Chapter Six

"Wake up!" Hailey shakes me awake. I sit up sleepily and immediately notice that Hailey has woken the other girls up as well.

"Wha's goin' on?" Taylor asks, half asleep.

"Dumbledore's called us all into the Great Hall. Reckon it's because of Sirius Black." Hailey says.

"Sirius Black?" I slur my words in a drowsy haze. "That's ok! He's my mum's cousin!"

Hailey gives me a patronizing look for a second. "C'mon sleepyhead, let's get moving." She says, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of bed.

By the time we reach the common room, I'm fully awake. "Did I really say that?" I groan.

Taylor nods. "Sure you didn't have any firewhiskey at the Halloween party?" She jokes. I nod. "I'm pretty sure I didn't!"

"Is Sirius Black really your second cousin?" Lauren asks curiously.

"Yes, he is." I say. "My mother's maiden name was Black. She's got two other sisters. No one really ever mentions Sirius or Andromeda though. Mum always talks about my aunt Bellatrix whenever she discusses her family."

"Bellatrix as in Bellatrix Lestrange?" Taylor exclaims, a bit of fear on her face. I nod again.

"Excuse me, but can someone explain who we're talking about?" Isabel cuts in.

"Sirius Black was the traitor who betrayed the Potters to You-Know-Who." Amber explains in a hushed voice. "And Bellatrix Lestrange was sent to Azkaban for torturing a couple of Aurors to insanity."

"Have you ever met them?" Lauren asks curiously.

"No," I shake my head. "At least, not that I can remember."

"Shhh!" A prefect exclaims, coming up behind us and pushing us towards the Great Hall faster. "There'll be plenty of time in the morning to discuss family trees, but right now safety is priority!"

Lying down in the Hall, no one can go back to sleep. I spot my brother all the way across the Great Hall, his "injury" wrapped up and roll my eyes.

"Back to your family." Isabel says. We've caught her interest with the stories from the last Wizarding War. "Tell me more."

"There really isn't much more to tell." I say.

"Charissa, that's a lie and you know it." Amber laughs.

"Yeah!" Taylor agrees. "What about those rumors?"

"Which ones?" I groan. "Seems like there's a new one everyday."

"What's hidden in Malfoy Manor?" Lauren asks, scooting in to close off our circle.

"Even I don't know the extent of it." I admit. "Only that I apparently almost died several times when I was younger from exploring too much."

"Ok, next question. Is it true that your father was a Death Eater?" Amber asks.

I lean in so no one but us five can hear and whisper "Yes he was." The girls gasp, but Amber just smirks. "I knew it."

"You did? How?" I question.

"It is kind of obvious, in her defense." Taylor says. "Ancient family obsessed with Dark Magic and blood purity? Check! Charges mysteriously dropped? Check! Plenty of money to have payed someone off? Check!"

I shrug. "Good point."

"Shhh!" The kid next to us grumbles. "Some of us want to get some sleep!"