In Dreams

Sirius lay in bed for hours, unable to sleep. It was becoming a regular occurrence. He could hear Kreacher shuffling around in the attic, no doubt searching for some other hideous family heirloom to secrete in his dirty little hovel in the kitchen.

The situation at Grimmauld Place was really beginning to get to him. He was trapped inside, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to help Harry against that horrendous old Umbridge bag. Snape paraded around the house as though he was somehow Harry's saviour, looking daggers at Sirius at every opportunity, making him feel completely useless...

He finally felt his eyelids droop slightly and he yawned. If only I could get out of this damn house, he thought. And if only there was something I could do for Harry, some way I could talk to him...

Sleep stole him away.

*

Sirius was in Gryffindor common room. Harry was standing in front of him, apparently asking him why he was wearing a dress. Sirius looked down.

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry, this was my mother's. It's a Black family treasure."

"It needs taking in a bit," Hermione muttered, bustling around behind him with a giant needle and thread. "And maybe I could take some off the length. I bet Hagrid's got something for that." Hermione started up the steps towards the dormitories, and Sirius and Harry followed. She pushed open the door.

Hagrid was sitting in his giant armchair, a kettle of water boiling away on the stove. Fang dashed over to Harry and started to nuzzle him.

"Dozy dog," Hagrid said scornfully. "Nowhere near as good a pet as you, Padfoot." Hagrid reached out one enormous arm that stretched the entire length of the cabin, and scratched Sirius behind the ears.

Fang scowled at him. "You're just jealous," Sirius said.

There was a knock at the door.

"It's James," Sirius said, turning to Harry and nudging him. "He's here."

Sirius opened the door while Hagrid took a cake from the oven.

"Alright, Padfoot!" James cried, slapping Sirius on the back. "You missing me?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. "Listen, can I talk to you for a minute?"
James looked at him suspiciously. "You're not going to hand me to Voldemort again, are you?" he whispered.

Sirius shook his head quickly, and ushered James through the door. "Come on, Prongs," he said, and he led James away from Hagrid's cabin and into the grounds towards the forest.

"Harry's in trouble," Sirius said quickly. "He's trapped. Up there." He pointed back towards the castle.

"There's nothing going on up there," James said, shaking his head. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "These glasses are starting to give me headaches."

"There is!" Sirius said urgently, and he stopped walking and grabbed hold of James's shoulder.

"Don't be silly," James said. "Come on, let's get in the forest."

They picked their way across the lawn; the tulips were up to their knees.

"Lily'll be happy," James said. "She thought they wouldn't grow, but they have."

"Yeah," Sirius said, and they hurried on.

The forest was dark and cold. "Here," James said, and he handed a jumper to Sirius.

"Ah, you're here!"

They whirled round. Sitting on a rock behind them was Remus. Ava was curled up at his feet, examining her nails.

"Alright Moony," James said cheerfully. "Sirius here's a bit chilly, so if you could make this quick...."

"Sorry," Remus shook his head. "It's a bit of a long story. Anyway, does it matter that it's cold? You're a wizard. Do some magic."

Sirius reached for his wand, but it wasn't there. "I can't," he said simply. Where's my wand? he thought, glancing around in case it appeared anywhere in the immediate vicinity.

"So what's up, Moony?" James asked, sitting on the forest floor cross-legged.

Ava looked up at Sirius, but she said nothing.

"We've decided to get married," Remus said in a low voice. "But you can't tell anyone because otherwise they won't let me be a prefect."

"Wow," James said, then his voice became hushed too, and he said, "I won't say a word." Then his mouth disappeared.

Ava had still not spoken.

"I wonder," Sirius said, "if you could help me, Moony?"

"No can do," Remus said, "I have to stay here."

"Rosie?" he said, addressing Ava.

She shook her head.

"Fine," Sirius said, now exasperated. "I'll do it myself. Harry is up there and he needs me."

"I'd love to help, mate," James said, although he still had no mouth.

Sirius turned and walked back out of the trees. He could see the castle in the distance; a small figure stood at its door with what looked like a stick. The castle was changing colour.

As he drew closer he could see Filch painting the stone walls pink with a roller. "It's a happy day today," he said. "It's my birthday."
"Happy birthday," Sirius muttered, and he hurried past Filch into the Entrance Hall.

Ava was waiting for him on the stairs.

He considered her carefully; she looked tired and pale. There were cuts on her face.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Sirius asked her, sitting down next to her on the step.

She looked at him closely, then pointed her wand into the air. She waved it, and the light it produced hovered, glistening, in the air. It spelled I do solemnly swear...

"That's it!" Sirius cried, jumping up. "The map. I need the map. Where is it?"

He turned to Ava, but she had gone.

Sirius started towards the Great Hall, but he was stopped at the doors by Ron, who was dancing like a madman, seemingly hit by the Tarantallegra jinx.

"I can't stop," Ron wailed, his face a mask of distress.

Sirius thought for a moment, then he said to Ron, "Here, you can have my legs."

There was a flash of bright white light, and Sirius's legs disappeared. Ron was standing still now, looking relieved, his own legs replaced with Sirius's. "Here's the map," he said, handing it to Sirius.

Sirius tapped it, muttered the code words, then it unravelled and ink spread over the parchment. It showed a caricature of Snape advancing behind him, but he couldn't turn around because Ron still had his legs.

"Well, Black," Snape muttered, a look of triumph on his face. "Wearing your mother's dress again?"

"It's an heirloom," Sirius said defiantly.

"Severus," Lily said, emerging from the Great Hall. "Don't be rude to Sirius."

"He tried to kill me," Snape said, incredulous.

Lily shook her head. "Don't be rude."

"I'll get him," Harry said, appearing behind his mother. "I won't let him do this."

Harry marched up to Snape and flicked him, right on the end of the nose.

"Detention, Potter!" Snape snarled.

Harry ran through the doors to the Great Hall, and Sirius, who suddenly seemed to be on wheels, rolled after him.

"Harry!" he shouted, but Harry couldn't hear him. Next moment, he was back in the forest.

Remus was still sitting on the rock, and James, still mouthless, was sketching something on a large piece of stone. Ava had returned to her position at Remus's feet.

"Any luck?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, no thanks to you, Moony," Sirius said. He felt angry, and he knew Remus could see it but he didn't care.

"Not my fault," Remus said, looking up. The moon was large in the night sky, but it was not yet full. "I've got enough to cope with."

"Oh yeah, the old werewolf gag."

James tapped Sirius on the shoulder to show him his drawing. It was a wolf eating Sirius.

"Yeah, really good," Sirius said, and turned back to shout at Remus again, but Ava stood up and he fell silent.

"Stop," she said.

"What?"

"Stop."
Sirius stared at her blankly. "Stop what? I don't know what you're on about!"

"You heard her," Hermione said, emerging from the trees with her copy of Hogwarts: a History.

"What is going on?" Sirius cried, his voice raised and his fists clenched. "What the hell are you all talking about?!"

"Honestly," Hermione said. "Show some restraint."

"But, Harry--"

"Harry nothing," the mouthless James said. "He's fine."

"He's not!" Sirius shouted, his face red with fury.

There was a loud crack and they all fell silent.

"That was me." Ava had spoken. "Disappearing."

"Disapparating," Hermione corrected, but Ava shook her head.

"Disappearing. I'm gone. I can't help."

"But, aren't we getting married?" Remus looked at her, bewildered.

She smiled at him fondly, then said, "No, Moony. Too late." She turned to Sirius, and he frowned.

"Now," she said. "Do it now."

She reached out, offering something to him, and Sirius took his wand.

He pointed it at the ground where Ava had been sitting, and a fire shot forth from it, hot, bright, clear...

*

Sirius sat bolt upright.

He groped around on the bedside table for Harry's letter, examining it again very carefully, then he got up and hurried downstairs to the kitchen.