Note to all those who have not read Caelia book one, What Sweet Bitter Fools are We?, you will likely be confused at this fic. WSBFaW is the first one in a series on a woman who is forced into an arranged marriage with Sirius. A few notes to my readers from that fic, because this starts at a time jump, right before Cassia (Sirius' first daughter) goes to Hogwarts.
1. Narcissa and Andromeda are reconciled; Nymphadora and Draco and Cassia are good friends/close cousins. They were home-schooled by a mix of Caelia (who is a formidable Wizengamot member) Narcissa, Severus, Regulus, and Andromeda.
2. Sirius didn't fight the divorce, and Cassia and her two younger siblings, Vivian and Orpheus, are completely under Caelia's guardianship. Regulus is Vivian's godfather; Severus is Orpheus'.
3. Harry is close friends with Ron from before Hogwarts, and has a younger sister named Helena.
4. The Horcruxes have been hunted by Caelia and Severus, but only the locket and Hufflepuff's cup have been found; Severus begins to teach at Hogwarts sometime after Tonks goes to Hogwarts. Caelia's shop in Diagon takes off.
5. Dumbledore and Caelia are political enemies.
That's about all I can think of right now, and I'd like to thank all of you and ask you to hold on for the ride!
The night sky was cold and clear when Cassia Black woke up.
Stars hung in the air, still, and the stone under her palms had a thin layer of frost on it. But warming charms and heavy cloaks were useful for more than one purpose- and she did her best thinking alone. A small alcove formed, accidentally, by an overhanging curved wall and a jutting bench, was a brilliant find by her a couple years ago, and her mother knew better than to disturb her when she was this deep in thought.
Cassia knew very well why her mother was so protective.
She'd lost her entire family when she was young, and she'd made her own with Severus Snape, Regulus Black, and her three kids. Christmases and birthdays and solstices were spent together; they were family more than friends now. But more than that, her mother hated the way Sirius- her dad- and his best friends, James and Lily and Harry and Helena Potter, continuously sought out fame.
Cassia knew better than to aim for that kind of… a flashy goal.
She'd enjoy her mother's presence, be happy with everything she had. Material things somehow didn't mean so much- when you were the heiress to both the Derwent and Black fortunes, you had more money than you knew what to do with- when all her friends and family had everything they could ever want. That didn't mean there weren't problems, though.
Long hair tumbled down to the small of her back, the exact shade of her father's. Seeing the photographs of him in the papers felt like a… punch to the gut, for her, in more ways than one.
(Everyone knew that Sirius didn't fight Caelia when she pushed for a divorce.)
All her life, Cassia'd been happily protected behind her mother's arms and Black manor's walls. Tomorrow, she would head off, for the first time, to the distant unknown.
In other words, Hogwarts.
She wouldn't be alone there; Draco would be joining her, and Uncle Severus was Potions professor- but her mother wouldn't be close. Fear thrummed in her gut, a steady fear that she would not measure up to her mother's stories. Fear that she would lack the strength of will her mother had shown; fear that her sheltered upbringing had erased some necessary component of her life-
-fear that she would not be good enough.
No tears darkened her eyes, though. Tears were for those who couldn't do better. Tears were… weak. And Cassia Black was never- would never- be characterized as weak. She was strong where it mattered and intelligent to a point; she was the product of a proper Slytherin training.
I don't want to go, she imagined telling her mother. I'd like to stay here.
And her mother would move mountains if she said that. She'd be home-schooled with the best education and would lack for absolutely nothing. But… what about connections? She wasn't only her mother's daughter, regretfully.
And Sirius Black had never backed down from a challenge.
Goodbye, she whispered instead. Crooning it to the small stream winding around the southern edge, only a small ribbon from her position; calling it out to the swans clustered around the pond; singing it to the lule perla fields that still lay fallow. I will miss you all.
Her magic knew this land perfectly. A childhood of mapping it and exploring it had left her completely at ease with it. And every pureblood knew why raising children in one household throughout their childhood was important; it gave them a way to expend their inherent flowing magic into their surroundings- which would only happen if they were trusting of the landscape. According to her Uncle Reg, children 'bled' magic, and while even adults did that, children had absolutely no control over it.
Which is why I'm not so happy about leaving. Still… Hogwarts is supposed to be a wonderful school. I wonder how much of a headstart I have over the normal students?
Private lessons by a Charms Master- Narcissa- a Potions Master- Uncle Severus- a Transfigurations Master- Uncle Reg- and a Dueling expert- her mother- had given her, along with Draco and Tonks, a huge leap on the rest of the masses.
I can't wait to talk to Draco about this. She tilted her head back, thumping it against the wall heavily. I just hope… well. We'll just have to wait and see.
Because Draco had always had problems with his dad. It had started at a young age- when her mother and his mother had gotten together and reconciled with Aunt Andromeda- but gotten progressively worse over the years; Draco got conflicting signals from everyone else and his dad.
The poor boy had explained it all to her one quiet evening a couple months ago, and she'd noticed the strain between him and her mother almost immediately.
Nothing noticeable to those who didn't watch for it- both were consummate actors- but their touches and smiles held a sharp edge to them that hadn't existed just a few years ago.
Draco was growing up, and into his own man, and his father didn't want him to.
Not that Cassia could blame Draco. His father was one of the more traditional purebloods, and wielded massive influence both domestically and internationally. Even if all Draco wanted was to lead a quiet life tucked away in his manor, it wouldn't be possible; his father had his duties and responsibilities mapped out until he was edging on thirty- a high number even by conservative standards.
She wondered lightly, if anyone had ever told Lucius Malfoy that one caught more flies with honey, before dismissing it in favor of the next day's tension: what would their game-plan be, and how would they achieve their goals?
"Are you ready?" Caelia asked Cassia quietly, the next morning, eyes catching her daughter's. The real question was, are you ready for the outside world, and they both knew it- but silence and shadows was a game both pulled off remarkably well.
Cassia nodded silently, pale face arching slightly upwards.
…She looks more like her father every day, Caelia thought wryly. The tilt of her wide grey eyes, the sharp curve of cheekbones- they were all Sirius' through and through.
Vivian and Orpheus weren't; they had her slender features and blue eyes.
Thankfully, none of them have Sirius' personality. If they did… I'd probably have driven myself, Severus, and Regulus into a grave.
Aloud she asked, "Does everyone have their raincloaks?" When Vivian squirmed slightly, she leveled a paint-stripping glare at her. "Vivian. How many times have I told you to listen? Don't you rem-" The whoosh of the Floo halted her scolding in its tracks, and she grimaced lightly at Narcissa who stepped out. "Just go get your cloak, love."
"Draco!" Cassia lunged forwards, catching his arm in a tight grip, and dragging him away from everyone else. Leaning into each other, they began talking in low, tense voices.
"Is it just me, or should I fear for Hogwarts?" Narcissa murmured dryly, and Caelia choked on a laugh.
"I'll tell Severus," she replied. Then, all amusement fading, "but the two of them have been rather… pale lately. And quiet."
"Worried?"
She sighed. "Not so much worried… as strained. Both of them have a… disturbing propensity for overthinking things."
"And an independent streak just long enough that they won't come to us for problems," Narcissa said. "I know. What I'm more… concerned… about is their catapult into fame. Being the Heirs to the Malfoy and Derwent fortunes- not to mention Black- is going to make them the object of the masses' attentions. And not in the bonne façon."
"I'm not worried about that," Caelia replied drolly. "If you'll put your mind back… nine years or so, you should remember the other celebrity they'll be attending with. If ever you have need to see a large ego- look no further than this morning's paper."
She frowned. "Are you talking about- ah." A light smirk. "You mean Harry Potter."
"I don't think Cassia's ever forgiven Sirius for choosing him over her," she said ruefully. "And I haven't exactly encouraged his attendance."
Narcissa shrugged. "You had no need to. He's never been good father material, and it was cruel of Walburga to chain you to him. You had no chance."
She smiled back. "I don't regret my actions, Narcissa. And I have no intentions of ever doing so. I am… happy, now. The stupidity of one man will not ruin my happiness otherwise."
"Are you truly," she asked suddenly, leaning forward, eyes gleaming. "Because I think-"
Vivian and Orpheus returned in that moment, bundled up, and Narcissa declined to continue. Still, walking away, Caelia couldn't get that undefinably raw emotion in her eyes.
I am happy, she told herself firmly. I have everything I could want. There is little else for me to want for that will not tip over into the realm of selfishness.
"Cassia, Draco! We have to go!"
And that was Chapter 1 of the next book! Hope you guys enjoyed it. Some notes for this chapter: bonne facon is french for good way.
I am stating this: I will be going on a hiatus after this chapter for about a month-month and a half; I honestly have a lot of work to do and finish. This, sadly, is not one of the things that will get me into my master's program, so...
I should be back mid-March at the latest. Another reason is that I have just gotten sucked back into my Transformers fandom mode (and it took me three years to get out! Nooooo!) and have a multi-chapter fic on that that my muse has just exploded over. I'll- hopefully- see you guys sometime next month!
Reviews inspire me, and I'd like to thank all my lovely reviewers from WSBFaw! You guys made my day.
(Also: does anyone know why I've been getting a bunch of follows on my oneshot Bleeding White? I know I marked it as complete, and I'm sure as hell not complaining. I'm just kinda confused.)
-Dialux