ONE YEAR LATER…
The square surrounding twelve Grimmauld Place was small and shabby, with tall thin houses looming over the unkempt patches of grass. Some of them had broken windows and peeling paintwork, and as Elizabeth looked around, she shivered.
"It's not the nicest place in the world," Sirius said gloomily, taking her hand and squeezing it tightly. "Are you sure you want to come in?"
"Will your parents be out?" Elizabeth asked as they silently walked towards one of the dark houses. Most of the street lamps in the square were broken so the only light they had guiding them was the full moon. Elizabeth secretly hoped Remus would be safe that night.
"Yeah, my mother's out with Regulus," Sirius assured her, as they reached his house, "and my father isn't back for another three days."
"All right, as long as we're quick," Elizabeth said, climbing up the stone stairs, glancing around the square. There was a chill in the air and she couldn't help but feel she was being watched. "Remember that your mother will definitely not like me. I'm not pure-blood, don't forget."
Sirius' eyes grew dark as he unlocked the front door, setting off a loud chime. He hated his family's pure-blood mania and that was the reason Elizabeth had never been to his house before.
"I promise, we're just going to grab some things and then go to James' house," he said quietly. Elizabeth nodded and entered the dark house. It was eerie and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight. As the door closed behind her, several gas lamps lit up and grey shadows danced on the walls in their light.
"Where's your room?" Elizabeth asked in a rather croaky voice. She was desperate to leave this place already. Sirius took hold of her hand and led her up the stairs. Despite being told the house was empty, Elizabeth felt the absolute necessity to stay as quiet as possible. She felt like an intruder, and judging by the house-elves heads lined up neatly on the wall, this family were definitely not to be messed with.
Upstairs, Elizabeth couldn't help but smile. In drastic comparison to the rest of the house, Sirius' bedroom looked homely and comfortable. He had plastered the walls with hundreds of pictures and Gryffindor banners, most likely to annoy his parents. When she looked closer, Elizabeth saw that the majority of the pictures didn't move, including the Muggle girls in bikinis (which Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at but resisted from commenting on). She glanced at the only three moving photographs. One of them was of the Marauders, taken a few weeks previously. They were arm in arm, beaming at the camera, shining in the sun light. The photo it was plastered next to made her grin. It was of her and Sirius, taken last Valentine's Day. They had spent the day in Hogsmeade, drinking Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks and testing Zonko's new products, before stuffing their pockets with sweets from Honeydukes and lounging in the common room. James had snuck up on them with a camera and taken them by surprise as they kissed on the sofa by the fire.
There was movement behind Elizabeth and she turned to see Sirius shoving clothes into a backpack. He glanced up at the wall and his eyes hovered on the two pictures Elizabeth had just been admiring, and there was an obvious longing in them. They couldn't be taken off the wall though, because he had used a Permanent Sticking Charm on them, so his parents couldn't rip them away.
"We'll take new ones," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him gently. Sirius relaxed and nodded, returning to his packing. He stuffed his bag with scraps of paper, a few textbooks, a small bag of Zonko products, two mirrors and a penknife.
"Ready?" Elizabeth asked and Sirius nodded, scanning the room for the last time. He took two broomsticks from under his bed and handed one to Elizabeth.
"What happened to your bike?" Elizabeth asked, referring to Sirius' flying motorbike that had been given to him by his uncle Alphard. Alphard had stolen the bike from a Muggle and had modified it brilliantly.
"James has it," Sirius said, hoisting the backpack over his shoulder and pocketing his wand. "I thought it might be better to travel on broomsticks."
Taking Elizabeth's hand, Sirius led her back downstairs, down a long corridor and through to the kitchen, just as the door chime rang through the dreary house.
Sirius froze, his grip on Elizabeth's hand tightening.
"Who's that?" Elizabeth whispered as the hallway lamps re-lit themselves again. Somebody was moving in the long corridor but she couldn't make them out; the kitchen door was blocking her view.
"Regulus, take them upstairs straight away," a cold voice sharply echoed through to the kitchen and it shivered through Elizabeth's heart like a tidal wave of ice. "And, make sure you put them away properly."
"Is that your mother?" Elizabeth whispered and Sirius nodded. His eyes were full of dread and Elizabeth shook slightly. From everything she had been told about that woman ordering her son about in the corridor, Sirius was right to be worried. He had invited a half-blood willingly into the 'Noble House of Black'.
"Who's there?" Walburga Black called out from the hallway and a deadly light of red flew into the wall, missing Elizabeth's ear by inches.
"Mother, it's me!" Sirius called out, firmly leading Elizabeth to the back door, handing his broomstick to her to hold as well as her own. He urgently nodded at her to leave, forcing the door open, but it was already too late. Walburga stormed into the kitchen, her black hair flying behind her. She saw her son first and narrowed her brow at him, her wand still raised.
"Sirius! You told me you –"
She stopped dead, her eyes finding Elizabeth, who Sirius had been trying to hide in the shadows of the dark kitchen. Walburga's nostrils flared slightly and it looked as though she was deliberating over something.
"Who is this?" she asked coolly, her cold dead stare fixed on Elizabeth, who instinctively reached for her wand, which was currently residing in the back pocket of her jeans. "I don't believe we've met."
Neither Sirius nor Elizabeth said anything.
"Sirius, who is this girl?"
Moving slightly back, taking Elizabeth with him, Sirius cleared his throat.
"This is Elizabeth, Mother," he said strongly, but his grip on Elizabeth's hand was still tight. She knew that he wasn't scared for himself, but for her. "She's my girlfriend."
"Elizabeth what?"
"Elizabeth Snape."
Walburga's eyes flashed angrily and her wand rose a little higher.
"Snape? As in, the offspring of the Muggle, Tobias Snape?" Her voice grew louder and her eyes seemed to be bulging as she yelled. "This girl, who is stood in the Noble House of Black, in my family home, is the by-product of dirt and vileness! SHE HAS MUGGLE BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH HER DIRTY VEINS! SHE IS A HALF –!"
"Shut up!" Sirius yelled, standing in front of Elizabeth as Walburga's wand arm twitched. "SHUT UP!"
"How dare you!" Walburga yelled as her son withdrew his wand angrily. "You have been a disgrace to this family since the day you were born. Cavorting with half-bloods and Muggles and scum and freaks! You are a blood-traitor, an abomination, a –"
"Leave him alone!"
Elizabeth shook with anger, pointing her wand at the furious witch stood across the room. Sirius glanced at her, and a look of impressiveness crossed his face, but he turned his attention back to his mother, who looked beyond reason at being addressed by Elizabeth.
"HOW DARE YOU?" she screamed and threw a curse across the room. Luckily, Sirius was ready. He pushed Elizabeth through the open back door and blocked his mother's spell, casting his own to protect himself.
"Sirius!" Elizabeth said, throwing one of the broomsticks over and quickly mounted her own, her wand still in hand. Sirius aimed another spell through the open back door, swung his leg over the broomstick and flew into the air, Elizabeth closely following.
"BLOOD TRAITOR! HALF-BREED SCUM!"
Walburga came tearing out into the garden, her hair almost crackling with fierce electricity. She angrily jerked her wand at Elizabeth, swearing loudly as she cast her spell. Sirius dived in front of Elizabeth, performing a weak Shield Charm just in time.
"Beth, go!" he ordered, swinging around and urging Elizabeth forward. Without looking back, the pair sped away.
"Sirius, are you all right?" Elizabeth shouted, clinging to her broom as they flew through the dark night. She swerved to avoid a large tree that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, shivering in the cold.
"Beth, just keep going!" she heard Sirius yell behind her. He sounded in pain but Elizabeth resisted the urge to turn and check on him. She kept racing forward, her hands turning slightly blue in the frigid air. Her thin jacket was no protection, flapping strongly in the brutal wind, the zip bruising her stomach as it slapped against her. She squinted her eyes in the dark, looking for familiar buildings. She had no idea where she was, or where she was supposed to be going.
"Left!" Sirius shouted, soaring into sight and shooting her a reassuring grin. Elizabeth tried to smile back but her face seemed to be frozen into a frown. She swooped left and down, following Sirius' broom as it dived in and out of trees, carefully avoiding lit areas so any passing Muggles wouldn't be able to see them.
"We're nearly there!"
Again, they swooped, Elizabeth closely following Sirius. Down past an abandoned building, a right turn past a children's park and a sharp left just before a newsagents.
"He lives just here," Sirius called out, pointing out to a large house that stood alone at the end of a road. The windows were large and twinkled in the moonlight. The garden looked tame and well cared for, with small red and blue flowers blooming in the corners.
Both Elizabeth and Sirius skidded to a stop just short of the long winding footpath leading to the house. The street was deserted and Elizabeth finally allowed herself to breathe normally, finally feeling safe. She grinned and turned to Sirius. One look at him and she froze.
"Sirius!" she cried, letting her broomstick clatter to the ground. "You're bleeding!"
Sirius looked down. His black jacket sleeve was covered with a dark red substance, oozing out a jagged tear in the material. He unzipped the jacket and tore it off, causing Elizabeth to gasp quietly. The skin was spliced apart, bruised and bloody. Sirius wiped some of it away, his pale hand smearing scarlet red. Surprise flickered on his face as Elizabeth rushed forward, desperate to help. And then, to her amazement, Sirius began to chuckle.
"I think that old witch has wanted to do that to me for some time," he smirked, wincing as Elizabeth tried to dab away the blood with her sleeve. "It must have been that curse she tried to throw at you. Hell of a shot, my mother."
"You shouldn't have done that," Elizabeth scolded quietly, but she kissed him, incredibly grateful. "Come on, let's get you inside. See if Mr and Mrs Potter can help."
Picking up both broomsticks, Elizabeth led the way, quickly and carefully guiding Sirius up the path. Knocking as loudly as she could, she watched for the lights to flicker on, keeping one eye on Sirius, looking for signs of extreme paleness. However, Sirius was grinning, his grey eyes skimming over the large house, exhilaration shining on his face. He had never looked so free than he did in that moment. He would never have to go back to that dreadful house again, never have to face that woman again. Elizabeth smiled in spite of herself and squeezed his hand, just as someone answered the front door.