Cherry Lips // s. black

-JANUARY. 3.-

"Oh, this is the map you borrowed," Carmilla realised, holding up the big piece of parchment to the pink heart shaped light above the pair.

Peter nodded eagerly.

The map was still the same one she'd painfully etched out in the library over hours and hours, finding charms so she could see each different level of Hogwarts individually. She'd even drawn thicker lines on the walls where paintings were hung, and dots where torches sat in their brackets.

Carmilla tilted it, but she couldn't see what Peter had done to the map, it was still the same one. She chewed her lip, probably smudging her lipstick once again. "So, uh..."

"I found this spell," Peter bounced on the balls of his feet, "I didn't put it on the map in case you didn't want it there, but I've got it somewhere, if you thought it was a cool idea. If it isn't it's fine, just forget it-"

"What's the spell?"

Peter grinned a little. She grinned back as he reached into his pockets, empty lolly wrappers falling to the ground until he pulled out a scrunched-up ball of parchment and unfolded it. "I figured out, we can put people on the map."

Carmilla narrowed her eyes, "go on."

"Carmilla... hi." Lily said slowly, her red eyebrows pulled together in a little frown when the pair trudged into the Gryffindor common room.

She smiled though and moved a piece on the chess board in front of her. Carmilla waved back as Marlene groaned and proceeded to use the chess board as a footrest, arms crossed grumpily. She'd cut her dark hair quite badly, but it actually looked good. Cat girls white fluffy cat sat between them. 

Peter looked back, squeaking with fear when Marlene's harsh glare fell onto him, and then hurried up a winding staircase next to a large Gryffindor banner, which had a moustache scribbled on top of the lion's mouth.

Carmilla followed him, careful not to stumble on the golden runner. Her little shoes were no help.

Someone screamed loudly from a dorm room, and another door to Carmilla's left was bright pink. There were a few holes scattered in the walls, and a fat cat hissed at the pair until Peter opened a dark door with an elegant knocker at the end of the hall. Carmilla stuck her tongue out at the cat and shut the door behind her, silencing the meows.

She turned around and pushed her hair behind her shoulder, eyes widening at the sight.

Her first impression, of course, was that anyone could tell who slept where. Even if she'd never spoken to the boys, she could've picked out their corners of the dorm in an instant.

Unlike her own, there wasn't enough space to have a mini living room to one side, or even use the fireplace, which housed a large purple plant that promptly let out a stream of bubbles. The bathroom door was in the same spot as the Ravenclaw dorms, on the furthest wall to the right, near Peter's bed. There were a few cacti lining the windowsill, and when Carmilla squinted at the photos stuck up, a little family waved back, including a happy Crup puppy.

James was beside Peter, the wall next to his four-poster bed covered entirely with quidditch posters and polaroid pictures, which his broom, Harry, lent against. There was a stack of records on his bedside table and a teddy bear jacket over the foot of James's bed, which he was currently laying on top of, head in a book.

Peter rifled through his drawers, searching for the right charm for the map while Carmilla was wondering why there was a rack of coloured mugs hung up near Remus's trench coat. She did a double take.

James was reading?

"Oi, have you finally decided to be good at school?" Carmilla asked, trudging over and pulling the paperback out of her friend's hands, who just blinked up at her with owlish eyes.

It was, in fact, the novel Remus had been reading at dinner time. "What's it about?"

"...A vampire."

Carmilla blinked once, and then chucked it back at him, hoping desperately the toss would lose his page and James would quickly become un-interested and forget about vampires entirely.

"Cami!"

Carmilla turned around and smiled, but it was quickly wiped off her face when she was pulled into a tight hug that nearly overbalanced her. Sirius smelt like mud, oddly, and when he pulled away, he was beaming. "You're here!"

"Yep," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Peter's looking for a charm he wrote down."

Sirius bounded over to his side, on the far left of the room. His red duvet was covered by a patchwork quilt and there were at least four different types of black boots at the foot of the bed. An undone Gryffindor tie was hanging off the side of his bedside table [Carmilla had seen him wear it exactly twice], as well as a bunch of expensive looking chain necklaces and colognes. "Guess what?"

Carmilla wandered over, sneaking a peek back to see James was still watching her intently. She whipped back around and went to look at whatever the hyperactive boy was waving at her. "What is it, catfoot?"

"I still don't like that nickname."

Remus strode out of the bathroom in checked pyjama pants and a towel around his scarred and bandaged shoulders, "more or less than Siri?"

Sirius pouted and sat cross legged on his bed, patting the spot next to him and reaching for something in his trunk. He pulled out a coloured cardboard square and grinned, shoving it into Carmilla's hands. "I got a new record!"

"Oh yeah?" Carmilla asked, already flipping it over curiously. She couldn't read the tite. Far too many letters. "...What is it?"

"Bohemian Rhapsody."

Peter peeked around the dusty red curtains of his four-poster bed with wide eyes, a coffee-stained piece of parchment in his fist. "Only the best song ever written!"

Carmilla sat as James started to kick his feet in excitement and Sirius ran to a record player sitting on the chest at the foot of Remus's bed, who put a muddy coloured sweater on and smiled at Carmilla. "How have you not heard it yet?"

"If I haven't heard it, it can't be that gr-"

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?