The Black Sisters

thirty

The time passed like a stone skipping across the black lake. Soon it was December. She sat out on the rocks beside the large lake. She breathed in the cool evening air. The world seemed to pause as she sat there, her hair tied back with a big black bow, she wore black leggings and an oversized yellow hoodie. She'd borrowed the hoodie from Lila. Lila sat next to her. Her head up on Dorea's shoulder as they enjoyed the quiet moment. The peaceful time they so often had together.

"Dor?"

"yeah?"

"promise me you'll write" They sat in silence for a moment again. Her parents wouldn't love the thought of her writing to a muggle born. Especially if they ever found out Lila would be in danger. She couldn't risk that.

"Lila you're my best friend" she started "but my parents wouldn't love-"

"screw your parents" the same thing she'd said just a year earlier.

"If they ever found out you'd be in danger"

"You're being dramatic"

"Lila I'm not. They don't like muggle borns, they use that horrid slur. That movement we've heard about on the news..that terrorist group" she paused a moment "they support it" she couldn't say much else in that subject, she couldn't tell Lila that her own sister was apart of it, she couldn't tell her that she had a hunch on who the leader was, she couldn't let her know that she was at all connected to it. It's shameful to even know your own blood supports a cause like that.

"do you support it?"

"no" it was simple and truthful

"that's all I need to know Dor" she looked up from the lake they were both longingly gazing at. "promise me one thing then"

"okay"

"that you'll stay by my side"

"you'll always stay close to me, beside my heart"

"beside my heart"

The sun lowered under the tree line. Lila rested her head back onto Dorea's shoulder.

"beside my heart" Dorea mumbled as she set her head on top of Lila's. Lila's wrapped her arm around Dorea's back. Dorea wrapped hers around Lila.

The two stayed there until the stars were above and their toes felt like they'd frosted over.

***

"now class this is Fredrick, our two headed toad" Newt began teaching, they were in a small clearing near the entrance of the forbidden forest. It was the day before winter break and Dorea couldn't help but feel fidgety. Newt noticed but waited until the end of class to say anything. Dorea had burst out at Peter this morning and he was pretty upset. She felt awful, Peter was ignoring her too. "wanna hold Fredrick?" Newt asked softly when he made sure everyone had left the clearing. Dorea hadn't even noticed.

"sure" she lifted her hands and Newt dropped him into her hands. He kept looking off into the distance, but one head stared directly at her. "hi there fred" he made a croaking noise and looked away to stare elsewhere. "Freddie" she whispered and he looked back up, she tickled under his chin, not caring the slight goo she got on her finger tips. "he knows his name" she smiled.

"this is Professor Sprouts Toad so we must get him back to her soon." Newt mentioned

"oh of course" she turned on her heel towards the castle.

"forgetting something?" Newt called and she spun around to see him carrying her book bag to her. She breathly smiled, it was fake but he didn't mention it. She looked flustered. "Dorea?"