18 December 1971
Aludra was lying prone in her bed, eyes open but unseeing. Her mother had decided to test out a new curse – it felt as if she was being whipped over and over again, and it took her mother more than an hour to become bored of her. Aludra knew without looking that there would be no marks to give away the pain she experienced.
Sirius was due home at any moment, Kreacher having gone to King's Cross to retrieve him, and Aludra was terrified of what his reaction was going to be upon seeing her. She had to look like a right mess, she couldn't remember the last time she'd bathed, never mind brushed her hair.
She was so caught up in her worries that Aludra didn't hear the pop of Kreacher's apparation, or the pounding of feet up the stairs, nor the thud of her bedroom door meeting the wall. She only noticed the presence of another person when a hand appeared on the side of her face, turning it to the side.
Sirius's face flooded her field of vision, and tears immediately sprung to her eyes.
"Oh, Lu." He whispered, pain bleeding into his voice, "What has she done to you? Why didn't you tell me?" Aludra whimpered, struggling to find her voice.
"Rus, I couldn't. You were so happy and free and I couldn't take that away from you." Her voice was barely audible, trembling as she fought to keep her eyes open. Sirius let out a breath that was dangerously close to being a sob, and brushed his sister's hair from her face.
"Aludra, if you had told me I – I could have done something! I could have told someone!" He forced out.
"You and I both know that nothing good would have come of that. They have too many connections, Rus." Her words were slurring together, but she didn't want to fall asleep again. She feared if she did her brother would have disappeared again.
"Sleep, Lu, I'll still be here, I swear. No one is going to take me from your side while I'm here." Sirius promised, practically reading her mind. He climbed into bed with her, careful not to jostle her after she let out a pained groan.
Aludra still didn't want to sleep, she wanted to savor every moment she had with her eldest brother. He was brave. He could protect her.
"Rus?" She whispered, nearly silent.
"Yeah, Lu?" He responded.
"Will you read to me?"
"Of course, Aludra. What do you want to hear?"
"Can you read Babbitty Rabbitty?"
"Whatever you want, sis."
"And then can you read from Fantastic Beasts?"
"Absolutely." He couldn't deny her anything, especially with her in the state she was in. "They both in the same place?"
"Yeah." He fumbled under her mattress without moving from his place on the bed, eventually withdrawing the two books. He cracked open the first, a small children's book, and slowly began to read, glancing down at his sister after every page. He was worried, he knew no healing spells. Aludra was at the mercy of their parents and that didn't ease his mind in the slightest.
Having reached the last page, Sirius looked down at her face again and found her eyes closed. He shut the book and shifted gently to place it on her night table. She grumbled at him, informing him that she was still very much awake. He heaved the large tomb embossed with Newt Scamander's name and wondered how Aludra had ended up with it in the first place.
"Hey, Lu?" He started.
"Uncle Alphard." She said in response, not even opening her eyes. Muttering a quick 'of course', he picked up reading where she had placed a gold ribbon as a bookmark. He found the pages filled with the descriptions of Kappas and Kelpies dull, but he knew this is what his sister loved the most. He stumbled over quite a few of the creature's names, and Aludra corrected him quietly each time.
Finishing the passage on Knarls, he looked at his sister to find her breathing even and body finally relaxed, except for her hands which were clenched tightly in his maroon shirt.
Sirius was incredibly angry with himself, with his brother, and with his parents. He couldn't bring himself to be mad at Aludra, she was the victim in all this. Before Hogwarts, only a small part of him believed that what their mother did was wrong. Now, having spent every day with James Potter, he could see that parents don't treat their children in this way. Even pureblood families didn't act like this, at least the good ones didn't.
He had to be strong for Aludra, she had less than two years until she would be free from their mother's claws as well. He dreaded next September, as both Regulus and himself would be on the Hogwarts Express while their little sister sat at home without anyone to check up on her. Their mother would have free reign to do as she pleased.
Sirius placed the gold ribbon back into the book, and set it next to the smaller one on the nightstand. He let his head fall back and was quickly drawn into a dreamless sleep.
Christmas break was not an easy time for Sirius Black. In his attempt to protect his sister he became his mother's spell target once again. He found himself going to bed bruised every night, but he was relieved that Aludra wasn't bearing the burden.
But the break was creeping to a close, and he feared what fate awaited his sister once he returned to school. He couldn't protect her in the way he wanted from Gryffindor tower, and Aludra explicitly forbid him to mention a word of the abuse she suffered to anyone at Hogwarts. While he knew she was right, their parents had too many connections to allow any sort of favorable resolution, he couldn't help but want to try anyway.
Hogwarts had become his safe haven, he wasn't afraid of being hurt when he made a mistake. He'd quickly found pleasure in winding up his professors, it gave him a rush of happiness knowing that even if he were caught in a prank the worst punishment given to him would be a handful of detentions or a deduction of a few house points.
Sirius wanted his sister to follow in his footsteps, to realize her potential was far greater than the House of Black would have her believe. He wanted her to be like him, he knew she was braver and stronger than he could ever dream of being.
However, he almost wished she would be what their parents wanted – a little pureblood princess who listened without question. It would be much easier on her, less pain and emotional struggle. He didn't want her to get hurt anymore, she was his little sister and he was supposed to protect her!
Knowing Aludra, she wouldn't take the easy route. She was the epitome of a Gryffindor; her bravery astounded him every time he saw her. Deep down, Sirius knew she was ready, she was already rebelling in a similar way that he had. Little things – clothing choices, speaking up when they would prefer your silence, answering questions honestly instead of parroting trained responses.
On the last day of break Sirius and Aludra spent hours just sitting together, soaking up each other's presence as much as possible. It would be six months before they would see the other again and they both were dreading it. The siblings knew the moment Sirius was on the train the dam would burst and Aludra would be in their mother's grasp once again.
"Hey, Lu?" Sirius said, finally breaking the silence between them.
"Yeah, Rus?" Aludra responded.
"I'm sorry for not writing you like I promised."
"I know, Rus. School is busy and it's only going to get busier. I'm not mad." She sighed. She did want him to write her, but she felt like she was burdening him when he should be enjoying himself.
"No, Lu. You're my sister and I need to make time for you one way or another. It wasn't even school work; it was messing about with my mates."
"It's okay, Rus. Really." She pushed, not accepting his words. "What have you told your mates about me, anyway?" Sirius finally smiled, albeit a small one.
"They all think you're awesome and they haven't even met you, Lu. They don't even know what you look like! I've told them about how you want to be a magizoologist and how you're definitely going to be sorted into Gryffindor like me. And how you practically idolize me, of course." He said, winking. Aludra whacked his upper arm jokingly, rolling her eyes.
"Did you tell them that you're wrapped around my little finger, too?"
"Pft, you wish, little sis." He rolled his eyes back at her.
"Whatever you say, Sirius. They'll see in a couple years when I'm on the train with you that I'm really the one in charge here." She grinned at him, dragging him over for a hug. They sat holding each other, her head on his chest, for longer than either would admit before getting up and slowly preparing for Sirius's departure.
"I'm going to miss you, Aludra." He whispered into her hair when he gave her a last hug goodbye.
"I'm going to miss you more, Rus." She mumbled back into his chest.
"Not possible." He pulled away, holding her at arm's length. "Be strong, okay? It'll be June before you know it."
"I hope so. Pay attention in class so you can teach me some stuff over the summer, okay? And tell James, Remus, and Peter that I said hello, yeah?"
"Course, Lu." Kreacher came into the room then, and nearly forced Sirius out of the house. "I love you!" He shouted before he could be swept away by the elf's magic.
"I love you more, Rus!" And then he was gone. She was alone again.
Summer 1972
Aludra was grateful that Sirius's first year had reached its end. She hated herself for hoping that he would take the brunt of their mother's wrath while he was home, but her mind wouldn't allow her to think any other way.
The moment he had arrived she realized that luck was not on her side. Walburga showed quite an amount of endurance in punishing both her children, managing to keep up with the level of abuse that she had shown during the school year. Orion was still usually nowhere to be found, spending most of his time outside of the home. Regulus kept to himself, usually remaining in his bedroom or the library, only appearing for meals.
Sirius tried his best to keep their mother's attention of himself, getting the brunt of her anger and frustration. He was unable to distract her from Aludra fully, but he felt it was his duty to at least attempt to protect his sister in any way he could.
Aludra was reveling in the relative peace of summer. She was dreading September, as both of her brothers would be leaving for Hogwarts, and she would be at the full mercy of their mother. She had to continue reminding herself that it was only a year, and she would be off to school soon enough.
Sirius captivated her with stories of his mischief at Hogwarts whenever they were alone. He told her of pranks he had pulled with his new friends, and how different life was when there was little to fear if a mistake was made. He told her of James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, and what classes they all excelled in. He told her of History of Magic and how he was one of the only ones who managed to stay awake, consuming all the material that the ghost of a professor spewed just so he could teach it to his little sister when he returned home.
And Sirius did teach her. He would pull out his textbooks and wand and show her the things he had learned. He showed her how to levitate a quill and read her passages on Uric the Oddball. He stole a needle from Kreacher's cupboard and transfigured it into a match and back again.
Aludra couldn't wait, and she almost wished she had been born a month earlier, though when she told her brother this he informed her that she almost certainly wouldn't have lived, she had already been quite premature.
The summer seemed to fly by, despite the continued abuse from their mother. August was soon upon them, and another trip to Diagon Alley was in order, this time mainly for Regulus. Orion failed to come along, so Regulus did his first year shopping with Walburga while Sirius and Aludra were sent off on their own with a handful of gold galleons and a time to meet back at Madam Malkin's.
Aludra ushered Sirius past Gambol and Japes to Flourish and Blotts to buy his textbooks. She was easily distracted by the magical creature section, and Sirius had to return the favor and force her away from the books and onto Eeylops to purchase some owl food and treats for her to keep at home for Electra. They easily completed their shopping; the second year supply list was much shorter than the first year's.
Having more than a two hours before their mother expected them, they decided to sneak off to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour to have a quick treat. Aludra was thrilled, she couldn't remember the last time she was able to eat something so sweet. Sirius watched her blissfully eating her ice cream, glad she got to enjoy herself before he would have to leave her behind.
He vowed to himself that he would check in on his little sister often, he was terrified of what their mother was going to do to her when they were alone with no one to stop the abuse. At least during the previous year Regulus had been around to subdue their mother at some points, but this year Aludra was going to have to face Walburga head on.
He was drawn from his thoughts when Aludra's spoon clanked in her dish, his sister licking her lips of the remaining dessert. He smiled at her as she stretched her arms above her head.
"Hey Rus, can we head back to Flourish and Blotts? I want to see what they have in the magical creature section, maybe I can sneak a couple books with the money we have left over, mother won't suspect anything if we put them in with your textbooks." She began rambling on about how there was a new book on aquatic beasts she had seen as they stood and began walking toward the shop.
"Lu?" He raised an eyebrow at her as she nearly walked past the bookstore, only halting when she realized that her brother wasn't beside her.
"Oh, whoops!" Aludra shrugged, opening the shop door and announcing their presence with a ringing bell.
"Are you okay, Lu? You don't usually get lost in your head like that." He questioned, concerned.
"I'm fine, Rus, just getting a bit tired is all." She explained, looking everywhere but Sirius's face. He stepped in between her and the books, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"I know you're not fine, Aludra. It's okay to be sad or scared that me and Reg are leaving, you know." She sighed, her shoulders slumping from their false bravado.
"I'm terrified, Sirius, not scared. You both get to leave for months and I'm not going to see you and there will be no one to check on me to make sure I'm okay and-"
"I'll make sure you're okay, Lu. I'll write you twice a week and if you don't respond I'm going straight to Dumbledore, I swear. He can help you, really!" Aludra's eyes widened.
"No!" She blurted, "Sirius you can't. We've talked about this, there's nothing anyone can do, mother has too many friends in high places. It's just a year, right?" Sirius shook his head, knowing she was still right.
"If it gets bad I'm telling someone, Lu. I can't sit by and let you be killed by our own mother!"
"Sirius, can I just look at the books, I don't want to talk about this." Sirius stepped aside, defeated. How his sister went from a rambling, nervous mess to a dignified, straight-backed girl was lost to him. He watched as she perused the never ending shelves, looking for the perfect books.
He eventually wandered a little ways away, looking at charms books that detailed pranks and jokes to play on one's friends. He kept Aludra in his line of sight, as she was in her own little world and completely ignorant of the people around her. She pulled book after book of the shelves, replacing all but four of them. She looked around, finally realizing that her brother wasn't next to her.
Sirius raised his hand, waving it above his head to catch her attention. Suddenly he was attacked from behind, a heavy force throwing him forward. Aludra's eyes widened in alarm as she quickly wove her way over to her brother.
"Sirius!" A familiar voice shouted, "I didn't know you'd be here! Why haven't you responded to my owls all summer? What have you been up to?" Aludra vaguely recognized the messy haired boy that was excitedly hugging Sirius, and she approached them just as the boy let him go.
"James! How are you?" Ignoring all the questions, "This is my little sister Aludra, I've told you about her loads." He grabbed Aludra and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she struggled not to drop the four large books held in her arms.
"Oh, hello, Aludra." James greeted much calmer than how he'd greeted her brother. "He has told me a lot about you. All good things, of course." He grabbed two of the books that she was holding, Sirius taking the other two from her hands.
"Are you excited to go back to school?" She asked innocently after quietly thanking the both of them.
"Am I excited?" He nearly shouted, "I'm thrilled! We get to try out for Quidditch this year! No doubt me and Sirius here will make the team together! My parents already bought me a Nimbus 1001, it'll be the fastest broom on the team!" Aludra was quickly tiring of James's energetic chatter, though she did raise an eyebrow in Sirius's direction at the mention of him trying out for the Gryffindor House Quidditch team.
"I didn't know you were trying out for Quidditch, Rus." She stated.
"Erm, well, I guess it never seemed too important." He shrugged, feigning innocence. "I probably won't make the team anyway."
"You kidding, Sirius? We practiced whenever we had a chance last year, of course you'll make the team!" James said, confused.
"I'm sure you'll both make the team." Aludra placated, "What positions are you trying out for?"
"I'm going for chaser, and your brother is going for beater. We'll get it, for sure." He stated cockily, and Aludra just nodded. She glanced at the large clock that was hung above the register, and started at the time.
"Sirius! We have to meet mother in five minutes!" She shrieked, and Sirius's eyes widened in a way that would have been comical if not for the panic seeping into her being. He floundered for the books in James's hands and rushed towards the register, thankful there happened to be no line, the cashier leaning against the counter sleepily. He easily tossed her the money for the books and nearly ran to the door, snagging Aludra's arm on his way past.
"I'll see you on the train, James! We have to go before mother gets pissed!" James shouted his goodbyes as the siblings ran to Madam Malkin's, tightly holding their bags to avoid dropping them. Their mother was standing outside the shop, her arms crossed and her face showing just how angry she was.
"You two little imbeciles, how hard is it to keep track of the time! You're in for it when we return home, mark my words." She barked, Aludra looking to the ground while Sirius raised his chin defiantly.
Walburga glared at her son, daring him to cross her. He opened his mouth to speak, stopping himself only when Aludra grabbed his hand, squeezing it, silently begging him to keep his words to himself.
"I thought so. Now you will both wait here while I tend to your brother. If you so much as move an inch your punishment will include no meals for a week, understood?" The siblings muttered affirmatively under their breaths as they continued grasping each other's hand.
Sirius only listened as he knew his behavior would affect his sister as well, so they both stood stock still until Regulus and Walburga emerged from the clothing shop.
Walburga hurried them along to the Leaky Cauldron to access the floo, considering apparation was out of the question with all three of her children with her. She went home first, assuming the three would follow behind her. Regulus turned to his siblings before climbing in the fireplace, his face drawn tight.
"Please behave tonight, I don't want mother to be in a foul mood. At least a fouler one than she is in now." He stressed, throwing the floo powder and disappearing before the two could respond.
"Smarmy git." Sirius muttered as Aludra stepped into the fireplace after Regulus. She rolled her eyes at him and quickly flooed home, not wanting to listen to Sirius complain about their brother yet again.
As she arrived home, the first thing Aludra noticed was Orion seated on the sofa in the sitting room. She lit up, excited to see her father for the first time all summer.
"Father!" She exclaimed, as he stood to greet her.
"Hello, Aludra. Have you been well?" He asked formally. She nodded, standing straighter than she had when she had first exited the fireplace.
"I have, father. And you?" She asked back, just as the fireplace roared to life behind her and Sirius stepped out. Orion's face soured, not at all happy to see his eldest son.
"Sirius. Your mother wants you to head straight to your bedroom; she will retrieve you when she is ready to deal your punishment for your behavior." He stated, showing no emotion. Sirius sneered at his father and took the bags that Aludra had dropped upon seeing Orion, walking out of the room. His steps thundered up the stairs, and a door slammed moments later.
"Father, I've missed you." She admitted, looking up at him. He gave her a small smile, having missed her as well. "Will you be around more once Regulus and Sirius head off to school? I fear I will be quite lonely once they've left."
"I don't know, Aludra. I can schedule you more tutoring sessions in the meantime; I'm sure it'll keep you quite busy and out of trouble." He said knowingly. He knew what his wife was like with their children, and while he wished he could step in he knew that it would only make her temper worse.
"I know this is a lot to ask, but can I study magical creatures this year, father? I really find them interesting! I promise I'll write as much as Master Crane demands of me on the subject." She begged, wanting desperately to spend time on her favorite subject. He pondered this briefly before responding.
"I'll tell Master Crane to add it into your schedule. I expect you to spend twice as much time on your more important studies over this, but I suppose I can allow it. Let's not tell your mother of this, alright?" He advised, clearly not leaving it up to debate.
"I won't father, I swear it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She chirped, her father chuckling at her excitement. He was never able to deny his daughter anything she asked for, despite his quite strict persona.
"You should head up to your bedroom to prepare for dinner, I'm going to have a word with your mother about this punishment of yours. Go on." He urged, stepping out of the room and heading toward his office. She stumbled her way up the stairs, happy she was able to see her father. On her way past Sirius's room she poked her head in to see him seated on his bed flipping through one of his new textbooks.
"Hey, Rus." She said from the door. His head flew up, his expression only relaxing when he saw who was at the door.
"Hey, Lu." He responded solemnly. Her face scrunched in confusion.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"I don't know what mother is going to do to us, Lu. I should have just kept my head down, I should have had us go straight to Madam Malkin's from Florlean Fortescue's. I can't believe I managed to get both of us punished." He moaned, his eyes wide with fear. Aludra shook her head at him.
"Father went to speak with her, I think he's going to try and talk her out of punishing me, at least." She confided, unhappy that she wasn't able to say he would be off the hook as well.
"Good." He stated. "I hate that you get in trouble for my mistakes, at least father is on your side. I can handle mother, Lu. Really, I'll be fine." He assured her. She conceded, knowing it was a losing battle to convince him otherwise. She gestured to his wardrobe.
"You should prepare for dinner, Rus. Mother will be furious if you aren't ready when she calls. Try not to make this worse, yeah?" She pushed as she started out the door, not waiting for his response. She went to her own bedroom and shut the door. Dinner was a formal affair in the Black household, no matter who was present.
It took Aludra almost no time to get ready; she dressed in a simple black skirt and navy blouse, wearing no jewelry other than the gold dragon claw necklace that she hadn't been seen without since the previous September. Slipping on her black Mary Jane's she left her room once again, starting down the stairs to the dining room. It was better for her to be early for dinner, especially with the mood her mother was in.
Aludra hoped the remainder of the summer would pass easily. She hoped her father would be home more after the boys left for school. And she hoped most of all that the next year would go quickly, as she didn't know how much more time in The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black she could handle.
Merry Christmas (Eve) to those who celebrate it!