Chapter 10
December came with no problems besides the new avalanche of homework for all of us.
Sirius owled me a letter again.
Viktoria,
I heard about the Quidditch match. I'm proud even if it was Slytherin winning. (I was a Gryffindor.) But I hope you're enjoying your time at Hogwarts. I know you spent Samhain with the Slytherin House, their traditionalist roots come in clutch with Magic traditions.
Yule is soon so I'm wondering if you want to spend it with me instead of the Dursleys. If you want to learn more about these traditions, I'm one of the best. I know the others won't want to join but it'll be nice to celebrate one of the Old ways again.
Owl me back a letter to confirm.
SB.
I wrote him a letter straight away, confirming with him that I would come to Grimmauld Place for the winter holidays.
Then two days before the end of term, I received another letter.
Viktoria,
Arthur Weasley was injured last night. He and his family are staying with me at home. You're still welcome to spend Yule with me. Harry, Hermione and the Weasley family are already here with me. Come with the Hogwarts Express back and there'll be a car to pick you up from the station. I don't want you walking alone in London.
SB
Wow. My brother left Hogwarts without even telling me. At this point, I didn't care. I gave up with him and his little snide remarks of the Slytherin team since he was banned from playing. He was still pissed that Slytherins were allowed to play, let alone me. He hadn't gotten over the shock just yet. He wasn't the only special one.
I spent the day before everyone would leave for the holidays near Hagrid's hut, feeding the Thestrals with him as Tatia messed around and played. She was the daughter of the leader of the Thestral herd, and would then become the leader when she was old enough. It would be a few years before that would happen, for now, she was happy to play with me.
I sat on the cold ground, feeding her meat as the others were fed by Hagrid. Tatia's father came, sneaking a piece away from my hand to which Tatia nipped him for. I laughed, letting them play before Tatia put her heavy body onto my lap and refused to move until I had to leave for dinner.
)()()(
On the last dinner of the term, fireworks rung outside the castle, somewhere in the middle of the Forbidden Forest. Teachers went to check and found nothing, so the fireworks worked all through dinner until it was time for everyone leaving to board the Hogwarts Express back to London.
I found a compartment to myself before I was interrupted by Draco.
"Come with me," He said. "Slytherins never sit alone. Older years might try to curse you for what happened at the match. Slytherins sit together."
"You never said that before,"
"Yeah, now I do," Draco snapped his head to the side, watching carefully as someone passed the compartment. "Move it."
I stood with a huff.
"Where are your things?" He looked around.
"I have everything," I said as I went past him.
He nodded before almost marching me to the new carriage, his hand barely touching my lower back as he glared at anyone who tried to get past us rudely. He allowed me through the open doors first before he guided me to a booth in a bigger carriage. I sat down at the approved booth, then Warrington quickly joined me, alongside two Sixth years, Bletchley and Ella Wilkins with her perfectly straight brown hair.
Draco sat down with his two friends, nodding at both of them. The three Slytherin Aces turned back to their own conversation.
"Good to see you too, Potter," Warrington said as I nudged him so I could sit comfortably.
"Yeah, if you weren't squishing me into the window," I snapped at him and he moved over a little bit.
"Did Malfoy catch you sitting alone?"
"Yep,"
Wilkins snorted, "We did rounds earlier. I thought we got all of the younger Slytherins in here already."
The younger ones sat in the middle of the carriage while the older Slytherins sat near each set of doors.
Most of the Seventh years stayed back to revise over the holidays since they had their NEWTs this year. The journey to London was a quiet one. Warrington and Bletchley walked me out of the station and into the normal King's Cross. A sleek black car appeared on the street just as we were approaching the road. The license plate simple said BLACK and the door opened as soon as I was near it.
"Nice ride, Potter," Bletchley whistled. "Come on. Get home safe. You better be back on that Express next term. We need you on the team."
"You can't get rid of me so easily," I snickered. "As much as you would like to be the best on the team."
"Fuck you. Get in the fucking car," He shoved my shoulder before he and Warrington were off and I went into the car.
Silver appeared in the seat next to me but there was no driver, "I see he sent a car for you instead of someone from the Order."
"Better that way," I said as the car started. "Means I don't get interrogated until after I get there."
)()()(
"Evening, Viktoria," Sirius said as soon as I came through the front door of Grimmauld Place.
"Hey," I greeted back. "How's everything? No one told me Harry left Hogwarts until I got your letter."
His face scrunched up, "No one told you? I thought I told Harry to owl you after he arrived. Good thing I mentioned it then. Don't need you worrying about him."
"I gave up worrying a while ago. He can handle himself," I said.
"That's fair," He nodded. "Dinner's almost ready. Tomorrow is Yule so we can celebrate properly then. Everyone is stressed from what happened."
"What happened?"
"Did no one tell you?"
"No,"
He frowned at that. "Arthur Weasley was attacked by You-Know-Who's snake. He's in St Mungo's right now and doing a lot better. He should recover fine from what I heard."
"That's good, I guess. Not the fact he got hurt but rather that he's doing okay now," I said.
"Let's go down before the food is all gone," He suggested and we did, quickly sitting down at the long kitchen table with everyone.
It was uneventful until the next evening when Sirius invited me into the Tapestry room and the fireplace burning with a small log.
"At least the letters come now," I said, sitting on the thick rug before the fire, plates of food around us. We were having our dinner here instead of with the rest of the people.
"Good, I'm glad they are," He looked into the fire. "I really did try to owl you but nothing ever came through. I still don't understand why. They went to Harry easily but nothing when it came to you."
"Yeah, that was weird. The blockage stopped as soon as I was at Hogwarts," I said. "Might be something to do with the Dursleys? I don't know."
He shrugged, tossing a bit of beef into the fireplace and watching it burst with a blue flame. I did the same with a potato since I didn't have meat on my plate.
Eventually, both Remus and Tonks snuck into the room with us, sitting down with their plates. When we finished, we scraped the food into the fireplace. An offering, Sirius explained, to the goodwills of Magic and for a good new year.
Tonks smiled mischievously before she left and returned with a little box. She opened it up, taking out a small cylinder and a closed bag. Remus shook his head at her but even he smiled at her antics.
"Reminds me of our own fifth year," Remus said, picking up one of the papers from the box. It was thin, like bible papers, but for something even more sinful. "James was the best roller out of all of us."
"Helps with my clumsiness," Tonks said, putting the small buds into the open grinder before grinding the illicit drug. "I've heard all about your antics at school, Black."
"Most of them were done when I was high," He said.
Remus snorted, "When weren't you high? Even during our exams, you smoked."
"Do you want to try, Cub?" Sirius asked as Tonks finished her rolling of a joint with a grin. "We won't pressure you. We never would."
Tonks lit the end with a snap of her fingers, taking a nice, long inhale before thick smoke came out of her mouth. It was bright green, smokey as it spread out into the room and I caught the scent of lavender mixed in with the weed. I never tried it before so when it was passed to Sirius and then offered to me, I took it.
I took two deep inhales before passing it to Remus. He took it gingerly and inhaled with the grace of a pro.
"It's better for you to try smoking with us first," Remus said, carefully tapping off the ashed tip into the fire. "Never know how you would react."
It passed around a few more times until it was finished, putting the end into the fire before us. Remus summoned some thicker cushions and I took one, lounging on it as I felt the effects.
Silver sat down next to me and I smiled at him before I realised I shouldn't reveal I could see him. He laughed lowly, stroking my head as I let my head be cushioned on the pillows. I gazed up at the ceiling. I felt calmer, less nervous, less anxious. My body felt light but I could still think, though it was a little foggy. It was a good feeling, not being able to worry for whatever reason as I sat there with them, watching the bright, crackling fire before us.
"I took part in Samhain this year," I mentioned as we spoke of some traditions.
"Did you get a crown?" Tonks asked. "I remember doing that tradition in my years. Always a good time but I preferred Ostara."
"Yeah, a flower crown of black tiger lilies," I smiled in memory. "They were thorns first and I didn't realise they changed until someone mentioned it. He then said something about the divinity of Magic?"
"Ah, yes," Remus nodded as he reached for the box and began to roll another. He passed it off to Sirius who put it behind his ear. "It used to be believed that anyone who had Magic was Divine. Most of the rulers of England and Europe were Wixen. The family now is mostly squibs, with a couple of Muggleborns here or there. The monarch helps with dealing with Prime Ministers, keeping them in check with the help of the Minister of Magic."
I sat up as Silver looked to the door, waving a hand as the smokey room suddenly cleared and the smell was gone.
"I didn't know the royal family descended from Wixen," I gave him a look but he scowled at the doorway.
"It's not known outside Wixen circles," Sirius said. "One of my great-great, however long ago it was, uncles was part of the royal family. Married in, of course, and burnt off the tapestry when they found out."
"What are you doing?" Harry's voice came from the doorway, appearing into the room.
"Yuletide," Sirius sat up, looking the clearest out of all of us.
Harry looked displeased, "Why didn't you invite me?"
"I've asked about Yule before, Harry," He said. "You never wanted to be part of it,"
"Does Mrs Weasley know you're doing this?"
"It isn't any of her business," Remus said. "The Weasleys celebrate Christmas, not Yule."
"They would've appreciated being asked,"
Tonks laughed which made me laugh, "Tried that. Got ushered right out the kitchen by Mrs Weasley before I could even finish my sentence. She heard Yule and told me to leave so she could finish cooking."
"I just think it's a bit dodgy you all suddenly start doing these traditional things when you didn't before," Harry said.
"I've always done the Sabbats, Harry," Sirius stood up, "We even did them with your mum and dad when we were your age. Our Samhain celebrations were well-known in all the Houses. Don't any of the Gryffindors celebrate the Sabbats?"
"Not that I know of,"
"Did you ever think to ask?" I asked.
"Why would I?" He turned up his nose. "It's Dark Magic."
"Exactly. It's Dark, not Black Magic," I said.
"There's no difference,"
I made a face, "Yes, there is. Black Magic is necromancy, blood work and death. Anything that brings harm to a person with intention is Black Magic. Everything else that could hurt a person or have bad intentions is Dark Magic. Magic is all about intention, and Black Magic is what is considered taboo for a reason."
"I don't care for your explanations, Viktoria, not after this term,"
"What? What did I do?" I stood up to approach him, feeling the floor wave under me a little before I got hold of myself.
He glared, "You know what you did."
"You're mad because I helped Slytherin win the match?" I snapped. "I was allowed to take the trials and I earned my position. Get over yourself."
He went a little red in the face, "You didn't tell me you were on the team!"
"And you didn't tell me you left Hogwarts!" I pointed a finger at him, feeling my Magic ache in my limbs before putting my clenched fists by my side. "Sirius had to owl me and tell me because you apparently forgot to owl me. I didn't know where you fucking were and you're mad because I didn't tell you I was on the team? No one but my team and the Heads knew. I didn't want to tell you so I could surprise you. I thought you'd be happy that I'm settling in well. You're only pissed because I'm not in your House."
"Yeah, exactly!" He took a step closer. "You should be a Gryffindor. Our parents were! Sirius and Remus were. You just had to be the special one and be different from the rest of us."
"So what if I'm a Slytherin? I fit in. And you can't talk about being special. You were always raving about the fact that you had Magic and went to a Magic school during the year and did all these crazy things while I stayed with the Dursleys, half-starved for the whole year while you got to eat feasts every meal." I shook my head. "Because you weren't there, they took out all their anger on me. I took most of your beatings as a kid."
"Yeah, you're my sister, that's your job,"
I tried not to scream at him, keeping the anger down.
"We were kids! You blamed shit on me so I got beaten and starved instead of you," I looked at him in disgust. "Just because I found a path that doesn't involve me going to you for permission for every single little thing I do, doesn't mean you get to berate me for them. I still have to deal with your little reputation. I get detention from Umbridge because I'm your fucking sister. Everything you do has repercussions on me too."
"Maybe you should grow up and get a spine then,"
I squared up with him. We stood like that, nose to nose. He was taller than me but it didn't matter. I had too much anger to hold it all in. I felt the tinge of pain in my hands, my Magic wanted to lash out.
"Maybe you should leave before I break yours," my voice was cold. "Get out."
My Magic had a mind of its own, shoving him out of the room and slamming the door on his nose.
"Impressive," Tonks chuffed. "Don't see Wandless and Wordless Magic often enough."
I clenched my hands, trying to rid myself of anger and calm my reactive Magic down. Being high didn't really help but I managed to keep it down more than it should have been at the moment.
it still felt like it was trying to bubble down my arm, towards my hands. The need to feel like my fingers were ignited with fire, or lightning or whatever else that could be dangerous or destructive. The necklace around my neck began to burn, getting hotter and hotter until the latch tore open. I looked down to see a pair of red eyes peering up at me. I snapped it shut before leaving the room.
Sirius was on my heels, following me up to my room where I plucked my cigarette pack out from its hiding place. I took one, offering one to him to which he took. He snapped his fingers, the tips burning with fire before he lit my cigarette and then his own. We stayed in my room in silence, just smoking as I finally felt my Magic begin to properly settle.
Sirius finished his cigarette and lit up the joint, offering it again and I took it.
"Harry just has to make everything about him," I muttered between puffs of smoke, letting the high settle in my bones again as my Magic was completely settled. "He did the same when he found out that I was on the Quidditch team. He was more pissed off that I didn't tell him I was going to be on Slytherin's side. It's not like I can play for other Houses. He even insinuated the fact that I wasn't normal because I was a Slytherin, just because the rest of our family were Gryfindors. He even mentioned you and Remus and Mum and Dad!"
"There's nothing wrong in being different from your family," He said. "I was the only Gryffindor in my whole family. Sometimes you need to be different to do well for yourself. I wasn't supposed to be in Slytherin and I thrived in Gryffindor instead. And the opposite is the same for you."
"I know that. Slytherin is where I fit in. I like being a Slytherin. Just because Harry's upset with what the Sorting Hat decided doesn't mean he gets to berate me for it!" I tried not to shout. "It's not my fault but he takes it out on me all the time!"
"He shouldn't be," Sirius' face was deeply set in anger, some dark and hidden within his features. "I'll have a talk with him. Did he ever talk about the DA?"
"DA?"
"Dumbledore's Army. Harry and his friends created something like a practical study group so they could pass Defence. Didn't he invite you along?"
I rolled my eyes, "As if he would. I'm evil Slytherin, ready to plot Gryffindor's demise."
He chuckled, finishing his cigarette quickly. "I'll ask about you joining. Won't say anything about you knowing about it but I'll ask and see his reaction."
"Yeah, okay. He'll still refuse, I already know,"
"Worth trying, isn't it, Cub?" He asked.
I tried not to smile at the nickname.
"It's always worth attempting,"