The May Ball

Trigger warnings: references of past domestic violence, and unwanted attention.

Only few days had passed before Claudia found herself in the hospital wing again. But this time, for a happier reason. Eleanor was awake and talking, and even Lucy was improving. Claudia, however, had no idea where to look and what to say to her friend. The guilt was all-consuming, but she could not say sorry without recounting the whole story. Instead, she stood rigid by Eleanor's bed and let Alice do the talking. And as soon as she reasonably could, she made her way back to the Slytherin common room.

"Hey, boss." Chris greeted her the moment she entered the common room. "Why so miserable?"

"Lot on." Claudia mumbled. Her mind was spinning with anxious thoughts. She was anxious to see Lucy and Eleanor out of the hospital wing. She was nervous about what Snape was up to, and about her exams.

"No wonder." Chris laughed. "Just two weeks till the Ravenclaw-Gryffindor game. If only there was something we could do." He added with a groan.

"Yeah." Claudia sighed. She nearly forgot to add that to her list of worries. They really needed Ravenclaw to try and win that game. If they capitulated like Gryffindor did last year, it was all over. She just had to hope that James and Green did not make some sort of a deal to sink Slytherin again. Then, she remembered the altercation in the corridor. They certainly did not look like they were collaborating on anything.

"You two talking Quidditch?" Someone asked over Claudia's shoulder. It was Julius.

"You've been working with Green in alchemy." Claudia turned to him. "What's his problem with Potter?" She asked.

Julius bit his lip. There was silence. A very long silence.

"They're both in love with the same girl. Evans." He finally uttered, avoiding Claudia's eye-contact. She did not blame him - it was very weird for them to talk about things like this.

"That's good." Claudia replied. "Ravenclaw might bother and turn up for the game against Gryffindor."

"What do you mean?" Julius asked.

"Does Green think that if Potter was to win the Quidditch Cup, Evans would be more likely to date him?" She asked.

"I don't know…" Julius shrugged.

"Can you make him think that?" Claudia was getting bit impatient. She nearly forgot how tiring it was, having to explain herself all the time.

"We're kind of friends." Julius replied. "I don't want to manipulate him."

"Friends? Since when?" Claudia scoffed. Julius never had any friends outside of Slytherin.

"We bonded over things. Personal things…" He mumbled. "Anyway..." Julius added and vanished. Claudia was left standing in the middle of the common room with Chris.

"Well, that was awkward." Chris said. "Regulus is right. He still likes you."

"He does not." Claudia sneered. There was no way Julius could still like her after what she did to him. Even merely thinking back to their break-up made her cringe.

"If you say so." Chris chuckled.

Claudia was sick of Chris' mocking, so she made her way back to her dormitory for some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, it was not to be. All her very pretty and very pureblood roommates were there. Penelope, the blondest and richest of the four of them, was holding up a hideous golden dress, while Camille, Barbara and Mirabelle were staring at it in awe.

"I think you are really lucky, Nellie, that he asked you to the ball." Mirabelle sighed. Claudia rolled her eyes. That was what this was all about. The upcoming May Ball that all sixth and seventh years had to go to. It was all stupid. And why it was called a May Ball, despite taking place in June, Claudia did not know, and it infuriated her. "He's got really cute since last year. And he's on the team, of course!" Mirabelle added. Claudia was not quite sure which one of her teammates was dumb enough to ask Penelope to the ball. Must have been Rowle, although she would struggle to describe him as 'cute'.

"I agree." Camille pitched in. "You could do a lot worse than that."

"Speaking of worse…" Barbara smirked and turned her head towards Claudia. "Never understood why he went out with her in the first place. What could he possibly see in her?" All four of the girls laughed. Clearly, it was not Rowle who asked Penelope out after all. It was Julius.

"Who is she going with?" Penelope asked.

"I think she might be taking her broom." Mirabelle giggled.

"I don't think even a broom would go with her." Camille added and collapsed into a fit of laughter.

"Can't you all just go back to pretending I don't exist?" Claudia barked at them. "It's worked for everyone for the last six years. Why stop now?" She added sarcastically.

"Oh, she speaks." Penelope ridiculed her.

Claudia did not wait for any more taunting. She jumped into her bed, drew the curtains around it and cast a spell to drown out the noise. Just how much she wanted to tell them who she was really dating. Their stupid jaws would fall off. Then again, they would never leave her alone if they knew. She could hear the jibes already. She took out her books and grumpily stared at them until the clock struck three o'clock. But the breathing and snoring of her roommates made it hard to concentrate. She hated these girls. Absolutely hated them, from the bottom of her heart.

"I've got some good news about the alkahest." Sirius whispered at the end of the next day's Potions class. He and James stayed behind to talk to Claudia. "James' dad got a lab that we can use."

"Really?" Claudia asked.

"Sure you can." James frowned. "But only if you tell me why."

"Later." Claudia replied. There were still others in the classroom, and she was not about to reveal anything to James if there was a chance they were going to be overheard.

However, neither James nor Sirius moved, and they both continued to stare at her, looking rather sheepish.

"I will tell you eventually, just not now." Claudia sighed.

"That's not it." James grimaced and exchanged a look with Sirius. If Claudia did not know better, they look terrified.

"It's about the May Ball. I was going to go by myself…" Sirius began and scratched his head.

"But?" Claudia said slowly, her chest swirling with all sorts of unpleasant emotions.

"But if he takes Marlene." James jumped in. "Lily will come with me. Just as friends. But still, Lily will come with me!" He could barely contain himself.

"That's just great." Claudia mumbled and snapped shut the fastening of her bag.

"Claudia, please?" James pleaded with her. "Will you let him? They would be going as friends. There is nothing more to it."

"He can do whatever he wants." Claudia scoffed, doing her very best not to look at either of them. "I'm not going to the stupid ball." She added and stormed out of the classroom.

Half-way up the stairs, Sirius caught up and reached out for her hand. Claudia freed it angrily and folded her arms across her chest.

"Do you think I want to go with this girl?" Sirius whispered.

"I didn't hear you complain about it." Claudia scowled at him.

"You know full well I'd rather go with you." He replied, starting to look rather annoyed himself. "But it's not like you're going to let me."

"I said you can do whatever you want." She continued to glare at him.

"It was your idea to keep this secret!" Sirius barked. "You know how I feel about it."

"How many times do you want me to say that I don't care who you take to the ball?" Claudia barked back and run up the stairs and towards the Slytherin common room. She knew Sirius was right – keeping their relationship secret was her idea. But it still bothered her to no end that he would go to the May Ball with someone else.

Claudia barely spoke to Sirius for the next few days. Finally, the weekend of the decisive Quidditch game of the season had arrived. By the time the Slytherin team sat down in the stands to watch the game, Claudia's nerves were wrecked. But she needed not to worry - Ravenclaw tried, Green caught the snitch, and Slytherin won the Cup. It had been a long time since Slytherin common room witnessed a party quite like this. Butterbeer was flowing. Everyone was laughing. It reminded Claudia of the old times. The old times when she still had friends in Slytherin.

At the end of the night, Claudia found herself sitting on the sofa next to Julius. It was weird, they sat like this so many times when they were dating. But with everything that happened since they broke up, it felt like a lifetime ago.

"Thank you." She smiled at him.

"For what?" Julius asked.

"For not quitting the team." She whispered. "And for making sure Green didn't give them a free pass today." She poked him with her elbow.

"He didn't need any encouragement from me." Julius looked at her earnestly. "Love is a very strong incentive in itself." He added with a slight twinkle in his eye. Claudia hastily looked away. It could not have been. Regulus just could not have been right about this. She excused herself, grabbed the Cup, and run out of the common room. Just before she turned into the corridor leading to the girls' dormitories, Julius caught up with her.

"Please don't go." He whispered and grabbed Claudia's arm. "I want to celebrate with you." He added and leaned towards her. Her back was against a wall, and she had nowhere to go. He moved his face within an inch of hers.

"Let me go." Claudia replied and tried pushing him away. No matter how mad she was at Sirius, she would never betray him in this way.

"I still love you." Julius insisted, his eyes flaming with yearning. He was getting even closer, his grip on Claudia's arm was tightening. She reached into her pocket and managed to grip the end of her wand with the tips of her fingers. She stuck it between Julius' ribs.

"But I don't." Claudia hissed, pressed her wand deeper into his body and pushed him away again. "And I never have." She added icily.

Upon hearing those words, Julius froze. The fire in his eyes gave way to pure hurt.

Claudia pushed past him, disappeared into her dormitory, and crashed into bed. She was upset about what just happened and angry tears began rolling down her cheeks. Julius had no right to corner her like that. To expect anything from her. She looked at the Cup she was still holding. To ruin her night.

Claudia closed her eyes and sighed. The one person she wanted to celebrate with was mad at her. What was worse, it was all over some stupid ball that neither of them even cared about. She reached under her pillow and took out the two-way notebook.

"I'm sorry." She scribbled.

"I'm sorry too. I love you. Please, always remember that." A response appeared almost instantly.

"I love you too." Claudia replied and a tiny smile appeared on her face.

"I'm going to say no to James about the ball." Sirius wrote. Claudia hesitated. She wanted him to say that, but it did not feel right. Not anymore.

"No, you can't. He can't take that and losing the cup." She replied.

"I think you might be right. He shut his curtains on us and all we hear is the occasional sob." When she read that sentence, Claudia experienced a new emotion. She felt sorry for James Potter. Never in a million years she thought that would be something she was capable of.

"I'll try not to mock him too much." She wrote.

"I don't believe you…" Sirius replied. "If you're done celebrating with your lot, do you want to meet up?" He added.

"I would love to. But they are all still in the common room and I can't go back there." There was no way she would be able to get past them unseen. Especially if Julius was still around.

"Is everything ok?" Sirius wrote. She pondered whether to tell him anything but decided not to. He would probably punch Julius' face out and their secret would have been out. Besides, nothing really happened, and she very much doubted Julius would try anything again. He looked broken.

"Yeah. I just can't sneak out." She replied instead.

"Goodnight then, my champion." Sirius wrote.

"Night." She scribbled and shoved the notebook back under her pillow.

The May Ball was fast approaching, and Claudia was still determined to avoid it completely. But just as Alice almost convinced her to tag along with her fellow Gryffindors, Claudia was surprised to find that she too had a date. Well, it was not really a date. Remus asked her to go with him as friends. Claudia suspected that Sirius put him up to it - a claim that Remus strenuously denied.

What really cheered her up though was the fact that Madame Pomfrey's treatment had worked and both Eleanor and Lucy were now out of the hospital wing and seemingly on the mend. Claudia was slowly able to let go of her guilt and even asked Eleanor to help her alter one of her old dresses. It turned out to be the right call as Eleanor was very talented. Gone were the puffy sleeves, the ribbons, and the lacey frills. What was left was a sleek strapless dress in rich dark green colour. The silk corset fitted Claudia perfectly and the narrow skirt felt to just above her ankles. She even managed to find some flats that could pass as ball shoes. A crystal headband and a touch of lip gloss and the girls were good to go.

"You scrub up alright." Remus said with a smirk as they met by the entrance to the Great Hall. Claudia chuckled and curtsied. They entered the Hall together to find that everyone else was already at the table – James, Sirius, Peter, as well as Lily and two of her friends, Mary and Marlene. Mary was short, with brown hair and was wearing a somewhat sour expression on her face. She did not seem too happy to be the one who got stuck with Peter. Marlene was taller, blond, and athletic. She was the Gryffindor's back-up chased. Claudia was experiencing serious Leanne-shaped flashbacks. And she did not like it one bit.

There were two free seats between Sirius and Mary. Claudia had been to enough parties to know what the expected seating order was. She could hear her mother's voice screeching in her ear - you simply could not have two women or men sitting next to each other. With that, she sat down next to Sirius.

"That dress is pure evil." He whispered in her ear. Claudia chuckled but stopped when she caught James glaring at them. Sirius had clearly seen him too. "I had to swear we'll behave. Apparently tonight is about him convincing Lily that he isn't an idiot." Claudia laughed. James did clearly take her advice on board.

Claudia did her best to behave but it was basically impossible. Lily's friends were boring. The punch that was being served was stronger than it tasted and the more she drank, the harder it was to keep her hands to herself. Sirius was clearly suffering in exactly the same way – he kept fiddling with anything and everything on the table, and was louder, more exuberant and meaner by the minute. Peter seemed to be taking the brunt of it. If the experience of last year taught Claudia anything, it was that Sirius got like this when he was trying to hide how he really felt. And there were enough glances and brushes of his hand against her leg for Claudia to know precisely what feeling was consuming him.

"Tell Remus, I'll give him thousand galleons if he asks Marlene to dance with him." Sirius leaned towards Claudia and uttered. She could feel his breath on her shoulder. It took all her strength not to bury her fingers in his hair and kiss him.

"Sirius would like you to ask Marlene for a dance." Claudia turned to Remus and whispered. "He did mention giving you a thousand galleons, but I think he may have been exaggerating."

"I don't think he was." Remus smirked with a side-glance at Sirius. He clearly knew his friend well.

"Excuse me." Claudia said, more loudly and got up from the table. "I will be right back." She barely made it out of the Great Hall when Sirius caught up with her and grabbed her by the waist. Chuckling, they stumbled through the first door they had seen and found themselves in an empty classroom. Sirius pinned Claudia against the wall and kissed her.

"Never." He whispered between kisses. "So much self-control." He tugged on the back of her dress. "Have to." He was not making any sense whatsoever. "Hate it." He continued to try to find the fastening. But he could not, so he let out a frustrated growl and let go of the back of her dress. Instead, he slid his hands down to the top of Claudia's thighs and began gathering the fabric of her skirt with his fingers. Claudia could feel the hem tingling higher and higher up her legs. It was hard to believe that a feeling so subtle could make her insides swirl quite so much.

"You're too short for this." Sirius whispered as he finally managed to get her skirt all the way up, placed his palms on her bum, and pulled her towards him. Claudia did not need to ask what 'this' was. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him again. Suddenly, she could feel a broad grin appear on his face.

"What are you plotting?" Claudia chuckled, as she pulled away. She knew this grin all too well. Sirius grabbed her by the hips and lifted her to sit on top of a little cabinet that they were standing next to. "I see. Not too short anymore." Claudia whispered, reached for Sirius' waistband and yanked him close to her. The desire that had been building up all evening was burning them both from the inside. They surrendered to it. Completely.

Sirius sank his hands into Claudia's back and groaned. She put her finger across his lips. They were not too far from the Great Hall and she did not particularly fancy getting caught in such compromising position. Sirius lowered his head and kissed her neck in an attempt to keep silent.

"Ouch." Claudia let out a whisper. "You bit me." He clearly lost all control in that moment.

Sirius laughed and with one last thrust crumbled on top of her, breathing heavily. His body loosened up.

They stayed like they were for a minute or so, as if they were frozen in time.

"I can't do this anymore." He whispered as he held her tight.

"If you're breaking up with me." Claudia replied and pushed him ever so slightly away. "This is not good timing."

"You know full well that's not it." Sirius sighed. He pulled up his trousers and hopped on the cabinet to sit next to her. "I mean the hiding." He added. Claudia knew it had been bothering him. But before she could say anything, Sirius continued. "You won't let me protect you. You won't be seen with me. I think you're ashamed that we're together." He whispered and dropped his head against the wall.

"I'm not ashamed of you. It's just. This is so much easier. We do what we want. There is no gossip. No jibes. Nobody is making fun of us for being together..." Claudia whispered. "I just worry what people are going to say and do. What my father is going to do. You know how dangerous he is." She added when Sirius looked far from convinced.

"Hiding is not the solution, Claude." Sirius replied. "We can't be doing this forever."

"I know." Claudia sighed. "But what can we do?"

"Do you remember what I said in Edinburgh?" Sirius asked. "You don't have to go back to your parents."

"Do you really think we could do it? Live together?" Claudia gave Sirius the tiniest of smiles.

"I really do." Sirius smiled back and put his arm around her shoulders. "I want us to wander around London. I want to pick you up from work and embarrass you in front of the Minister. But most of all, I want to wake up next to you every single morning." He added and brushed her hair with his fingers.

"That sounds like a good list." Claudia whispered and kissed him. "I want all of that too."

"Is that a yes?" Sirius asked, with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Alright." Claudia chuckled.

"You mean it?" Sirius double checked. "Really mean it?"

"Yeah, I really do." Claudia laughed and dropped her head on his shoulder. She felt hundred pounds lighter. "We really ought to get back, or our dates will get suspicious." She added with a smirk.

"James is going to kill me." Sirius exhaled. "He's taking this date too seriously. And it's not even a real one!"

"We don't have to tell anyone tonight." Claudia replied. "We've been hiding for six months. We can do it for one more day. You go first." She added and nudged him off the cabinet. He leaned back against it and kissed her again. It took him good few minutes to summon enough strength to actually leave.

Claudia gave Sirius a head-start, before setting off towards the Great Hall. She was about to turn the corner to the entrance hall, when she noticed that her dress was somewhat crumbled. She bent over and tried to brush it straight. Just as she was about to stand up again, she noticed a pair of feet standing barely a yard in front of her. She recognised those suede moccasins. This was not good. Not good at all.

"Miss Avery." The stern voice of Professor McGonagall echoed in the corridor. "Where are you returning from?"

"I've been to the bathroom." Claudia lied.

"The bathrooms are the other way." McGonagall said from behind her spectacles. She was not going to be that easily fooled.

"I got lost." Claudia said in a last-ditch attempt to save her skin.

"Detention, Miss Avery." McGonagall said shaking her head. "Now get back to the Great Hall before I send you to bed."

Claudia scuttered off back to the Great Hall, beside herself with anger.

"What happened?" Sirius whispered as she dropped to the chair next to him.

"McGonagall caught me and gave me detention." Claudia scowled.

"Oh. That's alright then." Sirius laughed.

"It's not alright." Claudia whispered angrily. "I've never had detention before!"

"You what? How…" Sirius said perhaps louder than he intended to, as few heads turned towards them. "How are we together?" He added whispering so quietly that even Claudia could barely hear him. He could not resist brushing his hand against her back. She could see in his eyes he would kiss her in a heartbeat if he could.

"I think we are going to go." Lily said suddenly from across the table. Claudia raised her head and saw that Lily was staring at her.

"Can I walk you back?" James asked hopefully.

"I don't think so." Lily replied and stomped off into the crowd, her friends at her heels. The band began to play a much rowdier tune.

"I cannot believe you two!" James shouted over the music. It was now so loud that Claudia could barely hear him. "One evening! That's all I asked. But you vanish and come back looking like…" He gestured at them angrily, clearly unable to find the right word.

"Like what?" Sirius laughed, trying to sound innocent.

"Your tie is missing. Your collar is all smudged with lipstick. It doesn't take a genius to work out where you've been." James continued to yell. Claudia looked at Sirius and chuckled. James was right. "And I don't know why you're laughing. You look like a right mess too."

"I don't." Claudia tried defending herself and tugged her hair behind her ears.

"I think he's referring to the bite mark." Sirius chuckled and made a circle on Claudia's shoulder with his finger. "I'm sorry about that by the way." He whispered in her ear.

"I very much doubt that." Claudia replied. Their faces were practically touching. What harm could one kiss do, Claudia thought. Lily was gone anyway.

"Stop it!" James roared and interrupted her train of thought. "I kept my mouth shut for you! And this is how you repay me. All I wanted was to show her that I care. That I'm not the dumbass she thinks I am." James did not, however, got to say anymore.

"Sorry." A red head emerged from behind him. "I forgot something." James did not even look at Lily. He stood by the table completely frozen. Lily grabbed her handbag from the table and disappeared again. But just before she did, she turned back to look at James and blushed.

"Oh shit." Claudia mumbled to herself. Lily did like him back. They were really going to be intolerable.

"Do you think it worked?" Sirius asked her. "I think it worked." He had also clearly spotted that look that Lily just gave James. Claudia started nodding vigorously.

"What worked?" James barked.

"She was impressed with you yelling at us like that." Claudia replied.

"Extremely impressed." Sirius laughed.

James collapsed into his chair. The corner of his mouth twitched and then he broke into a huge grin.

"He is going to be unbearable now." Sirius sighed and downed another glass of the punch.

She let Sirius walk her back to the dungeons, even if they did not have the invisibility cloak on them. She could see on Sirius' face how happy he was. Finally, they will get to be together in the open.

Claudia was not the only student that got caught sneaking back to the ball that night. The following morning, Professor McGonagall gave a stern speech at breakfast. There were so many detentions handed out during the ball that the Headmaster had decided to cancel it for good. Apparently, they should all be feeling ashamed of depriving future generations of an opportunity to celebrate the end of the school year. Claudia could feel her ears burning. But before she could contemplate her (lack of) shame any further, an owl dropped a note into her lap. It was from Professor Dumbledore. He wanted to see her this morning, at her earliest convenience.

Claudia set off for his office immediately. But the closer she got, the more she was panicking. Was getting caught at the ball really such a transgression? They could not really prove that she did anything wrong. But then again, Dumbledore knew about her and Sirius. What if he figured something out and they were going to get punished? Would that be enough to get them both expelled? Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. What if Dumbledore found out that they sneaked out of school for her Birthday? That would definitely be enough to send them both packing. No final year in Hogwarts, no NEWTs, no job. The thought of that was too horrible to even contemplate.

When she finally arrived in the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore face gave nothing away. He gestured towards a chair and Claudia obliged. When she put her hands on her knees, she noticed just how much they were shaking.

"I've heard that you got the placement at the Ministry of Magic." Dumbledore began. Claudia merely nodded. She was too nervous to say anything. The lump in her throat would not let her. "I need your help." The Headmaster added.

"What?" Claudia managed to mumble. That was not something she was expecting.

"I understand that you will work in the Minister's Private Office." Dumbledore began to explain. Seeing that Claudia nodded again, he continued. "Something strange had happened to the previous Principle Private Secretary. I need you to find out what and why."

"Right." Claudia whispered. Suddenly, it was all clear to her – the unexpected invitation to the interview, the ease with which she got the role. It was all a set up. "You want me to spy for you?" She asked, somewhat more sharply than she intended.

"That's not how I would put it." Dumbledore smiled. "But that's the essence of it, yes."

"Anything else I need to know?" Claudia added. She was annoyed a little for being manipulated in this way, but also found the prospect of spying for Dumbledore just a little exciting.

"Not for the time being." Dumbledore replied.

"Alright then." Claudia said and began to get up.

"Actually, one more thing." Dumbledore said. Claudia dropped back into the chair. "I know one thing for sure. Your father is important in all of this. I need you to keep an eye on him. Go home for the summer, keep your head down, find out what he is up to." Claudia froze. That was her perfect summer gone, in an instant. Seeing the uncertainty on Claudia's face, Dumbledore continued. "This is very important, Miss Avery. Your father is the key to understanding the whole conspiracy. And you are the only person who can help."

"OK." Claudia sighed, got up and took a few steps towards the door. She was about to burst into tears and really did not want to do that in front of the Headmaster. It was then that she realised just how much she did not want to go back to her parents' house. She got so close. So close to being truly happy.

"It goes without saying that your parents probably should not know certain things about your personal life." She heard Dumbledore add significantly. She barely looked at him to acknowledge what he just said and walked out of there as fast as she could.

Without thinking, she run up the Astronomy Tower and crashed to the floor. Dumbledore's words were ringing in her ears. She was the only one who could help. She was the only one who could figure out what her father was up to.

Instinctively, Claudia reached into her pocket and took out the French Resistance insignia she bought last summer at that memorial. She had been carrying it around for good luck, and to remind herself what she ought to fight for. If these people could sacrifice their lives to stop an unspeakable evil, how could she even contemplate not doing her bid because she wanted to spend time with her boyfriend? It was so pathetic. But she just could not stop herself thinking that. The thought of having to spend each night in the room she hated and surrounded by the people she despised, rather than in the arms of the person she loved the most in the whole world made her want to throw up.

Claudia heard someone coming up the steps to the tower. She dried her eyes, unsure at what point she started crying.

"I'm not sure I like that stupid map of yours." Claudia smiled through the tears, when she saw it was Sirius who was climbing up the stairs. "I can't hide from you."

"What happened?" Sirius asked and sat down next to her.

Claudia recounted her conversation with Dumbledore.

"You aren't seriously contemplating this." Sirius said, leaving Claudia unsure whether that was a question or a statement.

"I have no choice. They have to be stopped." Claudia replied.

"You cannot do this." Sirius implored her. "It's dangerous."

"You would do the same thing, if you were in my shoes." Claudia snaped back at him. "What am I supposed to do? Just sit on the side-lines and let others do the hard work? They are my family. This is my responsibility." She added, getting increasingly agitated.

Sirius just stared at her in complete silence. Then, he reached for a cigarette. She could see his hand tremble slightly as he brought it to his face and lit it up.

"Since when do you smoke?" She asked.

"Since I can't cope with all the shit that's happening." Sirius exhaled and leaned back against the wall. "I fucking hate this plan."

"I know you do." Claudia said. "I'm kind of glad that you do too." She added with a smile.

Sirius smiled back at her, reached into her palm, and took the French Resistance insignia she was still holding onto.

"I read your book." He whispered. "The one you have me for Christmas."

"So, you understand why I have to do this." Claudia uttered.

Sirius sighed and fiddled with the insignia. He looked like he was fighting something on the inside. Finally, he turned towards Claudia and locked his eyes with hers.

"Claude, I need to know something." He began. The tone of his voice was gloomy yet determined. "Please be honest with me. Is your mother still…" Sirius swallowed. "Is she still hurting you?"

Claudia looked to the floor. Sirius must have remembered what he saw nearly three years ago at his parents' party – Cassandra taking out her frustrations on her then fourteen-year-old daughter after she left that gazebo in pieces. She wanted to lie and say no. She did not want him to know for sure. She was too old for this. It was embarrassing.

Sirius put his fingers under her chin and lifted her head up. He moved his own face within couple of inches of hers and looked into her eyes. His beautiful grey eyes were also filling up with tears.

"It's nothing…" Claudia began to say. "She usually takes it out on the house-elf." She attempted to laugh.

"I'm begging you. No jokes." Sirius implored her. "Be honest with me."

Claudia stared at him for a good minute.

"The last time I saw her, she tried." She whispered and watched Sirius' face twist with anger. "But I fought back. She won't try again. Not now I'm seventeen." Sirius pulled Claudia towards him and held her tight in his arms. "I should have stopped her years ago. It was so easy to do." Claudia added in the most silent of whispers, and felt the tear rolling down her face. She was not entirely sure whose tear that was.

"This is not on you. This is entirely your mother's fault." Siris whispered back. "She's vile." She did not expect him to put it quite this way. To guess that was how she felt. But it was exactly what she needed to hear.

"You know what it's like, don't you?" She asked. That was the only explanation for Sirius' reaction. He must have had the same experience.

"My mother used the Cruciatus curse on me once." Sirius uttered.

"What?" Claudia gasped. Whatever her mother did to her, she never did that. Using an unforgivable curse on your child. It was too horrible to even contemplate.

"I was thirteen… Got too big just to be slapped around." Sirius replied.

Claudia had absolutely no idea what to say. She was never good at saying things that made people feel better. Instead, she just placed her head on his chest and hugged him as tight as she could. They sat on the top of the tower, watching dark clouds fly over the grounds. The wind was picking up. A storm must have been coming.

"I have to do this." Claudia whispered finally. "For both of us. For everyone that we love."

"I get it. But I still hate it." Sirius said after a long pause. Claudia gave him a brief smile. "It's a shit world that we have to live in." He added with deep melancholy in his voice.

"I know." Claudia sighed.

"I'm going to walk around that house every night to make sure you're ok." Sirius sounded more resolute now.

"I know." Claudia knew she would never be able to convince him otherwise.

"And if anyone as much as touches you…" Sirius said. His nostrils were getting wider. He was angry again. Claudia knew full well what he was going to do if anyone hurt her. It scared her a little.

"I know." She whispered.