Fade into Black ▸ sirius black

71. Veil of Darkness

Chapter seventy-one.

February.

Sister.                                          10/2-1978.
Doomed are the souls that live for freedom.
Doomed are the weak that believe in love.
Doomed are the ones who deny his power.

With the letter came the dreams. Dreams as dark as the magic they so eagerly learned to defend themselves from. Dreams filled with blood coloured orbs, waiting in the dark and as soon as she turned her back they would follow close behind. Her name spoken in a foreign language, hissing whispers against her neck as she fumbled around in a veil of darkness. Pale fingers stroking her naked shoulders as she desperately searched for the light, that to her despair she never found until she woke up in her bed, breath stuck in her throat and pearls of sweat forming in the back of her neck.

She was afraid to admit it, but with the dreams came the fear and with the fear came pain. A strong agony that was slowly taking the best of her, and slowly Alissa realised what the purpose of her sister's letter had been. It was to break her, turn her into a slave to the fear and as she laid herself down at night she had the courage to admit that it was working.

"No fucking way, Padfoot. I'm not doing that," James protested as he smacked his friend over the head, "Tell him, Lily!"

"He's right, Sirius. I won't let him strip naked in front of all these innocent children. I've got a responsibility, after all, so does he," pointing at the red pin on the side of his cloak, "However,...our dorm is empty?"

"Marlene would die of disgust if she happened to walk in on a naked James, man, PENIS," Peter said, biting back a laugh as he eyed James from the top of his head to his sock-clad feet.

"Oy, dick head. As it happens I do have a beautiful penis, tell'em Sirius," James turned to his friend, who sat with his arms around Alissa, whose attention was drawn somewhere else. Her eyes were set on the night outside the window, at the stars that shone above them. Was the nights always this dark?

"He does," Sirius said, shooting a wink towards Lily who pretended not to notice before giving Alissa's forehead a light peck.

"It was a joke, a bad one at that," she said, but couldn't help but smile as she eyed the boy who was by now more of a man polishing his glasses with the sleeve of his shirt.

It was a Friday night, a night that was supposed to be filled with cheers and joy, but not to all. Not to Remus. Alissa caught his eye as he stepped inside the room, and they looked at her with emptiness. He stopped for a second as if he considered to join them but then he moved across the room, leaving them all silenced as his steps in the stairs faded.

"You guys have to tell me what in Merlin's name's going on with Remus? He's been acting like this for days," Lily said, her eyes jumping between the three friends. Alissa could sense Sirius arm growing stiff around her as Lily's eyes pierced him. Yes, something had definitely happened with Remus, but she knew they wouldn't spill it.

"It's nothing Lily," James said as the floor leader for them all, as always. But there was something, Alissa was sure of it. The last couple of days, since the first letter arrived, a darkness had trickled its way inside the castle walls, and it wasn't just affecting her.

"If you say so," Lily gave in, but sent a distrustful look to each one of the three, "Well then, I'm going to bed."

"Already?" James pouted, reaching for her hand but she had already stood up.

"I'll see you all tomorrow," Lily greeted them all good night and left up the stairs. Leaving the gathering that now only consisted of the three boys and Alissa who hid a yawn behind the back of her hand.