DISCLAIMER Do I have to? Sigh. I own neither Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or anything within the two worlds. I also make no money, and certainly not from writing this. Happy?
A/N: Well, slightly shorter this chapter and not much doing at that. As most of you are very clever and can see something when I hit you over the head with it, this chapter focuses a fair bit on setting up the beginnings for the pairing you've all already guessed anyway.
WARNING This chapter is where the slight sexual references start to kick in. Nothing really too bad this time round, but they will get a tad more explicit and involved in much later chapters, so just in case you are totally opposed to anything other than holding hands and sloppy kisses under brilliant sunsets, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Dear reviewers... my greatest thanks for your time, support and suggestions as always....
Sonofgloin mwah Raunchy goodness, huh? Stay tuned....
Allen Pitt Yeah, you're right that Dawn should've brought the werewolf issue up, but I'm saving it for later. In fact, next chapter is when it all comes out, so stay tuned for that. Although I do love some of those fics in existence, Spike is not a Malfoy here. And there is no Glory etc., the only big bad in this world will be the rise of the Big V. I'm also flying with the theory that there really are no Slayers and no Hellmouths in this dimension, think of it as a trade-off- one world has Hellmouths, the other has Wizarding communities as its magical hotspots. Buffy might pop up, but it definitely won't be in the traditional 'big sis to the rescue' way you'd expect. Thanks for the review!
Mademoiselle Morte Well, axe-murderers are cheaper than hit men I guess. We'll see about Spike, I'm not sure yet. Thanks for the continued support.
Rachel The eventual sequel I have planned should answer a few of those questions you have about where things are heading. Big hint- it's set during Order of the Phoenix. Also, go with the capital E for Eeeevil. Think Season 2 Spike, sans Dru (obviously). The year change, I have 100% decided finally, will not be alluded to at all, for the purposes of this story Dawn has simply been plopped into a parallel universe.
Kat It will only get worse for your dear Luci in future, sorry to tell you. And I'm so glad you loved the cake- my fave scene in the story so far! Since you're clearly a Remus fan (and who could blame you) I'll try to flesh him out a bit in future chapters just for you. Keep in mind, there is the full moon coming up... Cheers.
Marz1 You are absolutely right about the Dawnie we all know and love, she probably would've smacked Malfoy's head in for trying to cop a feel. I'm just trying to work on a characterization of Dawn that I've never tried before, and it's a learning process. So thanks for the input, it all helps!
rogueangel182 Thanks! And you'll get to meet Harry in the sequel (for hints see the reply to Rachel's review above). And you're dead set on the pairing, too.
Chickalupe I'm glad you can understand where I'm coming from with this 'version' of Dawn, and I'm really, really glad you liked the interactions with Snape and especially with Regulus. And who could forget the cake scene? Promise I am trying to write and update as quickly as possible, Amber, thanks for the support.
RoseWill Thanks for the tip on the wrong names- I'll try to be more careful with my editing in future. And no, there won't be any three month waits for updates, you don't need to worry about that because my writing ALWAYS comes before my studies!! Cheers.
Beldaran I have to say you have excellent taste because I love Padfoot too... obviously ;-)
CHAPTER FIVE
Weeks passed, and Dawn found she had settled into something of a pattern. She grew closer to her four friends, and with Lily's help, she had caught up to the fifth-year standards in all her class (with the obvious exception of Charms, which she still sucked at). She was now down to just one tutoring session per week with the redheaded witch.
They sat at their usual table in the Library, Dawn swishing and flicking for all she was worth but still only managing feeble results at best. The book she was struggling to maintain a levitation charm on thudded back to the desk when a loud burst of laughter from the hall broke her concentration. Both girls whipped around, Lily's 'annoyed Prefect' face firmly in place to see who had caused the disturbance, just in time to see James walking by with Peter, still talking and laughing loudly.
"Arrogant toe-rag," Lily muttered.
Dawn's eyes flashed angrily. She'd been here almost a month now, and every conversation she'd had with Lily had involved some slight or other against James. Grateful as she was for all the time, effort and patience Lily had put into bringing her up to speed, Dawn decided she'd had enough.
"I really wish you wouldn't do that, Lily," she said evenly.
Lily blinked. "Do what?"
"Continually insult one of my best friends in my presence. It's not very nice."
An incredulous looks stole over the Prefect's face, and her green eyes had turned just a little frosty. "You're kidding, right Dawn? You do realise it's all the truth? James Potter is nothing more than a childish, self-involved git," she seethed.
Dawn was rapidly passing from anger into a full-blown Summers rage. "You're wrong about him!" she burst out, ignoring the glares she received from the other students quietly studying. A few of them, though, put their quills down and turned their attention to the obvious argument brewing. It was a well known fact at Hogwarts that any argument involving Lily Evans was bound to be quite entertaining. Lily, too, was quickly succumbing to fury.
"Oh honestly Dawn!" she said, exasperated. "You think you know everything there is to know about your little buddy Potter? You haven't even been here a month-"
"And I'll bet in that month I've had more to do with James than you have in five years," Dawn interrupted. "So I'm gonna say, yeah, I think I know him a damn sight better than you do."
"Could you be more naïve?" Lily snapped. "You saw what he and Black were doing to Severus Snape that day in Potions, and still you're wrapped up in this delusion of him being some harmless, innocent prankster!"
"Oh because Snape was totally innocent that day himself," Dawn shot back sarcastically, pushing down the nagging feeling in her stomach that couldn't totally disagree with the point Lily had just raised.
"Look, Lily, I appreciate all you've done for me, but James has been nothing but wonderful to me ever since I got stuck here and I won't sit here and listen to you continually insult one of the best friends I've ever had!" she said, surprised by the volume and strength of her own voice.
"Don't sit here, then," Lily retorted, but Dawn was already shoving her belongings haphazardly into her bag.
"I don't plan on it, anymore," Dawn informed Lily, though her voice had dropped back to its normal level as she rose and slung her bag over she shoulder. "Thanks for tutoring me, but I really don't think I'll be needing your help anymore."
Lily snorted, and was about to make a snide remark about Dawn's dismal abilities in Charms, but something struck her then about what Dawn had said a moment ago.
"Hey! Wait a sec!" she blurted.
Dawn frowned. "What?"
"What did you mean, 'since you got stuck here'? You're a transfer student, not a prisoner, you know. If you don't want to be here, why don't you just transfer back to your muggle school?" the redhead suggested, rather rudely.
A part of Dawn knew it was very important she shut her mouth right about now, but she didn't care. She couldn't remember being this angry at someone since Buffy had avoided her after the death of their mother, and rational thought was no longer an option. Her eyes filled with angry tears, but her upper lip had curled into a snarl. She leaned over Lily, speaking so softly that the onlookers did not hear her words.
"For your information, I can't go home because I don't have a home to go to anymore. And for the record, I said I was stuck here, not that I don't want to be here."
Blinking, Dawn realised what she'd just let slip. Lily was staring up at her, her lingering anger now mixed with shock, and the beginnings of pity. Dawn hated pity. She bolted. She pushed through the crowd as she fled the Library, ignoring the scoldings of Madam Pince that followed her out the door.
She hurtled through the castle with no fixed idea on where she was heading, when she found her back slammed painfully against the stone wall of one of Hogwarts' many hidden alcoves. Wincing, Dawn stared up into the cold face of Lucius Malfoy.
Her anger from her argument with Lily ebbed away, replaced by a thrill of fear as she watched Malfoy raking his eyes over her. She shuddered with revulsion which only caused Malfoy to smirk at her. He had her arms in a vice-like grip, Dawn could feel her flesh bruising with each passing second, her weak struggles only intensifying the pain.
Malfoy leaned down, his body pressed against Dawn, keeping her pinned to the wall. His lips were brushing her ear as he spoke, making her skin crawl.
"Are we learning the rules yet, Mudblood?" he hissed, touching his tongue to the skin just behind Dawn's earlobe.
"Let me go," Dawn whispered in a trembling voice, squirming in discomfort.
Malfoy pulled back, but he was laughing cruelly, his strong hands still easily holding her down. "And why would I listen to a filthy little Mudblood like you? It's time you learned that I could buy and sell your worthless carcass a hundred times over without even having to visit Gringotts. Think one day I might try that... just for fun," he threatened, his gaze once again sliding up and down her body like he was appraising a piece of meat.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall, a moment later, a large group of students passed their alcove. Before Dawn could think to cry out for help, Malfoy shoved roughly away from her and slipped out of the alcove. He melted into the crowd, leaving Dawn scrunched up against the wall alone, hugging herself and trying not to shake.
Several moments passed; the sounds of footsteps had long since faded into oblivion before Dawn, shaking herself slightly to get herself back together, hefted her bag and stepped back into the hallway. Forcing herself to breathe at a calm, even pace, she slowly made her way up to Gryffindor Tower to drop her bag off in the dorms before dinner.
She was just stepping back into the Common Room from dumping her bag when Remus and Sirius entered from the opposite staircase.
"Hey Kitten," they called as she joined them, Dawn silently thankful that they didn't seem to notice her pale face and slightly wild-eyed look. Of course, Remus wasn't looking so crash hot himself, but then it was the full moon in a couple of nights.
"Hey," she returned, managing a small smile. Remus, though, was frowning thoughtfully at her, and for a moment Dawn panicked that he could sense something was wrong and was going to force it out of her. She really didn't feel like sharing the news that Lucius Malfoy planned to trade her around like a mere possession, just because he thought he could get away with it.
"Dawn, why aren't you still in the Library? You can't have finished with Lily so quickly before dinner," Remus asked.
Not feeling like discussing Lily any more than Lucius at the moment, but knowing she had to tell them something and may as well get it over with now, Dawn sighed. "I'm, uh, not going to be having tutoring sessions with Lily any more," she admitted slowly.
"Why?" Sirius blurted. "I mean, no offence Kitten, but you can't have got any better at Charms yet!"
Dawn giggled. It was only too true. "No, that's fair- I still suck at Charms. But I sort of had an argument with Lily and we both decided we didn't particularly want to spend that much time together any more," she told them.
"Arguing with the Tigerlily," Sirius winced. "Ouch. Let me guess, you'd had enough of the Potter-bashing?"
Dawn nodded. She had confided in the two boys with her on a number of occasions how difficult it was, listening to Lily always insulting James. "Hey, speaking of, where are James and Peter? They walked by the Library a while ago, but..." Dawn trailed off. She didn't know where the other half of the Marauders had been heading.
Remus just shrugged as they headed out of the Common Room, on their way to the Great Hall for dinner. "James had Quidditch practice, and Peter went to watch."
"He gets off on it," Sirius muttered under his breath, snickering. Dawn and Remus grimaced. Bad image. Bad, bad image.
The trio were half way though their meal by the time James and Peter turned up. James' cheeks were stained slightly red, and small droplets of sweat still clung to his forehead, telltale signs of the exercise he'd just been through. Physical exertion looked good on him, and Dawn could see several of the girls in the Great Hall eyeing James off appreciatively. Lily was most certainly not one of them.
While Sirius and Remus listened to James and Peter's incessant babbling about how well Quidditch practice had gone, Dawn amused herself by making a quick count of all the girls James never noticed were obviously interested in him. Eight girls from Gryffindor, seven from Ravenclaw, and an outstanding thirteen Hufflepuffs, though not all of them were girls. Dawn reached the Slytherin table and her stomach clenched painfully. The first thing she saw was Malfoy leering at her across the Great Hall, filling her with a sense of revulsion. She dropped her gaze and her fork, no longer interested in either her game or her dinner.
"Oi," James frowned at her. "What's that all about?"
Dawn shrugged, trying to keep her behaviour as nonchalant as possible. "Finished."
"No you're not," Sirius told her sternly. "Look- you've still got half a plate full."
"You really should try to finish a bit more, Kitten. You'll make yourself sick if you don't eat enough," Remus reminded her over his own sparse meal.
"I've had enough," Dawn protested weakly. "Really, guys, I'm fine."
Sirius poked her in the side. Dawn squealed. James poked her in the other side. She squealed again.
"Stop it!"
"No," they replied blandly, poking her again. "Not til you finish your dinner."
Dawn had real difficulties getting her next sentence out through her wild giggles caused by the fingers poking into her sides incessantly. "How am I supposed to eat if you won't quit poking me?" she laughed. "Besides, Remus isn't eating all that much- go poke him!"
"Moony isn't as pokeable as you are," Sirius smirked, the double- entendre radiating off him. "No offence, Moony," he added insincerely.
"None taken, Padfoot," Remus responded, watching with bemusement as the full meaning of Sirius' words occurred to Dawn. None of the other boys seemed to notice, but her big blue eyes grew impossibly large, she looked absolutely thunderstruck that anyone could possibly view her of all people in that light.
She took a large mouthful of pumpkin juice to mask her sudden confusion and ended up choking on it. Sirius thumped her hard on the back.
"All right, Kitten?" Remus called across the table, barely concealing a grin.
Dawn nodded a little too quickly to be casual, and when she spoke, her voice was just a little too high pitched not to be strained. "Uh-huh! Fine!"
This time, Remus had to cover his mouth with his napkin to hide his laugh. James happened to catch the mirth in his eyes, though, and raised his eyebrows questioningly. As inconspicuously as possible, Remus inclined his head towards Sirius and Dawn, his gaze flicking pointedly from one blue- eyed teen to the other.
On the pretence of pulling a platter of food closer, James leaned forwards so he could better see both his friends in question. Sure enough, Dawn was shooting shy, almost curious glances out of the corner of her eye at Sirius, who was looking incredibly smug and self-assured. More smug and self-assured than usual, at any rate.
James looked back at Remus and the pair burst out laughing so suddenly and violently that Peter choked on his pudding in alarm.
"What's the matter with you two?" Dawn asked, feeling as baffled as Sirius and Peter looked.
"Nothing at all, my soft little Kitten," James returned pleasantly, after he and Remus had calmed down enough to share a look that plainly said they could have a lot of fun with this new development.
"I'm not soft," Dawn protested sulkily. When would people learn? She was not a child, and she was not soft either.
"Sure you are. Look-" James laughed, unleashing an assault on Dawn's stomach with his fingers. "You're all squishy!"
"Stop!" Dawn squealed, slapping at his hands through her giggles. After what seemed like an age of the tickle-torture, James finally relented, leaving Dawn a helpless giggling mass clutching the table for support.
"Ah well," James sighed. "Not everyone can have rock hard abs like me."
At this, Dawn, Remus and Sirius all snorted. Dawn poked James hard in the stomach, and he deflated a little in the mid-section. Dawn arched an eyebrow at him.
"Rock solid, huh?"
James laughed good-naturedly and slung an arm over Dawn's shoulder, seeming not to notice as she squirmed in discomfort. He was, after all, still fairly sweaty from Quidditch. "Damn, Kitten, if I'd ever met you before Evans," he joked.
Remus' amber eyes were alight with amusement in his tired face. He wasn't sure if Sirius was even fully aware of it himself, but a slight scowl had been set on his face from the moment James had begun flirting with Dawn. And with James' last words, it had just got that much deeper.
The group finished their meal and started the walk back up to the Common Room. Dawn was fussing over a nasty cut Peter was showing her he'd sustained from a whip-fern in Herbology earlier that day. Sirius was trying very hard not to laugh at the memory of the plant that had lashed out at his friend who had accidentally tried to prune it. Remus and James dropped back a few steps so they could speak privately.
"What do you think of that, eh Moony?" James smirked as Sirius casually dropped his pace half a step to be in a better position to check Dawn out from behind as she walked. Dawn, busy pressing Peter to make sure his cut didn't need medical attention, did not notice a thing.
Remus just shook his head. "We've seen that look on his face a hundred times before. I just hope he knows what he's doing."
"He's known exactly what he's doing since fourth year," came the reply, accompanied by a derisive snort. Sirius had been the first of all of them to start /i getting to know girls, he was something of a player and had joined the game at the tender age of fourteen.
"That's not what I meant, Prongs. It's different this time. Dawn's not just some random pretty girl that's caught his eye, she's one of us," Remus pointed out. "I don't know if Sirius gets that she's not going to just disappear whenever he's done with her."
"He knows," James said quietly. "Look at him."
Again, the pair directed their gazes ahead to study their friends. Dawn was now telling them all about a cut on her wrist in the past year that had taken weeks to heal, showing Peter the scar that ran much of the length of her forearm. Remus frowned, wondering what James was trying to make him see.
"What?" he hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "All I can see is Sirius still staring at Dawn's ass."
"Well yeah, but he's listening to her, too. He's never done that before."
Dawn awoke with a sharp gasp. Sweat streaked across her skin, blood pounded in her ears and the fresh visions of her nightmare assaulted her mind. She let out a little sob, which quickly brought to her attention the tears on her cheeks. As the feeling of loneliness crashed in on her, Dawn looked around for a friend.
Well, Lily was definitely out, so she quickly considered the occupants of the other three beds in the room, Candice, Michelle, and Isabel. They were nice girls, they always smiled and waved and giggled... and hardly ever said two words to her beyond 'hi' and 'bye'. Nope, not friends.
She'd already gone as far as the foot of the boys' staircase before she stopped to consider what she was doing. Then she faltered. Not because she knew she wasn't allowed up there, since she slipped up to see her friends whenever she felt like it, but because it was a bit weird, really. Dawn was practically dancing on the bottom step of the boys' stairs in her indecision. She couldn't just go barging in on them in the middle of the night because of a silly little nightmare. Could she? They had told her she was welcome to come up at any time of the day or night.
"Never tried staircase-dancing before. Is it fun?" a voice from above laughed. Dawn jumped in surprise, but relaxed a moment later when James materialised before her from the dark landing above.
"James," Dawn breathed. "What're you doing up?"
Slipping by to get into the Common Room, James wandered over to a table and poured himself a goblet of water from the pitcher set there. "Came to get a drink. What are you doing, about to sneak into the boys' dorms in the middle of the night? Naughty girl, can you imagine explaining that one to McGonagall?" he sniggered.
"I had a nightmare," Dawn admitted shyly. "I needed a... I just wanted to..." she shook her head.
James pulled a face at her. "Someone need a hug?" he asked in a mock- baby voice. Feeling both childlike and reassured all at once, Dawn nodded. She let James walk back over to her, still standing on the bottom stair, and wrap her up in a huge bear hug that threatened to crack ribs and cut off circulation.
He broke the hug after a minute and began steering Dawn upstairs with a hand to the small of her back. They held a quick, whispered conversation as they went. "So, what was your dream?"
"Horror, pain, bloodshed, my Mom and sister, same as before."
"Before?" James whispered sharply, steadying Dawn as she stumbled up a step in the dark. "You've had them before?"
"Once or twice," Dawn admitted sheepishly.
James paused just outside the fifth year door and faced her. "You can come to us when you have a nightmare Dawn, that's what were here for. You know that, right?"
Dawn searched for the right response, stumbling over her words. "Well of... of course I... I mean, yeah... sure.... Um, do you mean that James?" she finally whispered, her clingy, childish tendencies reigning supreme.
James laughed quietly at her for being so silly while he eased the door open. The level of their whispers dropped so as not to wake the three sleeping occupants of the room. "Of course I mean it. If you ever have another nightmare, I expect you to come right up here to us. Got that?"
Dawn nodded gratefully.
"Good. Now get in here," he lifted the covers of his bed and ushered her under them. James slid in beside her, and Dawn was surprised that she didn't feel awkward in the least. She just felt safe.
"Thanks, James," she whispered, turning her head to face him.
"S'ok, Kitten," he smirked. "'Sides, what guy wouldn't want to wake up next to a girl like you?"
"What!?" it came out as a half-strangled yelp. James quickly shushed her when Peter stirred a moment, but then settled and resumed his usual pattern of snoring.
"Well if you don't believe me we could ask for a second opinion," James teased. "I'll just wake Sirius and ask him what he'd think about waking up next to you-"
"No!" Dawn hissed, panic-stricken. She was pretty sure she was well on the way to falling for the aforementioned boy, and him contemplating anything that involved waking up in bed with her would lead to her making a few vowel sounds and then having to go away.
His eyes were glowing with mirth to the point that James was silently thankful for the darkness that kept Dawn from seeing the gleeful look on his face. Unfortunately, it also meant that he didn't get to enjoy any of her hilarious expressions throughout the exchange. Thank Merlin for his vivid imagination.
"Why not?" he asked innocently.
All Dawn could manage was a mutter that sounded vaguely like 'being silly' and a suggestion that they get some sleep. James just smiled and closed his eyes. He felt Dawn snuggle deeper under the covers next to him and in minutes they were both asleep.
Dawn slept the rest of the night through peacefully and free of nightmares. It was early morning before she awoke, blinking in the dull grey light of the dawn. She could hear the deep, rumbling breaths coming from each bed (including the one she was in) and knew that the four boys were still asleep.
James, however, stirred when Dawn gently pushed his arm off her stomach. He groggily lifted his head, and Dawn waved silently before moving to scoot off the bed. She had to stop, though, when a large hand clamped around her slim wrist, swallowing it completely.
Dawn arched an eyebrow at James, but he just shook his head to indicate that she wasn't going anywhere. In this silent conversation, Dawn replied by frowning her puzzlement, but a smirk had already settled over James' face. He beckoned the girl closer and tapped a finger to his cheek. Dawn blessed him with a wide smile before leaning over to knock a sisterly kiss to his cheek.
"Thanks James," she whispered, breaking their code of silence at last before she slipped away, back to her own room. With no small amount of amusement for her antics, James watched her go.
It took a pillow colliding with the side of his head to refocus his attention. James' head snapped around to catch sight of a tousle-headed Sirius aiming another of his pillows at him.
"Morning Padfoot," James called in a voice full of quiet sarcasm.
"What was that all about?" Sirius hissed, nodding his head to the door Dawn had just passed through.
James grinned. Oh, this was too easy. And too much fun. "Never you mind, Padfoot," he said airily, then hurled Sirius' pillow right back at him. Sirius scowled.
"No, really," Sirius persisted, climbing out of his bed and throwing himself onto James' so they could talk without waking Remus and Peter. "What the hell was up with that? You can't have got over Evans so quickly, you spent half of dinner last night trying not to stare at her." Although, Sirius added silently to himself, slightly annoyed, James had spent the other half of dinner flirting shamelessly with Dawn.
To his astonishment, James started to cackle. Loudly. Remus mumbled something incoherent and rolled over and Peter gave one final, shuddering snore before his eyes popped open.
"James," Remus moaned, disgruntled. A feeling of guilt quietened James' laughter considerably when he realised just how terrible Remus looked. After all, it was the full moon only the following evening.
"Sorry Moony," he called, but he was still chuckling slightly. "But Sirius is pretty funny when he gets all jealous."
"What?" Sirius yelled, looking totally confused.
Now wide awake, Remus caught the undertone to James' words at once and smiled. The four boys piled out of bed and began to dress. "Oh yeah? What's he jealous of?"
"Me, sleeping with Dawn," James announced, hazel eyes sparkling, the most satisfied of self-satisfied smirks etched onto his face.
Peter blinked. "You did it with Dawn? Wow, I didn't hear a thing!"
James sighed and rolled his eyes. Remus had to bite his tongue and force his gaze to remain locked on the tie he was knotting about his neck. If he watched Sirius growling moodily at one more button he fastened he would not be able to keep a straight face.
"No, Wormtail. I'm still holding out for Evans. Dawn just had another nightmare and she didn't want to be alone so I made her stay up here. Padfoot just wigged when he woke up and saw her leaving me bed 'cause he's got a thing for her," James said frankly.
"I do bloody not!" Sirius yelped, looking horrified.
"Oh come off it, Padfoot, we can pick it a mile away," Remus laughed. "After all, you haven't gone after one single girl since she got here."
"A guy can't mature?"
"Sure a guy can," James snorted. "But not you. Also, you spend every spare second checking her out."
"So? She's a hottie."
"But you still listen to what she has to say," Remus fired back.
"It's polite."
"You always wonder what underwear she's wearing," James added.
"We picked out some really cool ones."
"And you've been to smart to put the moves on her yet," Remus finished.
"It's too soon."
The room was silent for a beat after Sirius' accidental confession.
"Oh bullocks!"
The raucous laughter of his three best friends followed Sirius as he stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Sirius was still scowling at the others when they met Dawn in the Common Room to head to breakfast. The entire walk to the Great Hall was spent with Dawn questioning Sirius over his sour expression. Sirius remained adamant that everything was just fine, much to the amusement of James, Remus and Peter.
The day passed peacefully enough, which was a rarity for the Marauders, though Dawn had a sneaking suspicion it had a lot to do with the fact that Remus was looking paler by the hour. There was no point in pulling any pranks on a day when their chief strategist was not up to ensuring their flawless execution. The most noteworthy aspect of their day had been James getting rejected a record seven times in one Charms lesson, each time by the same girl of course, none other than Lily Evans.
"Mmm, weekend tomorrow," James sighed happily, closing his eyes. The group was sprawled out in front of the Common Room fire, enjoying the peaceful time between dinner and bed.
"Thank God," Dawn sighed. "I need the extra time for my Charms homework." They had spent the Charms lesson that day trying to charm legs onto teacups. Dawn's teacup had somehow sprouted butterfly wings. Ugly orange ones, at that.
"We'll help you with it later," Sirius offered, shooting Dawn a grin that had the colour rising in her cheeks.
"I think I'll go to bed now," she said hastily, jumping up.
"Hold up, we've got to tell you something," Remus called form his position, curled up on the couch and staring into the flames.
"Oh yeah," Peter remembered. "You have to meet us back down here at midnight."
Dawn frowned. "Why?"
"Just be here," Sirius told her.
"Ok then," Dawn said slowly, wondering what exactly she was getting herself into as she headed up to her dorm.
She dozed until the time came, then slid silently out of bed, throwing on a pair of jeans under her nightie. When she tip-toed into the Common Room a minute later, it looked empty. She waited, then a hand materialized seemingly out of thin air and beckoned her over to the portrait hole. Dawn went closer, and the hand closed over hers, pulling her underneath James' Invisibility Cloak.
Soundlessly, they made their way out of the Common Room and down in the general direction of the Great Hall.
"Where are we going?" Dawn whispered.
Sirius held a finger to his lips to indicate they needed complete silence as they turned down a new staircase and along a hallway Dawn had never seen before.
It was here that James finally pulled the Cloak off them and they stood in front of a painting of various fruits. Dawn raised her eyebrows. Sure, it was a nice painting and all, but it wasn't exactly worth the risk of getting caught sneaking around the castle in the middle of the night.
"Tickle the pear," James urged her.
"Excuse me?"
"Just do it, Kitten. Tickle that pear there and see what happens," Remus said.
Feeling a little foolish, Dawn reached out and fluttered her fingers over the painted pear a couple of times. She gave a delighted laugh a moment later, when the pear giggled and morphed into a door handle.
"Wicked cool," Dawn said, and didn't need to be encouraged to turn the handle before the five found themselves in the Hogwarts Kitchens.
Immediately, they were set upon by the strangest little creatures Dawn had ever laid eyes on. They could only be described as cute... in an ugly sort of way.
"Sirs have come back! Sirs have come back!" they called in high pitched voices, clamouring to get close to the group of visitors. "We House-Elves is very honoured that Sirs is come to visit us. And what's this? Sirs is very kind to bring another friend! And such a pretty friend- she must be one of Sirs' date?"
Dawn blushed dark red at the complement as the House-Elves continued to chatter. Her blush turned to magenta a moment later, when Sirius and James each tried to snake an arm about her waist and claim her as his date and ended up, as usual, squabbling like children over the issue.
When the excited babble, that sounded very much like a Chipmunks record on super-speed, died down, Remus spoke up. "This is our friend. Her name's Dawn. Dawnie, these are the House-Elves. They run the Kitchen and take care of the cleaning and the laundry around here."
"Hi," Dawn grinned at the little beings. "It's nice to meet you all."
To her horror, it was like an instant crying storm had swept through the kitchens. It was as if Dawn's words had unleashed a dam in every one of the House-Elves, who were now sobbing for all they were worth.
"Mistress Dawn is too kind," one of them choked out. "Mistress Dawn is surely a great and powerful witch to be a friend to Sirs here, she is surely too good to be so kind to us!"
Dawn whimpered. She felt awful to have caused such an upset, but Sirius nudged her to get her attention discreetly.
"Don't be upset," he said, his lips way too close to her ear not to cause her to shiver slightly. "It's just their way. They're slaves, you see, it's in their nature to be so subservient."
Dawn didn't really get it, but she nodded anyway. Slavery? Yuck. The House-Elves calmed down and ushered them to a table, less than a minute later, they had proudly laid out a banquet. The group thanked the House- Elves, then dug into the delicious food.
"So why are we doing this?" Dawn asked, swallowing a bite of apple pie. "I mean, what's the occasion?"
"We come down here together for a midnight snack once a month, before I..." Remus began to explain, but broke off abruptly when he realised he'd just come dangerously close to spilling his secret.
Dawn understood immediately, and she also understood the tense silence that had settled over the kitchen. She mentally kicked herself for being so pushy and ignorant. Quickly adopting a clueless smile, she bailed Remus out of the dilemma she'd pushed him into.
"So once a month you come down here together to visit the House- Elves? That's so sweet," she cooed.
The Marauders all exhaled for the firs time since Remus had shut up, and they all nodded, latching eagerly onto the explanation. "That's right," James said quickly.
"Plus the food is great," Peter added, pulling a dish of chocolate pudding towards him.
"That it is," Dawn readily agreed, sticking her own spoon into the pudding dish.
They finished their midnight snack and said good-bye to the House- Elves, thanking them again for the fantastic food. Silently, they slipped back into the hallway after checking the coast was clear.
While James was bust pulling the Invisibility Cloak from his pocket and trying to unfold it, Dawn began exploring the off-shooting corridors from the one they were in. The first dark side hall appeared to be empty, except for one small table at the far end. Dawn peered towards it, sure she'd just seen it shake the tiniest bit.
Knowing how stupid it was even as she did so, Dawn took a step forwards. There was a dark shape forming, blossoming out from underneath the table like a spreading shadow. Now would be a good time to run, Dawn told herself, but her feet remained rooted to the spot as the emerging shadow took on the distinct form of a person.
Angelus.
Dawn screamed.
Angelus advanced, chuckling coldly. "What's the matter, Dawnie? Haven't you missed me?" he sneered.
Dawn's eyes were wide as saucers. No... This was impossible- the Angelus in this dimension was long gone. But it had to be the Angelus she knew, because he knew who she was. But then how had he got here? How had he lost his soul? Was he after her? Why? She tried to scramble backwards, only to end up in an undignified heap at Angelus' feet. Her head tilted back, she stared up at him fearfully. Footsteps from the other hall were thundering closer, but to Dawn it all seemed a million miles away.
Angelus was still chuckling that same cruel, malicious laugh. "You know, I'm trying to remember that promise I made you, Lil' Bit. What was it again? Oh yeah- when I was done with big sis I'd come and give you a go. Well guess what Dawnie? I don't see dear old Buff round here anywhere, and I always make good on my promises," he finished in a deadly whisper.
"No. Please, no," Dawn whimpered helplessly, sobbing at the vampire's feet.
Three pairs of hands roughly yanked Dawn to her feet and out of the range of the snarling Angelus. As Dawn collapsed against Peter, with Sirius and James standing close by them, Remus strode forwards, wand raised.
Before Dawn's dumbfounded eyes, as Angelus realised Remus had come between him and his prey, he stopped short. He disappeared with a loud pop. A second later, he had been replaced with an image of the full moon.
"Riddikulus," Remus said firmly, and with a wave of his wand the moon image dissipated.
Dawn was in hysterics, shaking and crying all over Peter, who looked a little petrified himself, trying in vain to calm the girl. He shot a look at his friends that clearly screamed 'help'. James was closer, but Sirius shoved him aside and gathered Dawn up securely in his arms. James was about to start sniggering when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.
"Filch!" he hissed.
Immediately, they all huddled together and James threw the Invisibility Cloak over them. Dawn was still far from calm, letting out short, ragged gasps of air. Sirius pressed a hand over her mouth to muffle the sounds as the crotchety caretaker of the castle, Argus Filch, shone a lantern down their hallway. They all held their breaths as Filch stared down in their direction for the longest time, as if he could sense how close he was to the joy of handing out five detentions in one fell swoop. Sirius could feel Dawn still trembling against him through the thin cotton of her nightie, and forced himself to remain silent and focus on anything other than exactly how thin her clothing really was, now he thought of it.
Finally, grumbling about 'wretched students' and 'that damned Peeves', Filch turned and lumbered off into the darkness. They waited a full minute to be sure he was gone before making the slow, silent trek back up to Gryffindor Tower.
In the safety of the boys' dorm, they shed the Cloak and let out a collective sigh of relief. Remus, who was looking downright awful by this stage, said goodnight and went straight over to his bed, pulling the hangings around him as he went. Peter soon followed suit.
"You all right, Kitten?" James asked, touching a concerned hand to her pale cheek. When she gave a nod to the affirmative, he grinned his goodnight and drew the hangings about his bed, leaving Dawn and Sirius standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. The silence stretched on, becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second until Sirius took a deep, fortifying breath.
"C'mon," he said gently, taking her hand and tugging her closer to his bed. "I don't think you should be going back to your dorm alone when you're so upset."
Dawn's stomach flip-flopped. Damn James for leaving her out here alone with him, she would have a nervous breakdown by morning for sure! "Ok," she managed in a strangled whisper. Sirius yanked the covers down for her and stepped back to let her in.
Modestly, Dawn turned her back on Sirius while she unfastened her jeans and slipped them off from underneath her nightclothes. She wished he would look away, but Sirius could not tear his eyes from the scene. By the time he had watched Dawn step out of her jeans, his breathing had quickened to the point of almost panting. Dawn carefully folded her pants and placed them on Sirius' bedside table, willing her hands to stop their nervous shaking as she sat on the edge of the bed.
Just to give himself time to get a grip, Sirius walked around to the other side of the bed. Dawn kept her back turned, but she couldn't help sneaking a glance over her shoulder as Sirius shed his clothes down to his boxers, leaving them in a crumpled heap on the floor. He cleared his throat and Dawn turned around, colour flooding her face. She bit her lip and tried not to stare too obviously at his bare chest: he really was very good-looking.
"Could you, uh, hand me that shirt?" he whispered, gesturing to the black t-shirt lying carelessly on the bedside table, partially hidden by her neatly folded jeans.
Dawn snatched it up and tossed it at Sirius, not quite able to look him in the eye. When they were both finally changed, they slid under the covers and Sirius leaned over Dawn to turn the lamp down. Dawn lay flat on her back, rigid as a board, her hands clutching uncertainly at the sheet. Damn, but it hadn't been nearly this awkward sharing with James. She cursed her stupid girlish stomach that just would not stop fluttering.
"So who was your Boggart?" Sirius whispered, breaking the tense silence.
"What? What's a Boggart?" Dawn whispered back, turning her head to face him.
Sirius rolled onto his side so he could face her properly as they spoke. "The thing we saw outside the Kitchens. It takes the form of whatever you fear the most. So, who was yours?" he prodded.
Dawn grimaced. "Well, remember how I told you we had the Order of Aurelius where I'm from, too? You just met Angelus."
"They really weren't kidding when they said he was sadistic, huh?" Sirius whispered back, to which Dawn shook her head.
"No, they really weren't." She unconsciously shifted a little closer to Sirius and he gave her a quick, reassuring squeeze. The last thing Dawn remembered thinking before drifting off to sleep was hw nice his arm felt draped across her shoulders. A moment later, Sirius' eyelids had also fluttered closed.
He slowly drifted back into consciousness with the morning light, aware only of the pleasant sensation of being entangled in something warm and soft. Gradually, Sirius opened his eyes and smiled down at the slender arm wrapped about his waist, and the soft cheek snuggled into his shoulder. When he realised the effect the feel of that slender arm soft cheek was truly having on him, however, the smile disappeared from Sirius' face as abruptly as a light bulb blowing.
Slowly, he raised his head so he could see down the length of his body. Oh yeah, he was in big trouble. His head dropped back onto the pillow, his eyes wide and staring at the ceiling, his breathing rapid and shallow.
Think un-sexy thoughts. Think un-sexy thoughts. Think un-sexy thoughts.
Dawn mumbling something about two birds and one stone making yummy dead birds and snuggling even closer into his side really didn't help matters for him. Oh Merlin, now her hand had gone and drifted down to the skin of his waist exposed by his t-shirt riding up in the night. The touch was sending shockwaves throughout his entire body.
"Think un-sexy thoughts. Think un-sexy thoughts."
"What's that?" Dawn mumbled, blinking her huge blue eyes sleepily up at him.
Uh-oh. Did he really just say that out loud? Bad. Very, very bad. "Nothing. Good morning," Sirius whispered quickly, praying the situation wouldn't get any worse for him than it already was.
Dawn smiled drowsily, then she realised exactly how close they were and she blushed, quickly shifting away from him. The sudden relief Sirius felt was immediately at war with his overwhelming disappointment that Dawn was no longer touching him.
"Sleep all right?" He could hardly believe that calm, quiet murmur was his own voice when inside he was screaming with frustration.
Dawn nodded. "I did. But maybe I should get back to my own dorm? You know, before I land us all in big trouble," she whispered, propping herself up on one elbow.
Sirius had to bite back a groan. Personally, he was already in big trouble, just not the kind she was thinking of. He nodded quickly. Much as he wanted her to stay, her leaving now would be very helpful to him. Though when she leaned over to brush a soft, shy kiss to his cheek, feeling much more awkward than she had the pervious morning with James, Sirius' senses went haywire. It was all he could do not to turn his head, catch her lips with his, slam her shoulders back against the mattress and...
No! Bad thoughts! He caught himself just in time.
Think un-sexy thoughts. Think un-sexy thoughts. Think un-sexy thoughts.
He sat up, careful to bunch the covers up around his waist as he did so. With a small, girlish smile, Dawn stole from the room, her jeans in her hand. The door shut behind her with a little click. The room was still and quiet.
"Oh bloody hell," Sirius moaned, disentangling himself from his damp sheets and bolting for the privacy of the bathroom.
As always, I adore your questions, comments and suggestions, so keep 'em coming! Anoron
