Chapter Ten

Half an hour later, Salene was threatening Potter with her wand when the door opened and in walked, supposedly, Mr. and Mrs. Potter with two twin girls. The girls both dark hair was wavy rather than untamable, though their was an obvious difference just looking by them. Whether it was from a slouch or she just was, the twin with blue eyes was shorter than the other, and she carried the same goofy air her brothers did. She was wearing ragged jeans and a green sweater, her cheeks flushed from the cold and her nose red. The other girl, however, had hazel eyes and was wearing a long-sleeved dress that was reminiscent of robes, her hair braided and her face clear of emotions.

"You must be Black's new idiot girlfriend..." The way she left the sentence hanging and the glance she cast at her parents clearly said she had been wanting to say something but it was mildly inappropriate. Deciding she'd deal with her later, Salene turned her eyes upon the parents, and froze.

"Get up, everyone. There are groceries to unload," said Mrs. Potter cheerfully, though the smile died at the look of terror on Salene's face. "Wait a minute...I recognize you! Salene!" The confused familiarity in Mrs. Potter's voice was enough to stop her from tearing out of the room and barricading herself in a closet for the rest of the day. "How have you been?" She was extremely aware of the fact the rest of the family was following their conversation and she swallowed audibly.

"I'm fine," she answered stiffly, clenching her hands. "I never knew your last name was Potter."

"Yes, well, children generally prefer to be on friendly terms with us. It helps ease them," she explained.

"I was a hardly a child by the time you met me. Children aren't murderers."

"You didn't murder-"

"Yeah, so says the well-paid shrink. What reason did you have to tell me the truth?" she replied with a shrug. "The best of intentions don't make a murder a death...wasn't that what you said to the Aurors?" Mrs. Potter flushed and looked away.

"Wait...what are you talking about?" Sirius asked, looking between the two with a look of bewilderment.

"Obviously, Salene and Mrs. Potter know each other from a past murder that Salene seemingly committed," Lupin said, eyeing the younger witch intently.

"Obviously, Severus told you what happened," she retorted, and at his nod added, "I will tell you two, or three if you wish to listen Lupin. But I'm not telling anyone else."

"Aw, you finally trust us?" Potter teased and she rolled her eyes.

"Hardly. But anything I said to Sirius would be repeated to you and he would...I mean, it's just easier for you to hear it from me." No one else understood she had stopped herself from insulting from Sirius, no one but Sirius himself. He answered by grinning at her and she smiled back, twisting the ring that signified their relationship around her finger. "We'll use your bedroom, Potter."


Salene sighed and shifted against the wall. She was trying to egar the three pairs of earnest eyes on her face. It was not the wasiest thing she'd ever had to do. "My sister Serena was fourteen and I was eight and we were taking a walk. She liked to do it, and I liked to pretend she thought I was more than an annoying brat so I followed her everywhere. We turned around to start heading home when we came face to face with a group of Muggle men. They knocked us out and kidnapped us. When I woke up, they were beating Serena and I was too weak to do anything about it. They left her within an inch of her life and didn't return, except to feed us, until she had mostly healed. Then they beat her again and waited until she healed before returning. They did this for three months but they never touched me abusively. In fact, they seemed to like me and would play Muggle games with me.

"Finally, one day I...I strangled her to death, knowing it was the only way to free her. She didn't fight at all because she had been unconscious when I started, and it was less than an hour after a new beating. When the Muggles found out, they dropped me off where they kidnapped me. Serena...she came back as a ghost, and she still haunts Moore Manor - my mother's manor - as a constant reminder what Muggles, and what I, did to the family. I've never talked to her ghost because I can't stand the thought of what she'd say. That's why the Snapes were not well-known Muggle-haters until a few years ago; we didn't care very much. We have always been proud of our blood, but didn't wish to be rid of Muggles. When the Muggles beat, and I killed, Serena it changed all that." Salene was more than prepared to be thrown out of the house in disgust; she was expecting it. So when Sirius leaned over and hugged her tightly and it took all her self control not to burst into surprised tears. Not because of the memories, which she had mourned and shoved back long ago, but because he still loved her. Even after knowing the secret she had spent her entire life concealing.

"Don't get revenge," he said firmly as he pulled back, a hand on each of her shoulders. She raised a single eyebrow.

"I wasn't planning on it," she lied. She already knew exactly what she was going to do for revenge, but she did not intend to reveal that to Sirius. "And even if I was, you of all people shouldn't be scolding me for revenge. Someone looks at you wrong and they wake up with dung bombs in their beds." He grinned sheepishly and she drew in a breath before turning to face Potter. Despite her insistent nastiness towards him, she was starting to like him. And he could tell.

"I would've done the same thing," Potter said quietly when he felt her eyes upon him. "As little details you said, I know there was no alternative. I remember Mum talking about it and afterwards Chelsea made us promise if we ever got kidnapped and weren't rescued or murdered after a few months to...save...each other."

"Chelsea?" Salene was trying to change the subject and thankfully Potter let her.

"Chelsea's my older sister; she'll be here tomorrow. She's finishing her training to be a Healer."

"Let me guess, she's a genius who does three years of training in one," Salene offered, making a few quick assumptions based on Potter's tone. He nodded and smirked.

"That's Chels." There were a few seconds of silence and Salene subconsciously shifted so she was leaning against Sirius. "What do we do now? Normally we'd talk about girls but even if Salene wasn't here neither of you would want to...and we can't go to any Muggle places in case Salene gets the urge to sacrifice them...so anyone up for the amusement park?" This idea was met with enthusiasm and Salene was inwardly laughing at the irony as they Apparated.


Several hours later, Salene was quite prepared to go back when a chillingly familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Salene, we do seem to be running into each other quite often as of late," her father said pleasantly with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Next to him were her mother and younger sister, Sarina.

"Let's go," Sirius muttered, taking her hand, which did not escape the notice of her family, though they refrained from commenting.

"No. I have a question for you, Father. Why did you travel to the other side of Europe just to go to a stupid amusement park when I know none of you get enjoyment from these type of places?" Her voice was cold and unforgiving, and a fake look of injury flashed on her father's face.

"Salene! Can't I see my own daughter on Christmas Eve?" If she hadn't been born and raised by the man before her, she would have felt guilty and apologized. As it was, she knew he was completely fake. She controlled the impulse to hex the look off of him and shrugged.

"Not when he has murderous intent towards the daughter in question," she replied lightly, trying not to cause more of a scene than she was. Lupin was studying his Ice Mice carefully and Potter keep Apparating to various places a few feet away and back, causing distracting 'pops' in the background. Sirius was still holding her hand tightly, an odd look of déjà vu on his face.

"Wait a minute!" he said suddenly, staring at Sarina with narrowed eyes. "I've seen you before at my house. You're the youngest of the De-dear friends of Bellatrix's." It was obvious he had meant to say Death Eater and for a moment her mask slipped to shock as Sarina defiantly met her gaze, a mocking smirk on her face.

"Sari...Serena wouldn't have wanted this," she said softly. A look of utter fury crossed the younger girl's face as she strode forward and took hold of Salene's robes, twisting them so they effectively began to strangle her.

"You bitch. You murdered her; don't you dare mention her name," Sari growled Just as Salene began to succumb to the blackness of unconsciousness, Sarina let go and took a few steps backwards before Disapparating, which she had been tested on just a week earlier. Sirius drew Salene into a one-armed protective hug and drew out his wand with his free hand.

"Get out of here," he hissed. Salene wondered vaguely why he had taken so long to respond before she noticed Lupin and Potter each held strips of fabric in a hand and Sirius' robes were ripped on the upper arms. She smiled bemusedly and reached out to pull him closer as her parents Disapparated.

"I don't not love you," she said, her voice scratchy. He looked into her eyes and leaned forward to kiss her deeply.

"Good way of getting around the promise you made," he said, grinning against her lips. "Now let's go home." She nodded and squeezed his hand before pulling away and Disapparating.


Salene ignored the concerned look Mr. Potter cast her as she downed a thick blue potion, gagging as she pulled the bottle away from her mouth. "You'd think with everything we know how to do, potions would taste better." After gagging again, she filled the bottle with water and drank it, shuddering. "Thank you very much," she added as an afterthought. Her image of calm and polite had disintegrated the moment she'd seen Mrs. Potter's face, but she hadn't made an impression on Mr. Potter yet...or so she hoped.

"You're welcome very much," he replied, waving his wand at the bottle so it cleaned and tucking it into his robes, presumably so he could later replace it in his potions lab. Starting to head towards the kitchen, he called over his shoulder, "I hope you like pork!" He was so enthused she couldn't possibly tell him the truth, so she settled instead for attempting a weak smile aimed at his back and hoped there were side dishes.

It turned out Mrs. Potter cooked the Muggle way and therefore there was limited servings. There were side dishes, but they were biscuits, which she was limited to two of, and mashed potatoes - which had already been drowned in gravy. Salene was highly allergic to gravy. So she clenched her teeth, picked up her fork, and glared at her pork chops. She could eat them, she could. Except...she couldn't. Every time she attempted to pick up a piece with her fork, she saw Pork, her appropriately named pet pig for five years, until a year after she'd returned from being kidnapped. Her father had made her watch as he slit Pork's throat and had the house-elves prepare him for dinner, ignoring her noisy sobbing. He had been too old for the meat to taste good, but her father hadn't cared. He had chewed with his mouth open, probably the first and only time of his life, and then force-fed the meat to her, shoving his fingers down her throat in order to do so and making her gag and choke many times.

"Salene?" Her name startled her out of her reminiscing and she looked up blankly to find Sirius frowning at her in concern. "You okay?"

"Um...I don't think I can eat this," she told him, setting down her silverware, faintly embarrassed that the entire family was now looking at her.

"Not good enough for you?" Potter asked bitterly and she barely stopped herself from flinching. Funny how she could regress back into childhood behavior when she remembered certain things. Funny, and sad.

"That's not it. And I won't explain because Christmas is supposed to be a celebration, and all I've done so far is depress people."

"Not me. It's fun seeing you strangled to death," Potter said brightly. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I am attempting to be more than civil towards your family, Potter, but if you want I can describe what happened so detailed your sisters will be scarred for life and your entire family will become nauseous at the mention of meat." She was exaggerating, but it had the right effect.

He looked extremely taken aback as he held up his hands in defense and said, "I was only joking."

"Yes, well..." There was heavy silence for several minutes, before his dad struck up a stilted conversation with Gabrielle, as Salene had found out the hazel-eyed twin was called. Jennifer, the other twin, shifted her weight and began talking to Remus. It was rather obvious she had a crush on him. "Why do I get the feeling no one likes me?" she asked Sirius conversationally.

"Are you kidding me?" he asked. "Charlie loves you. Don't you, Charlie?"

"Yes?" the Squib responded, turning around and then sighing at Sirius' grin. "What did I agree to this time?"

"Being sacrificed," Salene answered, smirking. "Now I just have to figure out how to transport you to Hogwarts..."

"It depends on how I'm being sacrificed," he replied lightly, a smile forming. "Is it the kind where-"

"No," Potter cut in, rolling his eyes. "It's the kind where every time they insult you they cut off another limb and then slowly let you bleed to death while the others pray to their god, or gods."

"Potter! I knew Lupin had a boyfriend in Slytherin, but you? And here I thought you and Longbottom make such a cute couple. You know, he loves you so much he's like a blind, deaf pet." Potter narrowed his eyes but Jennifer cut him off before he could answer.

"Remus never had a boyfriend in Slytherin!" she said indignantly.

"I assure you, my cousin is not a girl," she answered dryly, an eyebrow rising as she continued. "If you disagree, ask Lupin. He would know better than I would." Lupin promptly when red and began to attack his meal with fervor while Jennifer looked near tears and excused herself from the table.

"That really was not necessary," Lupin said quietly. Salene, for one, was thankful Mr. and Mrs. Potter had gone outside to eat.

"If you didn't discourage her, she'd end up kissing you one day. Even females submerged in the Dark Arts are not immune to crushes and the stupidity that comes along with it, so even I am aware of it."

"I noticed," Sirius teased.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She stood and looked at Potter. "Where am I sleeping?"

"Gabrielle's room," he said, nodding at the sister in question. "Or with Sirius and Lupin. Or you can sleep outside."

"Wait a minute," Gabrielle interrupted, speaking for the first time. "I never agreed to share my room, or bed, with her. Did you forget I am not the one with a bunk bed?" Obviously, someone in the family did, but Salene didn't know who.

"Did you forget Salene is a witch?" he returned, scrubbing his face with his hands either in frustration or exhaustion. Salene was feeling both. "And while most seventh years can't Conjure things of that size, she isn't most seventh years." His last part of the sentence was stressed, but she feigned innocence.

"If you are referring to any mental instabilities I may have, I have no idea what you're talking about." Her act of innocence was not at its best, but she had been joking anyway, surprising herself. Since when did she joke around with Potter? She seemed to be doing it an awful lot lately too...Oh Merlin, she was going soft. He was growing on her. Both of the above.

"I need to place protective wards on the room I'm sleeping in," she announced, pushing away her disturbing thoughts.

"James always does that for me," Gabrielle answered, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Whatever was I thinking?" she mocked. "Of course Jamsie can place up better wards than I can, despite the fact that every day for the past seven years I devoted two hours to mastering ward-placing."

There was silence for several minutes, but then Gabrielle spoke. "You're not the usual bimbo Sirius brings home for Christmas."

"That's because I am a Snape," she said, glancing over at the suddenly-blushing Sirius.

"Snape?" Gabrielle echoed, eyes going wide. "As in, you're related to Severus Snape?"

"He's my cousin."

"Sirius! Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded as she flushed, looking very put out. "You knew...and she said her cousin dated Lupin!"

"Gabrielle's in love with Snivellus," James explained, to Salene's utter horror.

"Why do all your sisters love my gay people?" She was not sure what had possessed her to say 'my', but it had amusing effects.

"Since when was I yours?" Lupin asked, folding his arms over his chest while Potter faked a gag and Sirius broke out into silent laughter.

"Since you shagged Severus-"

"And I don't anymore," he interrupted, glowering.

"I am trying to bring up pleasant memories in the hopes you will remember your love for him. Besides, I distinctly remember you saying you could ignore him being a Death Eater, if he was." Lupin shot her glare and slipped out of the room. There was heavy silence and Potter followed.

"I am going to bed now. I should be changed in about fifteen minutes, and then you come in and put up your wards."

"Joy," Salene muttered. She was left alone with Sirius, who was still bent over laughing.