Mischief Managed

19: Spring is Done

I want to tell you everything. I want to talk to you for hours- I want to wrap my arms around you and never let go.

But I can't do any of those things.

❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

I tried to pull Sirius aside several times that day. The first time, I'd been walking several paces behind him when I spotted Sirius striding next to James and called his name three times. His head hadn't moved an inch, no matter how much I willed it to.

Then, at lunch, he had left the Great Hall earlier than anyone else, before I even thought about trying to talk to him again. I thought that I'd at least corner him after dinner, in the Common Room, but no- he and James had both mysteriously disappeared around 8:00 p.m.

I fell asleep that night with an uneasy mind. I kept tossing one question back and forth in my head, but every time I would reach a conclusion, a voice in my head would tell me no, you're wrong.

When I finally did manage to succumb to fatigue, I was pulled from reality straight into a dream.

At first all I saw was darkness. Then came a voice, a light, meadowy voice that would belong in a fairytale.

"Once upon a time," the voice began, "There was a beautiful place."

The darkness around me began to ripple, the black spilling over in bright reds, greens, and blues. My feet landed on hardened stones, and creamy, antiqued buildings sprouted several feet from my arms.

"This place," the voice explained, "Was not a castle, but a city. A lovely city filled with cobblestone streets-"

A cobblestoned road folded out in front of me, stretching far ahead until turning down smaller streets.

"and well-dressed, smiling people."

Suddenly, I was no longer alone. My shoulders were jostled, in a friendly way, and the street was filled with the sounds of laughter. People passed in fashionable dresses and casual suits, and I looked down at myself, expecting to find my pathetic set of pajamas. To my surprise, I fit in with everyone else- I was dressed in a light, summery dress that hung off straps on my shoulder and had a full white skirt spotted with pink and red flowers.

"A princess walks the street among the common people."

I scanned the crowd, searching for a beautiful woman in a flowing pink dress, maybe with a diamond crown atop her head. But I couldn't find her; no one in particular stood out in the crowd.

The voice sighed a little, as if it had expected me to pass her over. "No one notices her fair face, her sunshine hair. Instead, they admire the delicate curve of the buildings, the wrought-iron beauty of the balconies, the lively restaurants around the corner, and, of course the sky above them that was painted a blue deeper than the waters of Greece."

My gaze followed the voice's words, and my jaw dropped with un-contained wonder as the beauty of this city and its people soaked through my skin and flooded my heart.

"No one sees the princess," the voice said, its tone almost amused, as if it were scornful of the foolishness of us humans.

"No one," the voice said. "Save for her prince."

Then, I saw them- I saw the prince walking just ahead of me. He strode beside the princess, his skin tan and his muscles bulging from his black princely shirt.

I couldn't see the princess' face. She was wearing a short green dress, and her blonde hair was piled in a braid atop her head. She must have been stunning, I was sure, but no one gave her a second glance except her prince striding beside her.