Chapter Seven
Delphi walked in silence beside her brother until they were only a couple of doors away from their compartment. Suddenly, Rabastan grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into an empty compartment, it held trunks and cloaks but there was no one inside.
He glared at his little sister, "What in the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" He demanded.
"Ugh," Delphi made a show of wiping the spittle from her face, "Keep your hair on, it wasn't my fault, he practically accosted me." She was careful not to meet her brother's eyes. Scared he wouldn't find the derision she hoped was at least in her voice.
"Well, it didn't look like you were desperate to get away from him,"
Delphi shifted her weight rolling her eyes, "Oh Rab, you're being-"
"Don't 'Oh, Rab,' me Delphi, I'm not being ridiculous. He is a blood traitor now! You need to get that through your head." He snarled.
Delphi did look up at that, glaring at her brother, "You think I some how missed that, do you? You don't think I haven't been trying all summer, to get that through my brain?!"
"Well, you haven't been doing a good enough job. He turned his back on his family. That is who he is. He would rather stand with mudbloods and filth than with his own blood, families that have worked together for generations. There isn't anything worse than that."
Delphi looked away from her brothers fury, "I know, father has made sure I know,"
Rabastan grabbed her right arm, "Well, I am not sure you do." She looked up at her brother, anger pulsing through her veins, "Stay away from him Delphi, this is the last warning. If you don't, I'll make sure he stays away for good." He growled.
Delphi felt her heart skip a beat, she wrenched her arm out of his vice like hold, she glared up at her brother, "I am not a child, Rabastan. I'm sixteen, I know what he did. I know what he left. I don't need you reminding me. So stop patronizing me. Worry about your own business perhaps, and leave my personal life well enough alone!"
He feigned confusion, shaking his head, "I don't have anything-"
Delphi scoffed, "I am sure you would just adore Narcissa to find out that-"
Rabastan stepped forward, his face darkening, "You wouldn't dare." He said to her quietly his eyes flashing dangerously.
"No, I wouldn't because I am your sister. In Prosapia Vos Fides. Or maybe you have forgotten. I can handle Sirius Black. Now leave it well enough alone, for god's sakes." She turned and left her brother in the compartment to head back to their friends, only to have him follow her seconds later, surly but quiet.
Sirius opened the compartment door more violently than he intended and found seven pairs of eyes all looking at him.
"Ah his ears must have been burning!" James bright voice burst out. Sirius looked at his best friend as he crossed the compartment easily.
James hugged Sirius jovially only to whisper crisply in his ear, "Whatever it was, shake it off." Then pulled back, the smiling, bright James once again.
Sirius smiled at his best friend, the person who knew him best, "Miss me that much? Awww, I'm touched!"
"Padfoot!" Peter leapt out of his seat. The only marauder Sirius hadn't managed to see yet on the trip.
"Wormtail," Sirius was relieved to see that Peter had cut his hair from last year, the imitation made him mind numbingly uncomfortable, "Survived the summer with the old battle axe, I see."
"Just barely mate, wish I had been with you and Prongs!"
Sirius smirked, "Next year lad, by then you may just be ready." James laughed, Remus rolled his eyes but Peter just looked offended. Sirius shook his head, the boy had the outter skin of a pufferpod. He threw an arm heavily around Peter's neck, "Just teasing mate. You know we wouldn't be us without you Wormtail. Think of how little fun we could get into." Sirius winked at the smaller boy, and Peter looked appeased.
Sirius scanned the comparment, aside from his friends it now housed, Dorcas Meadows, Marelene McKinnon, Alice Fortesque, and Lily Evans. Sirius was impressed James had managed to get her to stay, mind you her three friends looked perfectly happy to stay. Sirius had a new found respect for James persistence with Lily, he had never had that trouble with Delphi. The only girl he had ever really been interested in, she had always been interested right back... until now.
"I have got to ask, what is with the nicknames?" Alice asked looking from one of the boys to the other.
The boys all shared knowing looks, "Yeah," Dorcas added, "They are very odd... and slightly creepy." Sirius glanced over at the tall blonde. Dorcas never had much of imagination. For instance, she never did see the humour in Sirius bewitching her trade mark blonde hair to change into snakes everytime she sneezed. He smiled to himself, remembering the particularly good charm. Lucky for Sirius, she never figured out exactly who had done it.
"I dunno," Suddenly Marlene broke in, oggling at Remus, "I think they are kind of mysterious."
Sirius looked at James and pretended to vomit, James stifled a laugh and it came out a rather violent snort. Lily looked over at the three of them with distaste. God, she was a pain sometimes. Sirius rolled his eyes and walked over letting go of Peter to slouch into the seat between Remus and the window.
"Sorry, vault secret," Remus said smiling and blushing at Marlene.
"Oi! No one outside Gryffindor can know about those, so keep it quiet ladies," Peter said pointing at each of the girls.
"Can you all believe we only have two years left?" Alice said sitting up straighter, looking eager. "I mean, we are nearly done, it's gonna go by in a flash. Ugh, I don't think I am ready for the homework though."
"Yeah, two years, gone like that," Sirius said snapping his fingers glaring out the window.
James maneuvered down the crammed compartment to sit across from Sirius and right beside Lily, who shifted to try and avoid touching him, which was impossible since there were so many of them packed in there. James subtly kicked his friend's foot, to remind Sirius to keep it light. "I know, who would have thought we would all make it this far. I thought you were a goner for sure Evans," He said smiling at her, letting his arms rest on the back of the seats behind her.
Lily looked over her shoulder at James with a look of distaste, "I'm surprised they let you in at all."
"Now, now children," Dorceas reprimanded, "Can we please at least wait till the first day of classes is over before the drama all starts?"
"Seconded," Remus said, making himself busy pointing out something in their charms text book to Marlene who was sitting on his other side.
"Who is starting drama?" James asked innocently.
All the girls looked at him without missing a beat to reply in unison, "You."
He put his hands up, in mock surrender, when the door of the compartment rolled open to show Frank Longbottom standing in the door way. He smiled at everyone, "Hello you lot!" He said brightly. Alice was out of her seat the instant the door opened, when his eyes fell on his girlfriend of the past two years Frank's smile got even bigger and more foolish, making Sirius sink further into his seat "Hello beautiful,"
"I thought you would never be done in that meeting!" She pretended to scold as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Frank wrapped his arms around her waist and the others all discreetly looked away as they shared a kiss, "Well, I got caught up," Frank said eventually as Alice stepped beside him and he let his arm rest around her shoulder, her still beaming up at him. "Ted is still down the train talking to Andromeda Black. Took me longer than I care to admit to realise that I held no importance to their conversation," He said chuckling.
Dorcas looked up, "Ted Tonks? Was talking to Andromeda Black?" She said it like it was the most ludacris thing she had ever heard, "What on earth about?"
Frank shrugged, sitting down on the edge seat, Alice soon occupying his kness, "I dunno, their summer, catching up. Seemed very invested." Frank raised his eyebrows suggestively.
"Ugh," Dorcas scoffed.
Sirius looked up, "Sorry, what was that?" James shot him a look but Sirius ignored him.
Dorcas looked over a Sirius and just shrugged, "I'm just curious as to why Ted would resort to a Slytherin, let alone a -" She bite down on her last word, at the same time Alice reached over and smacked her friends arm, while Lily glared, and Marlene hissed, 'Dorcas!'
Sirius was willing to bet everything he had, which granted wasn't much now but still, he would bet it all that Dorcas had been about to say 'let alone a Black'. Which honestly he wasn't that upset about. He realised he had shared his name with five other students during his time at Hogwarts, and while Andromeda just kept to her friends and her house, the others had no problem making who they really were, well known. Bellatrix was practically a legend by the time Sirius got to school. Legend was the wrong word, more little a horror story to scare small children. So although he knew Andromeda was different from the rest of her family, Sirius realised that there was no way Dorcas could know that. He knew he was the anomaly of the Black family, it wasn't a wonder some of his school mates didn't think of him as a Black.
It was the Slytherin comment he noticed. His relationship with Delphi was not generally speaking public knowledge. It wasn't that they actively kept it a secret, they just weren't super public. It had never bother Sirius particularly. He knew Delphi was an introvert, she always had been. It just was who she was, she was so shy he was the first person she had ever spoken to outside her family, ever. She had been six. So most people didn't know Sirius had actually been dating a Slytherin.
'Is dating a Slytherin,' He mentally corrected. He wasn't giving up on Delphi yet.
Sirius sat up, his face darkening. He was ready to tear a strip off Dorcas for her blatant Slytherin prejudice. Which was ludacris especially considering he was not a fan of the house. He had begged the sorting hat to put him anywhere but Slytherin, and why Delphi was so happy to be there he couldn't understand. She had tried explaining it to him and he did try to understand but it reminded him far to much of his family. What Sirius really wanted to do was pick a fight.
However he never got the chance. Remus stretched, clocking Sirius on the back of his head with an elbow 'accidentally' on purpose. At the same time, James distracted everyone by saying boisterously, "So Frank, how devastated will you be when we win the Quidditch cup on your final year?"