"That must have been a hard hit"
"She's a strong one, she'll be okay"
"Crouch didn't even get a bloody expulsion letter!"
Huda could hear a flurry of voices around her. It was strangely soothing, this feeling. The feeling of being underwater just close enough to break the surface but not breaking it just yet. Slowly, her mind grew away of the noises and happenings around her. People were seated around her. The room smelled oddly medicinal and there were a pair of footsteps walking around. She opened her eyes and immediately closed them, away from lit room and heard a gasp.
"Madam Pompfrey, she's awake!"
Immediately, there was a flurry of activity. A flashlight was shoved into her eye, a hand was on hers, checking her pulse and she felt a swooping feeling in her stomach, signaling her vitals being taken using healing spells. Huda groaned at the poking and prodding she was feeling and tried to push the matron away from her.
"Can you hear me, Huda?" Julia asked calmly.
Huda forced open her eyes and allowed them to focus before nodding.
"Follow my finger"
"Breathe in deep and hold for seven seconds"
"Does it feel tender when I touch here?"
"Any more pain?"
"What's the last thing you remember?"
Huda sighed and gave the answers to as many questions as she could before the ladies drew back and helped her to sit up. She was given several potions, including a Blood Replenishing one, and served soup and bread for dinner. It was only then she realised the sky was dark outside and the torch lamps were lit. Also, only Sirius and Remus were seated in front of her.
"Are you alright?" Remus asked and Huda nodded, her throat feeling raw.
"Bloody Crouch smacked you right in the face with the Quaffle" Sirius spat, looking murderous.
"Calm down, Sirius"
"Calm down?! She's lucky she didn't get expelled. That's way worse than what Huda did to Wood last year. No offense"
Huda rolled her eyes and dipped her bread into the soup before taking a bite. Remus slipped her a piece of chocolate and she gobbled it up immediately, feeling a warm pool of energy course through her. She leaned back against the frame, sighing in exhaustion. All the adrenaline had worn off, leaving her body sore and aching all over.
"What happened?" Huda asked, closing her eyes against the bright lights.
"Serafina Crouch couldn't take losing to you so she threw a Quaffle with a Beater's bat" Remus explained.
"She should be bloody expelled for that! This was full force retaliation!". If Sirius would get any angrier, smoke would be coming out of his ears. Huda chuckled at the thought causing the two boys to stare at her as if she had grown a third head.
"You actually find this funny?" Remus asked incredulous.
"Quidditch is a violent sport. I expected Crouch to play dirty. It's alright" Huda could feel the lull of Dreamless Sleep call her name. Her eyes fell shut and everything turned dark.
Despite protests from the Slytherin Quidditch team, Huda was now mulling over the decision to step down as Quidditch Captain. The sheer workload that she was given at NEWT Level was making her collapse with teachers handing out new material on a daily basis and various projects being given to them. Along with regular Quidditch practices, Huda barely had time to sleep, let alone focus in class and catch up with her assignments.
"I still don't think you should do this" Carrow spoke up. They were seated in library writing essays on antidotes. Slughorn was being exceptionally harsh this year in terms of grading and Huda could see a lot of students had been receiving E's instead of their usual O's which made her even more determined to study harder and keep her ranking among the sixth years.
"Quidditch is not my end goal, Ed. Healing is" Huda replied scratching off a misspelled word.
"And Healing requires 8 NEWT subjects, yes I know" Carrow rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Is this what I have to look forward to when I get to sixth year?"
Huda smiled up at Sirius who had popped out of nowhere with James and Remus right behind him. All three boys had shot up like trees over the summer, particularly Remus, considering he was the shortest out of the three and he now stood taller than Sirius himself. Carrow exchanged greetings with the boys before inviting them to sit and study.
"Study? What is that?" James replied sarcastically. Huda rolled her eyes at their immaturity and packed up her stuff. She had promised that she would accompany them to the kitchens for a late dessert. She bade goodbye to Carrow and took Sirius's hand. James wolf-whistled at this causing the couple to flush dark red. The house elves greeting them enthusiastically and five slices of cake with cups of tea were served immediately to them.
"So are the rumors true?" James wasted no time beating around the bush. "You're actually resigning as Captain?". Remus, Sirius and Peter made noises of protest at this and Huda sighed.
"It's a lot of work and it's tough to balance it out. I've spoken to Slughorn but he said I need to appoint the next captain if I'm stepping down," she explained and took a sip of her tea.
"And who would you choose as next captain?" James asked.
"I'm not sure as of yet but I truly need to focus on my schoolwork. I want to be a Healer and I need the stellar marks to help me there" Huda replied and Sirius squeezed her hand affectionately in support.
"Although we would have loved seeing you get beaten by Gryffindor, it is ultimately your decision" Remus, ever the optimist, winked at her before tucking into his cake.
"Any news about your father?" Peter asked. He had been caught up over the summer that he had missed at the Potters and had instantly offered Huda his unwavering support during this hard time.
"Nothing yet. Dumbledore thinks that the Dark Lord wants information from my father. Some unknown magic from the Department of Mysteries. Or he could be dead" Huda explained.
"But his body should have been found, should he have been dead" James commented. "What about the family tree? Your family tapestry?".
Sirius looked as if he had swallowed a lemon and coughed uncomfortably. Huda glanced down at him before thinking deeply. She remembered that there was a family tapestry but she had never seen it. Her parents had spoken of it but neither she nor her father had discussed this after her mother's death. As far as she knew, Noura Khan had removed the family tapestry to discourage her children to follow in the same bigoted, prejudiced footsteps.
"Where are tapestries and family trees kept?" Huda asked, feeling rather stupid at not having thought of this idea.
"Usually Gringotts keep family trees and origins because of the vaults. Many pureblood families display their tapestries in their homes" James explained and Sirius nodded.
"We never had one at home. I've never seen any family tree at home either" Huda drummed her fingers on the table, her nails making a clattering sound.
"So you have to visit Gringotts" Remus concluded and Huda nodded.
"No students are allowed out of the castle in term time" Peter piped. "Dumbledore said it in his start of term speech".
"He'll agree for Huda. Her father is missing!" James argued.
"I'll talk to him as soon as I can" Huda began devouring her slice of cake ignoring the concerned look on Sirius's face. James caught the look and smiled softly. It wasn't often that he got to see the more mature side of Sirius Black. They finished up their snacks and left the couple alone. Huda finished off her second cup of tea and felt the craving for Firewhiskey burning inside her.
"Do you have a flask?" she asked Sirius who shook his head no.
"I'm trying to cut down on all of that" Sirius explained.
"Why?" Huda asked in surprise.
"Because I want to help you," Sirius replied earnestly. "Excess drinking doesn't mean your emotions will continue to be squashed away. I want to be that person that you can confide in. The person you can tell every single tiny thing to".
Huda was silent at his words. Their arrangement had somewhat deepened over the course of the summer and she had a lot of time to consider what she really wanted from Sirius. Aside from the fact that he was two years younger than her which honestly never bothered her, he was a good person who understood what she would be going through in the wizarding world.
"It sounds like you want a relationship, Sirius. Not an arrangement" Huda pointed out and Sirius nodded eagerly. Huda stifled a smile. He was just so adorable!
"Do you even know what a relationship entails?" Huda arched a brow.
"I know it means commitment, sharing and a lot of shagging" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows, making Huda giggle.
"A relationship also means telling the whole world and I don't think I'm comfortable with showing that just yet" Huda watched his face harden as he realised the incrimination of her words.
"You don't want to show me to those slimy snakes".
"Sirius, it could put me and you in danger. It's not safe and we need to be smart about our alliances" Huda hurriedly explained.
"Alliances! You snakes are absolute piss heads! Alliances, my arse!" Sirius spat, growing angrier with each word he said.
"I don't want to participate in this war"
There, she said it. The words that she was dreading to admit to herself. She didn't find the war worth fighting for. She didn't agree with what the Dark Lord had to offer but she also did not want to join to fight against him either. She would much rather mind her business and be smart by avoiding all the bloodshed and fighting.
"So you're a coward?" Sirius asked, still looking rather heated.
"Not a coward. I prefer myself being smart and minding my business" Huda clarified.
"And if the Dark Lord invites you in? You've heard rumors of what he does to those who reject him".
Huda winced as she remembered the Daily Prophet headline last month declaring Lilian Rosier, sister of Evan Rosier to be dead. It was seen as if she died in her sleep but those running within pure blood circles knew that it was the Dark Lord's doing. Lilian was much like Huda ducking under the radar, not to be noticeable but she was found in a broom closet with a muggleborn seventh year before graduation. Some said that the Dark Lord had encouraged Evan Rosier to kill her off in order to secure the pure bloodline.
"We don't know if that was true, Sirius" Huda whispered.
"Of course we know it's true. My mother was exceptionally proud of Evan for killing off his own. I protested that it was barbaric and family was supposed to be everything and she-" Sirius paused before taking a deep breath as if to calm himself. Huda placed her hand in his and rested her head on his shoulder to comfort him enough to continue.
"She cast the Cruciatus Curse on me. Three times" Sirius heaved as he said this. "In front of Regulus".
Huda shot up at this and stared at Sirius in shock. She knew Walburga Black was a cruel and proud woman but she never thought that the older woman would do such a thing to her own son. In front of the younger sibling to boot. Sirius shivered as if still recalling the pain he had gone through. Huda threw her arms around him as Sirius began to shed tears and shake as if in complete agony. She held him tight while stroking his back and head, to reassure him that she was right here with him.
"Regulus ran off scared. I was unconscious by the third time she cast it one me. I woke up two days later still suffering through the aftershocks".
"Sirius…. I didn't know that you were going through all this" Huda whispered.
"Only James knows about it. Remus probably suspects something but he doesn't ask me directly. Peter doesn't really pay attention. I get reamed in that house since the day I was sorted into Gryffindor" Sirius explained.
"But being in Gryffindor does not mean that you're not a Black" Huda argued.
Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "To my mother being a pureblood and being in Slytherin are two parts of being a Black. I never believed that nonsense right from the start. Tojours Pur, my arse". Huda chuckled at this and Sirius smiled at her.
"So you've spent all those years at home like this? Being told off, berated, insulted and tortured?" Huda asked apprehensively.
"Pretty much. The torture is new. That just started this summer probably because I keep hanging around blood traitors" Sirius replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Sirius, that's barbaric! I'm sure your father wouldn't let it go lying down"
Sirius snorted. "Orion Black is the same as you, Huda. Intelligent but silent. He drowns himself in Ministry work while my mother runs the house. In hindsight, I'm glad Regulus got sorted into Slytherin. At least he's not being tortured or berated and the old hag loves to pamper him".
"So you're stuck until you turn seventeen?"
"James makes it easier. His folks always invite for summer hols so it's easier not being in that house" Huda smiled at this and leaned on Sirius's shoulder.
"That's why you want me to protect myself" Huda murmured under her breath.
"I don't want to lose you because of the Dark Lord. I don't want to even give him a chance of touching even a hair on your head. Minding your own business isn't enough. You need to know what to do if he decides to invite you. You don't even know what happened to your father" Sirius explained.
"Edgar is already hatching his plan to move to America. I can do the same" Huda suggested.
"Why not join the Order?" Sirius countered and Huda fell silent.
"I don't think the Order will take me. I'm a Slytherin" Huda looked down at the floor pensively.
"A Slytherin whose father is missing and whose family has been neutral since Grindelwald's time. You have a chance and if Dumbledore clears you, you'll be fine!" Sirius seemed beyond excited at the prospect of Huda joining the Order.
"I'll think about it and speak to Dumbledore when I ask him for special clearance to go to Gringotts" Huda agreed and Sirius threw his arms around her. Huda closed her eyes and basked in his warmth. She was definitely falling for Sirius Black.
"I would prefer you not go to Gringotts, Ms. Shafiq" Dumbledore peered at Huda with his blue eyes and she felt a shiver up her spine.
"Why not, Professor?" Huda asked. She was currently seated in Dumbledore's office after he had requested to meet with her personally. Huda had been surprised at this but had accepted anyway. The instruments around her whistled and whirled furiously and Dumbledore scrutinized them before turning his gaze back on the girl seated in front of him.
"It might tip off the Death Eaters who have kept him hidden away. I feel it will make the Dark Lord pay attention to you in a way that I do not find innocent" Dumbledore explained and Huda blanched.
"You think he will ask me to join him?" she probed, trying to get something out of the older wizard.
"He will and I want to hear what answer you will give him," Huda shuffled uncomfortably and the instruments whistled rather loudly, startling the majestic phoenix asleep on his pedestal. Dumbledore's attention was once again diverted towards the instrument as Huda debated on what to reply to him.
"I don't want to join him. I am not interested in the beliefs that he is trying to project onto wizarding society".
"And so?"
"I want to join the Order of the Phoenix"
Keeping her workload aside, Huda and the Marauders sans Remus, returned to their Animagi project. Peter had decided to join in as well but had the biggest problem in keeping his Mandrake leaf in this mouth. He would chew on it absentmindedly causing the bitter taste to make him gag or he would swallow it causing a terrible stomach bug or he would spit it out by mistake. It only took several reminders daily from James and Sirius to push him to complete the entire month with the leaf in his mouth.
Ultimately it was Sirius who managed to track down dew and the moth and added it to their four phials. Huda hid away hers in her trunk and all they had to do was wait for an electrical storm. They began rising at sunrise and waited until sundown with the incantation 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus'. As per instructions, there would be a time where a second heartbeat would join their own but after five days, none of them had reached that point.
Huda was once again on her own in the library. She had just finished her incantation and once again there was no heartbeat. She shrugged it off and continued her work and heard a noise from the shelves nearby. Her hand was on her wand in an instant and she froze, listening out. She was the only person in the immediate vicinity because all the students were currently at dinner.
"Sorry, Captain, didn't mean to scare you" Regulus popped out from behind a shelf and Huda smiled, letting go of her wand.
"It's fine, Reg" Huda motioned for him to sit down and he set a rather heavy tome in front of her.
"Wasn't this book in the Restricted Section?" Huda asked peering down at the book. It was a complex book detailing the uses and spells involved in using blood as a primary Healing method to cure magical maladies.
"They moved it back to the normal shelves so I decided to take it for a bit of reading" Regulus replied, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.
"Trying to follow in my footsteps?" Huda arched a brow.
"No, just curious about the topic. My parents want me to take my father's seat in the Wizengamont and into politics. They wouldn't like me to become a Healer" Regulus explained, sitting down at the table and dragging the book towards him.
"So your dreams and ambition don't count?" Huda asked curiously.
"I am the only loyal son in the family. I wouldn't be surprised if Sirius left us to move on with his blood traitor friends" Regulus seemed rather animated when he uttered his older brother's name. Huda was rather surprised by the amount of anger in Regulus's voice as he uttered these words.
"He is your brother after all, blood traitor or not" Huda argued.
"He makes my mother cry. He makes my father angry. He says things and acts like this to disappoint them" Regulus could not hide the pain in his voice. "And he doesn't talk to me. He gets angry when I try to help him. He calls me mother's pet". Huda's heart went out to him. Sirius had a horrific temper. He would often say things but not mean them.
"He could also be frustrated as well, Regulus. I know he doesn't agree with your parents but that doesn't mean he isn't family" Huda reached out to place her hand on Regulus's hand, trying to comfort him in some way.
"Andromeda got blasted off the family tapestry" Regulus murmured and Huda's eyes widened in shock. Andromeda Black was the infamous older sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa. She was five years older than Huda and graduated Hogwarts when Huda had been second year. She had been famously betrothed to Evan Rosier at the age of sixteen but what possible could she have done to have been disowned by her parents?
"What for?"
"She married a Hufflepuff muggleborn. Ted Tonks" Regulus replied, his voice low. Huda breathed out and squeezed Regulus's hand. "I don't want that to happen to Sirius. Mother said she would disown him if he didn't toe the line".
"I understand how you feel, Regulus. I lost my brother when I was your age and it still feels unfair to me that he left me behind but I feel like I should give his point of view a chance" Huda chose her words carefully so as not to mess up her message of advice.
"What do you mean?" Regulus looked up at her, still morose.
"Anwar is- was a brilliant wizard. I would admire how amazingly he would perform non-verbal magic. He was better than me in every way. But he hated our father and how he left us after our mother's untimely death. My father never liked all those letters coming home complaining of the rebellious behavior that Anwar displayed while at school. The last straw was when Anwar was expelled from Hogwarts and told off for being a disappointment to the family".
"So how did he die?" Regulus seemed afraid to ask.
"He committed suicide on Christmas Eve. He had finally had enough of my father's berating and our family has never been the same" Huda sniffled as she remembered the scene as if it was yesterday. Regulus sat in silence, absorbing the story. They stayed quiet for a little while and the only sound around them was Huda's sniffles and Regulus's foot tapping on the stone floor. Huda calmed herself and continued her talk.
"You shouldn't ignore or berate Sirius for what he is or who he is. You might just lose him by doing this permanently and it leaves many questions unanswered which could haunt you for the rest of your life. If Anwar was alive right now, I would ask him why he did what he did. Why would he leave me behind to deal with the broken pieces? I can't fix something that I don't know about" Huda explained. Regulus nodded to himself before cracking a forlorn smile at his Quidditch Captain.
"You know, Captain. For having such a hard exterior but inside you're just soft like slime"
Huda let out a watery laugh and Regulus sniggered as she noisily blew her nose. She stuck her tongue out at him and pushed him back into his school work. They continued working away until Madame Pince had to shoo them away for them to meet curfew.
Breakfast was usually a rather busy affair at Hogwarts. Owls flew all around delivering letters and parcels, students were loud and boisterous, and for NEWT level students, breakfast was the time they could cram the last few assignments in before moving on the day's classes. There was a chill frost in the air, signaling the oncoming Christmas holidays which Huda was quite relieved for. The classes and schoolwork had been grueling and she was looking forward to the break. Christmas break was only a week away and students were especially excited.
"I bloody hate McGonagall! How do you expect me to further analyze Animagi? That topic is basically exhausted in research and she wants bloody forty inches?" Carrow complained, flipping a page in his textbook.
"A lot of research has been done so you should have a lot of research to fall back on" Huda dismissed his complaint and took a sip of her coffee.
"What about Binns essay on goblin wars? Has anyone finished it?" Macnair asked scribbling away frantically.
Huda rolled her eyes. "I did that last week. Slughorn's Potions antidote assignment is next".
"How do you do it? Manage everything and captain the team?" Norma asked. She looked rather worn out as well but it was cleverly hidden with glamour charms and her posture failed to show any signs of fatigue.
"I don't know myself but the workload is driving me mad as well" Huda replied and a flurry of owls began flying around the Great Hall.
The Daily Prophet dropped onto her plate and she unrolled it to read the front page. She was quite lucky that she had a habit of straightening the front page to cover her face while she read it otherwise she would have seen the entire Hall turning towards her in shock and apathy. She had to blink twice and reread the headline four times until it absorbed in her mind. The headline read her worst nightmare.
MOHAMMED SHAFIQ – DEAD.