November 3rd, 1981

They didn't understand. They didn't even come close to trying to comprehend how much Walburga had given up for those ungrateful little sons of hers, those children who didn't even hesitate to think before betraying her and abandoning every little thing their good name stood for in this cruel little society.

Sirius, whom she did love once as much as her own mother had taught her she should feel for a son, but her beloved little son had thrown everything she'd ever done for him (all the laughters she had to endure because Sirius just couldn't help himself, all the things they'd talked behind their back because of her beloved little lion, she'd smiled and endured), all because of one boy who wasn't even worth a minute of his precious time. Making a fool out of himself all because of one and only James Potter, the blood traitor son of Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. It broke her heart sometimes, whenever she remembered it all, how cold he'd started to act towards her, how very unrespectful he was towards her after everything she'd done for him, forgetting every little thing she had taught him to ensure he could live in this society. He'd forgotten them all for one stupid boy. It angered her, boiled her blood like nothing else. He had betrayed her, and she could never forgive him for it.

Regulus, poor little Regulus who was so much like her husband more than anyone she knew, she'd always hated a little. Of course, because he was the only son she had left who didn't rebel on them, she cared for him as much as she could for a boy who'd never trusted her. He'd always been his father's son ever since he was very little, always tagging after his father like a nosy nuisance he most definitely was, but just like Orion, Regulus always had built a thick, tall wall around him. It was almost impossible to influence him. If she told him one thing, then he would smile and pretend as if he believed a word she'd told him, except he didn't at all. He was annoying like that. Far too distrustful for his own good. It was Orion's blood in him, her mother always had said, and Walburga had nodded her head in a quiet agreement and gritted her teeth at her misfortune to be stuck with a son like him.

Orion had turned him against her a long time ago, his perfect little soldier who would do his every bid as he was told, but alas it turned out, he wasn't as obedient as either of them thought him to be. Perfect little Regulus who always said all the right things in all the right situations, whom everyone had always considered to be a better heir than her beloved son (she stopped considering Regulus her son a long time ago, he may be hers biologically, but he may as well be not), had turned to the other side and betrayed them all only a few years after his brother did. Just like his cousin Andromeda, shortly before graduating, he'd run away from his family home and married a red-haired, a perfectly muggle-born witch who went by the name Lily Evans. Orion almost had a stroke when he heard the news, but even then Orion refused to disown the boy. Always did love him the best, Orion did.

Now, almost a decade after, Orion's son was dead and his pretty little muggle-born wife was a wife to another, having remarried after his tragic death (Orion died shortly after hearing the news, Walburga didn't shed a tear for a husband who never cared for her), to James Potter of all the people. Her heart only tightened a little at the thought of her older son, how he must've felt when that happened, but he probably got over his infatuation with Potter boy quickly enough, if he'd had a space in his heart to get engaged to Marlene McKinnon, who died shortly after the engagement when a bunch of death eaters set her family home on a fire. Now, Regulus' widow was dead along with her new husband, only a boy left to continue their family legacy, a boy they said had been the end of Lord Voldemort.

Walburga scoffed at the idea as she stalked through her family estate with a small dark-haired boy in her arms, in quite a hurry to give him up. Lord Voldemort defeated by a baby who couldn't even walk, let alone cast a spell? Absolute nonsense. Walburga looked down at the little boy in her arms for a second, and despite herself, remembered the day she'd first held Regulus when he was born. He was such a little thing, all too precious. It was the last time Walburga had felt anything close to love for the boy. Now, holding his son, all Walburga felt was an urgency to get him far away from her. Curse Albus Dumbledore for giving her the boy in the first place. He should have been wise enough to throw the boy away to a local orphanage after he'd found him with his dead mother in that house. She wasn't going to raise another boy who would probably turn out to be exactly like his father and paternal uncle. She'd had her share of raising ungrateful children.

"Georgina?" She greeted the younger woman, beautiful and graceful, all the things she would've wished for a daughter if she had one, but unfortunately barren. Hence why they wanted the boy; to adopt him into their family as one of their own. Nobody would have to know he wasn't originally theirs. "You look just lovely, darling."

"Oh, you are as kind as always, Mrs. Black." Georgina blushed a little, the pretty little thing. "But the boy?" She glanced at the sleeping boy in her arms, looking as if she couldn't wait to hold him in her arms. Walburga hurriedly gave the boy to her, rolling her eyes somewhat dramatically. "Oh, Walburga, he is simply beautiful! What is his name?"

Walburga scoffed again. "Theodore." She didn't know what her filthy little daughter-in-law was thinking when she named him that. She should have had the decency to respect the tradition. "Theodore Cassius Black, but I suppose you will change his name?"

Ignatius Nott nodded his head, opening his mouth to speak when his wife interrupted, a wide smile on her face. "No, Theodore is fine. I like the name. Besides, the least we can do is to respect the name his birth parents had bestowed upon him, isn't it?" Walburga didn't really care what they named the boy, as long as they got him as far away from her as humanly possible.

"Darling, I really don't think ―," Ignatius began, only to be interrupted by his wife again. "Shall we go, Ignatius? I fear our Theodore is getting hungry."

Ignatius sighed and simply nodded his head. "Of course." he said and nodded at Walburga gratefully. Following after his wife, he stalked away from her house. Walburga finally sat down on the couch in her living room, conjuring up a firewhiskey with a tap of her wand.

Good riddance.

September 01, 1991

Contrary to all the other children who were his age, Theodore Nott was excited to head for Hogwarts because of an entirely different reason. He couldn't wait to get away from his father who never needed a reason to punish him ever since Theodore's father had pushed Theodore's mother down the stairs for something nobody really bothered to tell Theodore, Theodore who'd always been left home alone with the fearful man. A small shiver ran through his skin at the thought of his father. "Theo?" It was Draco Malfoy who was looking at him strangely, his best friend since forever. "Are you feeling alright?"

Theodore nodded his head, smiling. "I am fine, don't you worry your pretty head over it." He needed to change the subject. He couldn't afford to let Draco know exactly what sort of living situation he had back at home. He simply couldn't afford the pity he would receive from his best friend. Instead, he breathed the slightest bit and told him something he'd heard while on the way to the compartment earlier on the train. "By the way, Draco, did you hear what they were saying about Harry Potter? Apparently, he is here."

"Oh, haven't I told you? I met him while getting measured for the school robes." Draco looked very excited because of that. Lucius probably had told his friend to befriend him. Theodore stiffened at the thought of Draco's father. There was something really off-putting about the tall, blond-haired man. He just couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was that he felt that made him be distrustful of the man. Probably nothing. Maybe he was just being paranoid. Hopefully, he was just being paranoid. He didn't know what he would do if he was not. He was only a teenager, after all. "He looked awfully confused."

Theodore chuckled. "You try being raised by muggle relatives, mate. You would be confused too."

Draco arched his eyebrows. "Good point." Suddenly, the front door to their compartment door split open and a very small, but confident looking girl with a massive hair that could probably hide a few things in there, entered the compartment. She really needed a serious makeover. "Have you seen a toad around here somewhere? A boy named Neville lost one."

Draco shook his head, though he didn't even bother to look at the girl. "Maybe you should try Weasley twins," He said, finally looking up. The girl's cheeks reddened slightly for some reason. "They are always getting up to trouble."

The girl smiled. "Good to know." She said. "I am Hermione Granger."

Before his best friend could say anything potentially rude, which would probably shatter her good impression of him, Theodore butted in, "Theodore Nott, and this is my friend Draco." He forced on a smile, shaking her hand. "Sorry we can't help you more about that toad, but if it makes you feel any better, Longbottom is always losing things. So, if you really want to be his friend, you are going to end up helping him find more than a few things."

"Thanks for the warning." She stared, glancing at his blond friend once before shifting her eyes back to him, "It was really nice meeting you two, but I have to find that toad."

"Anytime." He smiled.

After Hermione Granger was gone, Draco rolled his eyes. "Suck up." he accused him, but affectionately.

"Asshole." He stared at him, arching his eyebrows. "You think we would get to finally meet your godfather?"

"Severus Snape?" Draco shrugged his shoulders casually. "I can't imagine why we would not. He is, after all, the head of our house."

"We haven't even been sorted yet."

Draco arched his eyebrows. "Is there really any question as to where we would be sorted?"

"I suppose not." He lifted his head to look at the window of the compartment, feeling strangely unenthusiastic about all of this. Theodore turned back to Draco and smirked. "You want to play Exploding Snap?"