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Sometimes it felt like the universe had cursed him with bad luck. While time was ruthless to everyone. But Fate ? He was unnecessarily cruel to Ophiuchus. It was like he had had a tryst with destiny where she'd decided to shower him with the grief. He was never vengeful, just grieving. Scared of love forever. No, he was not afraid of loving, he was just a little scared of being loved. What if they leave him just like his parents ? Wasn't that his worst nightmare ? Andy leaving him alone, in the dark? walking away from him? Never to return ? No. It wasn't.
He still vividly remembers the day his mother was being taken away to rot in that hospital bed. He remembers screaming and crying, he remembers begging his mother not to leave him. Each time he shuts his eye, that day returns as his worst nightmare.
Ophiuchus stared enviously at the children around him who were accompanied by their parents, cracking inside jokes followed by fits of heartfelt laughter. He walked alongside Andromeda who was going on about Nymphie's training. Usually the atmosphere between Ophiuchus Black and Andromeda Tonks was a placid and peaceful one. They were almost mother and son. The boy believed that Andromeda Tonks was more his mother and Marianne Elmore would ever be. Andy was the one who'd been with Ophiuchus when he need his mother most. And where was Marianne Elmore then ? In a hospital bed. Drowning in a pit of self-pity. And his father ? Well Sirius Black had been out of the picture for quite sometime. And honestly speaking, he'd be rather surprised if his father was sane enough to give a fuck about anyone in general.
The autumnal sunshine fell on his aristocratic features, adding an odd softness to them. Andromeda never been subtle about the fact that he had inherited most of his looks from his father's side of the family. His dad's steel-grey eyes with a slightest trace of blue in them, were exactly like Ophiuchus's . The sharp cheek bones and strong jaws which gave him a slight resemblance to Bellatrix, and of course a smile quite like Andromeda. Well maybe he got that horrible temper from them as well. But then what did he get from his mother? A sweet sunny disposition which had been slowly snatched away by Time. So much so that Andromeda found it hard to believe that he was in fact fourteen years old.
" Mary did seem better than usual, didn't she ?" Andromeda smiled, placing her hand on Ophiuchus' shoulder.
" Yeah, she looked slightly unfamiliar. You know more like her old-self. Definitely less like what she usually does. " Ophiuchus scoffed," I don't exatly blame her, the narrow miss of the Order of Merlin, indeed hit Snape hard."
Andromeda shook her head. "You really hate Snape don't you?"
"He could use some shampoo,"the boy muttered, trying not to relive the array of unwanted and undeserved detentions Professor Snape had put him through.
Fall that year appeared to have arrived quickly and Ophiuchus couldn't have been more grateful for it. As soon as he got inside the castle, he could avoid the older Malfoys for the rest of the year. Even Narcissa's letters filled with fake sweetness, which came almost each month. Did Draco really require that amount of mollycoddling?
"Now listen here, Ophiuchus," said Andromeda changing her tone to a slightly stern one, "Behave, don't pull stupid pranks on others with or without the Weasley twins," the older witch heaved a sigh and caressed his cheek. I don't want Professor McGonagall writing about some nearly irreversible thing you pulled on Draco, again. And reply to Cissy."
She pulled him in for a hug and rested her forehead against his. This was a gesture of affection they always had for each other. Andromeda had figured out that the boy hated being kissed as a gesture of affection, because it reminded him of his mother. So instead of kissing him on the forehead to wish him goodnight, she came up with this.
Pulling away, the older brunette sighed to herself, blaming the boy's adamancy on his father's genes. She patted his back and smiled, in a way, which was intimidating to Ophiuchus. He knew what it meant. ' Just do it, else no gifts for Christmas.'
" Fine," growled the boy a bit annoyedly, " I'll not pull pranks on the most annoying person ever, and I'll reply to your dearest little sister. "
" You're gonna miss the train," said the woman gently, with no hint of anger or hurt in her voice. Through the years, Andromeda had learnt to deal with the boy, anger and screaming seemed to have no effect on him. The best way to make him realise his mistake was the silent treatment.
" I'm sorry by the way! I broke the tea cup in the morning !" The boy called out as soon as he boarded the train.
" It's all right ! Just don't give the Parkinson girl, or the Greengrass girl an almost irreversible pink hairdo! Again! "
"Yeah," Ophiuchus sighed to himself, " Minnie would be after my blood if did."
He turned around, thinking deeply about finding an empty compartment, in order to dodge unwanted stares and avoid Draco, when he almost collided with someone.
" Ow," the familiar girl with bushy brown hair, exclaimed instinctively. Ophiuchus was familiar with that face. He knew her, ' Hermione Granger', the same girl who spent hours in the library, flipping through the pages of numerous books. He looked at her, often with a certain amount of admiration. She was smart and unlike most other girls, more concerned about her brains than her beauty. If he had to say anything about her, he would say that she was beautiful, even if that beauty was too unconventional for many other boys. But he was sure that not many boys had seen her eyes glow like sunshine through a jar of honey, when sunlight filtering though the foliage of leaves fell on her face. To him, that was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
" Sorry, are you all right ?" he asked, genuinely concerned.
" It's all right," the girl replied " I wasn't paying attention".
" Neither was I," Ophiuchus sighed, trying to avoid the fact that being in such close proximity with Hermione had his heart racing.
" You're Ophiuchus Black, aren't you ?" Hermione asked him, but it was rather polite, devoid of any hint of preconceived notions.
Ophiuchus smiled a bit, " the one and only."
" Well," said Hermione, with a gentle smile, "I'm Hermione Granger."
" See you around."He said, trying his best not to stutter. The intensity which laid in Hermione Granger's eyes was quite intimidating. He wondered how Potter or the youngest Weasley brother never stuttered around her. Or maybe they did, he didn't really know.
Hermione heaved a deep sigh. She gave him a polite smile and he returned the gesture before moving passed her. Ophiuchus threw a wave over his shoulder and continued down the train. He had almost collided with Hermione Granger, almost.
