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"Now I would like to announce that Hogwarts will be holding another Halloween Ball this year," Dumbledore said from his pedastool at the front of the hall.
Many people cheered, but Caroline groaned quietly. She didn't like parties, or balls...whatever the difference was.
"However," Dumbledore raised his hand for silence, "It will not be our usual costume party, apologies," he glanced towards some sixth year boys on the Gryffindor table who looked upset, apart from Remus Lupin.
Caroline looked again at Lupin, and saw his gaze was elsewhere. Frowning curiously, she followed it. She was surprised to catch the end of a silent exchange between him and Maeve Iverson, a Slytherin in her year. What was going on there? She watched as the blonde smiled softly, a blush coming to her cheeks. Interesting...
"Carrie, you have to come."
Caroline looked up at Eloise, "come where?"
"To the ball, silly!" The blonde exclaimed. "Come on, it'll be fun."
"I don't-"
"You don't do parties, I know, but come onnnnn, pleeease come to this!"
"No."
"Pleeease!"
"Nothing you can say will persuade me."
It turned out that Eloise irritating her best friend for another half an hour proved successful and Caroline gave in. She was going to the ball.
She thought about this as she patrolled the corridor later that evening. What would she wear? Would she have to have a date? If so, would Julian ask her?
Of course he would ask her, that was a stupid thought, they were dating, it was romantic protocol, he loved her. She knew that, despite his mistakes and his flaws, he could never properly hurt her. He was her friend first, and friends didn't hurt each other. Caroline knew that, and she was convinced it was true.
"Pst, Rutherford! Pst! Psst!"
Caroline looked to the end of the corridor. Sirius Black was standing there, a boyish grin playing on his lips. She raised an eyebrow. He, for some reason, took that as invitation to come closer.
"Eeevening," he drawled, coming to stand in front of her.
"Yes, hello, what do you want?"
"What? Can't a guy check up on his favourite Ravenclaw pal?" He asked, gently giving a friendly punch to her shoulder.
"I'm your favourite Ravenclaw?" She asked, putting a hand over the spot he punched.
"Well..." he looked up at the ceiling as if trying to think. "Really I'd say you're second, but that's pretty high up there."
She crossed her arms and pursed her lips in frustration, "who's your first then?"
"My favourite Ravenclaw?"
"Yeah."
"Xenophilius Lovegood."
"Right...why?" She asked.
"Have you talked to the guy? He's brilliant," Sirius assured her, raking a hand through his dark hair, "bonkers, but brilliant."
Caroline nodded, raising her eyebrows but saying nothing. She looked at the floor. What did he really want? She had been trying to think, but now he was here she couldn't think at all. It was as if her mind had clouded up. It was infuriating.
"So..." he began, grinning, fiddling with the sleeves of his robe for a moment before folding his arms decisively. "Who are you going with to the ball?"
She was taken aback. But then she laughed.
"My boyfriend, probably," she said, an amused smile now playing at her lips.
Sirius didn't seem fazed at all.
"Alright alright, I just thought I'd check," he said, still grinning. "Well, if anything changes..."
"Right..." she nodded uncertainly, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you need any company on your evening duties?" He asked, rocking back on his heels and looking at her hopefully.
"No thank you, Sirius," she said, but not unkindly.
"Okay, suit yourself," he said, smiling charmingly, his blue eyes dancing across her face momentarily. "Well, I should be off then...don't want to get another detention..."
He winked then, before turning on his heel and leaving in the opposite direction to which he came.
What a strange boy, Caroline thought.
But then she realised something and cleared her throat, "Gryffindor common room is the other way, Sirius."
"Aw man," he turned round reluctantly, "what if I just want to go on a little evening stroll? Have you seen the stars tonight? They're gorgeous."
"How do you know, have you been outside?"
She leaned her back against the wall as he approached her again.
"There's a window in my dorm, it's not very big, but I can see the sky perfectly from it...at the right angle," he said.
He came to stand beside her this time, and leaned against the hard wall. They stood silently.
"What do you do when you're up here? It must be so boring," he said.
"I...think, sometimes read," she said, leaning her head back and sighing, "but yes, it's incredibly boring."
He laughed shortly, not looking at her but ahead at the opposite stone wall.
"I often wish I was stationed near the Astronomy Tower," she said, this made him look at her. "Then I could sneak up the stairs and look out at the sky."
"I do that all the time," he says. "Just do it, what have you got to lose? Live life on the edge."
"I won't get to being Head Girl by living life on the edge," she said.
"You want to be Head Girl?"
"If I can."
"Why?" He asked.
She sighed and slid down the wall, crossing her feet beneath her. She looked up at him. He looked bemusedly down at her before shrugging and sliding down to sit beside her against the wall, leaving his legs out and crossing his ankles.
"My Dad was Head Boy, so was my brother," she said, "I'd like to do the same."
"But why?" Sirius asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean...why do you personally want to be Head Girl?" He asked. "Without anything about your family. Why do you want it?"
She was silent then. She thought for a second.
"I don't know...I guess I just want to be successful..."
"Everyone does," he said gently. "But there are many ways you can be successful, and they don't have to be the ways that other people have done. D'you get me?"
"Sort of..."
"It's like...you're super smart so you'll be successful, but a Quidditch player might not be smart but super athletic so they'll also be successful. There's not one path to success," Sirius said, "and so whose to say which path you should take?"
She looked at him in surprise, "that was awfully profound."
He waved a hand dismissively, "ahh, I have my moments."
"You're right though."
"I am?"
"Mm," she nodded, "I guess I just always feel like I'm competing with my Dad and Brother's achievements...but there's no point in that because, well..."
"You're different people."
She nodded again.
They sat there beside each other for a few minutes, completely in silence. After a while Sirius began to hum a Beatles song. It was one that Caroline knew. In fact, it was probably one of her favourites: 'When I'm Sixty-Four'. Absently she tapped her leg to the beat, not noticing how he kept looking over at her.
"Hey, Caroline?"
"Yes, Sirius?" She looked at him.
"Wanna live life on the edge yet?" He murmured quietly.
She smiled, taking a moment before saying, "maybe next week."
"Sounds like a plan."
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