Set Fire to the Bleeding Moon
Summary: Darkness was their night. Darkness was their day. And Darkness was the light that blew them away.
Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, and sadly do not own any one of her fabulously fabricated characters, plot, and world. (Although I would like to claim Sirius as my own… My birthday is coming up in a few months after all…)
Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End
Darkness is the night
Darkness is the day
Darkness will be the light
That will blow us away
It was the first of September. 10:30 in the morning, thirty minutes before the Hogwarts Express departed from Kings Cross Station.
She was still in bed, having only fallen asleep a few hours before.
Nightmares.
He was still in bed, having only arrived home at the crack of dawn.
Partying.
10:45
She was groaning as a house elf frantically shook her.
"Miss! Miss Alethea must get out of bed or she shall miss the train!"
"Five more minutes Flippy,"
"Miss will have to floo to Professor Mcgonigill's office if Miss does not get ready! And tis will not have been the first time!"
He was groaning as an irate Remus Lupin frantically rushed into his room. "Hurry up mate! We'll be stuck flooing into McGonagall's office again if you don't get that arse out of bed!"
"Fuck off Moony! My head hurts!"
"Here. Hangover potion. Down it and be out in five,"
"Ow! Watch where you throw that bloody thing!"
10:50
She waltzed down the stairs of the grand mansion; hair tousled, jeans dirty.
"Miss Alethea! You is forgotten yous shoes!"
"Shit. I'll be right back"
"And your jacket Miss. Alethea!"
He waltzed down the stairs of the large, but comfy Potter house, stubble evident on his face.
"Damnit Padfoot! Where's your shirt?"
"Fuck. Sorry mate, wait a sec yeah?"
"And your shoes!"
10:55
She was stuffing her feet into her sneakers, toothbrush in mouth.
"Hurry up Miss! Flippy is made a sandwich for Miss Alethea,"
"Phanks Misshy,"
"And Flippy is packed Miss Alethea's trunk and purse,"
He was stuffing his mouth with Mrs. Potter's legendary pancakes.
"Alright Padfoot! Stop eating will you? We packed a whole stack of them for the train ride there,"
"Shanks Moony,"
"Do you have your trunk? We really need to get going… Mr. Potter has been ready to apparate us for an entire hour…"
10:57
She tripped over her undone shoelaces and ran her cart into a wall.
He slammed his head into a wall, thinking that it was the barrier between Platform 9 and 10. It was actually Platform 5 and 6.
10:58
She dropped her trunk and her gigantic owl cage, must to his loud protest.
He stopped to eye the arse of a raven-haired girl as she fumbled to pick up some fallen luggage.
10:59
She ran onto the train, a second before the doors closed.
He slipped onto the Express, as the crimson doors began to shut and the train's whistle hummed to life.
He was Sirius Black. Five-foot-nine, with an ego to match.
Eyes grey, like the early dawn.
And she was Alethea Winters. Hair as dark as the night was black.
Eyes blue like a sea of sapphires.
He was the most popular student at Hogwarts.
And she was virtually unknown
He was loud.
He screamed.
Screamed at his blood-purist family.
Screamed at the unfairness life thrust upon him.
Screamed until his throat felt like sandpaper, until the room shook and the windows rattled
And then when he was alone, he would cry.
In silence.
And she was silent.
Silent to the coming wind.
Silent to the impending fall.
Silent when her friends turned their backs
Silent until her brain exploded with frustration
And when she was alone, she would scream.
But then no one could hear her.
And no one would hear her.
It would be the last year for both Alethea and Sirius at Hogwarts. For the past six years, Hogwarts was a home for both of them, a place of warmth so desperately wanted from the cold loneliness of their families. It was funny how differently they hid the pain though. Sirius buried his soul within the façade of a player. Drowned his sorrows in firewhisky and tried to find love in the multitude of women that shared his bed. Alethea withdrew from the world completely, finding peace in chatter and noise but never quite being able to join in. She found solace in knowing that other people existed besides her. It was an odd sense of cruelty, the torture of being surrounded with people so full of life and energy whilst she herself was frozen, numb. But the pain was preferred over numbness. Feeling nothing was infinitely worse than any amount of pain. Or at least that was what she stubbornly told herself.
Soon enough, the Hogwarts Express slowed down its wheels and pulled into Hogsmeade Station. Students filed off the train in bunches, the first years giggling with nerves, the seventh years walking habitually towards the carriages.
Alethea was one of the first ones off the train. Getting off late meant having to awkwardly ask a group of people if she could share their carriage. People usually left her alone if she was the first on a carriage. But then again there were always exceptions. The Marauders- a group of Hogwarts four greatest pranksters: Remus 'Moony' Lupin, Peter 'Wormtail' Pettigrew, James 'Prongs' Potter, and of course, Sirius 'Padfoot' Black. They were exceptions to every single rule ever created and defied every law in physics, (did wizards even have physics? Probably not)
"Hello there sweet thing, mind if we crash with you?" Sirius asked, as he opened the door of the Thestral-pulled carriage, and sat down beside Alethea.
"Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice do I?" was the cynical reply. Immediately after saying that Alethea internally scowled. What a way to impress the first people to talk to you in months, she berated herself. Relax.
"Don't mind him. Sirius is a big prat. I'm Remus," He presented his hand towards her, lips turning up into a grin. Remus had sandy blonde hair and green eyes that held a mischievous twinkle to them. His face was very handsome but with a kind of weariness to it, as if he's been ill for a long time. Nonetheless, there was a very gentle and sweet demeanor to Remus, one that tickled the fancy of quite a few girls in Hogwarts. It was honestly a shame that he didn't quite seem to realize his self worth and was quite a deal shyer than James Potter or Sirius Black- the most popular boys at school.
Alethea shook the outstretched hand briefly. "Yes I know. You four are quite the talk at school," she replied.
"Didn't know that you followed up on us," Sirius winked.
"You'd be surprised at how many girls gush about you Black. And how loud they can be,"
Sirius laughed (which actually sounded more like a bark), his grey eyes lighting up with mirth. "You're funny. How have I not met you before?"
"Well, it's not as if you talk to anything that isn't blonde, hot, and willing to shag at the closest broom closet. Since I do not fit into any of those categories, I haven't seen any opportunity to meet."
"Well. It's usually those girls that are the easiest to sway" Sirius said, running his hand through his long hair.
"And it's quite evident that you can't charm any other girl except for those already rolling at your feet," she taunted, a somewhat Slytherin smirk unfolding on her face.
"Don't deny my flirting abilities. I could charm the knickers off of any girl I wanted," replied Sirius, arrogantly, although not without reason. Sirius Black could have been the most beautiful man on the planet. He was dark, handsome, and had that dangerous aura that girls tended to swoon over. His voice was low, his words as smooth as silk. Oh yes, Sirius Black could definitely get anyone he wanted in bed. And he very often did.
"I am not in the habit of accepting everything people tell me. Nor am I in the habit of listening to rumours,"
"So you deny it?"
"I'm suggesting a more first hand experience. After all, actions do speak louder than words," Alethea replied, with a small wink.
"Are you flirting with me, sweet beautiful lady?" Sirius said, smirk growing on his handsome face.
At this comment, she leaned into Sirius and whispered into his ear in a low voice, "I am merely trying to help you prove your point, sweetheart. Strictly professional, no flirting I promise,"
By this time, the carriages had arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Alethea promptly disembarked. Sirius remained in his seat, still trying to figure out exactly what had happened in the past five minutes. A second's recollection had him grinning from ear to ear and he hopped off the carriage, hand wrapped around James' shoulder. There was a strange dreaminess to the way that he spoke and there seemed to be a spring in his step. Sirius Black, infamous womanizer, had just fallen in love.
Later on that night, after the Welcome Feast was reduced to a pile of bones and crumbs, the students at Hogwarts settled down into their beds and closed their eyes for the night.
Of course, the Maurauders have always been exceptions to the norm. It should therefore, serve as no surprise to anybody that they were not in bed. Rather, they were partying in their dormitory with butterbeer, cigarettes and some good old muggle vodka, a Silencio shielding them from the rest of the sleeping world.
"So Padfoot, who was that girl you were hitting up on the carriage ride?" James said, as the boys had settled down from their rambunctious earlier activities, which included jumping on the beds and swinging from the bedposts. A few shots in and an adrenaline filled half an hour later, the Maurauders were now sitting and chatting on the floor.
"Have no idea really, never seen her before. I don't know how it's possible! Such a beauty and I don't even know her name? It's simply atrocious," Sirius replied taking a draft from his cigarette. "Moony, do you have any idea who she is?"
"I'm sure that I've seen her somewhere before. I definitely recognize those magnificent blue eyes but I just can't seem to draw a name,"
"Shame, I'll keep a look out tomorrow morning I suppose. Everyone needs to eat no?" Sirius muttered, mostly to himself. "Or maybe not this girl,"
"Maybe she's an early riser, Padfoot. You only reach breakfast ten minutes before class starts anyways," James piped in, as he stood up and walked towards his bed. "Anyways, I'm beat. If I'm late to Minnie's class tomorrow morning, she'd skin me alive!"
The other boys chuckled softly before they too silently crawled into their beds. Soon only Sirius was left sitting on the red carpet, with bottles and wrappers littered around him. He sighed and climbed into bed as well. He had a nagging feeling that he had seen her before. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember when or where. Nevertheless, he vowed that he would get to know her, and that thought soothed him, allowing his body to rest and his soul to dream.
The Great Hall was bustling the next morning. There were students making out at the tables, (much to the disgust of those around them). There were students stuffing their mouths with a less than appealing mixture of pancakes, bacon, and waffles, washing them down with a chug of pumpkin juice, (say, doesn't that look like James Potter?) There were students frantically flipping through gigantic books, trying to squeeze in a little information before their first period class, (unsurprisingly, most of these people were at the Ravenclaw table).
And then there was Sirius Black, sitting beside his three best friends, with his black hair deliciously messy and his tie hanging loosely from his neck.
A few girls around the Gryffindor table swooned.
He paid them no attention and continued to gaze into the distance, stirring the spoon in his porridge absentmindedly. James looked onto him with concern.
"You alright there mate? Can't imagine what you would be doing with a bowl of porridge. You swore you'd never touch that stuff again," James teased.
After a few seconds had passed and Sirius made no move to reply, James got frustrated, "Hello? Padfoot?" James leaned across the table and smacked him in the face. Sirius blinked in surprise.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?" He said, touching his cheek gingerly.
"What's gotten into you today? You're not eating, not cracking jokes, not teasing me about Lily; you're not even excited about the prank we're going to pull! You're not still thinking about her are you?"
Sirius grabbed his knapsack and stood up abruptly.
"I've got to get to class. See you guys later,"
James looked up at Sirius incredulously. "Class doesn't start until another twenty minutes!" he exclaimed, but Sirius was already halfway out the door.
"Blimey, he's smitten!" James said, stunned.
"Never thought I'd see the day that Sirius would be speechless over a bird. Not with him preaching to us about the ludicrousness of love and marriage and all," Remus piped in.
"And I was so sure that Severus would wash his hair first!" James retorted, sniggering. Peter threw his head back in laughter. Remus just rolled his eyes, but his lips quirked upwards nonetheless.
Back in the Gryffindor seventh year girl's dormitory, all was quiet. The curtains to the four-poster beds were all opened, revealing an assortment of pajamas and random undergarments skewed around the beds and the floors.
All except for a lone bed pushed against the wall furthest from the door. The curtains remained stubbornly shut; it's luscious velvet walls sheltering whoever lay behind them. But then, suddenly, a hand reached out and pulled open the curtains. A frantic girl bounced out of bed and rushed into the washroom, her hair flying behind her.
A few minutes later, said girl had emerged from the bathroom and rushed to put on her uniform.
Two minutes later, she had grabbed her backpack and was running down the stairs to the common room.
Of course, she failed to realize that her socks were uneven, her tie was undone, and the buttons on her shirt were mismatched.
But then again, one must congratulate her for getting ready in a matter of minutes. It is a right change from the rest of the room's inhabitants, whom had all gotten up at the crack of dawn to do their hair and their makeup. It was their last, first day of school after all. Who could blame them?
Anyhow, by now the girl had rushed out of the Gryffindor Tower and was racing through a hallway, her heeled oxfords clicking against the stone floor. Finally, she halted to a stop and slowly opened the door. It creaked loudly and she winced.
A hoard of students turned around, craning their necks to see who was brave enough as to miss the first day of a NEWTS class. The professor, a stern looking witch in a pointy hat also stared sternly at the door.
She gulped; her professor was not a woman one wanted to cross. She braced for impact.
"Miss Winters, how good of you to join us! I am glad to see that you have had a long night's sleep! Feeling refreshed enough to come to my class now have you? A full twenty minutes late! Were you too concerned with your beauty sleep that you have failed to remember that this is your seventh year? That you have NEWTS to take in a mere ten months time?" She flicked her wand and the door behind her closed with a loud bang. Whispers broke out amongst the students. "Twenty points from Gryffindor,"
The poor girl stood awkwardly at the door. She strained her neck to find an empty seat. All of them were full; Transfiguration was an essential course and as such very popular. Professor McGonagall pursed her lips, her stern expression unwavering.
"Well? Would you care to take a seat? Or are you so intent on wasting even more valuable class time?
"Sorry professor," she muttered, walking down a random aisle and trying to find an empty desk. To her luck, she spotted a free seat somewhere in the middle. She quickly dropped her bag and slid into it.
"Well, now that Miss Winters has settled in, we can continue with our lesson! As I was saying, NEWTS level Transfiguration is no easy course! It will require hard work, focus, and concentration…" The rest of McGonagall's lecture began to melt down into an ambient buzz, as Alethea Winters slowly started dozing off.
What seemed like a mere second later, Alethea felt someone poke her side. She jolted awake, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She looked up and saw a pair of pale grey eyes staring amusedly back at her. Apparently class was over.
"I don't know how you survive through Binns' class if you are snoring through Minnie's." He said, laughing slightly.
"Does anyone stay awake in that class? Wait. Does anyone still take that class?" she replied in faux shock.
"Lily does, but I think she's a special case,"
"She must be a very special one then. Who knew that one could actually listen and understand what that wizard- ghost thing is saying?"
Alethea scooped up her bag and began to make her way out the door, flashing Sirius a small smile.
"Wait!" he yelled running after her. "I never got your name!"
She paused for a second and seemed to contemplate about something. Finally she responded with a simple, "Alethea" before disappearing behind the large wooden door.
Sirius pulled himself into a wide grin.
"I finally know her name!" he thought, before he too gathered up his things and made his way out of class. The stupid smile still lingering on his face.
Little did Sirius realize that he had fallen head over heels for the girl with the raven hair and sapphire blue eyes.
And thus marked the beginning of the end.
Authors Note: Thanks for reading everyone! :) Link to the tumblr for Set Fire to the Bleeding Moon will be available in my bio. Check it out if you'd like ^^
xxx- LordessV