Baby
Aunty Walburga's house always fascinated me. So much smaller than ours but much more interesting. It was full of Black family memorabilia. And the best thing was the tapestry.
As soon as we entered Grimauld Place I dragged Dromeda towards it.
I loved to see my name there. In gold thread.
Narcissa Black.
Joined to my sisters, my parents, my ancestors, my blood.
But our names weren't the reason we were here. It was the newest name to adorn the tapestry that had drawn us to this house that warm August morning.
Regulus Black.
My new cousin.
"Cissy, do you want to see the baby or not?"
Dragging my eyes from the tapestry I took the hand Mummy held out to me.
Dromeda looked a bit put out at me abandoning her but oh well.
We climbed the dark staircase past those creepy house-elf heads. It gave me shivers up my spine just to look at their dead unfocused eyes. Not that live one was much better.
"Follow Kreacher Miss Druella. Kreacher will show the new babe to Miss and the little Misses. Mistress is most pleased at your visit..."
Urgh! Why doesn't he shut up!
Wrinkling my nose I leaned as far away from the disgusting little creature as I could. Why Aunty Walburga kept him I don't know. Then again he was the only house-elf she had.
Daddy had been more important as the first born so he got the mansion with the dozens of house-elves. Aunty Walburga got Grimauld place and Kreacher.
I was as grateful as I could be to finally reach the bedroom. Kreacher bowed and left (Finally)as Mummy gave our present for the new baby to Aunty Walburga who lay in the king-sized bed in the middle of the room.
It was light and airy there, despite the heavy furniture. At the foot of the bed was a cradle I recognised. It had been ours, given to Aunty when baby Sirius was born.
A new baby lay in it now. All I could see was a black tuft of hair. Careful not to make a sound I leant over the edge and stared.
Well now, wasn't he sweet!
He looked like one of my dolls he was that small! Very like Sirius. His little chest moved up and down in rhythm that had me captured in seconds. I wanted nothing more than to pick him up and snuggle him for hours.
"Pass him to me Druella."
Aunty always talked as if she owned the world. Which in a way, she thought she did.
Mummy gently lifted the little bundle to carry him over as I watched jealously. On moving he stirred and opened his eyes.
"Mummy Mummy, the baby has blue eyes like me, but darker! Look Mummy!"
Aunty Walburga now sat up and glared at me from her throne like bed.
"Don't be ridiculous girl! My son does not have Rosier eyes! He is a Black! His eyes are grey!"
"But Walburga," Mummy interceded smoothly, "All new borns have blue eyes. Look."
She all but snatched him from Mummy's arms provoking a little whimper from him.
"They'll turn grey?" she demanded.
"Well, they'll turn a different colour, we can't say for definite... I mean Cissy's just turned lighter and Andromeda's turned brown, so..."
"They'll turn grey."
The finality in her tone effectively ended the conversation.
BOOM
The noise of the bedroom door slamming open turned little Regulus's whimmers to full blown wails, as my other little cousin burst through it.
"SIRIUS!" Aunty Walburga shrieked (making the baby cry harder), as the door slammer scurried to my Mummy and buried his face in her skirt trying to look invisible. All I could see of him was a tuft of black hair. Just like his brother who lay in his Mother's arms.
"Look what you've done! You made the baby cry!Are you stupid? A thousand times I told you to be silent! Why won't you do what you're told. LOOK AT ME!"
She grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look at her.
"Your Father will hear about this, now get out of my sight."
A swift backhander sent little Sirius sprawling. There were crescent shaped indents on his face. Nail marks! Sobbing he ran out again. I felt a bit like crying too.
"Walburga! Must you be so harsh? He's just a child! Little more than a baby himself! I ..."
"I don't lecture you on how to raise your children Druella!" she all but hissed. "Don't lecture me on how to raise mine!
"Besides," she continued in a smug superior voice, "Boys are different to girls. Though you wouldn't understand of course."
Mummy looked as if she had been slapped.
I didn't understand why. Of course boys were different. They looked different. Even I knew that. So of course Mummy knew that. Aunty Walburga must have known that Mummy knew that. So why ask her?
"Girls, we have to go. We don't want to tire your Aunt. Bella come on!"
What! Why did we have to leave? Were Aunty and Mummy fighting now? Why?
While she tried to shepherd us out, Bella stayed where she was.
"Come on Bella!"
"But Siri's present. You said I could give it to him."
"You can give it to him another time, now come on!"
"I want to give it to him now!"
"Don't be stubborn!"
"Give it to me Bellatrix. I'll make sure he gets it."
Aunty looked like a shark when she said this, teeth bared in a smile.
"I want to give it to him Aunty." Bella replied narrowing her eyes.
Id've never talked to Aunty Walburga like that, Id've been too scared to. But Bella was brave. And Bella was Aunty's favourite so she could get away with it.
She only glared at Bella for a few seconds then threw herself onto her pillows sulking.
"You know where his room is."
"We'll wait downstairs," Mummy murmured as Bella left parcel, in hand.
We followed Kreacher back down (So glad you could visit Miss, it will be of great comfort to Mistress, in these early days. Kreacher hopes you will come again soon...)
It didn't take Bella long to join us, and then we were off home.
I wasn't sure about this new addition to our family. The fight seemed to be about him, and I didn't know why! But that wasn't his fault surely.
I think I liked him.
