Marauders - A Sirius Black love story

Chapter 1 : Happy Birthday

The morning of November 15th, I woke up to my two younger siblings having the time of their lives in my bed, jumping and laughing.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

They stopped, grinned at each other, and then launched themselves at me, knocking me flat on my back.

"Happy birthday, sis!"

I stared at them for a second, not understanding what they meant. Then it hit me.

It was my eleventh birthday.

I was going to Hogwarts.

I couldn't believe it.

I pulled them both into a hug, kissing their cheeks before climbing out of bed. The floor was freezing against my feet as I made my bed, found some clothes, and got ready for the day. Once I'd tied my hair into a ponytail, I headed downstairs.

Knowing my family, and by family I mean every aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandparent within a hundred-mile radius, I knew there would be presents everywhere.

I wasn't disappointed.

Presents were piled across the living room, each one with a tag telling me who it was from. Loud voices drifted in from the kitchen.

The family was here.

As I entered, the kitchen smelled of fresh bread and strong tea. Everyone seemed to be talking over everyone else, creating a wall of noise that would probably scare off a dragon.

It was going to be a very loud morning.

"Good morning!" I said, plastering on my brightest smile, though I couldn't help noticing the pained expressions on my older brother Robert's and older sister Celine's faces as Aunt Annabelle enthusiastically explained yarn and knitting patterns.

"Happy birthday, Isabella!"

The entire kitchen turned toward me and shouted at once.

Yup. Loud.

I didn't even get the chance to sit down before Dad started bragging about the broom he'd bought me for my birthday. Typical Quidditch player behaviour, if you ask me.

Uncle Noah, his younger brother, immediately informed him that he should find a real job because Quidditch wouldn't last forever now that he was in his thirties.

Naturally, an argument started.

Naturally, Grandma Ginny smacked both of them on the back of the head.

Apparently, she'd been doing that since they were children.

I hid behind my teacup to cover my laughter.

Grandma Adele insisted on speaking French even though only half the table understood her.

Aunt Acelynn looked like she was wondering why she'd married into this family of lunatics, while simultaneously loving every second of it.

Uncle Pierre was loudly talking about France.

A typical family reunion, I suppose.

The next ten minutes were spent hugging relatives, opening presents, and thanking everyone for them.

Some gifts were harder to appreciate than others.

There were the boring books about France, a doll wearing a white dress with blonde hair tied into a ponytail, and a truly horrible yellow sweater knitted by Aunt Annabelle.

Then there were the good gifts.

A Nose-Biting Teacup.

A Fanged Frisbee.

Books about Hogwarts and its founders, which I fully intended to read before September 1st arrived.

Beautiful dresses made from French silk.

The broom Dad had spent the entire morning bragging about.

And, most importantly, an enormous bag of sweets.

Eventually, only one present remained.

Mum's.

"Hope you like it, sweetheart," she said with a smile. "I thought about it for a long time. Then I saw one of your drawings and realised it might be the perfect gift."

I carefully opened the box.

Inside were sketchbooks, pencils, coloured pencils, and watercolours.

Nestled beneath them was Mum's newest invention: a portable canvas kit.

Leave it to Mum to figure out how to fit half an art studio into a single box.

There were even more art supplies underneath, but what caught my attention most was the camera and photo album resting at the bottom.

My throat tightened.

I blinked rapidly, trying very hard not to cry.

"Thank you so much, Mummy!"

I practically launched myself at her.

She laughed and wrapped her arms around me.

"You're welcome, my dear." She kissed my forehead. "These will help you capture all the important moments of your school years. Trust me, you'll have plenty worth capturing at Hogwarts, mon cher."

I hugged her so tightly that she laughed and told me I wouldn't be able to fit everything into my trunk.

Looking back now, I think that birthday was the beginning of everything.

Not because of the gifts.

Not even because Hogwarts was waiting for me.

It was the day before my world became much bigger than I had ever imagined.