The Black Queen | F. Weasley

19. The Whomping Willow

Two months had passed since that conversation with George. Salem had decided after that revelation of George that she would need some more time, she didn't want to lash out at her friends and she would try to tackle the trauma on her own. She wanted to be back to her old self before she returned to her friends. Though, she did give them a heads-up this time, she had written each of them a letter in which she explained her predicament and her decision. 

She had apologised for the fact that she had left them so suddenly and that it wasn't her intention to hurt them. She would explain it to them once she had everything figured out and then they would also receive a proper apology. 

To Fred in particular she had written that it hadn't been his fault for her sudden absence. She had emphasized that it had nothing to do with what had almost happened during the last time they had talked. Salem just hoped that he believed her. 

The girl knew that it was important to talk about the trauma she had been through. It was proven to her more than once that she couldn't do it on her own. So, she had talked to Dumbledore about the possibility of talking to a professional about it at St. Mungo's, but she still had yet to hear of the man. Her anger towards her headmaster had faded over the past few months and had been redirected at someone else, namely the person who had put her through all this. Could she call him a person though? Voldemort was a fucking lunatic and then some more. 

She spent a lot of her time with Sirius as well as Remus. With Remus she talked a lot about the upcoming O.W.L.s and she still brewed the Wolfsbane Potion for him each month under professor Snape's supervision. Her dad knew that something had happened and just like Sirius he had tried to get her to talk about it, but no such luck, Salem changed the subject each time as soon as Remus had tried to broach it. Mostly with Sirius she kept him up to date with what was happening around the castle and that despite her numerous attempts at trying to convince Ron to give Peter to her she had failed most of the time due to Crookshanks appearing in the room. 

Ron hated that cat more than anything and when Peter had faked his own death once more he had been furious with Hermione since he believed that Crookshanks had brutally murdered his rat. If only...

Since then Peter had gone missing and sadly Salem didn't have access to the map anymore either, because Fred and George had gifted it to Harry in order for him to visit Hogsmeade as well. Sirius had been devastated when she told him, but in the end he came out all the more determined to prove his innocence and he went scouring through the castle and its grounds to find the nasty rat. 

Right now Salem was sitting outside enjoying the warmth of the sun and quietly studying for her last O.W.L. she would have to take the next day. She wasn't all that worried about the History of Magic exam, since it was one of the subjects she liked most. Her reading was interrupted by a golden coloured owl which landed near Salem's feet and she knew that the animal came to deliver her a message from Dumbledore.

She carefully retracted the letter from its paw and searched through her bag for the sweets she always carried with her. Her hand enclosed around one of them and she offered it to the bird who pecked it off her hand gratefully. It unfolded its wings once more and Salem watched as the bird flew away to return to his owner. 

She opened the letter quickly, curious as to what Dumbledore had decided.

Dear Miss Black,

I'm saddened to inform you that I cannot allow you to see a professional about the matter at St. Mungo's. You will put yourself and others at risk by doing so. 

Nobody knows about your condition and it must stay this way to ensure your safety. Voldemort is yet to be informed about your existence and is therefore unaware of your abilities. The more people that get involved in this matter, the more risk there exists of your secret being outed to the world.