Disclaimer: Anything relating to the Harry Potter stories belongs to J. K. Rowling. She can have my characters and ideas as well.

CHAPTER 22

Nora flung her arms around her best friend and hugged him for what felt like hours.

When she finally let go of Bert and looked at his face to make sure she wasn't dreaming she started to say ramblingly, "When…how? What happened?"

Sirius watched them from a distance, not knowing how to feel. He was frustrated that he was cut off from telling Nora how he felt, but at the same time he was glad to see that Bert was back and apparently in good shape. He was happy for Nora that she got her friend back, but also a little depressed knowing that she would be spending less time with him. Well, it's not like I was spending any time with her now, anyways. He thought to himself glumly as he walked right past Nora, unnoticed as she and Bert stood close together talking quietly. He headed back to the castle to go to class, and tried to take his mind off of Nora.

Bert, meanwhile, was enjoying some new attention as he and Nora went to their classes.

Everyone wanted to know what happened to him, but he told them all same thing. "I can't talk about it right now. Dumbledore told me strictly not to say anything." Nora had asked him several times about what had happened and he kept telling her that he'd tell her later, when they were alone. Every time Nora brought it up, he would change the subject, making her tell him about everything he had missed while he was away.

"So where's Sirius? I thought you two would be best friends by now." Bert said, noticing Sirius's absence throughout the day. Nora and Bert were sitting together on a bench in one of the corridors. It was after dinner and most of the students were up in their common rooms. Nora hadn't really forgotten about Sirius; he was on her mind throughout the day, but because Bert had just come back, she didn't want him to feel neglected. She still felt guilty about spending less time with him before his accident. She was dying to tell Bert what had been happening though, so she was was relieved when he brought up the subject himself.

"Well you know, he's been acting a bit strange lately." Nora explained. "After you got hurt, he was great. He was really nice and spent time with me and stuff. But then I dunno what happened. We came to visit you at the hospital during the winter break and I saw Remus there."

"Remus?" Bert questioned, looking concerned.

"Yeah, it's a long story, I'll have to tell you later." Nora brushed him off and continued telling her story, "Anyways, I was really upset and I kind of blew up at him. But then I apologized to him and he seemed okay. I mean he was a little quiet after that but that's it. And then when school started again, he was a totally different person. He would barely talk to me or anything. And that's kinda when I realized that I um…sorta…"

"Oh let me guess." Bert interrupted her. "You liked him?"

"Yeah." Nora said, feeling her cheeks get a little warmer. "But I realized it too late. I found him snogging Dana Abbott and he started to act like a complete jackass."

"I see." Bert said with a slight frown, like he was contemplating something.

"So anyways," Nora went on, "Anthony Chang asked me out on a date and—"

"Chang?" Bert asked with surprise.

"Yeah to Hogsmeade." Nora nodded. "So the day before the Hogsmeade weekend Sirius finally decides to apologize to me for being such a jerk. So I accepted his apology and it seemed like things were finally going back to normal but then out of nowhere, Dana comes popping into the corridor and to get rid of her, Sirius kissed me!"

"He didn't." Bert said with wide eyes.

"He did!" Nora exclaimed. "And it wasn't a short kiss either! It was—"

"Please," Bert said holding his hand up for her to stop. "Spare me the details."

"Okay, sorry." Nora said quickly. "So yeah when he let me go he just suddenly freaked out, started stuttering that he was sorry or something, and ran away. I didn't see him again until today, and he was totally pissed off at me…again! I knew something weird was going to happen. I told Remus right after Sirius ran away that—"

"Hold on." Bert interrupted her again. "Back up a second. Remus was there when he kissed you?"

"Yeah he must've walked into the corridor." Nora replied matter-of-factly. "He was standing right next to Dana looking shocked as hell."

"Okay…" Bert said thoughtfully. "I think I'm starting to get this…"

"Get what?" Nora asked him.

Bert looked at her intently for a moment and then asked her slowly, "Didn't…Sirius always suspect that you liked Remus?"

"Um…" Nora thought for a moment. "Oh…yeah…you know I think he did. And Remus used to tease me about liking Sirius. I used to get so irritated."

"Okay so did anything happen at the hospital with Remus that Sirius would've been upset about?" he questioned her.

"I don't think so." Nora replied thinking back to that day. "I was just upset and I felt really bad for Remus." Bert continued to listen to Nora earnestly. "When we came back to school I spent quite a bit of time with Remus and we became pretty good friends. I think that's when I stopped liking him. Oh and you won't believe what Shelby and Michelle did. They started this whole rumor that we were going out and stuff."

Bert scratched his head and asked Nora, "Was that before or after you found Sirius snogging Dana?"

"Before." Nora replied.

"And when Sirius kissed you, Remus was there." he clarified.

"Right."

"And he apologized and ran away."

"Yes."

"And you went out with Anthony the next day."

"Yep. And he kissed me."

"Oh boy." Bert said with a sigh and a shake of his head.

"And apparently Sirius saw that." Nora added quietly.

"Let me guess…" Bert said in a sarcastic tone. "Sirius has been upset with you since that day?"

"Er…yeah." Nora said, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"And you still don't know why?" Bert asked her.

"Uh…" was all Nora could say.

"Nora, I thought you were smart." said Bert in a critical voice.

"What do you mean?" Nora asked him indignantly when she heard someone beside them clear his throat. Nora turned to see who it was and saw Sirius standing over them, looking a little glum. He had been wanting to talk to her all day, but didn't get a chance. Sirius knew that Nora would be busy with Bert and didn't want to disturb her, but he was hoping that he'd find her alone sometime so he could finally say what was on his mind. He also wanted to apologize for his behaviour towards her that day.

"Hey, Four-eyes." he said to her and turned to Bert with a nod, "Ern…er…Bert." Bert nodded back to him and Sirius shifted his attention back to Nora, who noticed he was holding their egg baby. "I just wanted to give you Yolk. I'm sorry about before…" Yeah, and I also wanted to tell you that I bloody well love you but you're just too busy to even notice me.

"Oh." Nora said, lost for words.

"I…hope you're not…mad." Sirius said a little apprehensively.

"No." Nora said, as Sirius dropped Yolk into her hands. His fingers touched the palm of her hand and she felt that same shiver go through her. "Thanks." she mumbled, looking down at the egg.

"Yeah…I'll see you later…I guess." Sirius muttered back to her and left. Nora watched as Sirius walked away.

"You guys are so stupid." Bert said, shaking his head after Sirius was gone. "Maybe even stupider than me. Which is really saying something, especially considering that I nearly killed myself with an accidental spell."

"A WHAT?" Nora yelled, looking at her friend with wide eyes.

"I mean a…attacked. Someone…attacked me." Bert spluttered nervously.

"Bertram Aubrey! Did you hex yourself unconscious?" Nora asked him accusingly.

"SHH! Keep it down, will you?" Bert said urgently, looking around to make sure nobody heard her.

"Holy shit! I can't believe you! Everyone here thinks there's some crazy person on the loose…and you….you…I'm so shocked I can't even talk." Nora said, raising her arms in defeat.

"Well don't then. I don't want anyone to find out. Let's just keep it between me and you." he said pressingly.

"Don't worry. Even I'm embarrassed to tell that story to anyone." Nora scoffed.

"Okay let's just change the subject now." Bert said, feeling highly embarrassed. "We were talking about Sir—"

"What was that?" Nora asked him suddenly.

"I think it sounded like a howling." Bert said, trying to listen.

"Is there a full moon tonight?" Nora asked, looking out of the window that was above their heads.

"I dunno." Bert shrugged. "Why?"

"Oh…never mind." Nora said, getting up from the bench. She looked at the time and realized it was getting pretty late. "We should probably get going."

As Nora made her way down to the Gryffindor common room, she found herself holding Yolk and thinking about Sirius again. Why'd he look so glum just now? Nora started to gently toss her egg from one hand to the other while contemplating to herself. She knew what Bert was trying to tell her before Sirius showed up. I know Sirius knew that I liked Remus before. That's probably why he was so grumpy after the hospital visit. But how could he be so stupid to think we were actually dating? I would have thought, Remus being one of his best friends, he'd know about something like that. Is that why he was with Dana? Because he was jealous? Was he jealous of Anthony too when he saw him kiss me? Why doesn't he just tell me straight out instead of leaving me here, second guessing everything? Maybe he was going to say something before Bert came back. I should've asked him about it again. Oh, but Bert was there so maybe he wouldn't have said anything. I think I—

But her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when, to her horror, Yolk slipped from the grip of her hand and fell to the ground with a crack.

"Oh no! Yolkie!" Nora cried, bending down to pick up the broken egg. "Oh my God…what have I done?" Her hands were shaking and her heart was pounding in distress. What do I do? She asked herself. Sirius. I need to find him! Where would he be? Wait…isn't there a full moon tonight? Don't those guys go with Remus or something? Maybe they're outside. I think I heard howling…

Nora crept her way through the castle and out the door onto the grounds. She was afraid of running into Remus if he had already transformed, but was sure that it couldn't be that dangerous if Sirius, James and Peter were with him anyways.

Nora, treading on the damp grass, was walking closer and closer to the Forbidden Forest when she saw him. She froze, her eyes wide in fear, realizing that he was alone. She couldn't see Sirius, James or Peter anywhere. The werewolf stopped in his tracks and looked in Nora's direction, and that was when she saw a stag and big black dog run up to Remus, followed by a fat rat. Oh God. What am I going to do? Where are those guys? Nora then saw the stag and dog look in her direction. Shit. They can see me! It looked like the werewolf Remus was trying to get towards Nora, but the stag was fighting him back. The big black dog, meanwhile, started to run towards Nora.

"Shit!" Nora yelped and she started to run towards the castle, the dog chasing after her. She made it to the castle door and stood in front of it, with the dog now growling at her. Nora, still facing the dog, was trying to open the castle door with one hand behind her back, while the other one still held her broken egg baby.

She started to panic and her hand kept slipping as she could see Remus getting closer and closer to her. She finally managed to pull the knob down and the dog leapt next to her and pushed the door open. Nora quickly ran inside and didn't know if she should shut the door, since the dog was now inside with her. I don't know who I'm more afraid of. This crazy dog or a werewolf! She didn't have to decide as the dog ended up pushing the door closed anyways.

What is wrong with this dog? Nora thought, feeling terrified as the dog faced her. Oh my God. It's going to kill me. I killed Yolkie and now this stupid dog is going to kill me. Nora closed her eyes, waiting for the bite. A few moments went by and she still didn't feel anything. She peeked through her right eye and saw the dog just sitting there, staring at her.

"What the hell?" Nora said as she looked back at the dog, feeling puzzled.

"Oi! Is there a student out of bed?" Argus Filch, the caretaker's, voice suddenly boomed across the hallway

The big black dog turned his head to the direction of the voice, and to Nora's complete astonishment, transformed into Sirius.

Nora's eyes and mouth were wide open in shock.

"Quick, we gotta hide!" Sirius said as he grabbed Nora's Yolk-free hand and pulled her into an empty classroom. Sirius stood near the door, still holding Nora's hand, listening for any sounds outside.

But Nora was oblivious to the fact that she was even hiding from anyone. She couldn't close her mouth. She just stood there gaping at Sirius. A few moments later, Sirius became aware of her state and looked at her, puzzlingly.

"What?" he asked her with a slight frown, letting go of her hand.

Nora blinked a couple of times and stuttered, "You're a…a…"

"Animagus." He finished her sentence for her.

"Holy shit." Nora said, her eyes still wide.

"How else do you think we run around with Remus during the full moon? And, by the way, what the bloody hell were you doing outside just now? Do you realize you could have been killed?" he scolded Nora.

"There's more of you?" Nora asked Sirius, ignoring his reprimand of her.

"Yeah. Me, James and Peter." Sirius said quickly. "But, seriously, what were you doing out there?"

"That was those guys out there?" Nora asked Sirius, now finding herself very fascinated by the whole situation.

"Yes." Sirius replied, a little annoyed that she was ignoring his questions. "James was the stag and Peter was the rat."

"Whoa." Nora said, taking in the information.

Sirius peeked out the door stealthily and said, "I think Filch is gone now." He turned back to her and asked her in a very serious and concerned tone, "So what possessed you go outside at this time? And don't tell me you couldn't see the full moon!"

"Oh I…" Nora's voice was caught in her throat. She now realized that Sirius was trying to protect her from Remus by scaring her away, and that he had just saved her from getting caught by Filch. She looked down at her hand and saw the cracked egg in her hand and the tears started to flow down her cheeks. Sirius, who was looking at her sternly, waiting for an answer was completely taken aback when he saw her crying.

"Hey what—?" he was going to ask her when Nora held her hand out to show Sirius the remains of their egg baby. "Oh."

"I was looking for you….'cause I…I…" she spluttered through her sobs. "And then I went outside and Remus…and then the dog…I mean you…and…I was looking for you because I…I dropped Yolkie!" she ended her incoherent sentence miserably.

"Oh…" Sirius said again, not sure exactly what to do, alternating looks between his cracked egg baby and a crying Nora. "I'm sure we can fix it."

"He can't be fixed." Nora said grimly, the tears still pouring out of her eyes. "He's dead!"

"Hey, hey." he said gently, now feeling really sorry for her, and Yolk. He held her hand that was holding Yolk from underneath. "Look, it's just a little crack." he said as he touched the egg with his other hand and then clasped it around Nora's.

"You were right. I was a lousy mother." she sniffed.

Sirius couldn't help but crack a smile. "Don't be silly. Here, gimme Yolkie." He took the egg remains from her and said, "I'll take him to the professor in the morning. I'm sure she'll know some kind of spell to repair him."

Nora just nodded to Sirius sadly in reply.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked her apprehensively.

Nora sniffed and gave a small shrug.

"It's just an egg, Four-eyes." he said to her. Nora looked up at Sirius pathetically, and he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He thought she looked adorably pitiful at that moment with her wild hair going in every direction and her eyes still glistening from her tears. He really felt like hugging her right then, but instead just ruffled up her hair and said with a smile, "You should go to sleep." Nora stared at Sirius, not feeling or looking very amused. She was disappointed and started to feel depressed. She was hoping that maybe now, if it was true, Sirius would tell her how he felt about her. He's either a stupid chicken, or he just doesn't like me. Nora, of course, automatically assumed the latter thought, and turned on her heel and started to walk away from Sirius desolately without saying anything.

Sirius watched Nora as she walked away from him, wondering why she suddenly looked even more depressed than before. Wait a minute, he thought, looking around the corridor. What am I doing? There's nobody here. We're both finally alone. Now would've been the perfect time to talk to her…but wait. What if I just end up screwing everything up again? He contemplated the consequences for just a second and then thought, Oh sod it. I'm taking a chance.

"Hey Fo—" Sirius said but stopped himself. Call her by her name, you idiot. What's wrong with you? He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Nora, wait!"

Nora froze for a moment and then turned around to face Sirius, her side leaning against the corridor wall, with a surprised look on her face. Did he just call me 'Nora'? Sirius was right next to her now.

"Don't go yet." he said as he put his hand on the side of her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. Nora could feel the knots in her stomach loosen a little with hope.

"Nora." he whispered her name again, looking at her earnestly with his grey eyes. Nora felt something stir inside of her; hearing Sirius say her name like that made her want to melt into the ground. "Nora I—"

But Nora didn't let him finish what he was going to say as she pulled him towards her and kissed him. She didn't need to hear the words. She could see it in his eyes and now she could feel it in the kiss. Sirius, who was taken by surprise at first, now relished in the touch of her lips, and pulled her even closer to him. He didn't want to let her go, but Nora released the hold she had on his shirt and he broke the kiss and gave her an inquisitive look.

"That was…unexpected." he said to her.

"Sorry." she said with a smile. "You were taking way too long."

"Really." he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah." Nora said with a smirk. "It took you long enough just to call me by name. God knows how long I was going to have to wait before you decided to kiss me."

"Trust me," he said softly, coming close to her again, "I wasn't going to wait for that long, you crazy-eyed, electrocuted, deranged hippie."


It came as no surprise to their friends when they were made aware of the fact that Sirius and Nora were finally together. The only person, who really was surprised, and a bit disappointed, was Anthony. His disappointment was short-lived however, when he hooked up with Dana Abbott a week later. Their relationship didn't last very long though; they both lost interest in each other after they ran out of bad things to say about Nora and Sirius. Anthony eventually caught Dana snogging Amos Diggory and he subsequently started to date a sixth year Ravenclaw.

Sirius and Bert, despite an awkward beginning, actually became good friends. Sirius had gone back to calling him "Ernie", but it didn't bother Bert anymore. He knew that Sirius was a good guy and he was glad to see his best friend so happy with him. Sirius was also glad to see his best friend so happy after James and Lily announced that they were engaged. Remus, after witnessing all the trouble James and Sirius had to go through, was glad to be single. Besides, he had enough worries to deal with without having to deal with girls. Peter, on the other hand, well…who really cares about Peter?

Although things in the wizarding world were becoming a little uneasy, the students enjoyed the rest of their days safe at Hogwarts. They didn't know what would happen in the future or where their lives would take them, but for now, with all of them being together, life just didn't seem so bad.

&&&&&&&

This story is dedicated to Yolk Black, a brave egg who withstood and persevered through many adversities, but unfortunately ended up dying of a crack overdose. His mother never really forgave herself for dropping him.

His father suggested scrambled eggs for breakfast.

THE END


A/N: HAHAHA! POOR YOLKIE! Okay, I hope you guys won't be too upset about Yolk...he was just an egg, after all. At least Bert's still alive, right?

Thank you so much to everyone who sent me reviews, especially those of you who reviewed almost every chapter. I really appreciated it!

If anyone is reading this fic for the first time through, I'd love to know what you thought of it.

Alright then, I'll be looking forward to hearing from all of you! Thanks for reading my story!