Norah walked out of the Gryffindor common room feeling strangely giddy; her step was light, there was a slight smile on her face, and she was humming softly to herself.

It was Friday, a patrol night. She made her way quickly down to the entrance hall to meet Tom, ready for a long night of work. But Norah did not dread it as she used to; the hours spent with Tom grew more and more enjoyable, and she had begun to anticipate them now with excitement rather than regret.

The clock in the bell tower chimed eight o'clock as Norah practically hopped down the last steps of the staircase. Leaning against her normal spot on the banister, she looked around the hall for Tom. He seemed to be running late...unusual, since they had begun to make it a race to the hall.

"Psst!"

Startled, Norah snapped her head toward a dark corner of the empty hall. In the shadows she could barely make out a slight figure, tall, but crouched over in hiding.

"Tom," Norah said, recognizing the man at last. "You scared me. What are you doing over there?"

"Shh," he whispered back. "Get over here before Grady comes."

Puzzled, Norah walked over toward him, her steps echoing softly around the hall.

"Why do we need to hide from Mr. Grady? We have patrol tonight."

"Well, uh, not exactly," Tom mumbled. "Now quick," he hissed as he grabbed Norah's arm and pulled her into the shadows with him.

There was a wheezing sound coming from the Great Hall, gradually getting louder and closer. A second later, the old caretaker, Mr. Grady, came into view. He looked around the hall with his beady eyes, completely overlooking the small corner that Norah and Tom now hid in. Seeing things to be in order, he grunted contently and hobbled off to the kitchens.

When he had left, Norah turned to Tom with a questioning look.

"You see, Norah," he began in a hushed tone as he let go of her arm. "Today after dinner, Dumbledore—"

"Professor Dumbledore," Norah said pointedly.

"Yes, yes. Professor Dumbledore told me that he and Professor Alton would be taking the patrol for tonight in lieu of Gryffindor's victory in Quidditch this afternoon."

Norah smirked; Gryffindor had beat Slytherin yet again. Not that she, or Tom for that matter, much cared for sports, but it was something to brag about none the less.

Still, it confused her why he hadn't told her there was no patrol.

"Tom, why did you not tell me patrol was cancelled? I came down for no reason at all."

He grinned mischievously. "Really? Because I had something else in mind."

Without another word, he stepped out of the shadows and headed toward the oak doors.

Norah stared after him, gaping. "Tom," she called after him in a sharp whisper. "Tom, this is ludicrous!"

He laughed softly as the doors opened, whispering softly in the dark night. "Are you coming or what? I doubt you'll make it upstairs without being caught."

Norah thought about it, weighing the consequences. If she tried to make it upstairs there was the chance that she would run into Professor Dumbledore…or worse, Peeves. But if she went out onto the grounds with Tom, she could get in much worse trouble.

Still, when was the last time she actually did something fun? Let go and did something reckless? The answer was, well, never. And going out with Tom, exploring and breaking the rules actually did sound fun to Norah. She could handle the consequences later, whatever they may be.

Norah sighed. "Alright, Tom, I'm coming with you."

He beamed. "Excellent!"

Norah quietly followed him through the doors and onto the moonlit lawn. "But if we're caught and this goes on my record, I will jinx you within an inch of your life."

Tom chuckled at that but made no reply.

They walked deftly across the grounds, casting large, ominous shadows. The night was still, the moon full. An owl hooted in the distance, but all else was quiet.

"So what did you have in mind for tonight, Tom," Norah said, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Well," he replied, looking out across the Black Lake. "I have a couple ideas…"

Tom gave her another sly grin and looked toward the pitch-black Forest, its depths unknown and unfathomable.

"No, absolutely not," Norah protested. "We can't go in there!"

Tom laughed again. "Why ever not?"

She gave him a disbelieving look. "First, because it is forbidden, hence the name Forbidden Forest. Second, because we have no idea what is in there!"

"Then let's find out," Tom said, pushing her gently toward the foreboding trees.

"No, let's not," Norah replied through gritted teeth. "If you want to be killed, go ahead and be my guest, but I am not going anywhere near that place."

"Oh come on, Norah," he said teasingly. "Think of it as a walk around the park."

He was still pushing her when they got to the edge of the trees. Norah sighed. "Fine, but if anything happens in here—"

Tom rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. You'll jinx me within an inch of my life."

"Actually, I was going to say that I would leave you to get eaten," Norah replied with a grin on her face.

They both laughed at that and continued on into the Forest. Through the canopy of leaves you could make out the stars and the brightly glowing moon. All else was darkness as Norah and Tom traipsed through the brush, staying as much to the pathway as possible.

There was a scuttling noise, and Norah whipped her head around, anticipating a large man-eating creature. Nothing was there, but her heart rate sped up none the less. In the dark she could make out shadows, and she could swear that they were moving. The wind whistled through the leaves, bringing emphasis to the terror of the place.

"Tom, is it always this dark in here?" Norah was clutching his arm tightly. She had tried to be brave before, but now they were deep in the wood and the moon had disappeared.

"Well, how should I know? This is my first time in here, too." He smiled playfully, but when he saw the frightened look on her face it faded. "Norah, are you alright? Do you need to leave?"

"Yes, that would be lovely," she whimpered.

Tom led her quickly through the brambles and bushes, careful to avoid fallen branches that she could trip on. As they came close the end of the path, Norah's breathing had increased. She gasped with relief when the first shreds of moonlight penetrated the obscure foliage above.

They burst from the trees, Tom panting from exhaustion and Norah from fear.

"Norah," he said after catching his breath. "Are you alright?"

She had calmed down, but she continued to cling to his arm. "Yes, I think I'm fine."

"Would you like to sit down?"

"Yes," Norah replied as he led her toward a lone beech tree some fifty yards from the tree line.

When they reached the shade of the tree, Tom pulled out his wand and conjured a blanket to lay at the base. They sat down and stared out across the dark waters.

"Seems a bit silly, does it not?" Norah said after a minute of silence. Tom stared at her and made no reply. "Fear of the dark, I mean."

"Oh, that's what that was," he said, understanding now what had happened.

"Yes," Norah said, looking down into her lap, ashamed. "Ever since I was a little girl I have been terrified of darkness, shadows…the unknown. It's just so uncertain, you know? You never know what's there."

"Yes, I see," Tom replied, twiddling his wand between his fingers.

Norah sighed, feeling as though this was a one-way conversation. "What are you afraid of, Tom?"

"Death," he said simply, without hesitation.

Norah gulped. A hush went over the grounds, and she felt a cold prickling sensation run down her spine.

Tom sensed her unease and smiled softly. "And, I suppose, I am afraid of this night ending."

Norah's brow furrowed with confusion. "Tom, what are you saying?"

"I enjoy spending time with you, Norah."

He was sitting too close; Norah could feel his warm breath on her cheek. But what made her uneasy was that she didn't mind. She wanted this.

"Tom," she said as he leaned toward her. "I think we should go inside."

Just then, a light came on in the grounds-keeper's hut, illuminating the lawn in gold rather than the silver from the moon.

"Oh my goodness," Norah gasped. "Ogg! He'll catch us."

Tom had recovered from whatever had come over him, but there was a faint blush in his cheeks. "Quick, let's get back to the castle."

He waved his wand and the blanket disappeared. Then they were off as quickly as they could push themselves. They made it to the doors and slipped quietly inside, but when they got into the hall, Tom continued up the stairs with Norah.

"I will accompany you upstairs to make sure you're not caught," he said when she asked him about it.

The halls were still and quiet, and they walked through them as if they were on a patrol. Yet they were careful to keep to the shadows, especially if they heard footsteps or Peeves. They made it to Gryffindor tower without a problem, and Norah felt grateful for Tom's help with that.

"Goodnight," she said as she turned to give the password to the sleeping Fat Lady.

"Norah," Tom said, grabbing her hand. "I'm sorry about what happened at the Lake. I…I don't know why I said that."

"It's okay," she replied with a small smile and turned to go again.

"But," Tom said, pulling her back by the hand he still held. "It wasn't a lie." He leaned in again, but only to press his lips lightly to her cheek.

"Goodnight," he said, disappearing into the shadows with a gentle smile on his face.

Norah stood rooted to the spot, watching the place where Tom had left. She lifted her hand to touch the cheek that now burned with heat, feeling conflicted with chagrin and happiness.

Turning toward the portrait, she found the Fat Lady awake with an impish grin on her face.

"A boy," she said with an amused chuckle. "And a Slytherin at that!"

"Oh, shut it," Norah grumbled and then gave her the password.