Walking In The Rain

*Walking In The Rain*

*Prologue*

"Lovely day," I muttered, looking up at the gray sky.

The rain splattered around me as I walked down a dark and deserted London street. I couldn't see anything around me, so I was hoping that I was going the right way. I tightened my jacket around me and rubbed my upper arms fiercely, hoping to warm up slightly, which was pretty much a lost cause as it was.

Rain was coming down harder than ever on the late October evening of 2002. My thoughts were up in my apartment with a cup of hot chocolate and a warm bath waiting for me. 'Only a few more blocks,' I thought, trying to comfort myself.

I had just gotten back from work at Grunnings, a drill company that I hated being a secretary at, and my car was in the shop. Perfect timing for it to decide to die on me as well. So, it was pretty much the perfect ending for a pretty much bad day.

I looked up at a street sign and could just barely make out the roads Clerkenwell and Farringdon. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked off of the street in order to get on the other side, where my apartment was.

Quite suddenly, I heard a blaring horn of a car and some screeching brakes. I held up my hands and the car was edging closer and closer until-it was silent.

I opened my eyes slowly and put my hands down. I saw that I was in a room that looked as though it had been furnished many hundreds of years prior. My eyes darted around in order to take everything in. I had a suspicious feeling I wasn't anywhere near London. I began to relax as my eyes fell upon a desk with an old man sitting at it. He was smiling at me and he had sky blue eyes twinkling at me behind half-moon glasses. I could tell he was extremely old because he had long white hair that rivaled mine in length and an equally long beard.

"Aldura White, I presume?" said the man.

"H-How do you know my name?" I asked. "But, call me Ally."

"Ah, that is not of importance right now," he said. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. You are currently in my office. I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"'Witchcraft and Wizardry'?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "What are you? Wiccan?"

"No, I am as normal as you," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Now, please, have a seat."

I remained on my feet and said, "Why am I here? Last time I checked I was about to be hit by a truck in London. Although I thank you for having such great timing."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, smiling slightly, "you were about to be killed or badly hurt. Therefore, I thought that that would be a good time to bring you here."

"And why did you bring me here?" I asked, crossing my arms defiantly.

"Miss White, you are what we Wizards would call a Muggle," Dumbledore said.

"A Muggle?" I asked, scrunching up my nose.

"Yes, Muggles are non-magical people in the parlance of the Wizarding World," Dumbledore explained. "You have been living the twenty years of your life completely oblivious of the fact that there is a Magical World."

"What is this, "The Hobbit"? And why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because I am planning on turning you into a witch," Dumbledore stated plainly.

"What?" I asked, my eyes widening. "Sorry, buddy, but being called a witch in my society would be an insult."

Dumbledore smiled again and said, "Well, you have a choice. Either you become a witch or not."

"And if I refuse?" I asked.

"You will be put right back where you were and you won't remember me," Dumbledore said.

"About to get hit by a car?" I asked quietly as I sat down.

"About to get hit by a car," Dumbledore confirmed.

"Why me?" I asked. "Why not some other person off of the street?"

"Because you are keyed to the mission I am going to send you on if you go along with this," Dumbledore said. "I believe you are aware of the Dursley family?"

I rolled my eyes and said, "Unfortunately, yes. I work for his company."

"Well, if all goes well, you are going to be written into the past," Dumbledore said.

"You can do that?" I asked.

"Quite easily," Dumbledore said. "You see, you are going to be written into the past as Vernon Dursley's younger sister."

"What?" I shrieked. "No way!"

Dumbledore laughed quietly. "Yes, because this is how it will be. You are going to be his younger sister because, in the time period of which you are going back to, the man and woman you are going to be saving is Vernon Dursley's brother and sister-in-law."

"Now I'm saving people?" I asked.

"Yes, you will be saving James and Lily Potter," Dumbledore said. "An evil wizard by the name of Voldemort killed them in the year of 1981. This death can be prevented if you know what to do."

"And that is?" I asked.

"You must stop them from using Peter Pettigrew as their Secret Keeper," Dumbledore said plainly.

"Right," I said, "whatever you say."

"You see," Dumbledore said, "James Potter was one of the best Aurors the Wizarding World has ever seen. He posed a threat to anyone on the Dark Side. James, well, the whole Potter family, for that matter, was a very powerful line of wizards. They had magic that some of us can't fathom. They were extremely gifted and were direct descendants of Godric Gryffindor, one of the founders of this school and a very powerful wizard himself. Voldemort is still wrecking havoc in the Wizarding World, therefore James should be a good aspect to the Wizarding World now, if he was alive."

"What's an Auror?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow. This seemed stupid. Must be one of my friends pulling a joke. I mean, please. Magic? Aurors? And me saving a family? Please. What was this?

"An Auror is a witch or wizard that works to rid the Wizarding World of evil witches or wizards," Dumbledore said as though it was something I should have known.

"Like a police officer?" I asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Dumbledore said and nodded his head.

"Ok," I said. "I don't even know what these people look like."

Dumbledore nodded and with a wave of his hand a stack of photos appeared in between him and me. Dumbledore motioned for me to pick them up. I obliged and to my surprise, the people in the photos were moving! 'Will the wonders never cease?' I mused in my mind as I looked over the pictures.

"Who is this?" I asked. There was a woman in the photo with bright, fiery, red hair that reached a few inches past her shoulders and was in a half ponytail. She had a petite look to her, but I was drawn to her brilliant emerald green eyes.

"That is Lily Isabella Evans-Potter," Dumbledore said.

I nodded and looked to the next picture. There was a man with jet-black hair that was quite unruly and had a look to it that a comb hadn't been through it in a good year. He had brown eyes behind silver, oval glasses.

"That is James Harold Potter," Dumbledore said.

I turned to the next picture. There was another man that looked unmistakingly like James, but there were a few differences. He had longer black hair that came past his ears and bright blue eyes that were dancing about in the picture. He also was quite good-looking with a large toothy grin.

"That would be Sirius Robert Black," Dumbledore said. "He is James' best friend and was the best man in his and Lily's wedding. He is quite the charmer and has a tendency to, er, get himself into trouble."

I smiled and nodded. I looked to the next picture. There was a man in it with sandy brown hair and honey colored eyes. His face was slightly pale and he looked quite tired, although he had a wide grin on his face.

"That is Remus Marcus Lupin," Dumbledore said. "He is a werewolf."

"What?" I asked, my gaze jerking up to Dumbledore.

"He is a werewolf, but he is a very good person," Dumbledore continued. "He is a very close friend of Sirius and James."

"Ok," I said and set the picture down. The next picture was of a rather chubby man with pale blond hair and watery gray eyes. "I take it that this is Peter Pettigrew?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said with a sliver of hatred in his voice. "You must keep this man from becoming Lily and James' Secret Keeper."

I looked at the five pictures with a sigh. "I take it that all of these lives have taken a turn for the worst ever since Lily and James died, right?"

"Correct," Dumbledore said. "Sirius Black is an ex-convict that was charged wrongly against the deaths of Lily and James. He now resides in a cave because he is on the run from the Ministry of Magic, who still believe him to be on the Dark Side and a threat to society. Remus Lupin has lost his closest friends, besides Sirius. Harry Potter, Lily and James' son, lived with the Dursley family for the better part of twenty years and is an orphan due to his parents death."

"Wow," I said. "And it's up to me to save them all?"

"Correct again," Dumbledore said.

I swallowed hard and said, "What do I have to do?"

Dumbledore smiled and said, "There are other reasons that I chose you for this mission. You are extremely courageous and have gotten though many obstacles in your life. Am I mistaken, or are you an orphan?"

"Yes," I said. "I have no family. My parents died when I was young and I was pushed around in foster care until I was eighteen."

"Therefore, no one will find you missing," Dumbledore said.

"As sad as it sounds, yes," I said grimly.

"Good," Dumbledore said. He waved his hand again and a piece of parchment and a quill appeared before me. "This is a binding magical agreement. As soon as you sign this, you must live in the past for exactly one year. At the end of the year, you will have the choice between going back to the Muggle life in 2001, or living your life in the past that you had laid before you. If you are unsuccessful in the mission, you will still have the choices. Are the terms clear?"

I nodded. Dumbledore handed her the quill and in a loopy signature I wrote my name. As soon as I finished the parchment and quill disappeared.

"Good," Dumbledore said. "Now I must turn you into a witch."

"Will it hurt?" I asked.

Dumbledore smiled and said, "No. Metamorphos!"

I raised an eyebrow at what he just said, but suddenly I felt light on my feet and a tingling sensation flooded through my body. Then, as suddenly as it had happened, it stopped.

I looked up at Dumbledore who was grinning widely. "You are now a witch."

"That's it?" I asked.

"That's it," Dumbledore confirmed. "Now, with a memory spell, I am going to insert all the spells that a witch of your age would know. Intercalaris!"

My mind went reeling and there was a sensation in my temples, like right before you get a headache. Then, as before, it suddenly stopped.

"Now, for a test," Dumbledore stated. "What is the levitation charm?"

"Wingardium Leviosa," I rattled off. "Oh, my God! How did I know that?"

"Magic," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Here is your wand."

"My wand?" I asked.

"With it, you will be able to perform any magic that your heart may desire," Dumbledore said. "It is Phoenix Feather, Maple, 7 1/2 inches."

"Right..." I said, taking the wood. "Now what?"

"Now, you go back to 1981," Dumbledore said. "But first, you are a graduate from the school Beauxbatons, is that all right?"

"Er, yeah," I said.

"Also in your family is Miss Marjorie Dursley. She will be your older sister, making you the youngest of the three. Your mother and father's names are Erica and Kyle. You will be back about when there is a party at the Potters house. There you should meet everyone that you will need in order to make your mission a success," Dumbledore said, explaining.

"All right," I said, straining to remember it all. I had a feeling that I would forget it all. "Is that all?"

Dumbledore nodded and said, "Goodbye, Aldura White. Remember, you have one year! Advenio-Anticipo!"

*Walking In The Rain*

*Chapter One*

"I can't believe we have to go to this ruddy party," said a male voice.

I blinked a few times and looked around. I was in the back of a car and in the front was a woman with blond hair and looked quite skinny. In the driver's seat there was a man who was pudgy and had brown hair. I then looked at myself in the mirror. I saw that I looked like myself, from my auburn (more brown than red, though) hair to my honey brown eyes. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"And why do we have to bring her, Vernon?" said the woman, glancing back at me. I got the feeling that the woman didn't like me.

"Petunia, it's because of your sister," said a younger Vernon Dursley. I almost laughed out loud. The younger Vernon looked exactly the same as the Vernon Dursley I gave coffee that morning that I had made sure had a sufficient amount of spit in.

Petunia pursed her lips together. "I can't believe Mum made us go to this."

"Same here," said Vernon.

I noticed that they weren't being sure to make me a part of the conversation. Then it hit me that she was wearing dark purple robes. I remembered that Albus Dumbledore, too, was wearing robes. I felt her wand in my pocket. I guessed that this had gone right; otherwise I wouldn't be where I was. 'One year to save a gaggle of lives,' I thought to myself. 'Fun.'

Suddenly, the car came to a stop in front of a two-story brick house. There were some other cars out front, but not many. But, it looked as though there were more people there than could have fit in those cars. 'They Apparated,' I thought. I didn't even wonder how I knew that.

I got out of the car and Vernon rounded on me immediately. "If anything weird happens tonight I'm holding you responsible. I don't care if you're my sister and I promised Mum that I'd treat you normal, which you aren't, but believe me. If something happens to my Petunia . . .." He left the threat hanging.

I rolled my eyes and said, "Sure, whatever." I walked past Vernon with a flourish and walked into the yard where some others were sitting. I felt my stomach do a flip-flop. I knew none of these people and I had a feeling that none of them knew me to well either.

"Ally!" came a voice. 'Well, maybe some people did know me,' I thought.

I looked and saw a woman about my age approaching me. I recognized her as Lily Evans from the photo. "Hey, Lily," I said, feeling strange.

"Come on in back," Lily said with a smile. "I have to go and say hello to my sister, even if she won't return the gesture." She shrugged. "But what can I do, right?"

I nodded and went into the backyard. Before I knew it, I was being waved over by who I thought was James Potter. On his hip was a baby boy I guessed was Harry. I sighed and walked over to him. Next to him was Sirius Black. He was looking at me quizzically, so I figured he didn't know who I was yet. As I approached, I decided that Sirius was definitely good-looking.

"Hey, James," I said, playing the part of a life-long friend, even if this was the first time I was meeting him. I gave him a hug and then said, "Hey there, Harry!"

The baby giggled and James said, "Here, you can hold him." That was more than I had bargained for, but I took the two-month-old into my arms. "Anyway," James continued, glancing at Sirius, "this is Sirius Black. He's all right, you know, for a loser."

"Shut up," Sirius said and playfully punched James in the shoulder. Harry giggled in my arms and said, "Pafoo!"

"Pafoo?" I questioned.

"Nickname and his first word, even at a few months which worries me," James said. "He might actually be a prefect. Oh, and Sirius, this is Aldura Dursley." I almost corrected him with White, but didn't want to raise any questions.

"Call me Ally," I said, shifting Harry in my arms and shook Sirius' hand. He had tough hands, I guessed from working outside. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here," Sirius said with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

"James, bring Harry over here for my mum!" Lily called to James from across the yard.

I held out Harry for James to take and he said, "Why don't you two go for a walk. Or something." He grinned as he walked off.

"What?" I said with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius shrugged, put on an innocent face and said, "No, I haven't known James all my life." He whistled and looked at the sky.

I laughed and said, "I'm so sure, Mr Black."

Sirius offered his arm to me and said, "A walk, my lady?"

"Why of course, kind sir," I said, taking his arm. I didn't think then that I was falling for his charm.

The two of us walked down by the small creek that flowed right behind the Potters house. Woods in the back surrounded their house because they lived near the edge of the town; I noticed when Vernon was driving us there.

I sat on the edge of the creek and watched the water flow by. Then, because I knew he would ask me what I did for a living and I had no idea what to say to that, I said, "Tell me about yourself, Sirius."

Sirius sighed and lay on his back with his hands behind his head. "Let's see," Sirius said. "I graduated from Hogwarts third in my class, right behind Lily and James, and became an Auror. Um, I've also been doing little odd jobs for the Ministry, but I don't trust them. And, well, I just broke up with my girl friend because she was being an insufferable, um, yeah. What about you?"

"Well," I said with a sigh, hoping I could make something up and it wouldn't sound that bad, "I graduated from Beauxbatons and I, too, have been doing off jobs for the Ministry, but really haven't settled down in a job yet. I'm thinking about doing journalism for the paper or becoming an Auror. As for my martial status, my boy friend just dumped me because I was being to smothering. I mean, how dare I not trust him and want to call him once a week! Please! He never returned my calls, wouldn't talk to me, wouldn't meet me anywhere, what would you think?" I breathed in. Hadn't meant to say that much, but I'd been wanting to get if off of my back for a while.

"Um, ok?" Sirius said, sending me a worried glance.

"Sorry, but, not to quote you, but he was being an insufferable, um, yeah," I said and flashed him a grin.

Sirius laughed and I noticed that his laugh seemed to hang in the air-even after he stopped. He had this aura around him, in my opinion, that just made you want to laugh and smile and be happy.

Well, Sirius and I continued to talk (and mainly laugh) for a good hour. But then, a high, squeaky, shriek filled the air and the two of us leapt to our feet and ran up to the Potter's house where, unsurprisingly, Petunia was jumping around as Vernon shouted at James.

I sighed and decided that, since everyone thought I was his sister, I'd better break this up. I glanced at Sirius, who almost looked amused at the situation.

"Vernon!" I shouted, stepping between him and James, who looked bemused. "What is going on here?"

"That-that-that Potter," he said the name like it was a curse, "tried to hurt my Petunia! We are leaving. Now!"

I glowered at him and said, "Look, Vernon, I don't know what you're playing at, but for crying out loud! Could you at least pretend to act your age? As for me, I'd like to stay, that is if Lily and James want me to stay, especially when my older brother has been such a bloody idiot! Now, either apologize to the Potters for ruining their lovely party, or do us all a favour and leave, before anything else can go wrong because of you."

By now, Vernon's face had turned a brilliant shade of red and looked as though he was about ready to slap me or launch him at me. I had a feeling he would have, too, if James hadn't been standing behind me, wand in hand.

"I'm leaving," Vernon grunted, "but you have to find yourself a ride home."

"Oh, and I was so looking forward to riding home with you, brother dear," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm as Vernon and Petunia turned to leave. I sighed in relief and faced James. "I'm so sorry about that. So, what did you do to poor, ickle, Petunia?"

"She had a nose-biting teacup that I found from Hogwarts," James said with a wicked grin. "But, I didn't give it to her precisely. They all look the same."

"I'm sure, James," I said, shaking my head disdainfully.

"Would a face like this lie to you?" James asked, than grinned widely with his teeth showing.

"Do you want me to answer that?" I asked.

"You can make up for it by serving punch," James said.

"Make up for what?" I asked, not following.

"By not believing me," James said, patting his heart, "you have scarred me for life. Therefore, you must serve this punch." He pointed at a bowl on a table.

"In other words, Lily told you to serve punch but you want to mingle," I said.

"Exactly," James said. "Thanks!"

I laughed out loud as James walked away and I walked to the punch table. I couldn't believe that everything had gone so somewhat smoothly already. I looked over at Sirius who was having Harry fly around in the air in his arms and I smiled. He really was nice, charming, handsome- Whoa! I gave myself a mental slap. I am here to save these people, not fish for a boy friend. In a year I'd be back in my time, going to work, having a normal life, no matter what I wanted to believe. No magic, just normal stuff. I mean, this guy is literally about twenty-two years older than me, but still. He was cute.

"Vroom," Sirius said as he ran past me with Harry under one arm. The baby was laughing and waving his arms around. I laughed at them and Sirius winked at me. I ignored the melting feeling in my stomach.

"Uncle Sirius better not drop my son," Lily shouted from a ways away.

"Uncle Sirius would be able to concentrate on not dropping Mummy Lily's son if she wouldn't be distracting me!" Sirius shouted back.

Lily laughed and turned back to talking to whoever she was talking to-I didn't know who it was. I looked to the sky and saw that it was beginning to get dark but there were some tiki torch type things lit so there was still some light. Sirius walked over to me, Harry still hanging under one arm.

"You know you don't have to serve punch, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know anyone here besides you, Lily, and James," I said, taking Harry away from Sirius.

"Well, then you can come and talk to me," Sirius said as Harry yawned and nuzzled next to me.

I ran my hand over the small child's black hair and said, "Let me give Harry back to Lily."

"All right," Sirius said and I walked over to Lily.

"Here's your baby," I said to her with a smile.

"Is he too much for you?" Lily asked, taking Harry out of my arms.

"Oh, yes, a regular party animal," I said with a wink.

"I saw that you were talking to Sirius?" Lily asked as she rocked the sleeping baby that was in the crook of her arm.

"Yeah," I said nonchalantly.

"What do you think of him?" she asked, her mouth splitting into a wide smile.

"What do you mean?" I asked uncomfortably.

"You like him!" Lily said.

"What?" I asked, feigning shock. "Lily, I met him a few hours ago!"

"You're telling me you don't believe in love at first sight?" Lily asked, giving me a look.

"Lost faith in it a while back, Lil," I said, shrugging. "Why, did you fall in love with James at first sight?" I asked and batted my eyelashes.

Lily snorted and said, "No. I met him when we were eleven. Then, in our sixth year, we got to know each other better, eventually became a couple and we wed right out of school. But what can I say? I'll always be a hopeless romantic at heart."

I nodded and said, "I've had to many close calls with the male population to care anymore."

Lily smiled this odd smile and said, "We'll see. But, I better go take this one up to bed."

Lily went into the house and I walked over to where Sirius was sitting. "Well?"

"Well what?" Sirius asked.

"Enlighten me," I said with a smirk.

"Enlighten you?" Sirius asked, getting to his feet.

"Yeah," I said, scrunching up my nose. "Well?"

"Well, before I enlighten you, I'm going to volunteer in having the pleasure of escorting you home," Sirius said, standing in front of me.

"All right, works for me," I said, noticing that he was a bit taller than her, which was a rare occasion, since she was about five foot ten.

"Now, for your enlightenment," Sirius said and crossed his arms. "What kind of enlightenment are you looking for?"

"Surprise me," I said with a slow smile.

Sirius smirked, lifted his eyes to the heavens as though deep in thought and said, "I think I know how I can enlighten you, m'dear."

I spread my arms wide and said, "Well?"

He took a step closer to me, a small smile, nothing like his smirk, on his face and his eyes poring into mine. He brought a hand up to my face and swiped a stray strand of hair behind my ear, all the while bringing his face slowly closer to mine. Finally, he cupped my jaw with one hand and brought his lips down onto mine. Although I knew that he was going to do it, it took me a few minutes to relax, and when I did he placed his hand in the small of my back, pushing me closer to him.

Then, interrupting the kiss came a whoop of triumph and Lily shouting, "You don't like him my ass!"

Sirius and I flew apart and James was in gales of laughter as Lily clapped. The others soon joined in. I glanced at Sirius and said; "You've known them longer."

"I believe, Lily dear, that I won the bet," James said. "Cough up ten Galleons."

Lily rolled her eyes and dug in her pockets.

"Wait a second," Sirius said, placing his hands on his hips. "You were betting on us?"

"I'm ashamed," I replied, shaking my head in disbelief.

"Actually, the bet was that you wouldn't go into an all out song session and I voted that you wouldn't, because my best friend has more dignity than that," James said and Lily snorted.

"Yeah, and I knew better," Lily said, slamming the money in her husband's hand.

"But you know," I said, "If James hadn't interrupted us, it might have escalated."

"Oh, joke's on you, Prongs," a man I recognized as Remus Lupin, but hadn't talked to him yet, said. "I think that Lily should get the money."

James dropped his jaw and said, "What? Moony, you're supposed to be on my side!"

While James and Remus bickered, Lily gave Sirius and me a meaningful look. Sirius and I exchanged looks. I shrugged and he grinned. He dipped me and kissed me as I wrapped my arms around his neck. After a few seconds he popped me back up. We bowed. Yes, we bowed. I think that they were rubbing off on me.

"No!" James moaned.

"Payback, Jamesie-poo," Lily said with a wink at me.

James made a face and gave Lily her Galleons back and dug into his own pockets to pay her up.

*****

I stayed at the party until about midnight, when people began to finally leave. It was a wild crowd, I tell you. I was falling asleep in a lawn chair when Sirius came over by me and said, "Get up."

I yawned and stretched. "Ok," I said and slowly got to my feet.

"C'mon," Sirius said, jerking me to my feet.

"Anxious to leave, I see," I said with a smile.

"Yeah," Sirius said. "I don't want to get stuck with helping clean up."

I laughed and then shrieked when Sirius scooped me up into his arms. We shouted our goodbyes as we walked out of the yard. For an instant, I completely forgot that I wasn't in my own time.

He stopped at a motorcycle and put me on my feet. I looked at Sirius with an "Are-You-Insane" look. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," Sirius said, picking up a helmet and then, with a flick of his wand, making another appear out of thin air. "Put it on."

I gave Sirius what I hoped was a squeamish look and obliged. The helmet fit my head perfectly. I couldn't even begin to imagine the extents of this stuff. Sirius got onto the bike and said, "C'mon. You can grip right around my waist if you want. Either that or hang in the wind and hope you don't fly off."

"That's comforting," I said, climbing on and wrapping my arms around his waist. Then it hit me that I had no idea where I lived. Crap. "Um, do you know where I live?"

"Yeah," Sirius said, revving the engine up. "James told me where you live. I was supposed to go and meet you before this party."

I couldn't help but laugh at how hard James and Lily tried to play matchmaker with Sirius and me. 'Maybe it's working,' I mused as I tightened my grip around Sirius as he started to drive.

"How do you feel about heights?" Sirius asked me over the motorcycle's motor.

"Heights? Why-AAH!" I started to scream as we started flying through the air. "Oh, my God!" I shouted and then began to laugh. "Can't the Muggles . . ."

"Nope," Sirius said with a laugh. "We're invisible to the Muggle eye."

"Wicked," I muttered as we flew over the town. "This is amazing."

Sirius nodded and I leaned my head on his back as we flew through the air. I was tempted to fall asleep, but I wasn't planning on falling off the motorcycle anytime soon. We flew high into the sky and I forgot about my fear of heights.

Before long, we were at my house, or what I figured was my house. It was a large house, about two stories high, and was white with many windows. There was a garden and a pathway the led to the house. Sirius helped me off of the motorcycle and took my helmet. He offered to take me up my house.

"I feel like we just got back from a date," I said with a smile.

Sirius shrugged, his bright blue eyes twinkling. "Well, then we may have to go on a date so that this can be the ending for that one."

"What? That made no sense," I said. We had reached my front door.

"Well, to me, it did," Sirius said.

"As long as someone got it," I sighed. "Thank you for a wonderful day, Sirius. I had a lot more fun than I have in a long time."

"Good, than my mission is complete," Sirius said. "I'll be off then, all right?"

I nodded and watched as he began to walk down the path. Soon he was the silhouette of a tall, lean, muscular-but not over done, man. I felt a smile split across my mouth and I sighed. Sirius put on his helmet, paused, then took it off. I turned to open the door, found it locked, and said, "Alohamora." It popped open. I turned and saw Sirius behind me.

"Hey, there's something else I want to tell you," Sirius said.

"Hm?" I asked.

He touched my cheek gently with his rough hands, tilted my chin slightly. He looked into my eyes with his and all I could see in them was admiration and love. Or something like that. We slowly got closer together until our lips touched. His lips were soft compared to his hands. It was a quick kiss, and then we separated.

"I'll send you an owl tomorrow?" Sirius asked.

"Sure . . ." I said, not even thinking that I had no idea what an owl was.

He flashed his irresistible grin and said, "Bye."