"Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground." –Teddy Roosevelt

***

            With December comes snow, and with snow comes snowball fights (that are painful if you play with James). It also means Hogsmeade Christmas trips, which Cassie can't even go to because of her lack of a signed permission form.

            "That's not fair," Peter points out. "You don't have anyone to sign it."

            "Exactly. It's alright though. I've been there before."

            "But with us it would so much more fun!" James protests. "I'm complaining to McGonagall; Lily, come with me, she loves you."

            "No!" Lily says sternly. "I'm not going to be a good luck charm."

            James doesn't look surprised at her refusal. He proceeds to ask her out like he does every day before taking off with Cassie at his heels. They're halfway there when Sirius calls, "Wait up!" and they have to stop and wait for Sirius to catch up. He overslept: his tie is untightened and his robes are on inside out with matching bedhead.

            "You look great," Cassie says sarcastically. Sirius makes a face at her as she helps straighten him out. They enter McGonagall's office.

            "What can I do for you three?" she asks with an almost suspicious tone.

            "Professor, I was wondering if there was any way I could go to Hogsmeade," Cassie starts. "I know I don't have a form, but even if I'd gotten one, it's not like I have a guardian to sign it."

            McGonagall sighs. Judging by the glint in her eye, they caught her at the wrong time. "Miss Sanger, there is nothing I can do about that."

            "Just let her come!" Sirius protests. "Who cares about a stupid form?"

            McGonagall's mouth forms a tight line. "Detention, Mr. Black. You are not to raise your voice at teachers."

            "Professor, he wasn't trying to be defiant! Honestly, not everything he says is meant to be taken so seriously!" Cassie argues.

            "You can join him in detention for your tone! Mr. Potter, please leave so I can give them their detentions." James departs silently, having said nothing the entire time, even though it was his idea. "You two are going to work in the library tonight and reshelf books. No magic."

            "But Professor! What about Hogsmeade?" Sirius asks angrily.

            "It looks like neither of you will be attending."

            They leave her office before either of them say anything more.

            "How unfair!" Sirius bellows. "All I wanted was for you to come along, but I landed both of us detention!"

            "It wasn't your fault," Cassie says. "I wouldn't've been able to go."

            "Thanks for backing me up, best friend," Sirius says to James, who is waiting outside for them.

            "What was I supposed to say?"

            Sirius doesn't answer.

*** 

            "No magic, my ass," Sirius mutters, waving his wand to rearrange a shelf.

            Cassie does the same on the shelf under it. "I'm sorry I got you into this."

            "S'not your fault," Sirius says. "There will be other Hogsmeade trips, which I will sneak you into." Cassie laughs; they work their way around, moving closer to each other with each shelf.

            They talk a lot. Sirius tells her about his parents and how they disowned him, and that he lives with James now. Cassie tells him that her parents are in Azkaban for murdering people, so they're both technically orphans. Sirius talks about his brother, Regulus, how he was the star of the family, the Slytherin prince that made their parents proud. Cassie doesn't have any siblings.

            "You're so lucky," was Sirius' response. 

            After a while of silence, she catches Sirius glancing at her like he wants to ask something. "What, Sirius?"

            He looks away. "What's it like in Azkaban?" After seeing her shiver, he adds, "You don't have to tell me. I know it's probably hard to talk about."

            "It's cold," she says quietly, taking into account how close they are. She can make out each eyelash. "Very cold. Like being plunged to the bottom of the Black Lake in February and held there until you're numb. And it's sad. You can feel every bad memory every prisoner has ever had in the air. You can almost taste it."

            "That sounds...terrifying."

            She nods. "It is. You feel so hopeless in there. I even knew I wasn't guilty, but eventually, I began to rethink what happened, and I thought to myself, did I really do that on accident? That's what it does. It makes you suffer like that. But I kept true to the fact that it was an accident, because it was, and I made it out with my sanity." She shrugs.

            "That is so hardcore." Cassie laughs, but Sirius is entirely serious. "And I'm glad you made it out of there." Sirius slings an arm around her shoulders and kisses her forehead, catching her off guard slightly. She recovers and grins.

            "Me too. I hope I never have to go back. And I hope you don't ever have to experience it. I think that's why that meadow was so calming for me. It's the exact opposite of Azkaban. It's light and happy and you can breathe. Like you said, it's safe there."

            Sirius waves his wand to redo another shelf. "That's going to be our place from now on. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who knows about it. I haven't even told James or Remus or Peter."

            "Why not?"

            He shrugs. "There are some things I feel like others wouldn't appreciate as much as me. I thought you might, though. We come from a similar background as far as family life goes." He adds after a moment of contemplation, "Maybe I just wanted a special place to share with someone."

            "What should we call our special place?" Cassie sends the rest of the books on the cart back to their correct spots on the shelf.

            "We'll call it our piece of the sky."

            "So poetic. Who'd've thought?"

            Sirius laughs. "Are we done? Can we leave?"

            "Yes, let's go."

            Sirius has to resist the urge to hold her hand the entire walk back.