What Is and What Should Never Be | Sirius Black

5. The Great Sleepover of '76

EVERY SO often, Iman has a sleepover with her Slytherin friends. They take turns to pick whoever's dorm room they're taking over for the night, so once in a blue moon, ours gets picked. In good, old, Hufflepuff tradition, no outsider has ever seen the common room, so her friends need to sneak in through the windows, and Iman locks the door. In good, old, Slytherin tradition, Debbie, Jane, and I are kicked out of our dorm for the night so the purebloods can have their time.

Now, one would think that we don't like this - letting purebloods that don't like us kick us out of our own room - but we trust Iman, of course. After every sleepover, we come back to our beds and spaces in the exact same condition they were left in (except for Iman's herself).

I'm not sure when we started crashing the boys dorm, but somewhere along the years, we ended up in Rasmus, Jude, Henry, and Des' dorm. Not to be confused with me (Des) - the easiest nickname for both Desmond and Desdemona is obviously Des so we just have to deal with it. But it's always funny late at night after a few drinks when Des and I just start answering to anything the others call us.

So Jane, Debbie, and I change into our pjs, opt out of carrying my phonograph down to the common room, then back through the hallway to the boys room, and just head over with armfuls of snacks.

I make a stop on the way, though, and stick my head into the other 6th year, girls Hufflepuff dorm to see if they want a late night snack. Debbie tells me not to give away all the good ones, but we have more than enough to share and I let them have their pick first, because Ewa let me bum a cigarette a couple days ago and I want to say thank you. Then I head on to the boys.

Our three sleeping bags (one we affectionately call 'Nick' as an ode to the nearly headless Gryffindor ghost, who is just barely holding on) are laid out in their usual fashion, with fire whiskey and Hog's Head brew around them. The boys are already sitting on top of them as we walk in, and I'm the first to shout.

"Not it!" I touch my finger to my nose, a few sweets dropping out of my arms in the process.

Debbie catches on immediately and repeats, holding her finger on her nose as well.

"Oh, Bogus!" Jane huffs and makes her way over to Rasmus, who is seated on the old sleeping bag. "How come I always get stuck with Nick?"

"Just not fast enough, Jane." Henry says and pulls me down beside him for first dibs on the sweets, I then dump my treasure in the middle of us all.

Debbie takes her place between Rasmus and Des as I'm passed the bottle of Brew. It tastes watered down so it's a harsh contrast to the fire whiskey, which I'm handed next.

The seven of us talk throughout the night, drinking, eating, and laughing. When we start getting tipsy we sing a terrible rendition of Hey, Jude, because we know it drives Jude insane. And once we get to the point where Des and I are responding to everything, we know it's time to cut off the drinks and go to bed. The boys head to their four posters, and the girls in our sleeping bags (with Jane complaining about Nick).

But, of course, we can't go to sleep yet. Anyone who has ever had a sleepover knows that when you go to bed, it just means more talking.

"So, Jiaying." Rasmus says in his best impression of a lovestruck girl. "How's David?"

"David's chill." She replies in a dream-like voice that surprisingly sounds like Rasmus'. And I'm waiting to hear about their date, because I want details, but she doesn't say anything.

"Chill?" Henry interjects. "That man is Bowie level gorgeous."

All of us can't help but laugh at Henry's comparison, and he's quick to change the celebrity to one less androgynous, but Jane takes the compliment regardless. She tells us her boyfriend would be attractive no matter the gender, and Henry agrees, prompting the two of them to drag it out into a full conversation. I lay down on my back and look up at the cozy ceiling of the dorm, adoring the way the nighttime light shines peacefully throughout the room as they talk.