I must be dreaming. I force myself to do a double take before acknowledging that the scene unfolding before me is actually real and not happening in my imagination. Sirius Orion Black III is currently seated on a windowsill between Fabian and Gideon Prewett, all three boys laughing their heads off about something unknown to myself. The same Sirius Black that was triggered by my budding friendship with the two. What the bloody hell is going on?
Once the laughter dies down, Sirius excuses himself from the twins as he spots me staring across the corridor. He sprints over with a sheepish grin, managing a quick, "Alright, Holland?"
"Since when did you become so buddy-buddy with the Prewetts?" I raise my eyebrows, still surprised at the unexpected grouping.
"You are completely mental, Chiara. Fabian and Gideon are so much funnier than I am!" Sirius returns his gaze to the twins and they all grin widely at one another.
"Well, so-rry!" I drag out the word with a playful roll of my eyes. "Had I known you've developed a sudden bromance with the twins, I'd have been much more careful about my choice of words. Though, if I do remember things correctly, it was you who needed the reassurance. How did this even happen anyhow?"
"It was all so sudden! There I was strutting the halls of Hogwarts all by my lonesome...when BOOM!" He moves his arms around, gesturing wildly to his words. "Two gingers fly out in front of me and douse me in syrup!" He grins up at the ceiling as if recollecting the moment. "Naturally, I go to berate them on ruining my glorious hair, right? And that's when they take me by complete surprise and start praising me about our pranks. We've been the best of mates ever since."
"Naturally." I giggle. "It really doesn't take much with you, does it?" I ask in amusement.
He raises an eyebrow, his smirk only growing. "You're one to talk, love. They pulled the same thing on you, barring the syrup, and you're keen on them just as well."
I open my mouth, fully prepared to retort further, before snapping my jaw shut just as fast when nary a rebuttal comes to mind. He's right, the compliments were enough to make me like them. But vibe is still a thing I consider. As much as they were seeking my approval, I also found myself seeking theirs.
"Whatever, Onion." I finally settle with saying, causing his eyes to cross in frustration and for him to flail his arms around annoyedly.
"How many times do I have to tell you, it's Orion!"
*
I twirl a strand of my plain brown hair between my fingertips. You know the feeling when you're so tired of your own appearance that you feel the need to change something? Well, that's how I feel right now.
"Marl?" I ask, watching as her blue eyes wander from her magazine to my own pair. She hums in reply, beckoning me to continue, "You know how we learned the colour changing charm in transfig?"
"I happen to." She smirks now, moving to lean her face against the palms of her hands. "Why do you ask?" I simply wiggle my eyebrows suggestively pointing to the top of my head, and that seems to be enough to trigger her excitement. "No way! What colour?!"
"I don't know!" I giggle at her enthusiasm, throwing my arms into the air and slapping them back down against my thighs. "What do you think I'd look good in?"
"Blonde would look really cool with your eyes. Although you could never go wrong with a purple! But pink is so your colour." She exclaims happily clapping her hands together and picking her wand off her bedside table. "How much hair do you wanna do?"
"I was thinking streaks?" I suggest with a nonchalant shrug of my shoulders.
"May I do the honours, madame?" Marlene asks in a posh British accent.
"But of course, my leige!" I curtsy jokingly, tugging at my uniform skirt for extra flare.
Marlene parts my hair into sections and with a smooth swish of her wand, she mutters the incantation, "Colovaria!" I almost immediately feel a slight tingling sensation on my scalp and the once brown colour seeps into a bright pink. Once Marlene finishes with the other strands, she steps back to admire her work. "Oh merlin, Chiara! You look so punk rock!" She gasps, holding her hands up to her cheeks and cooing other adoring words at me.
"Let me see!" I push myself from my place on her bed and run towards the full-body mirror. My eyes widen and my lips part in surprise. She's not wrong about the punk rock comment. I watch as my reflection mimics every move I make. The girl in the mirror has big gold doe-like eyes, ones almost shimmering in the soft lighting of the room. Her hair is split into a pattern of dark brown and fuchsia, cascading down to her back in waves and curls that end just below her shoulders. As she smiles, one big dimple indents each of her lightly freckle-dusted cheeks and her small button nose scrunches up in delight.
Marlene moves to stand behind me, towering above me, having no trouble looking into the mirror over my tiny figure. "What do you think?" She asks, confidence oozing from her stance and tone.
"I love it!" I flip around and clasp my hand in hers. "Let's go walk around the school to show off my new hair!" I say, passionate about my new do.
Hand in hand, Marlene and I swagger about the corridors, shaking our hips in exaggerated movements and giggling wildly at nothing at all. I send winks and blow kisses towards anyone who manages to catch my eye. My eyes get caught up in a certain pair, a pair of familiar grey ones. The boys bound in our direction and Marlene and I giggle once more when she whispers, "Oops, looks like your boyfriends caught you cheating on them with me."
"Keeks! You look positively spiffing." James comments, twisting my hair in his fingers curiously. "I love what you've done with your hair!"
"Thanks, Jamesie-poo! Marlene can even do yours if you'd like!" I suggest with a hopeful smile.
"Oh Merlin! Oh please McKinnon, would you?" James asks, his eyes filling to the brim with excitement. "Do mine in stripes like Keeks!"
Remus grins from beside James. "Keeks can pull it off, James on the other hand..." He trails off, shaking his head from side to side in fake disapproval.
"Oi! Don't be rude!" James pouts. "Keeks and I possess of similar physical appearances –"
"You almost make it too easy. There are so many ways I could go with that one." Remus says with mirth, tapping his chin as if in thought. "Let's start with the fact that you basically called yourself a female."
"I – oh just shove it up yours, Remus James Lupin!" James shouts.
"Remus John Lupin." He corrects.
"Awe, but Remus James Lupin sounds so much better!" James argues.
"Alright!" Marlene interrupts loudly. "Potter, are we doing this or what?" Marlene laughs, moving to stand in front of the eager boy to perform the charm.
I look to Sirius who's been abnormally silent since he arrived. I find him staring at me with his mouth gaping open like a fish. "You look gorgeous." Sirius chokes out when he notices me looking, his voice wavering into a high-pitched girly squeal provoking him to blush feverishly. Also arousing sniggers from James and Remus from either side of me. I roughly nudge them each in the arms, silencing their laughter.
"Why thank you, Sirius. You always look gorgeous." I reply shyly avoiding my eyes from his, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my robes with the single purpose of having something to do.
Marlene snorts from behind us, obviously having heard everything. "There we are, Potter. You're finito."
"Do I look as gorgeous as Keeks?" James asks Sirius, batting his eyelashes in exaggerated movements and clutching his hands together in front of him.
"Not even a smidgen." Sirius replies with a newfound confidence, causing James' whole flirtatious charade to dissipate, replaced by a scowl.
"Now that's just plain mean. Bullying, some might even say! Pete, back me up here." James moves to stand beside the stout boy who has clearly not been paying attention to any of the commotion happening around as he looks around like a deer caught in headlights. "I am hereby backing James up." Peter unsurely states.
"Right then! Chiara and I actually have somewhere to be, she'll see you four later!" She pulls me away by my arm as I wave at the boys, running with Marlene down a corridor and disappearing down another. As soon as we round the corner, Marlene flips on me. "Okay, woah there, Unicorn, I didn't know you fancied Black!"
My heart stops and I hold my breath. "I-I don't!"
She raises both of her brows as if saying yeah, sure and crosses her arms over her chest. "You always look gorgeous." She repeats in an overly breathy voice.
I glare daggers at her as she laughs heartily. "Whatever, Marlene. I don't remember saying that anyhow..." Well that's a blatant lie, I know what I said.
"Honey, you said it." She counters, her smirk only spreading wider at my denial.
"Did not. And so what? Can't I compliment my best friend on his good looks?"
The edges of her mouth lift into a smile. "Unicorn, you're absolutely precious, you know that? You and Black both. Just precious."
"What are we talking about?" A new voice joins, startling me with a jump and yelp. I turn towards this mysterious new voice and find Dorcas standing beside me with a bright smile. Marlene opens her big mouth to expose me, though before she could begin to utter a single word, I yell, "The weather! Raining, I think. Why don't we go see?" I link my arms in both girl's and lead them off, changing the subject as I do.
*
The wind wizzes past as I run for my life, my legs moving full-speed ahead. I twist my neck around to get a better look behind me as I go. I spot James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all chasing after me. Their longer legs being used to their advantage as they get nearer with every passing second.
I swerve into the Forbidden Forest leaving a trail of evil laughs behind me. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that we're playing a very intense Muggle game known as tag. I'm not sure if we're playing it right but it's all about having a good time so who really cares.
I hadn't realized how far we'd run in until my eye catches on the most beautiful sight, a creature I'd only heard about disappearing behind a nearby bush. My distraction plays to my disadvantage when my foot catches on an overgrown twig and I trip, falling into a heap on the ground and scraping my bare knee in the process. "Merlin's saggy underpants!"
"Chiara!" I hear James wail in concern from behind me, along with an, "Are you okay?" courtesy of Sirius.
Remus appears at my side first, helping me up by wrapping a caring arm around me and lifting me with ease. "Does it hurt too badly?" He asks, his eyes round with worry.
"Never mind that! I just saw the most amazing thing that you won't believe! Beyond that bush." I declare when the other boys finally stumble towards us, pointing a finger in the direction of the creature. We huddle in a group and move together towards said bush. Peter pushes some leaves aside creating a clear view of the magnificent beast.
In front of our eyes stands a majestic unicorn. One with a pure white coat of hair and golden hooves, a single horn sticking out of it's head. It's dark eyes find us and we all freeze. "No one move a muscle." Sirius says through his teeth. We would've passed undetected that is until Peter Pettigrew, being ever the clumsiest person, takes an awful tumble through the bush falling flat onto his face. He startles the poor creature and it gallops a little ways away from us. "Ouch." Peter groans, rubbing his head.
"So much for that plan." James tuts with a laugh, moving to help Peter up.
"I want to touch it!" I make to move towards the beast once more until Sirius grabs my wrist and pulls me back.
I stare at him in confusion. "You can't just go up to a wild unicorn! What if it eats you!" He screams, his grip tightening around my wrist.
"Remus, will it eat me?" I ask the human encyclopedia.
"No," He chuckles cordially. "it won't eat you. Unicorns are friendly beasts, particularly to witches and wizards. Actually, Chiara would be the best choice of all of us to go up and pet it. See, adult unicorns like that one typically feel more comfortable around the touch of a woman." He stops speaking upon catching sight of our gawking stares. "What?"
"Bless you and your useless knowledge, you beautiful beautiful chocolate-loving freak." James pats Remus on the back, all of us laughing harmoniously.