ALULA (VOL. 1)
How small the light seems that shines so bright.
Alula Nova Black is about to cross a sea to a land of sights and people she has never known. Family is one of the strongest ties in the wizarding world and she is about to find that out...
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the dementor's kiss
{1994}
The Whomping Willow
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Alula had never been part of a stranger group. Crookshanks led the way down the stairs; Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron went next, looking like entrants in a six-legged race. Next came Professor Snape, drifting creepily along, his toes hitting each stair as they descended, held up by his own wand, which was being pointed at him by Sirius. Harry, Hermione and Alula brought up the rear.
Getting back into the tunnel was difficult. Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron had to turn sideways to manage it; Lupin still had Pettigrew covered with his wand. Alula could see them edging awkwardly along the tunnel in single file. Crookshanks was still in the lead. Alula went right after Black, who was still making Snape drift along ahead of them; he kept bumping his lolling head on the low ceiling. Alula had the impression that her father was making no effort to prevent this.
"You know what this means?" Black said abruptly to Alula as they made their slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"
"You're free," said Alula.
"Yes...," said Black. "But I'm also --" He added, turning to Harry. "I don't know if anyone ever told you -- I'm your godfather."
"Yeah, I knew that," said Harry.
"Well... your parents appointed me your guardian," said Black stiffly. "If anything happened to them..."
Harry waited and so did Alula. Did her father mean what she thought he meant?
"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," said Black. "But... well... think about it. Once my name's cleared... if you wanted a... a different home..."
Some sort of explosion took place in the pit of Alula's stomach.
"What -- live with you?" Harry said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"
"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," said Black quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd --"
"Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Black's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"
Black turned right around to look at him; Snape's head was scraping the ceiling but Black didn't seem to care.
"You want to?" he said. "You mean it?"
"Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry.
Black's gaunt face broke into the first true smile Alula had seen upon it. The difference it made was startling, as though a person ten years younger were shining through the starved mask; for a moment, he was recognizable as the man who had laughed in the photos Narcissa had given Alula.
