The next evening, Sadie and the boys (minus Remus, who was already in the Hospital Wing waiting for Madam Pomfrey to take him to the Shack) were walking with the rest of their house back up to the common room after dinner. James, Sirius, and Peter were goofing off and laughing loudly. Sadie, however, was chewing her lower lip anxiously as s thought back on the encounter she'd had that afternoon on her way to class.
Sadie cursed silently to herself as she rushed through the corridors, moving as quickly as possible while still avoiding tripping over her robes. There had been a line at the girls' bathroom, and now she was running late for Charms. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist and let out a sigh of relief; as long as she didn't get held up by anything else, she was sure she would be able to make it just in time. It was at that moment that she felt someone snatch her arm and yank her into an unused classroom. Her mouth opened to let out a scream, but it came out muffled as a hand instantly slapped over her mouth.
"Don't," a voice warned as she wrestled against the arms holding her. "I'm not going to hurt you. But we need to talk." With a flick of the person's wand, the room lit up, and Sadie slowly turned to see Sirius's brother gazing at her with wide eyes. He hesitantly released his hold on her.
"Regulus?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What..."
"Listen," he cut her off. "This is important."
Sadie frowned at him. "Can't it wait?" She looked back down at her watch and groaned. There was no way she could make it to class on time now. "You've made me late for class."
Regulus shook his head. "No one can know that I'm talking to you. It would cause some pretty major issues for me." Sadie continued to eye him warily, but she boosted herself up to sit on one of the desks.
"Alright then," she sighed resignedly, but she wrapped her fingers around her wand, just in case. "Let's hear it."
Regulus held eye contact with her and spoke calmly. "I don't know what you and your friends are up to this evening, but you need to cancel it." Sadie rolled her eyes with a scoff and made to get up and leave. "No, listen. Some of the Slytherins are working on...something. I don't know exactly what. But they've gotten it in their heads that you're out to put a stop to it. They're planning an ambush."
Sadie's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing once more. "Why would you be telling me this?"
Regulus's jaw clenched, and he stared at her silently before averting his gaze uncomfortably. Realization dawned, and Sadie felt her gaze soften as she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Tell me what you know," she requested gently. "And I promise I'll do everything I can to keep him safe."
He swallowed hard and slowly brought his eyes back up to hers. "I only know what I've overheard. I know that there aren't that many of them involved, and they aren't supposed to let anyone else in on it. They're planning on catching you unawares as you leave your common And a few of them will be waiting just outside the castle just in case that falls through." He shrugged helplessly. "That's all I've heard. But I know them, and I don't doubt that they would resort to...extreme measures...if they were to catch you."
Sadie chewed on her lip, brow furrowed. "Right..." She took a deep breath smiled at him tentatively. "Thank you. I'll take care of it." Regulus gave her a curt nod and turned to leave. His hand was on the door when Sadie called out. "Oh, and Regulus?" He paused and turned to look back at her, eyebrows raised. She gave him a sympathetic smile. "He loves you, you know."
The fourth year seemed frozen for a second as he stared at her. A muscle jumped in his jaw, and he opened his mouth to speak, but then he shook his head, seeming to think better of it, before opening the door and leaving without another word.
Sadie was jolted from her thoughts when James nudged her with his shoulder. She startled and turned to see her brother and the other two boys watching her with raised eyebrows. She gave them a blank look.
"Where were you, Sade?" James grinned. "We lost you there for a minute."
"You're not still upset about that detention from Flitwick, are you?" Sirius asked. "I told you I'm happy to get one too so you won't be lonely."
"What?" Sadie blinked and shook her head. "No!" She bit her lip and looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them. Then, she turned back to the boys and lowered her voice. "Just...come with me."
They glanced at each other curiously but did as she'd asked, allowing her to lead them to a seldom used area of the castle. She opened the door to an empty classroom and ushered them all inside. Once the door was shut behind them and the torches had been lit, Sadie sat down with a sigh of relief. The boys watched her expectantly.
"What's up, Sadie Mae?" Sirius asked when she didn't say anything.
She hesitated for a second longer. "Well...I just have kind of a bad feeling about tonight. I'm afraid that Snape and his friends will try something because of what they overheard yesterday. I was just thinking...well...maybe we should just hang out here until it's time to go. And then we could leave the castle through that secret door outside of the entrance to the Astronomy Tower..."
The boys were staring at her skeptically. James gave an uncomfortable cough before speaking. "Don't you think this seems a little excessive, Sade?"
"No, I don't," Sadie glared at him fiercely. He looked taken aback and glanced at Sirius and Peter for backup. Peter just shrugged, and Sirius rubbed the back of his neck, giving James an apologetic look.
"Well, it certainly can't hurt anything..."
James rolled his eyes in exasperation and muttered out of the corner of his mouth, "Whipped..." Sirius shot him an annoyed look but otherwise ignored him. Sadie gave Sirius a glowing smile that, to his chagrin, proved James's earlier assessment accurate as his heart soared.
James grumbled and plopped himself down next to his sister. Peter joined them and pulled out a game of Exploding Snap, which the four friends played until it was time to leave.
When the time came, they followed the same plan they had used the month before. Once they were all safely concealed under the cloak, James and Sirius creeped toward the Astronomy Tower. James muttered the password to a large painting of a centaur. The portrait swung open to reveal a door which led them out onto the grounds.
As they snuck past the door to the Entrance Hall, they noticed three familiar figures crowded together and whispering urgently. The figures were watching the doors carefully, wands drawn in preparation. Sirius chuckled softly.
"Good call, Sadie Mae," he muttered. James looked humbled. They gave the Slytherins a wide berth and hurried toward the Whomping Willow, where their favorite werewolf was waiting for them.
The rest of the night had passed by smoothly. It had taken longer for Moony to fall asleep. He had been more curious this time, wanting to investigate his new companions and even play a little. Eventually though, they all slept much like had the last time. Remus once again woke up feeling much better than he normally did after a full moon, and his friends rejoiced quietly after Madam Pomfrey had taken him away.
That evening on her way to dinner, Gideon had caught up to her and held up a picnic basket, giving her a charming grin. Her face had lit up excitedly, and she had allowed him to lead her out onto the grounds and to a tree on the edge of the lake where they had spread out a blanket and laughed together as they ate. Now, they were strolling hand-in-hand along the edge of the lake as the sun set on the other side of it.
"Where do you see yourself in ten years?" Sadie asked him after a small lull in the conversation. "Like, I know you want to be an auror and everything, but what else after that?"
Gideon hummed thoughtfully. "I mean, the first thing that comes to mind is kind of a cop-out. But I definitely want to have a family. Settle down with a girl that I adore." He glanced at her with a slight smirk that made her blush. "Beyond that, I'd love to maybe move out of the country for a couple of years and just experience life somewhere else. I don't much care where. Just somewhere...different."
"I like that," Sadie smiled and looked at him. He stopped walking and turned to face her, taking her other hand in his with a soft look on his face.
"Yeah?" He asked. "What about you? Any interest in traveling?"
Sadie's eyes lit up. "Oh, yes! I want to travel everywhere and see and do everything!"
Gideon chuckled lightly. "Oh, do you? Well, maybe I'll just have to tag along with you then, if you'll have me."
"Oh, I suppose," Sadie laughed and looked at the ground shyly. Gideon tucked a finger under her chin and guided her gaze back up to his. Sadie felt her heartrate pick up as he hesitantly leaned closer to her, eyes boring into hers. She leaned in as well, closing her eyes just as his lips met hers.
It was soft and gentle and over far too quickly for Sadie's liking. It hadn't even lasted long enough for her to really register how it had felt. So, when Gideon pulled back slowly after only a couple of seconds, she shocked herself by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him back to her. He let out a small chuckle of surprise but happily obliged. His hands found their way to the small of her back, and he tugged her closer to him.
Sadie wasn't sure how long they stood like that, her own lips moving tentatively with his more confident ones. Her fingers wound themselves in and out of his hair. It was soft, she noted somewhere in the back of her consciousness. Not quite as soft as Sirius's, but soft nonetheless. His kisses were gentle and slow, and his hands trailed up and down her back, sending shivers down her spine.
Eventually, they broke apart. Gideon rested his forehead against hers for a moment before pressing one last fleeting kiss to her lips. Then, he drew back and gave her a sweet smile, which she returned breathlessly. Without a word, he threaded their fingers together once again, and they resumed their walk, sending each other shy glances as they went.
As they were nearing the edge of the forest, Sadie began to feel a dull ache in her head. She tried to shake it off, but it got worse quickly, and she soon found herself feeling dizzy and a bit nauseous. Gideon glanced at her in concern.
"Hey, you okay?" He asked gently. Sadie tried to nod, but her vision swam as she did so, and she stumbled. Gideon caught her and began guiding her carefully back toward their little picnic setup. He helped her sit down with her back resting against the tree. He crouched down next to her and conjured a glass of water, which she gratefully took and sipped on.
It was only a matter of minutes before Sadie was feeling significantly better. A slight headache lingered, but it was easy for her to ignore. She took a deep breath and gave Gideon a sheepish look.
"Sorry about that," she told him.
Gideon still looked concerned. "Should I take you to the Hospital Wing?" Sadie smiled and shook her head.
"No, I feel fine now. I think I must have just been a bit dehydrated."
"If you're sure..." He still looked hesitant, but Sadie stood up on her own without issue and held her hand out to him.
"I'm fine," she assured him. "But I'm sure that it's getting close to curfew, so we should probably head back up to the castle anyway,"
Gideon hesitated a moment longer, but then he nodded and, with a flick of his wand, packed up their picnic and hung the basket on his arm. He wrapped his other arm around Sadie's waist, and they sent each other soft smiles before casually making their way up to the common room.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! I had kind of a hard time with this one. Anyone have any great tips to help with Writer's Block? I feel like I always just end up wandering around my house and snacking on random things haha
BlueHairedRaven: Lololololol don't you just kind of want to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she wakes up?