𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚟𝚎 - 𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

Chapter 4

The chill of the night air nipped at Aurelia's face as she waited atop the Astronomy tower, still dressed in her school robes. The feast had finished a mere half hour before, yet he still hadn't arrived, distressing the girl.

As she turned to leave, the creaking of the ladder stopped her. "I apologise for being so late, cousin. It seems the staircases were not on my side tonight," Severus Snape drawled, his familiar dark hair first greeting Aurelia.

"Why you don't just become an Animagus baffles me, Sev," she whispered, throwing her arms around his neck the second he was in front of her. Severus hugged her back tightly, caressing the back of her hair with a gentle touch, lifting her off the ground.

"Not everyone can so easily break the law as you did, Lia." She laughed lightly as her cousin set her down, before taking his face in her hands grimacing at the new scar above his eyebrow. He closed his eyes, feeling calmed by her warm hands, and smiled, remembering how much he had missed her affection.

His parents were not as affectionate nor loving.

"Another lashing?" she asked, looking up with concerned eyes.

"Another trip to the asylum?" he retorted quietly, opening his eyes to meet hers.

She laughed pathetically, linking her elbow with his so that they could begin a short walk as they always did. "Father thought it best to get the devil out of me, before promptly threatening to kick me out should I return to school. I'm officially homeless now I guess."

"You know I'd let you come home with me if it were safe, cousin. But with all the whispers of the Dark Lord, and my mother's affiliations, it is not safe, especially for someone who is a muggle-born," he said, squeezing Aurelia's arm.

Aurelia nodded, having not forgotten the one time she had stayed with her aunt as a child. She had not slept a wink as she had stayed huddled up to Severus, the two of them sharing a bed as Severus' mother had not laid out another bed, nor greeted the girl.

Looking after her sister's child had been a one-time thing after Iris Hope had arrived to find her sister half-drunk in the sitting room and her daughter cuddled into her nephew with bags under her eyes.

"I'm sure I can find residence at the Leaky Cauldron, or perhaps even here for the summer. Dumbledore would be able to help me, right?"

Her hopeful looked was glazed over by how tired she was, and Severus stopped walking, taking her shoulders in her hands. "When was the last time you slept, Aurelia?"

Though his tone seemed harsh, the care was there, and Aurelia leant her head on one of his hands. "I haven't been able to sleep since term ended," she admitted, the brutal honesty behind her words saddening Severus.

Severus turned back towards the castle. "Then we shall continue our talk another day because I do not wish to carry you back to the West Towers at this time of night. You need to rest, Lia, before classes start back. As for your living situations, go and talk with McGonagall about setting up a meeting with Dumbledore."

He wrapped his cloak around her shoulders, pulling her even closer as they walked in the shadow of the castle. The two had never been open about their blood connection to the public – for the safety of Aurelia from Severus' friends and the safety of Severus from any scrutiny.

Only Kira, Wendy, and Regulus Black knew of the cousins.

Kira and Wendy had been told after catching Aurelia and Severus talking in hushed whispers one evening whilst Aurelia had been crying over a letter her father had sent, and as for Regulus, well, he had coaxed it out of Severus with a promise to never harm Aurelia.

He had gone as far as making an Unbreakable Vow.

The younger of the two Black brothers was quite the contrast to the boisterous Gryffindor that was Sirius Black, excelling in all types of charms and potions, as well as being one of the greatest seekers in Hogwarts' long history. Aurelia had only spoken to him a few times when she had bumped into him at the library or in the Slug Club, but the two were acquaintances, with no bad blood between them.

Wendy and Kira were quietly reading in the common room of the Ravenclaw tower by the time Aurelia finally arrived, cheeks reddened from the chill of the air outside. The girl slumped in between them on the plush blue sofa, nestling her head on Wendy's shoulder, and the blonde girl ran her hands through her best friend's head as Kira lay her legs across both of their legs, practically enclosing Aurelia between them.

"He's, okay?" Kira asked, and Aurelia nodded, closing her eyes.

"He is safe, and that is all that matters," she responded, shutting her eyes. Kira looked down at her quiet friend with a blue smile, rubbing her hand on her leg comfortingly. As much as she couldn't stand Severus, she also hated seeing Aurelia down in the dumps, and Severus was the only family who cared about her.

"Let's get you up to bed, Lia," Wendy said calmly, helping lift Aurelia to her feet. Aurelia grumbled but accepted the fact that both Wendy and Kira would never carry her up to their dorm, where only the three of them and another Ravenclaw girl by the name of Pandora MacQuoid, who was often out in the grounds with her boyfriend, Xenophilius Lovegood.

The few remaining students in the common room paid no heed to the three girls, as they all slumped downstairs to the landing directly below the common room. Unlike the Gryffindor tower, where the bedrooms were upstairs, the Ravenclaw rooms were below their common room, often meaning some had headaches from the occasional party right above the ceiling.

The three had been blessed with the bottom landing, where they shared the floor with seventh years. The rooms down there were quiet, and the three girls had always relished the silence gifted to them.

"Home sweet home," Kira whispered, knocking the door open with her backside. The warm, homely scents of jasmine, honey and fresh parchment wafted over, as each girl collapsed onto their beds, using their wands to change into suitable night clothes.

"I am not going to even bother turning the light off," Wendy mumbled, face first into her pillow. Aurelia lifted a hand, snapping her fingers together and the lights went out before her arm fell onto her face.

"Thank you," Kira whispered.

No one replied, as the two others were already asleep.