Wishing Well
Throw down your gun
You might shoot yourself
Or is that what you’re trying to do?
Put up a fight you believe to be right
And someday the sun will shine through
2nd December 1973
“Today is a woeful day.” The ghost sobbed, refusing to look the girls’ way.
After Nearly-Headless Nick had spoken of the Grey Lady, Ara Black had begun an investigation into the ghosts of Hogwarts. Partly for her own academic curiosity, partly because she thought that enlisting ghosts for pranks would be a great way to get the boys to start including her more. They’d been sneaking off, pulling pranks without her and looking to her for praise more often than not. Begrudgingly, she’d accepted this odd transition in their friendships. If they were going to have their own boy group, she would happily have her own girl group. Pandora was far better company than her twin anyways.
I can hear you, Sirius grumbled over the bond.
Good.
Looking to the Grey lady now, Ara was glad she’d enlisted Lily and Pandora in her quest to speak to the gloomy spectre.
Pandora had been so very excited to try and befriend the ghost of her House; citing her as the one to help her find her missing shoes - sometimes even flicking them down from wherever they had been hung.
“Snow will fall soon,” Pandora spoke softly, motioning for the girls to follow her closer. They were on the very top of Ravenclaw Tower, the cool wind of December whipping their cheeks. Ara tried her very best not to look at the view, willing her eyes to stay focused on the ghost as they inched closer. Lily gripped her arm, clearly feeling the same panic in the face of the Tower’s height. “In blankets and little drops.”
“But not today.” The Grey Lady lamented, finally glancing their way.
“I like your dress. It brings out your eyes.” Ara smiled softly in reply. The ghost paused her wailing, and blinked at the girl in confusion. Even staying in her tower, The Grey Lady had heard of the Black siblings, especially of the emotionless-until-rageful Ara Black. It was odd to finally meet this being of gossip and myth. She narrowed her eyes and frowned.
“Why did you come?”
“Sir Nick was talking about how lonely he gets - a bit ago,” she blushed, “and he mentioned that you might be lonely too. We thought we might come say hello.” Ara replied calmly, shrugging her shoulders.
“Few seek me out, not of my House.” Her eyes flittered to Pandora briefly. “Though they mainly ask me for directions and help in retrieving mislaid items.” She sniffled, floating back to the ledge to stare at the scenery. Her eyes hazy as she glanced back at the girls. “I suppose I could tolerate company.”
“Wonderful.” Pandora smiled.
“So long as you are comfortable with silence. I fear I have not the mind for idle chitter-chatter.”
“We’re happy to sit with you, as long as you’d like.” Lily promised, sitting on the stove floor.
They pulled papers from their satchels; homework for Lily and Pandora, a new issue of Spider-Man for Ara. She was first in Peter’s queue for new comics, as she was the only one who knew how to keep her mouth shut and not spoil the stories for the others. That, and she still helped him with his charms homework (if only to make sure she did it herself).
When Ara Hermione Black put the effort into her homework, it produced top grades - rivalling even those of Lily Evans. The issue, really, was that she found it nearly impossible to care for long enough to put the effort in. Homework seemed so pointless with sight of her future. If she was to not even graduate… what was the point in trying?
Though her friends and teachers understood it, they tried their hardest not to let it slide.
Which was why Lily pulled out a second of their homework sheet from McGonagall and placed it in Ara’s lap; her other hand deftly snatching the girl’s comic book. Ara glared at Lily, though her friend hardly seemed perturbed - laughing right at her scowl.
They began to scribble their answers on fresh parchment; each using Lily’s muggle fountain pens for ease of communication.
“There is a spell for a piece such as that.” The Grey Lady spoke suddenly, pointing a delicate finger at Ara’s wrist. Puzzled, the girl presented it to the ghost - the silver glinting in the light. “If you wished to alter its physical design.”
The girls exchanged a bewildered look.
“I sense it is secured by magic, most potent. But the material itself, even if not entirely alterable, has flexibility.” The Grey lady explained, a little snootily, though not unkindly. “I suspect that your Transfiguration teacher should know the book you seek. I believe it is on the third shelf from the wooden bowl.” Her lips twitched as she wafted closer to the windows. “Though, you did not hear that from me.”
“Certainly not.” Ara’s lip twitched in amusement as she winked the ghost goodbye. “Well, that was enlightening.” She grinned, spinning to face her friends again. Their befuddled expressions were so priceless that she let Sirius sneak a peek. “I believe I have a cloak to borrow and a book to steal.”
“You could just ask.” Lily deadpanned. “Honestly, you hang around Potter far too much.” She sniffed.
“Life’s more fun with a little mischief.” Ara grinned, showing all her teeth. She looked like some kind of big cat.
I’m on it, chief, Sirius saluted from the boys dorm - already moving to snatch James’s cloak.
——
It was safe to say that Divination had not magically become Ara’s favourite subject; rather, it was the black spot on her timetable. She only went if dragged by Pandora or Sirius - both telling her that she really ought to pay attention to this sort of class.
The only reason she was there that day, was that it had been the best place to meet up with her twin before they went to sneak into McGonagall’s office to steal the book.
If she had known that Professor Manto was on some kind of baby-kick… Ara might have had the foresight to simply hide under the cloak and get out while she could.
The entire thing was made worse by the insipid squeals of the Ravenclaw girls as Manto described their future husbands in flower petals and hand creases.
Their entire table looked beyond the point of disinterest. Pandora was having a nap; her head buried between her elbows to block the screaming. Sirius and Peter had begun reading a comic under the table - and James’s eye kept twitching as he looked straight at the crystal ball and nothing else.
By the time Manto reached their table, the group were practically glaring her way.
“Let’s start with the girls, shall we?” Manto’s eyes gleamed wickedly as she reached for Pandora’s hand - the girl just quick enough to block her. Unperturbed, Manto reached for Ara’s wrist and tilted her hand upwards, ignoring her flinch. She hummed as she ran her pointed nail over the lines, as though reading a great deal in her calluses and scars.
“You’ll have two children.” Professor Manto giggled excitedly, ignoring Ara withdraw her hand with a shiver.
“I don’t even want one child.” Ara shuddered.
“You’ll want them.” Manto pinned her in place with a terribly seeing look. “You will want that child with all your heart.”
Ara merely rolled her eyes, shaking her head derisively as the Professor moved onto her next victim at the next table.
Upon Sirius and James’s snickering, Ara shot her head to glare at them.
“I really hate divination.”
That was her final comment on the matter. In fact, Ara Hermione Black did not speak another word whilst in the classroom - instead crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair - a bitter expression plaguing her face.
The very moment Manto dismissed them, she grabbed Sirius’s arm and yanked him away from the others.
“I’m fairly certain that divination is bullshit.” Ara declared stubbornly as they turned a corner, ignoring Sirius’s scoff beside her.
“Says the Seer with the dreams of the future.” She could feel him roll his eyes beside her.
“I am not a Seer!”
“I think you are!” Sirius blurted, the two looking to each other for a moment - two stubborn Blacks in disagreement. They ceased walking, ignoring the students that shuffled around them. “So does Dumbledore and half our ruddy friends!”
“Panda doesn’t! And out of everyone we know, I trust her judgement most.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s actually a Seer!” Ara snapped. “It runs in her family.”
“Oh.” Sirius replied, lamely. “Well then.” They continued to walk, stepping onto a staircase just before it began to move. Ara grabbed Sirius’s hand as she willed herself not to look down.
“I don’t know what the dreams are, Siri.” Ara lamented. “I think you’re right that they’re the future, but not ours. It feels like a possibility and memory all at once.”
“So maybe we pretend that it is. Maybe we just say for now that you’re dreaming of someone’s future life, and figure out the rest later.”
“At least we’ve got some names.” She sighed, letting go of his hand as they stepped off the staircase.
“James says Moody is a proper Auror. If you know his catchphrase, it’s probably ‘cause that girl meets him in the future.”
“It’s more than that, though.” She sighed. “I think she fights beside him.” Her eyes dimmed, memories flashing through their mind as they tried to slot the clues together. “There’s a war coming, and I think I keep seeing the worst outcome.”
“Then we try to stop it.” Sirius reached for her hand, holding on tightly. “Let’s think about what we know.”
“We know she goes to Hogwarts, that she’s a Gryffindor.”
“With two friends named Ronald and Harry.” Sirius mused. “The latter getting her into heaps of trouble.”
“And she goes to a ball with a different boy. She fights in some hall, filled with prophecies.”
“She sees Hogwarts fall in battle.” Sirius added.
“It was awful.” Ara shuddered.
“But we don’t know why.” Sirius sighed. “It’s the why we need to figure out.”
“We will.” Ara nodded, speaking more to herself than him. “But first, I really want to change this ruddy bracelet.”
“A-ha!” He grinned, turning to stuff his hand into his book bag - tugging a dark cloak from its bustling interior. “Let’s sort it, then, shall we?”
The actual act of breaking into their Head of House’s office and stealing the book they’d needed was rather simple in the end. A bit boring, actually, with how easy it was to pull off. Quick, too. Something of begrudged ease that left them a little melancholy (if satisfied) as they made their way to their next lesson.
The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom was packed by the time they arrived - seats luckily saved by their friends. They slotted in between Remus and Lily - James and Peter in the row before them. Lily’s pink cheeks as she resolutely did not look Ara’s way were the only sign of their mischief.
“Right then, students!” Their Professor clapped at the front of the classroom. “Let’s talk grindylows!”
Professor Zenith was a tall man draped in a tailored muggle suit; his blond hair gelled and styled. Half the girls in the class fawned over him. Ara and Lily included, much to the boys’ disapproval. Well, save for Sirius, who could be quoted as saying ‘I get it. He’s pretty fit for a teacher’ in regards to their new DADA professor (much to the boys’ chagrin).
Sirius was covert in his handoff of James’s cloak back to him - the bespectacled boy blinking in shock as he realised that the cloak had been taken in the first place. He shot his friend a light glare.
“Mr Black!” Zenith called from the front of the class; Sirius bobbing to attention. “What does a grindylow eat?”
“Dunno,” Sirius shrugged, “but I bet Remus would.” He jerked a thumb in the blond boy’s direction - a blush forming on Remus’s pale cheeks.
“Go on, Mr Lupin.” Zenith nodded.
“They, uh, mainly live off algae and small fish and creatures,” Remus hunched his shoulders, shrinking into himself as he spoke, “but they’ve been known to eat humans occasionally, hence why they’re dark creatures.”
“Very good!” Zenith beamed, nodding excitedly. “Five points to Gryffindor for that wonderful bit of knowledge.” He spun, facing the rest of the class to address them as they took notes on the creatures. “They have indeed been recorded eating unsuspecting Muggles, though myths and legend do tend to repel them from certain infested spots.”
“Is there record of wizards spreading information on magical creatures as folklore to Muggles?” Ara asked, sticking her hand up as she spoke. “To keep them safe from things that they don’t have magic to repel?”
“What an excellent thought, Miss Black! Ten points to Gryffindor.” She blushed at the praise, pretending not to see both James and Remus roll their eyes. That was the problem with having boy friends, Ara realised. The very second she acted like a girl, they always seemed a little put out.
Frowning, she looked away from Professor Zenith and down at the table - a soft sigh falling from her lips.
A surprisingly gentle kick under the table, foot against shin, jolted her dourness. Glaring as her head shot up, Ara scanned the faces of her friends - finding Remus offering a warm and apologetic smile.
She merely shrugged in return.
“So what did you grab the cloak for?” James finally asked the twins as the class began writing, whispering the words under his breath.
Wordlessly, the twins merely exchanged a glance - offering their best friend their very best mischievous smiles.
He could not help but present his own in kind.