A/N: Chapter twenty one, for your enjoyment *bows*
review responses:
genjutsumaster: Thank you :D I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, I reckon Sirius and Reg were probably close at one point, he must've been devastated when he joined the Death Eaters. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter.
p.s: do your homework!!! XD
MissCanada: Malheureusement oui :( Puisque c'est le...canon..., j'ai peur elle mourra, bien que je ne dise pas quand ;) Votre anglais est bon, vraiment, bien que je sois sûr que l'on ne peut pas dire le même pour mon français, mais j'ai cru que je ferais l'effort, depuis que vous avez fait l'effort pour répondre dans l'anglais et je parle un français :) Merci pour la lecture et j'espère que vous aimez le chapitre suivant :D
Fairywolf: Thank you :D I love that saying too, I've used it on many occasion haha! And another idea to go in the file XD thank you very much for the suggestions, they're really brilliant! lovely little plot lines, I'll probably use them all haha! Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)
2Lazy2SignIn: Thank you very much :) I know, but unfortunately, Harry has no Potter family left by 1981, so they all have to go at some point :( Regulus is far too naive, and things will only go downhill, I'm afraid :( I'm pretty sure Obama will do great things for the entire world! You guys are so lucky! We get Gordon Brown :|
evershort: Awww, hope you feel better. You'll have two chapters to read now :D and no problem for the comment, I just wish our elections were as passionate and thought through as America's! Ahh, for the days of Churchill...now there was a Prime Minister I could be proud of! Hope you enjoy the chapter(s) :D
BloodMoonRising: Thank you :D Oh yes, I really enjoyed it! At least now I can say I was watching when history was made! Something to tell the grandkids, eh? He'll do a fantastic job! (Though I must admit a part of me will miss Bush, some of the things he came out with were downright hilarious!)Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy this chapter too :)
MissWendyBird: Thank you :D Yes, it is frustrating, especially since we all know where they're going to end up! Though I suppose that makes it even sweeter :) I'm glad you liked those parts too, I try to add as much humour in as I can...it's great you found it funny XD Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, once again, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the next chapter!
Queen Of Hearts: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it :) Lily should suffer...and she will *grins evilly*. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and I hope you like this chapter too :)
splatteredpaint: I know! I watched a few of his campaign speeches on t.v, and my mam absolutely adores him! (I think she fancies him abit, actually haha) Yes, Chris would be a terrible MfM, she'd have every good looking man as her slave! She could very well be part seer...or at least extremely lucky at guessing haha! Oh, thank you, I missed those mistakes! Terribly sorry, I'll go back and correct them once I've posted this chapter :) I know, it's inevitable for Reg, but I'm very excited to write about his return to the light side (star wars ftw!) Oh, I didn't know that...I could use that...yes, thank you!!! Oh, exams are terrible, my mind goes blank when I go through them (well, went...I never have to suffer again! Mwahahaha) Wow, thank you! But you don't have to, the story will always be here for you :) Good luck with your science exam, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you :D Thank you for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :D
VampireWithGoldenEyes: Thank you :) It's hard to work out a plausible way for them to do it, but I've written out a set of instructions for my version :) I'm sorry we don't see much of Christina, or any of the girls for that matter, but we will see alot more soon, and I promise Chris will be just as involved! Oh, I hate ipod's...I could never work out how to put music onto them (I've heard it's simple, but I'm terrible with technology!) Hope you find it soon :) thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy this chapter too :)
Bookworm315: I just caught you! I was about to post, then I noticed I'd just recieved one more review! Timing, eh? Thank you very much :D I'm going purely off my own thoughts and ideas for this part, so hopefully it will work out. Yes, I've heard some of his policies, and I can relate. Gordon Brown is doing the same to us right at this moment! Haha, thats a good comparison, I like that :D Thank you very much for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy the next chapter :)
Disclaimer: As I have said many times, I don't own HP...I'm not J.K Rowling...I'm not a publisher at Bloomsbury...I'm just am average english girl passing the days by feeding my overactive imagination with fan fiction :)
Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the show...
The Marauders Tale: The Hogwarts Years
Chapter Twenty One
The Haughty and Most Aged House of Black
The last Hogsmeade visit before Christmas dawned bright and chilly. A thin layer of frost covered the grounds of Hogwarts, making it sparkle merrily as the sun caught it. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had decided to go together, much to Sirius' protests that he wanted Hogsmeade weekends to be date weekends. Unfortunately for him, the other three had pointed out that Sirius was the only one anywhere near capable of wooing a girl, and that they were simply terrible when it came to the fairer sex.
Lily and the girls too had decided to go alone, far too interested in having fun than worrying about dates. They spotted the boys in the entrance hall, and three of the four giggled.
"Look at Georgia and Jenny, still obsessed as ever," laughed Chris. Lily looked over and spotted Georgia, Jenny, and several girls they knew to be Hufflepuffs whispering and shooting appreciative glances over to James and Sirius.
Lily rolled her eyes, "I still don't get why girls are obsessed with the pair of them, surely they've noticed Sirius only goes after girls for a bit of snogging, and as for Potter..." she trailed off, frowning a little.
Bridget watched the boys for a moment, then shrugged, "Probably. But it's that whole bad boy thing, isn't it? Nobody wants the safe option."
"Since when were you an expert on relationships?" chuckled Holly.
Bridget smiled sheepishly, "My mum's a psychologist, sometimes I read her books."
"Hey girls! Over here!"
Bridget and Chris giggled, and immediately hurried over to the boys. Holly watched Lily for a moment.
"Come on, you're sort of friends with him, that means we're allowed to talk to them now," laughed Holly. Lily pulled a face, and wandered over to the boys a little reluctantly. She wasn't used to actually speaking to the boys, especially James.
"Care to allow we humble Gryffindors to escort you to Hogsmeade?" asked Sirius dramatically.
"But of course, good sir," giggled Chris, taking his offered arm. James glanced at Lily, but decided to walk with Bridget instead, not wanting to scare her off.
"Lily, you go ahead with Remus, I want to talk to Peter," started Holly, waving her hands to shoo the pair away. Lily titled her head quizzically for a moment, then smiled at Remus, and began walking with him. Holly smiled to herself.
"What did you want to talk about?" asked Peter, who was flushing profusely. He never was any good with girls.
"Oh? Oh, nothing. I just figured if we're all going to spend Hogsmeade together, it'd be best placing Lily with the boy who's least likely to anger her."
Peter chuckled, "Good point."
There was an awkward silence for several minutes, until the two realised their six other friends had left.
"Come on Peter, you can show me Hogsmeade as a Marauder sees it," said Holly with a smile. Peter flushed again, but felt a lot more comfortable. Really, talking to Holly was just like talking to James, he thought.
~**~
"Go on Sirius, I dare you."
Sirius eyed the cockroach cluster with slight reluctance, "How much would you give me?"
Chris dug around in her pockets and pulled out a handful of coins, "Five Galleons and three Sickles."
Sirius snorted, "No way!"
"Alright, six Galleons...and I'll do that essay Binns gave us on Tuesday."
"Done," Sirius snatched the small peanut shaped sweet from Chris. Over by the ice mice, Lily and Remus were watching their friends with slight smiles.
"Have we ever all been together like this?" asked Lily.
Remus shook his head, "I don't think so, James always managed to annoy you in some way."
Lily smiled guiltily, "I had good reason, he can be so insufferable".
Remus chuckled, and waved his hand, "I know, I know. So, what changed?"
Lily paused for a moment. Yes, she may have a been a friend of sorts to Remus; however she wasn't quite close enough to him to begin revealing any secrets.
"I don't know. I suppose he hasn't been as bad as usual," she laughed as she saw Sirius begin to choke on his Cockroach Cluster.
"Having fun?"
Remus and Lily turned to see James and a smiling Bridget walking towards them.
"When do we Marauders not have fun?" grinned Remus, "You?"
"Course, Bridget here is a hoot!"
"A hoot?" snorted Bridget, "You have a strange vocabulary James."
James shrugged, "What about you Lily? Is Remus here treating you well?"
Lily nodded, surprising herself when she realised she didn't actually know how to talk to James, in all honesty, she'd only ever shouted of him.
"Good. Hey, where's Pete and Holly?"
"Mr Flume asked for a few volunteers to try out some new sweets, they're over there," Remus pointed to where Peter had strangely turned purple, causing Holly to be doubled over with laughter. James shook his head, and chuckled, "Poor Pete, he'll do anything to impress people."
~**~
After wandering around the village for a little while, the girls informed the boys they were now going to buy Christmas presents, and left them at the Three Broomsticks. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, all of whom were in good spirits, entered the pub, greeting various acquaintances jovially as they stepped up to the bar.
"Tis the season to be jolly indeed," laughed Madam Rosmerta as she handed the boys a butterbeer each, "What's got you lot in such a cheery mood?"
"Life, dear Rosmerta," grinned James, "It is Christmas after all."
"Lily is his 'sort of' friend," explained Sirius, "He's been like this all afternoon."
Madam Rosmerta nodded in understanding, "Lily Evans? Oh yes, she's the girl James has liked since first year."
"You told her?!"cried James. Sirius laughed.
"Come on James, it's only Rosie, she's not going to say anything."
Madam Rosmerta laughed, "Of course I won't James, now be off with you! I have customers."
James smiled warmly, "Okay, okay, we're leaving. Oh, Happy Christmas too."
The other three boys chorused a happy Christmas, then wound their way through the crowded bar to their usual table near the back.
"So, are you all looking forward to Christmas?"
"Yeah, I always have a nice Christmas," smiled Remus.
Peter shrugged, "As long as my dad's out, I'll be happy," he said darkly. James patted him on the back, "Do you know where he's been going?"
Peter glanced fearfully at his friends. Should he confess his suspicions? What would they think? Would they hate him for it? They hadn't shunned Sirius, but he was Sirius Black! Far more popular and cooler than Peter.
"I think...I think he's supporting You-Know-Who."
James almost dropped his butterbeer, and gaped incredulously at Peter.
"You mean...he's a De –"
"No!" cried Peter, "No, no I don't think he's that far in. I think he's more like Sirius' parents. You know, all for You-Know-Who's regime."
Remus nodded, "No offence Pete, but from the things you've told us, that sort of makes sense".
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" asked Sirius with a frown.
Peter bit his lip, and shrugged, "I guess...I guess I was afraid you'd...well...that you wouldn't..."
"Want to hang around with you?" finished James, "Peter, if that was the case; we'd have hexed Sirius a long time ago."
"It's true," grinned Sirius, "I'm a perfect example. You shouldn't be so insecure Pete, we are friends you know. Generally, we stick by each other."
James laughed, and Peter turned beet red.
"Sorry, I should have said something sooner."
"Frankly," started James, "I'm offended you thought we'd get rid of you just for something as trivial as a crazy parent."
Peter smiled weakly. Crazy? His dad wasn't crazy, was he?
"Can we stop talking about this, I have problems too you know," whined Sirius. James rolled his eyes.
"Alright Sirius, tell Uncle James what's wrong."
Sirius punched him in the arm, "I was talking to Andromeda the other day...she's...well, she's engaged to Ted."
"Really? Mate that's brilliant!" James clapped Sirius on the back.
"Wait, isn't Ted a Muggle born?" said Remus quietly.
Sirius nodded, "Exactly."
"Oh," said James slowly, "I take it your family doesn't know yet then."
Sirius nodded, "She's going to tell them at Christmas, so it should be fun," he muttered darkly.
~**~
Christmas was rather subdued for the Potters. The absences of James and Holly's grandfather was a sad affair, however in true Potter style, the family at least tried to enjoy Christmas, George Potter would never have wanted to spoil such a wonderful time.
Holly lay on her stomach in the Potter living room, flicking through the Christmas edition of the Prophet for any news on what was going on in the Wizarding World. There hadn't been many attacks since she'd come back to school, something that was of great relief (to some). Beside her, James was tending to his broomstick with the servicing kit he had gotten last year, his face the picture of focus. On her right, Jonny and Olivia were sitting on one of the fat, squashy armchairs, reading a wedding magazine, and on the large sofa behind her, Mr Potter, Mrs Potter, Mr Knight and Mrs Knight were chatting about this and that, including the recent goings on in the Wizengamot.
"...well, I must say that few of us are happy about this. Griselda was just saying this morning that if they allow this to go ahead, our Aurors are going to be just as bad as them," Mrs Knight was saying, taking a sip of wine, "Barty's a fine fellow and all, but the man is pushing too hard and too far."
"Alastor is against the whole thing," Mr Potter replied, looking far more tired than usual, "And so am I. There are other ways to defend ourselves...resorting to Unforgivables...I don't think I could do it."
Mrs Knight nodded solemnly, the similarities between her and her older brother showing clearly as they spoke, "I'm afraid many in the Wizengamot think it's quite an idea. I overheard Minister Bagnold talking with that awful Umbridge woman, they both seemed quite keen."
"Dolores Umbridge is a nasty piece of work," Mrs Potter piped up, eliciting chuckles from Holly and James. Mrs Potter could get into quite a rant about that woman, when need be, "Remember, Harold, when she came to the New Year's party? I still haven't got the stain out of the drawing room carpet!"
"To be fair, Aunt Gwen," Holly turned to face the adults, "She wouldn't have thrown up if James hadn't of filled that cake with Cockroach clusters."
"Holly! It was both of us mum, I swear," James shot his cousin an annoyed look, to which she merely shrugged.
"That and the bottle of firewhisky she guzzled beforehand," muttered Jonny absently, causing the entire room to burst into laughter – the first laughter heard in the Potter household since their Grandfathers death.
"Well, I think I'm going to call it a night," Mr Knight yawned, stretching his arms high above his head, "The head of CID wants us in bright and early tomorrow, all your bloody wizard attacks have thrown us into turmoil!"
Jonny looked up from his magazine, and snorted, "Don't even lie, you love knowing what's really going on while your mates haven't got a clue."
Mr Knight clipped his son around the ear, barely containing a smile, "I think no such thing. Goodnight Potters, Holly," he bent to kiss his daughter, who merely grunted in response, engrossed in her magazine, "Olivia, Jonny-kins," Mr Knight tore out of the room, his son closely following, brandishing a rolled up wedding magazine.
"My husband, ladies and gentlemen," Mrs Knight sighed, the laughter from the occupants of the room punctuated by a loud, "DAD! GIVE ME MY WAND BACK!"
~**~
Lily's Christmas weren't getting any worse, but they weren't getting any better either. Petunia was still as distant and cold as usual; however her parents ensured she had an enjoyable Christmas by keeping the two apart when things got rather nasty. Lily missed her sister terribly, but Holly, Chris and Bridget were like her sisters anyway, so she wasn't entirely alone. Holly had even asked her father to install a telephone so she and Lily could keep in touch, which cheered Lily up more than Holly knew.
Lily wrapped her squashy duvet tighter around her shoulders, the fire in her living room roaring loudly and casting a pleasant glow around the room. Mr and Mrs Evans were currently engrossed watching It's a Wonderful Life, a regular at Christmas. Sitting on the same sofa, though with as large a gap as said sofa allowed, Petunia Evans finished her cross stitch triumphantly, a wide grin spreading across her face.
"Finished. Mum, look," she stood up, and handed her mother the undeniably beautiful cross stitch.
"It's lovely, Petunia. Look Lily, isn't it pretty?" Mrs Evans said, attempting t at least get her daughters talking. They hadn't exchanged many pleasant words since Lily got her letter.
Petunia wrinkled her nose, and snatched the cross stitch back from her mother.
"Never mind, she'll probably ruin it with some of that hocus pocus."
Lily narrowed her eyes, grinding her teeth so loudly she was sure she was going to chip a tooth.
"Petunia! That's enough. I'll have no more of this teasing, Lily has a wonderful gift, you should be proud of your sister," Mr Evans reprimanded sternly.
"Proud?" Petunia snorted, "Of being a freak? I don't think so."
"Petunia! Go to your room!"
The older Evans glared at Lily as she passed, stomping her feet and tossing her cross stitch to the ground in her temper. Lily matched her glare, in no mood to even attempt to smooth things over. She wasn't a freak...not at all! She wouldn't let the words wound her...even though they still did.
Lily was just about to hurry upstairs to maybe have a little cry, when the telephone began to ring. Glancing at her parents, who seemed not to notice, Lily sighed, and went to answer it.
"Hello, Lily Evans speaking," she droned.
"Hey Lils, how's our favourite red head?" sounded a rather jovial voice.
"Holly?" Lily's face broke into a wide grin, "Perfect timing!"
"Petunia being an arse again? You know, I think James has some Dungbombs left, if you want to put them to good use?"
Lily chuckled, shaking her head, "No, but thanks for the gesture. How are you phoning, I thought you were at James'?"
"I am. Uncle Harold loved our telephone so much he got one installed here. Apparently James caused quite a fuss at the Pizza shop, kept asking if they flooed when they delivered or apparated...idiot. Anyway, how're you holding up?"
"Same old," Lily sighed, "What about you? Has James driven you mad yet?"
Holly chuckled, "Awww Lils, he doesn't drive me mad. I love my dear Jamsie – speaking of the devil himself, he wants to speak to you. Don't worry, I've explained to him how to use a telephone," before Lily could protest, she could distinctly hear the phone being passed to James.
"Lily? Are you there? Happy Christmas!"
Lily exhaled rather loudly, and answered, "Happy Christmas, Potter."
"Awww Lily, first names on Christmas please. Tis the season to be jolly, after all."
Lily could hear Holly sniggering in the background, and reminded herself to hex her so called best mate once they got back to Hogwarts.
"Please, Potter. Tell you what, quit the ego, and I'll consider it."
"But the ego is who I am. Sirius said so!"
"Sirius would," Lily muttered, "I'm awfully tired Potter, please tell Holly goodnight, and wish your family a Happy Christmas from me," and with that, Lily Evans ended the first telephone conversation between herself and James Potter. Of course, James practically floated for the rest of the evening.
~**~
Chris, of course, had a hectic Christmas, although this year it was held at her aunts, so she was given a little break (it was her mother who made her help out, her aunt Maggie was more than happy to give her niece a rest). However, this Christmas there was cause for even more celebration; Chris' younger cousin Jake had performed his first bit of magic. Chris was thrilled!
"Look at him! Look!"
Christina waved her hands wildly towards her little cousin Jake, who was currently a bright shade of purple.
"Somebody fetch a camera!" called Mrs Coddlesworth, "Maggie! Maggie get here quick!"
A short woman, with a mass of blonde hair and moss green eyes flew into the room, her eyes widening further at the sight before her.
"GREG! GREG! HE'S DONE IT! HE'S PURPLE! JAKE'S PURPLE!"
"What the ruddy hell – crikey! Maggie, would you look at that?!"
Mr Harper (Chris' uncle), kneeled down before his son, inspecting the young boy closely.
"Yup! That's a colour change charm alright, and a ruddy strong one at that!" he straightened up, "Where's the camera, quick!"
Chris, who had darted out of the room to fetch her camera, pushed through the crowd of Coddlesworths', snapping as many photographs as possible.
"Look! Look, now he's red! Oh Jakey, who's a clever boy," Judith Barns (an aunt) cooed, "I haven't seen anything like this since Christina attacked us with the toy bricks!"
Christina grinned at her aunt, snapping another photograph of her cousin.
"All we need now is Laura to show something, and the twins are set!" she cried excitedly. All eyes slid to the blonde toddler sitting quietly next to her brother, eyeing him with great interest. She prodded him with a small, chubby finger, and promptly turned him orange!
The Coddlesworth clan erupted into cheers and applause, the two youngsters not having the foggiest idea why they were so happy, merely enjoying the nice little colour game they were currently playing.
~**~
Remus had a quiet Christmas. The full moon was on the 27th, so he was a little peaky on Christmas day, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. The small family had a sumptuous dinner, and then went ice skating in the park near their home, and had a truly wonderful evening.
"Dad! Dad, watch!"
Remus waited until his father had turned, then promptly showed off his knew trick, spinning right on the spot, in the middle of the ice. Of course, the only reason he could do it was because of the skills he had inherited the fated night of his meeting with Greyback.
Mr Lupin knew this, of course, but would never discourage his son in anyway, and applauded loudly for his son.
"Well done Remus, I bet your friends can't do that, eh?"
"They'd certainly try," Remus chuckled, thinking of his fellow Marauders fondly. Remus always had a lot to say about his friends, he told his parents everything they got up to (save the Animagi), desperate to show it was safe and okay for him to have friends.
At first, Mr and Mrs Lupin had been wary of Remus getting too close to these boys, however, after hearing Remus gushing about them so often and with such affection, and noticing the way his eyes lit up at the mere mention of their names, the two Lupins now knew that these friends were doing more good than bad for Remus.
After all, that was all that matter. So long as Remus was happy.
"Dad! Hey dad!"
Mr Lupin snapped out of his reverie, and looked up to see his son now skating backwards, warm brown eyes alight with laughter. Mr Lupin shook his head, and grabbed his wife's hand.
"Come on Jemima. Are we really going to let him show us up?"
Who said werewolves weren't normal, eh?
~**~
Peter, once again, spent the day with just his mother. His father was out again, he said he was working late but Peter was starting to worry. It was no secret his father was all for the 'purification' of the wizard race, and whilst he knew his father was nowhere near talented enough to be one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, there was still plenty he could do. However, confiding in James and the others had helped alot. He didn't feel as alone as he had before, thankfully.
He glanced out at the darkening sky, idly wondering what his friends were up to. No doubt they were having the time of their lives (well, maybe not Sirius), but certainly James and Remus. He wished he could visit his friends more often, but in all honesty, Peter didn't like to leave his mother alone with his father.
Peter looked around to see his mother quietly reading in a corner. He bit his lip, and carefully asked something that had been praying on his mind for weeks.
"Mum? Is dad a Death Eater?"
Mrs Pettigrew squeaked, and dropped her book in surprise. She gazed incredulously at her son, jaw hanging agape.
"Peter! What in the name of Merlin made you ask something so silly?"
Peter shrugged, "He believes You-Know-Who," he looked fearfully at his mother, "How can he, mum? How can he think something like that is okay?"
Mrs Pettigrew studied her son for a moment, and Peter saw a flicker of something unnameable in her eyes. She then sighed, and slowly closed her book.
"We are free to choose what we believe, Peter. Good or bad, wrong or right...it is our choice. Your father believes what he feels is right...I'm afraid that is all I can say."
Well he was wrong. Peter would never condone such a thing. Never.
~**~
Bridget had an enjoyable Christmas, as always. Ireland was such a beautiful time during the winter months, and she thoroughly enjoyed visiting various family members and going to see the annual nativity play. To most, Bridget had a simply perfect life; parents who loved her, and a wonderful little community. In the darkness that was slowly but surely approaching, Bridget felt more and more that the small moments like right now mattered most, and that the people around her made her see the silver lining in even the darkest clouds.
The town square was alight with hundreds of twinkling Christmas lights, snow falling gently onto the frost covered ground below. Wrapped in a scarlet and gold scarf, matching hat and gloves, Bridget grinned as she watched the Muggle children from her old primary school act out the nativity scene.
"This never get's old," Bridget whispered to her mother, who was standing to her left, "It's the same every year, but it never gets old."
Mrs Moore smiled warmly at her only child, "That's the beauty of tradition, Bridget. You never get bored of it."
Bridget nodded, and grinned, turning back to the play.
I'll have to bring the girls here next year, she promised herself.
~**~
Yet the most interesting Christmas of all, belonged to one Sirius Black. Sirius glanced around the large dining table, clearly bored out of his mind. To his right, Andromeda fidgeted nervously in her seat, her Christmas dinner untouched.
"Dromeda, you alright?" whispered Sirius.
Andromeda nodded slightly, glancing at her parents who were talking with Sirius' mother and father. Opposite them, were Bellatrix and Regulus, who were talking loudly about (none other than) Voldemort.
"I mean, I honestly think more people should be joining his cause," said Bella, "His regime is the kind we've been waiting for!"
Sirius rolled his eyes, and watched Regulus look down at his plate. On Sirius' left, Narcissa sat, determinedly avoiding looking at her cousin, and clearly not happy about the seating arrangement.
"Perhaps Sirius being in Gryffindor could be of some use," said Druella, the Black sister's mother, "The Dark Lord could use as many spies as possible."
"He won't turn against his little blood-traitor friends," spat Bella, "He's too in love with Potter."
Sirius felt his anger bubbling up, but needed to remain calm. It looked as though Andromeda was about to drop her bombshell.
"Actually, I have some news," started Andromeda, taking a deep breath, "I suppose in a way it relates to Sirius."
Druella frowned at her daughter, "What is it Andromeda?"
Andromeda continued to nervously twist her hands. It was now or never.
"I...I've met somebody."
Sirius mother scowled, "And why did his parents not inform us, you know the arrangements, we must see that he is suitable to become a member of this family."
Andromeda called upon all of the courage she held in her heart, and took a deep breath.
"I doubt you would find him to be....suitable...at least by your standards."
"Spit it out Andromeda," snapped Cygnus, her father.
"I...I'm getting married...to a man named...Ted Tonks."
The entire room fell silent. No one, save for Sirius, had heard of the family name 'Tonks'...which meant only one thing.
Druella stood up, grinding her teeth, "And what, dare I ask, is this boy's family status?"
Sirius reached under the table, and took his cousins hand. Andromeda squeezed his in thanks.
"He's...he's a Muggle-born."
Watching a mother try to hex her own daughter only further provided a reason for Sirius to hate his family. To have his own father threaten to kill him for shielding Andromeda from the barrage of items being thrown at her showed him just how lucky he was to be different. After begging Andromeda to just run, and go to Ted's, Sirius watched his mother point her wand at the Black Family Tree tapestry, blasting Andromeda from their family forever. He wondered if he would ever be in that situation, erased from the family as if it meant nothing. In his heart of hearts, he sincerely hoped he would.
A/N: And there we have it :) any good? As always, let me know.
Now, I have a suggestion...and idea really...for a story.
As you all know, after TMT:THY, there will be a sequel, following the lives of our heroes after Hogwarts, until that fateful night on October 31st, 1981.
That is a definate, now, last night, a plot came to me in a dream, and I was just wondering about your thoughts on it.
After the sequel to the current story, I would very much like to write an AU continuation, in which Sirius and Remus gain custody of little Harry Potter. And it will go on from there. I won't say too much now, I don't want to spoil it...but...what do you think?
Let me know, I'm quite excited about the idea.
Grace ~
