𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝑶𝒇 𝑳𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 ~ 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑎 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

chapter eight

1942,

Five months. It's been two months since the blood moon passed and Walburga has never found time so long. The only good news is that she can now see Sirius more often and talk to him in front of others, however, their relationship is no longer the same. He has changed. Walburga feels like she lost him when they received their mark.

She prayed that Sirius wouldn't try anything during his initiation and fortunately, he received the dark mark without complaining, but because of this, she has lost the boy she loves. He is nothing but silence and his face no longer expresses anything. She is afraid that he will move away even more. That he won't want her anymore and this feeling never leaves her.

Walburga should have been studying for her exams, but Pollux, deciding that now that she was going to be a wife, refused to send her back to school after the February holidays. She has been wandering around this cold house ever since. Her skin is even paler. Sighing, she looks at the note Sirius sent her.

London, at one o'clock, in our usual place.

Sirius.

Walburga doesn't know why, but she has a bad feeling. As if this meeting was going to mark a turning point for both of them, but she tries to chase away this anxiety and puts the finishing touches to her makeup, a little blush to appear less ghostly. She goes down to the living room to find her parents.

"I'm going out," she says. "I'd like to learn more about the Unforgivable Curses so that I can improve myself and be one of the best."

Pollux has a broad smile that he shares with Irma. He is proud to see that his dear and only daughter is giving herself the means to rise in the esteem of the Dark Lord. He nods and then Walburga crosses the door. She breathes the air of freedom and walks to the meeting point, a knot in her stomach.

She crosses the road and rushes into the dark alley. She sees Sirius who is sitting on the steps, behind the delicatessen where he works and when he sees her, he gets up and approaches. Walburga stops and hesitates. She does not know whether to kiss him or not.

"Hello," she says.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you any news before," he says, "I've been busy."

"Ah."

That's all she can find to say. Before, she would have said something else, but right now, she doesn't know what to think and seems lost. Sirius watches her before placing a hand on her cheek and she smiles softly at him, hoping to get at least a smile from him. However, his face is dark.

"I have something to show you," he announces.

He slips his hand into hers and she follows him. She doesn't know where he's going, not really knowing London and she remains silent during the journey before disappearing into an alley and from there, he enters through a green door. Walburga climbs the stairs until she arrives in a small apartment. Empty.

It's the first thing she notices. At least, not very furnished. There is a mattress on the floor, but she notices candles on the floor, which light up the darkness due to the closed shutters and Sirius turns to Walburga.

"It's my place," he explains. "I've been renting it to a very nice Muggle for a few weeks."

"Oh, it's... it's empty," she breathes.

"I'm not going to stay there, I just didn't want to stay at my parents', not since..."

He stops and Walburga looks at him, silently questioning him. What did he mean? Slowly, she approaches and places her hand on his cheek, caressing it tenderly. Sirius seems to calm down and he takes her in his arms, inhaling her perfume.

"Talk to me," she begs. "I beg you."

She also has to confess something to him, but she's so afraid of his reaction that she prefers to wait for him to speak first. Sirius pulls back and he pulls her to sit on the uncomfortable mattress. He doesn't really know how to announce this.

"What happened," he says. "That night with you know who, it changed me. I can't pretend that mark doesn't exist. What we had to do to join the ranks..."

Walburga closes her eyes. She didn't want to think about it. Killing someone was so hard that it made her sick for days. But they had no choice. They had to in order to survive. Sirius inhales softly, he couldn't bring himself to kill this man and he saw Walburga.

He had to do it. If he wanted to stay alive to protect her and get her out of this family then he killed the man. Walburga takes his hand and she bites her lip as he comes to kiss her palm.

"I'm going to leave," he says. "The war is raging and I have to go help. This is my world too and I know war, I've already served."

Walburga feels her heart sink into her chest. She opens her mouth and she jumps up before starting to cry. He abandons her.

"No," she says, "you can't leave. You... you don't have the right. And you... you can't! The Dark L..."

"He won't find me," Sirius cuts her off as he stands up in turn.

"W-What?"

Walburga directs her gaze to his arm. A huge doubt takes hold of her and she grabs his wrist before lifting the sleeve of his shirt and she lets out a terrible sob. Sirius then lowers his sleeve to cover this raw, cut and lacerated flesh.

"You mutilated yourself!" she exclaims.

"I have only become myself again, Walburga," he says. "This mark is not me. I am free and you can be too!"

"Your parents and ... and ..."

"That's why I left," he says. "Here, I'm at peace. I won't be able to come see you anymore and I need my redemption."

"So it's my fault?" she sobs. "You're going to fight because you killed that man because of me?"

Sirius grabs his girlfriend's face in his hands and caresses her cheeks with his thumbs. He tries to chase away the tears that are flowing freely and he pulls her against him, holding her tight and closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he breathes. "I'll come back and we'll find a solution. I promise."

"Don't go, please," she says. "I don't want you to go."

"I'm sorry," he repeats.

Sirius lifts her face and kisses her. Walburga kisses him back as grief overwhelms her and she can't imagine Sirius leaving. It hurts too much. She then lies down on the bed and she curls up in his arms, crying as he tries to rock her.

"When are you leaving?" she asks.

"In two days," he breathes. "Listen to me, I love you. I plan on coming back and finding a way to get you out of here and then... Then I'll marry you and we'll live happily ever after. I promise you that."

Walburga nods and she tries to tell herself that he will come back, that he won't disappear forever. She doesn't want to leave his arms so he holds her and rocks her for a long time to try to calm her down and although he wants to cry, he holds it back. She needs him and he has to be strong. The secret she keeps is too much so she prefers not to tell him that she must marry Orion.

"Come back to me," she whispers. "Come back to me forever."

"I will always come back to you," says Sirius. "And in all my other lives, I will come back to you because there is not a universe where my heart does not belong to you."