Disclaimer: I own nothing. Harry Potter stuff is JK Rowling's, Buffy stuff is Joss Whedon's. An Innocent Man is by Billy Joel, and To Be With You is by Mr. Big. Get it? Got it? Good.

A.N. Thanks to all who reviewed participated in my little quiz. Cookies for all. The correct answer to the question: what episode did the line "Fine, bordering on chipper tomorrow planning on being obnoxious" come from? Is 'Fool For Love' in season 5. Bonus points to those who knew it was Joyce!

Reviewers:

Sonofgloin:Thank you- 500 was a pretty big milestone for me. Yes, to confirm, it really was Sirius there, it wasn't a dream. You're really not a Dumbledore fan, are ya… Well, he won't ruin this for Dawn, but it's not gonna happen quite yet. Let's have a little recovery time first XX

Saxifrage:So many loofas, I gotta choose just one? And you can have a gold star anyway because you have me the Room of Requirement idea. XX

Eyexcandy:No, you weren't important enough for your own paragraph last chapter (sticks tongue out) And no gold stars coz you're too wussy to even guess about the episode- pfft- more a Harry Potter person. What a joke. ;-)

Voided:Yay- gold star for you! I've got to say I'm glad you're drawing a blank on what comes next- means I've still got a chance at having a surprise or two up my sleeve. – sinister grin-

Damia: Cookies for a detailed episode description, but no, sorry, wrong answer. Thanks for the review though.

Pomegranate Queen:I'd be happy to check out your HP one-shots. In fact, I already looked at the Ginny-centric one I thought it was great. I'm planning on leaving a review, but you kind of have to kepe on my back remind me of these things coz I have the memory of a goldfish. Glad I made your craptacular day sunny again, and I'd say I hope to do it again, but I hope you're just having a good day from the start.

Kavi Leighanna:Thanks for the gold star from me, that was sweet. I'm glad you're enjoying and I'll try to get to what you requested. In fact, you get a tiny taste of it in this chapter in one respect, I think!

Naitch:What is this 'life' you speak of, and how does it get in the way? Sorry- still on holidays from university I tend to hibernate a little. Glad you appreciated the added action, and I will say you'll get your answers with where the Fidelius Charm is heading for Dawn next chapter. I sorta ran out of room with this one. Thanks for reviewing again!

Sorceress aka Called Death:Ok, you get 2 gold stars- one for the right answer and one for that name. It rocks!

Elkat:Gold star. And thanks, I'm glad you like this.

Elle Blessingway:Whoops! When you pointed that typo out to me I got the giggles and decided I liked it so much I would leave it! and Sirius' little midnight visit was all he was really ever gonna do- male pride and all. As for the Remus and Isabel situation, it is starting to heat up from several angles in the very near future, and I can promise you that by the time I'm through they won't need a sequel of their own. Their story will be told. I'm glad you think all my characters are believable- that has been my main focus throughout maintaining this fic and it's nice when you comment and it pays off. XX

Chicklepea:Cookies for effort, but none of those guesses were right. Don't worry about sudden endings though- there is a long way to go before the final curtain call of this little number. As for where Dawn will stay, all I'm saying is wait and see, wait and see. I'm evil, I know!

Ea:It's great when I hear how I've changed your mind about a character. And I'm glad you're liking the Marauders too, and I'm willing to bet that you've got way more writing talent than a chimpanzee… I've worked with those. Gold star for the right answer, and I don't think it's pathetic you knew off the top of your head- hey, I wrote it off the top of my head!

Tigerfanfrv:No, but good try. Thanks, glad you liked the chapter.

Bluegummiebear7:I updated as quick as I could, promise!

Miss Elisa Tenant:No, not Earshot sorry. And I'm flattered you think my story is the best (gives me that warm, tingly feeling to read compliments like that). To tell the truth, I think Sirius may be my favourite character, too. Even though I love them all… maybe not Peter so much. I love hearing that I've given you a different perspective of Dawn, too. Thanks so much for the amazing review.

The Lady Morgaine: The Identity Masking agent is one of my favourite ideas, I have to admit. I just wanted to construct a believable parallel between our world and the HP world and I hope I managed it properly. Just so you know, there are no maybes, Sirius appearing definitely wasn't a dream… although you do know that when exes talk it isn't always pretty, right? Just to make it interesting and all…

Arwen Manwathiel:Thank you, it's nice to hear you're appreciating this. And don't worry, 99.99 of my free time goes into preparing the next update, so I'll try to never leave anyone hanging. Can I ask, what does 'Manwathiel' stand for? Is it Elvish, or something of your own concoction? But what kind of an author would I be if I gave away the futures of Dawn and Sirius?

Unforgiven Mistress:Star for knowing it was Joyce who said it!

Anonymous:Just to put your mind at ease, I can tell you without spoiling too much that there will be a sequel. I'm glad you're liking, anyway

CarribeanPrincess:Thank you- I try to update as often as I can.


CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

An Innocent Man

After a very long week, Dawn was finally released from the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey warned her to take it easy settling back into her classes; she'd been inactive for so long that when she reintroduced the stress of daily movements, her body may take time to adjust. On top of that, she was likely to suffer from the shakes, and moments of confusion as delayed effects of the Cruciatus Curses.

She was prescribed two different pain relieving and muscle relaxant potions and ordered to report for a check-up a week later. Dawn sighed. Hadn't she suffered through enough of this place yet?

"Dawn," Madam Pomfrey said sternly, seeing the look on her face. "You're lucky to be getting off so lightly with me, trust me. Now off you go before I change my mind and keep you in for another night of observation!"

Dawn couldn't scramble for the exit quick enough. It was a Monday, and most of the students were in class, but Lily and Isabel had been given permission to leave Arithmancy twenty minutes early to her get Dawn settled back in the dorm and collect her books for afternoon classes before lunch. They grinned and threw their arms around Dawn as she emerged into the hallway.

"It's good to see you up and about again," Lily whispered in her ear.

"It's good to be up and about again," Dawn responded truthfully. "I don't know how I didn't gain at least ten pounds, just laying around and eating smuggled chocolate bars all week."

"Who smuggled you chocolate bars?" Isabel asked with interest. She hadn't seen any of the boys at it, and smuggling books was much more Lily's style.

"My Dad," Dawn said proudly. She just couldn't get enough of saying that. For days after they'd signed the guardianship papers, she'd lain there with the words 'Dad' and 'Mom Potter' dancing deliciously through her mind.

The three girls wandered through the peaceful Common Room and up the stairs to their dorm. First thing Dawn did was charge over to her bedside table and pull the bottom cupboard open.

"Newman," she called, pulling the little teacup out into daylight. "I'm sorry, little teacup. I'll never leave you locked in your cupboard for a week again!"

Isabel and Lily watched with amusement as Dawn ran into the bathroom with Newman and popped him in the bathtub, so he could plod around for a while without her worrying about him getting broken. She went back into the main dorm and unpacked her small load of possessions from the week. They ended up sitting Hagrid's plant on the wide stone window ledge, where it would be the least in the way.

She tucked her little stash of letters from her foster parents in the back of her drawer, then folded her clean clothes and pyjamas and put them away. By the time she was done, her friends had packed her school bag with her afternoon supplies. They headed back out, it was only a few minutes until lunch now.

Lily stopped at the entrance to the Charms corridor. "Chase has Charms before lunch on Mondays, I'm going to wait and surprise him, ok? I'll see you guys later."

"Sure, seeya," Dawn said. She and Isabel waved and set off for the Great Hall without Lily. It was empty when they arrived, and as they sat down the first of the food began to appear on the long tables.

"Real food!" Dawn squealed with delight. She didn't know what she wanted first, so she went for everything. Isabel laughed and began to fill her plate at a much more leisurely rate.

Lily leaned against the wall outside the Charms room and checked her watch. Any moment now the bell would ring. She smoothed her hair down in anticipation. She hadn't had much of a chance to speak with Chase since their date, and now was looking forward to making up for lost time.

The bell rang.

Lily took a deep breath and waited. The hallway began to fill around her, and finally she spotted him in the crowd. Dark, perfect skin and deep chocolate eyes as he joked around with his friends.

"Chase!" she called, waving happily.

He paused and glanced at his friends, who just grinned and continued on without him. Lily smiled as he walked slowly over to her and leaned against the wall.

"What's up, Lily?"

"It's been so long since I've talked to you," Lily said softly, brushing a stray strand of red out of her eyes. "I just wanted to say hello, see how your week was."

Around them, the other students were charging off towards lunch. Within moments, they were left alone. Chase shrugged casually.

"Yeah it was ok. Quidditch practice is intense, you know we've got the big game coming up this weekend…"

Lily nodded. Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, how could she not know? Then she frowned to herself. They'd never talked about anything as mundane and impersonal as Quidditch before. It was like discussing the weather.

"Hey, look- I've got to get to lunch. Need to keep my energy up and all that. I'll see you around," Chase said, starting to walk away.

"Wait!" Lily called, starting to feel a little sick to her stomach. She saw Chase huff in annoyance before turning back to glance expectantly at her.

"What?"

"Well… don't you want to talk?" she asked timidly. "We barely get to say two words to each other all week, and now that we're both here, all you can do is talk about Quidditch and say you've got to get to lunch?"

James was scuffing his feet as he wandered through the castle alone. Sirius had gone off to visit a 'friend' after Divination, leaving James lonely for the walk back down from the tower without Dawn. His sister. He grinned to himself. His official, legal sister.

All happy thoughts fled as he took a shortcut through the Charms corridor and found it less deserted than he expected. He was going to change direction before he saw that slimy jerk do something to his Lily that would put James in a foul mood for the rest of the month, when he noticed that Lily herself didn't look too happy. She even blanched as Chase began to chuckle.

"Oh, come on, Lily," he said patronisingly. "I think you're letting yourself get a little too invested, here. It was just one date."

James stood rooted to the spot. It hadn't taken him five seconds to realise what was happening, and he wanted to be happy that Lily was soon to be available again, but he couldn't. The way Lily's porcelain skin was going far too white, and the darkness in her emerald eyes just made him want to start hexing people.

"I don't understand," she said, the strength in her voice failing.

Chase shrugged, glancing towards the end of the corridor he wanted to escape through. "Look, Lil, you're a great girl and all. But you need to lighten up a bit. It was just a good time, why try to make it anything more than that?"

Her lip trembled, but her composure just managed to hold. "But you said you wanted to see me again. I thought…" I thought you actually meant it, she finished silently, bitterly.

He chuckled cruelly again. "Geez, Lily, you're a smart girl. You should know that when a guy says something like that, he's just being polite. Now look, I've really got to get going. See you around."

He walked away. The trembles in Lily's lip spread until her hands were shaking too. For the first time in her life, she was left mentally scrambling to catch up with what had just happened. She blinked hard against the tears.

James knew the classy thing to do would be to sneak away and pretend he hadn't seen a thing. And later have Padfoot help him drag Chase Jones into Myrtle's bathroom and flush his head a couple of dozen times. But he was a self-confessed fool for Lily and nothing in the world could make him walk away from her when she was in pain. His feet carried him to her without being told to.

"Are you ok?"

Lily's head snapped up at the soft voice and the hand on her shoulder. Her eyes met James' and her face began to burn with humiliation. Of all people to witness her spectacular failure as a desirable woman, why did it have to behim?

She tried to flee, but James was too quick for her. He had her arm before she'd taken a step. The concern in his hazel eyes seemed so genuine it almost frightened her.

"Hey. I said, are you ok?" he repeated.

"Let me go," she managed.

James shook his head. "Not until you tell me if you're ok."

"Fine!" Lily spat, a few tears betraying her by escaping out of the corner of her eye. "Absolutely fantastic. Now leave me alone," she said sarcastically, and yanked her arm free.

She started to hurry away. James thought for a desperate moment, then it came to him. Something Dawn said Sirius had done to make her feel better one time, she'd whispered it in his ear and made him promise on Marauders' Honour that he'd never reveal he knew. James pounced on Lily, swinging her around to face him. Before she could protest, he took a deep breath and started to sing.

Hold on little girl

show me what he's done to you

stand up little girl

broken heart can't be that bad

When it's through, it's through

Fate could twist the both of you

So come on baby, come on over

Let me be the one to show you

I'm the one who wants to be with you

Deep inside I hope you'll feel it too

Waited on a line of greens and blues

Just to be the next to be with you

Lily stared in shock. She was angry and hurt and lost, but James had such a soothing voice. It was confusing her. She tried to flee again, but James caught her up in his arms and started to dance her around the hallway. Eventually, she just gave herself up to it.

Build up your confidence

So you can be on top for once

Wake up, who cares about

Little boys that talk to much

I've seen it all go down

Your game of love was all rained out

So come on baby, come on over

Let me be the one to hold you

I'm the one who wants to be with you

Deep inside I hope you'll feel it too

Waited on a line of greens and blues

Just to be the next to be with you

Why be alone

When we can be together baby

You can make my life worthwhile

I could make you start to smile

When it's through, it's through

Fate could twist the both of you

So come on baby, come on over

Let me be the one to show you

I'm the one who wants to be with you

Deep inside I hope you'll feel it too

Waited on a line of greens and blues

Just to be the next to be with you

I'm the one who wants to be with you

Deep inside I hope you'll feel it too

Waited on a line of greens and blues

Just to be the next to be with you

Yeah just to be the next to be with you

The silence hung thick in the air and James stopped swaying Lily to the imaginary beat. Lily couldn't believe it. This was James Potter, her first year tormentor, her second year secret crush, and her sworn arch nemesis from third year onwards, and he was making her feel better. He must've used magic, she deduced.

He was touching her cheek with the softest of hands. "You're so much better than him," he said.


Dawn sighed, looking out the window and into the darkness. She'd been back in classes for a couple of days, but the transition had been much more difficult than she'd expected. She'd even suffered from a fit of the shakes in Potions the previous morning. She just lost control of her hand, dropping an entire vial of worm blood into the cauldron and ruining their work. The Slytherins had found it hilarious, but Remus had not been mad, just concerned.

In fact, that's all most of her friends ever seemed to be anymore. Isabel was wrapped up in a broken-hearted Lily, but would often pause to ask Dawn if she was ok. Remus watched her with his vigilant amber eyes, poised to pounce on any possible threat, while James even sometimes pulled her along by her wrist, as if he was petrified she'd vanish if he let her go. Dawn had even noticed Peter becoming protective of her. Every now and then his beady eyes would jump up and fix on her, just to make sure she was still there.

She'd never been more crowded by friends, but she'd never been so lonely in her life. A part of her was even aching to have someone get annoyed with her. Whenever she did something stupid like get herself kidnapped back in Sunnydale, Buffy would be mad at her for weeks. Just because she'd gone and made Mom worry, and got the both of them landed in danger because, naturally, it always had to be Buffy who would come rescue her.

Dawn stole away from her friends and went up to the Room of Requirement. Homesickness churned within her as she paced across the opening, looking for a place to be alone.

The door that appeared before her was spine-tinglingly familiar. Dawn peeked through one of the glass panels, then opened the door and walked right into the Summers home.

It had been so long since she'd seen it, and Dawn was awed by the sight. It was still the most beautiful home she'd ever known. Memories pounded into her from all sides.

She could hear the crackle of the fire her mother always lit on Christmas Eve, no matter how hot it was. She could taste the famous Summers peanut putter waffles, served with cranberry sauce on the side just for Dawn. She could feel both Joyce's and Buffy's arms encircling her, protecting her from all the world's evils. She could see the fluttering of her mother's skirt as she spun around, showing off her dress for her date with Brian. Her last date. Her last night of life.

Dawn stepped into the living room and listened. It looked like home, but it was so quiet. It felt empty. She breathed deeply and steeled herself.

"Buffy? Are you here?" she called, already knowing the answer deep down. "Mom? Mommy?"

She sat down on the couch, snuggling into the familiar brown suede. Her eyes closed with a feeling closer to contentment than she'd known in months. A breeze washed over her and she thought she heard a whispered voice riding on it.

"We can't be there, little pumpkin belly… we can't come that far…"

A tear slipped down her cheek, and Dawn opened her eyes. She reached over and plucked a photo frame off the coffee table. All her Sunnydale family, except Spike, were beaming at her. Dawn remembered the picture well, Riley had taken it over the previous summer. Joyce was standing at one end, her arm looped tightly around Dawn's shoulders (mostly to stop her from charging right into the centre of the picture). Tara and Willow were next to them, with Buffy in between Willow and Xander. Anya was attached to Xander's side, with Giles at the far end to Joyce, like parenting bookends.

Finally, Dawn managed to convince herself to put the photograph down. It wasn't going to spring to life no matter how much she wished for it. She set it back on the table, then snatched it back up, kissed the cool glass over her lost family once, then let it go at last.

There was something else on the coffee table; one of Dawn's old diaries. She frowned. Hadn't she ripped and burned them all? But when she picked it up and pulled it open, the pages were empty. The little matching pen sat in its holder as if it had never been used, never been destroyed.

Dawn lay back against the cushions and propped her feet up, wondering what it all meant. She fell asleep right there with the diary resting blank and open on her tummy, her face turned towards the photograph. When she awoke, it was already morning.

A little disoriented, Dawn started to wonder why she'd fallen asleep on the couch. Why hadn't Mom or Buffy woken her, made her go upstairs to bed? Then she sat up quickly, wondering why she was here at all. But then she remembered that all 'here' was, was an illusion. As she sat up, something toppled off her to the floor.

Smothering a final yawn, Dawn reached down and picked up the empty diary. She went to put it back on the coffee table, but she paused with a little frown. It wasn't blank anymore.

It's dark and cold,

I'm all alone.

There's nothing around,

My heart hits the ground

Isn't somebody going to come?

Will they ever help me?

Dawn remembered those words well. They were her own, she'd put them together while she was captured, trying to cling to the last shreds of her sanity. The handwriting was definitely hers, too. And there was more.

Lost

Estranged

Stung

Tangled

Ripped

Alone

Nothing

Gone

Empty

Something in the words called out to her, like a subliminal message that she couldn't quite wrap her mind around. She stared long and hard, until the headache pounding in her head took her over and she hurled the diary away in frustration. She hadn't taken her potions yet, she couldn't think straight.

It was early still, but after 6AM, which meant she was allowed to walk the corridors as much as she liked. Dawn hurried back to her dorm to take her potions that soothed her mind, and had a shower.

When she came back through the Common Room, Remus pounced on her. "Dawn! Why didn't you come back last night? James pitched a mini-fit when you snuck off like that."

Dawn shifted, wrinkling her forehead in bad temper. "I just didn't feel like being crowded anymore, ok?"

Remus nodded. "I'm sorry. We just worry, you know. You're our girl," he said.

That finally brought a smile to Dawn's face. "Of course. Always."


Despite still feeling under the weather and sleeping a fair bit more than she'd ever needed to before, even Dawn had caught Quidditch fever by the end of the week. Only Lily couldn't seem to muster the will to care, talk of Quidditch only reminded her that Chase would be up there on Saturday, vying with James for the spotlight.

James had been so excited he could barely sit still on Thursday, and to compensate for all that energy, he put the Gryffindors through a particularly gruelling training session that night. But by Friday, James had emerged as the quietly confident leader. He carefully stored the team's brooms in a safe, secret location (in case Chase was set on revenge for the head-flushing incident James and Sirius had indulged in), he monitored their eating to be sure the whole team kept their energy levels up, and made sure they all got a good night's rest on Friday night.

He had them all up again early on Saturday morning, giving a spirited pep talk that lasted three hours and woke the whole of Gryffindor. The entire House was decked out in red and gold as they escorted the team to breakfast, and when they reached the Great Hall, even McGonagall was sporting a red and gold scarf.

James ordered the rest of the team to eat up, but only Dawn's insistence (and threat of writing home to their parents) had James fixing a plate for himself. As soon as they'd all eaten, James whisked the team off and they weren't seen again until the beginning of the match.

Dawn crammed into the stands with the rest of the school, occupying a little pocket of space between Lily and Frank Longbottom. Lily looked completely miserable, standing dejectedly between Dawn and Isabel while Peter and Sirius rounded out their little group. Dawn was sure Sirius was only willingly standing so close to her out of support for James. She'd even given a bitter little mutter to Lily that he probably thought he'd get a better view from the Hufflepuff section.

Finally, eleven o'clock ticked around and Remus began bellowing into his magical megaphone. He loved to commentate, the excitement was already in his voice as he introduced the teams and reminded the crowd that Ravenclaw needed a 200 point victory if they were to snatch the Quidditch cup out from under Gryffindor.

"And here they come now- the legendary Gryffindors, led by Potter. Heavy favourites for the win today-"

"By whose odds?" McGonagall's voice interrupted, though she was trying not to smile.

"My own, of course," Remus responded cheerfully, then a hush settled over the stadium for the game to get underway.

As soon as the action began, the roar was deafening. The crowd of Ravenclaw supporters was larger than that of the Gryffindors, because the Slytherins had automatically sided against Gryffindor. Hufflepuff levelled it out slightly; true to form they were politely supportive of both teams.

James had never been so focused in his life. The moment he'd seen Chase Jones streaking about the pitch, a red veil of fury had dropped over his vision and he swore again he'd make that jerk pay for the permanent frown on Lily's face.

He was darting about the skies as fast as he could manage without his vision going blurry, setting up plays and scoring goals like an international superstar, like he was born for it. The roars and boos of the crowd faded from his awareness, he couldn't even hear Remus' rapid-fire commentary as he scanned the pitch. All he could hear was the shouts and grunts of the other players, sounding out against the soundtrack of his own heartbeat.

Within half an hour, the Gryffindors had pulled ahead 170-100. Then James noticed Chase diving for a glimmer of gold against the ground. The Snitch. He didn't even pause to consider it. If the game ended now, Gryffindor would still win the Cup. But Ravenclaw would win the match. James wasn't about to let that happen.

"Oi!" he bellowed to his closest Beater, pointing.

The Beater, a fourth-year much heftier than most, took aim and rocketed a bludger squarely at Chase's head. There were a few screeches of fright from the stands as the bludger glanced off Chase's shoulder, creating what was sure to be an enormous bruise and forcing him off course. James grinned wickedly as the Snitch zipped away again.

Time stretched on, players began to tire as the game wore into its third hour. Gryffindor was 160 points in the lead, but James refused to let Chase have the Snitch. He'd even cut the Ravenclaw Seeker off himself a couple of times. When he recognised the tiredness in his players, he looked to Madam Hooch to call a time out. The team went into a huddle mid-air.

"Ok, I just thought we could take a breather," James said, cleaning his sweat-smudged glasses on his robe. He put them back on and looked to his Seeker, a wiry, bird-like seventh-year girl. "It's time to end this. The Snitch seems to be appearing more for Jones than for you, so just tail him. You're a quicker flier, you'll be able to outrun him to it. Let's do it!"

The cheering picked up again as the huddles broke and the game was underway once more. Sure enough, barely fifteen minutes later, Remus was jumping up and down, hollering about the frantic race now on to catch the Golden Snitch. James paused to watch, he was the first to let out a cry of triumph when the red-gloved hand closed around the Snitch. The victory was sealed.

The Gryffindor stands had exploded in excitement, drowning out Remus, who was really babbling incoherently anyway. Even McGonagall was jumping about like a cheerleader. The team flew right at each other, not minding the bumps and bruises as they crashed together.

James wanted to cry in happiness. It was the third time he'd been on the tournament winning team, but it was his first time as Captain.

Through a gap in the mass of red material, he looked out at the Gryffindor section of the stands. In the wild masses, a lone figure stood out to him like a flower in a bed of grass. His smile fell away as he looked at Lily and caught her sad eyes. She stared back, then, very slowly, offered a small smile of congratulations. He beamed back.


Dawn had never seen so many people packed into Gryffindor tower, not even for Sirius' birthday. The entire House was celebrating wildly, and even a large swarm of older Hufflepuffs had come to join in the festivities. In the most cynical part of her heart Dawn knew Sirius would be pleased about that.

She was standing alone, feeling like a spare tyre in a place with no room for third wheels. She'd barely had five seconds to congratulate James and kiss his flushed, sweaty cheek before the rest of Gryffindor had demanded their star Captain back. Lonely as she was, Dawn couldn't deny that this was his night and wouldn't dream of bringing him down. Peter was glued to James' side, basking in all the reflected glory. Lily had not stayed downstairs long at all; she'd had a goblet of butterbeer and a couple of lemon drops before retreating to the dorms. Dawn suddenly wished she'd thought of that first.

Remus and Isabel were snuggled together in one of the armchairs, having a serious discussion. Well, as serious a discussion as two people could have when they were pausing every ten seconds to steal kisses that went much longer than ten seconds. Dawn really didn't want to interrupt. So she just kept standing off to one side, trying to ignore the way Sirius held court to a gaggle of giggling girls like they were his very own harem.

A couple of people smiled and waved at her from a distance, but for the most part Dawn was avoided completely. Until two of the sixth year Gryffindor boys she knew by face but not by name approached. Dawn's first instinct was to turn and look for whoever they were grinning at, until she realised it really was her.

"Hey," one of them said. "You're Dawn, right?"

"Yeah," she said, wondering if they were up to something.

They kept right on grinning. "We noticed you all alone over here, and we just thought we'd see if you wanted to hang out with us?" the taller one said, shaking a wave of blond hair back from his face.

Despite herself, Dawn felt her suspicions fading. What reason did she have to be rude to two guys who were being nicer to her than her own friends at the moment? She felt her lips tug upwards into a smile.

"Sorry," she said, a new sparkle in her eyes. "I don't think I even know your names."

The slightly shorter, stockier one with close-cropped brown hair extended a hand. "I'm Walker, and this is Trent. Come and have a drink with us, honey."

"Nice to meet you," Dawn said, placing her hand in both the boys' in turn. She felt an eerie prickling on the back of her neck and turned towards the source.

Sirius was glaring at her with an icy look that was just like his mother's. a part of Dawn wanted to quiver and drop her head, but a deeper part of her actually enjoyed the effect she'd had in him simply by smiling at other boys.

With a look of triumph, Dawn threw her shoulders back and stalked across the room with her new companions to settle herself comfortably between them. Soon, it was an all-out war to see who was more popular, more desirable, and who was having more fun out of Dawn and Sirius.

Every time Sirius would flash his heartbreaker grin and lean in to plant a soft kiss on another girl's cheek, Dawn would giggle more loudly at whatever was being said to her and run her hand flirtatiously down the nearest boy's arm. She bit her lip and shook off the feeling of uneasiness as a hand that was not Sirius' casually began stroking her leg. James and Peter could see the whole production headed for disaster, but the crowd glued around them left no opening to escape and diffuse the situation.

It was when Sirius pulled Lacey, the first Hufflepuff he'd dated since breaking up with Dawn, into his lap and kissed her neck, his eyes on Dawn the whole time, that Dawn almost conceded defeat in the battle. She wanted to bolt, to run away from the sight and never look back to see the glee in his eyes. She went to move, but Walker slipped a glass of dark liquid into her hand.

"This will guarantee you have a good time," he whispered, leaning in and brushing his cheek against her neck flirtatiously.

Dawn looked at it. It was obviously alcohol of some description, any idiot could see that. She didn't know if she should. She suddenly felt like all eyes were on her. Like it was a dare. She took a sip.

"Yeech!"

Her whole face screwed up from the taste. Trent and Walker were chuckling, and Trent moved to take the glass from her.

"It's ok," he said. "Most girls wuss out on the fire-whiskey."

She wasn't sure if he'd said exactly the wrong thing, or exactly the right thing, but Dawn flared up. Torture was only the latest in a very long list of things she'd suffered, she knew she could handle much worse than a stiff drink.

"Watch who you're calling a wuss," she told Trent archly. Then she drained the entire glass in one shot and smirked.

Sirius sat up a little straighter then. Fire-whiskey was no soft drink, he knew that well enough from his own experiences. And it definitely wasn't something girls like Dawn, who'd never had a real drink in her life, should be sculling.

Dawn handed the empty glass back to Trent with a giddy laugh. From that moment on, everything seemed that much easier to bear. It was as if all her cares had floated away, to the point where she didn't even feel the need to look at Sirius to compare to him anymore.

In truth, he was a little fuzzy if she tried to look at him, but she wasn't about to admit she was drunk. She couldn't see his face growing redder with rage as he sipped his own drink and watched her apparently growing even more comfortable in the company of other boys.

Soon enough she was on the dance floor with Walker, and she was having a bit of trouble keeping her balance alone so she couldn't really object to the hands resting just a little too low behind her to qualify as on her waist. She could hear his voice whispering in her ear, and couldn't understand a thing he said, but it all seemed funny enough to have her giggling incessantly anyway.

While she was dancing with Walker, Trent went to get more alcohol from the little-known supply hidden in the corner of the Common Room. Sirius, red-faced and fuming, brushed off the girls around him and stalked over to Trent.

"Hey buddy, want a drink?" Trent said easily.

"No," Sirius said through clenched teeth.

Not noticing Sirius' growing anger, Trent took a sip of his own fire-whiskey and shrugged. He shot a sly look at the slightly younger boy beside him. "So, Summers… about how many drinks does it take to get her in the mood?"

"I wouldn't know," Sirius snapped. "I've never had to get girls drunk to get them into bed."

"Touché," Trent laughed, his eyes wandering to the dance floor, where Walker's hands were sliding lower on Dawn's body. "But why waste the effort for a little action? Me and Walker just figured if it took you of all people four months to get bored with her, she must be worth a go."

Before he knew what he was doing, Sirius hauled off and punched Trent square in the face. As the sixth-year's lip burst and spurted blood, the Common Room broke out in excitement. James shoved through the crowd, and with the help of Frank Longbottom in full Head Boy mode, forced Sirius and Trent apart.

"Enough!" Frank hollered. "Or I'll drag you both straight down to McGonagall, fire-whiskey and all."

Remus and Isabel looked up at last at the commotion. They'd been so involved with one another that they hadn't paid any attention to the build-up, but still it only took Remus a few seconds to realise where the root of the problem really was. While everybody else was closing in on Trent and Sirius, he was stalking over to where Dawn was standing unsteadily with Walker.

"Come on, Dawn," he said, tugging her hand with firmness. "You've had enough."

"Hey!" Dawn cried as she stumbled and had to scramble to catch herself. She tried to pull away. "Stop it, Remus, I'm fine! The floor is just a little uneven here."

"You had your chance to do it the easy way," he replied. He wasn't playing games.

Before Dawn knew what was going on, Remus had grabbed her about the waist and was forcefully hauling her away from Walker. He dragged her, struggling the whole way, over to the girls' staircase. Once there, he finally set her back on her own two feet.

He fixed her with a stern look. "Go to bed, Dawn. Sleep it off."

"No," Dawn snapped, trying and failing in her intoxicated state to get past Remus. "Why should I? I don't want to."

"Well you'll thank me when you still have your dignity in the morning."

At the hard words, Dawn started to tremble and cry. "But why is it ok for him and not for me?"

Remus sighed. "Kitten…"

But it was too late. Dawn had burst into tears for real and scrambled blindly upstairs.


Remus was standing in the Common Room, waiting nervously for Isabel. Finally she appeared, and he noticed she looked equally as nervous, but a thousand times more beautiful. They stopped and just smiled at each other for a moment.

"Well," Remus finally said, holding out a hand to her. "Are you ready, Miss Whitman?"

"I am, Mr Lupin," she returned, giggling in delight as she placed her hand in his.

They wandered up to the Room of Requirement, where Remus had already set everything up the way he wanted it.

"I didn't know there was a room here," Isabel remarked as they reached the door.

"It's a secret room, a magic room," Remus said, throwing the door open and stepping back to let Isabel in first. Her jaw dropped as she took it all in. There was a small table laid out with exquisite gold cutlery, and the delicious aroma of her favourite meal, baked chicken, wafting from under the plate covers. Then there was the crackling, intimate little fire, and the large four-poster bed made up with red silk sheets and black lace coverings.

"Do you like it?" Remus asked, fidgeting.

She gazed around at the painted landscapes of mountains adorning the walls and nodded, blushing. "It's… it's just what I'd hoped for, Remus. You're just what I'd hoped for," she added in a whisper.

His ears went crimson and he hurried to pull the chair out for her. They sat and ate in silence for the most part, pausing to give a soft smile every now and then. Tonight just didn't seem the night for small talk.

When the meal ended, they just stared at each other for a long time, both a little afraid to make the first move. Finally, Remus took a deep breath. "Isabel? Are you still sure about this?"

"I am," she said in a low voice.

They stood and moved slowly, uncertainly towards the bed. Remus' insides were churning, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He had wanted to tell her his secret well before they let things get so intimate, but he'd failed time and time again. He looked down, feeling false and inadequate.

"Remus," Isabel whispered, taking his chin and forcing amber eyes up to brown. "I know you're hiding something from me, and I know you think you can't tell me whatever it is. I wish I could make you trust me as much as I trust you," she sighed.

"I'm so sorry," Remus mumbled, ashamed. "If you don't want-"

"No, that's not what I'm saying," she interrupted, moving her hand to his cheek. "I'm saying, I don't care what secrets you have, whatever you feel the need to hide from me. It doesn't change how I feel about you. I… I love you, Remus." She took a deep breath after she'd said it, waiting for the fallout.

Remus closed his eyes. She'd said it. She said it and she meant it. he wasn't going to allow himself time to pause and wonder if she'd still mean it when she found out what he truly was. "I love you too," he said, whispering the words he never thought he'd find someone to say to.

There was a beat of warmth, then a beat of awkwardness as they realised neither of them was really sure what to do next. They ended up sitting on the edge of the bed for a series of deep, exploring kisses that seemed to help them both relax.

After a few minutes, he felt Isabel's fingers fumble with the buttons of his shirt, pulling it apart and sliding it off his shoulders. He responded by lifting her arms above her head, running his hands back down along her to grasp the hem and tug her own shirt up and away.

They progressed gently from there, exploring each other's upper bodies before feeling the need to remove more clothing. Both broke into embarrassed giggles as their pants got tangled about their shoes and they had to stop to sort it all out. Remus leaned over to kiss Isabel as they stopped laughing, and it wasn't long after that before their underwear hit the floor. Isabel was trembling as they slid under the covers. They'd seen each other in various stages of undress before, but never completely naked. Remus reached out and touched her lightly, his face full of wonder and fascination. She closed her eyes, basking in it. Soon she was letting her own hands touch and discover, too.

They paused a moment while Remus fumbled for his wand to cast theInfertilus Protectuscharm, then they stared wide-eyed into each other, knowing that nothing would ever be the same after this next moment.

Time froze as they came together at last. It was the messy, clumsy-sweet kind of making love, two people learning new and frightening ways to express their feelings. They moved slowly and carefully, almost uncertain at times until they settled more easily together.

Afterwards, a strange silence settled over them. They were blushing brightly, barely game to meet each other's gaze until Remus took a deep breath and turned to meet Isabel's look head on.

She smiled slightly, and he couldn't help but return it.


Dawn's feet pounded against the stone floor as she returned from a trip to the Library. She'd been at the Library much more often than usual lately, almost as a self-imposed punishment for her stupidity at the Quidditch Cup victory party. She figured she'd lost herself a full day of study Sunday, she'd spent the morning moaning and gasping with the pain of a hangover and the afternoon trying to apologise to Remus and James for being so horrible and embarrassing for them.

James had sat her down and given her a very brotherly lecture about drinking with strange boys, and told her a thing or two about drinking in general. Mainly that responsibility was the most important part of it. Remus had just apologised himself for speaking so harshly to her and reminded her how much they all worried about their Kitten.

She glanced up, then put her head down and fought to keep her pace steady. She hadn't been able to look Sirius in the eye since she'd ultimately lost Saturday night's battle.

Sirius glared as Dawn passed. He'd had a boiling pit of rage festering in his stomach since she'd so shamelessly flaunted that she was back on the market. He doubted she even cared where she'd have ended up on Saturday night if he hadn't stepped in. the irrational, blatantly pessimistic part of him even dared to suggest she was disappointed. But what really pushed Sirius over the edge was the realisation that he even cared at all. He couldn't resist the opportunity to vent.

"What, off to find someone else to fix your drinks?" he tossed over his shoulder.

Dawn stopped dead, as if she'd been slapped. "You asshole," she ground out, whipping around.

Sirius paused and turned as well, a smirk of provocation twisting his lips cruelly. Dawn's eyes narrowed and for no other reason than it felt good, she went on the attack.

"How dare you speak to me like I'm a whore," she said, her voice rising and her eyes snapping. "Because if there's anyone here acting like a whore, it's you!"

A few passing people stopped to stare. Sirius flashed angry eyes in their direction. "Do you mind- this is a private argument here."

He looked back at Dawn and shook his head. "Did you think I was just going to sit in the dorm forever, waiting for you to decide you want to play your little games again?"

"Oh please, hypocritical much?" Dawn snapped. "I'm not the one playing games. That's you, with all your little airhead friends."

Sirius' eyes narrowed, honing in on her. "Could it be that someone's jealous?"

"Disgusted is more like it. How do you even keep their names straight in your head? Or do you just pick a random name? Or maybe you've just been deluding yourself about who you're really screwing," she whipped out.

Sirius felt his face reddening slightly. How could she possibly know about all those times he'd caught himself slipping, thinking her name, imagining she was there? "Oh? And just who am I screwing, according to the all-knowing Princess?"

"Only yourself," Dawn said, arching a petulant eyebrow and looking more vindictive to Sirius than he'd ever thought possible. "Well, and maybe a few unfortunate skanks along the way. I mean, are you even careful?" she railed, the answer she could see written in his eyes feeding her rant.

"My God, Sirius, how stupid can you be? How can you justify our breaking up as an excuse to go out and get God knows how many poor, stupid girls knocked up?" She looked him up and down. "Or how many diseases you've gone and got."

"I am not diseased!" Sirius hollered, outraged at the mere suggestion.

Dawn's laugh was dry, derisive. "Yeah? How do you know? She challenged.

Sirius, more on fire than he'd ever felt in his life, turned and stormed off. "Call me diseased," he muttered angrily. "I'll show you, you can stick this right up your perfect little nose…"

He waltzed brazenly into the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey was quietly taking inventory of her potions stock, and announced that he needed a blood test right away.

"Mr Black, whatever for?" she asked.

Sirius held her gaze firmly. "I need you to test me for sexually transmitted diseases," he said boldly.

The Matron was so flabbergasted that she carried the test out as quickly as possible, and soon enough Sirius was given a clean bill of health and the sheet of parchment to prove it. he waited for Madam Pomfrey to finish her lecture on safety, responsibility and the advantages of abstinence, then set off through the castle. There was one particular nose he wanted to rub in this parchment.

Dawn was in the Common Room when he found her, he marched over and slammed the medical parchment down on her book without warning.

"See, told you I'm not diseased," he said snidely.

Dawn scanned the information with a raised eyebrow. Without so much as glancing at Sirius, she stood up and walked away with it.

Sirius could only stand by, dumbstruck, as Dawn waltzed right over to the noticeboard, pinned Sirius' test results for all to see next to the old poster for the last Hogsmeade weekend, and left the room.