Despite such a major event occurring, and her father Stuart's gaze growing even more complex, a heavy atmosphere nonetheless accompanied them into their third year.
On the train, Elodie looked at Gloria with worry, hesitating to speak. Noticing this, Gloria smiled reassuringly at her, signaling that she was fine.
Gloria leaned her head back against the seat, watching the flying scenery outside the carriage window. London saw a great deal of rain, and streaks of water covered the glass from top to bottom. The gloomy weather made one feel oppressed, and the rain outside the horizon seemed to dye Gloria's beautiful blue eyes.
*Is it crying for me? Gloria, you must be strong.*
She thought of her mother again, and of their conversation that night.
"Even if one day Mother is truly gone, I do not wish for you to cry. We both know that death is not terrifying; it is something everyone must experience, my dearest Lia."
Gloria had always known that her mother did not fear death; she was the proudest rose. Gloria lowered her eyelids, her long lashes concealing the emotions in her eyes.
The sound of rain pattered against the carriage window. The sky was dark and overcast as dusk approached, showing nothing through the thick clouds—neither stars nor moon.
Gloria had to admit that she missed him a little.
She leaned against the seat back and closed her eyes. After a long silence, when she opened them again, there was no trace of emotion left in her gaze, as though nothing had happened at all—only absolute calm.
Yet she remained deep in thought. Sensing acutely that Gloria had recovered somewhat, Elodie let out a breath of relief and asked her gently:
"Lia? What are you thinking about?"
Coming back to her senses, Gloria looked at Elodie. After studying her in silence for a few seconds, she broke into a smile.
"Thinking about him."
"Who?" Even with a guess already in her heart, Elodie found it hard to believe. If it truly was the person she suspected, Elodie would be thrilled for her foolish older brother.
The next second, Gloria spoke, confirming Elodie's thought.
"Sirius. I am thinking about him."
Caught completely off guard in the crowd, Sirius locked eyes with Gloria's smiling gaze. He froze; it seemed something had shifted subtly in her.
With the start of their third year came elective subjects. Gloria chose Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures. She had actually considered Alchemy, but she held a genuine, deep-seated aversion to divination, so Divination and Arithmancy were clearly off the table.
Naturally, third-year students were not permitted to take Alchemy, and her father would never allow her to choose Muggle Studies. Therefore, even though Gloria could hardly be said to care much for magical creatures, she still chose the class.
When she arrived at the Ancient Runes classroom, Gloria spotted many familiar faces. Her two good friends were there, as were Remus Lupin. Elodie and Lily happily pulled Gloria to their sides the moment they saw her.
In Care of Magical Creatures, the familiar faces were even more numerous: the entire Marauders group was present, with Sirius and James invariably finding ways to provoke the beasts—though Sirius still frequently drifted over to provoke Gloria.
Third year brought the privilege of visiting Hogsmeade. Ahead of the very first Hogsmeade weekend, Gloria had already noticed quite a few young witches hovering around Sirius.
Their burning gazes were full of the youthful awakening of first love. Walking past the Black Lake, Gloria unexpectedly caught sight of a Ravenclaw girl inviting Sirius to Hogsmeade. Lazily leaning against the wall, Gloria watched the scene with an ambiguous expression.
Her gaze fell on the girl standing before Sirius—wearing blue robes, with light brown shoulder-length hair and blue eyes. Gloria narrowed her eyes slightly, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking, save that those pretty eyes were deeper than usual.
After a mere few seconds of appraisal, Gloria lost interest and shifted her gaze to Sirius. By the third year, everyone had grown considerably taller, their facial features gradually sharpening. Those who had stood out remarkably since their first year—such as Sirius, Gloria, Lily, and Elodie—were nothing short of breathtaking now.
Looking at Sirius's pleasing face and thinking of the wolfish, ravenous gazes of those girls, a trace of annoyance welled up in Gloria's chest.
At that moment, Sirius wore a somewhat devil-may-care expression, carrying the inherent arrogance of a pure-blood family. It wasn't that he looked down on the girl; he simply wanted to keep his distance, yet he didn't know how to begin. An instinctive gentlemanly conduct prevented him from making the girl lose face in front of everyone.
The teasing gazes from the surrounding crowd also filled Sirius with a sense of irritation and impatience. His patience had clearly reached its breaking point. At that exact moment, whether because Gloria's gaze was too uninhibited or for some other reason—
Sirius seemed to sense something and looked toward Gloria's direction, crashing straight into her ambiguous, faintly smiling, yet dark gaze. She stood there lazily, watching him with an air of complete composure.
Sirius skipped a heartbeat. His first instinct was to walk over to her, but the next moment he stopped and looked behind her—at a fourth-year Hufflepuff boy. The familiar look in the boy's eyes caused Sirius's expression to sink. He ground his teeth inwardly as he watched the young man who had just approached Gloria.
"Tch."
Sirius let out an irritated sound, causing the Ravenclaw girl to freeze momentarily. From the start until now, he hadn't spoken, merely standing there frowning in thought, though he hardly looked like he was about to say yes. She had thought about just letting it go.
Yet she harbored the base hope that perhaps the surrounding teasing would force him to agree. In truth, she was quite nervous, for Sirius had always been untamed and rarely cared for anything at all.
Until that sound escaped him. She looked at the boy before her, only to find his gaze was not on her. His eyes held a trace of hostility and annoyance. Following Sirius's line of sight, she saw an exceedingly pretty girl, with a Hufflepuff senior speaking to her. The girl wore a surprised expression, her brows furrowed in thought.
And... it was an exact replica of Sirius just a moment ago.
"Excuse me."
Without so much longer glancing at her, Sirius shoved through the crowd, walked over, and stopped right behind that girl. Isonora parted her lips, hesitating, but could only watch his retreating back in silence.
She watched the senior leave; she watched the way Sirius looked at the girl—his eyes brimming with laughter and tenderness. Isonora recognized her: Gloria Sisyphus of Slytherin, an exceptionally brilliant student.
So, was she the girl Sirius liked?
Isonora's eyes darkened. They were a perfect match—a collision of black and white. With the tenderness overflowing from Sirius's eyes, the two of them standing together looked... simply like a match made in heaven.
***
Gloria looked at the senior before her with some confusion, raising an eyebrow in surprise at the invitation. Just as she was wondering how to refuse without noticing the commotion behind her, a familiar voice rang out right behind her.
"She already has plans."
His eyes held blatant hostility. Being taller than Gloria, he seemed to curve around her, boxing her into his own territory like a fiercely territorial, vigilant lion glaring at an intruder, ready to pounce and tear the prey apart at any sudden move.
Frightened by Sirius's aura, the senior hurriedly fled. Once the man was gone, Gloria half-closed her eyes, cast an amused look at the person beside her, and smiled as she asked:
"How did I not know I had plans?"
Sirius felt a slight pang of guilt, but he still smiled, bent down to close the distance, and brought their eyes level. Both pairs of eyes were brimming with laughter and deep affection concealed at the bottom.
"Then, my dearest Miss Gloria, would you do me the honor of going to Hogsmeade with me?"
Smiling, Gloria walked around him toward the Great Hall, her voice drifting back as she moved:
"Alright."
Sirius stood in place, watching her go, smiling more recklessly than ever.
When the day to visit Hogsmeade finally arrived, the ground was blanketed in pristine white snow, leaving a vast, dazzling expanse everywhere. Sirius leaned against the gates of Hogsmeade village, blowing puffs of white vapor into the cold air. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head to see Gloria walking toward him wrapped in a red plush cloak, and he froze.
Not only Sirius, but many people around them stared in a daze. With her fair skin set against the crimson cloak and dotted with white hair, Gloria looked precisely like a breathtaking princess from a Muggle fairy tale.
Sirius had always imagined that red would look exceptionally good on her, but he had never expected it to look *this* good. Elodie and Lily walked beside Gloria. Seeing Sirius's stunned expression, the two girls exchanged glances, seeing amusement reflected in each other's eyes.
A flash of mischief crossed Elodie's eyes. Judging the distance, she gave Gloria a sudden push straight into Sirius's arms. Caught off balance, Gloria stumbled forward, and Sirius instinctively opened his arms, catching her and pulling her securely against his chest.
The tips of Gloria's ears turned instantly crimson as she was held tightly by Sirius. She shot an irritated glare at the two culprits who were now laughing merrily at their success, only for the pair to hastily scatter out of sight.
Sirius steadied Gloria, and they walked side by side, heading down a familiar path straight to Honeydukes Sweetshop. Though Gloria wore a mostly expressionless face, Sirius could tell:
She had a genuine fondness for sweets.
They picked up joke items from Zonko's Joke Shop and grabbed lunch at the Three Broomsticks, spending a thoroughly delightful day.
As the two of them strolled through the snow, Sirius hesitated for a moment before taking Gloria's hand, leading her in the direction of the Shrieking Shack while regaling her with amusing tales of the adventures they used to have there.
Gloria listened quietly, occasionally letting out a soft laugh at his jokes. Perhaps because she wasn't watching her footing, however, Gloria stepped on a loose stone, her shoe slipping on the ice as she began to slide down the slope.
Sirius grabbed her in a panic, pulling her straight into his embrace. Thanks to the thick layer of snow, the pair escaped injury, ending up merely coated from head to toe in white. After the sudden rush of adrenaline, Gloria stood frozen in silence, as if all the pent-up tension of the past few days had finally been released.
Gazing up at the sky where snowflakes were drifting down anew, feeling the chill against her cheeks, Gloria laughed. Her smile grew brighter and more radiant by the second. Sirius, who had been worried that her silence meant she was hurt, could only watch as she laughed like that, looking at her just as he had in the Forbidden Forest.
He simply let go and lay down right beside her in the snow. Turning her head, Gloria looked at Sirius, meeting the profound affection and burning passion in his eyes. Struck hard by the intensity of that love, the tips of her ears flushed pink once more, and her heart hammered wildly in her chest. Gazing up at the falling snow, she spoke softly:
"The snow is so beautiful."
"Mmm."
Sirius murmured his agreement. In truth, what Sirius found far more beautiful than the scenery was her.
Gloria turned her head to glance at Sirius once more.
"I like snowy days, and I like you, too."
In the profound silence of the world, Gloria's cool, clear voice pierced the winter cold, giving Sirius the momentary sensation of deep midsummer. He froze there, momentarily at a loss, looking so still against the snowy ground. Gloria did not rush him, waiting quietly.
After a long while, Sirius's voice finally reached Gloria's ears.
"How can you let a girl say things like that first?" Sirius's dark grey eyes were entirely earnest.
He propped his head up with one hand, looking down at the girl before him to pour out the endless affection waiting in his heart.
"I love you."
The word "like" was far from enough to express the racing frequency of his heart.
But "love" could.
Meeting his eyes, Gloria shifted in the snow and sat up, then slowly rose to her feet. Sirius stood up right after her. Because Gloria had rolled slightly in the snow earlier, there was still a slight distance between them.
Sirius was still thinking of the moment just past when he saw a flash of fiery red running toward him. The next second, his arms were full of a warm, soft little figure.
Her light, laughing voice reached his ears with words that sent a thrill through Sirius, causing him to tighten his arms around her waist and press a smiling kiss to the side of her neck.
Sirius thought he would likely remember this day forever, because the girl he loved told him:
"I love you too."
Sirius had never been wrong: white simply did not suit her.
She was far too dazzling and unrestrained—red was the only color that truly suited her. Yet she had draped herself in proud green. But it mattered not; after all, she would wear that blazing red and throw herself straight into the arms of the lover clad in crimson robes.
Then let them love one another, sparing nothing.
The only flaw in this Hogsmeade weekend was James. Just as Sirius was about to lean down and kiss the girl he had only just won over, James materialized beneath his Invisibility Cloak and dumped a mass of snow right onto Sirius's head.
Gloria watched with her own eyes as the veins throbbed visibly on Sirius's neck. Glaring viciously at James, Sirius casually let go of Gloria's hand, scooped up a handful of snow from the ground, and hurled it straight back at James. Watching Sirius laugh recklessly, Gloria caught a flash of light from the corner of her eye.
Turning her head, she saw Elodie looking with satisfaction at a moving photograph in her hands. In the picture, Gloria was dressed in crimson, looking ahead and laughing, caught in the very moment she turned toward the camera—her eyes smiling, possessing an incomparable beauty.
"Abby."
Gloria called out Elodie's name, only to realize then that everyone had quietly gathered around—even Lily. Elodie abandoned Tyres, grabbed Lily by the hand, and ran over toward Gloria.
Standing amid the boundless white snow, the young women were unrestrained and vibrant, the most brilliant splash of color imaginable. Remus captured the scene on film—along with the distant, brawling figures of Sirius and James.
Noticing Remus's actions, Sirius slung an arm around James's shoulders and sauntered over toward Remus, Tyres, and the others. Peter Pettigrew stood nearby, watching Remus inspect the photo he had just taken of Sirius and James, while the other three youths gazed at the girls of their hearts.
Many years later, a thick photo album would be compiled as a gift, filled with countless photographs.
Witnessing the brilliance of this era, and bearing witness to the finest years of the eight young lives gathered there.