two kids and a dog on a lake
Somewhere in the middle of third year the griffon d'or Hockey team took longer than usual to change in the locker after a match.
Still high on their victory hight ! Players are all smiles . Remus and Sirius left the bleacher right after the final blow to sneak in the lockers. It’s their little ritual. In doing so they can be the first to congratulate James and Marlene. “Let’s move this after party to the dorm guys” “hi hi captain James !” “a girl in the locker boys cover yourself”. She is one of the boys, so. Not one of her teammates complained of having her here. They chant her name in union “Marlene ! Marlene ! Marlene ! Marlene !” “ She is the reason Griffon d’or won today.
James and Marlene can’t stop elaborating on new Hockey stuff ! tossing ideas back to one another like happy birds. “ James put your clothes on so we can leave ! it stinks in here ""you really can’t do two things at the same time” “what ? i just took a shower” James presided to chase his best friend to make him smell his under arms. “i would rather wait outside mate”
Sirius walks out of the boys locker in one piece. The ring must be empty, he wanders around. Appreciating some air. Hockey matches are Sirius' only reason to come here. he hates cold stuff. To him ice looks like quiet and deep and dangerous water. But if this big space was a stage ? He walked toward the ring to picture a stage instead of..
but someone, a boy, is on the stage, no on the ring.
Regulus skates in silence by himself.
At first Sirius is impressed by Regulus' speed in the ice, last time Sirius saw his sibling skate..It was on a lake.
Then Sirius wants to shout at Regulus to be careful ! don't fall in the crack, don't drown in that lake. “Not on my watch.” Sirius' fear of water runs in his bones ever since.
Sirius always wondered : “Why did Regulus choose to make Ice skating his sport ? knowing what they've been through ?”
to make him pay ?
Flashback :
At the black manor during a cold winter
_ Sirius !
Leoni Arcturus Black please ? Be quiet ! you're nosy voice is driving me mad
_Regina ? hurry up
Leoni don’t drag Rigi into this !
I want to go outside with Bella, Narcissa and you.
_ No Leo. Mother told you, today it’s “French class” for you and Regina.
_ Toi aussi tu a cours ! mais toi t’es nul en français, pas moi.
_You smart little girl !
_ i’m NOT a girl ! if you don’t take me with you, i’m telling mother you sneak out.
_ You vicious little sneak still has one more lesson to learn..i see.
What lesson ?
Sirius turned around to side way judged his little sister :
_ loyalty leo, loyalty.
On that note, Sirius jumped out the window, he landed on snow.
The first fall of snow of the season. “So cool” he touch it with his baird hands
“Leoni would love the feeling of cold against warm hands.”
_ Don’t jump from this height Leo. Don’t look sad, I'm coming back.
Sirius should have locked Regulus in. All of this just for skating with his cousins. He doesn't particularly like his cousins and isn't so good at skating.
He left and didn’t look back. Sirius joined Bella and Narcissa, “don’t skate in the middle it’s not safe” “okay” “but wait !” the two girls giggled and skated away.
“well…it's only you and me creature” Sirius and this dog are alone in the ice.
“Stay away dogs can’t skate” Creature belong to their family servant. It’s an old dog very loyal to the black family. He follows the black kids when one of them goes out alone. Leonie loves that dog, Sirius also likes dogs, but this one is a bit grippy ! and skinny, and curly.
After a ridiculous short amount of time, and many stupid falls Sirius decides to head back home. Ice skating is not for him.
_ Sirius ! i got out
_ Leo ! haha
Too happy to have some good company Sirius forgot to warn Leo about the middle.
_ Leo be Careful ! not in the middle !
But it was too late ! The lake cracks beneath Leo. It’s so fast. One seconde it’s two kids on a lake. And the next it’s : a big brother skating as fast as he can. And a dog barking
Leo resurface screaming :
_ Sirius !! Sirius
_ Leo !
(creature is barking)
little Leo fights the water, with the little she got. But the water is strong and cold. The lake is coming to take her life.
(creature is barking)
_ Leo ! Hold on ! im coming ! grab this branch ! grad it please Leo.
(creature is barking)
Leonie's winter clothes are dragging her down. The weight of all those useless under skirts are to blame. She always said she hated being a girl.
(creature is barking)
Leonie grabed the branch.
_ Yes ! don’t let go ! don’t let go
(creature is barking)
Leonie didn’t let go. The water didn’t let her go. When half of her body was laying on the ice. the surface crumbled again. This time there were no screams.
Sirius froze, then he stopped feeling resistance at the other end of the branch :
_ Help ! Help me !!! help
(creature stopped barking)
The dog jumped in the lake. Sirius is alone on this ice. His sister is underneath somewhere.
creature is swimming to Leo. The silence is killing Sirius.
A liveless shape is carried away by the stream of the lake.
An old dog. And two kids on a lake. But for how long ?
_ please not Leo, not my baby sister.
Under water, all Leo can see is reflection of daylight on the ice. This unforgiven ice that won’t let her go back to the world of the living. She stopped banging on the ice, her hands are bloody. She stopped bargaining. And the water isn’t so cold anymore. She was alway trapped behind that glass always. On her side of the glass Leonie always restrained her breath. It was always cold and on their side it was always warm and sunny… she thought of the sun before everything faded to black.
but she…
She woke up.
_ Leo ? LEO !
She threw up the water in her lungs.
Saw her big brother and fainted in his arms.
two kids in a lake and an old dog
two of them got hypothermia and only one of them will survive the night.
When Sirius brought back his little sister to the house. Regina cried,
Leonie keeps asking for creature, even half wake.
“creature ? creature ? it’s your fault if he dies. creature ?” Leo said to Sirius.
But their mother won’t let the old dog inside. “It's an outside dog” she said.
It was cold that night. The dog was old. He gave all he got on that lake.
Sirius didn’t sleep, he sat in front of Leonies bedroom door. Knowing two things : his little sister could have died on his watch today and Creature won’t be here tomorrow.
For Sirius it’s the day he starts having a fear of water.
For Regulus is the day his beloved dog passed away.
I won’t be able to update this fic until 19/01/2024