A/N: Hey! Happy Holidays! Hope you all have a beautiful break from work and enjoy this next installment. I have not abandoned anything. Super happy to get to share this holiday doing what I love. Finicky chapter but necessary.

Send your thoughts as always and kisses for those still with me!

~Yasha's Sis

Lady Black

Chapter 20

Confrontations

In which a Black's curiosity it tugged…

Harry didn't leave even when Madam Pomphrey started tutting about Brie needed her rest.

The school nurse pursed her lips when she was offered the dual beseeching gazes of two bright eyed children. "If you must stay, Mister Potter, at least lay down yourself. I know the look of a child at the end of their rope and you fit that description quite well."

Her godbrother gave a sheepish smile. "Yes, ma'am."

Madam Pomphrey stared at him until he crawled into the bed next to Brie's. The Black Heir muffled a snort against the hospital sheets when the woman nodded imperiously and bustled off.

"She always like that?"

Brie tilted her head in leu of a shrug. "Dunno. This is the first time I was actually brought here. Last time I stayed in one of the Dungeon's suites."

Harry's voice was flat. "Last time?"

Brie had enough grace not to stutter in denial or worse 'Umm'. She almost told him not to worry about it, that it was in the past and not worth mentioning because she was alive, right? Maybe not whole or fully put together but she wasn't the shaking mess she'd been nearly a month ago. The Weasleys' were less than pleased with her withholding information but they didn't understand wanting to keep your pains to yourself. They didn't understand survival like she did. Harry would get the desire to let it lay, wouldn't he…?

The thought rang hollow in her head.

If she ignored his concern, Harry would notice and at best quietly resent her once he found out the truth. Worse case would see Brie dealing with his outrage on a very vocal level. Besides, denying him this wouldn't encourage her godbrother to share his pains once he gained them. He would brush off his own injuries in the face of her concern if she kept rebuking his inquiries because Harry could be a petty little shit when he wanted to and throwing her own phrases back in her face would be justice to him.

The Black heir sighed. Best to just get it over with. "Mind casting that spell Remus taught you last month, Harry?"

The Boy-Who-Lived gave Brie a concerned glance. "Quietus Minima?"

"That's the one. My wand is on the tabletop- yep. Give it a try." Harry picked her wand up carefully, brow furrowed as he recalled the motions for the spell.

Brie let her eyes fall shut and felt the moment the spell activated. The sound of the school matron winked out from one breath to the next and Harry's magic hummed in the air like vibrating spider's silk. She lifted her lids and felt herself grin at the pleased smile on the young Potter's face. This spell was perfect for keeping your conversation to yourself, but the downside was you couldn't hear anything outside a 6-8 foot radius. Brie didn't care about the limitation. She wanted to see how well Harry had taken to her family's ventures into teaching him magic. The answer was undoubtedly well.

Her bed shifted under Harry's weight and Brie wiggled to the right to make room. Her right shoulder made a token twinge of complaint at the action prompting Brie to give a mental kudo to the Matron for the potion. Whatever it was worked wonders. A small corner of her mind wondered if Snape brewed this.

A thin finger poked her in the arm. "So?"

Brie scowled as she focused on his attentive green eyes. She never noticed the gold threading his iris. It was compellingly distracting.

"Brie." He pouted.

"Don't do that. You're cute enough without giving me that face."

Red stained the curve of his cheek and Brie couldn't help her smirk. This kid was way to easy to fluster. Dad would have to step up the teasing to prepare Harry for the no doubt numerous declarations of love and devotion from the wizarding populous.

Harry narrowed his eyes and took a handful of deep breaths to calm the adorable flush to his cheeks. Once settled, he arched a brow as if to say 'whenever you're ready to stop fooling around and get to the point'. She was impressed. Someone's lessons were certainly paying off.

A tap on the nose made her roll her eyes until he said, "You really gonna make me ask what happened?"

Brie felt herself tense. It took the look of patience on Harry's face to reassure her that this was her godbrother, her best friend and he would not hate her for being ill. If anything would upset him, it'd be the fact that she took so long to tell him.

"No," She started, favoring him with a slight smile. " Course not. I have a condition called Ursa's Weakness."

She paused to see if recognition sparked in his face and continued after a breath of silence. "My mind can't handle certain foreign magicks. Specific potions and spell will make me sick or could damage my brain entirely." Harry continued to look at her with solemn eyes, not horror yet, or maybe he was hiding it well. Then again, Sirius was letting Harry be a kid. Why would he explain how terrible his godsister's illness could be? He hadn't even told Brie. "There was an… incident with bullying and I ended up reacting a little harsher to the situation than I meant to."

Harry's knowing smile was fleeting.

"One of the teachers performed a spell, Legilimens, and it-" Brie felt herself shudder at the memory briefly as warm fingers tangled with hers. She cleared her throat and traced the gold threads for a moment. "It hurt," she confessed quietly as she hadn't (couldn't) to the twins. She didn't know them. Not like Harry. And, as irrational as she knew it was to feel this way, Harry was the only one she felt comfortable openly admitting this to. "It hurt me enough to need a plethora of potions and time to be able to speak properly." His fingers squeezed. "I was… a bit of a mess honestly until the Twins found me and dragged Charlie into it. Charlie's the one Dad was teasing behind the stands."

A slow nod answered her slight rambling, prompting Brie to swallow and move on.

"Anyway, the mind conditioning that I'm going through right now is… difficult for me. Doesn't help that the person teaching me was the person who started all this crap because he- " Brie reigned in the flash of hostility with difficulty. Her mood swings had improved but there were still moments when she lashed out without fully realizing it. She was getting better… slowly. "That's not fair to say. It's my arrogance and willful blindness that got me in the situation in the first place."

She could have taken Gregorvich's advice to heart and followed through with it. She could have remembered the faces of the Ravenclaws from the train. She could have made it so others would think twice about trying to set her up but she didn't. Brie didn't know what that said about her future.

"I doubt it was all you, Brie." Harry's voice pulled her from the negative thoughts easily. He watched her for a moment, teeth absently chewing his inner cheek. "Brie… did you make yourself play today because we were going to watch?"

It shouldn't have surprised her that he picked out her motivations so quickly. She told him everything after all. Why wouldn't he sniff out the trainwreck she'd make of herself just to show off for her family?

Sirius's daughter merely held his gaze. Harry gave a put upon sigh. "You know I wouldn't have been disappointed as long as I got to see you. I don't think anyone really would have."

She knew that. She still wanted to play because she said she would. Her word mattered to her, especially to her family.

"When did I become the one to reassure you?" The rueful question caused Brie to snort. She shifted her free hand as if to leverage herself into a sitting position and Harry scowled at her insistence. "Hold on. You could barely move when I first got here."

Brie flashed him a smile that covered the spike in pain from moving around. "I can't stay on my stomach anymore, Little Bird." Besides, she wanted to be upright for additional guests. They were quiet for far too long and Charlie had stories about Madam Pomphrey's uncanny ability to sense when her charges were not acting as she demanded.

It took some assistance from Harry for Brie to get her back against the pillows suddenly piled high against the metal frame. A burst of affection hit her as she saw the three closest beds were robbed of their finery for her comfort. "Don't think this is overkill?"

Harry lifted his chin and settled next to her. "I'll take them from another bed to replace it. No one's here but you."

Brie sagged a little as tension leeched out into the cushions at her back. "Wood didn't get a stay?"

At the boy's blank look Brie clarified, "The boy I rammed into the goal post. He wasn't walking way from that without some type of injury."

Harry's expression cleared. "Oh, well he left before you woke up. A clean break the school nurse said. He may have even gotten back onto the field, before Gryffindor won."

The simmer of dissatisfaction at the pronouncement made Brie frown. She shouldn't give a whit that their team lost (her former team she should probably say). They deserved it for their jackassery.

But the Quidditch fan in her asked, "What was the score?"

Harry shook his head, casting the black strands to fall over his eyes until he brushed them away with his left hand. Petunia had never let Harry have long hair. It was surprisingly much tamer with the weight. A part of Brie thought the mess would stand on end no matter the length but the shoulder length was suspiciously reminiscent of her father's long hair. "Malfoy said it was 230-200 to Gryffindor."

Brie couldn't help the surprise at how close the score was. That means Gryffindor didn't score a single goal after Wood was removed from play. Slytherin must have run the replacement Keeper ragged trying to keep their shots out. She owed Flint and Pucey congratulations for managing with a half trained third.

As one corner of Brie's mind contemplated what actions to take with their unexpected loss, the other focused on the annoyed cast to Harry's face.

"Still calling him Malfoy, eh?"

Harry blushed but didn't release the set to his shoulders. "He's a prat."

"A times." Brie easily agreed because it was true. "He's also loyal to a fault and loves his family, Harry. He's clever and meticulous and aggravating as well. The brat can best me at Potions just as I'm sure you'll stomp all over my practical knowledge with Herbology and certain Offensive magics. No matter how many times Draco says something idiotic, I can't forget that he is partially a product of his environment just as I am." She leaned her head against his shoulder as Harry stiffened and Brie was inwardly delighted that he'd grown a bit in the time since she's left. They're shoulder to shoulder and his sat a little higher than hers, making a convenient resting point. "Did he say something in particular that offended you?"

Silence answered her question, but Brie would wait him out. She's comfortable and her mind is focused in the moment on her little brother's warmth and smell and magic. She missed him, and it bothered her a little to realize how much.

"He thinks he's the most important thing in the world and it grates is all." Harry's voice had an odd tone to it, deliberately still as if he was trying to suppress the emotion the thought spurred. Brie considered his magic and the quiet thrum of contentment even as something like unease tried to push it away.

Most important thing in the world?

She wasn't sure what was bothering him in this. Her little cousin is arrogance personified but he's usually polite if at times condescending to strangers. Why would Harry dwell on this as much as he was? Was he concerned Draco was more important to Sirius? To Remus? Sirius had a responsibility to Draco but he had one to Harry as well. He wouldn't put Draco over Harry if only because of James. Same with Remus. "Dad and Remus aren't going to replace you with him if that's what your worried about. You're an unofficial Marauder and those guys were like the musketeers but worse."

Harry's magic pressed against hers oddly. "I guess. Sirius said Malfoy's your favorite cousin. I know Remus talks about him a bunch."

Brie blinked rapidly at the sour twist to Harry's magic. Oh.

This wasn't about just about her family liking Draco more… it was about her.

"Harry," She started before cutting herself off and trying again with a less helpless tone of voice. "Draco is family. He'll be in my life until the day I die because I love him and blood is important." Blood is everything to her family and not simply for 'purity', but… Brie squeezed Harry's hand and pressed her magic into the words as she said, "You are my best friend, Harry."

The boy's head dropped on top of hers with a huff. "I know that."

"Do you?" Brie asked skeptically. She's never said it aloud because she never thought she needed to but he did not need to feel insecure about his place in her life. She loved Draco. She always would even if he ended up being a murderous nightmare. Just because you loved one person didn't mean your heart was limited to them. It didn't mean that someone else couldn't matter exactly the same or more.

It didn't have to mean any of that, though Brie knew her heart was a selfish thing.

"I didn't get to choose having you or Draco in my life. It would have happened whether I wanted it to or not, but I chose to trust you with my secrets. I choose to make you my best friend."

Harry was the most important person in her life outside her family and he should know that.

Her godbrother sat very still beside her and Brie wondered if she should have impressed this upon him sooner. Harry had a terrible idea of how people viewed him. She should have guessed it would affect his impression of people he cared about.

She felt him swallow thickly beside her, as if gearing up for a reply, but the string of curtains blocking off the four beds part to reveal her father's considering face. Sirius perked up immediately as he spotted the two of them.

"Prongslet! There you are. Moony's been haunting the halls looking for you with Luna-Bear. Poppy shooed him out of here without letting him get an word in edgewise." Her father swooped down to press kisses all over Brie's face and she tucked into Harry's side harder to avoid the onslaught. "Hecate, you live!"

"Dad! Stop! I'm fine."

Harry's shaking beside her proved he's a traitorous beast whose laughter only increased with the Black Lord's dramatics.

"I was sooo proud of my babygirl kicking ass- hurts my soul to say it- though we won so I suppose my disloyalty was fleeting enough for the Quidditch gods to ignore. How are you? Was the Lady Poppy kind? Look at you too snuggling together. So damn cute. I forgot the camera. Moony will be beside himself for missing out."

Harry's laughter cut off abruptly at the snuggling comment. She scowled as he scrambled off the bed and left her to her father's overbearing hug. "Da!"

Careful of her injured shoulder, Sirius scooped the first year into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Let me mother you, Brie. You nearly gave me an aneurism with that stunt."

Guilt tried to poke at her despite Brie being more than willing to repeat the offense. "I didn't mean to worry you. I knew what would happen if I took the hit but I couldn't-"

"It's Dragon-pup and Miss Nymphadora who you'll have to contend with for mercy." Her father interrupted mildly, chin balanced on the crown of her head. "I know how you get when fair play is an issue."

Brie winced at imagining Nymph's reaction. That sounded like her true favorite cousin, though teasing Draco was too damn amusing to not give off the impression he held said spot. Brie almost corrected Harry but she didn't want to give the little snot more ammo against Draco when they both got in a mood.

But, more importantly, her inevitable reaming was certainly not going to be a pleasant experience. As she gave a brief shudder of discomfort, she caught the furrowed brow on her little brother's face, but he shook his head slightly when she arched a brow in question. "Great. Yet another thing for Nymph to hound me on. What pulled her away? And where is Draco?"

"She seemed hell bent on educating the masses on Quidditch while Dragon-pup went off to cavort with Sniv- ow Snape. He spent the first hour of your comatose state lecturing you on your idiocy."

Her smirk was decidedly fond. "Prat."

She wanted to ask why Draco was with Snape, wanted to get up and show the younger ones the school, but Madam Pomphrey appeared at the parted curtains and waved her wand in a complicated gesture after she spared a long suffering look to the man cradling her patient to his chest.

"Looks like your scapula has healed nicely, was some tricky work getting the pieces to align for the Skele-grow to function properly, but it managed to cut your healing time to a third the expected process. Be sure to thank Mister Potter for the idea, Miss Black."

Brie blinked wide grey eyes at the Matron before turning to her suddenly bashful godbrother.

Sirius grinned, "Definitely got your mother's brains then, Harry."

"I feel like I should be offended on my Dad's behalf." Was the ten year old's bemused reply. Sirius shrugged.

"We all knew who was the brighter of the two. Lily was pants at Transfiguration and that was James's specialty and while James could make unusual uses out of ordinary spells, Lily knew more by her fourth year about magical theory than James did growing up in the magical world. They each had their strengths." He pressed another kiss on Brie's brow before setting her on her feet. "Come on then. Let's find the rest of the group before we release you to the dungeons." Her father slanted his stormy grey eyes to her as he said it and Brie straightened her back under his questioning gaze.

The Acting Black Lord seemed to wilt at the stubborn stare but dipped his head obligingly.

When Brie said she would fight her own battles, she meant it.

All too soon, Brie stood at the entryway to the Slytherin Common room ready to face her House.

She didn't think she'd need to walk in there, wand at the ready, but Brie also never thought she'd gain the enmity of the entire Quidditch team if not her House.

What was expected to happen in situations like this? Just listening to some of the commentary from Draco (after he scolded her on her continued idiocy for an additional 15 mins), a good portion of the school was angry with her for 'attacking' the Gryffindor keeper, while those who had more than a working knowledge of Quidditch commended her on her actions but were baffled that she chose to go against her teammates to perform it.

In a way, she did ignore house unity. Few seemed to recognize it outside the house of green and silver, but it could be enough for some punishment to come down. Brie had yet to speak with Snape about the incident after she woke up, but she didn't doubt he'd have yet more words expounding on her lack of intelligence. Part of her wished she could just fight her way out of the issue but her dueling was admittedly unreliable at the moment. Not to mention her scattered thoughts earlier in the Infirmary.

Honestly, she just wanted to sleep.

Sleep when you're dead, Hecate.

Brie sucked in a soft breath before moving towards the common room.

"Threshal Milk"

Stone slid away and the Black Heir slipped into the common room with sharp eyes and nervous energy.

Burke sat at the large winged chair dramatically pulled in front of the common room fireplace. There was a book open in his lap, leather bound and delicate looking, but the teen was instead watching the fire dance. Red and orange played along his skin, shadowing the sixth's years odd green gaze.

There were a scattering of upper years reading or having quiet discussions amongst the other chairs but none quieted or even turned in her direction at the sound of stone moving. Brie wasn't completely surprised. She was arriving near curfew and all of the house should have returned by then. They probably knew she was on only left one to walk in at this point. That her year mates were no where to be seen meant this was a planned setting. She was tired enough to not give a damn.

Silver grey eyes flickered between the fifteen upper years. Gregorvich was absent, as was Vance and Flint, which concerned her. Shouldn't they be here for whatever confrontation seemed primed to occur? It was quidditch related for the most part. Maybe in a distant sort of way it could be a House problem but Quidditch had always seemed more autonomous. If you fucked up on the pitch, Vance dealt with you; whereas, if you had school work issues or behavioral problems, the prefects tore you apart.

Brie looked at the hall which led to the girl's dorm and fought the disconcerting urge to dart into her bedroom before someone deigned to address her. She wasn't a coward and she would own this choice. Running away wouldn't help her case.

Now that Brie thought about it, why was Burke there anyway? True he'd given the hierarchy speech in the beginning of the year but Brie didn't know what his actual role required. Thinking of it now, Burke received quite a bit of diffidence from the upper years, even the seventh years. Why was that?

Pale serpent green eyes dragged to her person and Brie realized belatedly that she approached him while she was thinking.

"Black." He said after a stretched pause. "Did you need something?"

Brie almost faltered at the disinterested air. Was she reading too much into this? Maybe no one truly cared. The point deficient was negligible when you looked at the rest of the year's worth of points they could gain. She could be letting her arrogance get the better of her in thinking that she was worth the effort of punishing….

No, there would be consequences for this. She didn't think her choice somehow affected the whole house but that didn't mean she couldn't understand Vance's look of promised retribution. Even if Burke wouldn't be the one to enact it, he'd have an idea of what would come next.

Brie didn't care to play games tonight. She was bone tired and Sunday was her only reprieve from answering to Snape.

"Answers, if you'll give them to me."

Burke's gaze lingered. "In regards to?"

Quidditch. Vance. House rules-

"You."

Conversation in the common room stilted.

Brie caught herself just as much off guard by the inquiry as the rest of the room but now that it was voiced, she found she cared more for this answer than whatever dastardly plan Vance cooked up to make her regret interfering.

The Sixth year blinked. "What questions do you have?"

The Black Heir tilted her head to the side as she considered it.

Nothing comes free in this house.

"A few. What do you want in return for your time?"

Now Burke did smile. It was a crooked thing, more smirk than actual curl of the lips, but Brie felt an odd rush of success at garnering such an expression. Burke's smiles were always cutting when she deigned to take note of them at all. "A demonstration, if you could." His voice was teasing.

The Firstie felt her brow furrow. What demonstration?

"The one you denied the House on your first day." The teen went on as the Black Heir searched for meaning in the vague request.

Brie nearly flinched. "I must be mistaking your meaning. You want me to duel?" What madness brought this about? Snape would be livid if someone so much as hinted she was threatening one of his precious snake. Or maybe, he'd be annoyed she was throwing herself into danger so soon after being released from the infirmary.

Perhaps this time he would give me the benefit of doubt.

Burke seemed to have an oddly close relationship with their Head of House. The last thing she needed was to harm the older teen in some odd aim to test her. Always with the damn tests.

"I'm aware of your circumstances, Black. Professor Snape knows I can handle it."

Grey eyes narrowed on the attentive lime colored gaze. Why would Snape tell Burke? She was a possible danger, true, but the Prefects should have been warned, not this random Sixth's year. Why would he matter?

Brie noticed the silence in the common room and felt herself frown. "That's your price?"

Burke merely lifted a brow, fist still curled below his chin and serpent gaze unflinching in their steadiness.

She needed a release, didn't she? This would help her.

A means to vent, to express the frustrations that have been boiling within her ever since she got sorted into the house she chose. Why shouldn't she take it?

But, and more likely, this could also blow up spectacularly in her face. The smart thing to do would be to walk away and figure out Burke on her own time. Vance was going to be enough of a pain in the ass, she's sure.

If she found him, anyway.

Brie shook her head. "Maybe some other time. I have to find Vance."

"Vance has little say in you now that you're under another's domain. Pity." Burke's stature hadn't changed, but something about the teen's tone set her teeth on edge. "You would have been an excellent Chaser."

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Brie frowned. Vance dropped her from the team? That's the extent of his retribution? Brie was ready and willing to cut herself off. All Vance managed in this decision was to get the petty last word. The Black in her sneered.

Walk away, Hecate.

Burke's knowing look and amused expression made sure she didn't.

"I'm not a pet to be handed off, Burke, and I fail to see how I fall under anyone's domain outside of the Professor's." Her tone was inappropriate towards someone who is so much higher in the social hierarchy of her House, but Brie couldn't bring herself to silence the impertinent address. She would have been Vance's responsibility if she stayed on the team but with the aforementioned tie cut, Brie wasn't beholden to any particular upper year. She's listened to the Prefects if they didn't interfere with her own plans but they didn't own her. They had no dominion over her actions and if they didn't know it, they would the moment they sought to overstep themselves. Brie would not be chained. Not like the Orphanaged, never like that again.

Snape's attentions, as much as she hated it, gave her a level of autonomy to be left alone and she was going to milk it for all it's was worth. Blood only gave her so much leeway.

She was not looking forward to butting up against the Upper years who would seek to curtail a Firstie's idea of importance now that Vance and Flint withdrew whatever support that had for her.

Brie swallowed the building anger, pushed it down and pressed it tight. She wanted to sleep, god damn it, but her mouth wouldn't leave well enough alone. And, what would they do to her if she truly spoke her mind for once? A crucio was beyond most school aged children and she couldn't force herself to back down.

This is careless.

But still, Brie spoke.

"Barring my initial screw up on the train, I've done nothing but abide to your rules until those idiots targeted me. I haven't gotten in the way of any of these games you all insist on playing with one another and I've respected the shortsighted beliefs of your peers. This," Brie hissed with a gesture to the common room, but meaning so much more, "is what Slytherin is. I get it. But none of it, none of this, has to reflect me."

The last was said with a quiet fierceness that Brie rarely cared to use amongst her Housemates. She wanted to be left alone, unless it was for the betterment of the house, a goal she felt grew more unrealistic with each passing day; however, this particular tone of voice was not to be used by someone who wished to be overlooked. It was not to be used by a firstie who quietly balked at being set in a prescribed place.

No.

Brie spoke with the air of a Black who'd decided that their word was to be heeded.

Immediately.

Burke straightened, hand dropping from his chin as those in the common room shuffled in offense.

The teen's face blanked, contrasting the magic blossoming at the base of his chest with a warmth that resembled satisfaction. Satisfaction Brie couldn't begin to guess the source of as the upper years in the edges of the room started to form a circle at her back.

"Black." His voice tutted with a sigh. Brie stilled, hand itching for her wand as Burke continued. "Black. Black. Black. Black. Black." Serpent eyes curved in a smile. "I suppose you wouldn't have been taught such things with a Gryffindor as a sire. A disservice, if there ever was one." Burke slid from the seat to stand at his full height, smile softening to something… almost affectionate. "I look forward to teaching you."

When Brie flicked her wrist to catch her wand, she only had a moment to swear before the ruby red of a stunner leapt from Burke's palm and slammed into her chest.

She was unconscious before she hit the floor.

Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?

~Yasha's Sis