The Marauders: Padfoot

"Azkaban Serious."

My breath was shaky as it escaped my mouth and formed a silvery cloud in front of me upon the cold air.

"Sn-Snuffles?" I stammered, standing up and wrapping my arms around myself.

I felt vulnerable, scared. Those merpeople had almost dragged me in. I would be floating with the fishies right now if it weren't for this stray black dog, staring up at me expectantly, it's huge eyes glowing in the moon light.

I fell to my knees and buckled.

Tears escaped me silently as I hid my face in my sleeve.

I felt Snuffles nudge me with his nose and I looked up.

He rested his head on my lap.

"Thank you." I whispered, stroking his head.

We sat in silence for a while as I stroked his head and stared out at the lake.

"They almost had me. If it weren't for you I'd be dead." I whispered, my words getting lost to the wind, and the ears of a creature that couldn't understand me.

I started to shiver. The hoodie wasn't enough to keep out the physical cold, and my mind was struggling to keep out the visions of merpeople dragging me under to my watery grave.

"I'm going to head inside." I said, running my hands through his fur.

He stood up, almost as if he understood. I patted his head and stood up.

"Thank you." I whispered again.

Snuffles nudged me with his nose before running off in the direction of the forbidden forest.

As I headed back to the common room, I thought about Snuffles. How he almost seemed to understand English. Or maybe he just understood me.

As I reached the portrait, I decided that I wasn't going to hide. I was going to sit with them and play chess. And if I was asked where I had been, I would say the kitchens.

As I walked in, Lily's eyes met mine.

"Seren? There you are!" She exclaimed, standing up to meet me.

"Yes?" I asked in confusion. What did she mean.

"I went up to the dorm to get you to come down and have a game with us but you weren't there so Sirius went out to look for you." She said.

"Why Sirius?" I whispered, checking that none of the others were listening.

"He insisted." She replied quietly.

I rolled my eyes. How was I ever going to escape him when he kept doing things like this.

My teeth chattered a little.

"Are you cold?" Lily asked and I nodded in reply.

"Come on, let's go sit in our favorite seats." She said, nodding her head towards the fire.

As I sat, I stared at the flames. They seemed to morph into merpeople, their hands reaching out of the fire, trying to grasp hold of me.

My breathing picked up and their skeletal webbed hands reached even further.

"Li-" I began before I started to hyperventilate.

My eyes blurred and all I could hear were voices around me. I couldn't make out what they were saying, all I could hear were the eerie soft calls of the merpeople, dragging me towards them, dragging me under the icy lake.

I felt hands on my shoulders.

"NO!" I screamed. They were dragging me under, dragging me away.

"Don't touch her, give her space." I faintly heard someone say.