A/N: Thank you for the reviews! :)
CHAPTER 7: HIS COUSIN
Sirius stepped into the magical boundary of #12, Grimmauld Place after having spent the day flying around in London with James under the disillusionment charm, revelling over the carefree breach of the Statute of Secrecy. He was greeted by a considerable amount of yelling which was going around the house. He was mildly surprised; this sort of yelling usually did not occur in the very proper and mannered house of Black, unless he, Sirius was involved. He wondered whether he had been seen in his little escapade by a muggle but somehow he didn't see something as trivial as the International Statute of Secrecy bothering his family, so much.
As he walked into the manor through the dark corridor, the voices became clear. There was a hysterical sort of yelling which he associated to his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black, the outraged voices of both Druella and Walburga Black and the fanatic sobbing of who he recognized immediately as his cousin, Andromeda. Andromeda had always been a more moderate, level headed Black family member, but she had always managed to keep her toe in line, silently abiding by the pureblood traditions of House Black. She had been a Slytherin as well, unlike Sirius himself who had just finished his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the house of Godric Gryffindor.
He rushed to the living hall skeptically, he liked to keep away from the family drama as much as was possible but his cousin was very dear to him and he wanted to know what had warranted this episode. The sight that greeted him in the living room was strange to say the least. His usually calmer, much diplomatic father was pacing around the living room, red faced and trembling with anger. His uncle Cygnus sat in the armchair with his face buried in his hands, looking mentally exhausted. His aunt and mother stood side by side, red faced and frantic facing something which Sirius couldn't see from where he was standing. He moved closer to see what was going on and then he saw it.
Andromeda was lying on the floor sobbing uncontrollably; her hair was a mess and her face was a mingled mess of soot and sweat and tears. Her sister, Bellatrix stood crouched next to her and was grabbing her roughly by the hair, her other hand on her shoulder and was shaking her roughly.
"You will ruin our entire family name, you filthy blood traitor whore," She was screaming.
"What in merlin's name is going on here?" Sirius exclaimed.
"Oh here he comes, the other blood traitor. I don't know how we went wrong with you two. I'm ashamed of my flesh and blood; ruining the good name of our family. No Black in history has dared to behave as disgracefully as you two have," His mom snapped.
"Go to your room, Sirius, this doesn't concern you," His aunt said coldly.
"No, let him stay Druella," barked Orion, who was glaring at Sirius as if the whole matter was his fault. "Maybe he can become Lord Black already and deal with this shameful affair. I would rather die than walk onto the street after this comes out in the public,"
"It won't uncle," Bella spat venomously. "I would kill this worthless, disgraceful, piece of mess before I let people know that this has happened in our own family,"
"Would someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Sirius barked, angrily turning to his uncle who was by far the most reasonable member of the family. He adored his cousin Andromeda and Bellatrix both, though things with him and Bella has been growing colder. He still looked up to her and loved the person he had always known, not the one that stood in front of him now.
"Your cousin Andromeda has decided upon the worst possible way to besmirch our family name by completely disrespecting the honourable marriage contract we drew for her.," said Cygnus, resigned. "Speak some sense into her, Sirius,"
"This is exactly why they go wrong, Cygnus," Druella sneered. "You are too soft! You have always pampered Andromeda, turned a blind eye when she chose to act according to her whims; defended Sirius whenever he had rebelled. This is on you, too,"
"Perhaps I have been too lenient," concurred Cygnus in the same resigned tone.
"Well we will knock some sense into her," said Bella shoving her sister roughly by her hair onto the floor. "Stop this nonsense, immediately Andromeda or I will kill you myself. Renounce your filthy animal and marry the Greengrass heir,"
"So that I can live a crappy excuse of a married life like you?!" Andromeda shrieked up at her sister. "I love Ted. I will marry Ted. I will not marry that dumb oaf of a Greengrass. Not even if you kill me,"
Sirius admired her courage but couldn't move fast enough as Bella's fist came crashing down on Andromeda's jaw. None of the adults reacted.
"Stop it, Bellatrix!" Sirius yelled, instantly dashing to his cousin's side and putting a protective arm around her, shoving Bella slightly as he did so. "Leave her the hell alone,"
"Now you will tell me what to do," Bella screeched. "Who do you think you are Sirius? Get out of my way, before I blow you both into smithereens,"
"You will do no such thing. Whatever she has done, she is still your sister. We do not harm family or have you forgotten, Bella?" said Sirius calmly, looking up at Bella, trying to appeal to her with his words.
"What she did is unforgivable. Lucius Malfoy caught her getting hot and heavy with the mudblood brat in a leaky cauldron room. A patron had tipped him off. "Said Bellatrix angrily. "It's unforgivable. Two people that shouldn't know, already do,"
"It's a good thing Lucius is almost family," said Druella. "He managed to shut up the other man also. Otherwise news would have already spread,"
"Would you call Lucius Malfoy, family too, Bella?" said Sirius quietly.
Bella looked at her cousin in the eye, calming down softly and Sirius knew she remembered too; remembered how she had almost ruined a lot of pureblood bonds that day by nearly killing Lucius Malfoy when her actual family had been in question.
"You reason with her then," She said, anger still reverberating in her voice. "If even now, she was ready to renounce that animal and marry Greengrass, I would leave her perfectly alone,"
Sirius did not respond, trying to think of a way out of the situation, as Andromeda sobbed on, her arms wrapped around his neck tightly now.
"Hush Andromeda," He said softly to his cousin. "Everything will be okay," He turned to face his family. "We can talk about this later, in a civilized manner. Give her time to think. Give yourselves time to calm down."
"Go to your room, brat," Walburga said. "No one asked for your opinion. We have done all the talking we want. It is now time for action as she still dares to rebel,"
"We will wait," said Lord Black, his voice final. "Give her time to calm down, maybe she would see reason. Tomorrow, we will talk and Andromeda Black, as the lord head of your family I dictate, no matter what, willingly or unwillingly, you WILL marry the Greengrass heir,"
Andromeda opened her mouth to speak but unseen by the rest of the family, Sirius pressed a gentle finger on her lips at which she looked questioningly at him and he shot a small wink at her reassuringly.
Bella fumed, unsure whether to accept her uncle's decision or aunt's vehemence. Finally, she gave Andromeda and Sirius one filthy look, before storming out of the hall.
Cygnus and Orion followed her out of the hall.
Druella moved towards Andromeda moving to lead her out of the hall but Sirius raised a hand at his aunt.
"You will not touch her, again," said Sirius coldly. "No one will even approach her, at least not till the time period that my lord father has granted her to reconsider is over,"
He looked dangerously from his aunt to mom and then at the stairs where Narcissa and Regulus stood anxiously watching the proceedings. He glared angrily at his brother some more before taking Andromeda's hand and putting it around his shoulder and half carrying his cousin towards the stairs.
She almost slipped from his arms, unable to support her own weight at all and her dead weight becoming too much for Sirius. Regulus dashed towards them to help but Sirius shoved his brother angrily. "No need to come and pretend to help now. Were you blind and dumb when all this happened? I am ashamed to call you brother. Don't touch her!"
Regulus backed away taken aback and Sirius scooped Andromeda more carefully into his arms and with all the strength he can muster carried his cousin upstairs, in his grief and rage forgetting to even consider magical means of transportation.
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Sirius paced around in his room. He needed to rescue Andromeda and he needed to rescue her before dusk. He had already contacted her boyfriend, Ted Tonks who agreed instantly to wait for them at a certain café in Muggle London that they both knew.
Now he needed to get her out of the house which by no means was an easy feat. There were so many things that could go wrong and they would both have hell to pay, if they got caught. On the bright side, their parents and Bella had not put any protective measures to prevent her from leaving. They had no doubt considered Andromeda too weary and even Sirius too hesitant to pull off such an act under their noses. And it would almost literally have to be under their noses as Andromeda's room was next to Bella's room and Cygnus and Druella's room was just directly one landing above.
So finally, when everyone had slept, Sirius chanced a shot at the floo network and floo'd to Potter Manor. He climbed out of the fireplace and tiptoed directly to James's bedroom, which was luckily unlocked and woke his best friend up.
"Sirius?" James asked groggily.
"James, I need your cloak immediately"
"The invisibility cloak?" James asked sleepily.
"Yes, James, the Invisibility cloak," said Sirius impatiently.
Sitting up properly at his tone, James reached out to his bedside table and dragged out the invisibility cloak and handed it to Sirius.
"Thanks mate," Sirius said and he hurried back downstairs and into the fireplace leaving a very confused James Potter behind.
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As Sirius approached Andromda's room, he heard two voices inside.
"Cissy please, help me! You know I would have done the same for you," said Andromeda in a shaky but determined way.
"Dromeda, help yourself! Do as they say. I don't approve of their methods but what they say is right? How could you marry a mudblood?"
"That is my choice," said Andromeda's voice coldly. "I love Ted,"
Sirius entered the room at this point, the invisibility cloaked tucked under his shirt.
"I wish to speak to Andromeda for a while, in private," He said coldly to Narcissa, still unsure whether or not he should have just stunned her from behind. This would get him into trouble later.
Narcissa didn't reply as she just glided away from the room.
"Hey, how do you feel? " Sirius asked while simultaneously taking a piece of paper and writing on it with a quill from Andromeda's bedside table.
"I am rescuing you. Ted is waiting for you. We will talk properly when we are out of the house. For now, keep replying out loud normally,"
He pushed the paper to her and she read her eyes widening as she did so.
"I am not good. Thanks for helping me back there," Andromeda said as she took the quill from him and wrote.
"You will be in so much trouble. Cissy saw you come in. We won't be able to escape,"
"So what have you decided?" He asked her as he wrote back, "I have everything figured out. Do you trust me?"
"Well, I talked to Cissy and mom again, and I guess I will follow through with Lord Black's wishes," said Andromeda but she looked Sirius in the eye, determined and nodded.
"That's probably for the best." said Sirius, taking out the invisibility cloak and helping Andromeda, up. "Well I guess I'd just leave then. I wanted to check up on you,"
"Thank you, Sirius, for everything," Andromeda said as he helped her cover herself completely in the cloak.
She looked down in surprise at her body which was now gone as Sirius gestured her to wait as he transfigured two pillows in the shape of her body and put the rug over it. "You should get some sleep," He said.
"That I will," She replied as she took his hand and followed him out of the room.
Once in the corridor, Sirius let go of his cousin's hand as he walked casually down the corridor, an invisible Andromeda beside him.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Narcissa peeping through the door. They walked till the end of the corridor and Sirius stopped to look back and saw Narcissa go back to Andromeda's room. Hoping against hope, that she won't try to wake 'Andromeda' up, He quickly ushered his cousin down the stairs and out of the manor, where they held hands and she disapparated, to the address he gave her, taking him side-along.
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Ted Tonks was waiting in the café' in muggle London, that they had decided upon. He moved to take her in his arms, as she shed the invisibility cloak. Sirius almost felt sorry to break down their reunion but he spoke.
"I don't have much time, so listen. You guys have to wait out the night; I think you will be safe enough tonight if our plan worked. I'd go back now, I will stay awake, the moment they find out I'd send you an owl, it's not that safe but it's the only way I can contact you. In the morning, go to the ministry, you are legal so get yourself emancipated. Lord Black would not openly resist that. He would let it go. Its better if you get married as soon as possible, then he won't have any hold over you. And he won't even bother to go against the law," Sirius explained, feeling a little strange to be advising his elder cousin.
"Bellatrix would come after us," said Andromeda.
"I will try handling Bellatrix. If I am unable to, I'd warn you. Then I'm afraid, you have no other choice but to go into hiding. Leave the country," Sirius replied seriously.
Andromeda moved in to hug Sirius and he held her closely. She kissed him on the cheek, having to tip toe, as Sirius was tall for his age. "Really, you've done so much for me. Please be safe. And thank you, so much,"
"What are family for, eh?" said Sirius and they both laughed at the irony of all of it.
Ted shook hands with Sirius as well and said, "I will never forget this,"
Sirius just nodded as he started to walk back to #12, Grmmauld Place, unsure of what awaited him there.
A/N: Expect an 8th chapter soon, describing the aftermath. The story is becoming longer than I initially intended to be since Sirius is just going to be fifteen now. But I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, as I liked it myself. Read and please review!