Thanks for the review, Madmad237!

…Halfway done with the next chapter. I've finally figured out how I'm going to format these, it'll make the story go a bit faster. Because I know we're all waiting for the same thing… ;]

Like with my first story, there are a few key scenes that the entire plot is formed around, and I've been writing ahead and writing those lately.

HEY! Hey you! Yeah, you! No…not you, the one in the back. Yeah, you….Review? PLEASE?

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. JK ROWLING IS JESUS!

CHAPTER 16

She walked through the West wing and up a few sets of stairs before running into Filch, the caretaker who had always had an out for the students.

"Oi! What are you doing?" He screeched, charging towards her.

"Going back to my dormitory, and going to bed." Audrey replied in a simple manner, after all, it was the truth.

"Are you sassing me?" Filch grumbled.

"No, I'm telling you the truth." Audrey replied, in mock innocence.

"STOP SASSING ME." Filch hissed.

"Argus!" A familiar voice echoed down the hallway.

Albus Dumbledore appeared seconds later, in his night clothes with his wand lit.

"Headmaster, this student is out of bed and giving me sass!" The caretaker grumbled.

"Miss Dalio is one of our music students that travels often, Argus. She was at a competition, and just returned. I assure you that she is not breaking any rules, or giving you sass." Albus said calmly.

Filch walked away, muttering.

"Thank you, Headmaster." Audrey said, giving him a smile.

"It is only the truth, Miss Dalio." Albus replied, his eyes twinkling. "You should probably get to bed, my dear."

Audrey nodded, and the two set off in different directions.

I really shouldn't have been surprised when I walked into the common room…

"AGH!" Audrey yelled as a bunch of spider webs wrapped around her as soon as she climbed through the portrait hole. She whipped out her wand, quickly singeing them off.

She heard familiar laughter.

"James, Sirius." Audrey hissed, slightly peeved.

"Sorry, Dalio." James sniggered. "We really didn't mean for that to hit you, we were waiting for someone else."

Audrey crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.

"We were waiting to test it on Frank; he snuck out of the common room again." Sirius said, a mischievous glint in his eyes has he gracefully loped upward from the couch and strode towards Audrey.

I wasn't honestly sure what he was doing, it was also the first time I noticed how he walked. I didn't know what to make of him…I still don't.

Sirius was inches from her face, and she was ready to hit him if she had to. He ran one of his hands through her hair.

Oh the things I wanted to do!

"You had some spider webs still in your hair." Sirius said, shaking the webs off of his hand.

"Thanks." Audrey replied, a little weirded out by Sirius' behavior. "Well gents, I'll see you both in the morning."

"Wait!" James said, lifting himself up from the couch. "How did you do at that competition thing?"

Audrey held up her trophy.

"First place!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Fancy." James chimed in, looking at the trophy.

"Thanks…" Audrey was still weirded out.

"Let the lady go to bed, James." Sirius elbowed him; James returned with a funny look.

Audrey bid them a final good night and ascended the staircase.

On my way upstairs, of course I heard those two bickering like an old married couple. I didn't bother listening or even trying to; it was probably about something stupid.

James hit Sirius with a pillow.

"What was that all about?" He demanded.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"You're whipped, mate. You're whipped and she shows no interest." James said, giving Sirius and all knowing look.

"I am not!" Sirius protested.

…Oh but I was, from the moment I first saw her. That's bloody cliché right there, inside this prankster is a romantic cliché. But I couldn't just admit that to my best friend. It's a male thing.

James gave him a look that said. 'I know you're lying.'

I was so enthralled by her that I had completely forgotten to get Frank Longbottom on his way through the portrait hole some twenty minutes later. James wasn't pleased, the spell didn't have as much of an affect with only one caster. We were still working out the kinks at that time…

As the two boys made their way up the staircase, James whispered. "That Dalio is quite a distraction for you, mate. And I've seen you ogle the girls around here, but not like her."

Sirius ignored James as he pulled open his bed curtains and collapsed onto his four poster.

As soon as December came, so did the snow…and Hisoka was now taking our lessons in a different direction from the standard playing and rehearsing. She worked with me on minute things, such as movements. The defense lessons I had been having with Albus all year were getting more challenging as the weeks went by, and I found myself shocked at what I was even capable of. I had been moving rocks all of my life, but I had never really given it any thought that I could simply lift a boulder using no strength, and kill another living being with it. I had never fathomed that before, and the thought scared me.

Audrey returned to the Gryffindor common room, frost bitten, after a lesson outside in the Forbidden forest with the Headmaster.

"Oi, Dalio!"

Audrey turned, seeing James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter sitting on the couches. She raised an eyebrow and replied. "Yes?"

"Are you staying for the holidays, Audrey?" Remus asked, a huge grin on his face, as well as James'. Sirius looked shy for once.

Audrey shook her head. "No, I'm spending it with my family."

"Going to Russia?" James asked in a mock Russian accent.

"No, you filthy pig. I'll be in England." Audrey replied in Russian, a huge mischievous grin taking over her features.

James wore a perplexed look, Remus looked inquisitive, Sirius was grinning like a fool, and Peter, as always, looked oblivious.

"What did you say?" James asked, dropping the mock accent.

"She said, 'No, you filthy pig. I'll be in England.'" said Maksim, a second year boy whose parents were from Kansk. Audrey often spoke with him in Russian just for the sake of driving the four boys crazy; they couldn't eavesdrop on her conversations if they couldn't understand.

Remus burst into laughter as Sirius and James both wore identical looks of shock that Audrey had said such a thing to them, even if she was only joking.

If she wasn't staying at school for Christmas, I didn't feel much initiative to stay either…but I didn't want to go home, I went to my Uncle's of course.

I opted to go home for the Christmas holidays, and I was pleasantly surprised to find my aunts, uncle, cousins, and grandparents at our seemingly tiny cottage in the woods. The holidays felt like seconds to me, and though I had laughed quite a lot though out the first term, I think I laughed more over the holidays with my entire family. So much that it hurt to smile and to breathe.

I returned to school during January of that year to quite a shock.

"Who is that?" Sarah asked, as she and Audrey made their way down the train aisle to find a compartment.

There was a sea of black hair, two people snogging. The girl's hair seemed to be over the boy's shoulders, it was so long.

"Is that…?" Audrey asked.

"No…" Sarah finished, shocked.

"It is…its Sirius!" Audrey exclaimed. "But who is that?"

Sarah stood on her tip-toes for a moment. "Ooh! I've seen her before! She's in Ravenclaw, I think her name is Amelia. She's really nice; I was partnered with her a few times in Herbology."

"Is she snorting grated toads?" Sarah asked, disgusted. Audrey shrugged.

I wasn't quite sure how I felt at the time, I was elated that I had shaken Sirius Black off of me. But there was a tiny voice inside of me, a tiny voice that I couldn't really discern over everything that was spinning around my head. The tiny voice made my stomach drop, it made me feel terrible.

It's understandable, I am terribly handsome.

Audrey and Sarah had finally found a compartment with Maksim, Severus, Lily, and Marlene inside. Before Audrey could even say hello, Sarah burst into the compartment, shut the door and yelled.

"GUESS WHAT WE JUST SAW?" She jumped up and down.

Maksim looked amused, and Severus raised an eyebrow and asked. "What, Badger?"

Severus had taken to calling Sarah a badger, after her House.

"Sirius Black is dating someone." Sarah squealed.

She seemed happier about it then I was…

I don't blame her for being unhappy. I was unhappy too.

Maksim snorted and said. "Sarah, why is this of importance to us?"

"Yeah!" Severus said in agreement.

"Because, now he'll leave Audrey alone." Lily exclaimed, piecing it together. Audrey grinned.

"Well that's excellent for you, Audrey. But I doubt he'll leave you alone completely." Severus said, his eyes narrowing.

As if on cue, Sirius was banging on our compartment door.

Lily slammed her head repeatedly on the window, Severus rolled his eyes, and Marlene looked as though she wanted to kill Sirius.

"Happy New Year, everyone!" Sirius strode into the already crowded compartment, weaseling in between Audrey and Marlene and wrapping his arms around the two.

"I hope everyone had a wonderful break, and we're going to have a splendid year."

Audrey turned to him. "Sirius Black, what are you on? Puffapod seeds?"

"He's probably snorting." Maksim chimed in, wearing a brilliant smile.

Sirius still with his arms around to the two girls, put one of his hands over his heart and wore a shocked expression.

Audrey shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Audreeeeeey!" Sirius whined. "I'm so hurt! I come back to school, trying to be positive and greet my fellow Gryffindors and my Huffapuffer over there." He pointed to Sarah. "And you act this way! I thought we were best friends."

He pouted at Audrey.

"I think he's definitely on something." Maksim said to Audrey, everyone else looked confused.

"I believe you're right, Maksim." She replied, grinning at the other's confused faces.

"I don't believe someone as smart as Audrey is would want to consort with someone of your intellect, Black." Severus sneered.

"Snivellus!" Sirius exclaimed in mock-surprise. "When did you get here? You been invisible this whole time!"

A new year, a new leaf. Not for Sirius Black though…and I resolved this year that I wasn't going to let him insult one of my best friends right in front of me.

Audrey gave Marlene a look and they both shoved Sirius off of them with great force.

"We don't take too kindly to you insulting our friends, Sirius." Marlene said, as he got up and strode from the compartment, slamming the door.

Marlene opened it once again, and yelled down the hallway. "SEE YOU AT THE FEAST, JERK!"

Maksim laughed out loud, Severus smirked, and Audrey grinned.

I can't lie, it did feel good…

Really good.