Celeste || Sirius Black

Chapter 2: The Changing Song

The Fifth Years reached the castle on carriages that were pulled by magic. Or so everyone thought. There were very few people that could see that the carriages were actually being pulled by creatures named Thestrals, and Celeste was one of them. She saw the beauty of the dark. The creatures that stood before her looked frightening but she soon realised that none of her classmates could see them. She made the instant connection to why she could see them.

It all happened one stormy night.

She had talked to Hagrid about it the previous year because the other mode of transportation was missing. She was scared how she was able to see the winged horses all of a sudden and he had explained it to her as well as he could. He told her that she wasn't alone and that she never had to be.

Hagrid had been her friend when everyone seemed to give up on her, and she would always be grateful for that. She wanted to talk to him that night but it was a bummer because Hagrid was busy in accompanying the First Years to the castle. He was one of the only people who knew who she really was. Celeste didn't have friends, but Hagrid was like a protector to her. He wrote her letters the entire summer, though most of it was hard to read.

The sorting took place and the song was completely different from what the Sorting Hat sang the previous year. "Is it just me or is the hat trying various methods of metaphor?" A Ravenclaw asked the members that were seated at the table.

At the Gryffindor's table, James was having a laugh about one particular lie. "New allies? What are we? Ten?"

"I don't think we should be disrespecting the Hat," defended Remus. "It did bring all of us together."

James and Sirius looked at each other and broke out laughing. "Good one, Moony!" Sirius wiped the tears forming in his eyes from laughing too much. He hadn't expected such a deep comment from Remus so early into the year.

The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore gave his speech like he gave every year. He warned the First Years about the Dark Forest and the forbidden corridor in Hogwarts. "Let the feast begin!" He clapped his hands together and the five tables that were empty were now filled with a variety of food.

Everyone was happy about the fact that the first dinner was served, except for Celeste. She was picking at her food while trying to sort out her muddled thoughts. She could practically hear Maya teasing her about taking an entire day to eat. Even though Maya understood what Celeste was going through, she couldn't get her to open up about the past. Celeste kept to herself but did talk to Maya and Shiv. They did not pry but did not let her bottle all her emotions up.

The boiled potatoes looked like they were threatening her. She thought that the beans were mocking her and that the untouched glass of juice was reminding her of her fate. She saw its stillness and compared her life to what it could have been.

Celeste dropped her fork. Her fellow classmate was worried about her appetite, and Lily, who was sitting at her respective House's table, could see sorrow in her friend's face. Something was wrong.

Something was indeed wrong.

Celeste was worried about what was happening back at home. She was worried about the changes that were yet to find her way and toil everything that she had in her mind. She looked up and caught a glimpse at the Headmaster that was seated at the center of the teacher's table. He always had a calming smile on his face. His half-moon glasses never stopped the emotions from his light blue eyes from being displayed.

Celeste remembered the night of the storm when she was found and-

She shook her head. No, she told herself. She wasn't going to think about it. She had a new life with the Rajputs but only two years had passed by. It was going to take some time for her to get used to the fact that she was indeed out of the woods.

But what if she was forced to go through what she did again? It was one of the main reasons that she never allowed herself to care for anyone. There was no saying with everything going on. How long could she protect herself without her past catching up to her?

Celeste came to a decision.

She did not believe that she was going to take it but she had to think about it.

Professor McGonagall walked over to the Gryffindor table to talk to certain students about the rules and regulations of the school. She cleared her throat to stop James from stuffing bread into Sirius' mouth. The four Marauders looked up at her and saw the disappointment on her face. "I assume that the four of you are aware of the new policies that the school has places because of the situation at hand."

Muggle lives were at a risk because of dark forces that nobody could catch. Headmaster Dumbledore had requested everyone to keep to themselves until the situation settled down, but the Marauders were far from that.

Remus was the first one to open his mouth. "Yes, Professor."

McGonagall had expected him to speak first as well. "With everything that is going on, I'm afraid that the management will not be able to help you out of the mistakes that you are willing to commit."

Sirius chewed on the bread quickly and drank water while James took the reins. "But we haven't done anything, Professor."

"And you won't as well, Mr. Potter," she said. "For your sakes, keep your pranks to yourself this year. I don't want to find myself having to write to each of your parents because we won't be deducting House points."

That got everyone quiet. They couldn't lose House points because with James as the captain of the Quidditch team, everyone was ready to win the House Cup at the end of the year.

"I suggest that you follow order this year."

While this was happening, no one seemed to notice the young brunette fighting a battle within herself. She was tired. She was scared. Even after being surrounded by people, she did not want to be there.

She knew where she had to go to make her decision  and it was going to be on the next night.

******
Yes, I'm still writing this
I've been working on my original story
'A Flight's Desire' all this while. I can't believe that it's over.
Please give it a try whenever you can.
It would mean a lot to me.
Now that it is over,
I need to get over it by writing this.
So expect updates from me 😉