Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all things Harry Potter, Joss Whedon owns all things Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dido owns Honestly Ok, Billy Joel owns She's Always a Woman and Guns N' Roses owns Patience. None of those people is me... unfortunately.

A.N. This chapter has two 'backing tracks' of sorts, because I just thought that certain lines in them were really fitting of the whole Dawn/Sirius riff this chapter. And be warned, it is painfully obvious here that Sirius is, in fact, a teenage boy with teenage boy impulses.

Ok, have decided to skip the Greatest Journal thing since TTH now has the ability to post author's comments directly after reviews. So I'll be back to answering any reviews right here before each chapter!

Sonofgloin: Now I wish I had put blue ducks in for you... although they tend to remind me of those toilet cleaner thingies... XX

Eleclya111: Yeah I know I left Dawnie out of the loop a little last chapter... I think I wanted to prove to myself that I could carry on scenes with the other characters for more than 2 pages without her LOL. Sometimes I forget that the boys all have to have their lives going on as well, so part of Choosing My Confessions was just to remind me of that. I doubt she'll disappear so much in future.

Rogue-Angel82: I'm glad you like my Sirius, I do spend a lot of time working on characterisation still, and it's nice to know it pays off when my favourite people (you reviewers) comment on it. As for the Ilfirin Meleth trilogy... pencil me in for a yes I do plan to continue it one day, but for now it is on a hiatus while my more Sirius muse runs wild. Have got a couple of early chapters done for IM3: A New Dawn and a tentative storyline worked through... just email me if you'd like them sent for spoilers, I'm always happy to share.

Lucky Shamrock: If you liked the Lucius reference... stay tuned for this chapter and the one following because he's about to have a good solid crack at making himself the official bad guy on the scene. I think this chapter is even just a little longer... hopefully enough to keep you satisfied until the next fix.

SiriusEarendil: Thanks for your review & support. In answer to your question, yes I do plan on having a sequel and it will be set during the time of Order of the Phoenix, and as far as Sirius' future goes now that Dawn's in and rocking the Marauders' world... wait and see. If you hate waiting, email me for a few light spoiler scenes I've already knocked out.

Phoenix83ad: Thanks for the awesome review, and thanks also for your thumbs up on the Black showdown... I sort of agonised as I was posting over whether it was a huge anti-climax or not. And yeah, I did very heavily base my characterization of the vile Mrs B on a slightly more sane version of that portrait! Maybe Dawn will help James with Lily... if she can. That boy needs a lot more help with Lily than one girl can give, in my opinion, the poor guy. As for Voldemort, well funny you should mention that guy... read on, read on! (Please?)

Zombiegurl98: Sorry- I updated as soon as I possibly could. Damn assignments & work always getting in the way!!

Beachgurl2005: Thank you for all the encouraging words, as an occasionally aspiring writer I really appreciate them. And I'm also glad you liked 'Kissing It Better', there may or may not be a few more following one-shots in the not-too-distant future, depending on how far and explicit I want to take Dawn and Sirius' relationship within the actual plot. I'm still working out the kinks of that one. Any input? I really do love feedback (being a review-whore and all).

Thanks for all the support and patience and encouragement, on with the chapter (finally!)


Backing tracks:

She's Always A Woman

She can kill with a smile

She can wound with her eyes

And she'll ruin your faith with her casual lies

And she only reveals what she wants you to see

She hides like a child

But she's always a woman to me...


Patience

Said woman take it slow it'll work itself out fine

All we need is just a little patience

Said sugar make it slow and we come together fine

All we need is just a little patience

I sit here on the stair 'cause I'd rather be alone

If I can't have you right now I'll wait dear

Sometimes I get so tense but I can't speed up the time

But you know love there's one more thing to consider

Said woman take it slow and things will be just fine

If you and I just use a little patience

Said sugar take good time 'cause the lights are shining bright

And you and I've got what it takes to make it...


CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Honestly Ok

I just want to feel safe in my own skin

Rabastan bowed deeply. "My Lord, I've just now received word from my informant at Hogwarts," he murmured.

"Good news, I hope," Voldemort hissed. "What of the Key?"

With a cringe, Rabastan shook his head. "No news of the Key yet my Lord. Dumbledore is guarding it well, it seems. My informant has searched much of the castle, but still he is at a loss."

The red eyes of Voldemort smouldered with anger. "Rabastan," he let out in a sigh hissing with impatience. "Have you anything useful to tell me? Ever?"

"Yes, sir, I think so," he rushed out. "A rather interesting situation arose over the weekend, while all the parents were visiting their brats at the school. You know of the Black family, of course?"

"A noble family. Oh yes," Voldemort replied with a smirk. "I believe the eldest of the current generation –Andromeda, was it?- works for that joke of a Ministry. You failed to court the girl in your younger days, yes? And she turned you down in favour of a filthy muggle?"

A flush of mingled anger and embarrassment washed over the young Death-Eater's face. "Yes Lord. And as it turns out, she has a cousin, a fifth-year Gryffindor who unfortunately, is turning out to be every inch the blood-traitor Andromeda is. It was, by all accounts, an interesting confrontation when the boy, Sirius Black is his name, out-and-out publicly defied his mother and refused to... pursue more respectable alliances than those with whom he currently consorts," Rabastan relayed quickly, hoping that at least some information he could give would appease his master.

Voldemort shrugged, apparently unimpressed. "So the little Gryffindor brat is a blood-traitor. Why should I care any more for him than any of the other countless blood-traitors befouling our world?"

"There is more to it, my Lord," came the almost pleading reply. "A girl. A Mudblood, the very thing Black defies his family for. My informant has watched her for months now, since she arrived at the school, and as Black's girlfriend he considers her his greatest weakness."

"And again, why should I care? The girl is just another Mudblood to be wasted. Though I am feeling up to a spot of torture –it's been weeks since I heard the sound of a screaming muggle- who is the girl? Perhaps I shall pay her family a little visit," Voldemort mused with a wicked grin.

Rabastan shrugged apologetically. "No one knows about her family for certain, Lord. The girl's name is Summers, Dawn Summers, but my informant mentioned she had no visitors of her own over the weekend. Rumour has it she, her sister and mother were abandoned by her father, that the mother died of some filthy muggle disease and the sister was somehow lost to her. Even the old fool himself could not locate the sister to reunite them, so she is in effect alone, and almost unprotected."

Abandoned and orphaned? Voldemort could almost relate to the little Mudblood. "Almost unprotected?" he asked curiously.

Rabastan eagerly latched onto the slight interest shown by his master. "Yes my Lord. You see, my informant reports that she has fallen in with the Potter family."

"The Potters?" Voldemort hissed, his red eyes narrowing dangerously. How he hated that family who always stood so determinedly against him. Rabastan let out an involuntary whimper at the sudden mood swing.

"Their boy James, he's been heard to call Summers his sister, though there is no apparent blood relation between them, and the parents paid particular attention to the girl while they were there, too. She could be a useful tool, Lord, in teaching a painful lesson to those who dare stand against you," the Death-Eater hinted darkly.

"You know," Voldemort smiled suddenly. "I think it high time I met with this informant of yours, Rabastan."


James grinned down at Dawn as she matched her steps to his. "Not late for class, are you Kitten?"

"We should look into alarm clocks," Dawn sighed. "I miss breakfast."

James snorted. "Alarm clocks would just interrupt a perfectly nice Thursday morning sleep-in. We could just skive off class and go to the Kitchens," he offered.

Dawn wrinkled her nose. "Pass. Probably not the best idea to leave Sirius all alone in the Divination tower. Those incense fumes do strange things to people."

James laughed loudly. "Explains Damus then."

Dawn started to giggle, then she heard the whispers. She'd been hearing those whispers for about four days now, ever since the very public showdown of the Blacks that she'd landed herself in the middle of.

"That's the one, Sirius Black's girlfriend. I can't believe you missed it, he practically disowned his own moth-"

The voice didn't get any further than that; the fourth-year Hufflepuff who'd been feverishly whispering to her friends suddenly found herself on the wrong side of James Potter's temper. She tried to squeal in alarm, but found it a little difficult considering her lips had just been magically sewn together.

"C'mon," James muttered, grabbing Dawn's hand and speeding off down the corridor. They scrambled to the Divination tower and up the ladder to Damus' already underway class.

"You shouldn't have done that," Dawn whispered as she flipped to the latest entry of her Dream Journal. "But thanks."

James nodded in response. Sirius watched the interaction with a questioning glance, but Dawn merely shook her head to let him know it was nothing worth worrying over. An Oracle lay open before them on the table, but Dawn ignored it. She'd come to realise that her dreams about Sunnydale required a more literal than symbolic interpretation. Though there was one dream she'd been having about a pair of bright green eyes and a lightning bolt scar that she couldn't quite figure out.

Bored with his own work already, Sirius scooted close up to Dawn so he could read her latest entries over her shoulder. It was his favourite thing to do in class: Dawn's dreams were always written so honestly and openly (unlike his), they were detailed and interesting, Sirius had managed to learn a lot about what life in Sunnydale must've been like through them.

As always, Dawn lasted about four seconds before she passed her Journal over completely and reached for Sirius' abandoned one. Sometimes she truly believed that if she didn't do his Divination work it simply wouldn't be done, but Dawn didn't mind the challenge. There was no subtlety to Sirius, his dreams were all such amazingly abstract versions of subconscious expression of sexual desire... dogs chasing cats up trees (that memory always made her laugh), swimming in the Antarctic with Killer Whales (that one was really abstract, she'd had to consult the Oracle twice to be certain) and being a muggle astronaut on a space-shuttle preparing for take-off (that one wasn't abstract at all, actually). Dawn often wondered if Sirius was even recording his real dreams at all, or if the whole thing was one big joke to him.

Sirius flipped through the latest series of dreams Dawn had recorded, images of Sunnydale for the most part, occasionally broken by a flash of green eyes and a strange lightning-shaped scar. For the most part, Dawn's dreams told an unhappy story of the life she'd left behind and Sirius was finding it more and more difficult to see a downside to her being exiled from the Hellmouth forever. He knew Dawn missed her family still at times, and there was the occasional bright spot like the engagement ring she'd seen on Anya's finger, but the bad in Sunnydale always seemed to outweigh the good. Willow becoming dependent on Wiccan magic... her relationship with Tara imploding as a result... stacks of boxes at the front door as Tara moved out... Giles walking away from them all... Buffy and Spike fighting... Buffy and Spike kissing... Buffy and Spike doing... other things Dawn did not wish to discuss.

He was chuckling over how engaging his little Kitten's bashful innocence could be when she suddenly shoved his own completed work back in front of him. Sirius bit back a groan of horror as he read. Who knew his fake dream about roasting marshmallows over a campfire with his mates could be interpreted as the subconscious' way of expressing unresolved sexual tensions within him? Dawn was shaking her head, giving a little embarrassed giggle.

"You worry me," she told him.

James snickered loudly and arched an eyebrow at Sirius, the spark in his hazel depths suggesting he just get it over with and start recording the truth in his Dream Journal. It'd be quicker, in any event, than bothering with the Oracle.

The lesson finally ended and the little group took to the hallways to meet their friends for Defence Against the Dark Arts. The moment they stepped in amongst the crowd, Dawn heard the whispering start up again. Sirius' hand tightened a little around her own, a tiny growl resounded deep in his throat.

"Oh bloody hell!" James snapped at the student population in general. "Don't you people have your own lives to be getting on with?" By the time they met with the others in the Defence room, James had magically sewn six more mouths shut, and administered a handful of magical wedgies for good measure. Dawn would have complained, but it was just so effective in shutting people up.

By the end of the day, Dawn had thoroughly had enough of hearing people talk about her. Sunnydale Junior High had been painfully rife with rumours at times, but it was never quite this bad. Hogwarts students with a rumour were as relentless as a dog with a bone. Or Spike with a taped episode of Passions.

"It's the downside of a boarding school," Remus explained as they left the Great Hall after dinner, his had as firmly enclosed around Isabel's as Sirius' was around Dawn's.

"Yeah, there's no escape," Isabel piped up. "Nobody ever goes home at the end of cla-"

"Potter!" Lily shrieked from behind, cutting Isabel's sentence short. "What do you think you're doing now?"

James shrugged innocently, returning his wand to the folds of his robes. "Teaching the student body a thing or two about gossiping." Behind him, a group of frightened-looking third-years scuttled off to the Hospital Wing for Madam Pomfrey to unstitch their lips... and hopefully remove the boils.

Lily ground her teeth together, trying to suppress her rage, if only for Dawn's sake. She had promised not to hex Potter any more if she could possibly help it. And she had accepted that galleon as a bribe. Besides, the American had copped quite a beating by the rumour mill.

James smiled happily. "You know, you look really cute when you're angry, Evans. Will you-?"

"No I will not go out with you!" the redhead exploded.

"Actually, Evans," James returned cheekily. "I was going to ask if you'd care to show me how to do that teeth-grinding thing... over dinner."

Dawn shared a quick, secretive grin with Sirius as the group of Gryffindors made their way into the Common Room and settled around the fire. Barely five minutes later, the slim shadows of two fifteen year-olds were disappearing up the boys' staircase. Lily rolled her eyes, pretending not to notice the rule broken right under her nose. Remus and James barely managed to cover their snickers, and Isabel was smiling widely, snuggling a little closer to Remus. Remus grinned down at the blond comfortably attached to his side. Several minutes later, Peter looked around, his nose wrinkled in confusion.

"Where are Padfoot and Dawn?"

Even Lily couldn't hold back the snort of laughter at that.


"Do you hear that?" Dawn asked as they stepped into the Marauders' dorm.

"What, Kitten?" Sirius frowned. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," came the contented sigh. No whispers, no stares, no pointing and giggling. Just peace. Dawn glanced out the window and perked up instantly. "Hey, it's snowing!"

Sirius couldn't help but smirk at the childlike delight with which Dawn bounded over to the large bay window and clambered up to the ledge. She stared out into the darkness, captivated by the soft glitter of snowflakes that fluttered to the earth.

"Never seen snow before?" Sirius teased lightly, coming up behind Dawn. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Only the miracle variety," Dawn replied with a shrug that almost catapulted Sirius' chin from its resting place.

"Hmm?" he breathed in her ear, waiting for the little Sunnydale anecdote that would no doubt be forthcoming.

"Yeah, Christmas a few years ago. The First Evil did its evil thing and Angel decided that the only way to stop Angelus getting let out of his cage again was for him to kill himself. He went up to the bluff to wait for the sun to rise, even Buffy couldn't convince him to get inside... only it snowed so heavily that the sun was blocked out. Miracle snow. Guess the Powers really needed their Champion or something," she concluded, for a moment dwelling on memories of lives now lost to her.

Sirius soon left her with no room to dwell on the past, his lips distracting her by kissing every little bit of skin currently in their reach. Dawn let out an appreciative sigh as Sirius' mouth started working its way along her jaw line before skipping right down to the arc of her neck. She swung around on the window ledge so she was facing him and took his face in her hands to guide his mouth up to hers. Sirius yanked Dawn up close to him, taking her legs and wrapping them firmly about his waist.

Before she knew what was happening, Dawn had been lifted off the ledge and carried across the dorm, Sirius kissing her soundly the entire time. They blindly crashed onto his bed in a tangle of limbs, Dawn grunted under the added weight of the body now on top of her and shifted until she wasn't quite so easily pinned to the bed. Sirius, meanwhile, had somehow managed to settle himself in between her thighs, she tried to slide into a less compromising position but there was nowhere to go.

Sirius thought he'd go mad with the little whimpers Dawn let out against his lips, with the way her body seemed made to be moulded against his... even through all that clothing he wouldn't mind getting out of the way. Dawn broke away suddenly, gasping for air and trembling beneath him.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, trying not to focus too obviously on the rapid rise and fall of Dawn's chest.

"Breathing is good," Dawn panted.

"Oh. Right."

While Dawn caught her breath, Sirius amused himself by drawing his fingers over her face. He ran a finger lightly down the centre of her face, tracing between her eyes, down the length of her nose and finally over her lips to her chin. Dawn smiled, basking in the attention as he began to canvass her features in greater detail. Sirius' finger followed the delicate arch of her eyebrow before moving down to caress the smooth, high cheekbones. When he reached her lips again, Dawn surprised him by showering his whole hand with a series of sweet little kisses.

He soon replaced his hand with his own lips, recapturing Dawn with his kisses while his hand moved further down, paying the same attention to her body as it had her face. Dawn felt every moment of Sirius' kisses like fire, and the way his hands could make her skin hum and tingle was almost earth-shattering, but she was starting to suffocate under the intensity of him. Sirius had stolen a hand into the tiniest gap between their bodies and as a result, several buttons of both their shirts were no longer as fastened as they ought to be.

Sirius moved slowly down her body, his lips attached themselves to Dawn's collarbone and his hand cupped her breast, rubbing in small circles over her bra. Dawn's eyes squeezed tightly closed, her heart pounded painfully in her chest and droplets of sweat dotted her forehead. Sirius let out a low moan full of unadulterated desire and shifted his body, allowing his hand to slide up the skirt already bunched around her waist, barely covering her.

Dawn's eyes flew open in surprised alarm, her body tensed and all of a sudden she wasn't enjoying herself so much anymore. Sirius wasn't being rough in the least, or overly forceful with her, but his hand had strayed places hands had never gone before. Touching places that weren't ready to be touched.

"Stop," she whimpered, eyes wide and pleading. "Please stop."

Sirius paused, his fingers still hooked incriminatingly under the elastic of the underwear he'd been on the verge of tugging out of his way. He heaved a great sigh to collect himself then lifted his head so he could see his girlfriend's face. She looked nicely dishevelled, but with a troubling flicker of fear in the deep wells of her eyes. Almost guiltily, Sirius withdrew both his hands and pushed himself up, leaving Dawn with a little more breathing space. She sat up and, flushing with embarrassment, hastily refastened her shirt and smoothed her skirt down.

Reluctantly, Sirius redid his own buttons. He didn't realise he'd pushed so far... he just always wanted a little more of her. "Sorry Kitten," he muttered, looking away.

"I just don't wanna rush," Dawn explained, running her fingers through her hair in a vain attempt to comb it back into place. Sure, she knew Sirius was no Gypsy-cursed vampire, but the thought of going too far, too fast still terrified her no end. Sirius bit back a pout. He'd wanted Dawn for far too long, barely a night went by when he didn't dream about her, and they'd been together for weeks now. So why didn't she want him?

Dawn chewed her lip, sensing the disappointment in Sirius as he sat next to her on the bed. "Are we ok?" she asked tentatively.

Sirius looked up at the childlike timidness with which Dawn had spoken and without even understanding why he suddenly felt like an insensitive git. He gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and summoned his most reassuring smile. "Of course we are, Dawnie."

"Good," Dawn smiled and pressed a teasingly chaste kiss to his cheek. "I'm gonna go take a nap before we go for midnight snacks. See you later?"

"See you later," Sirius echoed as Dawn slipped out of the boys' dorm. Feeling highly confused and frustrated, Sirius thanked Merlin that at the very least he had time for a cold shower before they all met for their monthly Kitchen trip.


Dawn paused before stepping into the Common Room, taking a moment to ensure she was at least semi-presentable. Satisfied that she'd unrumpled her clothing and smoothed her hair as much as possible, she took a deep breath and left the cover of the boys' stairwell behind. She'd expected to meet with an entire room full of people, but soon realised that she must've been upstairs for longer than she'd thought, as only two people remained on the couch by the fire. Not wanting to ruin the moment, Dawn tip-toed across and up the girls' stairs before Remus and Isabel noticed the intruding presence.

Remus broke the kiss with a sigh, not at all looking forward to the conversation he was about to initiate. "I have something to tell you," he said slowly.

Sensing the inherit danger in those words, Isabel sat up a little straighter. "What's wrong, Remus?"

He couldn't quite meet her eyes. "I have to go away for a couple of days. There's family stuff I have to help with," he lied evasively.

"I hope everything's alright," Isabel worried with a quick squeeze of his hand. "When do you have to go?"

"Tomorrow, after classes."

Isabel looked slightly crestfallen. "But tomorrow is... it's our one month anniversary, Remus. I was planning something for us. Do you really have to go?" she pouted.

For a moment, Remus felt the hot stab of self-pity, guilt and self-loathing tearing through him. He looked down, mumbling and apologetic. "I'm so sorry Isabel. Really, I am. But it can't be helped, I've got to go... if you're not too disappointed, maybe we could celebrate our month when I get back?" he tried, feeling it was a poor trade-off himself.

Resigned, Isabel started playing with the ends of Remus' hair. "Ok then, I understand. But why do you have to go?"

He would tell her the truth, she deserved that much Remus resolved as he looked up to catch her eye. But then there were those wonderfully warm brown eyes, shining at him with such trust and affection that Remus couldn't bear the thought of the horror they'd fill with when he told her his secret.

"Actually, I'm... really a Secret Agent for the British muggle Government and I go by the name Bond. James Bond."

She laughed and slapped playfully at his shoulder. "You wish, Lupin."

"What's that, Whitman?" Remus feigned offence as he pushed his guilt away. "You don't think I'm suave enough to be a Secret Agent?"

"No," she giggled. "You're far too sweet to be suave."

"Well in that case..." Remus grinned and leaned in to resume their activities from before their little conversation.

Isabel slipped up to the girls' dorms shortly before midnight, and soon the Marauders had gathered under James' Invisibility Cloak for the walk down to the Kitchens. With the five of them crowded in together like sardines, Dawn couldn't help but wish she owned steel-capped boots just for this monthly occasion. The boys in all their attempts at masculine striding were slowly killing her feet.

"Ouch," she hissed as Peter's foot squashed her big toe.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Shh," James cautioned.

"Oh thanks for your concern," Dawn muttered sarcastically.

They settled into silence for a few steps.

"Ouch!" James yelped loudly. "Padfoot, you great ruddy oaf, that was my foot!"

"Shove it, Prongs," Sirius snapped back, equally as loudly.

"Shh," Dawn hissed ironically.

"Oh thanks for your concern," James mimicked.

A long-suffering sigh escaped Remus and Dawn tittered behind her hand. Somehow, they made it to the fruit painting without alerting Filch and half the castle to their whereabouts.

"Thank Merlin," Remus muttered. He didn't particularly enjoy the prospect of earning a detention the night before his transformation. The pear was tickled and the door opened, the group shed the Invisibility Cloak and stepped into the cosy warmth of the Kitchens and grinned at the House-Elves that fell upon them. Dawn spotted Locky in the rabble and waved happily at the little creature.

"Mistress Dawn!" Locky squealed and threw her arms about Dawn's knees, almost knocking her over. Sirius grabbed Dawn to steady her.

"Whoa. Strong grip," Dawn muttered, still unable to be righted due to the House-Elf tangled in her legs. Finally releasing her death grip on Dawn's knees, Locky glanced up. Seeing only Dawn securely in Sirius' arms, and not noticing the way he was hastily trying to set her back on her own two feet, the tennis-ball eyes lit up like lurid green light-bulbs.

"Mistress Dawn and Sir Padfoot together still! Ooh they is making the prettiest pair, they must come down to the Kitchens for another date, Locky is happy to be fixing everything to their liking. We loves to see Mistress Dawn and Sir Padfoot so happy together, all us House-Elves is saying so, every day," Locky began to babble, while Dawn blushed and Sirius only grinned.

His grin faded when he registered the loud gagging sounds emitting from James' throat and glanced over his shoulder at his friends. James was rolling around on the floor, mock choking while Remus merely regarded him with a raised eyebrow. Peter had looked away, he seemed to be trying to ignore the entire production altogether.

"Is it time for food yet?" he squeaked suddenly, shifting his pale, watery gaze back to his friends expectantly.

Dawn laughed at the way James responded to the word 'food'. Like a dog hearing a dinner bell, his ears had perked up and he bounced fluidly to his feet, his eyes darting expectantly around. If he'd had a tail, Dawn was certain he'd be wagging it. In moments they'd been seated around a table piled ridiculously high with food. If one did not know just what a Marauder was capable of ingesting in a single sitting, one would make the mistake of swearing there was too much food laid out. They ate to their hearts' content, until Dawn noticed exactly how pale Remus' face was becoming and insisted they head back to Gryffindor tower so he could get some sleep.

When Dawn descended the stairs the next morning, there was a sense of foreboding in the air as tangible as an Invisibility Cloak spread over the entire castle. A quick stock-take of her friends as they met in the Common Room showed one was missing.

"Morning. Where's James?"

"McGonagall came to get him a while ago," Remus said, his voice low and gloomy, and not because of the impending full moon.

Dawn picked up on the familiar vibe of a loved one in trouble. "Is everyone ok? What happened?" she worried.

Sirius squeezed her hand as they headed to the Great Hall. "We don't know, McGonagall wouldn't say anything in the dorm. Probably wanted to get out of there right quick, what with Wormtail still walking around in his undies-"

"Off topic, Padfoot," Remus cut in tiredly.

Sirius flashed a quick grin of apology at his friends before his mannerisms became noticeably more sombre. "Well we really shouldn't jump to conclusions, but whenever anybody got called out like that last year... Voldemort..." he trailed off. He didn't really need to spell it out anyway.

Dawn shuddered. The last thing she'd wanted was to step into a world that had the potential for Sunnydale-esque mortality rates. And the thought of something bad happening to the sweet, wonderful Potters was nothing short of sickening. She sat down heavily at the table, and for once Remus didn't even bother trying to ply her with food.

Looking a little sick herself, Lily wordlessly tossed her copy of the Daily Prophet, the Wizarding Newspaper, down the table at them. Sirius snatched it up and began to scan the front page.

"Shit," he breathed, all the colour draining from his face.

"What?" Remus and Dawn demanded as one, neither even registering the curse. Peter just stared as if he was afraid to ask.

Clearing his throat, Sirius began to read snatches of the front page news. "Last night several of the Ministry's top Aurors responded to reports of an alarming amount of Dark Magic registering in muggle Surrey... a spokesperson for the Ministry later admitted to the Prophet that while the Aurors were too late to save the young muggle family whose home was attacked-" Sirius had to pause as Dawn let out a gasp of horror and Lily sighed glumly. She was only one of many muggle-born students more than a little worried about families left at home unprotected.

"Several of You-Know-Who's Death Eaters were still in the home, when the Aurors arrived. It is reported that a duel broke out when the team, last night operating under the command of Harold Potter, Deputy Head Auror, stormed the building," Sirius continued.

"Oh God- is he ok?" Dawn breathed painfully. The horrible weight that was pressing in on her chest was starting to make both breathing and speaking difficult. She bit her lip and gripped Sirius' arm with all her strength. Within mere minutes, Sirius began to lose the feeling in the tips of his fingers as the vice of Dawn's hand cut off his circulation and he rushed on before he could no longer hold the paper.

"In what has been hailed one of the most brutal encounters with Dark Wizards since the downfall of Grindelwald, two Aurors have been seriously wounded. The two Aurors, whom the Ministry have refused to publicly identify, are in a critical condition at St Mungo's Hospital. Head Auror Alastor Moody had this comment for the Prophet last night: 'We can now only practice constant vigilance. The war has truly started'."

A ringing silence echoed throughout the little group when Sirius' voice faded away. Lily was staring morosely at her plate and Isabel was resting her head against Remus' shoulder. It seemed that hearing the gory details for the second time hadn't been any easier than reading them the first time around. Remus rested his cheek on the top of Isabel's head and Peter played absently with his knife. Sirius lowered the paper and the first thing he saw was Dawn's eyes, huge and luminous, wet with tears and staring fearfully at him.

"You don't think he's really hurt, do you?" she whispered brokenly. "I wish we could see James, I hope he's ok." Sirius just closed his eyes as Dawn crashed into him, his head pounding as he thought about all the things that could possibly have happened to the man he considered his adoptive father almost.

"He's here," Remus blurted suddenly, breathing life back into all the Marauders.

James stood framed in the doorway with professor McGonagall, his trademark mess of hair even more dishevelled than usual, his shoulders a little slumped. Dawn disentangled herself from Sirius in order to hurl herself at James as he reached his friends. She half expected a quick squeeze, a light joke and the usual positive Marauder mentality.

But the second Dawn's arms locked around him, James seized her and hugged so hard he almost cracked her ribs. The others all exchanged glances, shifting uncomfortably with the suspense. When they finally separated, Dawn settled James securely between herself and Sirius, her hand on his and Sirius' gripping his best friend's shoulder supportively.

"He's ok," James mumbled finally. "Wasn't him. He's fine. Not him, not this time."

Everybody miraculously remembered how to breathe again. Even Lily sent a reassuring look James' way and Dawn wiped hastily at her eyes before she started to look like a wet rat. Sirius gave James' shoulder a rough squeeze before taking his hand away.

"What happened?" Remus asked gingerly.

James shrugged. "I don't know any more than what was in the papers, really. I think McGonagall just didn't want me to panic," he added with a humourless laugh.

None of them knew what to say that would be of any consolation to James. Without even a single bite of breakfast, apart from the few slices of toast Peter stuffed into his pocket, they headed to their first class of the day together. They walked in pensive silence for a while.

"I'm going to do something," James announced suddenly. "My Dad's out there fighting a war against darkness that most people are too afraid to even think about... he could die any day. I don't know how yet, and I don't care of it costs me my life, but I'm going to fight Voldemort with everything I have. Whatever I do, I swear to Merlin I'll do something great!"

There was a moment of silent contemplation as everybody processed the passion behind James' pledge. Dawn was smiling at him. "You know something James? You would've made a helluva Scooby."

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Scooby? As in the cartoon dog? Yeah, I see the resemblance."

Before Dawn could explain the reference as she meant it in more accurate detail, a familiar, scrawny figure stood in their path and an oily laugh oozed over them. Both Sirius and James pulled their wands immediately.

"Bugger off, Snivellus," Sirius snapped.

Snape ignored him. His black eyes glittered malevolently at James. "Off to plan the funeral, Potter? Might as well, it's only a matter of time before your father takes an Avada Kedavra right to the chest."

Sirius growled. James had gone white with rage.

A wicked grin flashed across the sallow face. "Is it really him laid up in S Mungo's? Think he'll do the rest of us a favour and just die?"

James and Sirius both fired off curses. Isabel and Peter squealed in alarm, Lily and Remus dove forwards to knock the boys' aim off course... so that Dawn wouldn't take both curses square in the back as she got right up in Snape's face. Without even thinking she'd let out a strange girlish roar, a hybrid of a shriek, a squeal and a growl, and stepped up to Snape.

The stinging slap of a hand to flesh echoed throughout the hallway like a cracking whip as Dawn swung with all the strength she never even knew she possessed. Right before their eyes, a vividly red and perfectly formed handprint appeared on Snape's sallow cheek.

"How dare you?" Dawn growled, her voice shaking under the strain of all the venom flooding through her. "Get out of my sight NOW!"

With the ear-splitting shriek her voice rose to on the last word, everybody jumped and looked at Dawn with a new mix of fear and respect. Peter had even dropped his piece of toast in alarm and scrambled back a few steps. Scowling, a hand held to his stinging cheek, Snape turned slowly and slunk off in the opposite direction. Dawn glared at the weedy figure until it was out of sight, then turned to her thunderstruck friends.

"What?" she asked innocently.

James leaned over to mutter in Sirius' ear as they walked on together as if nothing had happened. "Ever get the feeling the little Kitten's gonna grow up to be a Tiger?" he asked wryly.

"I'd have said a Lioness," Sirius shrugged. "Gryffindor and all."


Remus shoved his bowl of soup away as the Hospital Wing doors swung open, but frowned as he realised only one figure had ducked in, not the usual rabble of friends he'd been expecting.

"All right, Moony?" Sirius asked, flopping into the seat by the bed.

Remus nodded. "All right. But where are all the others?"

"Sent them down to the Kitchens without me,' Sirius replied shortly. "Thought we might have a bit of a chat is all."

Tired, sick, but shrewd as ever, Remus took in the slight slumping of Sirius' shoulders, the dejected set of his mouth and the way the Animagus stoutly preferred staring at the ground to looking in his friend's eyes. "All right Padfoot, out with it. What's the matter?"

Sirius didn't even pretend not to know what Remus was on about. He sighed, throwing his body back in the seat until he was staring at the ceiling. "Moony, how far have you and Isabel gone?" he asked suddenly.

Remus arched an eyebrow. "Far enough for a couple of fifteen year-olds who've only been together for a month. Which is most definitely not as involved as you'd call 'far enough' after about three dates," he said evasively. "What the bloody hell d'you want to know something like that for?"

The slumped shoulders twitched into a shrug. "Just curious. Trying to figure a few things out."

It clicked. Remus sat up a little. "Sirius? Is everything alright with you and Dawn?"

Finally, Sirius brought his gaze to Remus', and the werewolf almost cringed at the disheartened and frustrated confusion echoing through the pale eyes. "Yeah... no... I don't know. It's just, I feel like she's waiting for something better. Like she doesn't think I'm good enough for her or something," he mumbled, almost ashamed to be admitting the feelings out loud.

"What-?" Remus began, brow furrowed in confusion, then he cut himself off. He almost snorted out loud as he realised how exactly Sirius' logic had derailed. Remus wasn't really exaggerating when he'd implied Sirius would think nothing of going all the way with a girl by the third date, but Dawn was not like other girls at Hogwarts. Certainly not like the girls Sirius usually pursued. He just gave his misguided friend a baleful look.

"Padfoot, you're a dolt," he announced.

The look of shock on Sirius' face was priceless, but Remus forced himself to keep a straight face and press on now that he had Sirius' attention. "Look, you obviously couldn't be more wrong about that. Anyone with eyes can see Dawn adores you more than anything."

Sirius scowled a little. "Yeah, but I just don't get why one day she's pretty much telling me she loves me, and the next she doesn't want me to touch her," he grumbled.

Remus blinked. "She told you she loves you?" Scary thing for someone his age to contemplate, in Remus' opinion. He was brought out of his thoughts by the square of folded parchment Sirius had extracted from his robes to shove under his nose. Remus read the poetic lines and let out a low whistle. "No kidding."

"So why doesn't she want me like I want her?" Sirius pressed on, snatching the Shakespeare quote in swirly handwriting that he kept on him at all times now and restoring it safely to the pocket of his robes.

"Well let's take a moment to think about this," Remus replied, as of explaining to a three year-old why making a fish tank out of tissue paper wouldn't work out for the best. "What do we know about Dawn? What of her life in Sunnydale?"

His face creased up in thought, wondering what Remus was getting at, Sirius began to blurt out every random fact about Sunnydale that popped into his head. "Well Buffy was a Slayer, Dawn always knew of monsters and demons and the like. She always had to have someone looking out for her in case some evil thing like Glory decided to come after her. She got kidnapped a couple of times. Last Christmas she accidentally got served egg nog with rum in it. Her room was purple and had a tropical fish mobile hanging from the ceiling that Buffy bought her for her eleventh birthday. And oh yeah, she eventually got tied to the top of a tower built by crazy people and bled half to death by some slash-happy demon," he concluded. "What's your point?"

Remus sighed. Why did Sirius' selective stupidity always rear its ugly, clueless head when he was trying to explain something that was complicated enough in the first place? "And how many mentions of boys did we have there?"

"Well she told me once she never made all that many friends, because she couldn't handle knowing everything she did about the supernatural and not being allowed to share it," Sirius rambled obliviously. "But there was one girl Dawn said she didn't mind, Janice I think, though there was some other girl who used to start rumours about her that she was adopted and into cutting herself... I wouldn't mind pranking her for good measure. Oh and that Kevin git who called her freaky, I'd really love to give him a good hard kick up the-"

"My point is," Remus cut in loudly. He wasn't feeling well enough to withstand one of Sirius' rants for much longer. "You've spent the last few years making out and more with as many girls as Peter's had chocolate puddings. She's spent the last few years being lonely, alienated and fearing for her life. Not a lot of room left for making out with boys, let alone anything else," he lectured quietly.

"Well," a grin flashed across Sirius' face. "I do have the distinction of being her first kiss."

"It's obvious she likes you. More than likes, really. Just because she isn't ready to move at the speed of light, doesn't mean she doesn't want you, Padfoot. She'll know what she wants from you, why not try letting her show you what she can handle?" Remus suggested logically, before posing his final question. "Is she worth the wait?"

"Hell yes, Moony."

"Then I suggest you get accustomed to taking cold showers... you'll need them," Remus replied, not quite able to keep the smirk from his face.

"Don't I know it," Sirius muttered.

Sirius was mulling it all over when the doors swung open once more. Both he and Remus looked up guiltily as the topic of their conversation bounded into the Hospital Wing with a considerably lumpier than usual bag. Dawn looked between the two boys curiously.

"Whoa. I'm not interrupting secret men's business, am I?"

"Not at all, Kitten. Come join us," Remus invited with a chuckle.

Dawn perched herself on the side of his bed and began unpacking what looked to be half a picnic lunch. "So how're you feeling, Rem?"

"Tired, but fine," he promised. "What happened to James and Peter?"

A little snicker burst out of Dawn before she could censor herself. "They went back to the Kitchens for more food. We sort of lost half of it because, um, Peter fell down the stairs."

There were only a few minutes of lunch left by the time the two final Marauders joined them, and Dawn, Sirius and Remus had already eaten all the food stashed in Dawn's bag.

"What took you so long?" Sirius asked from his position sprawled in his chair, his feet propped up on Remus' bed and Dawn playing lazily with his shoelaces.

"Well after Wormtail fell down the stairs again we heard a bunch of Ravenclaws psycho-analysing yours and the Kitten's little scene with your mum, Padfoot," James explained. Remus and Dawn exchanged knowing glances.

"Prongs, exactly how many companions should I be expecting for this afternoon?" Remus asked flatly.

"Six or seven," James shrugged. "Once they figure out how to untangle their tongues from around their legs I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will be able to shrink them back to their natural size."

"Listen, James," Dawn laid a hand on his arm. "Not that I don't love you being all overprotective big brother and all, but maybe it's time you stopped randomly hexing people on our behalf."

"Why would I want to do that?" James asked, dumbfounded by the request.

"Because Lily's going postal with all the damage you're doing round the school. I don't want you to make her mad at you on my account," Dawn explained with a gentle smile.

James grinned. "Why worry about it? Evans is always mad at me about something. But if you really want me to, I'll try to keep my wand in my pocket. Only because you smacked down Snivellus," he clarified.

Dawn groaned. One rash act of rage, and the boys were never going to let her live it down. Sirius and James had even gone as far as engraving an X into the stone wall where it had happened, along with the date so that the site would be marked forever. The boys had not appreciated Dawn's little lecture on graffiti, but some quickly conjured flowers had managed to keep her quiet.

Sirius grinned at the reminder and leaned over to speak to Peter. "You know, I think I may be the only bloke at Hogwarts who gets to brag that his girlfriend walloped Snivellus," he confided in a stage whisper. Dawn poked her tongue out at him, but Sirius only smirked.


He felt the disturbance in the air around his bed, but his half-asleep mind just assumed there was a draft in the room. Sirius was about to call out for Peter to close the window when he felt the edge of his mattress dip and all of a sudden he knew he wasn't alone.

"Sirius? Are you awake?" the sweet, small voice was as soft as the rustling of his sheets as his companion burrowed beneath them.

"Could be. Hey baby," Sirius murmured, forcing his eyes open and reaching out to Dawn.

She smiled. "Hey baby," she returned, snuggling into his embrace and lacing her fingers through his.

"Is anything wrong?"

"No. I just wanted to see you," Dawn murmured, stretching up to brush her lips against his.

Sirius responded readily to Dawn, but Remus' suggestions were fresh in his mind and he was careful not to increase the intensity level to the point where Dawn could no longer feel in control. Dawn waited impatiently for Sirius to deepen their kiss and move things a little further along as he inevitably would, but it soon became apparent to her that he wasn't going to be the one to push things to the next level.

Feeling relaxed and comfortable, and suddenly very willing to explore just a little more, Dawn tried deepening the kiss and felt Sirius matching her, but once again unwilling to take the lead. It didn't take her long to figure out the play, and Dawn set to work urging both their bodies to where she was comfortable.

He ended up half on top of her again, only the hand braced against her waist was keeping his full weight from bearing down on her, but still Sirius kept his hormones firmly in check. If this was as far as Dawn wanted to take things, then he'd... really need one of those cold showers Remus had warned him about tonight.

Dawn rubbed her hands down Sirius' back, remembering the way his hands moving over her own body could set her skin on fire. While she knew she really wasn't ready to handle all of that hormonal conflagration, Dawn's thoughts wandered, riddled with curiosity... maybe one of those little, controlled spot fires, like back-burning wouldn't be such a bad thing. Her hand reached for the one he'd rested on her waist of its own accord, Sirius almost bit Dawn's tongue in his shock as she took his hand and, sliding it up over her clothing, settled it on her breast. She let out a little sigh.

After a few minutes, he broke the kiss long enough to loom down on her face. "You don't mind this? You're ok with it?" he asked, still stroking her gently.

Dawn didn't even open her eyes as she nodded slightly. "That feels good," she murmured contentedly.

Sirius grinned before he leaned back in to resume kissing Dawn. Maybe this following her gentle lead business wasn't quite so bad, after all.


Voldemort stared appraisingly at Rabastan's Hogwarts informant as the boy stood before him for inspection. He was still a boy, but he was on the verge of manhood, and his potential was an untapped resource of wealth, power and purity. Red eyes lit up like demonic candles. Voldemort had found himself a new follower.

"Mr Malfoy, I've been looking forward to meeting you," he hissed in his most welcoming voice.

White-blond hair tumbled forwards as Lucius Malfoy bowed before Lord Voldemort for the first time. "It is my honour and privilege, Lord," he replied smoothly.

"Rabastan Lestrange has told me much about you, Lucius," Voldemort continued as if Malfoy had not even spoken. "He tells me I have you to thank for any information coming out of that infernal school in which you still find yourself stranded. Is that correct, Lucius?"

Malfoy nodded. "It is indeed, Lord. I'm glad to be of assistance, I should be proud to serve you in any way I can."

A sickly smiled spread over the Dark Wizard's face. "That, dear boy, is just what I wanted to hear. Have you any news of my Key yet?"

"No Lord, I apologise," Malfoy cringed.

An unnaturally white, bony hand shot up to stem the babble of remorse about to spew from Malfoy's lips. "I do not appreciate apologies, Lucius, I appreciate results. Do you intend to show me results? Or am I wasting my time?"

"Certainly not, Lord," Malfoy was quick to assure him. "I will do everything in my power to see that you have your Key. If the cost is my very blood, I swear to you, you will have it."

"Wonderful," Voldemort said softly, with an appeased smile. A mere instant later, he'd snapped back into business mode. "Now, how do you feel about a spot of Mudblood torture to set an example?" he asked briskly.

Malfoy blinked, taken aback by the bluntness with which the subject had been broached. "Your pardon, Lord?" he begged.

Voldemort smiled nastily. "Well, it would only be one Mudblood to begin with. A specific, filthy little thing with connections I'd like to make all involved suffer for."

Malfoy's eyebrow arched smoothly in understanding. "Summers."

"A quick study, Lucius. I like to see that," Voldemort commented. "Yes. The pain of that one piece of filth just might be the knife through the heart of the Potters that I've been searching for," he mused.

"You wish me to kill the Mudblood?" Malfoy queried, just to be sure he'd fully understood the order.

Voldemort laughed. "You are young yet, Lucius, you've yet to learn the subtler arts of inflicting pain. Death is quick and final, but pain if inflicted correctly, can last a lifetime in many troubled hearts."

Malfoy frowned. "I'm not sure I understand your meaning, my Lord. You wish me not to kill her?"

"Precisely. Her death will come in time, she will perish with the rest of the vermin unfit to scurry before our feet. But for now I would see her suffer, and through her torture I will laugh at the pain of her blood-traitor friends," Voldemort gloated. He then fixed his red eyes on Malfoy with a significant stare.

"If you perform this task, and perform it admirably Lucius, I will be pleased. Perhaps I shall even be swayed into forming a more permanent alliance with you. Think of all you will do, of all you shall have, if you should serve me," Voldemort beguiled.

"I shall serve you well my Lord," Malfoy swore. "I look forward to the day I might prove my worth to you... so tell me, what pains should I inflict on the Mudblood and her worthless rabble?"

"Use your imagination," Voldemort quipped, and he smiled with evil pleasure as a smirk of comprehension settled over the young Slytherin's face.


A.N. Cue evil music... Reviews are always appreciated (and pounced on hungrily). Thanks reviewers.

btw- Sorry about the delay in posting this- it would've been up Monday if my stupid computer (named Harry because he lives in the cupboard) would've worked properly instead of loggin me off every 2 minutes!!