Chapter Thirty-One

Christmas was quiet that year, with no small Weasleys running around, though Molly did invite us. Multiple times. Instead, Nic came home in time to go with me to pick Lily up from King's Cross, even though she already had her Apparition license. That meant he got to good naturedly threaten James, like the good big brother he always tried to be. Sirius and I laughed in the background, while Lily tried to put an end to the intimidation. And Mrs. Potter egged Nic on, causing James to cry betrayal. It was a nice break from my normal, reminding me to smile every now and then. But, we did finally leave the train station, after Mrs. Potter hugged Lily and extracted a promise to attend Christmas tea from her, and then she surprised me with a hug, as well. "You and Nic are more than welcome to come, as well, dear," she said with a smile. "After all, the more, the merrier."

Which was how I found myself pulling on robes Christmas afternoon, after much cajoling from Lily, and much plotting from Mum and Nic. "I want an afternoon with Mum all to myself," he said, wrapping a careful arm around her shoulders. "You girls enjoy tea at the Potters, and we'll have a nice, quiet afternoon to ourselves."

"Yes, Tunia, do go," Mum urged. "You deserve to go and enjoy yourself. And Lily needs the moral support while meeting with her future in-laws."

"Mum!" Lily protested, face flushing fantastically. But we did notice, with very large grins, that she didn't correct her.

So, at half three, Lily and I gripped hands and spun on the spot, thinking the name "Caput Magnus" over and over again. We landed in front of a large country house, though perhaps not quite as large as I'd been expecting. After all, the Potters were one of the oldest magical families in Britain, even for their exclusion from that ridiculous list of the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight.

Together, we walked up the snow-free path to the door, admiring the elegant columns and the beautiful garland hanging between each. I knew Lily was nervous when she slipped her glove-covered hand into mine. I squeezed it gently. "Relax, love, they'll adore you," I whispered.

James had impeccable timing, bursting out the door as the words left my mouth. "Lils, my beautiful Lily, I've missed you," he said, words tumbling almost on top of each other as he all but crashed into her. They clung to each other, kissing desperately, as Sirius strolled out of the house, looking rather amused.

"It's like they haven't seen each other in weeks," he stage-whispered to me, even as he gave me a hug.

"Instead of the mere five days that it's actually been," I added, returning the embrace and grinning more widely than I had in months.

"And like they haven't been writing to each other several times a day," he continued, with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"Every single day," I said, which finally got a reaction from Lily.

"Oi, I've missed him," she said, once she disentangled herself.

"A lot," James added, wrapping his arm back around her shoulders.

"James Henry Potter, you let those girls come in the house!" Mrs. Potter called from the door way. "It's freezing out!"

"Coming, Mum," he called back, looking a bit bashful.

Tea was lovely, and rather entertaining for Sirius and me. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were incredible hosts, but of course, they wanted to get to know their son's girlfriend better. So, they asked Lily rather a lot of questions. And they teased James to no end. It was so much fun to see the normally cool and charming Marauder so flustered. And Sirius and I egged them on, enjoying the mild glares sent our way.

After the meal, James and Sirius took us girls on a tour of the house, but we somehow lost Lily and James after his room, leaving me with Sirius. He gamely continued on, sharing grins with me and keeping a steady stream of jokes the whole time. We ended back in the library, a cozy room with a roaring fire and absolutely stuffed with books. "I think this would have been Lily's favourite room, had she finished the tour," I joked, skimming the titles of the shelf next to me. I didn't recognize many, but to my surprise, there were quite a few Muggle titles alongside the magical ones.

"I have a feeling she'll have a chance to explore it to her heart's content," Sirius answered, grinning with happiness for his friend.

"I think you might be right," I said, also happy for my baby sister. I steadfastly ignored the little part of my heart that was twinging in pained remembrance. "But I didn't realize you lived here with the Potters."

His face instantly dropped, and I felt like an utter prat. "I'm so sorry- I didn't mean-" I started to say, but he waved it away.

"It's fine, Petal, you didn't know," he said, squeezing my hand in forgiveness. He walked toward the fire, which meant his back was to me when he started speaking again. "I ran away from home, Christmas hols in my Fifth Year. Mum, my dear delightful Mummy, wanted me to join the Death Eaters. 'It's time to be a proper Black,' she told me, which apparently means torturing and murdering anyone we think is less than us, which equates to nearly the entire world. But I refused to join, and she tried to… convince me."

The way he said the word "convince" gave me an idea to what he'd meant. "An Unforgivable?" I asked lowly, going to his side. My heart ached, for someone else for once, and I didn't know how to help, but I wasn't going to just leave him to remember all that by himself. I put my hand on his arm, just to let him know I was there.

"Two, actually," he told me, looking over his shoulder at me for a second, eyebrow quirking in morbid amusement. "She tried Imperio, but she didn't realize that Prongs and Moony and I have been practicing it on each other, so that we can throw it off if need be." I gaped at the knowledge, but I could see the wisdom in it. "And when she realized that wasn't going to work, she went for Crucio."

"Oh, Sirius," I gasped, heart breaking for the boy in front of me. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. How- You're so strong, so brave, but I'm so sorry you had to be."

Sirius turned to me, confusion written all over his face. "How can you say that? I ran away, left everything behind. How is that brave?"

Taking his face in my hands, I told him sternly, "You escaped an abusive home. That takes bravery beyond what I've ever dealt with. You refused to take the easy route, the one your family wanted you to take, the one they've been pushing you toward your entire life. You stood up for what you believe in, and you didn't let anyone, even the adults who are supposed to love and care for you, force you into something you disagree with. And you survived their abuse. I'm guessing that wasn't the first time your… mother used a Dark spell on you."

He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "They were pretty common, once I got Sorted into Gryffindor."

I couldn't hold back any longer. I wrapped my arms around him, hooking my chin over his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Sirius. But you are strong, stronger than you realize. And you deserve to be free from them, to be happy."

Sirius held himself stiffly in my arms, until he suddenly melted and I was almost holding him up. We stood there in silence for a long while. "Thank you, Petal," he said, kissing my cheek. "And you are stronger than you realize, too. You deserve to be happy. Gid would want that."

I smiled back, even for the piercing twinge in my heart. "I'm getting there," I lied.

Lily and James eventually joined us, looking far more mussed than they had before. Conversation stayed light for the rest of the visit, with the boys seemingly competing to see who could get us to laugh more. And I actually enjoyed myself for once, smiling and laughing more than I had in six months.

AN: I am so sorry, you guys! I've been so stuck on this story, because I know what comes next, and I really don't want to write it. And I've been having trouble writing in general. But here's the next chapter, with a bit of angst and a bit of fluff. You've got to keep it balanced! Thanks for reading, if anyone still is, and a big thanks to those of you who take the time to review. Those reviews make my day!

AN again: For some reason, it decided to upload Chapter 29 again instead of this one. So here's the real one!