The Marauders: Padfoot

"You Can't Save Me From This One." -Sirius P.O.V.

"I'm heading off to the room of requirement now." I told them, collecting my jacket from the chair behind me.

James glanced up at me, a wicked glint in his eye.

"Getting it on with your girlfriend? I wonder what items the room provides you with for that." He said sneakily, earning a laughing fit from Peter.

I mockingly hit him across the head.

"Seriously." I said.

"Siriusly." Peter replied, laughing a little at the joke which was extremely over used.

"Anyway, no, I'm helping blondie again."

"Why do you call her blondie?" Peter asked.

"Because she's blonde." I replied flatly, jokingly rolling my eyes at him.

"You know what he means." Remus replied, his eyes fixated on a book as he sat in the old leather armchair in the corner. Adorned in an orange knitted jumper he was the perfect picture of an old man.

I ignored his question and headed out of the room. It was almost seven when I reached the room of requirement and it was empty.

Blondie usually arrived just on time, whereas I was usually early.

I sat on the stage and waited. Minutes passed by and I started to think that she wasn't going to show. After all, she had made up an excuse not to come yesterday and she didn't seem overly keen on coming today either.

I briefly wondered what I had done to annoy her when I heard the groan of the old wooden door opening.

"You're late blondie." I said, without turning around.

"I... Forgot... My... Wand." She panted, clearly out of breath. I smirked and laughed a little before turning around to face her, flipping my wand in my hand.

Her face fell at the sight of my wand.

"We're dueling?" She asked, evidently unhappy.

"No, we're going to practice patronuses again." I told her. I was determined to get her to form a patronus. The war was starting, and everyone needed to be prepared, especially someone as fragile as her.

She stared at the ground and nibbled her lip. Jesus, she didn't know how that drove me crazy every time she did it.

"I've been practicing. I just don't think I have a happy enough memory." She frowned.

I smiled a little. Of course she did, she just had to find it.

"What memory do you think of?" She asked me.

I froze. Only James knew. Only he knew what I thought of when I needed to cast a patronus. I couldn't tell her. It was too private.

"I'm sorry, that was nosy of me. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." She said, glancing nervously at the floor.

"No, it's okay." I smiled. "I think of the first time the Potter's took me in, how they let me stay with them this Summer, they let their home become mine. They're my real family." I mumbled. I had just told someone. Someone other than James.

"Wow." She whispered, and I could almost see the gears in her head starting to work.

"Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm not good enough." She sighed.

"Don't say that, of course you are! We just haven't found the right memory yet."

I suggested memory after memory, technique after technique, but the most we managed was a small burst of light from the end of her wand.