The unspoken Bond

Chapter 2

After stepping into the stone halls of Hogwarts, somehow, I managed to navigate the castle's halls and found myself in front of the Great Hall. I was a third-year, but everything felt as overwhelming as it must be for the first years swarming around me.

Standing in front of the big door was an old woman, who I assumed must be one of the professors. Her presence was stern yet comforting. She spotted me, her eyes narrowing slightly as she approached.

"Ah, Miss Black," she said. "I've been looking for you. You'll go before the first years if that's alright with you."

I nodded silently. As I stepped past the first years, I could hear the whispers ripple through the group—''Black, Black... is she related to him?''—and fragments of what had been written in the papers about my Uncle Sirius, to what I just rolled my eyes. The name Black held weight, and I could feel it, not wanting to know what will happen when that old lady reads my name out in front of everyone.

We waited in silence for a few minutes before Professor McGonagall as one of the first years had whispered, announced that they were ready for us. The enormous doors to the Great Hall swung open with a creak, and I walked forward with the first years behind me, all eyes in the hall on us—or more, on me.

Being a third-year mixed in with a group of nervous eleven-year-olds drew more attention than I had anticipated. I could practically feel the stares boring into my back as we made our way down the aisle toward the front of the hall.

When we reached the front, McGonagall motioned for me to step forward. "Avery Black" she called out, her voice echoing through the vast hall.

At the mention of my name, the whispers surged, louder this time, filling the hall like a wave. I could hear

—''Is she the one who helped Sirius Black escape?'', ''Is she part of that family?''—and I felt my heart pounding as I sat down on the stool McGonagall indicated. The sound of my name alone was enough to spark a wildfire of gossip.

The whispers didn't die down until Professor Dumbledore stood from his seat at the head of the table, his voice ringing through the hall. "Silence!" he commanded, and immediately the room quieted, everyone still focused on me.

I looked around nervously, my gaze landing on Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table. Their faces were frozen. Harry looked particularly confused, his brow furrowed as if trying to piece together how I, fit into all of this.

McGonagall approached me, holding the Sorting Hat in her hands. She placed it gently on my head, and I inhaled sharply, bracing myself for what would come next.

The Sorting Hat hummed thoughtfully in my ear, its voice like a whisper inside my mind. "Ah, a Black?! I thought they were all gone... interesting, very interesting. I sense much in you... a strong mind, sharp instincts, but also a heart at odds with the past, hmm?"

I rolled my eyes but my hands were gripping the edges of the chair. The hat was poking around in my thoughts, and I did not like it.

"Now, where to put you?" the hat mused, its voice louder now, as if considering every possibility. "You've got the courage of Gryffindor, yes, but there's something else... something cunning, a drive to prove yourself... "

I swept my gaze around the hall while the hat continued to deliberate. My eyes caught on the blond boy from the train—the one who had shoved me into Harry. He was sitting at the Slytherin table, his expression unreadable as he stared straight at me, not looking away for a second. His gaze was intense.

"Yes," the Sorting Hat finally said aloud, drawing out its decision. "Slytherin!" it shouted.

For a moment, the hall was deathly quiet. The weight of the hat's decision hung in the air like a heavy curtain. Then, the silence shattered as the Slytherin table erupted into cheers, their voices filling the hall with excitement.

I stood up, removing the hat and handing it back to McGonagall, who gave me a brief nod but her eyes looked somewhat sad.

As I sat down, the cheers slowly died down as the sorting ceremony continued, and I forced myself to breathe again. Glancing back toward the Gryffindor table, I saw Harry still watching me with confusion, his friends whispering furiously to each other.

But from across the hall, I could see Lupin's gaze, intense and questioning, as if he was trying to piece something together. I didn't look back at him directly, but the weight of his stare was unmistakable.

For now though, I was happy to be in Slytherin. Just like my Dad. I smiled at that thought.

After a while a girl with short black hair slid into the seat beside me. She eyed me with curiosity , and a sly grin creeped across her face.

"So, you're a Black, huh?" she said, her tone a mix of curiosity and amusement.

I looked at her and replied, "Yeah, so what?"

She chuckled softly, her grin widening. "Exactly," she said, as if that answer was what she was hoping for. Then, she pointed at a newspaper sitting nearby, the image of my uncle, Sirius Black, staring back at us. "But what's he to you?"

I smirked, knowing full well the impact of my next words. "My dearest uncle, never really met him tho you know he has been gone and stuff."

Her eyes lit up in understanding, and she smiled broadly, extending her hand toward me. "Pansy Parkinson," she introduced herself. "Delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Black. I think we're going to be good friends."

I took her hand, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Well, my friends call me Ave."

Pansy didn't waste any time, as she stood up, she grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her. "So now that you are my friend, let me introduce you to my other friends. You are gonna love them" she said, her voice exited. There was no resisting her, and so I followed.

We walked our way further down the table, where a group of Slytherin boy sat, laughing and chatting amongst themselves. Pansy dragged me into the middle of them, introducing me to each person as though I were some kind of prize. I smiled politely until my gaze landed on a familiar face—the blond boy from the train.

He looked up at me with that same smirk I'd seen earlier. "So, I guess no girlfriend from Potter, Black?" His voice was dripping with smugness, and his eyes sparkled with amusement.

I rolled my eyes, turned to Pansy and asked, "I thought I was gonna like them?"

Pansy glanced between me and Draco, confused. "Yeah," she said with a shrug, as if it was no big deal. "He's just a little obsessed with the Potter boy for some reason, you will get used to it at some point."

Draco shot her a look, but Pansy seemed unbothered by it, laughing softly under her breath. With that, I let out a small sigh and sat down beside her, ignoring Draco's smug expression.

As I settled into the conversation, Pansy introduced me to the others. A tall boy named Blaise Zabini nodded politely, his demeanor much more reserved compared to the others. He seemed less interested in the Potter drama and more focused on observing the new dynamics of the group.

While I chatted with Pansy and Blaise, I could feel Draco's eyes on me, that constant glare of his piercing through the conversation.

After a while I glanced over to the Gryffindor table, noticing Harry, Ron, and Hermione still staring at me, their heads huddled together in conversation. They would have their questions—everyone did. But I wasn't ready to bother myself with them, not yet.