A/N: This story isn't exactly AU, it just has the added bonus of Tonks. Other than her existence, mostly canon from here.
She never really understood the point of all this. Living.
Hide in the attic. Hold in the tears until the safety of the night. Lie.
God, so much lying.
"Purebloods," others say. "So lucky. Such an honorable family line."
Oh, please.
The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
Even the words make her shiver.
Honorable, pureblood, rich. "So, so lucky."
Horrible, abusive, dangerous, drunk. Deranged, if you will.
But who would believe the children?
Walburga and Orion. An old neglectful bat and an abusive drunk, respectively. Their children, Sirius the disappointment and Regulus the weak.
Druella and Cygnus. A self-obsessed heiress with her head prominently stuck in the clouds, and her milder and surprisingly kind husband. And their own children. Bellatrix, wild, untamable. A Slytherin, of course, and a mighty fine one at that. Narcissa, always the sweetest, prim and proper and tidy.
Then, last as always, Nymphadora Black. A Gryffindor, like her no-good cousin of the same age. A filthy half-blood, too, but that was not to be mentioned.
Her parents, Andromeda Black and the Mudblood Tonks, had died while she was just a month or so, and the child had been deemed innocent enough to be raised as a proper Black. Her surname changed, her mother disowned, and her past swept clean the best they could.
So there you have it.
Four adults.
Five children.
And, of course, the ever present reminder of a legacy to be upheld.
The current heir was Sirius. This, of course, could not be allowed to happen. A Gryffindor own Grimmauld Place? In what fantasy world was this?
Next was Regulus. A disappointment, too, if they were to be utterly honest. A Slytherin, though a rather weak soul.
If he, too, was not to ever own the house, it would pass on to Bellatrix. At last, a good, strong, Slytherin that could be counted on to uphold their glory. A bit on the wild side, yes, but surely that would straighten out in good time?
Then Nymphadora. The event of her owning the house would be even worse than the prospect of it going to Sirius. Not only a Gryffindor, but a filthy Mudblood as a father? She had been milder and more accepting of pureblood tradition than Sirius while they were young, but the moment she stepped foot in Hogwarts all that changed.
Last and least was Narcissa. Always the perfect little pureblood, prim and proper. Willing to follow every tradition to the end. But she lacked will. Determination. No, the house was best with Bellatrix.
The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
There's always something waiting to happen.
A question to be answered.
A story to be told.
Five children and a legacy.
The question here, of course, is what will happen next?
A/N: Enjoy! Next chapter should be up within a week or so, if life permits.