AN: Go read Chapter 5 of the Sirius Black spin-off, its contents connect with this chapter.
It would be advisable if you read it before you read this, but either way...
October crept in lazily. Talia hadn't even been aware that they were now in the tenth month if it hadn't been for Draco pointing out that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were due to arrive soon. She could care less, though; Talia had more pressing matters to concern herself with.
Defense Against the Dark Arts had gotten harder with the passing weeks. The second year curriculum had done a complete 360 once they reached the Disarming Charm in their textbooks. They were now focusing on the Three Unforgivable Curses, curses so foul that it was illegal to use them, and if you should use them, they guaranteed you a cell in Azkaban.
Talia wasn't supposed to be learning about this—the Unforgivables were something that would be introduced to her once she entered her sixth year, but Professor Moody was paranoid ("CONSTANT VIGILANCE," he'd bark at his students), and just the other day she'd had to witness a spider being tortured by the Cruciatus Curse. It scared her how much power that man could wield, how he could torture an innocent spider to the point of death with a smirk on his scarred lips. There was something off about that man, and Talia did her best to stay away from him.
It could be worse, she supposed. Fourth years and up had it tougher then the third, second, and first years. Just the other day Draco had come into the common room, silent, with a haunted expression on his face. It appeared that Professor Moody had cast the Imperius Curse on his students to teach them how to resist it. It had taken Draco seven tries (and a nosebleed) before he was able to cast off the curse perfectly.
"That class is pointless," complained Talia with a yawn as she walked out of Professor Binns' History of Magic class.
"He's got us writing about the Goblin Rebellions," said Draco as he led the way to the Great Hall for lunch.
"I don't even know what we were supposed to be doing today," said Talia absentmindedly, "I heard him say something about a troll before I passed out. That class is just so boring!"
"At least you don't have Divination anymore," said Draco with a snort, "that old hag has us making predictions using the stars and planets and I don't know what else."
"Really?" asked Talia, showing a genuine interest, "and what do the cosmos have in store for you, Draco?"
"No clue—I made all my predictions up," he said with a tiny grin. "She believed them, of course… along with all the other bullshit-predictions everyone else handed in. I'm pretty sure only Lavender Brown takes that class seriously. That girl is about as raving mad as Trelawney is."
"Oh, stop it," Talia chuckled, hitting Draco's arm lightly, "I've heard about that girl—a Gryffindor, and fairly nice from what Hermione has told me. Anyways, your predictions, Draco?"
"Right, let's see here," said Draco, pulling out a piece of parchment from his backpack, "Okay, so because of Venus entering the southern hemisphere, I will drown in the Black Lake."
"Are you serious?" snickered Talia loudly.
"Most definitely," said Draco very seriously, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Now, since Mars and Jupiter will be entering the fifth house, I will fall off of the Astronomy Tower, and plunge into certain death."
"You're a riot, Draco Malfoy," Talia laughed.
"I've got a good one about being eaten by a dragon—listen up…"
They continued until they reached the entrance hall, Draco's predictions getting crazier the further down on his parchment he went. However, they couldn't proceed past the marble staircase that would lead them into the direction of the Great Hall. A large sign had been erected, and it appeared that the whole student body was congregated around it, blocking the staircase.
"What's going on?" asked Talia, standing on her tiptoes to try to see past the sea of people, "I can't see anything."
"Me neither," grumbled Draco as he stretched out his neck.
"Well c'mon, give me a boost," said Talia, tugging on his sleeve impatiently.
"Are you serious?" asked Draco, looking down at her incredulously.
"Of course, now lift me up!"
Draco scoffed, but didn't put up a fight. He grabbed Talia around the waist, and hefted her up high enough that she towered over everyone and could get a good look at the sign.
"What's it say?" he called up to her.
Talia squinted her eyes, before reading aloud, "TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT: The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o'clock on Friday the 30th—hey, that's today! That explains those banners in the Great Hall this morning, and why the castle is all of a sudden super clean—"
"Yes, I'm aware of that, now hurry up!" Draco snapped, mumbling afterwards, "You're not exactly light."
"Whatever," hissed Talia, before she continued with, "Lessons will end half an hour early; students will return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast."
"You done?"
"Yup," chimed Talia, before being set down lightly on her feet. "I wonder what those other students are gonna be like. My Aunt Sera went to Beauxbatons, and she's a real laugh. Do you think they'll be nice?"
"Dunno," shrugged Draco. "The only good thing outta this, as far as I can see, is getting out of Potions half an hour early."
"True," mused Talia, "Professor Snape has been in a real foul mood as of late."
"Do you know why?" asked Draco.
Talia shook her head.
The two pushed their way through the chattering crowd of students; Draco was elbowed in the gut twice, and Talia nearly had her eye poked out by a stray pencil, but they managed to step on to the staircase and make their way to the Great Hall in one piece. They ate their lunch leisurely while going over that afternoons' pending Potions lesson. Having half an hour taken out of his class was sure to make Severus work them harder to make up for lost time, and both Talia and Draco did not want to get on their professor's bad side.
"You know, I really don't think that he was being serious about poisoning us all before Christmas," said Talia incredulously. "My mum would kill him if he dared to poison you and me."
"Well, then why have we spent the last month researching antidotes?" asked Draco, scowling down at his textbook.
Talia scoffed, "C'mon, it's my dad. He'd have us researching anything for months on end if the time allowed it, but I mean, seriously, I think he's just scaring us all so that we'll put some effort into our work."
"Effort, yeah," scoffed Draco, "says the second year who's at the top of the fourth year Potions class."
"I'm not at the top," said Talia, trying to hide her smile.
"Whatever—I give up," Draco mumbled, shutting his textbook and pushing it as far away from him as possible. "Pass me a roll, yeah?"
"Ooh, they're stuffed with ham and melted cheese," said Talia with a grin as she passed the plate of rolls to Draco, "I've got like four wrapped in napkins in my messenger bag for later. They're really good!"
"You would, Talia," Draco chuckled, ruffling her hair.
Whatever Talia was about to say was drowned out by the sound of flapping wings and the telltale hooting of post owls. Draco and Talia paid the birds no mind, neither of them expecting any post, so it was a rather huge surprise when Hedwig, Harry's snowy owl, landed in front of Talia and Draco, sticking her leg out and hooting wearily.
"Talia," said Draco skeptically, eyeing Hedwig, "isn't that Potter's owl?"
Talia, baffled, merely nodded her head.
"It's got something for you," Draco pressed on, looking at the piece of parchment tied around Hedwig's leg.
"She's probably… confused," said Talia unsurely, "she looks pretty tired. How about you pack up my things and I go return her to Harry and then we get outta here?"
"Stupid bird," muttered Draco, before telling Talia, "hurry up, yeah? I think the bell's about to ring."
Talia nodded and stuck out her elbow, waiting for Hedwig to perch herself on her forearm before she quickly walked to the Gryffindor table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at the end of the table. They all looked at Talia curiously as she approached them, looking from her to Hedwig then to Harry.
"Harry," Talia said stiffly, "I think your owl's a bit confused."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry, clueless.
Talia sighed in exasperation, saying harshly, "Well look at her, she's sticking her leg out at me. I reckon she's dehydrated or something. She thinks that letter is for me when it's obvious for you—she is your owl, after all."
A rather offended hoot left Hedwig's beak, and she stretched out her wings, hitting Talia in the face.
"What the hell," Talia mumbled, crunching up her face.
Cautiously Harry reached out a hand to take the rolled up piece of parchment from Hedwig's outstretched leg, but the owl quickly nipped his finger rather hard, scooting along Talia's arm to get away from his touch. With an impatient hoot, Hedwig stuck her leg out towards Talia, ruffling her feathers rather loudly as if to say Talia should get on with it so she could leave.
"Well, whatever she's carrying," said Harry, looking curiously at Hedwig, "she doesn't want me to read it. I think it's because she's still mad at me for not giving her any food last time…"
Hedwig ruffled her feathers and looked at Harry smartly, as if to say that he was right about her not wanting him to read the letter… but then why would Hedwig go to Talia, of all people?
Hesitantly, Talia took the rolled up parchment from Hedwig, making sure that no one (mainly Draco) had seen her do it. With a relieved hoot, Hedwig hopped onto the table, stole a bit of turkey from Harry's plate, and then flew out of sight and back to the Owlery.
"That's weird," muttered Hermione, staring off in the direction that Hedwig had flown.
"Well, what's it say," asked Ron eagerly.
Talia ignored him and read the letter silently; she was confused for a moment, since the letter was addressed to Harry, but once she got to the last paragraph it all made sense, and with a small gasp, she handed Harry the letter.
"Read it," she hissed, crossing her arms.
"Alright," said Harry skeptically. "Nice try, Harr—"
"Not out loud, you idiot," snapped Talia, "it's from Padfoot."
Harry's eyes widened, and he quickly brought the letter down to his lap, hiding it partially under the table, reading silently:
Nice try, Harry,
I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself.
Now, Talia, this last bit is all for you,
We haven't informed your mother that we're back in the country, and when I say 'we', I mean your Aunt Sera and I. Now, I don't want you going off to your mother, leave that to us—just know that we'll be close by should anything happen.
– Sirius
PS: Talia, this is your Aunt Sera, don't you dare say a word to your mother, you hear me?! I know you will be just dying to mention this, but be warned that if you do, I'll replace your arms with tentacles!
Lots and lots of love,
Seraphina C.
"He's back," said Harry in disbelief, before rounding on Talia and asking, "Who's Aunt Sera?"
"My mother's cousin," informed Talia, then lowered her voice to a near whisper and said, "she's got this island off in the middle of nowhere—I think it's near Australia, anyways, that's where Padfoot's been this whole time… don't ask how I know, I just do."
"Guys, what's going on?" asked Ron impatiently.
Harry said nothing, simply handed Ron the letter.
"So he's back," Harry mumbled to himself.
"And he's brought my aunt along with him," added Talia.
"This is not good," said Harry.
"You think?" hissed Talia, "if he's seen he could get taken away."
"I know that," snapped Harry, glaring, "just… ugh! I should have never sent him that letter."
"What letter?" asked Talia suspiciously, "Harry James Potter, what have you—"
"My scar hurt over the summer," he cut her off, speaking in hushed tones, "it's only ever hurt whenever You-Know-Who's been involved, and I told him about it, and now he's coming back because—"
"Hold up, let me get this straight," said Talia, holding up a hand to stop Harry from talking, "are you trying to tell me, that your scar has only ever hurt when You-Know-Who has been involved—like—as in—alive."
"Well, yes," said Harry, a grim expression on his face.
"Merlin… If You-Know-Who is back, then… well, I don't know, but it's really not good. I mean, do you know what could happen if—" Talia stopped talking once she noticed that no one was paying attention to her. They were all looking behind her, and Hermione quickly mouthed Malfoy.
"Talia, it's time we get going," said Draco curtly as he strode up to Talia, glaring down his nose at Harry and Ron—Hermione he decided to ignore, for Talia's sake.
"Uh, yeah, I was just catching up and all that—forgot about the time," Talia said with a fake smile, one which Draco thankfully believed. "Well, bye guys… see you all in Potions—we've got double this afternoon! So don't be late."
The trio nodded, watching as Talia allowed herself to be escorted out of the Great Hall by Draco.
"Blimey," mumbled Ron, giving Harry back the letter, who passed it on to Hermione to read. "So he's back."
"Yeah," said Harry softly as the afternoon bell rang, "Sirius Black is back, and it's my entire fault."