Sirius was grounded for long days.

While Alya and Regulus were spending their free time playing magical chess with Andromeda, reading books about Hogwarts, flying blissfully on broomsticks (only Regulus, Alya as always kept her distance from any object that might lift her off the ground) or simply bivouacking on the green lawn that stretched the entire length of the garden around the manor, Sirius, on the other hand, was forced to spend endless hours cooped up in some room of the house, studying antiquated books explaining the rules of behaviour expected of young noble wizards of his rank.

Every now and then, Walburga questioned him about the chapters he had learnt by heart, making sure that the concepts she held dear had properly penetrated her son's mind.
However, as good as Sirius was at reciting these rules verbally, he found it very difficult to put them into practice.

Apologising to Bellatrix, of course, was out of the question. Whenever his mother tried to introduce the subject, Sirius categorically refused all demands, thus prolonging the punishment inflicted on him.

Although she felt sorry for him, Alya couldn't agree with her brother's stubbornness. Sirius wasn't getting any good out of behaving like this. Not to mention that, as stubborn as he could be, his mother worked harder. It was a game already lost at the start.

Nevertheless, Sirius wouldn't give in, refusing to bow to Bellatrix's and Walburga's wishes. The punishment continued and that had profound consequences on the child's mood. Sirius became increasingly gloomy, grumpy and irritable with each passing day.

A fierce rage was devouring Sirius, Alya could clearly see it in his eyes. In her brother's grey irises, so much like her own, the little Black had discerned a strange spark that didn't bode well.

A very bad feeling grew in Alya. A premonition of danger that unfortunately came true.

***

It was a dark and quiet night. A dense silence permeated the confines of Arcturus Black's estate. Everyone slept peacefully inside the ancient manor house.

Everyone except Alya. The young girl was plagued by strange nightmares; fragmented, incomprehensible images caused her such anguish that she tossed and turned between the sheets.

Reduced to exhaustion, Alya finally woke up in a daze. Her body was in a sweat bath, shivering with a horrible feeling.

She closed her eyes again, for a few moments, to concentrate. She tried to grasp the fragments of her dream, still scattered in her memory. In vain. Alya couldn't remember nothing of what she had dreamt.

Nothing at all but one name. Sirius.

Alya suddenly opened her eyes and leapt out of bed.

Wrapped in nothing but her light cotton nightgown, Alya walked out of her room and into the silent darkness of the corridor. She walked slowly, careful not to make the slightest noise so as not to wake those who were sleeping. She advanced determinedly until she reached Sirius's room.

Alya tried knocking softly a couple of times.

"Sirius?" she called her brother's name in a whisper. No response.

Then Alya placed her ear against the wood of the door, trying to catch even a slight movement which would guarantee Sirius' presence inside the room.

She heard othing but a deep silence. Not even the slight regular breathing, typical of someone who sleeps soundly. Alya became suspicious. Concerned, she cautiously opened the door and slipped inside her brother's room.
She gasped as soon as she saw the unmade bed, completely empty. There was no sign of Sirius.

A sudden breeze ruffled her hair, from the window of the room. The glass shutters were wide open, the curtains fluttering in the cool night air.
Seized by a treacherous terror, Alya ran to the window, leaning over her chest and scanning the dark landscape before her.

A terrible awareness took possession of her mind. Sirius had escaped. Alya was certain of it, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Her eyes ran along the gutter stretching down until the grass of the garden, and she imagined her brother's cunning and deft figure as he walked down the wall, holding on to the pipe.

The little girl's grey gaze then continued along an imaginary straight line, which connected the majestic outline of the manor to the small grove, the natural boundary between the Black's magical and secret estate and the Muggle world. Alya realized at once that it was within that dark patch of vegetation where Sirius must have escaped.

Alya ran out of the house, without a second thought. She couldn't let her brother leave. She had to find Sirius as soon as possible, convince him to come home, before their parents found out.
Sirius was getting himself into a very big trouble. He wasn't going to get off easy this time. Their mother wasn't going to just ground him.

Terrible things happened to members who dared turn their backs on the noble Black family. Alya knew this well. Walburga had taught them since they were children.

Toujours pur, toujours uni

Alya repeated in her mind the Black's motto. The family had to stick together.

The girl quickly reached the front door of the house and, in an instant, was out in the vast lawn of the estate. She shivered in the cold night air.

Alya hesitated, for a moment. She looked around bewildered. An inky black sky dominated the landscape, dotted with stars and a shy sliver of moon.

Despite her uncertainty, Alya took a deep breath and courage, then she resumed walking determinedly towards the grove. She had to find Sirius. She had to bring her twin brother home, safe and sound.

Without further ado, she began to run with great haste towards the forest: she was sure Sirius was there.

The tangle of logs, branches and leaves turned out to be thicker and darker than it appeared from afar, and as soon as she set foot inside the forest, Alya was immediately engulfed by a damp darkness. Little Black suddenly slowed her pace, frightened by the creaking sounds produced by her own feet.

"Sirius?" she called out, in a trembling voice. "Sirius, you're here aren't you?"

Her words echoed bleakly in the darkness, bouncing off the tree trunks. There was no response. The girl was constantly casting worried glances around her, ready to catch any suspicious sound, any possible movement of her missing brother or some lurking danger. She felt her heart pounding violently in her chest, as if it wanted to leap away.

"Sirius, please come out now!" little Black pleaded again.

Suddenly, a strange noise caught her attention. Someone - or something - was gasping in pain, not far away.
Alya swallowed, terrified.

"S-Sirius?" she called again, now panicked.

Nothing. By the sound of it, it wasn't Sirius. Alya allowed herself a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, the gasps became more intense, insistent. Whatever the creature was emitting, human or not, it was clear that it was in great pain.

Alya approached cautiously, despite her fear. As she advanced, the cries became more distinct: Alya had the impression that there was an animal on the ground, wounded, caught in a fox trap.

Trembling, the girl froze a couple of metres away from the beast. When she saw the figure of the animal in the darkness, she gave a startled cry. Alya recognised the shapes of large snake coils twisted together. The creature hissed and writhed in pain.

Alya could not help but feel a little pity for the animal and wanted to help it.
After all, snakes were not bad or dangerous animals, unless they felt threatened, as Merope had told her many times, during their dream encounters.

Therefore, Alya armed herself with courage and moved a few steps closer to the trapped animal.

"Are you hurt?" she hissed in Parseltongue.

The reptile raised his head slightly and pointed his black eyes, sparkling like pearls, at the girl. Apparently it must have understood what Alya had said.

He answered her with a faint whisper:

"Yes, I'm caught in a stupid trap..."

Alya saw the silvery gleam of the trap. The tail of the snake was blocked by large metal teeth, which sank into its flesh. Copious blood soaked the surrounding ground.

"Help me...please..." the snake invoked her help, pleading.

Without quite knowing what to do, Alya instinctively dived onto the trap, levered the contraption so as to loosen the metal grip. As soon as there was enough space, the reptile slipped out a little wobbly, but free.

"Thank you" he hissed "Now you must heal me...the wound is too deep..."

He was right. The gash was large and the animal was losing a lot of blood. It would not have survived long without immediate intervention.

Alya trembled in terror.

"But I don't know how to do it."

"You are a sorceress, right? I can feel the magic flowing in you.... You have to use your magic to heal me."

"But I'm just a child. I have no idea what spell... I don't know... I don't even have a wand." stammered Alya, on the verge of bursting into tears. She felt completely useless.

"You don't need a wand. I'll tell you what to do. You only need to repeat the incantation I will utter. Come closer, quickly... I don't have much time left..." the snake urged her, in a weak voice.

Alya sighed and obeyed. She really wanted to help him. She moved close and crouched down beside the beast.

"Good girl. Now, place your hands on the wound, but without touching it," the reptile ordered her. She complied.

"Now stay focused. Don't think. Repeat only what I will tell you."

Alya nodded.

She stared at the wound all covered with blood, trying to clear her mind.
At that moment, the snake began to emit a strange chant, with low, hissing sounds, much like a wail. Alya couldn't understand its meaning: they were words unfamiliar to her.

In any case, she tried to concentrate deeply and imitated that strange enchantment as best she could.

Something happened. Little Black felt her own palms sizzle, as if invaded by swarming ants. Tiny balls of white light, resembling snow crystals, spilled out of her hands and settled gently on the gash. In no time, the wound healed without a mark, as if nothing had happened. Even the blood had vanished, except for the dark stain left on the ground.

Alya couldn't believe her eyes.

"Good girl. I was right. There is powerful magic in you." the snake said, in a more vigorous voice.

He was healed for good. Now, the beast rose from the ground, showing itself in all its majesty. Alya froze, with wide-open eyes. Lying on the ground, hidden by the shadows of the night, Alya hadn't been able to notice it, but it was not an ordinary snake. A huge cobra stood in front of her, black as onyx.

"What is your name, little witch?" asked the calm cobra.

"Alya Merope" replied the little girl, trying not to look too frightened.

"An interesting name. Mine is Koboro." the snake introduced himself, bowing his head slightly.

Suddenly, a crunch of trampled foliage broke the solemn moment.

"ALYA!" cried a child, suddenly emerging from behind a bush.
Alya instantly recognized Sirius's frightened voice.

The cobra, caught off guard, reacted instinctively; it rose up in all its bulk and pointed menacingly at Sirius, who staggered to the ground terrified. Koboro hissed, ready to attack.

"STOP! He is my brother. Don't hurt him!" intervened Alya, in Parseltongue. The snake instantly froze.

Sirius took advantage of that moment of distraction to pick up a stone near him and hurl it at the animal, missing him.

"Get away, you filthy beast!" he angrily intimated.

"I'm no longer welcome here, I see." hissed Koboro offended. Then, he turned to Alya:

"You saved my life, Alya Merope. I owe you one." he said in a grave voice, before spreading himself on the ground and sliding quickly behind the trunk of a tree.

Alya watched as the reptile vanished into the darkness of the forest and then she turned to Sirius, shooting him a disapproving glance.

"Why did you throw that rock at him? You could have hurt him! Come on, let's go home before Mom and Dad find out we're out!" she urged him in a tone full of reproach.

But Sirius had remained on the ground, motionless. He peered at his sister with a look Alya had never seen in him. Disgust, terror, contempt, hatred... Sirius was looking at her as if she had suddenly transformed into a hideous, monstrous creature."You..." he said through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed to slits. "You can talk to snakes."

"So what?"

"Talking to snakes is dark magic! It's evil!" Sirius shouted with anger. He leapt to his feet and stared at Alya with a look full of denial.

"You don't understand... That snake was hurt... I just helped him... There was nothing dark!" the girl tried to explain the situation, feeling despair rising in her throat. But Sirius would not listen to her. He continued to stare at her petrified, with that horrible expression painted on his face.

"You are dangerous!" he said, backing away from her.

"Sirius, please wait!" Alya pleaded, moving closer.

"Get away from me, you monster!"

Everything happened in an instant. Alya tried to approach her brother, but Sirius pushed her away from him, with all his strength, and then ran off without even looking back. Alya stumbled and lost her balance, tripping over the fox trap behind her. She fell backward and violently hit her head on the ground. The little girl fainted and everything went dark.

In the middle of the forest, Alya lay on the ground, motionless and unconscious, while Sirius ran fast, away from her.