CH.3
There were voices in the floors below me. I'd been in this room for a few days, Sirius or Remus would come see me. Bring me things. But I was more alone here than before. At least before I had 24/7 contact with Paddy.
I decided to go out tonight. Roam a bit. While everyone was asleep. It couldn't do any harm.
"Hello Little one." A voice says, very obviously Remus. I look up from my DADA book.
"Yea?"
"I brought some food." He states.
"Thanks." I smile, taking the tray and setting it on my bedside table.
"What are you looking at?" He asks, sitting on my bed beside me.
"Bogarts." I state. "I want one.."
"What?" He laughs.
"I mean, to practice with..." I shrug. "More accuracy."
"For?"
I smile before producing my doe. "I wanna try against something for once."
"That's... Very advanced magic."
"I have a lot of free time.." I state, watching my doe turn to mist.
"Yea.." He says quietly. "I should probably go before anyone wonders where I am..."
"Okay.." I nod, watching him leave me once again alone with my books. I wonder if I could really move around in here, or if it would make noise and attract attention, like when I used to wake Paddy in the middle of the night while I was in the attic.
There's a large mirror leaning against the wall, I stand in front of it looking at myself. Still not feeling like that girl was me. I brushed out my hair, trying to detangle it, which was possible, though it took a lot of work. The scar on my forehead stuck out like a sore thumb, I always hated it. It was a reminder that I should be dead, or kidnapped and suffering, nobody really knows what the original plan for me was. Well, not as far as Paddy was informed that is.
I spot a pair of scissors sitting on the table in the corner, and grasp them. I pull the front of my hair sideways, covering half of my face, then chop it, so that the front strands remains falling over the right side of my face down to about my chin. I smile, looking at myself. New hair for a new me. My clothes looked too old me, too. Sweat pants and a tee-shirt.
I pull open a drawer, and take a pair of black shorts, and before stopping myself, heft the trunk open, and change into my dad's jersey as well. I look at my reflection again, a bit more pleased. I loved how the jersey fit me, even though it was big. It felt right.
The tray of food sitting on my dresser was levitated to me with my wand. I ate it sitting on the floor, not wanting to spend any more time in that bed. With a flick of my wand, the curtains were opened, letting natural light flood in. There was no way to know what time it was, but seeing as I just got my third large meal of the day, I'd guess it's between five and eight o'clock.
I sat in the center of the floor, watching out the window as the light dimmed into darkness. I would wait a while longer before I ventured out, just to be safe that nobody would see me. What would I do when I did go out? Walk around until I got lost? Probably.
The sound of footsteps and voices broke me from my thoughts, I crawled silently to the door, listening. I jumped as the door handle jiggled. "It's locked!" A voice said. It wasn't Remus or Sirius. "The only one locked? We have to go in." It said again. "Yes! Most definitely!" It responded to itself. Whoever was outside this door was crazy enough to talk to themselves. My heart was pounding in my throat. But I was frozen to where I was, kneeling at the door. It was locked, I was safe.
"Alohomora." The voice said softly. I quickly dove underneath my bed. I'd always been extremely fast, I'd just never had a reason to be until now. And I was eternally grateful for wherever my speed came from. I watched from underneath the bed as two sets of feet came in. They stood still for a minute. "Look!" The voice said, one set of feet wandered over to the corner. My trunk. I never closed it. "Potter..." He mumbles.
"This is probably Sirius's private room..." The same voice says as the other set of feet wanders to meet the other. "So we shouldn't tell Harry?" He asks. "No." He answers. Seriously I was getting confused. Who's voice was who's?
"What's this?" The voice whispers, I watched as he crouched down, so that I could see up to his waist now. He picked up my pieces of red hair that I'd chopped off. "I don't know." The voice responds. "Maybe that's been up here for a while..."
"Yea..." The boy stands up straight again, keeping my hair though. "Just weird is all..."
"Come on, let's go before Mum catches us out of bed." They both leave the room. I exhale in relief, letting myself calm down. Willing my heart to calm down. I stayed under the bed for a while, just trying to still myself. After at least an hour, I allowed myself to venture out and slowly, very quietly, opened my door and stepped out.
"Lumos!" I whispered, making my wand illuminate the dark hall. I walked quietly down the hall, and down some stairs. I stop, hearing voices, frozen to the stairs.
"Give me time!" Sirius's voice demands.
"We don't have time!" Another answers.
"Please, not yet." Remus's calming voice pleads.
"A CHILD! ALONE!" This was the first female voice I'd heard my entire time here. "This is out of hand!"
"Fine!" Sirius's voice answers sharply, more angry than I'd ever care to hear. I was standing on the stair case when I heard a door swing open then slam shut, and footsteps coming towards me. I turned to run. "Sirina?" Sirius's voice whispers behind me. "What are you doing?"
"I'm so sorry, Sirius." I squeak, turning around. "I just couldn't take it anymore. I'll go back now! I'll never do it again." My voice cracks as I turn, scared, ready to run up to my room.
"Oh no!" He bounds up the stairs, grabbing my arm. "I'm sorry if you heard anything...please, would you come down with me?"
"Why?" I mumble, trying not to look at him too much.
"It's just.." He pauses, looking down as the door opens again. I take this chance to try and turn and run again.
"Sirius? Is she coming?" It was Remus. I turn to face him, and his breath catches. "What are you wearing Sirina?"
"My dad's jersey.." I mumble.
He smiles, glancing at Sirius for a moment. "Look at her, would you?" He says with a laugh, coming up the stairs to meet us.
Sirius makes a face before turning back to me, his eyes adjust for a minute. "Just like Lily.." Sirius says quietly, really looking at me for the first time.
"So..." I look away awkwardly. "I'm going back to my room..."
"Oh, no no no..." Remus grabs my arm, and walks me the down the stairs, Sirius following behind us. "Some people want to meet you."
Before I have any time to refuse, he opens the door and pulls me inside. Instinctively, I slide behind him slightly to hide myself. I've never been around people. And now I was standing here in a room with five other people.
"It's okay, dear. Are you alright?" The woman says, standing from her seat at the table. She was a pudgy red haired woman, who loooked fairly cheerful.
"I'm fine.." I answer quietly, still peeking out from behind Remus, holding his arm for support.
"Come sit," She says with a smile. I glance up at Sirius, who nods encouragingly. I sit at the end of the large table, all eyes on me. The girl next to me, who looked no older than 25, had bright pink hair. She passed me a glass of water. The redheaded man and woman were both staring at me, making me feel uncomfortable.
The pinkhaired girl rolled her eyes, looking from them to me. "I'm Tonks." She stated, "That's Molly and Arthur Weasley."
"I'm, uh, I'm Sirina..." I mumble, looking at my hands in my lap. I knew I shouldn't have left my room. This was an awful idea. I could be contentedly sitting alone in my bed right now.
"Sirina it is so nice to meet you!" Molly says with a smile. "I'm sorry you've been stuck up in that room." She gives a venomous glance towards Sirius.
Feeling the sudden urge to protect him, I blurted out stronger than before. "It's been fine! Honest." I looking up at Sirius, who was standing protectively behind my chair. "He comes up to see me often." He smiled down at me, then looked back up at Molly.
"Sirina," Arthur sighs, Molly looks at him angrily, before standing and huffing off to the kitchen. "I hate to do this, but we need to ask you to remain hidden for a while..."
"Okay." I answer simply.
"I know it's not ideal, and we'll bring you down possibly daily," He sighs. "But we'd like you to remain unknown to the children."
I nodded. Feeling very dark all of a sudden. I felt a flood of emotion, then terror, and nothing. It felt as though the wind was knocked out of me.It felt like everything was about to go bad, like there was a problem which would never be solved. Though I didn't know why, or how. Sirius placed a warm hand on my shoulder, making me now realize how cold I was. A shiver ran down my spine at his touch.
"Sirina..." He says quietly, crouching down to my level. "Are you alright?"
"Yea.." I manage, my throat tight. "I'm fine." I had this feeling a few times before, but it had been years. My forehead felt warm, and due to habit, I reached up, trying to rub away the feeling. Only to fail as always.
Everyone else in the room exchanged a glance. Then started talking quietly and rapidly. Leaving me out of the conversation.
"WHAT?!" I snap. They all turn to me.
"Sirina, lift your hair, would you?" Remus asks me tentatively.
"What does my hair have to do with anything?" I groan.
"Sirina, please."
I sigh, pushing my hair out of my face with my hand. Looking away as everyone stared at me. "Happy?" I snap, again harsher than intended. I move my hand, letting my hair drop back over my face.
Everyone stares at me with dumbfounded expressions. Yea, I had a weird scar. One that nobody had seen on anybody other than Harry Potter. Everyone was quiet for a time, trying to formulate explanations, surely.
After a while, and owl flew in, giving Sirius a letter. He face drops reading it, then passing it to Arthur. "Sirina, what exactly did you just feel? You must tell me exactly."
"I felt scared, dark....cold." A shiver goes down my spine. "I can't explain it. It was....awful." He stares at me, as if I hadn't said enough. "It felt like I would never be okay again."
At this point, the letter was being passed around. After Remus had read it, he crouched beside me, and placed a few pieces of chocolate in front of me, "Eat it, it will help."
I nod, taking a few bites.
From what I could overhear from their conversation, Harry was attacked by dementors. He and our cousin Dudley. And Harry was in trouble for using his patronus, which is ridiculous in my opinion.
I still felt cold and shaken up, though the chocolate did help. I would have to thank him for that later.