I am so sorry about the lapse in updates... I got busy, got writers block, got over my writers block... then I started to write this chapter, and then it was accidentally deleted. Well, this chapter is long, so hopefully that's a consolation for not updating in over a month...
Oh, and there are some timeline changes in this. I'll explain below.
Bellatrix's birth year: 1953 = 31 years old at this point
Andromeda's birth year: 1956 = 29 years old at this point (she is just old enough to have twelve year old girls... well, wizards did get married and such early, so it works)
Narcissa's birth year: 1958 = 27 years old at this point
Sirius's birth year: 1959 = 26 years old at this point
(As at this point it is the end of the year in the story, I'm basing their ages off the next year, if that makes sense. Sirius would be 25 in 1984, but as it is almost 1985, he's 26, if that makes any sense whatsoever.)
This is so that I can have Sirius and Andromeda three years apart, as I'm making Sirius older than the rest of his class (Lily and James at least were born in 1960) because it is important for this chapter.
"Can we climb this mountain? I don't know. Higher now than ever before. I know we can make it if we take it slow. That's taking easy, easy now, watch it go. We're burning down the highway skyline on the back of a hurricane that started turning when you were young." ~ When You Were Young by the Killers.
Chapter 7: The Noble and Most Crazy House of Black
So many kids not too much older than I am say how much they hate their parents. Yet from the minute that I glimpsed my own, I knew that no such words would never come from my mouth.
Her smile. It was so much like Dora's smile. So much like my smile. I could see a woman in front of me who had gone through suffering. She had the same look that my Aunt had; she had the look of someone who never was completely happy, never completely satisfied.
The man in front of me had a mischievous look about him, as though he were once a prankster. Yet somehow, I could see that he too was never completely happy. But the twinkle in his eyes when he saw me was so much like the twinkle in Dora's eyes when she teases Charlie; the twinkle in my own eyes.
It took me a moment to realise that the smile on her face and the twinkle in his eyes were there because of my presence. It made me feel... special.
I smiled, wondering if my smile was as loving as my mother's, and whether my eyes were twinkling like my father's.
"Hello, Maggie," the woman said. "I'm Andromeda."
I felt as though something was clogging up my throat, because I couldn't speak. Thankfully, I could nod and smile. That seemed to be enough for now.
"And I'm Ted," the man said, the twinkle in his eyes still evident. Ted and Andromeda. It was hard to comprehend that they were my parents. In fact, it was hard to comprehend anything in that moment. I didn't know what to think or how to act. However, I had a strange feeling in my stomach. It was an elated feeling that felt like butterflies. I had never felt that feeling before. And I couldn't put a name to it.
In a way, I expected it to be a teary greeting, full of sentimental words. Yet this was better. They were acting naturally.
"Our home isn't too far from here, and our car is parked nearby. So we will be home in no time, and then there will be time for discussion," Andromeda said, sounding firm yet kind. Maybe she was worried that I would bombard her and Ted with questions. Little did she know, I had trouble even getting the word 'question' out of my mouth.
I looked at Dora, who smiled at me. Being with her seemed so natural; I couldn't believe I didn't realise we were twins the moment I set eyes on her. Then again, it didn't take me too long to realise it. If I think about it, the idea that we may be sisters came across more because of how close I felt to her, rather than our appearances.
The car was unlike the sleek black car that Uncle Lucius owned. Instead, this car was a pale blue and a little battered looking. I felt a weird feeling in my stomach. It was the same feeling I felt when I realised how lonely I really was at Malfoy Manor. And I realised that not even twenty-four hours after I settled in at Hogwarts. This car was just another example of how... cold my Aunt and Uncle were. Maybe it just took a bit of naturalism and love to see that.
"Sorry that it's a bit messy," Ted said, brushing a few crumbs off the backseat where I was about to sit. "I'm not exactly the cleanest person, so to speak," he added, his eyes twinkling again. I had a feeling that he knew the same could be said for me. Aunt Cissy tried to make me a tidier, more organised person, but on reflection, I realised that her efforts were for nothing. Ha.
The engine started with a low rumble, and then it began properly. The car smelt like peppermint and wood. It was an interesting scent.
"Have you ever listened to muggle music, Maggie?" Andromeda asked, turning around to look at me from the passenger seat. I shook my head.
"The only music I've listened to is Celestina Warbeck, because my Aunt loves her," I said, rolling my eyes. Well, that makes me seem rude, doesn't it?
To my surprise, Andromeda laughed. "Yes, well, Narcissa always liked her."
Don't think that I didn't notice how her tone became icy.
"Well, anyway," Ted said briskly, "we have a few albums here. Queen, Rolling Stones and KISS-"
"KISS," Dora said, perking up at the name.
"Nymphadora-" he began in a stern tone.
"Don't call me that!" she said indignantly. "You know I hate it!"
"Nymphadora," Andromeda said, her tone also stern, "let Maggie choose."
"Oh," I began. "I don't know any of those people, so Dora can choose."
"Thanks, Maggie," she said softly, holding her hand out for me to high five. I did so quietly and smiled to myself, as I saw Andromeda and Ted exchange looks. As each second went by, I started to feel more welcomed, more natural.
"I love this song," Dora said, sighing wistfully. It was a heavy sort of song that had a cool tune. I didn't know it, but it sure was a heck of a lot better than sappy old Celestina Warbeck.
"I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN' YOU BABY; YOU WERE MADE FOR LOVING ME!" Dora screeched out, and I covered my ears. Bloody heck, that sounded like a cat dying! Still, I don't think that I'm much better.
"Don't mind Dora, she's always like this," Andromeda stated, turning around to look at me and disregarding the fact that Dora was air-guitaring like a maniac. I was fighting back laughter. "She's always loved this song, even when she was very little," she continued, glancing at Dora and shaking her head bemusedly. "I think that we're all a little sick of it now."
I smiled. What I wouldn't I give to be sick of music like this? Heck, what I wouldn't I give to get sick of Dora's singing? I guess I'm trying to say that I want to be accepted into this family – my family – for all its weirdness and singing habits.
When the song was over, Dora didn't sing to any of the others. She stared out of the window, until she suddenly spoke up.
"Mum, why did you call me Nymphadora? And why did you call Maggie Magnolia?"
Andromeda turned around and looked at Dora. "I've always liked those names, Nymphadora. What's your problem with it?"
"I just don't like it," she said, rolling her eyes. "And neither does Maggie. They're so old fashioned. We're in the eighties, Mum! People have cool names like Kylie and Jane-"
"Dora," Ted said. "We've had this conversation a million times. Your names are different, which is a good thing. Do you have any idea how confusing it was to be called a common name like Ted?" he said, sounding exasperated. I've never liked my name, but I knew that it would seem really rude if I complained about it. Still, I didn't want to lie by saying that I loved being called Magnolia, so I didn't say a word. Which was fine, because Dora started singing to another song, so I was entertained.
I was both dreading and anticipating the end of the drive. I was sufficiently entertained, for one. And I didn't know what to say or how to act once I was in their house. Oh, and then all the questions. I didn't know what would be polite to ask, or what they would ask me. And if I even have an answer... that's a whole different story.
I felt the car turn and the crackle of gravel on the tyres. I knew that we were pulling into the driveway. My eyes immediately focused on the house.
I looked like one of those two-story homes I've read about in muggle stories: it had a glossy red door, whitewashed bricks and vines growing across the outer walls. I know that my Aunt and Uncle would say that it was too plain, too... muggle-like, but all I could see was a home that looked as though it was lived in; a home that looked like it was loved. It didn't matter that it was a little battered looking. But of course, my dearest Aunt and Uncle would say otherwise. I wonder what they would think if they knew I was here... actually, I don't really care. As long as they are angry and annoyed.
"We're home now," Ted said, opening his door. I opened my own door and stepped out, taking a deep breath. Upon looking around, I could see that we weren't in the countryside in the same sense that Malfoy Manor was, but we certainly weren't in the busy city, either. I guessed that we were on the outskirts of London.
"You'll be staying in the spare room, Maggie," Andromeda said, smiling kindly. "I've prepared the bed for you, and-"
"Mum," Dora interjected, putting her hands on her hips. "I thought we agreed on letting Maggie stay in my room!"
Ted chuckled and snorted at the same time. "What, so I can have two sugar hyped eleven-year-olds trash the house? No thank you."
I laughed and smiled at Ted.
"Considering the state of the house, if the girls trashed it, it wouldn't make a difference," Andromeda said, casting a stern look at Ted, who stopped looking so smug. Dora placed her hands on her hips and smiled triumphantly.
"So does that mean that Maggie and I can share a room?"
"No!" they said in unison. If this Christmas was going to be as good as today has been, then I could get used to living here.
Oh, wait.
They would let me live here, right?
Maybe I should think about that more once all the questions are out of the way.
Ted led the way through the glossy door and into the house.
I looked around. It was so much different to Malfoy Manor. There was light all throughout it, because there were thin curtains. It looked significantly smaller than the two places that I had been living in – Hogwarts and Malfoy Manor – but it made it feel more cosy and homely. The air smelt like cookies and some sort of burning incense, which added to the homely vibe. There was a short set of stairs that I assumed led up to the bedrooms, and a sliding door which gave way to a relatively large balcony.
"Dora will show you around, Maggie. If you need anything, just ask us," Andromeda said kindly, patting me lightly on the shoulder. I felt warm inside.
"Well, she's clearly the favourite daughter," Dora grumbled, eyes narrowed at her mother, but she winked at me slyly. I tried not to smirk as Andromeda told her off.
"Dora, you know that these are very special circumstances," she reminded her daughter, gently but firmly. She turned back to me as Dora rolled her eyes. "So after you have settled in and you feel up to talking, just tell us."
I noticed that her smile became rather fixed, and a slightly pained and worried expression was visible on her features.
"Thank you," was all I could say, before I was being dragged up the stairs by Dora.
"I thought that Mum might have let me have anything I wanted, since you are here and stuff. Parents are always nicer when there are visitors. But I guess that when the visitor is you, and you are their daughter, it doesn't count, right?"
"Yeah," I chuckled, as Dora opened the door to what was her room. I knew that it was her room, because there was a big poster on the door, saying 'Keep out, unless you want to be beheaded.'
"Violent much, Dora?" I said, raising an eyebrow at the poster. She grinned.
"My parents have these friends from the Ministry, and they have little kids who find it fun to trash all my stuff. Since I put that poster up, they've certainly stayed out."
"Sounds like a good idea," I said.
"It is, apart from the fact that those ministry snobs always give me dirty looks because of it. Oh well, it isn't as though my goal in life is to please them, right?"
I giggled as my eyes roamed across Dora's room. It was a lot messier than my room at Malfoy Manor, but it was also a lot more personalised. There were posters of muggle bands on the walls, and one of a wizard band called The Weird Sisters. I haven't really listened to The Weird Sisters, because my Aunt says that listening to them is 'unbecoming for a young lady.' Ha.
Her bed was made, but a little crinkly, and her desk was a complete mess of old quills, scrunched up parchment and pots of ink.
"I made Mum and Dad promise that they wouldn't clean anything up whilst I'm at Hogwarts," she explained. "Well, I know that Dad won't, but Mum is a bit of a neat freak. So if she gets up at you for leaving a speck of dirt on your bed, don't blame me."
"Ah, but you are forgetting that I am the visitor!" I said, smirking.
"But you are also my sister, their daughter. And I won't stand for my parents choosing favourites," she said, sticking her nose into the air. At least Dora was in a joking mood.
"Oh, right," she said, smacking herself on the forehead. "I'm meant to be your tour guide." She grabbed my arm and led me out of her room and down the hallway. She opened the first door on the right.
"This is your bedroom. It is probably the cleanest room in the house."
"I like it," I said, eying the bags that Ted must have put down before.
"Good, because although you are the visitor, I don't think that Mum and Dad will like it if you bunk with me. Honestly, it's as though they think that we'll blow up the house or something!"
"Of course we wouldn't," I said, smirking. "I mean, it isn't as though we both get hyped of sugar easily or anything. And we have never broken a rule or got on detention ever, right?"
"Actually," Dora began, looking thoughtful. "I've never been on detention."
"Seriously? I got on one with Charlie a few weeks ago. We may or may not have said that a Slytherin prefect looked like a troll with diabetes."
Dora laughed. "You clearly got the rebellious genes then. I want to be an Auror, so I can't really break too many rules. Y'know, every detention we get is put on record. One day, Filch dropped all his files and I helped him pick them up. They were detention files, from years ago. Do you know about Sirius Black?"
I was taken aback by the random question, but I nodded.
"Well, in his seven years at Hogwarts, he racked up over three thousand detentions. How is that even possible? Though I guess that considering he is a murderer, it makes sense."
"You know that my last name is Black, right? I probably am related to him."
Dora scoffed. "You know that if you are related to him, so am I. I doubt it. Black is a pretty common name, if you ask me. And it isn't even your real last name. You're a Tonks, remember?"
Yeah... but...
"My Aunt told me that Black was my mother's maiden name."
Dora's brown eyes widened and she looked slightly shocked, before she shook her head. "It's probably just a common name, like I said. We can ask them about it, if you like."
Perfect opportunity to ask all the questions that I need to.
"Alright," I said, taking a deep breath and running my fingers through my hair.
Ted and Andromeda were seated on a blue sofa, talking in hushed voices. They ceased when they spotted us, and I noted that Ted especially looked pained.
"Dora, Maggie," Andromeda said softly. "Why don't you two take a seat? We clearly have a lot to talk about."
I gulped and sat down, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in my stomach. Maybe it was just butterflies.
"Mum," Dora began, only looking a tad nervous. "We were wondering if you could tell us about Sirius Black? We know that he's a murderer, but..."
"Maggie," Andromeda interjected. "What do you know about Sirius Black?"
I swallowed and opened my mouth to speak. "Um, well, we have the same last name, and one of my friends was wondering if we were related. I didn't even know who he was until my friend told me he was a murderer."
"What do you know about the name Black?" Andromeda asked, brown eyes seeming to glow almost eerily. I had a feeling that she already knew the answer.
"I know that it is my Aunt's maiden name, and I know that it is yours."
Andromeda closed her eyes for a moment and nodded.
"Well, at least your Aunt didn't lie to you about that. And yes, I am related to Sirius Black, which means that you and Dora are too. I guess that's where this whole story of the Noble and Most Crazy House of Black begins, Maggie. Are you ready to hear it?"
As I'll ever be.
I nodded and locked eyes with Ted, who looked worried. I then looked back at Andromeda. Finally, I was going to get all the answers. Well, maybe not all. I would need my Aunt for that. But some answers are better than none.
"Okay," Ted said sharply. "But you have to promise that you won't get upset when you hear it."
I nodded, my feeling on unease growing. With my indication that I agreed to Ted's words, Andromeda began to speak.
"Before I married Ted, I was known as Andromeda Black. I was part of the 'Noble' Black Family. They were advocates of pureblood society, meaning that they believed that unless you were pure of blood, you were scum. I had two sisters. Bellatrix, my older sister, and Narcissa, my younger sister. They had no trouble in accepting how they were supposed to act, and the ideals of our family. But I always felt as though they were wrong, as though their beliefs were unfair. I was what one would consider to be a misbehaved child. I disobeyed my parents. I pranked them. I loathed them. Bellatrix used to reprimand me, but I could see that Narcissa was starting to see the reasons behind my behaviour.
"Now, I was eleven at the time. I used to get beat for everything I did wrong. I didn't want the same to happen to my little sister Cissy, so I stopped and tried to be a good little girl. But the damage was done, but not in the way that I thought. Narcissa didn't want to be around me anymore, because I made my mother 'unhappy'. So maybe I didn't influence Narcissa. But I'm sure that as an older sister, if I continued to act the way that I did, she would have followed my example. But anyway, that was the end of the close relationship I had with my little sister.
"At this point, I started growing close to a cousin of mine, Sirius Black. We lived in the same house, as the Blacks did in those days, but we never really crossed paths. The house was huge and we had a three-year age gap, after all. But as it turned out, Sirius had been watching me and the way I used to treat my parents. When he saw that I was starting to behave, he approached me and asked why. I said that I didn't want my little sister following my example. He said that it was nice of me, but he was going to start misbehaving for his parents, my Aunt and Uncle. I reminded him that he had a little brother, and maybe he would follow example. Sirius said that his little brother was too headstrong for that. And that is around the time when Sirius Black started to act the way that he was known for at Hogwarts. He started to rebel against his parents when he was eight.
"I was in my fourth year when Sirius started at Hogwarts. In some ways, he was so much more mature than his classmates were. He had gone through so many floggings and screaming matches at home, more than his classmates could ever dream of. Yet this didn't make him quiet and withdrawn. Instead, he was loud and outspoken. At Hogwarts, he never received punishments to the intensity that he did at home. This made him complacent. When he came home every summer, the beatings and word bashings were one hundred times worse than the punishments he received at Hogwarts ever were. But we grew closer as we got older. By the time he was in third year, and I was in sixth year, we were like brother and sister. I learned how to heal the wounds he received over the summer. He would help me with my Defence Against the Dark Arts homework. He was my best friend at Hogwarts.
"Then one day, Sirius got on detention for jinxing a Hufflepuff prefect. It was no different. But then I found out the reason as to why he jinxed him. Apparently, this Hufflepuff prefect was asking Sirius if he could introduce me to him. The Hufflepuff prefect was your father.
"I was intrigued, because what would a Hufflepuff want with a Slytherin? Yet, as it was with my family, I didn't fit into Slytherin house; I wasn't like them. I got to know Ted, and I found out that he was a muggleborn. I then faced a dilemma. I started to fall in love with Ted. For most, this wouldn't pose as a problem, but for a member of the 'prestigious' Black Family, it was. I told Sirius this, as he was the only one I could turn to. I had Narcissa, whom I once had a close relationship to, but she wouldn't understand. And besides, the closeness I had with her had long since ended. Maybe, if we were maintaining the same closeness we had when we were younger, maybe then I could have confided in her. Anyway, when I told Sirius, he told me to do what I wanted to do. And what I wanted was a relationship with Ted.
"In my final year of school, when we were both seventeen, Ted proposed to me. I said yes. That Christmas holiday, we eloped. When I finally told my parents, they disowned me. Sirius said that he was proud of me. He was banned from being around me, but, of course, he disregarded this. On my last day ever at Hogwarts, Sirius told me that one day he was going to do what I did. He was going to displease his parents so that they disowned him. Or he'd run away. I was the reason that Sirius had a brutal childhood; I didn't realise how powerful my actions and words were on him and the influence they had. I guess it is my own fault that he turned out how he did.
"Soon after we left Hogwarts, I discovered that I was pregnant. I was overjoyed at the prospect. When we found out that we were having twins, our happiness skyrocketed. I had never been so happy in my life. The day that you were both born was the happiest day of our lives. Sirius and his friend James came over during the summer of their fifth year. They played with you both, and marvelled over your colourful hair. It was good to see happiness come to my cousin, even during such darks times as they were back then."
Andromeda stopped talking for a moment and sniffed. Ted put his arm around her. I glanced at Dora, who looked shocked. I took it that Andromeda had never opened up about her childhood before.
I knew that soon in the tale, something bad would happen; the reason why I didn't grow up with my parents. But at the moment, the story seemed bittersweet. Sirius Black sounded like a brave man, yet I knew that he was a murderer, thanks to Charlie.
"I'll take it from here," Ted said, as Andromeda stared blankly ahead. He looked uneasy and worried, which was exactly how I felt.
"Now, as you both know, You-Know-Who was taking over Britain at that time. Your headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, formed an organisation called the Order of The Phoenix, which was dedicated to fighting evil. One night, when you were both around one year old, your mother went for a meeting, and I stayed at home to look after you both. I was asleep when I heard Dora crying. I woke up and walked into the bedroom, and saw Bellatrix - your mother's eldest sister - holding both of you. I did the first thing I thought of: I tried to choke her. Bellatrix was a Death Eater, and an evil one at that. She was You-Know-Who's most faithful servant." At this point, Ted's voice started to shake, and I knew that something bad was going to happen. "She shook me off and cursed Dora so that she had deep cuts all over her body. She was still holding you, Maggie, as she ran out of the bedroom. I didn't know what to do. Dora was so small, and the cuts were running deep, down to the bone. And Bellatrix had hold of Maggie. Either way, I had lost. I felt so horrible and worthless, believe me. I stayed with Dora and healed her, whilst Bellatrix ran off with Maggie."
There was a dead silence. It was broken by Andromeda's voice, which was nasally due to tears.
"We looked everywhere for you, Maggie. Never did we realise that for whatever reason, Narcissa was looking after you. There are so many questions that we have. And if there is anything you need to ask, just ask now."
So Ted chose Dora. I was kidnapped by a Death Eater. By my mother's sister. And I was raised by her other sister. I felt... abandoned. I was literally abandoned. By my own father. I felt tears well in my eyes, and all I felt like was sobbing. But that wouldn't do. I did have a question. For Andromeda.
"What happened to Sirius?"
She looked shocked that I didn't have a question about what happened (I couldn't bring myself to even think of it) but she answered. I needed a distraction, and I needed it fast.
"He helped me look for you, but I didn't realise that he was working for You-Know-Who. Now, Sirius's friend, James, had a son, who you have heard of. His name was Harry Potter. When You-Know-Who marked the Potters for death, Sirius was appointed as the Secret Keeper. He betrayed them to him, and James and Lily were killed. But not Harry. He vanquished the Dark Lord. Then, Sirius ran. After all, it wouldn't be long before he was found out. His friend, Peter Pettigrew, went after him, and Sirius... he killed him, along with twelve other muggles. And then he laughed as he was carted off to Azkaban. All because I corrupted him. Because I influenced him to rebel."
There was a numb silence. I heard Dora sniffle. There was an empty feeling in my chest. And there was another feeling too. One of anger. No – fury.
"Well, all's well that ends well, right?" I said, chuckling. "I mean, I'm alive, aren't I?"
"Maggie-"
I glared and cut Ted off. "Yeah, I suppose that's what you think. Look, Maggie is alive, it doesn't matter that she was kidnapped and raised by a bunch of pureblood maniacs, because she's alive! It doesn't matter that she never knew her parents or her sister, because now we're all happy and united!"
"Please, Maggie-"
I stood up and wiped the tears from my eyes. I was not going to cry. I couldn't.
I ran as fast as I could, past the living room and out to the front door. I opened it as quickly as I could, and ran. I heard Ted coming after me, calling out my name. I turned around and saw him, his eyes pleading for me to come back.
It was a split second choice, yet he knew that it would impact my future. Either way, Dora or I would have suffered. In a way, they are as bad as my Aunt and Uncle are. They never told my own sister that she had a sibling.
One thing is for certain. You don't need parents. I grew up without them, and I am fine. They don't need me, and I don't need them.
I wasn't the one who Ted chose.
And with that thought in mind, I spoke to him.
"Oh, are you going to come after me? Just a few years late, Ted."
