𝒞𝒶𝓇𝒹𝒾𝑔𝒶𝓃- ℛ.𝒥.ℒ ¹

Chapter 5- Mother's letter✔️

"Hey Sirius. You wanted to talk?"

"Yea." He looked crestfallen. "Mum sent this through my owl for you." He handed her a letter.

It was a coal black letter with gold swirly writing on the front with Sirius' name on it.

The wax seal was open slightly, signalling that it had been opened previously.

Charlotte took the parchment out of the envelope and read:

𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝕊𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕦𝕤 𝔹𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕜,
𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕗𝕒𝕣, 𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕤𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥.

𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖,
𝕄𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕩

"She doesn't mean that, does she?" Charlotte said lowly, referencing to the end of Sirius' part of the letter. Sirius shook his head in response.

The parchment was folded here so not Sirius could not read anymore without needing to unfold it.

"I haven't read anymore, I swear." The Gryffindor boy spoke up.

"I know. I-i'm going to carry on reading it okay?"

"Okay."

𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕣 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖,

ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕠𝕠𝕟. 𝕀 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟. 𝕎𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝔼𝕧𝕒𝕟 ℝ𝕠𝕤𝕚𝕖𝕣 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕒𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕟 𝔹𝕠𝕩𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔻𝕒𝕪. 𝕀 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕡𝕚𝕔𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕒 𝕕𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕨𝕖𝕒𝕣.

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕞𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕦𝕡 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕞𝕖.
𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠, 𝕚𝕥'𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕝𝕝 𝕕𝕠.
𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕣𝕖-𝕨𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤.

𝕀'𝕞 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦, ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖.

𝔸𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘.

𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕞,
𝕄𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣.

———

Lottie sighed, half-expecting what was going to happen then.

"Well? What does it say?" Sirius asked like the eager puppy he is.

"Uh.. d-don't worry about Sirius. Nothing important. Just.. to make sure.. I'm still doing well in school to keep my grades up and how much of a disappointment I am for getting into Gryffindor. The usual."

"Okayy. Anyway, wait, what's that?" He fake-pointed to something in the room and snatched the letter off of Charlotte while running down into the Common Room. It was now empty as everyone had gone to bed.

He flopped down of the couch and started to read it in his head. His smile quickly faltered at the harsh words his older sister was receiving.

"Charlotte.. Oh, Lottie come here." He whispered to his sister as she had started crying.

She crawled into his arms and cried in the safety of his chest. As twins, they had that connection. That feeling of safety and solitude.

He leaned over to his alcohol stash and grabbed 2 unopened bottles of firewhiskey for them both to drink their troubles and responsibilities away.

Sirius threw the letter into the ever-burning fire and then opened the bottle to then down half the bottle of firewhiskey, like it was mere water.

Charlotte only drank when she was sad or lonely as it gave her that comfort. She had never smoked though. Her asthma prevented her from doing that.

Soon enough, both of the Black twins were drinking firewhiskey like it was going out of fashion, finishing 2 bottles each within 10 minutes. They didn't mean to, but the comfort and addiction it gave them overpowered everything.

The rest of the marauders and the girls were elsewhere so they had no one else to vent to.

No one else that understood the pain.

———

"Lilyflower, will you go out with me?" James asked for the 509th time tonight.

"No James." Lily sighed. It was now like a game to her. James asking her out, and her declining every time. "I would never go out with an arrogant toe-rag unlike yourself."

Although, it gave her a weird feeling in her lower abdomen, and she yearned to hear his voice laughing at at joke he made.

They reached the door and said the password laughing, only stopping when they saw the table with 4 empty bottles of firewhiskey, which was unusual for them- they didn't throw a party. Who would drink on a Tuesday when there was no special occasion?

"Is that Sirius?" Peter asked as he saw the Gryffindor's hair poking out of the top of the couch.

As they progressed closer, they saw Sirius sat upright, half asleep with his twin, Charlotte, asleep with her head in his lap and his arms protectively around her.

Dried tears were on the latters cheeks.

James sighed with pity and found a small piece of parchment that had been ripped, resting by the fireplace.

He turned it over and found Charlotte's  name on it along with the message Wallburga sent her.

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕞𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕦𝕡 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕞𝕖.
𝕀𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠, 𝕚𝕥'𝕝𝕝 𝕓𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦'𝕝𝕝 𝕕𝕠.
𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕣𝕖-𝕨𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤.

𝕀'𝕞 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕪𝕠𝕦, ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕠𝕥𝕥𝕖.

𝔸𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘.

𝔽𝕣𝕠𝕞,
𝕄𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣.

"Remus, will you get Charlotte for me?" James asked while moving Charlotte off of Sirius.

"Yeah."

Remus picked the girl up bridal style and followed James up to the boys' dorm. James placed Sirius in the right bed before saying to Remus, "I'll be back. Also, can Charlotte stay with you tonight? She seems more comfortable with you."

Remus was taken back by this question but nonetheless accepted.

James said his thanks before jogging back downstairs to say goodnight to Lily and telling Peter they were going to bed.

Remus carefully slipped the Gryffindor under the covers of his bed and slept on the other side so she had some room. The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable when she woke up.

Then he fell asleep.

———

EDITED 19/11/23