A.N. Previous chapter fixed, apologies.
(Coeus Black - PoV)
...
"What are these?" I ask Ted.
"Your chairs," he replies, making no attempt to hide his smirk.
I look back at the boxes. The rather small boxes.
Maybe someone used spatial expansion?
"I thought you didn't want to use magic in front of muggles?" I ask.
"Nope. No magic here."
I check again. No, there is no possible way a chair will fit in one of these boxes, the shape is all wrong.
They have pictures of chairs on them, I guess?
This better not be like muggle money. If I have to just pretend these are chairs someone is going to die.
...
I am not giving in here. I will stare at him until he explains.
...
"These kinds of chairs often come disassembled," he explains. "All the pieces are there, but you put the parts together yourself."
...
"What?"
What kind of sense does that make?
His smile grows.
He pulls a small, oddly shaped piece of metal out of his pocket and hands it to me.
"You have quite a few of them here, better get started. It might take you a while."
He pats me on the shoulder and goes inside.
...
I look at the piles of boxes.
The much smaller piles than I had anticipated.
Which, I suppose may have turned out to be a blessing now.
What is wrong with muggles? Selling you furniture you have to build yourself? Why would I even spend money on it in the first place if I have to build it too?
Absolutely bonkers, the lot of them.
Ugh, so much for my great plan.
I pull out my trunk.
I still have to stuff the boxes in here, for now. I will figure out the rest later I guess.
Phoebe makes no attempt to help as I lever the surprisingly heavy boxes into my trunk, instead giving me a thumbs up when I glare at her.
Ugh.
This is what I get for trying to deal with muggles.
Furniture, or what the muggles pretend is furniture, delivery aside, the last few days have been rather boring. Well, ok, Iris got her stuff and helping decorate her room was nice and helped me...forget about things.
...
Moving on, I did manage to get everything stored. We head inside and barely get upstairs before Andy starts making noises. What now?
A ...head I assume to be Dora sticks out of her room as we pass by.
"What's up?" it(she?) asks.
We shrug and head down the stairs.
Ted and Iris are waiting at the table, while Andy stands, tapping her foot.
"Where is Nymphadora?" she asks impatiently.
Shrugging again, I answer, "Still upstairs, probably changing. She looked very weird when we saw her. I think she was experimenting with her form."
Andy sighs and mutters something.
Iris shakes her head when we look at her questioningly, and Ted just points at Andy, so I suppose we are stuck waiting on Dora.
It doesn't take too long, till we hear her tramping down the stairs.
"Oy? What's the problem?" she asks, taking her seat, rubbing Iris's head on the way past.
Andy gives her a stern look before speaking.
"Arcturus wrote again, requesting our presence today. All of us. We had planned for such a thing at some point this month, but there will be a formal event tomorrow, and he wants us to meet before then, so there is no more time to wait."
Oh. Well, that was rather sudden. I wonder what this is all about. Iris maybe?
I resist looking at her, to avoid tipping her off. She hates attention, so I really hope not.
Dora does not look impressed.
"Really? All this rush, just to meet the old man?"
Andy's eyebrow twitches.
"Just...make sure you are ready, we are leaving as soon as possible. I want this over and done with. I have no idea what the big event is about tomorrow, and that worries me. And from his words, it is a big event."
Ah, that explains things. She has been trying to break back into politics and is feeling left out. She tends to overcompensate.
"Gotcha," Tonks does a thing with her hand and slowly makes her way upstairs, clearly in no hurry.
Ted shakes his head while Andy glares at her back.
I look over at Iris.
"Well, looks like you get to meet Grandfather today. I hope you get along, he's the one that helped with Dumbledore."
That gets her interest.
"Hopefully we can get him to tell us the story. Anyway, let's go upstairs and find something a bit fancier to wear before Andy's head explodes, Phoebe will help you pick something appropriate."
We do realize a slight problem at the last moment. Namely, we never did teach Iris how to floo.
Unfortunately, there is no time now. We will just have to show her how and hope for the best.
I go first, as usual, followed by Phoebe, with Iris supposed to follow after.
She comes flying out of the fireplace after us, thankfully, and we manage to catch her before she hits the floor.
Blinking her eyes clear, she looks up at us.
"I...don't think I like the floo..." she says.
We laugh, brushing the soot off her clothes while getting out of the way so Ted can come through.
He pops out no problem, looking around nervously, before relaxing once he catches sight of Iris.
"No problems?" he asks.
She shakes her head.
"Just a bit queasy. Do wizards have a way to travel that isn't awful?" she asks.
He laughs.
I...want to argue, but...
"Well, there's flying. That's pretty awesome, right?" I suggest.
Most of the time. When I'm not, you know...almost killing you...
...
She smiles.
"Yea, flying was amazing."
Ted catches Dora through long practice when she comes through next, and Andy follows right after. Dipper appears moments later.
We follow the old elf into a large reception room, which Grandfather is just entering as well.
"Apologies," he says. "I meant to receive you as you arrived, but had to reply to a few more letters. Assuage more egos."
He clears his throat.
"Please, have a seat everyone, thank you for coming. Dipper, refreshments, if you will."
We all take seats, the three of us cramming onto a comfortable sofa, Ted and Andy sharing a loveseat, and Dora sprawling out over another couch by herself.
Grandfather takes a chair as well, Dipper appearing to hand him his tea, before offering each of us drinks and snacks.
Ted and Andy decline, of course, Phoebe and I grab a biscuit or two, and encourage Iris to try one, Dora...takes the entire platter.
"Don't mind if I do, thanks," she says.
Andy glares at her, but Grandfather is amused by her antics, rather than offended. I keep telling her he has a sense of humor, but she doesn't understand.
"Very well then, now that we are sated, or in the process of it," he smiles at Dora, who gives him a thumbs up, her mouth stuffed with food, "we can move on to why I insisted on meeting today."
"I do have good news actually. It took a little bit more work than expected, Minister Fudge was being even more idiotic than anticipated, but we have secured a trial for Sirius. Tomorrow, in fact."
Andy gasps.
He smiles at her.
"Indeed. He has actually been removed from Azkaban in anticipation of it and is currently in a Ministry holding cell. Technically, his innocence has yet to be proven, but, well. I am quite confident in how the vote will go tomorrow. That is what the little get-together afterward will be for, in fact, to thank the supporters on our side of the aisle. Well, one of the reasons."
He sips his tea, taking in our reactions.
"Interesting. Coeus, Phoebe?"
We shrug.
"We talked to Andy about it before. It's good that an innocent wizard isn't in prison, and we are willing to give him a chance I guess,but..."
We shrug again.
"Is he even a Black? Really? Andy may have not fit in with everyone, but they still had to force her away. Sirius, from what everyone says, abandoned the family. He tried his best to throw away...everything..."
"Coeus," Andy speaks up. "Sirius, he had very good reasons for what he did. Very good reasons to run, to hate the family."
I look at Grandfather.
He shrugs.
"Sirius's mother, Walburga, was the absolute worst example of a Black. A Black gone wrong, if you will. Even Andromeda's infamous sister Bellatrix at her worst cannot quite compare."
...Oh.
I take a moment to consider that. To try to think about what that might mean.
Bellatrix's...instability, is rather infamous. She was a genius, especially when she was young. A prodigy, incredibly talented with a wand, and an amazing duelist.
But her madness...she lost to it. Instead of it driving her to greater heights, she let it control her and started lashing out at everything around her.
Andy doesn't talk about it much, but I have heard a few stories and gotten more from Grandfather, and others. Draco has told me quite a few.
For Walburga to be worse...
Frowning, I ask, "Why didn't you help?"
He sighs.
"The Black family is old, Coeus, so old, with its ups and downs. My father rose the family high, but due to treachery, died young. I rose it further still. My own son, Orion...I gave him everything. I gave him everything he asked for, sat him at my knee, taught him every detail. Spoon-fed him every bit of knowledge I possibly could, to handcraft the perfect heir."
His eyes close.
"I failed miserably."
He reopens them, after the obviously painful admission.
"Orion was a worthless heir. He had no drive of his own, being little more than a puppet for the will of others. While not my intention, I had apparently managed to smother that flame, that will that makes the Blacks so great in the first place..."
He shakes his head.
"I tried to find some way to kindle the flames, but when he agreed to marry Walburga? I knew he was lost. Even back then she was a monster, a complete harpy. No sane man would want to spend their life with her, no matter the attraction."
"When Sirius, and later, Regulus, were born, I chose a different approach. The opposite. Clearly, despite my successes elsewhere, my previous method would not work. So I would be more hands-off. I passed the heirship to them immediately, skipping over Orion. Even as infants it was obvious they were more worthy..."
He scoffs, shaking his head again.
"Orion didn't raise a word of protest. Ah, but I have gotten rather distracted with the history. The more direct reason? He never asked."
I blink.
It's that simple?
"With Orion, I coddled him, wrapped the blankets so tightly the flame died out entirely. With Sirius, I refused to do the same. So I let him handle matters on his own. I knew Walburga was a problem, I knew he struggled, and had he ever asked for help I would have stepped in...but he did not. And I refused to smother another talent, as I did with Orion."
"That's it?" asks Andromeda. "You let Sirius suffer for all those years...because he never asked? As a child?!"
"As an heir," Grandfather replies. "I made sure I was available, and dropped hints here and there, but he was either too blind or too stubborn to see them. In the end, he either failed his early challenges or made his choice."
Ted places his hands on Andy's shoulders and leans over to whisper in her ears. I...am not sure how much it helps, as she glares at Grandfather.
He appears indifferent to her anger as usual.
"Umm, if he failed, then why was he still heir?" I ask.
"Lack of other options, really. I did give it to Regulus, after Sirius ran off, though as I explained to Andy in the past, I kept him in the family. He made so many poor choices, but he really did have so much potential, he just wasted it. I hoped that by letting him follow his own path, he would come into his own, alas..."
He sips from his tea, finishing it. Dipper appears without a sound, refills it, and disappears just as quickly.
"Of course, then Regulus vanished, and Sirius became heir again by default. And here we are..."
Here we are. Andy still glaring, Ted trying to soothe her, Dora debating if she wants to try to finish the other half of the snack tray, and the three of us trying to process things.
"Hey, Dipper, could you like, put these in a bag or something for later? I think I'm full," Dora speaks up.
The tray disappears from her hands.
"Cool, thanks!" she calls out to the room.
"Nymphadora!"
"Dora." She corrects lazily.
"What are you doing? Do you really not even care about...about this!" she gestures to Arcturus. "About how his neglect ruined Sirius's life?"
She rolls her eyes.
"Mum, remember who you are talking about. It's Grandpa Black. He's like, at least 80% evil. How are you surprised by this?"
Andy gapes at her.
"Seriously, you grew up with these people! You wanted to come back to them! Wanted to be part of this, be a "Black" again! News flash, that," she points at Grandfather, calmly sipping his tea, looking amused at the whole thing, "is the ultimate Black. That is what you want to be. So make up your bloody mind already."
She turns to address Grandfather "And Gramps?"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks for helping Sirius, I hear he's pretty cool. Also thanks for inviting me, Dipper makes some awesome food."
With that she grabs a pillow, lays down on the couch, her back facing the room, and feigns sleep.
Andy stares after her until Ted pulls her back further onto the loveseat.
"The second matter I thought it important to bring up today, was dear Iris," Grandfather speaks, ignoring the earlier scene entirely.
She stiffens as his attention falls on her, looking slightly away from him.
"M-me?"
"Indeed dear. From what I have heard, you rather dislike attention, no?"
She nods hesitantly.
"Understandable. Many who find themselves thrust into the spotlight feel similarly, but I am afraid that for you it is rather unavoidable at this point, Dumbledore made sure of that. You already have at least some inkling of your fame by now, yes? From the crowds in Diagon?
She nods again, even more reluctantly. And what was that about Dumbledore?
"You will draw attention like moths to a flame, especially with your obscurity up until this point. That is actually why I suggest you attend the event tomorrow."
He takes a short sip of his tea.
"It is a relatively exclusive event, not one filled with the, pardon the mildly insulting term, but common masses is not inaccurate. Most of those attending, while still quite eager to meet you, will have at least a touch more class than those you may deal with elsewhere, allowing you to adjust to interacting with people somewhat."
"Beyond that, any other event you may show up at, you would end up becoming the star attraction, holding everyone's attention. This time, there is another major story of note, to help keep attendees focus, allowing you to introduce yourself to the public somewhat more quietly. Really, I doubt there will be a better opportunity than this, and the twins will be right there with you."
She hesitates, before looking over at me.
"Grandfather knows what he is talking about, and it sounds like a good idea to me. We will be right there with you the whole time, and you can meet Draco, Daphne, and the others."
"I...I guess," she says quietly.
He smiles.
"Good, good. I know it can be hard, but everyone has to start somewhere. I really do not believe you will regret this decision."
She nods, but still will not look at him.
He smiles wider.
"You don't like me, do you?"
She freezes.
"It is all right, many people don't. Let me guess though, it is because of Sirius? Making comparisons with your own previous situation?"
...
A very, very slight nod. More of a tiny tip of her head.
"Understandable. As I said though, my dear, I was there the entire time. I kept myself available, all he had to do was ask. One word and his situation would have been resolved. I admit, I am making assumptions myself, but if Dumbledore, or anyone really, had been there, would you have asked? Just once, over all the years, do you think you would have asked someone, anyone, to help?"
"I did..." she whispers, so quiet I can barely hear her.
Grandfather couldn't possibly have heard, but he seems to know what she said anyway.
"And nobody listened, did they?" he asks, sadly.
She shakes her head.
"And that is where things differed. Between you, and Sirius. And between myself, and Dumbledore. Sirius was either too blind, or stubborn to ask. And for all of my failures, which I admit are many, I like to think that I at least gave my family the chance to be great. The chance to be more. I like to think that, even if I failed on my part, they failed as well."
Andy shifts to the side. I assume she doesn't like that, but she remains quiet.
He holds his cup to the side, and it disappears as Dipper takes it away.
"Dumbledore gave you no such chance. In his arrogance, he was so certain that his vision, his plan, was perfect. That you...Well, I assume Ted has spoken with you about what nearly happened?"
Iris's fists clench tight, and she nods.
"Indeed. You almost died. By all rights, you should have died. You had no chance, no hope...but somehow, you overcame. Entirely on your own."
He smiles at her. A true, brilliant smile.
"I will let you in on a partial secret. Dumbledore is obsessed with you, but for all the wrong reasons. He thinks you are important, because of destiny. Because of another's hand. Because of outside forces. He is a fool."
He stands from his chair and walks over to us, kneeling down in front of Iris.
She draws back into her seat, but keeps her eyes on him now, not looking away.
"Sirius faced a fraction of what you did and fled, a broken shell. Any other put in your place would have failed. Would have died. You did something amazing, Iris. Something brilliant. You did. No one else." He speaks softly.
"Be proud," he says. "The scars you bear? Wear them with pride. They are not marks of shame, but badges of honor. Every one of them is another victory. You survived. You overcame, overcame trials far beyond what any should endure. They call you the Girl-Who-Lived, and you are. Not for whatever miracle happened with the Dark Lord, but for everything that has happened since. So take pride in that, if nothing else. You are exceptional, and I am eager to see how far you go little one."
That big of a statement, that heaping of praise, from Grandfather of all people, rather caught everyone off guard and we were all too busy processing to really do much else after. A little bit of small talk and such was made but we quickly got ready to return home. Dipper did bring Dora her bag of snacks, and Grandfather gave her some parting words.
"Do feel free to return, Dora. You are an interesting one."
"If Dipper keeps cooking like this I will certainly think about it," she replies, before stepping into the flames.
Andy has a very complicated expression on her face at the interaction.
When we all arrive home, she calls Iris to the side.
"Iris, please be careful around Arcturus. I know he can be convincing, but..."
"But what, mum? Getting cold feet again?" Dora asks, leaning against the doorway, munching on a cookie.
"Nymph-"
"DORA!"
The two glare at each other.
"If you distrust him so much, why don't you go back to Dumbledore? Just hand Iris over to him again? I mean, we all know how well that went last time, right?" Dora suggests sarcastically.
"Dumbledore...made a mistake. A huge mistake. But he is still a good man, Dora. You have always said so yourself...what happened?"
Dora looks at her like she is an idiot...which she really is being right now.
"You know what happened. And it has made me have to reconsider some things. Gramps may be...well, Gramps, but he is open about what he is and has done us one solid after another, while Dumbledore...well, he may have good intentions, but his record isn't looking so good."
She closes the bag, rolling it up before continuing.
"What I don't get is you. Like I said back at the manor, you were so eager to become a Black again, and yet despite everything Beardy has done, you still seem so eager to lick his shoes. Make up your bloody mind."
Andy starts to reply. "I-"
But Dora cuts her off. "I'm going to bed. Night."
Andy stares after her, shocked. She starts to follow, but Ted catches her arm, and shakes his head, causing her to deflate.
Phoebe and I quietly pull Iris away and sneak up the stairs while they are occupied talking to each other.
I gotta admit, I don't understand Andy either.
I think Dora might actually be considering becoming a Black though, which would be great!
Maybe I can like, make a pamphlet or something, to help convince her?
...I wonder if she wants to get in on things when we go after Ripper? It would be a good test run.
The three of us plop down on the bed in our room (well, mine and Phoebe's room).
"So, Girl-Who-Lived huh? What do you think?"
She looks at me consideringly, before shoving me backward!
Oof! Fortunately, it was just further onto the bed, not the floor.
She lays down next to me.
"I think...that I want to think about it tomorrow," she says.
That's fair I suppose.
Phoebe crawls in on the other side of her, and we all go to sleep early.