Eye of the Serpent | HP MARAUDER ERA [2]

Chapter Four

"Bianca, why was this letter addressed to you written in invisible ink?" Mum asked.

I dropped my book on my foot. My head involuntarily whipped upwards to look at her. She was holding up a letter that had my name written on it in Regulus's neat handwriting. My heart skipped a beat.

"I..."

"Who sent it?" she asked curiously, turning the sealed letter over in her hands.

I got up and snatched it from her. "How did you know it was in invisible ink?" I demanded. "Why are you going through my mail?"

"I didn't go through it, your owl brought it to the window in the kitchen. I thought it was strange that the envelope didn't have anything written on it; but come on, did you really think I wouldn't figure it out? Now, explain why someone is writing to you with invisible ink."

My eyes widened and I began biting my nails. I knew I would have to tell Mum about Regulus and I eventually, but I was trying to avoid it as much as possible. She had always wanted me to get a boyfriend and would just make fun of me and scream in excitement and jump up and down; all of the things I really, really didn't want. Guilt started clawing at my insides. What was wrong with me, though? My mother and I were basically best friends. I always told her everything...

"That letter," I said, crossing my arms, looking awkwardly at the ground and lowering my voice, "is from Regulus Black."

Mum did a double take. "Regulus Black, your friend Sirius's brother?"

"Yeah..." I mumbled.

"Are you going out with him?" Mum asked. There was an excited but joking edge to her voice.

I opened my mouth, then closed it, not being able to say anything. Then, bracing myself for Mum's reaction, I slowly nodded.

Her reaction was even worse than I expected, for a high-pitched shriek of delight rang through the house. "WOOOHOOOOOO!"

I put my face in my hands, blushing from her reaction. "Please stop screaming," I said, but to no avail, because she continued cheering. I just didn't want Ainsley and Corey to hear, because I didn't want to have to explain this to either of them as well.

Corey's head appeared at the top of the staircase. "What is Mum screaming about?" he asked me.

"Nothing, she, er... she's happy that I... that I got good O.W.L. results," I lied, saying the first thing I could think of.

Corey gave me a look of disbelief and disappeared again. I turned back to Mum.

"Would you stop screaming?!" I said.

Mum stopped jumping up and down. I dragged her away from the staircase and into the kitchen, sitting down at the dinner table in my regular seat. She sat across from me.

"You finally got a boyfriend!" she said.

"Shh!"

"When did it start? Why didn't you tell me this before?" she demanded, a huge grin on her face.

"I didn't tell you," I whispered, "because I didn't want you to react that way."

She wasn't listening, though, because she was staring at me wickedly. "And here I was thinking that you might've had a thing with Sirius!"