Celestial | Sirius Black Love Story

Cataclysm

I woke up the next morning. Remaning glowing embers had seen to me not completely freezing to death, but I was stiff to the bone, sore, and snotty.

I had passed out during the burning, my father had told me that sometimes, if it was a particularly powerful wizard who had died, those there for the burning could become physically overwhelmed and it could cause trauma to the body. Sure enough, my nose had bled, and as I started to move, I could definitely feel a collection of bruises on my body.

I straightened up and checked my watch. McGonagall would be picking me up in an hour. As I stretched, all my bones and knuckles popped and cracked. I walked back up to the house without looking back at the burned stake. I washed my face clean of blood and ate some stale bread with cheese then gathered up my staff, wand, and bag of schoolbooks, getting ready to walk out to meet McGonagall. 

She seemed concerned when she saw me, I must have looked a mess. I hadn't showered or changed since I came here, so the smell must have been one thing; human bonfire. I imagined I looked rather pale, too, and my hair probably looked even more matted than it felt. It's extraordinary how quickly one can deteriorate. 

I took her hand and she apparated us to Hogsmeade. I wish I could have stayed there for a while longer, but I knew it would do me no good to dwell or wallow. Of course, I could have received more time off school had I asked for it, but I had already missed a few exams, and now seemed like a good time to lose myself into schoolwork. Still though, I didn't want to go back. My mind was arguing against myself for a good while as I walked beside McGonagall. 

"Miss Heatherstead. Olimpia?"

I startled, and looked up at McGonagall, who looked more concerned than ever. 

"I asked if you would like to ride a carriage up to the castle."

"Oh," I said, chiding myself for being so absorbed in my own mind I'd tuned out McGonagall, "Actually the weather really is quite nice, can't we walk?"

That wasn't a lie, the sun was warm and high up in the sky, I bet the grounds were full of students who were enjoying the weather. I planned to just slip past them as unnoticeably as possible.

"If that's what you prefer." She said, and we continued walking down the picturesque streets of Hogsmeade down towards the Hogwarts castle.

I allowed the sound of several birds chirping and singing to distract myself, and looked around at the plants growing along the path. Common daisies, foxgloves, and blackberries as well as magical plants like fluxweed. I picked some of all of them, eating some blackberries, picking petals off of daisies and putting others in my bag to put in a glass of water later. It was strangely comfortable to walk alongside Minerva McGonagall along a sunny british countryside lane, picking flowers and humming sotfly to myself. She didn't seem to mind our slow, meandering progression. I even saw her smile at a blackbird in a foreboding way that reminded me that she could turn herself into a cat

However, the castle drew closer and closer upon us, or rather, we drew closer and closer upon the castle and my feeling or dread to return snuck up in my throat like heartburn. I didn't want to answer questions about where I had been, I didn't want to return to Lily, or Septima, or Sirius. 

To my surprise, I felt McGonagalls hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at her. 

"I've got to back to Hogsmeade to deal with some business, so I'll leave you here if that's alright, I imagine you can find your way back from here, it's just around the corner."

"Yeah, that's fine McGonagall. I hope this business goes well." I didn't really know what to say, but that felt wrong. Oh well.

She smiled a sad smile. "You might want to head right up to the showers, though. You look awful." Her face twisted with humor.