Disclaimer: All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine.
Updated as of 7/29/2019.
Chapter Twenty-One
The Black Christmas
For the first time in sixteen years, Cassie was not looking forward to Christmas morning.
There was a time long since past when she would have awakened before dawn and stolen downstairs in the dim early morning hours to snuggle on the rug near the hearth, where she would have a perfect view of their extravagant tree, still lit during the night and casting flickering shadows that danced patterns as she watched and waited.
Of course, she never saw Father Christmas, no matter how much she struggled to stay awake, but it was still worth it to fall asleep and wake up to her brother curled up next to her, her body warm from his own and the fire at their backs.
This year, there would be none of that. Despite jolting awake at three o'clock in the morning after having some dream she couldn't remember, she still lay in her bed long after the sun had risen, only to be roused by a soft knock on her door around lunchtime.
She stayed on her side, facing the frosty afternoon outside her windows even after she heard the door open. She only stirred when her mattress dipped behind her from someone's weight, and she rolled over to see her mother smiling down at her, her ebony hair perfectly neat even after sleep, though her bright blue eyes hinted at fatigue as she gazed down to her daughter.
"Happy Christmas, my love," Eleanor whispered. Cassie threw herself into her mother's arms; she had only seen her a handful of times since the holidays had begun, as she always seemed to be working, but the relief she felt when she entered her mother's embrace was almost enough to take a week's worth of tension from her shoulders.
"Happy Christmas, Mum," Cassie said, her voice raspy from its lack of use over the days, and Eleanor's arms tightened ever so slightly around her. They stayed like that for a long while, until Eleanor sighed and pulled away, brushing back a loose strand of hair from Cassie's forehead.
"Come downstairs," she urged, giving her a faint smile. "You have presents, and I'll get Liddy to make us some tea."
At this, Cassie's relief vanished, her anxiety rushing back at the thought of the other half of their family. "What about Father and Will?"
Eleanor gazed at her daughter, puzzled by the unhidden dread in her voice. "What about them?"
Cassie attempted to keep her composure, forcing her voice to be as nonchalant as possible when she said, "Are they, er, here?"
"No, they had to return to the Ministry," she said, and Cassie didn't miss the tight lines around her mother's mouth before they were gone, to be replaced by another one of her dazzling smiles. "Come, dear; those presents aren't going to open themselves!"
Cassie let herself be pulled out of bed, schooling her expression into something more neutral as she followed her mother down the hall to the grand staircase. Why would her father and brother still be making visits to the Ministry, especially on Christmas morning? Wasn't Will's name already cleared? What more could they possibly be doing?
The unsettling feeling that had been sitting in Cassie's gut for the last week only seemed to intensify the longer she thought about it, but she tried to quash it down as she followed her mother into the drawing room, where a plethora of presents wrapped in shiny silver and gold paper gleamed out at her from beneath the tree.
Cassie sat in her customary spot next to the tree while Eleanor perched herself in one of the straight-backed armchairs that decorated the room, and she tried not to feel like something was missing as she reached for the first parcel that had her name on it at her mother's urging. She unwrapped the gift and found a new set of silky wizarding robes, as black as Peruvian ink. Despite her aversion to wizarding fashion, she couldn't help the small gasp of surprise that came out of her mouth when she unraveled them.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Eleanor said, her eyes raking the robes with the eye of the wizarding world's most acclaimed fashion magazine editor. "I purchased them from a friend of mine all the way from China; he said the silk was woven a thousand years ago, made by some of the greatest magical Chinese seamstresses the wizarding world had ever seen."
"They're gorgeous," Cassie said. The fabric slipped easily through her roaming fingers, like rivers of the softest ink.
"You can wear them tonight," Eleanor suggested, turning her head and watching Liddy bumble into the room, carrying a tray of tea, biscuits, and fruit. "The Blacks are an esteemed family, and Walburga has an eye for fashion that I could use at the magazine, yet she refuses me every time. She'll adore you."
She laughed at this, a tinkling sound that made Cassie's lips curl at the corners, as well, as she helped herself to a piece of cantaloupe before turning to her other presents.
"You remember the Blacks, don't you, Cassie?" Eleanor continued as she opened a box containing a silver bracelet she would probably never wear. She looked up at her mother's question, nodding.
"Yes," she said, setting the bracelet aside and tearing the paper off another parcel. "I was in the same manners classes with their youngest son when I was little."
"But their oldest is in your year, yes?" Eleanor said. "Sirius, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Cassie said, feeling a sudden prickle at her skin at the mention of Sirius's name. "He's a Gryffindor, too."
"That I could not forget," Eleanor said, chuckling. "Oh, how upset Walburga was when he didn't get Sorted into Slytherin! I heard about that one for weeks—the first Black to not be in Slytherin. Such a shock to everyone, I imagine."
"Yeah," Cassie said again, uncomfortable when she recalled how Sirius had told her about his mother threatening to disown him and blast him off his family's tapestry for not being a true Black.
There were a few minutes of silence where Cassie continued to open presents, exclaiming and expressing gratitude when she had to while Eleanor watched on, sipping from her tea slowly until Cassie's pile had dwindled to only two more parcels.
The smaller gift was a bottle of expensive French perfume that Cassie swore to pawn off to one of the girls when they returned to school after testing it, though she smiled and thanked her mother all the same. The last gift was from Eleanor, as well, and when she opened it, she couldn't help but squeal in delight.
"You remembered!" she cried, pulling the cream-colored leather jacket out of its box and hugging it to her chest, beaming at her mother. "I can't believe you got it!"
Eleanor laughed, waving a dismissive hand. "It was too hard to pass up," she said. "Just don't let your father know I bought it for you."
A shadow passed over her face when she said this last part. Cassie opened her mouth, about to ask what was wrong before she was interrupted by Liddy returning to the drawing room.
"Forgive me, Mistresses," the house-elf said, bowing her floppy-eared head. "There is a Floo call for you, Mistress Eleanor; it is from Master Alderfair."
At this, Eleanor got to her feet, smoothing out her robes and turning to Cassie. "Take your things upstairs, dear," she said, "and start getting ready for tonight. I want to be punctual for the Blacks."
Cassie nodded as Eleanor swept off to the study. She wondered what her father was calling about as she gathered up her small pile of gifts and made for the stairs. Her foot had just touched the bottom step when she heard Liddy's squeaky voice behind her, and she turned to see the tiny house-elf lugging a large parcel toward her.
"What's this, Liddy?" Cassie said, bemused as the elf came to a stop before her, panting and arms shaking from the strain of holding the parcel. Cassie set down her other presents and took the package from Liddy, startled by how heavy and solid it was. "Good Godric, what's in here?"
"I do not know, Mistress," Liddy wheezed, rubbing her small arms. "I was only instructed to give it to you when you were alone by Master William."
Cassie abruptly stopped her investigation of the parcel, looking down to Liddy with a scowl.
"I don't want it," she said, holding it back out to her. "Take it away. Burn it. Throw it in the bin with all the other rubbish—just do something. I'm not taking it."
"I-I'm sorry, Mistress," Liddy said, wringing her hands as she beseeched Cassie with her large brown eyes. "Master William told me that I had to give it to you. H-he made me swear it, or else he threatened t-to give me—" she gulped "—clothes."
"Bastard!" Cassie exclaimed, outraged. "Liddy, listen to me: you're not going anywhere, all right? I'll take the stupid present. Don't worry about my brother."
"Yes, Mistress," Liddy said, relieved, and bowed low. "Happy Christmas, Mistress."
The house-elf scampered off, and Cassie heaved a great sigh, looking back to the parcel in her hands with a frown. It was wrapped in crinkly parchment paper, secured with a thick brown string, and rectangular in appearance. If she had to guess, she would say it was some sort of book, but the thought only made her frown deepen. Why would Will give her a bloody book? And why would he instruct Liddy to give it to her when she was alone, and threaten her if she didn't?
Suspicious but curious, Cassie continued upstairs before retreating to her bedroom and dumping her gifts at the foot of her bed, only keeping Will's parcel in her hands as she sat on the mattress and stared down at it in her lap, debating whether she wanted to open it or not.
A part of her was tempted to take a match to it right then, but that same nagging feeling that she got whenever she thought about Professor Carlisle and Avery and the locket returned to her, and she resigned herself to at least look while her fingers tore away the wrappings.
When she was done, she was left with a large book in her lap, as she had guessed, but it looked ancient. The cover was leather and worn, perhaps a rich brown at one point, but now faded into a dusty beige, the embossed lettering all but invisible. She opened the cover and was hit with a musty smell. The pages were thick yet brittle to her touch, and she held them carefully as she flipped through the first few—faded with age—before finding the title, thankfully readable:
Alorfæger
Sylfum Þæt frumcynn and cynnreccennes sylfum se Alorfæger ræw
On second thought, Cassie thought as she stared at the Old English words, maybe not.
"Need a translation on that?"
She started at Will's voice and slammed the book shut with a snap, sliding it off her lap as she got to her feet, fingers reflexively moving toward her wand.
"How can I make myself any clearer when I say that I don't want you near me?" she growled, glaring at her brother as he perched himself in her doorframe once again, perpetual smirk in place. "Get. Out."
Will just wrinkled his nose at her, unfazed. "Rude," he sniffed, before gesturing to the book lying on her bed. "Is this the kind of thanks I get for my gift?"
"When you insist on giving me rubbish, then yes," she retorted, and he rolled his eyes.
"Apologies, Princess," he said. "Remind me to get you a castle next time."
"Don't call me that," she snapped, marching over to him and pushing him off her threshold. He just chuckled, pushing his overlong hair out of his eyes.
"Sorry," he said. "I forget that I'm not your precious Sirius. Only he and his scum mates are allowed to call you that, right?"
Cassie froze, looking hard into her brother's face as realization dawned on her.
"You're having me followed, aren't you?" she said, searching his face and finding no signs of remorse. "At school, and maybe even elsewhere that only Merlin knows about?"
"There's eyes and ears everywhere, Sister," he said lowly, and she couldn't help but swallow at his intense gaze. "They aren't necessarily mine, either, so I suggest you start being a little more careful when you go back to Hogwarts."
"Why are you even here?" she asked, if only to avoid the pit of ice she could feel growing in her gut. "I thought you were with Father at the Ministry again?"
"I was," he said, leaning against the wall opposite her and shoving his hands into his pockets. "Got bored, so I came back."
"Fascinating," she said flatly. "Now, do me the favor of sodding off. I have to start getting ready for this stupid dinner party and figure out how I'm going to spend an entire evening pretending to like you."
"I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about that." He picked at an immaculate fingernail and shrugged at her look. "I'm not going."
"Thank Merlin," she said. "At least I know he's answering some of my prayers."
And with that, she slammed the door in his face.
Cassie sucked in a sharp breath when she was released from the clutches of her father's Side-Along Apparition, willing her stomach to stop roiling. Cold air stung her face and stabbed at her lungs as her parents tumbled into existence next to her much more smoothly.
"Goodness," Eleanor said, sweeping her perfect hair over her shoulders and dabbing at her flawless makeup. "I forgot how much Apparition takes out of you!"
"I never understood how Orion could stand to live in such a place," Lukas said, casting a disdainful look at the Muggle neighborhood they had emerged in. Cassie had to agree slightly; for all the Pure-blood ideology the Black family was renowned for touting, one would think that their house would be established in a predominantly wizarding village instead of the central part of London.
Lukas gestured for them to cross the street, to the townhomes on the other side. They came upon a wrought iron gate and passed through, the metal squeaking on its hinges as they trekked up a short drive that stopped in between two dreary-looking buildings, one marked with the number eleven, and the next one over marked with a thirteen. Confused, Cassie blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't just seeing things, and in the next second another building had sprung up between the two, this one visibly marked with the number twelve.
The building didn't look any different than the others, but as the Alderfairs gathered on the front stoop, Cassie could feel the magic radiating from it and the powerful wards around it. Lukas reached up and knocked three times on the door using the ugly gargoyle knocker that leered out at them.
They waited only briefly until the front door opened, revealing perhaps one of the ugliest house-elves she had ever seen. It was old and gnarled, with a foul temperament and tufts of hair growing out of its large ears, dressed in a simple cloth that resembled something like a pillowcase.
"Welcome to the most Noble and Ancient House of Black," the house-elf croaked, bowing so low that his overlong nose brushed the fine carpet beneath him. "Right this way, Master and Mistresses."
Lukas stepped inside, closely followed by Eleanor and Cassie, and they all removed their cloaks as the house-elf shut the door behind them before returning and Vanishing their garments with a snap of his fingers.
"Follow me, please," the house-elf rasped, shuffling down a long and narrow hall with the Alderfairs in tow.
He took a sharp left and led them into a low-ceilinged but grand room, with an intimidating fireplace taking up much of the wall space and large, moving oil portraits of various witches and wizards dominating the rest. A sprawling sofa that looked highly uncomfortable sat before the fireplace, along with a divan and two high-backed chairs all made with the same emerald velvet, and a fine oak table that sparkled with a crystal decanter holding an amber liquid.
"Ah, there they are," a woman's voice said, and Cassie's attention was drawn to one of the armchairs facing the fire. "Now, attend to dinner, Kreacher."
With a groveling bow and a string of compliments, the house-elf backed out of the room, leaving the three Alderfairs standing and facing the four members of the Black family.
Almost subconsciously, Cassie's eyes sought Sirius first, and some of her anxiety lessened when he shot her his signature smirk from where he was seated on the sofa. He looked the same as ever with his finely tousled black hair and aristocratic features, but she could see the layer of strain in his silvery eyes when he looked at her. She raised a pointed brow at his appearance, as well; gone were the ripped jeans and ratty T-shirts he was always so keen on wearing, replaced with a rich set of black robes embroidered with silver thread. She couldn't help but to crack a smile at how uncharacteristically formal he looked.
Seeing her grin, he rolled his eyes, then gestured to her own attire as if to say and what about you? She fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him, instead only shaking her head slightly before moving her gaze away, lest she was reprimanded.
Across from Sirius was Regulus, stiff and silent as a board where he sat on the divan, arms crossed and glowering darkly in every direction beside his brother's. He spared Cassie only a quick glance before his scowl deepened and he looked into the fireplace, but she had no time to ponder the youngest Black's behavior before Orion and Walburga were upon them.
It was easy to see which features Sirius had inherited from his parents as Cassie studied them, taken aback by just how good-looking each of them were. Orion was still very attractive at his age, with the same thick, silky dark hair Sirius possessed, though there were quite a few greys mixed in, as well. His eyes were deep-set and dark in his face, his olive skin seeming to glow faintly in the dim light, and his beard was short and well-kempt. He approached her father with a lazy sort of smile that reminded her of a cat, easily towering over the shorter and slighter man as he grasped Lukas's hand tightly and gave it a firm shake.
"Lukas," he greeted, his voice soft and low—much different from how Cassie expected such a large man to sound. "A pleasure, as always. I hope you had no trouble getting here?"
"We Apparated," Lukas responded, sharing a stiff smile of his own. "I think the only trouble now is our appetites."
The adults all tittered at this, and that was when Walburga spoke up after having greeted Eleanor by kissing both of her cheeks lightly.
"Well, you certainly came at the right time," Sirius's mother said. "We should be eating within the hour."
Cassie stared at the other woman. After everything Sirius had told her about his mother, she had expected Mrs. Black to be something of a hag: old and skinny, with wrinkly skin and a bunch of warts to go along with such a distasteful personality. But this version of Mrs. Black was young and elegant, with shiny black hair pulled back into a bun, skin as white and smooth as cream, and the same noble look as the rest of the Blacks. The only resemblance Cassie could see between her and Sirius, however, were the eyes, for they were the exact same shade of light grey as her eldest son's.
Despite her decidedly not-haggish appearance, the woman still intimidated Cassie, and it wasn't hard to figure out why—she radiated cold. She was like an ancient statue brought to life; everything about her was stiff and stony, from the way she stood to her tight smile. Her eyes were flat, almost completely lifeless, and Cassie began to wonder if she had been wrong to be skeptical of Sirius whenever he said that his mother had no soul.
"Dear Merlin, is this Cassiopeia?" Walburga said, sounding dreadfully bored as her eyes raked Cassie over like a snake. She came forward and grasped her by the elbows, looking her up and down almost hungrily as a smile stretched her pale lips. "My, I haven't seen you since you were a child, my sweet."
She reached up and placed her icy fingers on her chin, swiveling her head this way and that as to get a better look at her.
"Such beauty," she murmured. "You look just like your mother."
"Th-thank you," Cassie stammered, unnerved by her touch. "It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Black."
"No need for such formalities, dear," she said, finally stepping back and giving an approving nod to Eleanor as if she were satisfied with Cassie's appearance. "You may call me Walburga."
Cassie nodded, not knowing what else to say, but Walburga continued on, now speaking to Eleanor.
"You must find her a husband soon, Eleanor," she said, casting Cassie another appreciative glance. "Beauty like that should not be left to go to waste. And with blood so pure…"
Cassie blanched at this, catching Sirius's eye and experiencing the same disgust that flashed across his face as he glared at his mother's back. Regulus muttered behind them, and Sirius turned on his brother, whispering something harsh that made the younger boy's teeth clench.
"Of course," Eleanor replied, and Cassie was relieved to see that her mother seemed to be just as thrown by the statement as she was. "I'm sure once Cassie finishes school the subject will be broached."
Walburga frowned. "Shouldn't you be starting now? I remember the day I turned sixteen I was already betrothed to Orion."
"We will be discussing our options soon," Lukas interjected. His expression told Cassie that those options were practically nonexistent, as he probably didn't think any man would want to marry her. "Ah, is that young Sirius and Regulus I see sitting there?"
At the sound of their names, both boys got to their feet, but Sirius came forward first, holding out his hand to her father.
"It is, sir," he said smoothly, and Cassie suppressed a smirk; for all his rebel ways, Sirius Black was still a Pure-blood at heart, and she couldn't help but to admire his charm as he greeted her father and stooped to kiss her mother's hand, Eleanor tittering and complimenting his manners the whole time.
"Cassie," he said when he came to a stop before her and grabbed her hand. "A pleasure, as always." He bent low and kissed her knuckles, and she internally cursed when her cheeks flared, knowing that he was trying to embarrass her on purpose. He straightened and gave her a dazzling smile that she recognized the Marauder in. "Is it acceptable to mention how stunning you look tonight?"
"Of course," she replied coolly, regaining her wits and shooting him a haughty smile. Two can play at this game, Black. "You clean up nicely yourself, Sirius. I've forgotten how handsome you can be when you want."
He shot her his own smirk, and Cassie's heart quickened at the action, though she didn't know why.
"Walburga, dear, I'm shocked!" Eleanor said, placing a hand over her heart and casting Sirius one of her blinding smiles. "The last time I was here you made no mention of how charming your Sirius was!"
Walburga smiled at the other woman, though it looked like she was swallowing glass. "Yes, well, I always thought Sirius's manners could always use some improvement, especially in light of Regulus's."
Cassie winced at the clear disdain in Walburga's voice; something Eleanor didn't seem to pick up on as she turned to greet the younger Black warmly. She looked to Sirius to gauge his reaction, but other than the slight tightening of his jaw, he didn't seem fazed by the remark, which only made her feel worse.
"Cassie." She blinked and turned to see Regulus standing before her, already having exchanged pleasantries with her parents.
She nodded to him warily, wondering which side of him she was going to see tonight: the irritatingly vague helper who had warned her of Carlisle, or the aggressive, moody teenager he seemed to turn into whenever Sirius was mentioned. She was taken aback, however, when he only gave her a respectful nod and brushed a chaste kiss across her knuckles before practically dropping her hand, his face unreadable.
"Regulus," she said carefully. "A pleasure to see you again."
"The pleasure is all mine," he said neutrally. Sirius gave a light scoff next to her. "If I may?"
It took her a second to realize that he was holding out his arm to her as the adults began making their way to the dining room. She stared, unsure of what to do before Sirius snorted and looped his own arm through hers.
"Nice try, Reg," he said, and Regulus scowled.
"Oh, enough, both of you," Cassie snapped, tugging her arm out of Sirius's grasp and glaring at them both, not having patience for this tonight. "I'm not in the mood to be caught in the middle of whatever pissing match you two are having with each other, so if you'll excuse me."
She huffed and sauntered out of the room, leaving the two brothers to stare after her incredulously.
"Well," Regulus said after a heartbeat of silence, "I'm glad she's yours."
He clapped Sirius on the shoulder, smirking at the dark look his brother cast him before seeming to remember that they were in a row and stepping away quickly, his face becoming expressionless once more as he followed Cassie out of the room.
"She's not mine," Sirius muttered irritably before steeling himself for the long night ahead and trudging after them.
The dinner had been going well, up until the pie was served and things began to go south, much like Cassie had predicted they would. After all talk of school and work had been exhausted, the conversation took a turn for the worse.
"So, what is young William up to now that his name has been cleared?" Walburga asked, taking a sip from her elf-wine while Kreacher served them dessert with low bows. "How ghastly that whole ordeal must have been for him."
Cassie's grip on her fork slipped at the question, the utensil clattering loudly on her porcelain plate. Fortunately, Sirius was the only one who noticed. He reached under the table and put his hand on her knee from where he was sat next to her, warm and solid and reminding her of his presence.
"Yes, how…unsavory," Orion said carelessly. He leaned back in his chair and swished the wine in his goblet, though his dark eyes never left Lukas's face. "And you said this Auror delivered a false account based on a minor incident in the past?"
"Indeed," Lukas said, setting down his fork and clearing his throat. "A low-level trial that he did not approve the outcome of, as I was the deciding vote in the matter." Cassie's father smiled ruefully as if he were enjoying some private joke. "However, he confessed to his erroneous account and is resigning his post in acquiescence, so the matter is dealt with."
"Honestly, Lukas, I would have been proud of the boy," Walburga said, reaching for her goblet with a smile as stony as cold marble. "Those Muggles probably deserved to be roughed up a bit!"
"And you'd have done it yourself if you weren't afraid of getting your hands dirty," Sirius muttered. Cassie gave him a warning look that he ignored; though after seeing the glint in his mother's gaze, she couldn't help but to agree with him silently.
"William is too smart to be caught up in petty Muggle squabbles," Lukas said, sniffing. "He has his own errands to complete under the Dark Lord's orders."
The dining room took on a stifling hush. Cassie could sense the anticipation in the air as Walburga leaned forward in her seat, her harsh gaze fixed upon Lukas and her bony fingers curled on the expensive tablecloth.
"And what of the Dark Lord's campaign?" she asked, her voice almost husky. Cassie felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the breathless curiosity in the other woman's tone. "Everything seems to be hushed up after his declaration. Is he biding his time? What does he plan to do when he gains enough followers?"
Next to her, Regulus sat stiffly, his eyes fixed on his plate. Walburga's hand snaked under the table, and Regulus winced when her sharp nails dug into his knee in suspense. Cassie looked away quickly, knowing that she was not supposed to have seen that, but the grimace on Regulus's face stayed with her.
Lukas shrugged. "That I am unsure of. William cannot disclose that type of information to me, for reasons you must understand."
"Of course." Walburga nodded slowly, her disappointment palpable. "I understand."
Lukas sighed, leaning back in his seat and lacing his fingers together over his stomach. "All William has told me is that the Dark Lord is searching for something; an object with great value that William has been assigned to find."
"What sort of object?" Orion asked, swallowing his wine in one gulp and raising a brow.
"That I do not know," Lukas said, "but I suspect it is something powerful."
Walburga looked thoughtful. "Whatever it is, I am sure the Dark Lord knows what he is doing with it," she said. "After all, the man is a revolutionary! Mark my words, this world will have taken on a new order by the time he's finished with it. And we, my friends, will be standing on the winning side of history once more."
"Hear, hear," Orion said blandly, raising his goblet before draining the rest of it.
Cassie glanced around the table, sick to her stomach. How could these people accept what was happening? And even worse—how could they relish in the fact that innocents were being harassed and tortured, even killed? The only people who didn't look thrilled by Walburga's proclamation were her and Sirius; even Regulus looked ashen, though she wasn't sure if that was just his complexion in the dim lighting. She cast a quick look to her mother, who had not spoken during the entirety of the discussion, but Eleanor's face was carefully blank, her eyes downcast.
Everything about this is so wrong, Cassie thought. So, so wrong.
She thought about Lily, and what Sirius's parents and her own father might think of her; they'd call her a Mudblood, and her family worse. They wouldn't even care if Lily was magical; all they'd see in her was a Muggle-born, and they would probably feel no remorse if Lily and her family were tortured by Death Eaters. They wouldn't feel anything.
"Sirius," Cassie whispered. His hand slid into her own under the table, and she wrapped her fingers tightly around him, feeling his rapid pulse as her nails dug into the skin at his wrist. She was trembling, though she wondered if there was a slight tremor in Sirius's hand, as well.
"If we may be excused?" Sirius said loudly, cutting into the adults' conversation. They faltered and turned to him questioningly. "I think Cassie's had a bit too much wine this evening."
He pinched her knuckle as he said it—which was quite unnecessary, as she had already been nodding.
"Yes, I-I just need some air," she said, taking care to avoid eye contact with anyone. "Thank you for the dinner, it was wonderful."
She didn't hear any words spoken, but out of her peripheral, she saw Orion flick his hand. Sirius stood, dragging her out of her seat with him. They fled the dining room, Sirius's hand still gripped tightly around hers as he pulled her along, down the hallway and up a flight of stairs decorated with stuffed house-elf heads on the wall. He led her up several more flights of stairs before finally coming to the topmost landing and pausing outside of a door that bore his name on a plaque.
He opened the door and entered. She followed behind slowly, realizing that this was Sirius Black's bedroom—not his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower, but his actual room. He released her hand and closed the door behind them, muttering "Colloportus" and "Muffliato." The lock turned and a thick silence fell over them, and she guessed he had cast a Silencing Charm as she took stock of her surroundings.
It was a spacious room, with a large bed decorated with a carved headboard, velvet curtains shut tightly over the windows, and a dripping candle chandelier above them. What little wall space that wasn't covered with Muggle posters like the ones in his dormitory or Gryffindor banners boasted a nice coat of burgundy paint, which matched the fine oak of his furniture, and her lips quirked in a grin when she noticed the tall bookshelf filled completely with books.
"Er, ignore the posters," he said hastily, mistaking where she was looking and discreetly stepping in front of a provocative picture depicting a bikini-clad Muggle girl. "I do it just to piss off my mother; even put Permanent Sticking Charms on all of them."
"It's fine," she said, settling herself carefully atop his bed and running her fingers over the thick velvet duvet. "I think it's very…you."
He gave her a hesitant smile before his eyes became serious once more. He sat next to her on the bed.
"Cassie…I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head so his dark hair fell into his eyes. "You shouldn't have had to hear that. My parents—"
"Have a right to their opinion," she interrupted, frowning. "As much as I hate to say it, this is their home, and that's what they believe. There's nothing we can do about it."
"I don't want you to think that I'm like them," he said quietly, speaking to his knees. She blinked, shocked.
"Why would I think that?" she asked. "Sirius, I know you're nothing like them."
"How do you know?" he asked, almost desperately. She stared as he looked to her, something like fear in his grey eyes. "How do you know I'm not one of them?"
"Because you're…you," she said haltingly, pausing when she realized how stupid that was. "I mean, you're a Gryffindor, and you're not blinded by whatever Pure-blood tosh is fed to us when we're kids. You hang out with people like Remus and Peter, even though they're not Pure-blood—"
She broke off when he dropped his head, staring at his knees again. She bit her lip, reaching out a hesitant hand and putting it on his shoulder.
"Sirius," she said. "You're not like them, I swear it." She paused again, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Before I knew you, I thought the same as the other half of the school who wasn't completely obsessed with you; that you were loud, and obnoxious, and rude, and would hex anyone who even looked at you the wrong way. I thought you were a bully, and a troublemaker, and were far too arrogant for your own good."
She hesitated, embarrassed, but she knew she had to say this; if not for Sirius's sake, then her own—for it was the truth, she realized.
"Getting to know you has changed everything. You still have your prick moments, yeah, but Sirius… You're one of the greatest people I've ever known. You would do anything for James, Remus, and Peter. And I know they love you just as much as you love them, even if you don't believe it at times." She smiled softly. "You would die for the ones you love, and you inspire that same loyalty in others. You're recklessly brave, brutally honest, and annoyingly smart, yet…you're one of my best friends. And please believe me when I say that you're not like your family, and that your heart is in the right place. Please."
She fell silent, not knowing what else to say. They didn't move or speak for a long while until Sirius heaved a shaky breath.
"Thank you," he said, turning his head toward her but not quite meeting her eyes. "You're, um, important to me too, Cassie."
She gave him a tiny smile, shifting on the bed a bit and not noticing the way his fingers reached in her direction for a second before dropping back to his side.
"So, You-Know-Who has tasked Will with finding an object," he said, changing the subject. Cassie nodded slowly, her mind leading in that same direction. "What d'you reckon it is?"
"I dunno," she said, "but I might have a theory."
He raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Please share."
"Carlisle," she said simply, meeting his eyes. "She's looking for something, too; she has maps and diagrams, I saw them. What if they're connected?"
"Are you suggesting that Carlisle is a Death Eater?" he asked. "I mean, I definitely agree that she has a stick up her arse, but that doesn't mean she's actually evil."
"Then what is she looking for?" she pressed. "And why do so many Slytherins seem to know about it? Sloane, Avery, Regulus—"
"Hold on," Sirius said, staring at her. "You think my brother has something to do with this?"
"I-I'm not sure," she stammered, quelled by the look of mingled fury and confusion on his face. "But he's been warning me about Carlisle, Sirius. There has to be something there."
"I don't want to believe you," he said, his jaw working, "but I think I might have to. He's been warning me of things, too."
She opened her mouth, about to ask what, but he cut her off. "Have you told anyone else about all of this?"
She shook her head. "Only James. He's trying to help me get to the bottom of this."
Sirius scowled at the floor. "So, let me get this straight: you and James think Carlisle is plotting something, possibly Death Eater related, and is working with select Slytherin students to see it done?" She nodded. "And your brother is hunting something that You-Know-Who wants?" She nodded again. "And you and Remus also think that the locket he gave you contains some sort of hidden message?" She nodded a third time, and he blew his cheeks out, slapping his hands on his knees. "Well, Princess, you sure know how to make a great big mess of things, don't you?"
"Hey!" she objected. "It's not like I'm asking for any of this to happen!"
He chuckled at her outraged expression. "I know, I know. I was just joking."
She rolled her eyes before she turned to him once more in all seriousness.
"What do we do, Sirius?" she asked, searching his eyes as if he could give her some sort of clarity in the midst of all this mystery. "It all has to add up somehow; we just need to find out how."
"I think we have to go back to square one," he said slowly. She furrowed her brows, confused. He looked back to her steadily. "I think we finally need to figure out what Carlisle is hiding in her office."
The moon was shrouded by dark clouds later that night as Cassie trudged after her parents to the manor, drawing her cloak tightly about herself as the wind whipped sharp and cold around them. The family was silent as they approached their home, though through the darkness, many lights still burned throughout the house, shining out to them like harsh golden beacons. Cassie shivered in the night air, wanting nothing more than to take a hot bath and curl up in her bed, ready to fall into a deep sleep after the long night at Grimmauld Place.
They climbed the steps leading to the front door. Lukas extracted his wand to open them, but before he could even get it out of his pocket, the wide doors swung open of their own accord, revealing Will in the threshold.
"Ah, Mother, Father, Sister," he said. "Welcome home. I was just telling everyone that you should be here at any second."
Cassie stiffened. Her eyes darted to her father, though Lukas seemed just as taken aback as she was, as was Eleanor.
"Who is 'everyone?'" Lukas said slowly.
"You'll see," Will replied with an ominous smile.
Cassie felt much colder than before as he ushered them inside, instructing them to follow him to the parlor where she had opened gifts just that morning.
Only instead of an empty room, it was now filled with over a dozen people; many of them, she noticed, around Will's age or a few years older. She felt the heavy weight of their scrutinizing eyes upon her as she entered with her family, and she had the strange notion that she knew some of them as her eyes snagged on quite a few familiar faces.
"The man is a revolutionary," she could hear Walburga saying, and she began to tack on and fit the pieces together, her blood chilling.
A revolutionary.
The people around her. Rebels. Soldiers. Death Eaters.
And the one who led them all…
"It is my extreme pleasure to introduce you to a very important wizard," Will said. He swept his hand toward the fireplace, and the people around them parted as if on some unspoken command.
Cassie sought the figure silhouetted against the hearth. Red eyes flickered to her, locking her in place as Will smiled.
"This is Lord Voldemort."
Plans set in motion, unexpected and unwelcome house guests...what could go wrong?
Next Chapter: The Visitor
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