Mortem . Sirius Black

chapter eighty-four

December 21st - Hogwarts 

It was the day that the students would be returning home for the Christmas Break, and they were practically jumping off the walls in excitement. Seventh year had not been kind to them in terms of workload, and they couldn't wait for the two weeks of relaxation that were awaiting them. 

Nephera, as had been discussed, would be staying over at the Potter Estate for the Break, alongside Sirius and James. The rest of the marauders and the Gryffindor girls would be staying there for the second week, arriving on New Year's Eve. James's parents had agreed to give them the house for the night, although Nephera doubted that was a good idea. Eight teenagers home alone with a shitton of alcohol sounded like a recipe for disaster, but then again that's always how the best memories were formed. 

It was decided that the three of them would be apparating, not wanting to sit at the Hogwarts Express for the long journey. 

Approaching the carriages, the Slytherin was stumped to see that they no longer appeared as though they pulled themselves, but rather were pulled by horses, if they could even be called that. 

They appeared to be dead, their bones could be seen even through the thin, almost transluscent leathery skin. They had wings made out of bones and thin skin webbed between them, but what truly drew her were their eyes. 

Small, beady and red, one of them turned to look at her and she felt as though it was looking right into her very soul. Raising a hand, she stroked the skin of their backs and found it surprisingly soft. 

Of course, the Gryffindors and everyone around her found it completely ridiculous to see the brunette petting what appeared to be thin air, "Nephera?" asked Lily, concerned, "What are you doing?" 

"Can you not see them?" asked the Slytherin

Peter, who was the only one who knew what was pulling the carriages remained quiet. No one knew what the girl endured when she was held captive, although they suspected that she'd talked to Sirius about it, but now that he knew she could see the Therstals, well, he supposed it was worse than he could ever imagine.

Clambering into the carriages to Head to the station at Hogsmead, Nephera, James, Sirius and Remus filled one of them while the Gryffindor girls and Peter sat in the one after that. 

"Mum's made fudge," said James excitedly, "Merlin I can't wait for Christmas," 

Sirius nodded excitedly, "It's true, Mia's Christmas cooking tramps everything else," 

"I'll have to see it to believe it," replied the girl, remembering how good the meals at the Potter Estate where, "I can't believe I have to go looking for an apartment, again," 

"Well, seeing as though you were ambushed right outside your previous one," replied the werewolf, "I'd say it's rather necessary," 

Remus and Nephera had taken to making the occasional joke about everything that had happened, much to the disay of Sirius, and even worse, James, "Oi, no, we're not doing this right now! And Nephie, you know you can always stay at mine, for as long as you like, right?" 

"I know Prongs," she sighed, having gone over this many times, "But I need my own place," 

There was also another reason why she wanted to live on her own, other than not being a burden to the elder couple. She could see herself living with Sirius after graduating, they had essentially been living together in his dorm for two months anyways. 

Though, she couldn't bring herself to ask, to be so vulnerable even in front of him. 

"Oh," added Sirius, "And we have to go Christmas shopping too, I haven't gotten anything done yet,"