Daisy Black | Semper Pura ✓

Chapter 1: Sleepover in the Great Hall

Daisy POV

Mummy, mummy. I am writing again. Sirius Black was seen in Dufftown. In DUFFTOWN. According to a girl called Hermione this is super close to Hogwarts. Do you think he will come here? Do you think he will try to kill us? Why is he even here? Some claim that he is looking for Harry Potter and wants to kill him.

That letter I had only sent what felt like days ago. Mum wrote back to me to stay safe and never leave the castle or do something alone. But the way in which she wrote it was odd. She didn't seem too worried about a mass-murderer running around freely so close to Hogwarts. But maybe she had just wanted to calm me down?

I wondered if mum knew Sirius Black, according to the news paper he was nearly the same age as her which meant they had to be in school together. Maybe they had known each other? But she would have told me so, wouldn't she?

Now with a new letter just sent off, I hurdled back to where my friends already waited for me. Actually I had been forbidden to leave and especially to go outside but I had to send mum this letter. I had to tell her what was going on. Luckily no one caught me and I made it back in time.

Josie and Lucas were already waiting for me, their faces displaying all sorts of emotions, but mostly worry and fear. "What the hell took you so long? Josie got worried you ran across Sirius Black and had to fight him." Lucas whisper-shouted to me.

I lifted my hands in defence before patting his and Josie's shoulder. "No worries, I am perfectly fine. They owl just wouldn't fly." I told them, smiling weakly.

Percy, the prefect, had told us that we have to wait in rows of two and then we would be heading to the Great Hall. But he had somehow disappeared some minutes ago and so I had decided to take the chance to sneak away and send off my letter. "Alright, Gryffindors. Get together in pairs, form a row and we can go." Josie and I sniggered, taking our places next to each other and started walking in a big group of Gryffindor students. "I wonder if we will see the professors in their pyjamas..." my friend absentmindedly expressed. I shuddered at the thought, not wanting to see any of the teacher sin pyjamas and especially not Snape or Dumbledore. Chuckling lowly, I shurgged my shoulders again and we descended the first stair case which turned right after we had passed it.

"Kind of scary, innit?" a boy with black hair whispered to me from behind. I glimpsed at him over my shoulder while shrugging. "Do you really think he is in the castle?"

"Of course. you have seen the scrapings on the painting and it has been reported that he is here." Ron Weasley who walked in front of me with Harry Potter told me when turning around. "Well, then it is scary. But I doubt he will hurt us. We are children after all." I stated, not quite sure why I actually was defending someone like Sirius Black.

"Well, maybe he won't hurt us, but he will hurt Harry. Sorry, mate." the boy from behind me said. Harry only released a cold chuckle and shook his head.

"Not if we keep you safe, Harry." I then said and threw punches in the air, wondering how exactly we would keep him safe but my mouth had always been faster than my brain.

"That is nice. Daisy it is right?"

"Yup. Daisy Bell." I smiled. Upon looking back, Ron gave me a once-over and smiled. "My father knows your mother from the ministry." I smiled again and nodded my head. "I know. She knows your father too. Everyone knows the Weasleys." A lop-sided grin appeared on his face.

"When have your parents been to school here, Ron?" I then asked and he seemed to think for a moment before he said the 60s. I nodded, drawing in a deep breath when Ron added, "Why?"
"Because I was wondering if my mum knew Sirius Black. He must have gone to school around the same time as they are the same age from what I have read in the news." I whispered to the two boys in front of me.

"Have you asked her?" Harry asked me over his shoulder. I shook my head. "No, she would just get worried that I snoop around and do investigation. And I think she would have told me if she had known him."
His voice and face gloomy, Harry then said: "That is true. But I really wonder where he is hiding."

I didn't get a chance to answer when we halted promptly and I bumped straight into Harry.

"Will you stop the chit-chat! This draws unnecessary attention to our group." Percy reprimanded. My eyes going wide, I couldn't suppress the laugh that ripped itself free. As if the whole house fo Gryffindor walking through the castle in the middle of the night did not already draw attention.

The prefect gave me a dead pan which I returned with one of my sweetest smiles. And then we had already reached the Great Hall, where tones of sleeping bags were discarded on the ground. This was really going to be a big sleepover. There were so many people and still it was rather calm, the angst and fear turning quirky pupils silent. I was afraid too, but still not so much as the others as I was sure our professors and Hogwarts would protect us.

"Where are we going to lie down?" Ron asked Harry and obviously not me, but still I answered. "Somewhere close to me as I have just offered to protect Harry Potter." I grinned which drew a laugh from Harry. "You are a first year aren't you? And you are going to protect me?"

"Yes? I don't see a problem there. I have quite some amazing defending skills and I now also know how to use a wand and how to make things fly with it. I will send Sirius Black flying straight out of the Great Hall if he dares to attack you." To that all of us chuckled before obviously someone had to destroy the mood. That someone being Severus.

"Daisy Adhara Black, I really wonder where you have gotten that big mouth from. Clearly not from your mother. Find a place to sleep. Now. All of you." Another shudder coursing down my spine, I bowed my head. Ron chortled slightly, but we soon all started to move and find a place.

I couldn't sleep. Not because I was afraid. Well, partly because I was worried, but also because I was cold and I wanted to be home with mum. In those moments I just wanted to sneak to her room and cuddled up in bed with her. Josie was freezing next to me, her teeth clattering and at some point throughout the night she and her sleeping bag moved closer which gave me some kind of comfort and also warmed me. I must have fallen asleep at some point.

Relief settled in when we awoke and nothing had happened. It all was calm and Hogwarts apparently cleared? I had no idea we did not get too much information before breakfast, but I knew it was time to send another letter to my mum.

Now that Sirius Black is in Hogwarts we all had to
sleep in the Great Hall together. All houses, like a
big sleep over. It was quite scary knowing he is
somewhere in the castle, but the big sleepover was
nice. It felt good to know that we are not alone
and that they care for us and protect us, you
know.