Mortem . Sirius Black

chapter seventy-two

October 21st - Great Hall 

The marauders had to be dragged out of their beds that morning. They didn't want to go for breakfast, mainly because Dumbledore would be announcing that Nephera was pronounced dead the previous night, and they didn't want to listen to that. 

Hearing someone else say it made it real, and they were hardly in the mood to feel everyone's eyes on them.  

Yet, Lily had insisted that they get up and attend breakfast that day. So, here they were sitting in their usual seats at the Gryffindor table, staring at the three empty seats next to them. 

"Before we tuck into our breakfast, I unfortunately have an announcement to make," spoke the Headmaster, standing behind the Podium 

Behind him, McGonagall was looking solemn as her eyes were on the four marauders, fighting back tears. Too much had been lost in too little time, to the point where it almost didn't feel real anymore. 

The speech was a blur in their minds, none of them really listened to it because, in their opinion, it was absolute bullshit. Dumbledore talked about how she demonstrated all the traits of Slytherin house, how she was an excellent student and a good friend of many. 

Bullshit. 

Generic bullshit spoken by a man who didn't know Nephera at all. 

Lestrange and his group actually had the audacity to look smug during it, and it was a good thing that the marauders were all staring at the table in front of them instead of across the room because no one was in the mood for a bloodbath that morning. 

"Now, let us all take a minute of silence to honor the deceased," concluded the Headmaster 

Silence fell over the Great Hall at once, everyone looking down at the table. 

It was almost suffocating, the fact that Nephera truly was dead settling in on the marauder's minds. 

James held Lily's hand tightly in his own, needing something to ground him and remind him that there was still reason to fight. 

Remus was staring blankly at the wall on the other side of the room, his face void of any emotion. 

Peter was picking on his lip, trying to focus him mind anywhere else except of the current situation. 

And Sirius... Sirius was looking down at his hands on his lap, playing with the rings on his fingers, trying to will himself not to let the tears flow in front of everyone. 

The silence was interrupted by the doors of the Great Hall banging open, and everyone turned to see who it was that interrupted the moment. 

Even though the students at Hogwarts lived around ghosts every single day, and encountered them frequently in the hallways, there was nothing that could've prepared them for seeing the girl that had just been pronounced dead, standing in front of them, alive. 

Barely alive, actually. 

Sensing everyone's eyes on her, Nephera smirked, looking directly at Dumbledore, who was just as shocked as the rest of them, "Suprise," she said in a sing-song voice 

Everyone was horrified, and no one spoke. Nephera was covered in blood from head to toe, there were slight burns in her arms and legs, and the look on her eyes could only be described as chaotic. 

Not the marauders though, because the marauders didn't care how she looked, they only cared that she was there. 

And she was alive.