Chapter Ten: Let It Die
I've been looking for a way to bring you back to life
And if I could find a way, then I would bring you back tonight
I'd make you look, I'd make you lie
I'd take the coldness from your eyes
But you told me, if you love me
Let it die
~ Let It Die; Starset
A/N: Soooo yeah this chapter is not gonna be fun, Remix lovers. But both Remus and Phoenix have some growing to do, and unfortunately this means what's to come is necessary.
A huge thank you to my reviewers: Papergirlpapertownn, Total Targaryen, Mystic Scripture, Darth Rapture, drwatsonn, Kam, BeyondTheHorizonIsHope, xlittleredx, ocfairygodmother, and my guests.
Christmas Day was an awful affair. The entire lunch was a drawn-out event full of false cheer, and Phoenix was just grateful the eggnog had been infused with bourbon. She knew Kreacher had spent all night preparing the food too, and she didn't want to see the house-elf's efforts gone to waste.
Unfortunately, it wasn't simply Phoenix's immediate family in attendance. Walburga's sole surviving brother Cygnus and his wife Druella came to call, along with two of their daughters—Bellatrix and Narcissa. They didn't talk about Andromeda anymore, not since she'd married a Muggle-born. She had a daughter, whose name escaped Phoenix.
Walburga had been a commanding presence as ever. She had even insisted that Phoenix wear a short red skirt and cream button-down blouse, as if they were dressing to the nines rather than simply having a family meal.
Phoenix was not in the mood for festivities, although all of her relatives showered her with expensive gifts, making her force a smile. Her maternal grandparents, Pollux and Irma, were also present. Walburga was constantly guilting the twins into spending time with them, saying it could be the last Christmas they had with their grandparents, as if they were doddering old folk instead of being in their sixties.
Regulus, fortunately, didn't approach Phoenix. He knew she was still angry with him, and they had exchanged gifts in silence. As the afternoon bled into evening, their relatives spaced themselves out in Grimmauld Place. Phoenix's head was buzzing as she sipped her fourth eggnog, hoping to take the opportunity to escape to her room.
"Bellatrix and Narcissa are out on the back porch." Walburga gripped Phoenix's arm as she made to escape, snatching the glass of eggnog from her daughter with a disapproving frown. "They're smoking some of your grandfather's finest cigars. You should join them."
"I don't want to," Phoenix mumbled sullenly. She wanted to go to her room and be left alone. She had written to Sirius informing him that she would no longer be able to attend New Year's. She hadn't the heart to break the news to Remus via owl. She wanted to wait until she was back at Hogwarts. He deserved as much. She owed him as much.
"You might find they have some useful advice to offer." Walburga's fingers dug into her daughter's bicep. "About your future."
"Fine," Phoenix snapped, yanking her arm from her mother's grasp and heading out to the back porch, her stomach twisting in apprehension.
Narcissa smiled indulgently as Phoenix joined them. She had always been bearable, with a fair beauty that Phoenix had envied as a child. She was twenty-two now, Bellatrix four years older. Both of them were married. Respectable pure-blood matches, Walburga had called them. Narcissa offered Phoenix a cigar as she sat across from them, which Phoenix took and Narcissa lit up with a wave of her wand.
"You've grown up. When was the last time I saw you, my wedding?" Narcissa asked.
Bellatrix snickered. Phoenix had always been cautious around her. Bellatrix and her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange, were proud Death Eaters. She caught a glimpse of Bellatrix's husband and brother-in-law, Rabastan, talking with Orion and Pollux and Narcissa's husband Lucius in the living room. Sirius had always been at odds with Bellatrix, who had been among the first to condemn him following his abrupt departure from their family home.
"Hardly grown up, Cissy, she's sixteen." Bellatrix's cruel eyes raked over her younger cousin. "Although I suppose she's filled out, in all the ways that matter to men. Tell me, little Phoenix, are you looking forward to getting married?"
"I'm not really sure," Phoenix admitted, drawing on her cigar and breathing out a plume of smoke.
"What is it you're unsure of?" Bellatrix cocked her head to the side. "Aunt Walburga tells me there's a whole host of potential suitors. Doesn't that make you feel special, little Phoenix? To know that you're a desirable match?"
"I'm not little," Phoenix said through clenched teeth.
"My marriage to Lucius was planned through our families," Narcissa seemed to sense the growing tension, hoisting a smile across her features. "It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but once we spent more time together, he was lovely to me. We're very happy together."
"Goodie for you," Bellatrix sneered, making Narcissa roll her eyes.
"Just because you can't stand Rodolphus doesn't mean we're all like that, Bella. Besides, we're meant to be encouraging Phoenix, not making her feel awful."
"What about Rabastan?" A wicked smile curved the corners of Bellatrix's lips. "We'd be sisters-in-law. Imagine that. I don't doubt he's one of the people your parents are considering, you know."
"Rabastan's twenty-four," Phoenix blurted out, before realising how stupid she sounded. If her parents were looking for her to marry when she was of age, they would most likely be considering older husbands.
Bellatrix cackled delightedly and clapped her hands. "Of course he is, baby cousin. You want a man, don't you, not a boy."
Rodolphus, Rabastan and Lucius stepped out onto the porch. Phoenix lapsed into silence, taking another puff of her cigar. She tugged at the hem of her red skirt, suddenly aware how short it was. Fortunately, none of the men seemed overly interested in engaging her in conversation. Lucius stepped forward and rested a hand on his wife's shoulder.
"We should go, Narcissa. We promised my parents we'd be there for dinner by eight."
"Of course." Narcissa put out her cigar, raising a pointed eyebrow at Bellatrix. "Are you leaving?"
"Oh, no." There was something dark in Bellatrix's smile, her wild eyes fixed on Phoenix, and her skin crawled in trepidation. "I think we'll stay a little longer."
Phoenix got up and embraced Narcissa, bidding her and Lucius goodbye before sitting back down. This time, Rabastan sat beside her as she returned to her cigar. Bellatrix whispered something to Rodolphus, and the pair vanished into the darkness of the garden. There was silence between Phoenix and Rabastan. The chatter from inside and the cigar should have calmed her, but she felt uneasy in his presence, acutely aware that he was looking at her.
"You're in your final year at Hogwarts, aren't you?" he asked after moments of uncomfortable silence.
"No, that's Sirius." Phoenix tapped out her cigar. "I'm in my sixth."
She didn't meet his eyes. She didn't want to look at him. She could only hope that Bellatrix was wrong and there was no vested interest there. She didn't even know Rabastan—he'd graduated Hogwarts before she'd started.
"Are you nervous?" Rabastan laughed. "What do you think I'm going to do, bite you?"
Phoenix finally looked away from her feet. Rabastan was smiling at some private joke, and he reached out to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear.
"You're lovely."
His touch was like spiders against her skin, making her lurch to her feet, desperate to get away from him. Her heart was hammering in her chest. What in the name of Merlin was wrong with her? Rabastan had barely touched her. He appeared more amused than annoyed by her reaction.
"Skittish little thing, aren't you?"
"Don't touch me." Phoenix marched inside, letting the door slam behind her. She swept into the corridor and headed up the stairs before any of the rest of her family could comment. It had only been a day, one fucking day, since she'd agreed to break up with Remus and marry a suitable pure-blood man. Already she felt set upon, men like Rabastan like wolves on the prowl. She hated it so much.
Closing her door, Phoenix flopped on her bed, her body riddled with exhaustion. The tears came then, though she muffled her sobs in her pillow. None of this was fair or right, but that didn't matter to her family. Her feelings weren't their prime concern, just her ability to do the noble thing and sacrifice herself to marry someone she didn't love. Whatever Bellatrix was, she at least understood that part of Phoenix.
New Year's Eve brought with it an impending sense of doom. Walburga had invited over many of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families, which only caused trepidation in Phoenix. The sparkling silver dress that Walburga had insisted upon accentuated Phoenix's curves and brought out her grey eyes. Her glossy black hair was swept up on a high ponytail as she descended the stairs to the pandemonium her parents had invited into Grimmauld Place. She was tonight's sacrificial offering. A little lamb amongst wolves.
Phoenix refused to be intimidated by the thought, even as she watched Walburga exchanging cheek kisses with the wizarding elite. She was Phoenix Black. She would embrace her fate with the grace and charm expected of her. She still hadn't broken up with Remus, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth as she mingled with the guests, a glass of champagne in one hand and a saccharine smile plastered across her lips.
"Phoenix." It was Rabastan Lestrange, his knowing smile sending chills up her spine as he approached. He kissed her cheek with more familiarity than she was comfortable, though she endeavoured to appear unaffected. "You look absolutely stunning."
"Thank you." Her response was stiff as his eyes raked over her body, sending a shiver of disgust coursing through her. She knocked back the champagne in a few gulps as her eyes raked over the potential suitors her mother had assembled. She felt like an art piece up for auction, sold to the highest bidder.
"I just wanted you to know something. Your father shared a cigar with mine out on the balcony half an hour ago. He indicated that if you don't make a choice tonight, you'd marry me." A dark smile crossed Rabastan's lips at the revulsion in her expression. He stepped closer to whisper in her ear. "It doesn't matter if you wouldn't like it. I could use the Imperius Curse on you and make you do...whatever I wanted."
The insinuations in his voice made bile rise in Phoenix's throat, and she quickly murmured an excuse to leave, stumbling into the powder room and vomiting in the sink. Raw sobs grated through her as she gripped the edge of the basin.
Walburga didn't care how a pure-blood man would treat her daughter. She just cared that Phoenix didn't disgrace the Black family name. Walburga would let Rabastan Lestrange do whatever he wanted, would let him use an Unforgivable if it meant Phoenix's compliance.
Phoenix thought of Evan. She didn't always like him, but he was the most sympathetic of Regulus's friends. Even when it had become clear that Phoenix didn't care about him, Evan still had unrequited feelings for her. Evan she could tolerate. Evan she could manipulate. Perhaps it was an awful thing for her to want, but she wanted a husband she could control, rather than vice versa.
Washing out the basin, Phoenix examined her reflection, making her best effort to compose herself. She dabbed at her eyes to ensure her mascara and eyeliner hadn't budged. She would be nothing less than the picture of pure-blood perfection. The sound of footsteps made her tense, and she wondered if it was Regulus. She really didn't want to speak to her twin right now.
"Phoenix?" Evan tapped on the door, cracking it open from where she'd left it ajar. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she croaked the word out, "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Evan nudged the door further open, his blue eyes concerned as he took her in, hunched over the sink. He moved to stand beside her, resting a hand on the small of her back. His palm was warm through the thin fabric of her dress. Somehow, the gesture made Phoenix tear up again, and when Evan held her close, she cried into his shoulder. What in the name of Merlin was she doing? Since when had Evan Rosier comforted her?
"I need another drink," Phoenix murmured, drawing away from him and heading back into the room. She made a determined beeline for Walburga, who was talking to a pretty blonde woman that Phoenix recognised as Evan's mother, Camille Rosier.
"What is it, darling?" Walburga's voice was all false sympathy. "Have you made a decision?"
"Yes." Phoenix licked her lips. "Evan Rosier."
"Oh, how wonderful," Camille cooed, clasping her red-taloned hands together in joy, "You two would make beautiful babies."
Another wave of nausea rose in the pit of Phoenix's stomach, but she smiled politely and swallowed it down. A delighted smile crossed Walburga's face. She leaned in to place a kiss to her daughter's cheek. Phoenix knew she should cherish the rare display of affection, but her stomach was still twisting itself into knots.
"I'm so proud of you, Phoenix."
As the clock chimed midnight and everyone raised their glasses of champagne in toast to the new year, Phoenix barged out of the living room. Her hands were clammy and her knees were trembling violently. She had made the choice. She had been the one to decide on her future. Why did it still feel so wrong?
"Phoenix, you can't ignore me forever."
Regulus tried to keep up with his twin's pace. She had the distinct impression that she could and would ignore him for as long as it took. She marched determinedly down the narrow corridor of the Hogwarts Express, determined to find a compartment where she could be left alone with her thoughts. So much had happened over the holidays, and there was so much she needed to process.
"Literally fuck off, Regulus."
Phoenix pushed open the compartment door, but unfortunately he followed her in.
"Please, just let me explain."
"Explain what?" Phoenix demanded, dumping her backpack on the seat and folding her arms over her chest. "Why you pretty much screwed up my relationship and now I have to marry Evan Rosier? Go ahead."
"It's not like that." Regulus raked a hand through his dark hair, visibly frustrated. "Don't you see? You said it yourself. It's why Alexander and the others target you. If you'd become like Sirius, if you really were a blood traitor…"
Phoenix's laugh was hollow. "Oh, well, that makes everything so much better."
"Nix, you know only I want what's best for you."
"Maybe I'll forgive you one day." Phoenix marched over and pushed him in the chest. "But right now, I can't stand the sight of you."
Regulus's eyes flared with shock, and part of her hated herself for the way his mouth turned down. The twins had always had each other, but Regulus had proved his desire for pure-blood supremacy came before Phoenix's happiness.
"Nix?" It was a voice she recognised all too well. Typically it would have sent warmth coursing through her, but now an icy chill raced up her spine as Remus made his way toward her. "Can we talk?"
Shit. Phoenix had hoped that they would be doing this when they reached Hogwarts, but she supposed they'd be doing it now. There was no sign of James, Peter and Sirius which gave her some relief. Nodding, she beckoned Remus into her compartment and closed the door behind him. Thankfully, Beth and Lorna hadn't come seeking her out just yet.
"I feel like you've been avoiding me the whole break." Remus reached out to touch her face. "Is everything okay?"
"Don't." Phoenix stepped back, because she knew that she would fall to pieces if she let him touch her.
"Phoenix?"
"I've been thinking a lot, about us." Phoenix stared at her hands, unwilling to look him in the eye. The words were mechanical and cold. They didn't sound like they were coming out of her mouth at all. "Our relationship, I mean. I'm not exactly sure it's the best thing for us."
"What are you talking about?" Remus asked, confusion colouring his voice. He reached for her hand, but she batted him away. Merlin, why did he have to be so kind and compassionate? Why did this have to be so fucking hard? Tilting her head up to finally look at him, she delivered the devastating blow.
"I'm going to marry Evan Rosier."
He snorted in amusement, and she realised he thought it was a joke. The tense silence that followed, that made her certain her words were settling in, was excruciating. Remus clenched his jaw, hurt flashing through his green eyes. She would have given anything to take it back, to take that away, but she was doing this to spare him from something even more horrific.
"What?"
"We had a good thing, we did." Phoenix swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked away tears. She had to be cold and hard as stone. If he thought she was regretting it, he would try and convince her out of it. "But it's over now. I think, deep down, we can both acknowledge that it wasn't going to work out between us."
"That's not true, Phoenix." Remus's voice was hoarse. He looked so broken by her words, shaking his head vehemently. "I love you."
"Maybe I don't love you." The words were as cruel as the Cruciatus Curse, but she had to say them. Remus had to give up on them completely. The way he flinched made her heart shatter, and she hated herself even more. "I need to think about my future, Remus. That future doesn't have a place for you in it."
"Right." Remus's expression hardened. "I guess you're right. Maybe I never really knew you at all."
With those final words, he stormed out of the compartment, slamming the door closed behind him. Phoenix collapsed onto the seat and sobbed hysterically. She had wanted forever with Remus, but to save him, she had to let him go. It was so brutal and so unfair, to both of them. She cried herself to exhaustion, and once the tears stopped, she stared outside at the changing landscape at the Hogwarts Express carried her to a place she had once considered home. But how could Hogwarts be home, when she had broken the heart of the boy she loved?
Phoenix had been anticipating the maelstrom that was Sirius's wrath. He wasn't just her brother, but he was also Remus's best friend. It came the day after they had returned to Hogwarts, while she was attempting to focus on her Potions assignment in the library. Sirius slammed his fist down on the desk across from her, making her jolt in her seat, heart hammering in her chest. When she looked up, his grey eyes were livid.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Excuse me?" Phoenix frowned, slamming her textbook shut and glowering up at him. She hated confrontation, especially when it came in the form of her older brother. Sirius was not someone who let things slide when people he cared about were hurt.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Phoenix," Sirius seethed through clenched teeth, "How could you treat Remus like that? You know, better than almost anyone, what he's been through. How hard things are for him. You just tossed him aside like he was dirt."
"It wasn't like that," Phoenix protested. She couldn't confess the truth to Remus, but surely Sirius would understand what it was like to be in their family. "I had to do it. Trust me, it hurt me as much as it hurt him."
Sirius's smile was sour. "Somehow, I highly doubt that. But of course, go ahead and make it all about you and your pain."
Fury blazed through her, hot as a fire, and she lurched to her feet. Sirius had never understood. He had screaming matches with Walburga and never considered what happened when Regulus and Phoenix defended him. There was so much that Sirius didn't know, and so much he had forgotten since he'd turned his back on their family.
"You have no idea," she spat, "You have no fucking idea what I've had to sacrifice. Typical Sirius, you barge around with your brash words and think everyone has…"
He sneered. "Has what? A spine? You clearly don't."
Phoenix ignored the jab. "You know what it's like to live with our family, you know how suffocating they can be."
Sirius's brow furrowed. "What has that got to do with you breaking Remus's fucking heart?"
"The reason you can ask me that is the same reason you don't get it." Phoenix gathered her books and stalked out of the library without a backward glance. She reached up and used her jumper to swipe the tears from her eyes before they could fall. Remus's hurt, Sirius's anger...it just added to the weight on her shoulders, the guilt that swirled in her stomach and refused to go away.
Phoenix had agreed to the match with Evan on the condition that she be allowed to finish her schooling at Hogwarts. Nonetheless, preparations for the wedding were already underway. It would be taking place in July, and she felt trepidation at the knowledge that was just over six months away. She would be seventeen in May, an adult. It scared her to think her parents and the Rosiers wanted this all to happen so soon.
To cement the fact that she was with Evan, Phoenix decided to make a statement by attending the first Slug Club party of the new year with him. He had been smug since her break-up with Remus, something she had determinedly avoided. She had also noticed Alexander wasn't harassing her now that she was with Evan, an improvement at least.
"You look beautiful," Evan said as Phoenix descended into the Slytherin common room in an emerald green dress. If it was Remus, she would have flushed at the compliment. Since it came from Evan, she merely shrugged her shoulders.
"I got you something," he announced, undeterred by her lack of enthusiasm. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, and Phoenix's breath caught in her throat. She had known this would happen sooner or later, but she felt like it was the final nail in the coffin. It made things absolutely official. When Evan opened the box, her eyes fell on a diamond-speckled ring set in white gold. He removed it from the box, and Phoenix held out a shaking hand, letting him slip it on her finger.
"There." He pressed a kiss to her cheek, and she forced a smile. "Now everyone knows we're engaged."
That was precisely what he wanted, what Regulus wanted, what their parents wanted. Phoenix let him hold her hand as they headed down the corridors to Slughorn's office, where the party was being hosted. Evan had a spring in his step, jubilant since the announcement of their engagement. It wasn't his fault, Phoenix reminded herself of that constantly. Her family had been the one to force her into this. She shouldn't lay the blame on Evan.
Usually, Phoenix would have sat beside Lily and talked with the older girl. Now, with her break-up with Remus and subsequent engagement, the red-haired girl's eyes narrowed when she saw Phoenix. Perhaps it was for the better—Alexander had always given Phoenix grief about socialising with Lily. She sat in stony silence, realising that all of Remus's friends now hated her.
Phoenix thought she'd be able to handle this, the silent condemnation of what she'd done. She had to admit that she was finding it difficult to bear. She pushed her food around her plate and declared that she wasn't hungry. Evan offered to take her back to the dormitory, which she accepted with a saccharine smile.
"Are you alright?" Evan asked as he led her back through the halls. There were worse people she could have been engaged to. She reminded herself of Rabastan's horrific promise, thought of the savage glee in Alexander's eyes when he watched her cry in the sludge. She could be marrying a monster. Evan was the best option she had available.
"This is just hard," Phoenix admitted, stopping and extricating her hand from Evan's as anxiety bubbled up in her chest, "I feel like everyone I was friends with hates me now."
"It'll get easier," Evan promised, taking her hands in his again. She resisted the urge to snatch them away. He smiled and planted a kiss atop her forehead. It was so similar, and yet so different, to something Remus might have done. When Phoenix looked up at him, she realised he was looking at her with something ravenous in his blue eyes.
Evan pressed his lips to hers. Phoenix allowed the kiss, but didn't reciprocate it. He steered her into a dark alcove where his attention became more insistent. She kissed back, hoping that if she injected a little enthusiasm, he'd stop. It wasn't that Evan was a terrible kisser—she just didn't want his tongue down her throat so soon after she'd broken up with Remus.
Unfortunately, her reciprocation encouraged him further, and Evan's lips descended down her neck. One of his hands fisted in her dark hair, while the other slipped up the hem of her dress. This was all happening too fast, her world spinning out of control around her while she was helpless to stop the huge changes happening. One thing she could control was her current situation, and she didn't want Evan pawing at her right now.
"Stop." Phoenix pushed him away, disentangling from him with some effort. "Evan, stop."
"Why the fuck did you say me?" Evan demanded, anger colouring his tone as he drew back to glare at her. "You told your mother you chose me, but you're being such a cold bitch towards me. Why would you choose me if you didn't even want me?"
"I…" Phoenix stammered.
"Why do you keep messing with my head?" Evan persisted, raking his hands through his blonde hair. "You know I want you, Phoenix. I've made no secret of it."
"There's a difference between love and lust," Phoenix responded, her tone growing curt. How Evan felt about her wasn't her responsibility. She didn't have to mind his delicate feelings or whatever the fuck he thought he harboured toward her. "This marriage is a business arrangement, okay? Like Rodolphus and Bellatrix."
"You think that's what I want?" Evan folded his arms across his chest, blue eyes glittering with anger. "A marriage where there's nothing between us?"
"What were you expecting?" Phoenix's voice dripped with derision. "That you just get to fuck me whenever you feel like it?"
"No," Evan snapped defensively, "I wanted you to be my wife because I cared about you. Because I hoped something might grow between us. Because I want to have children with you one day."
She felt queasy. She was only sixteen, it was bad enough that she was getting married in a few months, but she hadn't even thought about children. Phoenix supposed that was the expectation eventually, though the idea rendered her a bundle of nerves.
"Merlin's beard, Evan."
"Am I really that terrible?" Evan asked, the question making Phoenix feel guilty. Maybe she was being overdramatic. Maybe he was right, and she was acting like a bitch to him for no reason. "So terrible you can't bear me?"
"No," Phoenix murmured, because she didn't know what else she was meant to say to the boy who would be her husband in July. When she spoke again, her voice was soft and demure. "I just need a bit of space, alright? This is all happening really quickly."
"Of course." Evan's shoulders visibly relaxed. "I don't want to rush you."
They continued back to the common room in silence. Evan pressed a chaste kiss to her lips as he bid her goodnight, and Phoenix was all too eager to climb into her bed and tug the blankets around herself. She had nowhere left to turn. She had no one left she could rely on. She had to accept her fate, her future, or the world would swallow her whole.
"That's some rock." Beth took Phoenix's hand in her own, tilting the ring so that the diamonds glittered in the light. The pair sat in one of Hogwarts's garden spaces, Lorna's absence barely noted as they settled in for their lunch break. The third member of their trio hadn't interacted much with them since Phoenix's return to Hogwarts, but honestly she had been far too preoccupied to notice. Did that make her a bad friend? It probably did.
"It was expensive," Phoenix said, taking her hand back. She had been revolted by just how much the ring had cost—Walburga's estimate, of course. Normally Beth would have been thrilled for her, but her best friend was more reserved, inspecting Phoenix with a frown.
"You aren't happy."
"I didn't want to marry Evan," Phoenix admitted, raking her fingers through her dark hair, "But my parents...gave me no alternative."
Beth nodded, her expression sympathetic. Phoenix admired her friend's compassion. Months ago, Beth would have told her it was something to be expected, but it seemed her best friend had some newfound insight. What had happened to cause Beth to become softer toward her, she wondered. She couldn't say she minded having Beth care more, though it did have her a little worried. Beth was the sort of girl who was invigorated by any sort of big event, and Phoenix didn't much enjoy being the subject of pity.
A commotion caught their attention. A gaggle of Slytherins were laughing across the courtyard, and Phoenix tensed to see that Lorna was at the centre of it. Their friend waved her wand, causing a Hufflepuff boy they were tormenting to hit the ground, crying out in pain. The kid was a third-year at the oldest.
"Phoenix, ignore them," Beth insisted, but she resisted her friend's attempt to catch her arm. "Phoenix."
Her blood was boiling. She was used to seeing the young Death Eaters tormenting other students, but now Lorna as well? Was this the sort of violence that the Slytherin gang were inciting in their peers? The poor Hufflepuff boy was crying, his arms wrapped around his head as if it would protect him from more pain.
"Pick it your wand, Mudblood!" Lorna spat, her eyes gleaming as she glowered down at the kid. "You're pathetic. You can't even fight back."
"What are you doing?" Phoenix demanded, stepping between Lorna and the sobbing Hufflepuff boy. The knowledge that someone so close to her was joining in on the bullying made her irate, and she fished around in her pocket, fingers tightening around her wand.
"Now you're defending Mudbloods?" Lorna sneered. "Here I thought your engagement with Evan might mean you'd see sense. But you're still Phoenix Black, champion of the underdog, aren't you?"
Lorna kept looking back at the Slytherin boys for approval, but Phoenix's lips twisted in disgust. Was this seriously just about showing off? She was hurting a boy to prove herself, to get some attention from the young Death Eaters? Phoenix thought it was absolutely pathetic. She whipped out her wand.
"You want to bully some kid, you have to get through me first."
"How very Gryffindor of you." Lorna smirked, raising her wand to the challenge. "Sirius would be so proud."
She opened her mouth to utter something, but Phoenix was faster.
"Flipendo."
Lorna launched backward, wheeling through the air and landing hard on her back. A few of the Slytherin boys snickered, which only made Lorna rise with fury in her eyes that she was being mocked by the very people she'd sought to please. Evan crossed over to Phoenix, who still had her wand pointed straight at Lorna, ready for retribution.
"Black! Flint!" It was the familiar stern voice of Professor McGonagall. "What on earth do you think you're doing? Duelling on the grounds? Detention, both of you, and twenty points from Slytherin for this absurd behaviour!"
Phoenix sighed and put her wand back in her pocket. The last thing she wanted was to serve detention with Lorna, when her patience was already reaching its limit. There were several questions in Evan's eyes, but she ignored all of them, ignored him and marched back over to a stunned Beth. Maybe she still had one friend left who understood her after all.