She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER SEVEN

Under The Spell

Sirius and I stared at each other, neither one of us saying a word as we each registered our own shock at the situation.

His eyes were alight with something I couldn't quite read…until I realised how awkward this position was. Him lying on top of me, and me in a skirt and all…

Not that I minded it…I mean, hey, what girl would? But I was also feeling slightly indignant about it, it was hardly appropriate. I'm sure I was blushing, however. I hoped he'd mistake it for an angry red.

"So," Sirius said suddenly, a smirk on his face. "You're a girl."

"Oh, well spotted." I said acidly.

Sirius appeared not to have noticed. "And all this time…" He said, somewhat thoughtfully. And then he grinned. "Wait'll the guys hear about this!" He looked positively thrilled.

I think I bristled. "Okay, cool, tell your mates, but could you please kindly get off me?" I asked. I had suddenly noticed how much weight he had suddenly transferred from his hands to somewhere else…it felt so wrong and yet so right! Aurgh!!

Sirius' grin slowly turned to a smirk. He said, his gaze travelling down my slightly askew black top, and then he fixed his gaze on something else. "Hey, what's that?" He asked.

I knew what he was talking about, and I didn't want to talk about that right now. "Are you going to get off me or not?" I asked him, somewhat impatiently, wishing that my heart would behave itself.

"Hmm," Sirius said, with mock thoughtfulness. "No, I'm actually rather comfortable where I am right now, thanks." He smirked at me. "You?"

Oh, that was it. My heart broke the glass window and took flight into the sky somewhere. I didn't know when it would be back and I didn't care. But this couldn't go on. With some difficulty, I reached into my pocket and pulled something out. I pointed it directly at Sirius' chin.

His eyes suddenly turned wary as he looked at the wand in my hand.

"Let me up or I'll hex you." I whispered, in what I hoped was a dangerous, convincing voice.

Sirius didn't move.

Somehow, without having been told it, but like a real-life Mary-Sue I just knew, that the wand was a ten and a half inch mahogany wand. It felt nice and supple in my hand and, somehow, I just knew, that it had a wolf hair in it. But, since wands were usually made from phoenix feathers, unicorn hair, dragon heartstring or, in some cases, Veela hair, I don't know how this could have happened.

I also don't know what I said after I'd realised Sirius wasn't moving, but he went flying off me and landed about twelve feet away from me.

In disbelief, I scrambled to my feet, and stood there, shaking, in a field of flowers that were probably alive or something, and I could see where Sirius had landed – grabbing his wand, I ran to him, just to make sure he was alright, and found that he'd been knocked out.

"Okay, so that wasn't a hex," I said, frowning. "Must've been Stupefy or something. He'll get me for this when he wakes up." I added, as I sat down beside him but some ways away, drawing my knees up to my chin and holding both our wands (his was a slightly darker colour than mine was, one way I could tell the difference) in my right hand. For, of course, I wasn't going to just leave him hear, he might get killed or eaten or something!

I sighed. "Something tells me I should've just eaten the porcupine thing." I said out loud, as I turned my head up to the sky and began to sing softly.

***

No One's P.O.V:

Sirius woke up slowly and then he felt something cold and wet on his face. It felt like snowflakes. He opened his dark eyes slowly, to see that it was snowing. He also heard someone singing.

Slowly, he turned his head to his right.

The girl who had once been a white wolf was sitting next to him, her head bent over something, and her hair falling around her face, but it was no doubt she was the one singing, although too softly for Sirius to tell if she was singing well or not, but it sounded alright.

"I'm standing here staring at the sky, just like all the different trees, I know that I'm gazing right at you…"

Sirius watched her for a moment, and then her head raised and, he saw, in her hand was a pocket watch. It was gold and silver plated, with a stag on the front of it, and there was something wet on it.

Sirius looked up at the girl's face, and realised that she was crying. Not a lot, but just enough that her tears looked like snowflakes.

At the same instant that he come to this conclusion, Sirius found himself locking gazes with the girl, who looked at him with her tear-filled eyes.

Then, Sirius scrambled up into a sitting position, and the girl wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe, depositing the pocket watch back under her clothes, as it was suspended from her neck by a black chain.

"My wand..?" Sirius asked, and the girl handed it to him wordlessly. "So…you are..?"

***

I blinked slightly, ashamed that I had been caught crying by Sirius Black of all people, who wouldn't cry until he was much, much older. I cleared my throat. "Umm…Emma. Emma Pax." Suddenly, I wished it was more glamorous, like Hermoine or Serenity or Moonshine or something. I glanced at Sirius. "Umm…you're Sirius Black, aren't you?"

"Yup," He nodded, standing up and offering his hand to me. I glanced at it for a moment, before taking it and allowing him to help me up.

I glanced at him once more, and then turned abruptly, realising at once why I had been avoiding people for a few days now. How was I going to explain where I'd come from?

I began to walk quickly away from him, realising that this was going to get a lot stickier if I just stayed here. He'd think I was insane if I told him my story. I'd be carted off to St. Mungo's faster than James had caught the snitch in last night's match against Slytherin.

"Well…bye." I said, without turning around.

"Wait!" Sirius said.

Something in his voice made me turn, and he had his wand pointed at me.

"I worked too damn hard to chase you down, Emma," He said, and my heart came back just to flutter. "You are not going anywhere." He said firmly.

I sighed. What an arrogant…conceited…totally handsome…

Crossing my arms, I said: "Okay, I'm not going anywhere. Now what?"

Sirius paused for a moment. "Well, firstly, where'd ya come from?" He asked, not taking his eyes – or his wand – off of me.

"The Forbidden Forest," I replied.

"Really?" Sirius seemed interested.

"Really." I nodded. "Anymore questions?"

"Yeah, just a few," He smirked.

God, why is he so INTERESTED!? I wondered in frustration. Just because I'm some prize he FINALLY managed to catch… I smiled suddenly. Maybe it was the lack of energy, the lack of proper sleep…but I suddenly felt in the mood…the goad Sirius Black, which might not have been such a smart move. "Because you've had days to think them up now, haven't you?" I asked sweetly, and was pleased to see a flicker of annoyance cross Sirius' handsome face. "I mean, I managed to evade you…how many times was it? On that first night…" I began ticking off on my fingers. "Hmm, does that count? And then the next night…and last night…" Maybe I was losing count, I wasn't sure. I gave a short bark of laughter, much like Sirius' own. "Maybe you're not so good after all, Sirius Black – Expalliamus!"

For he had just said something, and the next minute, it was me who was knocked out.

Oh terrific. He knocked me out.

Well, at least I managed to disarm him while he did it.