Gift of Black
Chapter Two: Banshee in The Kitchen
Mrs. Weasley had decided to calm everyone down with lunch and pumpkin juice. While Mrs. Weasley was preparing the extra lunch, Tonks decided to give introductions.
"Right! So- NYMPHIE! Let the poor cat go!" She yelled at the little girl who trying to keep a hold of Crookshanks. Hermione turned around and grabbed her cat from the little girl, who seemed to be quite shocked that the kitty would not let her hold him.
"I guess I'll start with this one, then. Nymphie, please stand up so everyone can see you." The little girl wasted no time in pulling out a chair and standing up on it so that she could be seen. Her golden brown hair was in two braids, and for the first time, Harry noticed that she was wearing a nightgown. After glancing around, he realized that all of these children were wearing their pajamas.
"Okay, this is Nymphie, she's-"
"Tat's not my name!" Nymphie yelled.
"Volume, dear, and it's 'that', not 'tat." McGonagall said before going back to whispering to Mrs. Weasley.
"Yes it is, Nymphie, if it wasn't your, name you wouldn't respond to it."
"Mammy says it's a nickname, and I need to introduce myself with my real name! Ekspecial around you!"
"'Especially', not 'ekspecial'." Professor McGonagall corrected, only to be ignored as Tonks continued to argue with the girl.
"Well, your Mummy's an evil witch." Tonks replied.
"What is your real name?" The twins asked in unison, quite curious as to why Tonks didn't want to tell them.
"Nymphadora Chang!" The girl pronounced loud and carefully. Tonks covered her face with her free hand.
'Chang?', Harry thought, 'did she say Chang?' Harry asked himself, thinking of Cho Chang. They certainly did look like they could be related, now that he thought about it. Harry glanced at the others, he saw recognition flash across Hermione's face. Ron seemed to make the connection and so did the twins, but Ginny seemed… well he wasn't sure what to think about her reaction. It seemed as if she had already known this somehow.
"And tat's my little brother, Phoebus! He's t-ree!" She yelled before the twins could say more, and pointed to the black haired boy that they had subdued with a fake wand.
"Three." McGonangall corrected.
"And tat's Peader!" She pointed at the brown haired boy who finally gotten off of Ron's back and was now waiting for lunch. "He's five! And tat's Eamon! He's...old" she decided.
"I'm eleven, that's not old, twenty-five is old." the boy at the table responded.
"Oh yeah, tat is old" Nymphie agreed before looking up at Tonks. "Tonks is old!"
"I'm twenty-three, kiddo, I've still got a few years left." Tonks stated with a smile. "Nymphie, how about you let me finish."
Nymphie looked at Tonks with perplexed face before replying. "Okay!" And happily sat down.
"I'll be leaving now." McGonagall announced, walking towards the door. "Be good, your mother should be here soon." She told children before leaving.
"BYE!" Nymphie yelled.
"As you can see, Nymphie, here, is an attention hog. And yes we have the same name, so shut it." She glared at the twins, who were about to speak, but seemed to reconsider after seeing her glare. "This is Deirdre," she gestured to the black haired girl next to her, who was by far the palest of them all, "she's nine. And this little girl here is Callidora, she just turned one about a month and half ago." Tonks held the little girl up over her head,with a smile, while waving her back and forth. The next thing they knew, there was a loud crash. Tonks had been leaning the chair on it's back legs and lost her balance. Now both she and Callidora were on the floor screaming and crying.
"TONKS!" Mrs. Weasley screamed as she ran towards them to check on the little girl who was now crying after flying out of Tonks's hands and hitting her head. Tonks was screaming out apologies on the floor while having a mini tantrum of her own.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I should have known better! I'm sorry! She's gonna kill me!"
"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure she wo… Well we can hope she doesn't." Mrs. Weasley said as she checked the baby to make sure that she was okay. "Besides, you've already dropped her nine times-"
"SEVEN!" Tonks, who was still lying on floor corrected her "SEVEN! But I've never dropped any of them like this before! And with everything that's happ-"
"What's going on?" Lupin asked as he came into the kitchen panting. "I thought I heard a crash!"
Lupin looked at scene before him and seemed to figure most of it out rather quickly. Mrs. Weasley was trying to calm the baby down while Ginny and Hermione looked for ice and towels, and Tonks was lying on the ground with an expression that screamed guilty. The boys were all wondering if they should laugh or simply leave the kitchen.
"Tonks, I told you not to walk around with her!"
"She wasn't." Said Deirdre, who was smiling and giggling for the first time since she entered the kitchen. "She was sitting." Deirdre pointed to chair on it's side while Tonks glared at her.
"Tonks, were you-" Lupin did not get to finish as Tonks jumped up and began chasing the girl.
"Why would you tell him that?! You little rat get over here!"
"What's going on in here?" Sirius yelled while entering the kitchen, only to be run into by Deirdre, trying to escape Tonks, who froze the moment she saw Sirius. Sirius steadied the girl to prevent her from falling over, looked at her and then the rest of the kitchen.
"Why is my kitchen filled with children?" He asked.
"That's what I was trying to tell you Sirius." Lupin replied looking exhausted. "It's not something to discuss around the children though."
"Why not?" Eamon asked. He knew better than his siblings. He knew that something was seriously wrong, and that the adults were trying to hide it from them. Lupin and Mrs. Weasley were at a loss for words and not quite sure how to answer, in a way that would not worry the children. They were saved by Tonks answering the question for them.
"Because you're loud and it's hard for adults to talk over all that noise."
"I'm loud? I've been the quietest one here! You've been making more noise than me!"
"True, but your siblings won't leave the room without you and I am capable of being quiet when needed. Trained three years to gain that ability, so when you've had three years training, and learned to shake your siblings, you can be let in on the adult conversations. Deal?"
"Why don't we go find rooms for you lot?" Mrs. Weasley said to the children as Sirius sat down.
"Their staying?" Sirius asked
"What about lunch?" Peader interrupted before anyone could answer.
"We'll bring it up with us. Come along now." Mrs. Weasley began shepherding the children out of the kitchen. "Ginny, Hermione, could you two help me out?
"Yes, mum."
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley."
The girls left the kitchen, Hermione carrying Phoebus, while Ginny carried the sandwiches.
"Boys… find something useful to do."
"I've just started eating!" Ron complained.
"Well you can eat later!" Mrs. Weasley snapped as she waved her wand and made the food disappear. "I want you doing something helpful and getting out of the adults' hair... NOW!" Mrs. Weasley yelled before turning back to the children and leading them away with a smile.
"Nice going Ronnie." Said Fred.
"Yeah, you made all the food disappear." George continued. "If you'd just kept your mouth shut, we could eat and listen in, but now look-"
"-we don't get either." Fred finished.
"Oh, shut up." Ron grumbled.
Fred and George turned to Tonks now, ignoring Sirius's annoyed expression as he waited for an explanation.
"Now dear Tonks, we promise to drop anything involving this Nymphadora Nymphadora business, if we can stay.
"We're gonna have to tell them anyways, may as well do it now." Lupin stated while Tonks glared at the twins, debating whether or not to simply take away their voices.
"Great!" Sirius clapped, moving forward in his chair. "I, for one, am dying for an explanation!"
Remus looked at Tonks and nodded for her to begin. Tonks, looked unusually nervous and began pulling on her pink hair.
"You know, pink really isn't a public speaking color. I think I'll go to the bathroom and change it!"
"Tonks!"
"Oh, okay, fine. Here we go."
"This is gonna be good." The twins said with a grin.
Tonks cleared her throat and was about to begin when the door opened once again.
"We were just leaving!" Ron exclaimed as he and Harry jumped out of their seats and the twins disapparated out of the kitchen. Sirius buried his head in his hands, wondering when the interruptions and stalling would stop."Oh… you're not mum." Ron stated staring at Mad-Eye Moody who was standing in the doorway.
"Of course I'm not your mother!" Mad-Eye grumbled, looking behind him. "You can come in!" He called. Then he turned to Tonks, "I'm going back to check the house. I'll be back later tonight. Nice seeing you Padfoot!"
Tonks released a breathe of relief when Moody left and a woman came in. She was a small, fragile-looking woman, who looked like she had stepped out of a fairy tale. Her hair was black and curly, her skin was as white as snow, and she walked as gracefully as was possible for a pregnant woman.
"Who is it this time?" Sirius asked looking up. He froze. "Oh… It's you… Uh… Sorcha?"
"Excuse me?" The woman asked in a rather dangerous voice that contradicted her frail appearence and signaled for Harry and Ron to make their escape.
"You are Sorcha, right?" Sirius asked as the woman drew in a breath and glared at him. It seemed as if she would calm down. Then she spoke.
"Sirius Fecking Black! YOU BETTER TELL ME RIGHT NOW THAT YOU ARE JOKING!" She screamed in voice that rivaled a banshee's and gave no hint of breaking. "BECAUSE IF YOU ARE NOT JOKING I WILL RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB AND TURN YOU INTO CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS TO MATCH THAT FECKING DISGUSTING TROLL LEG IN THE HALL! THREE YEARS, SIRIUS! HOW DO YOU FORGET THREE FECKING YEARS?!"
"Calm down, calm down." Sirius began begging. "It was a joke, a joke, okay? Sorry, thought it was funny. Apparently it wasn't. When did you learn to swear? It's good to see you again Sorcha! You look…" Sirius took in her appearance trying to find something to say "...pregnant." he added. The next thing Sirius knew, she had her wand out and began firing curses at him.
"FOURTEEN YEARS AND THAT'S ALL YOU CAN SAY? HUH? YOU LOOK PREGNANT!? YEAH! THAT HAPPENS YOU EEJIT! YOU! YOU ARE SO STUPID! YOU! EEJIT! WHAT ON EARTH WERE YOU THINKING?!"
"Are we still talking about the pregnant thing? Cause I'll admit that was rather tactless. You look good!" He improvised while blocking her curses and trying not to hurt her. "Didn't mean to say pregnant, meant to say good! You are pregnant though right? Cause I mean, you've got to admit that you do look pregnant."
"I HATE YOU! WHAT ON EARTH IS YOUR- ARGH! OF COURSE I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT- … YOU EEJIT! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING IS YOUR FECKING FAULT! NONE OF THIS WOULD BE HAPPENING IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU! YOU COULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT FOR EVEN ONE SECOND, HUH? COULDN'T HAVE TALKED TO ANYONE?! NO! NO! OF COURSE NOT! YOU JUST HAD TO BE THE GREAT BIG AVENGER! HOW DID THAT GO, HUH? DID YOU GET HIM? NO! YOU DIDN'T! YOU GOT ARRESTED AND RUINED EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD EVERYTHING HAS BECOME BECAUSE OF YOUR LITTLE STUNT?! NO! YOU DON'T! AND DID YOU GET HIM THE SECOND TIME? NO! YOU DIDN'T! BECAUSE YOU'RE A FECKING EEJIT! HE GOT AWAY AND NOW YOU-KNOW-WHO IS BACK AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! AND NOW MY FAMILY IS IN DANGER YOU... YOU… ARGH! I CAN'T EVEN THINK STRAIGHT ANYMORE!"
"Well, in all fairness, you've never exactly been a thinker or anything else except a looker, for that matter."
Lupin and Tonks had been watching the whole exchange, figuring that it would be best to let the two -mostly one- fight it out of their systems until they either stopped or it got dangerous. Sorcha finally cast one last spell, throwing Sirius against the wall, before turning to the others.
"Where are my children?" She asked, in a voice that was suddenly normal.
"Upstairs with Molly." Tonks replied.
"Thank you."
"Quiet in the halls!" Tonks warned as Sorcha walked towards the door and Lupin helped Sirius up.
"Your kids?!" Sirius yelled.
"Yes, stupid. My kids." She called back as she left the kitchen. Sirius scrambled up no longer pretending to be hurt and followed her.
"Those are your kids?"
"Yes! They are!" She hissed back at him as started ascending the stairs.
Sirius stared at her like she was crazy. She must be joking. She must be. She couldn't possibly have kids. This was probably one of those things she said when she was angry. She always did make strange claims when she was mad. Like the time she told him that she was going to drop out of school, because he told that she wouldn't pass her O.W.L.s. She was a drama queen, and he knew that the best way to handle these situations was to laugh it off like he'd always done in the past. He knew he should ignore her, but for some reason he couldn't explain, he didn't.
"Since when do you have kids?!" He blurted out.
Sorcha stopped climbing the stairs and just stood there for a moment before turning around. With how large her stomach was, she looked slightly unbalanced and like she would come tumbling down the stairs any moment. She was looking at him with utter disbelief as if he was the stupidest man on Earth, even stupider than she had already voiced. The look on her face, was what worried him, he knew what that look meant.
"Remember what Tonks said, don't-"
"Are you kidding me?!" She exclaimed, and gestured towards her stomach. "I THOUGHT WE ALREADY COVERED THIS!" She yelled as the curtains covering Walburga's portrait flew open and began it's bloodcurdling screams.
"FILTH!" It screamed as Sorcha marched up the stairs towards it, now distracted from Sirius. Tonks and Lupin rushed out of the kitchen, when they heard the screaming. "SCUM OF THE EARTH! BRINGING DISHONOR AND SHAME ON THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS! DESPICABLE CREATURES! MUDBL-"
"SHUT UP YOU DISGUSTING GHOUL! WHO PAINTED SOMETHING THIS UGLY ANYWAYS!" Sorcha started screaming at the portrait, not knowing what it was.
"DISGUSTING CREATURE IN MY HOUSE! STAINING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS!"
"DISGUSTING?! DISGUSTING?!" Sorcha screamed over Walburga. "I AM ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD! SIRIUS! COVER THIS GHOUL UP!"
"YOU DARE TO C-"
Soon enough the woman and the painting were yelling over each other, and nobody could understand what was being said. Lupin and Sirius were trying to pull the curtains over Walburga while she and Sorcha continued screaming at each other, and Tonks slipped on the stairs. Soon enough, the racket attracted the rest of Grimmauld place's residents and chaos once again reigned supreme.
On top of the screaming of Walburga and Sorcha, was Callidora's crying and the younger children screaming because they thought that the portrait was a monster. Tonks, Ginny and Hermione began ushering the children into rooms. Fred and George, deciding that this screaming match was hilarious tried egging it on, earning them smacks on the heads from Mrs. Weasley who recruited them to help stun the other pictures who were now all screaming. Tonks returned and told Harry and Ron to help with the kids while she helped stun the pictures and finally closed Walburga's curtains. The last thing anybody heard before the curtains closed, was Sorcha threatening to let her children color on the portraits with cursed markers, and spit all over the house.
"Wha-" Tonks and Sirius covered Sorcha's mouth before she could speak again and gestured to move into the drawing room. Once inside, she sat on the couch and looked at them until she was told that she could talk.
"What was that thing? I mean I know that the Black family has horrible taste, but seriously? Who has a life size picture of a ghoul?"
"Well first of all, that's not what a ghoul looks like." Sirius stated. Sorcha glared at him before turning to Lupin.
"Is that true Remus?"
"Yes. I'm afraid it is."
"Oh! That's new!" Sorcha said in a surprised tone.
"No it's not." Sirius replied while wondering how, at the age of thirty-two, she did not know this. She may look twenty and act sixteen, but he knew better, and so should she.
"Sooo, what was it, then?"
"My mother, and please try acting your age."
"That explains a lot." Sorcha replied, disregarding that last and glaring at Sirius, while Tonks and Remus braced themselves for another fight.
"Excuse me?" Sirius yelled, "What's that supposed to mean? What on Earth did I do to make you so damn hostile towards me? I may not have been the best boyfriend in the world, but I never treated you badly and I certainly didn't do anything to deserve being compared to that creature! What did I do to make you so damn angry?"
"We dated for three years, and you forgot my name."
"I'm gonna take her side on this one Sirius... Sorry." Tonks shrugged at him.
"Me too." Remus confessed, raising his hand.
"Oh, come on! It's been fourteen years most of which was spent in Azkaban! Give me a break!"
"No! You don't get a break, especially after everything that's happened because of you! Do you want to know the real reason why I'm mad at you? Do you want to know why my children and I are in your house? DO YOU?!" She screamed on the verge of tears.
" Actually, yes! I would like to know! I've been trying find that out for the past hour now! Why, are you and your children in my house? And why are you so fucking angry and acting like I did something wrong?!" Sirius shouted back at her.
"BECAUSE YOU DID DO SOMETHING WRONG! YOU SCREWED UP AND WRECKED EVERYTHING! AND NOW MY DAUGHTER AND HUSBAND ARE MISSING AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" She screamed at him before wiping the tears off her face and turning to Tonks. "Can you please take to my children now?"
"Yeah," Tonks said leading her to the door. "Remus, can you please do the explaining?"
"I'll try." Remus sighed as he turned to face Sirius who was staring at the door that the girls had just walked through. Sirius finally turned to look at his best friend who was fixing him with a weary look.
"What's going on Remus? Is she over reacting again or did something really happen?"
"Her husband and eldest daughter are currently missing."
"And?"
"And it might be your fault."
"How?"
Name Pronunciation
Callidora: Calla-dora
Sorcha: Sor-sha