Weeeeel, now! Sorry (for those that read this..) that it took me soooo long to update. I have written thisin a different format, so as to try and make it easier to read. Sepereating speaking parts and the like., hope it actually does something. leave your comments, and if you must flame, please email me okay?Or, well, do whatever ya want..ill reply to be sure though, if i can...so, anyhoo, read and review and enjoy, ma deahs!
Once she'd changed into her robes and uniform, Sera sat down with a sigh. Sirius, from his perch above her, leaped down and sat on her shoulder, nuzzling his rough, scaly cheek against hers.
"Hi, Sirius." Sirius stared at her, his buggy eyes boring into her own. "Hello Sera. You know, you shouldn't let it get you down. And, don't blame Hermione, she didn't know." Sera turned, looking him head on. "I don't blame Hermione for anything. You're right, she didn't know, there's no possible way she could have. I just.."
Just then a whistle blew. They had arrived at the school. Sirius was hurriedly shoved into a little carrier as Sera wrapped herself in her cloak and followed Hermione and Ginny out of the car and off of the train. They met up with the boys outside as they filed for the carriages. As she hurried along in the rush, she became separated from the others, but it didn't bother her at all. She just absent mindedly went with the flow, thinking on everything that had happened on the train. Her mother, her father, her uncle, everything was way to confusing.
She halted suddenly. Someone had grabbed her arm. Someone strong, with large, but slender pale hands and manicured nails. Out of nowhere, a pale silver-blonde head appeared out of nowhere next to Sera.
"Draco?" She whispered, still in a daze. The boy smiled thinly. Underneath his cloak and his robes she could see a green and silver tie, the colors of Slytherin house. "Hello, Sera. Come on. Here's a carriage. You shouldn't wander off and loose your head, stupid." He chided her, but gently. Draco was a boy she had grown up with.
A friend of sorts.
He picked her up, his strong, lithe arms encircling her waist and placing her inside the carriage next to a boy with mousy hair and an excited look. As she plopped down next to him, a surprised look on her face. The boy turned to her in greeting.
"Hey. Sera, right?"
He asked her, his small frame seemed to vibrate continuously as he hopped in place. Around his neck was a camera and next to him was another small boy who looked very much like him. She nodded, confused. She was about to ask him his name and how he knew her when Draco slid in next to her, and the boy's excitement drained away slowly. Instead was a look of fear.
"What do you want, brat?" Draco sneered, turning away and looking out of the window. Sera, regaining her composure, elbowed Draco roughly in the ribs. "Draco! Don't be so mean!" With that, she turned to the boys. "Hi, yes, I'm Sera. But, do I know you tow? I'm sorry.." Her voice ended miserably, revealing how shaken she really was by the days unfolding events. "I'm Colin Creevey, and this is my brother Dennis!"
As he spoke, the color came back into their faces and the bounce back into their bodies. Their incessant bouncing however, caused the carriage to sway more then it usually would have as it bumped its way up the hill to Hogwarts. Sera, slightly disconcerted by the stares of the Creevey brothers, turned hr attention back to her childhood friend.
"So, Draco. How have you been? We haven't spoken in forever, I swear!" He smiled thinly at her, avoiding his eyes. "I've been well, been better, but well." Sera, determined to get something out of the boy she used to be so close with, continued her questions. "And how is my dear cousin?" "My mother, you mean? She is alright."
But just as Sera was about to voice another question, The carriage trundled to a halt, the doors popped open, and she once again found herself in the air, her waist encased in Draco's strong hands. When her feet touched solid ground again, her waist was freed, and her hand ensnared as she was pulled through the crowd.
"Seriously, Sera, you need to learn to take care of yourself." Draco muttered. "Oh, really? I do? Well you know, if you let me go for a second you would find that I am a perfectly capable young woman, thank-you very-much."
She finished in a rush as he hauled her up the steps to the front entrance, where students were pouring into the school. Suddenly, Sera found herself falling forward.
"Draco – oh!" He caught her in the nick of time. "Really, you can take care of yourself?" Draco asked her with a tiny but genuine smile.
Indignant, Sera wrenched her hand free of her friend's, and rushed after the retreating forms of Harry, Hermione, Luna and the Weasleys. Upon catching up with them, she wormed her way through the throngs of people till she broke free and made a bee-line for the Gryffindor table. As she took a seat, the rest of her friends reached the table and did the same. Lost in thought, Sera ignored them, not even knowing they were there until Harry prodded her viciously with his wand.
"Hey! Where were you? When we got out, we lost you. And, where's Sirius?" Sera, her thoughts interrupted gave him a confused glance. "Sorry, I only caught the last of what you said. Sirius is right here by the by," She pointed to her shoulder where Sirius was perched, as always. She stared pointedly at Harry, waiting for him to repeat what he'd said. "Oh, yes. I was, um, meeting up with old friends." She told him, not wanting to tell him the whole story due to his hatred of Draco.
Although, it wasn't far from the truth.
Harry, puzzled by Sera's state of uneasiness and dazed expression, decided that she was better left alone, and allowed himself to be caught up in the sorting. When the food finally arrived and the new Gryffindors had been assimilated into the seething mass that was the student body, Sera indulged herself and Sirius. Having barely eaten that summer since the death of her mother and her entrance into England's high society, she suddenly found herself ravenous. As dessert was digesting, her ears perked when the food disappeared and the students began to quiet down. It was time for Dumbledore's speech.
"Mhm. Thank you." He started simply, as the whole of the great hall went silent. "Now, as we enter this year, we enter it with the knowledge that something horrible happened last year and that starting again will be very difficult. As I speak, I speak of Cedric Diggory, who was murdered at the end of last year. As you go about your days, I wish you to remember Cedric, and how he acted. Kind to all, diligent in his school work, and always working to better the community of our school." He paused to drink from a goblet in front of him, ten continued, his voice growing stronger as he went. "As you quarrel amongst yourselves and as you doubt the actions of certain people in this world, I want you to remember Cedric, who was a man who trusted all and cared for all equally. This is the attitude I wish to be possessed by all of you. I wish for you to band together and aid and give strength to each other. I wish for us to be a school united in friendship and a common cause. This common cause is the fight against evil and killing and hate. I fear that we will face many trials this up and coming year, but I do not fear that we cannot come through it together, still standing strong and united. For divided and quarreling amongst ourselves, we will only be giving into that other side of ourselves. That side of ourselves that persists in doing wrong, and treating others with unkindness and unfairness. And thus, we shall fall. But, if we stay together, if we respect each other and care for all equally and kindly, we can pull through these most difficult times together and remain unscathed."
Dumbledore paused again to take a sip from that same goblet filled with something, and then continued, his throat wet and ready to work it's magic of speech.
"Now, on a lighter note, I present our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Ms. Dolores Umbridge."
There was a spattering of applause, and Sera could've sworn she heard Harry gasp in surprise with a whiff of anger before the said teacher arose, and cleared her throat with a tiny cough. It was then that Sera settled in for what would be one of the most boring and unnecessary sermons she would ever hear in her entire life.
"Hello!" Professor Umbridge said.
Her voice made Sera cringe. It was sickeningly sweet and high-pitched; akin to that of a little girl. A little girl who like to pop the heads off of her dolls and ripped teddy bears to shreds with the collection of poisoned knives she kept under her little princess bed. While she wore frilly dresses and ate cookies and held tea parties with past heinous creations. She cringed again as the professor cleared her throat (unnecessarily) twice more before continuing.
"I am sure we will come to be good friends throughout this year, and it does me good to see your smiling faces."
Ironic, Sera thought, stroking Sirius as he slept on her shoulder, fully gorged on the good fare of Hogwarts. No one is smiling. And I wouldn't go near her armed with a magical, highly potent nuclear bomb. And from the looks on everyone else's faces, I'm guessing they wouldn't either. But Sera's thoughts were interrupted once again as the horrible voice of Professor Umbridge (who seemed to bare and uncanny resemblance to a toad with a fly on its head) broke through and rattled around her skull. Eugh. That bow she is wearing is truly just horrid. How can people stand her? Then again, they probably don't.
(A half-hour later)
Sera sat in a chair by the dying embers of the fire in the common room of Gryffindor House. Sirius was again asleep in her lap and Harry , Hermione, and the Weasleys were seated near her. They were talking. Discussing the events of last year, this summer, and what might possibly be coming in this year to make Dumbledore give such a haunting, cautionary speech.
"By the way Sera. How do you know Fred and George and Ginny so well?" Harry asked her, peering curiously at her, even though she was half-hidden in shadows.
"Oh. Well, Ginny is the only female cousin I have who is anywhere near my age, and I guess I just spent more time with the twins then I did Ron and the rest of them. They were like my older brothers." She smiled, that much Harry could make out. "Besides, I haven't been to the Burrow in years. I mostly saw them only at school and in Diagon Alley. I don't think Ron remembered much of me. We were very young last time I was at the Burrow. 'Sides, I spent my summers in America, with my mother. Until we moved here this summer. We were coming to live in the old Black house. Mum inherited it by marriage, and me and her were the only one's who could talk around Grandmother. Still are. Or rather, I am. Anyway, I don't know. I wrote them, and I saw them here, Ginny too. The only other female cousins I have are all on the um, darker, so to speak, side of the family. There's my cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa, and then various other people, before you move onto Molly and Ginny. But that's about it really, besides cousins' wives, and that's just plain confusing!" Sera gave a small laugh before lapsing into silence again.
"Wait!" Harry said, suddenly sitting bolt-upright in his chair. "Bellatrix Lestrange? And Narcissa Malfoy?" He asked her. He had, by now, given up on trying to see her face and instead watched her shadow. She nodded, silent. "You're related to the Malfoys?" He asked incredulous. He was now standing, having forsaken his chair in his anger. Histemper always rose when mention of the Malfoy family came around. And what about what Bellatrix Lestrange had done? He couldn't believe it. "Actually, yes. And I know what Bella did. And believe me, I am not proud of what my family is known for, but still. They are all I have if something happens to Sirius. And besides. I like Draco and Narcissa. They were always nice to me, always welcomed me to their home. Cissy and mum were good friends, you know." Seeing the expressions that everyone wore made Sera smile somewhat. "Yes, Lilly and Cissy were my mother's best friends. And I know that Cissy would never have joined the Death Eaters if it weren't for Lucious. And besides, it was Draco I was talking to earlier this evening. I met up with him when I lost you guys in the crowd. He helped me out. He was there when I woke up in the hospital, as was Cissy. Both of them were there, and both of them were crying at the loss of my mother. They care about us. And I care about them. They are family, I love them. And I consider Draco one of my best friends."
And with that, Sera arose and walked up the stairs to her bedroom, pointedly ignoring Harry and everyone else, as they wore looks of hatred and disgust.