I lounged in the Slytherin common room, my ankles crossed as I led on the sofa. The ornate silver wall clock tolled six in the evening and the flames in the fireplace hissed before turning green and roaring beneath the mantle. I swung my legs to the side, setting my feet down on the carpet and pulling on the black pumps I'd taken off earlier. I stood, walking quickly to the small door classed to me and looking back at the room.
It was beautiful. The stone walls were worn with laughter and the Black Lake's reflection danced across the ceiling. The fireplace was surrounded by couches of quilted black leather, a glass table in the middle of them. Around the room there were green, silver and black furnishings, the dark wooden doors to the dormitories on opposite sides of the room. I pushed open the door to the girl's dorms and climbed the straight staircase, passing the Prefects dormitory, then the first, second, third, fourth and fifth years before getting to my room.
There were eight four poster beds in the rectangular Sixth Year dormitory, four on each side with a heater in the middle. My bed was the farthest from the door with a brass plaque on it saying my name.
Ravenna Vasilisa Merope Rookwood-Delacour-Riddle. Mouthful or what? I crouched down by my trunk, pulling out my black riding cloak and putting it on over my floor length velveteen gown that I was wearing. I rummaged in the corner for a small plastic bag and found it, grabbing it and throwing a few treats to my three cats sat on my pillows. They were patchy in colour, a tabby-like pattern of grey, white and black across their bodies. Harlequin, Maleficent and Tybalt stared at me happily with their golden eyes, eating the small fish-shaped biscuits before settling back down to sleep.
I closed my trunk and tapped my wand on the plaque at the end of my bed. The last two surnames disappeared leaving me as Ravenna Vasilisa Merope Rookwood. Nobody knew about my parentage apart from myself and my true mother and father.
As I made my way to Great Hall I thought about it. My mother and father, Tom Riddle and Lucia Rookwood n e Delacour were never meant to have slept together, but I supposed he was the Dark Lord and could do anything he wanted without fear of repercussions. I fingered the locket that hung around my neck. It was heavy, the delicate golden chain straining under the weight of the burden that was a fragment of my father's soul. When he'd made his first Horcrux, the one suspended between my collar bones, I'd been seven years old and my eyes had turned deep red. Initially they'd been blue, like my mother's, but the moment that he killed his father and grandparents they'd changed to crimson, a dark and smooth colour reminiscent of blood in the way it caught the light. I tucked a strand of my black hair behind my ear, the charmed ringlets falling perfectly over the hood of my cloak.
I moved towards the crowd of First Years waiting eagerly by the door to the Great Hall. As I stepped between them gracefully one of them tapped my shoulder and I turned to her, smiling at the small pink-haired girl.
"Miss, what house are you in? Which ones the best? What year are you?" she questioned nervously before blushing, "Sorry, my Nymphadora Tonks but I want people to just call me Tonks. My name's ridiculously long." Nymphadora held her hand out to me and I shook it kindly.
"Trust me, I know," I laughed, "My name's Ravenna Vasilisa Merope Rookwood. It's a nightmare. I'm a Sixth Year Slytherin but it's the worst house. It's dangerous and full of horrible and rude people. I would have to say Gryffindor is the best but Hufflepuff is definitely the safest." Tonks frowned, her hair turning a dark shade of purple.
"I hope you don't get hurt," she pouted in concern.
"I won't, I promise," I smiled, placing my hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "I really must go and take my seat though Tonks. I'm sure I'll run into you soon enough." She nodded and I left, curtsying politely to Professor McGonagoll and receiving a nod and smile in return before walking through the huge doors.
People stared. They always did. I was a quarter Veela and a quarter Kelpie with black hair and alabaster skin, of course they stared. I strode to the Slytherin table, smiling at the Ravenclaws and taking my seat next to my friend Narcissa Black.
"Ava! I missed you so much over summer and it was so busy. Lucius proposed to me and Regulus joined up, which is dreadful by the way, he's so young, but yeah, Bella got married and Sirius ran away so Auntie Walburga's going crazy and I-"
"Sirius left? Is he alright?" I interrupted her. She crossed her arms and frowned, her icy blue eyes glaring at me from beneath her black and blonde fringe. "Cissa come on, you know he's my friend. Him, Reg, Gus and I were thick as thieves when we were children." I pleaded with her and she softened, uncrossing her arms. I smiled.
"He's okay I guess. He's staying with Potter I think, that one with the messy hair that has a thing for the mudblood-"
"Muggle-born," I corrected but she ignored me.
"But he got blasted of the tapestry in the drawing room. Oh, my oldest sister, Andromeda, remember her? She was disowned as well for marrying filth. Well, her half-breed daughter is starting this year. Theadora or something like that." Narcissa told me in a hushed voice, glancing around. "I want to meet her. I'm not meant to but she's my niece you know? I'm excited and I can dress her up and stuff but Bella and Lucius would kill me if they found out." I hugged her gently.
"Nymphadora," I whispered in her ear, "I met her just outside and told her to steer clear of Slytherin, to try for Hufflepuff instead, so that she'd be safe." Cissa's arms tightened around me gratefully.
"Thank you," she said tearfully before pulling away as Dumbledore called us to silence. During his speech I looked along our table, spotting my older brother Augustus sitting with Evan Rosier and Narcissa's fianc Lucius Malfoy. He nodded his head and I smiled, inclining my own in response. I moved on looking for one of my old friends Regulus Black, seeing him sat with Yaxley and Nott. I frowned. They were idiots.
When the Sorting started I zoned out until Professor McGonagoll came to the R's.
"Ripley, Rhiannon."
"Gryffindor!"
"Rookwood, Hector." My breath caught in my throat. Please, no, anything but-
"Slytherin!" I paled, the blood leaving my cheeks as my little brother hopped down from the stool and walked towards me. I stood from the bench and embraced him tightly, his blonde hair bright against my dark cloak.
"Hec, you've got to stay away from Reg and Gus' friends okay? They're dangerous," I begged and he nodded, squeezing me one last time before running to sit with the other First Years. I sat down wearily, not even bothering to turn around, leaving my back to the others. I rested my head on Narcissa's shoulder and looked out across the Great Hall as more students were sorted.
Between the heads of the Ravenclaws I caught the eye of Sirius Black, his pale grey stare heavy with sadness and worry. He understood. I smiled weakly, my eyes watering a little. I saw him move his arm and felt something appear in my hand. I raised an eyebrow questioningly before opening up the little bit of paper in my palm. 'I'm sorry.'
I looked to him, sending the piece of paper back and watching his face crumple as he read my words. 'Me too.'
"Tonks, Nymphadora." I quickly turned to Narcissa, pointing at Tonks meaningfully.
"Hufflepuff!" I clapped loudly, grinning when the young Metamorphmagus waved at me happily.
"Rookwood, stop," Mulciber snapped at me harshly. I glared.
"As much as you'd like to, you don't own me," I replied defiantly. As everyone started piling food onto their plates I realised that the Sorting had ended. I filled my goblet with water, casting a non-verbal and wandless charm to turn it into red wine. I sipped it quietly while everyone ate, my appetite having vanished completely.
"Ava," I heard from behind me and turned to see Reg standing there. I frowned. "I need to talk to you about something."
"No." I replied, taking another sip of my wine.
"What?"
"I said no Black, I'm not talking to you." He growled deep in his throat, his eyes wounded and angry. "Go away, we're done here." I drained what remained of my wine and stood, leaving the Great Hall with my cloak dragging across the stone floor behind me.
Once in the corridor I lift up the front of my skirts, running up the Grand Staircase and to an oil painting on the fourth floor of a girl dancing beneath a cherry tree at night. I shakily sang a few lines of Claire De Lune to it before it swung open, revealing a doorway. I stepped through the portrait hole and let it close behind me.
I just stood there, staring at the room. The old brown leather armchairs looked so welcoming by the fire, the stack of worn books on the small side table so familiar to me. This was my refuge but I couldn't bring myself to fully enter it. I waited for something to happen, anything.
The portrait hole opened behind me and I turned, my body relaxing when I saw who it was. Sirius.
He rushed forward and took me in his arms. I collapsed into him and he lowered us to the ground, our bodies intertwined as he leaned against the wall and I sobbed into his chest.
"He's going to die Sirius, both of them, and Mother's telling Mr Rookwood he isn't my real father so I'm not going to have anywhere to go and I'm so scared," I wept. He kissed my hair and rocked me gently.
"Hector and Reg will be okay Lissa, I promise," he comforted me, stroking my back in circles. Of course he'd know who I was talking to, we'd spent our childhoods together. Reg, Gus and Sirius were fiercely protective of Hector and I growing up, fighting off other children to keep us to themselves. "I'll make sure of it."
"Thank you," I whispered against his neck, the touch of my lips and breath chasing the flush of his throat. He stroked my hair, kissing my head as I cried myself to sleep.