This story starts off with a rather long quote from OoTP- I've italicized it to clarify where JK's lovely work ends and my attempt to recapture her fantastic world begins. The quote and the opening scene actually take place in OoTP, but Harry and Dumbledore have already retrieved the locket from the cave. You'll see why. It becomes AU rather quickly, anyway. ;-) Please review and tell me what you think so far!

The tapestry looked immensely old; it was faded and looked as though doxies had gnawed it in places; nevertheless, the golden thread with which it was embroidered still glinted brightly enough to show them a sprawling family tree dating back (as far as Harry could tell) to the Middle Ages. Large words at the very top of the tapestry read:

THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSEOF BLACK
"TOUJOURS PUR"

…Sirius jabbed a finger at the very bottom of the tree, at the name REGULUS BLACK. A date of death (some fifteen years previously) followed the date of birth.

"He was younger than me," said Sirius, "and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded."

"But he died," said Harry.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "Stupid idiot…he joined the Death Eaters."…

"Was he killed by an Auror?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Oh, no," said Sirius. "No, he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort's orders, more likely, I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death."…

"I haven't looked at this for years. There's Phineas Nigellus…my great-great-grandfather, see? Least popular Headmaster Hogwarts ever had…and Araminta Meliflua…cousin of my mother's…tried to force through a Ministry Bill to make Muggle-hunting legal…of course, anytime the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned. I see Tonks isn't on here. Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her- he's supposed to do whatever anyone in the family asks him…"

-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, pg.111-112

…and her sister- my other cousin- she's missing, too-"

"You mean me, of course." Harry and his godfather turned to see a young woman, about twenty-one years old, with glossy black hair and grey eyes that matched Sirius'. She was leaning against the doorframe of the drawing room with a smirk identical to the one that was spreading across Sirius' aristocratic features.

"Ariana," Sirius said finally. "I take it Tonks brought you?"

The woman winked. "You bet. Have you ever known me to miss out on a chance to get involved in something delightfully sneaky?" She wrinkled her nose at Harry. "Wotcher," she said simply. "You must be Harry."

Harry nodded. "Yes, er-"

"Don't worry," she assured him. "I'm not nearly as clumsy as my big sister. And, unfortunately, I missed out on the Metamorphmagus boat. But I'm much cooler than she is."

Harry stifled a laugh. "Nice to meet you."

She laughed. "I was at Hogwarts with you." At his blank look, she shrugged. "I was a fifth year when you were in first. Ravenclaw. You probably don't remember me."

Harry shook his head. "Sorry," he said regretfully.

"Have you eaten?" Sirius interrupted, remembering his manners. "Molly's making sandwiches, I believe."

Ariana's face brightened. "Cool. I'm starving." She followed them into the kitchen, seating herself at the long oak table and accepting a sandwich from Mrs. Weasley. When Sirius quirked an eyebrow at her in an unspoken question, she laughed. "Yes, I'm staying for the Meeting. When is it?"

"Any minute now," Mrs. Weasley interrupted. "I'd hurry up and eat that, if I were you."

Ariana tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder and bit into her sandwich. "Thank you, Molly," she said politely, after swallowing and wiping her mouth daintily with the corner of a napkin.

Sirius chuckled. "At least one of the Tonks sisters learned her manners."

"I heard that," Nymphadora Tonks said reprovingly, walking by and tweaking her cousin's ear. She beamed at Harry. "Wotcher, Harry."

"Hey, Tonks," he said. "Do I get to stay for the Meeting?"

"You most certainly do not," Mrs. Weasley replied before Sirius could get a word in. She turned her head to the door when Sirius' mother's shrieks filled the hallway. "That'll be Albus now." She waved a wooden spoon at him threateningly. "Shoo."

Harry stood obediently, trying not to let Mrs. Weasley see how upset he was. How could they not include him? He was fifteen; not to mention, he had fought Voldemort himself back in June! He glanced over at Ariana, who was working on her sandwich. She was studiously ignoring him, and he frowned. Sirius wasn't even going to stand up for him! He stormed out of the room, narrowly avoiding running into Professors Dumbledore and Snape in the doorway. "Hullo," he muttered, and vanished up the stairs.

As he replaced his wand in his pocket, Harry saw that his hand was black and shriveled; it looked as though his flesh had been burned away.

"Sir- what happened to your-?"

"Later, Harry," said Dumbledore . "Please sit down."

-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, pg. 49

Night had fallen, and Ariana was struggling to stay awake as the room darkened. Her sister kept kicking her in the shins underneath the table, but she hoped for propriety's sake that the meeting was almost over. Even Sirius looked dazed, head resting in his hand as Dumbledore spoke to the assembled Order.

"As for the next order of business-" Dumbledore suddenly reached into the pocket of his robes and brandished a locket in the air with his fist. Its golden chain flashed in the light of the sputtering candles. Ariana sat up, interested. Beside her, she felt Sirius lift his head. "I am sure that by now all of you have heard the story of how Regulus Black sacrificed himself to defeat Voldemort. As Harry will tell you, this is, in fact, the very locket that young Mr. Black left behind that day many years ago. If so, by rights, it belongs to Regulus' only surviving family. Sirius?"

Her cousin had gone a strange shade of green and was eyeing the locket cautiously. "That's the locket Reg left in the basin?" he croaked.

Dumbledore fixed him with a look over the top of his half-moon glasses. "Indeed, it is, Sirius." He stretched out his hand across the long oak table. "It is yours now."

Sirius shook his head. "That was my mother's," he said indignantly. "It's probably cursed. You should destroy it."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Ariana rolled her eyes. "Oh, for goodness sake, Sirius!" She stood and accepted the locket from the Headmaster. Turning to the Animagus, she scolded, "This is a treasure- an artifact. It should be kept safe so that our children and our children's children can know that what Regulus did was real- and it was for all of us."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Well said," he agreed. "I trust you are capable of this task, Miss Tonks?"

Ariana nodded, distracted. "Of course." She returned to her seat, turning the piece of jewelry over in her hand. It gave off a strange heat; she was surprised that Dumbledore hadn't noticed. She stole a glance at his blackened right hand. Perhaps it was cursed. Beside her, Sirius frowned. "Better toss that," he advised in an undertone. "Who knows what Dark Magic Reg used on it."

Ariana made a face at him. "He was your brother," she reminded him, as Dumbledore began discussing something to do with goblins. "Quit being such an old grump."

Sirius frowned. "I'm only looking out for you," he pointed out gruffly. "Get rid of it."

"You're not my father," she snapped, feeling tired and childish.

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "Fine," he said curtly, standing up and walking out of the kitchen.

Ariana met her sister's eyes across the table. "What did you do?" Tonks mouthed. Ariana rolled her eyes and turned back to Dumbledore. Let Sirius sulk- he'd always been moody.