Who is this, whose eyes,
even now, sparkle through my mind,
to steal pieces of my soul?
Her laugh ripples down my spine
with warm familiarity
as if,
somehow,
I'd spent a life with her already,
as if the universe
had written this story years ago,
and now sat atop high clouds
as it unfolded
smiling at my doubts -
as if there was any chance
I would not love this girl
for the rest of time.
September 30th - 1976
Sirius Black stared at the familiar soft silver shimmer of the disillusionment charm exiting the alleyway, the only reminder that their secret meeting had happened. The elder Black clutched the letter with shaking hands, reading the cursed words one more time as if he wanted to engrave them in his brain, when he noticed something. The small piece of parchment that he was holding seemed to weight more than it should. He raised his wand in the direction of the neatly round letters and started mumbling a few borderline illegal detection spells that one could only find in old manuscripts in the Black library.
He widened his eyes at what he found. In front of him stood a crystal blue list indicating what types of spells and charms were imbued in the letter. Several compulsion charms were found variating from subtle compulsion that once ignored triggered a complex chain of severe compulsion charms that caused the receiver of the letter more compliant to their will which would explain why his little brother was so resigned that he had no way out of this mess. As he read through the multiple compulsion charms found, his jaw dropped when he spotted a blood charm also imbued in the letter, one that was normally used in old betrothal contracts that made the receiver at the mercy of anything without any means to defend himself.
Sirius Black prided himself for his self control but the moment he discovered the contents of the letter, he snapped. His magic went haywire causing the nearby glass windows from the shops to explode in millions of pieces, barely noticing the exclamations of shock from the owners of the establishments. There was a scream of unadulterated rage burning deep as if his soul was ready to unleash a demon, but he hadn't uttered a sound. The anger glinting in his silver eyes showed the scared child within, the young boy who was taught that he should be proud of his upbringing, the one that had to shield himself from his parents punishments for his beliefs, starving of the love he desperately craved. Only the very few could see the pain beneath the smirks and flirtations, the persona he created to fit a world of indifference.
While his mind dwelled in such thoughts he started to notice that the owners of the stores were walking through Hogsmeade looking for the culprit that frightened their customers. Sirius quickly casted a notice-me-not charm over himself until he exited the dark alleyway, canceling the charm once he was far away from the scene, when suddenly, he collided with a petite body causing him to grab the arms of the person to steady her. Frowning, Sirius looked to the arms attached to the body, until he saw a face that hadn't left his mind since she arrived four weeks ago.
When his eyes locked with her blue ones the soft expressions he was used to greet her with have evaporated. Hope held his gaze with a calculative stare, but instead of the warmth and mischief she grew accustomed to, she was met with a look of icy hostility and apoplectic rage where she could feel his magic crackling around them, it was wild and unpredictable, a type of magic that made Hope shiver from the negative emotions directed towards something in particular.
''Sirius? Is everything alright?'' Hope asked in a concerned tone, the mere sound of her voice soothing his rage little by little.
The black haired boy smirked and tilted his head to look at her properly as he was concentrated on the crumbled letter in his hands ''How could it not? I just stumbled upon a beautiful girl with an endearing personality and the marvelous habit of cursing wanna be death-eaters in her lonesome and it would be rude to leave her be when she is determined to find her friends''
Hope snorted and found it difficult not to laugh at his poorly attempt to charm her and hide what had previously happened to cause his magic to lose control. Chatting with Sirius was sort of a verbal dance, one beautifully chaotic, one that made her laugh out loud at the ridiculousness of his words and one filled with snark remarks and flirtations. It was their type of a banter, and she would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoyed it.
''That was terrible'' Hope concluded with mirth shining in her eyes.
''Perhaps, but it made the beautiful lady standing before me to crack a gorgeous smile, and if it is the ridiculousness of my words that have this effect, then it will be worthy'' he finished with a small smile with a mischievous glint shining in his silver eyes.
Hope shook her head at the boy, he was clearly attempting to change the subject and was also looking troubled with something she could not quite decipher it yet. ''You're ridiculous. Does this work for every girl? After a small banter, do they get weak on the knees for you?'' She asked in a mocking tone with a small sparkle shining in her eyes.
Sirius approached her and whispered softly in her ear ''That depends. Do I make you weak on your knees?'' He gently tugged a brown lock of hair behind her ear and Hope couldn't help but slightly blush at the closeness. When he retreated his hand, Hope approached the boy where she could hear his heart beating wildly in his chest.
''Do I make you nervous, Sirius? Is this why your heart is pounding wildly in your chest? The better question is: are you weak on your knees for me, Sirius? She hummed while she traced her fingers through his high cheekbones while she looked at his soft pink lips.
Sirius stared wide eyed at the girl in front of him with a hint of lust shining in his eyes. He started to lean in and when their lips brushed together, Hope took a small step back and whispered softly in his ear ''Oh, but didn't you know? I'm to smart to be seduced by you'' she finished with a smirk playing in her lips.
The black haired boy laughed at her statement but didn't back down from the challenge, ''Then I must be stupid for once, if this allows me to feel the sweet taste of yours lips on mine'' he whispered seductively.
Hope widened her eyes and took a tentative step towards Sirius leaning in once more to close the small gap between them, when someone shouted her name. Sirius groaned at the disturbance and a flash of anger passed through his eyes when he discovered the source of their interruption.
It was not a voice she recognized causing her to frown when she saw a boy in lavender and blue robes with blond hair and blue eyes marching confidently in their direction ''Ah! There you are, Hope! I've been looking everywhere for the most beautiful girl that Hogwarts ever seen, wondering if she would allow me to take her to Madam Puddifoot's for a lovely date'' the boy announced loudly as if he wanted to gather the attention of the fellow students. The few students that were passing by including a familiar Slytherin boy in black and silver robes snorted in their direction as if pitying them for having to deal with the boy wearing flamboyant colors.
When he noticed that most of their peers weren't giving him enough attention and were retreating to the Three Broomsticks for lunch he turned to stare Hope up and down pausing slightly on her chest for a few seconds before looking at her eyes with a confident smirk playing on his lips.
Sirius clenched his jaw at the audacity of the fifth year Ravenclaw, especially when he noticed the lust induced thoughts he was clearly having about his witch causing the urge to curse the bastard who dared to interrupt them to oblivion when Hope beat him to it ''Who the bloody hell are you?'' she stated incredulously.
The blonde boy looked offended when he heard her question, but when he was about to answer, Sirius cut him off "Piss off, Lockhart. As you can see, Hope is here with me, as my date, so why don't run along to your little fan club and leave us alone, hm? Wouldn't want something accidentally happening to you do we?" he finished sliding his wand from the holster in his sleeves, twirling the wand between his fingers, carefully watching his stance for sudden movements.
Lockhart promptly ignored his threat shrugging him off, and continued to flirt with Hope causing not only the Black temper, but also the Mikaelson temper to rise. To the simple observer, if someone looked at the scene from far away they would witness two boys and a girl in a heated argument, but if you looked closely it was palpable that the magic from one of the boys and the girl could be found crackling together in the air as if they were one in the same. His magic was dark and wild. Her magic was unpredictable and ancient.
When the Ravenclaw boy motioned to grab her arm, beckoning her to follow him to Madam Puddifoot's, Sirius shot a stinging hex at the boy and at the same time, Hope quickly grabbed his arm and twisted behind his back, making the boy whimper and crumble to the ground in pain. She crouched towards the boy, a malicious glint in her eyes ''Touch me again, and I'll tear your arm straight off''
Sirius barked out a laugh that startled Hope from the boy on the ground. People think of laughing as a noise that comes from the mouth, but when Sirius laughed it was nothing like that. The laugh was in his eyes, in the way his face changed into that vision of relaxed joy and unrestrained mirth. Yet, in reality, it wasn't in his face either. His laugh came from within, something so pure, innocent and childish, a melody that caused her heart to flutter slightly at the marvelous sound.
The boy was still chuckling when he motioned for Hope to follow him in the direction of the pub she heard so much about from her friends. When they were half way through the cobblestones path, she noticed a movement from the corner of her eye and a thumping noise of a beating heart that caused her to turn her head slightly in the direction of a familiar boy with blond hair and watery blue eyes walking quickly in the direction of the Shrieking Shack. Hope stopped walking and observed that the boy was looking in every direction as if he needed to be sure that nobody was following him. Sirius noticed that Hope stopped walking and averted his eyes to what had caught her attention.
His eyes widened in disbelief and confusion when he noticed Peter Pettigrew walking the opposite way of where James and Remus were waiting in the Three Broomsticks. The confused frown marred in his aristocratic features quickly turned to one of suspicion and distrust when he remembered the dream he had a few weeks ago. When Peter went to look at their direction Hope grabbed Sirius hand startling the boy at the sudden contact and muttered a spell he never heard before: ''invisique''. The boy shivered at the cold sensation that the spell caused, it reminded him of a type of invisibility cloak that covered them, but not exactly.
Before the boy could utter a word to question the girl beside him, Peter Pettigrew turned to look once more in their direction thinking that he heard someone, but when he saw no one in sight he shrugged his shoulders and where once stood a boy, a gray rat scurried off in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.
Hope looked startled at the scene in front of her, not quite expecting that the revelation of Peter Pettigrew was in all senses a rat would come so easily to her. But before Hope could formulate a plan in her head, Sirius grabbed her hand searching her blue eyes and spoke imploringly ''I can't explain what you just witnessed, because it is not my secret to tell, but I need to follow him''
Hope squeezed his hand softly and turned to look at the black haired boy ''Sirius, it's alright, honestly - you don't have to explain anything'' she spoke with a small comprehensive smile before continuing ''I'm afraid that you can't go alone, as I'm currently sustaining a different type of cloaking spell that can't be discovered by a simple revealing spell. We have to go together, okay?'' she finished quietly with hint of hesitance in her voice.
Sirius nodded his head with reluctance. After a few minutes of following the path Peter scurried off in complete silence, they arrived at the edge of the propriety of the Shrieking Shack, an abandoned house with no working entries or windows. He motioned for Hope to follow him to a hiding spot where they could observe and hear the small steps Peter took from one side to the other as if waiting for something or someone. Soon enough, as if made of shadows and darkness itself, three man and two familiar boys appeared - Mulciber and Avery, breaking the monotony of the wooden shack. Hope sees Sirius stiffen and flick his eyes toward it and gives him a barely perceptible shake of her head, squeezing his hand once more in comforting manner. No distractions. In the silence of the calm midday, a sudden drawling cold voice cut the air like a knife.
''Pettigrew, the Dark Lord grows impatient for the lack with information about the new girl. Is that such a difficult task?'' Malfoy sneered at the whimpering boy.
''N-n-no, Lucius! It's just there is nothing to tell. The only thing I managed to gather is that she is a mudblood homeschooled by her u-uncles and aunts in New Orleans, she is very p-powerful and quite a know-it-all, McGonagall and Slughorn are always praising her spell work and theory work''
''Idiot! This is a bunch of useless information, Pettigrew! The Dark Lord will be most displeased. He gave you a chance once more to prove your worth! Do you honestly think that the torture session you caused in a family of mudbloods last summer was sufficient to prove that you were worthy of the mark? His mark branded in your left forearm demands more than that, Pettigrew. He will show no mercy at your failures, remember that" Lestrange growled out.
''Bah! Can't do anything right, can you?'' Mulciber snarled ''I can always make her talk, more like scream for mercy. My cock would be enough to send that dirty blood crawling back to her family in America''
''I highly doubt that raping her would be the smart choice. I heard her uncle is a close friend of Dumbledore, you would be expelled in a minute. And besides didn't you get cursed twice for trying to pick a fight with her?'' Avery drawled in a mocking manner causing Pettigrew to snort.
''What's with you how I would break the bitch? Fancy her yourself, Avery and Pettigrew? Think the Dark Lord will allow a consolation prize after I'm done with her?'' Mulciber grunted.
''It seems that you proved yourself useless, Pettigrew. The Dark Lord will be most displeased'' Malfoy stated coldly at the whimpering boy.
A few meters away from the scene, Sirius clenched his jaw in anger, eyes of molten silver blazing at the death eaters in front of him. His magic started to hum in rage and the black haired boy was about to stand up and confront the four of them, when Hope squeezed his hand tightly causing the boy to wince slightly at the strength of her grip. He turned to look at the girl beside him, who was deathly pale with a slight tremor on her lips that caught his attention.
Hope watched the bonfire in his eyes as if it can burn his inner rage, as if his frustrations and anger are the fuel turns into ashes. She feels the heat burning in his velvet skin, ordering a few steps backward, but she doesn't move an inch. Hope simply watches eyes full open, posture square and stiff to the flames. She will stay there, until the glowing embers of his anger slowly die, until the wind blows cold once more.
She understood his rage, so there was no need to take a step back from the fire. Home is easier when others sleep, in faux solitude, no need for a mask of docility.
''Let's get out of here, please'' Hope whispered to the boy beside her with a slight tremor in her voice. Witnessing this particular meeting brought back memories she wished she could forget, the torture she went through at the hands of a dark witch coven when she was captured a few months ago. Her heart was pounding in her chest, a sense of panic filling her veins.
Sirius turned to look at the blue eyed girl beside him and nodded his head slightly. He squeezed her hand in reassurance and took a few steps back away from the scene, silently, wishing he could curse them to oblivion. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed instantly, at a loss for words.
''You knew didn't you?'' Sirius asked after a few minutes in silence
Hope stared at the boy besides her with shock written in her eyes. He chuckled sadly ''It's funny how someone who learned from a young age to mask his emotions can easily tell when the other does the same thing. You didn't show a hint of surprise in neither - Peter being an animagus and his meeting with wanna be death eaters.''
Hope took a deep breath but before the two could continue the conversation they saw James and Remus coming towards them. She suddenly realized that the time they were listening the conversation flew by and it was past lunch time and now every student was heading back to the castle.
''There the two of you are. The both of you missed lunch at The Three Broomsticks.'' Remus stated with a worried frown marred in his features. He took a closer look to one of his best friends and knew something was wrong.
''I told Lily, Marlene and Alice we were going to find the two of you, but Marlene insisted we didn't - something about Hope bedding with Sirius'' James said, his eyes twinkling in mischief.
''But alas, there are no secrets with us Marauders, isn't that right my dearest Hope Mikaelson?'' he finished, waving a battered piece of parchment in front of her.
Hey Guys!!! I'm terribly sorry for the long pause in this story. I had so much college work to get done, that I simply didn't have the time to write new chapters! As I said before I take quite a while to write, because I always look forward to write medium-long chapters and look forward to construct a certain depth in all my characters as a way to improve the storyline, always filled with a good cliffhanger
I would like to thank each reader who waited patiently for this update, and for coming back reading once more the story. This means a lot to me!!
Vote!!! Share!!! Comment!!! I would love to know your thoughts in this chapter!
Until next time,
Xoxo SapphiresAndBlues :)