The next morning, Sadie practically skipped down to breakfast a bit ahead of the boys. She had spoken to Madam Pomfrey on the first day of term to ask if she might take her on as a mentee for the year, and the mediwitch had been all too happy to do so. This was to be her first day, as she had a free period right after breakfast, and she was eager to begin.
Sliding into the bench next to Lily and Mary, she greeted them cheerfully and began smearing marmalade on a slice of toast. The girls smiled at her and continued discussing the Charms essay that was due the next day. Sadie gladly joined in the conversation on comparing the properties of vinegar and wine. They were preparing to learn the vinegar-to-wine charm and had been assigned to study and write about what made this transformation particularly difficult.
They were just finishing up their food when Lily suddenly stiffened. "Who is that? And more importantly, who does she think she is?"
Sadie looked up in confusion and followed the redhead's gaze to see Olivia once again chatting animatedly with Sirius. He looked bored and a tad exasperated as she twirled her hair around her finger and leaned into him slightly, giving him an absolutely breathtaking smile. Sirius spotted Sadie watching him over Olivia's shoulder, and he sent her an apologetic smile and subtle eyeroll, making her laugh softly.
"That would be Olivia Fontwell, our new chaser," she answered Lily's question. "And it would seem that she thinks she's Merlin's gift to Sirius."
Mary was looking affronted. "Well, does she know that Merlin has already blessed him with the girl of his dreams?"
That made Sadie laugh out loud. "If you're asking whether she knows we're together, then yes, I'd say it's been made pretty clear. Does she think I'm the girl of his dreams? It would appear not."
"Are you not bothered?" Lily asked her through gritted teeth. "Because I sure am, and I'm not even the one dating him."
Sadie smiled softly in Sirius's direction. He seemed to be attempting to break away from the rather one-sided conversation, but Olivia would grab his arm playfully or simply walk alongside him each time he tried to leave. "I was last night," Sadie answered honestly. "But we talked about it, and honestly it's become a bit of a joke between us. It's rather annoying, yes, but..." She shrugged with a shy smile. "We're stronger than that, you know?" Sirius caught her gaze again and widened his eyes comically in a plea for help. "Looks like maybe I'd better go rescue him though."
The other girls watched curiously as Sadie loaded up a plate with all of Sirius's favorite breakfast items: sausage, a slice of french toast with strawberries and whipped cream, and a small bowl of yogurt and granola. She grabbed a glass of strawberry milk for good measure and waltzed cheerfully over to her boyfriend.
"There you are, Baby!" She greeted him sweetly. The corners of his mouth twitched at the pet name that she'd never used before. "I brought you some food." She leaned forward conspiratorially. "I figure we worked up quite the appetite last night." She grinned wickedly as James let out a groan. "Twice." A faint sound escaped Sirius's throat, and she could see he was trying not to laugh. "And again this morning! You must be starving!"
He smirked. "Worth every minute, Gorgeous." He took the food from her and winked. She gave him the most sultry stare she could muster before feigning surprise as she turned to look at Olivia.
"Oh!" She smiled brightly. "Hi Olivia! Good to see you! Excited for practice tomorrow?"
Olivia was looking as though she'd been slapped, but she quickly put on a sweet face. "Oh, yes, definitely! Hannah, right?"
Sadie could have laughed out loud but refrained. Her goal was simply to make it clear that Sirius was spoken for and happy. She didn't want to cause any sort of rift or drama on the team. "Sadie, actually, but that's alright! I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get to know each other now that we're teammates!"
"Right..." Olivia's eyes narrowed as Sirius took the opportunity Sadie had given him to slip away and sit down to quickly eat the food she had brought him.
"Looking forward to working with you!" Sadie grinned before squeezing into the last bit of remaining space next to him on the bench. There was a quiet huff behind them as Olivia stomped away.
"For Godric's sake..." James complained. "I get wanting her to go away, but did you have to do it like that? Those mental images have been burned into my brain forever."
"That was brilliant," Sirius told her in contrast, his eyes dancing with laughter. Remus and Peter were both stifling quiet chuckles as well. "Let me hurry and shove the rest of this down, and then I'll walk you to the Hospital Wing, yeah?"
She hummed in agreement, and it wasn't long at all before he was kissing her softly and wishing her luck with her first day on the job. She gave his hand a squeeze and snickered.
"Thanks. And good luck with your Bintwell problem."
He grinned widely. "If Tickwell has any brains at all, she'll give it a rest at least for today. I haven't seen much evidence of that yet though."
She laughed and rolled her eyes, giving him one last lingering kiss before striding nervously through the Hospital Wing doors. Madam Pomfrey was standing over one of the beds where a girl who couldn't have been older than twelve was trembling violently, face completely devoid of color as she took sharp, shuddering breaths. Madam Pomfrey looked up and sent Sadie a nod.
"Good morning, Miss Potter." Her voice was brisk as usual, but there was a sad look in her eyes that Sadie wasn't used to seeing. "Go ahead and set your things in the backroom. I'll be in shortly to give you instructions."
Sadie nodded and hastened to obey. The backroom wasn't terribly large but was lined with storage cabinets and shelves loaded with various plants, vials, and jars. There was a door at the back of the room that led to Madam Pomfrey's quarters, and a single armchair rested in the corner alongside a couple of bookshelves filled with books on different healing potions, spells, and methods. Sadie set her bag down next to the chair and clasped her hands behind her back as she walked around slowly to examine the room's contents.
New voices floated in through the door, and Sadie peaked out just in time to catch a glimpse of Professor Dumbledore and Professor Sprout seated next to the same girl that had been there when Sadie arrived. Then Madam Pomfrey's form appeared, and Sadie backed away hastily to allow the matron to enter. Madam Pomfrey closed the door behind her and looked at Sadie with a sigh.
"It won't be in the Prophet until tomorrow, as far as I'm aware, but there was an attack in Bath this morning." Sadie's hand went to her mouth. "Dozens of muggles were killed, including poor Adaline Braithwaite's parents." She nodded toward the door, and Sadie swallowed hard, her heart breaking for the girl on the other side of it. "Professor Dumbledore first broke the news to her about a half hour ago." She looked at Sadie expectantly. Sadie blinked uncertainly. "Well? What is the first thing you're going to do for your patient?"
"Oh! I, erm...C-Calming Draught! At least...from what I saw when I came in..."
Madam Pomfrey nodded approvingly. "Excellent. Cabinet number four, second row from the bottom."
Sadie took a deep breath and hurried to pull a small vial from the spot specified. Looking to Madam Pomfrey for confirmation, she opened the door and approached the bed where a devastated Adaline Braithwaite was emitting choked sobs and rocking back and forth.
"Adaline?" Sadie spoke softly. "I'm Sadie. I have a Calming Draught here for you to take."
When James walked into the dormitory after finishing breakfast, it was to find Sirius lounging on his bed, brow furrowed as he studied the Marauders' Map intently. James snorted, and Sirius glanced up at him questioningly.
"Honestly," James teased. "Is it so hard to be parted from her that you have to just stare at her dot until she's done?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help a small smile from forming on his face, knowing his friend was only kidding. "You caught me," he answered drily before frowning and looking back at the map. "Actually, it's my brother that I've been watching."
James raised his eyebrows and plopped himself down next to him. "Regulus?"
"No, my other brother," Sirius said sarcastically.
James grinned and held his hands up. "Just checking. So, what's little Reggie up to?"
"He's in class at the moment," Sirius shrugged.
"Right..." James was watching him curiously. "So...why are you watching him? Do you think he's up to something?"
"No, it's not that," Sirius mumbled. "Well, not exactly. It's just that...he risked his life to get help for me over the summer. If anyone found out he'd done that...things wouldn't be good at all for him. I suppose I'm just confused about where he's at...And I'm worried about him."
James nodded slowly. "Have you noticed anything concerning?"
Sirius frowned. "I'm not sure. He's been hanging around with Snivellus a lot, which normally wouldn't be a big deal since they're in the same house. But after what Sadie told us about what Alice and Frank overheard this summer...it sounds like Snape is up to something dangerous, and I just hope Regulus isn't getting caught up in it."
James gave him a sympathetic look. "Well...I'm not sure how staring at the map is going to give you any answers..."
"It's not answers about Regulus that I'm looking for just yet," Sirius answered quietly. "I've been trying to keep an eye on Snivellus, but there are times when he seems to completely disappear off of the map. I'm trying to figure out where he's going."
James let out a breath through his teeth. "Hogsmeade? Maybe?" Sirius shook his head.
"I've never seen him in any of the secret passageways. And anyway, I'm pretty sure we're the only ones who know about most of those."
"Do you think...we might have missed something when we made the map?"
Sirius scoffed. "We know this castle like the backs of our hands, Prongs. There's no way we missed anything unless there's some kind of magic hidden room that we've somehow never come across in all our years of sneaking around."
"Well," James mused. "There was that broom cupboard on the seventh flood that we hid from Sluggie in back in third year. We've never been able to find it again. Maybe there are more rooms like that than we realize."
"And you think Snape knows how to find them better than we do?" Sirius snorted in indignation.
James shrugged. "Maybe he's just found one and figured out how to make it appear whenever he needs it."
The boys sat in thoughtful silence for a few moments. "Well..." Sirius said slowly. "Maybe we'll just have to keep an eye on him on the map. See if we can figure out where in the castle his dot disappears." James nodded in agreement, and Sirius sighed, glancing at the time. "Speaking of Slughorn, we've got class in ten. I should go meet Sadie. You coming, or do you just want to meet us there?"
James stretched and stood up. "I'll come. I should ask her how her first day with Poppy went."
And so the two boys packed up their bags and made their way to the Hospital Wing just in time to see Sadie exit. She was chewing on her lip, and her brow was creased with thought. It was a couple of seconds before she noticed them, and when she did, the smile she sent their way seemed a bit forced.
"Hey!" She greeted adjusting her bag over her shoulder and approaching them.
Sirius searched her face in an effort to figure out what exactly was off about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "Hey, Beautiful," he said softly, threading their fingers together as the three of them began the walk to the dungeons. "How did it go?"
"Um, it went well! Madam Pomfrey is putting me a lot more in the middle of things than I was expecting so quickly, but I'm sure I'm going to learn loads!"
Sirius smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. "You'll be brilliant."
"Any crazy injuries?" James asked eagerly. Sadie laughed and rolled her eyes.
"Not today. Nothing more exciting than a sprained ankle from the disappearing step on the third floor staircase." Her brow furrowed again. Sirius wasn't sure that now was the time to ask her what the matter was; they were on their way to class, after all. So instead he opted to release her hand and wrap an arm around her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze as they walked. She glanced up at him gratefully and leaned into him with a sigh.
It wasn't until that evening that Sirius finally got to ask her what was bothering her. They were the last ones up and were curled up together on the sofa in front of the fire. Sirius was running his fingers through her hair, and she hummed contentedly.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" He asked her quietly. "You've been down all day, ever since we picked you up from the Hospital Wing."
Sadie was silent for a moment, but he could tell she was just thinking about how to respond rather than ignoring him. When she spoke, it was barely above a whisper. "When I got there this morning, there was this second year Hufflepuff girl who'd just found out that her parents were murdered in an attack in Bath this morning." Sirius tensed, but he didn't interrupt. Sadie let out a shaky laugh. "I'm not sure why it hit me so hard; I've seen plenty of evidence over the last year that the war is building, but..." She took a deep breath. "I guess it just struck me that at any moment, someone could tell me that you or James or my parents or Lily or anyone else has been killed. And there isn't much that I can really do to prevent that."
Sirius took a minute to digest what she was saying. Then he sighed and pulled her gently into his lap where she curled up against his chest. His lips went to the top of her head, and for a moment, they just sat there. Then Sirius spoke softly. "You're right that there isn't any foolproof way of making sure that everyone you love makes it out of this alive. But that's why we've got to fight. Whether that means becoming an auror or a healer or just standing up to the people causing this mess...that's all we can do, you know?" He shifted so that she would look up at him, and he brushed his lips lightly against hers. "I won't pretend to know exactly what's going to happen tomorrow or even an hour from now, but...what I do know is that, for the moment at least, we're safe. I know that we're going to do everything that we can to make it out of this alive. I know that you're going to make an incredible healer one day. I know that Lily Evans is secretly completely smitten with your brother." Sadie couldn't help but giggle at that. He smiled at the small success. "I know that I'm so bloody in love with you that it almost hurts and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, however long or short that may be. So...when things seem scary or hard to process or you're afraid of the unknown...just hold on to the things that we do know, yeah?"
Sadie was gazing up at him with a bit of a goofy smile on her face. "You're in love with me?" She asked shyly. He blinked at her, suddenly realizing that they'd never actually said those words out loud before.
"Well, yeah..." he laughed sheepishly. "I...I thought that was kind of obvious..."
Her smile widened, and she boosted herself up to kiss him firmly. "I'm in love with you too." She giggled softly at the elated expression on his face and shifted so that she was straddling his lap, arms draped over his shoulders. "Also, when did you get so wise?" She teased.
"I've always been wise, Darling," he grinned. "It's not my fault that you're just now noticing."
She laughed quietly before bringing her lips to his and kissing him deeply. He let out a small groan of approval, allowing one hand to make its way to the back of her head to tangle in her hair while his other arm wrapped around her waist to pull her body flush against his. She inhaled sharply and seemed to hesitate for the smallest moment before running her hands down his chest and stomach to tug his t-shirt up and over his head, their lips breaking contact only long enough to allow her to pull it off and toss it to the side. He shivered as her hands then explored his upper body, and he began to finger the hem of the tank top she was wearing. He pulled back just enough to search her eyes, silently asking for permission. She was breathing heavily and gazing down at him with eyes dark with desire. She gave the briefest of nods, and in one swift movement, he had removed her top and was drinking in the sight of her.
"You're so bloody beautiful," he murmured, delighting in the pink tint that graced her cheeks at his words. He leaned forward and trailed delicate kisses along her chest and shoulders, smirking lightly as her breathing became more ragged.
Suddenly, the sound of the portrait swinging shut made them both freeze. They slowly turned to see Marlene staring at them, mouth hanging open, and an absolutely delighted, wicked gleam in her eyes.
"Well, well," she chortled. "Don't let me interrupt." Sadie's face flushed bright red, and Marlene grinned widely. "Ah, don't be embarrassed. It's not like I haven't just been doing the same thing." She shot them a wink and disappeared up the stairs to the girls' dorm.
Sadie let out a low whine of embarrassment and dropped her forehead to Sirius's shoulder. He laughed quietly and wrapped his arms around her, pressing one last fleeting kiss to the side of her neck.
"I guess we need to find a more private snogging location."
A/N: So I finally saw Secrets of Dumbeldore over the weekend. I know it isn't getting great reviews, but I quite liked it. Granted, I would probably love anything starring Eddie Redmayne...
Anyway, as always, thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!
WindSongEnchantment: Ugh, right? It makes me so upset. Luckily Sirius is smart enough not to fall for that sort of thing.
GingerGryffindor: Thank you! I'm glad that you loved it! I really want to portray that they have a good, healthy relationship, so I really hope that is coming through!