New Years

It was a dark tower that pierced the skyline of Diagon Alley. It was hidden from the Muggle world. In the moonlight it glowed crimson red. It was of gothic design, it resembled a single cathedral tower, with stain glass windows.

This was the Stirling Tower. Only the ground floor welcomed guests, all the other levels were restricted except to members of the Stirling family. Blood was important. Blood was strength.

She had to sell many of her possessions and the possessions she stole from others to help buy her and Ascanius's way back into their family. It was disgusting what money could do; she didn't want to believe it would work. She thought her family, who never missed an opportunity to boast about its integrity, would refuse gold for forgiveness.

But the doors to the Stirling Tower were opened to her once again.

I never attended parties for fun. They had to have a purpose. Either they were great for networking or I needed to be seen attending them. Or they were Regulus's birthdays. That sounds pathetic.

Sirius and his group were having a New Years party at Peter Pettigrew's house. His father was a tax collector and his mother a seamstress, so I wasn't expecting much when I arrived via the Knight Bus at Sussex. I don't know what I was expecting. I just needed something to distract me, because things were getting out of hand in my other life.

I followed a group of giggling girls out of the bus; I recognized them as fifth-year Gryffindors. I grimaced, thinking that everyone at the party was going to be from Gryffindor. It was a party thrown by the worse Gryffindors of them all. I had no one else to blame but myself for ending up here.

They were watching the Quidditch match, despite how much she hated being there. Slytherin surrounded them and they were the only two who didn't sway with the rest of sea of green and silver. They were talking. Actually he was speaking to her. "Master Cronos died three nights ago," he told her. "Uncle Eros is next in power and he is sympathetic to us."

"He's not sympathetic to us, he's sympathetic to coins," she grumbled. Their grandfather had died too soon for them to beg him for their place back in the family. And now an uncle was dead too. She thought it odd. But she also felt like with every passing day her family was less and less her concern.

"Eros is willing to take you as his apprentice, if you manage to impress him come December," Ascanius continued. "He has not forgotten the potential you've shown as a crafter."

"Yes it must come in high contrast compared to his sons," Leandra snapped. "I can't believe it's come down to money. Does father know of this? Does he know his membership to the Stirling clan can be renewed by coughing up a few Galleons?"

"That man is left to the dogs and his Mudblood whore," Ascanius said harshly. "You'll do good to forget both of them." She looked away from her brother, her heart pounding. As if things couldn't get worse, her eyes found Regulus in the sky. He was searching the skies for the Snitch, he's poised like a hawk. She never could imagine what it was like for him when he played Quidditch. "That brings me to another point," Ascanius said slowly, "It's important that you begin thinking of your future.

"I' always think about my future," she retorted. She noticed that Ascanius's gaze had followed hers.

"It's time you think about your future in terms of the bigger picture, sister." She waited for him to continue. He kept watching Regulus with an eager expression. "You need to stay close to the right people."

She did not respond.

"We're tarnished, we have nothing to our name and our blood is tainted." She didn't want to speak of blood anymore! "But you have to trust me, I am working towards redeeming us both."

Of course he believed once the Dark Lord forgives us and we were branded with his mark, all our problems would disappear! But I knew that even the Dark Lord couldn't restore our broken home. He couldn't make me believe in my parents again. I had so looked up to them growing up. And they betrayed me and what's more, they haven't even tried contacting me since I left for Hogwarts!

They weren't even fighting to get me back!

The girls in front of me knocked on the door and I heard Pettigrew's timid voice invite them in, then I stepped up. He nearly closed the door on my face. He was shocked to see me. He couldn't even hide it. His mouth hung wide open. His little watery eyes bulged. "Leandra!" he gasped. I sighed. This had been a mistake. "No one thought you were going to show!"

"Well you people did invite me," I reminded him starkly. I had attempted to dress up for this party. I wasn't wearing my glasses and I used a hair potion to make my hair nice and sleek, but while I was waiting for the Knight Bus a soft rain shower ruined it. Now my hair was knotted and frizzy. Water is the only thing that ruins a magical hair potion.

"Yeah but we invite McGonagall every year, and she never shows up," Pettigrew explained, finally moving aside to let me in.

"Blimey Stirling!" James Potter roared over the music and crowd of students. I noticed how crowded Pettigrew's little cottage was. There were already many things lying broken on the floor and a lot of the refreshments were split. I felt sorry for Pettigrew who was probably going to be left with the mess. "Stirling is it really you?"

"Yes," I tried not to grin. Pettigrew took my cloak and threw it in the corner with the rest of them. I shuddered at the thought of my cloak mingling with all the others on the floor. Thankfully it hadn't been my favorite cloak.

"Padfoot! Oi! Look who's here!" James shouted towards the kitchen. Sirius appeared with his own bottle of Firewhiskey in hand. Lupin followed him with a Butterbeer. I meekly waved at them.

"You know that means you owe Wormtail ten Galleons," Lupin told Sirius. They laughed.

"That's right!" Pettigrew seemed to have remembered. I never understood their strange nicknames for each other. He held his hands out for the money. Sirius rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Not here you dolt," he snapped. Then he turned a grin at me. "We had a bet you wouldn't show, Peter was the only one stupid enough to wage you would come."

"Obviously Peter isn't the stupid one this time," I said. Pettigrew looked very proud of himself.

"Nah, don't let him fool you. I spent almost an hour trying to convince him to bet against me," Sirius explained. "He wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"Why did you invite me then?" I really wished I hadn't come. This was very awkward. This had been a joke for them, why hadn't I seen that?

"Because we wanted you to come," Lupin said quickly. I didn't believe it for a minute.

"I wanted you to come," Sirius placed his arm over my shoulder. He had his wand out and he drew me a glass. "But you have to admit, the chances of you actually coming were pretty slim," he said, very close to my ear, "Birchwood doesn't even show up!"

I barely heard him, my senses were overcome at his lips so close to my ear. I just stood there as he poured me some Firewhiskey.

"Evans said she'd come this time," Potter blurted out. We still had an hour and a half to New Years. He was clearly panicking.

The music was getting louder and a group of Quidditch players were jumping around, pushing and shoving each other. Something shattered, it sounded like china. Pettigrew squeaked and ran in to investigate. Lupin reluctantly put down his own drink to help. Sirius and Potter however exchange cheeky grins before rushing into the heart of the mosh pit.

Someone knocked on the door, and I was the only one close enough to hear it. Awkwardly I took up the job of doorman. "Leandra! Wow, you're here!" Lily greeted me. Pettigrew could have made fortune if he bet more that night, apparently no one doubted I'd be a no-show.

She was trying to calm down. She was pacing within the clock tower. Ascanius was gone, in his short visit he had managed to ruin her sanity even more. How could he suggest that she go crawling back to her former friends? He told she should be nice to the Carrows even! And Regulus…

"I'm not going back to them," she told her brother as she walked him to Hogsmeade. "You don't understand! I'll look like a fool, and I'm not about to lose my last shred of dignity for them!"

"The Carrows, the Blacks… these families are the pillars of our society and we must work hard to prove ourselves to them."

"Listen to yourself Ascanius, you speak like a House-elf!"

Ascanius didn't take kindly to that. Leandra unconsciously felt at the side of her face that still stung from Ascanius's slap. At least he was gone. While she enjoyed going to school, she never thought of Hogwarts as a sanctuary, but now she did.

I couldn't shadow Lily for long. She was too popular. The majority of the guests were from Gryffindor. There were a lot from Hufflepuff and a scattered few from Ravenclaw (mostly Ravenclaw girls). I was clearly the only Slytherin. This didn't make me feel special in a good way.

Sirius and the others were busy entertaining. They made being popular look so effortless. I thought about my own reign in Slytherin, how difficult it had been to keep people interested in me. I wasn't a laugh riot like the 'Marauders' nor was I charming and pleasant like Lily. Then again I never went for that approach, I started from the very beginning as a domineering, witty and arrogant bitch.

All that hard work at creating myself was gone in a heartbeat. Who am I now? And why did Sirius insist on keeping me around? It took me a while to finally admit he wasn't just using me to get at Regulus. Sirius hardly mentioned Regulus after the first few days. My feelings for Sirius were starting to change too. Before I thought he was just a spoiled brat, a rebel without a cause who just happened to be very good looking. But he wasn't just that, I mean he did have those flaws, but he had more to him.

His humor was similar to mine, sarcastic and a little bit on the mean side. He was honest, he wasn't afraid of where his honesty might land him. He was also daring, he never thought twice about jumping into an argument or even a fight. And unlike anyone else I've ever known he was open about how he felt. He never beat around the bush about anything. This trait in particular rattled my cage.

I finished my drink quickly and ventured into the kitchen, looking for more alcohol. There was plenty of Butterbeer and Firewhiskey, but there was also a table of other stuff. I picked up a bottle with clear liquid. It looked like water.

"That's vodka!" Marlene McKinnon popped up at my side. I frowned. "Vodka, it's a Muggle drink. It will get the job done quicker than Firewhiskey, but it's not as pleasant going down. But that's Muggle alcohol for ye!"

She fumbled around with some nearby bottles.

"They usually mix it, it can be quite nice," she explained. "They have this drink called Sex on the Beach! Isn't that mad? But you need more than just Vodka… I could have sworn I brought the Peach Schnapps…here it is!"

This was the first time Marlene McKinnon ever spoke to me. She continued to chat with me as she mixed me a drink, taking careful measurements of various liquids. It was like watching someone in potions class. Finally she gave me a tall glass of something that resembled the colors of a sunset.

I guessed that since I was half Muggle, I should try something Muggle.

It had several different tastes at once, first it was rather nasty, but then it became sweet, but not too sweet. It was good. I liked it. "This is called Sex on the Beach?" I asked her, she was beaming at me.

"I'll make you a Long Island Ice Tea next!" she told me excitedly; she started mixing herself her own drink. "So you came here with Sirius?"

"Well, he invited me, I mean the whole lot of them did," I explained slowly. "But I'm not here with him."

"Well half the girls who come usually think they're coming with him," Marlene laughed. "I'm glad you're not as delusional."

I laughed myself, even though I think in normal circumstances it wouldn't be that funny. I'm pretty sure it was the drink; Marlene had been generous with the Vodka and I realized I was already half done with it. "I don't know how I ended up here, maybe I am delusional."

"Yeah I didn't quite get it at first," Marlene agreed, "But Sirius seems -excuse the pun- serious about you. Says you aren't bad for a Slytherin, reckons you're the only decent one there is. Says you're smart, can be snappy but he likes that. " She was nearly done with her drink too.

"You don't think it's because he's trying to piss off Re- his brother?" I don't know why but I didn't want anyone to hear me use his name, as if they might catch on to something. Really there wasn't anything there anymore, but the name still had an effect on me.

She nodded, "Course that was the first thing to pop into everyone's head. Lily especially was vexed about it, but then you two have been hanging out quite a bit?" She glanced over at James tossing a Quaffle around with the other Gryffindor chasers; someone got tackled into a cabinet. "Did you ever see yourself being friends with these guys?" she grinned.

"No… can't say I ever did," I admitted. I closed my eyes as the world started to spin painfully, I took a long drink from my Sex on the Beach. That name made me giggle. "But you know what? The way they are makes so much more sense… than the way others are," I said, not really knowing where I was going with this. I suck at my straw, and gave a whimper when there was nothing in my glass.

"Don't worry! Long Island Ice-tea coming up, now it will be stronger, but hey! It's the New Years!" Marlene took my glass and quickly downed her own so we could both start the new drink.

"So these are Muggle drinks?" I hiccupped. We burst out laughing. I had the feeling Marlene had more experience with these drinks. "Are you Muggle?"

"Nope, but I had a fling with a Muggle last summer," she gave me a cheeky grin, "He was a bartender in Ibiza. And I can honestly tell you, what those Muggle men lack in magic, they make up with being fabulous lovers!" She winked. I felt myself blush.

"Is that really true? Are Muggles better?" I asked quickly. Not that I could vouch for either.

"Are Muggles better at what?" Sirius came between us just as Marlene past me my drink. "Merlin's pants, McKinnon, you brought an entire Muggle pub with you!"

"Peter said to bring your own drinks," she said defensively. "Now piss off, I'm trying to get to know Stirling here."

"What are you talking about with her?" he asked me.

"Muggles vs. wizards in the bedroom," Marlene told him. Sirius gave me an astonished look.

"Really?" I tried to keep from smiling. "If Slytherin could see you now, Stirling." I could feel my face was red as a tomato. The only thing I could think of to keep me calm was to drink my Long Island Ice drink… thing… "Alright then, McKinnon I'll have whatever she's having. I could do with some girl-talk."

Marlene gave him her drink while she managed to mix a third one. She was like a pro.

"How do you reckon they're better?" I asked, ignoring the fact that Sirius was still watching me, very amused no doubt.

"Well they have to work harder don't they? Wizards get lazy since everything's so easy with magic," Marlene explained. Again I saw her as a pro.

She was in the third floor of the Stirling Tower. This was where she signed all the papers for her apprenticeship. Since her birthday had been December 20th she was already seventeen, and she would begin her first fieldwork during her Easter Holiday. Ascanius wanted her to immediately begin the apprenticeship; he didn't want to wait another year and a half.

"Come spring, we will be working on a new estate," Master Eros explained, in his deep, bored voice. "It is a manor for Lucius Malfoy. He is going to be getting married in June. He wants the manor finished by then. I don't think I need to explain to you how important this client is to us, yes?"

"Of course," she replied.

"It would also be wise that you take more care in your appearance," his lip curled. "You're no longer a child, you can't come to work looking like you've been playing all day in gardens. Do you understand?"

She swallowed. It was suppose to be her father in charge of the Stirling Tower, if he hadn't been disowned Eros would never dare insult her looks like this. She wanted to point out that her looks had nothing to do with her talent or abilities. It was the house that had to be beautiful, not her. But she couldn't say any of this. She had to nod in agreement, and she had to think of ways to better groom herself.

Some of Marlene's friends had arrived, and she was tossing back drinks with them. They looked more experienced at it than me. There was no way I could keep up with her. I wasn't feeling particularly well; I decided it was time to sit down. Sirius sat down with me.

"McKinnon seems to like you," Sirius noted. No matter how ill my stomach felt, drinking my third Long Island Ice Tea seemed to do me well, until I stopped drinking, then nausea crept back in. "What else did she give you to drink?"

It was thirty minutes till midnight. Someone just shouted it. It could have been Potter, but I forgot how he sounded. "I had another one of these," I held up my drink absurdly high, "before you came. And before that I had Sex on the Beach."

Sirius snorted in his drink. "What? I'm sad I missed that," he gave me a look.

That's what makes Sirius so confusing for me. These inappropriate flirtatious moments that he slips in. All right I admitted that this time I sort of handed it to him. It still unnerved me though. And the way he was looking at me, it reminded me of how Regulus sometimes looked at me, when he didn't mean for me to see, but it was fiercer than those looks. "You look good tonight," he told me. I took another gulp of my drink.

"Yeah my uncle thinks I'm ugly and I need to work on that," I blurted out, hoping the lame attempt at humor could help. He only smiled.

"You might want to give your eyebrows a go," he said, "They are borderline bushy."

"Piss off," I mumbled as I petted one of my eyebrows.

"Come on," he sniggered. He put his arm around me and gave me a light squeeze. "You've got that whole ice-queen thing going on. It's very effective."

"Not anymore, not after these," I again raised my glass. "This year's horrible, I'm not who I am… I worked so hard too, I was so good and now it's gone! And I'm here, drunk from Muggle drinks called Long Island Sex Tea… no, wait…"

"You're having fun," Sirius corrected me, after laughing. "I think this year's been a good thing for you."

"How can you say that? I lost everything!" I turned at him. I didn't think twice about complaining about these things. I know full well it was because of Marlene McKinnon's drinks. "My parents, my inheritance, my friends... Regulus…"

"You're better off now, trust me," he said, leaning closer so I could see into his gray eyes. They didn't have the green in them that Regulus's had. Everything except for Sirius's eyes was slightly out of focus, and it wasn't because my Vision Spell was wearing off. "Regulus is scum for doing this to you, you don't need to feel sorry about losing him. Just be happy you never let the git snog you."

"He was so close to doing it!" I fell forward when I raised my hand to show my thumb and index finger almost touching. I don't know how I lost my balance, but he kept me from falling off the sofa. But some of my drink spilt, this made me sad.

"Regulus is an idiot," he helped me ease back into the sofa.

"THREE MORE MINUTES!" James Potter announced, speeding pass us. He found Evans, who tried not to look too happy. There was rushed movements from many people, no doubt people were figuring out who they were going to share their new years kiss with.

Sirius didn't move.

"You know my brother wants to be a Death Eater," I confessed for no reason at all.

Sirius frowned a little. He looked thoughtful. "So does my brother."

It occurred to me that I never had spent New Years with Regulus.

"Ten… nine… eight…" People I never spoke to or associated with until that night began to count. I smiled at Sirius, and he smiled at me.

"Five… four… three…" He was leaning in. I was leaning in. It didn't seem right that Regulus couldn't kiss me after nearly three years, but Sirius could after a few months.

"Two… ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

And the sickness from all the Long Island Sex Teas, all the headaches from Ascanius and everything else that I was running away from, was overshadowed by my first kiss.

It was the Christmas Holidays, it was her forth year at Hogwarts. Ascanius and her were staying at Hogwarts for the holidays; their parents were on site in Northern Ireland. It would have been senseless celebrating Christmas out of a suitcase, besides Ascanius needed the extra time to study.

They were alone in the Slytherin commons, sitting in front of the large fireplace. Leandra was drawing and her brother was sitting on the floor with his books and papers organized all around him. He liked things to be in order.

"We're lucky you know," Ascanius said all of a sudden. Leandra looked up from her sketchbook.

"What?"

"We're lucky," he repeated.

"Of course we are."

"I'm not just talking about how rich we are Leandra," he told her. "We're lucky amongst our cousins. Father is the eldest son, next in line and the most talented after our grandfather. Our mother is talented and recognized as well. And there is no pathetic rivalry between us."

Leandra smiled, "Well not yet."

"Don't be silly," he said, smiling a little himself. "I know you'd be the better crafter. I haven't the talent. And neither does Notus or Cane, none of our cousins compare to you."

"Thanks," she didn't know how to take such a compliment. She didn't know her brother felt this way.

"It's a shame though, it's not right really, that they should be first in line to inherit the Tower, just because they are males. That's why when it falls to me, I will give it you, Leandra."

She was astonished. "Ascanius, I- really? That's very… selfless of you." Did she have that quality?

"You're my sister, Leandra, perhaps the only friend I will ever have. You can't trust people, but you can trust family. Our family is strong, you, father, mother and me. We're strong."

"Yeah, we are."

Ascanius gave her a small smile before turning back to his work. Leandra took a moment to recompose before returning to her drawing. She kept thinking about what it would be like to be Master of the Stirling Tower.

It had been a strange conversation, one that never resurfaced.

A/N Okay I hope you enjoyed the revised chapters! i will have more chapters in a few weeks, I don't have the internet so I have to go to the library to use their wireless, but while I'm away I will be writing the new chapters. i have a lot of material already lined up, but I need to change some things here and there.

Pls R&R!