I sat down and sighed. âWhat is the point of this class?â I asked to no one in particular.
âBelieve it or not, some of us donât just suddenly understand Transfiguration before McGonagall teaches us,â the girl sitting next to me snapped.
I looked up at her. This was the first year we had Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws, and it was also the first time any teacher at all had decided to seat us alphabetically. âWhoâre you?â I couldnât help but ask. After all, it wasnât as if I knew people from other Houses, especially not random average-looking girls.
âVictoria Bauer,â she told me, not looking at all angry anymore. She had large blue-grey eyes, light brown hair, and fairly pale skin. She was very ordinary. Someone that you might see every day but never look twice at.
I began to offer my own name, âIâmâ”â
âSirius Black,â she finished for me. âEvery girl in the school knows who you are.â Her voice was so matter-of-fact, it was strange.
But I didnât have time to reply; McGonagall came into the room and began to teach.
-------------
âSo youâre a Ravenclaw?â I asked the next day, arriving far earlier than usual to class.
âOf course,â she answered, smiling as if sharing some private joke with herself.
âBetter than Slytherin,â I muttered, the words slipping out before I could stop them. I had just completely split off from my family about a month ago; I think I had an excuse.
Her head tilted slightly and her eyes hardened. âWhy is it that all Gryffindors hate Slytherin? Is it a prerequisite or something?â
âBecause theyâre all scum.â
âHave you ever known one besides your family and Snape?â
I blinked in realisation. âNo, butâ”â
âBecause youâve never wanted to get to know them, I assume.â
I shrugged but said nothing. Victoria Bauer was strange.
-------------
âDo you have a nickname?â I asked a week later at the end of class.
âWhy?â she asked, probably wondering why the week of polite, meaningless conversation had suddenly turned personal.
âWell, most people would have a nickname for something like Victoria.â
She gave me that calculating look again. âMy friends call me Tori,â she answered, then walked quickly out of the room.
-------------
I donât know why I kept talking to her. Maybe it was because James was sitting far in the back, and I couldnât communicate with him in any way. Perhaps it was because Victoria, contrary to the first thing sheâd ever said to me, was one of the most intelligent people in my year. She understood everything second to only James and me, but she never flaunted her intelligence. But she did have a strange way of looking slightly superior. An expression so slight and hidden, it seemed almost Slytherin.
âWhat about your family?â I asked one morning a month later.
âWhat about them? Mum owns a shop in Diagon Alley and Dad works for the Ministry.â
âWhatâs he do there?â
âI donât know,â she answered, looking at me with the slightest hint of a smile on her face and a look in her eyes that I could only assume was supposed to be a hint.
âWhat do you mean you donât⌠Wait, he works in the Department of Mysteries, doesnât he?â
She looked as if she were mentally applauding me. Honestly, I had never met anyone with such an expressive face.
-------------
âWhat about your family, Sirius?â
âI hate them,â I answered easily, not bothering to say anything but the truth.
âBecause all they care about is being purebloods?â
âHave you ever met my brother?â I asked, not answering her question directly..
She shook her head, and looked toward the door nervously, as though worried McGonagall would interrupt. I didnât know why she should be worried though; it wasnât as if we were talking about anything groundbreaking.
âWell, Regulus isnât like me. Heâs like them. Heâs a coward who thinks that just because he was born into my family, he can do whatever he wants. They think theyâre wizarding royalty or something. Like they can look down on everyone else just because they have a bunch of equally snobbish wizards as ancestors. Are you a pureblood, Victoria?â
âNo, Iâm more like a half-blood.â
âYou never want to meet anyone like my family, trust me.â
âSo you donât think youâre like them at all?â
âOf course Iâm not like them. Iâm about as far away from Slytherin as you can get,â I scoffed.
She didnât say anything, but something in her expression hinted that she didnât think I was as different as I thought.
âIâm not them,â I growled.
âI know youâre not!â she insisted. âI just think youâre a bit more Slytherin than you would ever let on.â
-------------
âWhat do you want to do with your life?â she asked me.
âI barely know what Iâm doing tomorrow,â I answered, shrugging.
âBut donât you ever think about it?â
âWell, yeah, but not much. I guess being an Auror would be cool, but itâs not something Iâve forced myself to consider.â
âBut itâs sixth year! Thereâs not much time left.â
âWhat do you want to do?â
âI want to be a Healer.â
I grinned. âThatâs very noble of you.â
âItâs just interesting to me⌠And, Sirius?â
I looked at her.
âI think youâd be a great Auror.â
-------------
âDo you have a boyfriend, Victoria?â I asked abruptly one morning.
She stared at me strangely, giving me that look againâ”the one that made me feel like she knew me better than I knew myself. âNo, I donât,â she answered, raising an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged, careful to keep my expression casual. âI was just wondering.â
âAnd what about you, Sirius? None of those girls fantasizing about you catch your eye?â
âTheyâre all idiots,â I answered truthfully, rolling my eyes. âBesides, I donât have time. All the girlfriends Iâve had were too needy and obnoxious.â
âToo busy being a Marauder?â
I stared at her, startled at her using our self-proclaimed nickname. âHow did you knowâŚ?â
âYour Gryffindor fangirls all love to use that title. They use it like youâre all gods,â she explained, looking incredibly smug. âTheyâre always talking longingly about the Marauders⌠or you, specifically. Since Remus and Peter donât have the same âappealâ and James is too wrapped up in his obsession with Lily Evans to see straight.â She looked toward the back of the room to where James was sitting. He was leaning back in his chair, and when my eyes found him, he waved and grinned. I grinned back, but shook my head at Victoria.
âYou think you know everything, donât you, Ravenclaw?â
âOf course.â
-------------
âI canât believe Halloween is tomorrow,â she grinned, her head shaking in disbelief. âI love Halloween.â
âAs long as we can go to Hogsmeade, Iâm happy,â I answered easily, wondering vaguely if she was the reason I was getting to class earlier and earlier every time. No, that was ridiculous.
âWe?â she said suggestively, but obviously joking.
I laughed. âWe: meaning the whole school, Tori.â
She stopped laughing abruptly at the use of her nickname. I just realised that it was the first time in nearly two months that I hadnât called her Victoria.
-------------
âWhatâre we doing today, Prongs?â I asked as we walked to Hogsmeade on the last day of October.
âZonkoâs first, you think?â
âSounds good. Hâbout you?â James asked Moony and Wormtail.
They both grinned. âJust fine,â Remus answered.
âHere we are!â James announced to no one in particular as we walked in the store. We immediately began looking through the products, but James elbowed me before I could even try anything out.
âWhat?â I asked.
âLook,â he hissed, gesturing toward the opposite wall. âSheâs staring at you,â he explained.
I looked over and my eyes immediately fell to Victoria, who was standing there. She waved when I grinned, and kept talking to one of her friends.
James smiled knowingly. âYou like her, donât you?â
âVictoria? Sheâs great, butâ”â I answered.
But he looked confused. âVictoria? Who are you talking about? Iâm talking about Sally.â He pointed again, and I looked toward the right place.
A tall, blonde girl who was looking at me as if she wanted nothing more than to snog me. I felt my face begin to twist in disgust, and quickly turned away.
âWait, youâre talking about Victoria? The girl who sits next to you in Transfiguration?â
âYeah,â I answered, far more embarrassed than I would ever let on. Why had I assumed he was talking about Victoria? What made me think of her?
He was looking at me knowingly. âFallen for the Ravenclaw, havenât you?â
âWhat? No,â I insisted, a bit more offended than I should have been.
He smiled smugly, but said nothing.
-------------
âWhatâs wrong?â I asked as Victoria sank down beside me, looking much more upset than she ever had before.
She just shook her head, not answering.
McGonagall began class, and she avoided my eyes through its entirety.
At the end of class, I finally said something. âVictoriaâ”â
But she was walking away, not bothering to wait for me to finish talking to her.
âVictoria!â I said again, unwilling to give up. After all, if she thought she could run away, she wasnât expecting one thing: the Maraudersâ Map.
I didnât want to use it, though, if I could possibly find her without it.
I raced out of the room, slinging my bag over my shoulder, and ran out into the corridor, grinning at James as I left. He gave me that look again, but for once it didnât bother me.
A minute later, I had to stop. I wasnât about to find her in the middle of a bustling corridor. Secluding myself in an empty classroomâ”only vaguely aware that I should be in Potionsâ”I pulled out the Map. Activating it, I began to search. It was very difficult to find anyone, so it was a full five minutes before I noticed. She was heading up to the Ravenclaw Tower. (Yes, James and I had followed people from other Houses in order to find out where their common rooms were.)
Well, maybe getting into their common room wouldnât be too bad. I was certain that I could handle it.
I raced up the stairs two at a time, and by the time I reached the top I was panting heavily. Unwilling to wait, I pounded on the door once, and was about to knock again, but a soft voice interrupted me:
âMy first is foremost legally,
My second circles outwardly,
My third leads all in victory,
My fourth twice ends a nominee;
My whole is this doorâs only key.
What am I?â
I stared at the knocker; I was still having a hard time understanding that it had just asked me a riddle.
âEr, could you say that again?â
The knocker repeated the question, and again fell silent.
âI have to answer a bloody riddle to get inside?â I said, more to myself than the eagle.
It said nothing, so I just stood there, silent. âThat makes no sense. And I donât even care. Why are Ravenclaws so weird that they canât even have a password like we do?â
Then, of course, I felt ridiculous for voicing my opinions to a bronze eagle. I felt like pounding my head against the wall. Was this a trick? All I really wanted to do was see Victoria.
Why did I want to see her anyway? She was just another girl. Maybe I was friends with her, but she wasnât my best friend or something like that. I was considering leaving. It just made sense to, after allâŚ
But I couldnât.
I sighed.
âFine, can you repeat that slowly?â
I sat down, my back to the door, and processed the riddle. I had memorised it after the fifth time hearing it, but it still made no sense.
âWhy does this have to be so hard?â I asked, still talking to myself.
âSometimes,â the soft voice answered, âthe most obvious things are the hardest to see.â
âIs that a clue?â I snapped.
But it was just a door knocker that happened to be capable of human speech. Perhaps I shouldnât have been conversing with it.
âMaybe youâre not seeing what is so clearly in front of you,â it suggested in its haunting voice.
âNothing is in front of my except this bloody door,â I maintained, not bothering to remember it was just a knocker.
âAnd whatever you were coming here to see.â
âWell, if I havenât figured it out by now I never will.â
âSome things take more time than others. Some people realise things before other people do.â
âWhatâs that got to do with the riddle?â
âNothing⌠and everything.â
Frustrated, I began to pound on the door, but through the noise I heard, âSome things you canât force. For example, they wonât be able to hear, you know.â
âCanât I have a hint?â
âWho are you going in here to see?â
âVictoria Bauer,â I answered while mentally trying to convince myself that far stranger things had happened besides conversing with the Ravenclaw door knocker about a riddle.
âI know,â he said after a moment, âbut you donât.â
âWhat donât I know?â
âThe answer to thisâ”the answer to everything you so desire.â
âAll I want is to talk to Victoria,â I spat.
âAnd to do that, you must answer the riddle. Listen this time.â
He repeated it again.
âTell me, would a Ravenclaw be able to get this?â I wondered.
âNot many. But Victoria would.â
âSheâs smart,â I admitted.
âSheâs wise,â he clarified as I sat down to think.
âWhy are you going to let me in if you know Iâm not in this House anyway?â
âShe wants to expect you,â he answered vaguely.
I forced my mind back to the riddle. âWell, obviously the last line means that whatever the answer is would be the only way to get through this door⌠Can you tell me if itâs just one word?â
âItâs one of the most simple and complex things everâ”all in just a word. Far more powerful than all the magic in the world.â
âWhatâs this got to do with Victoria?â
âEverything.â
âFirst, second, third, fourth⌠whatâs that mean? It canât be words, right? I guess it could be lettersâŚâ
âCould a four-letter word really carry all that weight?â
âMaybe,â I insisted, unwilling to let the philosophical bird throw me off.
âLegally, circles outwardly, victory, twice a nominee⌠Itâs not that strange until the last one. Twice ends a nominee? Whatâs that have anything to do with anything? Two times a nominee,â I rephrased it, still speaking aloud, waiting for the eagle to respond. But it was silent. âTwo⌠the end⌠nomineeâŚ. The only thing thatâs twice in nominee is⌠well, the letter âeâ. But thatâs ridiculous, of course. âTwice ends a nomineeâ could mean that it ends in âeâ. Is that it?â I asked, not really believing it was right.
âPerhaps,â it answered. âIs there any other explanation?â
âI dunno. I guess there might be. But I feel like it might be right.â
âWell, if thatâs how you feel.â
I didnât pay attention to his words. I had no idea how Ravenclaws might get enjoyment out of this. It seemed of the utmost cruelty to me. âLegally, outward, victory, âeâ.â
I just shook my head, thinking for a few minutes. Then, I thought of something.
I shot straight up, leaping to my feet and whipping around to face the door. âThe answerâs love, isnât it?â
âYes, it is,â it answered, sounding as pleased as a bronze eagle could.
âWhy arenât you opening? I got the question right!â I cried desperately.
âDo you understand why that was your riddle?â
âBecause you felt like mentally abusing me before I got inside?â
It disregarded my words. âRemember that I told you that sometimes the most obvious, most important things are the most difficult to see.â
âAnswers to crazy riddles?â
âLove,â it clarified as it finally swung open.
There was a crowd of Ravenclawsâ”a lot of them stared at me as I stepped through the door. But I looked through them swiftly, my eyes only taking a moment to locate Victoria, who was slowly getting to her feet, a look of what appeared to be wonder coming to her face.
She ran lightly to me, while I stood awkwardly in the doorway.
âYou came?â she asked. âAnd you got through the door. Enigmaâ”â
âEnigma?â
âEnigma the eagle,â she explained. âHe always gives the hardest questions to outsiders⌠No one has ever gotten through except you.â
âIt took me an hour,â I said, speaking finally, âbut I made it. It gave me this crazy riddle.â
âAbout what?â
âIs it important what it was about?â
âOf course! The few times that Enigmaâs had to give questions to students from other Houses, he always makes them significant.â
I blinked, silent. Was she truly telling me that⌠that the eagle had given me a riddle about love for a reason⌠and that heâs used it because I was going to see Victoria?
âEr, why were you so sad in class earlier?â I asked, attempting and failing to pull my mind away from that startling train of thought.
âThatâs why you came? It was just a test grade,â she blushed slightly, embarrassed.
I felt some eyes one me, but I had a feeling the eagle wouldnât let me out if I tried.
âVictoria, the eagle gave me a riddle about⌠love.â
She stared blankly for a minute. âReally?â she asked mildly, her eyes, as always, giving away her true feelings. She looked happy but anxious.
âYeah, and I think I know why.â
I felt nervous for what seemed like the first time ever. I reached my hand out and tilted her chin up to look me in the eyes. âI think it knows that I love you,â I said too softly for anyone except her to hear.
Her eyes widened in surprise, but her lips curved into a smile. âSirius, I love you too,â she answered sincerely, her voice louder than mine. Now everyone was staring, but I didnât care.
I leaned down slowly to kiss her.
Faintly in the background I heard applause burst out as my lips touched hers, and someone clearly shouted above the din, âVictoria Bauer got Sirius Black!â