the secret of Erised {s.b.}

chapter 30: conversation

Autumn had arrived at Hogwarts a few weeks back and the cold Winter breeze was beginning to appear. This meant that while sunlight made the Scottish weather a bit more bearable, nights were getting cooler and cooler. No student was seen without their House scarf and an extra jumper after four in the afternoon. Even Care for Magical Creatures classes had been moved to a classroom due to the Winter weather creeping up slowly on a daily basis.

Esmeralda walked down the dark halls of Hogwarts with the Marauder's Map in one hand and James' Invisibility Cloak covering her. She had placed a silencing charm on her shoes to make sure nobody would hear her footsteps. If it hadn't been so cold that night Esmeralda would've gone barefoot, but knowing she had to go to the dungeons decided against it. Sirius had insisted that it was his turn to guard the Slytherin Common Room, but Esmeralda knew that he was just trying to protect her. Besides, he had already guarded the halls the night before.

As she descended the stone stairs towards the dungeons, Esmeralda noticed the temperature drop significantly. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her body, careful not to damage the Marauder's Map. The stone wall where the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room appeared in front of her as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Esmeralda breathed out in relief and sat down on the last step facing the Common Room entrance.

As she stared at the Slytherin Common Room entrance, Esmeralda wondered how Slytherin students dealt with the very noticeable cold environment in the dungeons every day. Even she was glad the days when she didn't have a Potions class. She got so lost in her thoughts and the entrance that she did not hear the footsteps of someone coming down the stairs behind her.

It wasn't until he walked in front of her that she noticed Sirius in his Animagus moving his head around looking for her. She shook her head and removed the Invisibility Cloak from her head.

"Sirius !" she whispered frantically, "Come here !"

Sirius turned his head to face her and moved his tail in excitement. She rolled her eyes and extended the Invisibility Cloak so he could walk underneath the enchanted piece of clothing. Once Esmeralda covered him and her head again, Sirius shifted to his human form. He ran his hands through his hair and looked at his girlfriend.

"Hey babe," he whispered, "Missed me ?"

"What are you doing here ?" she asked, also in a hushed voice, "It's my turn to guard."

Sirius shrugged his shoulders and slid an arm around Esmeralda's waist. He pulled her closer to him, closing the small gap between them. They were sitting so close together that Esmeralda could hear his heartbeat and feel his breath. It made the goosebumps she had from the cold disappear completely.

"Guess I knew you would be too cold and would need heat to keep you warm." he said, "And there's no one hotter than me that could be able to do that."

Esmeralda rolled her eyes.

"I mean it, Sirius," she said, "Every time that I'm scheduled to come down here at night you find an excuse to replace me and come here yourself. Do you not trust me ?"

"Of course I trust you, love," he said, "It's just that... I don't know... I want to be here in case Regulus is involved. That way I might know how to-"

"Save him ?" Esmeralda finished.

Sirius looked at her honey coloured eyes with his enchanting grey ones. At that moment, he wondered how he could've gotten so lucky to have someone like Esmeralda by his side.

"Exactly,"

Esmeralda reached for Sirius' hand and squeezed it. She put her head on his shoulder and stared back at the Slytherin Common Room entrance.