Black Spirit • harry potter (AU)

e l e v e n • black break-in

On the morning of January 7th, a week after my father had returned to live with us at Grimmauld place, I had to leave to go back to school for term picked up again tomorrow.

My father, after much persuading, did not come to see me off to the station. My mother accompanied me instead. We were extremely cautious about anyone seeing him and turning him in, even if he was in his animagus form, we did not know who would recognise him.

The week I had spent with my father had been amazing. Even though he made it clear he would not be staying at Grimmauld for long because he did not want to put my mother in danger by associating with him as the ministry would surely arrest her if they got wind of him staying with her. They had fought about it most of the time when I wasn't near, even though I still heard them arguing about it late at night when they thought I was sleeping. They had finally reached an agreement the day before I left, my mother agreeing, after much arguing, that it wasn't safe for Sirius to stay with her. She had agreed to a compromise that my father would leave when March came and the weather was warm enough for him to camp outside again, and that she would pack a large amount of food for him, and would owl a package of food every following week to wherever he was staying. At least they would be able to be together for a couple months, I knew that they needed it.

I had enjoyed having my family together again. Even though we were arguing, we were together. I knew that my parents still loved each other very much, despite having been apart for twelve years. The reunion had been bittersweet, dad having to leave soon and mum not wanting to be apart again. We all knew that it would pass soon. Sirius had a plan, one that he wouldn't share with me. But he had confided in Remus, who had been shocked to see Sirius again when he stopped by after New Years, but agreed to help him nonetheless.

So they schemed almost every day for the first week of January. I was told to keep an eye out for anything suspicious and to inform them immediately, but code my letters so that if anyone else got ahold of my letter, they would not understand it.

At this I had protested, because I had no idea what their plan was or who they were after, so I had no idea what 'suspicious' meant.

I really dreaded going to back to Hogwarts and facing Harry again. I didn't know if he still hated me about what he had heard in Hogsmeade. I had told my father this when my mum wasn't listening and similarly to Remus, he had told me to wait it out. "If Harry is anything like his father, he will get over it soon enough." He had said.

Upon seeing him at the Great hall at the return feast, his spirits seemed even lower than when I had left. Once I had asked around, I found out that Harry had received a Firebolt for Christmas, which surely was supposed to be a source of great happiness, but the broom had been confiscated the same day by McGonagall, since they were scared that it had been sent by Sirius, which I knew to be true since my father had told me so. The broom was going to be stripped down and teated for any curses and jinxes, which was why Harry was so upset and down.

I tried speaking with him in classes the following week, but he just ignored me, still upset about what we had heard in the three broomsticks and his own broomstick being confiscated. He was incredibly moody, not only towards me but Hermione too, who was the one who told McGonagall and got the broom confiscated.

This led to my friendship with Hermione improving quite a lot. She didn't dare join me and my friends at the Slytherin table, since she was muggleborn and the slytherins were known for being prejudiced, but we spent much of our time in the library, studying and helping find evidence for Buckbeak's trial. One of my best subjects turned out to be Transfiguration, which was the only subject I succeeded even Hermione. My second best was Defence Against the Dark Arts, which I enjoyed simply because my godfather taught it.