a/n: sorry if there are typos. i worked really fast on this. Also, i changed darcy to be a slytherin. i just think this fits into the story more (*sly face*) i really can't wait lololol. ALso, there's another flashback for Ophelia (excuse the typos lol) :))
"Harry, you—you look terrible."
Harry hadn't gotten much sleep until daybreak. He had awoken to find the dormitory deserted, dressed, and gone down the spiral staircase to a common room that was completely empty except for Ron and Hermione.
"Where is everyone?" said Harry.
"Gone! It's the holidays, remember?" said Ron, watching Harry closely. "it's nearly lunchtime; I was going to wake you up in a minute."
Harry slumped into a chair next to the fire. Snow was still falling outside the windows. Crookshanks was spread out in front of the fire like a large, ginger rug.
"You really don't look well, you know," Hermione said, peering anxiously into his face.
"I'm fine," said Harry.
"Harry, listen..."
And the two were telling him to not go after Sirius, even though he so badly wanted to. So badly wanted to kill the man that betrayed his family. Yet, at the same time, what held him back was his supposed sister, Ophelia Black. And what intrigued him more was the fact that there was another Longbottom.
Then, Ron had the brilliant idea to meet with Hagrid, which Harry shortly replied that he really wanted to.
The three head out of the portrait hole, down through the almost empty castle and out the oak front doors.
They made their way down slowly to Hagrid's hut, but when they knocked on his door, there was no answer.
"He's not out, is he?" said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak.
When Ron was about to put his ear to the door, it snapped back harshly and Ron fell over only to be caught by Ophelia.
There was a moment of shock as the trio—especially Harry—saw Ophelia in a warm faux coat and leather boots.
"Whoa there ginger," coughed Ophelia, her accent was thin and more American than before. "Hagrid's caught up—"
At the same time Ophelia stopped as she laid her eyes upon Harry, the trio was distracted when they heard throbbing moans that came from behind her.
"Hagrid!" called Harry and he stumbled up the door.
Ophelia grabbed his shoulder. "Now's not the time—"
"Ye've heard?" Hagrid bellowed, and he flung himself from behind Ophelia and unto Harry.
Ophelia steered the three plus the half-giant furthermore inside and shut the door. She placed a letter in front of them as Hagrid had tears running down his face.
"What's this?" Harry questioned.
Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter towards Harry, who picked it up and read aloud.
Dear Mr. Hagrid,
Further to out inquiry into the attack by a hippogriff on a student in your class...you're hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself...in the meantime you must keep the hippogriff tethered and isolated.
"Oh," said Ron. "But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off—"
"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" chocked Hagrid, who Ophelia seemed to have gave a sympathetic sigh. It still confused Harry as to why she was here when she blew up in Hagrid yesterday. "They've got it fer intersetin' creatures!"
After much talk of what Buckebeak's case was, it was declared that there couldn't possibly be any hope for the cute creature.
"I'm sorry, Hagrid, I know how much you liked Buckbeak," sighed Ophelia. Then, quietly she said, "But I think I know a place where I can keep him—you can say that he broke his chains..."
It was a meek attempt to make Hagrid feel better. Harry turned to the woman and eyed her suspiciously.
"When've you come down here?" he said to Ophelia. "Not seen you in the term."
Ophelia bristled as she stared down at the tan boy who depicted much of James. "Ophelia Black," she said. "I'll be the new muggle studies teacher—and I'll be the substitute for Defense Against the Dark Arts as well."
"Since when did Mrs. Crawford resign?" Hermione said. "She's the Muggle Studies teacher I had."
"Wait, isn't that class the same period as potions?" Ron added.
"Mrs. Crawford had maternity leave," Ophelia shortly said.
"Professor Lupin isn't sick, is he?" Harry said. He had a meeting with him for the Patronus spell.
Ophelia hesitated. "We tend to take turns. I'll take a week for him, and he has three."
Hermione was about to ask why taking a week from Professor Lupin was necessary, but Hagrid insisted that the three should leave, since it was almost dark.
"Ophelia and I've got some talkin' tah do, 'arry," he shortly responded.
There was no questioning, since they were already outside.
After opening presents, they went down to the Great Hall, to find that the tables had been moved against the walls again, and the single table, set for thirteen, stood in the middle of the room. Professor's Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and Black were there, along with Flich. There were four other students, two extremely nervous first-years, a Slytherin fifth year, and a Slytherin girl who sat closest to Professor Black.
"Merry Christmas!" Dumbledore said as Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached the table. "Dive in!"
Ophelia and the Slytherin girl were smiling to each other. The girl moved her hands rapidly, her dark brown hair swishing along with her shoulders. She had very tan skin, and from where Harry was, he saw that her eyes were a milky hazel. Ophelia and she looked nothing alike, and then it clicked.
"That's her," Harry whispered to Hermione and Ron. "That's Darcy Black. That's his daughter."
Hermione swooshed her thick curly hair away from her face, and Ron scrunched his face at Darcy.
"That's Black's daughter?" said Ron, noticing the rather nice features. "She sure doesn't look like Ophelia, I'll tell you that..."
Hermione punched Ron's shoulder.
"Calm down, Hermione! I only meant that they didn't look alike!"
Harry tugged on Ron's sweater. "She's in Slytherin?" he questioned.
Her robes were the green of the house. Ophelia and she were quickly moving their hand, like sign language, as they seized their eating.
"What'd you supposed she's probably one of them pure-blood freaks?" Ron trailed off as the doors of the Great Hall opened again. It was Professor Trelawney, gliding towards them as though on wheels. She had put on a green sequined dress in honor of the occasion, making her look more than ever like a glittering oversized dragonfly.
"Sybil, this is a pleasant surprise!" said Dumbledore, standing up.
"I have been crystal gazing, Headmaster," said Trelawney in her mistiest, most faraway voice, "and to my astonishment, I saw myself abandoning my solitary luncheon and coming to join you. Who am I to refuse the promptings of fate? I at once hastened from my tower..."
"Certainly, certainly," said Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling. "Let me draw you up a chair."
With a flick of his wand, he brought up a chair right next to Ophelia's left side.
"Do sit down, the turkey's getting stone cold," he said. She did.
Ophelia lifted a plate over the table with her wand. "Tripe, Sybil?" she asked.
But Trelawney ignored her question and asked, "But where is dear Professor Lupin?"
"I'm afraid the poor fellow is ill again," said Dumbledore, indicating that everyone should start serving themselves. "Most unfortunate that it would happen on Christmas day."
"But, surely you already knew that, Sybill?" said Ophelia—or Professor Black, her eyebrows raised.
Trelawney gave Black a very cold look.
"Certainly, I knew, Black," she said quietly. "But one does not parade the fact that on is All-Knowing. I frequently act as though I am not possessed by the inner-eye, so as not to make others nervous."
"That explains a great deal," snorted Professor Black. "Just how you predicted my brother's capture," she added more to herself.
"If you must know, Ophelia, I have seen that poor Professor Lupin will not be with us for very long. He seems aware himself that his time is short. He positively fled when I offered to crystal gaze for him—"
"Imagine that," said Professor McGonagall dryly.
"I doubt," said Dumbledore, in a cheerful but slightly raised voice, which put an end between the three female professor's conversation, "that Professor Lupin is in any immediate danger."
Ophelia glared across the table at Snape. "Yeah. Severus, did you make the potion or him?" she said, rather skeptically.
"Yes, Black," he shortly snapped.
"Oh, good then," said Dumbledore warningly. "Then he should be up and about in no time, Professor Black...Darcy, have you had any of these chipolatas? They're excellent."
The third year Slytherins' cheeks tinted red on being pointed out in public. She smiled lightly and nervously played with the ever-so color dark hair and signed Professor Black to hand her the plate.
The dinner had passed two hours later, when everyone's stomach had begun to bust out of their pants. Still wearing their party hats, Harry and Ron got up first, as well as Professor Black and Darcy Black.
"Harry!" called Professor Black, her body just shielding Darcy. The two boy stopped and turned around. When the woman got closer, she said quietly, "Professor Lupin wanted me to tell that I'll be teaching your classes with him."
Darcy was so close to Professor Black, that it was really hard for Harry not to stare at her. She looked so different than Neville, they couldn't be the faintest of siblings.
Harry realized he had been staring for too long when Darcy blushed a deep red.
"Also, my daughter will be accompanying me as well," added Professor Black, her hand instinctively reaching for the girl.
Darcy flinched, and she moved her hands again. Professor Black nodded, a little hurt in her eyes, as she watched Darcy walk away as fast as she could.
Harry did as well, but turned around. "Do you know Professor Lupin, like, personally?"
He didn't like that she was tagging along. He knew who she was—and he also knew that Darcy wasn't her daughter. He didn't know why the professor was lying to her, and why she said that Darcy was her daughter. He hated that, even though he knew the truth, people never did tell him the truth.
Professor Black tightly smiled and she went a little pink in the cheeks. Harry found that odd.
"Much—I mean, I do, very much—since I was in Hogwarts—oh, Harry, it appears your friend wants to leave."
Indeed, Ron was strolling around waiting and bonking his head on nothing. When he saw that Harry noticed, he urged this to fasten up.
"Very well, Professor Black," Harry tartly replied and snapped around towards the common rooms.
Ron had tried to keep up with the boy, yelling, "Mate, hold up! Jeez, what's got you all mad?"
"Her," said Harry in disgust. "She, of course her—she thinks her Sirius Black is innocent, and then she goes on saying that she'll be teaching me with Professor Lupin. It's like she wants to rub in that she's related him!"
Ron stared wide-eyed at Harry's prejudice-like thoughts. "Chill, Harry. Maybe she's just trying to say that not all Slytherin families have Slytherin children—you heard before, she was a Hufflepuff, and was a spy of Dumbledore's!"
"Ron, you don't get it," spat Harry. "She could've been my mother. I would've been related to Sirius Black."
Ron was taken aback, but he let his best friend brood even more when Professor McGonagall took the firebolt Harry got.
. . . .
1970
The King's Cross
__________________________
The siblings walked ahead of their family at King's Cross, already feeling the freedom of being outside. They haven't made it to Platform nine and three quarters.
Walburga was the first to scorn the children. "Come back here, Sirius! We must stick closer together."
Sirius had turned around and stared blankly at his mother. He held onto Philly's elbow and nudged her to stop.
"But mum, were late!" He whined, slowly beginning to walk backwards with Philly.
Orion was the first to snap. "Your mother has something to say, Sirius... And, Ophelia, walk with me."
The two siblings have their respective parents a confused glance as they separated. Ophelia headed farthest away from the train with her father as Sirius went straight along with his mother.
Orion wore a black coat, with trinkets like silver and jewels that hung on the waist of his pants. He took pride in what he wore. Not that Ophelia had a special place in heart for the man, but she understood what she saw.
She understands a lot more than they thought she did.
Orion sighed as he looked behind them. "Ophelia," he began, "where do I start with you?"
Ophelia said nothing as she walked by his side. She began to feel her throat constrict.
"You're illegitimacy has brought the noble house of Black a bad reputation," he said accusingly. "But, alas, I was very much in relief when you were pure-blood instead of half-blood. You see, the woman that was your mother died a blood traitor's death. She was all but trying to spite me, you see, and I did fall for her callous and inappropriate actions."
Orion stopped near a bench to check on the time and resumed walking. He turned his chest around and stiffly stared down at her with cold, icy, blue eyes. "All Black's have been in the house of Slytherin. We have great pride in this, and if...oh, if, you were to be in that house, Walburga would treat you like her own."
Ophelia stopped abruptly at the last sentence of Orion's. The cart that held her black cat in his cage had toppled over, making the feline hiss in fear. She stumbles to pick it up as people stare around her.
Then to her twisted father, she said, "Walburga's daughter?"
Orion took this as shock, and maybe even excitement. His smile was arrogant as he said, "Yes, you can redeem yourself."
"I don't care about being Walburga's daughter," said Ophelia quietly. "You've stood by her, ordering Bellatrix to hurt me. What mother or father would do that to their daughter?"
Orion bristled with irritation. "You were to be punished for your mothers filthy crimes--associating herself with muggle. It was the only way that Walburga could cope that I had an affair."
"How could you be so open?" said Ophelia as she roughly pushed her cart. "You cheated on your wife. It's...and yet you talk to me like it was a simple stain on a shirt."
"Because it was," Orion said. He watched around place. "Look at us, Ophelia. Wizards forced to hide from muggle filth! Just be glad that Walburga even allowed you to come to Hogwarts."
Ophelia began breathing heavily. Her eyes scanned the rough looks of Orion. This man talks so much against muggles and muggle borns. So wrong he is. So wrong his family is.
She had no words to say to him. She could tell her father was growing irritated. For years, he and Walburga had tried to brainwash their children. For years, it had failed when Sirius saw his sister punished for an act that seemed like nothing.
Orion sighed once again. "This is the platform," he said. "All you have to do is go through the brick wall."
Ophelia searched around the train station. "Where's Sirius?"
Right on her words, Sirius stormed up to Orion and Ophelia. "Is this the wall?" he said, his face haughty.
Orion drafted a look of approval at him. "Where's your mother, Sirius?"
Sirius pulled Ophelia by the elbow. "You ready?" he hastily said. Without any words, he pushed on forward and the two walked through the wall.
Surprised, Ophelia stared agape at the much familiar platform she had been told about. It was like a replica, except wizards wore their colorful robes. Children were giving their goodbyes as they boarded the train.
"Quick, Philly, we have to go," Sirius said. He was about to reach for her hand but she pushed it away.
"What happened, Sirius?" she said. "Orion and Walburga are going to be furious."
He shrugged and lightly pushed her shoulder to move. "We've got a whole school year! Let's go before they catch us!"
"But-but, Sirius--!"
She didn't finish, because a man in his train uniform took their cases and handed them their animals. Sirius and Ophelia quickly boarded the train with their animals. They were paraded with kids going the opposite direction of them, and were every so often shoved to the side.
Finally, they found a compartment that wasn't entirely full and bustled inside.
The minute their butts sat down, Sirius said, "Mum said she was going to disown me if I wasn't in Slytherin." He finished with a dry laugh.
"Orion said it would redeem me for being my mother's daughter," said Ophelia quietly.
"Well," chirped Sirius, "we shouldn't worry about them for the year. Do you want to stay for Christmas? Just the two of us?"
"We can do that?" Ophelia said. "Walburga and Orion won't force us?"
"Of course they can't! They wouldn't want us because we won't be in Slytherin!"
His happy attitude seemed to lightened Opehlia's as well. She smiled warmly at her brother and hugged him by the side.
"I wouldn't care which house I would be in. So long as it's not--"
"Slytherin!" Sirius finished for her.
There was a light knock from the compartment door as it opened. A boy with tousled brown hair, and brown eyes stood there awkwardly with his caged tawny owl. He smiled sheepishly at the siblings.
"Mind if I take a seat? All the other compartments are either full or..."
"No, we don't mind," Sirius said.
The boy stumbled inside, placing his owls' cage on the compartment above him. "I'm James Potter, by the way," the boy said, his body now sitting on the seat across.
Ophelia looked over at Sirius, her eyes widened in surprise. At the Black house, Walburga and Orion have said quite a deal about the Potters'. She recalled being so in awe of the family--defying all prejudice pure-blood thoughts. She sometimes envied the Potter's the more Walburga defaced the name.
Sirius seemed to catch his name. He smiled brightly at James. "Sirius and Ophelia Black," he said for the both of them.
And at that, James seemed to recognize their names. "Oh," said James.
"Philly and I were just talking about which houses we could be in," Sirius quickly added, not realizing that, like the Potter name in the wizarding community, the Black's were well-known.
Ophelia nodded along with her brother. "We're surely not going to be in Slytherin."
"Instead--we'll be Gryffindor!" Sirus exclaimed, smiling widely at his sister, whose smile dimmed at the mention of Gryffindor.
"Or Ravenclaw," Ophelia half-heatedly said. Then, another boy had appeared at their compartment. Her smile dimmed even more at the sight of the boy. He had scars on his face that reminded her of the curses Bellatrix had done on her.
Ophelia stood up and opened the compartment for him, as he had loads of books in his hands.
"Here," she said with a kind smile and took his trunk, "let me get that."
"Oh," he said, shocked, "thank you very much." He set down his books near James.
Ophelia was struggling to even lift the trunk. Then, the train began moving and it made Ophelia topple over. James hurried over to her side, and she flushed.
"I can do this," grunted Ophelia.
"I bet I couldn't lift this--blimey, mate, you got a library in here?" James said. He and Ophelia managed to push the trunk on the shelf above them and huffed out a breath.
"My name's Remus," grunted the boy. "And I've got a few more books in there, yes."
"Now that," Sirius said and pointed to Remus, "is a Ravenclaw. Oh--just imagine being those little Hufflepuffs!"
Ophelia paid no attention to James and Sirius joking about how great Gyrffindor was. She was interested on the book Remus was reading.
"Is that Hogwarts: A History?" she said.
Remus nodded, but looked back down to his book.
"Orion and Walburga didn't get us that," Ophelia said to Sirius.
Sirius looked over at Remus' books. "Huh, they didn't."
"All we did at Diagon Alley was get our robes and wands."
James looked oddly at Ophelia. "Do you always call your mum and dad by their names? Is that what prejudice families do?"
Ophelia glanced over at Sirius, then to steady on James. "Sirius and I don't have the same mum--but we share a father."
Sirius nodded. "Either way, their both dreadful towards us..more so Philly," he said.
James' eyes wandered over to Ophelia, who was intently looking outside the window. They were barely reaching the countryside of England.
"That's horrid," James whispered, more to himself as he didn't mean for Ophelia to hear.
"It is," she said steadily, "but I have Sirius."
Sirius smiled lightly at James, but his eyes told him that it was time to drop the subject.
"So," coughed James, his ever so bright smile appeared again, "you think you'll make it to Gryffindor?"
"Oh yeah," said Sirius and he smiled deviously. "Just to spite my parents--oh they would hate me so much!"
Ophelia glanced over at James, who was now waiting on her answer.
"Me?" said Ophelia incredulously. "I wouldn't care what house I was in. Ravenclaw seemed more fitting for me, though."
"Philly," whined Sirius playfully, "oh, please, don't!"
"Oh shut it," said Ophelia, though there was an evident smile on her face. "We all can't be brave enough to defy."
"I'm with you," Remus said, bookmarking his page on his book. "Not all of the best wizard's were Gryffindor's--some of them aren't even from Hogwarts, but from North America."
"I heard about that!" exclaimed Ophelia. "My transfiguration book was from a professor from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
Remus brightened at the mention of Ilvermorny. "You've heard of that school?"
Ophelia nodded virgorously. "Yeah! Remember, Sirius, when we got our letter from Hogwarts, they recommended me for Ilvermorny! Oh, I wished I went there!"
Sirius gave his sister and odd look. "You never told me you wanted to go to Ilvermorny."
"Of course I did! Remember? North America doesn't have pure-blood families--and if so, then they aren't prejudice because America was more lenient. But Walburga burned my letter--saying that the entire country needed to be burned to the ground."
James and Remus cringed. "You're parents are ruthless, aren't they?" Remus said sadly.
"Enough about family," Sirius said, waving his hand. "Look! The Trolley Witch!"
And with that, the four students hurried over to the Trolley Witch. Ophelia and Sirius bought four chocolate frogs, along with some lime fizz for Philly. James purchased a few licorice wands and a fizzy drink, as did Remus also bought the chocolate wands and frogs.
When eating their stuff, Ophelia clinked her fizz with James as they both competed with who could have the loudest burp. Remus and Sirius both teased James when he lost against Philly's powerful burp.
And for that moment, the Black sibling were happy and completely forgot about their family. Remus and James made them feel more happy and bright.
They felt like they had friends.
Published november 2nd, 2016
added backstory november 5th, 2016
edited plot on november 6th, 2016