The Hedwig Chronicles

The Hedwig Chronicles

Midnight Rendezvous

Sirius Black sat down and rested his head on a rock restlessly, savouring its coolness and feeling it slightly scrape the sensitive skin at the nape of his neck. Tonight was a cold but refreshing night. The air smelt of moss and lichen and wilderness overall reached his nostrils. In the dark of night he was acutely alert to every sound in the woods and his body was taut as he seemed to wait for something indefinite as of yet.

Suddenly, the air stirred differently all around him. Sirius swiftly raised his head from the rough surface of the rock, scavenging the skies with feverish eyes, heart beating wildly with the knowledge that it was happening again.He already knew the subtle signal, had learned to recognise it every time.

Because, yes, something was happening. Out of the fog, suddenly, a white owl teared through a thick cloud and graciously flew down to come to a rest on Sirius's chest. The young man's breath hitched in his throat, constricting it ever so slightly. He reached out to touch its soft feathery body, but it suddenly morphed beneath his roaming fingers and he recoiled. A young naked woman lay draped across his chest, lids closed and fingers randomly venturing through his shaggy ebony hair. A young woman whose heartbeat he could feel beneath his fingers, like a heart beating in his hand. A young woman whose bright fair hair hid her face.

"Hedwig," he breathed out as she buried her nose in the warm nook of his neck, drawing her tongue out to gently lap at his skin and then blowing on it softly. He shivered, shutting his eyes as he felt the cool air hit the sensitive spot. "Hedwig," he repeated more urgently this time, hoping to catch her attention.

She idly pulled herself off him, lustrous hair an eerie silver in the hoary moonlight as it concealed her naked breasts. A white feathery necklace carelessly hung off her neck.

"What?" she demanded in a quiet sultry voice, eyes roaming his face hungrily, as if it had been moons and moons since the last time. How could he fool himself? It had been too long... much too long to wait for this vision of the woman who...

"Our nephew," Sirius whispered adamantly. "What shall we do?"

Hedwig sighed, then sat on the rock and looked up thoughtfully at the stars as if silently asking them for the answer. She distractedly drew her legs up, draping an arm across one knee. "I don't quite know how we can deal with anything right now. I for one don't know why you even deserted your responsibilities. Didn't you swear to me that you were going to be the sole Secret Keeper? Didn't you swear to James and Lily that you were going to keep them safe as long as evil lurked about?"

She looked at him pointedly now and quickly drew a shape over her chest, transforming at once before his eyes into an elegantly dressed young woman, her naked body suddenly covered in a long rich earth green victorian-esque dress. Sirius stared at her with hidden respect. "Now what more is there left to do other than fearing for us, for them and most of all for everyone, muggles and wizards alike?," she continued. "I thought you had more respect for their lives. You knew they trusted you. You knew they had no one else trusty enough to rely on. You knew it all, but you stepped back like a coward and you're now letting the story blindly unfold itself before your very own eyes. So what does that leave us with, Sirius? What are we all to expect? A great unearthly miracle?" she asked with a little more edge etched in her voice than she had planned.

Sirius stared at her openmouthed, unable to utter a single word though he wished he could. He wished he could explain the absolute fear he had felt, the constant worry he had had to live side-by-side with, the potential evil that constantly lurked about waiting for him to let his guard down, the paranoia that had followed him 'round every corner. He swallowed the dryness away and bowed his head before looking up again fearfully. "I don't know," he muttered. "I - I was scared. It was like... like being hidden away wasn't enough to hold back any potential evil from striking. I tried to ignore it all, but it just would not budge." He took a deep breath. "I could not even face or trust anyone other than myself anymore... I even let my own friends get shadowed by my own fear." Hedwig looked down, feeling his last sentence caress her deeply.

Hedwig squinted then looked up at the stars, studying them. She had always cast a veil of security around them though she never cast a single spell. Perhaps it was the utter respect he felt for her but to him it was an emotional security. He could trust her with his life. "I understand fear and I undestand yours, but I don't understand why you let it shadow your actions. You were given a great responsibility and you trashed it to your own advantage. You understand what this means, don't you?"

Sirius hung his head, terribly defeated. "Yes," he mumbled almost inaudibly, staring down ashamedly at his feet.

Hedwig gazed at him with anewed softness, then stood up, pacing, eyes unfocused yet hard again. "You've let the possibility of the deaths of millions of humans arise. I don't supposed you're very proud of that fact."

"No."

Silence rose and Sirius felt sick.

"When are they moving?" she asked all of a sudden.

"I don't know. Maybe they're not."

Hedwig snorted derisively. "Oh, they are, trust me."

Sirius met her eyes. "It's hopeless then, isn't it?"

Hedwig slowly nodded. "Yes, but not definitely."

Sirius tried to stand up but found his muscles uncooperating. He looked up helplessly. "I'm sorry."

Something wavered behind her eyes. Her frown slowly softened. She strode towards him and thrust her lips over his with a desperate need Sirius had never discovered in her. She whimpered, and he realised with a start that she was just as scared as he was.

She unexpectedly twisted her mouth free and quickly drew a sign over her chest. She became naked to him and whimpered again as he grasped her tightly by the shoulders, nuzzling his nose every place it carried him and kissing away the fear that lingered in her.

She pulled away suddenly. Sirius glanced up and caught a flash of silent unspoken fear as she backed away.

"Please... don't leave me," he pleaded. "Tell me what I shall do."

She met his stormy eyes and closed the gap between them again, but did not touch him this time. "We can't do anything now but, hopefully, when the time is right, we will be able to try to do something beneficial."

There was a silent lull as Sirius contemplated her words, then he slowly nodded and brushed his lips over her cheek very lightly, imprinting his mark on her.

"Lily was right to choose you."

Hedwig smiled gratefully. "I can't help it."

Sirius brushed his lips over hers again and then rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed very tightly. His hands found the warmth of her belly, the fragrance of her gleaming hair. "I don't mind it much anymore."

Hedwig seemed to jolt awake and quickly pulled away. Her eyes were shining with pooling tears. She hastily swiped them away, as if afraid of showing her weakness. "Thank you," she said with a small quivering smile.

And then her limbs and entire body bent, twisted and distorted itself before him and she sprung up in the air, wings outstretched and tearing through the skies as she flew back deep into the night.

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