I have finally come around to attempt in finishing this story, because I've recently read a story on this website, that has truly made me fall in love with the Black brothers, Sirius and Regulus, and my darling Hermione. This is all in the Marauders era, my love for Lupin and young James Potter is almost equal to my love for Sirius and Regulus.
Just a reminder that Hermione will be doing things that Rowling's Hermione would never do, and remember she is a PUREBLOOD, so she holds different views and characteristics that our HP Hermione does not, as she was a Muggle-born.
I will reveal the identity of her mother soon, although her mother does not really hold any importance within this fanfiction.
Here is chapter 3, hope you enjoy my loves. Leave a review of what you thought
Chapter 3
Hermione's dark locks fell onto her face and she huffed with disapproval, her annoyance towards the spiraling locks of hair had grown over the last eleven years, however her feeling of excitement had overcome the annoyance and she was grinning to herself as she placed the last item into her leather trunk, her school robes, and books that she'd skimmed through the moment she'd bought them.
Her wand held tightly in her hand, and her grey eyes shining with a nervousness that was both good and bad.
Her worry for which house she would be sorted in was what ate at her insides, and she wondered if she would join her cousin Sirius in Gryffindor, or if she would be with Cissy in Slytherin.
Her cousin Bellatrix had graduated last year, a worthy Slytherin, cunning and manipulative, with self-preservation as her top priority. Although, she's heard so much about Slytherin, the house filled with the most cold, the most ruthless, like Bella.
Or would she be like Dromeda, who was also a Slytherin, but was kind.
She chastised herself in remembering her cousin, who was recently banished from the most ancient and most noble house of Black. She'd remembered the anger that was clear on her fathers face as he yelled at her uncle Cygnus, who simply waved him off, as if he hadn't thrown his eldest daughter out of the family, as if she was nothing, and to him she was. She was a good for nothing blood-traitor who had fallen in love and married a Muggle, and had a half-blood daughter whose name she didn't know, because they did not speak of the blood-traitor.
But her father made sure to visit his niece as much as he could, to check on her and make sure that she was okay, but he refused to take Hermione, her aunt Walburga would only find a reason to label his little one as a blood-traitor, and he was already close to killing the stupid bint, and put an end to her screams about betrayal and purity of blood.
Hermione had continued to grow into a beautiful little girl; her once brown hair had darkened into an almost-black color, and her skin a soft caramel color.
Like her mother, Alphard was only reminded of his late wife everyday as he stared into the grey-eyes that resembled his.
She was a Black, through in through, but he had instilled different morals. He did not speak ill of muggle-borns, but he had taught her to always think of her benefits, and to never show weakness to those who could use it against her. He told her that he loved her, despite what house she was placed in.
She distinctly remembered the bruise that Sirius sported when coming home for winter holidays, his mother furious that he would betray the Black family name by being placed among, "those brave fools, those dirty-blooded, half-breeds and blood traitors" and she remembered cringing at her choice of words, and Sirius growing angrier, his stubborn and quick mouth earning him a smack across the face, and uncle Orion stood by and watched, unable to put an end to his wife's beatings, and his distaste towards his elder sons house placement had him wishing that his Regulus would be placed in Slytherin, so that old Wally would just shut up for once.
Regulus, oh her sweet Regulus, Hermione held a strong adoration for her cousin. She loved him like a brother, their bond strong. The trusted each other with fears and weaknesses they knew they could not share with anyone else.
She held his hand when he flinched at the sound of his brother's nose cracking under the impact of his mother's fist, who had made sure that the boy would receive a public beating.
Her father wasn't around to witness this, as he was away on a very important business trip, and had asked Mitzi to leave his daughter with her grandfather Pollux, whom he trusted would take very good care of his young one.
She remembered the wretched noises Regulus made that night as she sat in front of the bathroom door, the sound of his dry-heaving had her crying silent tears, and wishing she could take away her Regulus to a place far away, far away from evil Aunt Walburga and the menace that is Orion Black.
She wished that Sirius would stop with his stupid Gryffindor bravery, and although she too was brave, she knew when to act on that bravery, rather than mouthing off, and receiving a beating she knew would hurt. She was no martyr, neither was Regulus and that was why they kept quiet. Why they obeyed the rules that the House of Black had instilled in them since they learned to understand the strange words that left the mouths of their family members.
Hermione was the most beautiful Black, aside from Cissy of course. But Hermione held a dark beauty, with kind eyes that were also sharp, and dark hair that felt in soft curls that often shielded her face, her lips still as blood-red as they were when she was a little girl, and she was only eleven, which had her father worrying about her teenage years, which were now closer than they were when she was only five years old, and Nott Senior had come to him, asking for a betrothal between the old brute's son and his Hermione. Alphard instantly refused, saying that Hermione would choose her own husband, if he ever allowed her to fall in love.
He was hoping she would choose to remain pure and take care of her papa once he was old and couldn't take care of her anymore.
Hermione Lyra Black, the tradition was somewhat kept within her name. But he remembered his wife's request in naming their daughter Hermione, the name holding an importance to the both of them that he never bothered explaining to young Hermione.
With her trunk ready, Hermione called for Mitzi and asked her to take the trunk downstairs and she quickly bounded towards her father's office, and knocked on the door, like a proper pureblooded witch and waited for his familiar footsteps to make towards the door and open it up for his little girl.
The footsteps came soon, and Alphard Black opened the door to reveal his Hermione, and felt his heart soar with that love he was still not used to feeling, a love he never felt before. His little perfection stood, her teeth bright and winking at him as she grinned at him, and he pulled her into a hug, squeezing her tight, knowing he would miss the familiar scent of cinnamon that lingered on her hair, and her soft hands as they held his face, and her little lips that kissed his nose to cheer him up whenever he was angry, or stressed.
His little girl, oh how he would miss her.
"Papa, its time to leave for King's Cross, I don't want to be late, and Reggie should be there already!" Hermione exclaimed, excitement written across her face, and he prayed that Hogwarts would be good to her.
He didn't trust Albus Dumbledore, but the old man would do no harm to his daughter, and if he tried, Alphard swore he would have the old coots head before anything were to touch a hair on his Hermione's head.
"Of course darling, we will leave now. Just let me grab my wand." And he quickly slipped into his robes, grabbing his wand and took his daughters hand as they descended the stairs and held onto her trunk, he quickly apparated them to King's Cross, and helped her cross into platform 9 ¾.
The sound of Hogwarts Express made the butterflies in Hermione's stomach beat against her ribcage in a way that was almost painful and she squeezed her father's hand.
Alphard quickly found his sister, as it was hard to miss the bitter expression that Walburga Black permanently had slapped onto her face.
Her hair was held up in the most ridiculous way, and her black clothing screamed pureblooded bitch. But he plastered that same emotionless smile and walked towards her, as she stood with Regulus, his expression almost painful as his mother's claws were digging into his right shoulder.
She was looking at something, more like someone, and that someone was her eldest son Sirius. Who was currently laughing with his best mate, James Potter.
Their laughs echoed throughout the entire platform and Alphard tried to hide his grin.
Walburga must be having a stroke at this very moment, her barely-there heart could not handle her already worthless son fraternizing with a blood-traitor like Potter.
But the boy with the wild hair and crooked glasses was harmless, and his friendship towards Sirius was real, a friendship that would last forever, and this was clear on the way his nephew grinned at his friend.
A lankier boy with sandy-hair joined them, and he assumed that this was the Lupin boy that Sirius told his uncle about once, how smart and kind the boy was, and how he was the first friend he'd made when they first sat next one another on the train to Hogwarts in their first year.
He could see Walburga's eye twitching from where he stood, and he stopped himself again from grinning like a fool, he was sure that the one thing that would truly be the end of his monstrous sister was her son Sirius. She was pressing her other hand into the shoulder of Regulus, almost fainting at the sight of a half-blood hugging her son, her disgrace of a son.
She sneered at the sight, and huffed, turning her face from the young boys and spotting Alphard, he groaned internally but tightly held Hermione's hand as he led them towards where his sister stood, finally standing close enough for a conversation to take place.
Regulus couldn't help the warm grin that made its way to his face once he spotted his favorite person, but he was afraid of his mother, and cursing his stupid brother for pissing her off, the idiot never cared for the rules, but Regulus wasn't like him, wasn't brave, wasn't stupid, wasn't a bloody Gryffindor.
His mother finally let loose the grip she had on him and he almost sighed in relief but merely moved forward, closer to Hermione.
"Reggie" she whispered, her voice soft, but her adoration for the boy that stood before her was clear. A kind of love that could not be overcome, regardless of whomever they were to marry when they were older.
She was his sister, she was his everything.
"Mione" he whispered comfortingly, his voice breathless. He'd missed her, his mother had spent the summer teaching him things, forcing him to learn hexes and spells that she thought would impress the elder Slytherins, although he wasn't sorted yet. Alliances are important my sweet, she'd whispered to him, her eyes dark with something almost manic and he worried for his mother, but mostly for himself, and even more for the idiot who was currently making silly hand gestures, cracking up his idiot friends, Potter and Lupin.
He'd heard of them from the stories his brother had shared with him, when he was younger and they were closer.
"Nervous?" Hermione whispered, her fingers reaching for his hand and quickly grabbed at the little hand, squeezing it.
"Very, mother will have my head hung on the wall, surrounded by those house-elves if I am to be put in any house that is not Slytherin" he spoke of the collection his mother had of house-elf heads that littered the wall of their dining room.
"We'll be fine Reggie, I promise you. I won't let her hurt you." Her voice almost harsh as she regarded his mother with distaste, and he felt his heart beat a little stronger at the sound of worry in her voice, and courage, but not Gryffindor courage, not courage for them both, to keep them strong.
"Darling" he heard his uncle Alphard call for his daughter and she reluctantly let go of his hand to say goodbye to his father as his mother approached him once more.
"Remember Regulus, my boy, Slytherin. Make the House of Black proud." And she patted him on the head in a way she would pat a pet, and he was her pet, her little obedient Regulus. He almost grimaced, but he was not Sirius and so he nodded.
"Of course mother, I won't let you down." He spoke, his voice monotone, as if he had practiced the sentence in his head, as if he had said it over forty times over the course of the summer, when his brother had left him to spend it with Potter at Potter Manor, and he was left alone to deal with their unhinged mother and their ignorant father.
"I know my sweet, I know you won't." She gave him a smile that instilled fear within him, a smile that held dark promises if he were to disobey her wishes. And he gulped, his mouth almost trembling, almost.
He felt someone touch his shoulder and turned to see his uncle Alphard, whose hand was warm against him, and he smiled up at his favorite uncle, a smile that didn't reach his eyes as the fear of his mother's beatings loomed above him like a dark shadow that would swallow him whole.
"Don't let her get to you, your mother. Whatever house you get in, know that I will protect you." And those words meant more to Regulus than Alphard could ever know, and he nearly hugged the man, but his mother was standing near, awaiting her brother so they could leave together.
She gave Sirius a grimace, and Regulus nearly missed the hurt that flashed in his brothers eyes, but that was quickly overcome by hatred, and a lot of anger and he hoped his brother would remain quiet. Their mother was not a nice woman, and his punishment would await him once he stepped foot into Grimmauld.
Sirius gave their mother a tight-lipped smile and turned back to his friends. Good man, Regulus thought to himself and soon his uncle was walking towards his mother, and they were gone in the sea of people.
His hand was grabbed by a smaller one and he turned to see Hermione, grey eyes like his bright with happiness and anxiety, and she graced him with a smile he knew only belonged to him.
"Let's go Reggie!" she laughed, and they ran towards the train, getting in and tried to find a compartment.
They searched for Sirius and his friends, and soon they found them.
"Sisi! I've missed you over the summer, you haven't come by number 12 in the past three months. Have you forgotten about me?" Hermione smiled at her older cousin and he blushed at the nickname she'd given him when she first learned how to speak, and he gave her a grin that he only ever gave to people he cared about.
"Mione, how are you kid? I've missed you too, been busy all summer, with Quidditch and other things." Winking at his friends as if those other things weren't obvious, Sirius has begun his exploration of the female species, and he found them to be magnificent, beautiful things, with very attractive parts that he liked to fondle and kiss, especially Celeste Travers, whose got the biggest breasts in the entire Hufflepuff house, and the nicest lips he's ever tasted, although he could do without the whining.
Regulus rolled his eyes at his brothers rather vulgar outlook on women, their mother would likely have a heart attack if she heard her eldest son, and heir to the House of Black speak so ill, and without any manners. He flinched at his own accord at the though of that stick she kept hidden for special occasions, the stick that was mostly stained with Sirius's blood.
"Sirius" Regulus muttered, nodding towards his brother, anger almost evident in his voice. He was angry that his brother had left him alone, knowing how their mother got, and how their father neglected the blood-curdling screams and bruises.
Sirius frowned at his brother, his little Reggie whom he loved dearly and hoped would be in Gryffindor, but his brother seemed to be a bit distant and he tried to think of what he could've possibly done but before he could question him, Hermione spoke up and asked if she could sit with them.
That was when the two younger Blacks were introduced to James Potter, Remus Lupin and a pudgy boy named Peter Pettigrew who gave both Regulus and Hermione the creeps.
The two sat near their fellow Black family member and Hermione began speaking to Potter and Lupin, but keeping a hold of Regulus's hand, to let him know that she knew he was there, that she would never forget or neglect him, she was not the Black that he should hate or fear. She was the only Black he loved, aside from her father and his brother.
And soon enough, they arrived to Hogwarts and were being ushered out of the train by a rather large man, whose beard moved with his lips, and his accent was thick but Hermione laughed, and Regulus smiled dearly at her, sticking to her side.
They made their way to the boats, where all first years were gathered. And soon they were on the lake, and staring wide-eyed at the large castle that glowed, and Hermione's eyes shown with wonder and amazement.
She'd dreamed of this day since she'd first gotten her letter.
They were ushered into the castle and were introduced to Professor Minerva Mcgonagall, who led them to the great hall for the sorting to begin.
And they stood in line; Regulus caught sight of his brother's face, and saw him grin at him, giving him a bright smile as if he was sure that there would be another Black to join him in Gryffindor.
Names were being called by Professor Mcgonagall, and soon he heard, "BLACK, HERMIONE" and watched as his cousin climbed onto the platform that lead to a chair, and the sorting hat.
He could see her shaking, and was angry that he couldn't climb up there and pull her into his arms, comfort her.
The hat stalled, and he could see Hermione's eyes screwing shut, as if she were speaking to the thing and then the hat yelled out her house.
"SLYTHERIN!"
And he caught sight of Sirius frowning and looking towards the Slytherin table; worry etched on his face of what the snakes would do to his little cousin, his protective instincts taking over.
And soon Regulus's name was being called, and he looked to the Slytherin table, seeing Hermione seated next to a boy with blonde hair, almost white, and a boy with dark greasy hair that tickled the nape of his neck, sort of like him and Sirius, except less grease of course.
Regulus sat on the stool and felt the sorting hat being placed on his head, and he heard it speak to him.
He was not brave like Sirius, or reckless. He wasn't an affectionate Hufflepuff, or a know-it-all Ravenclaw, but he also wasn't a cunning Slytherin, he was confused is what he was.
"Could be brave my boy, could be very brave. Could do just the right thing if placed in a situation where courage is required, but let me see, you're smart, very smart, maybe Ravenclaw, but your intelligence, it isn't one you show off, no you are quiet. Better be
"SLYTHERIN!"
And Regulus felt himself relax, happy that there won't be a beating waiting for him, or a Howler like the one that his mother sent to Sirius when he sent a letter saying he was sorted into Gryffindor.
He got up and caught sight of his brother frowning yet again and turning to look at the table in front of him, his friends placing a comforting hand on his shoulders and whispering to him as he nodded.
He found himself sitting across from Hermione, who beamed at him, and the boy with the rather large nose who regarded him with distaste, and the blonde who had a permanent sneer on his face, although he did give a small tight-lipped smile, and a nod of his head, as if providing Regulus with approval.
"Not one, but two Blacks. Luck is on our side this year, isn't it Severus?" the blonde spoke, and Regulus noted the light grey eyes and pale skin, point-face and came to the conclusion that he was most definitely a Malfoy.
The boy whom he regarded as Severus looked up from the book he was reading, and turned to look at the Malfoy first, then Hermione and finally looking at Regulus.
"If he's anything like his brother, there won't be much luck. The imbecile." He said, his voice almost a growl as he looked to the Gryffindor table, eyeing Sirius and Regulus felt like he should defend his brother.
"Do not speak of my brother that way." Regulus muttered, puffing his chest out slightly and Severus only snorted before returning to his book.
"I'm Lucius Malfoy, and this is Severus Snape, this is my fourth year here at Hogwarts, and Severus here is in the same year as your brother and his moronic friends." He smirked at Severus, and Hermione wanted to open her mouth, to defend her cousin's friends, but Regulus gave her a look and she remembered the words that her father had instilled in her since she was just a toddler.
"Self-preservation, Hermione, is very important. Never be intuitive, never act before thinking. Always be smart, but never show it, leave them anticipating, that is true power little one." He whispered to her when he thought she was asleep.
"Snape will be your mentor for your first year here, he will show you around, won't you Severus?" and Hermione watched as the boy in question tried to say something, but closed his mouth, rolling his eyes and snapping his book shut, getting up from his table and walking away, but stopped short and turned to look at the young Blacks.
"Well, are you coming?" his impatience clear in his voice, and Hermione quickly understood then, that if you were to survive in Slytherin, you did what was best for you, and what she also learned is that Lucius Malfoy ruled the Slytherin house, and was a force to be reckoned with, so rather than arguing with the boy, you listened, or you learned how to get around it without being impulsive, or reckless.
She learned this, and Regulus learned too. They understood together, that in order to survive, they could only trust each other, because like the house name entails, it was infested with snakes, some willing to bite, sinking their venom within you, and Hermione decided then that she would not be stupid, she would do what her father said, and play the role, until it was time to show them what power truly was.