ALULA (VOL. 3)
Time to put things into perspective- into order.
When a war has begun there's no waiting for children to group up. Alula Nova Black knows this too well. The last thing needed is a government who are corrupt in thinking everything is o...
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occlumency
{1996}
12 Grimmauld Place
✧・゚: *✧・゚:* *:・゚✧*:・゚✧
They were to return to Hogwarts on the Knight Bus the following day. Escorted once again by Tonks and Lupin, both of whom were eating breakfast in the kitchen when Harry, Ron, Alula and Hermione came down the next morning. The adults seemed to have been mid-way through a whispered conversation as Alula opened the door; all of them looked around hastily and fell silent.
After a hurried breakfast, they all pulled on jackets and scarves against the chilly grey January morning. Alula had an unpleasant constricted sensation in her chest; she did not want to say goodbye to her father. She had a bad feeling about this parting; she didn't know when they would next see each other and she felt it was incumbent upon her to say something to her father to stop him doing anything stupid - Alula was worried that Snape's accusation of cowardice had stung Sirius so badly he might even now be planning some foolhardy trip beyond Grimmauld Place. Before she could think of what to say, however, Sirius had beckoned her and Harry to his side.
'I want you to take this,' he said quietly, thrusting a badly wrapped package roughly the size of a paperback book into Harry's hands.
'What is it?' Harry asked.
'A way of letting me know if Snape's giving you a hard time. No, don't open it in here!' said Sirius, with a wary look at Mrs Weasley, who was trying to persuade the twins to wear hand-knitted mittens. 'I doubt Molly would approve - but I want you to use it if you need me, either of you, alright?'
'OK,' said Harry, stowing the package away in the inside pocket of his jacket.
"Thanks, Dad." Alula smiled.
She and Harry both knew they would never use whatever it was.
'Let's go, then,' said Sirius, clapping Harry on the shoulder and smiling grimly, and before Harry or Alula could say anything else, they were heading upstairs, stopping before the heavily chained and bolted front door, surrounded by Weasleys.
'Goodbye, Alula, take care,' said Mrs Weasley, hugging her.
'See you, Alula.' said Mr Weasley, shaking her hand.
Alula looked over at her father who was giving Harry a brief, one-armed hug, and said gruffly, 'Look after yourself, Harry.'
Sirius walked over to Alula and hugged her tightly.
"Be good, not too good though," Sirius said and Alula could have sworn she heard him sniffle.
"Hey, Dad. I'll see you in summer." She smiled.
"I know," Sirius said. "Stay safe. I love you, Pup."
"I love you times twelve," Alula replied.
Next moment, Alula found herself being shunted out into the icy winter air, with Tonks (today heavily disguised as a tall, tweedy woman with iron-grey hair) chivvying her down the steps.