The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part One

32. Chilling Truths

November 1976

Amara had awoken from yet another vivid dream the next morning she was to meet with James and Sirius, who had acquired the ingredients necessary to brew the potion to become an animagus. She was still shaking and rather paler than usual when she climbed the stairs with breakfast for them all, only it wasn't just James and Sirius waiting for her.

"You," she said in surprise, her eyes widening slightly as she saw her brother glaring daggers at James and Sirius, both standing, wands in hand.

He jerked slightly, turning to look at her in surprise. Shooting one last glare at the two Gryffindors, Amara's twin brother wordlessly turned, making his way down the stairs, bumping into Amara so hard she fell. Sirius instantly rushed forward, intent on helping her up, but Amara couldn't move. Violent tremors surged through her body as she tried to force her lungs to draw in breath.

"Excuse me," she said so softly only Sirius heard it. Scrambling to her feet, she rushed after him, leaving everything behind her. Shouting his name, she reached the bottom of the stairs at a run.

He kept walking.

"Listen to me!" she screamed. He stopped, turning with flashing eyes to face her.

"What?" he snapped. "Come to bully and berate me like your new friends do?"

"No," Amara said quickly, her eyes filling with tears. "Please-"

"Just leave me alone, Amara!" he shouted. She flinched, a tear spilling over and down her cheek. Stalking forward, he hissed, "Don't bother pretending you care about me only to run off to them!"

"Please," she whispered, withholding a sob as he turned.

She shouted his name again, but he would listen no more. Amara let out a sob, pressing both hands to her mouth as she crouched to the floor, hiding her head in her knees as more and more tears streamed down her cheeks. She only allowed herself to release a few sobs before she sat up, drawing in deep breaths in an attempt to calm down before another harsh breath forced itself into her breathing pattern.

At last deciding there was no stopping it, Amara sat down on the steps leading up to the Astronomy Tower and leaned against the wall, sobbing as though her heart would break.

.

December 1993

"Thea, are you staying for Christmas?" Hermione asked as Althea joined the three of them in the Common Room.

"Don't really have anywhere else to go, do I?" Althea said with a smile. "Mum has to stay, so I'll be here."

"Ron and I are staying too," Hermione said cheerfully. "I need to use the library."

"And I'm not dealing with Percy all break," Ron said irritably.

"Did you hear, Thea?" Hermione said excitedly. "There's another Hogsmeade visit right before the break."

"Oh," Althea said, quickly glancing at Harry.

"We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" Hermione said excitedly. "Mum and Dad would really love those Toothflossing Stringmints from Honeydukes."

The morning of the visit, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at the table with Althea eating breakfast.

"See you later, Harry," Hermione said as she and Ron got up, not even noticing that Althea wasn't following them.

Letting out a small laugh of amused exasperation, Harry said, "You should go, Thea."

"What do you mean?" Althea replied, not looking up from her book and her cereal.

"I know you're trying to stay again just because you feel bad I can't go," Harry said. "But you can't just not go to Hogsmeade just because you feel bad for me."

"Seems that's what's happening anyway," Althea replied dismissively.

"Thea, please, for me, just go and have fun," Harry begged.

Althea sighed, looking up at him consideringly.

"You're sure you'll be okay on your own?" she said cautiously.

"Yes," Harry said firmly, willing all his disappointment out of his expression and tone.

Somehow it was easier with Althea than with the others.

"But Harry-" she began.

"Thea, for the love of all things good, go," Harry retorted, giving her an eerily easy-to-produce smile.

"Fine," Althea sighed. "But I'm bringing you back some sweets."

"Fine, as long as you go," Harry said, grinning.

.

When Althea finally caught up with Ron and Hermione, they were already in Honeydukes, looking for some sweets for Harry.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

"There you are," Hermione said cheerfully. "Where were you?"

"Forgot my money bag," she lied.

"What if we get him some of these?" Ron suggested, pointing to a tray of blood-flavoured lollies.

"Ugh, no, Harry wouldn't want one of those, they're for vampires I expect," Hermione replied, grimacing.

"How about these?" Ron asked, showing them a jar of cockroach clusters.

"Definitely not," a voice behind them said.

Ron nearly dropped the jar while Althea let out a yelp, nearly toppling into the shelf.

"Harry," Hermione squealed. "What are you doing here? How - how did you - ?"

"Wow!" Ron said in an awed voice. "You've learned to apparate!"

"Course, I haven't," Harry said quickly in a low voice. "Fred and George gave me this map they've apparently had for ages. Nicked it from Filch. It shows all these secret passages in and out of Hogwarts. One of them leads to the cellar of Honeydukes. It also shows where everyone is at all times. It's called the Maurader's Map."

"How come Fred and George never gave it to me!" said Ron indignantly. "I'm their brother!"

"But Harry isn't going to keep it," Hermione said incredulously. "He's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?"

"No, I'm not!" Harry retorted.

"Are you mad?" Ron said angrily, looking at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?"

"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it," Harry protested. "Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it."

"But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione protested. "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know!"

"He can't be getting in through a passage," Harry replied firmly. "There are seven secret passages on the map, right? Fred and George reckon Filch already knows about four of them. And of the other three - one of them's caved in, so no one can get through it. One of them's got the Whomping Willow planted over the entrance, so you can't get out of it. And the one I just came through...well...it's really hard to see the entrance to it down in the cellar, so unless he knew it was there..."

Althea felt her heart twisting painfully in her chest. Mauraders. She knew that name. It was the same name her mother had used to refer to Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter. Sirius definitely knew about the passage in Honeydukes. Even when Harry and Ron had convinced Hermione to calm down, Althea could not bring herself to speak. There was so much about the Mauraders she knew only she, her mother, and the Mauraders themselves knew. Even her own friends knew nothing of her own connection to Sirius Black. She wondered, perhaps for the hundredth time since his escape, if she should say anything. The guilt was eating her alive, but would they judge her for her connection to him? She decided, again for the hundredth time, to set the issue aside for now, to worry about it later when the guilt in her chest grew to an impossible intensity once again.