Alive for You (A Marauders Era Love Story)

Chapter Six

Deirdre ran to catch up with me.

"How did you know?" she asked, a mix of curiosity and astonishment in her voice.

"I have my sources." I chuckled. Just before we had gotten to the library, Isadora had run up and down the halls, her bright green eyes a bipolar-ish mixture of hatred, laughter, jealousy, and cheerfulness, "Sirius Black took a girl to Honeydukes! Sirius Black showed her the entrance!" I had known about the entrances- five of them I had explored- since third year. But there was another secret passage that I had no idea to wherer it led, and I was determined to find out.

"You mean your little ghost friend?" she smiled.

"How did you know?" I replied stupidly.

"You know, Ravenclaws aren't the only smart Hogwarts students. Well, most of them aren't- I mean, you have me, I'm smart, and your friend Lily's pretty smart... but that's off topic. You stare off into nothing, your mouth moves like your talking, almost like your in a Seer phase thing. I figured it out."

"You're almost intelligent enough to be my friend," I laughed at my own joke.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment and ask a question. What the Salazar Slytherin is up with that scar on your arm?"

I sighed. Just two days earlier, I was about to kiss Severus Snape (who I had not seen since that awkward moment). the only girls I would talk to were Lily Evans and occasionallly the fellow Ravenclaw Veronica Perry (who had a thing for Xeno Lovegood). Now, I was kissing a guy whom I had known for a total of, what, four hours? and telling strangers my deepest, darkest, most hidden secrets that I swore never to tell.

"My father was Richard Cooper, leader of the Anti Werewolf Commission at the Ministry. He worked on regulating the rights of werewolves and keeping them under control and in their rightful place. I would sneak in when he had werewolves in custody and I would talk to them. One day, when I was ten, he siriusly pissed off a werewolf named Charles Burkberry. We were the best of friends. I apologized for my father, and he lost control of himself and lashed out on me." I said with tears forming. "But Charlie and I were friends. I know that he didn't mean it. My father took the incident as a prime oppurtunity to- to..."

"Oh. I understand." she said, pulling me into a forced hug.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I have an idea. There's a passage, much like the one Sirius took you through, that I've been dying to explore. It looks like fun- it would be like being a Gryffindor, brave and whatever the hell else they are. I'll have to see about that with Remus."

"It does sound like fun. I've always wondered what it would be like to be a Gryffindor, I love stereotypes. When are we going?" she asked.

"Tomorrow night. After curfew. Meet me by the statue of the goblin."

NEXT DAY

"Where's Remus?" I asked as James came to sit by me in Potions. Severus was glaring at me from across the room. We still hadn't spoken. And I didn't think that we would. He probably didn't like me anymore, due to the fact that I was "sleeping with the enemy" in a way. The Marauders were now the best friends I had ever had, besides Lily and Veronica, of course.

"Why? Miss your boyfriend?" Sirius called from the table next to us, partered with none other than the mysterious Deirdre Smith.

"No, I just want to know where he is."

"Sorry, Ash, I think he caught the flu." James said apologetically.

"Oh, alright. Listen, guys, do you know anything about secret passages in the school, besides the ones to Honeydukes, the one behind the statue of George the Smarmy, the one to Hogsmeade, and the one that leads to the kitchens?" I asked.

"Uh-" Sirius started.

"Yes, we do. Why?" James asked.

"Well, me and Deirdre are trying this secret passage tonight, after curfew. Its right in front of that goblin- Garg the Galloper, I think. Would you happen to know anything about it?"

"No!" they yelled together.

"It leads to a pit of venomous -" James started.

"-rabid badgers -"

"- snakes! Lots of them!"

"-spiders -"

"In short, Ashlyn, if you value your life, don't go there." James concluded.

"Lets see here... I know several cures for venom. That's not an issue. Rabid badgers can be magicked away easily. I love snakes, they are so adorable. My uncle used to have a snake before he died. And spiders don't bother me. And... I don't value my life in the least bit. So, I think we're still on, right Dee? "

She looked confused, but she nodded.

"Fine! Go! See where it leads! See if we care when you get killed! " James whined.

"We intend to." I replied.

-That night-

"Ready? " I asked Deirdre. She smiled grimly. We tapped Garg's sword and the wall opened. I stepped in, and she followed close behind. It was pitch black, so I lit up my wand.

I could see an opening not far ahead. I sighed. I was expecting something much longer, scarier.

It only took a minute to get to the end. We poked our heads out and saw where it led. It came close to the Whomping Willow, a tree that moved around violently.

"We're going to explore over there, aren't we? " Deirdre asked cautiously. I smiled and nodded my head.

A howl rang through the silence. I looked up- full moon. There was a werewolf on the Hogwarts grounds.

"Ashlyn, I'm going back. I am not getting attacked by a werewolf." she said shakily.

"Go ahead. I'm staying, though. I am not afraid of werewolves." I said.

"Fine then! " she scoffed.

"You sound like James." I laughed.

"Come off it, you know he hates me. You should have heard him yelling at me."

"What? James yelling? " I asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. I don't know about what, though, he just kind of exploded. Now, seriously, goodbye. See you in Potions." she said. Just then, a twig broke near us. I looked over - there was a dog and a stag. They had panic in their eyes. The dog looked as if he was about to attack someone.

"Okay, Dee, go. Now. I'm right behind you "

"Okay, " she said quickly and ran. I waited a second. A dog and a stag? I took a step toward them. The dog snarled and turned around. The stag came at me. I turned and ran. An angry stag was as bad as a rabid badger. And then I heard a howl right behind me. The werewolf was on my heels.

And then, right then, the klutz in me came out. I tripped upon the air and tumbled onto the ground. The last thing I remembered was Isadora suddenly appearing, screaming, but the sound never reached my ears before I felt a crazy inferno of pain on my neck, and saw blackness take over.