The Black Sisters

fourty-nine

Dorea didn't want to leave the big library because it was safe there. Just her and Regulus, sitting alone in the big library full of dusty books and unseen paintings. Everything was okay when she was hidden in the library.

Regulus slept on a couch and Dorea sat on a couch across from him, still wide awake. At around 2 am the big double doors creeked open, the only light coming from the candles scattered around the room.

Sirius walked to the couch where Dorea sat. He held something between his fingers tightly.  She had big bags under her eyes and tear stains on her face. She looked broken, shattered into hundreds of pieces. She would never admit that she had been shattered by his death, she'd say that she's okay, she'd say that everything was fine and that she'd be alright.

He sat beside her, he didn't know what to say. What do you say to a kid who lost their dad 5 days before christmas. He didn't know what to say, and how to say it. But he felt like he had to say something.

"hey Puff"

"hi pads" she said quieter than him, almost a whimper.

"I brought you something" he handed her the small lollipop

"thanks Siri" she took the lolli and just spun it in her hand.

He couldn't say "how're you doing" because he knew how she was, he really was at a loss for words. His uncle had died, he'd never had expected this, his uncle was so young.

"I'm sorry about your-" he started but she placed her index finger on his lips and whispered

"shh" he understood. Neither of them spoke, just the three of them sat in silence except the occasional light breath of Regulus' sleep.

***

The halls were quiet, no one was ready to talk about it. No one ever would. Regulus was the only one in her family she could talk to, Sirius was a close second but sometimes you just need someone to listen and understand. There's so much Sirius didn't understand about her that Reggie did. She walked quietly down the hall that was never her friend. All the scowling paintings moving their eyes toward her.

She had only slept a few hours in the days she'd been home. Maybe at most 3, how was she supposed to sleep when all her thoughts kept her occupied and whenever she shut her eyes even to blink she saw her fathers lifeless body laying there.

She placed her hand on the bronze cold knob of the back door and pushed it open. The breeze was light, and the snow had fallen. She listened to the crunch of snow underneath her feet and wandered into the endless woods.

She heard steps in front of her but didn't pay any attention to them. It couldn't be Newt, she hadn't seen him get on the train. But there he was, just a few feet ahead of her, picket wearing a scrap of a rag as a scarf.

"hi" she said lightly smiling, barely a smirk

"hey" he looked at her with sympathy

"you've seen the profit, haven't you"

"yes I'm so sorry Dorea"

"it's okay, we'll be okay"

"were you two close?" he asked as the two fell into step, wandering in the woods together.

"no, we weren't, but he wasn't close with anyone besides Mother. I think he thought his children were okay, but he never loved us." she paused "some how that makes it harder to swallow"

"it always is hard in the beggining"

"have you lost someone Proffesor?"

"yes, my sister"