Sirius Black's Daughter

Chapter Sixteen: The Hungarian Horntail

Posted: December 13th, 2020
Edited:
Author's note: I got to squeeze a little chapter in today! The picture above is Natalia when she was four years old at the orphanage.
Major editing: August 3rd, 2021
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Since the article of Harry came out, Harry had been having a harder time with fellow students. There is a rumor that Hermione and Harry are dating, which isn't real but people give him a hard time about that.

"Do you fancy Krum?" said Jae as they walked down the crowded halls to get to lunch.
"Ha! No, I don't," said Natalia with a laugh.  "Why would I?"
"I don't know. I guess you can talk to him in his own language. And he's talked to you a few times. It's been mentioned in the paper," shrugged Jae.
  "Even though I can talk to him, doesn't mean I like him. Yes, he's a nice person, but I don't like him like that," said Natalia.
"Oh. Okay. That makes me feel better," said Jae with a huge smile.
"Why? You think I would replace you?" said Natalia.
"Well, yeah! Besides, you're basically like Harry's cousin! That's an accomplishment!" said Jae.
"You're imagination is so weird," said Natalia.
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On the Saturday before the first task, all students in the third year and above were permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade. Natalia, Jae, and Hermione told Harry that it would do him good to get away from the castle for a bit, and Harry didn't need much persuasion.
"What about Ron, though?" Harry said. "Don't you want to go with him?"
"Oh...well..."Hermione went slightly pink. "I thought we might meet up with him in the Three Broomsticks...."
"No," said Harry flatly.
"Oh Harry, this is so stupid -"
"I'll come, but I'm not meeting Ron, and I'm wearing my Invisibility Cloak."
"Oh all right then..." Hermione snapped, "but I hate talking to you in that cloak, I never know if I'm looking at you or not."

So Harry put on his Invisibility Cloak in the dormitory, went back downstairs, and together he and Hermione set off for Hogsmeade.
  "People keep looking at me now," said Hermione grumpily as they came out of Honeydukes Sweetshop later, eating large cream-filled chocolates. "They think I'm talking to myself."
"Hey, we're here, too!" said Jae, eating a sweet.
"You know what I mean," said Hermione.
  "Don't move your lips so much then." said Harry.
"Come on, please just take off your cloak for a bit, no one's going to bother you here."
"Oh yeah?" said Harry. "Look behind you."
Rita Skeeter and her photographer friend had just emerged from the Three Broomsticks pub. Talking in low voices, they passed right by Hermione without hooking at her. Harry backed into the wall of Honeydukes to stop Rita Skeeter from hitting him with her crocodile-skin handbag. When they were gone, Harry said, "She's staying in the village. I bet she's coming to watch the first task."
  "I hate that woman," said Natalia, watching as she walked away.
"She's gone," said Hermione, looking right through Harry toward the end of the street. "Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it's a bit cold, isn't it? You don't have to talk to Ron!" she added irritably, correctly interpreting his silence.

The Three Broomsticks was packed, mainly with Hogwarts students enjoying their free afternoon, but also with a variety of magical people Harry rarely saw anywhere else. Natalia supposed that as Hogsmeade was the only all-wizard village in Britain, it was a bit of a haven for creatures like hags, who were not as adept as wizards at disguising themselves.
Harry edged slowly toward a spare table in the corner while Hermione and Jae went to buy drinks. On his way through the pub, Harry spotted Ron, who was sitting with Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. Natalia sat down next to Harry and leaned back into her chair.

Jae and Hermione joined them a moment later and slipped him a butterbeer under his cloak.
"We look like idiots, sitting here," she muttered. "Lucky I brought something to do."
  "I'm not an idiot," said Natalia.
Hermione pulled out a notebook in which she had been keeping a record of S.P.E.W. members. Natalia saw her and Ron's names at the top of the very short list.
"You know, maybe I should try and get some of the villagers involved in S.P.E.W.," Hermione said thoughtfully, looking around the pub.
"Yeah, right," said Harry. He took a swig of butterbeer under his cloak. "Hermione, when are you going to give up on this spew stuff?"
"When house-elves have decent wages and working conditions!" she hissed back. "You know, I'm starting to think it's time for more direct action. I wonder how you get into the school kitchens?"
"No idea, ask Fred and George," said Harry.
Hermione lapsed into thoughtful silence, while Natalia drank her butterbeer, watching the people in the pub. All of them looked cheerful and relaxed. Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot were swapping Chocolate Frog cards at a nearby table; both of them sporting Support Cedric Diggory! badges on their cloaks.

"Look, it's Hagrid!" said Hermione.
The back of Hagrid's enormous shaggy head - he had mercifully abandoned his bunches - emerged over the crowd. Natalia wondered why she hadn't spotted him at once, as Hagrid was so large, but standing up carefully, she saw that Hagrid had been leaning low, talking to Professor Moody. Hagrid had his usual enormous tankard in front of him, but Moody was drinking from his hip flask.
Madam Rosmerta, the pretty landlady, didn't seem to think much of this; she was looking askance at Moody as she collected glasses from tables around them. Perhaps she thought it was an insult to her mulled mead, but Natalia knew better.

Moody had told them all during their last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson that he preferred to prepare his own food and drink at all times, as it was so easy for Dark wizards to poison an unattended cup. As Natalia watched, she saw Hagrid and Moody get up to leave.
Harry waved to Hagrid but remembered that he couldn't see him. Moody, however, paused, his magical eye on the corner where Harry was standing. He tapped Hagrid in the small of the back (being unable to reach his shoulder), muttered something to him, and then the pair of them made their way back across the pub toward their table.
"All right, Hermione?" said Hagrid loudly.
"Hello," said Hermione, smiling back.
Moody limped around the table and bent down; Harry thought he was reading the S.P.E.W. notebook, until he muttered, "Nice cloak, Potter."
Harry stared at him in amazement.
The large chunk missing from Moody's nose was particularly obvious at a few inches' distance. Moody grinned.
"Can your eye - I mean, can you -?"
"Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks," Moody said quietly. "And it's come in useful at times, I can tell you."

Hagrid was beaming down at Harry too. Harry knew Hagrid couldn't see him, but Moody had obviously told Hagrid he was there. Hagrid now bent down on the pretext of reading the S.P.E.W. notebook as well, and said in a whisper so low that only Harry could hear it, "Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak."
Straightening up, Hagrid said loudly, "Nice ter see yeh, Natalia and Jae," winked, and departed. Moody followed him.
"Why does Hagrid want me to meet him at midnight?" Harry said, very surprised.
"Does he?" said Hermione, looking startled. "I wonder what he's up to? I don't know whether you should go, Harry...." She looked nervously around and hissed, "It might make you late for Sirius."
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Natalia laid awake in her bed. Her roommates were sound asleep. Lavender was snoring ever so slightly. Natalia let Hooty go up with the other owls so she has no one to keep her company.
Lately, Natalia couldn't sleep. She felt like something is terribly wrong. She's concerned about Harry, but she feels like it doesn't concern him.
'Maybe it's me?' thought Natalia. 'No. I don't think so. Jae? No... maybe dad...?'
Natalia quietly groaned in annoyance and turned to her back, looking up to complete darkness. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark room.

Natalia felt like her father cared more about Harry than he cared about her. She felt like her father only really cares about Harry because he is Harry's only family left.
Natalia can feel her trust issues coming back to the surface. Natalia hated herself for feeling the way she does.
She felt depressed. She felt empty. She felt lonely; the loneliness squeezing with just enough pressure to be a constant pain. A pain that will numb occasionally but would return in waves.
Natalia felt jealous.
Jealous of Harry. 
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Word count: 1595

Next chapter is called: The First Task

Will be out: December 14th, 2020- January 1st, 2021

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Requests are open!

It would be cool if there was fan art!

Till next time my duckies 🦆