Love You In My Mind // Sirius Black

Chapter 58

I was sitting on the floor of  the hallway, waiting for Marlene and Sirius. I'd sent them my Patronus, saying that there had been a Dark Mark over my family's house, and now I was waiting for them to arrive.

Maybe I'd know what to do when they were with me.

I didn't even have to wait a full minute.
"Merlin, Freya, are you okay?"
Sirius dropped to his knees on my right and put a hand on my shoulder.
Marlene hugged me from the other side.

"Yeah," I said in a monoton voice. My emotions were a mess. I didn't know how to feel, and I felt bad about that.
"He's in the living room."

Marlene and Sirius exchanged a look.
"Your Dad?" Sirius asked me and I nodded.
"Mum and Francisca are at work. That's why I called you, I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

The couple exchanged another look.
Sirius stood up and walked towards the living room, whereas Marlene helped me get up. "I think we should call the Ministry, so that they get the Aurors to investigate the case and obliviate the muggles."

In trance, I nodded. How come I hadn't thought of that? "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

I chuckled embarrasedly. "Is it bad that I'm not really sad?"
Marlene didn't say anything.
Sirius returned from the living room and took my free hand. "From what you've told me, no. I wouldn't miss my parents either. I think I'd celebrate, actually."

I cracked a weak smile. That had actually helped. "Thanks."

He ruffled my hair. "Anytime. Now, Marls, you call the Ministry and Freya and I take care of the Dark Mark, alright?"
She nodded and Sirius tugged on my hand to lead me to our front yard.
"C'mon, Frey."

Luckily, we'd already made Dark Marks vanish on order missions, so it didn't take long to let the white light consume the green mark in the sky.

My lower lip quivered when I dropped my wand, and before I knew it, I was crying.

Sirius immediately appeared in front of me and pulled me into a hug.
"Shh, it's alright."

I clung onto him as if he were my lifeline. In a way, he was.
"I know," I sobbed. "I don't even know why I'm crying." My sobs mixed with laughter for a few seconds, before I just cried again.

"You're overwhelmed, that's all. It's normal." He stroked my hair soothingly and I caught me closing my eyes and hugging him even tighter.

His presence just had this comforting effect on me. When I closed my eyes and just breathed in his scent, it was as if I was still in a time when everything had been easy.

When my crying subsided, Sirius pulled out of the embrace and held me at arm lenght, stroking my upper arms. "Better?"

I took a deep breath and nodded. Then I noticed that Marlene had come out of the house, too and was standing next to Sirius. She gave me an encouraging smile.

Somehow, this broke the dam and my tears returned. This time, it was Marlene who hugged me.
"They will inform your Mum and Francisca, they'll come with them. You're all fine, that's the most important thing."

I nodded, not letting go of my best friend. She didn't, either.
"You're lucky you were at the order meeting. Or that you went to see Peter," Marlene continued. "They were probably after the magical part of your family, including you."

I nodded again. I'd figured that much. I knew that we'd had an immense amount of luck. My father hadn't.
But considering that he'd been killed in the living room, he hadn't even made an effort to look who'd entered the house.
Just stupid, really.