𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝑶𝒇 𝑳𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 ~ 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑎 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

chapter ten

May 1942,

Five months, five long months where Walburga lives in expectation and fear. Sirius' letters are rare and since his departure, it's as if her whole world has stopped turning. How can you live when the man you love is on a battlefield? It's impossible and she is wasting away day by day.

Fortunately, she's at Hogwarts after she made the promise to learn dark magic better and the letters aren't received by her family so if she doesn't have any news, it's because he doesn't write. She sighs and turns Orion's engagement ring around her finger. She's thought of dozens of ways to tell Sirius, but every time she tells herself that it's not going well and she starts over and over again, she prefers to tell him face to face, it's much simpler.

Walburga raises her head and watches the students run past, heading to Hogsmeade. Forcing herself to move, she heads towards a shop when she arrives there. She sighs as she buys a new quill and then she looks around, making sure the coast is clear and she escapes.

Walburga runs to the passage she often takes and when she crosses the wall, she arrives in the world of Muggles. She is not really used to it, especially in this part of the city and she heads towards the first newspaper stand. Her heart is pounding, terrified at the idea of seeing a headline about the war. It is crowded and she is jostled a little, which makes her groan, but she makes her way to the vendor and buys a newspaper from him.

She unfolds it, flips through the pages, but it is always the same news, nothing new. Walburga looks around, frowning as she sees more and more people and she turns back to the man who sold her the newspaper.

"Excuse me," she says, "what's going on? Why are there so many people?"

"It's soldiers' day, he says, "the wounded and the dead who weren't blown up are brought back here. People come to make sure the guys aren't theirs."

Walburga grimaces at the word blown up, she has a horrible image that sticks in her mind and she shakes it away. She only remembers the essential, soldiers are coming home. She runs across the street and follows the convoy of Muggles. She feels a little oppressed, but she finds a little corner while waiting, the anxiety soaring.

Her hands shake as the minutes pass, she prays that Sirius is alive, in good health, she is sure that she would know if he was dead. She convinces herself of it and when the trucks enter the city, she rushes into the crowd, trying to be in the front row. The first truck opens and men come out, loaded with inert bodies that they take to the hospital so that the families can recognize their brothers, their friends, their fathers or their husbands.

Walburga remains with her feet planted on the ground, refusing to go but she is almost sure that Sirius is not there. The second and third trucks also unload bodies and she holds on to a woman so as not to collapse. The last two trucks open and screams, weeping, a monstrous cacophony engulfs her. She stands on tiptoe, tries to see through the crowd, but she is jostled and sees nothing.

"Sirius?" she calls him.

She calls him several times, hoping or not, she cannot say, to hear his voice. And the thinner the crowd, the more her heart tightens. Perhaps he came back before, when the carriage of trucks came the time before. But why wouldn't he have let her know he was back? She hesitates, should she go inside the hospital and see if he's among the corpses?

"No," she breathes. "Sirius is alive."

The trucks start up again, leaving a suffocating dust in the air and she looks at the less crowded square. Some soldiers, wounded, walk limping, with a cane or in an armchair. It's terrible to see and a sob escapes her lips. He's not there. Sirius isn't there. Is he dead, blown up like the newspaper vendor told her? Is he still fighting? She swallows her tears and crosses the street, her heart aching.

"Walburga," someone says.

She frowns and turns around, but she doesn't recognize anyone. Her name is not common, not among Muggles anyway, and she listens. Several first names are called out by a group of people who, she understands, are talking about soldiers who are asking for someone, and she feels her heart racing again.

"Excuse me," she says as she approaches. "I... I'm Walburga. Is that... Is that Sirius?"

One of the men turns to her and looks her up and down, quite surprised to see a girl dressed all in black, pale as death. She tries to smile at him to put him at ease and she sees that it works when he smiles back.

"Well, one of the patients is asking for a Walburga, he's been here for several weeks. He doesn't say anything else but that name."

She doesn't listen any more. Several weeks. Sirius has been here for several weeks. She rushes into the hospital, not knowing very well how it works and she calls a nurse.

She rushes to the young woman who is coming out of a room and she tries as best she can to explain the situation to her although her voice is shaking. The nurse puts a hand on her shoulder and she looks at her with a soft smile. She is surely used to it and Walburga tries to calm down.

"I don't know if the young man's name is Sirius, he only repeats your name," she says. "He is one of the patients in room 12."

Walburga thanks her and she then hurries to look at the numbers on the doors. Arriving at number twelve, she swallows with difficulty and she turns the handle. Several beds are lined up on each side and she shivers when she sees the men in bad shape.

She moves forward when she sees him. A sob escapes from her throat. Despite the bandage that covers half of his face, she recognizes him. She runs to him, letting her tears fall and she grabs his hand, leaning over him.

"Sirius," she breathes. "Sirius, I'm here. I'm here my love."

She cries and rests her head on his chest while he doesn't seem to react. She hears his heart beating and her tears redouble when she feels his hand on her cheek.

"Walburga ..," he breathes.

She raises her head, brings it back to him so that he can see her and he gently brushes away her tears. She barely sees his lips under the bandage, only his eye and half of his right cheek are visible.

"I'm here," she says. "You're home. If you knew how scared I was. I thought .. every day I was waiting for letters. I was so scared."

"Walburga," he repeats.

She starts crying again when she sees that it's the only word he can say without pain. She kisses his hand and sits on the bed, refusing to leave his bedside. Sirius is breathing badly, he's much better though and seeing Walburga seems to relieve him.

"I love you," she says. "I'm going to stay."

He shakes his head, she knows the message he's trying to get across to her. She has to go back or her parents will be notified and then her life will be over because Sirius' departure has changed everything. Having been informed, they now know that Sirius is not a wizard who has to side with Voldemort.

"I'll come back," she promises. "Every day. I promise you. I love you. I love you so much."

She forces herself to move, tears still streaming down her cheeks. He's alive. Sirius has come back to her and she tries to calm down. The most important thing is that the boy she gave her heart to is alive. He has come home and she returns to the castle, her heart less heavy.