The Half-Blood Black

Chapter Five✨

Tonks, Sirius, Remus, and I sit in Sirius' bedroom, trying to gather as much warmth as we can by the fire. I have my knit blanket wrapped around Tonks and I as she brushes my hair with a comb, untangling my unruly knots. Sirius and Lupin go back and forth about how my father can't believe they let Severus into the house and how they allowed him to teach me about spells and potions and give me books on magic.

"We have another thing to tell you ..." Remus says. "When Lyra first started her classes with Snape she had already been chosen by a wand."

"You took her out to Diagon Alley? So soon?" Sirius asks, half absentmindedly.

"No, actually. And never in all my years have I heard of any of this happening before but ..."

"Do you remember when Reg died, Sirius?" Tonks says, stopping the ongoing battle with my hair. "How your parents collected all his things? Lyra and I were going through his belongings, going to transfer them to your parents bedroom upstairs. She picked up his wand and it was like nothing we have ever seen before. The windows busted open, the wind came rushing in ... do you remember what it felt like when your wand chose you?"

"That is ... impossible?" Sirius says.

"But it's not. Regulus' wand chose Lyra too. I don't know how, but they were both destined to have it."

"I can get it for you if you want?" I say, breaking my silence. "I keep it under my pillow for safety."

I grab the wand from the bed and walk the short distance back to them. The wand warms in the hand like it has so many times before and I pass it over to my father.

"Here, Sirius," I say handing it to him.

Sirius and I stand facing each other, each with a hand on the wand. There's a quick flash and we look over as Tonks lowers her head.

"I wanted to capture the moment, you two look so much alike..." She says smiling.

"Yes, 12 3/4 inches. Acacia wood. Dragon heartstring core. Brittle flexibility. This is his." Sirius says looking up at me, his eyes filled with sorrow and tears. "Reg ... he was my younger brother, Voldemort, who you have known about by now, killed him. It was vicious. It ravaged my heart that I couldn't stop him but all he ever wanted to do was to please my parents."

Silence again as I bite my chapped bottom lip and turn to Tonks.

"You couldn't have done anything, Sirius." Tonks says lightly. She reaches her hand out to him and touches his knee. "You know that is what Walburga and Orion wanted of him."

"But I was his BROTHER. I could have helped him. But I was selfish and I left him here all alone. He was too young to understand anything when he took the mark."

I stare at him and then turn to Remus who just shakes his head and looks down. There's silence and then Kreacher thumps down the hallway, dragging his broom behind him. He stops when he sees all of us and steps backwards a bit before he continues down the hall.

"Kreacher, how long have you had this?" Sirius asks, his back facing the hallway, not looking up.

He's lost in thought, and I can't imagine what he must be feeling, being back in this house, all of the painful memories of Grimmauld Place surrounding him.

"Kreacher has kept it safe for Master Regulus since Master Regulus saved Kreacher from the Dark Lord. He saved us all." Kreacher says, crouching a little lower and staggering a little. "Miss Lyra seems to have a connection so Kreacher gave it to her, Kreacher could hear Master Regulus in his sleep, he told Kreacher to give Miss Lyra the wand."

There's silence as everyone stares at the wand and then at Kreacher, then at me.

"Well, Lyra, if you're comfortable, I think we should show Sirius how well accustomed this wand is to you. Do you remember when I told you that you do not choose the wand, the wand chooses you?" Lupin says.

"You can't actually think..." I say looking at the wand in my fathers hands.

"Try it, you know some spells." Tonks says giving me a small smile. "You'll need to learn eventually, then you can join the Order of--"

"That's enough." Sirius says, looking at all of us. "And what about her other abilities? I know I have been out of the game for a while but ... how can she do the things she does?"

"That still remains a mystery. Dumbledore and Snape are trying to find any and all information they can regarding this. They haven't found anything but she has only been here a few weeks now. We are so early in our search it's hard to even know where to start.

Sirius sighs and hands the wand over to me. I rest it on my knees as I sit back down to Tonks. She gives me an encouraging smile and runs her hand down my hair in an affirming action. We stay silent for a little while longer. I've learned to love the silence. I feel as if we are connecting in it, it surrounds us and we find comfort in it.

I break the silence, letting out a breath. "So do you want to see what I got?"

Sirius grins and Remus bumps his shoulder, "Just bloody like her father, I'll tell you."