Role Played by: Alexia Henderson, Sirius Black, Daine Conté

It was around midnight, the other Gryffindors long-gone to the dorms for their slumber, though one still remained, sitting cross-legged on one of the chairs that was closer to the fire, her gaze on the crackling flame with a faint smile. True, she should have been asleep, but staying up was so much more fun.  Besides, it was the only time the Common Room was ever quiet. All the other lights were out, the fire only casting a dim glow to the warm-coloured room. A few papers were randomly scattered in front of the girl's chair, apparently she had decided to work on her homework, though didn't seem to get too far. "Stupid homework..." she muttered, glaring down at the scattered pages.

Sirius strode into the Common Room, and looked around, doing a cursory check for anyone else. He let out his breath, and sighed, sinking into the couch by the fire, staring into it quite fixedly, placing his feet up on the edge. He put his heads behind his head and sighed again, contentedly.

The fire flamed his dark, sleek hair, highlighting the strong, handsome bones of his face and his darkly brown eyes. He grinned, laughing at a memory, or an idea for a new prank; he needed some new ideas. He lapsed into a contented silence, lying relaxed and silent, looking natural and handsome.

Alexia hadn't expected anyone else to be up at the time it had been; so when she finally looked up, seeing Sirius made her jump in her chair. After recognizing whom it was, she smiled a bit. It figured that someone like Black would be up.

"When's the next 'masterpiece' going to be put into play?" she asked in a stage whisper. Alexia had always been amazed in the Marauder's talent to cause trouble, mostly because it was rather amusing. She shifted slightly in her chair, still looking to Sirius with a faint, but questionable smile.

Sirius' head spun around to see her, and he grinned faintly in the darkness of the room. "Hey, Alexia. I didn't see you there. We're still planning. What do you think of Snivellus being red and gold all through?" he asked, slightly rhetorically. He grinned at her again.

"So, what are you working on? Awful late, don't you think?" He indicated the parchment in front of her with a toss of his head. "Can I help?"

Alexia smiled a bit, imagining what Snape would look like. "Hmm, it would surely show Gryffindor spirit," she said thoughtfully, looking down at the scattered papers as Sirius mentioned them. She had nearly forgotten about them altogether. "Oh – Potions," she said with a sort of sigh. "What else?" Alexia added, as Potions seemed to be the only subject in which she never got the homework done. "Well, you can never get work done around here any other time," she quipped with a smirk.

Looking back up to Sirius, she smiled a little, but shook her head lightly. "Nah, I'll be fine. Thanks anyway. Why are you up?" she asked after, becoming rather curious, since she had always seemed to be the only one ever awake around midnight.

Daine Conté woke hearing voices from the Common Room below. Knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, she got out of bed and tiptoed downstairs so as not to wake the other girls. She appeared almost silently in the Common Room and, seeing who it was, smiled slightly. "You two are talking a bit loud. You woke me up," she said teasingly, making her way to an armchair by the fire.

Sirius appeared nervous. "Uh, I can't exactly tell you, wouldn't want to put you on the spot if McGonagall asks around. Besides, I promised a couple friends I wouldn't blab."

"So, having a nice life? Got a date for the Christmas ball?" he added with a touch of his usual charisma.

Alexia looked up to the other girl, feeling rather guilty about awakening her. "Er – sorry," she said with haste before returning her attention to Sirius, shaking her head slightly. She hadn't really given the ball much thought, and would have probably totally forgotten about it, had Sirius not reminded her just now. "Can't say I do," she said flirtingly, her head slightly tilted. "S'pose you do though, who is it this year?" she asked, drawing the conclusion that Sirius would have already gotten a date for the Yule ball.

"That's okay. I'm a light sleeper." Daine leaned back in the armchair. "If you guys hadn't woken me up then something else probably would have."

Sirius grinned at Daine, and looked back at Alexia. "Can't say that I have, actually. Poor me, don't know what I'm going to do..." He sighed theatrically, quite aware of the two girls near him. He winked at both of them and sighed again, dramatically.

"I suppose I'll have to go all by my lonesome, I mean, what girl would like to go with poor little handsome me? Poor little Sirius Black." He pulled a sad face, going along with his act.

Alexia seemed rather surprised at the news, but smiled anyway. Shaking her head at his act, she smiled again, laughing a little. "Oh, come on, Sirius, I'm sure half the girls in the school would be drooling over you if they were here," she shook her head a bit some more, though was still smiling faintly. "Have you even asked anyone yet?" she asked curiously, still looking to Black.

Daine laughed. "Are you trying to make us feel guilty? 'Cause if you are, it ain't working. You're going to have to try a little harder." Daine didn't even bother to wipe the grin from her face as she stated this.

Sirius grinned at her. "Harder, eh? I think I could manage that. Well," Sirius glanced at his watch, stifling a yawn. "Maybe later, though, I should probably get some sleep, and you should too."

He stood, stretching and flexing his considerable muscles, and yawned. Sirius glanced down at the girls. "I'm afraid I'm still partnerless, though, but I fear it might not last long, what with two such pretty girls as you in our Common Room, how am I to survive?" He sighed dramatically again and winked, a smile lurking on his handsome features.

Alexia grinned, looking up to Sirius with a light laugh. "Honestly, Sirius, you make it sound like some sort of disease." She had looked over to Daine quickly, then back at Sirius with a smile. "But, sure. I'll go, I suppose, unless you'd rather take Daine, or one of the other hundreds of girls that would kill to go with you," she said, smirking at the last part.

"I don't know about that, if Daine says she's all right with it..." He grinned and added, in a stage whisper that escaped no one, "Of course, you will have to put up with my pranking, er... prankness. But, I do suppose that is balanced out by my brilliance, my ravishing looks, and my utter charisma," he said proudly. After all, he could only pretend to be humble for just so long, something had to give. He grinned again.

"Is that a formal offer, Alexia? Or shall we do this the old-fashioned way and I ask you out?" He smiled at her disarmingly as a lock of hair fell into his face, making him look like an overgrown, but adorable puppy.

Alexia smiled as she stretched in the oversized chair, yawning slightly before replying. "Prankness?" she started, was that even a word? "Hasn't bothered me before, why would it now?" It wasn't really a question, more of a statement. A true one at that, since she had always been one of the people that seemed to enjoy his 'prankness' even when it did mean housepoints were taken off, but who cared about some silly house cup anyway? She shrugged a bit, shaking her head lightly at Sirius. "No, no, it's fine, let's just leave it at that," she said with a smile, chancing another glance at Daine.

Sirius Black raised an eyebrow. "You're... coming, then? With me? On a date?" He looked at her skeptically. Sirius leaned in close, bringing his nose almost to hers and cocking his head so he looked ridiculous, and asked, in a completely annoying voice, "Are your parents okay with that?"

Alexia nodded, with a faint smile. "Yes, Sirius, I'm going with you." She blinked a bit, trying to suppress a light bit of laughter from Sirius's current odd appearance as he leaned toward her. "I honestly don't think they're going to care." It was true; her parents did care very little about mostly anything to do with her. She doubted they would care if she went with Sirius on a date, heck, they probably wouldn't care if she went with some Slytherin.

Sirius leaned over and kissed her firmly on the lips, then leaned back and whooped loudly. He did a quick cartwheel, laughing the whole time.

He brushed himself off, smoothing out unnoticeable creases. He bowed to her formally, and muttered a small spell behind his back, causing a small bundle of flowers to appear. He cursed slightly as one appeared dead, but the rest were okay, if a little droopy.

Alexia smiled faintly, though was caught rather off guard by the kiss; she didn't mind though, nor did she fight it. She sat cheerfully watching Sirius with much amusement. "Are you always like this?" she questioned, finally standing from her position in her chair, and stretching her back before resting her hands at her side. Her head was still slightly tilted, and her gaze was still on Sirius, so of course once more she smiled.

"Unfortunately, yes." He grinned impishly at her. "Ask James, he'll tell you, uh, wait, that's probably not a good idea. Ask, um, well, anyone but Snape'll give you an honest impression, but I don't think you want to know that."

He watched her for a minute, and sighed heavily. "It's getting late. Do you want to come with me to the next Hogsmeade weekend, maybe? You know, go to the Hogshead or something?" His eyes smiled down at her as he waited.

"Who said it was unfortunate?" she asked, resting a hand on her hip, though soon smiled and shook her head. "Either way, I'd much rather not talk to Snape, thanks." It certainly was getting late, or early. Alexia didn't really know what time it was, only that she was becoming sleepy and the light yawn that stopped her from answering Sirius for a moment only proved it. "Yeah, I'd love to go," she said, beaming, though the grin soon faded as she yawned once again.

Sirius broke into a grin, relieved. He bowed theatrically at her and took her hand, kissing it chastely in the old tradition. He looked up at her and grinned, then saw the clock. His mouth dropped in shock.

"I have to leave, James said..." Sirius looked at her and put an apologetic expression on his face. "Get some sleep, Alexia, I'll see you on the weekend. Pleasant dreams."

Alexia smiled faintly yet again, watching Sirius intently. "Yeah, sleep... I'll try, thanks." Alexia said, looking up at the clock herself. She wouldn't be able to get much sleep but anything was better than nothing, right? Looking back to Sirius, Alexia gave a light nod. "You too, sleep is rather important, wouldn't want whatever your next prank is going to be ruined because of you being too sleepy." She yawned again as she rubbed her eyes, though remained where she was, not really wanting to head up to the dorms yet.

Sirius shook his head. "Thanks, but that's not exactly it. Promised I'd meet them half an hour ago, I have to leave." His gaze stay focused on Alexia.

He adopted a lovelorn expression. "Goodnight my Alex, goodnight my love... " he sang, to the tune of 'Goodnight My Someone' as he backed away towards the portrait.

"My soul shall wait,
But I shall not fall,
Goodnight my Alex,
Goodnight..."

His voice faded as the portrait swung open and he slid out into the hallways, off on another mission of pranks.

Alexia had smiled warmly giving a slight nod. "G'night, Sirius," she managed to say without sounding too tired. She had waited until Sirius had left to yawn yet again, heading off toward the dorms, leaving the scattered papers where they were. Trying her best to remain rather quiet as to not wake the others, she smiled a bit to herself, wondering if she was actually going to get some sleep, with these new thoughts echoing around her mind.