I was in a black mood when we pulled into the driveway to our house, but it was brightened slightly by the sight of my smallest brother, Sam, dashing out the door to greet us. The thoughts of Alanna not liking Sirius still loomed in my brain, but I willed them aside. Surely she had more faith in my judgement. Did she honestly think I would be stupid enough to date a dark wizard? It didn’t matter anyways, so worrying about it would do nothing.
Maggie, Danny, and I piled from the taxi cab and onto the snow-covered lawn. We removed our things from the trunk as Alanna paid the confused-looking Muggle driver. Little Sam had latched his arms around Maggie’s legs, making it difficult for her to grab her bags. I retrieved them for her and trundled up the drive to the door.
Our house was a simple one. Dad had hastily bought it after the decision had been made to move back to England. The last time I had been there, we had not been fully settled in. Now, however, I could see curtains hanging in every window. The building itself was fairly large, made up of two stories, and it took up most of the small suburban lot. It was covered in pale blue siding and was topped by a brown tiled roof.
I pushed through the doors, glancing around as I did so. “Hello?”
Mum had certainly been busy during our time at school; all the rooms I could see were completely furnished and decorated. Not a brown box was in sight.
“Are they here?” came a cheery voice from inside the house.
“Mum?” I called, setting down mine and Maggie’s bags and making my way to the back of the house.
My mother was in the kitchen and beamed when she caught sight of me. She wore a pair of everyday robes topped with a dirty apron and her brown, graying, curls framed her round face.
“Amelia!” she chimed, rushing forward to wrap me in her arms. “Oh my little girl, let me look at you!” She held me an arms length away, scanning me up and down. “You’ve grown so much, I can hardly recognize you.”
I smiled. Mum had a way of making the world seem like a happier place. I had forgotten that about her. “It’s only been a few months, Mum.”
She shook her head. “I know, but even after such a short time, you seem like a new person. Even now, you seem different.”
“How?”
“Your eyes are brighter,” Mum commented seriously, her blue eyes probing mine.
I looked away, remembering the expression on Alanna’s face when she found out I had a boyfriend. I had been so sure that my family would be all right with it, that they would love Sirius… what if I had been wrong?
“Amelia?”
“Hmm?” I shifted uncomfortably.
“How has school been? I know all about Maggie, she writes long letters every week, but your’s never gave away much. How are your teachers? Are classes hard? You said you made your house Quidditch team, how is that going?”
It was awkward at first, but it wasn’t long until I was telling Mum all about my new life at school. She heard about Professor Birky’s boring lectures, Professor McGonagall’s difficult, but interesting lessons, and the complicated potions in Professor Slughorn’s class. I told her about Quidditch practice and all the drills Haylie made us perform. Mum was more than pleased to hear about all the friends and people I had met.
Danny and Maggie joined us and in no time, we were all talking and laughing as if we had never left home. Between the three of us, we had more then enough stories from school to entertain us for hours.
“Mum, where are the younger kids?” Maggie wanted to know. She always had a soft spot for our younger siblings. I, on the other hand, preferred the company of the older ones.
“I think Alanna brought Sam upstairs to take a nap, he’s worn out after the excitement with your arrival. The twins are at a house down the street with a Muggle friend they made a while back,” Mum explained.
All in all, it was certainly good to be home again. While at school, I had missed the closeness of my family. Dinner that night was like one big reunion. The whole family was home. Alanna was taking a break from her work and Dylan came over from his London flat to see us. He and Christian, who was on holiday from his Auror training, kept us laughing almost the entire meal. The jolly atmosphere was broken when Dana and Erin, the twins, began bickering over who got the last of the treacle tart. My youngest brother, Sam, had grown since I had last seen him, but remained as adorable as ever. The only bad thing about the meal was that my father wasn’t present.
Growing up, my favorite part of the day had always been when Dad came home from work. He would stretch out before the fire with a copy of The Daily Prophet and I would crawl up onto his lap, pretending that I could read what the newspaper said. He used to always get here before dinner, but Mum said that he had been working late since moving back to England.
It was quite a shock to see my usually friendly and good humored father emerge from the fireplace looking tired and weary that evening. He certainly looked worn down, but that didn’t affect my joy of seeing him again. Something, though, made me a bit shy. Mum had noticed how much being at Hogwarts had changed me in an instant. Out of my parents, Dad was the one who knew me best. What would he see when he saw me again?
I was standing with Dylan and Christian when he arrived. Maggie rushed forward to hug him right away, but due to my weird bout of shyness, I held back.
When Dad turned towards us, my timidity faded and I couldn’t help but grin. His face formed a smile that mirrored my own. It was often said that, if not for the significant age difference, Dad and I could have been twins. His chestnut brown hair was as thick as my own and I had inherited my hazel green eyes from him. Even our personalities were somewhat similar, reserved around people we didn’t know well and outgoing with those we were comfortable with. Thinking about it now, it made perfect sense that I was in Gryffindor. It had been Dad’s house as well.
While staring at him, I realized for what seemed like the hundredth time how much I missed being home. I didn’t even know what to say as I stepped forward and threw my arms around him.
“I missed you, Dad.”
He hugged me tightly for a long moment. “Love you too, Amelia.”
That was all I had time to say to him before his attention was diverted by my other siblings. The evening was a typical Jordan family night, just sitting around talking and enjoying each other’s company.
~*~
After all that catching up, it was soon time to get some sleep. I changed into my pajamas and crawled into my own bed. It felt weird to be back here, sleeping at home. I hadn’t had time to bond with this place before leaving for school. Now my four poster bed with its scarlet hangings was more homely to me than the room I was in now. Although I shared it with Maggie, the air around me felt empty. It was too cold, too dark. My ears had become so used to Haylie’s loud breathing and Leah’s snoring (yes, Leah snores) that their absence now blasted silence into my ears.
I lay there for a long time, faces flashing across my ceiling as I gazed upward. Peter, Micky, Remus, Haylie, Leah, James, Lily, Sirius. I couldn’t drown them out. Whenever I closed my eyes, there were James and Sirius laughing at some clever prank. Whenever I turned, there was Lily with words of encouragement. It was all too much. It suddenly felt like the few days until I saw all my friends again were a millennium.
Maggie’s deep breathing told me that she had fallen into the world of dreams. Quietly, I slipped on a dressing gown and tiptoed from the room. I didn’t know where I would go, but I needed something to occupy my mind.
I plodded down the carpeted steps and into the living room. Glancing down a hallway, I spotted a light coming from the last room on the left. Silently, I made my way towards it, wondering who would still be awake at this late hour. The door was only slightly ajar, so I pushed it open and poked my head in.
The room was very messy, filled with filing cabinets, bookshelves, and a desk. Papers and scraps of parchment seemed to be everywhere, hanging out of drawers, stacked on shelves, and splayed over flat surfaces. A lamp burned dimly from a corner and my father sat at the desk, scribbling away with a quill in hand. The shadowy lighting emphasized the lines of worry and his face looked years older then I had ever seen it. He was wearing glasses.
“Dad?” I asked softly, not wanting to disturb him.
He jumped slightly, head snapping up to see who was interrupting him. “Oh, Amelia, it’s just you.”
I smiled, leaning against the door frame. “What are you working on?”
Dad shrugged, removing the glasses from his face and setting them on the desk. “Just some work, honey, it would be boring to you.”
“Oh.” I paused, thinking for a moment. “Why are you working on it now? I mean, it’s past midnight.”
Dad grimaced. “Things have been… rather hectic around here lately.”
I moved into the room, taking a seat in a spare chair. “What do you mean?”
He sighed heavily. “Amelia, there are so many things going on in the world that you don’t know about. Hogwarts really is the safest place in the country right now. You’ve been fairly sheltered towards current events.”
“Current events?” I piped curiously. “What has been going on?”
“Did I ever tell you the reason we moved back to England?”
I nodded. “Of course. There was that horrible plague at Beauxbatons. It was under quarantine, only we got out because of your influence in the Ministry here in England. Moving here prevented us from being in danger of the disease”“
Dad shook his head. “No, that wasn’t the reason.”
I frowned, suddenly confused. More faces flashed through my mind, this time they were the ones of my old classmates. Their faces sweated with fever, their skin the pale shade of death. How could that not be the reason we moved here? What went on at my old school still gave me nightmares occasionally. Surely the action was out of parental concern and not… something else.
“What do you mean?” I asked quietly, my head still reeling.
“Of course, the Beauxbatons situation played a significant part in the decision. I won’t lie and say that we weren’t worried sick about you and your siblings, but I highly doubt Madame Maxime would let you transfer if it weren’t for the fact that the Ministry of Magic back here in England demanded that I return immediately.” Dad closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead.
“Why? Why did they want you back?” I inquired. More questions entered my head. What could be so bad that they would risk pulling kids out of a quarantined area? How did the other Beauxbatons transfers get out of the school, if we only got out because of Dad’s job?
“Amelia.” Was it just me… or did he sound angry? “I know that you’ve been worried these past few years about Beauxbatons and the disease, but while that’s been going on, you have no idea of what England has been experiencing. Most wizards and witches remain fairly ignorant, but you of all people need to know what’s going on. There’s a dark wizard on the rise.”
Something clicked in my memory. “Oh, him? I remember seeing a small article about it in a friend’s copy of The Daily Prophet. Is he really giving you that much trouble?”
Dad laughed wryly. “Yes, but trouble is a bit of an understatement. Every day that passes, his army gets bigger. He is gathering followers, wizards, giants, and all sorts of beasts. The Ministry is a wreck. People are Imperiused, we don’t know who is on what side and citizens are disappearing left and right.”
I frowned, a chill running down my spine. “If it’s that big of a problem, why haven’t we been informed? Why keep us students in the dark?”
“Because Hogwarts is one of the few truly safe places left. Under the eye of Albus Dumbledore it’s almost guaranteed that no harm will come to you. Several students, though, aren’t as in the dark as you may think. I believe that this wizard has spies in the school, maybe even student recruits for his band of Death Eaters. The Ministry is trying to keep it all hushed up for the time being. We want to see if we can get this Lord-well, You-Know-Who out of the way without the story going public. Its madness, I know, it’s going to all leak out eventually. The last thing we need are people panicking, though.”
I was nearly speechless. How could this have been going on while I remained ignorant of it? I was locked up in school, playing around with my friends, when evil was rampaging across the country! This nameless man, this phantom was out there torturing and murdering while I worried about homework and my boyfriend!
“It doesn’t seem right,” I said, putting my thoughts to words. “Not knowing about this, no one knowing about this. How long has it been going on?”
“It’s only been a problem for a few years, but I suspect that the origins of the evil deeds began farther back than that. It didn’t reach this level of havoc until last summer,” Dad replied.
“That long?” My heart sank.
“The Ministry is doing their best, Amelia. They have Aurors out there constantly searching and hunting down Death Eaters; that’s what the followers call themselves. Alastor Moody has already thrown several of Vol-his followers behind bars.”
“Why won’t you say his name?” I questioned, still trying to process all this information. “What is it? Does he even have one?”
“When people are scared, they don’t want to be reminded of their fears. Not saying his name is like that for lots of people at work. I guess I’ve gotten used to not saying his name at all. They’re convinced that if they forget his name, they will forget the problem entirely.”
“That’s ridiculous!” I protested. “What IS his name?”
“Voldemort,” Dad answered without hesitating. “His name is Lord Voldemort. At least, that’s what he calls himself. He probably has another name, a more normal name, but nobody knows what it is.”
“Oh,” I said, sitting back down and letting the name sink in. Voldemort… it was such a strange name, but it was well-chosen because it sent chills down my spine.
“Anyways, Amelia,” Dad’s tone changed dramatically, becoming suddenly light and cheery. “I didn’t have much of a chance to talk with you earlier. How is school going? I know that it was difficult getting along with people at Beauxbatons, is that any different at Hogwarts?”
I rolled my eyes at him. It was so typical for adults to go from an actual conversation to badgering you about school. “Hogwarts is VERY different than Beauxbatons. Classes are all going well, except for potions, but you know how that goes.” Dad chuckled to himself. My dismal potion-making ability was another trait I had inherited from my father. “I have made lots of friends, though. My best friend’s name is Lily Evans, she’s amazing. She’s really pretty and smart, she’s even Head Girl! She’s the one whose house I’m staying at in a few days. There’s Sirius, who is one of my best friends and makes Potions bearable.” I smiled to myself, remembering our last potions session together. He had made me laugh so hard that I had accidentally knocked over a jar of pickled boomslang skin and it had splashed all over Snape. “There’s also James, who is the Quidditch Captain. He and Lily are dating, due to Sirius’s and my amazing match-making skills. Remus and Leah are both really smart, and Remus is Head Boy. Micky is obsessed with fashion and thinks she’s a Seer; it’s really funny. Then there’s Haylie Burch, who is the best Quidditch player I have ever seen. I also have study sessions with this girl named Aly, who is a Hufflepuff.”
Dad was smiling broadly. “Is there anything else you’d like to share? You said that you and Sirius got Lily and James together. Anything happen in the process?”
My face burned. He didn’t miss a thing, my dad. I bowed my head, hoping he wouldn’t be angry at me. “Well… Sirius and I are kind of dating…”
“Really?” Was it just me, or did he sound amused?
I nodded. “Yes. We’ve been going out since November.”
“What did you say his surname was?”
This is what I had been dreading. “Black. His name is Sirius Black.”
Dad frowned. “Black… that name sounds familiar…”
I interrupted him. “Yes, his family is a bunch of pureblood-obsessed Slytherins, but Sirius is nothing like that! He’s in Gryffindor, like me, and he’s smart and fun and sweet…”
Dad held up a hand to stop me. He was laughing. “Amelia, it’s all right. I trust your judgement. Will we be meeting this Sirius any time soon? I understand that you are going back to school in a couple weeks, but is there any chance he would stop by?”
I nodded. “He’s coming to pick me up for the big party I wrote to you and Mum about in a few days.”
“Oh yes, I think your mum mentioned something about this party to me,” Dad commented.
“Sirius really wants to meet you all. It was actually his idea to come get me,” I confessed.
“Really?”
“Yes, and you’re going to love him, Dad, I’m sure of it!”
Dad’s smile was warm and comforting. “I’m sure I will. Now it’s very late, I need to finish up this work, so I suggest heading to bed, my dear.”
I pulled myself out of my chair and headed for the door. “All right. Night, Dad!”
“Goodnight, Amelia.”
By the time I reached my bed, I had grown so tired that I fell asleep almost instantly. Yet my dreams were haunted by a shapeless form, but I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a beast. The only thing that I sure about was that it was dangerous and that the world was no longer the safe place I thought it was.
A Girl Like You by Lady Alanna
Chapter Notes: I forgot to name this chapter, oops! Anyways, I'd like to thank Kiryn for being an amazing beta! This chapter and nineteen were originally one chapter, so it's a bit shorter, but I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Endnotes: It might be a bit of a wait until the next chapter. School has started back up again and I literally have no free time. I'm several chapters ahead typing, but my computer ate the next one, so I have to retype it. Anyways, please review!! I love getting feedback!