NOX° SIRIUS BLACK

Chapter Thirty-Nine

     "We're going to crush them," Cassandra said deviously when she sat down on the other side of Pandora during breakfast on the morning of the first game of the new term. Calypso set down the Music section of the Prophet which talked about the Moon Sisters tour, but specifically their opening act, White Rabbit — the new breakout group that was taking them all by storm. There was a picture of the band on the page she was reading — each member was smiling at one another with their instruments in hand. Calypso folded the page in her hand and turned to Cassandra. "Everyone's been working too hard for us to just lose now."

     "I'm sure the Slytherins would say the same thing." Dorcas pointed out. Cassandra waved her hand.

     "We're going to crush them." Cassandra repeated.

     "We'll be rooting for you." Pandora said. Calypso hadn't mentioned seeing Pandora and Xenophilius on what appeared to be a date on Valentine's Day, but she also didn't think she was going to bring it up until Pandora did first. "Everyone's been placing their wagers today and I'll be a bit upset if I lose those five Galleons I put on you guys."

      "I put down twenty." Dorcas shrugged. "I was in a gambling mood today, so try not to lose."

     "We're not going to lose." Calypso said, looking at the three girls. "We've practiced and we're ready."

     Calypso stood from her chair.

    "Where are you going?" Dorcas asked.

    "I need to write a letter." Calypso waved the folded paper in her hand at Dorcas before walking towards the exit of the Great Hall. She heard footsteps racing to catch up with her and turned her head to see Sirius standing next to her. "Oh, hey!"

     "Hey. What are you doing?" Sirius asked.

     "Aerin and his band were in the Prophet, look!" Calypso unfolded the page and showed it to Sirius. "I was going to the common room to write to him and tell him Congratulations."

    "Oh . . ." Calypso noticed the deep frown on Sirius's face. He turned to her and said, "Cal, can I ask you something?"

    "Of course."

    "Do you still have feelings for Aerin?"

     Calypso blinked a few times. Sirius never really asked her many questions about her and Aerin's relationship, nor did he bring him up at all since he found out that they broke up.

     "Erm, well . . ." Calypso scratched the back of her neck and she stopped walking. Sirius stared at her patiently, waiting for her answer. "I really liked Aerin, but . . . he told me he loved me before we broke up and after the shock wore off, my stomach dropped and I realized that while I care about Aerin a great deal, I wasn't in love with him."

     The guilt weighed down on her more than she would care to admit. Aerin was a great guy and he was certainly a step up from both Barnabas and Sebastian, but she couldn't force herself to love him.

     "So, I guess, the answer to your question is no. I don't think I have feelings for him anymore." Calypso said honestly. "But, I do want to congratulate him and his band on their success because they're really great."

     Calypso took note of the way Sirius's shoulders relaxed and his smile looked to be one of relief. His reaction made her suspicious, but she didn't ask him why he asked her if she still had feelings for Aerin because there was a part of her that was scared to know the answer.

     Sirius wished her luck on the game and the pair parted ways. Calypso wrote a quick letter to Aerin before she used the rest of her time alone to study for her O.W.L.s. and distract herself from the nerves she felt at the thought of the game. She didn't want to lose another one.

     Eventually, she went down to change into her Quidditch robes with the rest of the team. She did her usual speech before every game where she reminded everyone of what they could work on.

    "We're going to win. I can feel it." Mira said when they walked onto the pitch.

     "I think so too." Calypso said. She tucked her bat under her arm when she walked up to shake hands with Burke. Burke tried to crush her fingers under his grip, but she kept her face straight and unmoving.

     The game commenced and Calypso laughed when she heard Leo Jordan's commentary. She kept her eye out for Mira and saw her circling overhead, keeping an extra eye out for Snitch.

    Calypso was playing exceptionally well that day, as was the rest of her team. Eloise and Ignatus scored the first few goals of the game; Cassandra made sure to block all the Quaffles she could by showing off with the extra tricks she had spent all of practice working on; and Calen had improved a great deal too.

      "Looks like the Ravenclaw Seeker has spotted the Snitch!" Leo Jordan announced after about an hour of playing. Calypso swung her arm and listened to the satisfying smack of her bat coming into contact with the Bludger. She sent the Bludger in the direction of Regulus, who skillfully dodged it and raced towards the golden Snitch after Mira.

      "MIRA! MIRA! MIRA!"

      The crowd cheered and Calypso's stomach churched as she watched the race unfold between the two Seekers. Regulus and Mira were neck and neck with their arms outstretched and looks of fierce determination on their faces. Regulus inched in front of Mira, a frown of concentration on his face, but then everything turned to chaos. Both of the Seekers seemed to lurch forward at once, their arms swinging down on top of each other before their brooms crashed into one another. There was a collective wince from the audience when Regulus and Mira's bodies aimed towards the ground and rolled around.

      Calypso flew down when Mira and Regulus finally landed in a mess of limbs sprawled out over each other. Regulus stared up at the sky, seemingly dazed from the impact, and Mira pushed him off of her. She looked at Calypso with a proud expression on her face before she raised her hand in the air, holding the Snitch in her fist.

      The crowd went wild and the rest of the team ran to Mira who was bouncing up and down excitedly. Calypso gave Mira a hug and heard the girl's laughter of disbelief.

      "That was brilliant!" Antoine cheered.

     "Excellent save!" Cassandra said, high-fiving Mira.

     Mira thanked them, a hint of pink on her cheeks. She glanced over her shoulder and looked at Regulus who was sitting on the ground with his head in his hands while the rest of the Slytherin team was marching off the field behind Burke. Calypso watched curiously as Mira walked up to Regulus, said something Calypso couldn't hear to him, and held her hand out for him to take. Regulus lifted his head up and rolled his eyes at her outstretched hand before he got up and followed his team off the pitch.