The Market

"Sit up straight," Walburga snapped, appearing just behind Sirius like an unholy apparition. Her face was even more pinched than normal and if Sirius wasn't so certain he would pay hell for it later, he might have sunk down lower in the loveseat just because he could. As it was, his Christmas suit was pinching him in places he'd rather not mention and he was smushed tight against his equally uncomfortable younger brother, so he pushed himself just a little bit higher and waited for his mother to slither away.

The moment she was gone, Sirius sank back down elbowed Regulus for good measure.

Just because he could and just because Regulus had been breathing a little too loud today for his tastes.

"Git," Regulus hissed under his breath, elbowing him right between two ribs. He had been a right polished turd for the past four days, shocking Sirius with the intensity of his nonce-iness for only a few hours before he remembered that Regulus had always been that way.

A tight hand clamped down on Sirius' shoulder before he could shove Regulus back. The fingers dug straight down to the bone, surely bruising as they had done a hundred times before. Orion stepped back without a word and turned away, fully aware that the physical threat was enough to keep them both in line for the rest of the evening. If anyone else at the party noticed, they didn't dare say anything, likely all too familiar with Orion's temper for themselves to risk it.

Regulus shifted again, trying to put just a little bit more space between them without drawing the attention of their father.

Sirius, ignoring the flare of pain in his shoulder, squirmed just for the sake of squirming. He made a big show of getting comfortable, even going so far as to ruffle and smooth his suit three times, before he folded his arms across his chest and committed to glaring at his shiny shoes for the rest of the night.

"Friend of yours?"

"What?"

Sirius looked up only because he had nothing else to do. He half-expected to see their mother again or one of the numerous pure-bloods who insisted on talking to him like they were old friends, only to be met by a very enthusiastic Mavis Fawley waving at him from across the room. When they made eye-contact, she started cutting and weaving her way around the mingling crowd, smile getting wider and wider with each step she took until she was practically beaming by the time she stopped in front of him.

"Hello, Sirius," She said, flapping her hands in an apparent gesture to get him to move to the side. Sensing an opportunity, Sirius immediately put enough space between himself and Regulus for Mavis to squeeze herself into, pointedly ignoring the deadly glare currently piercing the side of his head. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas." He was obligated to say it back, although he didn't much feel like it.

He didn't dislike her, but he certainly didn't trust her cheery nature and far too easy smiles.

She was the only other person in the room he didn't currently actively hate, so he put his arm on the back of the loveseat and turned to face her in full.

"Is this your first year here?" He asked, hoping the basics of the conversation might open up into something less physically, painfully awkward. Really, what could they possibly hope to talk about?

"Yes," She said, smoothing out the garish tulle of her dress. "My sister, Pandora, is up tonight." She gestured to the other side of the room and Sirius was convinced he was looking at Mavis ten years in the future. Pandora Fawley was short and spidery, with long limbs and even longer white-blonde hair. She had it pulled back from her face, revealing a pair of oddly shaped earrings that Sirius had to squint to see.

Radishes.

How odd.

"Are you Sirius's brother? I'm Mavis Fawley," She said, tearing Sirius' attention away from what he was sure was starting to become a notable level of staring. Regulus looked alarmed to be spoken to for a brief moment, seemingly perfectly content to merely observe the pair of them rather than engage in any meaningful capacity.

"I'm Regulus." He held out his hand for her to shake, apparently remembering his pureblood upbringing better than Sirius ever would. Mavis gripped his hand and shook, relaxing just a little bit more now that the final introduction had been made. "What house are you in?"

"Hufflepuff," She said, voice dripping with a pride that Sirius had not heard there before.

Then again, he hardly paid attention to her up until this very moment. Granted, he had been acutely aware of all her strangeness, bird-brain that she was, but he made no note of any longer than the duration of their limited interactions. She was scrubbed clean of any smears of shite and she even attempted to wrangle her hair into something resembling a style.

He refused to say she looked pretty.

But he could think it all he liked.

"Your family has always been Ravenclaw," Regulus said, dark brows knitting together as if he thought he might have offended her. It was a thought that still scared him – or perhaps it was the wrath of their parents that still frightened him so – and he immediately looked as if he wanted to backtrack. Mavis put a hand on his arm and smiled, shaking her head with a small laugh.

"My mother was disappointed. The first of many, I'm sure."

"No owls tonight?" Sirius asked, glancing at his brother over top of Mavis' head. Regulus raised his eyebrows, dark blue eyes so much like his own, dancing over her face in the sort of calculating manner that instantly made Sirius cautious. He was still a year away from taking his turn at Hogwarts, still a year away from sitting under the hat and having his entire world upended.

Maybe it was too much to hope that he might join him in the disappointment. He knew how much he wanted Slytherin, just as much as Sirius had hoped for Gryffindor.

"No, my mother made me leave them at home."

The woman in question was currently tittering over a large glass of wine with his own mother. Mavis' clear dislike aside, the fact that she was so chummy with Walburga was evidence enough to know what kind of woman she was. Her lip curled as Walburga said something catty and the pair of them leaned closer, practically cackling.

"Shame," Sirius said, surprised that part of him actually felt it. Mavis turned back and smoothed her dress down more aggressively, thoroughly out of sorts. "They would have made the evening a little more interesting, at least."

"Bellatrix Black," A voice called, quieting the murmur of chatter.

Purebloods only gathered together when it served some sort of purpose – to secure a marriage, to ink a deal. Tonight was no different and Sirius was certain it was going to be just as painful as all their other evenings together. But he knew, as horrible as it was likely to be for him, it was going to be far worse for the young women.

Bellatrix made her way to the center of the room, eyes scanning everyone she passed.

It was her first year being offered up for marriage, but he knew it would be her last.

A family of their stature did not hurt for offers, and Bellatrix – nasty, malicious, and sociopathic thought she may be – was certainly no exception.

She stepped up on the platform and folded her arms across her chest as it raised slowly upwards. Beside him, Mavis squirmed, letting her disgust at the whole thing known with each scoff.

It would be her turn eventually.

Sirius glanced sideways, taking note of the way her hands began to pick at the hem of her dress.

The platform rotated and, after a prolonged pause where no one seemed to want to move first, the families descended upon each other and the offers for her Bellatrix's hand began to fly.

"Your sister is a big catch this year," Regulus said, eyeing Bellatrix as she looked down them. Her face was smug, like she knew she was going to get a good match, and Sirius hated her just a little bit more for being right.

"Mother seems to think so," Mavis said. There was something in her voice that caused Sirius to turn to face her in full once again.

"Why are you saying it like that?"

"Because mother doesn't know that Pandora is already married and has been for about a month and a half."

Sirius snorted and shook his head.

It was just the sort of scandal that would rock the pureblood society to its very core. It would be talked about incessantly for months, years even, and be the tasty morsel that every lady chewed on when she had nothing else to squawk about.

Bellona Fawley would be mortified.

Her name, if not attached to more money than Merlin himself, ruined.

All other prospects in their family would be diminished.

And Sirius understood, quite suddenly, why Mavis was biting her lip to keep from smiling too wide.

"Anyway, I'm hungry." Mavis stood up and turned to face them both. "And I heard the Malfoys have an entire room dedicated to mirrors. Want to try and find it?"

Sirius and Regulus looked at each other, each half-committed to their annoyance with the other for only a moment, before they gave up the plot and nodded.

"I've heard Abraxas spends two hours a day brushing his hair," Regulus said, leaning down to whisper to Mavis and the three of them began to weave their way through the crowd.

"I've heard he has an enchanted brush that he keeps in his hat," Mavis whispered back, grabbing Regulus' arm as hey ducked around Porcy Abbott.

His brother might be a nonce and Mavis was certainly a bird-brain, but Sirius decided would choose their company above everyone else in the room.

He might even enjoy it.

He might.

He would never say so out loud.

But he could think it all he liked.

"I trust you will behave yourself this semester," His father said, keeping his voice down as families rushed towards the train.

It was just the two of them today. His mother had not felt the need and Sirius had not minded. He would never argue with her to spend more time together, but it did mean he was left with just his father.

Really, he could have come alone.

He looked down the length of the train, eyeing his laughing classmates in the carriages. Mavis and Potter were already there and he had his face pressed against the glass, making absurd faces at everyone who passed. She laughed, throwing her head back as her entire body shook.

Always so happy, that one.

Sirius didn't understand how it was possible.

Sirius looked towards the end of the train, hoping to ignore his father entirely, until Orion grabbed his arm squeezed as hard as he could. Sirius cried out, shocked by the sudden pain and wholly mortified to have it witnessed by so many. Orion pulled him backwards and leaned over, squeezing so hard Sirius lost feeling in his arm.

"Do not ignore me, boy."

"I'm sorry."

He hated himself for saying it.

He didn't mean it.

He would fail every single class if it meant shaming his parents.

He would set the entire castle on fire if it meant they might feel just a bit of embarrassment with their friends.

It wasn't enough to just be in a Ravenclaw.

His father released his arm and stepped back, glowering down at his son as he fixed his robes. He gave him one more warning look before he turned on his heel and left Sirius standing on the platform alone.

"Sirius?" Sirius truly wanted to melt into the ground. Peter walked up to him, slowed down by his absurd amount of bags. He dropped three between them as he came to a stop, huffing and puffing. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, mate."

"Are you su…"

"I'm fine," Sirius said it again, more force than was necessary. He bent down and grabbed two of Peter's bags for him and marched towards the train, trusting him to follow.

"There's room in our compartment." Sirius was stopped before he could even make it on the train by Mavis. She stood at the top of the steps leading inside, breathing a little heavy like she had run the entire length of the train to intercept him there. She had her owls again and he decided he liked her better with them than without. She leaned down and grabbed one of the bags from him, smiling in a way that made his stomach churn.

He knew she wouldn't say anything.

She was smarter than Peter in that regard.

But it didn't stop him from flushing with embarrassment at her witnessing the whole thing.

He cleared his throat and took the steps two at a time.

"Cheers, Birdie."

She pushed her hair back behind her ears, the gesture nervous. She was wearing her sister's radish earrings. She looked for a moment like she might want to say something about the new nickname but quickly thought better of it and turned around. She babbled something nonsensical as she led them to her compartment and Sirius couldn't help but smirk.

She threw open the door.

"Be nice," She said as she stepped inside, warning the other boy before he could really get going. Potter glanced at the other boy with them, Remus Lupin, and sat back. He folded his arms across his chest and fully committed to what appeared to be an impressive pout. "Grow up, Jim."

"Jim?" Sirius asked, shoving Peter's bag into the overhead compartment.

"Shove it."

Sirius snorted as he collapsed down in the seat next to Mavis, feeling the pinprick of anxiety starting to build as everyone else continued to stare at him.

No one said a word and the tension continued to build until Sirius couldn't stand it.

"So, any big failures planned for the new year? Trick steps? Sneezing paintings?" Sirius asked, making himself just a little bit more comfortable. He was, of course, lying. Failure was a bit of an over exaggeration.

"Now that you mention it, yes," Potter said slowly, unsure if Sirius was being, well, serious, or setting him up to make fun of him.

Perhaps it was a little bit of both.

But Sirius was exhausted and the day had only just started and he decided he couldn't very well hate his parents and James Potter with the same level of scorn. One would have to give way to the other, and Potter, for all he annoyed him, was not the one. And, loathe though Sirius was to admit it, he was not the worst chaos agent he had met in his life.

He might even say he was good at it.

Never out loud, of course.

But he could think it all he liked.