The Missing Marauder: A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter 9

Dear Mom,  

Things are good here. Not great, but my classes are going pretty well and I've met up with my friends again.  

Sirius let his hair grow long. I've seen that enough times to know that he's taking what happened at his house hard. He just feels really guilty... I promised I wouldn't tell anybody about anything I saw there, and I keep to my promises. But I can tell you that something happened, and it wasn't...pleasant. Not for me, anyway.  

I wish I could see you. I need somebody to talk to. And I don't feel like I can write about it because recently they've been checking everyone's letters to make sure they're not in contact with the "Dark Lord." I can't really understand why, though. It's not like anyone in Gryffindor is going to be one of his followers.  

But like I said, I just wish I had somebody to talk to. Sirius has been sort of distant for the past week, like he's always thinking. He hasn't gotten into any trouble at all! I'm sure this'll pass, but I'm just getting worried, you know?  

Everybody else is worried, too. I can tell. James the most, I think, because he keeps trying to smuggle him some chocolate, but Sirius keeps refusing it. It's always worked before, so I can't understand why he won't take it.  

Please write back soon. I'm desperate to know how things are going back home, because, now that I think about it, things haven't been that good here at all.  

Rowan

Dear Dromeda,  

I don't know where you are or how you're doing or if this will even get to you. But I feel I at least have to try.  

I know you can't risk writing back to me... we figured that out a long time ago. But if you do get this, you should know that your family-our family-is still exactly the way you left it. They still hate Muggles, and Muggle-borns, and half-bloods, and anything that isn't what they consider "pure." Rowan-you remember her, right?-was sort of shaken by them. I took her home after dinner and she didn't want me to leave, and I couldn't tell if it was because she was upset or she thought that I was upset. I think it was both, because there were tear marks all the way down her cheeks. I feel awful about even bringing her to that blasted reunion...  

I wish I could see you. You know how after every reunion, you, Uncle Cygnus, Aunt Druella, Bella, Narcissa and that boy she brought-Lucius or something like that-all stayed the night? Well, they still do that. And then they stayed another night. And then another. Regulus loved it, but honestly, I think if they'd stayed one more night I would've escaped to the Potters's place. But they did leave, three days after the "party."  

Life sucks without you. It really does. And I don't feel like I can talk to anybody right now, because Rowan's been sort of distant lately, and I don't want anybody else to know what happened yet. Not yet.  

Sirius

"Hey, Lily," Rowan greeted gloomily. She was sitting on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, staring at the fire, seeing dancing figures in its bright orange flames.  

"Hey," Lily greeted in response. She was much happier than usual, Rowan noticed, but maybe that was just because she was much more downcast than usual. "Guess what?"  

"What?" she asked, trying to make herself sound interested as she pried her eyes from the fire.  

"I think I know how Severus is doing it," she said, "I mean, I don't know how he's doing it, but I know who he's going to for help! And this time I'm positive!"