One and a half weeks left of schoooool! I'm in a good mood this morning!
Love - a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker. - Anon
Reaching the statue that was the entrance to the Ravenclaw Common Room, I answered the riddle correctly (When is a door not a door? – When it's a jar. (It happened to be one of my Dad's favourite jokes) and stepped in. Immediately, I spotted Naomi and Iz over by the fire studying.
Walking up quietly behind them, attracting a few strange looks from the other Ravenclaw inhabitants, I poked Naomi (or was it Iz?) and she jumped around in surprise.
"Rose? What are you doing here?" she exclaimed, causing Iz (or was it Naomi?) to turn around as well.
"I hope it's alright to be here?" I asked.
"Of course – sit down. Don't mind the people who are staring at you – pureblood fanatics – just ignore them. If you can answer the riddle then you've earned your way in here, and in any case, there's no rule against going into other houses' Common Rooms. Not that I'm advising you to go into the Slytherin Common Room, but I'm sure you know what I mean." Replied Iz (or was it Naomi?).
I took the proffered chair.
"How did all the mocks go?"
"Not too bad –though the Transfig paper was a cow – I think McGonagall wants us to be over prepared for the real thing in June. But still – that question on Animagi... Man – I think I might have failed Paper 3."
"I know what you mean. Though I was pleasantly surprised by the Advanced Potions practical – A Fever Draught wasn't too difficult, even for someone like me who finds Advanced Potions really difficult. Mind you, I did have some excellent tutoring." I said.
"Really – who?" enquired Iz.
"Pardon?"
"Who was the excellent tutoring from? Not Slughorn. Though probably Lily. You two are alright now?"
"Yeah – we're fine. I think it was a mix of exhaustion, stress, and her anxiety over the opinion of a certain Head Boy. But actually Lily didn't help me with my Advanced Potions revision – my excellent tutor was Sirius."
"Sirius Black?" asked Naomi (?) with a smirk.
"Ye-ah." I replied, stretching the two syllables. They shared a look.
I narrowed my eyes.
"What's that look for?" I asked, slightly annoyed.
"You don't know?"
"No. Come to think of it, Lily and Katie keep sharing looks like that. And Megs and Alice!" I added. "In fact, they all keep sharing looks like that! Is there something going on?"
They smiled at each other again.
"Iz and I (Yes! Finally I knew – Iz was on my left and Naomi on my right. I had been wrong.) have a... theory. Which it seems that your other friends share. We think... that is to say, we have noticed over the past term, but in particular over the four weeks before your... illness, that the aforementioned Sirius Black seems to be... paying you rather a lot of attention, shall we say."
"Right." I agreed.
"So...?" questioned Iz, eagerly leaning forwards. "Has he said or done anything?"
"Um... quite a lot. We talk a bit about school, and work, obviously, and a bit about Quidditch, and our families and stuff like that. And we generally talk or work, or sometimes play Exploding Snap. Why is that interesting?"
Naomi banged her head against her armrest and Iz rolled her eyes.
"What?" I asked.
Iz sighed and rolled her eyes again.
"What we mean is that has Sirius asked you out yet? And have you kissed yet?"
I blushed a beet-red.
"Wha... what? I... – What?" I stammered. "What do you mean? Why would he be... interested in me... in... that way?"
They stared at me as hard as I was staring at them.
"You honestly don't realise?"
I shook my head.
"So you're saying that you don't want to go out with him?"
"Well no... I mean yes – I don't know!"
"Do you fancy him?"
"NO WAY!" I vehemently denied. "I mean – n-n-no."
"She does." They said to each other.
"It's not like I want to – it just – happened." I defended myself.
"And how long has is – "just been happening" – for?" questioned Naomi.
"Syers" I mumbled.
"Pardon?"
I sighed, before looking around the Common Room and leaning in-
"Six years."
"Since first year?" Naomi was incredulous.
"Not just for his looks and... general charm. I think I started to like him when I saw him help a kid pick up his books after his bag split. It just... came on from there."
"For six years?"
"Yeah."
"Why haven't you done or said anything about this?"
"Um... excuse me – I'm chronically shy when it comes to boys. Plus it's – well... you know... him. I'm not going to be another girl in his three volume novel of girls who have fallen for him."
"So all that sparring over the years – where does that fit in?"
"Just because I fancied him he still got on my nerves. I wasn't going to simper and agree with him the whole time. And he does have faults, but at the same time he is more than just a face and a body."
"What a great face and body though." Put in Iz.
I shook my head.
"But that's all that people see him for – nothing more."
"And it probably because you see him as something more than his face and body is the reason he fancies you."
I started and stared at her.
"What? Are you crazy?"
Iz chuckled. "I'm perfectly sane. That's what Mia and I were on about earlier – we think he has feelings for you."
I shook my head. "Look, I can assure you-"
Naomi interrupted. "So that's why he spends so much time with you, sits next to you in class, hasn't dated anyone, or even hooked up with anyone since the end of last year. Why he walked around with a permanent frown when you were ill, why he helps you with your potions and studies with you in the Library, and laughs with you in the Great Hall. Because he fancies you."
"I think you've got the wrong end of the stick – we're just friends." I stated.
They rolled their eyes at me again.
"We are!" I reiterated. "I know it sounds cliché, but we are. Just as I am friends with James, who has done all the things you said Sirius was doing, and Remus, and the other Marauders. Just because a guy and a girl spend time together, it doesn't automatically mean that they fancy each other. And I know that I fancy him, but what I'm not even sure I want it to happen, even if (and I am in no way saying he does) he did like me.
You've seen how long his other relationships last – nothing more than three weeks. I came to the realisation a long time ago that it would never happen, and I'm fine with that. I honestly am. And now we're friends, which is more than I ever bargained for, so it's fine."
"What about him not dating anyone since before summer?"
"How do you know he didn't date anyone over the summer? And he could just be focusing on work this year – I know he wants good grades, as he doesn't have a family to fall back on, so he's really determined to prove his mother wrong and make something of himself."
They didn't look convinced, but at my request dropped the topic of conversation.
"So what has brought you here to the Ravenclaw Common Room this fine evening? Was it to... see me?" asked Iz.
"As lovely as you both are, I actually have an ulterior motive. I want to throw a surprise party for Lily's eighteenth. And for James and Lily finally getting together."
"A surprise party! I love parties!" exclaimed Naomi.
"I wanted to plan it with you guys, because Lily might grow suspicious if I bring the other girls in, or the guys, and so I thought with you, if you don't mind, we can plan, and maybe you could store all the stuff in your dorm. It would only be for two weeks."
"Sure – you're more than welcome. As long as we get invites?" asked Iz.
"Of course. Shall we plan then?"
"Yes." They both agreed in unison.
The rest of the evening was spent planning music, food, the guest list, decorations, the venue, the drinks and how to get permission from Professor McGonagall.
By the end of that evening we had decided upon using the large room behind the Great Hall, as Lily would obviously find out if we started putting up decorations in the Gryffindor Common Room. Plus Lily had friends in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff as well, and the Gryffindor or Heads' Common Room wasn't big enough for all of us. And it was unfair to kick the younger Gryffindors out if we weren't inviting them.
I was to ask Professor McGonagall the next day, because, as Naomi and Iz both assured me, "she absolutely loves you." I didn't quite agree, but thought that I, as a Gryffindor, might be more successful than Ravenclaws, even though Professor McGonagall wasn't house prejudiced. And the party had been my idea, and Lily was my friend so it made sense.
Having sorted this, we agreed to spend the next day, once we had hopefully got permission, organising refreshments, decorations etc. It was to be held on the penultimate day of term, the day of Lily's birthday. The invitations would go out three days beforehand, to prevent Lily from finding out but giving everyone time to RSVP and choose outfits. I was sure when the time came that I could get James to distract Lily whilst we set up. Having sorted all this, I skipped back to the Heads' Common Room in a good mood.
On the other side of the Portrait Hole, I literally bumped into Sirius, and remembering the conversation with the Donahue twins earlier, I blushed. How ridiculous that they thought that he returned my sentiments!
"Steady there, Rose. Some of us still have our feet on the ground." He chuckled, his arms lightly clasping my shoulders to steady me.
I smiled at this.
"Where have you been, anyway? We were all getting worried."
Lily nodded in agreement from her chair by the fire.
"I was just with the Donahue twins in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Catching up and all that – we haven't had much time to chat what with the mocks and revision."
They both nodded.
"Would you now like to join our end of mocks' celebration?" asked James. "We're having an Exploding snap competition! You have to choose a partner."
I grinned. "Sounds good – I pick..."
"Me!" said Sirius. "And together, we shall rule the world!"
Once again, thanks all so much for your lovely reviews - they keep me writing! Lol EllieBaby xxx