Black Hole

"Young and Free, Only Seventeen"

Late July, 1977

Her Mother was there.

"You're nothing but a waste of space, Lyra-Jade." Her pointy, pale face was inches from her own. "I wish I had never brought you into this world! I should've gotten rid of you when I had the chance!" She yelled, grabbing a handful of her long hair and pulling hard. She screamed out, and her Mother laughed. Then, it wasn't Walburga pulling her hair, but herself. Her own face sneered down at her taunting and yelling ugly threats.

Then, the Other-Her wasn't pulling her hair, but Sirius'. Then Sirius turned to Regulus. Then Sirius and Regulus were both on the floor, whimpering, as she stood before them with her wand pointed at their bodies.

It was the same scene that the boggart had shown her in DADA fourth year.

She remembered watching the person in front of her step away from the boggart, and her heart rate had sky-rocketed.

"Miss. Black, your turn." The professor had said, looking bored. The professor that they had that year was so unmemorable that she didn't even remember his name.

She did not move.

"...Miss. Black?"

She glared at the professor and stepped forward. Motherfucker.

The dancing clown halted its pirouette and eyed her with interest. Hastily, the clown had become a black, swirling mist. She had been sure the other students could hear her rapidly beating heart. She kept her demeanor simple and calm for show, but inside she was an anxious mess.

What the black mist had formed into before her eyes caused her to gasp out and her hand to fly to her mouth. Behind her, any lingering conversations stopped, and she was sure she had heard someone else gasp, and some else yelp out. Was that Sirius' yelp?

In front of her had stood her Mother, her back to Lyra-Jade. Walburga had held out her wand, waving it at the two small figures in front of her.

"You boys have been very bad, you must be punished!" Her Mother screamed, her voice echoing off the walls of the classroom.

She was frozen on the spot. The two figures, one a boy with long black hair, appearing to be about fourteen, the other smaller, with short, curlier hair, looking to be about twelve or so, were crying on the ground and begging to their Mother. "Mummy, it wasn't our fault! It was Lyra-Jade's fault!"

"Crucio!" Her Mother had yelled, but it had sounded like Lyra-Jade's voice, deeper and less shrill.

"No!" Her knees had buckled as the two boys squirmed, screaming out in pain and convulsing.

"Crucio!"

"Miss. Black, the spell."

Suddenly, she hadn't been thirteen year old Lyra-Jade, far away from her 'home' and her parents, but a little helpless girl watching as her brothers were tortured in front of her. No, no, no, all my fault, all my fault. She had brought her knees to her chest. All my fault. Her eyes never left the shaking, crying little boys only a couple feet away from her.

"Crucio!"

"LJ, it's not real!" Someone had shouted.

"Professor, make it stop!"

"Miss. Black, it's just a boggart. Please perform the spell."

"Crucio!"

"Professor!"

"Miss. Black."

She hadn't heard anyone, only the screams of her Mother and her brothers. She hadn't heard her brother and friends screaming at the professor, nor did she see Sirius shove his way to her. She hadn't even noticed when he had been right in front of her until the scene before them changed. Her brothers and Mother had disappeared into mist, swirling around in a taunting way. Now, before them was Sirius, only not the Sirius she knew. This Sirius was older, and deeply resembled their Father. He wore luxury robes that Sirius would never wear. His hair had been short and his beard long, a look Sirius would have rather died than ever be seen in. His smirk had been evil, not at all like Sirius signature toothy grin.