When Professor Gareth had accosted her with this message in Hogsmeade that spring morning, the gravity of the situation had just never occurred to her. She had assumed…well, whatever she had assumed, it hadn't been this. She had never thought to fear the worst. It just hadn't been plausible.

As thirteen-year-old Laurel stood by herself, staring at the bier laid out in a room off the Great Hall, she knew better. She would always assume the worst now, for the worst had always been her story.

Laurel's thoughts stretched to her sister, the eleven-year-old now lying on that bier. As sisters who inherited the talent of telepathy in a hostile world, they had shared a unique bond, always able to sense the other if they wished. Now, no matter how hard she tried, all she could sense was silence.

A deathly quiet…

Laurel's chest tightened as she attempted to fight the tears rising in her throat. It had all been so sudden… Hadn't she been through enough already? Hadn't last year been punishment enough for a lifetime? Obviously not.

Was she doomed to be alone the rest of her life, however long that may be? Obviously so.

It was hard to accept that the small brown-haired girl lying in stasis was really her little sister, Chloe Theresa Raegan. She was far too young to die. But she had…killed mercilessly by Lord Voldemort for choosing what was right. For not exploiting her wonderful power. For not joining him.

It was a no-win situation: join Voldemort and betray all you love, or refuse him and lose all you love. It was the choice Laurel had made two years ago, the choice that had cost her the lives of her family and now her last relative, her sister. For the first time, Laurel was truly alone in the world.

As that chilling thought rose to mind, Laurel could resist no longer and let out a choked sob. Thinking she was alone in the dark room, she let the tears flow freely. The impact of it all had not hit her fully yet, and she feared it.

Laurel did not hear the soft footsteps of a person entering the room, but she froze when a hand was laid gently on her shoulder.

"Come to bed, Laurel, please… It's not healthy to spend all night down here…dwelling. Please come back to the Tower."

Laurel turned to see Sirius Black standing there in his pajamas, looking as somber as she felt. Not bothering to try and stop crying, she shook her head.

"I can't sleep…not after…how could I?"

Sirius squeezed her arm. "I know it's tough, but please…at least come and sit in the Common Room. If you can't sleep, then I'll stay up with you. We can talk…if you feel like it. If not, we can sit. Just as long as you leave this room."

Laurel looked oddly at him. Sirius Black, the clown of her year, the boy who irritated her more than anything in the world, the one boy in her House she truly couldn't stand, had come to find her. He had risked getting caught by the caretaker and getting sentenced to detention until he was a seventh year. He was watching out for her. It was amazing…

"I'd like to, Sirius, but I can't. I really don't know if I'm able."

"Please." He said this so imploringly, pleading with her, and it was hard to resist his advice.

With a last extremely long look at Chloe's body, Laurel bowed her head and allowed Sirius to escort her out of the room. To her surprise, the tears seemed to flow more freely now that someone else was there, and she still made no effort to stifle them. Sirius seemed to understand.

Sirius brought her to their House Common Room, where they both took a seat on the couch. Laurel said, "Thank you for offering to stay up with me, but I can't let you. You have class tomorrow, and I've been excused. It wouldn't be fair to you…"

Sirius laughed momentarily. "I'm quite used to staying up all night. Sometimes…I have these dreams…horrible…lots of death and destruction, and standing out against it all is high-pitched laughter. It scares me so much that I can't sleep the rest of the night, so I come down here. The fire is quite nice this late, when it's burning down."

Laurel was shocked at how open Sirius was being with her, when the only words they had previously exchanged had been scathing. She felt compelled to confide in him as well.

Not knowing quite where to begin, Laurel just began talking about what ever came to her mind…memories of Chloe, the fears she had… Soon, she had told more to Sirius than she had ever shared with anyone in her entire life, excepting her sister. Through it all, Sirius had remained quiet, listening intently.

By the time she had run out of things to say, she no longer felt quite as burdened. Granted, there were things she would always bear, but she was not the sole load-bearer anymore. A sudden sense of exhaustion overcame her.

The normally rowdy boy noticed this and allowed Laurel to lean against his shoulder, rubbing her back soothingly, as his mother had always done for him when he was upset. Within minutes, Laurel's breathing, ragged from crying, was coming evenly and smoothly. She had fallen asleep.