Over the next few days, I received plenty of glares from my fellow Slytherins. Upset at the loss of house points, they were practically ready to tear myself and my friends apart. I assumed that the Gryffindors were faring no better, based off of their defeated and moody attitudes. On top of it all, the detentions with Filch had been downright horrible and exhausting. Sirius hadn't been himself in potions, listening attentively and brewing his potion without any disruptions or explosions at all.

"Are you feeling alright then, Black?" I questioned as I corked a vial of my finished potion, pressing the back of my hand to his forehead. Ignoring the concerned and angry stare Avery had fixed me with, I locked eyes with Sirius as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm fine, Elise." He said, a small grin attacking his features at the show of concern. "Nice to know you really do care, though."

I snorted, keeping in mind that Avery was sitting just a little ways away. "Like I care, Black. I just want to make sure I'm going to actually make it through this potions period without getting splattered by the contents of your caldron. If you're feeling ill, then I definitely want to take my leave now."

"I'm not ill, do whatever you want." Sirius waved me off lazily, turning his attention back to his caldron as it began to smoke. "Oh no, Merlin, I thought I could actually do it for onc-"

With his words, his caldron exploded, as if we'd jinxed it. Standing shell shocked and covered in hot goop, I growled at Sirius who raised his hands in the air in surrender.

"Oi! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Mr. Black! Just get out of my classroom and to the Hospital Wing already!" Slughorn groaned, exhausted by Sirius's constant caldron explosions. "Detention to you for not paying proper attention and for getting Miss Elise burned...again."

Sirius groaned in protest as we gathered our things and left the classroom quickly, used to the routine. Mumbling under my breath about stupid Gryffindor boys and their lack of skill in potions, I pushed past Sirius and made my way to the Hospital Wing. Sirius trailed behind me, lost in thought.

"Oh dear, right this way." The elderly school nurse ushered me over to one of the beds in the far right corner, taking out her wand. Working quickly, she removed the leftover potion goop and healed my burns. She'd already run out of her stock of the healing cream, and was waiting for more to arrive.

"Thank you, Madame Alexandra." I smiled at her, and she simply nodded in return, running over to fuss over Sirius next.

I left the Hospital Wing quickly, angry at Sirius for getting his potion on me yet again. As class was about to end, I lingered in the corridor outside of the Potions classroom, waiting for Avery so that I could prove to be the 'Perfect Girlfriend' that I was.

"Hullo, love." Avery greeted me as he exited the classroom, kissing my forehead. "What was that with Black?"

"I wanted to make sure he was okay. If he was feeling ill, it would put me in even more danger of his potion explosion than usual." I supplied smoothly, and Avery seemed to believe me. My answer hadn't necessarily been a lie either way.

"Oh, silly me. I guess I was just being an overprotective boyfriend then." Avery chuckled as we walked to the Great Hall for lunch, hand in hand.

"Mhm." I hummed, not really paying any attention at all.

---

"So you're telling me that you caused a duel that resulted in the 250 points Slytherin got deducted?!" Gabrielle accused me as soon as I came into view, her expression furious. "Cascade whatever-your-middle-name-is Elise! While I may not act like it, I would rather not have my House loose the House Cup by a couple hundred points!"

"Mireia." I shrugged, and Gabrielle's angry look quickly turned into one of pure confusion.

"What?"

"That's my middle name, Mireia. Since you didn't know what it was." I grinned cheekily at her as she threw her arms into the air in exasperation.

"Dear Merlin, why did I have to choose her compartment?" Gabrielle called to the roof of the empty classroom we stood in. "She's a bad influence on me, completely bonkers."

"Oi! Watch who you're calling bonkers, woman!" I protested, crossing my arms and pouting. Gabrielle laughed, blowing a few strands of hair from her face. 

"I will." She replied, grabbing a sugar quill from her bag and placing it in her mouth. I glanced at the sweet hungrily, and Gabrielle laughed again, before grabbing me one as well.

"So," I began, chewing and licking the top of the quill thoughtfully. "How is life?"

Gabrielle snorted, clicking her tongue disapprovingly. "Seriously, Cas? That's what you ask me?"

"Seriously." I smiled, waving my sugar quill in the air. "Although honestly, your cousin would have more claim to that than me, the great prat."

"I sense that I am needed, personal therapist Gabrielle Flint at your service. So tell me, Cascade, you've gone from kissing to hating. What has Mr. Sirius Orion Black done this time?" Gabrielle sat down on one of the desks, facing me, her sugar quill held in one hand as if she were going to take notes, her other hand resting in her lap. I giggled softly and sat down as well, ready to confess my life problems to my friend.

"It all started when I was but a young lass." I began dramatically. "My mother and father dropped me on the head as a child, perhaps that is why I became the first in the family to be a snake. Anyway, getting off track slightly, there once came the fateful day when I met the most annoying arse you could ever dream of. Sirius Black. A git, a prat, a playboy, a prankster, a troublemaker, a bully, and an arrogant jerk. We got off to a great start. Skipping ahead, I've been cursed with the assignment of sitting next to him in Potions, his worst subject by far. Without fail, his cauldron always manages to explode on me. Today was no exception. I believed that I might just make it through one class period without having to go to the hospital wing. I was wrong. So very wrong. So, so wrong. Unbelievably, irrevocably wro-"

"Okay, I get it. You were wrong. Please continue." Gabrielle interrupted. I glared at her, and continued my speech of upmost importance.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I was very wrong. Just as I was capping the vial of my own potion, Mr. Black's exploded onto me. I was rushed to the Hospital Wing, but it was too late. I was already dead. So now, here I am, the ghost of Cascade Mireia Elise, ranting about my life story to you, Miss Andromeda Black, the personal therapist. Thank you for your time." I finished by waving my hands in the air, chuckling some more at Gabrielle exhausted expression.

"You mean to say that you're dead? As if! You're no ghost, try as you might, Cas." Gabrielle scoffed. I raised an eyebrow, and lifted my hands, wiggling my fingers spookily.

"Booooo!"