Here's another chapter, hope you enjoy it :)
Steven puts down his fork and relaxes. The start of term feast was, as always, delicious. He looks around the Great Hall, examining the scene before him. "Look at that little bugger! He looks like he's eight!" he says, pointing at a passing first year.
"The new lot does look rather young," Benjamin muses.
"Did you see that Selby bloke? The one sorted into Gryffindor?" Jeremy asks.
"Oh yeah, he tripped on the stool and crashed onto the Hufflepuff table right?"
"That's the one, glad we didn't get him."
"What do you think of our first years?"
"They might be able to live up to the Ravenclaw name. Though there was one who looked rather thick."
"Hi Jeremy," Alicia waves shyly as she walks by.
"Hey Alicia," Jeremy waves back, curious as to why she singled him out.
"Are we invisible?" Steven asks the group around him after Alicia is gone, "because apparently Jeremy is the only one sitting here."
The others laugh. "And to think we've shared a dormitory with her for the past six years," Jenna says, shaking her head.
"I wonder where Diane is, they're usually inseparable," Corinne says.
"I heard her family left the country."
"No!"
"Yeah, well can you blame them? They're muggleborns."
"That's a shame, now there are only three of us left in our dormitory," Jenna sighs.
"That must be nice, having so much space now," Jeremy says.
"You act like having five people is so bad."
"He's exaggerating," Ben says, ever the optimist, "it's fairly spacious."
"Yeah, but still three is better."
Steven changes the subject. "So who do you reckon Alicia will stick to now?"
"Jeremy," Jenna giggles.
"I'm actually considering it," he murmurs.
"You are?" Corinne repeats hollowly. She isn't sure why it bothers her, but it does. She, by no means, fancies Jeremy, but he's a close friend. If he gets a girlfriend . . . well everything would change between them, wouldn't it?
"Sure, why not?" he shrugs.
"Everyone is leaving," Ben comments.
"Good, I'm ready to sleep."
They follow the crowd and eventually end up in the Ravenclaw common room. It looks the same as always: the domed ceiling with stars, the midnight blue carpet, the arched windows with blue and bronze curtains . . . . Corinne and Jenna take the staircase to the right of the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw and walk to their dormitory. There are three trunks next to three of the beds, but the fourth is empty. Corinne vaguely wonders if it will remain empty for the rest of the year or if someone will take it out.
ooooo
The next morning, Corinne, unused to having to wake up early again, yelps when she notices the time on the clock. She rips open her bed hangings and rummages through her trunk trying to find her clothes while calling to wake Jenna.
"Who is screeching like a bleeding hag?" she asks through her hangings, thoroughly annoyed. Once glance at the clock, however, stops her complaining. "Oh. Bollocks."
Jenna joins Corinne in a mad scramble to get ready as quickly as they can. Twenty minutes later they find themselves walking to the Transfiguration classroom.
"I can't believe we missed breakfast. I'm so hungry," Jenna groans. They had walked into the Great Hall in time to get their class schedules, but all the food was gone, along with most of the school.
"I know. With my luck, my stomach is going to rumble in class when everything is dead quiet."
Jenna laughs. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm glad I'm not you."
"Thanks," Corinne smiles sarcastically.
"At least we aren't late to McGonagall's class," Jenna says.
"We might as well be. Look, everyone is inside already," Corinne says, holding the door open.
They scan the room looking for any open seats. Jeremy is sitting with Benjamin and Steven is in front of them with an empty seat next to him. There's another open seat next to Sirius a couple of tables away, but neither of them want that one. Corinne and Jenna exchange a quick glance, and then they're off racing to sit next to Steven. Jenna beats her by a second.
"Sorry," she grins.
"Yeah, yeah," Corinne grumbles, waving to Steven before turning to make her way over to Sirius's table. Steven sighs. He had secretly been saving the seat for Corinne.
"Ugh, I can't believe this is the last seat." Corinne drops her book bag on the floor and sits on the chair, scooting as far away from Sirius as she can.
"Actually, this isn't the last available seat, Johnson, there's one left next to Hirsch."
"Believe it or not, but I'd rather sit next to your then her. Everyone avoids her if they can."
"She's in our year right? Why don't you talk to her?"
"She isn't in my house. Why don't you talk to her?"
"She isn't in my house either. Besides, she's never crossed my mind."
"Of course not. No one can catch the attention of the great Sirius Black," she says snidely.
"I'm glad you agree. Anyhow, I'm sure she would mind it less than I do if you sit next to her, so go."
"She would mind more. She blames me and Jenna for Ben's breaking it off with her last year and now she hates us," Corinne tells him, wondering why she's volunteering so much information.
"I can't stand you any more than she can. Go over there."
"Yes but you don't try to curse me every time you see me."
"Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind," he mutters.
"Sod off Black, I'm going to sit here whether you like it or not."
"How about you make this lesson more enjoyable and go stand in the back?"
She rolls her eyes. "That would go over well with McGonagall. How about you don't speak to me?"
"Only if you don't, Johnson."
They ignore each other as McGonagall strides into the classroom and begins the usual first day of class speech. "Settle down," she says crisply. Silence falls over the class. "This is your last year at Hogwarts as well as your NEWT year. As you all know, I only allow the best students in my NEWT level classes. If your performance in this class is lacking, I shall give one warning before dropping you from the class. This year we shall . . ."
Sirius tunes out the rest of her conversation and scribbles a note to James instead.
I'm bored
He hands it back where James is sitting. He receives a reply seconds later.
I couldn't tell. I thought you were having the time of your life next to Johnson.
Sirius lets out a chuckle which earns him a glare from Corinne. She, unlike him, is trying to pay attention.
Of course mate, didn't you see that loving look she just gave me? He reaches back and hands it to James, accidentally hitting Corinne in the process.
"Do that again and I'll hex you," she hisses at him.
"I'd like to see you try," he smirks.
"I hate you."
"I'm heartbroken now," he says sarcastically, retrieving the note from James.
I did. I can really feel the love. When's the wedding?
Sirius starts to reply but is distracted by Corinne's hand rising in the air.
"Yes Ms. Johnson?" McGonagall asks.
"May I please sit next to someone else, Professor? Black is passing notes and it's distracting me."
What a cow, Sirius howls in his head. She won't get away with this.
"Five points from Gryffindor-"
Sirius interrupts her. "Professor, it isn't my fault that Johnson is jealous because I'm not giving her any attention," he says innocently. There was no way he was going to let her win without a fight.
"You-"
"Enough," McGonagall says, ending the argument before it began. "Lupin, kindly switch seats with Black."
"Don't worry love, you aren't the only girl who can't get my attention," Sirius says before leaving, knowing that will irritate her more than anything else he could do.
Those close enough to hear them snicker and Sirius is satisfied. Corinne glowers at him but chooses to pay attention to McGonagall who has resumed her lecture. She will not let him get to her, the insufferable prick.
ooooo
Corinne hurries to lunch later that day, eager to get some food in her stomach. She'd been mortified when her stomach started howling in Ancient Runes, earning her funny stares from people around her. She finds Steven at the Ravenclaw table and joins him.
"Hey," she says as she starts piling food on her plate.
"Hey," he says, smiling at her. "Hungry much?"
"Jenna and I woke up late today and missed breakfast," she says in between mouthfuls of food.
"I wondered why you weren't here."
"Yeah," she laughs, her mood much brighter now that she's eating. "I had a horrible morning, and it all started with missing breakfast."
"It's not true, is it?" Jenna asks Corinne when she and Ben join them at the table.
"What isn't true?" she asks.
"About you and Sirius being an item?"
Corinne drops her fork, her good mood plummeting. "What?"
"That's what everyone's been saying," Jeremy says, coming up from behind her.
"Everyone reckons you two are seeing each other and the reason you were fighting in Transfiguration today is because he was passing notes to Phillips."
"He was passing notes to Potter, I wasn't jealous about anything, and I most certainly am not his girlfriend!"
"I didn't think so," Jenna says, but she's too late to calm her down.
Corinne storms out of the Great Hall in search of Sirius. He has some nerve telling everyone such a horrible lie, she thinks. He wasn't in there so she reckons he's in one of the hallways. Luckily, she finds him coming down the marble staircase.
Upon seeing her, Sirius prepares himself for an argument. She looks furious and though he isn't in the mood for a fighting match with her, he won't take her yelling quietly. He's heard the rumors as well and is baffled that she would make up such a horrendous lie. As if he would sink so low in his standards.
He strikes first. "Who do you think you are?"
"Who do you think you are?" she shouts, ignoring the people around them.
"I'm not the one going around telling everyone I'm your boyfriend!"
"I'm not either!"
"Well it isn't me so it has to be you!"
"Why would I want people to think you are my boyfriend?"
"Because I'm Sirius Black! Of course you'd want people to think that!"
"Oh you think you're so special! Well let me tell you, you're not!"
"Oi shut up! What's going on here?" James says, hurrying down into the hall with Lily in tow.
"It's him!"
"It's her!"
"From what I heard, it's about the rumors going around that they're dating."
"That's what this is about? Have you considered that maybe other people who saw you sitting together in class spread them?"
Neither of them answers; they're more content glowering at each other. James's conclusion is reasonable, but neither of them wants to be reasonable. They want to blame each other.
"Good, now that that's settled, let's go Sirius."
Sirius follows him. Lily stays behind with Corinne.
"Don't pay too much attention to him. He isn't as bad as he appears."
"I really doubt that."
The rest of the day is marred by the horrible beginning. Corinne can't help but dread the rest of the year with Black. She gets the feeling that today was the first of many unfortunate encounters with him.
