Chapter 10

'The Doppelganger'

During dinner later that evening I received a rather embarrassing letter sent to me by my mother. It wasn't the contents that were shaming so much as the way it was delivered.

Our rather dense family owl, Henry, unfortunately seemed to harbour a penchant for the theatrics.

I watched as he came swooping grandly into the Great Hall, my letter clasped securely in his beak. Henry took one look at the ready audience of dining students and his natural tendencies kicked in.

Performing an intricate gambol trick my younger brother had made the mistake of teaching him a few months ago, Henry used the momentum to flap himself into a full circle. Finally he finished with what he must've thought was a dramatic flourish by tossing my letter into the air and letting it sail down to me.

It landed right into the punch bowl in front of me, a splash of orange liquid spottling anyone lucky enough to be in the vicinity. A cheer and sarcastic applause erupted from the Slytherin table.

As soon as Henry realised his mistake he gave one apologetic hoot before disappearing quickly from the same window he came in.

"Show off bird," I muttered mutinously.

Next to me I found Sally in hysterics.

"Oh Merlin," she breathed, wiping a few stray drips of pumpkin juice from her cheek with a napkin. "Your bird is hilarious!" She cracked up into laughter again, and I gave her a dry look in reply. Even Lily had to bite back her apologetic grin.

Using my forefinger and thumb in a pincer action I carefully retrieved my letter with a grimace and flopped it onto the table at the side of my plate. It was absolutely sodden. Instead of tearing the envelope as one normally would I was forced to scoop the wet paper out of the way until the orange stained letter inside was visible.

The sight of it made Sally let out yet another short burst of a giggle, forcing her face to be serious when I shot her an unimpressed glower.

Opening the damp paper out as carefully as I could to avoid ripping it, I tried to discern the now blurred handwriting.

'Cheryl,

You've forgotten some of your school books, love. I found them half underneath your bed yesterday morning. You really should keep your room a bit tidier.

I won't be able to send them for a while yet. They're too heavy to post by owl and we're running fresh out of Floo Powder. I'm sure you can borrow what you need from the school library just for now. Hope you're having fun back at Hogwarts, it's strange not having you around!

Lots of love,

Mum'

"Great," I murmured.

"What is it?" Dorcas questioned, looking concerned.

"Nothing important," I assured. "I left some of my books behind in my rush job packing. I need to go and borrow some out for now."

Quickly shovelling in a few more spirals of my now pumpkin juice splattered pasta, I told my friends I'd meet them later and made my way begrudgingly to the library.

.o.

I was pleased to find the library exactly as I'd left it a year ago. Good old Madam Pince at her desk still glaring menancingly at potential book offenders. And by potential book offenders, I mean anyone who dared to walk into the room.

Granted, Pince had a few more bulging veins at her temples than I remembered, but I suppose that's one of the downsides to being a highly strung human hawk. Bless her.

I scanned the index on each of the shelves for the final time, searching for the last book to add to my already teetering collection:

'Animagi: The Whys and Wherefores'.

It had been on the required list for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

I soon found that I may as well have been searching for the Holy Grail. Ten minutes passed and I was starting to question its existence. Finally I spotted what appeared to be the one solitary copy on the highest shelf of the last bookcase. Just my luck. I eyed up the height difference between myself and the shelf. It had to be at least six and a half feet up.

Stretching up onto my tiptoes I sprawled my fingers skyward. I felt a strained noise escape my chest as I just about managed to touch the base of the spine. My body wobbled and I finally collapsed, red faced and probably sweating, back to my feet with still no book in my hand.

"Nightmare," I muttered, glancing around for any step ladders.

Of course there were none. Students were expected to keep their wand with them at all times. After spending a full year away from the magical world, carrying a wand around with me at all times still felt alien.

After trying one last fruitless attempt to reach up, I made a decision to take my already massive pile of books back to my Dormitory and come back later, wand in tow.

Before I could put my plan into action, a small cough behind me attracted my attention. I swivelled around, surprised, having not heard anyone approach.

The grey eyed boy looked back at me, an entertained expression dancing across his face.

"Need some help?" he asked, his amusement clearly evident in his voice.

My breath caught in my throat. It was Sirius. I became suddenly very aware of how red and flustered I probably was from exertion.

"No thank you," I replied curtly. I wasn't that desperate.

But Black just nodded to the book he had obviously had fun watching me struggle for. "That the one?"

I tried to pretend I hadn't heard him, busying myself with collecting up the many heavy tomes to take back to my bedroom. A brief image of whacking him over the head with one and making a run for it entered my mind.

"Accio Animagi book," he spoke confidently. After it shot into his hand, Black held out the book out to me and our eyes met briefly. I couldn't believe he was being this genuinely nice, there had to be some alterior motive.

I took it quickly from his grasp, not allowing him enough time to snatch it back. Without another word I made to take myself and my toppling pile of books out of there. Except he wasn't going to let me get away that easily.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'thank you'," he called after me, annoyance ladening his tone.

I looked back over my shoulder incredulously. After everything he had done to me over the years, he could fetch me a thousand books and I still would not thank Sirius Black. I had a shred of pride left.

I tossed the book he had summoned for me back onto the table next to him. It was extremely lucky we were hidden behind a bookshelf away from Madam Pince. She would have had my head for treating library property with so little care.

"Put it back if you're that bothered," I said to a very taken aback Black. "I'll fetch it myself later."

Again I tried to muster up all of my dignity and escape the musty room, but again something happened to prevent me. A loud thud hit the floor just behind me, whatever it was missing my head by a mere inch. I felt the breeze from it waft my hair.

Looking down at the cause, I saw the Animagi book now strewn haphazardly on the floor behind me. I peered back up only to find that Black had thrown it at me. I didn't even get a chance to be anywhere near angry, however, because an eardrum piercing shriek sounded around the room.

Unfortunately for him it seemed that this time Madam Pince had seen everything.

She made a direct beeline for us, the vein in her head positively bulging.

"BLACK!" she screamed, ironically loudly considering she was always telling everyone else to be quiet. "What a disgusting way to treat a book! Have you no respect for things that are older than yourself?" she demanded, her eyes popping as if on stalks.

Black looked like he was actually stopping to think about that one. It seemed to infuriate the librarian further. "Four weeks detention and ten points from Slytherin!" she exclaimed.

I furrowed my eyebrows, Sirius was in Gryffindor. Why was Pince taking points off our rival team as a punishment for him?

I studied the now scowling boy still being berated by Pince, his stance proud and his jaw jutting out stubbornly. The realisation suddenly hit me. I'd made a horrible mistake.

I looked back at Sirius's doppelganger.

The likeness was definitely uncanny, but the more I looked at him the more the slight differences were highlighted. Sirius's brother was thinner and paler for a start. He looked less like a catalogue model and more like just an average kid. His height measured up to be around the same though.

The memory of Sirius's disgust when his younger brother had been sorted into Slytherin flashed into my mind.

I had to wonder what a Slytherin was doing helping me out. It was very rare for them to offer their help to any one, let alone a Gryffindor.

But for some inescapable reason I felt a wash of guilt pass over me. Perhaps he had heard I didn't get on with his brother and recognised a kindred spirit? Or maybe there was something more to it.

Either way, frankly I felt sorry for anyone who had to put up with Sirius as a housemate.

Leaving my books to pick up later, I hurried out of the library away from the firing line and waited just outside the double doors, unsure what I would say to him, but for some reason feeling the need to explain myself.

Finally Pince's rant ended and the other Black brother emerged looking incredibly annoyed. Admittedly for good reason.

When he spotted me leaning against the wall he scowled again horribly. If looks could kill I would have been left slumped across the stone floor. Without another word he turned and started in the opposite direction muttering mutinously to himself.

I found myself hurrying to catch up with him. "You're Sirius's brother?" I asked, struggling to maintain the alarming pace of the long-legged boy.

He ignored me so I made the mistake of tapping his back with my hand, again trying to attract his attention.

He stopped suddenly, in the blink of an eye brandishing his wand. "What do you want, Gryffindor?" he demanded, his wand now pointed dangerously at my chest.

I held my hands up in surprise, "Hey, there's no need for that!" I exclaimed.

The Black brother rolled his eyes and stashed his weapon. He gave me a look that said, 'you have five seconds to say what you want to say'.

My mind went blank as to why exactly I had followed him.

"I thought you were Sirius," I finally rushed out.

He stared back at me as if I was talking gibberish.

"Back then, in the library," I tried to explain. "You look so much like your brother and, well, he and I don't get on. Well, that's an understatement to be honest, and-"

He cut off my babbling, "I already know he doesn't like you."

I was a bit put out by that. "I don't like him either," I replied a little defensively.

Black gave a snort. "If you say so."

"Is that why you helped me?" I asked, my brow furrowing in curiosity. "Because you knew I don't get along with your brother?"

He shrugged, "Something like that."

I narrowed my eyes. "Well," I said slowly, "that was all I wanted to say. That I didn't mean to get you into trouble." I shook my head, "Can't believe I'm apologising to a Slytherin," I said in an undertone.

Regulus raised his eyebrows, but the corner of his lips tugged upward ever so slightly smugly.

"You know, for a Gryffindor you're very judgmental," he commented. "Perhaps you should have been in the dreaded Slytherin after all?"

He was fully smirking now in a way that reminded me of Sirius.

"I'm happy where I am, thanks," I replied.

"If you say so," he said again. Just like Sirius, Regulus seemed to have a knack of making you feel like he knew you better than you knew yourself, and what he did know he found incredibly amusing.

With that, he was gone, leaving me to stand there looking after him wondering what exactly had just happened.

I went to walk away myself before remembering why I had come to the library in the first place.

When I went back in, Pince was still fuming near the entrance. She had just picked up the book that Regulus had thrown at me, placing it on a table while she turned around to tell a group of other students who still laughing about the scene to shush.

While her back was turned I snatched the book up and hurried to gather the rest, leaving the library as fast as my legs would carry me.