Chapter 26

I took a deep breathe and pushed the door open to reveal a massive ballroom. There was a violin choir playing in one corner of the room and the whole room had a chandelier emitting a beautiful, bright light that seemed to be never-ending, I could almost feel everyone turning to look at me and despite how much I wanted to lower my head and hide in the corner, I didn't. I kept my head up high and focused on my breathing. I could see Andromeda giving me a nod of approval. But who I could not see, was Sirius. Or any of the guys, really. I quickly moved towards the drinks area and swiftly snatched the first drink I could see.

I turned around and took a sip, trying to see if I could find him. Unfortunately for me, the ballroom was packed with people. The rich and the famous, they were all here. Celebrities? You name it, they were all here. I was almost certain that I saw the minister of magic, sitting in a corner with a bunch of ladies. I moved my hair to one side and that's when I noticed a group of older women eyeing me with envious looks.

"Who is she?" A snarky woman said loudly, she was fashioned with expensive layers of clothing. Clothing I could never even dream to have.

A lady with an abnormally long nose turned to me and huffed, "Is that the daughter of that poet?" She said trying to get a better look at me.

Another one shook her head, "No, that's Darla Willingston - they do look quite similar though Darla doesn't have such a huge nose." She said, cackled boisterously.

I gulped but kept my nose stuck in the air, I had never had a bunch of older women look at me with such envy in their eyes. All the older women I knew were kind and had already had their fair share of life. But these people, they did not seem to like me one bit. Despite the fact that they were at least twenty years older than I was and they were dressed in fine, expensive clothes - they were cheap.

As the music played, I overlooked the crowd still trying to find Sirius. I tried to decipher him from the crowd but to no avail, there were too many people with dark hair and was of his height and build. I kept glancing at my watch, if I was too late then he would be stuck here.

"Would you like to dance?" A man said, I shook my head and said no.

"A dance, sweetheart?" Another said and I shook my head once more. Absolutely not.

The more I sat down, the more offers to dance came up. I decided to stand up and just walk around, find something to do. I reached the food table and glanced at the array of decadent desserts but before I even had the chance to grab a macaroon, a voice behind me spoke.

"You, my dear are absolutely stunning." A deep voice said making me turn around. It was an older man, a balding man who seemed of middle-age with a prominent beer belly and a expensive suit. The only thing I could get from him was the urging sense to get away from him.

I nodded but didn't smile or acknowledge the man, "Thank you." I said letting my eyes wander away from him and around the crowd of people.

He scoffed, "How rude of you to not look at me while you speak, young lady. Especially while I am trying to make you an exceptional offer." The man said making me take a gander at his face. He was not at all handsome, nor did he have kind features and I was fairly certain that the 'exceptional offer' was not something innocent.

I raised a sharp brow at him, "Excuse me sir, but if you think for the slightest moment that I owe you any of my time due to the fact that you are wealthy or of high status then you are clearly mistaken." I said, narrowing my eyes at him and then I flashed him a sardonic smile, "Good day,"

The music began to slow down and I knew that meant it was time for a dance to occur, which meant that it was the perfect time to locate Sirius Black. But before I had time to actually look for him I felt a hand pull me behind a curtain.

"Merlin's beard Winnie, do you have any idea what you just did?!" Andromeda shrieked, trying to contain her laughter and failing.

I shook my head at her, "Eh, I rejected a perverted old man?" I said obviously.

She chortled, "Do - you -have - any - idea - who that is?" She said in-between laughter.

I turned around to look at him. I had no idea who that was, nor had I ever seen him before. I turned back and gave her a blank stare, "No? Who is he anyway? Why does he think he is allowed to flirt with me? I'm only seventeen for Merlin's sake!" I said, annoyed.

Andromeda wiped a tear from her eye, "You idiot, that was the prime minister. A disgusting man but a filthy rich man, any girl here would dream to be his mistress. Any insane girl that is."

I scoffed, "Him? He's a dirty old man! Why would anyone go for him?"

Andromeda gave me a smile, "His status, love. Also he has a lot of money and you know what they say, money is the answer to success and darling and he, is your shortcut to success and money. Not that any smart girl would go after him, he's desperate, daft and divorced." She said, clucking her tongue.

I scrunched up my nose, "I would rather work for my success then ever go out with the likes of him."

Andromeda smiled, "Good thing we have that in common then," she glanced around the room, "I'm guessing you haven't found Sirius yet? I'm not surprised he usually hides at these parties. You'll have to really look for him."

I groaned, "I thought it would be easier to find him, I guess not. Do you know where he usually is?" I asked, hopeful.

Andromeda tapped her finger against her chin, "Hmm, no, not really. He changes it every year so his parents don't find him. Where are your friends by the way? I really want to meet them."

I shrugged, "I have no clue but something tells me the guy in front of the house didn't let them in."

Andromeda nodded, "Ah, that's probably it," she glanced at her diamond watch, "I would suggest looking for him fast because there's only an hour left before the party is over and he'll be trapped. Like a rat."

I nodded, "Or carrots. But yes, good idea. I'm going to go look for him." I said, sighing as I walked out of the curtain. In that exact moment I caught a flash of dark hair move towards a room. He was so quick that if I hadn't been looking in that same direction I probably wouldn't have noticed him. I grinned and tried to make my way over there without looking like a crazy lady.

He reached the balcony and shut the door swiftly. I rolled my eyes and unlocked the door and there he was. Sirius was giving me his back and leaning towards the window.

"Sirius! I've been looking all over for you." I said, sighing and he turned around and it wasn't Sirius.

It was an honest mistake. Anyone who wasn't paying much attention (me) would probably think that it was the same person, but it wasn't. They shared the same shaggy, dark hair and they were equal in height but he had blue eyes, blue eyes that were so close to grey that you would think they were grey if you were standing farther away.

"Regulus," I gasped. It was Sirius's brother, he was a year or two younger than him. I was not close to him but from what I did know, he was closer to his parents than Sirius was, he was basically the favourite child.

He gave me a confused look, furrowing his forehead as he took in the fact that I was here. "Winnie? What are you doing here?" He asked, glancing behind us with worried eyes.

I wasn't sure whether I was surprised that he called me Winnie or the fact that he was actually civil. I had always assumed that he was stuck up and bratty, because, well, that's the impression he gave off. That was the impression his whole family gave off.

I brushed my hair out of my face, "Well, I'm looking for Sirius. Do you happen to know where he is?" I asked, politely.

I wasn't sure whether he was listening or not, because he seemed to be studying me very intently. "Did you do something with your hair?" He muttered, eyes still on me.

I instinctively touched the strands of my wavy hair and nodded, "Um, yeah - I made it wavy." I responded unsurely. I did not see what this had to do with finding Sirius. Or with anything, really. "So do you know where he is or..?"

Regulus stroked his bottom lip, "Personally, I liked your hair when it was curly. I think it made you different. But, this is good. It looks nice. You look nice." He said, smiling playfully.

I then realised what was going on. Regulus was flirting with me. Nope, nope nope. This was not going to happen.

I nodded, "Thanks but you know what? I have to go. It was nice talking to you." I said, turning to leave but he quickly tugged on my arm, making me look back at him.

Regulus ran a hand through his hair, "Wait, wait - look, I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable or anything. It's just, I've never spoken to you before. I wanted to know what you were like." He said and I didn't know why but I believed him.

I crossed my arms, "Well, you could have just asked. I'm like the most easiest person to approach. Ever. Like if there was an award for being the easiest person to approach, I would win it."

Regulus shrugged, "How would I know? Like I said, I've never spoken to you before."

"Well, you can talk to us. We're nice and approachable." I confirmed, with a small smile.

Regulus laughed, flashing me a pearly white smile. "It's not you, it's Sirius. You're always with him, I can't talk to any of you." He said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his perfectly tailored suit.

I blinked. Was he being truthful or was he trying to get me to feel sorry for him? I mean, in one aspect. Maybe he did want to get to know us. But on the other hand, I couldn't forget the fact that he was a Black and you had to be cautious with the Black Family. Especially when you had a family like that.

"Well, then maybe you should try." I said and then turned around but then paused, "I'll see you around Regulus." I said and left before I could hear him retort. Well, that was a strange conversation.

I could still not see any of the guys so that meant that ultimately, it was up to me to get him out. Which was a lot of pressure, now that I thought about it properly.

A woman's arm suddenly laced with mine, "Darling, how would you feel about marrying my son? He's about your age, a dashing young man, really." She said, pulling me into a corner of the room where a bunch of women sat.

I almost gaped at her but luckily I didn't let myself do that, "No, thank you." I muttered trying to remove her grip on me. "I am not interested."

She gave me a strange look, "Then why are you here?" She narrowed her eyes at me. "Oh, you've already chose one, haven't you?" She said snottily. She had perfect porcelain skin and thick, brown hair. But her eyes were cruel, harsh even. If that was how she was I couldn't imagine what her son was like.

I didn't know what she meant by that but I nodded in agreement, I just wanted to get away from her, find Sirius and then leave. It was like today was talk to Winnie day and it felt like every time I tried to find Sirius, something or someone appeared.

She gazed at me, intently. "Are you British? You're a bit dark,"

I wanted to slap her right there and then but I held myself only because there were children present, "Yes, but my mother is Spanish." I said truthfully.

She lazily looked at me, as if I was wasting her time. "So you speak Spanish then?" she said, boredly.

I tried to supress the urge to punch her, "Si," I said abrupt. "But I'm used to speaking English, since I was born here," I said, flipping my hair. If she wanted to be a bitch then I could be one as well.

"Hmm," She twirled the drink in her hand, "How am I supposed to find a wife for my son when everyone is already taken?" She muttered to herself.

My eyes widened. Internally of course. Oh no, I knew what this lavish party was. It was a party where mothers found suitable wives for their husbands. Not a common practice these days but I assumed that the Black's were not like other people. This was why there were so many women here and why the old man tried to flirt with me. He was trying to marry me!

"Girl, what did you say your name was?" The woman said, putting down her drink and turning to me.

I shook my head, "I didn't. Excuse me, there's somewhere I need to be." I said and left abruptly.

Thats when I realised how many women were eyeing me, it wasn't out of envy. I was just one of the girls who they deemed suitable for marriage. I was only seventeen, for Merlin's sake. I almost regretted wearing such nice clothes. Almost. I still felt extravagant. I looked around the room trying to see if I could find Andromeda, or someone. Anyone.

The violin choir suddenly changed the song and I groaned, it was time to dance again. I surveyed the room, trying to find a place to escape. It was like my prayers were answered because I saw a balcony, hidden by a long curtain. If the door wasn't open, I was certain that I would not see it. I picked up my dress and pushed passed the dancing people and rushed to the balcony, I wasn't even going to try to hide the fact that I wanted to get out of there. Then and there I understood why someone would hate such a life.

"It's occupied." A voice said, the voice I had been looking for the whole night. "Find somewhere else to hide, lady." Sirius Black was facing the balcony, over-looking a vast garden and I was certain that it was him this time. He had a cigarette in his hand and his shoulders were slumped, he looked deep in thought.

I scoffed, "Sirius Orion Black, you do not get to tell me what I can or can not do." I said, standing behind him. "Especially since I've been looking for you all bloody night!"

Sirius Black froze for a minute, then his back suddenly straightened up and he slowly turned to me, a combination of emotions on his face. But what I could recognise was shock and happiness.

"Please tell me that you're real and that I haven't had too much to drink." he whispered huskily, flicking his cigarette into the garden as he wrapped his arms around me. "How did you - what the hell are you doing here?" He asked, laughing.

I laughed along with him, "This is real. Wait, why are you asking - Sirius, have you been drinking again?" I asked, worry suddenly taking over me.

He ran a hand through his shaggy hair and I noticed that there was a purple bruise on his neck, not any bruise. A bruise you would get from being strangled. It was the same bruise he got last year, one he said he got from falling down. I shuddered as an icy feeling traveled up my back, making me get goosebumps. It was fresh too, I would say about a day or two old. He was being abused again.

Sirius swallowed, "You know that drinking is the only way I can make it through this hell." he said, looking at me. "Merlin, Winnie. You have no idea how good it is to see you." he said, eyes shining.

I laughed to stop myself from crying, "It's good to see you too, Sirius."

Sirius looked at me, like really looked at me. "I can't believe you're here." he said, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe it. "Thank Merlin you're here."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm here then, because we need to really go." I said, tugging on his arm.

He gave me an odd look but then realisation dawned on him, "Are you trying to get me out of here?" he asked, an ecstatic grin on his face.

I nodded, "Obviously! why do you think I'm here? To marry one of your fine cousins?" I scoffed. "As if!"

He grabbed my arm, pulling me back gently. "Wait, I can't. My wench of a mother told the guards not to let me out, no matter what." He said a sad look on hi face.

I gasped, "That smart she-devil! How are we supposed to get you out of here?" I asked no one. "You know, James and I didn't really think this through that much. Or at all, honestly."

Sirius bit his lip, "I have an idea but you might not like it that much." he said, and pointed to the balcony. "We can jump down."

I gaped at him, "Are you insane? I don't want to die, thank you very much!"

He threw his head back in laughter, "Merlin, I haven't laughed in days." He said smiling fondly at me, "But no, you won't die. Reg and I used to jump from here and we'd always be fine. There was the occasional broken leg and wrist, but if we're speaking generally then yes. It's okay."

I could feel my heart pumping, a rush of adrenaline being released into my bloodstream. "Okay, let's do it." I grinned.

Sirius chuckled, "That's it? No we can't it's too dangerous?" He asked, leaning towards me.

I scoffed, "No, who do I look like? Remus?" I said, taking off my heels and throwing it over the balcony, one at a time. I made sure to see where it went so I could collect it when I was down.

"But, you might ruin your dress. Are you okay with that?" He asked, looking at the material of my dress. "It's actually quite pretty."

I shrugged, "The experience is worth it, Paddy. Besides, it can be cleaned. Let's do this!" I said, ready to jump but he grabbed my arm.

"Wait, you bloody idiot. You can use a spell to make it easier to land. You're seventeen." Sirius said, laughing at how excited I was.

I nodded, "Right! I'll do it when we jump. Ooh! you know what? let's jump together." I said, bouncing up and down.

He grabbed my hand and nodded and we stood on the balcony and he looked over at me, "Jump!" and we both jumped at the same time. Instantly, I was in the air. My hair was moving in all directions, my heart was racing - it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and there was an intense pit in my stomach, I wasn't sure whether it was from fear or excitement. I screamed and put my hands up, appreciating the fact that I was literally flying! We were accelerating towards the ground and I could see clearly, the flowers and trees that lay beneath us. I looked over to Sirius who seemed to be a concoction of emotions. I somehow grabbed my wand and pointed at the ground and loudly said the cushioning spell.

We briskly landed on the cushion with a loud oomph! My body was shaking from adrenaline and I felt like I had enough energy to run three marathons.

I turned to Sirius, a huge smile on my face. "That was brilliant! We should do it again!" I said, looking up at the balcony.

Sirius looked mortified, "No. Definitely not. That was not as easy and fun as it was when I was a kid." he then matched my grin, "Merlin, I can believe it. I got out of there - Winnie, I got out of there! I'm never going back. Never." Sirius said happily.

I grabbed my heels from the bushes, "Really? That's it? Where are you going to go when school is over?" I asked, putting my wand in my pocket.

Sirius shrugged carelessly, "I don't know. But I'll figure it out." He turned to me and grabbed my shoulders. "Winnie, I'm finally free." He said, an expression I could not even try to explain on his face. The only thing I could muster was a smile.