scars || sirius black

8 - Sirius the chihuahua

The next morning was Saturday and, as the dark clouds had warned, a storm was upon them.

Emmy and Dirk headed down to Hogsmeade at eleven o'clock and it took them almost forty-five minutes to reach The Three Broomsticks. The howling wind and pouring rain had blocked out any attempts at talking but they were finally able to speak when they ordered a couple of butterbeers and huddled together by the fire.

The conversation flowed easily for a couple of hours and when Emmy finished the last dregs of her butterbeer, they took advantage of a break in the torrential rain to go for a walk.

The path to the old haunted house started opposite the pub so they were well into the forest within ten minutes. The trees thankfully gave them shelter from the storm and they managed to reach the viewpoint within half an hour.

While the woods had been a hive of activity with rustling squirrels and twittering birds, the area around the house was eerily quiet in the thick fog and thunder clouds that swirled overhead. They stayed at the edge of the forest to avoid getting soaked but looked at it across the half-mile stretch of moorland.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she murmured.

"I guess. Bit creepy though."

Sensing he wasn't enjoying himself as much as she was, Emmy checked the time. She was supposed to be meeting her friends in Honeydukes soon and whilst she could have stayed there content for the rest of her life, she knew she had to leave. Something just drew her to the wildness and energy of the landscape, it was like nothing she'd ever felt before.

"Come on, let's head back," she replied, disheartened.

The storm began to pick up once again as they reached Hogsmeade and snow swirled around their heads.

Dirk dropped her off at the door of the shop and headed back to the castle hurriedly, not wanting to get caught out in the blizzard alone.

Emmy was practically dragged into the shop by her frantic friends.

"We thought you were dead!" yelped Marlene dramatically.

"I was only ten minutes late, guys."

"Yeah but this storm is supposed to be the worst this decade, look at it already!"

"You could've gotten hypothermia, or a tree could've fallen on you, or you could've got lost and had to seek refuge in some dodgy old witch's house and been eaten alive," rambled Lily clutching her tightly.

"Hey, look I'm alright, Lils," she squeezed her arm comfortingly. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Alice coughed, "Well now we know Emmy's not dead, can we go and get some sweets?"

Emmy laughed, "That sounds like a great idea."

Half an hour later, they'd all bought their things but as the hailstones ricocheted off the glass and the wind whistled through the tiny cracks in the floorboards, they peered out of the window, trying to work out how to get back to the castle.

With a bang, the door smacked open and the four Marauders hurtled inside before collapsing in a heap on the floor.

The shop went completely quiet; the only noise was the sound of the rain dripping off the boys and their heaving breaths before the girls began to snigger. With one look from Remus, they went silent but the grins remained on their faces.

James and Sirius groaned before hauling themselves up and helping Peter and Remus to their feet.

"Alright there, Potter?" asked Lily.

"Yes thank you," he grumbled in embarrassment.

Sirius stumbled over to a display with a mirror to try to fix his hair. As he hurriedly smoothed down his long dark locks, he caught Emmy's gleaming eyes. He grinned and winked at her shamelessly.