Chapter two: Audacity
"I'm not much of a poet, but someone once told me to seize the moment and not squander it."
-Eminem ft. Rihanna: Monsters
Hermione's feet were aching, and her nerves worn thin. As her mother had instructed she'd danced with every single eligible pureblood here, young or old, ugly or handsome, rich or poor, she'd danced with all of them, made polite conversation, and now she was drinking some bright pink liquid that was smoking slightly. She'd deserved it, putting up with all those pompous english prats.
"So we meet again," The voice of Sirius Black said from her right.
"Do me a favor, and fuck off. I'm not in the mood," She said grumpily. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with another boy as long as she lived.
"Aw, that's no way to talk, love," He said, smirking as he drank down a glass of firewhiskey straight.
"I'll talk however I damn well please 'Lord Sirius Orion Black II', shut up and leave me alone," She said dryly, not taking her eyes off her drink.
"Well at least you remembered my name, that's a start," He said in that irritating way of his. "Now all I need is your name,"
Hermione ignored him, and all his attempts to talk to her. It wasn't until she'd just finished the last dregs of her drink that something caught her attention. A girl, about Hermione's own age emerged from the crowd, and without paying Hermione any mind, proceeded to plop herself in Sirius' lap and purr something in his ear, her ridiculously long fingernails raking up and down his shirt. "Hey bitch," Hermione said, snapping her finger's in front of the bimbo's face.
"Get you're own bloke, you American freak," The ugly little skank snarled.
"How about you hop off his dick, you whore, and go clean all that paint off your face, this is a gala, not clown school," Hermione noticed the crowd around her stilling, watching the exchange between the Zabini Heiress, and the girl.
"Oh, and by the way Lord Black, I'm Heiress Zabini, It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Hermione said.
Sirius rose from the stool he had been perched on for the last twenty minutes, and the bimbo tumbled off his lap, falling on her face. "That's good to know," He msaid, grabbing his fresh glass of firewhiskey and exiting into the crowd, leaving a confused Hermione Zabini floundering.
It was three days after the gala, and Hermione was about to take her brother to the muggle ice cream parlor around the corner.
Living New York, Hermione had been around a lot of muggles, and she was a lot more acclimated to them than her British cousins. Especially since they segregated themselves away from Muggles in their own separate magical communities. Where in America witches and wizards lived alongside muggles.
"Come on Leo! Or I'll leave you behind," Hermione said, halfway out the door. She was wearing muggle jeans, chuck taylors, and a ripped band tee. Her hair up in a french braid, just in case there were any magical folk around.
"I'm coming," Hermione stayed just inside the wards. Her house, Number 9 Grimmauld Place, was invisible to muggles, and as long as Hermione stayed within the wards, so was she. Once she came off the front steps, she was visible to muggles.
"Yeah, yeah. Hurry up!" She called. She looked to her left, and instead of four sets of steps to her right, there were now five. "That's weird," she muttered to herself.
"I'm ready Mione," Leo said, panting breathlessly as he had ran full tilt down the stairs.
Hermione locked the door, and turned to leave when a white and black blur flew past her. She skittered back a few steps, pulling Leo behind her and drawing her wand. She heard the laugh of a young boy, and said boy now sat perched on his broom, not five feet from her. "Oh, you're a witch," He said wrinkling his nose, "Why're you wearing that?" He asked.
"None of your business, young man," Hermione admonished. "Why would you fly your broom so close to us? That's dangerous," Hermione asked the boy, who looked remarkably familar.
"Mother says that I'm allowed as long as I'm terrorizing muggles," The boy mumbled quietly.
"That's dangerous, they'll haul you off to azkaban for acting foolish like that," Hermione said. "What's your name, and where's your mother?"
"My name's, Regulus, Regulus Black, and My Mum's in our house. We live in number 15," He said dryly, as if it were the most commonly known fact in the world.
"Well, you'd better be getting home then Regulus. You're mother will be missing you," Hermione said softly.
"Naw, Mum's on a rant, she's having a go at Sirius, I'm not going home til after dark when she's yelling," Regulus said.
"Well then," Hermione paused, thinking. She had enough muggle money, "Would you like to go get some ice cream with My brother and I?" She asked. The boy nodded enthusiastically.
"But you'll have to be at least cordial to the muggles, they run the shop and make the ice cream, think how hard that must me to make ice cream without magic!" Hermione exclaimed, as the young boy's widened. It had never occurred to Regulus that muggles might have hard lives, they didn't have magic after all.
"I'd like that, thank you," He said. "What's your name?" He asked Leo.
"My name's Leo Zabini. That's my sister, Heiress Hermione Zabini, but she likes it better when people just call her plain Hermione," Leo explained.
"Hello Hermione," Regulus said, smiling up at her. He couldn't have been more than nine or ten.
"Hello Regulus," Hermione smiled warmly at the boy. "Let's go get some ice cream. Hermione stashed Regulus' broom just inside her front door, after promising the boy he and Leo could fly after they'd had their ice cream. She set off down the sidewalk with Regulus at her right and Leo at her left.
They made their way to the muggle ice cream shop, Regulus' amazement growing at every step they took. Every once in a while Hermione answered his questions, and pointed out certain things, like cars and street lamps. She gave him a basic principle of how they ran, much to Regulus' growing awe.
When they reached the ice cream parlor Leo ordered for himself and Regulus chocolate fudge sundae's with brownies. Hermione ordered lemon ice, a favorite of hers.
They sat at a picnic table outside the shop, enjoying the late summer sun. They laughed and talked and as the sun sunk lower in the sky Hermione decided it was time for the two boys to go home.
"Hermione, do you think you could come meet my mum?" Regulus asked, his eyes pleading.
"I'm sure I could," Hermione answered, retrieving Regulus' broom from her foyer, and changing into proper witch's robes. "Let's go," She sent Leo inside, and walked with Regulus to number 13.
"If she's still on a rant, she might not be very fun to be around, but she's a right when she's settled down," Regulus said matter-of-factly.
"That's all right Regulus, I'd love to meet your mother," Hermione smiled encouragingly.
"Okay," He reached up to turn the doorknob, and Hermione could almost see him viasably regretting it as soon as the door swung open. There was a loud crash. "YOU LOUSY, NO GOOD, PERVERSION OF MY FLESH, DISGRACE TO THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS, DO- NOT- WALK- AWAY- FROM- ME! SIRIUS ORION BLACK!" Each work was punctuated by another crash. Hermione took a deep breath and entered behind Regulus. The door slammed shut behind them with a loud bang.
"Regulus, you're home, and you've brought company," A man who she assumed was his father said, entering from a hallway to the left. "Walburga!" The man shouted. "For Merlin's sake woman! Walburga!" He yelled again.
"Orion, What is it?" The woman stopped her shouting and crashing long enough for the man, presumably Orion to answer her.
"We have company, Dear," Orion said, motioning to Hermione. A woman, tall, and statuesque, with black hair piled atop her head appeared at the end of the hallway.
"Oh, Regulus dear, you've brought home a friend. I've wondered where you get off to during the day," She cooed, crossing the length of the hallway in a few strides. "Lady Walburga Black," She purred. "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," She cut off, not knowing her name.
"Heiress Hermione Zabini," Hermione said, extending her head in proper greeting to the Lady Black.
"You're an American Witch," She observed shrewdly, "What brings you to London?"
"Family troubles brought me here. My mother is Eileen Zabini née Prince, I'm sure you're familiar with her work in potions?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, of course, I've met Lady Zabini before, at the Gala a few days ago, if I recall correctly," Walburga obviously doubted that Hermione was a product of the fair haired icy Eileen Zabini.
"After my father died, My mother, Heir Zabini, and I moved back to England, so my brother enroll at Hogwarts. I'll be attending this year, so as to finished out my last two years," Hermione told the intimidating Lady Black.
"Oh, you poor thing," Lady Black cooed. "Do come in, I haven't had a caller in quite a while. Tea, Dear?" Lady Black asked.
"Yes, please," Hermione said, letting Walburga lead her into a lavishly furnished drawing room.
Walburga summoned a house elf and they were promptly served tea and biscuits. "So, how are you liking London so far?"
"Very well, despite certain circumstances," Hermione left her statement open so as to pique Walburga's curiousity.
"What sort?" She asked, just as Hermione had intended her to.
"Well, this morning, as I was getting ready to take Heir Zabini to an ice cream Parlor, to celebrate his eleventh birthday. But no sooner had I stepped out my own front door, then I was attacked by a flying wizard on a broom. It seems little Regulus had mistook us for a pair of common muggles, though I suppose in my state of dress, that was understandable. But as soon as I had drawn my wand," Hermione chuckled lightly.
"He backed off, and so he says in this most amazed voice 'Oh, you're a witch,'" Hermione chucked again.
"And it was the absolutely most entertaining thing that's happened to me thus far. I thought it was some sort of muggle device or some other nonsense, and it's just Regulus!" Hermione laughed, as though it were the funniest thing to every happen to her.
Throughout her whole speech, Walburga had shifted in her seat uncomfortably. If she hadn't seen the direction the young Heiress was taking before, she certainly did now.
"See, I was under this ridiculous impression. Now, bear with me," she said laughing a bit more, "that you folk here were more civilized than those in the states, but then I get here, and it turns you aren't. That you send children no older than eleven,and wandless mind you. You send them out to attack muggles," Hermione's face grew serious, and she no longer laughed.
"Which of course I quickly admonished Regulus for his cruel behavior, which could've landed your son in a cell in Askaban Prison, and then I promptly bought him ice cream," Hermione pursed her lips.
"I-" Lady Black started, then Hermione put up her hand to stop her.
"There's no need to punish Regulus for your own oversight, Lady Black. I've just come to point out, that as a member of the magical community, we go not condone such behavior," Hermione folded her hands in her lap
"I've also another thing which I've been meaning to speak to you about. It seems three days ago, I was aquatinted with a Lord Sirius Orion Black II. Now, as far as Heir Sirius, I've come to make a deal with you," Hermione paused just long enough to peak Walburga's curiosity, and her husband listening from the doorway.
"As Heiress of House Zabini, I'd like to request to court the Heir of House Black," Walburga began to protest, "I know what I'm getting into," Hermione's smile was wickedly wide at this point.
So thoughts?