Atheyas

𝟐𝟔: 𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖞𝖆𝖘

           A prisoner can be formed in various ways. For Laav, it was the destruction of her credibility so that she could protect the man she loved. Thus, her prison was built on lies, betrayal, and power that could make a real brick and mortar prison with locked doors and barred windows. For days she was locked up, doing multiple pieces of research with Regulus for a certain spell that the Dark Lord needed, both their head buried in books until they got sick of it.

           Over time, the shackles were removed and she had been assigned to execute Voldemort's dirty work in the manor itself. A month later, the young witch hit a record of having the most kills only by using a single spell-Serpentotia, not only gaining The Dark Lord's trust but also earning the name Atheyas meaning Queen of Serpents in Parseltongue.

           Tom had decided that Laav world bear the legendary Dark Mark for as she had proven herself worthy and where her loyalty lied. Only his inner circle was branded with it, which was considered a great honor among his followers. Tonight, he had ordered for an assembly to officially make an announcement that honored a deal between Atheyas and The Dark Lord. The doors to his court burst open and there she was. His only exception.

           The first thing he saw was, of course, her eyes, deep bottomless pits with fiery flakes of amber. The silver snake jewelry from her neck, intertwined as they stopped right below her chest. Her waist, wrapped in her black corset that hugged it, allowed the material below it to part beautifully. Flaunting her hell of a don't-mess-with-me attitude with every step, she strutted down the carpet. The confidence she radiated made her greatly feared and hated among the Deatheaters especially being Voldemort's favorite. Her eyes narrow as soon as she looked up at him, the muscles in her jaw tensed. "Riddle," she breathed out in a badly masked annoyance, as he stood up from his throne. Ah. Bliss. The more she said his name out loud, the less he hated it.

           "Laav," he smirked, barely hiding his favoritism. His hand held out for her but was disregarded as she walked up the concrete slabs to the throne, giving him the usual cold shoulder. The last time they met, she ended up winning him over a duel- a feat no one had managed to successfully achieve. Tom had gotten so furious, he refrained from talking to her for a week. She thought she was being ignored and unappreciated when in reality, he had spent his time, behind the doors, training harder so he could beat her in the next duel. Whether he admitted it or not, having her around all the time had made him fond of her presence, perhaps, even softened him a little.

           "I have an important announcement to make," Voldemort announced, gaining the attention of his followers. "Tonight's meeting is a little special," he glanced towards Laav, whose eyes were straight and focused on her front view. "Starting from today, Atheyas will be in charge when I am not around." The crowd broke out into murmurs. Everyone who was entitled to their opinions immediately discussed the matter at hand. 

             Laav's eyes strayed for a moment to find Regulus among the black cloaks but he wasn't there. When she first suggested the deal she wanted to make with Riddle to Regulus, he had disapproved of it but she knew she had to do this if she wanted her friends to survive. For Sirius to survive. The Dark Lord cleared his throat demanding the attention to be diverted back to him. In a flat and steady, but tight as a plucked wire tone, he continued, "She's your Lady. You will treat her with the same respect you treat me with. You will bow to her as to how you bow to me. You will serve her as you serve me. And you will protect her like how you protect me."

            A tense silence settled in the room as the Deatheaters nodded their heads in timidity and for formality as their leader continued to declare. "Remember. A betrayal against her is a betrayal against me." Gesturing for her to hand out to her arm, Tom used his wand to embed the jet black mark underneath her skin, delivering a burning sensation to not only her left forearm but onto the nape of her neck too. According to Regulus, the scar was only growing bigger into a weirder shape that both of them could not comprehend. Laav bit the inside of her cheeks to numb the pain but The Dark Lord noticed it and a look of concern washed over his face. "Are you okay?" 

            She nodded her head, not wanting to show any form of weakness. Her eyes scanned the court once more for her friend and finally, right at the back, she spotted him. He stood tall with the guards as they made eye contact. Do it, he signaled, entering her mind through Legilimens. Prove me wrong. That push was more than enough for Laav. With a malicious grin on her face, she turned to the group of terrorists that gathered in her presence."Let's begin with the meeting. We've got work to do."

           Meanwhile, in The Order, a knock was heard on Sirius' door. "Hey, Pads. Will you be coming down for dinner?" The young wizard sat on his study, pen in hand, no response coming out of his mouth as he ignored the question. "It's okay. I'll bring it up for you later, yeah?" Remus offered. Again, there was no response. The selfless friend sighed and left without another word. It had been a daily routine for him and Peter. They took turns to bring Sirius his meals. The only times he came out was when there was a battle and even then, once home, he would immediately go upstairs and lock himself in the room.

             The first few days after Laav disappeared, Sirius had roamed the streets for countless nights. Sometimes he'd never come home, and when Remus went to look for him, he'd find Sirius asleep at the same spot- The Black Lake- with her goodbye note in his hand. Regulus, on the other hand, from what Peter had observed, seemed too calm and collected which rose suspicions among the boys. For someone who clearly cared for Laav, he hadn't shown any kind of emotion or maybe he was just hiding it.

            Sirius laid on the bed, gazing at the stardust that shimmered in the night's darkest hour. Laav and he had the roof secretly removed and replaced it with clear panels when they first moved in. They cast a Disillusionment charm over it so it seemed like there was a roof when there really wasn't one. Constellations gleamed across the dreamscape and among all of it, he always looked for a specific one- The Orion. Ironic, isn't it? For someone who hated his father but at least there was something to love about it. Rigel. She graced the night sky with her presence, shining brightly at the bottom corner of the hunter. Hidden in her brilliance were the fainter companion stars that could only be seen using large telescopes.

           Farther to the east and farther south, Sirius appeared. It was funny how they learned in Astronomy that Sirius was the one that shone significantly brighter than Rigel because he couldn't see it for himself. The light inside of him was dimming day by day. His gaze shifted back to the blue orb that stared back at him. How did she have the audacity to leave him and turn the night sky above his head into a permanent installation of art expecting him to not sit and wonder in awe every night like the enamored man he was? Especially when he was positioned a great distance away from her. He flipped his journal to the latest page he wrote in and whispered the poem out loud. 

"The only distance between us
is the sky; so I wait.
I wait for the star to fall,
so I can wish upon you."

            He knew he sounded crazy, talking to the stars, pretending as though they could hear him. Or she could hear him, but in a way, it kept him a little sane. "Do you like it? This one's about you," his lips tugged at a small smile. "All of them are." Sirius carelessly skimmed through the blank pages hoping they wouldn't have to be inked in the same modus operandi. All he wanted was a happy ending and for her to,

"Come home," he whispered, the clear salty liquid keeping him company.

***

The above picture is for reference to how the sky is described.