Chapter Four; Bell Tower

'Artefacts stolen from within the heart of the Department of Mysteries; Nobody knows as of yet who was to blame and the only witness happened to disappear without an explanation. Minister of magic is conducting a full search into the whereabouts of the half-blood witch, Hannah Pilkin, who is aged 32 in attempt to retrieve the missing files.' Sirius laughed, "Are they stupid? Even the muggles could figure out that The Death Eaters had involvement in this." He continued to get lost in the newspaper, completely oblivious to his surroundings. "Bloody idiots."

The Potters living room had a Scarlett and Mahogany theme throughout. The room had two large book cases which reached the high built ceilings, with a movable ladder attached to the side. Mr Potter's desk was positioned in front of the bookcases, coordinated with a large cushioned red chair. Sirius was happily perched at the desk reading articles from his newspaper while across the room, James and Remus played chess.

"Remus, what was that about?"

Observing James' unimpressed facial expression, Remus quickly responded, "I have no idea what you are talking about Prongs."

"Don't play dumb. What is going on between you two? Is there something I should know?" James continued to question him with a curious look upon his face.

"No of course not; even for you James, that is extremely dim-witted." He said in a stern voice, in hope he believes the lie.

James looked over his shoulder towards Sirius, to ensure he couldn't hear the conversation. "She was sleeping in her underwear cuddling you Remus, if he had walked in, especially considering his current mood, he would have murdered you. Whether you are a fellow Marauder or not, sisters are out of bounds; surely you know that. I thought you were supposed to be the intelligent one Moony."

"She was in her pyjamas, Prongs. Stop exaggerating an innocent moment between friends." Remus shot a look at James and left the room with his mind overflowing with thoughts; imagining the touch of Ophelia's kiss. His summer holidays were spent thinking of her, and how to confront this situation. He came to the conclusion it wasn't worth the risk of losing his two best friends over it, so he tried to bury the feeling. He was succeeding, until her accident caused his emotions to resurface. Seeing her injured so badly made his whole centre shift, he no longer cared what happened to him if Sirius found out. He just wanted to hold her, protect her and keep her safe. But that was the problem, he couldn't keep her safe. Not really, not from his furry little problem. He didn't want to risk hurting her, so he couldn't possibly let it happen again, though he couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. He was confused, and lost in an everlasting battle between what felt good and what was right.

Deciding to check on Ophelia as it was almost time for their breakfast, he made his way upstairs. He realised her door was slightly open, and he peered inside. He could see she was dressed in a white sundress which elegantly shaped her every curve and stopped at her knee. Remus watched as she pulled a baggy, dark blue knit-jumper over her head. Her curls were still slightly damp from the shower, pinned half-up-half-down with a clip. He shouldn't be invading somebody's privacy like this, he thought to himself. But he couldn't manage to tear his eyes away from the young woman who stood before him, oblivious to his presence.

Ophelia took out her wand and attempted a concealment charm on her wrist. She muttered the spell on three separate occasions, and each chant had failed. Her bruises didn't change colour in the slightest. "Remus was right." She whispered. "Remus is always right." Slamming her wand down on the dressing table, this resulted in three bright sparks shooting from the tip. The multicoloured sparks whistled around the room like a firework, and they seemed to be chasing each other. Ophelia watched as they rocketed around the room, intertwining into each other as they fizzed away.

"You really should look after your wand." Remus stood at the door in a fit of laughter.

Ophelia span round and laughed with him. "Well maybe you should learn how to knock Mr Lupin."

"Touché. But I thought I was the one who was always right?" he winked at her with a huge grin on his face.

A blush rose to her face as she wondered how long he had been watching her. "It has been known to happen, I guess..." She joked and pulled him out the door, heading for breakfast. They walked together down the stairs and Mrs Potter greeted Ophelia with a warm hug as she entered the dining room.

"Ophelia darling, how are you feeling? You look a lot better. Oh we have been worried." She hugged her again, and Ophelia noticed Sirius sulking off into the garden, not even glancing her way. Angered at how he walked away without saying anything to her, she forgot to reply to Mrs Potter. "Ophelia, darling, are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry; I was away with the fairies. I didn't mean to ignore you Mrs Potter."

"It's fine dear we all have those moments, you don't have to apologise here." She smiled warmly at Ophelia, holding her shoulder. "Are you sure you are feeling okay?"

"Mum, stop fussing, the poor girl has only been in the door five seconds." James rolled his eyes at his mother.

Ophelia scowled at James, "Ignore him Mrs Potter, I'm fine. I'm extremely thankful for everything you have done for me and my brother, and you sir." She looked between Mr & Mrs Potter and smiled gracefully. "I wouldn't be alive if it hadn't been for you, I'm sorry I've been such a burden. If there's ever any way I can repay you..." She looked almost ashamed of herself.

"Enough of that nonsense, we would do anything to help you both, and you Remus. And please call me Euphemia; none of this Mrs Potter nonsense." She said while pulling her tightly into another hug.

She sat down between Remus and James at the dinner table, pouring herself a glass of Cranberry Juice. An awkward tension seemed to rise between her and Remus, as neither of them knew what to say. Luckily James was too busy filling his face with croissants to notice. Mrs Potter served pancakes, and they all dove straight in. Ophelia felt as though she hadn't eaten in weeks; her mouth was almost drooling. She helped herself for seconds, and even thirds before she finally stopped. James looked rather impressed. "I taught you well, Phi." He laughed.

Ophelia quickly excused herself, while Dyra cleared the table. She collected a stack of books, and perched herself on the seats in the garden. The Potter Manor had acres of stunningly beautiful gardens which lead onto a small lake, and the whole manor was surrounded by trees. The girl immersed herself in the books, in hope to be prepared for the upcoming year at Hogwarts.

Before she knew it, hours had passed. She stretched and went for a walk in the gardens. Ophelia found herself worrying of many things, Remus; what would be to come of their relations? Her father; what will he say about the incident at the party? Will he come for me? Images of him throwing the Cruciatus curse in her direction for her disobedience sprung into her mind and she quickly shut her eyes, attempting to shake the thought. Sirius; will he ever forgive me? She felt a knot appearing in her stomach, the thought of losing her twin over this situation made her feel uneasy. Before she knew it, her magic was wildly radiating off her. She frantically tried to control herself and to which the magic slowly eased. Her mind drifted to Hogwarts, and she wondered what everybody would think once they found out. It was guaranteed all of Slytherin knew about it, almost all their families were at the party. News travelled fast when you were in a strict pureblood family. Ophelia often wished she could have been a Gryffindor, like her brother. She seemed to fit in more with other house members, than Slytherin.

Later that evening, Ophelia entered the living room and noticed Remus and James sitting by the fire playing a muggle card game. She smiled, and soon noticed Sirius sat in an armchair reading Hogwarts; A History. As soon as Sirius noticed his sister, he closed his book and stood.

"Please may we talk? I can't go on like this Sirius."

"And I can't go on watching you put yourself in danger Ophelia."

"I'm sorry! I really am!" Her yell echoed around the room, to which a silence dropped. James and Remus sat rather awkwardly but continued to play their game. Her voice was now barely a whisper and she continued with a heartfelt speech. "I'm scared Sirius. I'm scared what father is going to do. I'm scared that I won't be brave enough to face everyone at Hogwarts, that I can't hide the marks. But most of all, I fear that I have lost you. I can't do this without you Sirius; I can't face the world without my brother by my side. I'm sorry you have lost everything for my mistake." Her words hung in the air while the girl stared at the floor, unable to look him in the eye. "It wasn't my intention."

Sirius observed his sister and pulled her into a hug. "Pheeli, I'm sorry I lost it, I just can't lose you."

"You will never lose me; I swear I'll be careful next time."

"Next time! There won't be a next time." Sirius scowled with amusement in his tone.

She laughed and hugged him tightly. Her tears stained his white t-shirt, though he didn't seem to mind.

"Well finally, it's about time you guys made up." James laughed and noticed Remus staring at Ophelia. "Come on Sirius, you can help me pack my things ready for tomorrow."

"Can't you do it yourself?" Rolling his eyes, "Ugh, fine. Hurry up, I'm tired."

Ophelia desperately wanted to speak to Remus, but her bravery quickly disappeared as James and Sirius left the room. The air was filled by another uncomfortable silence, until Remus stood up and walked towards her. The butterfly feeling soon returned to her stomach and she suddenly felt nervous. Is it warm in here, or is it me? She thought as she took a few deep breaths and ruffled her hair as he approached. He leant in to her, and Ophelia anticipated the soft, warm feeling of his lips on hers. But the feeling never came. She opened her eyes and saw Remus had grabbed his books from the table next to where she was standing. A fresh flush of red rose to her face, stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Well, I best retire early tonight; I'm feeling rather worn-out myself." Remus said in a hazy, sleepy voice. "Goodnight, Ophelia."

He left her standing in the living room, mulling over the conversation she just had with him. "What the hell was that all about?" She said aloud as she poured herself a glass of Pumpkin Juice. He looked as though he was at one of Slughorn's meals, not as though he was talking to the girl he kissed a few hours previous. He didn't smile, or hug me. She ranted silently to herself as she too, turned in for the night after coming to the conclusion she was just over thinking the situation.

The next morning, James and Sirius were sleeping soundly through their alarms. Ophelia came barging into their bedroom, followed by Remus. "WAKE UP! RISE AND SHINE! Merlin's beard, you two are the laziest people I know. We're going to be late if you don't hurry up. Remus and I have been up for hours."

"I'm sure you have." James laughed and pulled the covers over his head.

Scowling at him, Ophelia clicked her fingers and the curtains pulled open, revealing the bright morning sun. The covers of their beds flew off, and Ophelia looked pleased with herself.

"Hey! I could have been starker's for all you knew." James glared at Ophelia while rolling over.

"Well I'm sure we wouldn't have seen much." She laughed, "Now hurry up! Sirius! Aquamenti!" Cold water squirted from Ophelia's wand and soaked her brother, who quickly jumped out of bed and attempted to chase Ophelia as she swiftly ran out the door.

"What are you doing?! Just wait until I get my hands on you. Oh it's on lil' sis!" Sirius tried to look stern but couldn't hold back his laughter, his once clean pyjamas now soaked to the core. He walked into the bathroom and suddenly, his chuckle came to an abrupt end. He spotted his reflection in the mirror. "Oh crap! My hair! Moony, what time is it?"

"7.45, we leave in less than an hour."

"Double crap. Quickly Prongs, we really did sleep late." Sirius shouted from in the bathroom, and quickly started to undress. He applied a drying spell on himself and changed into a pair of black jeans and a loose t-shirt with a muggle band on it, which he knew would really annoy his parents if he happened to bump into them on their travels.

"We would be fine if you didn't take hours to fix your hair, Padfoot." James laughed.

"Well one of us has to make an effort. Besides, I believe Miss Mckinnon is longing to see me." He poked his head around the door and winked. He threw himself into the armchair and started to fasten his boots.

"Oh yes, dear Marley. I'd of thought that by now you would have gotten bored and found someone else."

Sirius stared at him and raised an eyebrow, struggling to hide his amusement. "Hmm, that's rich coming from the guy who has been rejected by Lily Evans every day since second year, yet still follows her around like a lost puppy."

"Ouch!" He laughed, and grabbed his heart jokingly. "I only meant that you are Sirius Black; I've never seen you obsessed with a girl before."

"I am not obsessed!"

"What is this then?" James grinned, holding up a picture of Sirius hugging a fair haired girl. The young woman had stunningly long blonde hair, green eyes and she was tall but extremely feminine. She was only a few inches shorter than Sirius. The two looked very happy together, and she was kissing Sirius on the cheek while he leant against a tree with his arm around her. The picture was taken on a spring afternoon at the Black Lake, Hogwarts.

Sirius looked mortified. "Where the hell did you find that? You're such a nosey git Prongs."

"In your bedside drawer, so tell me again how you're not obsessed with her?" James waved the picture in the air, teasing him looking extremely happy with himself.

Sirius took out his wand and whispered, "Accio photo." The picture flew through the air and he swiftly caught it, stuffing it in the pocket of his leather jacket.

"Don't be a spoilsport." James laughed.

"I'll meet you downstairs." Sirius smiled and levitated his trunk out of the room.

The trunk bashed against the wall on his way down the stairs almost breaking ornaments and picture frames. Ophelia laughed, observing her brothers struggle. "Do you need a hand with that, Sirius?"

"Shut up, I've still not forgiven you for this mess." He pointed at his hair smirking. Planting the trunk down in the hall, he managed to fix his hair to an acceptable standard.

"Where is James?" Mrs Potter popped her head around the door with a frown. "We're going to be late."

"He won't be long Mrs Pott-"

Suddenly, there was a loud CRACK, and James appeared behind Sirius.

"Did someone call?" he smiled and handed Sirius a small briefcase.

"What is this?"

"Well, the general use is to put your belongings in. Gee Sirius; I didn't think you were that dense." James laughed and in response Ophelia giggled.

Rolling his eyes, Sirius replied, "Obviously. But why have you given it to me?"

"Mother has put an undetectable extension charm on it. She gave Ophelia a handbag with the charm on it too. It'll make it easier for us to apparate out of here, not to mention we don't have to cart around trunks all day. My things are already inside."

"And you couldn't have told me this upstairs? Prongs! I almost broke your parent's chandelier on the way down." He laughed.

Mrs Potter smiled, "I went to Diagon Alley a few days ago, we bought all of yours and Ophelia's new school things, and they are in there too."

Both Sirius and Ophelia looked shocked, as those items won't have been cheap. "You didn't have to do that Mrs Potter, thank you. We really appreciate everything you've done for us." Sirius beamed at her.

She smiled gracefully, "No need to thank me. Come on now you three. I sent your Owls ahead; they will meet you at Hogwarts. Wait a second, where is Remus?"

"Right here, Mrs Potter." Remus came from behind her in the doorway.

"Fabulous! We will apparate to just outside of Kings Cross station. James, you go with Ophelia. Sirius, you will go with Remus. I and Fleamont will go last. Make sure to wait near the Bell Tower."

"Come on then, beauty's before beasts." James laughed, offering his arm to Ophelia. She laughed and held it tightly, before disappearing from the room with a loud CRACK.

Ophelia opened her eyes and she was stood, linked with James precisely underneath the Bell Tower. She looked at him, and noticed his face had turned to a light shade of green. "Are you alright, Prongs?"

"I'll be fine, I've got to admit, although I may seem absolutely brilliant in all aspects of my life, apparition isn't my strong point." The two laughed together, when they were interrupted by two loud CRACKS. Sirius and Remus appeared, followed by Mr & Mrs Potter.

"Come on then, or we will be late." Mr Potter said. "I see that James hasn't perfected apparition yet?" he joked.

"Oh no, I have. It's just Ophelia's bad breath that is turning me green. I'll be fine." Roars of laughter erupted between them all; Ophelia playfully slapped James on the arm and pretended to look offended.

Together, they walked into Kings Cross station. Ophelia couldn't help but feel nervous. She hadn't managed to hide the bruises fully, but Mrs Potter helped a little by applying some make up which hid the extent of her injuries. A gnawing feeling of dread grew in the pit of her stomach, as she realised the possibility of bumping into her family here. Ophelia wore a black hooded jumper, a pair of tight fit, skinny blue jeans and black under-knee boots in hope she would blend into the crowds. After spending an hour the previous night figuring out what would hide her bruises best, she decided on this particular outfit. She noticed James hadn't unlinked her arm, for which she was somewhat grateful as he seemed to be helping her stand. The feeling of nausea soon passed when they approached Platform 9 and 10. Every time Ophelia had been on this platform, the happiness radiated from her very soul. The excitement of the experience always overwhelmed her, watching the first years nervously board the train, students waving off their parents, and the sense of safety which she always felt. Hogwarts had always felt more like a home to her and Sirius, rather than a just a school. They were always much happier here. Out of the blue, she realised that this would be the last time she would be boarding the train to school and she couldn't help but feel awfully sad.

They stopped at Platform 10, and looked between each other.

"See you on the other side then." James said, running towards the wall that separated the two platforms. Remus was next, who was followed by Mr & Mrs Potter. Soon after, Sirius vanished through the wall leaving Ophelia by herself. She took in every moment, as it was her last. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and started to walk towards the wall slowly. But rather unexpectedly, someone put their arm round her and gripped her shoulder, whispering in her ear in a deep voice, "It's about time you got here. Have you missed me?" They continued to walk through the wall together, before Ophelia could recognise the mysterious person who was holding her.