WARNING: SEXUAL CONTENT

Happy week ya'll 😃 hope you're doing well. We have reached the end of the winter holidays, wahoo! OWLS are looming and I'm trying to decide how Penny will do, bwhaha. I'm excited to be back at Hogwarts and Harry have OCCLUMENCY LESSONS which means Snape's worst memory is coming up. Cannot wait until Penny has to choose between James and Snape ahah.

Anyway, my week was good, had some fun, relaxed a lot and really did a whole lot of NOTHING. I'm planning on seeing the Downton Abbey movie here though, so can't wait. Hope you are all well and enjoy this weeks read.

mwha.

At the bottom of the stairs that led to Grimmauld Place, he stood, the stupid hat he'd gotten in the Christmas cracker Penny had made him pull with her clutched so delicately in his hand Penny couldn't help but wonder if he did not dislike the thing as much as he tried to make her believe he did. Watching those slim hands hang onto the colored paper, it caused the side of her mouth to upturn in a smile; made her wish they could have lingered at Earl's convenience store just a bit longer. But it did not matter what either of them wanted because life had other plans, and as hard as they would try to resist it, they would forever be at its mercy; Penny's heart still never getting used to the back of him.

Behind her the door opened, noise engulfing her, but still black held green and Penny felt there was something he wanted to say, but Severus Snape would never be a man to linger or bemoan a missed opportunity, and those words Penny wished so very much to know, they would fly past her like a shooting star headed onward into the unknown, leaving Penny wondering if they'd ever been there or not. And now, where he stood, she only found the imprints of his shiny shoes so she allowed herself to be pulled inward thinking how different it was—his life from hers. For a moment there under the umbrella she'd forgotten who she was, what would be waiting for her back in the loud house full of so many bodies, of the endless questions she knew would be coming.

It was Sirius who greeted her, seemingly disgruntled and confused by the fact it was Snape who had returned her and not Lupin. Snape did not bother to respond to Sirius' questions, apparating away, Sirius almost slamming the door and catching himself when he realized it would only set Mrs. Black off, he turned to Penny and asked her something she did not hear because her brain refused all functions that were not devoted to looking at him, really looking at him.

He stood tall, taller than both Snape and Remus, but Penny wondered if James wouldn't have been almost as tall. His hair, though shaggy and speckled with grey, was well kept, making him look as though he should be in a shampoo commercial. His face still bore the marks of his time spent at Azkaban, being thinner than one would expect for a man his age, but was nonetheless angular with high cheekbones and beautiful eyes that made Penny feel he must have been absurdly handsome once in his life. What had he been like in his youth? Had he always been in love with Remus or had he dated around? How had he and James ever managed to cross paths?

"Why did you end up in Gryffindor, Sirius?" Penny asked, confusing Sirius when she did not answer whatever he had asked her.

"Because the sorting hat put me there, same as you," he blinked.

"But your family were all in Slytherin?"

"Yep, the whole lot of them," he scowled, sticking his hands in his pockets and glancing toward the room his mother's portrait hung.

"Were-were they upset about that?"

"Course they were, think I still have the mark my father left me. But with their perfect son, Regulus, to carry on the family values they realized it was a wasted battle."

"I'm sorry, Sirius, that sounds awful," Penny said, the off-handed manner Sirius was able to talk about such things reminding her very much of the way her and Harry often approached living with their aunt and uncle. Being raised in such a home, Penny hadn't really known much different and she always had to make a concerted effort for her friends who found certain childhood memories of hers shocking. But her aunt and uncle never hit her, made them go hungry, sure. But violence was so much different, and Penny knew that as insignificant as Sirius tried to make it out to be, some scars didn't go away and rather hid in the depths of your soul.

"What's this about?"

"Oh—well, I dunno, I just realized I don't know a lot about you—"

"Nonsense, you know all the important stuff."

"—like how you and my dad even became friends."

"You want to know about James?" Sirius said, his eyes seeing right through Penny and making her uneasy because she did not know how to have this conversation. "Why didn't you say so. You could call it friendship at first sight, me and James. No one else at Hogwarts like him, was there? I can't say exactly how it happened, probably on the train that first year," he said with that bark-like laugh as he reminisced about his teenage years with James. "He was this pretentious brat certain he'd make his family proud and be in Gryffindor, do great things, yada yada, and I was a pretentious git, certain I'd break family tradition. But he never cared much about my family, did he? Being friends came as naturally as breathing, never thought too much about it, either of us. But you know how it is, that's how best friends are, always attached at the hip."

"Are they?" Penny said quietly, her eyes focusing on a spot on the wall just past Sirius.

What Sirius described sounded lovely and it reminded her of the friendship between Harry Ron and Hermione, except theirs wasn't quite as seamless, but nevertheless it was strange to find one without the other two. She'd never thought much of it, the fact she'd never had friends like that, she always had something to distract her, but now Penny couldn't help but wonder if she'd distracted herself on purpose because she didn't want to face the fact she was always alone and often shied away from forming too-close of bonds with people. Sure, she liked to pop in and socialize, but there weren't really any people outside of Harry she ever shared her emotions with and she couldn't help wondering why that was—was she afraid?

"But weren't you two more than best friends, more like brothers?" Penny asked, snapping back to his face.

"I was never close with Reg, so the expression is meaningless to me," Sirius shrugged. "C'mon, let's go in before we wake the devil up," he added, nodding toward the end of the hall and sauntering off.

"Sirius—" Penny started, but she didn't know how to call him back, how to explain any of the events or relay the message James had trusted to her. And. . .what if he didn't believe her?

Feeling a shower was probably in order, Penny traipsed up the stairs, completely lost in thought and not bothering to knock when she reached the bathroom. Shutting the door with a heavy sigh, Penny made for the mirror and looked at the reflection trying to determine if anything had changed. Of course nothing had, the circles around her eyes were as dark as ever, her complexion dull and her eyes cautious, fearful almost. It was silly, she knew it, the thought that meeting her dad could undo it all, but it really had felt like he had the power to do anything.

Water splashed from the tub behind her and Penny whirled around with a start, finding a lovely figure who's bright red hair was tied tightly in a neat bun, getting out of the tub she'd apparently been soaking in this entire time.

"G-Ginny, I didn't realize anyone was—" Penny stammered, unable to stop her eyes from trailing over the stark-naked girl before her. She was tall with a tiny upper body and hips that curved in the most alluring fashion. The peach-colored nipples stood at attention on her modest breasts, causing Penny's face to flush at the memory of having them in her mouth.

"I gathered as much,"Ginny said, not bothering to cover herself, brown eyes also looking Penny over.

"I wanted t-to see you—" Penny said, lamely.

"But you just didn't know what to say?" Ginny finished for her, her eyebrow arching when their eyes finally met.

"Y-your dad. . ."

"Has fared better than you by the looks of it," she said, taking a step toward Penny who had to suppress the need to recoil. "What happened in there, Penny?" Ginny whispered, eyes now full of concern.

"I can't, Ginny, not again. I don't have it in me," Penny choked, closing her eyes in an attempt to wrest away the fear building in the pit of her stomach.

"Don't be afraid, Penny, not of me," Ginny said, crossing the distance between them and laying a hand on her cheek. "I'm not a man, I'd never force you. This never had to be anything other than what we wanted," she breathed, her minty breath blowing across Penny's face and enticing her eyes open.

Her own breath caught in her chest, Penny looked down at the lips she'd kissed so many times, a pang in her heart cutting across her. Why were all the nice things in Penny's life always taken away from her before she was ready?

"I just don't think I could give you what you want, Ginny. Not now, not after. . ."

"Sometimes you're your own worst enemy, Penny. You could have just said that to me, should have said it. You're so bottled up, so afraid to tell people what you want, you need to learn to stop that."

"I don't know how."

"Then watch," she whispered, leaning in so her lips were grazing her ears as she said "You're right Penny, this won't work, because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me. . .everyday."

The hair all over Penny's body stood on end as she uttered the words—words Penny couldn't reciprocate, not yet anyway.

"I'm sorry—"

"Don't be, I'm not. Whatever they did to you in there, Penny, I hope you realize you're deserving of love, of whatever the hell you want from life. It'll take time, let it, there is no timeline, you'll get there," she said, stopping Penny with a finger to her lips.

Penny nodded, the world around her becoming hazy, her arousal coursing through her body from the nearness of Ginny and her perfect form. Ginny apparently felt the same as she looked down on her with the same hunger and said "Can I kiss you, one last time?"

Groaning in utter relief, Penny didn't give a verbal response and instead bridged the distance between them, her lips pressing firmly against Ginny's full ones, losing herself in the depth of it. It was needy, hot and animalistic, unlike the other times they'd kissed. Pushing her backwards, Ginny pinned Penny against the sink, her naked body pressing up against Penny as her hands grabbed at her arse.

Moaning into her neck now, Penny grabbed Ginny's waist and squeezed so hard Ginny let out a perfectly aroused yelp. It was at this point, Penny lost all sense of herself, there was only need, and Ginny's moist body clawing at hers. Fumbling into her pocket for her wand she cast the muffliato charm before letting it clatter to the floor to free up her hand to allow it to reach for the silk softness nestled between Ginny's legs.

Ginny's head falling forward so her forehead was pressed against Penny's shoulder she let out a small gasp and her legs opened a little wider as Penny caressed her inner thigh with her fingers in a teasing manner. An impatient hand of Ginny's grabbed Penny's and pressed it against her clitoris and began moving it in small circles.

"So impatient," Penny chided.

"Try bloody horny," Ginny corrected, pushing Penny's hand downward to the entrance of her vagina, Penny finding it unbelievably wet and the feeling of it beneath her fingers made her own clitoris throb blissfully.

Doing a feel circles around it, Penny finally pressed inward, her finger sliding effortlessly into the warm folds of Ginny, who let out a loud moan and began rocking her hips on Penny's fingers. They continued like this for several minutes, Ginny panting in sheer delight, hands grasping at Penny to keep her knees from buckling before Penny pulled out and returned to her clitoris, continuing her circles.

"Harder," Ginny commanded breathlessly, and Penny obliged, being rewarded with Ginny's convulsing orgasm not but a minute later. Her nails digging into Penny's upper arms, she let herself be overcome, gasping as the waves of pleasure rushed over her.

And then she was pulling away, her cheeks flush with pleasure and eyes drunk with lust, her fingers undoing Penny's oversized jeans with expert precision, reaching in and touching Penny without hesitation. The effect was immediate, Penny being so aroused by this point that she already felt her climax springing to the surface at Ginny's command. Consuming Ginny with another kiss and feeling mildly embarrassed by how quickly she came Penny released all her pleasure into Ginny's mouth, her orgasm rising in several waves, Penny wondering how it was Ginny managed to keep it going after it rose, convulsed, not three but four times, Penny feeling utterly spent by its conclusion.

Ginny pulled her hand free, both of them panting now and Penny sweating slightly from the effort and hot room. They lingered a moment, and then giving her a smirk, Ginny grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself and made for the door. "See ya around, Penny," she said, leaving a stunned and utterly satisfied Penny staring after her.

When she cleared the door, Lupin's face came into vision.

"There you are, Pen—" he said, stopping dead as he looked over her, his eyes widening in surprise at her appearance. He glanced behind him at Ginny and then back at Penny.

"Is this a bad time," he said, trying hard not to sound awkward.

"What?" Penny said, shaking herself from the daze. "No, we just broke up."

"Broke up?" Lupin said, sounding slightly confused as he looked pointedly down at her undone pants. "I see, perhaps it would be better if I came back after you had a cold shower," he said, shaking his head in amusement.

When he shut the door behind him finally returned to her senses, mortification replacing the post-orgasm bliss. Of course Lupin knew exactly what they'd been doing. How was she supposed to face him now? What if he asked about it? Or worse yet told Sirius and Mrs Weasley?

Spending so much time in the shower that she was an oversized prune by the time she left, Penny dressed and made her way downstairs, finding Lupin waiting for her in her make-shift bedroom that was actually a living room.

"Ah, there you are," he smiled.

Doing her best not to let her humiliation show on her cheeks, Penny crossed the room as casually as she could, naturally sitting so near Lupin she might as well have been in his lap.

"Quite an eventful day," Lupin said, casually, but Penny could tell by the way he didn't meet her gaze that he was teasing her.

"Are you going to tell Sirius?" she scowled.

"He would probably begrudge me for this, but no, Penny. Whatever happens in your relationships is between you and the person you're in it with. But I might suggest you not be so obvious about it if you don't want him to find out."

"Fair. But like I said, we broke up, so there won't be any more occasions for that," Penny replied, leaning back and looking up at the dark ceiling.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he prodded, gently.

"I told her there are things I can't share, not with anyone, not yet anyway."

"Well, then I think you made the mature choice. It takes a lot of courage to be that honest. I assume by how things went perhaps she didn't quite understand—"

"No, she understood things perfectly. But then she asked for one last kiss. . .and, and that was breakup sex wasn't it?" Penny said, the gears in her brain clicking into place. "So that's why everyone raves about it."

"Yes, I daresay most find it quite enjoyable," Lupin said, his lips tight in an effort not to chuckle.

"So you've had breakup sex?" Penny said, giving him a quizzical look.

"A time or two," he answered diplomatically.

"Be honest, how long will it take for me to stop wanting to rip all her clothes from her?"

"Ah, well you've found the catch-22 of break-up sex, it's so good because you won't be doing it anymore, but then all you want is to do it again."

Penny groaned, sinking further into the cushion. What had she done to herself?

"I daresay you will find enough to distract you when you return to Hogwarts, OWLS are right around the corner," he smiled.

Penny wasn't that convinced, but perhaps just dedicating herself to her school work was the best course of action. Her grades had slipped a bit over the last year, and during her OWLs she would need to use a wand and she had been much too lax on her wand practice.

"I hate to change the subject, but I was hoping we could talk about earlier," Lupin went on, reaching in his pocket and pulling the vile of her memory from it. Taking out his wand, he placed the memory back in her head and then vanished the vial, turning to her.

"Did you find Dumbledore?" Penny asked.

"I did. To be honest, I've never seen him taken by surprise before. He spent a long time in your memory. He seemed reluctant to give any speculations, but was nonetheless intrigued by the bridge. "

"So what's that mean? Does he think I'm losing my mind?"

"No one thinks you're losing your mind, Penny. It just means we need some time to do a bit of investigating. Your father never mentioned being a seer and it seems the family lineage of seers was a tightly kept secret."

"So what does that mean, what do we do now?"

"You don't need to do anything," he said, pointedly. "Dumbledore is looking into it. Whatever the Martikovs want, you are safe at Hogwarts. So don't worry about that. We only ask—" he hesitated, looking unhappy with what he was about to say.

"What?"Penny said, perking up a little.

"That you keep this between us, for now. Assuming you have not already spoken to Sirius and Harry, Dumbledore thinks it best for you and Harry if you don't have the conversation quite yet."

"But what does this have to do with Harry?"

"Understandably this entire thing is perplexing and very personal for you and Harry, so you can understand how he, being Harry, might become consumed by it."

Penny couldn't help but snort in agreement. Harry the master detective who refused to do anything until the latest mystery was solved.

Grinning despite himself, Lupin went on, "It seems Harry has some sort of connection with You-Know-Who, and he may have become aware of it. So Harry will be taking occlumency lessons when you return to Hogwarts in hopes to protect him from any intrusion. It would be best if he could stay focused."

"Are you saying the Dark Lord will try and possess Harry or something?" Penny said, her heart thumping uncomfortably in her chest.

"You should know by now there are ancient enchantments on Hogwarts that protect the mental and bodily wellbeing of the students. But it would be wise to ensure Harry can protect himself if any such attack were to occur."

A sickening feeling of helplessness overtook Penny as she thought of Harry, her beloved twin being possessed by Voldemort and potentially forced to do something to harm others, or worse, himself. It made any desire she had to gush about their father pale in comparison. He would naturally be furious with her when he discovered she kept this from him, but it was imperative he did this and she would not give him the reason not to give it all his energy.

"But why not Sirius?" Penny asked.

Placing his arm over her shoulder and pulling her toward himself he let out a long sigh. "Sirius is the one love and damnation of my heart. He is reckless, passionate, and dislikes being told what to do, and I have always admired that about him. When he's around I get to forget, and just live. But those traits come with a price and one such as he, well he hates to sit still."

"I can see that," Penny nodded.

"I know that you wish to relay the message your father has for him, but I think the reality of it would torment him. Sirius and James—and I say this as a man who is very secure in my relationship—it was just different between them, and Sirius has never been the same without James. If he were to come to learn there was a way, a bridge that could let him see his best mate again, do you imagine he could just sit here?"

"But would he even be able to cross?"

"Whatever the answer is, I am convinced no reasoning or pleading in the world could keep him from going to find out, no matter the cost. I know it is an awful thing to ask of you, Penny and that you likely want nothing more than to talk about James and share all you found with those who love him most, but I beg you, for my sake as much as Sirius', to keep this to yourself just for a while."

The fear quivering in his voice making Penny indescribably sad, she nodded. "I promise to keep it to myself, you don't have to worry," Penny said, squeezing his hand and giving him a small smile.

"Thank you," he said, turning and pressing his forehead against hers, brown eyes burning brightly.

Looking back at him, Penny thought there wasn't a thing in the world she would not do for him. "You deserve to be happy, Remus, and I hope you let yourself enjoy it," she whispered, knowing fullwell he'd seen James' wish for him for himself.

Closing his eyes, he stayed like that, what he was thinking, Penny did not know because he remained silent, his hand clinging to hers, a thousand regrets etched into the lines of his handsome face.

The last days of the winter break went by quickly, Penny slowly rejoining the others and allowing herself to become used to the company of others again. With her new found freedom, Fred and George dragged her upstairs to get her help with their new line of 'Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-bangs' which Penny thought might be funny to cause to multiply by ten whenever someone tried to vanish them.

"Penny, you little rebel," George grinned, passing her the joint he was smoking.

Penny found the drug was a welcome change that relieved her anxiety, much to the approval of the twins.

"I mean think about it, Dolores Umbridge lacks all imagination, if you set these off in the corridor by her office or something, she will try the first blasé spell that comes to mind," Penny said wisely, nearly breaking into a fit of giggles because her high was hitting her. "Wait!"

Both twins turned to her from the desk that they were working at. "What if we spiked her sugar?"

"Her sugar?" Fred repeated.

"With what?" added George.

"The old fever fudges that didn't work," Penny said, a glint in her eye.

The twins grinned, George turning to a drawer and digging through it, while Fred walked over to the bed and flopped down beside Penny, accepting the joint she offered him.

"If you weren't dating my sister, I'd marry you, Penny Potter."

"Yeah? Let's see you get on one knee then," Penny challenged. "Can't promise I'll say yes but."

It took a moment for her to realize he was gaping at her. Turning her head to the right she found him at a loss for words, the joint having fallen from his fingers. Taking it back, she took a drag, George rolling his eyes at the pair of them and then pretending to busy himself with something.

"You broke up?" Fred finally said.

"We did," Penny affirmed.

"No! You can't do this to me!" Fred accused looking betrayed as he sat up and stared indignantly at Penny.

"Didn't you just say you wished I wasn't dating her?"

"Yes, but only because I thought you were. It's more tragic and acceptable this way, if she's just the one for you. If you broke up with her then I just got out maneuvered by my little sister!"

"You know that's ridiculous don't you."

"Says you! But I cannot rightly date my sister's sloppy seconds and I certainly cannot have it known she stole my girl. No. This won't work. You need to get up and put things right." Fred demanded, snatching the joint from her, dragging her to her feet and pushing her out the door.

Utterly bemused when the door snapped shut, Penny shrugged it off, not having the mental capacity to even begin to understand what Fred was upset about. Jumping the last few stairs on her way to her bed, Penny crashed into a large frame that was fleeing the kitchen, knocking her backwards. She would have landed hard on the floor, but a cold grasp caught her wrist and pulled her back.

"Watch where you're going—" Penny started, the irritated black eyes stopping her in her tracks. "Oh, it's you," she said, the informality only serving to annoy him more so she added "professor."

"Are you high?" he accused, his sharp gaze confirming her guilt.

"Oh don't sound so scandalized, I'm still on break, you can't reprimand me," Penny sighed, rubbing her eyes, very ready for a nap.

"Can't I?" he sneered, grip tightening on her wrist.

"What's got you in such a foul mood anyway?"

"Nothing," he said briskly.

"It's me, isn't it? You just need a good dose Penny after being away so long," she smirked.

"A dose of you only serves to give one a headache," he quipped.

"No need to pretend, come here, a good hug will make it all better," Penny said, moving toward him to get into hugging distance.

"I don't hug," stated Snape, a firm hand barring her approach.

"Well there's your problem! You might not be so miserable all the time if—"

"If you weren't such a nuisance!" he said through gritted teeth, face red when Penny ignored the hand and struggled to get around it to give him the hug.

With a great heave, Penny pressed all of her weight into him, sending him stumbling backward and tripping over the umbrella stand. Taking Penny with him, he landed on his back, the arms synched around his waist being crushed beneath his weight.

"Ouch, that did not feel good at all," she observed, her head resting on his stomach.

"Did you expect it would!" he seethed.

"If you'd have just let me—"

"Let you accost me? I think not. There is nothing appealing about the advances of a slob—"

"Advances?" Penny repeated angrily as she tried to wiggly free of him, and in doing so accidentally squashed something soft between his legs with her knee.

His sharp intake of breath and oof of pain told her it was exactly what she thought it was. "My bad," she said sheepishly.

"You blubbering—"he tried, but he was evidently still in too much pain to finish his sentence.

Yanking her hands free of him she jumped to her feet.

"You can be such a git sometimes, you know that? And don't even pretend like that wasn't the most action they've had in the last stupid four decades of your life!" she fumed.

"I'm 35!" he raged, managing to get himself to his feet.

"That's basically 40."

"No, it's precisely 35."

"five rounds up, didn't your mother teach you anything?"

"You didn't even have a mother!" he all but yelled.

"If I did she could have hugged me, unlike yours, which is clearly the reason you are this ridiculous. You realize all of this could have been avoided if you'd just let me hug you."

"And if I didn't want a hug from the likes of you!"

The ferocity with which he said the words stopped her in her tracks. She couldn't pretend they didn't hurt her feelings, and the changing of his own features told her he knew what he'd done, but she hardened her heart against him.

"Sorry to have forced something so detestable upon you, Professor. Have a good night," she said in a frosty voice, turning and making her way back down the hallway.

"Wait—" he commanded, still not having a handle on his anger yet, but Penny ignored him and continued on. "Will you stop being so stubborn—" he tried again, reaching for her arm. He caught it and managed to turn her.

"You asked me to go! So you'll forgive me for being a little confused by the mixed messages you're sending. I thought you seemed unhappy, I offered you a hug, but evidently that was the last thing you wanted, so toodles," she replied, pulling herself free for the second time.

"Just give me a bloody hug!" he finally blurted out.

She watched him for a long moment, his hair a mess, clothing crinkled and chest heaving.

"I don't think I will," she said delicately, and then turned, getting up two stairs before his yell reached her.

"Why!"

"Because I came to my senses." And with that she left him full of fury and cursing beneath his breath.

As it turned out, and Penny found out later when she woke in the middle of the day from her high to great commotion because the house had erupted into the chaos that was preparing to return to Hogwarts; Snape had been at Grimmauld place to inform Harry he would be having occlumency lessons with him. It was a prospect that made Harry exceptionally sour and Penny wonder what Dumbledore was thinking giving Snape and Harry extra lessons together.

But she had little energy to spare thinking about it, dreading her own return to Hogwarts and being forced again into the company of Dolores Umbridge and wondering what Snape's retribution for her rudeness would be. They all packed late into the night until Mrs. Weasley sent them all to bed seeing as they would be taking the Knight Bus the next day.

Penny wanted to speak to Sirius before going to sleep, but he was nowhere to be found. He'd taken to hiding upstairs with Buckbeak as the end of the holiday approached and the reality the house would be very quiet again settled in. It made Penny sad, thinking of Sirius alone in the house he so loathed, and even if he had Lupin, she knew it made him miserable. Every time she thought of it she couldn't help but remember her father's words about Sirius living the life they dreamed. Would he ever get to do it? Was this house any better than a cell in Azkaban?

These thoughts plagued her all night and were made worse by Harry's own worry for their godfather due to Snape's goading of him. Harry was afraid Sirius would think they all thought he was a coward, as Snape accused him of being, and was searching for an opportunity to assure him he wasn't, but none ever presented itself and by the next morning they were both full of trepidation about parting with their godfather, neither certain when they would be able to see him again.

Breakfast was rushed, Penny noting how the adults ended a hushed conversation abruptly when she and Harry entered, Mrs. Weasley shoving plates full of food before them just as Tonks showed up. Tonks and Lupin would be escorting them all on the Knight Bus, Penny thinking back to the last time she and Harry had ridden it. It'd been the first time Sirius had set eyes on them, though they had not known it was him, seeing as he was disguised as a giant, bear-like dog. She remembered the moment vividly, the way the world seemed to stand still and he just watched them. She did much of the same to him now, wondering what it was that had compelled him that night to find them. Was he looking for remnants of James? Or did a part of him wish for a life where he'd been allowed to be their godfather?

Shoving hats on their heads and ushering them out the door, Penny ended up trapped in the middle of the hall, squashed between the crowd of people, her eyes finding Sirius pulling Harry off to the side and whispering to him. He handed him a package which Harry pocketed before pushing him toward the door, his hands taking up residence in his pockets.

Propelled by the tidal wave of people, Penny was forced onto the street and hugged tightly by Mrs. Weasley.

"Study hard, my dear and look out for an Easter package," she said, kissing Penny on the head. "The sweater looks lovely on you," she smiled, fussing with her hair for a moment.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley for, for taking care of me."

Her eyes getting glassy, Mrs. Weasley gave a big sniffle. "Stay well, dear," she said, before wiping her eyes and moving to the twins. It was at this point that Penny extracted herself and found Sirius, a loud bang behind her telling her Lupin had called the Knight Bus already.

Sirius was sitting at the top of the steps, watching the others, a look of discontent on his face as he shivered slightly.

"C'mon, Penny," Lupin called.

"Sirius—" she said, but her voice caught in her chest as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

'"Time to get going, kid," he said, nodding toward the bus. "Don't want to be late because of me."

Penny wanted to say she didn't care if she was late, that he was the person she wanted to spend her time with, that she'd still be a crying mess if it weren't for him. But she didn't know how, not with the others watching, calling her, and him sitting there, arms crossed against the cold. She merely stared at him, her mouth glued shut.

"Look after yourself, and stop wasting so much time thinking about what's behind you," he said, gruffly, getting to his feet and stepping up beside her, a hand clasping her shoulder and pushing her toward the bus.

"I don't—"

"And don't argue with me about it. I'm the expert on what wallowing in the past looks like. Your life is ahead of you, now, get after it."

And he was turning, marching up the steps, Penny's chest constricting because this was not how she'd imagined it going, she'd wanted to hug him, but felt childish asking him for one. Mrs. Weasley was grabbing her arm now, "Come dear, we mustn't hold up the bus."

But Penny was stumbling, still looking at Sirius, her voice finally finding itself.

"Sirius!" she called, walking backwards toward the bus.

He turned, dark hair rustling in the wind.

"Can I come back, this summer I mean. I want to come back and stay with you," she said, her voice almost a plea.

A sad smile working its way across his handsome mouth he said, "We'll see."

And then he was gone, Penny walking past rows of beds until she found Lupin sitting with Fred, George and Ginny.

Taking the seat furthest from Lupin so he would not ask, Penny looked out the window, dissecting how horribly she flubbed her moment with Sirius. She'd just wanted to leave him with something to look forward to but now she could not help but feel she made him more unhappy. Would she never get being a goddaughter right?

Completely oblivious to those around her, it was Lupin who touched her shoulder to alert her to the fact they'd arrived at Hogsmeade. The others had made their goodbyes and were already headed toward Hogwarts, Harry glancing back at her and being pushed forward by Hermione who obviously wanted to give Penny a moment alone with Lupin. Tonks gave Penny a tight hug and then got back on the bus, also giving them some space.

"You'd think this would get easier," he said, pulling her into his chest. "But I never can get used to parting with you, I miss you too terribly much," he whispered, unwilling to let her go.

"I guess this just means you need to come back to Hogwarts," Penny said.

"Nice try," he chuckled. "I know it won't be easy, Penny, but you're not alone. I swear as long as I'm alive, you'll never be alone, do you hear me? And some way, somehow, we will get through this."

Finally releasing her he gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "Now get going, you don't want to keep him waiting," he smiled.

Sneaking a kiss back on his prickly cheek that made him smile more broadly, Penny turned, perplexed, wondering who Lupin was referring to. Just a ways off, she found Snape leaning against the side of an old, empty building, looking decidedly away from the pair of them, but evidently waiting for something, or someone.

"I love you," she called to Lupin, turning quickly back to him and catching him in the doorway. He paused, turned back and said, "I love you too, Penny."

And blowing him a kiss, Penny bounded off toward Snape, slowing when she got nearer him, uncertain if he was going to be angry with her still.

"Potter," he greeted her, stiffly.

"Professor," she said in her most polite voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Standing, what does it look like," he said, turning and walking toward the path that led to Hogwarts once the Knight Bus had disappeared.

"Yes, I can see that," Penny said impatiently. "But you do not often come to Hogsmeade."

"Would you have preferred to walk alone?"

"No, but—"

"Then shut up."

"You actually came to keep me company!" Penny said in awe, a stupid grin plastered to her face.

"Do not try my patience today—"

"That's so uncharacteristically sweet of you!" she gushed, looping her arm through his and pulling herself into step with him.

His eyes darted to where her arm connected with his, but he made no remark, his features stony, but not the least bit annoyed. Feeling that her luck was much too good to be true, she forgot the troubles of her heart, her mind lingering instead on the little cloud of steam that issued from his mouth as he breathed in the frosty morning air; the dark eyes that try as they might to not look at her, kept trailing back to her face; and the steps he took that were much slower than normal, as though he did not want to reach their destination.

The only sound to be heard, the crunching of their feet in the snow, Penny watched Hogwarts grow ever larger , making her feel somewhat uneasy, remembering how Yaxley so easily tore her from the safety of it's walls, but the melody coming from Snape refused to let it linger, banishing it as a breeze skirted across the snowy field, sending his long dark hair tickling her face. And for a blissful, brief moment, Penny leaned toward it, resting her head on his shoulder, breathing in the smell of his shampoo—something that reminded her of clean laundry.

They were close to Hogwarts when Penny was forced back into reality, the daze of his nearness and the haze the smell of bergamot induced in her being replaced with an abrupt mouthful of snow. Having arrived close enough to Hogwarts that were someone to look out of one of the many windows and peer down, they would have spotted them; Snape took it upon himself to bring their walk to it's conclusion and snaking his hand from Penny's hold, he pushed her ruthlessly by the shoulder face first into the snow.

Nearly buried in snow, it took some struggling for Penny to extract herself, finding Snape unperturbed and continuing on his decided path.

"You are the worst, most surly, annoying man I've ever met! I take back ever calling you sweet!" she yelled after him.

"Have a good start to term, Ms. Potter, and do not expect any leniency from me, your examinations are coming up and I expect an essay on the reasons to like yourself on my desk no later than Friday," he said lazily, leaving Penny fuming after him, but walking much too quickly now for her to have any hope of catching him.