BEFORE THE BALL
It was only two days until the IT day and the teachers were starting to regret the day they came up with the idea. All the girls were out of their minds and concentration during classes was very poor. "Think about toyur NEWT's!" the teachers used to say, but it was useless. It was ball-fever all over the place and, due to the excitement, a few girls had been shipped off to see Mme. Pomfrey.
- "Can you believe that?" – had asked Lulu – "I mean, I'm excited about the IT day too, but I don't set my head on fire trying to curl my hair!"
- "Who did that?" – Lily looked alarmed.
- "Erika Baxter. I heard they had to evacuate the Hufflepuff common room because of all the smoke coming from her hair." – she replied.
- "She has never been very intelligent." – Camila has stopped writing her essay and had joined the conversation – "Remember two years ago in herbology class?"
- "You mean when Kara Madden told her that the tokyushu plant had magical properties and made your hair grow if you ate it?" – laughed Lulu.
- "Yes! I had forgotten it had been Kara the one who told her."
- "It served her right, for being so conceited." – Maggie was still writing her essay, but she gave her opinion on the subject while doing it – "Looks like that girl has something special with hair."
It was a very cold day two days after James and Lily's detention and the four girl were sitting in the common room doing their homework. The room was packed with Gryffindor students talking and working and it was quite difficult to concentrate so they all gave up on their homework, except for Maggie who had been talking all afternoon to her cousin who was in 5th grade and now she had to catch up on the others.
Camila had finally told Lily about the kissing Sirius and Lily had told had told Camila about her conversation with James when they had both been in detention. She was expecting her friend would tell her that it wasn't all lost and that she would be able to win James back, but that was not what Camila had to say.
- "Lil...the boy's been trying to go out with you for several years now without success. What really surprises me is that with all his arrogance and pride he didn't stop making a fool of himself before!"
Lily, wanting to hear the oppsosite, had then turned her hopes on Maggie who, she thought, was a romantic soul who always saw the happy ending ahead. But Maggie, despite what she had told Lulu about James not really giving up on Lily, wasn't so sure this time. However she told Lily she would talk to her cousin who was in Gloria's class and try to find out more things about Potter's new girlfriend.
So while Maggie continued to write down all the ingredients for a veritaserum potion the other three girls continued their conversation on how stupid som girls could be. And like that the afternoon passed.
They were so into their conversation that Maggie made them jump when she called out for James just as he was walking past them on his way to the dormitories. The three of them looked up and were surprised to see that the common room was nearly empty, except for six or seven students and that it was time to go to bed. James walked over to where they were sitting, right next to the fire, and Maggie started asking him a few questions on Defense Against the Dark Arts.
- "Maggie, I hate DADA, but I'm sure Remus will help you tomorrow morning if you can wait."
- "Oh! OK. I just tought that...as you're good at everything..."
James laughed and Lily stared at him. She knew she was a very intelligent girl so how could she not have seen before how perfect he was! He was intelligent, handsome and funny and even though he was so full of himself he could be so nice to others. But then she remebered what he had told her during detention and that stupid smile she had had on her face when she had seen him laugh slowly faded. He had sounded so sure of himself when he had talked about that stupid Gloria and when he had told her about giving up on her some time ago. So what shpuld she do? Give up as he had done or try and win him back? She was evaluating both options when she felt something hard on her ribs. Lulu had just hit her with her elbow and Lily looked at her.
- "What did you do that for?" – she whispered, rubbing her ribs where Lulu had hit her.
- "Because looking at James with your mouth open and a stupid gaze in your eyes is so not what the plan was about!" – she hissed back.
At least he was still talking to Maggie so he would probably not have noticed. Finally he said goodnight to the four girls, looked at Lily for a bit longer than the necessary and continued his way towards the boy's dormitories. Maggie decided she would ask Lupin in the morning and got up.
- "Time for me to go to bed, girls."
Lily and Lucila got up too.
- "You're right. We'd better get some sleep." – said Lily.
Maggie and Lulu started to walk towards the staircase. Lily waited, but Camila didn't move.
- "You're not coming?" – she asked her.
Camila looked at her roll of parchment and shook her head.
- "I want to write a letter to Phil, see if he wants to come to the ball this saturday. I haven't seen him since he came to Campbell Manor this summer and well..." – she shrugged – "I miss him."
- "Is it remorse?"
- "For what happened the other day?" – Camila laughed – "No."
- "Fine. But don't stay up too late or you'll fall asleep again in Binns' class."
She left and Camila started her letter. It was true she missed Phil and she wanted to see him, but if he didn't turn up she wouldn't mind at all. Two years was a lot of time and they didn't need the being all the time together anymore.
After several minutes someone sat opposite to her. She looked up and there he was, Sirius Balck and his stupid and lovely grin. As he sat down Liam and Rudy, another two students who were also in their 7th year in Gryffindor walked passed them, noded at them as in "goodnight" and left.
- "Do you find it hard to keep up with all the homework?" – he looked at her parchment.
- "Do you find it hard to live among human beings?"
- "To live with you...yes, but then again" – he grinned – "there's no proof you are a human."
It was so irritating the way he always had to say the last thing.
- "You know, Black? Nothing you say can disturbe me tonight." – she grinned back at him – "My boyfriend will be coming on saturday and I'm so happy!"
Sirius' face changed.
- "What?"
- "Phil will be coming to the ball with be, Black" – she still hadn't told him, but she was sure he would come – "And you should go over to your girlfriend, she doesn't look very happy."
The blonde girl was looking at them from the other end of the common room. Sirius looked at her and then turned back to Camila.
- "I already told you she is not my girlfriend."
- "Well...she doesn't seem to share your opinion" – said Camila, with a very amused voice.
Martha, who had overheard Sirius, got up and was now rushing towards the dormitories, tears welling in her eyes.
- "Bye, Martha!" – waved Camila.
As the girl dissapeared up the stairs Camila turned to Sirius. She thought she had caught him smiling, but when she looked again he wasn't. Martha's two friends left after her, throwing Camila looks of deepest disgust and she just smiled at them when they passed by. They were now, once again, alone in the room. "How does this always happen?" thought Camila.
- "Do you always have to be so damn cruel with others?" – he asked, but there wasn't hatred in his voice.
- "What abou you, Black? You go out with her several times, you ask her to the ball and then you then you kiss other girls when she's not around."
It was the first time since they had kissed that they mentioned it. Camila stood up, packed her things and turned her back on Sirius, ready to leave.
- "You're the one who has a boyfriend, Campbell, so don't preach to me about decency-"
She did it before she could think of it. She turned round and saw him standing there, his face red with anger and she slapped him. They both fell silent for a minute and then Camila turned round and started walking towards the stairs.
- "You know that deep inside you don't want him to come next saturday."
She turned round, angry tears in her eyes.
- "Yes, I do."
- "No, you don't. And you don't even know why you're still going out with him."
She walked up to him.
- "Because he's my boyfriend. And he has all the qualities a guy should have, all the qualities that you, Black, don't have."
- "Which are?"
- "He's...he's gentle and generous and he cares for others even if they're not his familiy or friends."
- "Phil Garner is not like that, and you know it."
- "Maybe not. But he is with me, which is what matters. And you know what?" – once more she turned round to leave and turned her head to look at him – "I love him."
She started to walk away and in two seconds Sirius had reached her, grabbed her by the arm and made her face him. They were just inches away from each other and Camila had to look up a bit so she could look him in the eye.
- "Say that again and make it sound credible." – he whispered.
She laughed.
- "What is it that bothers you so much, Black? That I love him? That he's not as arrogant and conceited as you are? Or that" – she paused – "you'll never have me like you have the other girls?"
He losened the grip on her arm and looked at her. Minutes went by, just the two of them looking at each other. Then he spoke.
- "All of them."
And for the second time they kissed, fiercely and passionatly as if was the last thing they would ever do.
