The Clockwork Locket || SIRIUS BLACK

The Alliance

Alice shook Cassie awake a little before one in the morning. Cassie grunted into her pillow, trying to escape the insistent hand, but bolted upright when said hand prodded her painfully in the side. She glared at Alice.

"Could you be any gentler?" she asked, rubbing under her rib where she'd been poked. All she saw was the outline of Alice's smile in the dark.

"No," she replied sweetly. Cassie scowled as the shadow that was Alice moved toward the dormitory door.

"Remember, 1:13," Alice whispered before exiting the dormitory. Cassie grumbled inaudibly to herself, moving as quietly as she could as not to disturb Lily and Marlene.

She pulled on a pair of Muggle trousers and laced up the worn trainers she'd had since the beginning of last year, vowing to buy new ones soon if she could escape the ever-watchful eyes of her parents. She'd always preferred Muggle fashion (finding it much more practical), and though her mother was more lenient when it came to it, she knew her father would likely have a stroke if he saw her in anything other than wizard robes. But Hogwarts was the one place where she could wear anything she liked, and – suddenly feeling very rebellious – she crept out of the dormitory and stole downstairs, meeting Alice in the common room.

The brunette witch bounced nervously on the balls of her feet when Cassie approached. Her short hair was piled into a messy bun on top of her head, but her eyes were bright with excitement.

"So, I've been thinking about the hint," she said, waving the slip of parchment in her hand. "And that line about the Hufflepuffs has to be important, right? So I think the kitchens are close to the Hufflepuff common room."

"Where even is that?" Cassie asked, stifling a yawn.

"I think it's a basement sort of thing, below the Great Hall," she said. "I've seen Hufflepuffs going to and fro after meals; there's a staircase they always come from, but I don't think it's a dungeon, like the Slytherins'."

"If that's our only lead, then we should get going," Cassie said. "I'd rather not run into Filch tonight – or anyone else, for that matter."

Alice nodded, checking her watch. "It's 1:13. Let's go."

Despite her initial reluctance, a thrill of adrenaline coursed through Cassie at the thought of sneaking out of the common room after hours for the first time. She followed Alice out of the portrait hole, creeping as quietly as they could as not to notify the Fat Lady, who dozed contentedly in her frame.

The two girls snuck around a corner before Cassie uttered, "Lumos." The tip of her wand illuminated with a bright white light, bathing the corridor in a ghostly glow. She jerked her head toward the moving staircases.

"C'mon," she whispered. They started for the staircases, unaware that the Fat Lady's portrait had swung open once more behind them – though if one had looked, they would not have been able to see anything emerge save for a glimpse of a trainer belonging to Peter Pettigrew.

"Peter!" James whispered harshly when the blond boy tripped coming out of the portrait hole.

Peter glared at the admonishment. "'S not my fault you lot are giants compared to me!" he hissed, readjusting the edge of the cloak covering him so his feet were partially hidden. This proved to be more difficult than it had been in the past, however, as James, Sirius, and Remus seemed to have grown a head each over the summer. They could barely fit under James's Invisibility Cloak now.

"Stuff it, midget," Sirius said, blowing a piece of hair out of his mouth as they followed the retreating backs of the two girls ahead of them. "They're going to hear you."

Peter huffed in annoyance, though he didn't comment further as they turned the corner, Cassie Alderfair's wand lighting the way as the girls began to descend the trick staircases.