Mortem . Sirius Black

chapter one hundred and thirteen

April 11th - Nephera's Home 

The brunette didn't know why she had apparated there, but it was simply the first place that came to mind. She had to admit, Sirius and Ailani had done a beautiful job decorating the cottage, although she could hardly focus on that now. 

Bellatrix Lestrange. 

The name rand over and over again in her head, like some sort of broken record, sending terrified shivers all the way down the length of her arms and legs. 

The girl was curled up into herself, with her knees pressed tightly against her chest, her wand held in a strong grasp, as she looked fearfully around the room. 

She knew it was impossible for Death Eaters to show up there, save for the marauders and Alice, no one knew where the cottage was located, but she was still scared. 

Every single time one of those muggle cars passed in front of the window, and the headlights shone on the glass, she would tense up, expecting the worse. The slightest noise made her jump up in fear, that somehow she'd open her eyes and she'd still be a hostage, tortured by Bellatrix. 

The memories that lingered in the back of her mind weren't what scared her most, though. No, it was the dependency that she was terrified of. 

The Slytherin had always been independent, never relying on anyone to be there for her, to comfort her, to make her feel safe. Even back during her first years at Hogwarts, she used to not need anyone else, so what had happened? 

She had grown weak, that was what happened. 

If she had any hopes of winning this war, on surviving, she couldn't be in a position where she needed other people. She had to do it on her own, she had to be strong. 

On top of that, her mind kept replaying her argument with Tony, when Ellie got marked, and what Lily had said when she found out her parents had died. 

It's your fault. 

Peter simply wanted to spend a calm day in muggle London, and somehow, that turned into a Death Eater ambush. 

While the boys had been given some sort of immunity from the vow, she had also made them prime targets. If she didn't manage to kill Voldemort before the time limit of the vow was over-one year after graduation-then Riddle would surely attack them the second he could. 

They'd die, and it would be her fault. 

It seemed as though every time she tried to help someone, she made everything ten times worse than it was in the beginning. 

Over at the Potter Estate, half the Order was present, trying to figure out where Nephera could be. Sirius, admittedly the person who knew the girl best, wasn't in any state to help, for he himself was beside himself with worry, his mind filling with the worse of scenarios and images. 

"Sirius," said Euphemia gently, "Did you hear what Alastor asked you?" 

The boy shook his head, "No," he answered, his voice hoarse and his throat tight 

They had all tried contacting her through the bracelet, but she would not answer any of them. The girl had, quite literally, disappeared into thin air. 

"Did she seem off in the past days? Any weird behavior you might've noticed?" 

The boy's eyes flashed with recognition, "Like, last night or something, she uh, she was awake, doing something. I didn't ask what, Merlin, why didn't I ask?" 

Sensing his son spiral, Fleamont placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. Sirius wouldn't break down in front of everyone, but it was clear as day just how much he was hurting inside.