✓ | MISCHIEF MANAGED | James Potter V.S. Sirius Black

22 : Vanilla Twilight

     Her jaw dropped — he was reading the book she was looking for.

     Scrunching her nose up lightly, Catherine made her way to the next shelf to see one of the workers dusting some books. "Pardon me — " she cleared her throat politely as the woman spun around, " — do you have another copy of When Death Loved Life?"

     The woman told her to wait a second, disappearing to probably find one before coming back to tell her that they only had one copy which was the one the boy was reading. Huffing under her breath, Catherine passed the shelf again as she narrowed her eyes at the boy who was reading. "I swear he smirked," she grumbled under her breath before grabbing a random book off the shelf.

     She walked to the front desk, laying her book on the counter as a girl behind it told her the price. Slightly upset she wouldn't get to have the book she wanted, Catherine dug some Galleons out from her purse and reached over to hand her the money only to be stopped by an arm outstretching. There was a book in the person's hands and Catherine slowly followed her eyes from the arm and to the person holding it.

     It was the boy from earlier with the deep blue eyes. He was grinning lightly as he told the employee, "Here, add this to her purchase as well. And use this as payment instead." He handed over some Galleons and before Catherine could even say anything, the two books were already bought.

     Catherine just blinked stupidly, all words dying in her throat as the boy placed the parcel that contained the book she really wanted and a book she didn't even like in her hands.

     The boy cocked his head lightly to the side as he smiled. "I saw you finding for that book earlier."

     Catherine shrugged, hoping that he hadn't heard her cursing. "It was nothing— "

     "And I also heard some very interesting things you said about me." He smirked, humour in his eyes.

     Catherine flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry about that. I was just a bit huffy."

     The boy chuckled, waving her off good-naturedly as the pair took a seat in the reading area. "Don't worry about it, it was amusing."

     Catherine crossed her legs and looked at the parcel in her hands before looking back up at the cheeky boy. "Listen, thank you for the book. Well, books."

      "My pleasure," he replied.

     "My name's Catherine Valentine," she told him with a grin, outstretching a hand to him.

     "Alexander Williamson." He shook her hand as a slight look of recognition crossed him. "Valentine?"

     "Yeah," she replied. "Where do you go to school?"

     "Durmstrang," he said.

      "Do you know Kasimir Valentine? He's my— "

     "Brother." He smiled and nodded. "I know."

     "Are you two friends?" Though Catherine was quite close with her brother, she didn't really question his circle of friends much. He didn't pester her about her friends, so she didn't stick her nose in his business as well.

     Alexander laughed. "We've been best mates since second year."

     Catherine joined him in laughter, rather surprised that they had met like this. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by someone's knuckles rapping against the window next to them. The two of them turned in unison to find Kasimir beckoning Alexander to come out when his eyes drifted to Catherine. Kasi blinked, slightly startled but he grinned obnoxiously and waved frantically at his sister.