Snowy solitude <Sirius>

[``dorcas ophelia meadowes]

One thing was certain, Dorcas pondered as she looked around her deserted dormitory. She may have been the last remaining seventh year girl in the Gryffindor tower. All the beds were carefully arranged and the night stands were squeakily clean as if a thousand bugs came and polished everything in their way, just like they do in those funny muggle animated movies. She got up and looked at her bed and the difference was embarrassing. She knew that she was never one to care a lot about order and discipline, but seeing the other corners of her dormitory made her feel ashamed at herself. So she grabbed the first thing that was in her reach, and one by one, folded every piece of material that was stranded around her bed and put them one by one carefully in her trunk, or in case it was dirty threw it in the laundry basket from the bathroom. She even found a pair of red wool socks underneath her bed that went into the basket as well. After having finished this, she arranged her night stand, placed the rolls of parchment that were hers in one of the drawers from her night stand, made sure they were arranged properly, and then started making her bed. After a few minutes her part of the room was just as clean as the others’. She took one step towards the door and was proud of herself. And now what?

The window caught her eyes and decided to go outside. When she reached the entrance wooden gate a few minutes later and stepped outside she was socked at how cold it was. Dorcas slowly made her way towards the lake making sure not to step into any kind puddle or else she would be forced to postpone this walk. Mostly no one was out there, but since she was used to going outside alone, she didn't mind it much. Thankfully she remembered to put her coat on before retreating herself from the cold castle. The ground was covered with a crystal white carpet, soft as a feather that spread as far as the eyes could see and everything seemed coated with it. The lake was partly froze, better said the border was frozen, but one could see incredibly interesting patterns in the soft glass that covered those few inches of water, and also on the ground next to it. Soft sparks came from it that shone in the rays of the December sun.

She didn’t wanted to sit down because she would most certainly get wet, so she crouched, a not so very comfortable position if anyone asked her, but better than getting wet. The silence around her, made it seem like the ice from the water, the snow from the ground and the frosty trees were whispering to each other, and every so often a soft splashing sound would come from the water, from the little waves that were trying to make their way on top of the glassy roof under which they were locked. It was so peaceful to ignore everything that was happening in the world, in the school and everywhere around her, and just be mesmerized by the simple beauty of the nature.

All of the sudden she was brought back to reality as she heard soft and slowly steps coming from behind.

[``sirius orion black]

Silver eyes gazed up at the top of his four poster bed, the maroon canvas staining his vision with a deep red. He moved his arms behind his head, wondering if sleep would ever come to him. It seemed a foolish endeavor but he had no idea why he couldn't sleep. He pulled the covers back and went to check on Kacie, for he'd asked Dumbledore to make her a bed in the boys' dormitories so that he could keep an eye on her. As he walked to her bed, he leaned against the bed post and then smiled. She was so beautiful, even when she was asleep. One of her arms lay in the air, hanging off the side of the bed while her other was up above her head. Oh, but her hair. It sprawled out in many different directions, the brown tendrils curling away from her head like vines. Her lips were parted slightly and if Sirius listened closely, he could hear her breathing. Touching her face gently with a tanned index finger, he bent down and kissed her on the cheek before turning and heading down towards the Common Room. It was Christmas Break and most students had already gone home. There was some that chose to stay until the last few days before Christmas and Sirius just happened to be one of them. James had not yet said that he was going home and something inside of Sirius did not want to leave Kacie here by herself. He supposed James would let her come along if it came down to that, but he knew that they were not fond of each other.

Shivering, Sirius darted back up the stairs to his dormitory and opened his trunk. Thowing on some pants and a sweater, he grabbed his huge overcoat and threw it on. Then, pulled on some socks and snow boots, he glanced at Kacie's sleeping form once more before grabbing his wand and darting down the stairs to the Common Room. Ducking through the portrait hole and hiding behind a statue as he heard footsteps, he smirked. It was a female Hufflepuff prefect. Walking out from his hiding place, she turned around, her blue eyes alight with attraction as her mouth opened in shock. He fluttered his lashes at her and then put his index finger to his lips. Then, he kissed her on the cheek, making her giggle. Smirking to himself, he spun around and then headed down the stairs, this time more carefully. He knew that the Slytherin Prefects were not so kind. Spotting Narcissa, he jumped behind a Suit of Armor, watching his rather forlorn cousin step past him with elegance, her long blonde hair barely moving with her quickened but smooth gait. Waiting until she was out of sight, Sirius darted down the hallway, taking a shortcut through one of the portraits to get outside quicker. He knew that the Prefects loved scouting the Entrance Hall to find people out past curfew, but he was smarter than them. He knew of nearly every passageway in the entire school. He wasn't going to let the fact that goody two shoes patrolling the school was hampering him from going outside normally.

Shivering upon the exact instant he arrived outside, Sirius smiled. Snow was his favorite. Although it was deathly cold, he found it comforting in a way. He had always hated this time of year as a child, mainly because he was always chastised when he played with his toys. His mother always told him to behave more like Regulus and read. So, he had. But ever since he left, he had stopped reading for pleasure. It brought too many memories of the time he spent with his brother to want to do that again. He wondered if Kacie had been telling the truth in the fact that Reggie wanted to speak to him. When she had told him that he was beginning to lessen on his enthusiasm for his older brother, Sirius could not blame him. He'd been a right git, but with good reason. Reggie had barely looked at him when he left that night and never came back. Sighing and watching as his breath formed in the blackened air around him, he suddenly stopped. His silver eyes landed upon a figure up ahead and the way that it stood told him that it was a female. His dog-like senses told him that he recognized her scent. Quickening his pace, he found himself directly behind the young woman, immediately knowing who the fellow Gryffindor was. Wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, Sirius put his lips to her ear and murmured, "Hey, Dorky. What brings you out here on such a cold evening? Don't girls like to stay inside where it's warm?" He knew for a fact that many girls liked the cold, but he simply wanted to get Dorcas to talk to him. She seemed to be a little down, but there was always moments where Sirius noticed a certain sadness about her. It made him concerned, but he tried not to reveal such an emotion to her. He had to remain the cocky player to everyone but the select few. He supposed it was just a matter of time before she figured it out.

[/size]

[``dorcas ophelia meadowes]

The sound became softer and started to be a part of the rest of the orchestra. The wind that blew softly, moving the branches of the trees, the whisper of the water, combined with the rough cracking of snow, made by someone's boots, made the melody have a beat, a rhythm. The song was lacking the lyrics, but nothing that could not be fixed in the peace and quite of the moment.

All of the sudden she felt two big arms wrap around her waist and, out of shock and surprise, she was ready to pull out her wand and hex the person who pulled her out of her thoughts, disturb the peace that was surrounding her and stopping the natures' music, when she heard Sirius’ voice, so close to her ear, that the warmth from his mouth, for an instant, made the cool air disappear. She looked at him, pissed off and spoke “I told you not to call me that.” He had given her that nickname in their second year and wasn't very pleased with him after that. Seeing as he understood, he had stopped, but apparently not for good. She was even upset, mostly because that nickname was borrowed by the Slytherins, how they found out about it she never knew, and ever since second she had been Dorky, for them, and even for some students from other houses that had unknown issues with her.

She pushed backwards into him, so that he fell down into the snow, wanting to get him as wet as possible, also because he seemed to be a lot better dressed than she was. She looked back towards him as he was lying on the ground mostly covered in snow “Some girls stay inside, but as you well know, I like being outside.” He had forgotten his fur cap inside and parts of his hair were dangling in the snow, making an interesting combination of black and white. She remembered once around their forth year when, in their Charms class, someone made it snow, accidentally, and everyone was covered in white flakes by the time the bell rang, because the professor wasn't able to figure out how to stop it and refused to dismiss the class.

“What brings you here?” Dorcas wondered why he was acting like that, she didn't like it much, but knowing him, a change was meaningless hope. He had been like this, to some extent ever since fifth year, or around then, behaving like a ladies man as if he didn't care about them and it was just for fun. Apparently growing up was not one of his plans at the moment.

[``sirius orion black]

Sirius reveled in the fact that most, if not all, of the women at Hogwarts grew limp and their knees to jelly when he came around. He found it most disconcerting that the only females that seemed to be resistant to his charm were Gryffindors. He thought that was rather ironic, considering that it was his own house. Besides, he wasn't too bothered by not having Lily, because she was definitely off limits. She was a right nuisance, anyway. Sirius wouldn't have wanted her if she were the last woman on earth. She was too strong and obnoxious for him. He knew that James loved her with every fiber of his being, but Sirius hated him for it. James had been spending more time with her than he had with his best mate. That was what was pissing Sirius off. He called dibs on James first, but not this time. When some pair of googly green eyes met his, he bounded away to chase after that damned red hair. Huffing as he focused back on Dorcas, Sirius laughed as he felt her tense up against him. It didn't surprise him, for he would have been alarmed as well if someone had the nerve to come up behind him and scare him in this way. But, that's just how he was. He enjoyed making females uncomfortable for he knew that they couldn't get enough of him, even if they openly announced that they felt nothing for him. He knew it when they lied. He could see the longing in their eyes. Sighing as he heard her angry tone, Sirius felt apologetic immediately. He had forgotten that the Slytherthings called her that. Softly, he murmured, "I know, beautiful, but you realize that I mean no harm by it. I love that you are so dedicated to your schoolwork. I am jealous of you for it. Maybe you should go talk to Remus some time. I'm sure he'd love to have intelligent conversations with you. And, listen, I promise I won't call you that anymore if it bothers you that much." He flashed her a breathtaking smile, his teeth glittering in the moonlight.

When he suddenly felt a jolt around his midsection, he felt himself pummeling towards the ground, a guffaw escaping his lips as he landed in the wet and very cold snow. He didn't feel it as much as he thought he would, probably because he was dressed heavily for this weather. Smirking up at her, he moved his foot and caused her to fall on top of him. Careful to keep her warm and safe in his arms, he smiled beautifully, eager for a rise out of her. He chuckled before replying with, "You're right, I do know that. Don't you ever get lonely walking around all by yourself? Especially since it's this bloody cold outside." He flashed her a look of concern and then let it fade into a conceited smirk. He could feel the snow's cold leaking into his scalp, but he didn't mind. He was rather fond of winter. Snow had never brought horrible memories to mind when he thought about it. He had always been through troubling times in the summer and fall. But, winter, it was a peaceful time as far as he could remember. Maybe that was why he felt no reason to hate it. Most of his friends hated such weather, but he had never asked them as to why they cold abhor such a beautiful and pure white blanket lying across the grounds with a biting wind that causes your body to shiver. It was all beautiful, so he didn't understand how people could hate it.

His silver pools found hers as she asked what he was doing out there. Should he convey to her of his fears of losing Kacie? He figured she wouldn't understand or she would simply think him to be insane. Sighing, he murmured, "I couldn't sleep. I thought maybe taking a walk outside could clear my head, but I think I've just been making it worse." He figured that the reason the Gryffindor girls didn't like him was because they saw him the most, acting like a fool and a whore. But, they didn't realize his fears and anxieties when it came to his family and his friends. He had carefully made a mask for himself, hiding anything that could result in someone knowing who he truly was. After all, what would happen if the news broke out that he was really a virgin and one that had a really sensitive soul? He knew it wouldn't go over well, so he decided to keep that to himself. Kacie was the only one that knew, but he didn't even like that. He was afraid of betrayal, just like the years of it he had endured through his childhood. He didn't want that for their relationship, but he didn't know what else to do. Sighing, he closed his eyes, waiting for Dorcas to reply to his statement of not being able to sleep. He vaguely wondered if she ever went to bed.

[/size]