Alya Merope Black, twin to Sirius, beloved sister to Regulus and daughter to Walburga and Orion Black.
The complete opposite to her twin Sirius, Alya is the typical pureblood Slytherin, full of ambition and arrogance.
But something strange is going...
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Evelyn came back at lunchtime, as she had promised.
In the meantime, Alya had already devoured the first chapters of the little adventure book that Harry Bennet, the Muggle child who lived in the house, had lent her. Little Black was immediately aroused by the story, from the very first lines, and the time she spent immersed in reading slipped by quickly, without her even realising it.
Evelyn helped Alya out of bed and accompanied her downstairs.
They went to the kitchen, which also served as a small dining room, and it was located just below the stairs. Next to a wall there were a cooker, a fridge and shelves holding various pots, pans, glasses and mugs. In the middle of the small room there was a table, laid as best as possible, with a large plate filled with stuffed sandwiches and glasses, placed in front of the chairs.
Harry emerged from the next sitting room and sat down next to Alya.
''Sandwiches... What news!'' he exclaimed wryly, addressing his mother.
''I haven't had time to cook a proper meal, what with everything going on in this house-- '' replied Evelyn, as she served the children a white plastic jug full of water. 'Come on now, eat up!'
Harry immediately pounced on the sandwiches, grabbing one with his hands. Alya looked at him puzzled; she had never eaten without using cutlery, strictly made of fine silver. That was certainly the most bizarre lunch she had ever attended.
Alya tried to imitate the little boy. She seized a sandwich and took a bite, savoured its fresh taste. Evelyn really was an exceptional cook, almost better than Kreacher, as Alya noted.
Suddenly, Evelyn turned to her son, continuing her busy tinkering with the cooker and dishes.
''Harry, Amelia should be here soon, so when you're done, go and tidy up in the living room over there. All your toys are scattered about!''
''Okay'' he replied listlessly, his cheeks full of food.
''Who's Amelia?'' asked Alya.
''A friend of mum's... she's a bit of a weirdo. She thinks she's a fortune-teller''.
''A fortune-teller?'' repeated Alya, widening her eyes in amazement. She knew perfectly well what a fortune-teller was, but it sounded terribly strange to hear that word from a Muggle mouth.
''Yes, she reads cards, palms and such. To me it's just a load of rubbish, a way to get money out of people... But mum believes in such a things, so...'' he left the speech hanging, hinting at his disapproval.
Indeed, Alya thought to herself, even in the wizarding world, seers and fortune-tellers were often regarded as mere charlatans, earning their fees by making bogus predictions. Apparently, it was a widespread practice also among Muggles.
''Alya, would you give me your home phone number? I really think I should warn your parents that you are here. Who knows how worried they are!'' Evelyn suddenly asked Alya, rousing the girl from her thoughts about fortune-tellers.
