Orphic » Sirius Black

Chapter 22 - Back At Hogwarts

For the first of September, Juniper's plan was simple: try not to die. And there were two means in which she could be dead at the end of the day—in the hands of her father, or shame, after encountering Sirius in any way.

The supposition that her father was after her had finally sunk in and now Juniper was certain that it was him. Whom else would want her, and for what? She wasn't as nearly as powerful as an of-age witch. Perhaps not even as good as Jasper at the age of sixteen, but according to Cassia's memories, Mars seemed to think otherwise.

Thinking about Sirius led to a mix of different emotions. The translated sonnet she had found in her trunk had made her company all over the summer, bringing her some sort of ease, hope, and care. But foremost, it frightened her that Sirius could have tried to get in contact with her, and since he obviously couldn't, he might have thought she was ignoring him. She felt ridiculous worrying about Sirius in that exact moment, yet she couldn't really help it.

To reduce her chances of death, the first thing she had to do was leave Remus' side, because of the obvious reasons. The moment she did, her breathing became faster by the second, and felt almost nauseous while drowning in the sea of people at the platform. It wasn't as nearly as crowded as the year before, but it still was overwhelming for her.

But what made matters worse was the fact that every time she looked at someone, she saw her father's face first. She had to refocus and slow down her heartbeat to check, and of course, any of those people was Mars himself.

"Nothing can happen to you there," Lyall had told her before Disapparating from the house, after noticing the petrified expression she had. "No one could be foolish enough to strike on the platform. It's full of wizards. Hogsmeade is secured, as well as Hogwarts. Once there, you're safe."

Since the day Remus had gotten his Hogwarts letter, Juniper started to worry about the first of September. Her initial concern was about her own letter. If she didn't receive it, did that mean she wouldn't be allowed to go into the school? Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest place for her to be during the year, and Lyall had assured her that she could not be reached by anyone there, in addition to that there was no way she wouldn't be allowed inside.

Wishing she could simply Apparate at Hogwarts directly, she gagged. She hadn't imagined being in a crowded place could make her feel so sick.

Juniper swallowed the memory, trying to forget the sensation of imminent danger in her, and started repeating Lyall's words in her head as she walked.

She stopped almost at the end of the platform, below the crooked sign that read Platform 9 ¾ between two wagons of the train—the annual meeting point Juniper, Judson, and Maverick had set since their second year. From above the crowd, she spotted a curly head trying to make his way as fast as he could.

"Excuse me, please, move aside," she heard him struggling. "Coming through. Out of my way, please."

As soon as Judson saw Juniper, he left his trunk aside and sprinted towards her.

"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms tightly around her. A relieved sigh left her mouth as she hugged him back.

She tried to speak, still in his embrace, but didn't know which of all the things she wanted to say to him she should start with. After what felt like forever, he pulled apart, scowling.

"I've been deadly worried about you!" he continued, scanning her up and down, as if trying to make sure all of her limbs were in place. "Is everything fine?"

"Told you she would be in one piece and not eaten by a dragon." Maverick had appeared next to them, sliding his way out of the crowd on top of a luggage cart and pulling another. "You shouldn't leave your stuff like that, mate. Might get robbed."