Chapitre 15: Chapter 15 - Give or Take
The Marauders walked back from the Black Lake, their sneakers crunching against the gravel path that snaked through the Hogwarts grounds. The conversation among them was hushed, their voices barely above a whisper as they discussed something of great importance.
Remus glanced nervously over his shoulder, checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "I still can't believe it," he muttered, his voice filled with disbelief. "How is it possible that Sirius could smell Lucius when he's supposedly a Beta? Betas don't have pheromones, unless..."
Peter interrupted, his voice filled with concern. "You think Lucius is an Alpha?"
Sirius, who was still trying to get his bearings from his recent encounter with Lucius, frowned and furrowed his brow. "No. He's not an Alpha. I'm sure of it. I didn't feel threatened by his scent…it's more like I wanted to…to…" Bite. Claim. Mine.
Sirius froze, eyes widening. "Bloody hell…"
James looked at him. "Do you think Lucius is an Omega? It explains the scent you picked up. Betas shouldn't have any scent." His voice trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.
Just as the Marauders were absorbed in their conversation, Serena emerged from the direction of the castle. She had taken a quick shower and performed a cleansing charm to remove any traces of scent from her own body. She walked toward them, her expression calm and collected.
The Marauders immediately fell silent as they noticed Serena approaching. They exchanged glances, their curious and wary gazes fixed on her.
Without skipping a beat, Serena walked straight towards Sirius, a nonchalant smile on her face. "Hey, Black," she said, her voice casual. "Mind if I borrow your uniform? I accidentally spilled something all over mine."
The Marauders were taken aback by her request, their eyes wide with surprise.
James, who had been gearing up to greet Serena and ask what she wanted, was momentarily at a loss for words.
Sirius blinked in surprise at Serena's demand. "Why does it have to be my uniform? You've got magic, Snape. Or you could just go to your dorms and change."
James, who was still reeling from the unexpected interaction, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Serena. You could've just asked me instead. I would've happily given you mine."
Remus and Peter, however, were suspicious and quiet, exchanging uneasy glances. They were trying to figure out why Serena would ask for such a thing so suddenly and randomly.
Serena sighed, her patience clearly thinning. This day was hectic and she didn't have time for this. Lucius was waiting for her. And she had honestly run out of energy to entertain or confess the truth to them. They'll find out soon anyway.
"Black," she said, her voice firm and her face blank, "Either you take off the uniform, or I'll do it myself."
Sirius' eyes widened, not believing what he was hearing from the tiny girl standing before him. The Marauders were once again taken aback by her audacity.
"Are you serious, Snape?" Sirius stammered, his face a picture of confusion.
He couldn't even joke right now.
Serena turned to look at James and Remus, completely ignoring Sirius' question. "Potter. Lupin. Grab him," she ordered, pointing at Sirius, her voice devoid of any emotion.
The two boys exchanged another look, their brows furrowed in confusion. "Are we going to get an explanation for this later, Princess?" James asked, his left brow raised with curiosity.
Serena's eye twitched at the nickname but replied simply, her gaze unwavering, "Yes."
James and Remus glanced at each other once more, shrugged, then grinned. They moved towards Sirius, who instantly backed away, a look of betrayal on his face.
"Hey- STOP!—Bloody traitors!" Sirius exclaimed, but his protests fell on deaf ears as his friends advanced on him, ready to follow Serena's unusual order. The scene of them grabbing and dodging one another was a mixture of confusion, amusement, and incredulity, leaving everyone wondering what exactly Serena was up to.
Serena barely gave Sirius a glance as she took out her wand. With a swift flick and a muttered spell, Sirius' uniform shirt and Gryffindor tie practically flew off of him, leaving him bare from the waist up. Sirius stood there, dumbfounded, staring down at his naked torso and then back up at Serena.
"You're joking," he spluttered, his face turning a shade of red that matched the Gryffindor tie now in Serena's hand. But she wasn't finished.
Slowly, she raised her hand to Sirius' neck, her fingers closing around the square scent patch that was attached to his scent glands.
With a single, swift tug, she ripped it off, ignoring Sirius' yelp of surprise. Then, to the shock of all the Marauders, she started to rub the uniform top and tie over Sirius's now exposed and sensitive scent glands.
The Marauders, especially Sirius, were left in stunned silence as they watched Serena scent Sirius' clothes. Sirius stood frozen, his face a mixture of surprise and confusion.
The only sounds to be heard were Sirius's sharp intake of breath and the quiet rustle of fabric against skin.
When Serena was done, she stuck the scent patch back onto Sirius' neck, ignoring his wince of discomfort. Then, she folded the now-scented clothes, placed them carefully into her bag, and turned to leave.
She didn't say anything as she walked away, leaving the Marauders in her wake. Her footsteps echoed on the stone path, a stark contrast to the stunned silence she left behind.
The Marauders could only look at each other, their mouths hanging open in surprise and confusion. Sirius looked down at his bare chest, then back up at Serena's retreating figure, "Am I ever going to get my clothes back?"
James, Remus, and Peter were still staring after Serena, their minds spinning as they tried to make sense of what had just happened. The only thing that was clear was that Serena had just thrown them all for a loop, and they were left standing in the wake of her audacity, their minds whirling with questions.
~~~
Serena stood outside the private room in the hospital wing, her heart pounding in her chest. She took a deep breath, feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation. In her hands, she held the bag containing Sirius' scented clothes, the clothes that she had taken and scented for Lucius.
She knocked on the door and waited for a response. After a moment, she heard a faint but unmistakable moan coming from inside the room. Serena blushed, her face turning a shade of pink as she realized what Lucius must be going through. She cleared her throat and called out softly, "Lucius, it's me, Serena. May I come in?"
The moaning stopped abruptly, and a few moments later, Lucius' voice, strained, called back, "..come in."
Serena opened the door and stepped inside, her eyes immediately drawn to the figure on the bed. Lucius was in the center of his makeshift nest, a green duvet blanket covered his body, twisting and turning in discomfort as he fought against his heat urges. His face was flushed, and his breathing was heavy. It was clear that he was struggling.
With a sympathetic expression, Serena approached the bed, her voice gentle as she called out to him. "Lucius, I brought something for you. Something that might help."
Lucius turned his head towards Serena, his eyes filled with hope and desperation. He whispered, "Sirius?" His voice filled with longing. Serena understood what he wanted, his need for his Alpha's scent to soothe him during his heat.
Carefully, Serena unpacked the clothes from the bag and handed them to Lucius. As soon as his hands touched the uniform and tie, he brought them to his face, inhaling deeply. His eyes fluttered closed, and a blissful expression washed over his features.
The scent of Sirius enveloped Lucius, filling his senses with the aroma of wood smoke and leather, and everything else he never knew he wanted. It was a familiar and comforting scent that brought him a sense of relief and satisfaction. It's his Alpha's scent.
Serena watched as Lucius hugged the clothes close to his body, his face buried in the fabric. She could see the tension in his body easing, his breathing becoming more steady. It was as if the scent of Sirius had a calming effect on him, easing his heat-induced struggles.
~~~
The next day, the Great Hall was abuzz with the usual morning chatter as students and professors gathered for breakfast. Owls swooped down, delivering letters and packages to their recipients. It was a typical day at Hogwarts, or so they thought.
Suddenly, the sound of rustling newspapers filled the air as copies of the Daily Prophet were distributed throughout the hall.
Students and staff eagerly opened the papers, expecting the usual news and updates. But what they found on the front page left them stunned, their conversations falling into shocked silence.
In bold letters, the headline read: "Lucius Malfoy, Hogwarts' Hidden Omega Revealed!"
Gasps and whispers filled the Great Hall as the news spread like wildfire. The entire school seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the truth to sink in.
As stunned silence settled over the hall, a second headline caught everyone's attention: "Lucius Malfoy and Sirius Black: Hogwarts' Unexpected Engagement!"
The shock intensified, and the noise level rose as students and professors started talking in hushed tones, their voices filled with disbelief and excitement. The revelation that Lucius was not just a Beta, but an Omega, sent ripples of astonishment through the crowd, especially the Alphas.
The implications of the second headline were equally shocking. A Slytherin Omega and a Gryffindor Alpha, engaged since Lucius' first year? It was an unprecedented match, defying the traditional house rivalries and societal expectations.
The Great Hall erupted into chaos, with students jumping to their feet, shouting, and bombarding each other with questions.
Professors tried to restore order, their voices drowned out by the commotion.
Whispers and rumors spread like wildfire, weaving their way through the crowd. Some were excited, seeing it as a symbol of unity and breaking down barriers. Others were skeptical, wondering about the true motives behind the engagement. And then there were those who were simply shocked by the unexpected revelation.
In the midst of the chaos, Serena remained seated, her face a mask of composure, though her eyes betrayed a mixture of worry and resignation. She had known that this day would come, but experiencing it firsthand was an entirely different matter. It seems that Lucius' parents wasted no time to announce the engagement. It was only yesterday that Lucius' heat started but perhaps they already suspected that it wouldn't be kept a secret for long as the students would notice his week of absence.
As the rumors swirled and the commotion continued, eyes turned to Sirius, who sat at the Gryffindor table.
~~~
Sirius Black, a second-year student at Hogwarts, sat at the Gryffindor table with the Daily Prophet clenched tightly in his hands.
His gray eyes, usually warm and full of mischief, were blown wide open, staring at the headlines as if they were written in an unknown language. The playful banter that usually surrounded the Marauders' table had been replaced with stunned silence, and all eyes were on the Black heir.
James, with his glasses slightly askew and his hair as messy as ever, was the first to break the silence. "Bloody hell, Sirius," he muttered, his hazel eyes wide as he leaned over to look at the paper in Sirius's hands.
Remus, the more reserved and studious of the Marauders, was next to react. His amber eyes were filled with disbelief as he read the headlines over Sirius's shoulder. "Sirius, did you know about this?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Peter, the shortest and chubbiest among them, was the last to react. He looked from the paper to Sirius, his small eyes wide and his face pale. "This... this can't be true, can it?" he stuttered, his voice barely audible.
But Sirius didn't respond. His grip on the paper tightened, his knuckles turning white. His mind was spinning, trying to make sense of the words he was reading. Lucius Malfoy, an Omega? He had his suspicions after yesterday but this… His Betroth?!
Suddenly, Sirius stood up so abruptly that he knocked over his goblet of pumpkin juice. The golden liquid spilled over the table, soaking a copy Daily Prophet and turning the black ink into a blurry mess. But Sirius didn't notice. He was already storming out of the Great Hall, his mind a whirl of confusion and anger.
James, Remus, and Peter stared after him, their faces a mix of concern and shock. After a moment of stunned silence, they rose from their seats and hurried after their friend, leaving the soaked paper and the spilled pumpkin juice behind.
~~~
As Sirius stormed out of the Great Hall, the crowd parted before him, his Alpha aura practically radiating off him in waves of shock and disbelief. The paper in his hand was crumpled from his grip, the ink smearing under the pressure. His face was a mask of rage and confusion, his gray eyes stormy.
With a final growl, Sirius pushed through the entrance of the Great Hall, the doors slamming shut behind him. The room fell into silence once again, the lingering traces of his Alpha aura still palpable. A sense of unease hung over the students, their eyes wide and mouths agape.
As the doors of the Great Hall closed behind them, whispers once again began to fill the room. The students exchanged glances, their faces a mix of shock and intrigue. It was clear that Sirius had been completely blindsided by the news of his engagement to Lucius, adding another layer of complexity to the already shocking revelations.
The entire school was buzzing with anticipation for what would happen next.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone