Gazing into Fred's warm, chocolate brown eyes, I was losing myself in them, and for the first time, I looked at the ginger differently. Not as a friend, but something more. Although, I couldn't decipher the expression in his eyes, but it seemed like reluctance?

Afloat in the icy, blue water, we stayed there, eyes locked, and George had silently slipped away, with a smirk plastered on his face. Fred took a strand of my wet, black hair and tucked it behind my ear. My gaze lowered onto the water, as a blush crept onto my cheeks.

Is this a friendly gesture?

"Rubina."

My head slowly inclined upwards, facing Fred once again, and something about the way he said my name got me intrigued. His eyes flickered between my grey ones to my lips and back. Maybe I was imagining it, but Fred leaned in closer, causing my heart to pound more fiercely and I found myself copying his action.

Could this be?

My eyes fluttered shut.

Woof!

If anything was going to happen between the two of us, it was most certainly demolished now as we were interrupted. Jumping apart, my eyes snapped open before I searched for the source of the familiar voice, until my eyes located a bundle of black fur bounding in our direction.

"Padfoot!" I exclaimed, causing Fred to raise an eyebrow, who was also pink-faced much like myself.

"Am I missing something here?" He asked as Padfoot skidded to a stop at the edge of the lake. "Padfoot as in the same name for Messr. Padfoot on the Marauder's Map?"

Turning back, I smiled. "I thought it was a cute name for him, and it's not like I had many options for names."

He grinned. "You're a mystery, Black."

I scoffed. "Speak for yourself, Weasley. Also," A little feeling of panic arose once again within me, "GET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU TWAT!" I bellowed. "I DON'T WANT TO BE THE GIANT SQUID'S LUNCH!"

Fred merely rolled his eyes, as he pushed me in guidance towards the shore. "You are so dramatic."

Reaching dry land, I turned to face Fred, who had gotten out after helping me. I raised a hand to my chest, allowing a veil of shock to conceal my face. "I'm offended! I am not dramatic! Besides," A mischievous grin found its way onto my lips, "you're the dramatic one, not me."

"Oi! No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are Weasley!"

"Alright!" He raised his hands. "I'm not saying you win, I'd rather go back and change into dry clothes, it's my birthday after all."

I pouted. "Aw, is little, itty, bitty, Freddie, cold?"

"Shut up, let's go."

Woof!

I slightly jumped as I had nearly forgotten about Padfoot's presence.

"You go on, I'm going to spend some time with him." Fred's eyes trailed towards the shaggy, black dog in almost distaste, who growled, causing Fred to back off in alarm.

"Don't stay out too long, don't want to catch a cold." He said in almost what sounded like concern.

I rolled my eyes. "It's barely cold."

He grinned. "Better safe than sorry." He started back towards the castle. "See you later."

"Bye, and save some pie for me."

Walking away, he craned his neck to the side and scowled at me. "We'll get you for that!"

"Fat chance!" I replied smugly, "I'm the Empress when it comes to pranks." I said as I flicked my wet hair over my shoulder.

"We'll see about that!"

My attention turned towards Padfoot once Fred was gone. My eyes narrowed at the canine. "I'm not sure if I should be happy to see you or annoyed considering what may-" I bit my tongue as I finished the thought in my head.

Have happened, like a kiss.

WIth a sigh, I plopped myself on the green grass, allowing Padfoot to lay his head on my lap. I saw my reflection in the Black Lake, penetrated once in a while by ripples in water. I smiled to myself as I decided to experiment with my looks.

"Hmm... what about lavender?" I thought to myself out loud, before allowing myself to let my eyelids shut, and focus on the desired colour. Opening my eyes and being temporarily blinded by the sudden change, I peered into the water to find my black hair gone and replaced with shoulder length lavender hair.

"Looks nice. What do you think?" I directed at the dog, who barked in agreement.

"As for the eyes, maybe blue?" I said as I watched the colour in my eyes fade into a icy, blue from the grey. "Huh, grey and blue both work nicely."

Padfoot barked in agreement as I gently stroked his head, letting a comfortable silence fall upon us for the next little while.

"Anyways," I said later, "I'll see you later, lots to do for the twin's birthday party." I planted a kiss on top of Padfoot's head and strutted back towards the castle.

Fred's Point Of View

I slammed the door behind me hard, the sound catching the attention of the troublesome duo, who were howling with laughter, rolling on the floor of the dormitory. They both looked at me before smirking. Standing up, my twin spoke.

"So, did it finally happen?"

I shook my head wiping the smug smiles off their faces. Sharing a look, Lee asked,

"What? George said you two looked so lost in each other, that he didn't want to be sick due to the snogging." He finished off with a chuckle.

I once again, shook my head. "I was going to, but this stupid dog came out of nowhere."

George and Lee scrunched up their faces in confusion.

"Dog?!" They chorused.

"Yes, a dog. Apparently, Rubi knows him and named him, she's with him right now."

A few seconds passed in silence before George's face lit up, with a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

"She chose a dog over you!"

At this comment, Lee snorted loudly and George doubled over with laughter, while I glared daggers at the two.

"It's not funny! She didn't choose him over me!"

The troublesome duo only hollered louder.

"That's it!" I said as I picked up a fluffy pillow to smack the pair with. Chucking it, the pillow hit George right in the face.

"Oi!" He yelled, "It's my birthday!"

"Um, hello?! It's my birthday too!"

"Well, stop harassing me!"

I gaped at him.

"Oi! You two started bullying me first!"

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

A new voice cut in between the two of us. "Oi! Dungbrains! Think fast!"

Before I even turned around completely, a pillow collided with my face with such force, that I stumbled a few steps backwards.

"That's it! PILLOW FIGHT!" I declared and then followed a series of throws, tugs, and cries of outrage, resulting in a mess of the dormitory.

Although I couldn't convey my feelings to Rubina, the day wasn't all that bad. Besides, I'll get more opportunities in the future, maybe even better ones.

***

April had neared its end rather quickly, and the pressure of exams was beginning to kick in. Although, one evening, I was to be found in Remus' office, as it had been yet another full moon recently so I decided to check in on him. He did look dreadful. His clothes seemed more baggy on him than usual and his eyes were bloodshot with bags underneath, but nonetheless, he was his content self.

As I was scouring through his drawer of sweets, my fingers grazed something soft, earning my curiosity. Grasping it, I retracted my hand and my eyes widened once I realised what was in my clutches.

The Marauder's Map.

I peeked a glance over my shoulder at Remus, and debated on whether to pocket the frail parchment. In the end, I turned towards Remus. I cleared my throat, catching his attention as his head snapped up from the homework he was grading.

"How do you know this is a map?" I asked, remembering how Harry had explained how Lupin confiscated the map and knew it's true abilities.

His face flooded with surprise. "Me? I think I should be the one asking you this question."

I sighed, and shut the drawer before proceeding to gently sit on a chair across from Remus. I softly laid the tattered parchment on the desk. I pulled out my wand from my pocket and pointed it at the parchment, while Remus raised an eyebrow.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Thin ink lines began to appear, connecting with one another, while curly green words formed at the top.

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs

Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-makers

are proud to present

THE MARAUDER'S MAP

My gaze trailed along the map, watching the dots with minuscule writing underneath move around, before letting my eyes meet Remus' who looked at me in astonishment.

"How do you know about the map?" He questioned yet again.

A smirk found its way onto my face. "When you're best friends with the two biggest pranksters in Hogwarts," I said amusingly, "It's not that hard to be unaware of things like these." I finished while gesturing at the map.

Remus gently smiled at the words. Rolling his eyes at me, he answered, "Of course. So you're saying the Weasley twins found the map?"

I nodded. "Yep! They got it from Filch's office back in their first year and they're the ones that gave it to Harry."

A look of disappointment flashed through his green eyes. "And you didn't hand this in? That's very irresponsible of you."

I sighed in annoyance. "Well, I didn't know and besides I don't think my father has the brains to work this out." At this statement, Remus flinched, causing me to be more intrigued by his behaviour. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion at my godfather.

"Now, how about you tell me how you know about the map?"

His composure changed, as Remus appeared conflicted on whether to answer me or not. He sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I'll tell you but," His tone turned more urgent and serious, much to my surprise, "You mustn't mention whatever I tell you to anybody else, do you understand?" He finished sternly.

I nodded. "I promise I won't breathe a word of this secret to another soul."

Gaining my reassurance, Remus ran a hand through his sandy brown hair and began his tale.

He told me how he received the bite at the age of four, and how Dumbledore helped make the Shrieking Shack a place for Remus to transform every full moon, but what caught me off guard was the shocking reveal of the three illegal Animagi, by the names of Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew.

"Under their influence, I became less dangerous, we were soon leaving the Shrieking Shack and roaming the school grounds and village. Sirius and James transformed into large animals, so they were able to keep me in check. Due to us being able to explore so much of the Hogwarts grounds and Hogsmeade, we came to write the Marauder's Map."

"You wrote the Marauder's map?" I asked with the shock reflected in my voice.

"Yes, I helped write it, and we signed the map with our nicknames-"

"Hang on," I said, while laughter threatened to burst out of my mouth any second, "you're saying that you were a prankster?!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Yes, and why is that a surprise?"

I laughed loudly, clutching my stomach with one hand and his desk with the other, for support to keep myself up as the thought of my godfather being a prankster danced around in my head.

"You - and - a - p-prankster!" I wheezed.

Remus merely watched me in amusement as I hollered on before carefully regaining myself. I brushed away the tears that had pooled in my eyes, as my stomach hurt from the laughter.

"Oh gosh, how can you be a prankster? I mean, look at your job! You're a Professor!" I exclaimed.

He waved a hand, "Anyways, as I was saying before you interrupted me, the four of us signed the map with our nicknames. Moony was my nickname since I'm a Werewolf. Wormtail was for Peter Pettigrew since he could transform into a rat. Prongs for James since his animagus form was a Stag. Padfoot was for Sirius, since he was able to transform into a dog..."

Any sign of joy vanished at this remark, as my eyes widened while my face contorted in horror.

The dog I named Padfoot can't be Sirius Black, can it?

"Are you alright?" The voice snapped me out of my trance as I looked up to meet Remus' eyes full of concern.

"Yes, sorry, I was just thinking about the upcoming final exams."

Relief flooded my godfather's scarred face. "Don't worry, I'm sure you will do excellent."

I smiled, "Thanks, Remmy."

Returning the smile, he turned towards the map. Pulling out his wand, he muttered,

"Mischief Managed."

The ink lines slowly began to fade away, as the map cleared itself to resemble nothing more than an old piece of parchment. An idea sneaked into my head, therefore I intently observed where Remus placed the map. Luckily, he put it back in the drawer from where I first found it, which made my task a whole lot easier.

I just hope I won't regret this.

"See you later, Remus." I said as I walked out of his office.

"Goodnight, Rubi."

***

The echo of my footsteps melted into the silence of the night. Underneath the invisibility cloak, with the Marauder's Map resting in one hand while the other hand bore my wand with its tip illuminating a bright light. I reached the oak front doors in the Entrance Hall, separating me from the darkness of the outside world. I inhaled a deep breath.

Should I be doing this? Is this a good idea?

I shook my head, ridding myself of my reluctant thoughts.

No, I'm going to clear my doubt. I'm not backing down now.

With the final words of determination, I silently and swiftly pushed open the doors and let them close behind me quietly. The grass crunched slightly under my feet as I trudged down the grounds, towards the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.

Throwing the cloak off my shoulders and onto the ground beside me, I breathed in reassuringly before shouting out,

"Padfoot! Where are you?"

Silence greeted me as a response as the trees gently swayed due to the light breeze, pushing strands of my orange hair into my eyes. My anxiousness had caused my hair to turn a light shade of orange. My heart was thudding fiercely in my chest, as sweat formed on my forehead. After moments passed and no new change in the atmosphere, I made a move to turn and leave when something penetrated the quietness of the night.

Pale eyes gleamed out of the pitch darkness of the Forbidden Forest, growing larger by the second before the owner of the eyes stepped out. Halting in front of me, curiously gazing at me. Padfoot cocked his head to the side and gave me a what the hell are you doing here look.

My hands were beginning to tremble as I squeezed my eyes shut.

Okay, relax.

I raised the frailed parchment to view, as my eyes fluttered open. I began searching for my name on the map. My orbs halted on my name, and I drew in a sharp gasp because I wasn't prepared for the name beside mine. I had a suspicion but I deemed it might be a coincidence.

No, it can't be. Maybe the map is lying.

My gaze trailed towards Padfoot as my orange hair was replaced by a vivid white, reflecting my fear. My eyes widened to the size of saucers, and my heart thumped like never before.

Raising a shaking hand, I directed my wand at the shaggy black dog, who held a look of surprise in his eyes.

"S-show me your real form. I-if the map is telling the t-truth, then you aren't just a dog."

Moments passed as we stared at one another, as if we were painted in a portrait. At last, a change occurred. Padfoot began shifting. His paws were morphing into hands and feet as his face contorted into a human's'. Before I could comprehend what was happening, a man was before me.

He was wearing shaggy robes, had messy, black hair that reached just above his shoulders, and his face was pale, that if it wasn't for his grey eyes he may have been mistaken for a corpse. The same grey eyes as mine.

There he stood in front of me.

The man my mother fell in love with, the man that betrayed everyone, the man who is my biological father.

In front of me stood the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Sirius Black.

Hey! 

Soooooo... A lot of stuff happened in this chapter, and finally the Sirius Black has entered the picture! Also, I'm really sorry for ruining the moment between Fred and Rubi, even when I was writing this part I really wanted to put them together but I have plans for them, so you'll have to wait just a little bit more!! I really love the bonding time with Remus and Rubi, by the way!

Let me know what you thought of this chapter, and if you have an ideas for the upcoming story, please do let me know! 

Have a good day Potterheads! :)

Mini-Padfoot