Abby's Side

"Hey, Abby!" Abby blinked; Sirius was waving one hand in front of her face. "You coming, or are you going to sit here the whole time?"

Abby shook her head as if to clear it, and let Sirius help her out of the carriage. When they walked into the Great Hall, Sirius made a couple people budge up-- and sat between James and Abby, leaving no room for Pettigrew. The other sat himself a distance away from the other three Marauders, and Sirius felt Abby relax beside him. "Thanks," she breathed.

"No problem," he replied, kissing her forehead. Across the room, he saw Regulus' eyes narrow. Sirius merely shrugged, and Regulus set his face in a nasty scowl as McGonagall led the first-years in to be Sorted.

"What's up?" Abby asked, resting her cheek on Sirius' arm. He shook his head as the Sorting Hat began its song and the Sorting Ceremony began. Abby knew better than to push him to tell, so she settled for having one arm around his waist. He smiled down at her and wrapped one of his arms around her waist, keeping her close. A few girls nearby scowled; they'd hoped that this relationship would be as short-lived as most of his others, but the couple seemed to be going strong. They'd been together for nearly five months-- a feat most girls thought Sirius incapable of.

Dumbledore stood as the last student was Sorted (Hufflepuff), and a new hush fell over the students. "Welcome to our new students, and to our returnees, welcome back! Now is not the time for speeches, as you are all no doubt famished. Tuck in!"

There was an appreciative laugh as he sat back down and food appeared out of nowhere. Sirius freed both his hands and loaded his plate, but he noticed Abby only picking at her food. He stopped eating, and leaned down to whisper to her. "Aren't you hungry?" She shook her head, and Sirius saw that her freckles stood out more than usual against her paled skin. She met his eye, her own glistening with tears. "Abby, what's wrong?"

"I still don't feel good," she said quietly. Sirius slipped one arm back around her waist and finished his own food as she leaned against his side. He finished quickly, especially for him, and held her close.

"Tell me," he whispered. "What's bothering you?"

"My... my stomach. My head. This always happens. I'm burning up!"

"But you don't feel like you have a fever, Abby."

"Yeah... I'll be better soon, I promise. It's just because of being around... HIM... so much."

Sirius started to reply, but Dumbledore had gotten up to make his start-of-term speech. Sirius raised his eyebrows at James as Dumbledore ran down the list of changes. As ever, there was a new DADA teacher, a witch from Manchester. Sirius rolled his eyes when the ban list was updated, and couldn't have been happier when Dumbledore released them all. He pulled Abby to the side, knowing that Pettigrew would get swept up in the crowd, and put as much space as possible between them. After a couple shortcuts, they were in a deserted corridor.

He pulled Abby close, and she brought her lips to his. She finally pulled away and looked up at him. Some of the color had returned to her face, and she felt her body temperature returning to normal. "Is this what it takes to make you feel better? 'Cause if it is, I'm not complaining," Sirius teased.

She grinned up at him and pulled him down for another kiss. "Sometimes this works," she teased in response, "but it's most effective when it's your arms around me. Remember?"

Sirius nodded and just held her for a moment. "You ready?"

"Yeah," she sighed, grabbing his hand. "Guess I have to be, huh?"

"At least you don't get sick around anyone from your dorm. How close does he have to be to make you sick?"

"It depends. I wasn't feeling too great anyway earlier, so that's probably why it was so bad. Usually I have to be pretty close."

Sirius gave the password, and they stepped into a crowded common room. "Are you going to go up to bed, then?"

"Yeah. Maybe laying down will help some. See you in the morning." Sirius kissed her softly, ignoring the fake groans from Remus and James, then watched her walk up to her dormitory.

"I'd say you're pretty whipped, mate," Remus teased. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger."

"By that grin, he likes it," James picked. Sirius held his ground.

"When's the last time you saw me so happy with the same girl for so long?" When his friends shook their heads, Sirius laughed. "My point exactly. So you'll leave it. It's been almost five months, you've beaten the subject into the ground!"

Abby fell onto her bed, head spinning. Lily came up not long after, and sat down beside her friend. "Are you okay, Abby?" When Abby shook her head, she frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Don't feel good," Abby mumbled into the pillows. She trusted Lily... after a few moments, she sighed and rolled onto her back. "I get these feelings around certain people. Like the ones that have become Death Eaters?" Lily nodded. "It makes me sick to be close to them! Like really, physically sick. I get that feeling around Pettigrew, that boy that hangs around with Sirius, James, and Remus."

Lily thought on that for a moment. "So you've been around Pettigrew? Why?"

"He sat with Sirius, James, and Remus on the train. Thanks to Sirius, though, he didn't sit close enough at the feast. But the time earlier was more than I could take! It was everything I could do not to throw up all over the lump on the train."

Lily laughed softly. "So what does Sirius have to do with this? How does he help?"

Abby smiled. "He has everything to do with it! It's like... having him close is a cure, almost. It's incredible! He helps so much. This summer, when he first ran away? He came to us. Well, his mum went ballistic and pretty much tried to strangle me-- James and my parents stopped her. But it was Sirius that made me feel better, he just held me close. I don't know, maybe it's hearing his even breathing, or his calm heartbeat, but it calms me down."

Lily was smiling now, too. "Sounds to me like you two are going to be pretty inseperable. Tell me the truth, Abby, just because I want to know. How much do you care for him?"

"I-" Abby paused, then a wistful smile crossed her face. "I think I might love him, Lily, but I'm not sure yet. I definitely care a LOT."

The auburn-haired girl nodded. "That doesn't surprise me. I've seen the way you two look at each other. I'd say-- but don't tell anyone this!-- that he probably feels the same way about you."

"Yeah," Abby replied, lacing her fingers together behind her head. "I definitely can't picture myself with anyone else."

Lily started to reply, but the door burst open. She was quick enough to be on her feet across the room by the time the other girls saw anything.

"Hi, Abby!" Rose said brightly. "Good summer?"

"Oh, absolutely," Abby replied, sitting up.

"Did you talk to Sirius much?" Alice inquired, sitting on her own bed.

Abby glanced sideways at Lily, who shrugged. "Yeah, I did! Almost every day, actually."

"So you two still the big item?" Rose teased.

"Mhmm," Abby said. "Is the gossip still churning?"

"Yeah!" Rose said. "Some of the girls were thinking something must've happened when they saw you getting off the train, but then he kissed you. And kept you close during the feast! He's got it bad for you, Abby."

"I know," the other girl said softly. "I'm not complaining, either."

The conversation finally turned to other things. Abby took her chance and changed into her pajamas, then pulled the hangings shut around her four-poster and slipped into bed. As she lay on her back, all she could think of was Sirius-- the way his lips felt on hers, the look he got in his eyes, the way he held her tenderly. Smiling to herself, she rolled over and fell asleep. For the first time in awhile, her dreams weren't as pleasant as they should have been. She sat up about two in the morning, breathing hard. She dug through her stuff, and after finding a sweatshirt, grabbed her blanket and a teddy bear and slipped down to the common room. She set the blanket and bear on a table, then cuddled into an armchair by the fire. It had been stoked back to roaring, and it didn't take long for her to fall back asleep.

Abby wasn't the only one sleeping fitfully. Sirius rolled out of bed with a crash, stirring James and Remus.

"Y'kay, Padfoot?" James said sleepily.

"Y-yeah," Sirius replied, pulling himself slowly to his feet. "That kind of hurt."

"Wh'appened?" Remus asked.

"Dunno, I guess I wasn't sleeping well." As soon as the sounds of his roommates sleeping filled the dorm again, Sirius quietly slipped down to the common room.

He smiled when he saw Abby. Gently, he pulled her into his lap and wrapped the blanket around them both, making sure she was more comfortable on the couch than she had been in the chair. Knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep, he settled for watching her sleep. She seemed to be having peaceful dreams, and Sirius wondered what had driven her back downstairs. Before he could stop himself, he fell asleep as well, his breathing evening into a rhythm with hers.

Sirius woke with a start as the sun just began to peek over the horizon. He smiled when he remembered Abby was asleep next to him, and ran his fingers through her long hair. She stirred, rolling over before looking at him.

"When'd you come down here?" she asked hoarsely.

Sirius kissed her forehead. "Not long after you, I'd bet. You'd fallen asleep in that chair, with no blanket or anything."

"Why'd you come down?"

"The same could be asked of you. I wasn't sleeping well, nothing bad... just wasn't sleeping."

"Mmm. I had some strange dreams. But then after I came down here, they were much better... I think it had something to do with you. Thanks for snuggling up with me."

"You know I love any excuse to snuggle up with you," he teased. But he kissed her to prove his point, and she sighed.

"We should probably go up to our dorms," she said reluctantly. He let go of her, but kissed her one last time.

"Get changed and come back down," he suggested. "I want as much time with you today as possible."

When they met back up in the common room, there was still no one else stirring. They walked hand-in-hand down a deserted corridor, then Sirius pulled her into a hidden closet. He kissed her as thoroughly and passionately as either of them could handle, leaving Abby breathless as she leaned against him. He ran his hands through her dark hair, enjoying how she felt leaning against him. Abby had her arms around his waist, her mind blissfully empty. Sirius kissed her again, noting her relaxed state.

"Ready to face the day?" he whispered, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"With you? Always."

Smiling, he laced their fingers together again and pulled her out into the corridor. The Great Hall was sparsely filled, and hardly anyone was at the Gryffindor table. The two sat down side-by-side, not eating yet, just talking quietly. Regulus scowled nastily; how was it that his blood-traitor brat of a brother could hook someone so gorgeous? Even if she was a blood-traitor brat as well, she was pureblood, and really quite pretty. He shook his head violently, barely giving the older boy beside him an acknowledgement. Sirius and Abby were still talking quietly; Abby had leaned her head on his arm and was smiling up at him.

"Feeling better than yesterday?"

"Absolutely. All thanks to you."

"Mmhmm. You've got me on a tight leash," he teased, referring to his Animagus form. Abby knew he was an illegal Animagus, but didn't know why-- yet. She adored the huge black dog, though, and the dog adored her.

She giggled. "I do! But you like it, don't you?"

"You bet," he replied, kissing her nose. "You're so adorable when you laugh, Abby."

"It's a special laugh," she replied, gazing into his eyes rather listlessly. "Just for you."

"You have a special laugh?" Sirius asked breathlessly; Abby had pulled him into her eyes.

"Of course I do." She brushed his hair out of his eyes and kissed him swiftly.

"Yeah. Wish I could say the same. I just have my normal old laugh."

"It's fine by me," she laughed, as they continued their banter.

"Urgh," Regulus groaned to no one in particular.

"Yes, they are rather disgusting," Severus said beside him. "Honestly I can't believe she's put up with him so long."

"She's reined him in," Regulus said with obvious distaste. "They're both blood-traitor brats, especially him."

Severus laughed his greasy, oily laugh and stood. "I'll talk to you later, then." With that, he left Regulus alone, his face buried in his hands so he wouldn't have to watch the lovebirds.

But when he looked back up, he sighed in relief. They had finally quit their banter, and were piling food onto their plates. James and Remus settled into seats across from them, and Abby looked around warily.

"Where's Pettigrew?" Sirius asked, eyes narrowed.

"We managed to slip away without him waking up," James replied. "Why?"

Sirius shook his head. "I just... he gives me a weird feeling."

Abby relaxed next to him as James agreed. "Yeah, he gives me a weird feeling, too. I wish he'd find someone else to latch on to. He's like a leech."

Sirius glanced at Abby, who now had both arms around his waist; she'd finished eating much quicker than he had, but her plate was empty. "More than you'll ever realize," he muttered to James, glancing over his shoulder.

Regulus was still watching, and nearly fell off the bench when he saw his brother glance over. Sirius casually flipped him off, mouthing 'Stay the hell away from me, her, James, and Remus or you'll regret it.' Regulus didn't doubt the older boy's words; he was a naturally gifted wizard; even for a pureblood, Sirius had... well, SERIOUS talent.

Sirius finished his food just in time-- Pettigrew sauntered into the Hall. Sirius carefully put himself between the two as he walked out, telling James and Remus he'd "tell them later."

"Thanks," Abby breathed out in the corridor.

"You know I'd abandon my food for you," he replied before gently pressing their lips together. "Mmm... actually... I'd abandon most things for you."

Abby laughed. "Sirius Black, abandon food?" She playfully held the back of her hand to his forehead. "Are you sick, baby?"

Sirius laughed as well, grabbing both her wrists in one hand. He pinned them over her head against the wall, pressing his body to hers in the safety of a hidden shortcut. "If I am, it's something to do with the way I feel about you." He kissed a trail down her neck, nibbling gently on the skin at her collarbone. She had completely abandoned all attempts to get free, her head thrown back. Sirius took advantage of her newly-exposed skin, kissing and licking along. His free hand snaked up her legs and under her skirt. It didn't take long for Abby's knees to buckle and nearly give out, but she was quick to turn the tables.

When she finally stopped playing around, he almost cried out in relief. He didn't last long, but Abby didn't care; it was nice to be with him again, alone, finally. "Are we even?" she whispered. He nodded; they both knew they were going to be cutting it close with Slughorn, but neither could find the energy to care. They managed to slide into seats together beside James and Remus just before the bell rang.

James shot them both a questioning look as Sirius thanked the stars for Abby's exquisite abilities with cleaning charms. Of course, it didn't help his situation any when she snuck a hand up his thigh as Slughorn ran over the day's task. She had to abandon what she was doing, however, when they started working on the potion. Both managed to make the other squirm; James didn't notice, but Remus did. When the bell rang, Remus told James to go on-- and held up Abby and Sirius.

"I saw you two squirming around each other," he hissed.

"Oh-- that," Abby said, not meeting Sirius' eyes; he had managed to take her through another shuddering orgasm right there in the dungeons and she didn't really want to admit it.

"I'm not stupid," Remus replied. "I know what you two were up to. You better hope James stays as oblivious as he was today."

It was much easier to tease each other in Defense; Remus and James sat in front of them, with Pettigrew mercifully across the room. When Sirius slid a hand up her thigh, Abby hooked her leg across his to allow him better access. She faked taking notes, but her eyes were glazed over. Abby wasn't sure where Sirius had picked up what he was doing to her, but she liked it. Sirius had cleaned both of them up before the bell rang.

They managed to slip away from James and Remus on the way to lunch, stopping to kiss and grope every so often. Sirius finally couldn't stand it any more; he shoved her into a closet and kissed her with passion that spiraled into dizziness. Abby left scratches along his arms and back, but he found that he didn't really care. Actually, he kind of liked it. Odd, neither of them had ever been a masochist, but this was passion spiraled out of control. It took a lot longer than Abby expected, but Sirius managed to steady her against the wall.

She was breathing hard, her skin flushed with the unmistakable coloring of sex. He knew he also had to be flushed; his hair was damp with sweat. "Gods, Siri," she managed, holding onto him tightly. "Is that what happens when you go so long with so much pent-up lust?"

He nodded, straightening her clothes before fixing his own. "Maybe we should try it more often," he teased in a hoarse voice. "You know your brother will never forgive us for missing lunch."

Abby laughed. "Forget it. This was much more fun." Her eyes were sparkling, and Sirius couldn't do anything but lean down and kiss her.

"You're so gorgeous, Abby. Absolutely beautiful. Completely amazing. Thoroughly-" he had to stop because Abby had pulled him down by his tie for another kiss. "Mmmph. Thoroughly insatiable!"

She swatted him playfully. "You are too!"

"Hmm..." he said as they walked through the corridor. "Maybe." He stretched luxuriously. "Free time," he said, grinning at her. They did have a free period after lunch, and Sirius invited her to cuddle up in the common room. She didn't have to be asked twice; after a few minutes she was asleep. James burst in about 20 minutes later, Remus behind him trying not to laugh.

"Where WERE you!?" he groaned, falling into a chair nearby. "You NEVER skip lunch!!"

Sirius merely nodded at Abby, glad that she was hiding the bulge in his pants. He'd never thought it was possible to get so hard again so quickly, but then again, he'd never tried. "She wasn't feeling good," he lied smoothly, avoiding Remus' eyes.

"Still?" James asked, taking the bait. Sirius nodded, relieved her skin was still somewhat flushed and his wasn't. Remus was frowning at him over the top of his book. When James slipped up to their dormitory, Remus finally let loose.

"What the hell?! James may be stupid enough to fall for that, but I'm not!" he hissed. "I can look at EITHER you or Abby and know exactly what happened!!"

"Chill," Sirius hissed in return. "It's not like I raped her. She practically went down on me this morning."

Remus' face relaxed a little. "Still, I don't think I'd let James find out. He might geld you rather ruthlessly this month if he knew his best mate had taken his precious sister's innocence."

Sirius managed to sound pained and sarcastic at the same time. "Ouch. But she gave it to me."

The sounds of James thundering back downstairs cut off the conversation, and woke Abby. When she saw James, she groaned and buried her face in Sirius' robes. "C'mon," Sirius said quietly. The two of them slipped out of the common room, leaving James staring after them stupidly. Remus shook his head.

"You know what's going on," James said in accusation. "What's with them?"

"It's like Sirius said, she's not feeling well. But I wouldn't follow them unless you want to see your sister spewing her breakfast all over the place."

James grimaced. "No, thanks," he replied, and settled back into his chair to finish some reading for Flitwick.

Abby was, indeed, sick to her stomach. Sirius had just managed to jump out of the way before she doubled over and spectacularly lost her breakfast. Sirius cleaned it up and held her close. "I didn't cause that, did I?" he murmured, brushing her lank hair out of her face.

She shook her head. "N-no. I don't know what it is, but I know what it's NOT. I'm NOT pregnant."

Sirius managed a small smile. "What? Potion, charm, both?"

"Both, always," she replied with a small smile. "I don't know, Siri, it's awful. I haven't felt well since I woke up yesterday morning."

He just held her close, ignoring the cold sweat and the tears. Whatever happened, Sirius knew he wouldn't abandon her. She was too gorgeous, too incredible, to leave hanging in the dark. No, Abby was his. Amazingly, thoroughly his.

Abby went to the hospital wing shortly after, leaving Sirius to sit with James again. As usual, the two completely ignored everything Flitwick said, finally getting to begin a conversation when they were released to begin working. "Where's Abby?" James asked, frowning.

"Hospital wing," Sirius replied, lazily flicking his wand. James snorted with laughter when a wad of parchment hit the Ravenclaw two rows down in the back of the head. "She still wasn't feeling well."

Remus frowned. "How bad?"

"Pretty bad." Sirius knew he'd told her he wouldn't tell, but this was important... no, he'd let her tell them. "You should ask her about it."

James nodded; he knew there was something between them, but it was obvious Sirius had said he wouldn't tell. He wasn't going to push his best mate into telling; he'd just bug his sister. "Sirius, do you know what it is?"

Sirius turned to look at him carefully, ducking as the parchment whizzed back in his direction. "I have an idea. It doesn't really make sense for her to be so sick over it, she even said so. I don't know, Prongs-- OY!"

A wad of parchment had just hit him square in the nose; he grabbed it and hurled it across the room, where it smacked a Slytherin in the ear. Said Slytherin, Sirius noticed, was about five inches taller than himself. That was saying a lot, as Sirius was 6'2"; he slouched down in his seat as James roared with laughter. The parchment cracked him in the temple, but this time Sirius just swept it off the desk.

"Smooth, Padfoot. Real smooth."

"'Scuse me for being distracted," Sirius muttered in response.

"Oooh, you're still wrapped around her little finger?"

Sirius glared at him, wand gripped tightly in his left hand. "Leave it, Prongs."

When the bell rang, Sirius found himself wishing they didn't still have a class that day. He wanted to see Abby again. With a sigh, he followed James and Remus into McGonagall's classroom. The tabby cat was sitting on the desk when Sirius and James slid into seats together. When the bell rang, McGonagall transformed, frowning in the Marauders' direction.

"Where's Abby?" she inquired. The entire class turned to look at the two friends.

"She's sick," Sirius said firmly. "She's been sick since yesterday. Abby went to see Madam Pomfrey during lunch."

"I see," McGonagall said slowly. "You two had better be paying attention. I can feel fails creeping up on each of you if you don't stop messing around all the time."

Sirius flashed her a winning smile-- the smile that made teachers both love him and hate him. "Yes, ma'am, Professor," he said confidently, watching her with feigned interest. James had laid his head on the table and was stifling the laughter that threatened to burst forth.

"Well," she said, frowning at James, "at least one of you seems to have their head on straight. Now, this goes for the entire class-- you need your wits about you today..."

The work they were doing was immensely difficult-- even for Sirius. By the end of the lesson, he was as frustrated as anyone else in the class. "Patience!" McGonagall warned them at the bell. "Homework is to work on this tonight! Be ready for fresh practice tomorrow!"

Sirius barely heard her as he and James hurtled through the door and through the corridors. When they finally got to the hospital wing, they were both out of breath. After taking a moment, Sirius pushed the doors open and walked in. Madam Pomfrey greeted them. "Abby's down there, at the far end. She says she's feeling a bit better."

Completely ignoring the details as James stood listening, Sirius slipped through the privacy curtains. Abby was laying on her back, her golden skin flushed with fever. "Hey, baby," he said softly. She managed a weak smile for him as he brushed her hair off her face and kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better. My stomach still hurts." She closed her eyes as Sirius rubbed his hands along her cheeks.

"Do you know for sure what's wrong?"

"No, but she agrees with me that I'm not pregnant," she quipped quietly. "Siri, I don't think this is what I told you about. It's worse-- so much worse. I feel terrible!"

"Shh," Sirius said, locking eyes with her. "Don't think about that. Think about me." He leaned in and kissed her cautiously, deepening the kiss when he tasted cinnamon on her lips. "Cinnamon," he breathed when he broke the kiss.

She smiled at him. "She asked me what kind of mints I wanted around. I told her cinnamon, but didn't tell her I wanted them because of you."

"Oh really?" Sirius asked, settling into a seat beside her bed. He rested his chin on his hand, on the edge of her bed, as James walked through the screen.

"Hey, sis," James said, hugging her. He kissed her cheek and perched on a chair beside Sirius. "Feeling any better?" He glanced sideways at Sirius, who seemed to be regarding his sister with lust... no. That was love.

"Yeah. Seeing you guys has helped," she said, bravely smiling for them. Sirius returned the smile, his heart wrenching. He suddenly realized what the emotion running through him was, and looked at James.

"I'll be back to see you later," Sirius promised, kissing her. "I'm going to go eat. I'll bring up the work you missed, how's that?" She nodded, watching him sleepily. "Get some sleep, okay?"

When they were a distance away, James stopped his friend. "I saw that look, Sirius. I'm not completely thick. You love her, don't you?"

There was no getting around it. Sirius took a deep breath. "Yeah. I do, James. And it's a weird feeling."

James laughed as they neared the Great Hall. "I trust you, Padfoot. I won't follow you around. Promise."

That was all Sirius needed to hear; having James' blessing lightened his heart considerably as he sat across from Pettigrew and Remus. Remus grinned at them, but it was evident that he was already starting to wear down. It was only a week till the full moon, and the strain was starting to show. Sirius leaned across to whisper to his friend.

"Y'okay, Moony?"

Remus nodded. "Least I'm still eating, yeah?"

"Yeah," James laughed. "Keep that up."

Sirius joined in the conversation, seemingly completely with it, but in reality only halfhearted. He was still worried about Abby-- the way her golden skin was flushed, the way her hair was so lank-- it scared him.

Abby was laying with one hand behind her head, replaying the kiss over and over again. She loved him, she knew that-- but it felt like he loved her, too. Sighing happily, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.