(AN: This chapter isn't as long as the last chapter, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.)
Chapter Four: Mischief Managed
Part One: If Today was Your Last Day
I watched as James and Sirius drew something on a piece of parchment. They had kept their latest project a secret from Remus and me, and we were suspicious.
"Lu, could you charm this for us?" James asked, handing me the parchment. There was a line down the middle and on either side was a pair of footprints, quite like how people were represented on the Map, but there weren't any other feet on the parchment except for the two pairs.
"What do you intend for this to be?" I asked, looking at the parchment suspiciously.
"Well, we've noticed that during classes Lily has been worried about her sister, so we thought we would make something so they could each know if the other is safe, and who they're with. And, could you split it in half, along the line, before charming it?" James explained, and I complied. I had charmed the Map, as well, so I put similar enchantments on the parchment halves. When I was done, I gave the parchment back to James just in time for Lily and Petunia to come into the Great Hall. James looked at the parchment and smiled in satisfaction. My charms had worked.
Part Two: If Everyone Cared
Eventually, exams rolled around. Everyone had been studying for weeks, even James and Sirius, oddly enough.
The first day of exams, at breakfast, I got a letter with devastating news.
Miss Sierra Nevada,
We regret to inform you that last night, your parents were killed in a Death Eater attack. Your house of residence was destroyed in a fire, as well.
Sincerely,
-Millicent Bagnold, Minister of Magic
After I finished reading the short letter, I abandoned my waffle and ran from the hall, near tears. In my rush, I didn't notice that I had dropped my letter on the waffle, where anyone could read it. I also failed to notice Petunia picking up the letter and reading it, then handing it to Lily for her to read.
They found me in an old, abandoned classroom, fighting tears. Petunia picked me up and carried me to her living quarters, where she set me on the couch. Lily went to tell Professor McGonagall what had happened, and that I wasn't fit to sit the exams that day. Petunia brought me tea, and Lily came back with a note from Professor McGonagall.
"She said you could sit out of exams however long you need to." Lily told me as she sat down next to me on the couch.
"Where will we stay? I arranged for you two to stay with me, but now I have nowhere to go!" I said, sniffling, as I forced myself to eat a piece of toast. It had been three days since I had gotten word of my parents' murders, and I had stayed on that couch ever since, only getting up to use the bathroom. James, Sirius, and Remus were there as well, trying to persuade me to eat and come out.
"Well, I told Mum what happened, and she said you three could stay with us for the summer holidays." James said, and I didn't even get upset with him for telling his mother what had happened.
"Thanks, James. You know, if everyone cared, none of this would have happened." I mumbled, and, not for the first time in the past three days, I desperately wished I was dreaming.
(AN: The next update will be the last of House of Wolves. But, there may be a sequel. You'll just have to review to get the next update and find out!)