Updated 9/9/2021: Edited


They Can't, Can They?

December 1971

Christmas break arrived with no incident. Paisley enjoyed her first couple of months at Hogwarts, adjusting to her new class routine and dodging Slytherin politics. Since she was merely in her first year, she didn't have to worry about it for now. Just watched with Alecto and Maxton when power plays happened within the common room, so they could be cautious for the future.

She had another dream around Halloween, and it didn't make much sense to her, just an image of someone running into the Great Hall going on about a troll in the dungeons. Still, she didn't recognise the professor talking about a troll. Still, she did remember some of the professors sitting at the Professor's table. It was also one of her shortest dreams to date, not allowing her to get much information before she woke up from it.

She hadn't relayed that dream to her brother since it seemed pointless and didn't unsettle her anywhere near as much as the previous one had, but the two siblings had gotten into the habit of going for a walk around the grounds once every couple of weeks to catch up since it seemed as though Lucas had grown worried about his sister being in Slytherin.

Paisley was sitting there in the window seat as she watched the snowfall outside, a small smile on her face as she felt content at sitting there with a hot mug of hot chocolate keeping her hands warm.

"So how did your brother get sorted into Gryffindor, but you go to Slytherin?" Paisley turned her head and found that Sirius had joined her in the library.

The two hadn't spoken since the train ride to Hogwarts before they were sorted, they may share the odd class or two but have never tried to talk with one another. Paisley was unsure how the rest of Slytherin house would respond to her speaking to Sirius because of his sorting. At the same time, Paisley assumed Sirius was attempting to distance himself from anyone linked to the family. It seemed like he was trying to leave behind. Still, she was glad to hear just how close Sirius and James seemed to be getting from her brother.

Paisley shrugged as she turned around and faced the other boy. "Does it matter? Your family has been in Slytherin for generations, and yet you're in Gryffindor. No Black before you has been in any house other than Slytherin whereas Burkes have representation in all four Hogwarts houses." She argued, and Sirius just shook his head before he walked over and took a seat beside her.

"They're still discussing it," Sirius responded with a scowl on his face, and Paisley looked down at the mug in her hands.

"I doubt it will be allowed to pass; grandfather won't allow it. He told them yesterday he won't put anything in place until I'm of age. Even then, he made it seem like I get a say in who it will be," Paisley spoke softly, stopping for a moment before frowning. "Obviously, there will be some stipulations."

Sirius let out a bitter laugh. "Your grandfather may be more welcoming than my parents, but he will still have to be a Pureblood, I'm guessing?"

Paisley nodded. "Do your friends understand the workings of our families?" she questioned softly, genuinely wondering how the other boy was coping in a house away from those he grew up with.

They've always run in the same circles growing up, but when they all went to Hogwarts this past September, Sirius went to Gryffindor while they all went to Slytherin without him.

"James does to a degree, just with some of the expectations that come with being a Pureblood. It's just the way he's expected to dress and act, but he doesn't care at the same time, and his parents don't care. James says it took his parents a long time to finally give birth to a healthy baby that they just want him to be happy. Remus and Peter have no clue," Sirius explained.

Paisley looked up at him. "Does it seem odd to you that they want to organise an arranged marriage between the two of us so early? I know Lucius and Narcissa's had been discussed, but it wasn't finalised until the summer was just gone. I believe they wanted it done early in case Narcissa pulled the same stunt as Andromeda," Paisley responded. Voicing her thoughts, knowing Sirius wouldn't care for her expressing her opinions.

Sirius shrugged. "Maybe I should do that, find a seventh-year Muggleborn who wants to marry a twelve-year-old." He joked, and Paisley let out a laugh.

"Grandfather won't allow this to pass," Paisley repeated once more, and Sirius looked over at her.

"I'm sure he won't, but it doesn't mean our parents won't push us together with hopes of it happening regardless of what your grandfather says." Sirius shrugged before continuing.

"Maybe they hope you will pick me anyway."

"Do they hope that anything between us could redeem your sorting?" Paisley questioned, not at all phased by the look Sirius gave her. "I just figured, you know, being the Black sheep of the family, or would it be the white sheep of the Black family?" she teased, and he barked out a laugh.

"It's highly possible, but our families have never merged like this before due to your family's typical Grey situation and our parents are amicable bringing your part of the family in the Dark," Sirius explained.

"I know," Paisley grumbled.

"I heard the same speech."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Paisley." Paisley looked over at Sirius, giving him a small smile while finding his ability at calming her down and reassuring her concerns is a little odd, but she was glad he was able to help since Lucas had taken off for the day, not saying anything about where he was going, which she found strange of her brother.

Paisley didn't say anything as she looked back out the window, watching the snowfall outside and allowed silence to fall between her and Sirius.

"So…" Sirius cut in, causing Paisley to laugh as she forgot how much Sirius hated the silence. "How are you coping within Slytherin?"

She looked over at the boy, raising an eyebrow slightly since she didn't genuinely think he cared about Slytherins, since Snape and Wilkes had on several occasions, ended up looking rather strange and considering they only ever seemed to react, but to what appears to be Sirius and his friends she believed it was possibly them pulling something over them.

"I didn't take you as one to care about Slytherins. We haven't spoken all term," Paisley pointed out, and Sirius let out a sigh.

"I would have had the same lessons as you, the same lesson that included the lack of conversations between blood traitors. I figured I fell into the category," Sirius explained, and Paisley shrugged.

"I'm not sure. My relationship with my brother at Hogwarts largely depends on my parent's acceptance of him," Paisley explained, and Sirius nodded, leaning back and making himself comfortable. "I'm doing okay though, I seemed to have made an alliance with Alecto Carrow and Maxton Flint. The Nott twins have an issue with me while Snape seems to have something against me as well, has ever since I introduced myself to him on the train to Hogwarts."

Paisley explained, briefly outlining what seemed to be the alliances among the Slytherins. Still, when she was speaking about Snape, she caught the sight on Sirius' face. "What did you do?" she questioned. She had seen the look Sirius' face a couple of times, and it was when he was guilty about something and, on the odd occasion, felt guilty for what happened.

"He and that Evans girl sat with James and me for a bit, but he was a total prat and didn't like that James wanted to go to Gryffindor," Sirius explained, and Paisley just rolled her eyes. "Funny that his little friend ended up in Gryffindor, though."

"Rather funny that I'm being told to be careful of my friendships, but Snape is actively seeking out Evans," Paisley pointed out, and Sirius let out a laugh before she continued.

"Must be his lack of important names."

"Please, Snape seems to be able to rival me with the number of curses I know, and I hold back, so the others don't realise what we were taught growing up," Sirius retorted, a shake of his head, and Paisley couldn't help but feel shocked at this information.

She knew that Sirius had a similar upbringing since their parents were close, and as such, they were both taught many curses that typically don't get taught during a Hogwarts education until later years when they could be deemed responsible for using them wisely.

But she was shocked to hear that Snape, who Evans had admitted for him, grew up in a Muggle neighbourhood and may not have additional access to the same things that those belonging to important or Sacred Families would have.

"That's interesting," Paisley mused.

"What are you going to do with that information?" Sirius questioned, noticing the glint in Paisley's eyes and it was at this moment he was reminded of the girl's ability to hoard information on people to use against them at a later point, something that would allow her to thrive in Slytherin.

"We were never told this, so I'm unsure as to if it was something our parents participated in, but Slytherin holds a duelling competition every year once Christmas break is finished. It's held that first night back. It begins with just each year level duelling each other. There is a rumour that Lucius won every year, and that is how he was able to keep his Prefects badge every year," Paisley explained, but Sirius let out a snort. "What?"

"The word is in Gryffindor that he sticks his nose up ol' Slughorn's ass," Sirius explained, and Paisley shook her head before letting out a laugh.

"Sirius, it's time to leave." Sirius' father, Orion, shouted from the other room. They both shared a look before saying their goodbyes before Sirius stood up and left, leaving Paisley alone with her thoughts.

She found it rather interesting speaking with Sirius as it gave her a different insight into the actions of those around her. She got to hear what Slytherin's rival house thought of their efforts, and she hoped it could benefit her in a way, especially if it meant being cautious of Snape when it comes to their duel when they go back to Hogwarts. Instead of pulling back and hiding what she knew, she would force Snape to show his hand and show that he knew plenty of curses and wasn't just a beginner like some of their classmates and hid in the shadows like he seemed to be attempting so far.

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It was New Year's Eve and Paisley and her family were planning on spending the night at Potter Manor for the annual Ball that they threw, normally Paisley and her family didn't attend.

The invite was always there because of who her grandparents were, but her parents always burned the invite claiming they didn't want to associate with blood traitors.

Occasionally in the past, Paisley and Lucas had attended when their parents travelled, and the children were spending time over Christmas and New Year with their grandparents.

It was this action that indeed showed they were hoping to warm up the idea of an arranged marriage between Paisley and Sirius to her grandfather since he was still against the idea of the arranged marriage until she was seventeen.

Paisley was worried for what ripples her attendance would cause since she was a Slytherin, and while she knew the people she would be spending the night with didn't care for House sorting's once they were adults, she was worried about how the Hogwarts aged children would react to her presence.

Paisley straightened her robes before turning to face Lucas, having spotted him in the mirror, she was examining her appearance in. "Didn't realise you took to the whole spying thing, brother," Paisley teased, but Lucas just grinned, not moving from his spot.

Paisley gave him a small smile before taking a deep breath. "Have mother and father at any point made any mention to a potential arranged marriage with you? Why are they so set on setting this up between Sirius and me?" she questioned softly, hoping their parents wouldn't overhear the conversation.

Lucas didn't say anything at first, just looked down the corridor before entering the room and shutting the door. "It's been mentioned once or twice but nothing to this extent. I believe that Walburga and Orion are hoping to overshadow the fact that their heir has been sorted into Gryffindor. At the same time, our parents don't want to lose this chance at what they view as a top potential match. You." Paisley nodded along as Lucas explained it. It made sense, it indeed did, but she still didn't understand why her brother wasn't getting the same attention.

"We're going to this Ball so that they can try and convince grandfather that this is best?" She pointed out, and Lucas shrugged.

"Possibly, but we both know he won't allow this to happen. He made his view on arranged marriages noticeably clear when they tried with me. Don't worry so much about what could happen between you and Sirius," Lucas responded softly, and Paisley nodded before turning and looking back in the mirror to check her appearance once more.

Lucas didn't say anything, and Paisley watched as he silently left her bedroom. She was given a chance to finish pinning her hair back before they had to go.

It wasn't long until one of the house-elves appeared in her room to let her know that her parents wished to leave. She headed downstairs and found them waiting for her by the fireplace so they could travel to Potter Manor.

Paisley could tell her parents were less than impressed with their plans for the night but still stepped into the fireplace to travel by floo, leaving first and expecting the children to follow. Lucas didn't even say anything as he stepped in, and she wasn't even surprised as she knew that Lucas had a few friends that would attend the ball tonight.

She took a couple of seconds once the flames died down from Lucas travelling before, she stepped into the fireplace and followed him, and when she stepped out on the other side, the Potter family were standing there to greet her.

"Good evening Paisley," Fleamont Potter greeted, and Paisley nodded her head, giving them a smile before she stepped aside to allow someone else to come through.

As she walked away, she locked eyes with James and gave him a small smile before continuing to where she knew the ballroom was located. She had a feeling, as usual with these Balls that most doors would be locked for guests. They had access to the ballroom and the grounds and a couple of the bathrooms that were located off from the ballroom.

She walked through the ballroom, nodding her head in greeting at those she knew, allowing her to take note of those who were in attendance while making notes of those she wished to speak with later, and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of her brother with a smile on his face, laughing at something his friends were saying.

Paisley was grateful when she finally spotted her grandfather standing off the side talking with she and her uncle walked over to them both. "Grandfather, Uncle," she greeted, kissing both of their cheeks.

"We can finish this conversation later, father." Paisley's uncle, the older brothers, and the next in line to be the head of the family spoke before he left.

"I didn't mean to interrupt Grandfather," Paisley apologised.

"Nonsense," he shook his head. "He was trying to speak business with me, but I am pleasantly surprised by the interruption. I didn't realise you would be attending tonight. What do your parents wish to gain from getting on my good side tonight?"

Paisley wasn't at all surprised that her grandfather had seen through her parent's actions. She smiled at him before turning and looking at the ball in front of them to make sure her parents couldn't hear the conversation.

"They wish to have an arranged marriage in place with Sirius Black," Paisley confessed, sneaking a look at her grandfather when he didn't respond straight away.

Despite the greying hair that her grandfather had, it was evident that he had the same shade of blonde hair that she and her brother shared, and it was where Lucas had inherited his eye colour from.

"What are your thoughts on this arrangement?"

Paisley looked at him for a moment, before over at where her brother seemed rather content with his arm casually draped across a girl, she didn't recognise shoulders.

"I suppose it could be worse, I get along with Sirius, and he understands what it is like growing up with our families, but I thought I had a say in who I marry, that you didn't want to force Lucas and me into something we didn't want," Paisley responding, growing a little wary as she spoke as she grew worried that maybe, just maybe her grandfather would sign off on the marriage.

"You misunderstand. I was merely gaining your thoughts on the situation; I will not allow you to be forced into a situation you do not wish. Now, if you excuse me, I have some people I need to speak with." Paisley nodded at her grandfather and watched as he walked away from her, and she took a deep breath.

Her grandfather, Septimus Burke was well-liked among the Grey and Light families and was constantly moving around in situations like these as people always wished to speak with him. While she loved him dearly and he always made time for her, but there were moment likes these where she didn't utterly understand his motives and intentions, and her fear started sneaking up on her that her parents would somehow force her into this marriage with Sirius.

For the remainder of the night, she did her duty but making rounds and small talk of those also in attendance and while she recognises a few faces from Hogwarts, no one is terribly interested in maintaining a conversation with a Slytherin that didn't involve more than polite conversation.

It wasn't long until midnight hit, and Paisley had escaped to out on the grounds. At first, she was worried about the cold but as she followed towards the lights and she noticed that warming charms had been placed to allows those who wanted to venture outside to not freeze.

"Burke."

Paisley turned her head at the voice and found James heading her way. "Potter." She nodded her head and looked back up at the sky and admired the full moon.

Neither Paisley nor James said anything as the other boy took a seat beside her on the bench. "Spoken to Sirius much?"

Paisley let out a laugh before she looked over at him. "Glad to know you care about Sirius. I shall let him know you miss him dearly." She teased, and the other boy just grinned at her.

"In all seriousness, though?" James questioned, and Paisley nodded.

"Our families are close; I've seen a bit of him. You don't need to be worried about him," Paisley spoke, giving the other boy a small smile, hoping to reassure him of Sirius' home life.

She had no idea just how much Sirius had told his friends, and she wouldn't want to betray Sirius like this.

"Are you sure? He seemed concerned about returning home," James spoke, worry seeping through his voice, and Paisley shrugged.

"The first Black to be sorted anywhere but Slytherin, of course, he was worried, but you don't need to worry about him," Paisley spoke. Letting the lie slip through when she honestly didn't know if it was true, especially with the marriage their parents were pushing. Still, she didn't think James would understand the marriage aspect of it all.

James was unable to respond as the fireworks started going off in the sky, indicating that it was officially a new year. "Happy New Year, Paisley," James whispered before he leant over and softly kissed her cheek before he stood up and left her alone outside.

Paisley didn't say anything just wrapped her arms around her chest as a shiver went through her and she knew it wasn't because of the cold but the oddness surrounding James' actions before he left.

"Do I have to worry about boys already?" Lucas teased, and Paisley looked at him with a grin.

"Well, our parents are already setting a marriage up for me," she teased, and he just smiled before taking the spot James had just vacated. "Grandfather helped remind me that our parents can't do anything while he is in power."

Lucas nodded. "I'm glad."

"Who was the girl you had your arm around?" Paisley questioned, laughing as Lucas looked away from her.

"Dahlia Evans, she's in Gryffindor with me and the same year, so we've been friends since our first year." Lucas explained, his voice quiet, and it stroked Paisley as odd, but she didn't say anything was just caught on the Evans part.

"There is a first-year with the same last name."

Lucas nodded. "Yeah, Lily. The two are cousins, share the same paternal line. It invoked a conversation about potentially having a squib in their family line somewhere."

Paisley shook her head as she let out a laugh, surprised that Lily took in and remembered the conversation they had on the train because she honestly thought Snape would have convinced her that Paisley was talking crazy about the squibs and Muggleborns but the fact that Lily remembered it and passed it on to someone else pleased her a little.

"I just came to check on you and make sure you were okay. Normally you check on me during events like this when the roles are reversed, so I thought I should return the favour," Lucas spoke softly, giving her hand a squeeze, and Paisley gave him a grateful smile.

"I'm okay. I just needed some fresh air. It's being in the other shoe." Paisley responded, and Lucas agreed.

"I've normally been completely accepted among these children, but my sorting into Slytherin has made them cautious of me. Even James didn't really speak with me until we were alone."

"It'll take time, I may still, be mostly ignored during the other side of things, but they do have conversations with me, and some of them just ignore the fact that I'm in Gryffindor because at the end of the day, I am a Burke," Lucas responded, and Paisley smiled at hearing the pride in his voice that he had never once lost despite how he can sometimes be treated.

"But these people don't care about family names and titles as much as the others," Paisley argued, a frown appearing on her face, but Lucas shrugged.

"You think that, but they still do, look at all the guests in attendance. They are all declared somewhat important to the Light and Grey families. Dahlia is here because she spent Christmas break with the Willows family because she and Gabby are best friends. At the same time, Dahlia's parents got snowed in during their holiday to America. Go back into the ball with fresh eyes," Lucas spoke, and Paisley nodded.

Nothing else was said between the siblings, and Lucas gave her a reassuring smile before he stood up and headed back inside.

Paisley took a moment to herself before she did the same thing, heading back into the party and looking at the guests who were left, and she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed this before. Lucas was correct. Nearly every single person in attendance came from an influential family, it didn't matter if they didn't belong to a Sacred Family since the Potters didn't, but they did hold sway over the Light and Grey families and she suspected those who didn't have much power yet were last-minute invited guests or were well on their way to becoming a family with power and influence.

Paisley took the remainder of the ball in a new light and made small talk with those who wished and was eventually introduced to Lucas' friends.

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Paisley stood there and took in the sight that looked much like a standard living room, unsure as to what was going on, and it wasn't long until she heard the distinct sounds of an argument, and it wasn't long until she heard a door slam.

She turned around to face the noise and was shocked to see who she assumed was herself. Her amethyst eyes made her unique. She had yet to meet someone with the same colouring.

"Enough, Sirius!"

Well, that answered Paisley's question as to who was following her adult self.

She watched as her adult self spun around and faced adult Sirius, glaring at her.

"Don't be like this."

"I told you I don't trust Dumbledore, but what do you do?" Adult Paisley questioned, anger seeping through in her voice. "Don't answer that. I don't want one of your stupid responses to try and defuse the situation," she snarled, taking a step back as Sirius took a step forward.

"I can't shut my friends out, and you refuse to tell them what is going on with you."

"Because I don't trust them!"

"I trust them. Don't you trust me?"

"Don't play that game with me."

"Why not? We've now married Paise."

Paisley's mouth fell open as she took in the argument between the adult versions of herself and Sirius, and she couldn't believe they were married; she couldn't believe that their parents got what they wanted by forcing the two of them to get married.

Paisley shot up in her bed, breathing hard as she tried to understand what it was she witnessed. While she knew there was something regarding the fact her adult self didn't trust Dumbledore figured she would worry about that later since her immediate issue was that she and Sirius were married.

She quickly climbed out of her bed and snuck down the hall towards Lucas' room. She crept in and knelt on the floor beside his bed before waking him up.

"The marriage goes through," Paisley sobbed out when she saw Lucas' eyes opened, and he blinked a couple of times before focusing on her.

"Paise…"

Paisley shook her head. "No, I've seen it." She sobbed out. "I had a dream that showed we were married."

Lucas sat up in his bed, letting out a yawn before shifting and allowing Paisley to climb in beside him. "You've said this before, your dreams are possible futures, and you said you guys were married, not how you get married. Maybe there is a possible future where you and Sirius fall in love despite what our parents want."

Paisley scoffed but wiped away the stray tears that escaped. "My adult self doesn't trust Dumbledore, though."

Lucas did a double-take on his sister, confused by the statement. Still, he waited a moment for her to calm down before the two of them discussed in detail what the dream Paisley witnessed involved.