The next day came very slowly for two out of three teenagers. Ophelia couldn't sleep afraid that Severus passed his Death Eater test now that she wasn't there. She wanted to use legilimency on her friend but she suddenly got this dreadful idea that it would lead Tom to her. Snape's occlumency skills were still not strong enough. On the other hand, Sirius was pacing in the living room with a lot of scenarios in his head about how his younger brother signed up for a deadly mission. Regulus adored Voldemort and not because their family brainwashed him into it but because he found the Dark Lord's ideals to be very logical. If only Regulus could see Ophelia and how lonely she was, he'd know exactly what type of life Voldemort creates.
It was no surprise that next morning only James woke up for breakfast. His father was already out and his mother was probably cooking pancakes.
"Morning, mum." He said as he walked in and sat at the table. He was only half awake and realised quite late that his mother was not there. "What the-"
The creature that was cooking for him was the same one that brought Ophelia to his house. The house elf looked healthy and fine, he wasn't exactly hurt in any way. But something about him seemed very sad.
"Excuse me, um...what's your name again?"
"Dylis, sir." The house elf spoke. "You are James Potter, sir. It is an honor for Dylis to be cooking for miss Ophelia's friend."
"Where's my mum?" James just let the questions come.
"In the garden, sir. Dylis assured her that I could do it but she insisted on Dylis staying inside." He answered as he put a few fluffy pancakes in front of James.
"Well, there are muggles around so..." James added, "So what brings you here Dylis?" He asked before stuffing his face.
"Lucius Malfoy has taken over Spinnard's Cottage, sir. Mr. Knowingall had to leave so Dylis did too."
"You here to check on Ophelia?" James asked pouring himself a glass of milk.
Dylis tensed before he threw a meek glance at James.
"Dylis has very bad news for Misses. Severus Snape became a Death Eater."
Ophelia entered right when Dylis gave this information. Her eyes widened and she looked like she was about to cry. Dylis sighed and looked down at his feet.
"Dylis tried to convince Mr. Severus not to do it but it didn't work. Here," Dylis walked to Ophelia and handed her a letter that he had hidden in his front pocket.
When Sirius came down the stairs, Ophelia was ascending them to go and read the letter in the bathroom. He too was surprised when he saw the house elf cleaning the dishes.
"Have we...got a house elf now? He definitely seems nicer than Kreacher."
At the mention of the Black's house elf, Dylis made a sound like a scoff. Sirius chuckled and winked at Dylis.
"I like you a lot more."
367Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRi48swbT2Q
Ophelia's hands were shaking as she unfolded the letter. It was written by Severus in a haste from how messy it looked.
Dear Ophelia,
You should be careful. The news of your disappearance have spread incredibly fast among the Slytherins and unfortunately some other houses. When we will return to school, it will probably be different. Your father has ordered all his followers to give you a lesson for running away and Bellatrix Lestrange is keen on doing that. Malfoy volunteered to handle your house in order to keep it safe so do not worry about it. Your house elf has also been taken care of by Rabastan Lestrange. If you are curious, Rabastan has decided to refuse the marriage with Katie Rosier which got both families very mad. You'd be surprised to see how happy Nott was, he has still not given up on his foolish crush yet. I am alright and I doubt you are in any danger. I am writing this lenghty letter because we will not be able to speak at school anymore.
"Yeah right. Like that ever worked before," she muttered feeling offended. But she was worried. Tom ordered Slytherins to punish her and more people have found out about her parents.
When she got downstairs she was surprised to see James having a very serious discussion with Dylis. Sirius was standing aside thinking deeply about his family situation.
"So, you're saying that a house elf can use magic outside and can apparate wherever he wants and can do whatever he wants?"
"Only if he is lucky to be free, sir. House elves rarely get that chance." Dylis answered, looking like he enjoyed James' interest.
"So then how did you become free?" James asked out of nowhere, crossing one leg over the other.
"Dylis was in a very bad shape, indeed very bad, sir. Death was the only option left until I was freed. Misses did it. Misses freed Dylis and gave me a home." The house elf said looking at Ophelia with adoring eyes.
"Who was the family that tortured you?"
"The Lestrange, sir. Especially Rodolphus Lestrange, an evil man inside and out. Dylis used to sleep in the cupboards or in the cell. But then Misses Ophelia and young master Malfoy set Dylis free from that torture."
"Young master Malfoy? You don't mean Lucius, do you?" Sirius asked finally gaining some interest. But Dylis nodded.
"Whatever you say, I will always believe that Lucius is my ally. I trust him with my life." Ophelia added seeing the odd glances from the boys. "He helped me several times before."
"Because your father is the freaking dark lord." Sirius stated much like Cerberus and Spinnard did before. "Remember that you were even closer to Rabastan and we both know which side he chose."
Sensing that the atmosphere was too tense, James cut in with more positive events.
"Let's concentrate on the party tonight. We need to be careful with all these new death eaters."
"Come on, badge! We're not going on a date, it's just a party!" James shouted upstairs as he waited in the living room for her with Sirius. "Is she always like that?" He asked the house elf, who was peacefully helping his mother knit. It was a very odd view.
"Misses is always late." Dylis admitted looking up at the boys. "But she is always on time when it matters."
"Does that mean our party doesn't matter?" He muttered to his best friend, offended by that theory. "Ah, finally!" He exclaimed when he saw her come down.
"The party starts in a freaking hour, James. One long hour. There isn't a rule that says we have to be there at 10 sharp."
"There isn't a rule that doesn't say so either. Besides, I'm driving."
"Uh, no, you're not. Come on, Prongs, we've talked about this!" Sirius interfered immediately with wide eyes. "I will drive. Ophelia will be behind me and you will be my co-pilot."
"Prongs?" She asked seeing how the boys were focusing on each other now.
"But I fly every day at school. I am the best seeker Gryffindor had seen in ages! I can fly the motorbike."
"That's not your choice to make. It's mine." Sirius replied already putting his jacket on.
James scoffed and was ready to comment further when Ophelia covered his mouth.
"Suck it up for now and let's go. I prefer to be drunk when you two become like a married couple."
"No drinking!" Was Mrs. Potter's order from her seat.
"Mooom," came James' immediate moan before he ushered his friends out the door.
To somebody's dismay, Sirius did win the fight (and they did push each other for a few minutes in order to get on the bike) but because Ophelia was so done with them, she took the co-pilot seat and left James to cling onto Sirius' back.
By the time they arrived at Bolg's Head/Grim's Hollow, they were late, of course. Since they couldn't risk being seen by muggles, Sirius had to land a few kilometers before entering the city and then drive according to normal street rules. That took more than he expected and with Potter standing so close to him, commenting how he could have done it better right in Sirius' ear, it felt more like torture. That's why when they arrived, Sirius parked his bike a few blocks down and ran to the pub.
"You're evil." Ophelia said with a bemused smile. James didn't seem regretful.
"Shall we?" He asked, his eyes gleaming in the light coming from the street lamp. Ophelia chuckled and grabbed his offered arm, both walking very slowly and leisurely to the party.
Bolg's Head/Grim's Hollow was loud, the music was covering the voices of students and other noises made by them. However, as soon as they entered, both Gryffindors noticed one important detail.
"There are a lot less students than last year." James mumbles in Ophelia's ear.
"And they are all in the Order." Added Ophelia in disappointment.
There were approximately 40 kids and not all of them were sixth years. Most of them were muggle born and halfbloods which made sense with how horrible purebloods were acting lately. But on the bright side, all the people inside the pub were having a fun time.
"Oh, Ophelia! I'm glad you came!" Alice said grabbing her and leading her to her table. Frank and Lily were there too, talking about something serious from the looks of it. They stopped and smiled at her before continuing their subject.
"I saw Death Eaters fly above my neighbourhood just yesterday. The police has been on alert from the beginning of summer and they are ready to impose a curfew so that nobody suddenly drops dead of a "heart failure"." Lily said recalling how scared her neighbours were.
"Father has been incredibly paranoid too. Almost every important worker at the ministry has decided to take Voldemort's side."
"Your father was approached too?" Ophelia asked leaning in.
"Yes but he refused right away. He decided to move me and mom with my grandma for the time being. But of course from September we'll be at Hogwarts."
"Hogwarts is the safest place to be. I mean, Dumbledore is there." Alice added, entrusting her life in the hands of their headmaster.
Ophelia frowned. If he asked her to form an army then the castle was not as safe as they believed.
Conversations such as that continued to pop up, and not only between Gryffindors. Wherever she was, at the bar drinking firewhisky, on the dance floor trying to loosen up or at the table with Goldstein (who apparently still fancied her for some reason) the discussion seemed to always return to Dumbledore and Voldemort. Seeing how she couldn't escape, she went and sat with Remus and James. Peter was dancing with a girl from Hufflepuff and he seemed to have lost some weight during summer. Remus looked tired.
"Are you alright?" She asked the brown haired boy. He was drinking but not as much as, let's sat James. He was gulping down pint after pint of alcohol.
"It was a full moon two nights ago. With all the fuss made by Death Eaters, I had to be extra careful where to hide." He said grabbing a hand through his hair. "What about you? How was summer for you?"
"Bad. Very bad." She replied and gulped down one of Potter's pints. Remus shook his head and sighed. "What's wrong with you, Prongs?" She asked James underlining his nickname.
"Very well, thank you." He said sounding more sober than expected. "Now excuse me, I have to do something."
He got up and tried to get in the mood of flirting (at least that's what he wanted) and then he strutted to Lily, whispered something in her ear and to Ophelia's surprise, the redhead did get up and started to dance with him.
"What an achievement." Remus joked trying to brighten the atmosphere.
"It deserves applause." Ophelia joined in since James couldn't hear them.
It was around midnight when Ophelia was laughing with Alice, watching Frank and a fifth year Ravenclaw named Barnaby have some type of dancing contest that she felt Goldstein grab her aside for a moment.
"Um- so, I was wondering if by any chance-well-"
"Spit it out, Anthony." She said her eyes still set on her classmate.
"Are you and Black a thing now?" He asked in the end. Ophelia focused on his blue eyes and laughed.
"No. Why would you think that?"
"Ever since the Halloween party, it feels like there is this little secret between you two. Like you got together but are hiding it from the rest of us. He's kept an eye on you the whole night too."
Goldstein was a perceptive guy even if he didn't seem so. He was very smart, a Ravenclaw to the bones, and Ophelia could see that now. But the secret he was referring to was going to come into the light soon and she was afraid that he will be one of the firsts to leave the Order because of it.
She was about to answer when none other than Sirius himself came and grabbed her hand, action that immediately caught Goldstein's attention.
"They're coming. Slytherins are coming. You need to get out of here." He whispered in her ear.
Ophelia's eyes widened and she froze for a moment. She could feel them approaching, she was scared that Rosier will burst in and announce everyone that she was Voldemort's daughter. That theory alone was worse than punishment with Bellatrix.
Luckily, Sirius grasped her hand and led her away.
"Where are we going?" She asked still a bit out of it.
"The back door. We can't have them take you away." Sirius said and opened a door that Ophelia had never noticed before. It was right next to the stairs towards what she believed was Mr. Grim's lodging.
They were barely out when the front door barged open and the music was interrupted. Four of the most disturbed people entered, all looking at the Hogwarts students with malice.
Sirius and Ophelia stopped for a second to listen to them. There was a window to their right so they took a peek at who has arrived.
"Hell of a party, hm? But what's this? Aren't you going to offer us a drink?" Rosier's loud voice made everyone stand up. Potter drew his wand out and kept a protective hand over Lily who stood the closest to him. "Well? Or should I grab one myself?"
"Such a lack of manners." Said his sister, who for some reason decided to tag along.
"Anyway, we're not here for any of you." Rosier added as he started to walk through the pub.
Sirius and Ophelia watched him carefully and he seemed to notice that some people were missing.
"I see a Potter and yet I don't see a Black. How interesting." Rosier added going straight to James. "Where is Sirius Black?"
"Didn't know you're his fan, Evan." James replied, his eyes full of fighting vigour.
Then Rosier turned straight to the window where Sirius and Ophelia were. They ducked quickly and hoped he didn't see them. Luckily, somebody moved right in between and drew his attention to something else.
"We have to go right now." Sirius whispered. "We can make it to the bike and drive for a bit. Come on." He added still having a tight grip on her hand.
They moved quietly and yet Ophelia felt like someone was watching. She only glanced at the window and could swear the person that was blocking it from the Slytherins was Rabastan. But she wasn't sure and to be honest, it didn't even matter anymore.
Sirius drove his motorbike for an hour or two until he stopped in a field and they took a break. Sitting on grass and looking at the stars almost made the rest of the night feel like it was a bad dream.
"What are we doing, Sirius?" She asked and sighed heavily.
"We're hiding." His reply made her roll her eyes. "This isn't how I was imagining tonight."
"They came after me. They were probably informed that I will come to the party, or maybe they expected me to surface from whatever hole I dug myself into. And now I got you in trouble too."
"I've been in trouble from the moment I was sorted into Gryffindor. Don't take the credit, please." Sirius said chuckling to himself. "We cannot change our families, Ophelia. That's who they are."
"Then what are we? Dumbledore sees us as his own little army of students. But he forgets that we are still so young and inexperienced. We are just kids."
"It's better to start now, when his power is not yet at its peak. Your father will hunt us down, one by one. But if me dying means that it will destroy at least a bit of his strength, then that's fine with me."
Sirius' answer was genuine, she could see that in his eyes. He was so certain of his role in the world and his desire to be good, to be different from the rest of his family was eating him up.
"Sacrificing for the greater good doesn't make you a good person. It got Spinnard dead." Ophrlia muttered pulling her knees to her chest.
"I do wonder what professor will come this year. We're going through them really quickly, ever since Spinnard left. Maybe he did curse the DADA teaching spot." Sirius said trying to laugh their trouble off.
"...it was not Spinnard that made the curse. I met father around that time in the library. It was probably his fault. Everything is, after all." She said looking down at her ring. She suddenly jumped on her feet and took it out. Her intention was to throw it away but she couldn't. "I'm so weak." She muttered.
"You're not weak. It's just a ring. Wear it or not, it doesn't change anything. Besides, as weird as it is, he is your father. Admitting that you do care what he says and respect him, no matter how wicked that is, will actually play in your favour in the long run. Knowing who you are and what your goal is will only help you break this spell that he has on you." Sirius explained using his own experience with his mother as example. "You're not weak, Ophelia. You are a harsh dueller and one of the most gifted legiliements in Britain. We're not fighting for Dumbledore, we are fighting to keep on living in peace."
"What if this war never ends? What if we'll have to hide for our whole life?" She suddenly asked looking at him as if she was imagining it.
"You worry too much." He said wrapping an arm around her in a friendly comforting way.
"Well, you don't worry enough." She said with a pout but couldn't help lean on him. It was nice, having someone to rely on without the fear that he will abandon her when he finds out the truth. Then an idea suddenly struck her. "What if Rosier announced the whole pub that Voldemort is my father?"
Sirius sighed and pulled her even closer. The chances for that to have happened were very high.
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