The Last Gryffindor (Sirius Black)

Chapter XV: Alecto Carrow

Lia ducked through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room, praising her good fortune that Sirius and his minions were nowhere to be seen. He'd been suspiciously absent these last few days, making her think he was up to something, but she had more pressing things to worry about than him. On the ever growing list of risks to her life, Sirius ranked in near the bottom, somewhere below butterflies.

Immediately after she passed the empty hearth, a furious orange cat darted out from under one of the overstuffed chairs and began winding herself like a coil between Lia's legs, nearly tripping her.

"Just the kitty I was looking for." She kneeled down, feeling guilty at how rarely she saw her cat nowadays. "Come here, Saber. Come on."

Lia glanced around the Gryffindor common room to find nearly a dozen other students pretending not to watch her out of the corner of their eyes while they attempted, to varying degrees of success, to study for their OWLS and NEWTS. Every time theier eyes accidentally caught on hers, their gazes quickly darted away, probably imagining themselves sly.

Merlin, couldn't they get a life? It was already December for goodness sake! They had had six months to get over whatever this novelty was about her family being killed.

Huffing, she scribbled a quick note for Remus and concealed it on the inside of Sabertooth's collar under the guise of adjusting it. Usually, she'd wait for Remus to come looking for her in the library at night, but she didn't have time for that this time, due to her prior engagement with Alecto. A letter would have to do in case things went awry.

She didn't worry about the note accidentally falling into the wrong hands, because, for some strange reason, Saber absolutely LOVED Remus and despised Sirius in equal measure. Lia chalked it up to an innate cat-dog rivalry.

Before leaving, she gave Saber a stern warning to stick to Remus like glue. She wasn't sure how much the cat understood, but Saber meowed the affirmative, and that was enough for Lia. With one last scratch behind her ears, she was gone.

• — • — •

The Slytherin Common Room was dark when Aeliana finally stepped inside. Whether everyone went to sleep willingly or had been felled by Alecto's nefarious means, Lia didn't want to know.

Severus, Regulus, Barty, Alecto, and Amycus were circled around the large stone fireplace, it's licking flames dancing shadows across their pensive faces.

Severus, who had been whispering something fierce to Alecto, looked up first at the sound of the door clicking shut.

Regulus turned next. He wasted no time leaping to his feet, his sweet smile putting Lia's buried worries to rest. Even if she was pretty certain Alecto could kill her without batting an eyelash, she was equally certain that Regulus could not.

"Sit here by me," he said, bouncing back on the balls of his feet, venting enough pent up energy to light a small village for a year.

Lia did as asked, letting herself be placed between him and Severus on the floor, her back blistering from the fire.

"So," Alecto began, leaning forward from her matriarchal spot on a high backed chair. All she needed, Lia mused, was to stroke a cat on her lap and she'd be the picture of pure villainy. "We've gotten to know you these last few months, and you have promise, but we really don't know you, understand?" She didn't wait for a response. "We've decided to ask you a few questions to see if you really belong around us and our other friends."

Lia felt her heart rate double when she said "other friends." If that wasn't synonymous with "Death Eaters," then she'd eat a hippogriff with a blunt spoon. Now was Lia's chance; she couldn't screw it up.

"To start, what do you think is our place in the world? Wizardkind, I mean." Alecto cocked her head like a cat examining a particularly tasty mouse.

Alright, Aeliana. Time to bullshit this out of the water. What would a bunch of over zealous pure-bloods want to hear?

She cleared her throat.

"It's only logical that we would be on top. We were given these special abilities to subjugate those weaker than us, to lead them, as they do to those weaker than them."

"And what of pure-bloods?"

"Well we can't have muggle borns in charge. They would be sympathetic to their weakling parents. What do they really know of the wizarding world, anyways?"

Each word tasted sour as it left her mouth, but the way Regulus squeezed her hand and the triumph brewing in Alecto's eyes made Lia confident she'd answered correctly.

"Naturally, pure bloods should lead us, because they have fewest fetters binding them to muggle weakness," she finished.

"Good..." Alecto purred. She looked around at the others. "I think she passed. Boys?" She didn't wait for either ascent or dissent before plowing forward. "Our master has expressed interest in you. If you pass the last test, you can help him make all of our dreams become reality!"

Her voice held such fervour that Lia was almost awed by the shear amount of singleminded devotion.

Lia looked to Regulus, the one among them she found most comforting, and asked, trying to hide her nerves, "What's... what's the last test?"

"It's easy. You don't have to do anything. All he does is look into your mind to see your loyalty to him and the cause." He shrugged carelessly. "Nothing to worry about, really."

Lia begged to differ on that one. It might be a bit of an issue when he looked into her mind and saw her burning desire to drop kick him into a volcano. Funny enough, Lia didn't voice that particular concern.

"He's been wanting to meet you for some time," Alecto shared, oblivious to the fact that this was in fact the second time she had done so. "With the holidays coming up, when we can leave the castle without raising suspicion, he decided that would be the best time."

"The holidays? But that's... Christmas break begins in two days!"

Lia had no time to plan anything, no time to get ready. Was that why they were only telling her now? To catch her off guard?

"You'll come home with me," Regulus explained, smiling. "I'm sure mum'll be pleased."

Unless she's been replaced with a ghoul, I highly doubt it. When has she ever been pleased?

"We'll send information on where we're going to be meeting to you there, when he decides to let you see him," Severus added blandly.

"Now that that's settled, I'm going to bed," Alecto exclaimed, standing up and stretching for emphasis. "Better start packing your bags."

With a last conspiratorial wink, she was gone.