On the four House tables laid the most delicious foods and drinks, full of richness and flavour. Marlene had indulged, eating more than what Maiara had thought to be possible in a singular sitting, though the Brazilian witch herself had eaten much past her own expectations. As the lovely dinner had been replaced by the desserts, Marlene momentarily groaned from beside Maiara, before she caught sight of her favoured profiteroles. Small pieces of parchment discreetly flew onto multiple students' laps, at the seeming request of a 7th year Hufflepuff. Having been familiar with the meaning behind the message, Maiara softly frowned upon the news that would be soon revealed. Like herself, the note had also been delivered to her roommates, as Mary began reading out the contents of the parchment to the five of them, though Maiara caught sight of some surrounding students listening in to her speaking.
"Dear Students! As some of you may be aware, Sunday the 30th of March is the vernal equinox. As 6th and 7th years, we invite you to celebrate the start of a new astrological year with our annual party." Many students cheered, careful to keep it amongst themselves, though Maiara was certain that many of the staff merely chose to ignore the happenings in that moment. Though, undeniably, she had also grown excited at the thought of a celebration, given the past weeks had been quite tiresome and uneventful. With a beaming smile graving her features, Mary began speaking even softer, as she finished announcing the timing and location of the upcoming celebration.
"Oh, jolly!" Alice exclaimed, as Frank Longbottom let out a hearty laugh at the sight of her chocolate covered mouth, from his seat beside her. The wizard softly wiped the loud witch's mouth, as she had been completely oblivious to the napkin he had been offering, at which she blushed a deep red. "Girls, we must go shopping for our dresses and jewellery! What colour would you reckon could compliment my features?"
"I believe a red dress would look absolutely stunning on you," Lily spoke up fondly, as she smiled softly at her friend, the remainder of the girls agreeing animatedly. Alice truly looked good in the colour red, her House colours having always flawlessly enhanced her beauty. Appealing to the idea, the light haired witch smiled brightly and turned to excitedly talk about the upcoming party to Frank. The young wizard adoringly gazed at her, seemingly unbothered by the fact that Alice hadn't slowed down her speech for a multitude of minutes, as he was genuinely invested in her thoughts. The sight brought warmth to Maiara, and it didn't go unseen by her surrounding friends, as Marlene nudged Mary in the side and kicked Lily under the table. The four girls softly giggled at the lovestruck Frank, and unknowing Alice, before turning away to resume their separate conversation.
Maiara couldn't help but tune out all noise surrounding her, as a searing pain shot in her head. The pain was crushing her and came in a pattern, as it hit her in apparent waves. The sensation made her want to pace about, feeling as though she would burst if she were to remain seated for just another millisecond. Her eyes began watering, ever so slightly, as her nose started to mildly run. She was suddenly blinded with with flashing colourful spots and found herself craving the darkness she generally loathed, and internally begged for stillness and quiet, as the sudden sense of nausea drained her of all her strength. At the sound of the discordant clang of the empty goblet that had fallen out of her clutch, Maiara regained her composure and the searing pain soothed. She found herself panting softly, as she tried to regulate her breathing as discreetly as she could, and sent her friends a reassuring smile. Marlene reached under the bench to pick up the goblet, oblivious to the reasoning behind why it had been dropped, before returning to her chatter with Mary and Lily.
Despite having tried to stay apart of the conversation, Maiara was left with the feeling of uneasiness, as her senses stayed alert. She darted her eyes around the Great Hall nervously, as she hopelessly tried to find the cause of her searing pain, but only found herself momentarily locking her gaze with Edmund Salvatore. The unfortunate contact with her previous boyfriend brought only more discomfort to the witch, and she was dauntingly reminded that he would also most likely attend the party later that month. Quickly averting her gaze, a grimace taking form in her features, Maiara tried to take a couple of calming breaths, but failed as the anxiety that had started in the pit of her stomach had begun to rise. Absentmindedly, Marlene's fingers found her way to Maiara's, as she unconsciously played with her friend's hand and allowed the tense witch was able to find a sense of comfort. The mere acts of fiddling and absentminded affection had been enough support for Maiara to soothe her nerves and give her tranquility, as she eased back into a conversation with her friends.
Maiara's breathing grew staggeringly rapid, as a look of fear etched itself into her features. Her hands gripped onto the sheets of her four-poster bed, causing her knuckles to whiten and for her fingers to cramp — though she paid the discomfort no mind in her sleeping state. Cold sweat has enveloped her entirely, as she finally awoke herself as a result of a harsh shiver. Panting heavily, her crystalline eyes widened and rashly analysed her surroundings, as though she was expecting an ill-fated presence to approach her.
Much to her misfortune, Maiara wasn't unfamiliar to her behaviour, as negativity and horrors had tainted her dreams very frequently in the months leading up to her sixth year. As earlier that day, uneasiness clouded her emotions, and the witch couldn't stop herself from thinking back upon her late mother and the similar behaviour between them. Undeniably, nightmares and sudden migraines were very common with Selena Woodson, though she would often blame it on the stress of work and living away from her family. The unnerving feeling of correlation and similarity made the young witch grow timid. Nevertheless, Maiara preferred to spend her sleepless nights in the comfort of her personal presence without the burdening of others. So, as she had found it to unwilling become a routine, Maiara cautiously made her way to the Gryffindor Common Room, seeking the warmth of the grand fireplace that lit up the room in the early hours of the morning.
Softly treading down the stone steps, which lead the Woodson witch down to the main Common Room, Maiara tightly wrapped her knit cardigan around her. The early hours on a winter day were ruthless in Scotland, and so the shivers that came with the freezing temperatures were inevitable until she reached her desired destination beside the fireplace. Despite loving the home in which she resided during school breaks, alongside her father, the Gryffindor Common Room brought about a different sense of comfort and security — though, many peers argued that the Hufflepuff Basement was beyond the heartwarming comfort the Gryffindor Tower could ever provide. The large circular room was vacant, as students slept comfortably or remained tucked in the warmth of their dormitories. A few bookcases lined the tall walls of the tower, alongside an array of scarlet tapestries, which depicted various animals and people. However, contrary to her expectations, amongst the vacant chairs and remainder of the room, Maiara caught sight of a brooding figure on one of the many squashy armchairs. He had his back turned towards the stairs, and had yet to take notice of the witches' arrival, but his identity was easily recognisable. Albeit, without his confidence and liveliness, Sirius Black seemed much more reserved than often associated with his name.
"I'd reckon a picture would last longer, Woodson." Sirius softly enquired, startling Maiara with the realisation that he had in fact noticed her presence. "Though, I can't blame you for your ogling. I'm known to have that effect on people,"
Maiara only scoffed softly, still taken aback at the lack of enthusiasm behind his words, though the mischief was evident in his tone. Truthfully, the witch grew slightly concerned at the sight of his dimmed mood and the gaunt expression on his face, his eyes and cheeks having seemingly sunken. Despite his hollow face and steely eyes, robbed of their usual frolicsome sparkle, the light of the burning fire managed to only add to his enthralling beauty. Maiara was adamant to not feed his ego, but she was above blatantly ignoring the given truth. Sirius Black was devilishly handsome, and Maiara hated that he had the ability to as such in the ungodliest times of the morning.
"Don't let your mind wander, Black" Maiara spoke nonchalantly, seating herself across him. He sat up straighter, as to regain his composure and honour his reputation, though his eyes couldn't be concealed of their true emotion. He let a smirk play on his lips, as he turned his head to observe her curiously. "I'm afraid it'll get lost,"
"Hilarious!" He drawled, his voice void of any genuine humoured amusement. "To what do I owe this honour?"
"I should be asking you that, would've presumed you to be taking up all the beauty sleep you could get. A knut for your thoughts?"
"I'm not sure you're prepared for the workings of a mastermind to be unleashed," Sirius quipped, amusement lacing his words, as Maiara softly threw a pillow at his frame. She noticed that he had still been dressed in his day robes, having yet to change for the night, but decided to refrain from commenting. However, the corner of a small piece of parchment caught her eyes, as it stuck out of his pocket. Of course, he had been invited to the Vernal Equinox Party as a 6th year, but Maiara remembered that he had been one of the few other than herself to have attended the party as a 5th year in the previous spring. The thought of the upcoming party only brought more stress upon the witch, as she groaned at the thought. All forms of excitement for the celebration had been washed away at the realisation that she would have to face Edmund and all his friends at the party, after he had split up with her.
Edmund Salvatore. He was perhaps the only boy that could ever match the Marauder's name in adoration and blind infatuation, as he had earned himself the title of being Hogwarts' Golden Boy. He was the almighty Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, in the year above Maiara, and as the majority of the student body, she had fallen for his enamouring charms. The feelings of pure joviality and happiness when the young wizard had returned the affection in the beginning of her 5th year had remained unmatched, as it had made her feel like she was on top of the world. She was absolutely blinded by him, unable to see anything else but the adoration that she felt for him and received. Truly, they were seen as the perfect pair, the golden couple, before they had began to rust. The gold plating of their relationship had began to dissolve, as it appeared that they were rather a couple of aged steel. Edmund was attracted to Maiara only for her benefits to his appearance, because they undeniably looked marvellous together. But, she couldn't see beyond her white infatuation, as Maiara had missed the begin of wandering in his eyes and the desire to flee all conversations and interactions. And so, the waves that had been building up, unbeknownst to Maiara, had seemingly crashed out of the blue when he became entrenched and drowned her in words of pure rage and struck at her naivety and innocence.
Maiara had been left to deal with the aftershocks of his hurricane, and was pushed to pick of the pieces he had broke her to be, as he eased back into his life without a single altercation. He remained unfazed and untouched, as she was pitied for her immature beliefs and hopes. Though, what had struck a final cord and made Maiara snap was her sighting of him on Valentine's weekend, as he was caught all but devouring the face of Merida Forbes in Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop. At the sight, the Brazilian witch grew enraged, but only at herself for having been foolish enough to have expected otherwise. Merida was true gold, and she had definitely caught the eye of Edmund far before he had broken up with Maiara, though he would often assure her that they were merely friends who studied together. But, it seemed that they studied each other on a far deeper level than any Hogwarts textbook available. Maiara's initial reaction to having caught the Ravenclaw pair was to overstuff herself with chocolates (resulting in the pitiful mess that poor Remus was left to deal with) but since then she had made it her absolute goal to overstep him, and find her way to the top of the world without Edmund Bloody Salvatore.
Heaving out a final sigh, a soft snore had dragged Maiara out of her raging train of thought, as her attention was redirected to Sirius. In the comfortable silence between them, she had managed to disassociate herself from their environment, and consequently left Sirius to his own thoughts and the occasional cursing of Edmund's name that left Maiara's lips. In the midst of her internal conflict and the crackling fire, the young wizard had finally found the peace to fall in a secured and easy slumber. Maiara presumed she had bored him with her presence and that the early hours of the day had finally caught up to him. However, it was her artless company that had allowed Sirius to fall asleep, as her presence alone was able to distract him from the own raging thoughts that troubled his conscience. And so, feeling sympathy tug at her heart, Maiara draped a blanket of his resting figure and busied herself with one of the many books in the Common Room for what remainded of the early morning.
NOTE
omfg i'm so sorry for this dump of a filler chapter, but it covered some topics that ware vital for the plot of this book. so i'm happy i got some backstory out of the way, with a little bit of sirius action!
thank you for reading <3