"Hey, Savannah?"

Savannah looked up from the book she was reading on her bed to see the redhead known as Lily Evans looking at her with curiosity in her emerald green eyes.

"I... I know you don't talk much... but I just lost a friend and I really need someone to talk to about it. Marlene would just tell me to flip him off and Alice would just give me hugs," Lily rambled, twisting her hands as she looked at Savannah nervously.

Savannah closed her book and made room for Lily on the bed, giving Lily the impression that she could sit. Lily did hesitantly.

Savannah knew what it was like to lose a friend. She knew what it was like to need someone to talk to. She may be a rebel, but she was also a Gryffindor. Gryffindors are loyal, no matter what. Well, most are, Savannah thought.

"You know I was friends with Severus Snape, right?"

Savannah nodded, watching Lily intently.

"And you know how much those Marauders- not your brother- bully him?"

Well, I wouldn't call it bullying. That little twit gets what he deserves. He's probably already helping that Voldemort guy. Plus, it's obvious Potter is in love with you and Severus is obsessed with you. As much as I don't like Potter, he'd be better for you than Snape.

Nonetheless, Savannah nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself. Her eyes were burning into Lily's, giving Lily the impression that she could see into her very soul. Lily liked having someone who paid attention, not just absentmindedly spewing out advice that they knew she wouldn't take.

"Well, earlier Potter and Black were holding him upside down with magic in front of everyone outside, down by the lake," Lily paused, looking at Savannah.

Savannah nodded, telling Lily to continue.

"I... I got them to stop. They said something to Sev-Severus and he called me a... a mudblood," she finished, whispering the last two words.

Savannah looked appalled. Who in their right mind would be mean to someone as smart and kind as Lily Evans?

Sure, she and Lily hardly talked but Savannah knew that she was kind. She and Savannah were the smartest girls in their year- actually the whole school.

Lily nodded and looked down, hurt clear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lily. Snape doesn't deserve your friendship if he's willing to call you something like that, even if it was just in embarrassment," Savannah finally said quietly. The fact that she said so much surprised Lily, making her look at her gratefully.

"I suppose you're right. I just didn't think that Severus was like that," Lily responded, messing with her hands again.

Savannah shrugged. "Sometimes people can surprise us in the worst ways."

Lily nodded, still looking down. "You say these things like you know from experience..." she trailed off.

You can't trust anyone, Savannah said to herself. Remember what Mum and Dad said.

"I... I suppose I do," Savannah replied hesitantly, looking as if she was lost in memories herself.

Lily seemed to sense that Savannah didn't want to talk about her experience, so she let it slip. "I'm sorry, Savannah."

Savannah nodded, looking at Lily.

"Thank you. You told me what I needed to hear. You don't know how rare that is," Lily continued with a small smile.

Now it was Savannah who looked surprised. Why would she be thanking her? No one ever thanks her!

Lily moved to get up and go to her own bed, in between Marlene McKinnon and Alice Prewett. Marlene McKinnon, from what Savannah knew, was a girl with a fiery temper and curly blonde hair. Alice Prewett was a girl with short brown hair. Savannah knew she was dating Frank Longbottom.

Lily paused when she was a step away from Savannah's bed and turned around.

"Marlene, Alice, and I are going to Hogsmeade this Saturday. Would you like to come with us?"

Savannah was surprised. She had never been asked to Hogsmeade besides anyone but her brother.

"Sure," Savannah replied, still stunned.

Lily smiled brightly. "Great!"

Savannah picked up her book again. She couldn't seem to concentrate long enough to read a single full sentence. Lily Evans just asked me to Hogsmeade. Did I just make a friend? Bloody hell!

To Kill A Mockingbird just couldn't compete with the fact that Savannah Stone agreed to go to Hogsmeade this Saturday with a group of girls.

Instead of staying put and trying to read the first sentence of the second paragraph on page ninety-nine of To Kill A Mockingbird, Savannah decided to go for a walk.

Before she left, she checked the time to see that she still had an hour before curfew. She grabbed her infamous leather jacket and Vans before slipping out the door, down the stairs, and out the portrait hole.

As Savannah walked along, the portraits would shout things at her like "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" or "Hello, dearie! Want to hear a story?"

Savannah ignored them all, instead continuing to the tallest tower of the school, the Astronomy tower. However, once she got up there, she seen someone was already there.

She was about to turn and leave again when the person called out, "No, stay. I could use the company," in a rather sad voice.

Savannah would recognize that voice anywhere. It was the voice that annoyed her to no end every single day.

I should just leave, Savannah thought. She almost did, until she remembered how sad he sounded. Perhaps I should stay. I wouldn't want him to throw himself off of the tower and leave me to wallow in the guilt of how I could have stopped him.

Savannah always thought things like that; the whole "what if" thing. So, Savannah continued over to him and sat down beside him. It was already dark, so they could see the many stars and constellations.

"Hey," Sirius said quietly, looking at her as she sat down.

"Hi," she whispered back. She didn't know why, but she felt she had to be quiet, as if she would disturb the peacefulness of it all if she spoke too loud.

It was a gorgeous clear night. The weather actually wasn't bad for once, with a little breeze to cool them. The giant squid couldn't be seen. The full moon was out, illuminating the grounds and casting its reflection on the Black Lake. Savannah couldn't help but be amazed by the beauty of it.

"I don't suppose your brother told you, did he?" Sirius's asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"Tell me what?" Savannah replied, slightly confused.

Sirius took a deep breath and wouldn't look at her as he spoke. "I ran away from my family this summer."

"I'm sorry," Savannah spoke.

"Don't be. They were horrible. They believed in the whole pureblood supremacy bullshit. They hated the fact that I was friends with blood-traitors and halfbloods. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't in Slytherin; that nearly got me disowned. They looked down on anyone who wasn't a pureblood; they seen them as inferior. They didn't like that I didn't see the world the same way they did.

"They never treated me like a real son. It was all about Regulus. He was the perfect son and I was always the disappointment. They tried to mold me into something I'm not; to 'fix' me. They tried to get me on Voldemort's side. I know he's not as bad as Grindelwald, but still. What if he does get that bad? There's no way I'm ever going to be on his side.

"Regulus always hated it as well, how bad they treated me. He's the reason I even stayed as long as I did. I had to protect him, you know? He was the one who finally told me to leave. I listened to him. I've regretted leaving him every moment since though. What if they're starting to treat him horribly? What if they realized that he's the reason I left? What if they realized that he's the reason I'm not under their control anymore?" Sirius ranted. He couldn't seem to stop himself. His voice morphed from sad to angry as he spoke. Savannah couldn't see his eyes, but knew they were about three shades darker than the gorgeous mixture she knew. She knew that sort of darkness well.

"So it's good that you left them?" She asked, her voice still quiet.

He laughed humorlessly. "I suppose," he paused, looking up at the stars before continuing, "In my family there's a tradition; you name your child after a star or constellation. I was named after the Dog Star."

Savannah listened intently, as she always liked it when her brother let her continue if she wanted.

"It's on clear nights like this, when I can see the stars and constellations with true clarity, that I miss them most. Or rather, what I wanted them to be. No matter how horrid they were, they were still my family, you know?"

"Yes. I know," Savannah replied.

Sirius glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm not going to be like them. I refuse."

"I know you're not like them at all," Savannah said after a moment of debating whether or not she should say it. Somehow, she knew it was true.

"Thanks, 'Vannah. I'll try to live up to that."