Among the Stars

       Everyone returns from the break dreading having to return to the school. By the first day most students already had more homework than they felt was necessary. The charms teacher had decided to give students an essay to write about a list of spells that they had learned before the break and no student was looking forward to doing it. Wisteria was sitting under a tree next to the Black Lake in her favorite spot when James, Peter, and Sirius decided to approach her.

       "Can you help us with that blasted charms essay we were assigned?" James asks, getting right to the point.

       "Why can't Remus help you?" She asks before adding, "Where is Remus?"

       "He's sick. Which is also why he can't help us with that essay." Sirius speaks up.

       Wisteria sighs. "Fine. Do you want to get to work now?"

       "Actually we have plans in a little while." Peter tells her. "I'm free tomorrow though."

       "Me too." James says.

       "I'm not." Sirius says. "My week is basically booked, but I have some spare time this afternoon after dinner. Would that work?"

       "Yeah that would be fine. I'll meet you after dinner in the library and I expect you to actually work. And as for you two I will see you tomorrow directly after lunch. Sound good?" She gets three yes'. "Great. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go ask professor Binns a question about the homework he assigned us."

After dinner Wisteria sat in the library waiting for Sirius to show up. While she waits she reads through a book about the history of magic that was probably 90 times more interesting than professor Binns’ lessons. As she reads, she gets up and walks through the library to get a book for the charms essay that she was supposed to be helping Sirius with, if he would just show up. Suddenly she bumps into someone and almost falls over, but catches herself at the last minute. When she looks up to apologize her eyes meet the hard brown ones of Mercury Black and the cold look on his face causes Wisteria to look away.

       “I- um… S-sorry. I don’t... um… I’m usually good at walking and… umm… reading…” She glances at him to see him smirking, but it isn’t the cool, flirtatious smirk that Sirius uses that makes you want to laugh and go along with whatever stupid thing he’s suggesting, Mercury’s smirk sends a chill down your spine and makes you feel like he could kill you right then and there and do it smiling.

       “Don’t worry about it for now, just don’t let it happen again.” His voice is different than Sirius’ as well, his voice was deeper, but not as warm.

       “Umm…” She says, instantly regretting speaking up again, “Y-you’re Sirius’ older brother right?” The look on his face as he nods was somewhere in between annoyance and mild interest. “You wouldn’t happen to know where he is would you?”

       Now he rolls his eyes and a glare comes to his face. “You mean that filthy blood traitor I’m forced to call a brother? No clue. Honestly, he’s probably off snogging one of his fangirls. I think it’s odd anyone would date my brother. He has always been a loner in school, hanging out with those three deadbeat friends of his. And don’t even get me started on his hair, I don’t care what the girls think, it’s just sloppy.”

       “Oh… Right… Well, I think that I need to go get that book for my charms essay…”

Mercury watches her walk away and then moves along, approaching his friend Shaun.

       “Hey, do you know who that girl is?” Mercury asks him.

       “Not really. I know what I’ve heard though. She’s a Ravenclaw and one of the best in her class. She helps people with homework a lot, even some Slytherin’s have gone to her for help, but none of he respectable ones.”

       “Why not the respectable ones?”

       “Because she’s a mudblood.”

       Mercury’s nose crinkles in disgust. “Damn. I was hoping she might be a good influence on Sirius. Though I must say, she didn’t seem to be a very confident person. Sirius probably wouldn’t go for her anyway.”

       “Why would you want him to?”

       “Well obviously I hope he stays far away from her, but if she weren’t a mudblood then she could have gotten him away from that Gryffindor swine.”

       Wisteria scuttles away as fast as she can, feeling somehow as if she had just avoided a great danger. She quickly finds the book and moves back to the table, staying as far away from Mercury as possible and then feels relieved when she sees him walk out with a big friend of his that she recognizes as one of the Beaters on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

       “What’s wrong?” Sirius says as he struts up to her.

       “Oh… umm… I ran into your brother a second ago.”

       Sirius’ face falls, but he quickly covers it up with his usual smirk. “I bet that was fun.” He says sarcastically, effectively calming Wisteria down.

       “Yeah. Your brother sure is a charmer isn’t he.”

           “Unbelievably so.”

       Wisteria and Sirius laugh and now she is feeling much better. “Let’s get to work.” She says, opening the book she got. As they work through the Charms essay Wisteria can’t get a thought out of her head.

       “What is a blood traitor?” She finally asks Sirius.

       “What?” He asks, his head jerking up and his eyes narrowing at her.

       “Umm… When I ran into your brother earlier I asked him where you were and he called you a blood traitor. I’ve never heard that term before. I was wondering what it meant.”

       “Don’t worry about it.” Sirius says, scowling.

       “What?”

       “I said don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter. Let’s just finish this essay.”

       Wisteria was shocked, but didn’t press it any farther.

       Later that night Wisteria sat in her room with the girls and she brought up the question again. “What is a blood traitor?” She asks and the girls fall silent.

       “What makes you ask that?” Penelope says.

       “I heard someone called that today. I asked Sirius, but he wouldn’t tell me.”

       The girls stayed silent for a little while longer before Jane finally spoke up. “A blood traitor is a wizard who is a pureblood, but likes muggles and muggle related things. Sirius is a little sensitive on the subject because he is considered one.”

       “Yeah. It’s almost as bad a term as mudblood.” Christine states.

       “What does that mean?” Wisteria asks innocently.

       Everyone glares at Christine before Shannon speaks up. “Mudblood is the derogatory term used mainly by purebloods to described Muggleborns.”

       “Oh… That’s awful.”

       “Yes, it is. And if anyone ever calls you that you have to tell us right away. We will give them what they deserve.” Jane says.