𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝑶𝒇 𝑳𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 ~ 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑎 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

chapter four

Dead. That's the only word Walburga keeps repeating, lying on her bed for hours now. Lizbeth is dead because of her, she should never have told her she was going to help her. No one ever escapes the Blacks, how could she have been so stupid? Her friend is dead and she's not coming back.

She doesn't even have any tears anymore, her eyes are red and her face is so pale that she looks like a ghost. Why did she have to want to help the servant? If she had left her alone, Lizbeth would still be there, keeping her company until bedtime. The door remains closed and hasn't been opened all day.

Walburga is starting to get hungry, her stomach is tugging at her as she stares at the ceiling. Dead. She can't think about anything else. Lizbeth's empty eyes, her pale face, the glint of terror that seems to remain in her irises. The pain of grief never goes away, it just fades away to become one with oneself.

Sighing, she stands up and looks inside her room. Everything is dark at this time of winter and she goes to the door, listening, but there is only silence. She feels so bad. First Sirius getting hit, because he spoke to her and now Lizbeth. This ordeal will never end. Cursing her parents, she paces the room, trying to erase Lizbeth's pale and still warm face.

It's only around ten o'clock that she finally sits down again and tears the skin off her lip. She's bored to death, she's hungry and she wants to go to the bathroom. However, she doesn't move and remains stoic, she doesn't want to knock on the door, beg for someone to come. She refuses this humiliation and will not give her parents the pleasure of seeing her submissive. She jumps when a stone is thrown against her window and she frowns and sees that it's darker outside.

Walburga gets up, walking to the window. She hides herself to watch and her heart races. She opens the window, trying not to make it creak and leans over to look at Sirius' face, bathed in the moonlight.

"What are you doing here? Are you unconscious?" she says. "And how did you find my room?"

"You didn't come to the meeting," he apologizes. "And Lizbeth, either. I got worried so I came. And I threw my stone at random hoping to fall on you."

"You're crazy," Walburga breathes.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

Walburga feels her throat tighten and she feels her lips tremble. She doesn't like to show herself weak and vulnerable, but the tears overflow and start to flow so she shakes her head. Seeing Sirius start to climb the tree, the brunette shakes her hair even more.

"Stop," she begs. "You're going to get caught!"

However, Sirius continues his climb and jumps to the window, straddling the railing and entering the room. He doesn't speak, doesn't bother to obey the conventions and grabs Walburga to hold her in his arms. Bursting into tears, she snuggles up against him and feels his caresses in her hair, her back and she lets herself go to distress.

"I'm here," he says hoarsely. "I'm here now."

"They killed her," she breathes. "Lizbeth ... She .. my parents killed her."

Walburga feels Sirius stiffen and she is seized by a sudden fear. What if he gets involved? He must not get involved, it is too dangerous and she looks up at him. Gently, he places his hands on her cheeks and wipes her tears, anchoring his gaze to hers.

"Have you eaten?" he asks. "You are pale and can barely stand on your legs."

He takes a biscuit out of his pocket that he intended to eat, but he gives it to her and Walburga does not refuse it, devouring it almost as if she had not eaten for days and he watches her, worried. This house shelters the devil and he does not know why, but he wants to protect her.