Breaking Black (A Sirius Black Love Story)

Chapter 69

"Sirius, do you ever think that maybe we would have less problems if we just turned Spies and her cronies in to Dumbledore?" I sighed while looking at a nasty red bump forming on his arm. He pranked Snape with a bucket of rotting, old potion ingredients over the head and received a jinx from Mulciber.

"No." Sirius admitted. "Regulus isn't bad, we can't turn them in. At least, not until we get him out of this mess."

"I don't know how you can say that mate, he's guilty by association." James piped up. He looked up from analyzing some Quidditch plays to be glared at by Sirius. Sirius' arm looked rather nasty. It was a dark shade of red and the inflammation rose nearly an inch above his skin. I asked him to visit the hospital wing, but he didn't want to get in trouble from McGonagall again for dueling.

"He is a good person, just in a bad situation." Sirius argued.

"Seems very bad, that jinx on your arm doesn't look too good."

"It's Dark Magic."

We all froze to stare at Peter.

"What did you say?" I questioned.

"That mark is from a Dark Magic spell." Peter repeated.

Sirius started to look a bit green. He yanked his arm away from me and started inspecting it in detail.

"Don't worry, it looks like Mulciber doesn't understand it yet, the spell should've taken to your whole body." Peter sighed, his watery eyes flitting from me to Sirius. He frowned and looked at the back of his hands, his mouth tightening into a grim frown.

"How do you know it's Dark Magic?" Sirius asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow. But Peter's response left everyone silent for the night.

"My father's body was covered in marks like that."

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My request seemed odd for the transfiguration professor. I guess she thought I should ask the new defense against the dark arts instructor about a book of that type, but McGonagall was the only one I knew would help. Besides, Sirius would kill me if he knew I went to Professor White for something like this.

"And why would you want a book on Dark Magic?" Professor McGonagall questioned. Her look seemed accusing.

"Minnie!" I gasped. She rolled her eyes at the nickname the Marauders gave her. "You know me, I only want it for studying those who might want to use it. How to defend myself in the events that may happen in our little... Side job."

Professor McGonagall rolled her eyes. She then snapped her fingers and her quill signed her signature on the paper for her.

"There you go, Ms. Stryker. Make sure it doesn't get in the hands of anyone else." She sighed. "I honestly don't know why you and your mischievous friends didn't just take it yourself. Merlin knows you five can get around any security measures in this school."

I took the note straight to the library and searched the restricted section for the book on Dark Magic spells. It was nowhere to be found. Madam Pince watched me like a hawk as I searched for the book, and finally, when I had the nerve to ask her if she knew where the book was, she announced someone already checked it out. Despite my desperate pleas, she would not disclose who had it, however, I had a feeling it was sitting somewhere in the Slytherin dormitories.

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Realization seemed to wash over Professor White as I walked in to our first defense against the dark arts with Sirius' arm around my waist. He looked rather upset and crossed his arms and tilted his head towards some papers on his desk while still watching us out of the corner of his eye.