The spinning stops and I lead the charge to the door, walking right in. The office is beautiful. All stone, books, floating metal contraptions, and a real phoenix sitting to the right of a big desk that Albus is sitting at. But I'm too riled up to appreciate any of it. "Sorry to disturb you, Albus, but these three were casting spells in the great hall." She says and I can feel her disappointment.

"Professor, if I could just-" She shakes her head and I grit my teeth. "Albus, you promised the teachers would listen to me. You promised." I speak again, this time straight to the greyed professor.

"And you will be listened to, Arell, not everything happens instantly. Patience would be a good lesson for you to practice here." It sounds condescending, but his eyes are bright and he's a little smile on his face. Sirius sidles a bit closer to me with a slight shake of his head. I pout angrily. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall. Go enjoy dinner." She nods and hands Snape his wand before hesitantly walking out with one more glance at me. Dumbledore beckons the three of us closer and we stop a foot from his desk, me in the middle of the two boys. "I'm afraid you gentlemen are at a slight disadvantage for I did have a previous agreement with Miss Ackley. I'll be hearing her account first." His eyes weigh heavy on me, but I sigh in relief.

"Thank you, Albus. What happened is that I was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Sirius discussing Professor Slughorn's club that I'd just been invited to join. As he was talking, I saw him," I gesture to Snape who's frown deepens, "trying poorly to sneak up behind us with his eyes focused on us. He whipped out his wand and I cast a protection spell just before his hit. Then Sirius disarmed him so he couldn't cast again. Remus, James, and Peter will all say the same thing too. They saw everything." I finish and stare at Dumbledore's eyes without flinching. He nods slowly and looks to Sirius.

"She gives a perfect account, Professor." Albus looks to Snape.

"They were talking about me." He mumbles.

"We were talking about the club, you're a member, aren't you?" I ask him, getting more and more annoyed.

"Besides, I don't remember saying your name, did I?" Sirius asks with a small smirk and Snape huffs.

"Alright, everyone." We look back to Albus as he sighs. "Sirius and Arell, you're dismissed. Severus, wait here a few more moments." Sirius and I immediately turn on our heel and leave, jogging out and down the stairs. The second we hit flat floor I'm in his arms and we're spinning around.

"You're a gem, love! I rarely get out of trouble." He tells me and releases me with a kiss to my cheek. I laugh and try my best to regain my balance when my face feels so hot and my mind fuzzy.

"No problem. What's wrong with that guy?" I ask as we start walking back to the dining hall. Dinner is probably already underway and I'm hungry. Sirius huffs and runs a hand through his prettily tousled waves.

"Don't really know. He's always been a foul git to all of us and just seems to get worse every year." His expression darkens. "Started hanging out with families of deatheaters and making spells like you do, but dark stuff. Doesn't know what he's getting himself into." Sirius's voice is low, but there's a little something more in it than there usually is. This battle is a personal one and the hatred between the group and this boy isn't one-sided.

"Well, thank you for helping me out in the hall. Not sure if I could have cast quick enough to stop his next curse." The cloud over Sirius's face fades as he smiles at me, a nice, not arrogant or cocky smile.

"You defended us first, love." His arm wraps around my waist as we walk. "You're officially part of our group. If you weren't already." He presses a firm kiss to my temple and I melt a little against him before blinking and remembering I'm hungry.

"God help me, then," I respond and he laughs as we come to our table yet again. I smile weakly at Lily, but leave her with the other girls in the dorm to instead join the boys. I'm not sure how to deal with her 'friend' attacking me and the boys. Their eyes light up when we come close and James instantly pulls me down next to him and tugs me close.

"You are a bloody brilliant woman, Mane, bloody hell." James curses with a wide grin on his face.

"Did you get into trouble?" Remus asks worriedly and I shake my head.

"That's the best part. No repercussions. No punishment, no detention, not even a slap on the wrist." Sirius brags with a wink in my direction. "She's lucky, this one."

"All the more reason to keep her around."

"And to feed her." Remus passes me a plate and I nod to him gratefully. "I've already warned her about Care of Magical Creatures tomorrow. If she's lucky we should all stick by her."

"Mmhmm, and then make sure she packs snacks for Ancient Runes afterward, right?" Sirius teases as I pack my plate.

"Who cares about snacks when she can pack vodka?" James points out and now we all laugh.

* * * * *

It's another late night in the common room.

We've got twelve inches for Professor McGonagall about the uses of Transfiguration, another twelve for Flitwick on what we're most looking forward to learning, and finally, the proper uses for asphodel root, but his is only ten inches. I've finished that one and McGonagall's, but I'm having a bit more trouble with Flitwick's.

Lily sat with me for a while, but it was a little awkward. I'm going to have to talk to her about what happened today with her 'friend', but that can wait until I head up to the dorm. If she's even still awake. "Oi, Mane." There's a soft calling and I look up to find the room empty save Sirius walking over from the stairs. His hair is wet from a shower and he's wearing a band tee with sweatpants. My heart kicks up a bit. "You know it's midnight?" He tells me and I sigh at the paper in front of me.

"No, but thank you. Guess this'll have to wait." I shut my books and rub my eyes a moment before shoving everything in my bag and standing.

"Hey, come take a break for a bit. I was going to make some hot chocolate anyway." He invites as he heads near the fire. This Sirius is like the one I saw earlier as we were leaving Dumbledore's office. Genuine and sweet.

"Hot chocolate actually sounds brilliant. Thank you." I leave my bag on the table by the window and huff as I settle back on the squishy red couch.

"You know, we have until Thursday to finish the Transfiguration work. Then till next Monday for the rest. You're too stressed." Sirius tells me as he puts the kettle on the fire and collapses next to me. I raise my head when his arm slips behind me, then sigh comfortably at his warmth.

"I like finishing my work the day I get it. It frees my weekend and makes me less stressed. The problem is when I have a question I don't know the answer to." I tell him and stare at the comforting fire flickering in front of us.

"Maybe I can help?" He offers and I shrug.

"It's the Charms thing. What I'm most looking forward to learning."

"Oh, come on now. That's an easy one to bullshit it's all just opinion."

"Well, I don't often bullshit things."

"You've got to bullshit things to get through life, love. It's a fact." I roll my eyes, but I've got a smile on my face.

"Fine, what are you saying then?" I lean back a bit so I can see his pretty silver eyes. He's got a nice smile on his face, warm and kind, before he lets loose a long sigh.

"Well...maybe something about making someone's day." He says and his eyes wander around the room as he thinks. "Charming their quill to dance over their desk or flowers to twirl above their head all day. Even better, learning how to protect ourselves from things otherwise unavoidable. I'd love to cast a patronus. Been working on it, but can only get a wisp. I'd really love to learn to cast one of those this year, although while it's a charm, that's more Defense Against the Dark Arts territory." My eyes widen.

"That's really impressive, Sirius," I tell him and his eyes return to me, a bit of that cockiness sneaking back into his expression.

"So, I've finally impressed you?" He asks and my head shakes.

"A little bit. I could try and help you out if you like? I saw you watching Remus and I, so you know I'm at least a competent tutor."

"Tutor me in what? Impressing you? Think I'd rather earn it myself, thanks." I shove him off with a huff and stand, tugging out my wand. His brows raise and he actually looks briefly worried before I smirk. I take a deep breath and think of my happiest memory. Strange, my happiest memory is usually one of the darkest days of a person's life, but I don't have to tell anyone what it is. Just need to focus on it.

Two dark coffins with white innards lay in front of me with a dead person in each. The man's dark eyes are closed, but even when he was alive, they were cold eyes. The woman looks peaceful as if she were sleeping. I'm in the front row in an irritating black dress. Dresses are always irritating to me. I only look up from the black boxes when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry about your parents, sweetie." And as soon as she says the words, I say the spell.

"Expecto Patronum," I say firmly and watch as white mist shoots out from my wand and fills the room like thick fog. A lioness emerges from my wand lazily, as if she knows there's no real danger here. She trots around me, then sits on my right side, staring at Sirius. I let her fade as I look back at Sirius with a grin. His mouth is open, eyes wide, as she stares at me.

"You can cast a corporeal patronus. Of course, you can. You know, if you cast that in front of Moony, he'd probably propose to you." He goes on and only stops when the kettle starts screaming. I sit on the floor next to him and transfigure two mugs for us.

"I'm sure I can trust you to keep this to yourself then," I tell him and he glances at me as he pours the water.

"This is really advanced, impressive magic and you don't want anyone to know?" He asks and hangs the pot up again as he stares at me incredulously. There's something different in his eyes now that makes it harder to look away. A confused admiration, or fascinated fondness, but either way, I like it when he looks at me. "Why not?" I shrug and stir in the chocolate.

"It's just less complicated this way. It's fine to show off with normal class stuff, but learning this took time and people will wonder why and ugh." I wave the thought away and look back to his curious eyes as I take a deep breath of hot chocolate.

"Would you tell me why if I asked?" He teases slightly and my smile is hard to keep contained.

"Are you asking?" I ask back and that lopsided grin makes an appearance. My whole-body warms at the sight of it and it's certainly not the fire causing the heat.

"Yes, I'd really like to know." He asks and his bravado tamps down again to a more genuine, comforting air. I sigh.

"Uh, well. My parents weren't..." I struggle for a minute. I don't know why it feels heavier telling Sirius than Lily, but it does. Maybe because he's a guy and the only guy I've really dealt with for a long period of time is my dad. Still, Sirius is patient and waits with his eyes steady on me. "They were never parents to me. So, the minute I was out of the house I did whatever I could to learn how to protect myself. That's why I'm so good at so many different things. I poured over books about everything from Transfiguration to Potions in hopes I could find something that could protect me. Even going so far as to invent my own spells." I shrug. "When I found the Patronus charm, I thought it would be perfect even if it did only banish dementors. It could be a scare tactic at the very least." I finish and carefully keep an eye on Sirius as he nods slowly to take this in.

"Protect yourself..." He says softly with eyes focused on the floor between us. Suddenly, he straightens up and looks right at me before he slips off his red and black AC/DC sleep shirt.

"This one," he traces a mangled bunch of scars on his left shoulder, "is from the cruciatus curse. This one," he points to another over his sternum, "expulso. Nearly put me through a wall. Then this one." He wipes his thumb over the side of his neck. "a dagger left too close to my mother's hand. Good throw though. Was almost impressed." His smirk now is dark and self-deprecating. Sirius reaches out and takes my hand in his warm, rough one. "I understand having shit parents. Sorry someone as lovely as you knows the feeling too." I smile softly and squeeze his hand before he raises it to his lips and presses a soft kiss to my fingers. We let go so he can put his shirt back on, even though I didn't mind, and move back so we're side by side facing the fire.

"Thanks," I tell him and I don't need to specify.

"You used past tense a lot, Mane." He says and once again he doesn't need to specify.

"My parents are both dead," I tell him and shake my head slightly when his mouth opens again. "And the story of how or when or whatever you're about to ask can wait. I'm knackered and just want to finish this and go to bed. Okay?" He smiles and nods.

"Keep an air of mystery all you want love, even if you told me all there is to know about you, I don't think you'd lose my interest." I hum a soft laugh and just can't resist letting my head loll back against his shoulder. His hand rests on my hip as he tugs us a bit closer.

"You seem a lot softer than you let on, Sirius," I tell him tiredly and his shoulders shake a little as he chuckles.

"Mm, and you seem a lot fonder of me than you let on, Mane." I elbow him softly and he chuckles again.

A/N

Got some softness in this chapter, a little Sirius and Mane fluffiness too, which is adorable. Thoughts so far? More background on Mane and just why she's an orphan, so I hope you all enjoyed it!

Keep reading, loves!