Antlia Avery was enjoying her classes. She had always enjoyed learning, and it was a good way to block out all the worries that invaded her brain in idle moments. The only downside was that almost all her classes were with the one and only Sirius Black. His eyes were a constant feeling during class, pressing into Lia's back as she worked.

Everywhere she went, Antlia could feel her father's presence. She could feel him in the gazes of her fellow Slytherin students who had the Dark Mark. She could feel him when she went to the library by herself and turned around to see one of them watching her. She could feel him everywhere. Antlia was never at rest. She couldn't fall asleep if even one of her dorm mates was awake. They all had to be sound asleep, as Antlia went over everything that she had done that day in her head, making sure that it wasn't something her father would disapprove of. She did this every night and has done it since the first year of Hogwarts.

When the letter came, it was a Sunday. Antlia had finished all of her homework for her classes, and was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the letter. When the family owl flew into the Great Hall at breakfast, Antlia turned pale. She hurriedly drank a sip of hot tea to bring color to her face, and delicately took the letter from the owl. Excusing herself, Antlia rushed into a forgotten classroom. Looking around at her surroundings, she realized that her feet had brought her to the room that she had used with Sirius as their designated meeting point.

Shaking off the thoughts of Sirius, Antlia slid her nail underneath the Avery family wax seal that adorned the back of the envelope. She slowly opened the envelope, revealing the cream colored paper inside. Antlia watched her fingers pull out the thick paper and watched herself unfold it. Her father's neat script covered the paper, likely detailing all the mistakes that she had made in the past week.

Antlia's eyes moved quickly across the paper as she took in what her father had said. Sure enough, the first line was a question from him about her relationship with Sirius. Flint had tattled, an instance not unique to him. Most of the Slytherin's in the school wouldn't hesitate to get on the good side of the Dark Lord's right-hand-man. Antlia had the unfortunate pleasure of being the daughter of Arcturus Avery, one of the original Death Eaters. The Dark Lord didn't have friends, but if he did, Arcturus would be one.

The third line of the letter was the one that caused Antlia to break down. "Your mother would have expected better of you." Tears leaked down her face. She wiped them away hastily and buried her face in her arms.

And this was how Sirius Black found Antlia Avery on that Sunday morning. Curled up on a ball with a tear-streaked face and a letter from her father beside her.

"Lia? Are you okay?" Sirius repeated his question from the train now, hoping to get a truer answer.

And this time she did answer truthfully. "No, I'm not okay. You left me!" Lia's voice shook with the force of her emotions. Love, hate, anger, fear, sadness. They all swirled together in her voice. You left me to drown.

"I had to get out of that house. I didn't mean to leave you." Sirius knelt down beside Lia, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. "I'm here for you now."

"I'm glad you got out." Lia's focus suddenly turned sharp, her expression fierce. "At least one of us got out. One of us has a chance to become something other than dark." Because that is my path. I will grow up and become dark. I will grow up and be forced to serve the dark.

Sirius took Lia's face in his hands and stared at her. "Lia, look at me. I will get you out. I will get Regulus out. Both of you will be able to get out." He said firmly. Their faces were close enough that Lia would be able to lean over and kiss him. But she didn't. She stayed a safe distance away from Sirius before she finally looked away.

Sirius' words brought one of Lia's only memories of her mother to the front of her mind. And it wasn't happy. It was a memory that Lia tried not to relive, one that was hazy around the edges.

"It's okay baby, it's okay." Antlia's mother soothed the little girl siting in her lap, wiping away her tears. "I'm going to get us out of here."

A three-year old Antlia was sniffling in her mother's lap. "Daddy killed that woman." She said simply. That was the last time Antlia ever called her father 'Daddy'. At only three years old, what she had witnessed made sure that she no longer trusted her father.

Her father had called her into a room full of people who Antlia would later learn were Death Eaters. There was a sobbing woman lying on the floor. "Please, please," she cried. "I have a son, a daughter, a family. Please don't kill me."

"Antlia, come here." Her father had said sternly. His face had been a blank slate, showing no emotion except hardness and cruelty. It was as if the person who had created him had forgotten to draw expression on his face. That was what Antlia remembered the most about that day. The way her father had showed no emotion or remorse when he had cast the Killing Curse.

Antlia watched the light leak from the woman's eyes. The once bright blue slowly turned dull as her body collapsed to the floor.

Antlia had turned away from her father and had ran straight to her mother. That was how she had gotten in her mother's lap, sobbing. Her mother held her in a close embrace, not unlike the one that Sirius held her in now.

"Cassiopeia!" Her father called.

"Yes, dear?" Her mother's voice showed no sign of the tension that was present on her face. The simple words soothed Antlia's ears, and helped block out the memory of her father shouting those awful words. To this very day, Antlia still woke up sweating after she had dreamt about her father saying those words.

"I need you to come here." Her father's voice had the opposite effect of her mother's.

Cassiopeia Avery took her daughter by the hand and led her back to the room where the Death Eaters had gathered. The dead body of the women had been removed from the room, and there was now a wide open space in the middle of the large room.

"Girl, stand back." Someone commanded, and her mother shooed Antlia back. The mysterious man turned his attention away from Antlia to her mother. "Cassiopeia Avery, you have been found guilty of treason to the Dark Lord. He has decreed your punishment to be death."

Her mother looked steadily at the man. "I accept the charges." More tears had started to run down Antlia's face by this point. The little girl didn't understand what was happening, she didn't know why her mother was being sentenced to death.

"Avada Kedavra!" Green light flashed out and hit Cassiopeia Avery directly in the chest. Antlia watched as her mother died in almost the exact same way as the mystery woman from earlier in the day, just from a different hand. That was two more deaths in one day than someone should have to witness in a lifetime. Cassiopeia Avery's lifeless body lay crumpled on the floor.

Antlia's screams had echoed through the room. She had screamed and screamed and screamed until her voice grew hoarse. No one stopped the girl from screaming, they just stood and watched.

Cassiopeia Avery never was able to get her daughter out. She didn't even make it out alive.

Lia shook herself out of her memories and caught sight of the letter again, and tears began to come to her eyes. "He had the audacity to bring my mother into it. He said that she would have expected better of me."

"Lia, that's not true." Sirius caught Lia's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"The thing is, I don't know." Lia shook her head, hugging her knees to her chest. "I don't remember her very much, and my father won't even mention her name. I don't know what she would have wanted, I don't know what she would have expected."

Sirius wrapped his arms around Lia, holding her as her tears fell. The fat droplets of water rolled down her cheeks, soaking Sirius' arms. "I'm getting you all wet." Lia said through her tears as she tried to smile.

Sirius smiled down at her. "It's okay, love."

Lia's heart did a little flip-flop when Sirius called her love. It didn't mean anything. He was only comforting her because of their shared history, the feeling of being outcasts in their own families. There could never be anything between the two of them, and there never would be. It would never work, the Slytherin Princess and the Gryffindor Rebel.

"Thank you, Sirius. I mean it." Lia said, pushing herself off the floor and drying her tears with the sleeve of her robe.

"I'll always be here for you, Lia. And I'm going to get you out." Sirius reiterated his earlier sentiment, gazing fiercely at Lia.

"I must go." Lia said instead of responding to Sirius' words. "My friends will be wondering where I am. Do I look like I have been crying?"

"No, you look beautiful." Sirius smiled. "You always do."

Lia bent to pick up the letter and left Sirius alone in the classroom. She walked slowly back to the Slytherin common room, the letter crumpled in her hand. No one was in the common room except for a lonely pair, Regulus Black and Nova Nightingale.

"Did it come?" Regulus' soft voice asked. He knew how it felt when the letters came. The crushing feeling of despair that descended when your parents were disappointed in you.

In lieu of an answer, Antlia threw the letter into the crackling flames of the fire. The thick paper burnt around the edges first, before curling in on itself and turning to ash.

"He can't hurt you here." Nova's beautiful, lilting voice was widely sought after, and she spoke rarely. What words did come out of her mouth were worth listening to.

"I certainly hope so." Antlia said, settling gracefully down into an armchair near the fire. She stared out into the murky lake, and tried to imagine her mother doing the same thing. Staring out at the water, hoping to catch a glimpse of something. As if the creatures that lived in the water could help them. Could help them learn how to breathe when they were drowning.

Author's Note
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I don't really know how three-year olds work, but I did my best. Also, I've never written a death scene before! Please keep in mind that these are meant to be memories from a young child who wouldn't really understand what is happening. If you have any comments or constructive criticism, please feel free to leave it below! I would love it! Thank you so much for reading!

- Nicole