Celestial | Sirius Black Love Story

Jingle Balls and Snow Bells

Dear Father,

My friend James has invited a bunch of us over to his place - The Potter Residence -  for Christmas, so I'll go there instead of spending Christmas moping around the castle.

A surprising amount of the teachers are complete idiots, so I'm starting to sit more and more towards the back of the classrooms taught by the incompetent ones, working out of my textbook. I'll be sure to send you a letter if there's anything I'm uncertain about.

My friend Sirius is helping me out with casting Patronus' and you'll be glad to hear that I'm closer and closer to managing it - that is at least what he keeps assuring me.

Everyone at Hogwarts seems quite sheltered from what's going on right now. Dumbledore seems to be trying to keep it under cover. I doubt that'll last long.

"What's that you're writing?"

"A letter." I responded, finishing it off and signing my name at the bottom then turning to smile at Oliver.

"Oh, really?" He asked, sarcastically, "I couldn't tell. How come you didn't jump or anything when I came next to you, I was as quiet and sneaky as can be."

"I heard you." I said, now packing the letter safely into one of the front pockets of my bag and finding out my DADA book. 

"How? I literally held my breath walking here." He said, puffing his cheeks out to demonstrate.

I giggled a bit before answering, knowing it would annoy him, "With my ears."

"Well you're just Captain Obvious today aren't you," He said, laughing at me. He squinted his eyes when he laughed and smiled, and the freckles on his tanned skin seemed to smile too. It was a clear morning and the sunlight beaming from the long windows made his hazel green eyes glow. 

"So," He said, and I looked away quickly, opening the book at random to a page on boggarts, "Do you have any plans for Christmas?"

"Uh, yeah, actually. I'm going round to James' with Sirius, Peter and Remus might also be coming. Otherwise I'd just be staying here at Hogwarts."

"Oh, that sounds like a right party!" He said, "Shame, though. Sounds like I'm the only one staying behind."

Though he said it lightly, there was something bugging him. "I heard the Prewetts are staying behind. How come you are?"

"My parents are aurors, they're abroad for the ministry over the holiday."

"Oh," I said, nodding. I paused, "Are you worried about them?"

He looked down at me, and I could tell I was right. Very right.

"Yeah, I think something's going on. The ministry never makes people work Christmas."

At that moment, I wanted to tell him everything. The wizard fascists stirring in the North, rumours of a powerful dark wizard who used to be a student in the very halls of this school, gathering forces of oppressed magical creatures. But I couldn't.

"But I'm sure it's nothing, really." He said.

I smiled at him, "Yeah. Maybe we can gather a group of people to celebrate new years together or something."

I didn't know why I said it, I hadn't even thought about it. But Oliver's eyes lit up and he grinned at me, looking excited, "Yeah?"

"Yeah, watch the fireworks and sneak in some alcohol and stuff, you know."

"Yeah, that sounds like it could be fun. You'll have to keep me updated."

I beamed at him, glad to have given him something he might look forward to despite worrying about his parents. "Definitely."