The next few weeks were amazing, but it didn't take long for the Christmas Holidays to be upon us. As usual, I was all set for putting my name down to stay at the Castle but when McGonagall reached me, she shook her head. "I'm sorry Miss Black, but your mother wants you home this Christmas." She told me gently making my jaw drop.
"Are you serious?" I asked her, my voice cracking slightly as I caught sight of the guys making their way into the Great Hall. "I have no choice in this?"
"I'm sorry," she shook her head before walking off leaving me to drop my head on to the table.
"Hey babe," James greeted, as he sat next to me, "What's wrong?"
"I have to go home for the holidays," I replied, but it came out muffled due to my head staying on the table.
"What do you mean you have to go home?" Sirius asked.
"Apparently," I hissed sitting up straight, "Parents can make the request to have their children home. Meaning I have no choice in the matter, I can't stay here."
With that, I got up from the table and walked away from them, but as I passed the Slytherin table, my other brother's hand wrapped around my wrist. "What?" I snapped at him making him sigh and get up.
"Just come with me a sec," he muttered before leading me out of the room.
"I get that you don't want to go home this Christmas," he said once we were in the grounds, "And I get that you really like that Potter guy and you want nothing to do with any of the Slytherin guys... but hear mother out about the marriage."
"It's not happening," I replied simply as I folded my arms across my chest.
"What about marrying someone like Nott or Montague or Malfoy?" he asked desperately, "They're good looking guys, Sera."
"With horrible attitudes," I scoffed, "I'm not marrying someone I don't love, I'm not marrying someone who is going to try and control me and I'm definitely not marrying a Death Eater." He winced at that one making me raise an eyebrow. "Show me your arm Regulus."
"No," he rolled his eyes stepping back.
"Show me!" I snapped at him, grabbing his left wrist and forcing his sleeve up... there, clear as day was the dark mark making me drop his arm like it had burned me. "I can't believe you! I still had hope Reg, and now you've ruined your own life!"
Shoving past my younger brother I rushed into the castle again, storming past the Marauder's as they exited the Great Hall. I could feel the tears tracking down my cheeks as I fought back the sobs... my little brother was working for Voldemort and there was nothing I could do about it now.
"Angel! Wait up!" James' voice called as I stormed down the Charms corridor to get to class. "Angel!" His hand gripped my wrist as he spun me around to face him, his expression softened as he saw the tears. "Babe what happened?"
"Nothing," I replied pulling away from him wipe my cheeks.
"Sera...?" Sirius asked worriedly.
"It's nothing," I replied, my voice cracking as I saw Lewis Montague and Patrick Nott heading towards us, they stopped at the sight of me and nodded to ask to talk to me. "I'll meet you in class."
"You're going to talk to them?" Remus asked, shocked.
"Yeah," I replied simply before walking over to them and stopping in front of the two, waiting for the guys to go into class. "Why'd he do it?"
"To make your parents proud," Lewis replied, "Look, we get that you're angry with him, but you have no idea what it's like."
"Let me see them," I said simply... the two of them pushed their sleeves up to show me the dark marks. I shook my head as more tears spilled out, "I can't believe you guys. Why would you do that?"
"Sera," Patrick sighed, putting his hand on my cheek, "You need to trust us and you need to trust that we know what we're doing."
"No," I laughed slightly pulling away, "What happens when the war starts?" They gave me a confused look, "You're on their side and we all know I'm not."
"Just stay out of it then," Lewis begged, "We've been friends since birth... please just stay out of the way if you're not going to join us."
"That's not going to happen, Lewis," I told him sadly as I backed away, "Just hope we don't meet out there." I turned away from the two and headed into class, wiping my cheeks dry again.
The rest of the day, and most of the next, I didn't utter a word. My baby brother and two of my childhood best friends were Death Eaters. They were gonna murder, people...
"You really need to tell me what's goin on," James said as he sat next to me at the Gryffindor table at Dinner. I just looked up at him before going back to playing with my food. "Angel, please... I'm really trying here."
"I'm fine," I muttered before hearing Bellatrix's shriek of a laugh from across the room. My eyes darted over to see most of my family over there. Bellatrix, Narcissa and Regulus, Andromeda was sat on the table between ours, at Ravenclaw and Sirius was sat on the other side of me to James.
Closing my eyes, I sighed, "Sera?" Remus questioned tentatively.
"It's nothing," I muttered before I got up and headed over to Andy, she looked shocked at my appearance.
"What's wrong hun?" she asked curiously.
"Did you know about Reg?" I asked simply, trying to keep my temper in check. She paled slightly before she nodded slowly. "Damn it Andy!"
I stormed away from the table, the eyes of practically everyone in the Great Hall on me. Once in the Entrance Hall, I let out an angry breath before my fist collided with one of the walls. There was an audible crack as my knuckle fractured, but there was a crack in the wall too.
"Sera...?" Reg's tentative voice asked quietly making me turn my angry gaze to him, at the look of his worried expression, mine softened.
"Why Reg?" I asked tiredly, "Why would you do something like that?"
"I'm sorry," he sighed, his eyes begging me for forgiveness, "Please?" I pulled him into my arms, wrapping them securely around him as I buried my face in his hair.
"Aww look at the family moment," Bellatrix's voice sneered from the door of the Great Hall, "Are we invited."
Pulling away from Regulus, I turned to see her, Cissy, Andy and Sirius... for the first time in a long time, all stood together. Sirius looked worried, but the three girls already knew what was wrong. "What's going on?" Sirius asked me, he didn't sound curious like he had the past few days, he sounded worried and angry.
I glanced at Reg who pulled his sleeve up, a dark glare crossed Sirius' face before he stormed away. A large grin was in place on Bella's face, Narcissa looked uncomfortable, but Andy ran after Sirius, calling for him. "Aunt and Uncle are proud of him," Bellatrix announced as I pushed his sleeve back down. "He's doing the right thing."
"I should have known this would have something to do with you," I sneered at her, curious onlookers becoming shocked at how well I could turn into well... a Slytherin.
"I may have convinced him in the end," she shrugged.
"He's Thirteen!" I screamed stepping forward, "He's your little cousin! But you don't care do you? You're fucking insane sociopath!"
By this time I was squaring off with my older cousin, the seventeen year old backed off slightly before realising we were being watched. Yup, the wand came out but mine was already at her throat. "Sera..." Cissy started to reason with me as the whispering started from the crowd around us. "...think about what you're doing here. People are watching."
My jaw clenched as I caught sight of James, Remus, Peter, Fabian, Gideon, Bilius and Arthur. They looked worried beyond belief, but right next to them was Lily Evans who... well she looked terrified, making me groan slightly and back away. "Stay the hell away from me," I told Bella simply, before looking at the other Slytherins who were watching. "All of you. Because if one of you so much as looks at me wrong, I swear I don't give a shit what happens to me." My eyes landed on Bella again, "You make me fucking sick."
With that I walked away from her, my shoulder hitting hers hard, "Sera wait!" Reg called making me stop and close my eyes.
"You made your choice," I told him quietly, "And this is me making mine." I walked off again, James breaking from the crowd to follow me.
Christmas was, to the say the least, eventful. It started off just awkward, like the rest of the time I'd spent with my parents. But Christmas dinner, she'd invited people around, and I sat in the drawing room with my head in my hands as the Slytherins talked with each other. It wasn't long before mother brought Evan over to me, a large smirk in place on his face.
"Stand up Seraphim," mother told me, pulling me out of my seat and straightening my dress for me making me shrug away from her. "We want a picture of yours and Evan's first Christmas together."
My face darkened into a glare as it dawned on me that she still expected me to marry the scumbag. "Did no one tell you what happened at school?" I asked her simply, as calm as I could possibly be.
"Of course," she nodded, like it was nothing.
"And you have nothing to say about it?" I asked, my voice rising catching the attention of all the pureblood families she'd invited, "You still think I'm gonna be a good little pureblood and marry him?"
"You're my daughter, you'll do as you're told," she said simply making me growl slightly.
"Yeah, that's not happening," I shook my head glancing at the people watching, "You know what? This was a mistake." My eyes landed on Regulus who was talking to Lucius Malfoy and Amycus Carrow. "You may be able to control him, but..." I shook my head again and backed away, pulling my hair from it's up do.
"Where do you think you're going?" she snapped.
I shrugged at her, picking up my duffle bag that I'd brought stuff home, "The Weasley's, The Prewitt's... Hogwarts..." I replied, "I haven't decided yet. But... don't expect me home for summer, or ever again for that matter."
With that I walked out of the front door, leaving the silence of shocked purebloods behind me.