Critical ~ S. Black

𝒞𝐻𝒜𝒫𝒯𝐸𝑅 𝒩𝐼𝒩𝐸𝒯𝐸𝐸𝒩

***

A week later, I was sitting in my office, doing some grading for Professor Mcgonagall, when there was a timid knock at my door.

I set my quill down and looked up. "Come in." I walked a sweet-looking girl in Ravenclaw robes. What I immediately noticed though was that her dark cheeks were stained by tears, and her eyes looked puffy as she clutched a letter in her hands.

"What's wrong?" I frowned as I stood up, leading her to the couch I have in my office (what? Sometimes I don't feel like sitting at a desk!).

"M-my parents are k-kicking me out... Out of my house a-and, I don't know what to do..." She managed to get out, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. I gasped softly.

"Oh, honey..." I hugged her, letting her cry into my shoulder. "I'll talk with my husband and if you'd like, you can come live with us. Alright?"

She looked up at me, seemingly in wonder, her blue eyes sparkling from both unshed tears and an obvious bit of hope.

"A-are you sure...? I don't want to burden you..." She looked at her lap and I smiled softly.

"You wouldn't be a burden, I promise. Now, what's your name?" I asked her.

"Katie," she responded quietly. She sounded nervous, though I haven't the faintest clue why.

"Well Katie, it's up to you but you're welcome to stay with my family as long as you need to, okay?" She nodded. She smiled when I said her name and stood up.

"Thank you." I nodded, watching her leave.

As I sat back down at my desk, I got out a fresh sheet of parchment and dipped my quill in the ink, starting my letter.

Dear Sirius,

I have some news. Don't worry, it's nothing bad. If anything, it's both upsetting and nice news.

Earlier today a girl, about Riley's age, came to me crying because she got a letter from her parents saying she's been kicked out of her house. I offered to let her stay with us as long as she needs because no child should have to live on their own.

Much love,

Lexi.

Finishing the letter, I walked to the owlery, sending the letter to Sirius to let him know the good news.

I then finished grading the papers, had dinner, and went to bed, smiling at the conversation I had had with Hagrid earlier this afternoon.

°•|°•| {fancy flashback noises} |•°|•°

"'ello Lexi," Hagrid greeted me as I walked down to his hut.

"Hello, Hagrid. How are you?" I smiled, petting Fang – who had nearly knocked me over.

"I'm doin' alright. What can I 'elp you with?"

"Do you happen to know where Saphira has taken to hiding out?" I just couldn't wait to see my old friend again, considering the most recent time I saw her I was unconscious.

"I believe she's in the farthest cave. Tell 'er I said 'ello, would ya?" I nodded as I started walking out.

"I will. Thank you."

"o' course! And one more thing. Would ya mind taking the COMC class on a trip to see 'her one o' these days?" I nodded again, my smile growing.

"Of course. I'm sure they'll love it."

With that, I walked down to say hi to my best friend.

|•°|•° {fancy end of flashback noises} °•|°•|

The next day after breakfast, I walked down to where the COMC classes were meeting. Right now, I can tell it's 6th years because I can see Riley, laughing and talking with Katie. Luckily Katie seems to be in a better mood than she was before.

Hagrid was trying to make them be quiet, to no avail. So, I used an old trick from controlling my brother.

I stuck two of my fingers in my mouth and whistled, getting their Attention as I walked to stand beside Hagrid.

"Today, Hagrid has offered to let me show you a rare magical creature. At least, one that's rare to get close to." I smiled, as the class looked intrigued. "Follow me!"

With that, I started walking. I could hear them following, which was good.

"Now, when you see this magical creature I want you to know that while they can seem a bit scary, this one is a big sweetheart. And I'm very trained in handling her," I explained as we walked, getting closer to the cave.

"What kind of creature is it?" A kid, I'm guessing it was Neville by the sound of his voice, asked.

"You'll have to wait and see." With that, we reached the entrance to the cave. "Stay close to me!"

The students followed me and I smiled. Hey Saph, we're on our way. Are you gonna do that thing where you hide in the corner and breathe fire? You know it, Lex. People's reactions are so much fun.

When we reached the part of the cave she was in, it was pitch black. I called behind me to the students, "Stay there until I tell you it's okay to come forward!"

And then, I saw a bright flame illuminate Saph's gold scales. I laughed softly as I heard people scream, and started walking towards Saph.

"Mrs. Black, what are you doing?" Katie asked. I simply grinned mischievously.

"You'll see." With that, I reached Saph. Her scales were glowing bright enough now to provide light for everyone, so I didn't have to use my wand.

"Everyone, meet Saphira!" I turned around after hugging Saph, to face the class. They had mixed expressions of terror, worry, curiosity, and amazement.

Hello everyone. Hagrid, Riley, it's lovely to see you two again. And with that, I heard people start freaking out.

"Don't worry, don't worry. That's Saph. An ability she and I have is to speak in each other's minds and the minds of other people. Well, speak in a way," I explained. "Would anybody like to come over? I promise she's very friendly."

A few shy students volunteered, and when others saw their friends going up, they went up. Soon enough, the whole class was gathered around Saph as she spoke with them.

The rest of class went rather smoothly, as did the rest of the day.

____________________________________

Thanks for reading!

I hope that this extra-long chapter makes up for the hiatus from writing. It was a lot easier on me to not have to write 1000 words by a certain date, and I felt like I did a lot better when I didn't have a specific date to write by.

Hope y'all are staying safe and healthy!

Happy Vibes

<3 Riley

p.s. thank you so so much for 1k reads! Post any questions you have about the characters or book in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them (though some I might not answer for spoilers, others I simply don't know).