NOX° SIRIUS BLACK

Chapter Three

            Calypso loved birthdays. She loved that her friends each had their own special day that was about them. She was the oldest out of all of her friends since her birthday fell nearly two weeks after the start of the term, making her one of the oldest in her year. Sirius was up next and his birthday was always a huge ordeal (though not nearly as big a deal as James's was).

           Calypso spent the morning of Sirius's birthday attending an early morning Quidditch practice. Their new captain that year, Hestia Jones, had designated Sunday mornings and evenings as one of their four days of practice a week. The first match of the year between Gryffindor and Slytherin was coming up the following weekend, and after that would come the Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw match that Calypso was eagerly anticipating.

           The Ravenclaws were a real force to be reckoned with when it came to Quidditch this year, thanks to Hestia. She would let them try out new tricks during practice and would make sure that they had a set strategy of how they were going to approach the new game. 

           Calypso was a Beater for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. In fact, she was the first woman beater on the team in fifty years and a lot of people had underestimated her abilities when she first joined the team. The other Beater was named Minaka and he was a few years ahead of Calypso, but he had been a big help in teaching her the ropes the past year.

             "This next move that I want to try out is called the Burdish of Raven," Hestia said as the Ravenclaws floated in the air on their brooms. Calypso flicked through a book on Quidditch tactics, per Hestia's request, and was half-listening to her captain as she introduced them to a move that she and Calypso had come up with. "Calypso and I came up with this and we want to try it out during our game against Hufflepuff. Everyone, get in your positions!"

                Calypso went down to the ground and put the book away before flying back up into the air to get in her spot as Hestia showed the Chasers what they needed to do. Calypso didn't have to do much except watch as the Chasers flew high into the air. They circled around each other before flying close to the ground in a V-formation while the lead Chaser, Hestia, held the Quaffle. The chasers on the side would beat away anyone that came near the Quaffle. When the Chaser reached their goal, Hestia would score on the right goal and pass the Quaffle to the Chaser on her left, Fiona, who'd score in the middle hoop before passing it to the last Chaser, Xavier, who'd score in the left hoop.

               "Brilliant!" Hestia cried out triumphantly when they all lowered to the ground. Calypso swung her bat around in her hands as Hestia prepared to give the Beaters their time to shine. "Minaka and Cal said they had a special move that they've been practicing, but want to save until the Hufflepuff game."

              Calypso exchanged a mischievous grin with Minaka.

              "As for the rest of you, I expect to see everyone back here before breakfast tomorrow morning for morning practice!" Hestia reminded them. There were a few groans here and there but Calypso skipped off the field feeling rather chipper. Dorcas had been waiting for her in the stands beside Pandora.

               "Hi, Dorcas. Hi, Pandora." Calypso greeted them. Pandora Moon glanced up, her wide eyes in their constant dreamlike state. Calypso reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the potions she bought during Hogsmeade. "For you."

          "Oh, thank you, Calypso!" Pandora cheered excitedly, jumping up and down. "I've been working on creating a new spell that can allow you to conjure food from nothing."

           Pandora was known for experimenting with spells and potions, and creating all sorts of machines in the Ravenclaw common room. A lot of people tended to steer clear from her because the results of her experiments could sometimes be catastrophic, but Calypso had always found Pandora's imagination and desire to invent inspiring.