The Tragedy of Walburga Black

☆𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐𝟔☆

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝐧𝐝, 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟏 - 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞.

The journey back to London was long, and with Severus Snape tasked with escorting her home, it was steeped in silence.

The early morning hour cast a pall over her spirit, the sun still hidden below the horizon, leaving the world shrouded in darkness. She felt ill, the weight of exhaustion and sorrow pressing heavily upon her, making each passing moment an ordeal.

Yet, as they finally stood in front of her home she could bring her to cross the street.

"Here," Severus said, his voice monotone as he handed her back her wand. "I suggest you get rid of the Carrows as quickly as you can. The Ministry will begin searching for his followers soon, I would imagine."

Her gaze remained fixed on the moving leaves of the tree above her.

She had disassociated once more as if all the time spent fighting her grief had brought her back to square one. The weight of her sorrow seemed to reset, leaving her adrift in the familiar sea of despair.

She heard him groan slightly before he shifted to stand in front of her.

He muttered something under his breath before speaking up, his tone a mix of irritation and reluctant concern. "Go to the Ministry. Plead your case. If you're lucky, they'll see you as a worried mother and give him a chance... though I wouldn't hold out much hope."

Looking back at him her eyes were distant as she nodded slightly.

"I suggest you tighten the hidden charms on your home as well," he added, looking down at the ground before shaking his head.

It was clear he despised the compulsion to help her.

Helping the mother of Sirius Black, the bully, felt like a bitter pill to swallow. But he forced himself to see it differently, to think of it as helping the mother of Regulus Black, his colleague.

"Thank you," She muttered.

He nodded once more before he moved to apparate away, though she spoke out before he got the chance to leave.

"Severus," she whispered, as the first light of dawn began to wash away the night. "They will hunt you down too."

The wind picked up around them, heavy with the promise of rain, the clouds dark and foreboding above.

His eyebrows furrowed as he replied, his voice tense with unspoken pain. "You were right," he admitted. "He did promise me something in return for my help. Just as he promised you. And just like you, I lost the one I wanted to protect."

Biting her lip, she couldn't help but frown at the bitter reality of their shared losses.

"Good luck, Mrs. Black," he said softly. With those words, he apparated away, leaving her alone in the dim light of dawn.

Looking back at the rows of homes, she shook her head with determination before apparating away, hoping against hope that she could somehow aid her son.

★☆★

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝐧𝐝, 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟏 - 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜

Crowded to the point of suffocation, she could hardly move through the throngs of wizards and witches within the Ministry of Magic. The vast marble corridors echoed with shouts of joy as news of the war's end reverberated through the halls.

Golden light filtered through stained glass windows depicting mythical creatures, casting vibrant hues across the bustling scene.

She pressed onward, navigating past enchanted portraits and bustling bureaucrats, her determination unyielding as she made her way toward the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.