Rogue woke up earlier that morning than usual which had been her plan. She got dressed in her normal jogging attire that consisted of a black hoodie and matching black jogging pants with a red line down the sides of her legs. She then left her room and headed for the kitchens to get her daily doggie bag from the elves. Lately they had started having it ready for her having become accustomed to her morning ritual.
Today however she had asked for an orange and to her surprise there was already one on the bag. Apparently they had anticipated her need for it. she was on her way to the great doors when she passed the great hall and bumped into Lupin.
"Why good morning Rogue." he said groggily. It had been a full moon last night and rogue knew he had to be exhausted from the transformation. Rogue had known many werewolves in her few short years and they always tended to be loaners. She was glad that Remus didn't fall into that stereotype.
"Mornin' Remus." She said with a smile.
"What's with the bag, I thought you were going for your morning run?" he asked her as he eyed the brown bag clutched in her hand.
Rogue lifted it up and looked at it. "Oh ah am but ah ran inta this stray a few months ago an' ah have been feedin' the poor thing." Sirius had told her all about their school days and how he Potter and Pettigrew learned to become Animagus for Remus sake to help with the transformation. She wondered if Lupin would catch on as to what was happening.
He gave her an odd look and opened his mouth to say something but shut it just as quickly before shaking his head. "You better be careful around strays, you don't want to get bitten." He warned.
"Ah think ah can handle a bite." She said with a smile.
Remus donned the same odd look on his face again. "Yes well,-" he started but rogue cut him off.
"Why don't ya come with me? We'll walk." She said.
"Well, there aren't any classes today." He said trying to convince himself to go with her.
Rogue gave him a big smile, she had seen it work wonders with kitty and hoped it would do the same for her now. "We'll be back before the game starts." She said trying to seal the deal.
He gave her a grin. "Well I guess we best get going then." He said.
Rogue really hoped her plan would work. They needed Lupin to be in the know so that it would be easier, she had just discussed it with Logan the morning before. They made their way to the edge of the lake and rogue saw Lupin visibly flinch as he caught sight of Sirius in dog form. Sirius had his back turned to them as he drank from the edge of the lake.
Rogue continued to walk forward but Remus held his arm out to stop her. "That's not a dog." He said and pulled out his wand. Sirius turned around at the sound of his voice. "That," he spat. "is Sirius Black." He pointed his wand at Sirius.
"Ah know." Rogue said as she snatched his wand and away.
Remus took on an alarming shade of red. "You what!" he roared. "You've been helping this, this murderer?"
"Ah've been feedin' this wrongly convicted man." She explained.
"Is that what he's convinced you of?" he was absolutely livid and rogue sighed, maybe they wouldn't make it to the quidditch match after all.
Rogue turned to look back at Sirius who had just transformed back into himself. "Remus, you don't understand-" he started.
"NO!" he thundered. "You betrayed James and Lily, now you've come back for Harry and I won't allow it!" he lunched himself forward to attack Sirius but rogue was faster. She picked him up by the scruff of his robes and lifted his feet off the ground. "Let me down!"
"No!" rogue said fixing him with a face melting glare. "You need ta listen." He fixed her with an equally terrible glare. "Now if ah set ya down are ya gonna listen?" she asked him, he continued to glare. "Ah'll take that as a yes, don't make me have ta hold ya down again." She warned him before setting him down.
"Remus, I wasn't James' secret keeper, we changed at the last minute." Remus snorted as though to say 'a likely story'. "We thought that no one would ever suspect peter, that Voldemort would come after me." He explained. "I thought you were the spy, I never suspected Peter."
Remus was silent while he glared at his old friend, he obviously didn't believe a word he said. Sirius sighed and reached in his pocket for the well worn picture. "If you don't believe me, then maybe you'll believe your own eyes." He said and thrust the picture at Remus who took it.
He tore his narrowed eyes from Sirius to look at the picture of Wesley's family. His eyes searched each and every face till he saw the rat sitting happily on the youngest boy's shoulder. Rogue could see the wheels turning in his head. "But, are you sure?" he asked in disbelief.
"His paw is missing a toe, its him old friend." Sirius said. the biggest piece of Pettigrew that had been found was a finger.
Remus nodded as he stared at the moving picture in his hands. "You thought I was the spy?" he asked.
"Forgive me?" Sirius asked with a lopsided grin and rogue could see why he transformed into a dog.
"Only if you forgive me, Padfoot." He said and they pulled each other into a hug.
Rogue stepped back to give them a little privacy but when she did the paper bag in her hand rustled and Sirius' head shot up. "So what did you bring me today?" he asked releasing Remus. Rogue shook her head in silent laughter, he could change from one emotion to the other quickly.
She held the bag out to him which he took and opened. He pulled out the orange and gave her a confused look. "To prevent scurvy." She said as though it was the most sane thing in the world to say.
"Of course, what was I thinking." He said seriously but had a grin on his face nonetheless.
He sat down by the edge of the lake and Remus and herself soon joined him. "Does Dumbledore know?" Remus asked after a moment.
"No but the rest of my team does, none of us could get a good read on what he thought of Sirius here." She explained. "We also didn't want to spook Pettigrew. The Wesley kid has been keeping him with him at all times after Grangers cat attacked him."
"I love that cat." Sirius said between bites. "He has been helping me try to get Peter."
"We need ta capture Pettigrew, not kill him." she told them. She had a sinking suspicion that, given the chance, they would kill him without hesitation for the things he had done to them. Rogue couldn't blame them at all, she would love to kill Mystique, hell she had even pushed her off a cliff at one point. "We need ta have him so we can prove that Sirius is innocent." She said. They both nodded but she could see the disappointment
A few hours later Rogue was sitting with Remus in the teachers stand, while Piotr, Remy and kitty were stationed throughout the rest of the stands. Rogue had to admit that even despite the rain she was really enjoying herself. Lupin had cast the water repelling spell on her and she was reasonable warm. Gryffindor was supposed to be playing Slitherin, but at the last minute they were forced to play Huffelpuff. The Slitherin captain claimed that his seeker's arm was still injured but it was painfully obvious that they just didn't want to play in this weather.
The game had been in play for half an hour when rogue felt a sudden chill, everything around her went deadly silent. She could feel the psyches raging within her mind causing her to throw up her shields at full force. She looked around to make sure it wasn't just her, by the faces around her she guessed not. She looked back to the field and saw the Dementors, thirty of them at least. Rogue suddenly remembered Lupin telling her about how Harry would pass out around Dementors, she had made a mental note to try and help him with his own shields.
Rogue looked up to the last spot she had seen Potter and saw him plummeting to the ground. Without thinking, Rogue shot out of her seat leaving the people around her very startled. She flew as fast as she could to the unconscious teen and caught him fifty feet before he hit the ground. The poor boy was soaked head to toe and was very pale. She looked below her to see Dumbledore storm the field, even from where she was she could see how livid he was.
She cast a glance at Lupin who was looking off to his right. Rogue followed his line of sight and frowned, there sat Sirius Black, in his dog form of course. When he saw her catch sight of him he nodded and left. He had risked exposure to watch Potters game. And while that made him a great Godfather, it also made him a sorry excuse for a criminal. Rogue shook her head and turned toward the castle, she needed to get Potter to the Hospital Wing ASAP.
She had been sitting at one end of the Hospital Wing when Logan walked in through the door chewing on a cigar. "How's he doin'?" he asked.
"Ah dunno, do ah look like a doctor ta ya?" she asked earning an eye roll. Truth be told she was a little testy. Sirius had been instructed not to attend the match.
Rogue looked down to where the rest of the Gryffindor team plus Potters friends stood around his bed. one of the Wesley's was holding his broom that had been torn to shreds by the whopping willow.
"Look Kid why don't you go on, I'll take over." Logan said.
Rogue glared at him for two reasons, the first, he had called her kid again. The second was that he was implying that she was too tired to do her job. "Ah'm fine Logan." She told him stubbornly.
"It wasn't a request," he informed her.. "It was an order, now get." Rogue stood up from her chair in a huff and walked out of the room, muttering 'overgrown badger' under her breath. She knew good and well that he had heard her and was glad for it.
She walked down the halls to the great hall for dinner when she bumped into Gambit. "Bonjour ma chere." He said with a smile.
Rogue didn't know what it was about his smile but it always made her feel better. She would then catch herself starting to like Remy and would return to her foul mood once more. "Don't call me that." She asked for the millionth time.
And like all the times before he ignored her. "So wha' are we doin' tomorrow." He asked her.
Rogue began walking to the great hall again and Remy fell in step beside her. "Well ah need ta go in ta town tomorrow ta pick up a few things. Ya are welcome ta tag along." Rogue said, secretly hoping he would. She needed him so she could get some clothes for Sirius.
"Wha' kinda gentleman would ah be if ah let ya wonder 'round alone?" he asked.
Rogue rolled her eyes as she walked into the dining hall. as soon as she walked in she saw people staring at her. "Why are they starin' at me?" rogue whispered.
Remy wrapped an arm around her shoulder, taking advantage of her close proximity. "Cause ya belle, sha." He said.
"Sha?" she asked.
Remy looked back at her startled. "Wha' ya say?" he asked.
"Ya called me sha." She told him.
"Oh, its slang fo' chere." He told her.
Rogue nodded as she reached the faculty table and took her seat between Remus and Remy. "That was some catch today." Remus said.
"All in a daze job." She said as she loaded her plate up with various meats and vegetables.
"So what are you doing on your day off tomorrow?" Lupin asked between bites.
"Me an' chere are goin' inta town." Remy said before rogue could answer.
Rogue had noticed lately that he seemed to be asserting himself more around other men. Why? She had no idea and didn't particularly care. If he wanted to think he was wooing her and keep all the other suicidal maniacs at bay, she was fine with it.
"We are pickin' up supplies before we go to see the shrieking' shack." Rogue said.
Remus smiled and nodded his head. "You know despite the name you have taken for yourself you truly are a saint." He said.
"Aww shucks," she joked, "So what are ya doin' for the holidays?"
"Well will be staying here, what about you two?" he asked.
"We gotta stay here homme." Remy told him before he took another bite. After that conversation gave way to their rumbling stomachs.
Tomorrow would be the start of the holidays and most would go home to their parents. The x-men and many of the teachers wouldn't be a part of that group. Rogue really had no one to go home to anyway. Logan and Kurt were the only ones she really considered family anyway. Logan was like a father figure and had taken her under his wing. Kurt was her actual brother, even if she was adopted he treated her like his older sister and she loved it. he had invited her for Christmas with his adoptive family this year but she declined. Usually she preferred to wander off around this time of the year like Logan. But this year she would be forced to interact with others, much to Kitty's excitement.