James had fallen back asleep, Sirius would have been dead right now. James swallowed thickly and pushed the thought from his head. "Come on, Sirius," he said softly. "We need to get inside." He slowly helped Sirius to stand and walk. It was a difficult task as Sirius was shaking so badly.
It was a slow march down the corridors. James was bluntly ignoring his frozen skin and dripping clothes. He was far too intent on getting Sirius back to the safety of their dry, warm beds. They turned a corner and ran straight into Professor McGonagall. She immediately assumed her stern and strict persona, but at a second glance, the Transfiguration professor's jaw dropped in surprise. "Black, Potter, what on earth—?"
"Please, Professor," James said, "just don't ask."
Her eyes and lips narrowed again. She looked as though she were about to scold him but saw the expression on Sirius's face. "Get him to the Hospital Wing," she commanded. "Straight away." James inwardly cursed, but he turned around and led Sirius away. Madam Pomfrey was quite irritated at being woken up in the middle of the night, but she began to fuss about Sirius the second she laid eyes on him. She fetched dry pajamas for both boys and dried their hair with a flick of her wand. She forced them both to drink a Pepper Up potion. She left for a moment so they could change.
James watched as Sirius climbed into the bed on the far wall. He pushed himself up against the corner and sat there, eyes wide open. James sat down on the side of the bed, not knowing what he could do. Madam Pomfrey returned. "Now, what in Merlin's name were you boys doing?"
James looked back at Sirius, who was making no moves to answer. He just sat in the corner, still shaking madly. The matron ripped a blanket from a nearby bed and reached over to wrap it tightly around Sirius's shoulders. "Freezing and sweating," she said. "You must already be coming down with more than a cold. I don't understand you boys. Why on earth would you be running about in the freezing rain. You're lucky you're not Muggles. You'd have caught your deaths out there."
Sirius shrunk back into the blanket, and James stood up, his face livid. "Sorry if this is rude, but don't say that again," he demanded. The nurse blinked at him, quite confused. McGonagall walked into the infirmary. She sent a concerned glance towards the boys before calling Madam Pomfrey away. James sat back down on the bed. Even if they had tried, he didn't think either would be getting any sleep tonight.
Four days later, James rubbed sleep from his eyes as he rolled out of bed. He groped blindly for his glasses for a few seconds before slipping them on his face. Looking up, he frowned. Sirius was sitting on his bed, staring blankly ahead. His skin was deathly pale, and the bags under his eyes were becoming much more noticeable. His eyes started to close, but he shook his head wildly and blinked rapidly. He looked to the side and saw James up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and moved to get his uniform. "You didn't sleep at all again, did you," James asked. Sirius snorted. "Damn, Padfoot, that's not healthy."
Sirius shut his trunk and offered James a glare. "Neither is falling off a tower," he snapped. They glared at each other for a few seconds before Sirius rubbed his eyes and sighed, "You know I'm not trying to be snappy, right." James nodded. "I'm just so damn tired," he moaned, "but I can't sleep."
"Padfoot, you've got—"
Sirius cut him off, "No, Prongs. I can't." James didn't press the matter further as Sirius walked out of the room and to the showers. Sirius quickly got in the shower and turned to cold water on full blast. For the past few days his showers had been the most uncomfortable ones he had ever taken, but the cold water would keep him wake and alert for a few more hours. He sighed. He wasn't sure how much longer he could take this treatment. His body was sure to just give up sometime soon.
Sirius shudder to think what might happen if he fell asleep again. What would his mother do this time? She wasn't going to let him live, not if she could help it. She'd continue trying until she saw his body cold and dead on the ground. Sirius cursed her.
Sirius stepped out of the shower and dried off. He shivered madly as he pulled on his clothes. He walked slowly down the halls of the castle, ignoring his frozen hair and holding in a racking cough. He couldn't let anyone see him with a fever. If they did, he'd be sent straight to the Hospital Wing, and Madam Pomfrey would force him to get some rest. But he couldn't do it.
Sirius was one of the last to walk into Transfiguration class. He slumped into his seat, ignoring the concerned glances of his friends and teacher. McGonagall set the class objectives on the board and passed out kittens from a box. Several of the girls squealed and cuddled with the little fuzz balls. Sirius held onto his white kitten by the loose skin of its neck. He was too tired to let it play about. James, to his right, was holing his wand in front of the kitten's face, letting it chase the tip about his desk. "Now," McGonagall said, "Today we will begin the next chapter of your texts. You will set to work turning these kittens into jewelry boxes." She provided an example and set them to work.
As always, James was the first to have perfected the spell, and McGonagall stood back to see whether Lily or Sirius would master it second. Today seemed to by Lily's day. Before her on the desk sat a lovely golden box studded with green gems. Both she and the professor turned to watch Sirius. He, however, was only waving his wand half heartedly and blinking furiously.
A few minutes later, Remus succeeded in transfiguring his kitten. James blinked oddly at his other friend before turned to stare back at Sirius. Lily's eyes were nearly perfect circles. She also turned to Sirius and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sirius, are you all right," she asked. "You seem a bit out of it."
Sirius rubbed his eye and muttered, "I'm fine." He swished his wand, and the kitten finally transfigured into a beautiful ivory box. He set his wand down on the desk and leaned back. He fought to keep his eyes open as he loosened his tie.
"If you have succeeded in the initial transfiguration, feel free to reverse the spell. Keep practicing," McGonagall said from the back of the room. James immediately went to work, transfiguring the kitten back and forth in rapid succession. It barely had time to hiss before being changed each time. Lily and Remus also went to work, but Sirius just sat there. He knew he could do it. He just didn't feel like it right now.
He ran his hands through his hair. It was getting damp with sweat. He wiped his brow with his sleeve before taking off his robe. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and wiggled out of his sweater vest. Then he was suddenly feeling rather cold. He unrolled his sleeves and crossed his arms for body warmth.
Nearing the end of the class, McGonagall came back around with the box. The students deposited their kittens or boxes inside. "Now, if you did not succeed in a full transfiguration, you will come back by my office after dinner to pick up a kitten. Practice on it for homework." The bell rang. "Good day."
The Gryffindors gathered their bags together and began to file towards the door. Sirius swallowed dryly as he slipped his wand into his bag. James, Remus, and Peter were all gathering around his desk, James staring after Lily as she walked passed. Remus said something, but Sirius couldn't make it out. He screwed his eyes shut and tried blinking a few times, but thing still seemed a bit blurred.
"Let's go, Padfoot," James said. "Just Potions before lunch. I know Slughorn likes you, but we can't be late again this week." Sirius stood up and they turned for the door. Sirius only took one step before collapsing in a dead faint. "Sirius!" James cried.
Several students stopped and stared. From the door, Lily turned back to see what had happened. She saw Sirius lying on the ground and gasped. She came running back to the boys as McGonagall came running up. "What's happened here?"
"He just dropped, Professor," James said frantically. McGonagall said nothing more, but conjured a stretcher and levitated Sirius onto it. She took off for the Hospital Wing, the other three boys and Lily on her heels.
Ok, I guess I should make mention that Sirius's dream sequence was taken form Fox's Anastasia. I was watching it one day while mapping out some of the chapters for this story. Well, during the scene where Anya is sent the nightmare by Rasputin, I was sitting enthralled by the wonderful art and my odd obsession with the last Russian royal family. I was smiling at the cute little turn of the century swimsuits, and then I realized something. Sirius--Anastasia, Regulus--Alexei (her little brother), Bella, Andromeda, and Narcissa--Olga, Tatiana, and Maria (her three older sisters). Wow. Except for Sirius being a boy, it all fit perfectly. There was a little brother and three sisters. Cool. I have a drawing that I'm rather fond of depicting that scene. Anyways. Just so ya'll know that I didn't come up with that on my own. But it just got stuck in my head and I couldn't get rid of it. Well, carry on.