Chapter I
The Dinner Party
Dinner parties at 12 Grimmauld Place were no small affair. The long mahogany dining table would be adorned with rich tablecloths, expensive and smooth to the touch, the slender candles on the gold chandelier would be carefully lit, and the crystals that hung from it polished. Though the spirit was indeed always festive, there was no doubt that the reason behind the lavish celebrations was not Lord and Lady Black's delight and excitement, and certainly not their desire to meet the relations whose existence they were otherwise so quick to forget. Nevertheless, most found they didn't particularly mind spending their evening at the Blacks' table, as long as the wine was costly and the atmosphere peaceful. It could even be called enjoyable on the rare occasion that the hot-blooded family was in a good mood.
That was certainly not the case on one seventh of November in 1970. It started off as any other dinner party, with the laconic Orion Black briefly thanking his many guests and raising his silver goblet to a toast. As the evening progressed, however, and the night drew nearer, the drunken laughter faded and the mirthful expressions turned to disapproving glares. Young Sirius Black, just eleven years old and heir to the noble line's fortune, sobered up and slowly placed the wine pitcher back on the table as he realized they were, not for the first time, directed at him.
It didn't bother him much. Especially since he found his family's reasons for berating him rather unimportant. But this was different. His brother had let his secret slip in front of the entire House, in front of every guest his mother and father desperately tried to impress.
"Is that so, Sirius?" Uncle Cygnus asked coolly. "You've been going behind your parents' back, and to meet Muggle children no less?" He glanced briefly at Orion. "How dishonorable." Neither Orion, nor his wife Walburga missed the mocking tone. The implication that his children would never do such a thing.
Sirius shrugged awkwardly. "They live just next door, I thought maybe I could play with them..." He trailed off, glancing nervously at his mother.
"Play with them?" Walburga demanded. "You wanted to play with them, Sirius? You – the Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black – a young man with his Hogwarts letter already in his hands, a wizard, wanted to partake in foolish children's games? And with this– this filth, no less?"
"He's a child, Walburga–"
"He's a fool, Alphard! A fool who doesn't know his place in this world!"
Sirius was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable. He should have never told Regulus
"Is that so, Sirius?" Uncle Cygnus asked coolly. "You've been going behind your parents' back, and to meet Muggle children no less?" He glanced briefly at Orion. "How dishonorable." Neither Orion, nor his wife Walburga missed the mocking tone. The implication that his children would never do such a thing.
Sirius shrugged awkwardly. "They live just next door, I thought maybe I could play with them..." He trailed off, glancing nervously at his mother.
"Play with them?" Walburga demanded. "You wanted to play with them, Sirius? You – the Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black – a young man with his Hogwarts letter already in his hands, a wizard, wanted to partake in foolish children's games? And with this– this filth, no less?"
"He's a child, Walburga–"
"He's a fool, Alphard! A fool who doesn't know his place in this world!"
Sirius was beginning to feel extremely uncomfortable. He should have never told Regulus, now everyone was staring at him, and his mother was furious. He hadn't even known the Muggle boys were bad; they had been really nice, even though they'd laughed at him for not knowing what "hide and seek" was. They'd asked him why he was wearing robes too. With a look at their blue trousers and plain shirts, Sirius had been able to tell the Muggles preferred a different attire. Thankfully, the date had allowed him to reply that he was simply excited for Halloween. They'd accepted that answer and even shared their chocolate with him. Sirius rather liked it, but he knew better than to say that out loud.
"No son of mine, no heir of mine, will associate with filthy Muggles; Mudbloods, inferiors, these creatures are dangerous, they're aggressive!"
"Well you're not very peaceful right now either," Sirius mumbled under his breath, folding his arms over his chest defensively.
Walburga rose abruptly from her chair. Her stormy grey eyes widened and her face turned red in anger, then white, then purple. Her firstborn watched in horror as her angular jaw clenched. Suddenly, her goblet flew at him with force. Sirius didn't manage to duck. She leaned forward threateningly and placed her hands on the table, her esteemed guests' presence suddenly forgotten. "You will learn respect, Sirius." Her voice was quiet, monotonous, forceful.
Sirius looked at his wine-stained robes and cringed. The goblet hadn't been particularly light either, but it was easier to focus on the mess. He was vaguely aware of his uncle Alphard grabbing him by the shoulders and steering him towards the stairs. Andromeda was following close behind, holding Regulus and Narcissa by the hand. Walburga could be heard screaming at them to come back, but they didn't turn to look back.
Alphard shoved the four children into the room. "Stay quiet," he warned. "I'll take care of her." With that, he shut the door, leaving them in a stunned silence.
Narcissa was, surprisingly, the first to break it. "You should have stayed quiet, Sirius."
Sirius felt the anger in him rise. He was mad – at his mother for humiliating him, at Regulus for spilling his secret, at Narcissa for thinking she knew better. "Me?" he demanded. "Regulus was the one who couldn't keep his bloody mouth shut!"
Regulus winced. "Sorry," he mumbled. "It slipped…"
"Slipped," Sirius repeated furiously.
Narcissa sniffed in distaste. "Come on, Reg, Meda, let's get back to the dinner."
Andromeda shook her head. "You go on, I think I'll have a word with Sirius first."
Once the two were alone, a tense silence fell. Sirius didn't look at his cousin. He didn't try to explain himself either. Everyone was mad at him; it was pointless. But Andromeda's disappointment would hurt the most. She was his favourite, his only solace while he was stuck with his family. He loved her even more than Regulus.
Andromeda, meanwhile, was trying to put the whirlwind of thoughts in her head into proper words. It hurt to see her typically energetic cousin this withdrawn, and it hurt even more to know that his only chance for redemption was to accept the hatred their family spouted. "Sirius," she began softly, "how often did this happen? How many times did you sneak out?"
He shrugged. "Three or four," he said with feigned nonchalance. "One of them knows about magic though. His brother's a Mud– a Muggleborn, a third-year Ravenclaw."
Andromeda didn't respond immediately. "You're going to Hogwarts next year. You'll have to make a choice," she finally said. "Between our family and your principles."
Sirius looked on nervously. This wasn't fair. If the Muggleborns and the blood traitors at Hogwarts were as nice as the Muggle boys in Grimmauld Place, it would be really difficult to make that choice.
"It's not an easy decision, Sirius. But I've made it already and I'll help you through it."
Sirius looked up in surprise. "What?" He felt completely bewildered, what was Andromeda talking about?
"I'm seeing someone, Siri. Secretly"
"Rabastan? You're his betrothed, aren't you? Why is it a secret?"
"I am," she admitted slowly. "But that's not who I'm seeing. I met a Muggleborn. His name is Ted, and he's in Hufflepuff. Excellent combination, isn't it? If you think Aunt Walburga's reaction to you playing with the neighbourhood boys was bad, you'll hate to see what happens when I tell them."
"No!" Sirius cried. "You can't tell them! You can't, Meda! They'll kill you!" He didn't expect this betrayal from his cousin, she always seemed so flawless, so perfect. She was beautiful and intelligent, her marks at Hogwarts were outstanding, her professors liked her, Rabastan was infatuated with her. How could she do this?
"Now, Sirius, I expect that you'll keep this a secret. I'm not telling you this to ask for reassurance. I know you can't be like them, and I want to let you know I'm on your side."
Sirius nodded slowly. "What if I become friends with a Mudbl– sorry, a Muggleborn? Or a blood traitor, or if…" A scandalous thought struck him suddenly. He leaned in and lowered his voice. "What if I'm not in Slytherin, Andromeda? What if I'm in some other house?"
"Then I guess we'll just have to accept it," she said with a small smile.
Sirius smiled back. He couldn't help it; his cousin really was a godsend. He leaned into her embrace and let her comfort him until the late hours of the night, when Regulus tiredly stumbled in to apologize and wish him goodnight.
