ᴅɪsᴘᴇʟ ᴍʏ ʙᴏʀᴇᴅᴏᴍ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴅᴇᴜʀs' ᴇʀᴀ

Chapter 21: Forest of Dean

Forest of Dean, 2 pm

"Sh-shit!"

Sirius Black cursed, running into particularly malicious and insidious branch, which almost stabbed his eye. He had an important and urgent business in this forest. To be precise, a conversation with one particular person.

The feeling of being watched didn't leave Sirius from the moment he crossed the forest border. But Black didn't intend to hide - the forest of Dean was full of magic and to believe that even one stranger wandered into the territory of natural sorcerers could remain unnoticed was difficult.

"I suppose, Mr. Black," came a mocking voice from the right, "you're looking for someone like me?"

"You're right, Miss... Mrs. Cavendish," Black started furiously dusting himself off, adjusting his clothes and hair, feeling extremely uncomfortable next to Gwendolyn.

137 years old witch - whose face was covered in wrinkles and ornate kerchief didn't hide gray curls - looked a hundred times better than him. She acted as true royalty, gently stepping on the grass, despite numerous roots and branches of nearby trees, while Sirius was already desperate, out of breath, and his shirt was teared through and through.

"Is it because of the letter I sent you two weeks ago?" Gwendolyn smiled politely, with an undisguised mockery in her eyes watching as Black nearly fell again, stumbling over another root. "Child of civilization," she stated with a slight contempt.

"No," Sirius said grimly, looking defiantly at old woman. "It's not because of the letter. I wanted to ask you to take Beata away from Hogwarts and... and don't let her go until the end of the war," he paused. "Did I get your attention, Mrs. Cavendish?"

"I suppose," she replied with a slight surprise. "However, today you're not the first to visit me with this offer."

Black frowned and could hardly suppress a cry of surprise as another uninvited guest of the forest of Dean appeared from the thicket behind Gwendolyn.

Lucius Malfoy.

✨ ✨ ✨

A week before that, Hogwarts library

"Don't even think that I'm going to make it up with you," Beata announced joyfully, emerging right in front of Emily's nose. "But I need you."

"I've been waiting for the moment when great and fearless Sprinkles will need help of someone with intelligence," Emily answered, not looking up from the book.

"The wait is over," Sprinkles held up her index finger. "I have one murderous, incredibly exciting and wild plan. Are you in?"

Emily slammed the book shut and stared at her friend with a pensive, dispassionate look.

"Naturally," she sighed. "Anything to forget this stupid prank which includes the night of love and Winnie the Pooh."

Sprinkles shrugged, ignoring Emily's last sentence.

"One small condition," Parker narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"Tell me what happened to Black last night. There are rumors at school about flaps of his clothes in your room. Then, someone saw him at dawn outside in his pants, and this morning, with a pleased smile, Malfoy crawled out of the Hospital Wing, dragging his leg behind him, while Marauders hurried in the opposite direction."

"Ask Remus," Sprinkles sniffed.

"He's still in the Hospital with the rest of the Marauders."

"Let's just say," Sprinkles pondered. "I started to take revenge on this little Gryffindor ass, and it was a prologue."