When Time Travel Goes Wrong | MWPP

Chapter Four

Sirius awoke in a dogpile. No, literally. There was someone lying on top of him, and someone else tangled next to him. When he rolled over, he realised that it was Prongs and his little sister, Aquila.

"Prongs, get off," groaned Sirius.

"What time is it?" He heard Prongs say.

"Don't know."

"Tempus," Sirius heard Aquila's voice say softly.

"Shit."

"What?" said Sirius, his eyes still closed.

"It's quarter to eleven. And it's Friday."

"We're only missing Charms," said Sirius, "Flitwick'll understand. What have you got, Aquila?"

"Double Potions. With Slytherin."

There was a moment of silence. Sirius sat up, and Aquila was still lying down on the pile of pillows that James had made last night. Then, the latter turned to look at the other two.

"Do either of you actually want to go back to the dorms yet?" James's expression was doubtful, because, well, Sirius obviously didn't. But James's mum would get on his case if he missed too many classes.

"Dunno," Sirius admitted. Aquila stayed silent, picking at a stray string from the hem of her skirt.

James looked down. "I... I don't want to, either, but... I just, I feel like I have no reason to," he confessed.The third-year just lost her brother, she's right to be upset, Sirius is going through some shit with his dad, and me? I'm just..."I just feel like I should go. I mean, Moony did."

"To the dorms, or to classes?" Sirius looked at him carefully. "Because I think we should go back to our dorm, at least. Pete's probably worried sick, mate."

James licked his lips, his gaze moving from his best mate to the door. "I- I- I dunno, mate, I just... a boy just died. And no one's even, no one's even doing anything. Talking about it. They forgot about his own damn sister and... I just can't act normal after that, I just can't, I mean, what if they don't know? The others, I mean."

"What others?"

"Evans and the girls and Draco's dorm-mates and the other professors, what if they don't know, McGonagall, Dumbledore, why are they trying to hush it up?"

"They're hushing it up because nobody knew him," Aquila whispered, "Imagine hearing that a student came to school, a student that you didn't know, a student that was sorted into Ravenclaw and you'd only seen twice, maybe if you're lucky? Imagine hearing that they'd died, and a Slytherin who you and everyone knew, had murdered them? It's probably better that they, that they carted off Mulciber without telling anyone that Draco died, it's better..." she gulped, "it's better if he..."