Chapter 71: To Unmake a Witch

Basingstoke, Hampshire, South East, England, UK.

June 2, 1991

Eleanor Branstone whimpered in distress as she curled onto her side. She didn't feel very well. The discomfort she had felt when she had gone to bed had now flared into pain that alternated between sharp jabs and throbbing waves. She slowly tossed back her covers. She had been doing this for hours as she alternated from too hot to sudden cold chills.

She forced herself upright, into a sitting position and only when she felt she could stand sturdily, did she arise from her bed. She didn't bother to slide her bare feet into the slippers at the end of her bed and she spared no thought for her night robe as she left her room and strode down the hall toward her father's bedroom.

She paused for a moment wondering if it was wise to bother him, yet she could clearly see the light on beneath his door so surely Torrance Branstone was still awake. Her father was very fastidious about turning the light out when he wished to go to sleep. Another sharp jab decided the matter for her, and she rose her hand to knock on the door.

"Daddy," she called out after a few moments when her knock went unanswered. "Daddy, can you hear me?" she called out to him as she knocked again, louder this time.

When he still did not answer she placed her ear to the door and frowned in concentration as she tried to listen for sounds on the other side of the door. Hearing nothing, she knocked again, more frantically. "Daddy, please, I don't feel very well," she called even as dread seized her. Something must be very wrong for her father to not come to open the door.

She bit her lip for a moment as indecision seized her. It wasn't proper for her to enter her father's suite without permission, but he wasn't answering her. What if…what if something was wrong with her father? She stood there for a few moments with indecision weighing her down and then she nodded to herself, determination filling her. "Daddy, I'm going to come in," she called out to him and then she placed her hand upon the handle of his door and turned the knob. She pushed the heavy Old-English Oak door open and entered her father's bedroom suite. She saw him immediately, seated at his writing desk. His head was over a set of files that he had brought home earlier that evening from the office.

"Daddy, you fell asleep while working," Eleanor said as she came closer to her father. She gently pressed on his shoulder and frowned at how stiff it felt. She took a good look at her father and gasped to see that his eyes were open, staring at nothing. They looked glazed…lifeless. He was incredibly pale, and his mouth looked like it had a blackish ring around it.

"Daddy," she whispered as the horror slowly filled her that something was seriously wrong with her father. "Daddy!" she cried out louder. "Daddy!" she screamed as she shook him.

Torrance Branstone didn't answer her.

Eleanor didn't know how long she cried and screamed for her father to wake up, to answer her. After a time of crying, she slowly became aware of herself. She looked frantically around the room and then she raced through the door. She headed around the corner, racing toward the more distant part of the house where her grandparent's suite of rooms was located. Why hadn't her grandparents come running when she had been screaming? Could something be wrong with them as well?

She didn't bother with pleasantries when she reached the door to her grandparent's suite. Instead, she drew up both fists and pounded hard on the door. "Grandpa! Grandma!" she cried as she continued to pound on the door. "Open the door! Something is wrong with Daddy!"

No one came to the door, much to her rising hysteria. No one answered her. 'Why won't they answer?' she wondered. "Oh no," she whispered as she stared at the door. What if, what if they were dead like her father? She grew hysterical then and continued to pound on the door. "Please, please!" she pleaded.

Desperation made her turn the doorknob even though every instinct in her told her that she was not going to like what she would find within the room. She pushed the door open and moved into her grandparents sitting room. She swiftly flicked on the light switch and gave herself a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the brightness. Her eyes darted about the room and noticed that nothing was out of place. She moved through the room toward the hall that would lead to her grandparent's bedroom. She paused at the closed door and then shook her head, determined to see her grandparents, to demand to know why they had not answered her. She opened the door and flicked on the light switch. Everything was still and quiet.

She had hoped that flicking on the light switch would cause her grandfather to groan and open his eyes, roll out of bed and demand to know where Eleanor's manners had fled to. Her grandmother should have been slowly sitting up, curlers in her hair and asking Eleanor if she was still feeling unwell.

Instead, her beloved grandparents remained still upon the bed. She slowly approached the bed and found that her grandfather's eyes were closed but he was so still, a blue-black line rimmed his lips and his chest did not rise and fall. She trembled violently as she backed away from her grandfather. Her back hit the wall and she slid down it. "No, please, please," she begged, desperately as she sobbed continuously.

It was minutes later after taking deep breaths that she crawled around the bed to check on her grandmother. She noted first that Corinne Branstone's chest did not rise and fall. She then noticed the blue-black ring around the woman's lips. Her eyes were open and unseeing.

"Oh no!" Eleanor exclaimed as she rocked back and forth. "No. No!" she moaned as she felt as if she were breaking apart.

She fell to the floor and let loose sobs. The pain in her heart far outstripped the pain that had awakened her and made her seek out her father. "Why?" she begged of the silence. "Why did this happen?"

She tried to force her mind to more coherent thoughts, but it was hard. Her mind was too jumbled. Too horrified by what she had seen. Her father's unseeing gaze, glazed over in death, haunted her. She shuddered and hugged herself even as she tried to push the image away. She needed help. She needed an adult to help her. She needed Andromeda. Her magical guardian would know what to do, wouldn't she?

She was halfway back to her grandparent's sitting room and to their telephone before she stopped and realized that there was a swifter way for her to contact Andromeda. Lord Black had insisted that she have a personal House-Elf. He had overseen the bonding between herself and her elf. Her grandmother had not been happy with the creature and she had insisted that Eleanor send the elf away. Eleanor hadn't understood her grandmother's aversion to the helpful and polite creature, but she had obeyed. She had arranged for Vidia to live with her magical guardian.

She sank to the floor in the middle of her grandparents sitting room and fought back against a sob. "Vidia!" she called out the name of her personal House-Elf and was relieved when the creature popped into view a few feet from her.

"Oh, Missy Eleanor is unwell!" Vidia immediately said and came forward to tend to her.

Eleanor closed her eyes as she felt Vidia's fingers gently wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "Vidia," she said softly. "Something terrible has happened here. I need you to get Andromeda," she paused then trying to think. "And Sirius. Tell them that it is most urgent. That my father and grandparents are dead."

Vidia gasped in alarm at this and nodded vigorously. "I wills be telling Missy Andromeda and then I be returning to Miss Eleanor."

Eleanor nodded and managed a small smile for the elf before it disappeared with a snap of its fingers. She remained where she was, seated on the floor, waiting for the return of Vidia.


'Does our family live under a curse?' Sirius wondered as he watched the Auror's as they processed the crime scene.

His had been an enjoyable night. He had received official word from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that John Dawlish had finally confessed to his long-held desire to murder Lord Malfoy for ruining his career. He had insisted that his attack, all those years ago, upon Draco, had been necessary to stop a Dark Wizard from rising to destroy the Wizarding World. Lord Bertram Crabbe and his son and heir, Victor Crabbe had acknowledged that they had long desired the murder of Pollux Black because he had shamed Bertram's sister, Irma Black nee Crabbe, by parading his mistress Meliora Burke nee Loveday in polite society. Lord Bertram had decided to rid his sister of her shameful husband. Lord Black was targeted as well because he had accepted Meliora Burke into the family as though she were the true wife of Pollux Black. Cassiopeia and Melania Black were collateral damage. Victor Crabbe did express remorse for the deaths of those fine ladies, though his remorse did nothing for the dead.

Sirius didn't want Victor Crabbe's remorse. He wanted him to rot in Azkaban for choosing to commit murder, for choosing to leave his only son, Vincent Crabbe, without his protection. There was now an eleven-year-old boy, the same age as his own sons, who was going to be the Lord of House Crabbe because the elder males of his family had chosen to commit a horrible crime.

He had been talking with Andromeda and his Uncle Cygnus plotting the future of young Vincent Crabbe when Vidia, Eleanor's personal elf had appeared and demanded that Andromeda and Sirius must go right away to the Branstone residence in Basingstoke. Eleanor was hurt and her father and grandparents were dead. The news stunned him, stunned the three of them, but then they were all moving.

"Take us to Eleanor," Cygnus had ordered Vidia even as he put an arm about his daughter's waist to help calm Andromeda.

They had arrived in the hallway just outside of a bedroom suite. The door was open, and they could clearly see Eleanor sitting in the middle of the room upon the floor. She was rocking back and forth and staring at nothing.

"She's in shock," Andromeda said as she kept the two men from immediately rushing toward the child.

Sirius frowned at that but reminded himself that Andromeda was a healer who had specialized in the care of children. She would be best suited to tend to Eleanor now. He had forced himself to remain still as he watched Andromeda approach Eleanor and coax her out of her stupor. When the child finally was able to acknowledge them, she burst into tears and clung to Andromeda.

Sirius and Cygnus had checked upon the grandparents. They found Reginald and Corinne Branstone dead in their bed. Cygnus had then accompanied Sirius in seeking out Torrance Branstone. They found the man dead at a desk in his own suite of rooms. Sirius had then engaged in the unenviable task of contacting the Auror Department.

Within ten minutes the first two Auror's were on the scene and more joined them soon after. Sirius now found himself watching the Auror's processing the scene in the bedroom. They had some Unspeakable present, weaving their wand in intricate patterns over the dead bodies, trying to learn their secrets. He wondered if it were a form of necromancy but swiftly decided that it couldn't be. Necromancy had long ago been outlawed by the Ministry. There was no way a Ministry employee would be caught using those arts.

"Hell of a thing," Kingsley Shacklebolt murmured, gaining Sirius' attention.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah," he said with a sigh. He had already given his statement, as had Andromeda and Uncle Cygnus. Shacklebolt and a female Auror that Sirius didn't recognize had taken Eleanor's statement. Andromeda had been allowed to remain to hold the girl as she spoke so long as she didn't speak or coax Eleanor in any way.

"According to the diary of Corinne Branstone, this could be labeled as a hate crime," Kingsley informed Sirius.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked, stunned by this turn of events.

Kingsley grimaced. "Apparently, Mrs. Branstone didn't much care for the fact that her granddaughter was a witch. She tried several different times to convince Lord Black and Mrs. Tonks to simply remove Eleanor's magic. Her diary details her increasing frustration with their repeated claims that there was no way to remove Eleanor's magic."

"Of course, there's no way to remove her magic. There is no such thing as stealing another's magic," Sirius growled out. Really the idea was absurd. Magic was part of every witch and wizard. It dwelled within them. It wasn't like a muggle light switch that could be turned on and off.

"Apparently a month ago she met with Andromeda at Estelle's," Kingsley revealed as he turned the pages of the book to a particular page. "She detailed yet another refusal on Andromeda's part to take the magic from Eleanor. She wrote that Andromeda departed and then a few moments later another woman took her vacated place at the table. The woman was kind and comforted her and then promised that she could help Mrs. Branstone cure her granddaughter of magic."

Sirius felt hollow inside as he listened to Kingsley. "She lied," he said simply.

"Yes, and the foolish, desperate woman fell for it," Kingsley said sadly. "She received a visit by house elf a few days ago. The elf was sent by the woman she met at Estelle's who promised to help her cure Eleanor. The elf gave her a potion that was supposed to be a cure. The elf said it was to be put in the food and that it was safe for those without magic to eat. When Mrs. Branstone inquired about whether it would harm Eleanor, the elf said that it would because the potion was meant to eat up the magic within her, but that it would be as though Eleanor were suffering food poisoning, nothing too serious."

"Clearly the idiot woman used the poison," Sirius said, his voice a vicious growl.

"Yes," Kingsley agreed grimly.

"Eleanor is alive because she is magical. Her magic was working hard to try to stop the poison," Sirius realized.

Kingsley nodded. "Andromeda has already transported young Eleanor to Saint Mungo's," he revealed. "They departed just before I came to inform you of what has transpired here."

Sirius ran a hand over his face. "Alright," he said softly. "That's good. The best call that Andromeda could have made for Eleanor's sake."

"We have her statement, so we shouldn't need to speak with her again," Kingsley said. Then he slapped the book closed. "I just wish she had named her gracious benefactor. Then we could nail the Witch for the murders she committed tonight."

Sirius nodded grimly. It was infuriating that he might never have justice for Eleanor. He moved down the hall back to the sitting room and found Cygnus and a few other Auror's. His Uncle came to him immediately.

"Auror Shacklebolt told Andromeda and me," he said forestalling Sirius from having to speak of it. "I promised her that I would assist you here and then join her at the hospital. I sent my elf to Blackmoor to inform 'Cissa," he added. "She'll take care of spreading the word and taking care of the children."

"Closing ranks," Sirius murmured.

Cygnus' lips twitched up into a slight smirk at that, for all that it was tinged in sorrow due to Eleanor's loss. "You set a good example," he praised.

Sirius couldn't help the pleased quirk of his lips at that. "You would never have said that years ago," he said.

Cygnus nodded. "True. I was a pompous fool in my youth," he said simply, with an ease that he never would have had ten years ago. "I'm learning a few things from this latest generation of Black's. Lessons that are long overdue me."

"Better late than never," Sirius said with a soft smile. He was grateful for Cygnus' change of attitude. He was grateful that his uncle had taken an interest in the children and had taken an interest in his daughters again. Andromeda and Narcissa were happier now that they interacted more regularly with Cygnus, even if they didn't completely trust their father.

"I see where Orion gets that sunny optimism," Cygnus said pleasantly.

Sirius couldn't stop the smile at the mention of his second-born son. It truly pleased Sirius that Cygnus had taken a shine to Orion. His Uncle was protective and fond of Sirius' second son. Cygnus had once told him that despite how much Orion resembled Sirius physically, in temperament the boy reminded him of Sirius' sire. Sirius was then reminded that Cygnus Black had been more than just kinsman and brother-in-law to his father. Cygnus had been Orion's greatest friend. Cygnus must mourn Orion Black as dearly as Sirius mourned James Potter. That knowledge had created a common bond between them that could never be broken.

"Come, Sirius," Cygnus said gently. "The Auror's will handle things here. We should go to Andromeda and see how our Eleanor fairs."

Sirius gave himself a moment to do another sweep of the room and then he nodded his agreement with Cygnus. There was nothing else that he and his uncle could do here. They were needed by the living, not by the dead.


Saint Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies

Andromeda stared at the still face of the child lying in the hospital bed and fought down the vengeance that sang in her blood. She wished that she could practice necromancy to raise Corinne Branstone from death in order to viciously torture the woman. How dare that woman say she loved Eleanor and then feed her a poison?

She was angry, so full of wrath and it had no outlet. Corinne Branstone, the little fool, was dead. She was dead and she had nearly taken Eleanor with her. She had nearly robbed them of Eleanor. Andromeda didn't want to imagine a world where her almost-daughter didn't exist. She couldn't bear the idea.

With a trembling hand, she leaned forward and stroked gently at Eleanor's hair, carding her fingers through silky dark brown strands. Eleanor was too pale, her magic and the potions that the healers gave her working to fight the poison that her Grandmother had joyfully fed her.

Andromeda closed her eyes tightly. Too many times Corinne Branstone had begged her to remove the magic from Eleanor. Too many times Andromeda had tried to reason with the woman. She had been such a fool. Despite her own misgivings about Corinne Branstone's increasingly hostile behavior when it came to Eleanor's magic, Andromeda had convinced herself that the woman loved Eleanor and would never harm her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to Eleanor. "I was such a fool," she spoke softly to the child. "I thought she loved you and she would never hurt you. I was blind."

She had known there was a problem. The signs were there that she should remove Eleanor from the Branstone's because even if Torrance and Reginald Branstone had no problem with the simple truth that Eleanor was a witch, Corinne did. Corinne did and had been growing more desperate in her demands that her granddaughter be cured of magic. Cures as if Eleanor had a disease. It had been aggravating dealing with the woman's demands. It was insulting and it had always felt like Andromeda was beating her head against a brick wall when she had to, again and again, insist that there was nothing wrong with Eleanor. She was a witch; it wasn't a disease to be cured.

"Andromeda," the gentle voice of her husband called to her and she turned her head away from Eleanor's sleeping form and let her eyes drink in the sight of her husband.

"Ted," she sighed, and she extended a hand to him, a plea for him to join her.

He moved swiftly to her side and grasped her hand in his even as his other arm came around her. She gratefully leaned into him and felt tears sting her eyes. He was still in the standard robes that Saint Mungo's healers wore. He was just finishing or had just finished his shift, she realized now.

"Darling, I just heard that you were here with Eleanor. What happened?" he asked as he gently rocked her.

She clung to him. Ted Tonks, her greatest love, her rock in the storm. "I made a grave mistake and Eleanor paid for it," she whispered miserably, anger tinged her voice. Anger at herself. Anger at Corinne Branstone.

"Tell me," Ted said, and she was grateful for that. He didn't try to deny that she had been wrong. He didn't try to absolve her without first knowing the facts. How she loved this loyal and strong man.

She told him. Most of it he knew of course. He knew that Corinne Branstone had been increasingly frustrating to deal with. He knew that she had refused to allow Vidia, Eleanor's elf, to dwell in the Branstone home. He knew that Corinne had made demands that Eleanor's magic be removed, a stupid demand since it was impossible. She told him of Vidia coming to them and telling them that Eleanor was hurt, and her father and grandparents were dead. She told him of her fear and how she had been frozen until her father had put his arm around her and taken charge, ordering Vidia to take Andromeda, Sirius, and him to Eleanor. Ted showed vague surprise at Cygnus' support of his daughter.

"I'm glad that he's being a better father for you now," he murmured thoughtfully as his hand stroked her back and his thumb idly stroked over the knuckles of the hand he still held.

"Ted, if I had sought to remove Eleanor from them, this wouldn't have happened," she insisted.

He shook his head. "No Andromeda," he said in a gentle voice as he released his hold on her hand in order to move it to just beneath her chin. He nudged her chin up to stare up at him. His hazel eyes were filled with such love and tenderness as he looked at her and it took her breath away. "You aren't thinking clearly, my love," he said gently. "You know better. You know that had you informed the Branstone's that you were removing Eleanor from their care, that Mrs. Branstone would have become incredibly desperate. She would have done something to Eleanor. Perhaps not this, but something equally as damaging."

Andromeda closed her eyes tight against the anguish she felt, and she tilted her head, letting Ted's hand slowly stroke up her jawline and to her cheek. She tilted her cheek into his hand and just breathed in the scent of him and luxuriated in the feel of him so close, so loving, so comforting. "I love you," she whispered.

"I know," his voice held such warmth. "I love you more," he said simply.

It was like this that her father and her cousin found them, with Eleanor sleeping in the bed and Andromeda wrapped up in her husband's arms. She listened to Ted greet her father and Sirius and she snuggled deeper into his arms for a moment, not wanting to leave the safety that her husband offered her.

"Perhaps you should take Andromeda home," she heard Sirius say to Ted. "I can stay with Eleanor."

"No," she said resolutely even as she reluctantly moved away from Ted's warm embrace. "I need to be here when she awakens. I promised her I would stay."

Sirius opened his mouth to argue but Cygnus cut him off. "That is the right thing to do. As Eleanor's Guardian the healers will need to consult with you."

Andromeda nodded. She had been forced to stay overnight at Saint Mungo's several times when Nymphadora was young. Her daughter had been accident-prone as a child. Two left feet, Ted often teased their child. Andromeda always thought it was lack of care about situational awareness, which made her fear for her child becoming an Auror.

"Very well, Sirius conceded.

Cygnus smirked. "Still, that doesn't mean you should go all night awake," Cygnus told her. Then he waved his wand, and she wondered when her father had drawn it. The chair beneath her transfigured itself into a comfortable cot. "There you are," he said with a smile. "You can lay back and make yourself comfortable," he promised his daughter. "Ted, you look dead on your feet, you should go home. You can tell Hermione what has happened in the morning," Cygnus said, and Andromeda was surprised to hear the real concern in her father's voice. Was she to believe that Cygnus Black III had finally come to terms with her marriage to Muggle-born Ted Tonks?

Ted glanced at Andromeda and then to the bed. He looked torn about the decision of staying or going back to Blackmoor. Andromeda took his hand and kissed it. "You should go and get some rest," she said. "Our Hermione will need to know about her sibling in the morning."

Ted slowly nodded. "She'll want to visit Eleanor," he said.

Andromeda nodded. "Of course," she agreed. "Sirius, you'll make sure that Ted gets home safely?" she asked.

Sirius nodded his agreement and then he turned to look at her father. Some strange communication that she didn't understand must have passed between the two men because after a moment Sirius nodded to Cygnus. She watched as he went to Eleanor's side and leaned over her. He whispered a few words that Andromeda couldn't make out and then kissed her forehead. Andromeda felt the magic tingle in the room, a benediction then. No doubt it was one that would grant Eleanor sweet dreams. Then Sirius turned away from the bed and put a friendly arm around Ted's shoulders. "Come on, old chap. We're headed to the same place."

Andromeda watched bemused as her husband was led away by Sirius Black and then she turned to watch her father transfigure one of the stiff chairs into a comfortable lounger. "What are you doing?"

"Relaxing while I watch over you and Eleanor of course," Cygnus replied as though his intentions had always been obvious. She supposed that they had been, at least to Sirius they had been. "Sleep child, I'll stay and protect both of you."

Andromeda stared at him for a few moments more, judging his sincerity. When she could see no deceit in him, she slowly lowered herself to the bed. She had thought that it would take her some time to go to sleep, but within moments of her laying her head on the pillow, her father began to hum a song softly. It teased at her memory, she knew the song, had heard it hummed and sung softly in a rich soothing voice. She blinked a few times and in the dim light watched her father for a few moments as he softly hummed and occasionally sang lyrics of a song she hadn't heard since she was a child. She closed her eyes, letting a feeling of safety flow over her. She let her father's song lull her into sleep.


Cygnus Black continued to sing until he was sure that his middle child was fast asleep. He then turned his attention to Eleanor Branstone. The child had been through quite the ordeal and he felt truly sorry for the young eleven-year-old. He had only recently lost his father and he wouldn't wish that pain upon anyone.

'You are never ready to lose a parent,' he thought as he watched Eleanor sleep. 'You could be five or fifty and it doesn't matter. The pain of that loss, of that separation, is so great. Doesn't matter if you were at odds with that parent, a bond still existed that is now forever severed.'

He looked away from Eleanor to stare again at his second-born daughter. He had failed his children. He knew that. Bellatrix, his proud first-born daughter was too much like him. Brash, vengeful, proud, and stubborn, and so very fierce. Like him, she could have been great. She could have had a happy life. He, in his arrogance and pride, had robbed her of that. She had loved Fabian Prewett so deeply, so fiercely. Her love for Fabian had reminded him too much of his own love for Orion and he feared for her. He couldn't let her be with Fabian Prewett because that kind of love was all-consuming. At least that was what he told himself. He told himself she'd be better off with Rodolphus Lestrange and in any case, the Black family already had an agreement that the first Black Heiress of that generation would marry the Lestrange Heir. Bellatrix had grown up knowing she would marry Rodolphus. He ignored her pleas to let her marry Fabian instead. He said it was for her own good.

He had lied. To her. To himself. He had lied to them both. He had been petty and cruel. His daughter had stood before him with the chance to be with her soulmate and he had made her marry another man instead. What became of Bellatrix was on his head. It was one of his greatest sins, right after the murder of his beloved Orion. He would forever regret what he did to Orion, just as he would always regret what he did to Bellatrix.

He also regretted what he did to Andromeda. He never should have tried to force her to marry a man she didn't want. There was little reason for him to have done that to her. True the alliance would have benefitted the family, but it had not hurt the family to be without that alliance. Ted Tonks was a Muggle-born, and that had been the root of Cygnus' disdain for the man.

But look at what that disdain had cost him.

Because he shunned his daughter after her marriage, he never got to hold his granddaughter, Nymphadora, when she was an infant. His first real conversation with the girl was when she was fourteen years old. Andromeda often watched him warily, longing for his guidance but afraid of him and what he might do to her and her family. She wanted to trust him, wanted back the father that she had loved so much before she had eloped with Ted Tonks, but she didn't dare to fully trust him just in case his true motives were to hurt her family. He deserved that distrust. He had also let this daughter down. He regretted it.

He had also let down Narcissa. He had watched her marry her beloved, Lucius Malfoy, but then he had pulled away from her, only occasionally interacting. He had held Draco Malfoy, Narcissa's beloved son, in his arms when he was an infant and he had been overwhelmed with the knowledge that he, Cygnus Black III, was a curse to those he loved most in the world. He had caressed the baby soft cheek of his grandson and had told himself that he had to stay away for Draco's own protection. He tainted all that he touched.

Yet he regretted it. These years later he felt stronger and clearer than he had since he had murdered Orion. The pain was becoming less, and he didn't understand why. His magic should still be punishing him. Did this mean that his beloved had finally forgiven him?

He let his gaze fall back to Eleanor and he forced himself to take a deep breath and put his regrets aside. Instead, he focused on what Auror Shacklebolt had told them. Corinne Branstone had been approached by a Witch at Estelle's a month ago after Andromeda had departed from their lunch meeting. The witch had offered her help. That meant the Witch was listening in on the conversation. His daughter was too clever for a witch to be able to easily listen in on the conversation. Andromeda was too well trained to have allowed some random witch to listen in, which meant it wasn't a random witch. It was one that was familiar with her.

'Or, familiar with Black family spells,' he thought as his mind whirled with who the culprit could be. He swiftly ruled out Cassiopeia Black. His aunt was not fond of Muggles but she had willingly accepted Hermione and Eleanor into the family fold, and she had always been kind to Nymphadora, who was a half-blood. Lady Cedrella Weasley would never have done such a thing. Nor would Lady Callidora Longbottom. His wife, Druella, hated muggles, but she wouldn't have ever dirtied her hands with that hatred. She was content to see muggles as sometimes useful animals and leave it at that. In any case, he would have heard if Druella had left her current lover to return to Britain. This left one member of his family that he was sure would have happily seized the opportunity to do great harm to Eleanor and her family.

Irma Black nee Crabbe had thrown a fit of epic proportions when Lord Black had officially acknowledged Hermione Granger and Eleanor Branstone as heiresses of House Black. She had begged Lord Black to strike them from the family record. She had snarled and raged at her husband, Pollux Black, to stand up to Lord Black and convince him of the error of his ways. His father had told his mother that Lord Black had acknowledged the girls and he expected her to remain silent in her hatred for the rest of time. Irma had not taken that well, as Cygnus recalled.

She was a spiteful woman, his mother. The question he now had was this; was she the Witch that gave the poison to the Branstone family?


I want to thank every one of your readers for your wonderful attention to my story. Thank you for your follows, your favorites, and your reviews. It's really amazing and humbling how well received my story has been by the fanfiction community. Thank you so much. I hope to have another chapter up sometime in August, but we'll see what life throws at me. ;)