As the clock chimed three, the Gryffindor common room was deserted, save for one. Kate sat in the window seat with her knees drawn up to her chin.

She couldn't sleep again. She's been at Hogwarts a week had had yet to sleep through the night.

The dream was back. Kate attributed it to being in a strange environment. She figured it would go away when she got used to Hogwarts. It still bothered her though. She didn't want to go back to sleep. Why couldn't the dream just leave her alone?

She hadn't been this restless at night since she was a child. But Aunt Grace wasn't there to comfort her this time. And she couldn't leave Gryffindor Tower to get a snack like she usually would. So, she stared out the window. At least she wasn't screaming in her sleep like when she was six. That would not be easy to explain.

Kate heard the boys' stairs creak behind her and she turned. Sirius Black stood on the bottom step, leaning on the wall, staring at her back.

"Been there long?" she asked over her shoulder.

"No, I just got here." Sirius came over and sat with her in the window seat. She noticed that he didn't ask. He just invited himself to sit with her.

As he sat down, she caught a wind of his scent. Even in his pyjamas, he smelled like leather and that indefinable musky smell. It was a completely masculine smell. Kate drew her dressing gown around her as goosebumps raised on her arms. She was suddenly aware that she wasn't wearing a bra under her pyjama shirt.

Her eyes took in Sirius' appearance and she realized that he wasn't wearing much either: just sweatpants and an undershirt under his dressing gown. He had a broad chest and abs that the uniform robes didn't do justice.

Sirius noticed Kate's eyes dip down to his chest. He smiled, silently blessing whatever intuition told him not to wear full pyjamas that night.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Sirius asked.

"No, I was just going back up-"

"Liar."

"So are you," she countered. "You'd been standing there a good thirty seconds before I said anything."

He grinned at her spunk. "Guilty as charged," he held out his arms, wrists crossed. "Tie me up and punish me."

Kate looked away quickly. Her whole countenance stiffened. Sirius watched her. He didn't understand. What had he said?

"So," he said breaking the silence. "You couldn't sleep?"

"No. You?"

"No." The silence descended again. Sirius really wasn't getting anything out of Kate. From her body language, he knew she like him. He noticed her fidgeting and smiling, furtive glances when he was around. But he hadn't been able to get any farther. Most girls liked to talk about themselves. Sirius had been trying to talk to Kate all week and had gotten nowhere. Whenever he tried to find out things about her she changed the subject. He'd even resorted to asking her roommates, but they seemed to be as much in the dark as he was. McKinnon had said that Kate didn't talk about herself.

"Remus' snoring woke me up," He volunteered. "That boy snores like a troll. It's a wonder you can't hear it."

"I'd have thought you'd be used to his snoring after so many years," Kate gave him the half smile that had become so familiar. She only ever gave him a half smile.

"I'd have thought so too, but no," said Sirius. "What about you? What's keeping you from sleeping?"

Kate was silent for a moment. "Just a bad dream."

"It'll pass," Sirius said. He wasn't sure if it was the right thing to say. "It's just a dream."

"Not this one," she answered. "This dream is different." She didn't look at him. She was looking out the window, down onto the Lake. "I've been waiting for it to pass for ten years."

Sirius studied her profile. She was a million miles away and it didn't look like a very nice place. Time for a change of topic.

"Want to snog?" he asked.

Kate whipped her head around and made a noise between a gasp and a laugh.

"What?" she asked.

"We're alone in the middle of the night. There's a roaring fire and a really comfortable sofa. It seems like the natural thing to do, don't you think?" He gave his most charming smile.

Kate smiled her half smile. "No, not tonight."

"Not tonight, but maybe in the future?"

Kate chuckled and Sirius scored a silent point for making her laugh.

"You are determined, I'll give you that," she said.

"Anything else you'd like to give me?"

"Like I said, not tonight."

"Fair enough," Sirius said with a nod. "But, I distracted you from that dream, didn't I?"

Kate sat up, looking surprised. "You did," she said. "I didn't notice, but you really did." She smiled and Sirius was glad to see that it was more than the half smile that was her usual. She looked slightly embarrassed but happy nonetheless.

Kate got up off the window seat.

"On that note, I'm going back to bed."

"Already?" Sirius gave her his best puppy eyes.

Kate chuckled again. "Yes, already."

He watched her as she walked across the common room to the girls' stairs. At the bottom she stopped and turned around.

"Thank you," she said. "Oddly, you helped."

Sirius smiled. "Anytime. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Kate went back up to her dorm and crawled back into bed. She fell asleep quickly and slept soundly through until morning.