Shadows and Magic

Chapter 7

Sirius

It's been four days since Nico broke in. He still hadn't eaten. Sirius had entered and left Nico's room for about twelve times already, and every time he brought in breakfast, lunch, or dinner, he could see the plate of food he had brought in the previously, untouched. Every single time. What's worse was that Nico had dragged the pillow and blanket into the corner of the room and slept on the floor, acting as if it was more comfortable than the bed that was provided for him. It had nearly gave Sirius a fright the first time he witnessed it, as he thought Nico had escaped until he saw the boy huddled in the shadows.

He's might die if he keeps up like this. A child couldn't live like this.

Nico had refused to accept any treatment as well. Molly had went up to try and fix Nico's wounds, but the boy had acted like they were going to torture him, shrinking away and sending each of them a death glare. All the adults in the house had tried to get him to open up, other than Moody, who was busy. Everyone had failed.

Sighing, Sirius made his way into Harry's room. Opening the door, he was immediately greeted by a smiling boy.

"Sirius!" his godson said happily. Sirius grinned. He loved his godson. It was because of him that Sirius had survived his years of Azkaban, telling himself that he would see Harry again, along with the fiery rage he kept towards Peter Pettigrew that kept him fueled. Thinking of Pettigrew filled Sirius with anger and sadness. Sometimes, he couldn't believe his former best friend had turned on him and the Potters... actually he could believe it. Peter had never acted the same again after Harry was born, seeming more nervous towards them and slowly stopped interacting with James Potter, Remus, and Sirius himself. But Sirius pushed the thoughts away and sat down next to Harry.

"So, what's up? Whatcha doing?" Sirius asked.

Harry looked down. "Just polishing my broomstick. I need to get the Firebolt ready for the Quidditch matches in Hogwarts. Plus, doing this helps me relax too, and take my mind off somethings."

Sirius smiled. He remembered James doing that when they were young as well, his friend polished his broomstick every day in the Gryffindor Common Room while he and Sirius joked around.

"Sirius.. what's with the boy in the room upstairs? I heard the Order talking about him multiple times, but they always clammed up whenever I try to ask them anything." Harry scowled. "I'm not too young to know, and I should get to understand what's happening." Sirius sighed.

"Honestly, we're not too sure on what to do with Nico... he's refusing to talk. Not eating. Sleeping on the floor. He might die."

"Well he deserves it if he's a Death Eater, anyone who's a follower of Voldemort shouldn't deserve comfort." Harry spat suddenly. Sirius stared at his godson in shock. He had never heard Harry said something like this before. He wanted to ask Harry if everything was alright, then realized it was the wrong thing to say. Of course Harry's life wasn't okay. He had just escaped a life or death encounter with a dementor a few days ago. He had watched Cedric Diggory die last year. He had been through more than anyone else in the building. Knowing there was a possible enemy upstairs wasn't going to help with his state, but make him more bitter towards Voldemort. But it still wasn't right for someone his age to say something like that...

"Harry, I know you've been through a lot, and I know you might be mad. But it's not right someone as young as you to stomach so much hate. My time in Azkaban.. I mostly fed off on my resentment to stay alive, and that wasn't the best thing to do. I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain." Harry didn't respond, but stared at the floor.

Sirius sighed and left. 

On his way back downstairs, he suddenly stopped and looked up. He had already dealt with one stubborn teenager. Why not just get the other one over with as well? He trekked upstairs. 

Opening the door to Nico's room, Sirius glanced around and say the pale boy slumped against the wall. There was something off with the way he leaned against the wall... something was wrong. Sirius rushed over and stared in shock. Nico's eyes were closed, his breathing was shallow, and his skin deathly pale. He looked dead. Sirius had barely had any experience with children, but even he knew that wasn't normal behavior. 

"Nico, wake up!" Sirius shook the boy violently, but there was no response. Sirius knew the boy hated being touched, due to the reaction when Sirius had picked him up. This was serious. 

"Molly! Remus!" he yelped the first two names that popped in his mind. Hopefully they knew something about this situation.

"What, Sirius? Does it have something to do with a plan to get rid of your mother-" Remus stopped talking as soon as he stepped foot into the room, and behind him, Molly shrieked. 

"What happened?"

"I don't know, do you know how to help!" Sirius said urgently. "He won't wake up!"

"Enervate." Lupin brandished his wand at Nico. Sirius doubted it would work, considering the previous spells had barely did what it was supposed to do, but the spell twirled around the boy, glowing slightly. Molly whipped out her wand and reinforced the spell, and Nico suddenly drew a deep breath. 

"Nico, are you okay?" Molly asked. Nico, still groggy, nodded wearily. 

"What did you do to yourself? Was it because of starvation, or did you cast some spell to cause that?" Remus asked sternly. Molly suddenly stood up, rigid. 

"He wasn't eating? Why didn't you tell me!" she practically shouted, glaring at Sirius. Oops. Sirius had avoided telling her, since Nico obviously wanted to be left alone, not with someone fussing over him like Molly would've done if she found out. He had assumed Nico would eat when he was hungry enough. He never thought a child had that much persistence.

"You never answered Remus." Sirius said to Nico, hoping to distract Molly from murdering him. Nico looked too tired to make up something, so hopefully he would be telling the truth.

"I put myself in a death trance, it would be easier to ignore the starvation and thirst." he muttered.

Due to his time in Azkaban, Sirius was good at telling whether something was true or false. One never knows when a guard would be lying to do something so you. What Nico said was 100% true, however crazy it might sound.

"How!" Sirius asked, stunned. Nico reached into his pocket and brought out a small, round pellet. A pomegranate seed. 

Sirius had no idea what magic could do that, or what a death trance was, but he was guessing it wasn't pleasant.

"That's it. You are coming downstairs and eating something right now." Molly reached toward Nico and the boy immediately leapt backwards. 

"Do NOT touch me." he snarled, and at that instant, Sirius could see how deadly Nico was. His eyes seemed to turn pure black and the temperature in the room dropped. 

"It's either you consume something or we'll force you to eat something, boy." Lupin warned. How could he look so calm?

"I am not accepting your hospitality, werewolf, and stop calling me a boy. I stopped being a boy the day my sister died." Nico spat. The three of them were a bit taken back by Nico's words. Another piece of info about him. Another clue to solving this mystery. Nico seemed to realized what he said. He immediately clammed up. 

Without another word, Sirius walked across the room and opened the door, looking at Nico questionably. Sirius saw something gleam in the boy's eyes. This was what Nico wanted. To get out of the room, get out of the house. They could use it to bait him.

 Hesitantly, like he might be attacked any second, Nico took a step toward Sirius and began to amble towards the door. 

Sirius followed the child downstairs, keeping watch for sudden moves but also with twinge of sadness.

How much could the child have been through, to act like danger was at every single corner?

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The words in italics would be the main character of the chapter's thoughts or a change of tone (If its something someone said.)