MAGNOLIA ↠ S. BLACK

EIGHT

Halloween arrived at Hogwarts just a week after Magnolia's first date with Sirius. The two had only briefly seen each other during Potions, where much of the class was spent flirting and gazing longingly at one another.

Sirius could not get Magnolia out of his head. He woke up thinking about her freckled cheeks and dimpled smile, and fell asleep dreaming of her cherry lip balm that constantly adorned her soft lips. Even his best friends had began to realize just how hard he was falling for the enigmatic Magnolia.

"Padfoot, I'm pretty sure Magnolia isn't going to just magically appear in your coffee mug," Remus remarked on Halloween morning as the group of Gryffindors were seated in the Great Hall. Jack O' Lanterns, orange and black streamers, and even live bats marked the celebration of the holiday. Giant silver goblets full of candy sat on each house table, which many students were taking full advantage of.

"You never know," shrugged James optimistically, piling multiple sausages on top of his toast.

Sirius rolled his eyes at the two before settling his gaze on the Hufflepuff table, anxiously awaiting Magnolia to fill her vacant seat. His eyes caught onto a flash of red entering the hall, and he watched as she fluttered into the room alongside her Hufflepuff friends.

"Mags, Sirius is totally staring at you," Amelia snickered as they pass by a giant goblet of Cockroach Clusters. Hestia wasted no time in shoving a manicured hand inside and grabbing as much candy as she could carry as they sat down.

"He is not," blushed Magnolia as she settled into her usual spot, which conveniently had a perfect view of Sirius. He looked effortlessly handsome today, with his messy dark locks and white uniform top (with two buttons undone, of course).

Sirius couldn't help but nearly spit out his coffee as Magnolia tossed her curtain of fiery hair over her shoulder. He's glad nobody is watching him as he nearly drools over her smile.

"I bloody love Halloween," Hestia retorted, shoving a few pieces of candy into her mouth.

"We know," replied Alice, and Magnolia quickly flashed back to how the girls spent last year's Halloween plastered in their dorm.

"Who's throwing the Halloween party tonight?" asked Magnolia curiously, tearing her gaze off of Sirius.

"Who do you think?" gasped Amelia. "Your lover boy and his friends, of course!"

At that moment, owls began pouring into the Great Hall. It's a marvelous sight, and Magnolia can't help but stop and stare as they flutter around the room, dodging bats and streamers.  Suddenly, she spotted the Prewett family owl, Juniper, diving straight toward her. The grey and brown speckled bird landed hastily on the table, dropping a letter before the Prewett girl.

Magnolia grabs a piece of toast before ripping a piece off for the owl to nibble on while eagerly turning to her letter. She skims over who it's from, and is delighted to hear from Molly. The letter is brief, but sweet and full of surprise.

"Oh my Merlin!" exclaimed Magnolia happily. "Molly's pregnant!"

"Again?!" repeated Amelia in shock.

"That poor, poor, woman," commented Hestia.

"That's so cute," Alice sighed dreamily. "I want a big family like hers someday,"

All of a sudden, Magnolia jumped to her feet,  rushing over to the Gryffindor table to spread the news. Sirius watched as she hurried over, secretly hoping she'd run right into his arms.

"Hey! You two!" called Magnolia as she halted in front of her twin brothers, Fabian and Gideon. They two red-haired boys look up at her with confused expressions upon their faces.