The Ministry of Magic
On the first floor, where Siria's bedroom had been, was now a communal room. Her full sized bed had been replaced with three bunk beds. The yellow desk was pushed against the Gryffindor painted wall and stretched out until just before it touched one of the bunkbeds. A handful of orange chairs lined the elongated desk.
Its back wall still had a bookshelf that scaled across it most of it, but stopped before one of the bunk beds. All the photos had been removed. Between the bookshelf and the door, along the bronze and blue wall, curtains were hung for changing.
Sirius had left the circular rug with a large, black, wolf like dog howling placed beneath the starry chandelier, which also remained. On the rug, in a circle, sat Alice Travers, Cassius Warrington, Cedric Diggory, Fred and George Weasley, Hermione Granger, Maddy Swelyn, Patricia Kenner, Ronald Weasley, and Siria Potter-Black. Their wand tips collected in the center of the rug.
"Strong as we are united," they whispered, but their combined voiced carried. "Strong as we are united." Faint light twinkled from the ends of their wands.
"I can't believe you want to keep this up," Alice told Siria as she stood up.
"We can't be idle over anything" said Siria.
"It's not like it hurts to be consistent," Hermione noted. She undid the towel around her hair and continued to dry it.
"We just aren't even sure it works," said Maddy as she stretched out on the rug.
"We don't know it doesn't," Patricia smiled while she leaned over Maddy. Siria sighed and climbed the ladder to the top bunk along the Gryffindor colored wall.
"I'm just saying, a lot more interesting things could be happening," Alice said and she dropped onto the bottom bunk of the Slytherin wall. Siria muttered and crawled under her blankets.
"Ah!" Alice screamed. Siria leapt down from her bunk, half the room turned to Alice while the other whipped out their wands and pointed them around the room as they scanned for danger. "Calm down," she told them. "I just swallowed my mandrake leaf— again," Alice sighed. Cedric handed her the jar of leaves from the bookshelf. Siria grabbed onto the ladder.
"What happened," Colin asked, but saw the jar. "Can't I have a leaf too?"
"Colin, even Patricia and Cedric aren't trying the Animagus Ritual— it's dangerous," said Siria.
"But you did it fine," Colin argued.
"I had to keep a mandrake leaf in my mouth for over a year before I could, and I've got a lot more experience in Transfiguration than you," said Siria.
"But you can't make a bridge yet," Colin argued like that solved it. Cassius pinched his nose. Alice pressed her face into her pillow to muffle her laughter. Ron squeezed his eyes shut.
"Can you make a bridge?" Siria asked. "No. No, you can't make a bridge yet, so how is that a qualification for it?" Patricia pecked Maddy on the head then pushed herself up and clapped twice. She put a hand on Colin's head then knelt down to eye level with him. "Creevey, I understand wanting to do more and feeling you're ready for it," she said in a her calm voice. "One of the greatest frustrations of growing up is feeling that no one believes you're ready when you know you are. What can help it be less frustrating is to think of where the other person is coming from.
"Siria knows what it's like to want to do more, but she's also taken on more than she was ready for. It might not feel like it, but us telling you 'no' is coming from a place of love," said Patricia. Siria buried blushing face into her hands.
"But I'm fourteen now— so I'm the same age as Siria. She even fought Voldemort a few weeks ago and got her mandrake leaf at thirteen" said Colin.
"Fine!" Siria said and let go of the ladder. "Dennis, I know you're in the hall."
Dennis Creevey poked his round face into the room. He looked up at her. Siria reached for the mandrake jar and Alice tossed it to her. She cracked open the lid, pulled out two leaves, and held them out without looking at the brothers.
"You can take these leaves, but know the moment you place it under your tongue, you're breaking the law," Siria said. "When you complete the ritual and get your form, you're a walking criminal and there's more than a few Galleons to pay. Anyone that learns can blackmail you— if you're small enough, you could get trapped in a jar," Hermione turned to gaze to the floor. "It's an even greater secret than the Room of Requirement because if someone finds out you're an Animagus, it puts the other people on the line."
Colin's hand was frozen just before one of the leaves. He looked around the room and felt the eyes on him just as much as the eyes avoiding him. Dennis searched Siria's eyes for the "right" choice. George gave a hollow laugh.
"Come on, Potter-Black," George said.
"You made the decision ages ago," said Fred.
"It's not the decision, it's knowing the weight," Siria explained. "The Animagus Ritual isn't be done because it's 'cool' or because other people are doing it. Who's going to tell their parents that they're stuck as a half-animal hybrid because a restricted, complex ritual, that the Ministry only allows performed under close observation went wrong?"
Ron put his hand on Siria's shoulder. He leaned in and whispered something into her ear. She extended the mandrake leaves further. Over Siria's shoulder, Ron nodded to Colin and Dennis, who each took one. Dennis inspected Siria's eyes for any sign of her usual encouragement, but she remained impassive.
"I'm not going to tell anyone!" Colin said and stuffed the leaf under his tongue.
"I—" Dennis scanned Colin, who nodded as his face scrunched up from the bitterness of the mandrake leaf, before he looked back to Siria. "I want to be an Animagus so I can help you fight or so I can hide and you don't have to worry about me," said Dennis. His eyes fell to the wooden floors as he stuffed the mandrake leaf under his tongue.
"Once you can keep it under your tongue for a month, we'll line it up with the lunar cycle," Siria told them. She put the jar back on the bookshelf and squeezed her eyes shut. Having the mandrake leaf didn't mean much. It was just the most basic step of the ritual. Even if there was another lightning storm this summer, they couldn't keep the mandrake leaf under their tongue for a month of practice and a lunar month. Her hand rested on the lid of the jar. She faced the wall with her eyes shut and focused on the sound of footsteps leaving.
Patricia's warm hand patted Siria's shoulder. "Everyone deserves the opportunity to make the choice," said Patricia. Siria nodded, but did not reply. "They're Muggleborn; they need every extra defense they can get," Patricia added before she let go and climbed into to her bunk.
Long after the other girls had gone to sleep, Siria stared at the ceiling, awake. If she closed her eyes, she would only be greeted by a nightmare of a dark, long hallway and locked door (B5, 9). Her watch told her it just after midnight. She crawled from her bed and went down to the kitchen.
On the kitchen counter, in a large tupperware, was a two foot long brownie, baked with cookie on top. It rested beside a half sheet of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, which was next to tub of Kreacher's S'mores trail mix. Siria grabbed a plate, put down a base of the brownie-cookie, smashed a piece of cake on that, added a scoop of Kreacher's marshmallow ice cream, then topped it with a handful of the trail mix. She had barely made a dent in it when someone else entered the kitchen.
Alice Travers was just taller than most seventeen year old girls. She had dark, tightly curled hair. There were heavy, dark bags beneath her tired brown eyes. Their usual ribbons of yellow and specks of green were muted. She took a spoon, sat beside Siria, and pulled the bowl between them.
"You can do a Patronus Charm, yeah?" Alice asked when they had finished the bowl. Siria nodded. "Tired?" Siria shook her head at the bowl. "I can't do one… do you want to show me?"
"Yeah," Siria's quiet voice cracked. She washed the bowl and followed to Alice to the practice room.
First, Siria explained the Patronus Charm. Next she stressed how important it was to find a happy memory. Finally, she extended her wand into the room. Siria closed her eyes and remembered Sirius's face when she transformed, only a week ago, into her Animagus form for the first time.
"Expecto Patronum!" Light burst from Siria's wand, as it had burst from Sirius's not even a week ago. It morphed from loose light into a starlike collection that formed a large, almost wolflike dog. Siria gasped and her Patronus dissipated. Her fingers gripped her wild jet-black hair as she squatted down. "My Patronus changed— Sirius is going to be so upset it isn't like James's anymore— I gotta— gotta— I gotta change it back."
"Dork, that isn't it" said Alice. She held herself in her arms. "You and your dad are the same," she said. Water glittered in her eyes. She stifled a sob, but slowly collapsed to her knees. "How could he to that?" Alice choked. Siria ran to her and hugged Alice and tightly as she could. "He was my father and— and he," she grabbed onto Siria's nightshirt and tried to stop the tears that escaped her. "How could he?"
"I don't know," Siria stroked Alice's hair, which sprung back up again and again. "He'll come around." Alice shook her head.
"No— he chose his side," Alice coughed into Siria's chest as she tried to choke back her sobs. "Daughter of a Death Eater," she spat.
Siria didn't know what more to do than hold Alice and let her cry. Even Hermione probably wouldn't know what tell Alice. How do you comfort someone that ran away from home because their parent is a Death Eater? What do you tell someone whose parent picked Voldemort over them?
"Strong as we are united," they parted their wands and Siria patted down her black slacks. She checked the collar of her midnight violet button up in the mirror. Hermione reached under her bunk for her dress shoes. Patricia placed her hands on Siria's shoulders to stop Siria's pacing.
"You are making the others anxious," said Patricia.
"I'm anxious," said Siria.
"It is fine to be anxious, but do you remember what we talked about?" Patricia's voice was soft, calm, and level. "Is there something you can do about what's making you anxious?"
"No," Siria tapped her foot as she dropped to a slouch.
"Is there something one of us can do about it?"
"No," Siria's foot tapped faster.
"Do you feel your anxiety may impair your judgement?" Patricia asked. Siria looked to the chandelier and grumbled.
Cassius handed Siria a metal water bottle. She glared at it, but accepted it and took a sip. For a moment, she continued to tap her foot. Siria took a second sip, then a third, and her tapping stopped. "Thanks," Siria grumbled.
"Looks like peer counseling is helping after all," said Maddy. She looked to Alice, who rolled over on her bed. Chloe had suggested peer counseling when they started at Moony & Padfoot as a way to problem solve adjustments to their internships. Mrs. Weasley urged them to try it at home. Wednesdays at work they spent the hour before lunch in an office at Moony & Padfoot with their on site therapist to guide them. Saturday afternoons they collected in the kitchen for their own. What Chloe, Mrs. Weasley, and the Moony & Padfoot therapist didn't know was that the group self medicated.
They used Cheering Charms on each other to lift the mood; Alice usually declined because even Hermione's Charm only lasted a few hours. Cassius make Calming Draughts to mediate Siria's unexplained rage or her ease her anxiety and his own paranoia. Everyone except for Fred and George had needed at least one Sleeping Draught. Fred and George had experimented with an Invigorating Draught that could keep the drinker awake on long lights, but none of the attempts had been successful yet.
Hermione swung the silvery blue tie around Siria's neck and beamed at her. "It's going to be okay," said Hermione as she tied the tie. "Chloe is a Squib, so there really isn't anything to say on it. We aren't even needed. If anything, we're just accompanying them." Hermione unnecessarily smoothed the shoulders of Siria's shirt. "Don't you look smart?"
"You saying I don't usually?" Siria teased. Hermione tugged on the tie then left to help Ron pick one out for his navy button up.
"Your slacks have pockets!" Maddy cried as Siria's hands slid into her slack pockets. She shrugged, hands still in pockets.
"My dad and his sometimes boyfriend co-own a fashion company, even my dresses have pockets," said Siria. Maddy tsked and stuck a finger in Siria's back pocket.
"Real ones here, too." Maddy sighed.
"Hermione just fixed Siria's tie like they're an adorable married couple and you want to talk about pockets?" Alice asked. Siria stiffened as the eyes in the room fell on Siria.
"You see a wife fixing her wife's tie, I see…" Siria paused, "I see Inigo fixing Fezzik's."
"You're obsessed with that movie," Alice rolled her eyes. Siria shrugged.
"All three of my dads love it and, one of these days, I'll read the book too," said Siria.
"Moony, Padfoot and Prongs?" Fred asked.
"Love that movie?" asked George. Siria scratched behind her ear.
"I dunno about Prongs," she muttered, "I was talking about Hagrid."
Sirius called for them, from downstairs, and Hermione, Ron, and Siria met him, Chloe, and Remus in the entryway. Chloe's hair looked like she used mud to dye it; it was dark brown with spots where the color was slightly lighter or darker that didn't look intentional at all. Her nails were painted with clear polish and she was only wearing foundation.
Once they were all on the Underground train, Siria turned to Sirius. "Why can't we hop on over or get there in a flash?" She asked as a Muggle environment friendly version of "Why can't we Apparate or use Floo Powder?"
"The subway is a perfectly normal way of travel and we could use the view," Sirius replied. Siria sighed and knew he was saying "It'll look better to take the Muggle way."
"What do you want for your birthday?" Sirius asked when they got off the train.
"For this to be over and things to be fine," said Siria. "I mean it," she insisted. Hermione shifted her bag, so the metal water bottle with the Calming Draught would catch Siria's eye. Siria shook her head. "So, just get Chloe's heritage clear, I guess," said Siria. Sirius patted her hair as they approached a phone booth.
Remus opened it up and wedge himself into a corner. Sirius followed and ushered them inside. Somehow, all of them fit, but Siria stood before the broken looking receiver. "Um, dad?" She finally asked.
"Dial six, two, four, four, two," he told her. Siria looked at the cut cord of the receiver and its ancient dial. She had only seen phones like this in old movies, but that was enough.
When the final two whirred back into place, a voice spoke into the box. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business," the automated voice prompted (B5. 126).
"Sirius Black, Siria Potter-Black, Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley, accompanying Chloe Causer for proof of heritage hearing," said Sirius. The voice instructed them to fix their badges to the front of their robes then present their wands at the security desk. [B5, 125-126].
The metal chute where coins were normally returned spat out six, silver square badges, which Siria handed out after she pinned her own to the breast pocket of her blazer. There was a shudder. Hermione stumbled forward, as the phonebooth sank into the street. Cooly, the voice wished them a pleasant day. [B5, 126]
Siria caught the last bit of light flash into Sirius's anxious silver eyes. She slipped the water bottle from Hermione's tote and took a gulp. When gold light broke in from the bottom of the booth, she took another gulp (B5, 126). The Calming Draught was tucked back into Hermione's bag and well in Siria's system when they stepped out of the booth.