The Brighter Years of Black (3)

1993 (17)

"Be careful Erica, remember your father is on the loose... he'll probably come after you..." the man fretted.
"Bye Remus" the girl waves from the platform as her Godfather boarded the scarlet train. Once it had pulled away and was no longer within view, she turned tying her ebony ringlets in a ponytail with an emerald green ribbon and walked purposefully towards the nearest floo point.

"Hello? Penny? It's Erica... Erica Black? I owled you? I'm Libby's friend?" She called.
"Ah! Yes hello, I'm Penny and this is my friend- Maisey." She woman explained "what can I do for you?"
"I want a muggle tattoo." Said the girl confidently.
"Of?"
"Quidditch hoops on the ribs please."
The blonde woman shrugs "sure but it'll set you back  12 Galleons, 1 sickle and 11 knuts.."
"Deal." The girl grinned, glowing with excitement, remembering her father's tattoos from when she was younger.

By the time the Christmas holidays had come around, she had gotten two more tattoos, one on each wrist- a Black family crest and a Sytherin crest.

"All done!" Smiled Penny brightly.
"Thank you Pen, it's wonderful" she grinned handing over the coins to pay for her first magical tattoo and watches as the woman walked away.
"Lemme see?" Called Maisey as she wandered into the room.
Shyly, Erica pulled at her shirt and bra, exposing herself to the woman.
"It's beautiful" she gasped, reaching out and touching Ericas pale skin, her fingertips grazing the younger woman's chest as it rose and fell. Her breath hitched slightly as the tan fingers traced her sensitive skin. Before she had time to think; her lips were pressed to the 19 year old's firmly, the forgotten shirt and bra falling to the floor...

"Wow..." she breathed out, laying back on the bed.
"That was... great Eri..." the other girl sighed contently. Their lips met agin before Maisey crawled from beneath covers, pulling on her jeans and fixing her hair... "work calls but... we should definitely do this again... owl me" she winks before slipping out the door.
Once she'd gathered her thoughts and her clothes, she followed, slipping out the bedroom and then the flat and heading home.
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The day the Christmas holidays began, Erica Black stood on Platform 9 3/4 of Kings Cross station in London waiting, she was almost half an hour early and stood waiting for her Godfather. The train arrived on time at around 5PM. Students slowly began to dismount it. Talking to friends and greeting family. The process was slow but Erica stood, watching them all pass her, finally the platform was empty but still she waited patiently, not allowing her doubts to consume her. At 8 o'clock she finally turned and made her way to the outside of the station. In the dark December evening she set about trying to hail a black cab.
A shaggy black dog knocked her off her feet. She shrieked indignantly and sent a withering scowl at the oddly familiar dog. "Honestly!" She exclaimed glaring at the dog with a confidence she didn't know she had. "Will you look where you're going?" She sighed pulling herself to her feet hurriedly as a cab finally pulled up.
"Where to Ma'am?"
"Grimmauld Place please." She smiles warmly at the cabby handing him a few notes through the window, a striking change of tone from her previous encounter.
The dog watched intently as she gracefully climbed into the car and it drove away.

Only once she was sat in the back seat of the cab did she take a moment to realise she had just spoken to a  dog... A random dog in the street... Erica Black shook her head in disbelief and tutted disapprovingly as she pulled out her wand and, with her eyes locked on the driver through the rear-view mirror, gave it a firm wave, non-verbally banishing the dirt from her clothes.