[Book 2]
❝ 𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭.❞
Serena's fourth year at Hogwarts begins, but with no less drama than the previous year. Although Sirius Black was acquitted of all charges, not...
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• Serena Black •
"It's a sad thing, protecting a breakable heart."
The morning of the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend came far too early for Serena's taste. She would have liked to roll over a few more times and sleep on. Under normal circumstances she might have done so, but then she would not have enough time to get ready and eat enough breakfast.
The Gryffindor gave her pillow one last longing look before slowly peeling herself out of bed. She left the shutters open while she changed. It would be cold, Serena knew, but perhaps that would also dispel the tiredness that still fogged her head. She put on a dark blouse and over it a thick soft jumper. Despite the fact that it was weekend, she put on her school uniform skirt and pulled over her tights boots that laced up to her knees.
After a quick visit to the bathroom, Serena plodded down the spiral staircase. The mood of the students seemed boisterous and most were busy discussing which shop to visit first. The conversations of the two lower years alone were supposed to go in a different direction and some even pulled glum faces about having to spend the day in the castle.
Arriving at the Gryffindors' table, Serena settled down next to Hermione, who seemed to be bursting with energy as she often was. "I subscribed to the Daily Prophet," she declared so proudly that Serena couldn't comprehend her euphoria. Instead, she screwed up her face as her housemate began to open the small bundle that an owl had tossed on the table in front of her. "Then next time I won't have to find out from the Slytherins that something was written about us."
"Good idea," Serena merely said, though she didn't really want to know what the gossip rag was writing again. Anyway, at least then she would know what was going on should glances follow her across the hall again. Hermione was right about that, as she so often was. A long drawn-out screech filled the Great Hall at that moment, whereupon a magnificent stone caparison sailed over them and dropped a thick wad of paper directly into Ron's cereal.
"Hey!" the redhead complained indignantly and began to pull the sodden paper out of his milk. "How much of this did you order?"
"It's not the prophet," Hermione muttered, accepting the bundle of letters in confusion. But it was not to stop there. More owls started landing right in front of their plates, whereupon Serena managed to just barely save her cup of orange juice after it had almost been knocked over by a forest owl.
"What on earth...", Hermione stammered perplexedly, opening one of the letters that had landed in Ron's bowl earlier. "What on earth!" she then groaned out, turning bright red. Curious, Serena bent over the writing, which seemed to consist of individually cut out letters:
