While the boys were eating dinner, Odessa cleaned out Sirius' room with the help of a few house elves whom she had shamelessly lied to. Hastings worked on the notes and brought them to Odessa.

"I still don't think this is right," she muttered, handing Odessa the notes.

"I don't want to hear it," Odessa muttered back, placing the notes on his night stand. "Now, to get his wand. I need you to keep Falcon distracted." Shaking her head, Hastings followed Odessa to the Teacher's Lounge where Sirius and Falcon were playing wizard's chess. Hastings sat down next to Falcon and Odessa sat across the room.

"Still mad Ode?" Sirius called out while he watched Falcon's queen smash his knight.

"Not at all Sirius. I thought I looked rather fetching with a beard." Odessa smiled and walked over to his chair, sitting on the arm. "After all, all's fair in love and war, right?" She whispered in his ear as she pocketed his wand.

Sirius started at the feeling of her face so close to his and glanced over at Falcon and Hastings, who were busy talking.

"Look, Odessa," he started.
"You don't have to explain anything to me Sirius. It's a prank war. But I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed. Coming Hastings?"

Hastings shook her head and motioned that she'd be staying to watch the game. Falcon and Sirius exchanged looks that weren't lost on Odessa, "Have a good night," Falcon said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"I'm sure I will," Odessa said, leaving the room. But instead of going to her room she made a beeline for Sirius's and hid in the now empty wardrobe. About an hour later she heard Sirius walk in.

"What the-?" Sirius looked around his now empty room and saw the two pieces of parchment sitting on the nightstand. Walking over, he picked up the one from Professor McGonagall. Scanning it, his face turned redder and redder. He threw the letter down and picked up the second one. After reading it he began to search his pockets frantically. His temper flaring, he starting slamming open drawers, throwing back the covers and finally tearing open the wardrobe door, only to find Odessa there, trying to smother her laughter.

"What kind of crap is this Odessa?" Sirius almost yelled.

"Temper, temper," Odessa said, smiling. "I suggest that if you want your wand back you should cool down."

"Hand it over." Sirius held out his hand.

"Why should I? I'm now in possession of it and without it, well, you definitely won't win this prank war."

"This isn't funny Odessa," Sirius took a step towards her and pulled her out of the wardrobe."

"No, I don't suppose it is," Odessa said. "But neither is what you did to me."

"You can't be serious, it was only a beard."

"It was much more than that Sirius Potter and you know it," Odessa's voice started to get louder.

"What, the fact that you cheated on me?" Sirius asked mockingly.

"I NEVER cheated on you, Sirius Potter, and you know it!" Odessa yelled.

"What about the letter?"

"What letter?" Odessa said angrily. "The one that said I was going to dump you for what's-his-name? The one that said I no longer wanted to be with you because I enjoyed spending time with him more?"

"Yeah, that letter." Sirius said, his voice deadly quiet.

Odessa closed the distance between them, "I never wrote it. I don't know who did. I don't care who did. And obviously you never did either. You went on one assumption and took something…something wonderful and tore it to pieces. I hate you Sirius Potter. You can go to hell." Trying to hide her tears, Odessa tossed his wand on the floor and marched out of the room.

"Odessa!" Sirius called after her, but his only answer was the slamming of the common room door. Sirius sank onto his bed and buried his head in his hands.

Falcon came in, "Is everything all right mate?" He paused and looked around. "What happened to all your stuff?"

"Odessa Grace happened to it."

"Yeah," said Falcon, plopping down on the couch. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that."

"What?" asked Sirius, refusing to calm down, but pacing through the room, his wand making sparks.

"This has to end," said Falcon. "It's getting immature. Strike that… it always was immature. Now it's getting downright dangerously stupid.

"Please, spare me," said Sirius.

Falcon continued, "Sure, no one's been hurt. Sure, it's been in fun and games—at least with Hastings and me—but you and Odessa… mate, you take it to another level. I was talking to Haste outside. We heard you two shouting. We've both decided to stop this. Even Hastings decided, so you know it's serious."

"Oh, come on, Falcon," said Sirius. "It's only—"

"It's only childish pranks, I know that, Sirius!" Falcon said, more heatedly. "And here's a news-flash for you. We. Are. No. Longer. CHILDREN!"

That made Sirius stop in his tracks. He hung his head and sat down on the couch next to his friend. "I… I know…"

"We're Hogwarts teachers and if this goes on, it's no longer detention. It's not even the threat of expulsion. We could be sacked before you know it. You know that… you've worked here for years already."

"Yeah," said Sirius, "Alone. Odessa wasn't there then. I could do this forever if… she wasn't here."

"She was one of our best friends, Sirius," said Falcon, calmly. "She's your former girlfriend. And you're so crazy about her your head's spinning round."

"Oh, please, you know me better than that," said Sirius.

"I know you very well, Sirius," said Falcon. He looked at his hands in his lap. "That's why it's so obvious to me how you feel about her. But… I also know Hastings. She… she really does seem to like me. I don't know how much, but… but I want to find out. And having you and Odessa fighting like cats and dogs doesn't help things."

"Falcon, I…"

"She's the best thing in the world to me. Hastings is like… another one of me. She brings out my lighter side."

"You haven't got a lighter side," said Sirius.

Falcon chuckled and scratched his chin, which had a day's worth of stubble on it. Letting his hand drop to his lap, he sighed and said, "You're right. I'm not much for spontaneity. I take things seriously: life, my career… everything. But, since we've been talking—beyond the stupid bashfulness that was all we could manage when we were at school together—we've really started to compliment each other. She—she tempers me, Sirius. And I hope that I have some amount of influence on her as well. Main thing is… I want to be with her."

"Then be with her, mate," said Sirius. "Stop pranking with me. I'm still going to do it, though. Do what you have to do."

"What I have to do is ask you to stop, too," said Falcon. "Hastings likes me, okay, likes me. If that's to turn into something else, all this has to end. She's fun and goofy a lot of the time… but she's fiercely loyal. After Odessa's prank today... Well, I wouldn't put it past you to do something equally wretched to her. And, she'd probably deserve it."

"You bet your sweet—"

"But it has to stop somewhere, Sirius," said Falcon.

"It will," said Sirius. "When she stops it. When she admits to what she did to me."

"Are you so blind and pathetic?" asked Falcon, exasperated. "She did nothing to you. She never wrote that letter."

"Who was it then?" asked Sirius.

"I have no idea," said Falcon. "But if you know her so well, you should know that she could never be so cruel."

"Yeah, what about her letter tonight. Oh, what a sweet little gesture, placing a note from McGonagall on my pillow and packing my little knickknacks up so nicely for me. You're absolutely right. Not a cruel bone in her body." Sirius spoke with such comical sarcasm, that it might have been funny, if he didn't also have a telltale look of pain etched in every line on his face.

Falcon stood up. "Know what I think?"

"What?" asked Sirius rudely. "I'm sorry, mate… What do you think, Falcon?" he asked a little more kindly.

"First off, I think I need to go to bed. You may be able to stay up all night, but I'm a morning person, and I'm about to drop," said Falcon as he stretched. "I also think that she was acting out of hurt and out of hope, and out of… well whatever irrational nonsense women are capable of. Think about this, Sirius. If you want to keep playing these kid games with Odessa to fulfill some bogus need of vengeance, fine. But as of now, you're on your own. I'm pursuing Hastings. I want no part of this anymore. I mean it. You can't talk me into it, Sirius."

"Oh, yeah?" said Sirius. "What about your little girlfriend? Are you going to be helping her and Odessa get me then?"

"Man, if you weren't my best mate, and I wasn't afraid of breaking my hand on your rock of a head, I would punch you for that. For your information, Hastings is having the exact same talk with Odessa right now. She and I are out of this. Think about this, and when you're ready to grow up, come talk to me." Falcon shot Sirius a look of disgust and stormed out of his bedroom.

"You what!" Odessa nearly shouted.

"I'm not explaining it all again, Odessa," said Hastings meekly, finding it harder and harder to stand up to her impassioned friend. "It's just that… Falcon's more of the serious sort… and I want to show him that I'm not just a playful little kid."

"So, this is all for a guy?" asked Odessa.

"More than that," said Hastings. "I know I'm better than this. When I worked here before… I felt more grown-up then. But since you've started your vendetta rampage against Sirius Potter, it's like all four of us have regressed into third years."

"All four of us? Or just me?" asked Odessa, sounding hurt.

"Give me a break, Ode," said Hastings, throwing her hands into the air. "It's not that. I think that you need to sit down with Sirius—"

"Yeah, that's going to happen," said Odessa.

"Sit down calmly, and talk. Tell him how you feel. God knows one of you has to be the mature one, and I don't expect Sirius to do that… so, it has to be you."

Odessa folded her arms, and almost wanted to stomp her foot, but she realized how childish it seemed, so she simply dropped her arms to her side and laughed. "This is why we're friends, do you know that?"

"Why, because I give you verbal thrashings from time to time?" asked Hastings.

"Well, that too," said Odessa. "Mostly because you… well, you know what to say when… You were brave to tell me this while I was so mad. With my temper… I was liable to—"

"You can't use your temper as an excuse all the time," said Hastings. "It's something that needs to be gotten control of… like me. I need to get control of my silliness, and my fears, and… well, my whole life. It's not easy in the adult world, Odessa."

"You know, you're right," said Odessa. "I should be furious about that. I should hate you. But… you have a point."

"You know you love me," said Hastings, affecting a charming smile.

"Yeah, well, don't push it," said Odessa. "I need to get some sleep. And you do too. Especially if you want to practice your seriousness so that you can become Mrs. Puddinghaste."

Hastings laughed as she opened the door to Odessa's bedroom. "If we ever get married, I think I may make him take my name… though Applespice isn't much better."

"You could always mix them and become Applepudding!" said Odessa with a loud laugh."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Good night, Odessa."

"G'night, Applepudding!"

Hastings shut the door a little too loudly on her way out.