The Orb of Secrets
Chapter 1
Harry stared blankly at the ceiling while Ron, on the bed beside him, snored.
It was here, in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, where he had spent Christmas happily with Sirius and the rest…
Sirius…
But everything was different now. Sirius was gone because of he, Harry's folly. Who could he turn to now – now that Sirius had gone? Waves of loneliness and loss swept over him and a tear rolled down his cheek. He quickly brushed it away.
"Ron? Harry? Come down for breakfast!" Mrs. Weasley's voice rang shrilly from the kitchen.
Harry turned to look at Ron, who was clearly still fast asleep and showed no desire of waking up anytime soon.
Downstairs, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were already seated for breakfast.
"BOYS!!" Mrs. Weasley called.
"A couple more hours in bed won't kill them, Mrs. Weasley," Tonks grinned indulgently.
Mrs. Weasley made an impatient noise. Ginny rose from the table.
"I'll wake them," She offered.
"Oh, Ginny dear, please do. Breakfast's getting cold and – "
Ginny hurried up the stairs and disappeared into one of the rooms.
"RON!" Ginny yelled, and pounced on her brother's bed, grabbing a sleeping Ron by the shoulders and shaking him wildly.
"Wha – What?" Ron sat up, startled.
"Oh, nothing much, it's just time for breakfast – it's getting cold." She said sweetly. "And Harry – are you awake?"
Not wanting anyone to know that he had hardly caught a wink of sleep, Harry pretended to yawn and rubbed his eyes.
"Yeah," he answered in his most sleepy voice.
"Well hurry and get changed for breakfast, you two." With that, Ginny left the room.
"Oh, there you are!" Mrs. Weasley said in a pleased voice when they came trooping down the stairs 10 minutes later.
"Boy, am I hungry!" Said Ron, and started attacking his breakfast.
"And good morning, Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley added.
Harry muttered a 'good morning' and looked gloomily down at his plate. Like Ron, he was hungry, but, somehow, he just couldn't bring himself to eat…
Sirius should be here, with us, eating breakfast happily together…
"What's wrong, Harry?" Asked Lupin, noting that Harry's breakfast had remained untouched.
But Harry didn't have to worry about making up an imaginary illness because just then, the doorbell rang, and Mrs. Black started shrieking.
"Ugh, I hate it when she does that," Tonks murmured, and hurried to shut the curtains.
Lupin sprang up. "I'll get the door."
Harry doodled around the plate with his fork and knife miserably.
It was all my fault, Sirius shouldn't have died…
"Mwai mwai, de's white a dooker, isn't de?" Ron attempted to speak with his mouth full.
"What?"
Ron swallowed and pointed at the door. "I said she's quite a looker, isn't she? A bit old, though,"
Harry turned to look. Lupin was exchanging a few words with a woman at the door. The woman then brushed him aside and walked audaciously into the house.
Beside him, Mad-eye Moody already had his wand out and was growling.
"Where is he?" The woman demanded.
Mrs. Weasley raised an eyebrow at Lupin inquiringly. Tonks looked amused.
"And who are you?" Moody snarled.
"Uhh, this is Naline – Naline Savernake," Lupin said anxiously.
Naline Savernake stood very still with her head raised high, and surveyed the people around her, and them, her.
Harry's first impression on seeing Naline was dislike. She possessed an extraordinary Scandinavian fairness and had those lovely, violet eyes you wouldn't very often see. Arrogance showed itself quite clearly in her well-set face. She was dressed very fashionably as a Muggle – hat, expensive-looking fur coat and all. There was something very intense about her that made her quite an impossible character to overlook. She wasn't a young woman, though. 30-odd, Harry guessed.
"Think maybe a bit of a nutter as well," Ron whispered to Harry.
"Well?" Naline looked around the house, this time a slight hint of plea in her voice.
"I didn't expect you here so early, Naline, Dumbledore said in the next 2 weeks – " Lupin began.
Naline turned to Lupin, her eyes hard. Lupin fell silent. Mad-eye Moody grunted.
When Naline finally spoke, it was just a single word, so low it came out nearly a whisper.
"Sirius."
Harry's heart thumped. Why had this madwoman come looking for Sirius? Perhaps Sirius hadn't died after all? Maybe he was still somewhere? Maybe…
The people at the table shifted uncomfortably in their seats, except for Mad-eye Moody, who still refused to keep his wand and remained ever-vigilant.
Naline drew in a deep breath, and said, "So."
Lupin nodded.
"So Sirius is – he's really… dead…"
"Yes he's dead, Naline."
Harry's heart sank. Naline gave a cool little nod in Lupin's direction and walked towards the table in a daze, and sat herself down where Lupin had vacated.
"Tell me who killed him." She said quietly.
"Lestrange – Bellatrix Lestrange." Tonks replied grimly.
Naline laughed – a horrible, twisted laugh.
"Bella! Old Bella!" She exclaimed breathlessly. "She killed Alice – and Frank also, that Bella!"
"Alice and Frank are still alive." Moody said simply.
"Last I checked, my dear cousin and her husband were better off dead." She replied.
"Don't you say such things about them!" Harry yelled, rising from his chair. He couldn't take it – Neville's parents being insulted like that after the sacrifices they made…
Naline noticed Harry for the first time, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
"For awhile I thought it was dear James I was seeing."
"Well hurry and finish up your breakfast, children!" Mrs. Weasley urged, anxious to relieve the children from the impending row.
Ginny tugged at Harry's shirt, motioning him to sit down.
"I suppose I ought to, err, introduce Naline properly? She is – was – Sirius's fiancée." Said Lupin, hoping to ease the mounting tension.
Harry fell back into his seat. Ron's mouth opened. Ginny's eyes widened. Mrs. Weasley and Tonks looked on, and Moody grunted, as usual.
"Bella, Bella." Naline murmured, no longer smiling, eyes filled with rage.
"Sirius wanted you to have something. Follow me." Lupin led her away into one of the rooms upstairs.
"Oomph, i'be binished," Ron stuffed the remainder of his breakfast into his mouth and left for the stairs.
"Uhh, me too," Harry announced, and sped off after Ron before Mrs. Weasley could point out that his breakfast was still untouched.
"Me three," Said Ginny, and hurried up the stairs.
*** ***
"Time for the Extendable Ears to be put into action," Said Ron, for they were all very curious.
*** ***
Lupin handed Naline a little brown package which on it scribbled: "For Naline, to be handed to her after my death"
Naline's lips curled into a little ironic smile.
"Over 10 years of waiting – and all I've got out of it is this."
"I'll leave you to open it alone."
Lupin shuffled out of the room.
Naline carefully unwrapped the package. In it was a letter, which read:
Dear Naline,
Don't be sad, and don't cry.
I'm sorry I never got around to marrying you like I said I would. As you know, I got locked up in Azkaban…
I've been leading life like a fugitive since my escape, always hiding and always on the run, living in dirty old caves with only a hippogriff, Buckbeak (take care of him for me, won't you?) as means of transport.
Sirius – dear Sirius! What was he thinking? If he was on the run then she would run with him, dirty old caves wouldn't have bothered her!
And now there's Harry to look after as well – James's son. I'm his godfather, you know. He really is a lot like James…
I remember when I proposed to you, and how happy I was when you accepted. I'm damned lucky to have got you, Naline! And I looked at James and Lily and thought we could be happy like them, have a nice child and you being Mrs. Black. It would've been heaven.
Oh, yes… the night before he got arrested, the night before the nightmare began… that moment, when he asked 'would you marry me?', that moment, was happiness itself. Happiness… she was going to have a happy future together with the man she loved…
But it didn't happen…
It's been so many years now. If you're reading this means I've died – but even so, Naline, I still want you as my wife. I didn't give you a ring that time – I've enclosed one to you now – put it on, and be mine forever.
Love,
Sirius
Naline put down the letter, tears streaming silently down her face. She retrieved from the package a ring with a glittering heart-shaped diamond perched on the top. It was such a lovely ring…
And as she slid it on her fourth finger, she burst into sobs.
*** ***
From the Extendable Ears, they could hear Mrs. Weasley and Tonks had entered the room.
"Ms. Savernake?" It was Mrs. Weasley.
Naline's sobbing became more and more hysterical.
"He – He's de- dead, Si –Sirius … de- dead!"
"Oh, don't cry…"
*** ***
Harry wished he could cry out like that, too.
Just then, an owl came flying through the window and landed on Ron's shoulder, distracting Harry momentarily from his pain.
"Hermione," Harry said, judging from the handwriting. He was right.
Dear Ron,
How are you? Is Harry with you? I hope he is, spending a whole summer with his horrible aunt and uncle isn't exactly enjoyable.
I'm currently holidaying with my parents in Italy – lovely place it is! And such a rich history too,
Hermione then devoted 2 paragraphs to Italy's importance and influence in the magical community in the 16th century.
Oh, I'm so nervous about my OWLs! I dreamt last night that I failed all of them and it was unnerving.
Ron rolled his eyes. The chances of Hermione failing all her OWLs were about as high as Crabbe and Goyle being made prefects.
And guess what? I met Luna Lovegood – we're staying at the same hotel. What a coincidence! Well, actually it's like that, I let slip to Luna that I was going to the Burrow to stay during the last week of the holidays, and now she wants to come along as well. I mean – it wouldn't have been nice if I said 'no', would it?
I hope it's okay with you and your mom. Ask her for me, won't you?
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Loony Lovegood! Coming to stay! Ginny merely giggled.
Well, I really have to go now, I'm halfway through this thoroughly fascinating book called Italy: the Art of Magic, and I really want to finish it.
Have fun, and write back!
Love,
Hermione
*** ***
Harry found it extra difficult to sleep that night. Naline's sobs kept echoing in his ears. Somehow, he felt guilty…
Oh, Dumbledore had said it wasn't his fault, nobody blamed him, but what did they know? This terrible guilt – would it ever leave him? If only… if only he'd listened…
And now! Naline – the woman Sirius loved and had hoped to marry, and perhaps would've done so if he were still alive, if he, Harry, hadn't been so naïve…
He tossed and turned in his bed restlessly, and finally decided to get up and take a walk around the house.
"Lumos." He whispered.
The tip of his wand ignited, and he left the room. Someone was sitting at the stairs.
"Who's there?"
The pale face of Naline Savernake turned to face him.
"Hullo, Harry."
"Oh, hi, err, Ms. Savernake."
"You can call me Naline," She said, and beckoned him to sit with her.
Naline looked very different under only his wand's glow. Her eyes, for one, looked soft and weary, unlike the fiery eyes he had seen earlier that day.
Soft, probably because of all that crying, Harry thought guiltily. He did not dare face her.
"Sirius lives on, you know. In our hearts. His love stays with us." She said coolly.
Harry nodded, unconvinced. Sirius was dead. All these pretty words wouldn't make him come back to life again…
Naline held out her hand and swayed it from time to time, letting the diamond catch the light and sparkle.
"Nice ring, isn't it? I'm Mrs. Naline Black."
"You mean – "
"I can marry whoever I like, can't I? And I've chosen Sirius Black – a dead man, but what does that matter?" She said vaguely.
"Oh." Harry said, not quite sure he understood.
He had a fleeting image of Pansy Parkinson saying, "I can marry whoever I like, can't I? And I've chosen Harry Potter…"
He shuddered.
"Were you there when he – when Sirius died?"
"Yeah…"
"Bellatrix Lestrange… one day I will kill her. I was so fond of Alice – my cousin, you know. We grew up and spent many summers together, went to Hogwarts together and all that. And now Sirius…" Her voice had dropped into a low whisper. "One day I will kill her I swear, even if it's the last thing I do."
There was something scary in her eyes now – they were steely and cold, murderous eyes.
Naline rose abruptly.
"Try to get some sleep, Harry."