Silence followed this request, the large circular stone room was dark, with only the light from Malfoy�s wand lighting a small realm of brightness, but sending weirdly shaped shadows sprawling across the walls. The solitary window showed the dark night sky studded with millions of contrasting bright pricks of light. He walked closer to the window, looking around cautiously. Where was he? Where was the Dark Lord? His Lord?
"Malfoy . . ." A soft, snake-like hiss filled the room, and Malfoy turned to face a thick, black, curled snake, the animal body of Lord Voldemort. The snake slid out its red tongue and flicked it in the air, its eyes surveying Malfoy, mysteriously, "You called for me, my loyal Death Eater?"
"My lord," Malfoy began, stepping towards the snake, "Professor Slytherin and Professor Dippit will not let me lift a wand to the Gryffindors without expelling me! But the Gryffindors must pay for what they have done! Last night -"
"Malfoy," The snake shook its head slightly, hissing, "You underestimate the powers of Lord Voldemort. I know all, for I see all, and I am all. I am Lord Voldemort."
The other nodded with respect, "I would never underestimate you, my lord. You must understand my situation . . ."
"I shall rid you of your Gryffindor problem, Malfoy." The Dark Lord uncoiled himself, slithering around the room, "But, in return, I ask for a favor."
"Anything!" Malfoy smiled, "I would do anything to get rid of those pesky Gryffindors . . ."
"Good," Voldemort hissed with satisfaction, "Listen carefully . . ." Malfoy wandered closer, and as the snake whispered softly, he nodded with deep satisfaction . . .
"Get lost!" James groaned as Remus shook him awake during the wee hours of the morning when all should have been asleep, "I don�t want to study in the library, I want to sleep like all other normal people at this time!"
Remus frowned, tugging the sheets off James�s bed, "But Sirius didn�t return at all last night, I�m really worried . . ."
"He�s probably off worrying about his partner for the Yule Ball," James grabbed his pillow and lobbed it at his friend, "Now get lost. I need some beauty sleep . . ."
"James . . ." His friend moaned, "Come on! You still haven�t done that essay for Potions class yet! It�s due today, and besides, we have to find Sirius!"
"Fine . . ." James frowned and opened a sleepy eye, " . . . In half an hour."
With a sigh, Remus kicked his friend�s bed and quickly retrieved his books. Giving his friend a last look, he wandered over to Peter who was already up and frantically trying to finish an assignment. They left Gryffindor Tower together, hurrying down to the library which was just opened by a sour little witch, Madam Pince, the librarian.
The silent library was dark, but both Remus and Peter approached their table, and greeted, "Hello Sirius!" However, unlike most of their previous attempts, there was no answer. Exchanging a confused look, Remus kicked the chair in which Sirius usually sat, but it moved easily. Peter stared at his friend . . . where was Sirius?
Gryffindors. Adhara shivered slightly as she watched two Gryffindors enter the library early the next morning. Together with Severus, she followed them inside, almost cautiously, as if expecting for the entire Gryffindor house to spring onto them. Behind her, Severus sighed, "I don�t want to see any Gryffindors . . . They know that we couldn�t raise a wand to them . . ."
"Isn�t it better that way?" Adhara frowned, remembering Sirius, "Shouldn�t all Hogwarts houses live in peace with one another?" Severus shrugged and slid his pile of books and parchment onto a table, "I�m not sure, Adhara. It seems that Gryffindor and Slytherin were always rival houses . . . I don�t suppose anyone ever thought to think of any alternatives . . ."
She smiled, "I�m just mumbling about something . . . Do you know why you simmer a Queer Concoction overnight? It�s one of the questions I�m not sure about on my Potions lab report, and I have to hand it in today."
"I�m not too sure . . ." Severus frowned and looked around at the many books of the library, "I�m sure the answer lies in one of those written fields of knowledge, yonder."
"The books, right?" Adhara laughed, and headed towards the Potions section of the library, "Written fields of knowledge . . . ?"
Before her lay a large wall of books, all with titles boasting that they contained information about any potion ever concocted . . . before 1849, involving slugs, in golden caldrons, or strange, bizarre classifications of potions that made immobile objects even more immobile. With a sigh, she stared up at the massive volumes to see if there were any books concerning Queer Concoctions.
However, there seemed to be a dire lack of those books in the Hogwarts library, but there was one. With a smile, Adhara pulled over a sliding bookcase ladder and ascended, hoping that the book entitled Strange Facts About Strange Potions would hold the solution to her problem.
Reaching the top of the ladder, she propped up the book on the shelf and began to thumb through the book for the index. However, it seemed as the white pages flipped by rapidly, her mind was slipping as well . . . Adhara frowned as once again, she pulled her mind from thoughts of Sirius to Queer Concoctions, but yet, her heart always pulled back, a nasty, teasing game.
Leafing through the book, Adhara found a rather lengthy chapter on Queer Concoctions . . . complete with a clear explanation about the simmering process. With a sigh of relief, she tucked the book under her arm, ready to descend and finish her report before classes began.
"Adhara!" She nearly dropped the book in surprise as she saw not Severus, but Sirius at the bottom of the ladder, "I need to talk with you!"
"Not here!" Adhara hissed angrily, "Sirius! I�m trying to do something! What if Severus saw you? Then how would you explain yourself?" Sirius smiled foolishly, and motioned for her to descend the ladder. She thought vaguely of dropping the heavy Potions book onto his head, just to make him go away . . .
What would Severus say if he saw her talking with a Gryffindor? What would Professor Slytherin say? Worse of all . . . would Professor Dippit think that she was causing trouble and expel her? Adhara paused, momentarily, trying to catch up with her train of thought . . . what would happen? Why didn�t Sirius stop to think of the consequences for himself . . . and for her?!
Below her, Sirius whispered something she couldn�t quite catch. But before she could ask him to repeat whatever he had said, she found herself clinging onto the rungs of the ladder with both hands and all of the strength she could muster . . . but still, she could not hold on . . . what was happening? Gravity seemed to have her in its grasp, pushing her down towards the earth . . . but this was not a natural force . . . magic! But then, she could hold not hold on any longer, and was falling . . .
But as suddenly as it had started, Adhara�s downward flight was over, stopped as Sirius caught her in his arms. It took a split second for her mind to register as the shock wore off. A swift glance at the mischievous twinkle in Sirius�s eye and the wand he clutched in his hand was all she needed.
"Sirius Black!" She hissed, pretending to be furious, "Put me down, now."
He burst out laughing, and she smiled as he lowered her to the ground, "Sorry, but I thought that a heavy gravity charm may come in useful one day, so I paid close attention to that class!"
"You wanted to talk to me about something," She whispered, "Quick, before Severus gets here. He�ll be coming over soon to see if I have found what I needed to find."
"Me?" Sirius laughed, but she rolled her eyes, "Yes, Adhara, I know. You were looking up something about Potions, but anyway," He took a deep breath, "I was thinking, where do you think you will be in six years time?"
"Um," She paused, giving him a questioning look, "I would hope to be in a well paying job, and have settled down somewhere . . ."
"Any thoughts about family?" Sirius asked, encouragingly, but she saw though him instantly. With a strange smile on her face, Adhara laughed, "Your real question is, would I be interested in knowing you six years from now?"
"Close," He frowned, looking rather uncomfortable, "But Adhara, what I really meant to ask is that, once Hogwarts is behind us, once all this Gryffindor and Slytherin nonsense has gone . . . would you like to . . . would you please consider . . ." She smiled kindly, "Consider what? Joining the Ministry of Magic?"
"Um, I would like to ask you if you would, in six years, ever be interested in . . ." Sirius mentally yelled at himself. How could he ask her this, now? It was way too soon, and besides, how would she know where she�ll be in six years? But since he has started, Sirius knew that the would have to finish. Taking in a deep breath, he gazed deeply into her eyes, "Would you ever be interested in becoming Mrs. Adhara Black?"
She burst out laughing, and wiped at her eyes with her hands. He sighed, and mentally shook his head. He knew it, she would laugh at him now, and tell him that she would never want to see him ever again. He had blown it.
Laughing so hard her eyes began to tear, Adhara�s mind was racing . . . was he asking what she really thought he was asking? Or was he just joking, just teasing her? Maybe he thought that she was totally stupid and gullible . . . like those who wish on stars. She turned back to him, and instantly stopped laughing when she saw his hurt echoing in his eyes. He was serious.
"Are you serious, Sirius?" She asked timidly, giggling at the sound of her question. He smiled, almost as if relieved, "Sirius is always serious! Is that a . . ." He paused, not daring to hope, but the answer was written on her face. Yes. His heart skipped a beat as he quickly whispered, "Today after Transfiguration, stay behind to talk with Professor Dumbledore, I can arrange this all with him, all right? I have Transfiguration last class, so can we meet in the classroom?"
She nodded with a smile, and stared into his eyes, transfixed by her decision . . . Did she make the right choice? However, none of the doubt that had seized her before her arranged meeting with Thuband stuck her now. Yes, she sighed with relief, Sirius was what she had ever hoped for . . . and more.
As he walked away, Adhara hugged the Potions book close, and stood marveling at wondrous warmth gathered within her. Sirius was truly a miracle, but something in the back of her mind tugged at her happiness, a simple saying. Could he be too good to be true? Was this all a extremely prolonged dream? But warm waves of deep love drowned doubt, leaving Adhara contented, and looking forward to the future.
"Sirius?!" Remus gasped as his friend wandered out from the depths of the library, "Where were you last night? After you ran off, we had no idea where you had gone . . ."
"I had to go do something." Sirius mumbled, "Um, it was sort of a personal matter, I suppose. Sorry for not telling you." He shrugged, transforming into a phoenix and flying up to Slytherin Tower did seem to be a personal matter . . . something he did not want to have to explain to his Gryffindor friends. How would they take it if he suddenly declared that he had even talked to a Slytherin? Sirius frowned, a dark uneasiness bubbling through him.
"It would have been much nicer if you had said something," Not looking up, Peter turned the page in his textbook, "Aside from howling. I still don�t quite understand the communication methods of the canines. Maybe Remus is a bit more familiar with those types of things." Sirius sighed, maybe he should have said something before he ran off, but he was half dazed . . . surely his friends would understand his situation . . . if they knew the entire story, but that was something they would probably never know.
"James said that you were off sulking because you haven�t found a partner for the Yule Ball," Remus began, with a rather uncomfortable smile on his face, "Is that true?" With a small laugh, Sirius shook his head. Never would his friends truly know what had happened the night before.
But was he to live the rest of his life hiding Adhara from them? Sirius became almost frantic, how was he to keep their meetings secret? Why did he have to? Why couldn�t he talk with her as he talked with Lily, out in the open? The answer came instantly along with an uneasy, queasy feeling in his stomach. He was a Gryffindor, and she was a Slytherin, forever enemies.
"I have to talk with Professor Dumbledore," He smiled and left his friends, heading towards the doors of the library, "I�ll see you all later!" Hurrying away, he hoped to leave all his worries, and his uneasy feelings behind him, stowed away where he would never have to deal with them again.
Adhara pushed open the door to the hospital wing eagerly, and called out to her mentor, "Madam Promfrey! Do you have a second?" Miti hurried into the room ahead of Adhara, grabbing the attention of Madam Promfrey who was sitting behind her desk, completing some paperwork.
Looking up with a kind smile, she asked, "Of course, my dear, come in and tell me all about last night�s Halloween party." Adhara gladly accepted a seat in the chair which Madam Promfrey gestured towards. She stopped for a moment, regaining her breath, for she had ran all the way from the Great Hall after she gulped down her lunch.
"Well, Madam Promfrey," She smiled, "I just couldn�t believe it! He was absolutely perfect in every way! He is so smart and likes Transfiguration as much as I love Potions!" He also liked Charms, she recalled with a small smile, "I just can�t believe I met him . . . !"
"Yes," Madam Promfrey smiled, "You were right, Professor Slytherin would always know best in your interests would he not?" Adhara stared at her, a small silence following until Adhara could finally realize what the other was saying.
"Thuband?" Adhara laughed, "I don�t mean him, I was talking about Sirius!" Quickly, she explained that she had met him at the party last night, of course leaving out the fact that he was of the rival house.
"Sirius?" Madam Promfrey stared at the girl in front of her, "Adhara, you don�t mean Sirius Black, do you?!" Uneasiness crept through her, but she shook it off, laughing, "But of course you don�t, that Sirius is a . . ."
" . . . Gryffindor." Adhara frowned, and the other stopped laughing. How was she to explain to Madam Promfrey that indeed, Sirius was a Gryffindor, and how that it did not matter to either of them that they belonged to warring houses?
"Adhara," Nervously, Madam Promfrey began, unsure of how to phrase her words, "Do you have any idea what this means? You are a Slytherin, and he, a Gryffindor? That will never work! Do you not understand, does he not understand?" Tears formed in her eyes, and she sighed, "Young love can be blind, Adhara."
Frowning, Adhara looked directly at Madam Promfrey, "I know perfectly well what this means. I do not care that Sirius is a Gryffindor, and I am a Slytherin, and neither does he . . ."
"That�s all very nice," Madam Promfrey struggled to make herself understood, "Adhara, I understand that you really like Sirius . . . But even if it does not matter to you two that you are of rival houses, have you thought about your friends? What would they say if they knew of this? What would those of your house say?"
"So you don�t approve." Adhara whispered softly, raising her hand to wipe at a tear, "Madam, I thought you would understand! How could you not see that Sirius and I-"
"I�m not saying that I don�t approve of your friendship," Cautiously, the other permitted herself a small smile, "Adhara, I�ll agree to anything, as long as it makes you happy." Wise answer, Madam Promfrey congratulated herself, "So when can I meet this Sirius of yours?"
"Very soon," Adhara laughed, and quickly retold of her meeting with Sirius that morning, concluding with, "I�m to be married in six years, isn�t that to be wonderful?"
An automatic denial rose within her, wasn�t this too soon? Doubt sloshed around in her mind threatening push a comment of absolute refusal out of her, but Madam Promfrey pushed it down, "I�m sure it shall be, Adhara."
"I knew you would think so!" Adhara smiled happily and reached down for her cat, "I�d better tell Sirius or Professor Dumbledore that you approve, and of course, I agree." She picked up her books from Madam Promfrey�s desk. Looking down at her cat, Adhara whispered, absentmindedly, "I think phoenixes and black dogs are nice . . ."
"Which, Adhara?" Madam Promfrey asked, but the other shook her head. "Adhara, I think you need to hurry to Defense Against the Dark Arts class, or else you�ll be late."
"But I still need to find Sirius . . ." Adhara muttered with frustration, but a small idea formed inside her head, "Madam Promfrey, could you possibly find Professor Dumbledore and . . ." The other frowned, almost scowling, but Adhara knew that it was in jest. Hurrying out the door, Adhara quickly yelled, "See you after school, and Madam? Thanks for everything!"
It was the longest Transfiguration class of Sirius Black�s life. Although it was his favorite class, Professor Dumbledore�s lecture on Animagi seemed to stretch on for eons, and the fact that he already knew how wizards became Animagi did not help him concentrate on the lesson at all. His mind was not full of thought of wizards, magic, or transfiguration, but what would happen after this class . . .
James had to periodically prod Sirius with his wand to ensure that his friend did not drift off, day dreaming. Fortunately, before Sirius�s mind could have lost contact with reality, Professor Dumbledore assigned a page of Transfiguration questions, and James was given the long awaited opportunity to speak with his friend.
"So, how do you do the first question?" Sirius asked, rather dazed at the textbook in front of him, but his friends looked rather affronted at the question. Turning red, Sirius softly explained, "I wasn�t really paying attention . . . I can�t concentrate!"
"That�s what you get for not sleeping last night!" James hissed sternly at his friend, as they opened their textbooks. Sirius sighed, it wasn�t the lack of sleep, rather obviously, it was that his mind was simply too full for any more information . . . Oddly, his thought seemed drawn to phoenixes and black dogs.
"That�s a nice quill," Peter smiled across the table, motioning to Sirius�s large phoenix quill, "Where did you get it? I haven�t seen you writing with it . . ."
"Owl ordering," Sirius shrugged, thinking quickly, "Um, I ordered it from this month�s Which Broom Quidditch magazine . . ."
However, James stared at Sirius from across the table. Doubt trickled through his mind for he had read the magazine, but not once had there ever been any advertisements for any supplies other than equipment used of the game of Quidditch. Sirius was hiding something from them . . . but what?
"Phoenixes and dogs . . ."Adhara muttered as she quickly left her last class, headed away from the dungeons and up into the main part of the castle, hurrying away from her rather offended friends. Lucius looked rather smug all day, but Adhara had other things to worry about, and the life and times of Lucius Malfoy just did not hold a high ranking on her list of priorities.
Miti perked up and glanced around cautiously the instant Adhara whispered �dog�. However, after making quite sure that there was a complete absence of any canine creatures in the immediate proximity, the cat allowed herself to relax. But still, it was better to be safe than sorry.
A small twinge of doubt hit Miti, why were they coming this way after all? Wasn�t it usually back to Slytherin Tower after classes, and not to Transfiguration class again? Was she confused, or was Adhara just confused? Why was everything so confusing?! Miti shook her head, and walked along the corridors towards the Transfiguration classroom, as well as Gryffindor Tower. Enemy territory.
"Here we are," Adhara paused for a moment, resting her hand on the door to the room that if she entered, would change her life forever. Was she ready? Taking a deep breath to calm her nervousness, she slowly pushed the door open, not daring to breathe.
"Adhara!" Sirius quickly strode towards her from the other end of the circular classroom which looked oddly deprived of life, now that only they and Miti stood within. He turned to her, "Am I glad you are here! Professor Dumbledore had to quickly run to get a little something I requested, and he should be back soon."
She nodded with a small smile, and tried to answer, but a large wave of nausea washed over her. Sirius reached out a hand to steady her, a look of concern marring his face. Adhara shook her head, "I�m all right, it�s just a fit of nerves . . ."
Sirius pulled up a chair for her, his eyes echoing the emptiness of the room, "Adhara, are you sure you want to do this? I don�t want to be pressuring you or anything . . ."
"Sirius, I�ve got it!" The door burst open and Adhara stared at the wizard who strode briskly into the room. Although he had been her Transfiguration professor for the last six years, Professor Dumbledore looked far more excited, but yet worried, than she had ever seen him on any occasion. When he saw her, he smiled, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles.
"Sirius?" Dumbledore asked again, but this time, a small note of doubt edged his voice, "Are you sure about this? I�m sure that you and Adhara have just met . . . isn�t this a little too soon?" He frowned, running a hand through his silver hair, "Should we wait until after you have graduated?"
"Professor," Sirius began, choosing his words carefully, "I know you are objecting to this because we are from conflicting Hogwarts houses, Gryffindor and Slytherin, but can�t you see that this does not matter at all to us?"
"You must understand that even though there is a friendship between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, the competitiveness and hate will continue. Although one small alliance has been formed, Gryffindors will continue to hate Slytherins, and visa versa." Taking a deep breath, Professor Dumbledore gave them a questioning look, "If any news of this leaks out to either of your houses, your lives could be in danger."
An uncomfortable silence filled the room, as Sirius and Adhara exchanged a look, each trying to read the other�s mind . . . Finally, Sirius gave a wide-eyed look of question to Adhara, who answered with a supportive smile and a firm nod. As he closed his eyes for a moment of thought, Adhara slipped her hand over his and offered it a soft squeeze. A thankful smile on his face, Sirius turned back to Professor Dumbledore. "Professor, I am sure that without each other, we could never continue to live in this world and find happiness."
"If you�re so sure, then so be it." Dumbledore was smiling once again and looked joyously at both students before him, "Hopefully the school shall learn from your example, and all within Hogwart�s walls can live in harmony."
A soft knocking on the door indicated the arrival of Madam Promfrey who, although had tears in her eyes, gave Adhara a look of pure joy. Dumbledore took out his wand and faced the small group in front of him, "This isn�t really anything fancy, but a magical binding of fates. A union of the most powerful magic known to the wizarding world, a charm so powerful, it can only be removed by one of the bound party."
Sirius and Adhara exchanged a look, and she doubted that she would ever even dream of removing her bond with him. She blinked quickly to rid her eyes of tears which had suddenly gathered out of happiness. Adhara smiled at Sirius by her side and realized how lucky she was to have found him to be so understanding, especially because she was from Slytherin, and he, Gryffindor.
With a flash of golden light, Dumbledore conjured two large crystals from his wand, one Slytherin green, the other red for Gryffindor. Adhara watched, amazed as the crystals almost seemed to melt together, forming into a small, marbled stone, surrounded by a halo of scarlet light. A single note of a phoenix�s song sounded clearly throughout the note. Slowly, the light around the stone grew fainter, as the note faded into the silence of the room.
In Professor Dumbledore�s outstretched hand, lay the stone, translucent green mixed with red. Madam Promfrey gasped with the beauty of it, as Dumbledore touched his wand to the stone once again. A whisp of smoke emerged and surrounded the crystal, and it reemerged, threaded onto a thin, gold chain. Adhara marveled at the stone, now carved with two figures, a golden lion represented the House of Gryffindor as well as a curled sliver snake, the symbol of the House of Slytherin.
"May the fates be kind to you, my children." Dumbledore smiled kindly, tears were gathered in his eyes as he handed the stone to Sirius, "Remember, if the components of the stone separates back into its respective crystals, the bond shall be broken."
"We understand, Professor," Sirius whispered, not daring to disturb the love and tranquillity of the moment, "Thank you for everything." Without saying another word, he quickly slipped the chain over Adhara�s head, "You can keep that, my dear Adhara." Taking her arm, he gently led her towards the door, stopping only to whisper their thanks to Professor Dumbledore, and then, they were gone.
Professor Albus Dumbledore was a great wizard, and he stared uneasily at the door through which the two young lovers had passed. Madam Promfrey dabbed at her eyes with a white handkerchief, tearful with joy. He however, shared none of that joy, for in the bottom of his stomach, he had an uneasy feeling that the scarlet and green crystals were too soon to be separated.