Secret Sister

Chapter 3

Becoming a Lie

Well, that first day was active to say the least. I woke up in the hospital wing, God only knows what time it was, with the boys and Lily surrounding me (yes, I, whilst sleeping, decided they were my boys whether they liked it or not and needed a good kick up the backside for being prats.)

"This is nice," Sirius said sarcastically to break the ice.

"I'm not wearing any slap am I?" I muttered, dreading their screams when they saw me.

"Should you be?" Remus said and I grabbed my bag that was waiting patiently by my bed.

"Rose or anyone hasn't come by, right?" I asked, praying they hadn't.

"No," Lily said angrily, "They know but they don't care."

I shrugged, "Didn't expect them to."

Lily snatched away my foundation, "It's way too orange."
"Orange is in this season!" and snatched it back, "Anyway, what are you doing here at my death bed?"

Peter said quietly, "We wanted to see how you were and Lily wouldn't let us come up by ourselves."

"Certainly not! You'd take advantage-"

I coughed, "No, I'd take advantage, Lily…"

She sighed as she knew this to be true, "You're just wasting your time-"

"Where did you learn to do that?" James asked, "Can you teach us?"

"My big brother taught me how. It's not as good as his yet, though."
"Your last name is Hope, right?" Sirius said, "Is your brother Eli?"
"Yes, how did –"
"I had to memorize the family trees at 8, it's not something to be proud of."

"I have three big brothers. Eli is my favourite. Then there's Marcus and…Blunt…"

Remus raised his eyebrows, "The Hope family have problems."
"Yes and my father is the worst. He tried to ban werewolves from public places and even tried to ban muggle borns from Hogwarts. It's ridiculous."

Sirius pulled something out of his pocket, "Oh, these fell out of your pocket earlier."

My eyes almost popped out of my head as I grabbed them back, "Well, at least they aren't blasted to pieces. And you're fine?"
Sirius gave me an odd look, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"No reason…"
"They're just a normal pack of cards, aren't they?" Sirius asked.

I snapped, "There's some things you don't talk about. You didn't take any photos of me sleeping, did you?"

James cursed, "I knew I should have brought my camera!"
Lily thwacked him one.

Dinner. Finally. I was soooooooooooooo hungry. Rose dragged me down next to Abigail (or was it April?) and we settled down for a simple salad.

Rose, as always, began the conversation, "They're quite cute Flora, for your first day."

I smiled at the attention but Rose began insulting the other students before I could think about commenting.

"Is his hair grey?"

The boy in question was short and in his second year but he had a condition that made his hair grey and made him look a lot older, like an old man.

"Ick, look at those girls' shoes. Are they second hand?"

She was in third year and her parents were very poor so, yes, they were second hand. But they were just a tad unclean, just needed a good polish…

"Does anyone have concealer? That girl has an awful spot problem!"

She did have a few spots but they were very small and the few freckles she had were cute.

Often, Rose gave us a chance to prove ourselves and improve our ranking by giving us a question.

For example, "What do you think of Peppers jumper? Diana?"

The incorrect answer would be, "oh, it's totally designer."

The correct answer would be, "It's awful, I mean, it looks totally old and, like, the colour just so doesn't suit him."

Depending on the person, the piece of clothing being insulted/the actual person, Rose's mood, the incorrect answer would be correct one and the correct answer would be incorrect. Sometimes, Rose wouldn't accept any answer (even if you got it right) and preferred to keep people on their edge of their seats. She did like being unpredictable.

It all depended on if you could read her not and (to be honest) a shit load of luck.

"Hey, Flora, tell me about Sarah Phillips hair?"

The last few minutes had been a mix of insults and compliments so it was a toughie, I looked at Sarah. She was a tiny winy diddy bit chubby (basically I was jealous of her massive boobies) from Hufflepuff with a little acne on her forehead. Her face was round and innocent, she looked very sweet. Her hair was a different matter; it was in a plain pony tail pulled back so tightly it hurt to look. She wasn't the type of person Rose would like, not by a long shot. But her hair was a lovely honey colour… I couldn't be too mean.

"It doesn't suit her," I began and felt all eyes on me, ready to see what the newbie slut was capable of, "But it's a lovely colour. It would be nice if she had a fringe, don't you think, Rose?"

Constructive criticism and a chance for Rose to take all the credit, "Exactly, just what I was thinking. She has such a cute face shape; it'd be a shame if she didn't have her hair down. The spots are on her forehead and a little fringe would cover them perfectly."

Next, to suck up, "You're so right, Rose. I didn't even think of that. Gosh, you so go into fashion."

Rose was very pleased with herself and poor April (or was it Abigail?) thought it was safe to eat a small cupcake when Rose was on a 'diet'.

"Why are you eating that cupcake, Abigail? I mean, April? I thought you were helping me on my diet!" Rose said and no sugar, yummy calories were touched.

My green salad was very nice, if a little plain. It was one of the meals that reminded me of Eli, as he had to keep in shape and was forever eating salads.

The bell rang and we shuffled back to History of Magic, as it was a double lesson.

We queued up outside but a Professor stopped me talking to the others, "Flora Hope? I'm the Divination Professor, Professor Berry. Would you mind meeting me in my office after class?"

I'm not sure how to describe Professor Berry, except that he was simply handsome. His black hair was short and messy, his eyes were carved out of frozen water (so blue they were almost white) and some stubble around his chin, showing how young he was.

"Richard Berry?" I said, my mind working once more.

He nodded, "You're in Gryffindor, aren't you? Then my prediction is true, even if it is small… You will stand up for your friends, Miss Hope. You will accept them."

"I –Um, yes, sir," thinking how odd the topic had become.

He smiled, "People aren't always what they seem, you see? No, not yet, but you will. Very soon in fact. Just to be safe, Miss Hope, will you please pay attention this lesson? I know I am asking a lot, but the fates are certain…"

He nodded and walked away, his hands behind his back, looking quite serious. Most would think him mad but Richard Berry was one of the greatest fortune tellers in history. Thankfully, he was on Dumbledore's side and was known for keeping quiet on most matters but he seemed so aloof, I couldn't help but think him powerful. He was barely 20, with no family (Possibly murdered by Voldemort or in hiding). He was pure blood but Voldemort didn't like him very much. Berry was a child protégée and at 17, Voldemort took him to his lair and tortured him for a prediction on the war.

"The fates will kill the favoured one first,

And next shall be the one cursed.

My Lord, head these words of warning,

And wait, as the victory shall come in the morning.

Whose it shall be is in discussion as both sides,

Have watched their love ones curse and die.

Your time will come, despite your desire,

You will go down as a liar."

Of course, Voldemort had made many lies already so the prediction was about him. I didn't say who would win, just that many would die. Obviously, the Ministry didn't like this idea (it lowered moral) so they banned it for 'educational purposes'. Most were waiting for Richard Berry's death in the newspapers. Whether it would be the Ministry that cracked first or if Voldy decided to have another go at blasting him to tiny pieces, I didn't know. I felt that Berry didn't know either…

Quite funny to be the greatest fortune teller of your generation but unable to predict your own death…

"Werewolves are dangerous for society. No doubt you will learn more about them in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Remus went pale, "The library has a fantastic collection on werewolves deaths and how to kill them," Remus clutched his quill so hard it snapped, "Each full moon they happily slaughter their so called friends," Was Remus growling?, "And one bite from this monster can turn a normal human into their kind," Remus gripped his desk and one of legs broke, who knew Remus was so strong?, "They have excellent strength even in human form and it's been known for them to rip apart human beings," Remus looked around the room like he was nervous, "Thankfully, werewolves are not accepted in today's society," Remus sat bolt upright and looked ahead, trying to make it seem like he wasn't bothered by the lecture and my mind clicked. Why else would he be like that? Berry's words finally made sense (well, it didn't take that long but still…).

I felt the urgent need to do something before Remus threw a fit or ran out the room, "Sir, are werewolves werewolves out of choice? Except for a few nights of the year they are perfectly normal. With the right amount of care and…acceptance… werewolves are totally human. It's just us stopping them living a normal life. I mean, imagine if a werewolf was in this room! They wouldn't like the things you just said, would they Professor? It would certainly come back to bite you…"

Even as a ghost that couldn't be bitten by werewolves, he was easy to freak out, "Y-yes, I suppose so."

We were dismissed and I felt Remus tap me on my shoulder.

"That was very kind of you. Thank you," he said and I glanced around, I didn't think anyone had heard but just to be safe…

I blinked, "What are you thanking me for? I just stood up for the right thing."

Sirius joined us, "What are you to up to?"

"Ah, Sirius, just the man I need!" I said, "We were discussing, since werewolves are stronger and faster than humans, if they would be better in bed."

Remus gagged.

"Well, I suppose they would be," Sirius said.

"Excellent, must remember that, right, Remus?"
He stuttered, "No! I mean, um, no, no, no , n-n-n—n-oooooooo…."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "What is up with you?"
I winked suggestively, "I have an appointment for Professor Berry. Wouldn't want to be late for that, now, would I? Oh, Remus would you like to join us? I think it would be fun-"

"NO!" he coughed, "I mean, no, thank you. I would like to look up something in the library about, um, shield spells."
"Shame," My eyes lit up, "Oh, Sirius, do you want to come with me?"
Remus answered for him, "NO! I mean, he's going to watch Quidditch practice with James today."
"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot another time, Flo?"

"Maybeeeee," I said suggestively and winked at Remus, his face getting red. Oh, I loved it when my boys got embarrassed. Muhahahahaha, "Dear God, I am evil," I muttered.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing," I said, "Just got to go!"

I waved and blew a kiss, which Sirius pretended to catch and faked his death by falling backwards and accidently falling into the nearby broom cupboard whilst the door was open.

The Divination Classroom was near the very top of the tower, and was a strange room to say the least. The rich wood made the room feel like home and the rich blues were comforting, if a little dark. Professor Berry sat on a padded chair in the middle of the room , surrounded by books and tables that made a circle topped with a crystal ball. A single candle was the only light but it illuminated his features so softly…

"Child of the flower," he said, "I see you have uncovered the moons secret."

"Oh, you mean Remus… Does James know? What about Peter and Sirius?"

"They know nothing but with time they will," he clicked his fingers and other candles sparked on.

"Sir, when is the next full moon?"

"4 days. There is no cure and there is little you can do to help."
"I wish there was more I could-"

"Even a thought, a prayer will help. A boy like Remus Lupin needs all the help he can get."
"He's scared of rejection."

"Yes. However, this is not what I wished to talk about. Tell me, have you ever had a vision before?"

The gentle glow of the candles and his sweet voice made me want to tell him so badly, "I have. Just a few, though and nothing massive."

"A vision is a vision."

"Well, the first was about 4 years ago. At least, that's the first I remember. My eldest brother was told to marry but I had a split vision… I one he was happy with a family in Japan the other with a woman who hated him. I don't like my eldest brother very much but he's still my brother and I want him to happy. I put a book about purebloods in Japan and he was on the next Floo to Japan."

"The next?" Berry asked patiently.

"My brother Eli. I had a vision he fell off his broom because of a beater and ordered him to practice evasion techniques. Since then he's become one of the most well-known players in the Wasps, next to Bagman, of course. "

"Do you mind giving me a vision now?"
I shifted uncomfortably, "I could try. What about?"
He said, "Do not be startled by what you see. What you are going to see is the past and you will relive it. I'm sorry but it is necessary."

I gulped, "I don't really understand-"

I stopped talking as my breath stopped, Berry leaned in and I could feel his heart beating. Oh, God, forgive me if I do anything rash! He whispered something unintelligible in my ear and moved away (I was sort of disappointed) but my eyes went dizzy (is that possible?). I went dizzy (better) and I saw things.

Flashes of blood, a fist, a scary man, a banshee of a woman, two scared boys, a boy climbing out of his bedroom window, a wand, a spell, impact, screaming, pain, pain, pain, pain and more bloody pain. I screamed as the other voice screamed, it sounded familiar, as if confused by this amount of pain.

"Disgusting boy, talking to mudbloods! Haven't we raised you right!"

I felt so empty, so alone. It reminded me of my own family but worse because this person fought against them, instead of hiding and doing as they were told. I felt so cowardly for not doing so. This person, whatever their name, were amazing. What had the Professor said?

Oh, just a few words…

"Sirius Orion Black?"

I stopped crying and once again awoke in the hospital bed.

Lily was holding my hand. No, it was more like I had clung to her. I sat up and cried out as I felt a reminder of my torture in my back.

"My back… Why does it hurt this much?"

I looked at Lily's hand and immediately lessened my grip; I could see my nail marks where I had gripped so hard.

"What happened?" I asked, "I don't understand…"

Professor Berry spoke, "You saw a vision. Tell me what you saw, as it is very important… You can help by telling me."

I couldn't see properly, I couldn't tell who was in that room, "It will help Sirius if I tell you?"
"Yes, child."

"I saw this evil banshee who kept screaming at me, I mean, Sirius and she hit Sirius and there was this other boy. He seemed scared but he didn't help because he didn't want to be hurt himself. Sirius climbed out of his bedroom window and went to the muggle park and played cricket. He liked it. He was accepted… But when he got home his father caught him and he said this spell. I can't remember it exactly but it really hurt. Then he took off his belt and started hitting Sirius… I felt everything."

"I see. Mr Black, it is not my place as such but I will see what I can do to improve your home life."

I held my head, "Professor, is Sirius here?"
"I'm here."
"I'm officially embarrassed."
Sirius joked, "So you should be. You saw my room. You'll be seeing me in my underwear next."
I was silent.

"You didn't, did you?"

"No, it was worse…" I told him, "I saw your brother wearing just a towel after his green bubble bath."

He laughed, "I sort of feel sorry for you."

There was a bang and my father joined us. Such a horrid man. He held my chin and swore violently, "First my youngest son goes into Quidditch now this. Why can't you be like Blunt? Marry a pureblood and live without disgracing my family's name. Even Marcus is better than you. At least he focuses on his studies. Look at you, forever with those silly cards that your mother died with. She was a filthy squid, stupid girl and I see you are little better. Never mind, I will find a decent husband for you yet. Perhaps you will leave Hogwarts a year early."

Usually I'd say "Yes, father" and carry on with my pitiful life but not anymore.

"I don't want a husband you pick for me! If he's anything like you he'll be so far up his own backside to give a damn about me!"

Father slapped me and I felt alive for the first time. I spat in his face, "Say hi to the woman I should call mother, you are no father of mine."
"You are my daughter and you will realize this. You will do as I say!"

He stormed out of the room and I crashed out of bed, kicking a chair to vent out my anger. In the girls toilets I reapplied everything so it looked like I had had a very nice chat with Professor Berry before talking to some girls in my class and laughing and having a pleasant evening. Of course, that was the total lie I was going with.

I thought the fake me would be like a switch, with me able to turn it off and on at will. But it wasn't working like that at all. Somehow, this fakery was creeping up to me, corrupting me slowly. When I had it on, I felt a bit more confident but I knew I still looked terrible compared to everyone else. That was it, I was constantly comparing myself to others. When I was natural, which wasn't very often, I felt insecure and wrong, like I wasn't me anymore. In reality, which was the fake me, really?

Who was I, anyway?