Chapter 8

I

It was the worst week Cassandra ever had in Hogwarts. Ever since she turned Sirius down, she moped around. It was a battle between her head and heart, and this time her head won; she decided to continue with Ewan. Sure, Sirius was damn handsome but his reputation scared her. He was hilarious, clever, kind and deep down a true gentleman. She dreamed about their incident in the prefects' bathroom frequently. She pictured his lips on hers and shuddered; she knew Ewan didn't make her react like that.

Sirius had cut all ties with her; he refused to talk to her after she refused to break up with Ewan. His ego was injured – How dare did she say no to him? This was a first for him. His heart was suffering – he truly had feelings for her. He too thought about the bathroom incident and became aroused imagining her figure under the bubbles. During the week he talked to Patricia, his date to the dance, and told her that he can't take her. She slapped him and screamed furiously at him. He honestly didn't give a rat's arse about a dance anymore. All he cared about was Cassandra and her happiness.

II

It was October 30th, a day before the dance. It was the end of another school day when Cassandra, Lily and Remus decided to study together in the library. Cassandra went back to her room to bring another bottle of ink. She went down the changing staircases and was on her way to the library. During one of the corridors, she heard a girl giggling loudly. She thought Sirius was already over her and that he was the one in the cupboard, but was very wrong. She ignored it and took a few steps forward. That changed when she heard the girl moan a certain name.

"Oh, Ewan."

Cassandra froze. She knew exactly where that noise came from. A broom cupboard was nearby. She felt an inexplicable urge to open the door. She opened it to reveal Ewan and a red haired girl entwined. They were half naked and panting. They stared at Cassandra in pure horror and the girl screamed. Cassandra was stunned

"You dimwitted, stinking arsehole. You're not taking me to the dance. We're over. Don't come near me." Cassandra snarled in fury.

"Wait, Cassandra! I'm sorry!"

Ewan quickly put on his shirt and ran after Cassandra. He grabbed her arm in an attempt to explain himself. She turned to him and slapped his cheek roughly, sending him down to the floor.

"I told you not to come near me. I wanted us to have sex after the dance and you couldn't wait. You pathetic pig." Cassandra sneered at him and ran to the library.

She found Lily and Remus with their books and parchment ready. She ran to them and sat down quickly. Remus and Lily looked at her quizzically.

"Fancied a quick snog with Ewan?" Lily laughed. Cassandra shook her head.

"You're far from it. I broke up with the bastard."

Lily gasped. "What happened?" She asked. Cassandra knew Remus wanted to know as well.

"I caught him in one of the cupboards with a girl. For some reason, I'm not upset as I should be." She answered.

"Son of a –"

"Lily!" Cassandra was appalled; she wasn't used to Lily swearing.

"Sorry. Sirius was right about him. Ewan's a git." Lily added.

"Are you going to talk to Sirius?" Remus asked Cassandra. She shrugged – she honestly didn't know what to do. Deep down, she fancied him but wouldn't admit it quickly. During the last few weeks, she learned to stand up for herself and trust others. She changed drastically and embraced those changes. Her old self would have never believed that she would be wooed by guys. She knew he glanced her way several times, but never approached her after their last conversation.

After a while, Remus took a look at his watch and told the girls that he had to leave. He packed up his equipment, placed books back on the shelves and left.

Cassandra changed the subject. "So, you and James. He's your date."

Lily looked up from her book and replied "And?"

"Do you think it'll turn to be something more than that?"

Lily closed the book and said "You know what? If it does, I won't stop it from happening."

Cassandra looked at her, shocked. Her mouth was agape. Where was the hatred Lily had for James? Apparently, it dissolved when he proved to be mature, kind and responsible. She and James grew closer as they filled their Heads duties.

"You haven't told me you felt this way about him. Hell is literally freezing." Cassandra said quietly.

Lily chuckled at the reference and said "I always thought he was dashing but I oppressed that thought. Don't say anything to anyone."

"Who would I possibly tell?" Cassandra asked jokingly. Lily laughed and pulled her into a hug.

After a while, she let her go and asked "So, are you going dateless?"

"Yes, and I really don't mind." Cassandra answered.

"I'm sure you want a drama-free night." Lily giggled. Cassandra smiled and nodded. They studied together about an hour and left the library.

III

On the next day, classes were as usual. The older students were excited about the dance and it was harder for the professors to make them focus on the lessons. The students counted the hours to the end of the lessons.

At the end of the day, Lily, Cassandra and Alice sat by the lake.

"Frank wants us to be alone after the dance." Alice shared shyly.

"Oooo, how romantic!" Lily gushed.

"Sounds interesting…it's about time!" Cassandra smirked. Alice gasped and smacked Cassandra's arm.

"I tell you, you did a smart thing breaking up with Ewan." Lily changed the topic.

"What?! Cass, you didn't tell me!" Alice harrumphed.

"Well, you were busy with Frank!" Cassandra defended herself. It took Alice a few minutes to respond, but she finally did.

"Fine. You win." Alice meekly said while playing with her dark brown hair. Lily and Cassandra chuckled at her response.

"What time is the dance?" Cassandra asked.

"We have to be there at 7:30. Dinner is at 6, so we have to eat quickly and get ready." Lily replied as she got up from the ground.

"Crap, I need my beauty sleep!" Alice exclaimed worriedly.

"Like you need a beauty sleep. Some girls…" Cassandra commented. Alice and Cassandra got up and joined Lily back to the castle. Alice and Cassandra spent the afternoon resting, as Lily was with James. They were alone in his room. He lay on his bed as she rested her head on his chest. This would be a very surprising sight if someone were to see them. No one knew this, but since he asked her out to the dance, a relationship between them developed. This remained a secret for about three weeks.

"Lily, when is the right time to tell our friends?"

"At the dance, I promise. You know me." James nodded at her comment. She wanted to be sure that their relationship was stable enough and only then go public.

"How's Sirius?" She asked him.

"He misses her, no doubt about that. He blew off Patricia for her."

"He's heartbroken, isn't he?"

"Yeah. He's also angry at Ewan."

"I can imagine." Lily said. She glanced at the clock on the wall: 5:30.

"I better get going. I'll see you later." Lily said before kissing James. She got up from his bed and left his room. He grinned to himself; in his eyes, he was the luckiest man in the world.

Lily ran back to her room to wake up her friends. Alice was easier to wake up then Cassandra.

After a few minutes, Cassandra groaned.

"Cass, you dreaming about Sirius again?" Alice snickered.

"Shut up." Cassandra muttered as she rubbed her eyes tiredly. Lily was already in the shower; she wanted an advantage to shower first. Alice and Cassandra dressed appropriately for dinner and waited for Lily. She got out of the shower and wore clean clothes. They left to eat dinner. Cassandra looked around and noticed that Sirius wasn't there. She saw Ewan sporting an ice bag on his bruised cheek and felt proud – she showed him. Lily saw him and snorted, as she thought he looked pathetic.

James looked at Ewan and asked Cassandra curiously "What happened?"

Cassandra told him and he shook his head in disbelief.

"Idiot! Serves him right." James commented.

Cassandra smiled widely at him and said "Thanks." He smiled back at her and resumed chomping on his dinner. James didn't say why Sirius was absent. They ate their dinner peacefully. Then the girls rushed to their room to get ready for the dance. The girls had their face made up, hairstyle spells, showers. In general, total mayhem was in that room. It was also their last Halloween dance/party in Hogwarts. The Marauders spread the word that an after-party would take place in the common room, after the dance. Cassandra had her hair in delicate curls, Lily's hair was in a bun, and Alice had her hair down too. Each of them looked and felt wonderful.

Cassandra joined Alice and Frank and went with them to the Great Hall. She saw Peter with Francine Sanders, a Slytherin. Cassandra was surprised to see him with a date, along with others who glanced at them. Sirius joined Lily and James and entered the hall. Remus and Georgina came in and looked great together; Cassandra was happy for them. Cassandra danced with her friends and simultaneously searched for Sirius. He was walking around with a flask of firewhiskey and watching others dance. She thought he looked very handsome and carried himself in pride. She heard Alice gasp and ran to her direction.

"What's going on?" Cassandra asked.

"I can't believe it! James and Lily are a couple!" Alice shouted happily. Cassandra found Lily and James kissing on the dance floor. Cassandra and Alice shrieked happily, causing James and Lily to break apart. They didn't know they had an audience.

"We meant to tell you." James smiled apologetically. Their friends were thrilled that this day has come: the day James and Lily finally got together.

After quite some time, Cassandra saw Sirius talking to Alice by the bar. He was wearing a pirate costume, his shirt exposed his chest making him even more appealing. She walked over to them, and Alice knew Cassandra wanted to talk to him.

"I'll go find Frank." Alice said, leaving them alone. They gazed at each other.

"You look beautiful." Sirius said.

"Thank you. You look handsome." She smiled at him. His dark curls framed his face perfectly.

"Thanks. So, where's Ewan?" He asked her. 'Straight to the point', she thought.

"I broke up with him. You were right about him; I caught him snogging a girl senseless. All he wanted was sex apparently." She answered.

Sirius wasn't surprised about her breaking up with Ewan. However he was surprised that it took her so long to see Ewan's other side.

"It's his loss. I told you he was no good." He told her.

"Where's Patricia?"

"I didn't fancy taking her anymore. She's with another lad." He answered. He heard a slow song come up and he took her to the dance floor. He had his arms on her waist and her hands were on his shoulders. She instantly felt warmer and it was harder for her to speak.

"You didn't have to write those letters. I fancied you for ages, but I was terrified to admit it. I always thought you'd never look at me that way." Cassandra admitted.

"You fancied me?"

"I still do. Maybe deep down I wanted to stay with Ewan to prove you wrong about him. In the end, I was wrong. I'd love to go out with you, that is, if you still like me. I understand if you don't. Anyway, enjoy the rest of the dance." Cassandra went on.

She was about to walk away from him when she felt him grab her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" He gruffly asked. He pulled her against him, noses nearly touching.

"I thought I'd give you some space." She answered.

"Not a chance. I'm not losing you again." After he said that, he leaned in and kissed her. Cassandra and Sirius never felt better, following the kiss and after the amazing dance.