Lauralie Black and the Dragons of Yorkshire (YEAR 2)
Chapter 9: Soul Searching
Author's Note: Don't even know what to say, just read it and you'll see
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"Did you find Black?" Severus asked.
He was sitting in one of their usual armchairs by the fire in the Slytherin common room. Lucius and Narcissa were playing a game of Gobstones on the hearth.
"No, Magdalene Martinez said he's already gone up to his room," she said. She was nibbling her lower lip gently as she always did when she was worried about something. "She did however confirm that they were fighting because of me."
"I thought we already knew that?" Narcissa asked, wiping Gobstone juice off her face in disgust."
"Well, I was hoping that it didn't involve me." She was fiddling nervously with her tie. "It's bad enough that I've mucked up my family, but now I'm splitting up best friends."
Narcissa then did the most un-Slytherin thing that Lauralie had ever seen her do.
She heaved herself up off the floor and pulled her friend into a tight hug. Such public displays were rare in the crowded Slytherin common room, but only a couple heads turned.
"You know it's not your fault," Narcissa said. "Deep down you know that. Just give yourself time to fully realize it. If anyone is to blame it is Remus Lupin. He brought it all upon himself."
"Yeah, I suppose he did." She was struck by the fact that Narcissa's hair smelled strongly of strawberries and hair straightening potion.
"Of course he did!" Narcissa pulled away from her best friend, holding her at arms' length and smiling. "Now be happy. Slytherin is in the lead on points, there's a Quidditch match in a couple weeks, and classes haven't gotten too hard yet."
"Yeah, Laur," Lucius said, packing up his Gobstone set. "Let the Gryffs deal with their own issues."
"You're right," she said, nodding. "I need to keep my focus where it belongs." But even as she said it, Lauralie was sure that it would be far harder than her friends anticipated.
* * *
Even two weeks later, relations in the Gryffindor common room were icy at best. They had fallen into a designated seating chart without ever discussing it.
Sirius would sit on the old couch closest to the fire, with the gaudy gold-trimmed pillows and sagging seat cushions. Next to him was usually Magdalene, sitting erect with one of her legs tucked under her. Sometimes she'd be helping him with their homework, otherwise they were each studying different subjects.
Occasionally, when his subject started to bore him, Sirius would reach over and seize the tip of one of her dark curls. He'd pull it out until it was straight, then release it and watch it spring back the way it had been. Mags would promptly whack him with one of the ugly pillows before returning to her work.
Across from this was a far nicer burgundy couch. The usual inhabitants of this particular couch were Peter and Audrina. Peter sat hunched over a book or his notes. Audrina, on the other hand, would lean back and prop her feet up on the coffee table, flipping through the latest issue of Witch Weekly.
Next to this was a table, generally piled high on Lily's end with books and schoolwork. Lily had a habit of over-researching her topics. She's sit amid this chaos of books and paper working diligently on whatever homework she had left for the evening.
Also at the table was James, sandwiched between Lily and Lindsay McConaugha. His bit of table would generally contain only one book and perhaps some notes. And he spent more time attempting to distract Lily than paying attention to either of these items. Lily was well rehearsed at ignoring this.
Lindsay would be the quietest of the lot if it weren't for Peter and Remus. She was a year below the rest of them and was cautious about stepping on toes by pushing her way fully into the group. She's sit at her end of the table, twisting a bit of her hair around her finger, a schoolbook or novel lying open on the table, reading. She's occasionally look up to listen to Sirius and James have an exchange via raised voices from their separate positions in the room. She'd occasionally attempt to engage Remus in conversation, an attempt that failed more often as time passed.
Remus was detached from the others, in an armchair that sat at an angle from the table. A month ago he would have dragged the chair around to face the others and become an active participant in the hubbub. He, James, and Sirius were notorious for their schemes and pranks. And now they hardly spoke.
Today though, Lily apparently had decided enough was enough.
"Oh this is so ridiculous," she said, snapping her History of Magic book closed. "Will you two grow up and talk to each other?"
Everyone looked up. It was late, and they were the only ones left in the common room.
"Oh boy," James said, starting to pile up his notes. "As fun as this could be, I think I'll head to bed."
Lily glared at him as he headed up the steps to the dormitory. Emboldened by James' escape, the others began packing up for bed as well. Remus stopped next to Lily and whispered:
"I appreciate the effort, but you're wasting your time. He doesn't want to talk to me."
She sighed. Magdalene was still lingering, unsure whether to leave or stay. She tried to stand but Sirius grabbed the edge of her school robes and pulled her back down into her seat.
"I could really use your help with this Potions assignment," he said.
"It's not due till next week," she said.
"You can't avoid talking to me alone forever," Lily said, her hands on her hips.
Magdalene marveled at how such a delicate and feminine girl like Lily could resemble a fire-breathing dragon.
"I'm going to go," Magdalene said, gathering her books into her bag.
"You don't need to go," Sirius said, looking as if he might pull her back down again.
"Goodnight Mags," Lily said, her voice rang with finality.
"Goodnight," Magdalene said, heading towards the stairs. "Oh and Lil, be gentle."
Sirius groaned loudly, falling back into the couch with a thump.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice you'd been avoiding me?" she asked.
"Look Lily, I really just don't want to talk about it."
"Tough luck!" She took Magdalene's place on the couch. "Do you really think ignoring this, and ignoring Remus is going to make everything better?"
"Remus and I are no longer friends," he said evenly. "And I believe he is in agreement with that."
"Are you listening to yourself?" she asked. "You believe he is in agreement? He's miserable."
"And that's probably what he deserves."
"And Lauralie? Does she deserve to have the end of your friendship on her shoulders?"
Sirius fell quiet for a moment. "I hadn't thought she would be bothered by it."
"Of course you hadn't," Lily said. "But if you'd open your eyes every once in a while you'd see that she's been throwing guilty looks your way ever since it happened."
Sirius was staring into the fire now, watching the flames dance and spark.
"What do you think I should do?" he asked, not looking up from the flames.
"Well I think you should talk to Remus." Sirius grunted but Lily continued as if she had not heard him. "But since you probably won't want to do that, you should at least talk to your sister."
He sighed and nodded.
Satisfied with their exchange, Lily bid Sirius goodnight and crept up to her dormitory. She could hear the faint sounds of a quill on parchment coming from Magdalene's four-poster. She had probably stayed up to write in her diary. Lily thought for a moment about doing the same, but drifted off to sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
* * *
"Good luck today, Lauralie," a Hufflepuff girl called out as she passed the Slytherin table in the Great Hall.
"You can definitely tell it is a Quidditch match day," Narcissa said. "What's that, the tenth person to wish you good luck?"
"I must say this is the first time the Slytherin team has had supporters in other houses," Lucius said. "For the two years I've been here the other houses would always cheer for whoever was against us in the match."
Lauralie didn't say anything, she picked at her lunch in silence, occasionally nodding to her well-wishers.
She was beginning to feel the pressure. It was as if every female in the school was counting on her to be splendid and amazing, and lately she had felt that she was neither. She glanced over at the Gryffindor table and watched Remus eat silently.
Lauralie had perhaps noticed more about Remus' descent into deep depression than she really should have. Whereas Sirius had his happy moments, it seemed like Remus was sinking farther into isolation and despair.
And Lauralie felt it was entirely her fault.
She dropped her fork on her plate and pushed her chair away from the table.
"I think I'll head down to the locker room early," she said, standing.
"Do you want me to walk with you?" Severus asked. He looked concerned.
"That's okay, finish your lunch," she answered. "I'll see you down there when you're done."
She strode swiftly out of the Great Hall. Severus considered following after her, but in the end turned right back to his food.
* * *
Lauralie was almost out the front doors when she heard someone calling her name.
She turned to see Sirius jogging across the Entrance Hall towards her.
"Are you in a hurry or something?" he asked, once he'd caught up to her.
"Not particularly, no."
"Look, I wanted to talk to you about what happened," he began.
She sighed. "I already know what happened."
"I know, but I'm worried about you," he said. "I just wanted to tell you…"
He paused here, looking into his sister's eyes. Years from then, he would consider this the moment he realized how complex and mature his baby sister had truly become. He'd be able to close his eyes and clearly see her standing in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts, her hands in her pockets, here eyes dark and brooding. He'd play the scene, and others, over in his head once he was in Azkaban. They would help keep him sane.
"I just wanted to tell you that it's not your fault."
She balled her hands into fists of frustration. "Oh? Then whose fault would it be?"
"His fault," Sirius said, then added "and my fault" as an afterthought. "But definitely not your fault.
She turned away from him. "I really wish I could convince myself of that," she said, her voice lowered so that it was barely above a whisper.
Sirius stepped forward, placing a hand on each of her shoulders. It was probably the most brotherly gesture he had taken towards her ever since she had been sorted into Slytherin the previous year.
"Tell me what I can do to make this better."
She turned to face him again, her eyes hopeful. "Talk to him," she said. "Be his friend again."
"I thought you were mad at him…"
"I was… I am," she answered. "But he looks so depressed. And he doesn't deserve to be so lonely. It just breaks my heart to see him so…"
She broke off.
"I'll consider it," Sirius said.
She nodded, turning to head down to the locker rooms.
"Laur, I'll be cheering for you today," Sirius said. "So do good."
Lauralie smiled for the first time that day. "Thanks, Sirius."
* * *
Narcissa, Katia, and Anastasia found seats in the same section of stands they usually sat in. Not too long after they had sat, the Gryffindor gang turned up.
Remus and Lindsay sat to one side of them. Lily, Peter, James and Audrina sat behind them. And then Sirius and Magdalene sat at the other end.
Narcissa looked mildly disgusted. "Boxed in by Gryffindors," she moaned. "Just what I've always wanted."
"I'm sure you've dreamt about it for ages," James said, flashing her a smile.
She merely rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the pitch.
It was quite clear when the teams made their entrances which one was the favorite for that particular match.
Max Jordan was once again manning the magical megaphone.
"Good evening Ladies, Gentleman, and Slytherins," he greeted. There was scattered booing from a few green-clad Slytherins. "Today's Quidditch match will be Ravenclaw versus Slytherin!"
There were whoops and cheers all around as the teams converged and Ludo Bagman shook Alexander Seaborn's hand.
"Playing for Ravenclaw today we have: Finch, Holloman, Craddock, Seaborn, Katz, Worsley, aaaand Cornelius Clearwater!"
There were cheers from a sea of blue in the stands to their left.
"On the Slytherin team today we have: Bagman, Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Black-" The cheers of the crowd roared so high that you could hardly hear Jordan say "Snape and Lucius Malfoy!"
Lauralie couldn't help but smile when she saw the Gryffindors surrounding her friends. They were all waving small triangular Slytherin flags, even Remus.
"And here's the toss up… Slytherin in possession!" Jordan's voice rang out. "Black to Parkinson. Parkinson passes to Goyle. Goyle is setting up to score…. He shoots and, BLOCKED by Ravenclaw keeper Michael Worsley."
Groans echoed through the stands as Seaborn swept off towards the Slytherin goal posts with the Quaffle. Ludo hit a Bludger at him, but he dodged and dropped the Quaffle to Katz. Katz pelted past Lucius so fast the breeze left behind ruffled his hair.
Katz passed back to Seaborn who attempted the shot.
"Excellent block by Severus Snape, he tosses the Quaffle to Black and she's off again."
Lauralie marveled at how poorly the Ravenclaw team was playing. Seaborn was good, and the keeper Worsley was giving her a run for her money, but aside from that the rest of the team seemed unpracticed.
The teams were alternating possession, each making unsuccessful shots.
Finally, Lauralie sank a goal past Worsley, making the score 10 to 0.
She was about to intercept him when Lucius went into a spectacular dive. Clearwater following shortly behind.
"Looks like they've spotted the snitch!"
Lauralie couldn't resist stopping in mid air to watch them dive, Lucius was really a spectacular flier. And Clearwater was right there next to him.
Narcissa was standing on her chair dancing up and down. "Come on Lucius!"
Lucius pulled his broom up level, and tumbled lightly to the ground, his hand tightly grasping the small golden snitch.
"SLYTHERIN WINS!" Jordan announced. "Final score: 160 to 0."
It was the shortest Quidditch match Lauralie had ever seen, lasting no longer than twenty minutes. But that didn't matter, they'd won.
* * *
The grounds were almost eerily silent as Lauralie walked pensively along the edge of the lake, her cloak shimmered in the soft moonlight.
Her mind wandered aimlessly, she found nights on the Hogwarts grounds to be very relaxing when she couldn't sleep. She had not returned to her usual haunt atop the Astronomy Tower since her run-in with Remus there.
She heard its breathing before she saw it. It sounded almost like wind, but Lauralie could tell as she neared the bend in her path that it was not.
The ground shook softly beneath her feet as she walked.
The part of her governed by common sense advised her to turn around, but the part of her driven by curiosity and a thirst for adventure won out. She stepped around the bend and nearly fainted in surprise.
There, standing near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, was a dragon.
She stepped backwards, hoping to flee without being noticed. She stepped on a twig that snapped loudly.
The dragon's head darted around, its eyes fixed exactly on her.
Lauralie commanded her cloak to hide her from view, but she knew that was pointless. Dragon's vision was not based on light refraction, as is humans. Instead they see based on heat, and while her cloak could make her appear invisible to a human, it did not block her body heat from the dragon's eyes.
It rose onto its massive hind legs, at its full height it towered over even the highest trees of the Forbidden Forrest.
Lauralie gazed up at it. She knew what was coming long before it happened. It opened massive jaws and the last thing she saw was fire, then all was black.
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Author's Notes: I promise the next chapter won't take me too long. I'll write it right after I write the chapter for Chronicles. runs and hides in her flame proof hut