Chapter Four

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It wasn't often that Sirius found himself in the library. It was too dark and too quiet and the dusty old books made him sneeze, but he had been driven here by necessity. He'd not seen Clara properly since their kiss outside the Ravenclaw common room two weeks ago, and that was far too long for Sirius. He'd glimpsed her briefly at dinner that evening, but by the time he'd finished eating she'd already left the Ravenclaw table. He'd made his way over to the table nevertheless and asked her chattering group of friends where she was. Revising, they told him, once they'd finished giggling and staring at him, and so he'd made his way up to the library.

He threw a wicked grin at Madam Pince who eyed him suspiciously as he crossed in front of her desk. She'd never quite forgiven him for the time James dared him to practice his levitating charm on a large stack of books in their first year. The resulting book quake had earned him one of his first ever detentions. He smiled fondly at the memory.

Still aware of the librarian's mistrustful eyes on him, Sirius looked around for Clara. He spotted her sitting at the end of an aisle, her back to him as she bent over her work. Her chocolate hair was falling like a curtain over her shoulder and glinting in the light of a lamp on the desk. He smiled and made his way over to her.

'Evening,' he said as he flopped down into the chair next to her.

'Sirius!' she exclaimed, jumping as he sat down. 'What are you doing here?'

'I thought you could do with a break,' he said as he eyed the many books and sheafs of parchment spread across her table. 'Merlin, look at all this!' He picked up a very complicated looking number chart.

'I need to revise!' she said in a hushed voice. 'Exams aren't too far away.'

'Is that why I've barely laid eyes on you these last couple of weeks? Sirius said, taking far less care than Clara to keep his voice down. 'And there I was, pining away, wondering what it was I'd done, thinking you didn't enjoy our little rendezvous.'

'Oh stop it,' she said with a smirk. 'As if that's what you've been doing.'
Sirius grinned as she pulled the chart from his grasp. 'Still, I've found your hiding place now. You can't escape me any more.'

'Damnit,' Clara said, rolling her eyes and forgetting to keep her voice down. 'I'll have to try harder.'
There was a cough from some way behind them. They turned to see Madam Pince glowering at them from her desk.

'Oops,' Clara said, her voice hushed again. 'She doesn't look too happy...'

'Oh don't worry,' Sirius said, following her gaze. 'She always looks at me like that. Even when I'm not doing anything.'

'Does that mean in the past you have been doing something?' she asked, turning back to him and grinning.

'Would I?' Sirius asked, clutching his heart and pretending to be wounded.

'Absolutely!' she replied. 'Last time I saw you we nearly got caught by Filch and had a run-in with Peeves.'

'Purely a one off, that was,' he said. 'Anyway, I came to see if you fancied going to Hogsmeade tomorrow.'

'Oh,' she said, glancing back at her piles of books and notes, chewing her lip doubtfully. 'I was planning on revising all day...'

'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,' Sirius said, using one of Remus's many Muggle quotes he picked up from his mother. 'Like I said, it looks like you could do with a break.'

She frowned slightly. 'You sound like my friends,' she said with a sigh. 'I just need to do well in these exams.'

He bit back his retort that in sixth year, the exams were only end of year tests and didn't count towards the final NEWT grade. Somehow he didn't think she'd appreciate that; she seemed the type of person to take it all very seriously.

'I'm sure you'll do better than everyone else put together,' Sirius said. 'And there's still plenty of time to revise, exams are weeks away. You need to have some time off too, or you'll end up in the Hospital Wing.'

'You're probably right,' she said leaning back in her chair and sighing heavily. 'I do have a nasty essay to do before Potions on Monday, though. I may pop down after I've finished that.'

'Only 'may'?' Sirius asked, gazing at her dolefully in what he hoped was his best puppy-dog expression.

'Oh stop that,' Clara said, swatting him playfully with the end of her pheasant-feather quill. 'Yes, may . If I get enough done in the morning I'll come down and see you there.'

'I suppose I can live with that,' Sirius said, grinning.

Suddenly, Madam Pince's voice rang out behind them. 'Mr Black, this is not a place for you to come and socialise,' she said waspishly as Sirius and Clara both whipped round. 'People are trying to work. If you are not going to do anything I would ask you to please leave.'

She stood over them, arms crossed and clicking her tongue. Sirius sighed. Somehow he did not think trying to pass off some of Clara's work as his own would fool Madam Pince. Clara gave Sirius a rueful, apologetic look as he stood up. 'See you tomorrow,' he said with a wink before turning to grin at Madam Pince who looked so severe Sirius might have broken the law rather than just the silence of the library. As he walked towards the door he cast a glance back to where Clara was sitting. Unless he was very much mistaken, Clara had just turned hastily back to her desk. Sirius was willing to bet his broomstick that she'd just watched him cross the room and he made his way back to Gryffindor Tower with a spring in his step.

          

The day was already pleasantly warm when the Marauders set off for Hogsmeade the next morning. In spite of himself, Sirius looked around at his fellow students as they made their way along the lane that led to the village, looking for Clara. He was disappointed, but not surprised, not to see her.

'I was thinking,' James said in a low voice, drawing Sirius away from searching the groups of students around him. 'If we want to go into the grounds at the next full moon we'll need to unlock that downstairs door in the shack so we can open it when we're all transformed. And unlatch the gate. We could do it today.'

Sirius nodded. They had many whispered discussions about how, now they knew they could control Remus, they could do some exploring, how it would probably help Remus gain even more control over his wolf self. Personally, Sirius was dying to leave the shack on those long nights. It was getting boring waiting with Remus for hours on end, occasionally having to restrain him, but mostly just sitting around. Not that he would ever admit it to his friends.

But again, a flash of doubt crossed Remus's face. 'I still don't know that leaving the shack is a good idea,' he said slowly.

'Oh, come on, Moony,' Sirius said dismissively. 'Prongs and I can keep you back just fine. Plus you said yourself you feel more in control with us there. You said it was getting better with each transformation.'

'And we can finally get up to that cave we found in our third year when we followed the fairies in the Forest,' Peter said.

'We wouldn't be coming near Hogsmeade or Hogwarts,' James said evenly. 'Just straight from the shack into the forest. There won't be anyone in the way.'

'I think we should go for it,' Sirius said. He looked at Remus and knew, despite his doubts, Remus longed to gain more control over his beast form. He would agree; he wouldn't be able to resist.

'The door should be fine being left unlocked,' Sirius said. 'You aren't going to be able to open it before we get there, Moony, and it can't be forced open if you jump at it.'

'Okay,' Remus said, a look of pained longing on his face. 'We'll head up there today and take a look.'

Sirius grinned in triumph and Peter gave a small whoop.

A high pitched laugh came from behind them. The four of them whipped round, Sirius suddenly conscious that they were no longer keeping their voices down, but it was only a bunch of girls in their year. They were still some way behind and did not appear to be paying the Marauders any attention at all. Among them, Sirius noticed, was Lily Evans.

James apparently had noticed too. He was slowing down and he kept glancing back over his shoulder.

'You'll give yourself a bad neck if you keep doing that,' Sirius teased.

'Didn't you ask her to go with you today?' Peter asked as they continued along the lane.

James shook his head. 'I didn't ask her to be honest,' he said. 'Thought I might stand a better chance if I bumped into her there naturally.'

'Has she still not given you a straight answer?' Sirius asked.

'Not yet,' James said. Sirius felt a slight pang of sympathy for his friend as he sighed heavily.

'I don't get it Prongs,' he said. 'Why chase her? Just move onto someone easier.'

'I don't see your love interest here with us,' James said and Sirius heard a slight waspish tone to his voice.

'She's busy,' Sirius said. 'It's different anyway; I know mine likes me.'

'You sure she'll come down this afternoon?' Remus asked.

'Of course she will,' Sirius replied, slightly nonplussed at the trepidation in Remus's voice. 'Why wouldn't she?'

'She seems a bit serious,' Peter said. 'I know we go on at Moony a bit but I can't imagine anyone missing a Hogsmeade trip to do an essay.'

'She's just dedicated that's all,' Sirius said, feeling himself get slightly defensive. 'She wants to do well in the exams. Wants to be a Healer or something.'

'What do you mean or something ?' Peter asked. 'Don't you know?'

'I can't exactly remember,' Sirius said with a casual shrug of his shoulders. 'Doesn't matter that much anyway, I'm sure she'll tell me again.'

'Surely that's not the way to do it!' Remus said, sounding slightly exasperated as James and Peter burst into laughter.

'Does it really matter?' Sirius asked, waving his hand. 'I can always ask again if it comes up, I'll pretend I forgot when I was looking into the vast sea of her eyes or something. Girls lap that sort of thing up.'

'Vast sea of her eyes?' James roared with laughter. 'Don't get seasick in there. Honestly, you have some terrible lines.'

'It doesn't matter what you say,' Sirius said. 'Just matters when and how you say it and then move quickly onto the next thing before she realises what you actually said was bullshit. Or just snog her. When you know they like you you can get away with anything.'

The Marauders all fell about laughing again.

'Merlin help Clara,' Remus said.

They were headed into the village now, the higgledy high street was coming into view, the road thronged with students coming in and out of the shops. Sirius felt in a buoyant mood as they walked towards Honeydukes, he loved coming to the village and the gold in his pockets seemed to chink merrily as they opened the door to the sweet shop.

After they'd crammed their pockets with as many sweets as they could, they made their way up the path to the Shrieking Shack. The path was deserted; any students who might have been brave enough to get close to the reportedly haunted shack were busy spending their money first. The door was thankfully around the back of the shack, out of sight of any eyes that might be prying. A simple Alohamora spell unlocked it and the door swung open.

They quickly found that in his dog form, Sirius was able to open the door by grasping the handle in his mouth, while James was able to unlatch the gate outside with his antlers.

'That makes it easy,' James said as he closed the door again, leaving it unlocked. 'I doubt anyone would try that, people are too scared to come near this place.'

They scoffed their sweets while sitting on the broken down fence that marked the boundary of the shack and made their way back down to the village and the shops.

As the afternoon wore on, Sirius found himself looking for Clara amongst the groups of students that thronged the village. He snapped his head this way and that whenever a group of new students appeared, however Clara was nowhere to be seen.

By mid-afternoon, his mood was beginning to darken. He began to linger at the windows of the shops they visited rather than straying into the depths, staring at the students who passed, refusing to speak to his friends.

He checked his watch as he leaned against the wooden panelling in Gladrags Wizardwear where Peter was picking out a scarf for his mother's birthday. Half past three. Surelf she'd be here soon? Vaguely, he heard James ask him a question.

'Yeah, sounds good,' he replied sullenly without looking away from the window.

Suddenly, James materialised in front of him, forcing Sirius's gaze away from a group of fourth-years who had just come into view.

'Sounds good?' James repeated, frowning. 'Did you hear what I said?'

'What?' Sirius asked, barely trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

'I asked which one you think suits me!'

Sirius looked properly at James. He looked ridiculous. He was draped in a midnight blue witches scarf with another one in a floaty green material over his arm, but Sirius didn't feel like laughing.

'Oh, must have missed it. Sorry.'

'What is wrong with you?' James asked, pulling the scarf off. 'You've not said a word for ages and let's hope the wind doesn't change direction while you've got that scowl on your face, Clara won't... ah!'

Sirius said nothing.

'That's why you're in a mood,' James said, a mix of amusement, concern and exasperation on his face. 'The lovely Clara has yet to grace us with her presence.'

Sirius couldn't be bothered to reply. He looked past James out of the window to where two girls had just appeared round the corner, one with shining chocolate hair that glinted in the sunlight. It was Clara. A smile spread across Sirius's face. She waved as she spotted Sirius in the window and pointed down the street as she mouthed the words 'Three Broomsticks' at him.

'Don't know what you mean, Prongs,' Sirius said airily, looking back at his friend. 'Has Wormtail finished yet?' He peered into the shop where Peter was at the counter, clutching a flowery scarf, handing over his money.

'And I think the green goes with your eyes,' Sirius added to a flummoxed-looking James. 'Three Broomsticks?' he said as Remus and Peter came over to them.

'Sure,' Remus said, looking from Sirius to James with a perplexed look on his face.

'He's just seen Clara,' James offered by way of explanation at the drastic change in Sirius's mood as they left the shop, however, as soon as they stepped down into the street, James stopped dead.

Sirius glanced questioningly at his friend. He was staring ahead, his brow furrowed. Sirius followed his gaze and saw a small group of students standing at the entrance to the small side street that led to the Hog's Head. Sirius recognised several students from his own year, including two boys he knew to be called Silas Avery and Jonathan Wilkes. They were casting furtive looks around themselves and as the Marauders watched, the group disappeared down the alleyway.

'Now tell me that isn't suspicious,' he said, his eyes narrowed. 'Come on.'

He gestured to the others as he crossed the street. Sirius, Peter and Remus followed. They stopped at the entrance to the small alleyway and peered down it. Standing under the grim sign of the Hogs Head were a group of people, all wearing long black robes, their hoods drawn over their heads despite the warm weather, casting their faces into shadow. The group of students made their way over to these hooded strangers and there was a low rumble of conversation. Sirius strained his ears to try and hear them, but try as he might, their words remained inaudible.

He turned to Peter.

'I'm on it,' Peter said and without another word he had transformed. Sirius saw him in his rat form dart away down the alleyway, staying in the shadows of the buildings either side.

Sirius grinned.

'What do you think they're doing?' James whispered.

'I don't know,' Sirius replied. He'd lost sight of Peter now.

'Whatever it is, we'd better move,' Remus said. 'They'll see us if they look this way.'

With one last look at the group, Sirius followed Remus and James as they began to walk back along the high street towards the Three Broomsticks. James kept casting looks over his shoulder back towards the alley.

'Do you think he'll be okay?' he asked.

'He'll be fine,' Sirius said brusquely. 'That place is filthy, nobody will notice a rat. All he's going to do is listen.

'But still, those people looked like...' he tailed off.

'Like Death Eaters,' Remus finished grimly.

'Yeah,' James said. 'And if the Slytherins are talking to Death Eaters...'

'Come on,' Sirius said. All this talk of Death Eaters was making him uncomfortable. 'Wormtail will catch up with us.'

'They want to be Death Eaters, fine. I know which side I'm going to be on,' James said determinedly as the Three Broomsticks came into view.

Sirius said nothing. He couldn't be sure; the light wasn't good and his face had been cast in shadow, but he'd thought as they'd turned away that he'd caught a glimpse of Regulus among the group.

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