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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The old woman and the girl looked at each other for a long time, intensely.
Alya read fear and pity in Amelia's eyes. If this was a farce, then the woman was a great actress. Alya was shaken by a chill. It was not possible. That Muggle was just a charlatan, utterly devoid of magical power. Hers was just nonsense, as Harry had said.
Suddenly, the door bell rang, breaking the grave silence which had filled the kitchen. There followed the excited footsteps of Evelyn, who rushed to the entrance.
Alya, glad to have found a reason to divert her attention away from Amelia, went on the alert, curious to find out who the person at the door was.
The little girl shuddered in her chair when she heard Evelyn exclaim:
"Alya? Oh goodness, of course I know her! I found her last night in the wood, she's here -- ALYA! Come here, quick!"
Alya leapt to her feet and ran towards Evelyn. She felt an enormous sense of relief when she saw her cousin Andromeda waiting for her on the doorstep.
"Meddy!" the little girl exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Alya! Good thing I found you! Everyone at home is -- " Andromeda froze suddenly, casting a fleeting glance at Evelyn "-- very worried." she finished as if she had changed the content of her sentence at the last second. However, her relief at seeing Alya safe and sound was evident. Then, Andromeda's gaze rested questioningly on the band around Alya's head.
"She had hit her head, I dressed it. It's not serious, the cut is very superficial." explained Evelyn immediately, seeing Andromeda's worried expression.
In the meantime, Harry had also emerged from the living room and was observing the scene from afar, with an inquiring gaze.
"I thank you very much for helping my cousin, ma'am, but we really must go now -- I must take Alya home." said Andromeda in a very polite tone.
"Why don't you take a seat for a second? Would you like something to drink" proposed Evelyn affably.
"No, really. We'd better get back now." replied Andromeda, barely concealing a certain urgency.
"Alright, I understand." Evelyn looked a little displeased. "Let me at least accompany you all the way home, so I can personally explain about the wound and the bandage --"
"NO!" reacted Andromeda too fiercely, enough to leave Evelyn interjected.
"N-no need, we live nearby -- I don't want to disturb you further, you've already done so much -- " explained Andromeda in an awkward attempt to compose herself.
"Well, if that's the case -- " Evelyn did not seem too convinced, but decided not to insist. "Well, Alya, it was indeed a pleasure to have you with us, even if it was for such a short time. Make sure you get well quickly. And when you're better, come and see us, OK?" she added to the girl, looking at her gently.
