Chapter Twelve

A/N: Thank you to Sakura Lisel for reviewing the last chapter.

Annie crossed the threshold of the Gryffindor Common Room, sighing with pleasure as the warm air rushed over her. After the cold wind that had whistled in her ears as she had returned from the Herbology greenhouses, the roaring fire reflecting against the crimson of the walls was pure bliss.

She could see Sirius over in the corner, laughing and joking with his friends. However, his laugh did not seem the same as it had been before Professor McGonagall had announced the mentoring scheme. Something had changed in him.

It took him a while to see her, as she had not made much noise. She never did. Having grown up at Hogwarts, and always having been told to stay out of sight, so as not to disturb the lessons in term time, Annie was accustomed to remaining unnoticed and had become quite skilled at it. But when she eventually caught his eye, his smile faded away, replaced by an expression of unease which always overwhelmed his features when she was near.

She did not know what she had done to inspire such a reaction in the boy. She had never been rude or cruel to him, nor had she been too boisterous or loud. She had tried to be herself, thinking that that was what he was trying to do for her. 'What if that was the wrong decision? What if he's just been pretending to be nice all along?'

From what she knew of Sirius Black, it did not seem like something he would do, but then again, what did she know of Sirius Black? She had met him for the very first time only in September and had only been mentored by him for a shorter time than that. And if he had been pretending all that time, which he could conceivably have been doing, then the young girl doubted she knew anything of him at all.

Before she realised what was happening, Black had begun to walk towards her, abandoning his group of friends in favour of speaking to a shy little first year. The oddness of the situation attracted a little attention among the crowds in the common room, but not a huge amount.

"I need to talk to you." he stated, his voice monotonous, but wavering slightly, as if he were trying to keep any emotions he felt hidden away. Annie wondered briefly his reasons for doing this as she was led out towards the large open space at the base of the Gryffindor tower. It was quieter here, without the hustle and bustle of students, so quiet that Annie could hear Sirius' slightly laboured breathing above the slight whistling of the wind, which seemed to have calmed since they had come outside, as if listening intently to what the boy had to say.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice raised to a pitch that sounded ridiculous to even her ears, a result of the nerves that were causing the tremors in her hands. She could feel her cheeks begin to redden, with a combination of embarrassment and the cold, but Sirius paid it no heed. He was looking out across the view of Hogwarts and hills and glens that lay beyond, as if he had forgotten she was there.

"There's something I need to tell you, something I found out not that long ago." he informed the girl, who could not conceal a slight sigh of annoyance. She was becoming increasingly frustrated with the cryptic way in which Sirius was speaking to her, wishing he would just say whatever he needed to say and get it over with. It could not be too terrible. 'Could it?' she wondered.

"Whatever it is, just tell me." she responded, hoping that her voice sounding encouraging and not impatient. However, from the distant expression that adorned her mentor's face as he turned toward her, she imagined he would not have noticed either way.

"The first time I met you, I felt like I had seen you somewhere before." he began, frowning slightly, as if concentrating fiercely on the memory. "I didn't know where from, until I spoke to you more. I started to piece it together more and more from the things you've said, about how you only have your mother, you've never been allowed to leave the castle. And I've seen the way you behave around McGonagall; I know that she's your mother. But she's too old to be, and you look nothing alike. But you do look like someone else; someone I used to know."

"Who?" the child questioned, struggling to take in the full extent of this new information. She felt as if she were reading the second novel in a series without having read the first, seeing the words on the page but not knowing anything about the characters or where they had come from. All these things Sirius was saying, they were nonsensical... and yet, somehow, they did not seem untrue.

"Have you ever heard the name Bellatrix?" he asked her, seeming to have changed the subject entirely. "Or Andromeda?"

A tidal wave of memories swept over her and she felt herself gasping for air as if she was drowning. She had heard the names before, both of them; they were as familiar to her as the back of her own hand. She could see faces now, as well; girls with dark hair curling wildly around their faces, blown free by the howling wind. She could see light flickering across the pale skin of their faces, flames reflected in their eyes.

Unbidden, she nodded, her head spinning. It was as if the world had been turned on its head by a few words, by two names. Everything was different now.

Tentatively, Sirius took a step toward her, but Annie had already risen to her feet, staggering slightly against the wall. Tears were steadily filling her eyes as the boy opposite her opened his mouth and stated the fact she had now realised for himself.

"The cousin I lost- Narcissa... Annie, it's you. You are Narcissa Black."

A/N: Please review!