The Brightest Star {Sirius Black}

Chapter Five

November passed and December came, bringing cold water and snow to Nimaine's river. It brought bitter chills to Hogwarts grounds and painstaking days in the Herbology classrooms. Both thought they got the worse end of the deal, but when Nimaine explained that her river would freeze over, Sirius let up. She definitely had it worse.

Nimaine was forced to move downstream to the ocean. Not too far that Sirius couldn't reach her, but far enough where it wouldn't freeze. Popping up out of the water, an owl awaited her presence. It quickly dropped the letter in her hand before leaving, and she opened it eagerly.

Nimaine,

I'm on my way back, now. I'm glad you've moved downstream, I would rather not deal with a fish-cicle while I'm home. I've already got to deal with my parents' whining about how I'm not in Slytherin. 

Still the best out of us two,

Sirius

Nimaine laughed quietly, folding up the paper and putting it with the others in a box Sirius had sent her in early December. She quickly looked through each of the letters, reading again and again about the Gryffindor common room, the many classes, and the Great Lake.

She wanted to be there, at Hogwarts. She disliked her river, and she certainly disliked speaking through letters. Only Salt-water Mermaids could speak through song, but it would be hard to continuously sing without Sirius laughing and interrupting her. Fresh-water Mermaids, or Mermaids from lakes and streams, (she didn't count as one at the moment), couldn't sing above water.

Salt-water Mermaids were also known as Sirens of the Sea.

She waited for Sirius' return, and when she heard faint screams she knew it wouldn't be long now. And she was right. After the screams of a woman had subsided a faint slamming of a door rang throughout the area.

Sirius jogged down to the river, spotting the ink on the rocks around the edge. He chuckled quietly, remembering the clumsy owl. It had knocked one of his own ink bottles onto an essay he was working on.

He quietly walked along the water's edge, until he heard a splash and looked down farther. Sitting on a rock with her arms folded sat Nimaine, a glare on her face but a gleam in her eyes. The gleam gave it away, she wasn't actually mad at him.

Well, maybe since he was taking so long. Sirius smiled and began walking backwards when she began clicking her tongue wildly with frustration in her eyes. Laughing, Sirius made his way over to her and sat down beside her.

"Nimi, how horrible to see you again," Sirius joked, smiling his sideways smirk at her. She quickly frowned at him. Splashing him, he stood up quickly, cold from the icy water now splashed on his clothes. "How dare you, are we not friends?"

Nimaine smirked at him and went to splash him again, but found he had moved out of range. She groaned frustrated with him, before she slid back into the water completely, letting him sit on the rock.

"So, I'm assuming you were bored the entire time I was gone?" He asked. She clicked her answer quickly. "I know, I am pretty fun to be around, aren't I?"

Pretty annoying. Nimaine clicked, making a face at him. She never clicked the whole word. Shortened it to a few of the letters, getting rid of the ones that the words didn't need to make sense.

"Oh shut up, you love me," Sirius countered, not able to do anything but smile. "So, thank you for the birthday gift." Sirius fiddled his fingers, looking away from the girl. She smiled and nodded her head.

When the ends of the two shells were put together they would connect, unable to be separated. When opened it would play a lullaby, specifically, Nimaine's voice. She couldn't figure out how to do it, when a wizard she had saved from another Salt-water Mermaid had offered to help out of gratefulness. Many wizards still owed her favors.

Sirius would listen to it on nights he couldn't fall back asleep. Sitting in the common room at all hours of the night it would play so quietly he couldn't help but sleep. He had all the notes memorized, as well as the words.

James, Remus, and Peter often heard him humming it while he was doing homework, without him knowing he was doing it. He could care less who heard it from his own mouth, but the shells were something he never showed anyone.

They were his little secret.