Summary: Andrew Knight knew that things were going to change his Sixth Year at Hogwarts. With his friends and the Marauders on his side, he knew it would be full of fun adventures and even some romance along the way. However, it seems a darker path was awaiting them as they reached their Seventh Year . . .
Pairing: Sirius Black/Male OC
Changes to Character(s): N/A
Spoilers To: Harry Potter
Type of Story: Chapter-Filled
Book(s)/Movie(s) Belongs To: JK Rowling
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A/N: Sorry, everyone! I thought I had posted the chapter last night, but I'm here now! Life Update: I may be changing jobs soon, so there is a chance of some delays in chapters for the upcoming weeks as I transition to this new post.
"Thanks for your help, Lily."
It was late in the afternoon. Andrew and Lily were wading around in the Great Lake inspecting the plants growing from its floor. The Ravenclaw nervously remained in the shallow parts of the lake while his friend stood knee-deep in it without hesitation.
The Gryffindor witch bent down to pick at some of the greenery before answering, narrowing her eyes at the plant's margins.
"Of course," Lily said, shaking the plant free of water. "Wouldn't want you to be taken away by the merfolk."
Andrew only hummed at the idea.
Although he knew she was joking, she wasn't necessarily wrong.
By the time they could understand more complex stories, Veela children were told to stay away from large bodies of water—telling them various tales of evil mermaids who would snatch innocent beings from land and drown them in the water with glee. In other versions, they were capable of luring men purely with their voices, enchanting them to bow down to their very knees before they were torn apart and eaten—leaving only their bones behind in the sand.
The Veela could recall every single terrifying detail from those stories, sometimes even visualizing them in his dreams. His mother would tell them to him before bed, saying that merfolk especially enjoyed taking misbehaved boys.
These myths were derived from many generations before them, and it perpetuated deep fear in all of them. Because of its longevity, belief and superstition were strong in the Veela community, causing an increase in remedies and spiritual practices. It was rare to find a Veela who didn't believe.
Growing up, Andrew's mother would perform little protection rituals on them if they ever went swimming. She made a fuss about it if they ever attempted to swim without it—a small detail he admits he missed about his then-sober mother.
There was one time the young Veela had managed to escape the practice.
He was young when he entered the waters of the Calanque d'En-Vau. While they were setting up, his parents began to rummage through their bags in hopes of finding Geneviève's oils—which were infused with herbs and potions that supposedly repelled merfolk. They were too distracted to pay attention to the young Veela, and after a long hike, Andrew was too frustrated to sit still.
He stealthily walked over to the water—the color so blue it looked like he was walking through the sky. The water was cool and refreshing after a day of being under the harsh sun.
Andrew almost let out a breath of relief.
The Veela had swam up just far enough for his feet to barely graze the ground. He closed his eyes and let himself float above the surface, getting lost in the wave's motions. He stayed there for a moment when he felt something touch his leg. He didn't think much about it until his mother began shouting in fear.
He never told his friends about the attack.
The Ravenclaw was too ashamed about the incident, wishing he had listened to his parents. He still had the marks on his leg: horrific scars left behind by the mermaid's claws. Recounting the story brought back the fear, the desperate need for air, and shining eyes in the water.
Whenever he had to uncover the lesion, he would cast a glamour charm to hide them from the public eye.
He would rather forget.
Whenever his friends would suggest a swim, it was easier to say he feared the Black Lake.
Regardless of the lie, the boy wouldn't be surprised if Lily, Remus, and Dorcas were aware of Veela folklore—knowing their deep love for knowledge—but they were kind enough not to question his hesitations over the lake.
"Yeah," Andrew chuckled lightly, trying to shake the phantom touch from his leg. "I just can't wait to be done with this."
He found a flower growing over the water's surface and plucked it. "Ha, a water lily."
Lily collected some roots from the depths and placed it in a burlap bag before walking further into the lake, the water now reaching her waist. "How long do you have to collect material for Professor Slughorn?"
"Til the end of October," he said, kicking at the water. "Punishment for the exploding cauldron and wasting his ingredients. Just three more weeks."
Lily remained silent—most likely thinking of Snape.
Andrew couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose a best friend, especially the way she did. He could remember the smile she would have whenever she spoke of the Slytherin, and the many hours the two would spend together in the castle's courtyard.
You could never see one without the other.
Despite that, their friendship didn't seem to prevent Severus from exclaiming those awful words or erase the memories of Evan's crying every night after the event.
"How was your talk with James?" Andrew said, attempting to distract her. "You two seem to be getting along well."
"We talked," Lily said. "We apologized to one another, talked for a while, and eventually made an agreement. No more flirting. No more arguing. We . . . are going to work on developing some sort of friendship between us for now on."
"That's good to hear."
"By any chance, what did you say to Potter before then?"
"Nothing really. We just had a quick chat. Why do you ask?"
She glanced up at him. "Potter mentioned getting advice from someone and said he really took it to heart. As you know, he doesn't listen to just anyone, and based on previous events, you were the only other person he would trust."
"You're both my friends," Andrew uttered. "I know I shouldn't have meddled, but—"
"No, no. I appreciate it, Drew," the witch assured him, giving him a small smile. "It brought us a fresh start."
They took a moment to look around for more plants to collect. Once they were satisfied, they walked to the shore and casted a drying spell on themselves. Not wanting to head to the castle, they sat down on the sand—looking at the light bounce across the calm surface of the lake.
The sun was just beginning to set, decorating the sky with beautiful colors. They could hear the shouts from distant teens as they ran back to the castle, letting them know that supper would be starting soon.
Lily pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them as she laid her head to relax. She appeared to be in thought, tapping her knee anxiously before peering at him.
Curiosity was one of many things that made Lily stand out from others at the school. Being a muggle-born, Lily felt the need to prove herself to her fellow students and learn as much she could about the wizarding world—making her the most knowledgeable among them.
However, it could also bring forth things that many don't want revealed.
"Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked, gingerly.
Andrew hesitated. "Sure."
"Why-Why don't speak much about your father?" she asked, cringing as said it. "You've only mentioned your father a few times. You said he was born in Mexico and raised in America before he moved here to England. Based on this, he would have a Mexican last name, yet I have known him and you as Knight. I just can't see why he—"
She stopped, mulling over her words. "Sorry, I know how it sounds."
"No, no," the boy said, looking back at the water. "I understand the curiosity."
Andrew took a deep breath, attempting to collect his thoughts. His father was a sensitive topic, no matter how long ago his death was. It took a lot from him to even mention him. Sometimes, he selfishly wanted to keep his memories and his dad's history to himself—afraid that it would taint what was left of him.
He fiddled with the sand at his fingertips before glancing at Lily. The witch had a concerned look on her face, inspecting his nervous reaction.
"It's just," the wizard uttered, letting out a breath, "a story for another day. I-I'm just not ready to tell it yet. It's complicated, and—"
She laid a hand on his shoulder. "I understand, Drew."
"I'll tell you all one day. Once I'm ready . . ."
Lily sensed his remaining stress and decided to change the subject. "I heard you and Mei have been hanging out lately."
After seeing each other at quidditch tryouts, the two teens have decided to spend some time together. They would sit down in one of the school's balconies and tell each other of the various events that had occurred in the last two years.
The Ravenclaw told her of all the wild adventures the Marauders had put him through, and the amazing things he would conjure up with the girls after their lessons. After a couple of butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks—and some debating—he had even come out to the girl.
"I'm bisexual," he told her, looking down at the table. The mahogany wood was chipped at the table's edges. I wonder what happened here. A fight, maybe?
Mei only smiled and placed her hand over his. "You know I'll always care about you. No matter what. I'd be stupid not to."
Li would then tell him of the trips she would take around Europe and Asia, mostly consisting of hikes through the most dangerous mountain trails she could find with her family, and how she was thinking of joining her family's business—an agricultural company in China.
After some persuasion, the Gryffindor girl had even joined their group's study sessions and would sometimes help him in collecting some of Slughorn's ingredients.
It was nice to have someone to talk to outside of his normal friend group.
Mei was actually meant to join him today for another ingredient gathering; however, a week ago, she and Sirius had received the news that they were selected to be this year's Beaters and had been practicing nonstop for the upcoming match against the Hufflepuffs. They were already on edge and couldn't afford any other distractions.
Seeing his fear at the thought of going to the lake alone, Lily had kindly offered to help him.
"Are you two . . .?" Lily asked, trailing off at the end of her sentence. "You know."
Andrew shook his head. "No. We're just friends."
"Good," she said, lifting her head up and wiping away invisible sweat. "I'm not ready to lose another friend to a relationship."
"We can always decide to end up together," he joked, giving her a small nudge with his shoulder. She snorted at the idea, pushing him back. "We would be unstoppable. My charm and your wicked brain."
"Tempting," Lily responded, rolling her eyes. "Nonetheless, I must decline."
"Oh, come on. Imagine our children! They would be able to take over the world with a single snap of their fingers."
"I would rather kiss the giant squid than have kids with you."
Andrew scoffed, amused, and gestured at the view in front of them. "Be my guest."
The witch closed her eyes as a breeze traveled through the woods—carrying the scent of crisp, fallen leaves. The sun lit her face, making the faint freckles on her face evident. She took in a deep breath, her face relaxing as she exhaled.
For a moment, the girl looked calm and free.
It was then that he remembered the night in the tower.
Her nightmares have become more frequent, and she had even asked Doge and Diggle to take up more patrols—trying to fill as much of her nights as she could. Evans would insist that she was sleeping well, but the amount of caffeinated tea she had been drinking would say otherwise.
The Ravenclaw could already see the shadows forming under her eyes.
"Lils," he began, hesitating to continue further.
She sighed, already knowing what the Veela was thinking. "I'm fine, Drew. It's nothing to be concerned about."
"I'm worried about you," Andrew said, ignoring her last statement. "This isn't healthy, and you know it. You should ask Madam Pomfrey for a Dreamless Sleep potion and actually rest."
"I can't, Knight."
"Why not, Evans?"
Lily sighed, pulling at her hair in frustration. "I just—I just need to know what it all means. I can't relax until I do. It feels intentional, and it all seems so real."
Andrew remained silent, trying to give her a chance to speak her mind. She didn't appear to approach the idea, so he decided to speak. "What happens in your dreams?"
The witch looked at him—debating for a moment—before nodding.
"They're less like dreams and more like . . . memories," she said. "It starts up the same way every time. I'm walking around someone's home. I was searching for something, but I couldn't seem to find it. Just when I feel a magical disturbance, the environment shifts and all I can see are flashes of light. I think there was a battle going on somewhere nearby, but I was frozen. There was a dead body in front of me, a young man. I was screaming. I crawled over to him and . . ."
She stopped. "Someone called my—her name."
Andrew furrowed his eyebrows at the statement. "What was it?"
"Esmée."
Before he could ask anything else, they heard the loud thuds of someone running behind them. They turned around to see Peter coming towards them, his face a bright red. He stopped a few feet away from him, heaving as he tried to speak.
"Remus—hospital—wing—awake!"
Andrew and Lily stood up from their spot before checking on the other boy. He waved them away as he took a minute to recover. Lily pulled out her thermos and offered it to Pettigrew.
He muttered a quick thank you. "James wanted everyone to go see him. He sent me to look for the two of you, and I couldn't find you. I almost gave up,"
"Well, you found us," the Veela said, feeling a bit of sympathy. "I can make you some caldo de rez to make up for your troubles."
Peter nodded. "Come on. They're waiting for us."
They headed up the castle, passing by students that were heading to the Great Hall. Once they arrived at the first floor, they pushed past the wooden doors to reveal the large room. They looked around at the rows and rows of beds, peering through various private screens to look for their friends.
After startling multiple students, they found Remus surrounded by the remaining Marauders along with Marlene and Dorcas. Remus looked at them tiredly, giving them a small wave.
Andrew pulled a piece of chocolate from his pocket and carefully set it onto the boy's hand. He gave it a squeeze before he pulled away. "You're lucky I went to Hogsmeade today."
"Thanks, Drew," Lupin muttered. "You didn't have to."
"Don't be silly, Remmy."
The boys began to laugh, making the Ravenclaw boy roll his eyes. Remus groaned and attempted to cover his face, embarrassed over the nickname.
The Veela glared at them. "What? It's cute."
"Why don't you give us cute nicknames?" Sirius whined, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're your friends too, Harpy."
"I do!" Andrew responded. "Dorcas is Dorc and Marlene is Marls. Lily is Lils. I call you Sir"—Potter snickered, quickly exaggerating the seer—"Peter is Pete, and I call James a lot of stuff. Jim, Jimmy, Jimbo, Jamie."
"Ha!" James cheered, throwing his hands up in the air. "I have more than all of you!"
Remus threw the candy wrapper at the Gryffindor Chaser. "You suck, Prongs."
"You all suck," Dorcas said with a smirk. She wrapped her arms around Lily and Marlene. "Us girls are clearly superior. Why else would Andrew hang out us all the time?"
They stayed as long as they could in the infirmary, trying to cheer up the ill boy. However, it didn't take long for the school matron to come over and kick them out. The group said their goodbyes to Remus before she could yell at them.
Andrew made sure to leave another piece of candy on the bedside table before exiting the room. He stayed behind in the corridor as his friends headed to eat in whatever time was left for supper. He pulled out a book from his bag and began to flip through its pages when he heard his name.
"Knight," Sirius asked, a slight glint of concern in his eye, "you coming?"
"Yeah, just give me a minute."
The other boy nodded and left the hall.
The Ravenclaw looked back at his Divination book and continued to search until he reached the section he wanted, the words oneironautics glaring back at him.
Oneironautics is the rare ability to travel within a dream on a conscious basis. The idea of one person being able to consciously travel or interact within the dream of another person, known variously as 'dream telepathy', 'telepathic lucid dreaming' or 'telepathic dreaming', has been explored . . .
He stopped, biting his lip as he attempted to digest the information.
Who the fuck was Esmée?