Black // Marauders

48. Birthday

Persie's eyes began to flutter open her dreams of her mother and Sirius being distant memories as her head lulled from side to side. Her breathing was sharp, ragged almost as the sharp pain in her chest prevented her from getting all the air she thought she needed.

"Pers?" Sirius' voice was croaky but soft as she heard his chair creak as he leaned forward to knit his fingers in hers and put his palm to her face, "Pers, it's me. Ssshh, you're okay."

She stopped her head from moving and just squeezed his hand as tightly as she could manage before she could fully open her eyes and look at him.

He perched on the side of her

"You're going to tell them it was Bella?!" Regulus asked before she shook her head, "It wasn't Bellatrix. I took her out." Persie told him as she pulled at a thread on her shirt and Eloise cleared her throat, "But she's the only one who wants you dead? It had to be her."

"Obviously not." Persie replied grimly as her mouth pressed into a flat line and she pushed her chair back so it made a horrible scraping sound against the floor and made for the hallway, before she heard footsteps behind her and she span around to find Eloise following her and Sirius and Regulus stood next to each other in the doorway, "What are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you." Eloise told her, before Persie just blinked at her and sighed deeply, "No, you aren't. Sirius, take her home."

"Per-"

"I said no!" She interrupted loudly as Eloise closed her mouth and narrowed her eyes at her and Sirius stepped forward, touching her arm lightly before Persie turned away again and walked out of the door. She took a deep breath to calm herself down before turning and landing just inside the door at Headquarters, walking down the hallway and into the dining room as everyone was gathered around the table busying themselves around a body that lay still on the top of it and covered in blood, "Who is that?" Persie asked Moody who stood scratching his chin with her father stood by the side of him.

"He broke into your house when you and Sirius left. Not maliciously. He staggered in and collapsed in this state." Alastor assured her, before she looked back at the body and narrowed her eyes, "I swear I know this guy."

A closing door signified someone else had just arrived at Headquarters before the sound of dust rising from the carpet and a scream, making Persie sigh in annoyance and look back towards the hall door and press her tongue against her cheek, "I'll be back."

Her head poked around the corner into the corridor and she was greeted with the sight of a spluttering Sirius and Eloise as the dust from McKinnon's security system hung thick around their heads. She raised her wand and the dust was sucked into it's tip before she gave Sirius a disappointed look and walked back into the dining room as Moody and her dad's eyes hung on her and then the two new arrivals.

"Where's James?" Persie asked, before Moody pointed to the landing above him and she turned to face Sirius and Eloise, "Go and find him and then go back to mine. Or hers. Or wherever. I don't care. Just get out of my way and try not to die."

The table had started to clear until only Molly was left by the side of the boy's body, tending to the deep cuts on his arms, removing a watch from his arm and examining it as she placed it down by his side, replacing the bottle of medicine she'd just picked up. Persie found herself sub conscientiously walking towards the table and examining the watch in her fingertips, "Eloise?" She choked before the blonde cautiously walked towards her after Sirius gave her nudge, "Yeah?"

"Is this your friend's, or looks like your friend's?" She asked, passing her the watch before turning to look back at the boy's face and swallowed hard.