A/N: Hello! Thank you for giving this story a chance. I'll probably do the next chapter in Henry's perspective. Or at least part of it. Probably. Would you guys prefer I stick to one perspective (and if so, who?), or divide it between all of them? I'm open to any suggestions! If not...guess we'll just see what happens.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world or any of its characters.

Chapter Two

"Oh Maia, make us proud, okay?" Maia stayed still as her cousin bent down to her level, brushing a cold hand across her cheek as piercing black eyes met stoic steel gray. "If you see either of your brothers-"

"Hex them?" Maia suggested, having heard it repeated enough throughout the years.

Bellatrix smiled. "Only if you can get away with it. Otherwise, get an older Slytherin and write back immediately, alright? Regulus has gotten better, but it's best to be cautious."

The unspoken part about Sirius said volumes. An up and coming blood traitor, they were calling him. An unpredictable threat. Maia thought back to times when all three of them played happily together as children and fought to stay silent. People change. They were just strangers now, nothing more than fellow wizards. It repeated over and over again in her head as Bellatrix waited expectantly. They were separated for a reason.

But why?

"I will. Who should I address the letter to?"

Bellatrix's smile seemed to sharpen as she studied her like one might an interesting potion, and she began pushing loose strands of her hair behind her ear before slowly retracting her hand. "I trust you to have good judgment in that. We'll see you again come Christmas, and you can tell us all about how much Slytherin's changed since we've graduated."

Maia could only nod to that and all its implications, unwilling to voice the question that had been lingering in her head since she was seven. Satisfied, Bella pressed one last kiss to her forehead before shooing her away into the steadily growing crowd of children ready to board the train. By the time she thought to look back, her cousin had already apparated away.

~.~

"Maia, over here!"

Maia didn't put up a fight as she was pulled onto the train by her best friend, who at least looked like she knew where she was going. As expected, the explanation came on the way there. "Aidrik already found an empty compartment and put our trunks into it, so we can have it all to ourselves! I asked him to stay, but of course he was too busy with his other friends in a compartment near the front. He said we could sit there, but he'd have to leave soon anyways because of prefect meeting and one of his Professors sending him an invitation to dine with him. Can you believe it? It'd also be really crowded. Do you want to sit there?"

Adeline only finished once they were right outside the empty compartment she mentioned, which also just so happened to be at the very end of the train. Maia gave her friend a deadpan look, but when Adeline only blinked in askance, shook her head and opened the compartment without a word of complaint. "Here is fine."

"That's what I thought! Aidrik said I should still ask, though, just in case. Say, how was your trip with your cousin? Was it just you two? Last time I went on a trip like that it was terrible, just a bunch of old people who talked nonsense with each other..."

~.~

"Four to a boat, he says. Why not just one? They have enough money! Crazy old lazy cheapskates..." Henry muttered under his breath, pushing through the crowd to look for an available boat. All the ones he could see were already filled, and he was about to let loose a long string of some rather creative expletives he'd learned over the years when laughter was heard from behind.

"I think I saw one not too far from here that still had two seats open. Wanna go on it together?" Lucas bit back another mirthful laugh at the frustrated boy in front of him (an actual wizard that was his own age!), opting for an introduction instead as he held out his hand. "I'm Lucas!"

The brunette eyed him curiously, reaching out to shake his own hand with a growing smile. "Henry. So, you saw a boat..?"

With no other warning but a jerk of his head the other boy went running off, and Henry let out a surprised curse as he had to chase after him through the large crowd to the very end, where two girls sat conversing animatedly inside a half empty boat. Lucas bounced up without hesitation, and Henry uncertainly followed behind. "Hey! Can we join you?"

The blonde girl gave them a brief, dismissive glance before turning a questioning look to her black haired friend, who only tilted her head. It reminded him strangely of the silent communication between his brother and Sirius, and Henry frowned. Finally, the blonde nodded. "I don't see why not."

There was a small moment of awkward silence before the black haired girl began talking to the blonde again, and Henry's new ginger friend turned to him with a grin. "Well, guess that worked out! So what house do you want to be in? I have a sister that's in Gryffindor!"

Henry blinked. "Really? What year is she in? I have a brother in there, but he's a complete jerk..."

For the rest of the ride the two talked, an unspoken, mutual understanding for each pair to ignore the other, immersed as they were in their conversations. Besides, it was just a boat ride. They'd all be spending seven years under the same building anyways, so what harm could it possibly do?

~.~

"I'm not scared!" The six year old girl only laughed at that, giving him an amused look before going back to drawing. Sirius pouted. "I'm not!"

"But why else wouldn't you go to-mmmph!"

"Don't say it out loud!" Sirius looked around his bedroom paranoid, listening for any indication someone liked to be listening in. He yelped and yanked his hand away from his sister's mouth when he felt a sudden wetness on his palm, giving her a disgusted look. She only pouted in response, continuing to give him an imploring look as if she hadn't just slobbered all over his hand.

Sirius huffed. "It's where Mom and Dad want us to go, so it has to be terrible! Honestly Mai, you can't tell me you haven't noticed the way Bella and Cissy changed after going to Hogwarts, right?"

Maia frowned in thought before shrugging. "I guess so." She didn't sound too convinced, but hurriedly continued before Sirius could comment. "Anyways, you'll write, won't you? The Slytherin stories are getting a little boring, so you have to make a lot of friends and do a bunch of crazy stuff to make new ones!"

Sirius grinned at that, all previous negativity gone as he began to laugh, ruffling her hair and ignoring her protests all the while. "Yeah, it's a promise! And when you and Reg come you'll get sorted into the same house, and we'll all be famous for breaking the tradition!"

"And all the rules?" Maia asked hopefully.

Sirius smirked. "Do you even need to ask?"

~.~

"-NOTHING BUT A FILTHY DISGRACE TO OUR FAMILY NAME! AND UNTIL YOU REDEEM YOURSELF, YOU'RE BANNED FROM TALKING WITH YOUR BROTHER AND SISTER AND TAINTING THEM ANY FURTHER THAN YOU ALREADY HAVE!"

Sirius sat horrified, barely registering as James shouted at the rest of the Great Hall and led him outside. "Mate, you can't tell me you actually believe any of that! Listen, your brother will be here next year. You said you two got along, right? He can help you send letters to her if your parents won't..."

~.~

"What do you mean they're not here?!"

"Your siblings will be on vacation with your mother for the duration of the summer..."

~.~

"Sirius!" Regulus caught his brother from the arm, unable to withhold a smile as he handed over the piece of parchment. "From Maia."

Sirius stared at him incredulously for a minute as the paper was shoved into his hands. He finally began to grin as his brain caught up, eyes alight with excitement and, for the first time in a while, pulled his brother into a large hug, clutching the paper he gave him like a lifeline. "I love you, Reggie."

"It's fine. It's what brothers are for, isn't it?"

~.~

"-JUST AS BAD AS YOUR BROTHER, TRYING TO DECIEVE YOUR OWN PARENTS, ASSOCIATING WITH THAT FILTH! YOU WILL LEARN TO BEHAVE YOURSELF LIKE A BLACK SHOULD, OR YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR SISTER AGAIN!"

~.~

"What do you mean you haven't heard from her?!"

"I don't know, Sirius! The letters just keep getting sent back!"

"Even Narcissa and-"

"Yes! This wouldn't even be happening if you'd just learned to behave properly the first time around-"

"Me?! I'm not the one who was idiotic enough to get caught-"

~.~

"Maia is out traveling with your mother-"

"-visiting your cousins-"

"-visiting your aunt and uncle-"

"-took a small trip to France-"

"-America-"

"-staying with her friends-"

~.~

"Black, Maia!"

The Great Hall, if possible, went even quieter than it already was until the only sound was the quiet breathing of the people nearby. Sirius shared a look with James before his eyes strayed back to the front. The heavy feeling of dread he'd had since morning came bubbling back full force, and he fought to act calm and normal, grinning whenever one of his friends gave him a worried look. Curiously, his eyes darted to the other side of the room where they met a pair far too similar to his own, and in that moment, he knew they were thinking the same thing.

~.~

Where will I go?

Maia gave a nervous glance over to the Slytherin table, where Adeline shot her a small smile. She searched the table, but there were too many people to find the one she was looking for...

A nudge to her side brought her back to reality, and she gave the blonde a small nod of thanks before walking up to the stool in front. She wondered how she was able to hear her footsteps with the loud pounding of her heartbeat in her ears, but quickly vanished the thought when she came closer to where the professor stood holding the singing hat. Obviously, if the song from earlier was any indication, it had it's own mind. Was it able to read other minds? Would it look into all of Maia's memories? Could it?

Suddenly, Maia began second guessing the whole event, but was too far in to back out. She took deep breathes, reciting random bits of information in her head to stay calm. The Black family had been going to Hogwarts for magical schooling ever since her great-great-great-grandfather's days, when he had a complaint about the quality of teaching at Durmstrang. Then her great-great grandfather became one of the least popular headmasters of Hogwarts and the rest of the family fell in line, though that was when they still taught dark magic...

"You'll do fine." Maia startled at that, staring at the Gryffindor head of house in shock. Was her nervousness that obvious? Before she could think to ask, the hat was placed over her head and the rest of the world was lost as she became engaged in a mental debate that would drastically change the course of her fate.

~.~

The longer it took, the more relieved he felt. By the time ten seconds had passed and his little sister still hadn't been sorted, he felt a strange sense of happiness. Even if she did follow the family tradition, at least that wasn't all there was to her personality. Not like Regulus.

"Padfoot, you look more worried about it than she does, and she's the one getting sorted!"

Sirius only nodded at his friend's analysis, too preoccupied with studying the girl at the front of the room to respond. Her hair had grown out several inches, and would probably have fallen to her waist if it wasn't done in such an elaborate updo. Sirius vaguely recalled her complaining about wearing her hair up, and wondered if that had changed. Or if it hadn't, and it'd been forced on her, and by who.

She did look a little upset, all things considered. There was a pinch to her brow, and her nose had wrinkled as if she'd smelled something foul while she sat with the hat. Was she arguing with it? He felt the barest hints of hope flare up. Maybe, just maybe...

She wasn't a hatstall by any means. But the fact that it took any time at all was enough to make him proud.

~.~

"Interesting perspective dear, very interesting. In that case, better be- Ravenclaw!"

Maia took off the hat, pushing it into the professor's arms when she seemed too startled to do so herself. The clapping began slowly, only beginning when she was halfway to her seat. She didn't care. She did it.

I'm sorry, Reg. But Ravenclaw is second best, isn't it? I kept my end of the promise, Siri. Did you keep yours, or are you just as much a disappointment as everyone says? Is Reg?

She was in large parts both dreadful and excited at the new turn of events, and could only imagine how the next seven years would play out differently from then on out. She avoided the eyes of those she knew, instead turning to her new housemates with a polite smile. "Hello..."