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| �Welcome back to Hogwarts, Sirius.�
Sirius didn�t even have to turn around to know the voice behind him. He�d heard it too many times to forget it, and he knew the wit from all of her letters like the back of his hand. It was Cassie Reye. �Hello there, dozy.� �How were your last few days of summer, stupid?� she greeted, a large smile crossing her beautiful face. Sirius was sure he was going to get lost into the sky of her eyes, the warmth of her smile, and the pure goodness in her soul. How had he wasted so much time dallying at Hogwarts without finding Cassie? It was so obvious that she had been there from the beginning. �It was okay,� he said, shrugging. �Do you want me to carry your bag for you?� Cassie smiled shyly and handed it to him. �Thank you,� she said, walking past him toward a carriage. Sirius� heart fluttered in his chest as he watched her walk ahead of him. She had a determined sway while she walked, her hands folded in front of her like she had a secret to hide. He always loved that about her, but wondered if it was the way she walked, or if there really was something she was keeping from him. �PADFOOT!� Sirius turned around to see Remus and Peter heading over toward him. They were all smiles, as if their summers had been the best thing either had ever experienced. �Last year at Hogwarts, eh?� Peter commented, smiling widely. �Yeah, I guess it is,� Sirius said quietly. �So, did you save us a carriage?� Remus asked curiously, looking around. �Cassie did,� Sirius answered eagerly, walking quickly toward the carriage he�d almost forgotten Cassie had saved. Remus and Peter exchanged a glance, rolled their eyes, and followed closely behind their friend. He climbed into the carriage and sat next to Cassie. She jabbed him in the arm with the tip of her wand. �Took you long enough,� she retorted. Before Sirius could respond in his usual teasing manner, Remus and Peter appeared, taking their seats opposite Cassie and himself. Peter nodded politely to Cassie, and chimed his usual salutation to Sirius. Remus, however, seemed to be distraught, and did not exchange hellos as usual. Without greeting either of his fellow carriage riders, or inquiring about classes as he usually did, Remus peered out the door of the carriage, frowning curiously. �Has anyone seen James?� he inquired anxiously, nearly climbing over Peter�s lap to look out the other way. Sirius frowned as well. �He was right behind us when we got off the train, and then he disappeared.� �I wonder who he�s riding with,� Peter said, shrugging and leaning back to enjoy the ride. Remus still looked concerned as he poked his head out to search again. Sirius and Cassie were too busy joking around to notice. �James probably isn�t gone, you know,� Cassie said. �You know him, he�s most likely off in a different carriage just to be James.� Remus thought this over for a second and then said, �James would do something like that.� He let his concern melt for a while and decided to get his mind off of it by talking to Peter. Sirius found that his feelings for Cassie were significantly different. His heart pounded every time she smiled, his skin burned every time she touched him, and he couldn�t even count the number of times her eyes sparkled. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms, gaze into her eyes, and fall asleep close to her. Where in the world had that feeling come from? �Stupid, are you listening?� Her voice broke through his thoughts unexpectedly. He smiled his crooked smile at her, swept his hair off of his face, and rolled his eyes uninterestedly. �No, dozy, I tuned out somewhere around Diagon Alley.� She shoved him with her shoulder and turned to face the front of the carriage. He couldn�t help turning bright red as he nudged her back. His fingers itched to grasp her hand, but he wasn�t bold enough. They arrived at Hogwarts with no sign of James. They stepped out of the carriages and headed up toward the castle. Remus kept his eyes open for their missing friend, but made no move to go look for him. Sirius and Cassie continued to walk along in silence, observing their new feelings for each other. Peter�s eyes widened once they got into the Great Hall. �JAMES!� he yelled. Sirius and Remus looked up in the direction Peter was yelling. There was James Potter, smiling and looking just as messy and untidy as he had when they were sitting with him on the train. For some reason, however, he looked happier. �Where in the devil have you been?� Sirius demanded when his friend found them at the Gryffindor table. James had the nerve to look embarrassed. �Oh, I rode with someone else.� �Who?� Remus asked incredulously. James blinked. �What is that supposed to mean?� �He means who would take you?� Cassie said, nudging him playfully. James looked down at Cassie, as if just noticing she was there. He pushed her lightheartedly, rolling his eyes. �Just because you have the eye for my friend Padfoot over there doesn�t mean that any other girl wouldn�t love having me.� Cassie didn�t know what to respond to. The fact that James had just accurately accused her of liking Sirius or that he was acting arrogantly, as he was so good at doing. Her face flushed and she tossed her long, blonde hair behind her shoulder. �I�m sure there are tons of girls who would love having you, but does that mean that they�re fully conscious?� Remus and Peter shared a look of triumph and Sirius� eyes widened. James� jaw dropped and before he could answer, Cassie looked back at Sirius and said, �I�m headed over to my table. I�ll talk to you later, stupid. Goodbye there, Jimmy.� James closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes at her. �It�s JAMES!� he called as she stalked away. Sirius couldn�t help but chuckle. �So where were you, for real?� They sat down in the midst of the noisy Hall, getting ready to welcome the first years that were to be sorted. James cast his eyes down toward a certain spot he had looked at all seven years at Hogwarts. This time, the person sitting in the seat smiled back at him. Sirius cast his eyes toward the person. �You rode with Evans?� James nodded. �When did this start?� He shrugged. �I guess it sort of started last year, after that night we got detention. Remember? After we broke old Snivellus� nose?� Sirius smiled fondly. How could he forget that night? It was the night he met Cassie. �She started talking to me a little bit more, but we didn�t really become friends until late in the year. I owled her over the summer and she told me that after seeing how upset I was about detention, she figured I�d probably deflated some. I wasn�t as �arrogant� anymore.� James paused, inquiring then in a low whisper, �Was I to begin with?� Sirius said nothing, but James didn�t notice. He seemed to be talking to himself. �And then when she saw me get off the train, she asked me if I wanted to ride with her. I figured you wouldn�t even notice and Remus and Peter wouldn�t care-� �Wait!� Sirius barked. �I wouldn�t even notice? What�s that supposed to mean?� James waved him off. �Please. It means that you fancy Cassie and that as long as she was right by your side-� �What are you talking about?� Sirius demanded angrily, his face flushing a deep crimson. What am I getting so angry about? What James says is TRUE, I do fancy Cassie, but that doesn�t mean he has to rub it in my face! Bloody hell! �Don�t play dumb with me, Padfoot. I know you better than anyone here does.� Sirius looked away from James, eager to end the conversation. His friend was right; he knew more about him than anyone at Hogwarts did, and ever would. James would be the first person to notice if his friend was falling for a girl he only claimed to be �one of his mates.� As Sirius� eyes scanned over the Ravenclaw table, he knew that he truly was falling for Cassie Reye. Cassie�s eyes caught his and she smiled at him sweetly, searching his eyes out with her own. She pursed her lips ever so slightly and tucked her hair behind her ear. Sirius watched with rapt attention to her every move. James was right. He had fallen for his best friend. Now what? Classes at Hogwarts began not too soon afterward. Sirius was delighted to find out that he shared Defense Against The Dark Arts with Cassie, and now he looked forward to it more than he ever had before. Sure, his other friends made it enjoyable, but it was Cassie that made it worth the while. The year was going surprisingly well. Sirius found his classes to be alarmingly easy, he hadn�t served one detention (as of yet), and his ever-growing relationship with Cassie just sweetened the whole year. Sirius found that his feelings for her were deepening every moment he was around her. Cassie had been opening up quite a bit more, and was becoming much more affectionate than usual. He could only hope this meant she felt the same way, too. The first Hogsmeade trip was set for Halloween weekend. It was all Sirius could think about for the few weeks leading up to it. He wasn�t merely excited about the fact that he was going to be able to get away from Hogwarts for a few hours, but more at the prospect of spending time alone with Cassie. Cassie seemed to be excited as well. The night of the trip came and she met with Sirius in the entrance hall, smiling widely. �Are you ready to spend your hard earned money on nothing in particular?� �I take offense to that. I don�t waste my money.� �Oh, you don�t?� she asked skeptically. He smiled mischievously at her. �Of course I don�t. I buy things that I use over and over and over.� �Even if they are no use to anyone else or make absolutely no sense.� �Naturally.� They walked to the village together, passing by Remus, Peter, James, and Lily. In their first two months of school, Lily had grown quite fond of James Potter and it was no longer uncommon to see them together. Lily had become what Sirius called an �Honorary Marauder.� Sirius always considered himself an avid talker and not so much a listener. However, he found this statement to be false as he listened attentively to Cassie while she chattered enthusiastically about what she was going to buy and where she wanted to go. He watched her lips move eagerly against the harsh winds of the October air. They were bright pink and lustrous and he couldn�t help imagining what it would be like to taste those lips under his own� �Hey, stupid, are you listening?� It wasn�t the first time she�d asked him that. �Huh?� She narrowed her icy blue eyes at him, pursing her lips in a dignified manner. �Well, if you�re not going to listen, I�m not going to talk.� �Sorry, dozy, I was just admiring how cute you look in the wind.� �Oh,� she said, blushing and turning away from him. Sirius wanted to smack himself. Had he just actually told her that? He had been thinking it, of course, but he definitely hadn�t meant to say it. �Well,� Cassie broke the silence hoarsely. �Where do you want to go first? Did you want to go shopping with your friends?� Sirius looked over his shoulder. James and Lily (boy, that was becoming a well ordered phrase) were too busy talking to one another to see that Remus and Peter had ventured off toward the Shrieking Shack. No doubt they were planning something. He turned back to face Cassie and smiled at her congenially. �I thought I was with my friend.� All Cassie could do in turn was smile at him. She made a bold move to link her hand around his arm and dragged him off to the first shop she saw. It was, oddly enough, the best novelty shop in all of Hogsmeade. Zonko�s. Two hours later, once Cassie was sure her shopping was done and Sirius had assured her that he had done all of his, they met up with Lily and the remaining Marauders at the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer before heading back to Hogwarts. James cast a sharp glance at his friend when he sat down. Sirius stared back just as piercingly, indicating Lily, who was sitting right next to James. He seemed to understand and shrugged it off. �So, what does everyone want?� Remus asked as Sirius and Cassie took their seats. They all agreed they wanted a butterbeer and Remus headed off to the bar to order. Sirius experienced the feeling he�d gotten the first time he�d ever talked to Cassie. It was the feeling that even though he and his friends were revered around the school as mischief-makers extraordinaire, popular in every sense of the word, it was not a good thing to be. It was as if it was completely immature to be so popular. He wanted to be more than that for Cassie. After they finished off their butterbeer and parted ways, Cassie led Sirius back out to the main road and sighed contentedly. �I really like your friends, Sirius. They�re great fun.� Sirius smiled at this. Cassie had told him this once before on a Hogsmeade trip last year, a long time before he�d decided to spend the entire trip with just her. It had always been a meeting of sorts, where the Marauders would happen into the Three Broomsticks and Cassie would sit down for a butterbeer with her Gryffindor friends. Now, it was different. Almost like a date. Sirius couldn�t help but smile. He�d snaked a date out of the chaste and reserved Cassiopeia Reye. It was a miracle of sorts. She looked up at him and frowned curiously. �And why, pray tell, are you smiling at me in that roguish manner?� �Oh, no reason,� he said too obviously. She shook her head at him condescendingly. He followed her for a few more minutes and then yanked on her robes like a child would their mother. �Where are you going?� Cassie had been heading off of the main road of Hogsmeade for quite some time. She was walking toward a grassy hill, surrounded by old oak trees. It was a dirty, beaten path that hadn�t been walked much, but enough to make a path. �Where are you going?� Sirius repeated. �Watch,� she whispered, turning to him with her blue eyes alight. He stared at them in complete awe. It wasn�t every day that he got to see the bluest pair of eyes gazing in wonder at the world around. She reached for his hand and he willingly offered it to her. �I am showing you my spot. I don�t know that anyone else has discovered it,� she told him quietly. He continued on, letting her lead the way. All he wanted to do was watch her in all of her excited, splendid glory. He had never felt this way about any other girl. The kind of feeling that brought him to life. It was something new and scary. But he knew without a doubt, he�d never be able to let it go. �Sirius, this is almost the twentieth time you�ve had that far off look in your eye when I�ve been talking!� she hissed at him a second or two later. She looked offended. Sirius instantly felt bad. �Am I that boring?� He frowned at her, shaking his head no vigorously. �Are you kidding? You�re the most interesting person I�ve ever met! You�re absolutely remarkable. Every day I know you, I learn something new. I only tune out because I�m thinking so hard about you.� There was a startled silence. Cassie looked as though she tried not to hear what Sirius had just said, and Sirius knew that he appeared as though he wished he had not even opened his big mouth. �Er�� he began, but Cassie cut him off. �Let�s sit shall we?� she asked, motioning toward the tree. Sirius happily obliged, sitting close to Cassie on the soft green grass by the base of the large oak tree. Their hands were still entwined, and Sirius saw no point in adjusting this. Cassie, however, did. She put both of her hands in her lap and looked down at her fingers. �This is my thinking spot. It feels odd not to be alone here.� �How so?� She sighed, resting her head back against the tree and staring determinedly forward. �I come here to think, and reflect on my life, you know? I run here when things are getting to be too much. I do homework here sometimes. I even� I sometimes� I cry here.� Sirius studied her profile carefully. Her long, dark eyelashes fluttered closed as she sat pensively. The word he was thinking came out then. �Why?� Cassie looked up, as if startled out of her sleep. She didn�t expect the question, and when she had time to process it, all she could say was, �Why what?� �Why did you cry?� She shifted uncomfortably. �A lot of things, Sirius, nothing very important.� Sirius sighed. This was going nowhere. If there was one thing Cassie was really good at, it was avoiding truly personal conversations. It annoyed him. �Obviously it was important if you�re going to bring it up like this. Why don�t you just tell me?� She looked away from him and he could have sworn he saw the glint of a tear in her eye. He took a step and decided to be brave. He was a Gryffindor after all. He placed his fingers under her chin and turned her face to look at him. �Why don�t you tell me why you brought it up and don�t want to talk about it?� Cassie�s glistening eyes focused in on Sirius.� Their faces were merely inches apart, and Sirius noticed Cassie�s eyes darting back and forth from his eyes to his lips. She wanted it just as much as he did, but she was unwilling to take it. However, he wasn�t. He leaned forward, his eyes closing, his mouth moving, his heart racing� but he only caught the air. He opened his eyes to see that Cassie had pulled away from him. �My heart was broken last summer,� she whispered. �Y-You mean just this last summer?� Sirius asked, still in shock from having been so intimate with her. �No,� she said, shaking her head. �Two summers ago. Right when I turned sixteen. I-It�s not something I really like to talk about, but that�s why I came here to cry so often. I fell in love, and he did more than break my heart, Sirius. He tore me apart. I can�t� I don�t want to talk about it.� Sirius could only listen. He decided to be daring one more time and he took her hand, giving it a friendly squeeze. She looked down at their hands and then back up at Sirius. �This is how it started with Chris,� she whispered in a frightened way. He clasped his free hand over hers reassuringly, staring at her beautiful, rose-colored face and dazzling icy eyes. Did that mean she thought something was going to happen? Did that she mean she felt the same way for him that he suddenly did about her? �It may have started this way, Cassiopeia, but I can promise you it will not end that way. I�ll never break your heart.� She studied him, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. �We�ll see.� He didn�t have to say anything more. Cassie leaned her head up against his shoulder as she had done four months before on the Hogwarts Express, and fell into a calm sleep. |