Éthérée

CHAPTER 39 (Year 5)

The summer holidays ended as soon as they began, and before Audrey knew it, she was back at Platform 9 3\4 with Athene's cage in one hand and her trunk in another. She found herself scanning the dense crowd for a certain member of the Black family, standing on her toes to attempt to look over some of the parents. She had spent the entire morning thinking about what state she would find him in. He could either be completely fine physically and tortured mentally, or doing well mentally and not even be able to walk physically. Or both. 

"Looking for someone special?" a heavy voice whispered in her ear, and she spun around instantaneously, her body washing over with relief when she saw Sirius standing with a smile on his face. Both of them engulfed each other in a hug, discarding their belongings and only holding each other. 

"Merlin, how are you?" she said pulling away, looking for any possible injuries. Sirius hid his pain well, he had learnt how to so he couldn't give his parents the satisfaction of successfully being able to make him cry. So, he put on a fake smile for Audrey.

"I'm doing well," he said. 

"Bullshit," she muttered, her eyes travelling his body and Sirius laughed a little. "C'mon, let's get you into the train,"

They made their way over to the Marauders' compartment. The five had sat in the same compartment for every train ride over the past four years, and soon people had started labelling it as their compartment. James, Remus and Peter were already immersed in talk about the holidays. The scarlet prefect badge shown against the Lupin's uniform brightly, and Peter looked at it with a huge grin, feeling quite estactic for his friend. As soon as Audrey and Sirius walked into the compartment they were treated with warm hugs, choruses of laughter. 

"Alright, alright, let us breath. Good job Moony!" Sirius exclaimed, looking at Remus' badge, and he grinned in reply. 

The five settled down, Remus' head on Audrey's lap, James next to them. Sirius had an arm around Peter, sitting opposite to the three. 

"Guess who became a prefect as well?" James asked. "Evans." 

"How'd you know that James. Did your precious Lily flower respond to one of your fifty letters you sent her this summer?" Audrey asked, and James threw a chocolate frog at her with a sarcastic smile.

"I did not send her fifty letters. It was only just a fair thirty at the most. And I found out through McKinnon the day she came over,"  he said.

"That reminds me, don't you have to be at the prefect's carriage for a meeting Moony?" Audrey asked looking at the brown haired boy, and his eyes widened in response. 

"SHIT. Lily's going to MURDER me!" he exclaimed, running out of the carriage, as the rest of the four laughed. Sirius got up and shut the door that was left ajar by Remus. 

***

Evan Rosier sat in alone in the Slytherin compartment, his hand tracing over the ink etched onto his forearm. The dark lord's words boomed clearly in his brain. He knew what had to be done. And he knew who it  had to be done to. 

***

"And then Andy told me about this muggle boyfriend of hers, Ted Tonks. Seems like a sweetheart from what she said. Mother and Father would go mental if they found out," Sirius said popping in a cherry Bertie Bott's in his mouth.

"Well, good for her. She deserves happiness after staying in that family for all those years," Audrey said biting off a piece of chocolate, and James nodded. 

"But isn't she scared of what would happen of your family finds out?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I guess she is. Anyone would be, honestly. That's why she isn't parading around their relationship. She will get disowned if she does, but I don't think she'd mind," Sirius replied.