build me up buttercup [s.black]

[40] Run

It was nearly two o'clock in the morning and the Gryffindor common room was almost empty, apart from one student. A witch lay sprawled across one of the plush, red sofas. The book she had been reading when she fell asleep was covering her face, but she was still easily identifiable by the mass of dark curls which cascaded over the sofa and onto the floor beside her. Just as the clock above the fireplace struck two, there was a loud crash from the top of the stairs to the dormitories which woke Aisling up with a start. She looked around wildly, trying to locate the source of the noise. But saw nothing. Rolling her eyes, she spoke into the apparently empty common room.

"Oh no, a loud noise made by someone invisible! Whoever could it be?"

Sure enough, after a few seconds James's head appeared out of thin air, followed quickly by Sirius's.

"What are you doing down here?" James asked, a hand appearing out of his invisibility cloak to push up his glasses.

"I fell asleep." Aisling said. "What are you doing down here."

"Off on a secret mission." Sirius said, sounding a bit annoyed that he had been caught by his girlfriend. "And no, you can't come."

"Excuse me?" Aisling raised her eyebrows.

"There isn't room for you under the cloak, we barely fit under it anymore as it is." James looked uncomfortable.

"So I won't get under the cloak." Aisling shrugged, standing up. "I'm still coming."

The two boys looked at each other, then back at Aisling.

"Fine." They said in unison.

"But you are getting under the cloak." Sirius stated matter-of-factly. "We can't risk you being seen."

They climbed out of the portrait hole, all cramped together under James's invisibility cloak. They made their way down what seemed like endless flights of stairs until they reached the dungeons. Then, without warning, the two boys stopped. The trio crouched there uncomfortably for nearly ten minutes. Just as Aisling was about to ask them what they were waiting for, a heavy door creaked open and someone emerged.

Severus Snape.

James and Sirius nodded at each other and the group started following Snape, taking extra care to step softly. Snape knew about the cloak, and would be suspicious if he heard any noise in the otherwise silent castle. They followed him all the way out of the castle and into the grounds, down past the Quidditch pitch and right to the edge of The Forbidden Forest. Snape stood there for a second, looking around furtively, and then ducked into the forest. Rather apprehensively, the trio followed him.

Once Aisling, Sirius and James were in the forest, they shed the cloak. It was dark enough that they were sure they wouldn't be visible, and the trees provided some cover should they need it. It was more difficult to follow Snape as he weaved between the trees. He wasn't following the path, and Aisling's feet kept getting caught on branches and thorns. She nearly tripped over twice but managed to steady herself. As they went deeper and deeper into the forest all three of them started to feel uneasy. There was even less light here and the noises all around them didn't sound like they came from friendly creatures. Instinctively, Aisling fished her wand out of her waistband and held it tightly in her slightly clammy hand.

They must have been walking for at least fifteen minutes, until they came to a clearing in the centre of the forest. But, as they looked around, Snape was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn." Sirius whispered. "How can we have lost him?"

"No idea." Aisling replied. "He was right in front of us."