Tenebrous ❆ Sirius Black [2]

Chapter Sixteen

When Sirius first asked Nadia to move in with him all those months ago, over half a year ago, he was ready for whatever would come with the change. He was ready to booby trap or jinx the kitchen entrance, he was ready for the place to be covered in cat fur and he was ready for books to cover every available surface.

But he also knew other things would come with it. Building a life together. Learning more about each other than they had ever known. And he was ready for all of that and more.

He was also ready for waking up with her every night after her dreams. But no matter how much he knew it might happen, he wasn't ready to wake up before her and have to wait for her to wake from her dreams. He wasn't ready to have to watch her be plagued by the nightmares and be unable to help in any way.

And because of that, he never knew how to feel when she finally woke up. He was glad that she no longer had to endure the torture of what she always saw, but every time, he also felt this extreme worry. Nobody ever knew when she would dream of someone they cared about.

And lately even if she did, they wouldn't know it. With Nadia's dreams becoming a jumble of multiple events they were harder to interpret than ever before. By now both of them were learning how to deal with sleepless nights during which Nadia tried to remember even the smallest detail which she could use.

So when he woke up that night to Nadia turning and turning restlessly in the bed beside him, Sirius was ready for another long night. He sat up in the bed, and looked down at her with a small frown on his face. Every time he had to wait he debated waking her up, but after doing it once he realized it was a bad idea. She was both mad at himself as well as herself for quite some time after it, especially after reading about all the attacks that happened that night in the paper when morning came.

So with a heavy heart, he waited. Time seemed to pass slower than ever before she woke, but finally Nadia jumped up in bed, her eyes wide as she took in her surroundings worriedly. Sirius acted quickly, his hand gently grasping her shoulder making her eyes snap towards him

"You're okay. You're home, with me." He whispered, his hand brushing the hair out of her face as her breathing calmed. It was the words he repeated every time. Sirius believed they were what helped bring her to the reality of where she was after those dreams, but the truth was his voice was all Nadia needed to hear to calm down at least a little.

Nadia leaned her forehead on his chest, heaving out a heavy sigh as she thought about the dream. Once again it was a mix of flashes. Multiple places, multiple people she didn't recognize. But then she remembered...

"I saw something." She suddenly pulled away and got out of bed as quick as lightning. Sirius looked at her with surprise in his eyes, watching as she rushed out of the room and turned on the lights in the living room. It took him a moment, but soon enough he was rushing after her.

"What was it?" He asked as soon as he walked into the living room to find her scrambling around to find something she could write on.

"It was just a flash, I didn't even recognize it, but I feel like what it meant is on the tip of my tongue, I just can't push through whatever it is blocking it." She said as she pulled some parchment from the shelves and grabbed hold of a pen. She moved to sit on the sofa and leaned over the coffee table as she started to draw what she had seen before it evaporated from her mind.

Sirius moved to sit next to her, remaining quiet as he watched her work. He knew better than to interrupt her. It's been quite some time since she actually managed to distinguish something in her dreams, and if what she remembered now could help even one person it was worth it. He looked to the parchment, quickly realizing it was a yard. He was slightly curious about why Nadia put so much focus on the flowers, but before he could ask she dropped the pen.

"No." She mumbled to herself as she realized what she was drawing.

"What is it? Where is that?" Sirius asked, her reaction making him instantly worry and fear what she may have realized.

"We have to go, send word to the Order. It's Lily's house."

In the dead of night, with their wands in hand and still in their pyjamas Nadia and Sirius, hand in hand, appeared in the street in front of the two story suburban house Nadia had visited many times before. But this time it seemed darker and more desolate than ever. And what made it worse was the knowledge they were too late. The Dark Mark already illuminated the sky above.

"No, no, no..." Nadia whispered in despair, her eyes already pooling with tears. With her hand clutching on to Sirius', both made the move to rush into the house and were about to take the first step forwards when suddenly, a shrill scream echoed through the air. Lily's scream. Hearing it made Sirius and Nadia break into a run, rounding the house and rushing into the back yard where they heard it come from.

They ran as fast as their legs carried them, Sirius slightly ahead of Nadia. They pushed past the wooden gate and rushed into the well-kept garden, freezing in their tracks as they came upon the sight waiting for them there.

Lily was kneeling on the ground, James right beside her, her heartbroken sobs muffled by his jacket as she clutched on to him desperately. They were kneeling beside two unmoving bodies. The bodies of Mr and Mrs Evans, Lily's parents.

"Oh my god." Nadia whispered in shock, her hand covering her mouth as a small gasp escaped her. Hearing the movement, James' eyes snapped towards them, but he relaxed once he realized it was their friends and not another threat come back to finish the job. He himself was crying as he held Lily in his arms. She had been with him that night, but had she been home, she would've met the same fate as her parents.

The couple moved forwards, going to comfort their friend. Lily looked up only once she felt a hand on her shoulder, and seeing Nadia made the red head fling herself into her friend's arms, continuing to cry painfully. Nadia held her friend, while one hand she extended to James, knowing he needed comfort as much as she right now.

'The empty vessel makes the loudest sound.'

Nadia remembered the quote. She often wondered about it and its meaning. But now, now as she looked down at the closed eyes of Mrs Evans, she wished she had never come to understand it.

Published: 11th October, 2019

Yeah, I have no excuses. Sorry.