The Black Family

Riyo was dreaming, flying really, flying with James, Liz, Al, Her Mum and her Dad, everyone was together and happy. She could feel the wind on her face, pushing her hair back and holding her up. She could feel the broom beneath her, and nothing but the sky above her. She laughed as Liz flew by making a face at her and Al replaced her, coming close enough to give her a kiss on the cheek. James went underneath her smiling and lightly touching her broom, there to guard her. She could feel him telling her he’d always be there for her, forever and always, they all would. Sirius and her mother, she could hear her father yell something out, and realized it was the first time she ever heard her mothers name.

“Saruri!” Her Father yelled out, reaching for her mother’s hand. Tears came to Riyo’s eyes but she smiled as her father kissed her mother. Her Mother and Father held hands while flying behind her, the twins in front of her and James now beside her, reaching for her hand.



Riyo woke the same feeling from her dream carrying into the real world when she woke. She smiled and rolled over, instantly regretting it, the events from when she was last conscious pouring back into her memory. The warmth from her dream now just dimly there she lay where she was, her eyes coming into focus seeing James laying in the bed beside her, his bed pushed near to hers so his hand could reach hers. He was laying there, his eyes shut, his face twisted into a grimace of pain. Her eyes started to mist over as she looked at him and closed her eyes, rolling painfully back onto her back. When she opened her eyes again she looked over the side of the bed, and saw Liz and Al nestled on some pillows on the floor, there heads resting on a big black shaggy dog. She looked at the end of her bed and saw Carl laying there, his eyes staring blankly ahead, with a small sob and a shudder she closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. When she opened them again, Madam Pomfrey was walking towards her with a slight smile, but also a slight frown.

“In all my years…I’ve never.” She said bustling, looking like an annoyed hen. She broke off a very large chunk of chocolate and handed it to Riyo who painfully stretched out her arm to take it. “Now that’s a good girl, eat it all up hunny.” Madam Pomfrey said smiling at her, patting her head lightly. “For your wrist I have some Essence of Mugwart if it starts to hurt sweetie.” She said quietly, looking towards the bandages wrapped around Riyo’s wrist. Riyo nodded, looking at the pure white of the bandages.

“How, How long was I…” She started, looking up at Madam Pomfrey, unable to finish her sentence.

“It’s been two weeks sweetie, its Thursday morning. Your friends have been with you every second they could, and your Father hasn’t left your side, other then to eat and that’s forced.” She said with a slight smile. “But these two…” She said pointing at James then looking over to Carl “They haven’t really moved. Your friend James has moved and woken a couple times, but when he saw you laying there he went back to bed.” She said breaking off a second piece of chocolate. “Now eat up hunny.” She said handing her the other piece. Riyo nodded and started to nibble the first piece, feeling slightly better. Once done that piece she finished the second one and just stared out the window. She could hear Liz and Al waking up, alone with her father and pretended to be sleeping, not wanting to talk to them yet. She heard Madam Pomfrey shoo them all out, saying she was sick of them being in her hospital, where she ruled supreme. Riyo sat up slowly after they left and started to unwrap her hand, staring at it long and hard. There was the mark she had seen when Carl went…well…what ever he went, still red and cut deep into her wrist.

“I can’t find something to heal it with.” Madam Pomfrey said as the Headmaster walked into the room. Riyo looked over to him and smiled slightly.

“Hullo Dumbledore.” Riyo said meekly going slightly pink.

“Hullo Riyo Black, how are you feeling?” He asked, standing at the foot of her bed, “I hear you’ve had quite the excitement lately.” He added kindly. “May I sit down?” He asked, motioning to the end of her bed. Riyo nodded and he sat down slowly, his age showing slightly.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you lately Headmaster.” She said sincerely “I do miss talking to you.” She added going pink.

“And I you Riyo, I love your Uncle Very much, and you as well.” Dumbledore said quietly. “You and Harry always have felt like my own children, how, I do not know.” He said straightening his back and then giving up.

“What happened Headmaster?” Riyo said with a sigh, referring to the incident landing her in the Hospital wing.

“I’m not entirely sure Riyo.” The Headmaster said tiredly. “I am tempted to believe that Young Carl was acting under the Imperius Curse, but even that would be questionable.” Riyo nodded slowly when he said this and stuck out her wrist, showing the underside.

“What does this mean?” She asked, referring to the house shaped mark, now sure to leave a scar. Dumbledore shook his head.

“Alas child, there are some questions I cannot answer. I cannot answer why young Carl here has not woken, or why he did what he did. I cannot answer why he was filled with such hatred that your friend James was nearly destroyed by Carl’s Cruciatus curse.” Dumbledore said slowly, adding on, “But James is lucky Carl was able to say the words first, because young James was about to inflict the same curse upon him. Riyo looked shocked, and started down at her hands.

“But he didn’t right? He didn’t use one of the unforgivable curses, right?” Riyo asked hesitantly. Dumbledore nodded and carried on.

“ James did not get the chance to, but your friend Al used Petrificus Totalus on Carl with such force that we have not been able to reverse it yet.” Riyo tried to stifle a smile and giggled slightly.

“ Your friend has great power when he’s defending something he cares about.” Dumbledore said looking at Riyo over his glasses. Riyo looked out the window, watching the Slytherin team play at the Quidditch pitch, her eyes unfocused and glazed over slightly.

“He cares about?” She said after a couple seconds, “Cares how?” She asked turning to face Dumbledore once more.

“That is not for me to say Riyo.” He said standing back up. “I must be going, of course…what happened between you and Carl has been tried to keep quiet, so of course the entire school knows.” He said with a slight smile, remembering saying the same thing to her Uncle.



For the next week Riyo was in the Hospital, getting quite bored with the whole adventure. She woke one morning to see James standing at the foot of her bed, just looking at her as she slept. When he saw her looking back at him he went red and came to the front of the bed.

“What’s up?” She asked him sleepily, James went a deeper shade of red and bent over her, kissing her lightly then going back to his own bed and staring up at the roof. Riyo looked at him, her fingertips tracing along her lips where James had kissed her. She fell asleep looking at him, her fingertips still touching her lips. James however was awake until the sun started to rise, just like he had been doing since they arrived in the Hospital wing. He couldn’t sleep with her lying there alone, more so with Carl laying so near to her. James couldn’t bear to see her heart again; he wouldn’t let it happen. He pictured her like when he found her, her wrist bleeding, her eyes closed and her face twisted into a grimace of pain, her skin drained of the little color it had, and Carl, just sitting next to her stroking her wrist, her blood on his hands. It absolutely killed him to see her like that; he had been filled with such a powerful rage he nearly did exactly what his father did. He was glad, grudgingly glad, that Carl got the first shot in because he knew it would kill Riyo if he was sent to Azkaban because of her. Although he would gladly go to the worst prison on the face of the world if it was to keep her from even a few minutes of pain. He touched his lips lightly, touching where his lips and hers had connected for a few short, sweet seconds. He was so tempted to kiss her again and just…disappear. He couldn’t figure out why he wanted to go, but he felt like something dark had woken inside of him, and he didn’t want her near it. With those thoughts he fell asleep as the sun rose gently, a red gold orb in an otherwise pure blue sky.



When James woke again he could feel something warm and soft laying next to him, the slender curving body of Riyo nestled into him. He felt her stir when he moved and hoped he hadn’t woken her. He looked down at her again and saw her hazel orbs looking back up at him. Riyo smiled and reached up, kissing his nose. James blushed and smiled at her, looking away.

“You okay?” She asked him, her pretty face creased with worry. James looked at her again, but had to look away as his eyes started to tear up. He coughed and shook his head.

“No. Not really.” He said gruffly trying to keep his tears back.

“Are you in any physical pain?” Riyo asked smiling.

“No…why?” He asked quizzically. Riyo sat on him and started to tickle him ruthlessly. “Ahh! Help!” He said laughing as she held him down with her small body. All fears evaporated as she tickled him, and after a little while she stopped, lying beside him smiling. He looked over at her and put his arms around her, pulling her close and lightly kissing her. She hesitantly kissed him back and stopped soon after.

“James…I don’t want to get hurt again.” She said quietly.

“You know I won’t hurt you like he did.” He said pulling her close. She snuggled into him and said,

“I know, but I want to take it one step at a time, very slowly.” After she said this she looked at him and he nodded, kissing her forehead lightly.

“I love you Riyo Black, and I’ll do anything for you, and anything you want.” He said cuddling her close. She nodded and fell back into a deep sleep beside him. He looked at her for a little while longer then fell asleep holding her close.



James was floating, floating high above a small square room with two occupants. He could see the ebony hair of a small statured person, and recognized it as Riyo straight away. The other person was in a small crib asleep as Riyo looked out the window mournfully. The baby woke up and started to cry, Riyo sighed and got up, going over and picking up the child then sitting back down in the rocking chair she was in. The baby had pure blond white hair, and was a tone or so darker then Riyo's fair skin. He could see the eyes of the child and sucked a deep breath in. He could clearly see Riyo's eyes looking back at him from the child. A tall imposing male figure entered the room and strode over to Riyo.

“ She okay hun?" The figure asked a look of pure disgust crossing his face as James recognized the voice as the potion's professor, Draco Malfoy. Riyo smiled up at him and nodded,

“She’s fine hunny, just a little grumpy.” She said rocking the baby back and forth as Malfoy sat down beside her chair smiling at his daughter. James tried to punch Malfoy when he felt the ground beneath his feet, but his hand just went through his head not harming him in the slightest, or receiving any reaction.



Riyo kicked in her sleep and woke James up with a start. He sat up and looked around calming down after a couple frantic minutes. He looked down at Riyo sleeping by his side and vowed that he would never let that happen, realizing that he wanted to be the one who got to be with her forever.

“I promise I’ll make sure no one hurts you, and I hope I’ll be the one to be with you forever.” He said out loud to her sleeping form. Riyo stirred once more and opened her eyes lightly.

“Hey…something wrong?” She asked sleepily, wiping sleep from her eyes.

“Nothings wrong Riyo. Go back to sleep.” He said kissing the top of her head.



For the next couple of months everything went well for Riyo. James and her kept dating, keeping it slow and Sirius and her spent more time together, becoming closer, becoming a family once more. Al and Liz’s family ended up moving in with them at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place where the Order of the Phoenix still holds regular meetings to ensure that any uprising of old or new Death Eaters would not happen. Liz, Al, Uncle Harry, Sirius, Oliver (Liz and Al’s Father) and Suzanne (The Twin’s mother) all were living under the same roof like one extremely large family. A change had come over Riyo; it showed in every thing she did. She was no longer the pale, frail looking creature she had been. She was a vibrant rose nestled safely with her fellow roses, with room to grow. Although Sirius himself had once pointed out when the year was over to Harry,

“Riyo had grown from sadness, and now she knew happiness.” No one could ever tell that she was once a small creature who suffered from depression all the time. No one who had met her only once before would recognize her now. Simply put, this ebony haired teen with hazel eyes that used to only reflect pain was happy. Completely, totally, happy, and nothing could really ruin it for her now.