My Marauders // J.P. , R.L. , S.B x OC

Ch. 11, Midnight Revelations

As Calliope stepped into the Ravenclaw common room, she practically melted, trying to comprehend everything that had just occurred with Sirius. He had never been so physical with her before. Their entire lives, it had felt like Calliope was off limits to him—he hadn't done more than hug her. Calliope had been led to believe he saw her as one of the Marauders, like James or Peter. Had he treated all of his girls like this? Was that what this was? He must have just been nice...

Calliope's thoughts were abruptly silenced by a loud cough followed by the clearing of a throat echoing from the depths of the common room. Curiosity piqued, she stepped further inside, the noise drawing her in. "Hello?" she called out, her voice tentative as she waited for a response.

A response is what she got, a deep– an obviously feigned– voice called out, "Why I've been expecting you..."

"Merlin's beard," Calliope muttered, pulling out her wand and casting Lumos. Her wand glowed brightly, illuminating the unusually dim room. "Who's there?" she asked, her tone curious rather than fearful.

"Come closer, child," the voice beckoned from behind a velvet blue chair. The chair was turned to face the wall, concealing the identity of the person behind it.

Calliope stepped forward, her wand lighting up the path ahead. She circled the chair, her curiosity piqued. As she moved in front of it, the light from her wand revealed a familiar face.

"Cass," she laughed, "You've got to get better at being scary, or was that supposed to be intimidating?"

Cassandra chuckled. "I think I did a pretty good job," she admitted, shrugging with a confident grin, even though her attempt to startle Calliope had fallen flat. "Unfortunately, I had done that to nearly three other people before you walked in. Talk about embarrassing."

She stood up from the chair, her playful demeanor evident despite the failed scare tactic. She clapped her hands three times, activating the lights to all turn on, as well as the fireplace that slowly began to relight itself.

"Can we go to our room or do you have someone else to try to scare?" Calliope asks, shaking her head at the girl's antics.

Cassandra nods, "Let's go, you've got some explainin' to do, young lady." She wags her finger at the unamused girl next to her.

"Wha–" Calliope begins before being interrupted by Cassandra.

"Save it for the room!"

The walk to their dorm was filled with Cassandra's playful teasing. She concocted a series of outlandish explanations for Calliope's delay in sharing her day's adventures. Among the most ridiculous were: encountering a boggart in Filch's broom closet, accidentally stumbling into the Forbidden Forest and running into a unicorn only to be chased by its protective centaur, and even having a date with Dumbledore.

They entered the room, and Cassandra immediately kicked off her polished black shoes, tossing them carelessly beside her bed. She flopped down on the royal blue shag carpet, patting the thick fibers impatiently, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she waited for Calliope to explain herself finally.

"One second," Calliope mumbles, heading to her trunk to gather her pajamas. She pulls out polka-dot shorts and an oversized Grateful Dead t-shirt she had secretly taken from her dad and smuggled into her trunk. To complete her ensemble, she adds a pair of Christmas-themed fuzzy socks adorned with pine trees and colorful lights.

With a sigh, she closes her trunk with a thud and steps behind the room divider to quickly change into her clothes. "Please hurry, I'm dying over here," Cassandra shouts across the small room.

"Be patient!" Calliope yells back, her voice slightly muffled as she unbuttons her collared shirt.

Cass rolls her eyes, "I've been patient all night, waiting for you to come back. Come on, hop to!"