I. Here Comes The Sun
Part One
Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
21st August 1971
“Come on, Hermie! Walburga’s gonna go mental if we’re late!”
Ara rolled her eyes at his dramatics.
As if he wasn’t the usual reason why they were late, fluffing his hair endlessly!
“Dépêche-toi! HERMIE!” She groaned at the repeat of the familiar nickname.
When they were six, Sirius announced that Ara needed a nickname. After all, all the other kids in their family did. Even Sirius had the moniker ’Siri’. Ara had rolled her eyes at him and told him that her name was three letters long, and as such was impossible to nickname.
Sirius took that as a challenge.
After a week of calling her ‘A’, then ‘Arry’ and ‘Rah’, he settled on calling her Hermie after her middle name.
“After all, it does have more letters.” he’d cheekily explained.
She’d tried to tell him that her new nickname also had more letters than her first name, and that it wasn’t how it worked - but he was resolute. Her opinion that the nickname was the worst thing she’d ever heard didn’t seem to register with him, unfortunately. She conceded after a while, however, knowing that it meant so much to her twin to have a special name for her used only by him.
“I’m almost ready!” She yelled back to him, adding through the bond: though why you decided to yell instead of just asking politely, I’ll never know.
She felt him flush at that, remembering that he could have just projected his words into her mind. They’d mastered that skill when they were six and Ara’s mind was healed enough to be productive. Though, even still, sometimes they both forgot they could just speak that way instead of with real words.
Ara finished buttoning her robes and took a quick look to make sure she was presentable before heading out. Her curls were as riotous as usual, frizz tamed by a spell Bella showed her house elf years prior. The thought of her cousin made her wince, flashes of the manic glee at - No! We are not doing this today, Sirius warned in her mind, forcing her thoughts back to the present.
She made her way down the stairs, spying her brothers waiting for her at the bottom. Regulus was going with them because he and Walburga were going to tea with a friend of hers. The twins were to do their school shopping alone.
When their letters had arrived, Sirius had exploded with excitement. Literally. All the books were thrown from the shelves and the table flipped. After they’d cleaned up all the mess and gone to bed, the two lay under the covers, whispering about what it would be like. To be free of their parents for nine months out of the year, able to make their own friends and choices.
They spoke of fears about Regulus being in the house alone - Sirius bitter and believing that Reg would be perfectly happy, and Ara worrying that he’ll get lonely. The twins could never see eye to eye on their little brother. Sirius resented him for taking his place, though he’d never admit it. He still remembered being his mother’s favourite, and it stung to watch her treat his brother that way instead of him.
For Ara, her own opinions about her brother were irrelevant. Sure, he was a snitch and a total mummy boy, but he was her brother. She didn’t want him to be hurt like her and Sirius. She’d made that promise to herself years ago, and she intended to keep it. Something bad was going to happen to her little brother one day; she sensed it in her soul. But as long as she was breathing, she would try her hardest to stop whatever future misery he would face.
“Merlin, Ara! Took you bloody long enough.” Sirius groaned as she reached them at the bottom - adjusting his collar where it had creased.
“I was getting ready! Honestly, Sirius, you’re an impatient arse.”
“Language!” Regulus gasped, as if he’d never heard his siblings swear before. The two looked to him and then at each other and let out a little laugh. Sirius ruffled Reggie’s hair (much to his annoyance) and the three made the trek to their Floo.
Ara checked the clock as they entered the room. Seven minutes to arrive to meet their mother. Fuck.
“Hurry up then!” She exclaimed, shoving powder into her brothers hands and ushering them to the fireplace. “Reggie, it’s Diagon Alley.” She told her brother, who nodded stiffly before throwing the powder and yelling the words. Once he was gone, she shoved in Sirius, who grabbed her hand to yank her in too - throwing the powder and transporting them. She felt the tug at her navel and swallowed sharply so she wouldn’t be sick. Floo travel had never been her cup of tea.
The Floo station in Diagon Alley that their mother preferred them to use was always packed. It opened out to The Leaky Cauldron, a pub that they were always told by her to leave immediately once they’d arrived.
Wordlessly, Ara brushed ash off her brothers and grabbed their arms to yank them down to meet their mother. Walburga did not tolerate lateness. Especially not when it was Ara’s fault. Which it always was apparently, even if Ara arrived there before the others.
They spied their mother stood by Madam Malkin’s, a look of fury on her face. Gulping, Ara released her firm grip on her brothers and trekked ahead - not bothering to see them follow her. Upon seeing her daughter, Walburga’s face distorted to a look of greater rage and plots of revenge.
The twins inhaled a wince as they approached, waiting for the inevitable yelling to begin.
“Here is your funds, I shall expect to find you here at four exactly.” Walburga threw the bags of galleons at her eldest children’s feet, a look of disgust clear as she eyed them. “Come on, little Heir. Time for tea.” She cooed to Regulus as though he were a baby, grabbing his hand and stalking off without another word. The boy looked back at them as he walked away with sadness. Poor Reggie never understood Walburga’s hatred of his elder siblings, but he felt it.
With that, the twins were left alone. Which, frankly, was preferable than being dragged around by their incensed mother. Walburga in a mood was a terrifying sight. Knowing them, they would have accidentally done something stupid like step on the wrong brick and Wally would have hit them right in front of passers by.
Ara wished she could get Regulus to come with them, that he would be free of their mother’s intense control, but knew it was fruitless. She was going to Hogwarts soon. Reggie would still be in Grimmauld, being shaped and ruined by their mother.
“Come on then, let’s get our things.” Sirius suddenly announced, grabbing her hand and forcing her negative thoughts away. He was always great at distracting her. “Where to first?”
“Let’s get all the boring stuff out the way first. Robes?” She offered.
“Robes.” He nodded in agreement, dragging her into the shop in front of them. The woman there was very nice, letting Sirius explore her fancy mens fashion while Ara rolled her eyes. He’d always been obsessed with what he wore - first wanting to look a perfect pureblood, now deliberately not. Ara, on the other hand, had never been particularly bothered. She hadn’t found fashion she liked yet that was appropriate, after all. Robes were stuffy and frilly and she’d never owned muggle clothing but understood the appeal.
It always felt more natural than the heavy Wizarding robes, though she wasn’t sure why.
Alas, if Walburga found out she would flip, so Ara resigned herself to her stuffy dresses.
Once they’d paid and bid goodbye, they made their way to Amanuensis Quills, getting their stationary for the school year. The rest of the boring supplies were dealt with quickly (though, Ara spent a little longer than Sirius wanted to in Flourish and Botts, gawping at all the books), and so the two decided to get ice cream before going to the fun places.
Sirius got a tub of strawberry and gingerbread, ordering a tub of chilli and honeycomb for Ara. The two would inevitably share, so he made sure to pick two flavours they both liked.
They found a nice booth in the corner by the window, and enjoyed watching the traffic on the busy street.
There were so many kids around - all getting their supplies for the new Hogwarts year.
“You know, Hermie, some of them are our future classmates.” Sirius remarked between bites of ice cream.
“I know, Siri. I wonder if they’re prepared for us.” She shot him an evil grin and he matched it, before the two fell into laughter.
They continued to chatter about their plots and plans, the pranks they’d do and hidden passages they’d find.
“We should map them all down.” Ara announced as she switched their ice creams. “Then we’d be proper set.”
“Wicked.” Sirius beamed, enjoying a spoonful of Ara’s ice cream. Say, Ara, he continued in their shared mind, I don’t think we’d make very good Slytherins.
The words shouldn’t have spooked Ara as much as they did - after all, she was aware that she wasn’t exactly a golden example of their House - but she couldn’t shake off her fears. If they weren’t in Slytherin… that was it. It was the final piece their mother needed to get rid of them. Or force them into some pureblood tutoring program for their teenage years instead of Hogwarts.
Come on, Ara. Stop being a worry. Sirius sent her waves of love. Wally won’t do anything, not when bringing us out of Hogwarts causes more hassle.
I know, Ara conceded, accepting Sirius’s swap of their ice creams.
“I think you’d be a terrible Ravenclaw.” He told her, shooting her his goofy face.
“I read!”
“Yeah, but you don’t care about academics. You like to learn what you want to and that’s it. Ravenclaws are all about hoarding all information.”
“Honestly, Siri, your wisdom knows no bounds.” She drawled sarcastically, before gasping and picking up her tone mockingly for the next part. “Say, maybe you’d be a good Ravenclaw?”
Sirius sputtered briefly, before letting out a loud laugh. Several nearby booths spun to investigate, but the two ignored them and continued to work their way through houses.
They couldn’t be Ravenclaws because they didn’t think ahead and definitely weren’t that studious.
Hufflepuff was too sweet - and its values of patience and fair play brought out a snort.
With Gryffindor, they realised they couldn’t find a joke about it. Bravery, chivalry and helping others. It seemed noble and enticing. And, worse, Ara felt an ache in her heart at the idea of being in the house, like it was where she should always be - no matter what life she was living. With that revelation, the two moved onto other topics - lest they admit they preferred it to their parents’ expectations.
Other topics eventually resulted in Sirius flicking ice cream at Ara… which ended up in her hair. Her eyes widened and she felt Sirius shoving warmth and apologies through the bond. She closed her eyes, taking a calming breath. She couldn’t get into a mood right now.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” Ara announced to her brother, stepping from the booth to the counter with an annoyed shake of her head.
After wiping away the mess from her hair, splashing her face with water and counting to fifty, she finally felt calm enough to return. Her temper was the source of a significant chunk of her frustration with life; something that only made her angrier at the world. She’d been working at it for years, but somethings little things could still make her explode.
But Sirius understood. He knew that she was never angry with him or even really with the thing that had bothered her. It was just the easiest thing to rage about.
As she thought on this, she didn’t notice the boy leaving the mens loos at the same time. The two collided with a thump, Ara nearly falling over, but luckily steadying herself with the wall. The boy was not so fortunate, landing on his backside.
He swung up quickly, dusting off his clothes and offering a hand in apology.
“I’m sorry! I wasn’t paying attention, mum always tells me off for it.” Ara shook the boys hand politely, trying not to flush at the embarrassment. If her mother were here… she wouldn’t have stayed long after.
“It’s alright, just be careful of where you’re going in future.” Ara reassured the boy, who smiled at her warmly.
He was sort of familiar looking in a way she couldn’t place - squarish glasses perched on a sharp (and definitely pureblood) nose, bright eyes staring at her behind the glass. Though, his eyes were hazel - and in her mind she saw a flash of him green eyes instead. It was startling, freezing her for a moment as she looked at the boy curiously. She thought that maybe she might have dreamed about him before, but that didn’t make sense.
He was sort of pretty, she thought, and then immediately unthought when she heard Sirius laughing in their mind. She thought perhaps he just had one of those faces, and bid him goodbye - hoping that Sirius wouldn’t comment on how flustered she looked when she returned.
She moved to go back to her booth, and the boy followed. She sent the details to Sirius, who seemed amused. She could feel him laughing even louder in their mind. It didn’t help with the after effects of a near-outburst of anger.
“Are you following me for a reason?” She snapped, spinning to face the boy - who appeared flustered.
“Uh… I wanted to make sure you got back okay. Plus my mum’s down that way too.” He offered nervously and Ara rolled her eyes but nodded, continuing on her way. She couldn’t be angry anymore, not when this new boy didn’t know her. It was a weakness.
Incoming new friend, play nice, she shot over the bond. She could feel Sirius roll his eyes, and she bristled slightly. It’s not my fault he’s following me, she huffed.
When she arrived at the booth, she found Sirius sat there looking nervous but excited. It was to be expected - the idea of a new friend their age that was most likely Hogwarts bound too. She sent him rays of calm over the bond and he nodded, looking up from his tub of ice cream to his sister and the random boy she’d bumped into.
“You ought to watch where you’re going, Ara.” He tutted at her as she sat in the booth - much to the amusement and confusion of the new boy.
“He bumped into me!” She exclaimed exasperatedly, before sliding into her seat to retrieve the tub still on the table.
“Only cause you never look where you’re going.” Sirius retorted before taking a bite of his ice cream.
“Do you need me to replay the memory?” She rolled her eyes.
In their banter, the twins had completely forgotten about the spectacled boy that was stood by their booth - watching the scene with interest and confusion.
“I’m James.” He said suddenly, not wanting to lose the courage to speak to these two interesting people. The twins suddenly stopped their staring contest and blinked at him, before smiling brightly.
“I’m Ara, he’s Sirius.” She introduced, jerking a thumb at her brother.
“Are you getting stuff for Hogwarts too? Mum said that if I met any other kids, it’d probably be the case.” The boy asked with a grin, relaxed at Ara’s introduction.
Sirius was not unaware that James was looking at his sister. Like really looking at her. Upon the boy’s eyes returning to Sirius, the latter gave a small glare that he hoped would warn the boy off. Indeed, he gulped and flushed slightly at knowing he had been caught. Ara noticed the look and groaned internally. Sirius was always like this whenever they met boys. He would decide that they were looking at her ‘wrong’ and then get bristly. And then she would announce that the boy was her new friend and Sirius would grumble but usually end up being closer friends with the boy.
She didn’t keep many secrets from Sirius anymore, but the fact that she would sort-of manipulate him into making friends despite his own stubbornness and overprotectiveness… she didn’t need to tell him that.
Bella had complimented her on the skill once.
Sirius, stop glaring at my new friend, Ara moaned in their mind, before answering James’s question.
“Yeah, we just stopped in here to get some ice cream.” Ara smiled up to him. While she was distracted, Sirius swapped their ice cream again.
“Are you two betrothed or something?” James asked awkwardly, seemingly having mistaken Sirius’s glare.
“Ew! No, he’s my brother.” Ara shuddered as she spoke, while Sirius just laughed heartily. They’d never had this happen before - probably because they were always introduced with their full titles whenever they met new people.
“Twin, technically.” Sirius beamed up to the boy, puffing his chest slightly with pride. Ara rolled her eyes.
“Sorry! That was so thick of me.” The boy groaned, moving to sit next to Ara as she shuffled back in the booth - not noticing Sirius’s eyes narrow. “Just with the ice cream and everything, I figured, you know?”
“It’s quite alright. Just the first time it’s happened to us.” She grinned to him, over the discomfort from before. He grinned back at her.
“What flavours did you get? I got peach and fresh grass but it doesn’t really work together.” He nattered, still with that ridiculous smile.
Ara told the boy their flavours and he somehow smiled wider.
“Oh cool! I’ll have to get that chilli one next time.”
“Do you want to try a bit?” Sirius asked, trying to worm his way into the conversation.
James nodded and accepted a bite, declaring that it was now his favourite flavour. Ara shook her head with laughter. Boys.
The conversation flowed easily after that.
After all, Hogwarts was all any eleven year old spoke of. They discussed excitement at the classes, at the grandiose of the castle and the bubbling anticipation of making new friends. James tried to move the conversation towards what houses they thought they’d be, but Ara sensed Sirius bristle and steered their chatter back to the overall idea of Hogwarts.
“We’re going to the Quidditch shop, if you wanna tag?” Sirius offered as he finished his tub, trying to hide his nerves. The two had never made proper friends before that they weren’t related to. Most of their friendships lasted for the duration of whatever event they’d met the other children at. This was a risk, but Ara knew how much Sirius longed to have those boyish conversations he deemed Ara too ‘frilly’ to understand.
Luckily for Sirius, the boy absolutely beamed at the offer.
“Yeah, that sounds awesome! I’ve just got to tell my mum first.” With that, he whizzed away in search of his mother, leaving the twins in their booth having a silent conversation.
What if he’s a half-blood? Or a Muggleborn? Wally’ll snap! Sirius was always confident in his blood-traitor dreams, save for when he knew their mother was already building to a punishment. After all, it wasn’t him that got the worst of it - that went to his twin. Even if it was his fault. Though his words held a level of nervousness, they were half-hearted.
So what? I thought you wanted to be like Andy. Ara rolled her eyes, offering out her tub so he could finish it. Sirius did so without a second thought.
I do! But… you saw how she looked this morning. Like she was so angry it was painful.
Yeah, we’re in for it tonight. At least she didn’t hit me in public again, last time was mortifying. Ara joked over the bond, sensing Sirius’s mood steady at her usual gallows humour. Sometimes, all they could do was to accept their fate.
Okay, alright. I’m being a dunce, aren’t I? He looked up at her sheepishly.
“Yeah, but I love you all the same.” She teased out loud, prompting him to flick a dollop of ice cream at her. It landed on her cheek and she groaned, wiping it off. “No food fights.” She warned.
“Fine.” He exhaled grumpily, sinking further into his seat.
That doesn’t mean they’re off the table completely, she sent him a picture of the Hogwarts main hall that she remembered from one of her books and he grinned.
“This year is gonna be epic!” He announced, going in for more ice cream - finally noticing the switch with a narrowing of his eyes briefly.
Though, he kept eating, waiting for the boy to return with his mother.
It took a few more minutes (and Sirius finishing their ice cream) before James returned, holding the hand of an undoubtedly Pureblood woman.
She was tall and graceful, donned in a day gown of navy and silver that made her look regal. She was the absolute opposite of her son - which was oddly hilarious. The woman had blonde curls pinned into a beautiful updo, with pale skin and sharp features. James, however, was all soft. His nose didn’t point, it was delicate. His hair fell in black, messy waves - complimenting his warm skin. The only thing the two had in common were the eyes - almond shaped and hazel.
Ara supposed he must look more like his father.
“This is my mum,” he introduced the twins, “and mum, these are my new friends. They’re twins!” He exclaimed excitedly. The woman lovingly rolled her eyes.
“Yes, dear. You’ve already informed me.” Her tone was nearly neutral, save for the hint of affection she let through. “It is wonderful to meet you both, I had hoped James would meet other first years today. Euphemia Potter.” She introduced herself, prompting the twins to stand from their booth and curtsy. Both of them.
Ara flicked Sirius, stop being annoying!, and the boy grumbled slightly but conceded and bowed. Which Ara also did, causing a delighted laugh from James.
“And do you lovely dears have names?” The woman asked, amused at the twins antics.
“Sirius Orion Black.” Her brother nodded, before pointing to Ara to say, “she’s Ara.”
Ara swatted at his sleeve at his impoliteness.
“Ara Hermione Black.” She offered.
The woman seemed startled by their names, but smoothed it behind a mask immediately. She turned to her son with a firm but loving look.
“Well then, I will meet you back here in exactly an hour. Don’t get into mischief.” She warned.
“But mum,” James groaned, “that’s no fun.”
Ara and Sirius stiffened as James’s mother laughed at his antics - both expecting trouble. Instead, the woman seemed amused, bidding them a pleasant afternoon before making her way out of the shop. After watching her go, James turned back to them.
“Right then! Off to Quality Quid-” he paused and regarded them nervously. “Why do you two look like you’ve seen an inferi?”
“That’s your mum?” Sirius asked breathlessly.
“Yeah?” James looked even more confused, which they couldn’t blame him for.
It was oddly haunting to watch her fuss over her child, to see the amusement and love in her eyes. It directly opposed the look in Walburga’s eyes as she looked at her own children. It wasn’t that the twins had never spied a caring mother before, it was that they didn’t know purebloods could be caring mothers.
They’d figured it was a muggle thing.
“She seems lovely.” Ara offered after the silence got too long, dragging Sirius with her to leave the shop. James hurried to join them, seemingly over his confusion and now excited about the idea of Quidditch things.
He seemed to change mood with the minute, mainly ridiculously happy. It was sort of nice to see someone so happy. Ara thought he might be a good influence for Sirius, might help him relax a little.
They breezed around the alley for a while - stopping at every shop that took their fancy. Sirius and James spent too long staring at brooms before Ara dragged them to Gambol and Japes to look at their new line of pranks. Something about the shop made her heart ache. She kept looking around, expecting to see something that wasn’t there - people that weren’t there.
Soon, the trio was discussing the trouble they could get up to at Hogwarts, pointing to things in the shop with mischievous glee. It took James dropping an exploding snap deck that got them to leave; and quickly, hoping they weren’t noticed.
The other stops on their journey were less exciting, but still fun. Sirius debated buying a kneazle and James fawned over the owls in Eelyops. Ara squealed about finding a real human skull in the Junk shop, which Sirius didn’t let her buy.
Soon they were tired of their little exploration, and began to actually finish their school list.
Their final stop was Ollivander’s, as the twins had completely forgotten until the last second to get their wands.
“Merlin, I can’t believe we forgot!” Sirius exclaimed as the trio rushed over to the shop - checking his watch to ensure their time wasn’t up yet. They had barely ten minutes!
“It’s your fault! You wanted to see them feed the cats!”
“Like you didn’t spend half an hour staring at a skull.”
“It was five minutes!”
“Five minutes longer than it should have been.” Sirius grumbled as they sprinted through the street, hoping that Walburga wasn’t around to witness their lack of Pureblood decorum.
“Are you always like this?” James laughed as he ran behind them, enthralled by their bickering.
They turned back briefly to glare at him, prompting a nervous gulp from the boy, before resuming their sprint to get their final task done.
In their rush to get inside the shop, they barely noticed the oddness of the exterior.
The interior was somehow stranger. Boxes lined the walls, papers and equipment littering the sides of the narrow shop. It was a mess of disorganisation that would have made Walburga’s eye twitch. Both twins were relieved she was not there with them.
“He was here earlier.” James muttered as the three scanned the shop for its owner.
“Hello?” The twins called out together. This seemed to be the right move - as an old man popped his head out from behind a wall near the back. He hurried towards them, messy robes flowing behind him as he approached.
“Mr Potter! Mahogany, eleven inches, pliable.” He smiled to the boy, who proudly presented his wand to the wandmaker.
“Yes sir.” He beamed. Ollivander nodded to him once before turning his attention to the twins.
“Ah, the Black twins! I have been waiting for you.” Ollivander gleamed, hurrying to find a tape measure from his packed desk.
How does he know us? Ara asked nervously.
He’s probably a little bit seer. Sirius shrugged, letting the man measure his forearm before turning to sort through boxes.
It took several attempts (and a couple of shattered lights) before Ollivander found a wand he seemed satisfied with for Sirius. James found the whole thing hilarious, reassuring his new friend that he had faced the same thing. He presented the box to Sirius with a flourish - the boy preening at the display.
“Elm and unicorn hair. Thirteen and a half inches.” The second the wand touched his hand, an explosion of multicolour fireworks shot out the end. It was beautiful.
Sirius turned to look at Ara with a surprised smile.
“This, Mr Black, is your wand.” He nodded, deep in contemplation for a moment before switching to Ara. “And now, Miss Black, I believe it is your turn.”
She nodded nervously.
Ollivander turned back to the shelves while his tape measure flew around Ara.
She watched as he collected wand boxes, presenting them to her with a flourish. The first wand shot a big gust of air that send his papers flying.
“Curious.” He shook his head, swapping the wand in her hand with another.
Ara stared down at the wand with a frown. It looked so familiar. Nervously, she wrapped a hand around the cool wood - proceeding to drop it when it shot out water and doused the poor wandmaker. She handed him back the wand with an apology, while the boys snickered behind her.
“Perhaps not.” He frowned, as though this outcome wasn’t the one he had foreseen.
Hastily, he fled the room to a back store. There was rumbling, the sounds of some boxes being shuffled around - before he returned with a new box. It was different to the soft jewel tones of the previous boxes; instead, it was completely black. It made Ara gulp.
“I made this wand a long time ago, knowing it would prove important one day.” The man muttered as he stalked over to the trio, presenting Ara with the box. “Red oak with a phoenix feather core. Eleven inches.” He opened the box to reveal the most beautiful wand Ara had ever seen.
The wand was indeed red - a deep shade akin to blood but not quite. It was ornate - carvings of vines and notches all along the base.
After a look at the old man to confirm, Ara cautiously reached to pick up the wand. Immediately on contact, she felt a spark that almost made her recoil. But something in her told her to push forwards. Her fingers wrapped around the wood and she was surprised to find it felt warm. Whereas the other wands had felt dead, it was clear to her that this one was alive.
A fact made clear by the explosion of sparks and glitter that came from her wand, prompting the lights in the room to go out briefly.
It was a powerful moment, to watch a witch or wizard connect with their wand. Garrik had seen it so often that it should have been boring, and yet…
“Curious… curious. It appears the wand has spoken.” He smiled, a hint of clenched jaw. “Red wood is often supposed as an infallible sign of its owner’s temper, but I have never believed that to be the case. It’s own vitality is found to help temper strong magic. I had once intended this wood for a different core and the core for a holly wand, but strangely the pieces sung to each other.” He looked off to the distance in memory, a soft frown playing on his lips.
“What about the core?” Sirius asked, staring at his sister with awe.
“Phoenix feather. Though, this one came from a special phoenix indeed. It so happens that the phoenix whose tailfeather resides in your wand gave another feather - just one other.” He swallowed once, looking back to Ara with an indecipherable expression. The closest thing she could pin to it was… worry. Worry and fear. “The other wand… I am not certain of it’s owner now, but he was a powerful boy.” He was clearly lying, but there wasn’t a point in commenting on it.
Ara stared at her hand with awe and nerves.
“Are you sure it’s meant for me?” She asked in a voice so quiet that only the wand maker and her brother heard. The wandmaker frowned slightly at her words, his confusion softening when he saw the girl’s twin furrow his brow slightly.
He had seen many things in his store over the years. He had seen children turn squib at the wands rejection, witnessed the start to many Dark wizards. It was something the job taught you, that though magic was beautiful, there were some who misused it. And he was looking at the product of misused right in front of him. Perhaps his first thoughts had been incorrect?
“Miss Black, wands are never wrong.” Ollivander spoke, using his ‘mad’ tilt of voice that fascinated and bewildered his usual customers. It wasn’t surprising that the twins looked up at him with seriousness - unbothered by his oddness. They both had their own touches of madness. “The wand chooses the wizard. This wand has chosen you.”
Ara stared back down at the wand in her hand before nodding to the man.
“Okay.”
With that, the twins bought their wands and the necessary tools and made their way through to meet Walburga.
They did not notice the man in the shop pale once they had left, gripping onto his desk with nerves as he watched them part - gaze fixed on the girl as she held her wand with unease and excitement. They did not see him flee to the back of his shop, hands fumbling for parchment to write a very old friend about a wand that he had sworn to watch carefully.
James had to part ways to return to his mother, but not before offering an excited wave.
“I’ll see you on the train!” The boy beamed in goodbye, prompting a light-hearted chuckle from the twins as they waved back.
The twins had been right in assuming their mother’s ire. When they met her, she was silent but lethal, dragging Ara by her arm through to the Floo point while the others trailed behind. Once they returned home, the tirade was terrible.
Regulus fled to his room, understandably, leaving the twins to face their mother alone. Their father didn’t even leave his study.
After their punishment, they made their way to bed on wobbling feet. They collapsed under the covers, holding each other close as they cried into the evening, their stomachs growling at the lack of dinner. It was routine by this point.
Once they managed to calm themselves enough, the twins readjusted so Sirius was lying on his back and Ara was on her side next to him - his arm curled around her head, hers across his stomach. They stayed quiet for a while, Sirius’s hand twisting Ara’s curls.
It was easy to be silent together.
Sirius was always bursting with energy, always loud and excitable. Ara had never been that way. As young children, it was as though she was older than her years, better at controlling her feelings than he could ever be. After… the Incident, she seemed more her age - but she was always better at handling her moods than him. She felt as intensely as her brother, but it was more manageable to wipe it all alway and leave the emotion to him. At least, until her anger reared it’s ugly head, and it became Sirius’s turn to be the rock.
“I want to be in Gryffindor. I want to be brave.” Sirius suddenly whispered seriously.
“You are brave.” Ara reassured him. “And you’d make an excellent Gryffindor.”
“You have to come too.”
“Siri.” She sighed softly.
“No, Ara. It’s our chance to get away. To not be the bastards they want us to be. Wouldn’t it stick it to them?”
“I’m not brave like you.” She insisted, despite the voice in the back of her mind that told her it would be her home.
“Bullshit. You take Wally’s anger for Reggie and me, you protect us. You’re the bravest of us all.”
With that soft declaration, Ara drifted into sleep - Sirius’s hand in her hair steadying her mind, turning all her dreams sweet.
He didn’t fall asleep with her however, staying awake a little longer to think without worrying about her hearing.