Once A Marauder

Chapter Nine

"Ma?" Finley said, tiredly, as Dorea went to leave her room. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, darling. Anything." Dorea sat down in the chair she had placed next to the bed. She smiled at the girl and placed her worn, slightly wrinkled hand over Finley's small, delicate one.

"Sirius won't talk to me about what happened with his mum." Finley sighed. "Why? I know him well enough to know that he may have said he told us everything, but he didn't."

"Yes, I know him well enough, too. And I know Walburga, also. I know he's not telling the whole story. But you have to understand, dear, that Walburga and our family has always been a sore spot for him to talk about. He puts up a front and says everything is okay, but deep down, we all know it isn't."

"How is it that two people can come from the same family and have such different views? On everything?" Finley picked up her glass of water, sat up straight, and took a drink.

"Are you still talking about Walburga and I? Or your father and aunt?"

"Well... Both, I guess. My dad and aunt are siblings. And my aunt is so far from how my father and grandparents are. For Merlin's sake, my dad married a Muggle."

"Let me tell you a story. Is that okay?" Finley nodded and Dorea continued. "Growing up, I was a bit like Sirius. Very against the beliefs of the Black family. The quite literal Black 'black sheep', if you will. Well, as much of a black sheep as one can be being a Black and getting sorted into Slytherin on her first day at Hogwarts."

"You were in Slytherin?" Finley said in disbelief.

"Oh, yes. And I hated every minute of it. To me, being sorted into Slytherin, despite what I thought I believed at the time, I just knew that it meant I was going to end up like the rest of my family. My parents were ecstatic, of course. I loathed how happy they were. Walburga was very smug about the whole thing. I may have been 5 years her senior, but she told me every chance she got, before Hogwarts and expecially after the sorting, that I needed to get my head out of my arse and stop trying to fight being a Black. That inevitabley, I would turn out just like the rest of them. Well, being a Black meant that practically the second you were born, in order to keep the 'Pureblood' going, you were, in a way, arranged to be married to a cousin close in age to you. Didn't matter if they were a first cousin, second cousin, or a third cousin twice removed. As long as they weren't 'dirty', you were going to marry them, unless you met some one worthy, of course. I was arranged to marry some cousin, who I'd never met and can't even remember his name now. You know that Sirius' mother and father are second cousins? Just let that sink in a minute."

"So, that makes them third cousins to Sirius and Regulus?" Finley furrowed her brow in thought.

"Second cousins once removed, to be exact. Sirius and Regulus are third cousins, though." Dorea chuckled at the look on Finley's face. "You can see why I didn't want any part of that."

"Ma, if I may be a little bold... Your family is fucked up."

"Well, yes. For lack of a better word, they are pretty fucked up." Dorea smiled at the look Finley gave her for saying the f-word. "Don't tell Charlus I said that. I'll deny it. But let me continue. I may have hated being in Slytherin, but I loved being at Hogwarts and tried my very best at everything. I was made Prefect my 5th year, and you know that being a Prefect means mingling with other Prefects from all of the Houses. The first two months my rounds were with the male Slytherin Prefect. Greengrass, I believe his name was. He was absolutely horrid. So into himself and pompous. He made my toes curl. After the first couple months of getting used to Prefect rounds and the like, we were made partners with a Prefect of the opposite gender from a different House. I was so worried I'd be paired with a Gryffindor. And, of course, I was. But Merlin, he was the most attractive man I had ever laid eyes on. He was a 6th year, and I was afraid he'd hate me for the simple fact that I was a Slytherin. But he was as nice and polite as anyone could be. He shook my hand and made polite conversation. We had a lot in common, I came to find out. And three months into our rounds together, I knew I wanted to marry him. We weren't even dating, but I knew that I wanted to spend every waking moment with him."

Finley smiled broadly. "Charlus." She said, quietly. "You were paired with Pop."

Dorea smiled fondly at the memories. "More than I knew at the time. But I knew that, even though the Potter's were Pureblood, they were considered blood traitors by my family and there was no way I could tell them. Especially after we started going steady. So, I lied and told them I was dating that horrible Greengrass boy. And I kept the charade up til Christmas holidays my 7th year. My parents decided that they finally needed to meet him, since we had been dating for so long and I had to tell them. I told them everything, just as my mother was sitting down to write a letter to the Greengrass family. Luckily, since he was a Pureblood, I wasn't disowned. But after I graduated and we got married, I barely spoke to them. Since James was born, we spoken a bit more, but still not what family should."

"I don't mean to sound rude, Ma, because I loved hearing about it but what does this have to do with Sirius?"

"To make you understand how the Black's work. They are heartless people who believe that your blood is what makes you and Sirius is the complete opposite. So, talking about it isn't always easy. If you give him time, it might get easier for him to talk about. But I probably wouldn't count on it." Dorea stood up and smiled. "Now, you get some rest, dear. And I'll be up to check on you later." She started for the door, but Finley stopped her.

"Ma... I didn't tell them what I saw. If I tell you, will you not say anything?"

"Cross my heart."

"I saw Voldemort... Killing somebody. Well, two people. And then, trying to kill their baby. I don't know who it was, and I could tell it won't happen for a few years. But if I didn't know the people he was killing, why would I have seen it?"

"Maybe you're supposed to help. Maybe you're supposed to save a life or two. Get some rest, love." With that, Dorea smiled and closed the door behind her.

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