Thicker than Water (Marauders Era)

26 November, 1977 - Full Moon

When Lavinia made it out of the shelter of the awning over the castle doors, the cold breeze seemed to blow right through her and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep some warmth in. She glanced over her shoulder at the doors behind her wondering if she shouldn't just go back in. But the grounds seemed to beckon her forward with their open spaces and the endless sky above. Even if the moon was too bright to properly see the stars, she couldn't deny it felt good to be out in the open, with the whole world spiraling out around her. She felt like she could run for miles and no one and nothing could get in her way. It was an oddly comforting thought, which was perhaps why she continued on her way, in spite of the cold, headed for the lake shore and the student she was about to tell off for doing the exact same thing she found herself wishing she was brave enough to do more often.

But when she reached the shore, she found it empty before her, with no sign of anyone anywhere along the beach. She frowned, looking around for a little while before reminding herself that she needed to go back inside. She'd be in massive trouble if she was found out here for no reason and her reason seemed to have mysteriously vanished. Maybe they saw me coming, she thought with a sigh, forcing her feet to turn around and dragging her gaze away from the dark, reflective surface of the lake.

It was as she headed back up to the castle, going more slowly than she knew she should, trying to savor the fresh air and the bite of the winter breeze, that she saw something very odd indeed. On the edge of the forest was a strange group of animals. There was a stag, looking proud and almost elegant in the moonlight, for all that there was an odd shape on the top of its head, between its antlers, like some sort of rodent was sat there. There was also a dog whose coat was so dark she only really noticed it was there when it moved, and... Short snout, tufted tail... Lavinia swore quietly, her whole body seizing up in fear, her hand clenched on her wand in the pocket of her robes.

She knew she should probably be running, sprinting for the castle doors, but her head was still trying to convince her she was wrong. It's a normal wolf. Just a normal wolf. You're being ridiculous. Her head was a jumbled chaos of mixed panic and disbelief. She had to be wrong. Had to be. Because there was no way there was a werewolf on Hogwarts grounds. And there was no way that it was standing with a dog and a stag looking... normal.

Lavinia blinked several times in quick succession. She was wrong. She was seeing things. She was sleep deprived. Yes, that was it. Nevermind that she'd slept as much these past nights as she usually did, at least since last year, and she'd never hallucinated before.

She stumbled back slightly, deciding that whether or not she was going crazy, inside was probably a better place to be right now. But as soon as she moved, the wolf's head snapped to her and again, Lavinia's fear froze her.

Her eyes were glued to the wolf, and she didn't dare blink. It stood frozen, snout pointed at her. She barely breathed for fear it would notice her chest rising and falling. The stag, she noticed, now devoid of its strange headdress, was moving slowly, as though trying not to startle the wolf, but rather shifting around it. Which was also ridiculous. Wolves ate deer. What was the prey doing moving around its predator as if to get in front of it. And the dog... she didn't see the dog anymore.

She glanced around, careful to move only her eyes, not her head, wanting to keep the wolf at least in the edge of her vision. She finally saw the dog, pressed low to the ground like it was stalking prey, headed right towards her. A choked sob escaped her and the wolf cocked its head at the sound. She was going crazy. There was a wolf next to a deer and a dog was hunting her. She was losing her bloody mind and she couldn't get her feet to move.

When the dog was just a few feet from her, close enough that she could see it unkempt fur and grey eyes glinting in the moonlight, it suddenly changed, transforming into a person. Into Sirius Black, who glanced over his shoulder and walked towards her slowly, like he was approaching an animal likely to run away if startled.