Disclaimer- I don't own anything! I promise!

An- Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them!

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Chapter 3: Tower

"Alright. Spill." James guided Sirius by the shoulders through the dormitory the four boys shared until his rump contacted with the bed. Sirius fell back on his elbows and stared in confusion at the three mates surrounding him. Peter bit his thumbnail, looking nervously from James, to Remus, and finally to Sirius.

"Yeah." He said, laughing nervously. "You didn't even make me carry your books to class today. Remember how I lost that bet with you and James?" Sirius rolled his eyes at the boy and poked his bulging stomach.

"You always lose, Wormtail. And there's nothing to spill."

James pursed his lips and held up Sirius' Potions text book that he had completely forgotten about until it was hung before his eyes. With a sheepish shrug, Sirius took the book. "Must've got side tracked on my way to get it."

"Speaking of side tracked, what the bloody hell was that all about in Runes today? I have to be paired with the Smelly Les because of you."

"Look, if I told you, especially you, Remus, you'd all make a big deal about it and that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid right now. Let's just say, I've been called on by a higher power." The three boys stared at Sirius as if he were speaking ten languages at once. But, it was true. Sirius Black was on a mission. He felt, deep down that his Potions book was left in the library on purpose and he was meant to save Ash. Sure, she would have just bounced right back in, but she would be all alone. And the last thing someone needs after trying to commit suicide, is to be alone.

He leaned back on his bed, his arms crossed behind his head and stared up at the charmed miniature dragons flying around the canopy. They crisscrossed over each other, and their movements always helped Sirius fall asleep.

With a sigh, James waved him mate off and stalked to his side of the room, pulling out the latest Quidditch Monthly to read up on the scores. He and Peter discussed the upcoming season, leaving Remus to sit next to the laying boy. "You know you can tell me anything, Sirius."

"I know. And I will." He sighed and turned his eyes back to the tiny dragons quarreling above his head. "But, I don't want to jinx it."

"So, what was all that business at dinner tonight?"

"Are you actually trying to hook up with Sirius Black?"

"He would never go for you."

"He's out of your league."

"Miles out, actually."

Ash stared at the girls she had barked at hours before with her mouth agape, trying to respond but cut off each time by another girl. It was like a hydra, with more and more heads popping up out of nowhere. Taken aback, Ash wanted to just run away and lock herself in the lavatory…but knew she would be laughed at until graduation.

The girls nodded in agreement at that last fact a blonde had stated, her hair neatly pinned back in the tidiest bun Ash had ever seen. She was suddenly aware of her unwashed mass of dark curls. "We're on an assignment together…for Ancient Runes?" The girls crossed their arms over their chest in unison, as if each shared the same thought of 'yeah right'.

Ash figured if she didn't flee now, they would rope her back in with more interrogating. She slid past them, ignoring the glares as she walked hurriedly down the corridor to the girl's dormitory. The doors on each side of the hallway were flung open with sounds of rock music, laughter, and excited chatter filtered out. Ash passed them quickly, rushing to the door of the dorm she shared with a very shy girl named Emily. At least there was that to be thankful for.

Emily kept to herself, drawing in her sketch book, or writing things down in a leather bound journal. She and Ash hardly ever spoke, except to trade notes for a study session, or if they accidentally bumped one another. Emily was nowhere to be seen as Ash shut the door behind her.

With a relieved sigh, she slid into her bed, pulling the navy covers over her legs. She shut the matching drapes around her bed and laid her head down, squeezing her eyes shut. What had they meant by he would never go for her? It's obvious he wanted to spend time with her. He was taking her out tomorrow for Hogsmeade Saturday. That had to mean something right?

"Yeah, only out of pity." She mumbled to herself, smashing her fists into the pillow to both relieve some pent up hostility and fluff the stuffing. She rolled over and stared at the dark canopy, trying to sort out the whirlwind in her mind.

Her arms itched and she ached to run to the Astronomy Tower, but for the first time, the little voice that told her to jump was oddly quiet. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and counted to ten, over and over, until at long last she was drifting off.

.~.~.~.~.~.

"Ashlen Moira Clarke, come here at once." Her mother's voice snapped, and an instant sense of dread poured through Ash. She walked into the parlor where her mother and step father sat, their back's straight as arrows. The light filtering through the mauve curtains caught every speck of dust floating between them.

Before she could speak, a third presence drew her attention to the large, grey leather chair toward the back of the room. A man stood and pulled his cloak away from his shoulders, making him seem four feet wide. He was tall, so much that Ashlen had to look up from across the room.

"This is Voss Strom, your father's new business partner." Ashlen looked to the man who would never be her father and narrowed her eyes. His 'business' was as shady as the Black Forest, and the less she knew about it, the better. Men came and went at all hours of the night, sneering, leering, hollow shells of their former selves.

Still, she knew the punishment that would come if she did not respond. With a small bend of her knees, she bowed her head. "Pleased to meet you."

In two strides he had closed the gap between them and lifted her hand to his lips. Her fingers felt unbelievably small compared to his. She wanted to rip them from his grasp and wash them immediately. "The pleasure," He spoke, his voice the sound of crunching gravel, "is all mine."

Suddenly, the urge to gag threatened her throat and Ash made a quick excuse to leave the room. She glanced back only once. Mr. Strom was standing, watching her escape, a smile spread across his mouth that sent shivers across her neck. Even after she was safe behind closed doors, the look in his eyes haunted her…

~.~.~.~.~.~.

Gasping, Ash sat up in bed, her fingers clutching the sheets between white knuckles. The dream faded into black, leaving her breathing heavy and heart pounding against her skin.

Ash put a hand to her damp forehead and took slow breaths, trying to calm herself down. From outside the drapes surrounding her bed, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. A gray light filtered in, barely lighting the room.

She put her feet on the floor and walked to the window that over looked the cliff side. Clouds were thick in the sky, threatening rain for the entire day. Ash hugged her arms around her waist and debated slipping back into the warm sheets faintly calling to her. And then, the rush of memory from the previous night filled her head. She was going to spend the day with a boy who apparently was miles out of her league.

No, there would be no way for her to be able to relax in bed when she had to worry about the day's coming events. Boys in general was foreign territory for her, let alone a boy who could literally pick and choose whomever he wanted to date.

"Not dating." She reminded herself, rolling her eyes at her own girlish stupidity. Until those girls put the silly notion in her brain, she had only been annoyed by Sirius' attention. But what if he really did like her? The thought alone made her stomach twist into thousands of knots. She needed to clear her head, and fast. Slipping a pair of jeans that lay beside her bed on, Ash pulled a hooded sweatshirt over her head and slipped quietly out into the corridor.

She made it to the Astronomy Tower a few minutes later, sticking to the shadows just in case someone of authority had decided to take a midnight stroll. Ash hadn't been alone in the Astronomy Tower since the incident with Sirius and to see it alone, in the early dawn light sent a slight chill up her spine.

She crept to the telescopes and sat between her usual spot, resting her shoulder against the stone pillar beside her. Her toes hung clenched over the edge of the window and the cold stone against her skin was a welcome feeling. With a sigh, Ash closed her eyes and let the wind whirl around her. It was so nice not to have to think about anything.

She hugged her knees to her chest and felt a bit of peace unlike the chaos that her last few days have been. Still, despite the serenity that surrounded her in the Astronomy Tower, she couldn't help the nervous gnaw in the pit of her stomach as the minutes ticked by.

It was only after an hour sitting up in the Tower that Ash made her way back to the common room to get ready for her day. The anxiety she felt earlier was still there, but she had come to terms with it. She knew that she would be seen meeting Sirius, and she knew he would be oblivious to the taunts she would get later.

Still, ditching Sirius would prove to be far worse. She didn't need Dumbledore contacting her already insane parents and telling them what she had planned. They would pluck her out of Hogwarts like she was an unwanted chin hair on her mother's face.

She charmed her hair dry as she wrapped a fluffy, gray towel around her body. The Ravenclaw emblem was tucked under her armpit, scratching at her skin. Inside her shared room, Emily was up and pacing the floor on her side of the room. A huge peacock quill was in her hand as she mumbled incoherently, tapping her chin in deep thought.

Ash sneaked into the room and slipped her favorite long sleeved shirt over her head and pulled on the hem to make it longer. "Going somewhere?" Emily asked loud enough to make Ash start, but still not looking at her. Biting her lip, Ash took her time buttoning her jeans and sat on the edge of her bed. "I…" They had never really talked about boys, or anything besides passing comments, but she needed another female opinion. "I'm meeting Sirius Black. He's…taking me to Hogsmeade."

Emily stood up and looked at her from over her shoulder, her elegant eyebrow arched. "Oh la-la." With a smirk, she scribbled furiously in her leather bound notebook.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ash tied her shoes and rushed off to the courtyard to wait on Sirius. Couples passed, hand in hand, giggling happily. Ash looked away and crossed her arms over her chest, wishing she had worn a small jacket. It wasn't too cold, but the wind was getting to her.

After a few moments, with only her thoughts to accompany her, Ash was starting to wonder if she was daft, if Sirius was just playing some horrible mean prank on her. She pursed her lips, cursing herself for falling for something so idiotic and so stupid! How could she—

"All set?" The voice beside her startled her, making her spin around. Sirius stood with his hands in his pockets, grinning rather mischievously. A couple of girls stared at them from across the courtyard, and Ash couldn't help but notice their giggles and the whispers they were not too concerned with keeping quiet. Ash lifted her chin and smiled softly at Sirius. "Sure."

He made no attempt to move, except to cross his arms over his chest as he looked at her rather curiously. Ash pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and looked around. "What?"

"Nothing, that's just the first time I've seen you smile. Even if it was tiny." He smirked and held out his hand for her to walk by. "After you."

Blushing, Ash started off towards the bridge, with her companion right beside her. They walked in silence until they set off to Hogsmeade. The sign beside the road displayed the town's name in scrawling gold letters, and Ash followed its arrow obediently. Until Sirius tugged her elbow and pulled her off the trail. "Wait, what are you doing?" She pointed helplessly to the sign as Sirius held on and made his way toward the woods.

"You didn't really want to spend your Saturday at Hogsmeade did you?"

"Well…I don't know. You said yesterday-"

"I said, meet me before Hogsmeade. Never said anything about actually going." They stepped into the trees and now Ash could no longer see the trail she had stepped off of. The castle was barely visible through the trees and before long, all there was to see were the trees.

"So where are we going?"

Sirius turned and grinned, holding up his long, elegantly carved wand. He tapped it twice on a tree limb and mumbled a word so low Ash couldn't make it out. Before she could ask him anything else, the trees slid aside, the branched braiding themselves together over their heads. Ash stared in awe as she watched the trees glide over the forest floor, their roots pushing together until inside the alcove, she could see what it was.

People were gathered around a small campfire, silver mugs in their hands with steaming liquids. She recognized a few Gryffindor's, Sirius' friends, but there were other students there that Ash had never spoken two words to. She opened her mouth, but Sirius cut her off. "We, my new friend, are going camping."

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AN- Thanks SOO much for all the reviews! It really encourages me to write! This chapter was a bit of filler, but the next one will have lots of Sirius in it! I promise!