This is the second part in the Lauralie Black Series. If you have not read Year one, you probably should. Just click on the author name up there ^^ and go read it. Though you may be able to understand the plot without it, it would greatly increase your enjoyment of the story to have read both parts.
Lauralie Black and the Dragons of Yorkshire (YEAR 2)
Chapter 1: The Beginning
The Black home was not necessarily large, at least not by wizard standards. Most wizarding families were old and had managed to accumulate some wealth. So by the standards of you or I it would probably be viewed as a mansion. It had four floors and a large expanse of land spread about it. But Lauralie was perfectly content in her bedroom.
Lauralie held up the phial to the light to double check her measurement before pouring the chamomile extract into the simmering cauldron. The potion hissed and turned from a sickly green to a pale orange. She stirred it slowly.
"It looks like someone doesn't realize that school isn't in session at the moment," Remus said, leaning on the door frame, "and hasn't been for nearly two months."
Lauralie looked up at him for a moment but said nothing. Remus sat patiently in the doorway.
"Your hair has gotten longer," he said.
"I used hair lengthening serum," she said. "Brewed it myself."
Remus smiled. "It must have been a strong potion, your hair nearly reaches your hips," he commented. "So… what are you brewing now?"
Lauralie didn't answer as she poured the potion from her miniature cauldron into a large glass beaker, and capped it for storage.
"Do you ever pay attention in Potions?" she asked.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts is more my thing," he said.
Lauralie sighed. "It's a healing potion, if you pour it into a flesh wound, not a big one mind you, but a minor one, it will heal it."
"I imagine that comes in handy when you're a Slytherin."
Lauralie ignored that comment. She opened up a leather case and placed the potion in the holder inside, along with a couple other potions she had made.
Why are you in here Remus?" Lauralie asked. "Shouldn't you and my brother be off somewhere blowing something up?"
"I came her to give you your birthday present," he said.
She looked up surprised. "My birthday isn't until tomorrow," she said, "and even so, why are you giving me a present?"
"I know, but I won't be here," he said. "My mother is sick. She wants me to come home for a bit. I leave tonight." He handed her a rectangle package wrapped in green paper.
She looked up into his face. He looked pale and had deep purple circles beneath his eyes. His mother is sick?
"Wait till tomorrow to open it," he said, "or at least humor me enough to wait until I've left."
"Goodbye Remus," she said. "I'll see you at school. And I hope you feel better."
Remus looked minorly shocked. But Lauralie looked confidently up at him.
"Not much gets past you eh?" he asked.
"Nope, besides, look at yourself," Lauralie said. "You are as white as a ghost. And that isn't right when you've been spending so much time outdoors."
"Remus, your mother is here," Rainelda Black called from downstairs.
"Well, I guess that means I'm leaving," he mumbled. "See you soon."
"Yeah, soon."
He turned and walked out of the room. Lauralie went and sat on her window ledge and looked out. The Knight Bus sat in their front lawn. She watched as Mrs. Lupin (looking in good health) led her son into the bus. The doors clambered shut and the vehicle disappeared in a flash of light.
She tore off the green paper of the package to reveal an impressive leather bound book entitled Advanced Potions for the Adventurous Soul. She opened up the cover to see, in Remus' neat script, a note.
"Not that I want to overly encourage this obsession you have with Potions. But somehow I thought you'd find this useful."
Love, Remus"
Lauralie smiled.
"Where'd you get that?"
Lauralie looked up to see that her mother had come into the room.
"Remus gave it to me, birthday present."
"I always knew Remus was the sensible one."
Lauralie laughed. She had yet to really speak to her mother, especially about the cloak, or the possibility that Wesley Black was not her birth father. Perhaps she wasn't ready to face it. Or perhaps she wanted her mother to come to her and explain.
At the beginning of the summer Salazar spent several weeks flying back and forth between Severus, Lucius, Narcissa and herself carrying the opinions and theories about the note she had found on her way home, and the words upon it ("You are the Heir of Slytherin"). And as of yet no conclusion had been met. Lauralie was sure though that the handwriting matched that of the letter that accompanied the Cloak of Destiny at Christmas."
"Where have your thoughts run off to?"
Lauralie looked up at her mother. Rainelda seemed to draw back.
"Well, dinner isn't going to make itself," Rainelda said. "I'll call you down when it is ready. Or… I'll send up one of the boys."
Rainelda Black was afraid of the truth. The truth could destroy her marriage, and break apart her family. Though she knew Lauralie had to suspect it, and would totally piece the truth together in time. That is, if her father didn't piece it together for her.
"You OK Mum?" Sirius asked as she walked into the kitchen.
"Oh, yes dear," she said. "What are you doing in here?"
"I wanted a snack-"
"Absolutely not!" she said. "Dinner is in an hour. Now off with you!"
"I think my mother's gone bonkers." Sirius said, walking back into the shade of the tree where James and Peter were lounging. "She came into the kitchen looking all panicky."
"She's been acting preoccupied all summer Sir," James said. "Don't tell me you just now noticed."
"I'll tell you it's got something to do with Lauralie," Sirius said. "I'm not sure how. Its almost as if she's afraid of us finding out something…"
HE gazed up at the sky and watched as Salazar swooped into Lauralie's window.
When the boys came in to dinner Lauralie was already sitting at the table. Sirius sat next to her. He couldn't help but notice that she smelled like an apothecary, the scent of crushed herbs clung to her.
"When are your friends getting here?" Sirius asked. He and his sister had learned how to be at least a bit amiable to each other.
"Tomorrow morning," she answered. "Mrs. Malfoy is going to stay for lunch mum. Got a letter from Lucius a few minutes ago."
"Wonderful, I haven't talked to Melissa in ages," Rainelda said.
"Are you ready for your birthday?" James asked.
Lauralie shrugged. "They say that after a witch or wizard turns twelve, their true powers begin to surface," she said, taking a bit of her chicken.
The table fell silent again, James wondered if the rest of the table was wondering the same thing he was. Wasn't she powerful enough?
Mr. Black cleared his throat poignantly. "Where do you get such nonsense from?"
Lauralie fixed him with a look before pushing her chair away from the table. "I'm not hungry anymore." She walked briskly out of the room.
Rainelda dropped her fork with a clang. "Why must you do that?" she snapped. "Why must you look down on every little thing she does or says?"
"Why must you condone her NONSENSE?"
"Um… I don't think I'm very hungry either…" Sirius said hurriedly before rushing from the room, his two friends rushing to follow.
Lauralie closed her door, but she could still hear them shouting.
"She is our daughter, and I will always support her!"
"Oh, is she really 'our' daughter. Is she Rainelda?"
Lauralie sank down, her back resting on the door. She covered her ears with her hands and screwed her eyes tightly closed. Suddenly the glass light cover on her ceiling shattered. The glass of water exploded into a million pieces.
"Do you hear that?" James said, hearing the minor explosions. "What do you reckon that is?"
Sirius looked up as a window exploded outward on the third floor. "Lauralie!" They sprinted up the three flights of stairs to Lauralie's room.
Sirius tried the doorknob. Locked…damn! "Lauralie open the door." He banged on the door. "Lauralie please!"
"She's gone bonkers," Peter muttered, backing into the far wall of the hallway.
"You've gone crazy," James said, joining Sirius at the door.
"Lauralie, are you OK?"
The explosions had stopped.
"I hate it when they do this," she said through the door.
"I know, so do I…" Sirius replied.
The door opened and there standing in the doorway, Sirius saw his little sister. For the first time in a while she wasn't Lauralie, the vindictive Slytherin queen, she was his sister.
"It's my fault you know," she said.
"No it isn't," he said with finality. "Come on, let us clean this stuff up. Reparo!"
* * *
Severus and Lucius arrived early the next day with Mrs. Malfoy. The children left to play leaving Melissa and Rainelda alone in the kitchen.
They sipped their coffee in silence for a while.
"He found her didn't he?" Melissa asked. "He's the one who sent her that cloak isn't he?"
Rainelda sighed. "That is what I believe," she answered. "That cloak was Tom's cloak."
"How could he have known?"
Rainelda shook her head. "Something about that cloak only working for the youngest descendant."
"So she was born, the cloak lost its power, and Tom knew…" Melissa said. "But why didn't he try to contact you, or her. I mean, it's been 12 years!"
"Do you seriously think I ever understood that man?" Rainelda asked. "I never could, not even in school."
She took a sip of her coffee.
"One thing I am sure about it, we haven't seen the last of him"
Melissa laughed briefly. "I never thought we had."
* * *
Lauralie, Severus, and Lucius were bent over her leather potions case.
"What's that on?" Lucius asked.
"Flesh healing serum," Severus answered for her. "What I'm curios about it this one." He picked up a light lavender potion.
Lauralie snatched it out of his hand. "It's acne medicine, thank you very much." She fitted it safely back into place.
"Have you worked any out of this book?" Severus asked, picking up Advance Potions for the Adventurous Soul.
"No, Remus just gave me that yesterday," she answered.
Severus' eyes flashed. "Remus?"
"Since when does Lupin give you presents?" Lucius scoffed. "You two aren't even friends."
"We are on friendly terms," she replied, taking the book and sitting it on her dresser, right next to the box containing the chess set Severus had given her for Christmas.
"It's almost dinner time, shouldn't Narcissa be getting here soon?" Lucius asked.
"Yeah, let's head down stairs," Lauralie said, leading the way.
"How's she getting here anyways?" Severus asked as the settled in the living room and began a game of exploding snap.
"Floo Powder I believe." Suddenly, as if on cue, the fireplace flared into life and in it appeared a small spinning figure.
Narcissa stepped out of the fireplace looking slightly shaken and they all went to the dining room for dinner.
It was Black custom to open the birthday presents after dinner, with everyone gathered around the table. Wesley Black was, mysteriously, missing.
Lauralie worked her way through her presents. Sugar quills from Narcissa. Ornate ink that changed colors as you wrote from Lucius. A jewelry box from Sirius. And then a small charm bracelet from Severus, with a small charm in the shape of a knight chess piece.
Then her mother brought her final present. Lauralie ripped off the paper to reveal a Shooting Star broomstick. Lauralie gasped. It was one of the finest brooms available at the time.
"Oh, thank you Mum," she cried, hugging her mother.
"Come on Laur, lets go test it out," Lucius said.
"It's late," Narcissa said.
"Oh come on, the full moons up," Severus said, "There's plenty of light."
He fastened his hand around Lauralie's wrist and led her out the back door. She looked up at the sky. For some reason the full moon felt significant to her, she wasn't sure why. She made a mental note. Don't forget the full moon.
~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: HEHEHE. I hope you guys are ready for a roller coaster ride, because we are finally going to get into some adventures in this one. As to all of you people so concerned with romance. There isn't really any. I mean, of course there are hints of crushes. Who of us didn't have a crush on someone in the seventh or eighth grade? But there won't be any real romance. A little in the next part, but none really till year four or five. Yes, I have planned that far ahead. I hope you guys enjoy. I'll see you in a week (yes, I will now have at least a weekly posting schedule). Don't forget to review. Please?