This the first half the Christmas holiday. This actually wasn't the way the story was supposed to go but I just got so into the writing that my hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they wrote this. The next part might be up by the end of this weekend, but more than likely it will be uploaded around next Wednesday. After this, there isn't going to much more of their first year and we can move into second year. Finally! I have a nice plot for second year and I can't wait to share it. We are getting over the first hump of the story and things will be updated more frequently from here on out until things get a little more complex and more detail is needed. Then things will slow down a little bit. But I promise, it will be worth it!
Oh, and just a warning, there is some vulgar language used. I personally don't use this language but the character does and I tried to limit it. I felt that I had to make it real for the character and for the situation. If you don't like that just skip the part and I will give a short summary at the end for you so you understand what happens. There will be ** where the swearing starts and stops. There might be a random swear here or there through the rest of the chapter, but I will give warning when character use excessive language. But I do promise that it will stay rated T; it will never go higher. There will be a little more swearing as they get older but since they are only eleven/twelve at this point, they don't have bad mouths yet. Please don't be offended, but I did make it T for a reason.
The next morning, three Blacks were making their way down Diagon Alley. Alphard let the twins run in front of him as they took in the sight of the magical street during a magical time of the year. He had given them money to spend once they had told him all about their friends and their gift exchange. For some reason when he heard Sirius's intended gift recipient, he smiled at him with a knowing smile.
They had no idea what he knew.
But, still, the twins found that their uncle was much more open than the rest of their family. He would tell them stories of his travels after he graduated Hogwarts.
"I had just flown to Manchuria when—"
"Sirius, look!" Ursula interrupted her uncle when she saw something out of the corner of her eyes. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the giant glass window. She pointed to the object and then looked at Sirius, smiling widely, "It's perfect for him, don't you think?"
His response was a loud laugh that carried over all the noise made by the crowd. A second laugh joined in as Ursula started laughing along with her brother. This Christmas was going to be perfect.
Christmas was a disaster. Ursula was picking at the food on her plate while Sirius had practically sunk to the floor pouting. They had been at the Malfoy Manor for only an hour and both of them were already counting down the minutes before they left for the Potters. The party was full of pure blooded, Slytherin witches and wizards that would only talk about how great Lord Voldemort was and how they couldn't wait for their children to get the dark mark on their seventeenth birthday.
Ursula had just started zoning out when someone addressed her,
"What's wrong, Ursula?" Lucius asked with fake concern, "You don't look happy."
He sat there with a smug look on his face while his girlfriend, Narcissa, sat dutifully by his side. It was pathetic how blindly she followed him.
She gave him a "are-you-kidding-me look" before looking back down at her plate.
"It is rude to not answer a question, Ursula." Her mother reminded her tersely from a little ways down the table.
The polite and forced conversations stopped and all turned to hear her answer. She groaned, closing her eyes and forcing herself to calm down. As long as she behaved then she would get to leave for James's in 18 hours.
"I wish I was someplace else." She answered honestly, yet vaguely enough that her mother (hopefully) wouldn't get angry with her.
"Where would that be Ursey?" Bellatrix crackled from her sister's right.
"I personally," Sirius drawled, effectively diverting the focus away from his sister, "Wish that we were back at Hogwarts." Ursula shot a grateful look at her brother and the corner of his mouth twitched up in acknowledgement.
"Why would you want to go back to that dump? Especially with that mudblood lover Dumbledore in charge. He is running that school to the ground." Abraxas Malfoy asked from near their mother.
Sirius shrugged and sat up a little straighter. Ursula knew that he was going to do something stupid so she crossed her fingers under the table that it wouldn't be that bad. But knowing him…
"Gryffindor Tower is actually quite nice."
…It would be that bad. Eh, what would any reasonable person with any ounce of self-preservation do after that remark?
"Yup, the muggle-borns make sure that they never make a mess or leave something messy; I don't know why you say they are dirty." Ursula added, following his lead.
Regulus's jaw practically dropped to the ground. Did his brother and sister just say that? Were they stupid? For the first time in a long time, Regulus was starting to think that maybe his parents were right about Gryffindors being impulsive, idiotic, and possessed no self-preservation at all.
Abraxas looked gob smacked. Walburga looked like she love to Crucio them at that very moment if there weren't any witnesses. The current Slytherins at the table glared at them. Alphard looked like he was about to turn blue from trying to hold in his laugh.
The first adult to gain back their composure was Abraxas. He cleared and regarded the twins coldly, "Ah yes, Walburga mentioned that Sirius was in Gryffindor," he practically spat the name, "but she never mentioned Ursula making it into the same house."
"She was misinformed." Ursula said shortly.
He clicked his softly in a disapproving manner as he shook his head, "Such a pity, you had so much potential."
"She has. Wrong tense of the verb, Abs." Alphard spoke up with a dangerous glint in his eyes, it was something that the twins had never seen before. It made him look like their mother.
Abraxas shook his head, "That is where you are mistaken Al. They are bigger failures than you are. At least you were sorted into Slytherin."
He had just unknowing ignited the normally calm and benign Alphard. It was like night and day.
*******Alphard shot to his feet and screamed, "DON'T YOU DARE CALL THEM FAILURES YOU BASTARD!" His face turned red and there was an inferno burning in his eyes.
The ice blonde man seemed unaffected, well, as unaffected as one can be one the receiving end of the infamous Black temper, "I am merely stating a fact my friend."
"Those two kids are better than every single person in this room because they decided to think for themselves! Think of all the things you could have done if you formed your own ideas instead of following the bloody fool, Voldemort! Pull your head out of your ass you prick!"
"Alphard, we are guests at-" Walburga said tensely.
His anger was redirected towards her. He spun on his heel and pointed his finger at her, "I KNOW WE ARE BLOODY GUESTS! MAYBE YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THAT THAT GIT JUST INSULTED TWO OF YOUR CHILDREN! BE A DAMN MOTHER FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!"
"Don't you dare accuse me of being a bad mother. It was you that drove my children-" She started to shout back before she was interrupted.
"DON'T EVEN GO THERE! I HAVE NEVER SPOKEN TO THEM BEFORE THEY GOT SORTED! IT'S YOUR CRAPPY PARENTING THAT PUSHED THEM AWAY. TAKE SOME BLOODY RESPONISBILITY FOR BEING SUCH A HORRIBLE MOTHER THAT IN OUR FRICKING MESSED UP WORLD THEY TURNED OUT RIGHT!"*******
"THEY ARE NOT RIGHT!" She screeched, "THEY ARE FAILURES."
Alphard lowered his arms and just stared at his sister with disbelief. In a soft voice he practically whispered "You are the failure."
He pushed his chair back and stormed out the room. Walburga pushed the hair that fallen into her face back and she tried to recompose herself. She turned to Abraxas,
"I apologize for my brother. I don't know what came over him."
Abraxas nodded knowingly, "We all have our own "Alphards" in our lives. It is understandable."
Once she was sure that no one at the Pureblood Christmas dinner she went back to her kids, who were still in shock.
"We are staying. Go behave." The last word came out as a definite threat.
"DAMMIT, WHERE IS THE BLOODY DOOR!"
The twins took one look at each other before they stood up and ran around Malfoy Manor trying to find their uncle. They found his sitting against the wall, looking at his hands. He looked remorseful and deep in thought.
"That was bloody brilliant!" Sirius exclaimed with a wide smile.
Alphard shook his head, "Watch your language."
"Hypocrite," Sirius mumbled under his breath.
The older man sighed and struggled to his feet with a groan, "Healers can try to fix you, but your body takes your loan back, plus killer interest." He mumbled under his breath.
Once he was steady on his own two feet he put and hand on the twin's shoulders, "What you just saw was not 'bloody brilliant' as you so eloquently put it Sirius. That is a side of me that I never wanted you two to see. I can usually control my temper, but when it's ignited, well…you saw the result of that."
Ursula shrugged, "You didn't have to get upset. It's not like we've never heard it before."
A concerned look flashed across his silver eyes. He knelt down so he was eye to eye with them,
"Never, ever, let anyone tell you are failures. Besides, if we never fail, how would we learn? There is a story of a muggle that invented light bulbs. It's what muggles use to light their homes. He failed a lot and when he finally figured it out, do you want to know what he said. He said, 'I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.' Just remember that, okay. I don't think your mother is going to let me see you for a while but I will try to write. And don't forget, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to owl me." He gave their shoulders a tight squeeze before he stood up.
"Dobby?" He shouted, though not as loudly as before.
A young house elf appeared out of nowhere.
"Dobby has come to help guest. What can Dobby do for Mister Black?"
Alphard smiled kindly at the house elf, "Would you be able to find my cloak please. I don't know where it is."
Dobby smiled widely, "Yes sir, Dobby will find your cloak."
He disappeared and reappeared in less than ten seconds with the dark green cloak in hand. He handed Alphard the cloak. As Alphard donned his protection from the biting cold, he asked,
"So Dobby, I heard that you are new to the Malfoys. How do you like it here so far?"
Dobby's eyes widened, "No one has ever asked Dobby how Dobby is doing. Dobby is moved by such kindness."
"Do the Malfoys treat him right?" Sirius asked Alphard, appalled when he saw light bruises on Dobby's arms and legs.
The house elf jumped when he realized that the twins were in the room. He looked so frightened that it pulled on Ursula's heart strings.
"Dobby doesn't know the names of kind guests! Dobby is a bad house else! Stupid! Stupid!" He started punching his head.
Ursula ran forward and gently grabbed his arm to stop him from hurting himself, "Stop! It's alright, honest. We are new here and we have never met you before so it's okay. My name is Ursula Black and that is my twin brother Sirius. Please, just don't hurt yourself anymore." She practically begged him.
Dobby's eyes filled with water, "Mistress is too kind! She shows Dobby so much kindess!" He grabbed onto her and pulled her into a tight hug. He was short enough that he had his head digging into her stomach. It was slightly uncomfortable but Ursula just gently rubbed his shoulders.
"It's alright Dobby."
Dobby moved his head back and was about to say something when there was a shout from an adjacent hallway,
"URSULA! SIRIUS!"
"Run," Alphard whispered to the group. He and Dobby disappeared in a blink of an eye. Dobby disappeared to another part of the house while another appeared someone else in the world. The twins had no other option except to run and hope not to get caught.
For those that skipped the swearing: Alphard and Walburga have a go at it over her parenting. Alphard basically tells her that she is a horrible mother. She responds by saying that he is the one that corrupted her kids. He in turn tells her that since she raised them so badly, that in their switched around world, that made the twins turn out good. That's the basic gist of it.