Different

fear

Trigger warning for end of chapter!

The house atmosphere felt weird for the next few days. Sirius had to get ready for a mission and Regulus thought it was best if he went back to Grimmauld Place. His brother often left the house to check in on his younger brother, but Claire thought that he was still making sure that it was real. That his brother was actually still alive.

When Sirius was home, all he did was talk. He spent all of his time with Claire and Remus, a fake smile plastered on his face while he forced them to play a game or watch a movie. The quiver in his voice as he talked about the stars that he had learned how to read as a little boy was the only indication that Sirius was upset. And scared.

Remus was completely different. He humored Sirius, but Claire could hear them arguing every night. Arguing about her and Draco and what the best thing to do would be. Remus mentioned Beauxbatons multiple times, even mentioning Ilvermony a few times. It scared Claire, but she just pretended like she hadn't heard anything. After all, Christmas was approaching and she didn't want to ruin the mood even more.

In a vast difference from last Christmas. Claire was fighting with Harry who was stuck at his aunt and uncle's house. To make matters worse, Death Eaters had posted outside of Grimmauld Place and Regulus was all but trapped. He couldn't apparate without alerting the Ministry, and no one could get in to save him. Sirius was a nervous wreck, especially since he had to go on a mission and leave before Christmas day.

"I'll be back on Boxing Day," Sirius promised for the hundredth time. The family was gathered in the living room to wish him good luck, but a chill had settled over the room. The moon illuminated the small room, casting an eerie light over the family.

"That's what you keep saying," Remus mumbled. Claire saw how Sirius' eyebrows furrowed and hurried out of the living room, making it out just in time to avoid being caught in the middle of an argument. Claire picked through the few pieces of mail that she had received, all of which were from Hermione. Draco hadn't been able to contact her at all, and it felt like a stabbing pain in her heart anytime the owl came and there wasn't anything from him.

"You know that I'll be back, right?"

Claire jumped and dropped her letter, spinning around in a hurry. Sirius chuckled and sat on the side of her bed. Claire sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer as if that could protect her from the world.

"I know," Claire said softly.

"I have to go," Sirius sighed before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a box. "Open your present."

"I wasn't able to get you anything," Claire apologized, opening the box to see a gorgeous necklace, the image of a nova moving on the main piece. Sirius grinned at her, his eyes lightening for the first time in weeks.

"I have everything I could possibly want."

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"Get out!"

"Run!"

"Hide!"

Claire felt like she was drowning and suffocating at the same time. A veil was over her eyes, only giving her small glances of where she was. The field of flowers where she met with Leo was burned down to nothing but ashes, the sky a dark grey. Ashes flew into her mouth, choking her. The warning screams echoed in her mind and Claire tried to wake up, but she was trapped. Panic gripped her, but she couldn't do anything. She could barely move. 

"Leo! Leo, please! Where are you?!" Claire cried, but all that came out were ashes. The veil flew away and she saw that it had been a familiar jacket, one that Leo always wore. She missed it the second it flew away as the landscape revealed itself to her. What hadn't already burned was on fire, the heat seeping into her bones. She was both freezing cold and burning hot at the same time, and it felt like all of the oxygen was being sucked out of her body. Even with the veil gone, her eyes couldn't focus and she felt herself falling to her knees, ash coating her throat and preventing her from taking a deep breath.