Foundations

Author's Notes: More apologies from me. The last week got pretty busy. I had about ten minutes at one point where I managed to polish this chapter a little further than I already had, and that was the only time I even managed to open the file. But we met our deliverable goal, and I've been home since Friday evening, running around doing errands and loads of laundry. Repacking later today, and back on a plane tomorrow morning. Hopefully this week won't be as hectic and I'll be able to post on Wednesday or Thursday.

Ten

The one good thing about being in Gryffindor House was that he didn't have to deal with Bellatrix. At least not most of the time. But she always found a way to catch him off guard at least once a day to make his life even more miserable than it already was.

The library, however, was one of the few places she rarely ventured, and most of the students were content to leave him well enough alone if he looked like he was busy doing work. And he always made sure to sit within sight of Madam Pince, where even the most determined of Slytherins wouldn't dare try anything.

The librarian was too well known for banning students from the library when they had papers to write, or making sure none of the professors would give them slips for the Restricted Section, or limiting the number of books they could borrow. The other professors never argued her decisions because they knew it helped keep the library as a productive workplace. The ever-ambitious Slytherins would never risk their grades like that.

Unfortunately, Andromeda Black wasn't a Slytherin. She was Head Girl, to boot, and as a Ravenclaw she was one of Madam Pince's favorite students. Besides, she was a Black, which meant she had no qualms about sitting down across from Sirius.

"Hey, brat. How're things?" she asked, making sure to keep her voice low enough to not disturb anyone else who might be working.

"Go away. I'm not supposed to be talking to you," Sirius said, not looking up from his textbook.

"Says who?" she asked in return.

"My mum," Sirius replied. Andromeda laughed quietly even as Sirius kept his eyes fixed resolutely on his book, hoping she would get the point and leave him alone.

"You may have missed it, kid, but your mum isn't here. No one's stopping you from talking to me." He wished he could believe her, but he knew better.

"If Bella sees, she'll tell. Or use it as blackmail," he said, finally looking up to meet her eyes, challenging her to disagree.

"Leave Bella to me, Sirius. I've been dealing with her a lot longer than you have. Now tell me, how are things going?" Sirius kept his expression blank, deciding that humoring her would be the only way to get her to leave him alone.

"Splendidly, dear cousin. The Gryffindors have all welcomed me with open arms and I've become their new hero," he said with more sarcasm than he had intended.

Well done, Sirius, alienate the only person talking to you who isn't a teacher or Bellatrix, he thought bitterly. There was no point in apologizing though.

"Sounds like things are going well then," she replied dryly. Sirius scowled at her. "Hey, don't give me that look. Us rebels need to stick together."

"I don't want to be a rebel, Andy. Being a rebel gets you screamed at by Mum and lectured by Dad, and then disowned and blasted off the family tree," Sirius said darkly. He saw his older cousin flinch just a little and he couldn't help but smirk, knowing he had scored a touch.

Old habits died hard, after all, and even Andy had always taken part in that family tradition.

"You're not going to get disowned just for getting Sorted into Gryffindor, you know. You have to do something much more drastic, like consorting with Blood Traitors and Muggles. And you, Sirius, haven't been consorting with anyone, let alone someone your mother would deem 'unsavory,'" Andromeda said.

"Yeah, well, why don't you just go crawl back to your Mudblood boyfriend then and leave me alone before she finds out I was talking to you?" This time he saw fire flare in Andromeda's eyes, and he was the one to flinch.

Bloody brilliant, you are. Just like hitting a hornet's nest with a Reducto curse.

"I'm going to pretend like you didn't just say that only because I know exactly what you're going through, Sirius. Just keep in mind that you're short on family and even shorter on friends right now. If you want my help, you know where to find me," Andromeda said, rising from her seat.

Disowned she might be, but Andromeda was still a Black by blood, and she certainly fit the part at the moment. Head held high and back straight, she met his gaze without a hint of anger.

The look sent a shiver down his spine and reminded him that Andromeda was the only one who had ever been able to keep her middle sister in check. She was still harder than diamonds, even if she was getting soft in her political views.

All the same, Sirius managed to scowl at her, letting all the bitterness and anger boil up. "And you should keep in mind that I'm still heir to the family name while you're just a filthy Blood Traitor."

Pity filled her eyes as Andromeda shook her head, but she walked away without another word. Sighing, Sirius finally let himself slump into his seat, only to stiffen as he heard soft clapping coming from behind a bookshelf. Bellatrix stepped out, smirking.

"Well said, cousin. Rest assured Auntie Walburga will be hearing about this. She was so worried about you, and it will come as a relief for her that you haven't been corrupted," Bellatrix said.

Sirius glared at her even as a desperate hope soared inside him. "Go away, Bella. I don't care what you tell my mother."

She just grinned knowingly and left him alone, for once not staying to torment him longer. If she was telling the truth and did write his mother, then there was still the chance that he wouldn't end up in the same category as Andromeda.

He hadn't meant everything he had said to his eldest cousin, but at least part of it had been true; he didn't want to be a rebel. He just wanted to keep his place in the family. Anything else would leave him a disgrace.

Family was important to him, more than almost anything. The prospect of being disowned, even if Andy would still talk to him, was terrifying. And that would leave Regulus as the heir.

He could never handle it, Sirius thought with a frown. He's the baby of the family, everyone's always sheltered him from this stuff. He'd crumple under the pressure of being in charge of one of the oldest Pureblood families in the country.

He tried not to remember the day Andromeda had been disowned, the taste of burnt fabric still in the back of his throat and the lecture his father gave him about the importance of family and the duty Sirius had. Andromeda would have been a strong ally, despite being a woman. Had been a strong ally, especially in protecting Sirius and Regulus from Bellatrix, and just in the last few months Sirius had felt the added pressure and the shifting of power between him and his cousins.

I won't let that happen to him. I won't let him get dragged into all of this. I like Regulus just how he is, carefree and happy. He's the best of us, and I want it to stay that way.

There's still time before Christmas. I'll just have to be top of my year and not talk to any of the Gryffindors and maybe Mum and Dad won't be too mad at me. And maybe at the end of the year, if I've done well, Dad can talk with Headmaster Dumbledore and get me put into Slytherin, where I belong. Where I can protect Regulus from Bellatrix.

He bent back over his book, determined to do whatever it took to please his parents and keep his brother safe and happy.

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