Orphic » Sirius Black

Chapter 1 - The Spark That Ignited

A light breeze blew outside during the first weekend of the trimester. Clouds were scattered through the sky, letting the sun enlight the school grounds and making the weather warm enough for the students to want to leave the castle.

Juniper Callister walked down the moving stairs enthusiastically, so happy to finally be at Hogwarts for her fifth year. She crossed the big oak doors, rolling up her sweater's sleeves to feel the sun on her skin, and sprinted to where her friends were. It was likely of them to meet under a tree near the Black Lake during their free periods, weekends, or whenever they could. Of course, they adored the Ravenclaw common room, but out there they were open to a whole new list of activities. That afternoon, they had agreed on playing Pugnae Ludum, a game invented by themselves.

Juniper got there just in time to see her best friend, Judson, and Maverick initiate the fake duel. Both of them had already taken defensive positions and their wands were in the air. She sat down next to Ophelia, who shook her head at the sight of their friends, when blue sparks started to fly between them.

"What took you so long?" Judson asked whilst blocking Maverick's shots. Juniper was about to answer when, suddenly, a red gleam struck Judson on the belly, making him lower his wand with a very surprised look on his face. Maverick, on the other hand, was really pleased with himself.

"I won! I can't believe it!" He exclaimed, his lips forming that big smile of his that everyone cherished.

"Shut up, you only won because I got distracted," Judson protested, but Maverick shushed him off with a flick of his hand.

"I do think I got better at this. I think I could even take you out, Callister," Maverick pointed, glancing at Juniper.

"You?" Judson scoffed, throwing himself on the ground and laying his weight on his forearms. "You could never beat her, mate. She is just too out of your league."

Juniper laughed a little, feeling her cheeks burn slightly. Yes, she was really good at their game and she really enjoyed playing it, but even though she appreciated the rest acknowledging her talent, she still got self-conscious about it. She knew she was great, though, she just didn't want to show off.

"Nah, I'm sure I can beat you." This time, Maverick crossed his arms on his chest, a cocky grin on his face. Juniper stared at him speechless whilst untying her shoes. She took them off along with her socks and got up with a jump. Taking out her wand, she stood before him.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Judson whispered to Ophelia. She sat straight and pushed out of her eyes some loose strands that were falling on her face, ready to see what was about to happen.

"How can you be so sure, Mav? You've been practising?" Juniper mocked, noticing how Maverick's temper started to tremble. He studied her, sighing with exasperation when he got to her feet.

"Why do you always play barefoot?" he asked, almost screaming, pointing at her feet with his hand while she rubbed them on the land, feeling the fresh grass under them.

"Keeping contact with nature helps with the stance. It keeps you grounded," she said with a shrug, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, whatever," he desisted, adopting the same defensive position he had before when he was facing Judson. She imitated him. It was no use explaining why she prefered to play without shoes on. She knew her thoughts were underestimated most of the time, but she really didn't care. Her reflections were hers, and for Juniper they made perfect sense. Always. "Ready?"

She was about to nod when something happening behind Maverick caught her eye. A group of four noisy students was walking down the hill, laughing hysterically as they approached the shore of the lake. The tallest of them turned around, and she immediately recognized him. Juniper waved at him playfully over Maverick's shoulder, grinning softly when the boy saw her and waved back, before returning her gaze to his friend with a hint of a smirk on her lips.