Serena Black || 𝑪𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒐

How can we not talk about family when family's all that we got?

• Serena Black •

"Time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies ahead."

Serena's smile froze on her face when she saw the Daily Prophet open on the table. She instantly regretted the little joke she had allowed herself with Hall. Even though she assumed that everyone present should know that none of Skeeter's articles were even close to the truth.

Almost abruptly, her eyes darted to the twins, who had promised to keep their word. But both innocently held their hands in the air and looked back with clueless glances. Serena sighed and finally squeezed onto the bench between Remus and Ron, murmuring a half-hearted "hello" to the group.

Mere seconds later, the article was shoved under her nose, making it impossible for her to ignore it now. "Will you explain?" Serena stared at the picture showing herself walking hand in hand with Hall in the direction of the forbidden forest.

With her eyebrows drawn together, she looked up. "You don't believe that nonsense, do you?" she snapped at her father.

"Of course I don't believe the content," he replied, but continued to tap the picture so hard with his index finger that the dishes clinked on the table. "But I believe what I see, and I see you with the Hall boy, even though I specifically told you not to."

"That was merely an exception...", Serena tried to justify herself. After all, she had only agreed to meet the Slytherin to thank him for saving her life. So, should this not happen again, it would remain at this one-time event. At least she hoped so.

Finally, it was Remus who tried to defuse the tense mood at the table and bring the focus back to the upcoming third and final task of the tournament. Serena was incredibly grateful for this and now let her eyes roam over those present in a much more relaxed manner. As she did so, she felt Ron's gaze on her, staring intently at her. But she just shook her head silently, she would explain to him later what Hermione had found out. She wasn't quite in the picture yet.

"A little distraction would be nice..." Harry murmured, his face as white as Professor Binns', and the conversation took another direction.

After lunch, Ron and Serena set off for their final Defence Against the Dark Arts exam with heavy hearts. It seemed almost ridiculous that Moody had chosen to give them a written exam rather than a practical, as everyone had suspected. But for once, Serena was quite happy about that. This way she had to interact with the ex-Auror as little as possible and was not in danger of being subjected to another Unforgivable Curse.

Hermione managed to sit down in her seat just in time a few minutes before the exam would begin, cheeks flushed and wishing everyone a gasped "Good luck". Serena bent over the questionnaire intently, relieved to have a suitable answer to every question. Even the extra questions she could answer effortlessly thanks to the extreme training with Harry.