Disclaimer:All things Harry Potter are JK Rowling's. All things Buffy the Vampire Slayer are Joss Whedon's. She's Like The Wind is by Patrick Swayze. Not mine.

A.N:Just a little non-chapter, and interlude to give everyone a moment to catch my breath. Also a thank you from me to everyone who has ever read and reviewed this story. I value you all more than you could imagine. And my was of apologising for having the last chapter so late in coming. Love you all! XX00


INTERLUDE

She's Like The Wind

She's like the wind through my tree

she rides the night next to me

she leads me through moonlight, only to burn me with the sun

she's taken my heart, but she doesn't know what she's done

Sirius felt the dead emptiness settle within the pit of his stomach and vaguely identified it as grief. He took to roaming the halls in search of something to fulfil him, make him feel like a real person again.

A pretty Hufflepuff passed by, giving him a wink and the predatory grin crept onto Sirius' face without him even realising it.

Who even knew what he'd said, what she'd said, but Sirius figured at least he'd caught her name as she backed him into an abandoned classroom. One thing was certain- her name wasn't Dawn. He closed the door behind them, and with a fierce stab of desire for something more in the monotonous hell he now lived, Sirius began kissing the girl forcefully.

She wasn't unattractive, Sirius' hormones could attest to that as he lowered her to the floor, but it was the same with her as with every other girl he'd kissed after tasting Dawn Summers. There was no fire. Her kisses didn't tell him the stories that Dawn's told.

There were a few moments of fumbling and shifting, Sirius was brought out of his reflections as clothing was unfastened, and eventually removed completely.

Sirius let his hands wander freely, and all the while his thoughts wandered of their own accord to oceanic eyes, smooth flesh and brown sheets of silken strands. Maybe she wasn't so irreplaceable, Sirius mused as he studied the girl laid out before him. She was not so very unlike Dawn herself; same wispy frame, same blue… no, nobody else in the world had those blue eyes, and nobody had the uniquely beautiful textures and contours of her body.

Sirius closed his eyes and willed her name not to spring to his lips.

Feel her breath on my face

her body close to me

can't look in her eyes

she's out of my league

just a fool to believe I have anything she needs

she's like the wind

She didn't know why she'd even come here. With every step towards the Astronomy tower, part of Dawn's mind was screaming at her to turn back. But a more forceful part of her was compelling her forwards.

There was a slight hesitation at the door, but Dawn swallowed it down and pushed through, coming out into the night. Everything was quiet and still. She didn't know what she'd really expected, but she thought things would look different. Like everything was tainted.

They knew Isabel had jumped from the highest turret, and when Dawn glanced in that direction, she saw that a single yellow sunflower had been laid on the stone ledge.

But that wasn't what was calling out to her from the Astronomy tower. She was being drawn to a different part of the roof, overlooking a section of the Forbidden Forest and Hagrid's hut. A scene Dawn knew all-too well. The setting of her first kiss. Dawn went to sit on the ledge and closed her eyes, remembering.

"I really like you, Dawn."

She could remember the way she'd stilled at the declaration and how easily Sirius had turned her towards him. She could feel the softness of his lips the very first time they'd touched hers, and the way she'd been thrilled and scared and blissful all at once. Out here, it all came rushing back to her, the memory of a sensation foreign and uncertain, but strangely natural right from the first moment. Dawn opened her eyes and touched her lip, feeling the warmth of Sirius' kisses fleeing from them.

And in that heartbeat, Dawn wanted it back. A burning desire rose in her to be loved, and to love again. She knew it had hurt; she'd been frightened and lost and overwhelmed, but she'd been alive. After the fiasco at the Parents' Weekend, Sirius had brought her back up here and carved their initials into the stone to show her something that even his parents couldn't erase. Dawn's fingers traced the grooves with longing.

SB 4 DS 4EVA

Dawn thought about that word, forever. She'd never respected it before, just blindly believed in the forever her young heart had seen with Sirius. Death was forever, but love, in the way she had used it, was not. Love was changing, growing, and rolling with the punches. And it certainly wasn't running away at the first bump in the road the way she had done.

A defeated sigh escaped Dawn's lips. Maybe there were more of the Sunnydale curses and tendencies in her than she'd imagined. Behind her, there was a noise. A foot rolling over loose stones. Dawn whipped her head about, staring at the darkness.

"Hello?"

She waited and watched, but there was nothing there.

I look in the mirror and all I see

is a young old man with only a dream

am I just fooling myself that she'll stop the pain?

Living without her, I'd go insane

James lazily lifted his head from its resting place in his hands, staring at the crushed beauty that was currently Lily Evans. They were alone in the Common Room and Lily was curled up in the armchair opposite James, staring into nothingness and completely oblivious to the scrutiny she was under.

She wiped away a stray tear, James' fingers twitched with the compulsion he'd had a million times since Isabel's death, to be the one to wipe those tears away.

"There's not enough time," he realised suddenly, with a sickening sort of horror.

Lily blinked. "Hmm?" She didn't even have the heart to snap at James. She usually couldn't get enough of that, it was like a hobby.

James was suddenly wide awake, his mind racing with the heart-wrenching new perspective he'd just gained. Life was short. He used to think he had all the time in the world to wait, to make Lily Evans fall in love with him, but it just wasn't true. Isabel had been suddenly and violently wrenched from their lives, and nobody had seen it coming. Who knew when his time would be up? What if he wasted away alone, pining for a girl who'd never have him? An air of finality and resolve settled over James and he slowly gained his feet.

"Lily? Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.

Lily just nodded, sniffling. It didn't occur to her to wonder at his use of her first name. James took a deep breath and began rambling, laying bare every little and big thought that had crossed his mind before her.

"I know you think I'm just an arrogant prat and I never take anything seriously, but I really do like you. I don't even know why –Merlin knows you've never encouraged me- but I… I think you're perfect," he breathed.

Lily all of a sudden was sitting up much straighter. Something told her she wouldn't be shooting James Potter down quite so effortlessly this time. James bit his lip and thought for a moment before he continued.

"I always figured I'd have you one day if I just kept at it, but now I realise that days are a little more important than that. I mean, what if this was my last one? I've got to know if I stand a chance, Evans, once and for all," he blurted. "If you say no, I promise that'll be it. It'll kill me, Evans, but I'll never ask again."

Lily felt herself becoming short of breath. She stood up to stand face-to-face with James. No matter what, she wouldn't dismiss him so flippantly this time. She didn't like him. And she was angry, confused and full of hate right now, but if this was it, she was going to do it properly. Fresh tears welled in her eyes and Lily screwed her face up with the effort of holding them back.

Gone were the false-mature tones, the arrogant posturing. James stood before Lily, humbled, vulnerable. "Lily-"

"Don't ask," Lily whispered, the words tumbling out of her in a rush. She didn't want to lie to him, and she couldn't handle being the death of James Potter on top of everything else life had dealt her lately.

"Please, don't ask. I'm sorry, James."

Fleeing to the safety of the girls' stairs, Lily let a few overwhelmed sobs break free of her restraint. One thought stood out in the jumble of words and images that were echoing violently around her mind.

'I called him James.'

James was frozen. He watched the final flick of red hair as the girl he was pretty sure he loved, and was absolutely certain would never love him back, disappeared from view. His heart sank so low it seemed to bleed out of the soles of his shoes. He was left totally bereft of any hope or comfort. For the second time in as many days, bitter, salty tears rolled down the cheeks of James Potter.

"She called me James."

Feel her breath on my face

her body close to me

can't look in her eyes

she's out of my league

just a fool to believe I have anything she needs

she's like the wind

Peter had never been particularly stealthy, but thanks to years of practice with the Marauders, he could move quietly enough when he needed to. Nobody had been paying an attention to him, so when he spotted Dawn drifting through the castle like a lost soul, he decided to follow.

At first he thought he'd call out to her and offer her some company, but something in the way she was moving stopped him. And when she turned towards the Astronomy tower, he knew she wanted to be alone.

He moved slowly on the long climb up the stairwell, so Dawn was already sitting on the ledge when he crept through the door she'd left open. His breath caught in his throat, thinking that she was about to do exactly as Isabel had done, but he breathed easier a second later when he realised she was just sitting.

Peter knew most people would think he was weird, spying on a close friend like this. But the truth was, he didn't consider Dawn a friend. He'd tried every day to think of her in platonic terms, but he just couldn't do it and he knew he would never be able to.

He loved her. But he hated her because she would never love him back. For a brief, glorious moment in his life he'd hoped that Dawn's breaking up with Sirius meant maybe she would open her eyes at last and see him as a man all on his own. But it had been a fool's hope. He'd watched her so closely and for so long that he could read the feeling in every beat of her heart. And whether she knew it herself or not yet, every heartbeat was still screaming for Sirius Black.

Peter ground his teeth together as he watched the unattainable object of his affections tracing her finger over the stones, as if she was touching a cherished memory. This was it. Time to let go, to concede defeat once and for all. He swallowed heavily, pushing every feeling for Dawn Summers down and locking it away in the bottom of his heart. Now he could only hope it didn't leak out like poison in his bloodstream.

He stared at Dawn a moment longer as if he was saying goodbye, then turned to leave. There was a bit of loose stone that Peter didn't see, and his foot scrambled over it with a crunch. Miraculously keeping his balance, Peter dove through the door out of sight.

He heard Dawn call out in alarm, but didn't stop until he'd left the Astronomy tower, and her, far behind.

I feel your breath on my face

your body close to me

can't look in your eyes

you're out of my league

just a fool to believe

(just a fool to believe)

she's like the wind

(she's like the wind)

The dorm was empty, save for the lone figure curled in the foetal position on his bed. He'd pressed his lips together firmly, as if afraid breathing too much would leave space for the feral cry of anguish that had been building in him for hours to escape.

Remus' fingers gripped the quilt cover, and it was a while before he realised he was pulling at it so hard he was tearing it. He looked at the lengthy rip in the material in confusion for a long while, then decided he liked the destruction he'd caused. It was strangely satisfying.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Remus didn't stop until the quilt cover had been reduced to tattered shreds. With nothing left of it to destroy, the relief he'd found was fading quickly, leaving the emptiness he still dreaded within him.

Applying his logical thinking to an illogical notion, Remus decided to continue his work on the sheets. He reached up and pushed his pillows aside, intending to tear his bed apart a piece at a time. He stopped, his spine tingling as his eyes fell on a folded piece of parchment that had been tucked under his pillow.

He knew that handwriting. He must've been sleeping on the not for days without even knowing it. It took what felt like hours to convince his hand to reach out, grab the note, and unfold it. Remus read every word with his breath held and his chest burning.

I'm not like you. I can't live like this, I'm sorry.

Hot, thick tears were falling down Remus' face and Isabel's words were engraving themselves into his heart forever. Sucking back the pain, he tore his eyes away from them as if he'd been staring at the sun. With strong, deliberate movements, he tore repeatedly at the parchment until it was just confetti raining down from his hands.

The parchment scraps were salted over the shreds of the quilt cover, mingling with the scarlet scraps of material that Remus kicked savagely away. He fell back against the ruined bed, letting his grief consume him.

Just a fool to believe

(she's like the wind)

Just a fool to believe

(just a fool to believe)

she's like the wind

(just a fool to believe)

just a fool to believe

she's like the wind

(just a fool… she's like the wind)

(she's like the wind)

(just a fool… she's like the wind)