the night i took a leap off the astronomy tower

Chapter One: The Escape of Sirius Black

Chapter One: The Escape of Sirius Black

It was a particularly warm summer night when Alexandra heard shrill screams echoing from the hall next over. It wasn't a rare occurrence when you lived in the same apartment complex as Walburga Black. She was sure that Sirius had been the cause of this, he always knew how to play with his mother's nerves.

Alexandra couldn't exactly make out the words that were said. However, Walburga was louder than usual and Alexandra couldn't calm her curiosity. So she inched closer to the wall that connected their two homes. She placed her ear on the rough wallpaper coloured a dark grey, so perfectly maintained there wasn't a tear to be found. She could feel her heart pumping in her chest as she waited for Walburga to continue her screeching.

However, it wasn't Warburga's voice that she heard, this shout was rough, deep, and almost painful. Alexandra's heart sank, and violent tremors began to rise throughout her when she realized the voice belonged to Sirius. Sirius. Bile rose up and hit the back of her throat. She'd never heard a scream so horrid come from him, from anyone. It reminded her of the way she'd scream when her father... it didn't matter, she was scared, so terribly scared.

Alexandra didn't know what she should do, she knew she needed to help him but if she interfered there was no way she'd ever return home alive. Walburga Black was a nightmare no matter which way you looked at it.

With trembling legs, Alexandra stood, her knees nearly buckling the moment her feet touched the ground. She knew there was no way she'd be able to stand against Walburga and win, however she wasn't going to let this continue any longer. She'd grown up listening to their fights every night, but none were as bad as this. None made Alexandra's skin crawl the way this did.

There was only one person Alexandra trusted enough to take care of Sirius. James Potter.

Alexandra was never a conversationalist, not like James or Sirius. She'd always been exactly what her father wanted her to be, she never allowed herself to slip up. But when she saw Sirius surrounded by an abundance of friends in her first-year Alexandra longed to have the same. But she was in Slytherin.

During her first year of Hogwarts, Alexandra found herself struggling to fit in. She didn't act the same way the other Slytherins did, she was quiet, did well in her classes and spoke not a word to others in fear of her father finding out.

She missed Regulus deeply, it was the first time in her life she'd been away from him for so long. On the nights she was lonely, she found herself travelling to the astronomy tower and looking at the stars. Pointing out his star and the constellation it resided, counting the number of stars within and reassuring herself that although they were apart in those moments, they were still under the same sky, underneath the same stars.

About a month into her first year, Alexandra had been seated in the Great Hall, her head downturned, a book in her lap. She'd been next to Severus and Elio Rosier, who hadn't spoken a single word since dinner started.

The post swept in, dropping letters for each and every student. Including Alexandra. Her father's emblem had been unmistakably etched onto the front of a red envelope, she let out a quiet gasp when she realized what it was. A howler. Her father had sent her a howler.

She felt her breath catch in her throat, a lump forming making it impossible to swallow. She was terrified, the two beside her inching closer, curious to know what she'd done to receive such a letter.

Cyrus Avery had been seated in front of them, a smirk etched onto his face. He stood so fast Alexandra could barely process it. He ripped the letter from her palms holding it up in the air.