Chapter 5

June 2022

Ron and Hermione Weasley were sitting in the headmistress's office at Hogwarts. They didn't know why they were there but Professor McGonagall had a very serious expression on her usually stern face, so they knew it couldn't be anything good.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, I'm afraid I have very grave news. Your daughter seems to have disappeared and we have been unable to find her. The whole castle has been searched by the staff and some students repeatedly but we have found no trace of her. I'm sorry but we don't know what happened to Rose."

"Rose has disappeared and you can't find her? How can she have just disappeared? Children don't just disappear without a trace!" Ron raged his face turning red.

Hermione sat beside him shocked into silence. Her eyes were slowly filling with tears. Hermione's over imaginative mind was quickly coming up with scenarios how and why her daughter could have disappeared. Maybe she was kidnapped by some crazy person? Or had the stress from her OWLs become too much for her and she had run away? But where would she go? No, Rose would never run away and Hogwarts was a very safe place so a kidnapping was unlikely. Then what could have happened to her?

"Are you sure she has left the castle?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Mr. Potter even showed us his map of Hogwarts to make sure she wasn't laying anywhere injured and unable to get help. Rose was nowhere on the map" McGonagall replied gravely.

Hermione was now sobbing and Ron held her in his arms trying to comfort her. He was fighting down the urge to scream at the headmistress for losing his little girl he knew it wasn't her fault.

"The aurors have already been informed. I'm sure they will be able to find her" McGonagall tried to comfort the distraught parents.

Before Ron and Hermione could leave the office an official looking owl swooped into the room and dropped a letter onto McGonagall's desk. It was a letter from Gringotts and addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Ronald and Hermione Weasley.

Confused and with shaking hands Hermione opened the letter and read aloud.

"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,

We would like to inform you that from this day on vault number 522 is in your possession. It contains no monetary assets but letters addressed to you and some other individuals. Please contact us at your earliest convenience."

Regards,

Blacksmith, Gringotts Bank, Diagon Ally, London"

Ron and Hermione looked at each other completely stunned. Who would leave them a vault with letters and why?

"This doesn't make any sense" Hermione said shaking her head in confusion.

12th December 1975

It was Sirius Black's 16th birthday and he watched with trepidation as his parent's owl landed in front of him on the Gryffindor table carrying a letter and a parcel. He relieved Hades of his burden and then reached for the letter. His face paled rapidly as he read. He put the letter down and opened the parcel with shaking hands. Inside the small parcel were two rings. He didn't touch them but quickly closed the lid of the box again. Then he took a shaking breath and turned to the rest of the gifts he got.

"What is it? What did your parents send you?" James asked worriedly who had noticed Sirius going pale.

"I will tell you later" Sirius whispered and tried to act as normal as possible for the remainder of breakfast.

After breakfast they had to go to class but when it was time for lunch James dragged his best friend into an unused classroom and questioned him about the letter from his parents. James knew there was no love lost between Sirius and his parents and he wondered what was going on.

"It's my family's newest plot to turn me into the perfect Black heir" he spat.

"What did they do?" James asked worried for his best friend.

"They signed a marriage contract in my name. I'm supposed to propose to my darling cousin Bellatrix on Christmas Day" Sirius growled.

James winced. "Isn't there any way out of it?"

"I'm not of age yet. Until I am seventeen they can do with me as they please. I could try to run away like Andromeda but I don't think I would get very far. They would just get the aurors to bring me back and marry me off anyway" Sirius said bitter.

"Andromeda was cast off by your family because she married a muggle. You could do something similar" James mused.

"Oh yeah? And where am I supposed to find a muggle girl who is willing to marry me in less than two weeks?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

"It doesn't have to be a muggle girl, just someone your parents wouldn't approve" James stated.

"I told you I don't want to marry. Ever" Sirius refused stubbornly.

"I thought everything would be better than marrying that crazy cousin of yours" James replied.

Sirius couldn't argue with that. James was right. Bellatrix was insane, Voldemort's most devoted follower and nine years older than him. Everything would be better than marrying her.

"Alright, you have a point. Any suggestions?" Sirius asked in a defeated tone.

"How about Dora? You obviously like her and she seems the type of girl who can keep you on your toes and not bore you to death" James suggested.

"Are you nuts? She won't even look at me much less date me. Granger would probably slap me again if I suddenly proposed to her" Sirius said looking incredulously at James.

"Maybe she would give you the time of day if you actually made an effort to get to know her and talked to her without blatantly hitting on her all the time."

"Oh really? If you are such an expert concerning girls why aren't you together with Lily yet? I don't think you are in any position to give me advice in this matter" Sirius said gritting his teeth.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help. If you have a better idea feel free to share it with me" James said defensively.

"You really think I would stand a chance with her?" Sirius asked doubtfully.

"I don't know but I think you would make a good couple" James replied honestly.

Dora was blissfully ignorant of Sirius' and James' discussion and was enjoying lunch with Becky and Sharon at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall. They were talking about their plans for the Christmas holidays.

"What are you going to do, Dora? Are you going back to your relatives or staying here at Hogwarts?" Sharon asked her friend.

"I think I will stay. I hardly know my relatives and would rather spend my holidays here at Hogwarts" Dora said.

In truth there just weren't any relatives for her to go to. Yes, her grandparents were somewhere out there, but they had no idea she even existed. Hell, her parents hadn't even been born yet. There was no way she could turn up at their doorstep for Christmas.

"Oh, I wanted to go home for Christmas but I could stay here with you if you want" Sharon offered.

"Becky agreed. "You don't have to spend Christmas alone."

"Thanks you two, but I don't want to keep you from your family. You should spend as much time with them as you can" she said. As long as you still can, she thought but didn't say it out loud. Her eyes grew wet at the thought of her first Christmas without her family. No Weasley sweater from Nana Molly, no Christmas dinner with her overly large family, no Hugo waking her even before dawn, too excited to open his presents to sleep any longer.

"Dora? Dora? Dora!" Becky's voice pulled her from her depressing thoughts.

"What were you thinking about? You look so sad" Sharon asked.

"It's just...this will be my first Christmas without my family. I miss them" Dora admitted.

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay here at Hogwarts with you?" Becky asked worried for her redheaded friend.

"Yes, just because I can't be with my family doesn't mean I want to keep you from yours. And I won't be completely alone. I'm sure there are some other students staying here over Christmas" Dora reassured them.

"Alright, if you are sure" Sharon said hesitantly.

They ate in silence for the rest of lunch and then went together to their afternoon classes. When their last class finally ended Dora was still a little depressed so she decided to write yet another letter to her parents. It always made her feel better for some reason. Other people wrote diaries, she wrote letters to her parents and friends.

Sirius was tossing and turning in his bed. The Christmas holidays were coming nearer and he still hadn't managed to have a civil conversation with Dora. She was his only chance to avoid the fate of an arranged marriage to his crazy cousin and she didn't even give him a chance to explain anything. She always brushed him off or ignored him and he was getting desperate.

He had only a few more days to talk to her and convince her to marry him. He snorted. She would probably laugh at him and then refuse. But there was no one else he could ask, no one else he wanted to ask. If he had to marry at all he wanted Dora and no one else. Dora was undeniably pretty but no airhead. She was intelligent and literate but also played Qudditch and knew how to pull pranks (he had finally figured out it was her who had turned his skin blue). She was perfect for him.

His only problem was Dora didn't seem to agree with his assessment. He had to convince her somehow. There had to be something he could do. The question was: What? Then suddenly an idea struck and satisfied with his plan of action he finally fell asleep.

The next morning Dora got a letter at breakfast. She was astonished because normally she didn't get any post. Carefully she opened the letter and read.

Dear Dora,

First I want to apologize for the way I behaved towards you in the last few months. I was out of line. I hope you can forgive me for being a prat.

Secondly I must ask a huge favour of you. Please hear me out before you throw the letter away. I am in a very serious predicament and I hope you are willing to help me out.

I do not know how much you know about my family but they are a dark pureblood family and I have never agreed with them. I was always the white sheep of the Black family, although I am by no means innocent. Now they are trying to turn me into the perfect heir they always wanted by marrying me off to my crazy cousin Bellatrix Black. She is not only nine years older than me but also one of the few female Death Eaters and completely insane.

Now why am I telling you this? I am telling you this because I had hoped you would save me from this horrid fate. I know you do not think much of me but I beg you to give me a chance. Marriage was something I never intended, but now I have no other choice and you are the only girl I could possibly imagine spending the rest of my life with. Please at least consider my offer of marriage.

If you decide to give me a chance please meet me tonight at 10pm in the seventh floor corridor.

Yours,

Sirius

Dora's head was spinning after she had read the letter. This wasn't supposed to happen. No one ever told her that Sirius Black was married. No one had ever mentioned his wife. Why? She knew for certain that Bellatrix would marry Rodolphus Lestrange. But if Sirius married someone else why didn't anyone know about it? And was it really supposed to be her? Would she change the past by marrying him or by not marrying him? She needed help to sort this out. She needed to speak to Dumbledore.