Arcane [Sirius Black]

Chapter 9 - She Likes Stars

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WHEN A LETTER bearing the house crest of Montgomery landed on the table in front of her, Diana froze.

    The parchment lay stiffly and the girl held her breath as if any wrong movement might cause it to combust. The owl that had dropped it was gone as soon as it had arrived, not bothering to stick around and nip at her fingers as it usually did.

    She'd overslept that morning, meaning she was up at the same time as the other girls and had therefore been roped into breakfast with the three. She would be lying if she said the quips and banter of the girls weren't warming to the heart, but now she was incredibly regretful for her faulty alarm clock, not wanting the others to catch her at her worst.

    "What's that?" Lily asked, seeing her stiff posture and wide eyes.

    "Just a letter," Diana said, breaking out of her stupor to grab the envelope quickly, wanting to stuff it into her robes.

    However, before she could, Marlene snatched it from her hand and flattened the creases out of it, holding it up in the light.

    "A house crest? How posh," She laughed, not realising the way Diana's jaw clenched. Marlene hadn't meant it in a rude way, just wanting to see the seal that had captured her attention, but Diana was growing increasingly restless the longer she sat without opening it.

    "Not really," she mumbled, trying to grab the letter back.

    "Sorry, I've just never seen someone send their family wax-sealed envelopes."

    "Yeah, well, we aren't a normal family," said Diana shortly, the letter finally back in her hands.

    "Are you okay?" Lily asked, aware of the anguished look on her face.

    "Yeah," Diana said, though it came out rather breathlessly, "But I just realised I forgot....my wand in the dormitory. I'll see you later."

    She stood abruptly, gaining the attention of some other students around, and fled the hall. She could barely control her fingers as they itched to open the envelope.

    "Her wand was sticking out of her bag," Mary said, watching the girl go.

    "I noticed that," Lily said, also watching with a concerned look.

    "What's got the introvert rushing out of here so fast?" James asked from nearby.

    "James," scolded Lily.

    "What? I was just asking!"

    "Yes, but she has a name."

    "Sorry," he mumbled, "But I was actually curious..."

    "She got a letter from her parents," Mary informed. This caught Sirius's attention, who looked up from his plate and toward the door with an uneasy expression.

    He wasn't stupid, he knew her family was traditional like his, and he still hadn't forgotten the way her mother had berated her when she'd been caught out. He remembered how furious his own parents were when they found out he'd gotten Gryffindor; the howler they sent was so loud he feared the whole castle would hear — even from the Owlery.

    His stomach still knotted thinking about it.

    Even not being necessarily close with the girl, it took every ounce of strength in him not to race out of the hall and after her. If he had the chance to help someone else in the same situation, he wanted to take it.