Distractions
I woke up to my father slamming open the door. "Get up we have to go to the great hall." He said urgently.
"Why?" I asked yawning getting out of bed.
"Black got into the tower." He said. "Now get a move on." He snapped.
Aria and I exchanged a look and headed after him. When we arrived in the great hall it was filled with chattering students. Several were glaring at Aria like it was her fault. I glared back at them. How stupid could people be? How would she help him in when she isn't even in Gryffindor? I noticed Ron surrounded by people and engrossed in telling some story so I headed over Aria close behind to listen.
"So there I was sound asleep and I hear my curtains move. It wakes me up." He paused dramatically. "And I open my eyes and its SIRIUS BLACK!" He exclaims loudly.
Several gasped. Lavender Brown is clinging to his arm. "He is standing over me pointing a wand at me. I tried to scream but he silenced me. So I go for my own wand. He grabs me and we struggle. I managed to kick him and he fell back into my night table and he ran.
"So brave!" Lavender simpered.
"Did he take anything?" I asked. Lavender glared at me and Aria. Ron's face snapped towards mine.
"No not that I know of. Why?" He asked.
"What about Scabbers where was he during all this?" I asked hoping Sirius hadn't gotten to him before I could get my answers.
"I don't know… come to think of it where is Scabbers?" He pondered thoughtfully.
"What does Won Won's rat have to do with this?" Lavender said haughtily.
"Nothing!" I said to quickly. "Its just erm you know don't trust Black not to hurt an innocent creature." I said.
Ron's eyes widened in panic. "What if he got Scabbers?!" Ron exclaimed hurrying to his feet. Just as he was about to tell a prefect I grabbed him and hissed in his ear.
"Follow me."
He was looking at me suspiciously for a moment and followed me. I pulled him over to a corner with Aria, Arabella and the twins.
"I can use this map to find Scabbers." I explained.
"What…." He trailed off as I uttered the phrase and he gasped as he saw the map for the first time. "Wicked!" he whispered.
We all scanned the map and there was no Sirius Black or Peter Pettigrew. Damn. "Looks like he is gone." I said.
Had Sirius taken him and killed him? If so why? Pettigrew's disappearance would complicate matters. I suppose I could dose Sirius with the potion but if he was a murderer it would be dangerous. I settled on mirror calling him when we could go back to the dorms. Soon everyone was settled and we were headed back to sleep.
I woke up again with Draco half over me. I smiled fondly at him before extricating myself. I headed up to the dorm I was the first one up I usually was. When I got to the empty dorm I pulled out my mirror.
"Sirius Black." I said.
He didn't appear. Damn. I wondered if now that he had gotten what he wanted if he had fled. I felt so stupid for believing him. He had been using me to get close to Aria and to gain my trust. I felt so betrayed and heart broken. He obviously had wanted to see his daughter one last time. He had used me. I considered turning him in, but then I would be grounded for eternity by my father. I didn't know Blacks location anyway. The house he had shown me had been hidden by some spell. I couldn't reveal its whereabouts even if I wanted to. Deciding it wasn't worth the cost I decided to keep my mouth shut. If I ever saw Sirius again though he had some serious explaining to do.
I petted Athena which calmed me some. I loved Athena she was such a great companion. She purred contentedly in my lap. Licking my arm every so often. I needed to prank someone. I just had to get some relief to this aching. It hurt every time another puzzle piece fell into place. Every betrayal every evil person was like another knife in my already wounded soul. It was times like these I wished I had my mother. It was times like these I wondered what advice she would give or what comforting words she would say. Would she kiss my forehead and tell me it would be alright then wrap me in a hug like Aunt Petunia did Dudley? Or would she offer some profound wisdom as to how to make the pain stop? Tears slid down my face as I thought of her.
Narcissa taught me a lot but I thought of her more like an Aunt than mother. Mrs. Weasly was nice and I knew she cared about me but her attention was spread so thin that she couldn't fully be a mother either. Not that I wanted a replacement. I didn't. My mum would always be my mum. I wanted someone that could be there while she couldn't. I knew mum wouldn't be offended by my wish. After all didn't every mother want their child to be happy?
Dad he tried so hard. He wasn't very good with emotions though. I loved him don't get me wrong. I just wanted a woman in my life. Someone that I could talk to about girl stuff. I was becoming a woman and the only people I could ask about it were my dorm mates. Aria had her cousin Nymphadora that helped her with that stuff. I mainly got my information from Aria.
All this was Sirius Blacks fault. I didn't see any way around it now. If he had been innocent he wouldn't have gone after Pettigrew. He wanted to make sure Pettigrew paid for getting him caught all those years ago. I wished I had the chance to talk to Pettigrew. I wish I knew if he had any information on why Sirius had done what he did.
My father came in a little while later interrupting my snowballing anger at Sirius. I couldn't help the angry tears rolling down my face. He picked me up and sat down on the bed with me in his lap. Part of me said that I was too old for this. The bigger part of me needed the comfort.
"What's wrong Ellie?" my father asked.
"Why did Black do it? Why did he get mum and James killed?" I choked out.
He stiffened. "How do you know about that?" He asked softly.
"Aria." I said.
"Of course." He muttered. "Well, I can't answer that question. What I can tell you is that he will pay for what he has done." My father said.
"They haven't caught him yet. What if they never do?" I asked.
"Then he doesn't get caught. He will still suffer though. I can't imagine hiding like he is will be any better than Azkaban. He may not have to deal with dementors, but he will still be fearing getting caught every day. He will have to move around constantly. He will never get to know his daughter. Never get to watch her grow." He said.
"Dad how do you think he is getting into the castle?" I asked.
He frowned. "I think he is getting help from an old friend although I can't prove it."
"Remus hates him you know. He wouldn't help him." I said.
"How do you know… never mind I guess Miss Black told you?" He asked.
I nodded. "We are as close as sisters she tells me everything. Remus wouldn't help him trust me. Besides Uncle Moony loves me like a niece. He wouldn't betray me or Aria." I said.
"No one ever thought Black would betray Potter either. Black and Potter were closer than brothers. You never saw one without the other. All I am saying is be careful. As much as you want to have friends and trust people at the end of the day the only person you can fully rely on is you." He said.
"Spoken like a true cynic." I said dryly. "And by that logic I can't even trust you." I said raising a eyebrow at him.
He scowled. Then he smirked. "Your right because I might just do this." He said. Then he started tickling me. I burst into laughter. "Dad….! ... Please…! Stop!..." I said squirming a laughing.
After a few moments he stopped. "In all seriousness you know I didn't mean it like that. You can always trust me. I love you Ellie." He said.
"Love you too dad." I said.
I sat next to him. "Do you want to have breakfast in my quarters?" He asked. I nodded I didn't want to hear the whispers or face my friends yet. Later I would call a meeting and we would plan a wonderful prank. I would feel loads better and just maybe finally accept what happened and put the past to bed.
Even pranking didn't help. We had glued Filch to the floor and turned him neon pink. We had made Mrs. Norris bald. We gave Remus boobs. Much to his amusement. He was a really good sport about it. He congratulated us on our outstanding pranks.
As the weeks went by I felt bad for Aria things were getting worse and worse for her. She was fighting off hexes and rumors at every turn. One of us had to always be with her in the halls. Of course the Slytherins took up the mantle to protect one of their own. Even when we couldn't be with her a fellow snake always was. I continued to try and mirror call Uncle Padfoot to no avail. What was he up to? Where was he?
That weekend was the first quidditch match of the season and it was Slytherin versus Hufflepuff. The weather was terrible and I was not looking forward to playing in it. We kicked off in the pouring rain. It was hard to see. Diggory was tailing me and I ignored him. The storm worsened and it began to get very cold. I started shivering and getting goosebumps and the cold water soaked my robes and hair. Suddenly I saw the snitch and Diggory was right on my tail. Just as I was closing in on the snitch I heard a voice.
Lily its him! Take Jamie and run I will hold him off.
High pitched cackling laughter followed by a bang. Stand aside silly girl stand aside.
Not Jamie anything but that. Kill me instead.
Darkness overtook me. I was falling. I knew that I was high enough I was a dead for sure. When I woke up everything hurt. I woke up surrounded by the Marauders, Arabella, my dad, Remus and Draco. "What happened?" I asked.
My father spoke. "The dementors made you fall from your broom." He said.
"Are we going to replay the match?" I asked. The team and Draco scowled.
"Diggory caught the snitch…" Draco said.
"We lost?" I groaned.
"Did anyone get my broom?" I asked. It was Remus that spoke up this time.
"It flew into the whomping willow. The tree doesn't like being hit." Remus said holding up a bag. I was horrified. "My broom!" I gasped. This day really couldn't get any worse. Stupid bloody Dementors.
"Can it be fixed?" I asked.
"No, I am sorry love." Draco said gently. Soon after everyone left. It had been one of my worst days. It was the first time I had failed to catch the snitch. We lost the game and my broom was smashed by a prat of a tree.
Over the next weeks my frustration mounted. The only good thing was the upcoming Hogsmead trip. I was so excited. Draco asked me to go with him as a couple and I accepted.
The most interesting things happened though the week leading up to the trip. We were at the breakfast table. When an owl flew down to Arabella. She took the package off the owl opening it curiously. She pulled out a beautiful charm bracelet. It had a witches hat on it. Then the Slytherin crest, Black crest, a snake, a sword, a book, and a cat.
"Who is it from Ella?" I asked. Draco glared at the bracelet like it mortally offended him.
"Who dares try to court my cousin?" Draco snarled. "My father will hear about this."
"Shut up Draco and you will not be telling Uncle Lucius unless you want me to talk to you know who about you know what." Arabella said glaring at him.
Draco scowled. I wondered what Arabella had over Draco.
Arabella was reading a note from the box and let out a girlish squeal. "Oh! this is exciting!"
"Who is it from?" Aria asked.
"I will tell you in the dorm you done?" Arabella asked Aria and I. We nodded and followed her.
She went into our room and shut the door. "Its from a secret admirer. They are going to send me clues until the day before Hogsmead. I have until then to figure it out. If I can find them and if I want to accept they have asked for a date to Hogsmead." She said excitedly.
"Wow" I said.
"Your so lucky! I wonder who it is." Aria said.
After a moment she read the note out loud.
"Dear bookworm. I have admired you from afar for a while now. I know a lot about you but I wish to know you more than what I can see. Since one of your favorite types of books is muggle mysteries I have decided to set up a mystery for you to solve. In this package is a gift that shows some of the things I know about you. The hat represents your being a remarkable witch. The crests are for your heritage. The book cause you love to read and your smart. The snake and the sword for chamber. The cat for your familiar Crookshanks. The next package will contain your first clue about my identity and help you learn about me. You have until Hogsmead to find me and accept my offer for a date if you so wish. Good luck. Your secret admirer."
"He must really like you. The time and galleons he is putting into this." I said. "Can I see the note." I asked.
"He is so romantic." Aria said.
As we scrutinized the note. The writing was not familiar at all but the could have used a spell for that. I wondered who it could be. I handed the note back to Arabella.
"Who do you hope it is?" I asked.
Arabella blushed scarlet. "I don't know." She mumbled.
"Come on Ella there has to be someone that comes to mind." Aria said.
"Nnoo" She stuttered blushing more.
"You can tell us." I said grinning.
"How about this if its him I will tell you." She said.
Aria and I shrugged. "Ok." I said.
"Fine." Aria huffed.
The next day a different owl delivered the first clue.
Although not taken seriously I am very smart. With my potions, I leave my mark.
After showing us the clue you could almost see the wheels turning in her head. This person was underestimated. I thought briefly about asking my father who had the best potion grade, but then realized he wouldn't be able to release that information.
The whole day we all thought about the clue. There were a lot of students good at potions. This didn't help much.
The next clue was I play quidditch, but for what house. That you will have to wait to find out.
So he was good a potions and played quidditch that narrowed it down some but not enough.
Two years separate me from you. I am in fifth year but not a prefect.
So, he was older, a quidditch player, not a prefect. That eliminated a few people. Not many most prefects didn't play quidditch.
I am a pureblood.
Arabella scowled at that most purebloods were like Draco arrogant and stuck up. She sighed and was deep in thought. Her face scrunched in concentration she pulled out all the clues. She read over them again and again.
Draco grew angrily every time this mystery person was discussed. I tried to distract him as much as possible. Draco that week often found himself in a broom cupboard. Sometimes with me sometimes with a bucket of water over his head. He was also the brunt of many pranks like his hair gel disappearing. That was totally a prank and not because I wanted to see how hot he would look without it.
Finally, the last clue arrived. I am a Slytherin. There were four fifth year boys on the Slytherin quidditch team. As I though over that list I slowly figured out who it was. I could tell Arabella hadn't though. She was blinded by the fact she never thought this person would be interested in her. His behavior leading up to Hogsmead only heightened this suspicion.
The day of the Hogsmead trip arrived and Arabella still couldn't put it together. She waited anxiously in the entry hall for her mystery man to reveal himself. Draco watched her closely. No doubt he would be watching whoever it was very closely. If anything, Draco was protective and possessive very much like a real dragon. His name suited his character very well. We headed out giving one last look to Arabella. She was looked worried she would be stood up. When she had been unable to piece together the clues she had hoped he would take her standing at the entrance hall as an acceptance and reveal himself. I was sure he would and that we would see them together in Hogsmead.
Draco and I headed down the path to the carriages. I rested my head on his shoulder sighing contentedly. When we got to Hogsmead the first place we went to was honey dukes. We filled a bag each with treats. I had never seen so much candy! There was candy that made you float while you ate it. Sugar quills, liquorish wands, cauldron cakes. Were just a few. I picked up some of Remus's favorite candy to give to him later. Next, I drug Draco to Zonko's joke shop. I stocked up on pranks and fireworks. It was a marauders dream shop. The Marauder's had been inventing things over the last few years. Our dream was to open a joke shop together. Aria and I would go in and help but mainly we would be funding it. As much as Aria and I loved pranking we also loved quidditch. Aria and I had been considering joining the Holy Head Harpies when we graduated. I grabbed a few pranks for Ginny while there. I wanted to help her prank some of her brothers.
Lastly Draco and I went to the Shrieking shack. I knew the real story behind it's rumors. The Shrieking Shack was said to be the home of violent spirits. The villagers often heard strange and horrible noises from the shack. The truth was that it was Remus during his transformations. Remus had been bitten young and the only way he could attend Hogwarts is transform somewhere that could keep him contained and everyone safe. The shrieking shack was boarded up. There was not even the tiniest crack to look into. Not to mention the fence around the perimeter meant for keeping guest back. Getting bored after a few minutes we headed back to the shops. I smiled when I caught sight of Arabella at one of the tables. She had a boy sitting with her. They were talking and laughing having a good time. Draco noticed them to and started to go up to them.
"Mess this up and you're going to regret it Draconis Lucius Malfoy." I threatened.
He scowled at me. "She is my cousin practally my sister. It is my job to protect her! He is going to hurt her! I know it!" he said seething.
"No he wouldn't." I said rolling my eyes.
"Oh yea?" He challenged.
"Yeah." I said confidently.
"He hurts her you get to help me deal with him." Draco said.
I smirked. "Gladly love." I said.
He didn't look convinced but followed me away from them to a different table. All to soon it was time to return to the school. Draco reminded me I needed to look into a new broom. I sighed at that. I would miss my Nimbus 2001. I regretted giving Ginny my old broom because now I would have to buy a new one.
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. Its been a long busy few months. So Arabella has a secret admirer… Who do you think it is? If you can guess it I will answer any question about Jamie or the story. Please Read and Review!