Norbet, Detention, the sisterhood: Chapter 10
For Harry and his friends, the school year continued as winter broke into spring and the days began to heat up once more. The foursome spent most of their time revising for their classes or playing magical games together and with their other friends in the common room. Some nights they snuck out into the castle grounds to explore, coming across a trove of hidden rooms and passages which would come in handy during the day time when the foursome had to get to class quickly. Harry continued to progress well in his classes, and continued to impress Wood with his seeker skills in the practices that they had. The next Quidditch match for Gryffindor was against Hufflepuff, who reportedly had a new seeker themselves, a fourth year known as Cedric Diggory.
Wood was confident that Harry would catch the snitch, but still stressed the importance of Harry catching it as early as possible since apparently Snape was to referee the match due to Madam Hooch being unavailable. Whilst Snape may have been on civil terms with the young Potter, he still showed animosity to the other Gryffindor's and favoured his house's, Slytherin, team.
"Harry, whatever you do, you must catch the snitch as quickly as possible, otherwise Snape will deduct as many penalties against us as possible." Wood was lecturing Harry as they made their way down to training, "Snape knows that Gryffindor is Slytherins only obstacle in the way of the Quidditch cup."
Harry nodded his head in understanding as his captain lectured him. "Don't worry, the puffs don't have a chance against us." Harry joked, "Besides, I think old Snapey still has a soft spot for me."
"Be it as it may, he still wants Slytherin to win the cup, so I don't think any amount of Potter charm is going to work." Wood smirked.
"Ah that's a shame, I was hoping I could use some of it to wrangle us some more points with Hooch. I doubt it'll work on Snape though."
Wood shook his head as he chuckled. "Bloody hell Potter, right ladies' man you'll be. Spinnet and Bell better watch out."
The training went as well as anyone would expect, with the team working in perfect clockwork as always. Harry practiced his skills of going out and catching the snitch, getting faster and faster with the times in between catching the small golden orb and releasing it again before catching it once more. Before long, the day of the match arrived and the group of Gryffindor Quidditch players made their way down to the pitch. Conditions were perfect for flying, and everyone was looking forward to
the nice clear day. Making their way down onto the pitch, Snape instructed both teams to shake hands before mounting their brooms.
Harry spied the young fourth year Hufflepuff seeker. Cedric Diggory was quite a handsome boy, with an infectious smile. Harry and Cedric exchanged pleasantries as both seekers mounted their brooms, ready to begin the match. Blowing his whistle, Snape let the game commence as Gryffindor managed to grab the Quaffle first. However, Wood's suspicions were correct as less than 50 seconds into the game Snape called for a penalty for the Puffs after Angelina bumped into one of their chasers. Harry knew then that Snape wouldn't favour his team just because he was on it, meaning he had to step up his game.
Before long another three penalties were given to the Puffs, bringing them up to 40-nil Hufflepuff's way. Every time one of the lion's chasers managed to get within goal distance, Snape called for a penalty to be given to the Hufflepuff's. Harry was beginning to resent what Snape was doing, finding his tactics both unfair and of course against the rules. However, he knew he couldn't do anything about it, lest he be sent off for arguing with the referee.
A couple of times Harry had sworn he'd seen the snitch, causing him to dive or fly straight towards his suspicions, only to be rewarded with nothing. 3 minutes into the game and the Puffs were dominating the field, but only through the refereeing of Snape then actual skill on the broom. Harry looked around at his team and saw that most of them were in despair. Wood made a few hand movements as Harry looked over towards the goals, which he interpreted as 'get a move on!'.
Circling the pitch, Cedric kept a steady pace on the young Potter, staying only a few metres behind him most of the time. Harry tried to shake off the Puff seeker but had little luck. But luck decided to reward him with something else. Hovering just a few metres off the Hufflepuff goals was a sparkling golden orb. The glint of the gold caught Harry's eye, alerting him to its presence before shooting straight off in its direction. Harry's Nimbus 2000 outflew Cedric's old Cleansweep 20, managing to take off halfway down the field before the Puff seeker even realised what was going on. With little competition in way of broom speed, Harry managed to catch the snitch in record time as Cedric pulled away, knowing the game was already lost for his team.
The lions in the stands erupted into applause as Harry circled the pitch with snitch in hand, showing it off to the crowd. Snape blew his whistle to signal the end of the game, looking over at the young Potter with a mixture of congratulations and animosity. Fred and George were the first team members to reach him, smashing into him with almost enough force to dislodge him from his broom.
"Potter's got the snitch! Potter's got the snitch!" They shouted out as they lifted Harry into the air, his broom clutched in their hands.
Before long the rest of the team made their way over, grabbing Harry whenever they could into a tight hug of congratulations. Even Wood managed to grasp a manly hug around the boy before retreating to a professional distance. "Blimey Harry, that must be a world record." Angelina laid a sloppy kiss on his cheek, causing Harry to blush, "That had to been less than 5 minutes surely?"
"You really think our Harry would let us down." George and Fred laid their own kisses on Harry's cheeks before George ruffled Harry's hair.
Fred added his own hand to his hair as he pulled back. "Yeah, since when has Harry missed a snitch."
Wood was shaking his head in laughter as Harry's hair began to get even messier. "Well done anyway Harry, you did well mate, didn't doubt you for a moment."
Before the team to move off however, the young Hufflepuff seeker, Cedric, came flying over. "Well done Harry, good catch there."
Harry nodded his thanks as he went out to shake his hand. "Thanks Cedric, not bad flying yourself, hope we get to battle it out next year too."
"Maybe next time you won't be so lucky." Cedric smirked good-naturedly.
"We'll see."
Cedric left the lions to their business as he flew back down to comfort his own team. The Gryffindor's eventually made their way back down to the ground where their house readily greeted them with praise as they carried Harry off back to the tower. The party that night went well into the night, stopping just before midnight when professor McGonagall came bursting in from the portrait hole, sending them all off to their respective dorms.
The next morning down in the Great Hall, Hedwig delivered a small hastily written note from Hagrid, 'It's Happening,' was all the note had written on it. Harry and his friends almost knew what that meant automatically, fearing for what would happen next. As it was Sunday, the group of friends made their way down to Hagrid's hut, trying to spy Hagrid may be. Stepping up to the hut's door, Harry knocked on the door, setting Fang off into a barking frenzy and causing the sounds of clutter being thrown around to begin. A few seconds later, Hagrid appeared at the door with a broad grin on his face.
"'ello you lot, come in, quickly now." Hagrid ushered the group of students in.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Alec crowded into the room, where Fang ambushed Ron with licks to his face as he jumped up in excitement. "Ugh, Fang knock it off would you!"
Hagrid shut the door behind him before making his way over to the fireplace, picking up the feared black dragon egg. "It's beginnin' to 'atch it is."
The group of students gathered around the egg as Hagrid placed it in the middle of the table. As they watched, slowly but surely bits of egg shell began to crack. Suddenly a foot appeared from the bottom, and then another from the other-side before finally the entire egg exploded as a small creature burst forth from the egg. Sitting in front of them all was a small, blue hued scaled dragon, who looked up at the group of students with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
"Isn't he beautiful." Hagrid gushed as small tears escaped his eyes.
The small dragon reared its head as Hagrid picked it up in his hands, spitting a small flame of fire at his beard, setting it alight only to be quickly extinguished. "Oh, would yeh look at tha' he knows who his mummy is."
Harry and his friends couldn't believe what they were witnessing as Hagrid lovingly stroked the small fire breathing reptilian. "Hagrid, you can't possibly be thinking of keeping that, it'll burn your house down!" Hermione warned.
Ron managed to move around close enough to get a good look at the creature. "Blimey Hagrid! That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! That thing will grow bigger than your house!"
"Yeah Hagrid mate that's really not a bright idea." Alec added.
Hagrid seemed to ignore the student's comments as he continued to stroke the little dragon. "Hagrid, you can't keep the dragon, it's dangerous." Harry pleaded as he tugged on Hagrid's arm.
Hagrid peered down at Harry, his eyes softening as he looked into Harry's vibrant Jade eyes. "He'll be right 'arry don't you worry 'bout tha'."
The group of friends left Hagrid's that day feeling incredibly nervous about what would happen next. However, the group of friends had more important things to worry about then Hagrid's pet dragon. As Hermione would continuity tell them all, they had exams fast approaching, and for once Harry was nervous about his school work. These exams would be what would either get you into the next year or make you repeat, and Harry was desperate not to repeat a year.
On the side however, the threat of the Philosophers stone being stolen still loomed in their minds. For Harry, this threat was almost as important, if not more so, then exam revision. After all, it had been his family who had been most effected by Voldemort than any other of his friends, although the Weasley's and Longbottom's were close behind. Harry didn't know why he knew it was Voldemort, it was more like a hunch backed by his gut instincts. His friends were a bit more sceptical about it being Voldemort, Hermione especially, but Harry continued to trust his instincts.
On life went however, and before long exams were not merely on the horizon but only around the corner. Steadily the dragon in Hagrid's hut began to get bigger and bigger. A few days after it had hatched, Hagrid had decided to call the little dragon 'Norbet', an interesting name for a very interesting creature. Norbet continued to grow and continued to harm his 'mother', burning Hagrid every so often. He had gotten so big now that Fang had decided that living outdoors was a much better alternative to living with the fire-breathing reptilian holed up in the hut. Hermione was afraid that the poor beast would go insane from being trapped indoors all the time and begged Hagrid to release the poor critter so that it could fly and be free. Hagrid stubbornly refused, stating that other creatures would harm the dragon, a fact the four friends found very hard to believe. However, a few weeks away from exam time, Hagrid finally came to his senses one day.
"I must say, it is a bit stuffy in 'ere, and hard to move 'round with Norbet in ere'." Hagrid was telling the foursome as they sat around the table drinking tea.
"Hagrid, my brother Charlie works with dragons, let him take him for you." Ron suggested, "He'll be safe and sound in Romania, there's a dragon sanctuary and all."
Hagrid looked back at his beloved pet longingly. "Bu' wha' if the bigger dragons pick on 'im."
Harry petted Hagrid's arm gently. "I'm sure Charlie will look after Norbet as best he can, besides, sooner or later you'll be found out and get in trouble."
Hagrid looked around at the group of friends solemnly. One by one they all nodded in agreement to Harry's statement. "Alright then, I guess it's for the best."
A look of relief came across the group of students as finally they would be able to get rid of the dragon that had caused them all too much anxiety and fear in the last few weeks of school. Ron agreed that he would write to his brother tonight in order to arrange details as to when and how they should get the dragon to him. Harry agreed to lend Ron Hedwig, seeing as that Ron didn't have an owl of his own and the message was too important to be given to a school owl. The next day Hedwig was nowhere to be seen, as excepted considering the distance she had to cover. Harry was worried for his pet, worried that she might have been hurt or intercepted by an unfriendly animal, maybe even a dragon. His fears however diminished the moment Harry saw her fly proudly into the Great Hall the day after with a letter strapped to her leg.
Landing in front of her master, Hedwig affectionately nipped at Harry's finger as he fed her a piece of toast before removing the letter and passing it to Ron. Taking it from his best mate, Ron opened up the letter and quickly read through it as Hermione read over his shoulder. The two of them lit up with smiles.
"Charlie's agreed to help us out." Ron told them, "He's going to send a couple of friends to come pick him up this Friday night!"
"We have to take Norbet to the highest peak in the school, which would have to be the astronomy tower." Hermione added.
"How do you reckon we can do that then?" Alec asked.
Harry thought for a moment. "A couple of us can take Norbet underneath my invisibility cloak, sneak up to the tower and get out in no time."
The foursome seemed to agree with the answer. "So, who's going to take him then?" Alec asked.
"Well since it's my cloak I should probably go, Ron? Want to join me?" Harry asked.
Ron looked around at his friends. "I…guess?" He answered, "But you're going in front, I'm not getting burnt by that thing again."
The table laughed lightly at the remembrance of the times that Norbet had decided to burn someone else besides Hagrid. For the foursome, the week went by quickly as the thought of finally getting rid of Norbet became a reality. They had trouble keeping the dragon's existence quiet, and at one point they were afraid that Malfoy had overheard them talking about their plans on Friday night. The young Snake gave them a snarky smirk as he passed them, sparking the fear that he did indeed hear their plans. Each day leading up to the fateful night, Hagrid had the foursome over to spend as much time with the dragon as possible. Hagrid now had to tie the dragon up to his bed, lest he wanted Norbet to burn his hut down.
On Friday night, Ron and Harry made their way down quietly to Hagrid's hut, where Hagrid was silently crying as he held onto Norbet. "Oh Norbet, I'll miss yeh." Hagrid cried, "Yeh were the best thing to come into my life."
Harry and Ron comforted their friend for a while before finally having to go. "Hagrid, we have to go now." Harry petted Hagrid on the arm as he gently pried Norbet away.
Hagrid nodded silently as he released Norbet and passed the leash which held him over to Harry. Ron got in position behind the dragon as Hagrid helped placed the cloak over the three of them.
"Goodbye Norbet, be a good dragon now for 'arry and Ron yeh hear." Hagrid farewelled his pet tearily.
As if to say goodbye himself, Norbet let out a low moan as he followed Harry and Ron out of the hut and into the night. The three of them silently made their way back into the castle, passing the statues and pieces of armour that stood vigil throughout the castle. Every now and then they would have to stop as a ghost glided slowly and silently by, sometimes within inches of the group. They passed through a number of their classrooms, finding it eerie in the dark, with no light to guide them.
They managed to make their way pass Mrs Norris, surprisingly, who they thought would have at least smelt the rather pungent dragon that was beneath Harry's cloak. After what seemed like a lifetime, the group finally made their way up to the astronomy tower, where they hunkered down, waiting for the group of Charlie's friends to swing by and pick up the pet dragon. Taking off the cloak, Ron and Harry let Norbet roam a little around the top of the tower, stretching his wings after spending so much time under the restrictive cloak. They didn't have to wait long for Charlie's friends however, as in the distance three individuals blotted out the night sky as they came in to land on top of the astronomy tower.
"Someone order a dragon pickup." One of the flyers joked.
Harry and Ron stepped forward with Norbet still on the leash. "Boy, are we glad to see you lot." Harry greeted, "Got a nice dragon for you right here."
The two other flyers stepped forwards and took out a large cage from a bag around one of their hips. Placing it down on the ground, the three dragon keepers coaxed the dragon into the cage with a number of treats and fresh meat before finally sealing the dragon inside of the box.
"Well, we'll be off now, Charlie will be in contact soon to let you know how it goes." The lead keeper told them.
Ron and Harry shook the groups hands as they farewelled Norbet one last time. "See you Norbet, I'd like to say I'll miss you but…well…you know!" Ron grimaced.
"Goodluck Norbet, I hope you're happy at your new home." Harry farewelled.
Slowly but surely the three flyers took off, chains attaching the cage to their brooms, lifting the cage off the ground along with the dragon held inside. They heard one last low moan as the dragon slowly lifted off into the sky, for the first time in his life. Harry and Ron high-fived as they watched the menace known as Norbet fly off into the night.
"Far out, I'm bloody glad that's over." Ron told Harry as they made their way back downstairs.
Harry chuckled softly. "He wasn't that bad, was he?"
"Besides the burning and the biting, yeah sure." Ron joked, "I mean, he was kind of cute when he was small."
The two boys joked all the way down the stairs of the astronomy tower, never realising that they left the invisibility cloak back up in the astronomy tower. Before they had a chance to realise, a familiar voice rang out from behind them.
"MR POTTER! MR WEASLEY!"
Turning around, the two boys paled at the two individuals behind them. Standing in her tartan dressing gown, Professor McGonagall eyed the two boys with fury. Behind her, smirking as usual, was Draco Malfoy. The young Snake eyed the two boys, daring them to attack.
"What do you think you are doing out of bed at this hour boys!" The stern old professor enquired.
The two boys nervously looked at each other. "We eh...we're doing something for…Hagrid." Ron told her.
McGonagall looked down at the two boys as she made her way over to them, her wand lit up. "And what, per chance, were you doing for Hagrid?"
"We…can't tell you…we promised." Harry told her.
That obviously wasn't the right thing to say, as fury entered the eyes of their head of house. "Boy's, I suggest you tell me what you were doing tonight, lest you want your punishment to be worse."
"They were helping Hagrid get rid of a dragon, I overhead them the other day." Draco sneered from behind her.
Ron and Harry shot the boy an icy glare as McGonagall turned to the two boys again. "A dragon, and I'm supposed to believe that, then am I?"
"I'm afraid we can't tell you professor, we promised Hagrid." Harry told her once more.
With tired eyes, the professor sighed. "Whilst I admire your loyalty to Hagrid, I'm afraid this does not help you with your punishments." She sighed once more, "50 points from Gryffindor…each." The two boys gasped as they turned their gaze downwards, "And detention for all three of you."
At this point, Malfoy stepped out from behind McGonagall to face her. "I'm sorry Professor, it almost sounded like you said all three?"
McGonagall fixed the young snake an icy glare. "You are correct Mr Malfoy. Whilst your actions may be good natured, you too are still out of your bed."
Ron and Harry smirked at the fact that even Malfoy didn't avoid punishment. "Boys, I suggest you make your way back to your dormitories, you shall receive information about your detention tomorrow morning."
"Yes Professor, we're sorry Professor." Harry apologised as he led Ron off in the direction of Gryffindor tower. The two boys waited until they were certain they were alone before heading back to the astronomy tower quickly and silently, retrieving Harry's cloak. They made their way back towards the tower, under the protection of the invisibility cloak. Making their way up to their dormitory, the two boys removed the cloak from themselves before finally making their way into bed.
"Well, that could have gone better." Harry remarked dryly.
Ron snorted as he hopped into bed. "You can say that again, oh well, at least Norbets gone. Hagrid owes us big time."
Harry silently nodded as he too jumped into bed, laying his head down before finally letting sleep overtake him.
The next morning, most of the Gryffindor's had to do a double take at the hourglasses that held the house points. Overnight the house had gone from first to last as 100 tiny rubies receded into the top half of the hourglass overnight. Students began to talk amongst themselves and eventually the news that Ron and Harry had been caught out of bed had spread. Before long the whole house was blaming the two young lions for their current house situation.
"Nice job your two!"
"What pricks, losing us points like that."
"To think I thought Potter was a hero."
These were just some of the chatter flying around the Gryffindor table that morning as the foursome found themselves huddled at the end of the table, far from any of their other friends. Hagrid was absent from the staff table that morning, most likely still sulking in his hut by the forest.
"Bloody Hagrid and his dragons, it's all his fault you know." Ron angrily mumbled to himself.
Hermione leaned across the table to place a hand on his. "You did the right thing Ron, both you and Harry."
Ron rolled his eyes as he withdrew his hand from hers and began to eat again, a blush spreading across his face. "Tell you what though, I'm glad it was just you two. Imagine if it was all four of us."
Harry nodded his head in agreement. "At least he's gone now, just have to get through detention."
Harry and Ron didn't have to wait long before Professor McGonagall made her way over to the group, passing two pieces of parchment to the two boys. "Here are your detention orders boys, please, try not to break anymore rules before end of year."
Ron and Harry nodded solemnly as they read the parchment given to them. They were to serve detention that night with Hagrid. Ron and Harry looked at each other in relief. "Surely anything with Hagrid can't be that bad, can it?" Ron asked nervously.
Harry shrugged. "Who knows, I mean, we had to deal with Norbet for the last few weeks. Maybe he'll lead us on a rescue mission."
Ron and Alec snorted at the idea of the two boys flying in to rescue the dragon. But they would have to wait until that night to find out what Hagrid had in store for them. Unfortunately for the two boys, Ron and Harry had to go through the whole day facing animosity from their own housemates who blamed them for the loss of points. Harry and Ron were very subdued throughout the day, even Harry found it hard to focus on his best subjects of potions and transfiguration. Snape held off from making any snide remarks, surprising Harry who thought that the Slytherin head of house would've jumped at the opportunity to gloat. Instead, Harry had to endure a glaring look of disappointment in the professor's eyes.
Eventually the day came to an end, and the two boys found themselves baying farewell to their friends as they made their way to the entrance hall where Filch would take them down to Hagrid. Malfoy was already waiting with Filch, keeping a distance from the cranky old caretaker.
"Come on you two, hurry it up would you!" Filch called out to the two Gryffindor's.
Malfoy sneered at the two friends as he began to follow filch out to the grounds. Ron and Harry followed close behind, talking amongst themselves quietly as they followed the snake and the caretaker out to Hagrid's.
"If it were up to me, I'd be shackling you up in the dungeons for the night. That'd teach you lot a lesson." Filch sneered at the boys.
As Hagrid's hut came into view, Hagrid stepped out of the wooden structure with a large crossbow and Fang following close behind. "Alright 'arry, Ron?"
Filch sneered at the groundskeeper. "Wouldn't be too friendly with them Hagrid, bad apples these lot."
"Not yeh place teh punish them Filch, yeh old squib."
Filch mumbled lightly under his breath as he made his way back towards the castle, leaving the three boys in the charge of Hagrid.
"Alright yeh lot, got teh go into the forest, track down a bleedin' unicorn and put it out of its misery."
"The forest! But…there's centaurs and werewolves and all sorts of dangerous creatures in there!" Malfoy spat in fear and disgust.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Come on Malfoy, don't be such a baby."
Harry sniggered at his friend's comment, "Shut it weasel!" Malfoy shot back.
"Enough yeh lot, times a tickin', follow me!" Hagrid broke up the verbal fight.
The three boys followed Hagrid into the forest, the lions giving the lone snake an icy stare. Making their way deeper and deeper into the forest, each armed with a lantern, the shadows of the forest began to close in on them. Before long, the group could only see a few metres in front of themselves as the moonlight was blocked of by the canopy of the trees. All around them twigs broke and leaves rustled as the creatures of the night scattered at the sound of the group making their way through the forest. Although Hagrid was with them, the group still felt the fear of the forest take a grip on them, jumping at every sound that came from around them.
Suddenly, Hagrid stopped in the middle of the path and turned around to face the group. "Alright yeh lot, gotta split up teh cover more ground."
The group looked at each other in fear for a moment. "You can't be serious, surely!" Malfoy exclaimed in shock.
"Hagrid, you can't spilt us up!" Harry added.
Hagrid shook his head. "Sorry boy's, best chance of finding the unicorn is by splittin' up." Hagrid looked around as a twig broke off in the distance, "Right, Ron, come with me would yeh, 'arry, Malfoy, go off tha' way. If anythin' happens shoot up some red sparks."
"Fine! But I want Fang!" Malfoy demanded.
Hagrid handed the boar hound over to the young Snake, "Alright, but I warn yeh, he's a bloody coward."
As if to prove a point, the boar hound whined in fear. Splitting up, Hagrid and Ron made their way down the path again as Malfoy and Harry went in the other direction, off into the forest.
"Just wait until my father hears about this!" Malfoy whined.
Harry rolled his eyes as he ignored the young Slytherin. Around them noises continued to protrude from the forest surrounding them. Occasionally Fang would let out a low whine as he led the way through the forest, Malfoy holding tight to his collar. Suddenly, a small pool of silver liquid came into view, blocking their way further. Investigating, the two boys got closer to the liquid, before a noise ahead of them got their attention. In front of them was a small clearing in the forest, moonlight shone down onto the patch of clear ground.
In front of them was a pure white beast laying on the ground, with a large, black tumour protruding from it. On closer inspection, the tumour appeared to be alive, moving and suckling at the dead unicorn's body. The two boys approached cautiously, keeping an eye on the figure which sat over the dead Unicorn. As they approached, the figure suddenly moved, revealing itself as a cloaked figure with a pale white face, its mouth covered with the silver blood of the unicorn. Malfoy let out a scream as he took off with Fang in close pursuit. Harry was knocked to the ground in the process, left with no light but the moon as the figure began to slowly drift over to the boy.
As the figure came closer, the scar on Harry's head began to flare with pain, causing Harry to place a hand on his forehead. The figure got closer and closer to the young Potter, almost reaching him before a sound of hooves approached the scene from behind Harry. The sound revealed itself to be a brown-haired centaur, who charged in above Harry straight into the creature that threatened him. Rearing its body, the creature retreated back into forest as the centaur rounded on it, chasing it off further into the forest, before returning to Harry.
"Harry Potter, are you hurt?" The Centaur stood proudly in front of Harry, his hand extended to offer the young boy help up.
Harry shook his head as he got up from the ground with help from his equine savour. "I'm fine, thank you for your help there, I thought that thing was going to kill me."
The centaur nodded his head. "You are most welcome young Potter. Come, climb atop of me, we shall find your friends."
Making his way over to the centaur, Harry scampered up onto his back, holding on around the creature's waist. As soon Harry was on, the centaur galloped away from the clearing, into the dark forest in search of Hagrid and the others. Before they could find them however, another group of centaurs appeared in front of Harry and the centaur he was riding.
"Firenze! What do you think you're doing with a human on your back!" A dark-haired centaur asked stepping into the moonlight.
Firenze stepped towards the group of his kind, allowing his people to see him clearly. "Bane…This human is Harry Potter; we all know the destiny this boy faces"
"Destiny? What destiny?" Harry tried to interrupt.
Bane reared his hooves in disgust. "Firenze, it matters little what a human's destiny is, we swore never to stoop so low as to help the wizards, let alone carry them on our backs like some common mule!"
A loud snap of a twig behind Bane broke the argument up as Hagrid, followed by Ron, Draco and Fang, made their presence known. "Evenin' Firenze, Bane, see yeh found our 'arry then."
Firenze helped the young Potter down from his back. "Indeed, you should count yourself lucky youngling"
Bane snorted in disgust as Harry passed him by. "You push your luck Firenze, I hope to never see you helping another human again." And with that, Bane made his way away from the group with a swish of his tail, galloping into the night.
"Right ole' piece of work Bane is." Hagrid commented, "So yeh alright 'arry?"
Harry nodded up at Hagrid before turning around to face Firenze. "Thank you, once again, for saving me back there."
The centaur bowed his head before making his way back out into the forest, allowing the darkness to drown out his figure.
"Alright yeh lot, time teh get back to the castle I think."
Following Hagrid out of the forest, the three boys soon found themselves once again basked in moonlight as they re-entered the castle grounds. Hagrid saw them off into the castle where the three boys made their way to the respective dormitories, but not before Malfoy could let off a snide remark. "Have fun getting saved by a filthy half-breed Potter?"
Harry rolled his eyes as he turned to face the boy. "I do believe it was you who ran away with Fang and the lantern."
Malfoy let out a sneer before accepting defeat and retreating into the Slytherin dungeons. Ron and Harry made their way towards Gryffindor tower, Harry informing Ron on what happened in the forest.
"That's mental that is." He exclaimed, "What did I tell you, anything to do with Hagrid turns out to be bloody mental."
Harry snorted as they walked along. "You got that right. I can't help but wonder what exactly that thing was though…I kind of think it was…"
"It was what?"
Harry looked around before continuing. "Voldemort"
Ron jumped a little at the name. "Blimey, you don't think it was really him…do you?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know, all I know is that my scar started to burn and whatever that thing was, it was not natural."
Ron nodded in agreement. "You're bloody lucky Firenze came along when he did."
Eventually the two boys found themselves at the entrance to the portrait hole, guarded by the Fat Lady. Muttering the password, the two boys entered the empty common room before making their way back upstairs to their dorm room. They entered it, finding that all of their friends were already asleep. Baying each other goodnight, Ron and Harry hopped into their beds, hoping for a goodnight sleep after their adventure in the forbidden forest.
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For Rose Potter, the last few weeks of her life had been some of the greatest. Everyday posed another adventure for her and her friends. Rose, Ginny and Luna would venture out into the surrounding area and explore all the nooks and crannies they could find. Sometimes, Sirius would take the girls out for the day, taking them to muggle festivals and county shows. But mostly, Sirius would let Rose wander off with her friends, as much as he worried about her.
Today was different though, as Sirius decided he was going to join them for once on their afternoon picnic trip. He'd been itching to get back into exercising, especially in his Animagus form. Rose, Ginny and Luna had planned to go out again today to their now favourite spot, a small grotto they found in the forest out of town. It was about an hour's walk from the Burrow, where the three girls would meet up before venturing out. Meeting at the Burrow just before 10, the three girls and one black shaggy dog, started out on their journey out of town. Rose and Ginny had supplied the food for today, whilst Luna supplied a lovely picnic blanket and a number of wizard games.
"Did you grab everything we need Rose?" Ginny bounded out of the house, hopping as she quickly fixed her shoe.
"Of course, I did." Rose replied, "You really thought I'd forget the crisps and bread, can't have a picnic without having a chip butte, now can you?"
Finally fixing her feet up, Ginny threw her arm around Rose's shoulders as she let out a hearty giggle. "Of course not, now come on, let's go grab Luna."
Luna was currently very happy petting the shaggy, black padfoot, who was equally enjoying the belly rub the blonde was administering. "Rose, your dog is rather wonderful, such a good boy." Padfoot let out a low whine of happiness as his ears perked up, "What's his name? I don't think I've met him before."
"His name is Padfoot, however he does like to go by the rather ridiculous name of Sirius Black, don't you Uncle Sirius." Standing with her hands on her hips and a quirk on her lips, Rose let her eyebrow rise as Padfoot cocked his head, "Come on Sirius, we've got places to go."
The dog let out a low whine before springing up onto his legs, forming back into the human form of Sirius. Luna just stood there with her dreamy face admiring the magic. "That's a rather nice trick Mr Sirius."
Sirius let out a chuckle as he walked over to Rose and Ginny. "Why thank you Luna, I'm available for party hire."
"Sirius, stop being a tease." Rose chastised him, slapping him on the arm.
Acting up in pain, Sirius yelped as Ginny giggled hysterically. "Yes mum."
"And don't you forget it!"
Setting off towards the girl's secret hideout, the three girls and one adult chatted amongst each other as they walked along the country road. Occasionally Sirius would sprint ahead in his Animagus form to scout out the road ahead, coming back often with his tongue lolling out of his mouth and a dopey look on his face. The girls managed to reach their picnic destination after about an hour's walk, although the time seemed to be quicker as the three girls chatted. Rolling out their picnic blanket, Rose set about making her friends and godfather plates of food from the supplies they had foraged early in the day.
"Thanks for this pup, haven't been on a picnic in years." Helping himself to the food in the picnic basket, Sirius spread himself out comfortably as he tucked into a hearty sandwich.
Luna and Ginny joined in thanking their friend for the food. "Yeah thanks Rose, this is great."
"It's quite pleasant, thank you Rose."
Rose waved her hand in dismissal, "It's alright, nothing too fancy but it hits the spot,"
As they ate, the group chatted amongst themselves, discussing what Ron and Harry were up to at Hogwarts, specifically the tale of how they snuck a dragon out of the school. "I mean, honestly, what does Hagrid think he's doing trying to keep a dragon as a pet." Ginny said.
Sirius chuckled at the thought. "I can imagine that the old bugger thought it was a great idea at the time." He told them, "Though I'm more impressed at the fact that not only did they convince him to give the creature away, but to actually sneak it out of the school too."
"Let's hope Hagrid doesn't have any strange creatures when we get there next semester." Rose giggled.
"Oh, I don't know, I think it would be rather magical to meet some of the rarer creatures." Luna said in her singsong voice.
Sirius suddenly stood up and brushed himself off of dust. "Alright girls, I think I'll leave you too it, I might go for a wander." He told them, "If you need me, I'll be within shouting distance so just shout really loud."
"Alright Padfoot, we'll see you later then." Rose farewelled her godfather.
Giving them all a wave, Sirius turned back into his Animagus form and ran off into the bushes surrounding them. Turning back to her friends, Rose looked towards Ginny with a smirk. "So, let's see the ring again."
Ginny blushed as she pulled a ring from her pocket and slipped in into her finger, sticking it out to show it to her friends. "My, that is a lovely ring isn't it. And the rubies compliment your hair so well." Luna commented.
Rose took Ginny's hand a little closer. "My brother certainly does have style at least."
"I wouldn't care if he didn't, it's the thought that counts." Ginny blushed, her heart skipping a beat at the declaration.
"You have to admit though, it is a lovely ring." Rose told her.
"It is, but I think Ginny's right, it is the thought that counts."
Ginny smiled at both of her friends before she withdrew her hand from Rose's and kissed the ring, like she had on many occasions in her room. The words carved into the ring flashed before her once more, making her heart flutter with emotions.
"It's very likely that the two of you will eventually come together in union." Luna airily commented.
Rose nodded her head in agreement. "Anyone would have to be stupid to disagree otherwise."
Ginny merely nodded her head, still engrossed on the ring that was attached to her finger. "Earth to Ginny, helloooo." Rose clicked her fingers in front of her friend's face.
Snapping out of her trance, Ginny looked at both of her friends with a sheepish grin on her face. "Sorry guys, got kind of carried away there didn't I?"
Luna and Rose nodded at her before bursting out into laughter. "Oh Ginny, you're a goner" Rose told her in between laughs, "What were you even thinking about?"
"O-oh…nothing in particular." Ginny blushed furiously; the lie obvious to all.
Rose just let her eyebrow rise as she smirked good-naturedly. "Ah-ha, sure. I'll pretend you're not daydreaming about my brother then."
"What?! No…I just…never mind." In truth, Rose was right about Ginny's thoughts, though the deepness of those thoughts were hidden from all but Ginny. None of them would know the flurry of emotions that were coursing through her body at a million miles per hour.
The rest of the day was just as lovely for the girls as the beginning, lunch eventually making way for games as they spent time playing amongst the trees, swinging from branch to branch and pretending to be fierce Aurors chasing down a dark wizard or witch. Getting tired, the girls started up a game of exploding snap before eventually returning to conversation once the deck of cards they had brought with them combusted.
"We should form a group, like a sisterhood or something." Ginny spoke up once the last card sparked up into a bright ball of fire.
Luna nodded her head in agreement as she covered her face slightly from the heat. "That sounds like a lovely idea Ginny."
"Yeah, but what should we call it, we can't just call it the sisterhood." Rose said.
Ginny shook her head. "No, we can't, why don't we call it the sisters of '81, since we were all born in 1981?"
Rose shook her head. "Too long, how about the redhead sisters."
Luna pointed to her hair. "I'm afraid I don't quite match that description, although I'm sure I could dye it."
"Oh…right, sorry Luna." Rose apologized.
"You'd look awesome as a redhead Luna." Ginny smirked.
"I'll leave that to you two girls, besides…wouldn't want to distract Harry away from his prize."
Ginny blushed furiously as she shot daggers at Luna. "What about the Sisters of Ottery, since we all live in Ottery St Catchpole." Ginny gritted through her teeth.
"Yeah, I like that, what do you think Luna?"
"I quite like it too, it's nice. It would be nicer if we were otters but we can't have everything."
Rose and Ginny looked at each other before chuckling. "Never change Luna, never change."
Off in the distance they heard a twig snap, causing them all to jump in fright, before they all settled down as a certain black shaggy dog came running out of the woods. "Hey Sirius, have a fun run?" Ginny asked the dog.
Sirius let out a loud bark before turning himself back into his human form. Stretching out, Rose winced as she heard her godfathers' bones crack and pop. "So, find anything interesting to do Padfoot?"
Grinning cockily, Sirius took a seat next to the girls as he tucked into some of the leftover food. "You could say that…I certainly enjoyed chasing the squirrels."
Letting his mind wander back to his run, Sirius grinned goofily as he remembered just how fun it had actually been.
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The country air that filled Sirius' lungs sent an invigorating shock down his spine. Tree's blurred around him as Padfoot sprinted at full pelt through the forested outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole. It had been years since Sirius had been able to run in the 'wilds' of Britain, years of being cooped up in Azkaban had made his once honed canine muscles all but scrawny ligaments. That's why one of the first things he set his mind to while staying with the Evans was to exercise, not just his human body but his animagus form as well. If years working for the Order of the Phoenix taught him anything it was the value of staying fit and strong, even in peacetime.
Sirius was caught off guard when suddenly the outline of Ottery St Catchpoles townhouses and cottages came into view past a row of trees. Not wanting to bring attention to himself, Sirius started to skulk away, his animagus form still looking a bit too trampy for his taste. But out the corner of his eye he caught the glittering reflection of the sun off a lusciously golden set of long, curled hair. The distraction was enough to change Sirius' mind, quickly scurrying off to trail behind the stunningly long pair of legs. It had been years since Sirius had thought about women, but something about her summer dress clad body had sent something primal through Sirius' brain. Pitter pattering behind the curvaceous blonde, Sirius made sure to keep out of sight for the most part, happy to admire her sauntering hips and bum as she quickly walked along. Luck was not on Sirius' side however as his paw brushed a discarded glass bottle leant up against the wall of a cottage wall. The action sent the sound of tinkling broken glass echoing down the street, shocking the lovely lady in front of Sirius. Panicking, Padfoot set off at a run down the street, the voice of the woman calling for him as she spun around to face the noise. "Hey! Come here boy! Puppy!"
Wasting no time at all, Sirius ducked around the corner of the street, finding a dark nook to use so that he could quickly change back into his human body. Brushing off his clothes of any dust or dirt, Sirius casually strode back out of the nook, only to bump straight into his pursuer.
"Oh! I'm so sorry Miss, I didn't see you there." Sirius' arms quickly shot out to stop the startled woman from falling.
The shock wearing off quickly, the blonde looked up into her 'saviours' face, brown eyes meeting grey as a confused look crossed her face. "That's quite alright. Did you see a black dog run by? He was following me up the street and I thought he might've been a stray, or lost."
"Can't say I have I'm afraid."
"Oh, I could've sworn he went this way."
Sirius couldn't help but smirk as he realised his ploy had worked. "And what's a pretty young girl like you running after tramps for, hm?"
Tittering out a girlish laugh, the young lady looked up at Sirius with mirth in her eyes. "I don't normally go after tramps, except when they're particularly handsome."
"Must've been a helluva good looking dog." Sirius smirked, "I'm Sirius Black by the way."
The young lady stepped back a bit, releasing herself from Sirius' grip. "Adeline Smart, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr Black. Do you often lurk in dark alleyways?"
"Only when I see pretty young ladies coming down the road."
The comment made Adeline roll her eyes. "Such a flirt, does it work with all the ladies?"
"Only when they see me as a handsome tramp." Sirius chuckled, "So, what were you planning on doing with him?"
"Probably take him home, I have a soft spot for mangy mutts."
Cocking his head, Sirius grinned. "You almost make me want to turn into a mutt now."
"Oh Mr Black, if only. But that would magic, and we all now magic is just Childs play."
'If only you knew' Sirius smirked. "Childs play hey? I take it you're not a fan. What about adults play?"
"That I'm very much a fan of."
"Then you wouldn't object to me kissing you right now?"
Adeline smirked as she rolled her lip between her teeth. "Mr Black, what sort of girl do you take me for."
"A very beautiful one that deserves a good snog." Sirius countered with his own seductive smirk.
"My mother warned me about your type…thinking you can take advantage of a sweet…innocent…young girl." Adelina countered with her own smirk.
Impressed with Adelina's flirting, Sirius doubled down on his effort. "My type? Oh, my dear Adelina, my 'type' snogs the mother before bedding the daughter."
"Mr Black!" Adelina mocked shock.
Advancing forward ever so slightly, Sirius let his height work to his advantage as he towered over the petite frame of Adelina. Flustered, Adelina held her hands to her chest and clung to the fabric of her summer dress as she tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "I meant no offense my dear, only an appreciation of what a fine young lady you are."
"N-none taken." Adelina breathily replied in barely a whisper, "I-I wouldn't mind you know."
"Wouldn't mind?"
"You…kissing me."
A soft smile spread across Sirius face as he let his hand rest on Adelina's curled elbow. "And I certainly wouldn't mind either." Without skipping a beat, Sirius leant down and captured Adelina's plump, red lips in a searing kiss, his bottom lip sitting flush against hers. A moan erupted from both of their throats as Sirius pressed his tongue through Adelina's lips, tangling them together in a sensual dance of heat and passion.
Breaking apart with a pop, a thin line of sleek saliva connecting their lips still, Sirius huffed and puffed to collect his breath, Adelina doing the same as their breaths merged in the closeness of their bodies. "I…can't believe…you just…kissed me."
"Well…you did say that…I could." Sirius grinned.
Rolling her eyes, Adelina surprised Sirius by throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him back down for another snog. Sirius' eyes widened for just a second before he relaxed into the deep embrace, his hands growing bold as they slid down her tender frame to rest on the small of her back, so tantalisingly close to her gorgeous bum.
Sensing Sirius' dilemma, Adelina moved her hands from the nape of Sirius' neck down to his firm arse, giving it a cheeky squeeze that elicited a shocked moan from Sirius. "You cheeky bugger, thinking you can take advantage of me like that." Sirius pouted playfully as he pulled back.
"Like you didn't want to do the same, Mr Black." Adelina smirked as she gave another squeeze, "My what a lovely bum you have, much better than any of the other boys around here."
"Well that's because I'm not a boy dear, I'm a man."
Growing bolder, Adelina nudged Sirius' legs apart as her dress clad thigh rested against his crotch. "Oh, that I can tell…Mister Black."
Hissing in surprise, Sirius playfully glared down at Adelina. "Bold one, aren't you?"
"I have been known to have my moments…let's just say that I know what I want…and I always get what I want."
"Well, two can play at that game." In one swift moment, Sirius had Adelina backed against the wall of the alley, his hand holding her wrists above her head as the other kept a firm hold on her waist, "Doesn't feel good to be teased, does it?"
"Oh, I don't know, I'm currently feeling very good."
Growling, Sirius nudged Adelina's legs apart in a move to copy her own, his thigh lodging itself against her sex, forcing her to rut against him. "Still feeling good, Adelina?"
Hissing in both shock and pleasure, Adelina looked up at Sirius with hooded, glaring eyes. "You sneaky bastard. Well…don't just stand there, finish what you started."
"Ah ah ah, I don't think so Miss Smart." Sirius grinned as he slowly moved his leg up and down, "Teases get teased back, wouldn't you agree?"
"I'll make you pay for that Black."
"Promises promises." The pressure that Sirius' thigh was forcing onto Adelina was beginning to make her knees buckle as the rutting pleasure against her sex was driving her over the edge.
Gritting her teeth, Adelina opened her eyes fully to look up at Sirius, lust clouding her chocolate eyes. "I swear to Christ, you better make me cum you filthy bastard!"
Taken aback by her language, Sirius had to do a double take, allowing Adelina the upper hand as she reversed their situation. Finding himself pinned to the wall, Sirius' didn't have it in him to use his superior height and strength to tackle himself back into a position of power, instead choosing to go with the flow as Adelina's nimble hands ran up the length of his chest before cupping his chin firmly.
"I suppose I should be worried, now shouldn't I?" Sirius grinned cheekily.
Cocking an eyebrow, Adelina let her hand wander further south, her well-manicured nails scratching against the material of Sirius' shirt. "Worried? Oh no Mister Black, you should be excited."
With tantalising slowness, Adelina slowly unzipped Sirius' pants, pulling them to the floor as she flirtatiously let her hand run against his straining hardness. "My my, maybe someone is a 'little' excited."
"Well, I can't help it. I have a gorgeous young lady in front of me teasing me…how am I supposed to react?"
"Good answer." With one swift move, Adelina quickly tugged Sirius' briefs free, letting his manhood slap against the fabric of his shirt. The move once more shocked Sirius, who thought that her boldness would have a limit…it seemed that he had met his match. "Bloody hell! What…I…how?"
"Shh, don't talk, your mouth is prettier when you're quiet."
Zipping his mouth shut, Sirius relaxed and went along with the ride as Adelina slowly began to pump his cock up and down in a twisting circular motion. The only sound that dared peep out from his sealed lips were the hisses and groans of pleasure as Adelina moved her thumb across his weeping head.
"If you k-keep that up, I won't last longahfuck!"
Easing up on the pressure she was exerting on Sirius, Adelina smirked as she tilted his head down. "Shouldn't have started what you couldn't finish."
With a guttural groan, Sirius felt himself shudder as his knees buckled, his pleasure coming to a peak as his spunk made a mess of Adelina's soft hands. "Tsk tsk Mister Black I would've thought you would've gone longer. Guess I was wrong."
"It's…it's been awhile."
"Well, I'm glad I could be the one to break your dry spell." Slowly, Adelina brought her spunk stained hand to her lips as she seductively licked her fingers clean of Sirius' mark. The move made Sirius' eyes bulge as his tongue darted out to lick his lips, "Well, it's been a real pleasure Mister Black, perhaps we can do this again sometime?"
Nodding dumbly, Sirius tried to speak, only to find himself at a loss for words. "I…yeah…ah…um…yes."
"Excellent, if you're in town again, pop by the bookstore, I work there on Saturdays from 12 onwards." And with that, Adelina backed off, a cheeky grin plastered on her face as she readjusted her dress. Sirius quickly snapped out of his daze as he watched Adelina leave with a wink, his hands fumbling with his underwear and pants, Sirius tried to dash out from the alley, only to trip over his own legs and plant his face into the ground. With a groan, Sirius dragged himself up, only to view the slowly disappearing view of Adelina's back.
Shaking himself clear, Sirius sorted himself out before turning back into Padfoot, remembering that he needed to get back to the girls on time. Dashing back out into the forest, Padfoot savoured one last look of town, trying to grab a glimpse of his blonde tormentor, only to find her gone.
'Perhaps I will take her up on her offer.'
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"Uncle Sirius! You shouldn't chase the squirrels; the poor things will have heart attacks."
Snapping out of his daydream, Sirius grinned at his goddaughter. "But why heavens not? It's a ball of fun to watch those fluffy bastards run like the clappers."
"Language Sirius, and its cruel. I bet you wouldn't like to be chased by some big black beast." Rose scolded.
"No, I guess not." Sirius chuckled, "Anyway you lot, it's time to head back, I promised Molly I'd have you back in time for dinner."
"Ahh do we have too?" Ginny complained, "Can't you just tell mum we went to Rose's house for dinner."
Sirius shook his head as he stood up. "Your mother would have my hide if I did that. Molly Weasley is not someone to cross…ever. Now come on, get your butts into gear girls."
Packing up their belongings, the group of friends set back off down the road, informing Sirius of the day they had enjoyed whilst he was roaming the forest. He chuckled at the mention of them forming a sisterhood, finding it rather cute and funny at the same time. He spoke about the group that him and his friends, including Rose's father James, formed when they were at school, called the marauders, and the trouble they would get into. Rose had heard it all before from Sirius and Remus, but Ginny and Luna were quite interested in what the old rogue had to tell them.
Before long, the group were walking back into the Burrow, welcomed by Molly who stood eagerly by the front door, awaiting their arrival. After a short break of a cup of tea and biscuits, and enough time to inform Molly of their activities during the day, Luna, Rose and Sirius decided to head back to their respective homes. Flooing back to the Evans house, Sirius and Rose were greeted by the elder Evans who were currently sitting around the fireplace enjoying a nice cup of tea together. Once again, she recited her daily tale, as Rose told her grandparents what she had been up to with her friends during the day, both of whom found much joy in hearing about their young granddaughter's adventures.
"Ah, to be young again, do you remember all those adventures we use to have Alex?" Juni made heart eyes as her husband as she reached out to grip his hand.
Alex chuckled as he laid his cup down on the table and twisted his hand to lock his fingers with Junipers. "I do indeed my love, I do believe our first kiss was on one of those adventures."
Juni smiled passionately at her husband. "Those were the days."
The rest of the day was fairly tame compared to Rose's adventure in the afternoon. They had a light dinner later that night before Rose finally headed off to bed for a good night's rest. Every night, Sirius made sure to come in and talk to her for a while about her parents or just the magical world in general. Rose found out a great deal about the world she was born into, as well as her family and parents. Sirius had learnt a great deal about the Potter's from James and his parents when they were alive. As such, Sirius was able to recall many facts and details about the earlier Potters that the Evans couldn't.
However, as with every night, Sirius had to bid her goodnight as the night dragged on. Retreating from her room, Sirius gave her a loving smile as he retreated back downstairs to sit up and chat to the other adults. That night, Rose dreamt once more of Harry battling an evil foe down in some dungeon. Once again, it was Quirrell that he was facing, however this time another face was attached to Quirrell, emerging itself from the back of his head. Rose woke up in the middle of the night dripping with sweat and fearing for her life and Harrys. Unable to go back to sleep, Rose quietly crept out of her room and down the hallway to where Sirius was sleeping. Gently knocking on the door, Rose entered the room just as Sirius flicked on the light, awoken by the knock on his door.
"What's wrong pup?" Sirius rubbed his eyes to clear the sleep as he adjusted to the light.
Making her way over to the bed, Rose climbed up and curled into Sirius' side. "I had a nightmare about Harry fighting someone."
Sirius stroked his goddaughter's hair as he tucked her in underneath the sheets. "It's alright pup, it was only a dream, do you want to sleep in here tonight?"
Rose nodded her head as she buried herself into Sirius side. "Yes please, if you don't mind."
"Of course, I don't." Sirius told her, "it's why I'm here after all. Your mum would never forgive me for not looking after her little girl."
Rose smiled up at him meekly as she laid her head down on the pillow next to Sirius and shut her eyes. Sirius smiled lovingly down at the young Potter, before finally turning off the light and settling down into his bed as well. The information that Rose was having nightmares of Harry troubled him, but Sirius hoped that that's all they were…nightmares. He wondered if perhaps there was some truth behind the dreams, and that Harry truly was in danger. Sirius would have to send an owl to Dumbledore tomorrow, asking to keep an eye on Harry as closely as possible. There was no way he was going to lose any of the two most important people in his life. He already had that happen to him once, he wasn't about to let that happen again.