"Stupefy!" two boys said at the same time, both getting hit right in the chest. One fell back against the ground and the other straight against his classmate.
"Seriously? It's the third time in one hour!" whined the red head, helping her partner up while giving Potter a nasty glare. "Are you alright Remus?"
Remus groaned as Sirius helped his friend up with a frown of his own. Three hits in the same place and it was probably going to bruise.
"I'm fine! It's not like it hasn't happened before," mumbled the boy, feeling the pain much worse since his body was already covered in bruises and scratches. Besides, a full moon was approaching in March which was making it hard to keep calm and avoid conflict.
"Why don't you try for once to be sympathetic with the people surrounding you? We have our own duels, in case you have forgotten. We're here too." Lily continued, feeling very frustrated because she knew the boys were hearing her but not listening.
Da Fu seemed worried by the commotion at the Gryffindor corner but he couldn't stop when they only had 30 minutes left and had to empty the classroom. Not many club members seemed to mind though, because it was the third time in a day and probably the tenth time in one month.
"Ever since the lovers paired up, it's been catastrophic. Why can't they tear them apart already?" asked a Hufflepuff girl named Roxanne.
"Maybe you should have paired up with Sirius," Frank told Ophelia, letting his guard down.
"No. That would have been too annoying," she mumbled before she whispered, "Expelliarmus," however, she didn't use it on her partner. Just as fast she mumbled, "Ducklifors," and the dark haired Black became a dark haired duck.
Potter's eyes widened before he started to laugh so loudly that it drew everyone's attention. Ophelia rolled her eyes and with a subtle twitch of her hand -just like Mr. Potter taught her- she silenced the loud mouth. His eyes widened even more as he started to freak out, suspicious who could have done it.
"So, Remus, how did you like your first month of dueling? You came a bit late in the year but Lily can teach you everything you missed."
"Don't listen to Alice. You didn't miss anything. Spinnard's detention was far worse." Potter retorted, finally able to speak after an hour of silence. On the other hand, Sirius was still a duck which freaked Da Fu out which as a result called for a professor. "I'm really curious who was the one who used a transfiguration spell on Sirius and muted me!"
It was hard because the Slytherin option was out. Was it a Hufflepuff or a Ravenclaw? Maybe a Gryffindor? But that meant it was one of his own mates. Potter's eyes traveled on every figure at the table and for a moment his eyes laid on Ophelia. She wouldn't, would she? But maybe it was Remus himself or even Lily...
"Everything is allowed in love and war, James. You were distracting the whole classroom." Ophelia started, sensing his suspicious gaze on her.
"Was it you, badge? Did you betray me so?" he asked with a posh accent, "I thought we reached a point of loyalty and respect in our friendship." he continued, making everyone roll their eyes.
"That's what you get when you change partners," she said, admitting it was her. Potter gasped dramatically before he pointed his fork at her.
"I challenge you to a duel!" he said, or more like impersonated a knight ghost. "What do you say, witch?"
Ophelia watched him ramble on about loyalty but really, he was talking gibberish. Her eyes fell over Remus, who seemed a bit anxious before she turned to Lily and Alice who started to talk about something else and eventually on Frank, who was eating next to Pettigrew. He became quiet only when the doors opened and his best friend ran in.
"Mate! You're fine!" Potter exclaimed, pushing Frank a bit so Sirius could stay next to him. "You won't believe who betrayed us and transfigurated you into a duck! It was badge!" the glasses boy added.
Sirius turned immediately at Ophelia, who luckily was on the other side of the table. She didn't look up at the boy but munched calmly on her food. Even after dinner, she could feel Black's heavy gaze on her back. She hoped nothing will happen but then someone grabbed her hand and pulled her aside and she knew what was coming.
"What are you doing?" Sirius asked, confused why she suddenly froze and closed her eyes.
"You're going to pay me back for changing you into a duck, aren't you?" she asked, opening one eye.
"No. Yes, but not by transfigurating you into something. I need your help with some minor detail."
Ophelia raised an eyebrow, suspicious what he meant...until they ended up hiding in the kitchen corridor. Her back hurt because she was crouching against the wall while Sirius was next to her, but taking peeks around the corner, his eyes set on the stairs towards the dungeon.
"Who are we spying on?" she asked, playing with her fingers since nothing was happening.
"My brother. Gryffindors are bulling him for some reason."
"Maybe because he's a Slytherin and the hate is common." she mumbled, making him turn towards her with a glare.
"It's not that. I know Regulus and he's not the best at defending himself."
"How do you know that? Maybe you should let him live his own adventures and misfortunes. He doesn't seem to want your help if you're spying on him." the brunette said in a tone that pissed Sirius off.
"You don't know him. You don't know how we were raised and what our lives are like."
"No. But I know that always going to your brother will only create more reasons for him to get bullied by both Gryffindors and Slytherins. You should just let him be."
It looked like Sirius acknowledged her advice, and even considered it to be right, but Regulus walked up the stairs and a group of Slytherins followed, teasing him about the same thing Ophelia mentioned.
"What will you do if we don't leave you alone, huh? Will you go cry to mommy Black? or even go to your filthy brother? I'm sure he'll do anything for his wittle bwother Regulus," a boy the same year as Regulus taunted his victim. The others joined in but none physically hurt him, only words. But that seemed to cause more pain than a punch or a jinx.
Sirius watched with his heart clenched and sighed, falling back into his hiding spot. The taunting wasn't loud enough for the whole castle to hear but it particularly loud into his ears. Seeing how affected he was, Ophelia leaned her head back and closed her eyes, getting comfortable. It was better for Sirius to hear and see everything himself mostly because he was the reason behind Regulus' suffer.
Having her eyes closed, with nothing to think about at the moment, Ophelia fell asleep.
This time, she found herself in a house. It wasn't hers and it wasn't Lillian's but it still felt like she has been there before. The furniture was old and overused in the corridor she was in. The walls were full of pictures rather than paintings and a lot of them were with people she had met. She walked closer to those she recognized and tilted her head aside in confusion. Peverell was in every picture except one: Lillian and her daughter. But looking at the bigger picture, literally, she could see a young student in Hogwarts growing into the man that Lillian relied on. She saw the Peverell from the pictures, from Spinnard's memories, from Cerberus' memories and the Peverell she could faintly remember by herself. A man with bright red curly hair, with green eyes and a wide dimpled smile that would make one feel safe.
Sudden noises grabbed her attention and she walked towards the stairs. A door opened and closed quickly and then she heard the voices.
"What an unexpected visit. I never knew we were so close as to know where each other lives, Tom."
“A wizard like yourself, living among muggles; you ended up being a disappointment to pure bloods.” Tom answered in the same cold voice Ophelia knew so well.
“We can’t all be perfect, can we?” Vernon's voice did not tremble at all. It was as if the man wasn't scared what could happen.
Sounds of steps and shuffling gave Ophelia an idea of what was going on at the moment. She took a few steps down the stairs in order to hear more.
“You know very well why I am here. She’s been gone for 7 years already and I wouldn’t mind it so much if it was just about her.” Tom continued, sounding very relaxed as if he was speaking to a friend.
"Of course, Lillian is nothing but an accessory you can easily get rid of. You’ve always done it with people: use them and dispose of them afterwards. I’m surprised you still have a few followers from school.”
Ophelia looked down at her ring with a knot in her belly. That might as well be true.
“There will be more when I will make myself understood. We have to stick together, you and I. We’re heirs of strong pure blooded families.” Tom spoke, proud of his heritage.
“You’re going to drown in your ego one day. You’ll definitely meet your match and he’ll hurt you where it hurts the most.”
“Enough with this charade!” Tom yelled, “Tell me where Lillian is and you can return to your generic life.”
After a few second of silence, Ophelia heard the answer.
“No.”
There was a pause in which Ophelia could feel the tension between the two men. She took a few more steps down and hid behind the door towards the room they were in. She could finally see bit through the gap between the door and the wall.
"Where is Lillian?" Tom asked once more, taking a step towards Vernon. "Do you believe that I don't know why you're protecting her, Vernon? You are so obvious and pitiful. You expect she will fall in love with you. Those are just lies. I know her Vernon. She is part of my blood." He hissed, his voice fluctuating with the information he was throwing at Peverell.
Vernon sighed and looked down at his feet.
"It's not about Lillian anymore." Vernon muttered.
Tom raised an eyebrow, his eyes set on the pitiful wizard in front of him.
"Love is not for wizards like us, Vernon. Love makes you weak." The dark wizard hissed.
"That child-" Vernon started, "-that child is your daughter. If you kill the mother you will curse her entire life."
Tom watched Vernon for a few minutes before he started to laugh loudly. Ophelia felt her legs give in at the evil sound.
"Very well then."
With one elegant sway of his wand, Tom had Vernon pushed up into the air by an invisible force. The dark wizard walked towards him calmly and forced the redhead to drink some liquid. Vernon spat it over Tom's cloak but with another sway of wand, Vernon was immobilized. Tom forced some liquid down his throat and waited patiently.
"Now, where is she? Where is Lillian?" Tom asked, visibly calmer than before.
Vernon tried his best to keep his mouth shut but his mind had the answer. Tom stared at him for a while, looking at him as if he was searching deep into his soul. When he got the answer he wanted, Tom's eyes darkened before he pointed the tip of his wand at Vernon. Those green eyes turned towards Ophelia, as if he knew she's been there the whole time and he whispered Expecto Patronum but nothing happened. He was telling her that for some reason.
Ophelia woke up in the Common Room, on a few cushions put together in the far corner, away from the window. She rubbed her eyes and took a look around, curious if Sirius carried her or something happened again. Light snoring made her tip toe to the couch in front of the fireplace and she saw Black sleeping there in an uncomfortable position. Feeling a bit of remorse, she used the levitating spell in order to get him in his bed -which was far easier than she imagined- and then she went in her room.
"Expecto Patronum," she mumbled, still intrigued why he told her that instead of using it for himself. Besides, what was with that dream? She was sure it wasn't from her father so then, who entered her mind so easily?
February passed fast and March came around. It was mid-month and Cerberus was still talking about werewolves. On the other hand, during Astronomy, their professor wanted them to further investigate the significance and aftermath of a full moon. If Remus didn't know better, he'd have believed his professors were hinting at his condition. There was nothing to be done anyway, he had to go hide in the Shack once again and induce self harm in order to keep the others safe.
Which brings the view over a very personal discussion in the garden, before Care of Magical Creatures.
"So, I was thinking maybe we should try it tonight." said Potter, looking at his three friends warily.
"Are you sure? What are we supposed to find anyway?" asked Peter, fidgeting nervously at their plan.
"Look, we all have noticed Remus has been disappearing at certain moments during the month. The full moons. Don't you think it's suspicious?" Sirius asked, moving into a more comfortable position against the tree. Peter was on his feet and Potter was leaning upside down on a branch. His face was red but he seemed alright.
"It's impossible for him to go on secret dates every full moon. If that would be true, then he's a real romantic. But we all know that's not the correct answer. Every time he comes back the next day, he's hurt. He spends a lot of time recuperating yet his body's still full of bruises. So we, as incredible friends, will see it through."
"What exactly will we see?" asked Peter, his voice cracking.
"A werewolf," Sirius said enthusiastically, scaring the chubby boy even more.
"What if he'll eat us? Or worse, kill us? Or worse, bite us?" In Peter's view, it was bad enough to have a werewolf friend but spend time with him- that was another level.
"He won't. He's our friend." Potter said before he jumped down. "And we are his friends and we won't let him hurt himself anymore."
Those were big words for a 14 years old wizard but Potter was a stubborn and confident boy. Therefore, around midnight when they heard shuffling and steps down the stairs, they put their plan into action. Firstly, they were going to follow Remus to his hiding spot and then- well, they'll see when they'll face the werewolf.
They were careful enough so they wouldn't get any disruptions in Remus' routine but they still kept close to the boy. They followed out the castle and towards the forest before they stopped near the willow.
"He's going to get blown way by a branch," Peter mumbled, not ready to watch that happen.
"I doubt that. Look who's down there too."
Sirius was right. Madame Pomfrey helped Remus get into what looked to be a hollow at the base of the willow. Once the nurse left, they hurried down the same way. Peter was slower and less excited so he did get hit by one of the branches, hitting him against his bottom and pushing him harshly down the stairs.
"Don't make any noise," Potter scolded the chubby boy while helping him up.
The transformation must have started while they were in the passageway because they heard a loud scream that made all of them stop for a moment.
"We should return to the castle and-" another scream followed by a growl made Peter swallow in fear before continuing, "We should talk to him when he's human."
"No. Let's go," Potter was adamant on helping his friend and gain his absolute trust.
As they got closer to him, the growls and howls became louder and painful. The boys frowned and walked faster, almost running. They walked up some stairs and reached a door. Sirius was ready to open it when Peter stopped him.
"What if he kills us?"
"Nobody forced you to come along, Peter. You can go back but James and I will be there for Remus, no matter what form he has."
Sirius sighed and pushed him back. He opened the door and entered first, followed closely by James. Peter sighed but didn't move from his spot.
As they got further into the house, Sirius looked out the window and noticed how familiar everything looked. And then, he realized exactly where they were.
"James, mate this is the Shrieking Shack. The passage connects it to Hogwarts. That's brilliant." He whispered, his eyes gleaming, "I can't believe we never thought about it. Haunted building, yeah right. He added yet no reply, "Blimey, James, why are you so silent when-oh,"
When Sirius turned around, he realized James wasn't there. The dark haired wizard walked towards the stairs when he heard a very loud and angry howl. Next thing, James is running down the stairs, grabbing Sirius on the way.
Something big and hairy stumbled down after them. Sirius couldn't believe what he was seeing while also being dragged back into the passageway by his best mate. Peter was still at the door when he caught sight of the two boys and most importantly, the werewolf running after them. The chubby boy screamed and closed the door after his friends before running to the willow. They made it in time but still it gave them quite the scare.
"What now?" Sirius asked, leaning on his knees in order to regain his breathe.
James looked at the willow thoughtfully. Maybe he should do his homework with attention this time, both in DADA and Astronomy.
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