That evening, Sadie was sitting between Sirius and James at the dinner table. Remus and Peter sat across from them, and the five friends were conversing casually. Suddenly, Sirius nudged Sadie with his elbow and bent down to mutter in her ear.

"Is it just me, or does Snivellus look far too smug for comfort?"

Sadie blinked and turned her gaze toward the Slytherin table. Sure enough, Snape had a twisted smirk on his face that made her skin crawl. She glanced at Sirius, who was watching her with raised eyebrows.

"You're right." She nodded slowly. "It was the full moon last night. I guess whatever 'project' they were working on must have worked."

Sirius scowled in the direction of the Slytherins. "That's what I'm worried about. I don't care what Remus says, whatever they're up to can't be good news. I think we should keep tabs on them for a while." Remus looked up at the sound of his name, and he and the other two boys tuned into their conversation.

Sadie was quiet for several seconds before she responded. "I mean, I'm not saying you're wrong, but...how would you propose we do that? We can't get into their common room, and I don't fancy just hanging around the entrance all day and night waiting for them to come out." A slow grin spread across Sirius's face, his eyes glinting mischievously. Sadie sighed, but the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. "Alright, what are you plotting?"

"Well, it's this idea I've been turning over in my head for a while...I want to make a map."

"A map," James quirked an eyebrow. "What kind of map?"

"One that would show the whereabouts of everyone in the castle. And we could put all the secret passageways, and it would track all the moving staircases. And we could charm it so that only we can see each other when we are in our animagus forms. You know, just in case it were to fall into the wrong hands."

Remus was staring at him incredulously. "Do you have any idea how complex of a piece of magic that would be?"

Sirius grinned cockily. "So? What's your point?"

"It would take a pretty powerful Homonculus Charm..." James's words were skeptical, but his eyes held a gleam of excitement.

Sadie chewed on her lip, looking uncertain. "I think we could do it... But do you think we should? I mean, what if it were to, as Sirius put it, 'fall into the wrong hands?' That could have some pretty nasty consequences. Imagine if Snape got ahold of it!"

Remus was looking thoughtful now. "Suppose we charmed it to only reveal itself if we said some kind of... password..."

James let out an uncharacteristic giggle. "Can we make it so that it insults Snivellus if he tries to open it?"

Sirius looked delighted at that prospect. They were distracted from their plotting, however, by Professor Kettleburn tapping on Sirius and Sadie's shoulders.

"Miss Potter, Mister Black, if you'll come with me please."

The two friends glanced at each other anxiously before standing and following their professor out of the Great Hall. He led them out of the front doors and around to the side of the castle. They came upon what seemed to be an empty pasture until they were standing right up against the fence. Suddenly, Rhea appeared, trotting around the perimeter of the enclosure, looking healthy as could be.

"What..." Sadie and Sirius gasped at the same time. Rhea's head whipped around at the sound of their voices, and she let out an excited whinny, hurrying toward them. Sadie made to climb over the fence, but Professor Kettleburn quickly pulled them back several feet. The unicorn faded away as they distanced themselves from the enclosure. Sadie looked upset.

"Professor, why..."

Kettleburn shook his head, looking worn out and a bit grim. "The pasture is charmed so that no one can see inside of it unless they are right up against it. Most students will find themselves suddenly remembering very important tasks that they need to complete elsewhere. I made a temporary exception for the two of you."

"Temporary?!" Sirius spluttered indignantly. "What is going on?!"

Their professor sighed and rubbed his face wearily. "As you saw, Rhea is doing wonderfully. I'm not sure how it happened. She was just suddenly a picture of health. I need to keep a close eye on her A: to make sure she doesn't regress, and, B: to try and figure out how to replicate her recovery in the others. They all got worse overnight. Most of them are in pretty rough shape now. In addition, many of my students who have gone to check on their unicorns have ended up in the Hospital Wing this morning. We are concerned that whatever is wrong with the unicorns may be starting to spread to the students. For this reason, students will no longer be allowed contact with the unicorns until this is solved."

"But Rhea isn't sick anymore!" Sadie protested. "Surely we can-" Kettleburn silenced her with a gentle shake of his head.

"We just can't take any chances. I'm sorry. I wanted you to see that she is doing well. Hopefully that will at least bring some comfort to you."

Sadie and Sirius trudged back toward the castle. Sadie's eyes were filled with tears, and Sirius was fuming quietly. He glanced down at Sadie, and his eyes softened.

"Hey," he said quietly, placing a gentle hand on the middle of her back. "It'll be okay. We'll figure out some way around it. And at least we know she's okay! I can't believe how good she looks! I really didn't think she would make it after I saw her this morning! Hopefully that means they'll all get better soon, and then there won't be a reason for them to keep us away from them."

Sadie swallowed hard and looked up at him, her face determined. "She needs us, Sir. She doesn't trust anyone else. Kettleburn said it would keep students away. He didn't say anything about animals."

A slow grin made its way onto Sirius's face. "Brilliant," he breathed. "I'll bet it won't even matter once we're past the barrier."

"Tell James we need the cloak tonight. We'll wait in the common room until all the other students are in bed. Then we'll sneak out. We don't even need to be long. But she needs to know we haven't abandoned her."

Sirius nodded, though his eyes held a bit of concern. "Agreed. But then it's straight back and into bed for you. After this morning, we need to be prioritizing your sleep."

Sadie rolled her eyes. "I don't even know what Madam Pomfrey was talking about! I'm not exhausted! I've been getting plenty of sleep! We've barely even snuck out after curfew this year!"

"Still," he insisted. "I'm sure you need a good amount of sleep after last night."

"Well, if I do, then you do too," she smirked triumphantly. "You had the exact same night as I did!"

Sirius chuckled. "Alright, alright," he conceded. "We'll get back in time for both of us to get enough sleep. How's that?"

"Much better," Sadie replied smugly, her spirits lifted.

And so it was that the two of them found themselves lounging on the couch in the Gryffindor Common Room that night, waiting impatiently for the last few students to make their way up to bed. Sirius was scowling into the fire, blatantly ignoring the fourth year girls who were giggling and whispering while they watched him from the corner. Sadie pressed her lips together in an attempt to keep from smiling, but she was unsuccessful.

"Aw, come on, Sir," she whispered to him. "I haven't seen you with any girls this year. What gives?"

Sirius shrugged. "No time, and nobody has caught my eye. Besides." He turned his head to look at her. "I thought you didn't like my 'playboy ways.'"

She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. "I don't! But that doesn't mean you shouldn't date at all! I want you to be happy!"

"Right," Sirius shook his head and gave her a wry smile. "Well, like I said, no one's caught my eye this year."

"Well, I guess it's good to see you being a little more picky," Sadie sighed. "But you know none of these girls are going to leave you alone until you're in a relationship."

"You volunteering?" Sirius teased with a wink. Sadie giggled.

"Well, I suppose we could test the theory..."

She sat up straight and gently pulled him down until he was laying on his back with his head in her lap. She gazed down at him with such a lovesick look on her face that Sirius didn't know whether to burst out laughing or snog her senseless. Fortunately, he was distracted from doing either as her fingers found their way into his hair, weaving themselves in and out of it with the occasional pause to massage his scalp. The whispers from the corner stopped for a moment before resuming, more rapid than they had been before.

Sadie let out a short breath of laughter before composing herself. Sirius's eyes fluttered shut of their own accord when she removed one of her hands from his hair in order to lightly drag her fingers down his cheek and along his jawline. He thought his heart might burst from his chest as she brushed her thumb across his lower lip before simply allowing her hand to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking it almost absently. Mustering all of his willpower, Sirius opened his eyes to see her eyes watching him with a look that he'd never seen on her face before. She was chewing her bottom lip lightly with her head tilted to the side. Her brow was furrowed just slightly, and her eyes held an unfamiliar intensity that made his breath catch in his throat.

Almost without thinking, Sirius rose from his spot on her lap and brought his hands to either side of her face. Her breath hitched, and she stared at him with lips parted slightly in surprise.

"Sadie Mae..." Sirius murmured when she made no move to pull away from him. "I think..." He wasn't sure what to say. He settled instead for slowly lowering his face toward hers, feeling his heart hammer excitedly when she closed her eyes and moved to meet him in the middle. She was so close that he could feel her breath dance across his face.

They jerked away from each other as the girls from the corner rushed past them, still whispering dramatically. Sirius swallowed hard, his heart pounding, and watched them disappear up the staircase leading to the girls' dorms before he turned back to look at Sadie. He caught the briefest glimpse of an unrecognizable expression on her face before she broke into a huge mischievous grin, though it didn't quite seem to reach her eyes.

"Told you," she proclaimed proudly. "That was a great touch at the end there, by the way. I think that's what really sold it."

"Right..." Sirius's voice was hollow. "Yeah, I thought it might..."

For the first time in their four years of close friendship, the two awkwardly avoided each other's eyes, unsure of what to say to the other. After a moment, Sadie cleared her throat and stood up.

"Well, that's the last of them. You run up and grab the cloak. I need to use the bathroom before we go."

Sirius nodded stiffly and watched as she walked briskly up the stairs.

Sadie hurried past her sleeping dormmates and into the bathroom, leaning back against the door as she closed it behind her. She slid down to sit on the floor and pressed her palms against her eyes, breathing heavily.

A soft knock sounded on the other side of the door. "Sadie?" Lily called quietly. "You okay?"

Sadie hesitated before slowly standing up and opening the door to let the other girl in. Lily stepped in and closed the door behind her, looking at Sadie in concern.

"What's going on?"

Sadie covered her face with her hands and was quiet for several moments. Lily waited patiently. Finally, Sadie peeked at her friend through her fingers and spoke in a mortified whisper.

"I almost kissed Sirius."

Lily blinked and stared at her as though not sure she had heard her correctly. "I'm...I'm sorry...what?!"

Sadie let out a pitiful whimper and plopped down hard on the edge of the bathtub, hands still hiding her face. Lily took a moment to process what her friend had just told her. Then, she took a deep breath and slowly sat down next to her.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" She suggested kindly.

Sadie nodded and recalled what had happened, starting with the girls in the corner. "And then, I don't know, I guess I just...got too into the act or something? He just looked so...I dunno! Desirable!" Her cheeks reddened, and Lily hid a smile. "And you know I adore him, and it's not like he isn't ridiculously attractive, and I just got caught up in the moment! And then he sat up and grabbed my face, and, Merlin, those eyes, ya know?! And he leaned forward like he was going to kiss me, and I completely forgot it was all an act, and I went in to kiss him too, and I absolutely would have except those girls got up and ran past us, and it brought me back to reality, and I pulled away just in time! I tried to play it off like it was just part of the joke, but he looked so uncomfortable that I'm sure he saw right through it." She looked at Lily, eyes wide with panic. "What if he thinks I fancy him?! Lily, I think I've just screwed up our entire friendship!"

Lily struggled to keep a straight face. "Well, do you fancy him?" Sadie's only response was to glare at her incredulously. Lily chuckled and wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Alright, alright, just checking." She gave Sadie a kind smile. "Oh, Sadie, I'm sure it isn't as bad as all that. For all you know, he's in the exact same boat you are. Got caught up in the moment and now is freaking out that you might reali-" She cleared her throat. "Think that he fancies you."

Sadie's lip quivered. "Do you really think so?"

"I do," Lily assured her.

"So, then, what do I do?"

Lily shrugged. "I'm not sure it matters. Nothing actually happened. You were playing a joke. It won't be that hard to continue to play it off as that. I'm sure it will put Sirius at ease about the whole thing too if you act like nothing happened. Because it didn't."

Sadie took a deep breath. "You're probably right. I'm just freaking out for no reason." She gave Lily a tight hug. "Thanks, Lil. You're the best." She stood up. "Wish me luck."

"Wait, you're going now?!" Lily asked incredulously.

Sadie winced, having realized her mistake too late. "Erm...yeah...I just...I told him I was just going to the bathroom. I think he's still down there waiting for me."

Lily frowned disapprovingly. "Well, don't be up too late. We've got classes tomorrow."

"You've got it," Sadie responded with a mock salute. "You get some sleep. I'll be back up soon."

Lily still looked skeptical but decided she really was tired and didn't feel like waiting up to make sure her friend got to bed at a decent hour. "Oh, and Sadie," she whisper-yelled as her friend opened the door to the staircase. Sadie turned back to look at her. Lily grinned teasingly. "Do try to make it back up here without snogging your best friend. Difficult as that may, apparently, be for you." Sadie's jaw dropped, and it took her a moment to come to her senses. When she did, she grabbed one of Mary's slippers from the floor and chucked it at Lily, who dove out of the way and buried her face in her pillow to stifle her laughter. Sadie stuck her tongue out at her but shook her head with an amused smile before turning back around and exiting the room.

She nervously made her way back downstairs, plastering a bright smile on her face as she entered the common room. Sirius was leaning against the back of one of the armchairs, invisibility cloak crumpled into a ball underneath his arm.

"Sorry, Lily was still awake, so I got held up trying to head her off," Sadie explained calmly. "Ready?"

Sirius looked extremely relieved at her casual tone and demeanor. "Ready," he affirmed with a smile.

They crowded under the cloak and hurried through the castle, onto the grounds, and toward the fence Kettleburn had brought them to earlier. Once it was within sight, Sirius pulled the cloak off of them and stuffed it under his robes. They immediately transformed into their animagus forms and were thrilled to discover that they were, in fact, able to reach the pasture without being distracted.

As soon as they were inside the fence, they transformed back into their human forms. Rhea looked startled for a moment but then galloped over to them, prancing and snorting excitedly.

It was hard to get a good look at her with how dark it was, but Sadie was amazed to notice that the unicorn could see! She was full of energy, and her coat was silky to the touch. The two students were reluctant to leave her, but they knew they had to. Sadie wrapped her arms around Rhea's neck and whispered promises that they would be back to visit soon. The unicorn backed away, seeming disappointed but understanding. Sadie cast one more longing glance over her shoulder as Sirius gently pulled her away.

They were quiet until they reached the common room. Then, Sirius pulled the cloak off of them again, and they threw their arms around each other, grinning ecstatically.

"She looks amazing!" Sadie whispered, her eyes shining. Sirius shook his head in wonderment.

"I still can hardly believe it. It seems so impossible after what I saw this morning."

"Merlin, was that really only this morning?" Sadie groaned. "What a day. I've got to get to bed."

Sirius chuckled. "Yeah, you do. That was the agreement, after all."

Sadie shoved his arm playfully. "Yes, and you'd better do the same!"

"Okay, okay," Sirius back up and held up his hands in mock surrender. "If you insist."

Sadie giggled and raised her hand in a little wave. "See you in the morning, yeah?"

They each made their way up to their respective dorms. It wasn't long before they were both asleep, and, by morning, Sadie had completely forgotten about their almost-kiss. The same could not be said, however, for Sirius.

A/N: This update has been a long time coming! Life has been absolute chaos lately! Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!

12esheffield: I'm so glad that you are liking it! Thank you so much for your reviews! They keep me motivated!