I'd like to make it clear that the reason I'm posting a shit ton of chapters today is that my sister is finally reading my stuff again and she's somehow read a ton of it and wants more, so I think I can post one of the fifteen pre written chapters I have finished.

For Jess, because she has me super excited to write more again. Thank you.

July 26th, 1994

Grimmauld Place

Sirius let out a frustrated grunt and chucked the mysterious folder at the wall. It hit it with a satisfying thud and fell to the ground, just as blank as it was before he threw it. With a small sigh, he walked over and picked it up again, tossing it back onto the desk. He'd been trying for months to get the folder's secrets to reveal themselves, and it hadn't worked yet.

When he took his seat again, he yanked the bottle of firewhiskey out of the open drawer and, forgoing a glass, took a big swig of it. His frustration was at its peak, and the irritation at being stuck in Grimmauld Place while the elves finished taking care of Potter Manor was certainly not helping anything. He'd already fired Kreacher and replaced him with a more competent elf, but it had barely helped.

After putting the much-needed alcohol away, Sirius grabbed the folder again, albeit a little roughly. He cursed when the paper cut his finger, making it bleed. A drop of blood fell and he pulled the finger to his robes to wipe it off, freezing halfway there.

The folder was finally filled with words.

More specifically, three words. A name.

Cassiopeia Narcissa Black.

Sirius tore the folder open, letting out a grateful whoop when he found words slowly filling the paper. It was extremely obvious when he thought about it - Orion had loved blood magic and he should've guessed it would take his blood to finally expose the folder.

When he looked down, there were pictures, documents, and a few letters, the top one being written by Orion himself, as well as the one under it. One was, to his surprise, addressed to him. He plucked it up and looked it over, his eyes widening the further he read.

Sirius,

It is no secret how dangerous it is to be in our family. Regardless of how you feel about us, you are a Black. You know how hard it is to grow up in this prestigious family and uphold our standards.

When Regulus told me that Cassiopeia deserved better, I knew he was right. Not only does she deserve a better world, she deserves a better, safer family. It was not my top priority while your brother was alive. He satisfied Voldemort's craving for our family.

I'm unaware of what transpired. I do not know how Regulus died, nor do I know why Voldemort feels he is owed something, especially one of us. I do know, however, of a place I can put her to live safely until it is time to reveal the truth.

I understand that Lily Potter is expecting. We have made a plan together with James and, Merlin forgive me, Dumbledore. Cassiopeia will become their daughter, and when their son is born, your memories will be permanently changed to suggest she is their son's twin sister.

You must understand that Voldemort very clearly wants Cassiopeia. No one else will do, and no one understands why. She is in a great deal of danger. Only when he is killed will she be safe.

I plan to put glamours on her core to change her physical appearance to look more like Lily. Beyond that, I will be adding spells that mimic suppressive Occlumency shields to warn her away from all Death Eaters I know of and Dumbledore. When it is once more safe, you will be able to very easily remove these glamours with family magic - you know the spell.

I have many regrets in life, but protecting Cassiopeia is not one of them. I hope you understand and agree.

Sirius dropped the letter and sat back, staring blankly at the wall.

Belle… was Cassiopeia.

"Fuck."

"Don't curse with Harry around," Remus chided, entering the room. He stopped and frowned upon seeing the wide eyes and open mouth on Sirius's face. "What is it? Is everything okay?"

"Belle is adopted," Sirius said slowly, rubbing his face.

"Yes, we know that."

"Moony, Belle was adopted from my father."

Remus paused, and Sirius wasn't even sure he was breathing for a moment.

"Fuck."

"Thank you," he waved before looking back down at the folder and flipping through everything. "It looks like James and Lily's copies of the documents are in here, as well as letters from them to Belle- er, Cassiopeia?"

"Let's go with Belle for now," Remus suggested, shaking his head. "I don't understand. When? Why?"

"After Reg died, Voldypants really fucking wanted her," he explained, handing the letter over. "So Orion decided to work it out with James and Lily, I guess. He's the one that fucked with her head, too, which makes sense."

"No, Sirius, this makes a lot of sense," Remus told him after a moment. He set the letter down and sat across from his old friend. "Didn't you say Phineas's portrait woke up for her?"

"It did," Sirius remembered, his eyes widening. "Shit. We should've known. I should've checked."

"This is good though! Didn't Orion make you godfather?"

"On the condition that Cissa couldn't take care of her," he nodded. "And I'm sure that if I asked her, she'd pass up. I have to- holy shit, Moony, I have to get to work!"

"If we get Amelia's help, we can probably have her by the end of the day!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Belle had been having a shitty time.

The Dursleys hadn't reacted well when they realized Harry wasn't coming home but that they'd still been stuck with her. She'd gotten both her and Harry's chores and had been told she was to do whatever Dudley asked of her as he was working hard to get into shape to join some sport or other that she was fairly certain he had no plans to stick to.

Letters had, thankfully, been exchanged just as promised. The Dursley's hadn't even bothered to make her show them the letters when she suggested that they had magic and would know if the letters were forced or somehow faked. It had scared them enough that she was able to continue writing to everyone.

It was that day that was particularly frustrating to her. Petunia had gone to stay with Marge for a week while the woman was sick, and Vernon had been called on a business trip to America, something he'd complained greatly about. It left her to do what Dudley told her to do, and it was getting increasingly worrying. He hovered quite a bit and bumped into her even more than that.

Dudley made his way into the kitchen while she was cooking that afternoon. She tensed, totally aware of where he was. He sat at the table and just… watched her. She did her best to ignore him and finished cooking the chicken and put it on a plate with a salad. Once she gave it to him, she turned to leave the room and get on with the rest of her chores.

Dudley grabbed her arm, his grip tight. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I've got a million chores," she answered, tugging at her arm to try and release it from his grip. "Do you need something else or can I move on?"

"I don't want this chicken," he answered, shaking his head in disgust. "I have something else in mind."

"What?" she sighed, frustrated. "I don't have time for this. The chicken is on your diet."

"I read one of your letters," he told her suddenly, confusing her.

"What? Dudley, those are private!"

"Nothing about you is private," he snapped before smirking. "You were adopted, huh?"

Belle tensed and pulled at her arm again, a bad feeling rising up in her. "As soon as we find out who my birth parents are, I'll be out of your way. Let me go."

Dudley got to his feet and towered over her, his recent growth spurt clear in their height difference. He jerked her closer to him, making her flinch horribly. "We're not related, Potter. That's my point."

Nausea filled Belle and, unable to quite reach down for her dagger, she lifted her free arm up and punched him in the face. Instead of releasing her as she'd hoped, his grip tightened and he just looked angrier. He shoved her backward hard enough that her head collided with the wall and she fell to the ground, quickly passing out from the impact.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

When Belle came to, she was barely aware of what was happening. When she did understand it, however, she felt a cool sense of calm come over her, possibly from shock. She just barely managed to grab one of her daggers and, only concerned with getting out of the situation, she arched it upward and watched as it sliced into Dudley's arm, chest, and stomach and he began to bleed.

The next few minutes moved in a daze. She shoved him away from her and cleaned herself up as best as she could, which unfortunately only meant dressing carefully. After that, when she went back downstairs, it began to sink in, only when she caught sight of Dudley bleeding openly.

Though she was unsure how she got there, Belle picked up the phone and dialed the number she'd been given just before leaving school that year. It rang four times before someone picked up and she just let out a sob.

With the wards fallen because Harry wasn't there, Snape just apparated straight over. He showed up in the very hallway she stood in and took a moment to look her over. "What happened?"

Belle pointed toward the kitchen door silently and followed him into the room, flinching at the sight before them. "I think he's dying," she whispered. "I'm- I'm not."

"Gather your things," he ordered her, kneeling down, his wand out. She did as he said, walking out to get her trunk and wand from the cupboard under the stairs. By the time she'd finally organized everything in her numb state, Snape was walking out of the room. "He will live."

Belle just nodded quietly.

Snape offered her his arm and she took it easily. The feeling of Apparition hurt and she let out a short scream upon landing. It gathered the attention of the people around them, and Snape was forced to catch her as she began to fall.

It wasn't long before the mediwitches got to them and helped her to a room to be seen immediately. Snape sent off a couple of Patronuses but otherwise stayed by her side.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Sirius tapped his foot impatiently as Amelia filled out the paperwork. "Why is this taking so long? She was fake dead, not actually dead!"

"Calm down," Remus put a hand on his arm. "She's fine. We're doing the best we can."

A doe patronus ran into the room, Snape's voice speaking out of it. "I have taken Miss Potter to St. Mungo's. She cannot return to Petunia. She is being seen now."

"Fuck," Sirius cursed loudly.

"If you can remove those glamours, this will go a lot faster," Amelia informed him, getting up with him. Sirius nodded curtly and, without bothering to ask for permission, used her floo to get to the magical hospital. Remus and Amelia followed behind him and, after asking where she was, he headed to her room. Snape was still there and while there was no one there treating her, it was clear by the blank look on her face that she still needed help.

"Hey kitten," Sirius said cautiously. Her eyes flicked to him for barely a moment before she just stared at the wall again. Sirius looked to Snape instead, frowning. "What happened?"

"That is not for me to say," he told the man.

"Fuck this," Sirius scowled, unwilling to fight Snape. He shoved his way over to Belle and held his hand out above her carefully. "Medicas adhibere magicae familia." Dark magic escaped his palm and wandered over her body before it settled into everything from her legs to her stomach, as well as her head. Moments after the healing magic fell away, she gasped in shock and pain as the glamour that was wrapped tightly around her core was destroyed and her red hair and green eyes morphed into her natural black hair and silver eyes. "Holy shit," Sirius muttered, staring at her with wide eyes. "Shit, if I was unsure before, I'm sure as hell not now."

"W-what?" Belle gasped, looking down at herself. She felt physically better and even somewhat mentally, but the sight of her hair changed was shocking and a little bit scary. "Sirius, what did you do?"

"You're my sister!"

"Merlin," Remus sighed.

"I don't… understand," she frowned, grabbing the curly black hair. "Your sister is dead, Sirius."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he agreed, sitting down in the chair next to her. "But earlier today, I managed to get that empty file to reveal itself and it had adoption papers and letters. James and Lily adopted you from Orion when Reg died because Voldemort wanted you so badly."

"But is this… safe?" she asked, waving to her hair. "If he wants me so badly and we know he's alive, is it safe for me to be… this?"

"The issue is that Orion wrapped the glamour around your core," Sirius explained. "That can't be replaced. The only reason it worked was because you were so young. You're stuck like this, kitten. I'm sorry."

"I'm Cassiopeia," she muttered. "I'm your sister. So then… do I have to… go back?"

"You will not return," Snape said sharply. "I will handle them. You are not going back there."

"Sirius will have custody of you by the end of the day," Amelia assured her. "What happened? Did someone attack you?"

Belle tensed and looked at Snape, who got Amelia's attention.

"Her cousin. I do not imagine, however, that she would wish to make a statement. I will handle the situation. She can go home with Black."

"You should be completely healed," Sirius promised. "Any injuries would be completely healed."

Belle looked at Snape, worried. "Would it take care of-,"

"It is unlikely," he hummed. "I can get the necessary potions for you and bring them over when I finish here."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius made a face at the man. "Family healing magic can heal almost anything when it can be summoned. It's a bloody miracle that it worked, but it definitely worked."

"It is not your concern," Snape sneered.

Belle pushed the blanket off of her and sat up, wincing at the sight of her. There was blood all over, likely from the way she'd hurt Dudley.

"Merlin, whose fucking blood is that?"

"Not mine," she answered, slipping on her shoes. Her hair fell in her face and she paused to look at it. It was all tight curls and obsidian, different from the light catching red she'd had before. After saying a quick thank you and goodbye to Snape, she left with Sirius and Remus while Amelia went to the ministry to finish up the paperwork. Sirius carried her trunk over to Grimmauld Place and Remus went to find Harry and send him to Greengrass Manor while they sorted everything out.

Finally, the trio sat in the kitchen together with tea. Sirius had grabbed the file in question, but it sat unopened in front of Belle, who was just very conflicted.

"How can I be your sister? I mean, I guess I get how and it sort of makes sense because of that portrait but… I don't know. I'm confused."

"Me too," Sirius admitted. He paused. "Hey, let me see your left arm."

Belle lifted it up and shoved her sweater off her arm to show him.

"It's there! Shit, I thought it'd be gone."

Belle looked at her wrist to find a black band wrapped around it. "Oh my god, what is that?"

"It's the bond mark from Regulus," he explained, tapping it curiously. "It showed up when he swore that vow to you."

Belle frowned, remembering the very first time she'd learned about the Blacks. "When Lord Nott was telling me about you, your- our family, he mentioned Regulus's name and it was… weird. It felt like my magic was preparing for something, like it shifted in me. It sort of… hurt."

"That makes no sense," Remus spoke up. "I get it if the bond still had someone to uphold it, but Regulus is dead. He's… dead, right?"

"Definitely," Sirius assured him. "I checked the tapestry and it only changed Cassie's death date to be clear. Orion and Regulus are definitely dead. That is… I don't know why it would do that."

"But what happened?"

"It sounds like your magic was preparing to seal an unsealed bond. It can only be the one he started when you were a baby. It should've faded when he died, though."

Belle felt a frustrating disappointment. She had Harry and Sirius, she knew, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed. Sirius had very little to say about their brother simply because of how they'd been pushed apart as kids, but she wanted to know about the one she'd never meet. She'd spent many months curious about the family that had given her to the Potters, and now that she knew, she couldn't help but be upset.

"Hey, what is it?" Sirius asked gently. Belle shook her head.

"I don't know. I guess I've been having a hard time since we figured out I was adopted," she admitted. "I've been so… frustrated and confused, and I keep thinking that maybe they didn't really care. I think maybe I thought that I'd feel better if I know who… but I'm just more confused."

"I know you're confused, Belle, but I promise they did love you," he assured her. "Somehow, even Orion loved you. He loved you enough to go through all this bullshit to keep you safe. We'll figure it out, okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Okay."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Put that down before I shove it up your ass, Potter."

Harry snorted and dropped the snitch, watching it close up. "Someone's cranky."

"Someone tricked me into coming over here for no apparent reason," Draco shot back. "Why are we all here? I had things to do."

"No you didn't," Blaise rolled his eyes. "Chill. Sirius said it's important, didn't he?"

"Sirius also said he'd be over in five minutes," Astoria pointed out, also feeling rather impatient. "It's been thirty."

A large dog patronus ran into the room, surprising all of them. "We're on our way. I've got Belle with me."

"Belle?" Harry perked up before pausing. "Wait, if he has her… something happened."

"But she's with him," Daphne reminded him. "Which probably means she isn't going back."

The floo lit up in the next room and, a few moments later, Remus stuck his head in with a nervous smile.

"I'm glad everyone is here. Sirius and Belle are here too, but I thought it might be important to let you guys know that we can explain almost everything."

"What's going on?" Harry frowned. "Is she okay?"

Belle pushed past him, making a face. "I'm fine. They're just being dramatic."

Her words were met with a beat of confused silence.

"She looks like Aunt Bella," Draco said, speaking before anyone else.

"I'll still hex you," Belle muttered.

"So when are you going to explain… this," Daphne asked, waving at Belle in general as Sirius entered behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"She's my sister!"

"Merlin, Sirius, stop that," Remus rolled his eyes.

"What he means," Belle spoke up. "Is that Orion gave me away when Voldemort, for some reason, suddenly was obsessed with me. I look different because I was hurt and Sirius used some sort of spell that healed me and changed me back."

"It was family healing magic," Sirius explained. "It's really finicky and rarely works. It probably worked because of Orion's magical signature on her core from the glamour."

"So now you clearly look like a Black," Theo spoke up with a frown. "Isn't that dangerous? What about your name?"

Belle looked around, considering the questions. "I don't… really know. I think it might be dangerous, but there's not much we can do about it. If I look the way I do, it'll get out sooner or later, so we're probably going to do a press conference or something. As for my name… I don't really know. I've felt… disconnected from Belle Potter since I found out I'm adopted but… I think maybe I'd like to try Cassiopeia?"

"We can do that, kitten," Sirius assured her. She looked at Harry nervously.

"Are you upset?"

"Are you still gonna be my sister?"

"Always."

"Then I don't give a shit."

"Harry," Remus shook his head. It was useless, he knew.

"You really do look like her," Draco told her, moving over to touch her hair. "Mum would probably love to meet you."

"Your mother is her godmother," Sirius told his cousin. "And since I have an heir now, I intend to fix shit."

"A what now?"

Sirius grinned at Belle. "Surprise! You're gonna be my heir."

"I can't be! I wasn't raised to be an heir and I don't know enough about it. Plus, Draco's next in line!"

"Sure, if you weren't alive," Sirius agreed. "But you are, so you're my heir. Fight me, kid."

"She's not going back there, right?" Blaise asked, gaining everyone's attention. He'd been pretty quiet for the most part, but he'd asked the question they'd all been worrying about.

"No," Sirius answered firmly. "I'm not sure what happened, but there was a shit ton of blood. She won't see them ever again."

"It wasn't mine," Belle spoke up before her friends could freak out. "I was just fighting back and maybe fought a little too hard."

"Who was it?" Harry wondered. Belle hesitated.

"Dudley."

"Was it like last year?"

She almost yelled at him for asking in front of so many people, but instead, she just shook her head. "It was worse. But I managed to get to my dagger and- I think Snape healed him up or something. I don't quite remember."

"Fuck," Harry muttered, walking over to wrap her up in a hug. She'd never told him quite what had happened the day they left the Dursley's, but he knew it had scared her a great deal. If it was worse than that, she had to have been terrified. "Shouldn't have let Snape heal him, though."

"You know," Astoria spoke up. "Belle is really hard to make up nicknames for, but Cassiopeia isn't. I think I like your new name."

"She doesn't technically have to take the name, but it will definitely make a bigger impact on the Wizengamot," Sirius added. "They'll take you much more seriously now, kitten. No more fighting."

"Maybe I should go get my mum," Draco suggested. Sirius shook his head quickly.

"Family meeting soon. No need."

"The Black family is back," Astoria grinned. "This is gonna be so fucking cool."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

August 3rd, 1994

Potter Manor

"Sirius, this is really stupid," Cassiopeia said bluntly, tossing the bracelet back to him. "I don't need to control the damn wards."

"You never know," he disagreed, throwing it at her head and chuckling when she grabbed it and glared at him. "I'm inviting Rodolphus and Rabastan. They might attack you."

"I met Rodolphus the night I found you," she informed him, looking down at the silver bracelet. "He didn't seem murderous then."

"For my peace of mind," he requested. "I'm losing my shit here, Cas. I'm Lord Black!"

"Yes, and you have been for some months," she reminded him, shifting. It was hard getting used to the name, but she'd been surprised to find how nice it felt. Sirius informed her that it was something to do with the family magic, something that was running in her since the heir ritual had been completed days prior. "You've seen Tonks, you got a letter from Andromeda, and Narcissa seems excited, too. Chill."

"Why aren't you freaked out? That's the more important question."

"Honestly?" she asked with a small laugh. "Snape gave me two calming draughts this morning after Occlumency. He brewed them himself, so they're rather strong. I saved the other one if you'd like it."

"I don't need Snape's bloody potion," Sirius huffed. "Please, kitten, just put it on. One less thing for me to worry about."

Cassiopeia rolled her eyes and placed the thin cuff on her wrist. It lit up for a moment and she felt the wards shift to her control, a strange power she'd never felt before. "Merlin, Sirius, these aren't the wards for the entire house, are they?"

"Er- yes?"

Cassiopeia rolled her eyes. "Okay, well, we're going to be late. Remus told us five minutes ago that everyone is here."

Sirius made a face. "I changed my mind, I don't wanna."

"You're a child," she complained, pushing him toward the doors. He smacked at her hands and, once she released him, he straightened his robes, squared his shoulders, and opened the doors to the large sitting room.

On one side of the room sat Andromeda, Ted, and Tonks with Harry. On the other was Narcissa, Lucius, and Draco. In between them in the back was Rodolphus and Rabastan, the latter of whom looked rather disgusted.

Sirius led Cassiopeia into the room and she gathered more attention than he did, to no one's surprise. Even Narcissa was staring, and she blinked at Draco.

"You didn't tell her?"

Draco shrugged. "You said there'd be a family meeting soon and not to."

"No, that was him," she pointed at Sirius. "I told you to tell her so that she wasn't surprised."

"Honestly, I was getting bored. I wasn't listening."

"This is impossible," Narcissa interrupted. "You died."

"That's what we thought," Sirius confirmed. "I'm sorry to surprise you, Cissa. Cassie was given to James and Lily when Voldemort - get over it, Lestrange - when Voldemort decided he needed her for whatever fucking reason. Orion was a bastard but even I have to admit it was a good idea."

"I don't understand," Andromeda told them. "Who is she?"

"Ah, shit," Sirius cursed. "No one bothered to tell you when she was born?"

"Evidently not."

"In late September 1979, Orion tricked Reg and I into a muggle bar to tell us that we had a new sister, Cassiopeia Narcissa Black. Cissa is her godmother, but she's staying with me. Orion faked her death a few days after Reg died, and she became Belle Potter."

"Is there a reason we're here?" Rabastan asked with disgust. "I don't care to watch the Black family dig itself out of its grave."

"There is," Sirius confirmed. "Unfortunately for us, you were a part of Bella's contract. For reasons I don't understand, Arcturus agreed to invite you into our House when she married Rodolphus. Good thing, though, is that we've got primacy!"

"Is this a big 'fuck you' to them?" Tonks whispered to her mother, who gave her a stern look to quiet her. Tonks took that as a yes.

"What are we doing here, Black?" Lucius asked him with great disgust, glaring between Sirius and Cassiopeia.

"We've got primacy over you, too, so shut up," Sirius glared. "This is a family meeting. I'm going to fix some of the shit that got fucked up in this family. Of course, I'd have invited Bella, but she doesn't get many days out."

Cassiopeia nudged him. "Someone's going to hex you soon. Hurry up."

"Right, okay. First off, I suppose, is that Cassie is my heir."

"She can't be," Lucius argued immediately, standing. "Draco is next in line!"

"Behind Cassiopeia," Sirius shot back. "She is my sister and in the same generation as Draco. As patriarch, I decide the next heir, and it's her."

"This is ridiculous," Lucius snapped, glaring at Cassiopeia. "Draco has been raised to take on the role of Black patriarch! You were raised by muggles."

"Better than raised by you," she spat. "I love Draco dearly, but he doesn't give a shit. Now sit down before the wards suffocate you."

Lucius did as she said but only because the wards were, in fact, tightening around him.

"I told you so," Sirius bumped her arm. "Yeah, anyway. Let's start with something nice and then we can get into the dark shit. Dromeda, would you and your family consider joining the family again? It does come with compensation for the shit Bella did when you left and a decent dowry for you and Mini Tonks since you should've had that before."

Andromeda exchanged a look with her husband before looking back at Sirius. "Thank you, Sirius. I always knew you'd be a good Lord Black."

Sirius screwed up his face. "And somehow, you never stopped reminding me."

"I dunno, I think she's right," Tonks grinned. "You're going to have the first matriarch in three hundred years when Cassiopeia takes over."

"If we can move on," Sirius requested, his eyes falling on the Lestrange brothers. "Answer me truthfully. Did both of you assist Bellatrix in torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom?"

"No," Rodolphus answered easily. "Only Rabastan."

"Cool," he nodded. He'd already known the answer, he'd just wanted to see if Rodolphus was more loyal to his brother than he was intent on living. He called for their elf, Mipsy, and nodded at Rabastan. "Please escort him down to the basement and ensure he stays there."

Mipsy grabbed onto Rabastan and popped out with him.

"What are you doing?" Andromeda asked him. He ignored her, still looking at the elder brother.

"Verum Magicis," Sirius said sharply. Soft magic settled in the air around Rodolphus and a few people gasped. "Why are you a Death Eater?"

Rodolphus, aware of what the spell did, chose wisely and answered truthfully, though he looked at Lucius hesitantly first. "It was life or death. I chose to become a Death Eater to save myself."

"And what did you do to become one?"

"I had to kill a muggle," he winced.

"Tell me, in general, about the crimes you've committed."

"I helped Voldemort plan and killed the muggle, but I was never very involved in the torturing or killing. Bellatrix enjoyed that and was glad to do my part."

Sirius nodded and dropped the spell. "Okay. Denounce him right now."

Rodolphus avoided Lucius's furious gaze. "I am not and never will be loyal to the Dark Lord Voldemort."

Sirius turned to Lucius then, finished with the man. "Cas, make him uncomfortable."

Cassiopeia focused on the wards and pulled them tightly around the man until he was squirming. "Anything more than that and I'll really injure him."

"You haven't respected the primacy Narcissa holds over you."

"There was no Black patriarch," he defended. "I could not be sure her decisions would be best for us or our son."

"She's a person," Cassiopeia snapped. "Probably a better bloody person than you. You should have trusted her and listened to her."

"He's my heir!" Lucius snapped. "You messed it up!"

"It's not my fault you told him ridiculous lies," she rolled her eyes at him. "Mud? Really? That's impossible. No one could survive with mud in their veins."

"What did you do for Voldemort?" Sirius interrupted before they could continue arguing. Lucius was already furious with her and she was only making it worse.

"I gave him complete financial and political support," Lucius admitted easily. "I killed a few of his enemies."

"Like who?"

"Marta Nott."

Cassiopeia gasped with Draco and Harry and accidentally tightened the wards, her anger driving her. Sirius put his hand on her shoulder.

"You can't kill him," he told her plainly. "I mean it, Cassie, you need to take a deep breath. He'll be punished for it."

Digging her nails into her palm, she forced herself to relax the wards.

"Anyone else?"

"Your father."

Sirius felt a raging mix of emotions and nodded. "Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Okay," he breathed, looking to his sister, who had walked over to grab Draco and Narcissa's hands and tug them away from the man, purely because she was furious and didn't want them around him. "I know what we're going to do with you. First off, Cissa, I'm sorry, but your marriage contract has been violated and therefore will be dissolved. You'll be Narcissa Black again and custody will go to you because Lucius is going to Azkaban."

"You can't do that!" Lucius shouted in a fury, his face turning a familiar purple that Cassiopeia and Harry associated with Vernon Dursley.

"I can," Sirius shot back. "Mipsy!" the elf popped in, excited to help. "Please take this man to Amelia - she's awaiting anyone I send to her."

Once Mipsy had grabbed onto Lucius and popped out, Sirius sucked in a deep breath and sat down next to Cassiopeia on the couch she'd fallen onto.

"What will we do?" Narcissa asked him, concerned. "If our contract is dissolved, we cannot stay in Malfoy Manor."

"Of course you won't," he rolled his eyes. "You'll stay with us, if you'd like. If not, we can set you up somewhere else."

"I think I would quite like to be with family again."

"This next part is… not so fun," Sirius admitted. "And while I'd love to give you the chance to say goodbye, Cissa, I truly couldn't get her released for this."

"What are you talking about?" Narcissa asked him carefully.

Sirius took in a deep breath and lit up the family magic. "I, Lord Sirius Black, do call Judgment upon Bellatrix Dorea Lestrange neé Black."

Narcissa and Andromeda gasped loudly as the family magic pulsed in the air before a large influx of magic rushed into the room and settled. Once it was all there, the family magic went back to Sirius, clearing the room.

"Okay so… what just happened?" Harry asked, confused. Tonks nodded along, equally unsure.

"Judgment call upon family magic and pure magic to judge the actions of a person," Cassiopeia explained to them. "If they find them lacking, they…"

"They remove the magic," Draco finished for her. "And when that happens, you die. She'll be dead by morning."

"I'm sorry," Sirius said at the looks he got from Rodolphus and Narcissa. "But she's fucked this family up and damaged the House of Longbottom."

"She also tried to kill me once," Cassiopeia added, surprising everyone but Harry and Draco.

"Yeah, she tried to drown her in the pool when we were three," Harry confirmed. "She just jumped into the pool fully clothed."

"Okay… that too, then," Sirius shook his head. "Fuck, why didn't you tell me?"

Cassiopeia shrugged a little. "It wasn't relevant?"

"That is definitely relevant."

"May I leave?" Rodolphus asked, eyeing Cassiopeia hesitantly.

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. "Actually, the meeting is over. There's a press conference to announce this in a little bit, so I'd appreciate if you didn't mention anything about Cassie until it's out."

"And us?" Narcissa asked.

"You guys can have the east side of the fourth floor," Sirius offered. "Have your elves bring your stuff over. Dromeda, Tonks, Mini Tonks, you're all free to stay however long you want. We, however, have to get to the ministry."

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"This is weird," Cassiopeia muttered, tugging at the red hair. Sirius had temporarily glamoured her for the press conference just so that they recognized her first. It was oddly uncomfortable for her to be back with the red hair and green eyes, and she was startled to find the black band on her arm missing. It had become something she touched or just looked at quite often.

"Just for a few minutes," Daniel promised, walking with her and Sirius up to the podium. The reporters were already there and rather excited, mostly because it was a joint announcement between the Potter and Black Houses. "Thank you all for coming."

"This announcement was given a lot of consideration," Sirius admitted. "But it is important, unfortunately. I know it got out at the beginning of the year that Belle was adopted by James and Lily, and I'm sure everyone has assumed that we've been looking for her birth parents. It was a frustrating search, but I happened to stumble upon the adoption papers in my father's safe.

"Belle is actually my not-so-dead sister, Cassiopeia Black. She was given to James and Lily for safety. Since I was named one of her godfathers, I do officially have custody of her." Sirius made his point by waving his wand at her silently and dropping the glamour to reveal her true, Black style look.

"We will take a few questions," Daniel confirmed when hands flew in the air. He pointed at a rather calm looking woman first.

"Cassiopeia Black was said to have died days after her brother and with her father. Does this mean either of them is still alive?"

"No," Sirius shook his head. "Our tapestry - it's a magically updating family tree - confirmed with some magic that she is alive but that they are not. Beyond that, I have recently discovered the person that killed Orion. They are in custody of the DMLE now."

The next person to ask a question was a man named Rookwood who was looking at them with a rather Slytherin smile. "Does this at all interfere with Draco Malfoy's claim on the Black heirship?"

"It does," Sirius confirmed slowly. He took Cassiopeia's hand and raised it for them to see the heir ring. "Draco was uninterested in it and I believe Cassiopeia would be a better fit for the position."

"Does her claim on the House of Potter end and if so, will the few changes she's made be reversed?"

"She will be involved in the House of Potter until the time that Harry is ready to take over himself as he is currently busy with other things. Her main focus will be the House of Black, but she was legally adopted by James and Lily Potter, so she does have just as much claim to the House as Harry," Daniel explained.

"Will she be changing her name?" the kind man from the last press conference, Lovegood, asked with a nice smile.

"I am," Cassiopeia answered that one. "Not because I don't appreciate the family I was given but because I feel more connected to this name because of our family magic, which I have access to as heir."

"That will be all for now," Sirius told them. He led Cassiopeia off the small stage with Daniel behind them and slipped into the floo.

It had been a trying day but they had accomplished quite a bit. Legally, officially, Belle had been renamed Cassiopeia Black, and the world knew her as that. Things were looking up from the earlier part of the summer and possibly the earlier part of her life.

Things were good.

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