𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙰 𝙳𝚘𝚟𝚎 - 𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

Chapter 6

Sirius' sigh of relief echoed Aurelia's as he stood up, gathering his things to claim one of the last desks. Aurelia hadn't moved, and Sirius paused, leaning over the table to look over her shoulder.

"You alright, Aurelia?" he asked, and the girl jumped, before whipping her head towards Sirius, feigning a smile.

"Peachy now, Sirius. Shall we get a table?"

He offered his hand to help her stand up and her smile widened slightly, her books following her thanks to a quick wordless spell. Sirius looked at her floating books in awe, as she walked past him quietly, looking back for a split second, still smiling.

"You coming?" she asked with a giggle, and Sirius nodded, following her to the last brewing station, which was conveniently situated by Alice, Remus, Lily and James' tables. They all looked up as the last two approached, and James grinned at them.

"We haven't been introduced yet," James said to Aurelia, hopping around his desk to land in front of her. "James Potter, best chaser you'll find for miles around."

Aurelia looked up at the tall boy, accepting his hand. "Aurelia Hope, best seer you'll find practically anywhere. I know who you are James."

The three boys all raised an eyebrow as Aurelia informed them, she was a seer, and Remus took a step closer, his book still clutched in her hands. "You can see the future?"

Aurelia shrugged. "Not exactly. The future is not determined, events such as picking up a different pen, to downright murdering someone with a different wand can change the course of fate. There are certain points in time however that are set, and those are common in my dreams."

"The sight of a seer is a treasured gift," Horace said, coming up to them with his wand in his hand. "However, I do believe in order to complete this potion on time, ingredients do help."

He smiled slightly as Remus, James and Sirius ran off to grab their cauldrons, whilst the girls went to select the right ingredients. Aurelia struggled to reach the top shelf, where the ashwinder eggs were kept, and as she balanced on her toes, a chill crept across her spine, and a shadow loomed over her.

"Out of the way, mudblood," Dolohov sneered, gripping his hand onto Aurelia's waist. She went to speak, but he roughly placed a hand over her mouth, stopping her from both breathing and crying out. Lily and Alice were off in the other potions cabinet, so Aurelia struggled against Antonin, desperately trying to get away.

He buried his nose in her neck, smiling in delight at how she struggled against him, and her tears began to run onto his hand, causing him to jerk her back harshly. "You should be thankful someone even touches you like this, you filthy excuse. Perhaps I should teach you how to properly treat your superiors."

Aurelia's breath caught in her throat as she struggled even harder, managing to bite Antonin's hand. "Get off of me!" she whispered harshly, not wishing to cause a scene. She went to run away, but Antonin's hand went around her neck, and tugged her, immediately creating a bruise.

"I wouldn't run like that if I were you, mudblood," he sneered, his foul breath uncomfortably tickling her hairline.

"Or what, Dolohov?"

A wand tip dug itself into the cold flesh of Antonin's neck, as Sirius Black stood tall behind him, glaring with a look he could have only inherited from his father. Behind him stood Remus and James, both also with their wands raised.

Sirius' expression only softened as he saw how scared his potions partner was. Her wide blue eyes were glistening with tears as she blinked rapidly, trying to keep them from running down her face. Antonin only gripped at Aurelia's neck tighter, before practically throwing her at the three boys, snapping at them like an animal.

"The blood traitor and the mudblood? How sweet," he said with a laugh, grabbing his potions ingredients. "You'll both meet your ends soon; the Dark Lord shall ensure that."

With that, he stormed off to his partner, and Aurelia clutched at Sirius' sweater, burying her head in it. His arms instinctively went around her to console her quiet sobs, and Remus shared a look with James, before placing his arm on her back whilst James grabbed two bottles of ashwinder eggs.

"Come on, Aurelia. Let's get you back to the girls," Remus whispered gently, walking in step behind Sirius and Aurelia in case anyone else tried to harm her. She was silently shaking, and as Lily came into view, she gasped, clasping her hand to her mouth.

"Oh Lia, was it him again?" she asked, and Aurelia nodded, unconsciously burying herself closer to Sirius' side as previous memories surfaced.

"Again?" Sirius asked, and as Aurelia began to put the ingredients she had collected onto their station, Lily came up to Sirius, linking her elbow with his.

"Thank you for helping her out," she whispered, kissing his cheek. Alice wrapped an arm around Aurelia's shoulders as James finally returned, raising an eyebrow towards them.

Unbeknownst to them, Severus Snape had snapped a quill in anger as he noticed Antonin coming towards their small trio of cauldrons, followed a few seconds later by his tear-streaked cousin in the arms of Sirius, and the Marauders.

☽ ☼ ☾

Aurelia was one of the first to leave the dungeon once the old bells had rung throughout the school. The Gryffindors around her were quick to follow, wanting to make sure she was alright, and both Alice and Lily linked arms with her, all three of them quietly whispering as the boys trailed behind.

"Will you be alright, Aurelia?" Sirius asked, stopping the girl in her tracks. She turned around, her face no longer blotchy from crying, and with a slight nod, she allowed for a small smile to grace her features.

"Nothing I haven't handled before, Sirius. I am sure he will find a toad in his tea tomorrow morning. Thank you for helping me though, all three of you. I am in your debt," she said with a quiet grace, her gaze lingering on Sirius.

With that, she continued her walk with Lily and Alice to their next class, leaving behind the boys. Sirius could not help but stare at her back, causing James to chuckle and slap his back.

"Does my little Padfoot had a teeny crush?" he teased, and Sirius whacked his head, rolling his eyes.

"I do not have a crush, my darling Prongs. I simply wish to create a friendship between Lia and I, so that I can finally divulge my secrets about you with someone."

James gasped dramatically, clutching his heart. "Padfoot! You would never!"

Sirius grinned, pulling James' neck with his elbow to noogie his hair. "Just watch me, Prongs. Just watch me."