𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐃 - 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

01. | Midnight Witch

I flip the cards in my hands, humming softly to myself. Smoke billows freely from my stick of incense, filling my room with the earthy scent of patchouli. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon have long since gone to sleep, allowing me a brief moment to myself, and my work.

I shuffle the cards, then split the deck. I draw one out, then repeat. Shuffle, split, draw. Shuffle, split, draw. I set my deck aside and set my cards in front of me, face down. I gaze at them, shifting the one on the left into the center.

There. That feels right.

I just need a reading today. Time to think of myself, if only for a second. Time to reflect. I flip over the first card, the one today representing my past.

An upside-down High Priestess.

I suck in a breath through my teeth, keeping my eyes trained on the forlorn woman gazing up at me. She blinks, very slowly, before picking up her scroll and turning away from me.

An upside-down High Priestess represents hidden things- secrets. Sometimes what others keep from you, sometimes what you keep from yourself. Even with all I've learned about myself and my life, the cards still speak to secrets in my past, tucked in the deep recesses of my mind.

I turn my attention to the middle card, flipping it over carefully. An upright Wheel of Fortune sits right in the middle of the card. I can't help but smile. Change. The Wheel of Fortune speaks to change.

My door creaks open behind me, and I turn. My brother stands in the doorway, his hair disheveled and his eyes alight.

"Gather your things quickly, Jaylene," he says in a hushed voice. "Mad-Eye's here."

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

My hair tangles in the cool night air as we soar through the streets. My knees grip tightly to my broom, Harry's old Nimbus2000. Despite Quidditch being his sport of choice, I've flown up in the air no more than four times. I prefer my two feet planted firmly on the ground.

"This way!" Mad-Eye calls to the group. He guides us lower to the ground, landing us in front of a Muggle neighborhood. I settle my bag onto the ground and tug my backpack a little bit closer to me, watching as Mad-Eye approaches the buildings. The few people around me chuckle to themselves.

"What's he doing?" Harry mumbles.

With a flick of his wrist, the buildings in front of us shutter before coming to life. Slowly, they scrape against the Earth, separating as if he were Moses and they were his sea. Mad-Eye turns to us, a slight smirk on his face. "Fidelius Charm."

We follow the group into the newly formed building, and as I enter I feel the world shift beneath my feet as I disappear once again. To the outside world, I am one hundred percent hidden. And I could never be happier.

"Come with me, Jaylene," Mad-Eye says gruffly. Harry and I stare at each other as I'm ushered away, and I can't help but feel guilty as I leave my brother all alone.

A dining room is what I'm sent into, and I can't help but think of how cozy it feels. Wooden chairs line an oval table. Wallpaper is faded on the walls, and dotted with pictures. And sitting at the head of that table is none other than my dear godfather, Sirius Black.

My things are forgotten immediately as I rush into his embrace. He is everything familiar, everything I have missed, everything I have wanted when trapped in that house with Petunia and Vernon. He is hope lit upon cigarettes, piles of sugar honeying his words. He cups my head in his hand, and all of the sudden, I feel like crying.

"I've missed you," I whisper.

"Oh, my Dragon," he hums, "I've missed you too."

I hold onto him, perhaps a second too long, before I allow my hand to fall and I step back from his arms. He pulls a seat out for me, and sits himself. His warm small falls, and he clears his throat. "Jaylene," he says, very slowly. He deliberates over his words, his eyes focused not on me but a small wooden knot in the table. "I'm sure you're very curious as to why you've been brought here, and I know you have many questions."