Serena Black || 𝑳𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒔

A father's sin

• Serena Black •

„We don't know
what we've been missing
until it arrives."

Moonlight fell through the window into the grim room, covering the girl sitting at her desk in its silver glow. In relief, she folded the letter she had been working on and put it into an addressed envelope. Just in time she had managed to finish the Happy Birthday letter to her friend Harry and finally handed it over to Hedwig, who was impatiently hooting at her.

"Stay still," Serena muttered, trying once more to tie the envelope around the majestic owl's leg. Sighing, she tried to hold the enormous bird still with one hand and tied the knot with the other. The Gryffindor skilfully ignored her reproachful gaze. After all, she was used to putting up with the looks her best friend Nate shoots at her now and then.

Hedwig must have waited at her window for hours, as the poor animal didn't look too happy when Serena came home after being on vacation for two weeks and noticed the restless snow-white owl pecking at the window glass.

Finally, she attached the envelope properly and wiped down a fluff of damp feathers off her hands on her jeans. For a moment, Serena stood at the window watching Hedwig disappearing into the darkness. The cool air flowed into the room and went through her long dark hair, disheveling her curls.

Water poured in small streams along the sides of the streets and along the footpaths. Drops had gathered on the windows of countless houses, which ran down the windows in streams. Only a few minutes ago, the storm had begun. Innocently, the rain poured down from the clouds like buckets, and obscured the night to which the day had inclined unavoidably.

Sighing, the dark-haired girl closed her window and was again covered by the stuffy air like bars of a cage. Serena had found a total of four letters sitting on her windowsill; one from Hogwarts and one each from her friends Ron, Hermione and her best friend Hailey.

She resisted the urge to yawn loudly. In fact, she hadn't slept for a second on the plane from Miami to London. And then there was also the jet lag, which seemed to catch up to her slowly since it would have been pretty early in the morning in Florida. Ignoring the tiredness, she had just managed to send the gift to Harry, which she fortunately had already packed before her Departure. The reply to her other friends, however, would have to wait for the next day, as Serena could barely keep her eyes open.

Eventually, she opened the letter from Hogwarts, which was the only one she hadn't read yet, and flew over the familiar words that seemed to be the same every year - every year until now, that is."

Dear Miss Black,
please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock.
Third-years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade at certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign.
A list of books for next year is enclosed.