The Missing Marauder: A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter 23

"You're being stupid. You could hurt the baby!"  

She stared up at him. "How did you find out about that?"  

"People talk," he replied, then, his voice choking a little bit, added, "But you didn't."  

"I was going to tell you-"  

"But you didn't, that's the problem."  

He pushed off of the wall and turned around, running his hands through his hair and taking a deep breath.  

She took the opportunity to reach for the door...  

...and he slammed his fist down on it. "Don't even think about it."  

"Why are you protecting him?" she demanded, "After what he did to me?"  

"I'm not protecting him. I'm protecting him from you. I don't want my girlfriend to become a murderer."  

"But you're perfectly willing to become one yourself," she reminded him, glaring.  

"I'd beat the crap out of that guy if I had the chance," Sirius agreed, "But I'm not letting you actually kill him."  

"Step aside," she warned.  

"I'm not letting you in there," he said, "I'll drag you out of the castle if I have to."  

"Get out of my way," she threatened, "Or I'm going to kill you too."  

He was so silent for a moment, that if Rowan had been herself, she would've been worried. But she wasn't herself, and Sirius realized that. He knew that something was severely wrong with her.  

She was practically insane!  

But he would do everything in his power to help her. He knew it was just the near-death thing getting to her, and once it was far behind them they could get through it.  

At least, he could.  

"What did you just say?" he asked quietly, his voice shaking.  

"Get out of my way," she repeated, "Or I'm going to kill you too."  

He stared at her, shocked and unable to believe what he'd just heard.  

"Fine," she muttered, crossing her arms. "You leave me no choice."  

Before he could say anything she pulled out her wand and exclaimed, "Expulso!"  

At first, with a feeling of horror, he thought she'd aimed at him, but the spell zoomed right past him, and Sirius was blasted backwards with such force that he smacked into the opposing wall. But he managed to pull out his wand.  

It was only in his hand for seconds before she screamed, "Expelliarmus!"  

For once, Sirius was thankful he'd taken Wandless Magic that year.  

"Accio Wand!" he cried, holding out his hand. It flew at top speed to him and he caught it in his palm.  

She smiled. "So you really did learn something new this year."  

"I'm not going to fight you," he said, holding his shoulder where he guessed it had dislocated itself when he hit the wall.  

"Good," she said, reaching for the door, "I won't have to do anything irrational."  

Seeing her hand inches from the polished oak set something off in him; he couldn't let her in that room. Taking his wand in his other hand, he raised it, pointed it at the door and yelled, "Colloportus!" The polished oak made an odd, squelching noise as it locked itself.