Nightmares and Terrors

"What do you mean you can't talk right now?" Siria cried at Sirius, his face reflected in her compact mirror. Hermione glared at Sirius from Siria's shoulder as she hugged her arm. Sirius sighed.

"Sirai, it's very late and you need to sleep," Sirius said. "You have exams and I've business for the Order."

"To hell with exams!" Siria shouted. "Did you only come back for Order business?" Sirius hung his coat on the chair of his study.

"You'll be coming home for summer soon—"

"So you don't have an answer?" Siria scoffed. "I'm going to die and you're going to just guard some old stupid prophecy just because Voldemort wants it and it's the only thing you can deny him!"

"Siria," he said in a calm and level tone that made her blood boil. "It's complicated."

"Oh! Well, I'm so sorry it's complicated for you," she shouted into the mirror and hated it. This wasn't what she wanted to say. She didn't mean it, she couldn't mean it— "I'll just let Voldemort bleeding kill me then and make it simple for you!" Siria slammed the mirror closed and threw it.

Hermione wrapped Siria in her arms. She combed Siria's hair with her fingers, as frustration escaped her in tears. Siria sniffled and rubbed her nose on her sleeve cuff.

"I don't want to die," Siria cried as Hermione held her. "And I don't want to be so damn anxious all the time."

"I know," Hermione whispered. "We'll find a way. There has to be another way."

This was wrong. Worse than sneaking out after curfew. Worse than shattering the Dursley's kitchen and running away. Someone would hear her deafening heart bursting through her veins as she opened the plain black door and entered a room of matching ones. The door she entered closed and the room's round wall spun.

It was easy to find the right door. The door practically called to her. It pulled at her heart like a string. She ignored the glittering gold room it lead to. The ticks and chimes were a dull hum beneath her heart. She had to continue onward. [B5, 727]

"This was it," she knew the moment her hand touched the door. Towers of shelves with blue smoke trapped in glass orbs. Her feet knew where to go, despite not ever having been. She reached row ninety-seven and turned left. [B5, 727]

Something was on the floor. Something that shouldn't be here even more than her. It looked like a wounded animal, in that curled position, until it cried out in pain from a cold, high "Crucio!" [B5, 727]

"Lift it down, now," her high, cold voice told the crumpled man on the floor. "I cannot touch it, but you can…"

"You'll have to kill me," Sirius whispered weakly. [B5, 727]

"DAD!" Siria screamed as she woke, on the floor of her trunk, cuddled by a startled awake Hermione. She pressed her watch to her face. Sirius was at the Ministry… with Voldemort. "Kreacher!" Siria cried as Hermione grumbled.

CRACK!

"Kreacher," Siria gasped and got to her feet. "I need you to take me to the Department of Mysteries." Kreacher's smile fell off his face as his gaze hit the floor. He shook his head and mumbled. "Kreacher, Voldemort is going to kill Sirius— I can feel it, I saw it!"

"Kreacher will not," Kreacher said.

"What?" Siria breathed.

"Kreacher will not take Mistress to the Ministry," he told the floor.

"Siria, what are you—" Hermione started, but Siria raised her hand. She glared down at Kreacher.

"Sirius will die."

"Master Sirius knows the risk. He tells Kreacher the Ministry is no place for Mistress," Kreacher said. Her breath trembled in her chest.

"Fine," Siria said. "Leave."

"Mistress," Kreacher started and reached for her hand.

"LEAVE!" Siria shouted at him, as she stepped back from him.

"Kreacher will not lose Mistress Siria like Kreacher lost Master Regulus," he said before he Apparated away.

"Get out of the trunk," Siria told Hermione as she grabbed her by her arm.

"Siria, what is happening? You shouldn't be seeing anything," Hermione said. She winced when Siria yanked her from the trunk.

"Wha's happenin'?" Fay yawned at them.

"Nothing," Siria snapped as she slammed her trunk close and turned to the cotton candy star point of the dial. She threw the lid open, took her school bag, and hurried into the Potion room. Siria dumped the contents of her bag on the floor as she walked to the cupboard.

"Just go back to bed," Siria shouted to Hermione, who came down the stairs. "I'm going to save Sirius."

"How Siria?" Hermione asked. "It's two in the morning. What are you going to do? March into the village and call the Knight Bus?"

"If I can't get a house elf to take me— probably," Siria said as she threw a belt over her shoulder. Hermione walked backward up the stairs as Siria moved with the intent of plowing her over.

"Think about it," Hermione pleaded as Siria turned to the dial to the Amethyst point. She opened up the storage room.

"Sirius would want you to stay here," Hermione said as Siria summoned up clothes. "He and Remus didn't just travel the world for you to—"

"THERE IS NO 'OTHER WAY'!" Siria shouted. "They traveled the world and do you know what they found: nothing. Hermione, if I have to roll over and let Voldemort murder me— it's going to be on my terms and buy someone else another day."

"You're going tonight?" Lavender asked from her four poster. She, Parvati, and Fay had opened their bed curtains.

"In that?" Parvati asked as Siria fastened the belt through her pants.

"Yeah," Siria snapped. "What of it?"

Fay sighed and pulled on her jeans as she stepped out of bed. "Obviously we're helping."

"Ha!" Siria scoffed. "In your dreams."

"How are you getting there?" Parvati asked as she slid onto her feet.

"Dobby!" Siria called.

CRACK!

Dobby put a piece of parchment down.

CRACK!

"What the—" Siria swept the parchment up and read:

Misstress,

Kreacher will not let Misstress make Masters misstakes.

Kreacher is not sorry.

She read over the parchment again. "The Knight Bus, then," Siria said as she crumpled the parchment and threw it to the floor.

"What will they think when five underage girls summon it in the middle of the night?" Lavender asked.

"You're not coming!" Siria shouted at them as she fought her hair into a ponytail. She couldn't think over their shouts and argument against her. "Fine!" Siria barked. "If you can figure out how to get there, you can come."

"Umbridge's fire," Parvati said. "Umbridge told me, when she interrogated me about you— I didn't say anything—" she added quickly, "that every fireplace was being watched, expect for hers."

"We'll need something to get her away," Lavender said.

"Okay," Siria said. She stopped pacing. Siria closed her eyes and took a breath. The other girls' clothing shuffled as they reddied.

"Okay," Siria repeated as she opened her eyes. "I'm open to opinions, but I've got a plan..."

Explosions shook the very foundation of the castle. Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Lavender Brown, and Parvati Patil cluttered around the Marauder's Map with Hermione, Ron, and Siria, in the boys' dorm. Siria took a deep breath and looked to Parvati and Seamus, who both nodded at her.

"Just remember step three," Siria said as she watched Umbridge's dot on the Map run toward the continued explosions. She glanced to Colin and Dennis Creevey's dots, in the entrance hall with Lee Jordan. Fred and George were in the corridor near the trophy room. Fay and Mandy were between the dungeons and trophy room, to stop the Inquisitorial Squad if they went that way.

Parvati took Siria's hand and squeezed it. "Go save your dad!" She and Seamus stayed behind with the Map and most of Siria's pocket mirrors. Siria opened her Black Family Crest compact, with no reply, as she hurried down the stairs. Dean, Ginny, Lavender, and Neville followed closely behind Hermione and Ron, who were on Siria's heels.

"Go back to your dorm!" Ron told Ginny for at least the third time, as they climbed down the dorm stairs.

"No! You didn't hear Siria yelling bloody murder," Ginny snapped. "I'm saving Sirius too."

"Ron, you're not going to persuade her otherwise," Hermione said as they climbed through the portrait hole.

"My word!" The Fat Lady cried. "What in Merlin's name is happening?"

"I'm going to fight Voldemort," Siria said, unconcerned with the Fat Lady's flinch. "We're taking over the castle and I'm breaking out." The Fat Lady rose her head up and looked to Siria.

"If you don't want to tell me, don't make such an outlandish lie," she said. Siria shook her head, as she hopped onto the rail of the stairs and slid down.

As she leapt down and onto the next staircase, she opened her compact again. Nothing. "The Inquisitorial Squad is coming with Filch!" Parvati's voice shouted from Siria's jacket breast pocket.

"Siria, take the passage by the ticklish door," Seamus instructed from the same place. She nodded, though they couldn't see, and hurried on ahead.

"Malfoy and Greengrass have broken off from the Squad," Seamus warned. "They're on your trail, Warrington."

"Not for long," Padma Patil said. "Tell us how to head them off, Parvati."

"Padma?" Parvati asked.

"Tell us!" someone snapped. "And I want a full explanation, yesterday." Siria could barely make out their voice. It was like hearing someone yell in the background of someone's call.

"Storm?" Siria asked.

"What're we doing?" Cedric asked. "No— how can we help?"

Parvati directed the Slytherins and Ravenclaws. Seamus guided the Gryffindors. With Cedric's Map, Susan Bones lead her fellow Hufflepuffs. Beside Susan, Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley found alternate routes until—

Siria skidded to a stop in the corridor of Umbridge's office. She raised the hand with the gold ring and Cassius did the same. He approached with Alice, Maddy, and Patricia. Siria did the same with Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Neville— Dean and Lavender each having broken off to ensure Siria reached the fire.

Cedric stepped out from behind a portrait with Lily Moon and, Siria paused, Luna Lovegood. Luna looked as though she may have just wandered into the corridor by mistake. /she adjusted her dirty blonde hair around her wand, tucked behind her ear and smiled at Siria. "Ginny told me you might need help," Luna said.

"Look," Siria addressed the corridor. "It's one thing to help me get this far, but any further and you'll be a step from death. Voldemort is at the Ministry and the goal is to get my dad out. Anyone who comes puts themself at risk and—"

"Right over easy," Patricia said.

"Right over easy," Maddy agreed.

"Isn't that was Dumbledore's Army was for? To fight Vol— Voldemort!" Neville said. He fell silent at the eyes on him and stared directly at Siria.

"Someone needs to contact the Order— McGonagall is in no condition, but I know how to contact Flint," said Cassius.

"Professor Snape—" Hermione started. Siria groaned and glared at Hermione.

"Siria doesn't trust Snape," Cassius said. "I'll go to Flint, someone will go to Snape, so we know the Order gets it." He clapped his hand on Siria's shoulder. They shared a speaking look, and Siria nodded. Cassius tried Umbridge's door then tapped it with his wand.

"I'll go tell Professor Snape," Lily Moon said. She glanced to Cedric, who nodded. "Is there anything I should tell him?" She asked Siria.

"Just look him right in the eye when you tell him," Siria said. Lily Moon nodded. She reached to pat Siria's shoulder as well, but retracted her hand. "Good luck, Siria."

"Thank you," Siria said. "Same to you," and Lily Moon hurried back the way she came.

"Luck," Hermione whispered. Hermione looked to Ginny and pulled her close as Cassius burned Umbridge's door down. Alice, Cedric, Maddy, and Patricia stepped into the room after Cassius. Neville, Ron, and Siria followed. Ginny glanced to the office then Hermione and nodded. Hermione handed Ginny her compact, and Ginny bolted away.

"Don't use her Floo Powder," Siria said as she pulled a pouch from her bag and handed it to Cassius. He accepted it then blasted the top of the fireplace, so he had room to stand. He and Patricia drew their wands along the sides of the fireplace, which crackled and hissed while the stone around it flashed black then returned to their usual grey.

"Is that why she's been wearing gloves?" Luna asked. "Did you plant Finger Nibbling Knacks?"

"No," Siria said, as she accepted the bag back. "The gloves are because of the… guess they'd be called 'Chomping Lady Beetles'. I just put heat activated boil powder in her Floo Powder."

The Floo Powder flashed in the fire and turned the flames emerald green. Cassius gave one last speaking glance to the room before he called out to the flat on B Street and was swallowed by them. Siria took a handful and handed the bag over to Hermione. "See you in a minute," Siria said. She threw the powder in the fire and called "the Ministry of Magic!"

Siria didn't know she would miss Colin and Dennis Creevey send Umbridge out of the castle and onto the grounds with a tidal wave. She wouldn't see Fred and George, escape a battered Umbridge and Filch, by summoning their brooms from their dorm to the castle grounds. Siria would miss the sea of students cheer the twins on as they kicked off and told Peeves to "give Umbridge hell." The portable swamp would remain in the entrance hall to do just that. Their Lava Floor burned and bubbled in a corridor on the third floor, where Pansy Parkinson and some of the Inquisitorial Squad were trapped by Fay and Mandy. Bianca Storm, Padma Patil, Lavender Brown, and Dean Thomas each trapped or else stunned members of the Squad, but Siria would miss that too. [B5, 674-676]

It would be the stuff of Hogwarts legend, but even Siria Potter-Black couldn't be there to see it all.