NOX° SIRIUS BLACK

Chapter Sixty-Five

       Calypso managed to send out several letters to various people who might have information on her grandmother's relationship with Voldemort before she boarded the train to Hogwarts for her final year. She met up with the other Prefects in the prefects' carriage and patiently awaited the start of their meeting. Remus sat beside her, his brows pulled together as he exchanged nervous glances with the other Prefects; Lily was seated in the middle, a look of irritation on her face as they waited for their final member to join them.

        Lily's gaze turned to the ceiling, as though saying a small prayer to keep her from doing something she'd regret before she let out a deep, exasperated breath.

         "Since it doesn't seem as though our Head Boy will be joining us —" Lily's voice was interrupted by the door to the compartment sliding open rather harshly. James Potter barreled into the empty seat beside Lily, breathing heavily as he ran his fingers through his mess of hair in a desperate attempt to appear presentable. His glasses, which sat crookedly on his nose, were straightened and James let out a sigh of relief before turning to Remus and Calypso with a smile on his face.

         "I'm here!" James cheered loudly, causing Lily and one of the Slytherin prefects to jerk from the noise. James flashed them a smile, looking bashful as he remembered that they were surrounded by other people. Calypso gave James a small smile, hoping to offer him some reassurance. "So — er — how do these things normally go?"

          "You know," The Gryffindor boy Prefect — Goldstein — started from beside Alice, who had been named Prefect in Lily's place. "I wasn't aware Head Boy could be a student who wasn't previously a Prefect. Or someone who doesn't at least make top marks."

         Calypso recoiled in surprise at the not-so-subtle digs towards her friend. She turned to James, waiting for him to say a clever retort but was shocked to find his gaze directed to the floor. His head hung in shame, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink that made Calypso's chest tighten at the sight. She opened her mouth, ready to retaliate until someone beat her to it.

        "Actually, there are no rules that state Head Boy or Girl has to be chosen out of the Prefects. While it's true that a lot of the time they are students who have held that position, Headmasters have strayed from this precedent before — case in point." Lily motioned to James as she spoke, who blinked at her in awe at the fact that she was standing up for him. "Now, there's no point in questioning Dumbledore's decision. He's wiser than all of us combined and jealousy certainly won't help any of us fulfill our duties."

          Had it not been for the coldness of her tone and the way her eyes had narrowed into slits, Calypso wouldn't have thought she was bothered by Goldstein's comment at all. Calypso exchanged a glance at Remus, who was smiling that someone had stood up for their friend.

          "And, for your information," Lily began once more, "James received higher marks last term than almost all of the people in this room."

          Calypso couldn't hide her surprise.

          Was that true?

          She turned to James, a question in her eyes, but he was too busy staring at Lily. An almost imperceptible smirk had appeared on his face.

          "How do you know that, Evans?" James asked. It was Lily's turn to appear embarrassed, but she raised her chin in the air proudly.

         "I asked Dumbledore," She admitted through gritted teeth before letting out another one of her exasperated sighs. "Now, if we could please get to the tasks at hand."

            Calypso forced herself to hide her surprise as Lily quickly changed the subject and led their meeting. James was quiet for the most part — only occasionally chiming in to ask questions — and when the meeting finished, he waited in the hall for Calypso and Remus. A wide smile was on his face as they approached him, which Remus and Calypso mirrored.