I own none of J.K Rowling's characters.
NOTES:
TW: Pregnancy loss
Spicier version on my AO3
Around 20 years earlier
It was the Easter break, a week before we were due back at Hogwarts. I sighed before knocking on the door of number 12 Grimmauld Place. James had told me that Sirius was here.
Kreacher, the house elf, opened the door and bowed low as I walked into the hallway, thanking him as I went.
"The Ravenclaw brat talks to Kreacher. Kreacher will stay looking at the ground and pretend not to have heard." I rolled my eyes as I heard him mumble, choosing to ignore him as I heard the door close behind me.
I paused at the bottom step, wondering if I should just leave but I forced my feet to start ascending the stairs and before I knew it, I was on the third floor. Music was playing from behind Sirius' closed bedroom door, and I could hear him occasionally singing along with the song.
I swallowed and took in a shaky breath. Nerves were filling my body; making me feel even more nauseous that I already felt. How was he going to react? I screwed my face up under my hands, this was such a mess.
I dropped my hands and knocked on the door and, after a beat Sirius wrenched open the door and snapped rudely "What!? - oh it's you Megs. I thought you were dear old mother, I'm only here to grab a few things to take back to Prong's place and I thought she'd had come home" his face completely softened as he opened the door further to let me in and closed it again after I had entered.
My eyes scanned the room and spotted his half packed Hogwarts trunk laying at the end of his bed. His room did seem a lot emptier than last time I had seen it. I spun around to face him and saw he was grinning at me before he threw his arms around me and kissed me hard, trying to push me towards his bed. Although the feeling of his lips on mine made me weak at the knees, I pushed him off me.
"Sirius," I said quietly not quite meeting his eye.
He stopped grinning and frowned at me "What's wrong?"
"I don't know how to tell you," I sighed. I was shaking slightly and tears we burning the backs of my eyes. He stepped closer to me, his hand reaching to touch my arm.
"You know you can tell me anything," he said softly.
"I think I'm pregnant," I whispered looking at into his face.
His eyes widened "Are you serious?" He spluttered.
I was unable to speak so I nodded. I couldn't tell what he was feeling - he was just staring at me, searching my face as the deafening silence surrounded us for what seemed like an eternity, before his grin returned suddenly and he said "That's great!" It took me a couple of seconds for his words to sink in.
"What?!" I spat incredulously.
"It's perfect timing really, we're so close to finishing Hogwarts and, like I've said before, I plan to get my own place in a few months."
My mind was now full of questions, shock and possibilities that I couldn't really process right now as I dropped to sit on the edge of Sirius' bed. His grin faded and he looked at me with concern.
"It will be ok," he said sitting next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders and kissing the top of my head.
"We discussed not doing this." I sighed leaning against him "We agreed we wouldn't continue our bloodlines."
"We're not our parents." he said wisely "It won't be raised like we were,"
When I didn't respond, he jumped up and took my hands in his, pulling me up "Let me buy you lunch, I know a great place we haven 't tried yet."
After spending the rest of the day with Sirius, I returned to Megera Mansion and I pushed open the front door, instantly regretting it as I heard rambunctious laughter - it was obviously Death Eater club meeting tonight.
I sighed, feeling exhausted and made my way towards the stairs, throwing my bag down by the coat rack.
"So what do you think it would take to overthrow him then?" My ears picked up on a gruff voice I did not recognise. I paused, my foot resting on the first step as I briefly wondered who they were talking about.
"I dunno!" came another unfamiliar voice. "I don't think you can - the Dark Lord trusts him. He doesn't trust us."
There was a pause and the first gruff voice spoke again.
"Yes, I know that!" He snapped "But I did hear this - the Dark Lord isn't happy about Max's last fuck up" he laughed humorlessly "So it is only a matter of time before one of us will rise up against -"
A crash came from down the hallway and the doors to the drawing room burst open before I could even process what it might have been.
"You-" the Death Eater with the gruff voice was tall and skinny, with a long pale face. He strode over to me and grabbed the top of my arm "Spying on us were you?" He pulled me into the drawing room with surprising strength.
I tried to wrench my arm away from him as the two other Death Eaters chuckled as they watched from over by the huge windows.
"I wasn't spying -" I said with a lot more confidence than I felt. I knew my father met with a lot of dangerous people, which was ironic as I once believed he was the most dangerous person I knew.
"Then what were you skulking around outside then, pretty?" asked the shorter of the Death Eaters.
"Nothing -" I gasped as the fingers of the Death Eater holding me pressed painfully into my arm.
"You know what I think?" His face was so close to mine I could feel his rancid breath brush my skin. I swallowed as bile rose in my throat and tried to pull my head away from him. "I think you are a lying little blood traitor spying for your father -"
"What?" I asked as I turned my head and glared at him.
"-and you need to be taught a lesson." He finished as though I hadn't spoken.
"Romilly, just let her go" the short Death Eater said with a slight panic in his voice "It's not worth it."
The Death Eater holding me snorted "Not worth becoming the Dark Lord's most trusted servant?"
"It makes no sense to -" The short Death Eater started but Romilly suddenly let go of my arm and pushed me away from him towards the other two Death Eaters. I stumbled at the sudden movement and tripped over the corner of the rug.
As I fell to the floor I heard Romilly cry "Crucio!"
Pain unlike I had ever felt ripped through my body. All I could see was a thick darkness, choking the life out of me as a thousand knives slashed at my body. It was an agony surely no living thing could endure but just as I thought I would die, the curse was lifted.
My body was trembling as my muscles contracted painfully in the aftermath of the curse. I managed to roll over onto my back and stared up at the ceiling, my vision slowly returning.
I swallowed, my throat raw from screaming and I slowly turned my head to spot the two Death Eaters staring at the front of the room looking horrified. I slowly sat up and saw my father standing in the doorway of the drawing room. He looked incensed, his eyes blazing as he took in the scene in front of him.
"What is going on in here?" He asked slowly, his voice deathly calm as his eyes landed on Romilly.
Romilly bowed his head, not able to look at my father's face but laughed nervously "Nothing - just a little fun wasn't it boys?"
The other two Death Eaters remained silent.
My father raised his eyebrows.
"Fun," He repeated as though he was playing around with the word in his mouth.
"Max - honestly we were just messing around," Romilly said in a persuasive tone of voice, as though he was trying to convince my father that I had tortured myself "No one got hurt."
My father's face broke into an evil smirk as he stepped further into the room towards me. Once he reached me he grabbed my arm and pulled me up. He looked me up and down as though he was looking for injuries. There was something in the way my father was acting that was making me nervous, there was a cold fury emanating from him that I had never felt before and, I was certain the whole room had dropped in temperature from it.
"Max-" Romilly started again but my father spun around to face him.
"I heard what you were saying before you attacked my daughter." he said, his voice still eerily calm.
I frowned as I realised he was there the whole time and just let them do this to me?
"I- I thought she was spying, Max I-," Romilly stammered.
"Spying for me - isn't that what you said?" my father corrected him "You think I need to spy on a worthless excuse of a Death Eater like yourself?"
Romilly remained silent but I noticed his eyes were darting between my father and the two other Death Eaters who hadn't moved an inch, glued to the spot in fear.
"You think you can overthrow me," my father continued. He was now face to face with Romilly and although my father was slightly shorter than him, Romilly appeared to have shrunk into himself.
"N-no-" Romilly stammered.
"And you think that using my family was a smart way to get to me?" My father roared into his face, making me jump. I had never seen him so furious in my life.
"No- I'm sorry-" the Death Eater fell to his knees in front of my father "I didn't realise she -"
"You didn't realise what?" My father shouted down at him. "You know exactly who she is and you still did what you did!" He looked crazed, beyond reasoning.
"Max?" My mother peered around the door "Max what's going on?" Her eyes landed on me first before looking around at the two other Death Eaters.
It was like he didn't even hear her and I saw his jaw twitch as he gritted his teeth in anger.
"Avada Kadavra" he said almost too casually pointing his wand down at the man at his feet who collapsed instantly.
My mother gasped and my breath caught in my throat as I stared down at Romilly, who was now dead. My father was looking at a spot on the floor next to the body. The silence was deafening although I was surprised that the room couldn't hear how hard and fast my heart was pounding in my chest. I had never seen someone die before. It was like my father had clicked his fingers and a light had gone out from inside the man. It was so quick - he wasn't anything anymore, no breath, no life force, just an empty shell. His eyes glassy unblinking orbs staring up at the ceiling they could no longer see.
"Get out." my father breathed. It was hardly even a whisper, he didn't even look up but the remaining two men practically ran out.
"Father?" My voice trembled as my muscles twitched painfully as an aftermath of the curse.
My father was breathing heavily as he slowly lifted his head and looked at me. Something like pain flashed in his eyes as he looked at me. He blinked slowly and it was gone.
"Go to your room," he said.
"But-" I started. Part of me wanted to run to him and be held by him. The other part of me didn't know what to think.
"Now!" He said loudly.
I nodded and hurried around him. As I passed my mother her hand reached out and briefly brushed against mine but, I knew better than to linger next to her and kept walking towards the stairs.
"Help me get rid of this-" I heard my father say sharply as I started up the stairs.
"Max, what did you do - what happened -" my mother's panicked voice was muffled as the drawing room doors closed with a click.
"Miss!?" Meepy came rushing up the stairs behind me and I felt her hands grip at my arm.
"I'm ok" I whispered, looking down into her wide eyes which were full of concern.
Later that night, I awoke suddenly, gasping as a sharp, cramping pain coming from my stomach that made my knees buckle underneath me as I fell from the bed.
Once it had subsided I managed to shakily walk to my bathroom and gasped again as I turned on the light and saw the amount of blood covering my lower body. Tears formed in my eyes as I knew in my heart that the baby was gone.
"Miss?" squeaked a voice behind me and I hurriedly tried to steady my breathing as I dismissed Meepy.
She hesitated before bowing and scuttling away, leaving me to clean up.
It had been three days since I had had to clean up the blood that had poured out of me.
I had barely left my room since then and dismissed Meepy's help with anything. I wasn't sure why I didn't want the house elf's help. All I knew was that I wanted to be alone.
I rolled over onto my side and sighed for what felt like the 100th time that morning. The sunlight flooded in through the huge French glass window and door that led to the balcony of my bedroom and my eyes fell on the small pile of unopened letters from Sirius and Lily.
My owl had been delivering them multiple times a day since that afternoon in London had ended so tragically. I couldn't bear to talk to Sirius, let alone tell him what happened once I returned home. And how was I supposed to explain the situation to Lily? I knew she pretended to understand my parents' ideals and stupid traditions, but she was so far removed from my fucked up life. Her parents would never arrange a marriage for her and have 'friends' that would happily attack her whilst they stood by and watched.
I reached over to my bedside table and grabbed the book I had started reading a couple of evenings ago. I opened it to the bookmarked page and stared at the words but not taking in anything.
A knock came from my bedroom door so gently I almost thought I'd imagined it.
"Meg?" My Mother said softly as she entered my room and closed the door behind her.
I glared at her over the top of the book and saw that she was wearing a dark green dress under a long elegant velvet black robe that cinched in at all the right places.
"What do you want?" I snapped curtly and looked back down at the book.
"Your father told me what happened the other night," she said as she sat on the edge of my bed.
My mother put her hand on my leg and I briefly closed my eyes, savouring the moment. My mother didn't exactly show much affection towards me but the few times she did, I appreciated it.
My jaw clenched as the anger burned through me remembering that night and how my father had just let those Death Eaters attack me. I blamed him for what happened and for the immense loss I had suffered afterwards.
"I hate him," I said darkly, finally looking at her.
My mother looked at me sadly. She did look like she felt bad and this softer side of her did quell my anger slightly.
"I know he didn't intend that to happen." Mother said gently and I scoffed but when I didn't say anything she continued.
"You know Meghana, you remind me a lot of myself at your age. Defiant and stubborn but, you know the more you resist the harder your life will be. Do you think I wanted to marry your father? Or that Narcissa wants to marry my brother? Of course not, but blood is thicker and I did what I had to do for the sake of my family. That's what we're expected to do."
"How could you not want more?" I said, shaking my head slightly.
"What more could I want?" She replied throwing her hands up and gesturing around my room "You were practically born into wizarding royalty!"
I frowned at that remark "How exactly -"
"Meghana, you should be grateful for what your father has arranged for you." She interrupted me, the softness now completely gone from her voice. "The union between you and Black will only strengthen the pureblood lineage and you should be proud to be a part of that."
She looked at me expectantly, as though I was about to fight her on or even agree, but I honestly did not have the energy. I didn't care anymore and besides that, I'd heard it all before. It never ended well for me to argue back so I merely shrugged and went back to looking at my book. I heard her sigh and look at me sadly out of the corner of my eye.
"Meepy told me about the baby," she said, peering into my face.
I narrowed my eyes mentally cursing that interfering house elf and then instantly feeling guilty as I knew all too well how my parents would have gotten the information out of her. I closed my eyes to stop the tears from falling and swallowed.
"I know what it's like to lose a child. I am sorry about what happened." She said sincerely.
"Yeah." I said sharply, the anger and frustration returning "Me too."
My mother leaned over and kissed my forehead, the smell of her perfume wafting around me, reminding me of being a child, as she leaned back and got up off my bed.
"Dinner is at 6. We have guests attending" she said before she reached my bedroom door. She took my silence as acceptance and she opened the door and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I knew she had come to me to try and make me feel better but as the semi-comforting smell of her wore away, the anger completely consumed my body. I threw the book I was holding across the room and watched it hit the wall and slide down to the floor.
I was sick of being a pawn in this family. My father needed to pay for what he did to me. I just had to figure out how.
The dinner "guests" turned out to be the Black family. Of course.
Walburga sat beside my father, breathlessly hanging on to his every word whilst my mother's cheeks got rosier the more wine she consumed, her smile tight and her eyes flashing periodically towards my father.
Orion sat silently in between my mother and myself, speaking only when spoken to and glaring at his wife who kept shrieking with high-pitched laughter every time my father told some unfunny joke or story.
Sirius sat opposite me in between my father and Regulus, his grey eyes staring at me as though he was trying to communicate silently with me and, although I longed to tell him everything, I couldn't bring myself to even look at him.
I looked down at my plate which was still full of untouched food as I reached over it to grab my wine glass and drained it for the second time that night.
"More wine, Miss?" came a squeaky voice from the floor beside me holding a dusty bottle from my family's wine cellar.
I said nothing but held my glass out for Meepy as she poured more blood-red liquid into it.
"Meghana," my father's voice called from across the table "Are you a house elf?"
I looked across the table at him frowning.
"What do you mean?" I asked, forcing the venom out of my voice.
"Why are you assisting the elf with her job?" His voice was slightly slurred but his eyes flashed dangerously. Walburga let out a giggle and leaned into my father's arm and looked down the table at her youngest son.
"Regulus is the same, aren't you darling? Always helping out our house elf!"
Regulus' face went scarlet at his mother's words but remained silent staring down into his dinner.
"I just put my glass out," I said, narrowing my eyes at my father who was smiling maliciously.
"You might as well get your own wine next time," he sneered, "Meepy, come here."
Meepy scurried over to my father and bowed low when she reached him.
"Master?" she stuttered, trembling as she stood up from bowing.
"Father, I won't -" I started but he pulled out his wand and pointed it at me across the table.
No one spoke, not even Walburga who fell silent as soon as he lifted his wand at me. I continued to glare at him as he turned his attention to the house elf.
"Punish yourself until I tell you to stop," he said, glaring down at the elf who immediately ran to the door frame of the dining hall and repeatedly smashed her head against it.
I continued to glare at my father as he turned to look at me, his face set and smiling maliciously. I knew he wasn't punishing the elf, he was punishing me. I felt my hand clench around my own wand under the table. Don't rise to this, I thought to myself Meepy's squeaks of pain stabbed at my heart, that's what he wants.
"Max," I heard my mother slur, looking across the table at him "Must we do this?"
My father didn't look away from me as he said slowly and in a low voice "Some members of this household need to remember their place."
I clenched my jaw, narrowing my eyes further to stop myself from crying in utter frustration as the thuds of Meepy smacking her head into the wall stopped and my father finally tore his eyes away from mine as he looked around and smirked.
Meepy had knocked herself out and fallen to the floor.
I swallowed hard and reached for my glass of wine, draining it once again, the bitter taste making me want to retch. But the alcohol was the only thing keeping me subdued. My father's voice sounded muffled and distant as he continued conversation with Walburga and Orion and my head began to spin. One of the other house-elves reached up beside me and placed another glass of wine in front of me after filling it up. I didn't even bother to look down or even thank them, what was the point?
Another house elf had come to drag Meepy's limp body off back to the kitchens but no one seemed to even notice.
My parents, Walburga and Orion, eventually stumbled off to the drawing room and I realised I would have no choice but to look at Sirius. He hadn't said a thing at dinner, neither had Regulus.
"Why haven't you written me back?" Sirius said to me as soon as our parents had left. I sat back in my chair and observed him. He looked determined but his tired eyes were full of concern and I felt a stab of guilt.
How did I even answer that? I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud especially not in front of Regulus.
"Meg - what is wrong?" Sirius' voice broke my chain of thought.
I reached out and picked up my glass and took a long sip, still not knowing what to say.
"Don't you think you've had enough to drink?" Sirius commented, raising his eyebrows as I placed my glass back down looking at him pointedly.
"What are you her mother?" Regulus said sniggering.
Sirius turned to him looking angry and snapped "Regulus - fuck off,"
Regulus pouted slightly while he pushed himself off the table and slouched off in the direction of the library.
"What's-"
"The baby is gone," I blurted out before he could finish. He faltered before his face fell, obviously taking him a second before he processed what I said. With that said, I could not stop myself from telling him exactly what had happened when I arrived home that night.
He stared at me for a beat once I had finished before he croaked "Meg-"
I shook my head picking up my glass again and sipping it in an attempt to get rid of the lump rising in my throat.
"It's fine," I muttered.
"It is not fine!" He said sharply. "You should have told me."
His tone sparked the anger that the alcohol was doing a mediocre job of subduing. I was the one that had to go through that, not him. I narrowed my eyes but said nothing.
"Can you stop ignoring me?" he snapped at me, standing up from his chair.
"What, Sirius?" I said loudly "What do you want me to say?"
"Just talk to me!" He said after a beat his eyes bright. "You don't have to be alone."
I studied his face feeling as though I didn't deserve his kindness, the concern in his eyes making me want to run to him and be held tight.
"Sirius, where is your brother? - We're leaving" Orion Black came striding in and spoke to Sirius as though I didn't exist.
"I don't know," Sirius said through gritted teeth, not looking at him.
"Well, find him." Orion snapped, turning towards the door.
"Honestly, you don't need to leave. The Dark Lord won't keep Max long," Came my mother's voice from the hallway.
"No, no we've intruded on your generous hospitality long enough." Walburga's slurred voice answered. Her head popped around the door frame "Sirius, come!"
He rolled his eyes as Walburga shouted "Now!" and I gave him a small sad smile, which he returned.
He paused, like he was about to say something else, but thought better and he turned and walked out leaving me alone in the dining hall.
The voices of my mother and the Black family grew distant as I stood up from my chair and started to make my way towards the stairs when I heard low voices from the drawing room.
"You are one of my most faithful servants Maximilianus," a smooth voice said. "That is why I must intrude on your evening."
"My Lord, you are always welcome at our residences" I cringed at the way my father's voice was laced with reverence.
"I need you to shield something for me, no questions asked," Voldemort said quietly.
"Of course my Lord, anything you require." I rolled my eyes and continued to the stairs but paused at the bottom step as Voldemort spoke again.
"I have your word that you will protect this with your highest protections."
"I swear to you my Lord, nothing will give me the greatest pleasure -"
"Good." I heard Voldemort interrupt and before I could move the drawing-room door flew open and a tall, thin man wearing a long dark travelling cloak entered the hallway. His face held remnants of being handsome, but his waxy pale skin clung to his facial bones giving him the appearance of a skull. His bloodshot eyes flicked to me as I stood frozen on the step. I wasn't afraid of Voldemort, but his presence in my house made me feel very uneasy.
"Meghana what are you doing?" my father's voice came from behind Voldemort before he stepped around him. I narrowed my eyes at him before continuing up the stairs to my room.
As I got ready for bed, I wondered what it was that Voldemort wanted my father to hold for him. Some dark object no doubt, but why?
I eventually fell asleep, my mind full of thoughts of what was so important to Voldemort that he couldn't hold onto himself which was a welcome distraction after the past few days' events.
Over the next few days, I watched my father carefully. I didn't know what object Voldemort had given him nor did I know where it was being kept. Regardless of this fact, my curiosity (or stupidity, I hadn't decided which) was ever so keen to find out even though I was due back at Hogwarts in two days.
I had searched the rooms of the house thoroughly, meticulously going through everything to find something that I had never seen before. The last place I had left to check was my father's study, which he seldom left, so it was hard to get in there alone - not that I had ever tried before.
I sat down the hallway near the closed doors of his study lazily flicking my wand at the huge potted plant shielding me from sight, making its leaves fall off one by one. I sighed and stretched my arms out in front of me - I had been here for most of the afternoon and was about to call it a day when I heard the door click open. I crouched down further as I watched my father leave. He turned and looked curiously down the hallway at the leaves on the floor, raised an eyebrow and left. I waited until I could not hear his footsteps any longer, stood up and crept towards his study.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that he had left the door ajar and smiling to myself I slipped inside.
My father's study was large and majestic, dark wooden furniture filling the room, large windows with velvet curtains framing them and shelves stacked with books and expensive looking decor - and - my heart jolted - hidden slightly out of view a silver tiara I had never seen before.
I walked closer to the tiara, its blue sapphires sparkling in the setting sunlight. I moved a stack of books that were obscuring it and reached out, pausing before I grabbed it off the dark red cushion it was sitting on, as I noticed the words etched into it 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure'. I frowned; why would my father have something that bore the Ravenclaw motto? This couldn't be what Voldemort had given my father, could it? I brandished these thoughts away and grabbed the tiara shivering as the cool metal touched my skin, as though a gust of wind had blown around me. I glanced up at the windows to find them closed and shook off this feeling as a coincidence. Just when I was about to place it back on the pillow, I heard my father call a house elf to clean up the leaves in the hallway. His voice sounded close so, without another thought I quickly duplicated the tiara tapping the original with my wand and placing the fake one back on the shelf before I dashed out of the study gripping the original.
I didn't stop until I was safely in my room and alone. I leaned up against my closed door and looked down at the tiara again, studying every inch of it. The more I thought about it, I had seen something similar to this before - but, surely this wasn't Ravenclaw's lost diadem?
I spent the remainder of the holidays trying to find out everything and anything I could about Rowena Ravenclaw and the diadem. The tiara I had in my possession did seem to match the vague descriptions I could find but, there was just something so disconcerting about it. It was like it had its own kind of life force within itself and, if I listened carefully, it sounded as though it whispered to itself. Whatever it was, it unnerved me.
"Miss?" Meepy's voice came from my doorway "Master is ready to go,"
I looked at my reflection in the mirror, one last time and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. It was the night before returning to Hogwarts and it was once again time for the Black family's annual ball held at their house. Which was mainly an excuse to invite the most prolific pureblood families in the wizarding world. No one spoke about it but, the invitees were mainly death eaters.
I looked around my room once more, looking for any excuse to delay leaving. My eyes landed on my school truck, which was packed and ready to go. I had wrapped the tiara in a spare robe, wanting to take it with me so that I could show Professor Flitwick.
I sighed and decided that there was no way of delaying the inevitable any longer so I exited my bedroom and made my way downstairs to meet my parents.
After an hour of being paraded around like a trophy I had excused myself, stating I needed the bathroom, but I had just wanted to escape. I sighed as I made my way up the dark staircase, holding my long gown so that I didn't trip. I couldn't stand being around these people my parents considered 'friends'.
Sirius was drunk and currently stumbling around making a complete idiot out of himself, obviously, I knew the only way to get through this event was to drink and, I had had my fair share, but unlike my dear betrothed, I knew when to stop.
I made my way to the third-floor landing where I planned to camp out in Sirius' old room for a considerable amount of time but, something piqued my interest as stopped in front of the the open door of Regulus' room, my eyes immediately fixing on a huge extremely fragile looking book on his desk. It had remnants of gold on the edges of the pages and glittering green stones fashioned in a way that almost resembled a snake on its front. Before I could stop myself I had walked into the room and picked up the book carefully and instantly felt nauseous. There was a soft humming emanating from the book as though it was alive.
This book must be full of dark magic, I thought as I gingerly opened the book to a page that had been dog-eared.
'Horcrux' was the only word I got to read before a voice came from behind me.
"What are you doing?" I spun around to see Regulus standing in the doorway. His dark hair was framing his face and his eyes fixed on the book in my hand. Although he lingered in the shadows, I could tell that he looked quite apprehensive.
"I - I'm sorry - I shouldn't have…" I spluttered not knowing what I was trying to say.
"Put it down," he said. I noted that he did not speak unkindly, it was almost as though he was worried "Come back downstairs"
I did not know Regulus well, although I had known his family all my life. Sirius had no time for him and he kept to himself, but there was something in his voice that intrigued me so I did what he asked. I placed the book back on his desk and walked towards him. He took my hand and I let him lead me back downstairs to the room where the ball was being held.
The large room was dimly lit and a spirited melody now filled the air, enticing couples onto the dance floor. Amidst the twirling pairs, Regulus led me into the middle of the room and his hand found its place on the small of my back, drawing me closer to him. I rested my hand gracefully on his shoulder and we took our first steps together, our movements synchronised as he gently guided us taking the lead.
I noticed his eyes darted around, glancing at the couples around us before he leaned even closer to me.
"Meg, do you know what a Horcrux is?" he whispered hurriedly, glancing around nervously again as I shook my head.
"It's an object in which a wizard or witch has hidden a fragment of their soul," he whispered.
"Why would someone do that?" I whispered back wondering why anyone would need to do such a thing.
"To become immortal," he said in a low voice.
"Regulus - are you trying to make one?" I hissed at him not able to keep the shock out of my voice.
"No, -" he said, "I want to know how to spot one."
"Why?" I asked frowning at him.
"I'm finding it hard to find information but so far I've read that it's almost like the object can begin to show signs of life - whispering, humming etc," he said as though I hadn't spoken.
"But why do you need to know -" I started to say but I was cut off as a hand appeared on Regulus' other shoulder and he roughly pulled him away from me.
"What the fuck are you playing at?" Sirius slurred as Regulus pulled himself out of Sirius' grip and stormed away looking furious.
"Why were you dancing with him?" Sirius slurred loudly, turning to face me.
"You're drunk" I hissed at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him away through the crowd as some people started to glance at us.
"I don't like him touching you" Sirius continued, still quite loudly.
I rolled my eyes as my blood began to boil somewhat due to his jealousy but mainly due to the fact he had interrupted my conversation with Regulus which had left my mind reeling.
That tiara made such sounds.
I knew there was something off about it but was it a horcrux? And if it was … was that Voldemort's soul inside? Why would he entrust my father to guard something like that?
"You don't like anyone touching me," I said quietly trying to come out of my thoughts to deal with this situation.
"Because you're mine" he retorted with a heavy emphasis on the last word.
"Enough, Sirius" I muttered angrily, stopping at a long table laden with drinks, glasses and canapés. I pointed my wand at an empty wine glass and it filled with water.
"You're angry with me?" he said as I thrust the glass into his hands and glared at him.
"You're embarrassing," I hissed, becoming more aware of people looking at us.
"Oh yes, once again the eldest Black son embarrassing himself and shaming his family as usual," He said loudly gesturing around at nothing.
People were now starting to crowd around to get a glimpse of who was making a scene and, more for his own sake than mine, I grabbed his hand once again and pulled him out of the room.
"You need to stop," I said as I continued to pull him down the dark hallway. He said nothing but before I even knew what was happening he had pushed me into the hallway wall and pinned me there.
"Sirius!" I spat, trying to push him off me.
"You know -" he said grinning "You're really pretty when you're mad at me."
"Stop it," I said angrily.
He sniggered as he pushed my head to the side, exposing my neck and started to kiss it. My body instantly became jelly as his kisses sent shock waves down my spine. He pushed his body against me, completely trapping me against the wall.
"Sirius, no!" I said, once again trying to push him off me, but this time with less enthusiasm than before.
He did not stop his kisses got lower down my neck and chest until his lips were brushing the top of my breast. By now my breathing had elevated slightly as my body reacted to his touch.
"Stop -" I said breathlessly "Not here."
He ignored me but lifted his head to peer into my face, one corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. Fuck, he was so good looking even when he was drunk out of his mind. His lips pressed hard onto mine and before I knew it we were kissing passionately. I couldn't stop myself. I always gave in to him despite myself and against my better judgement. All thoughts of Horcruxes gone, I wrapped my arms around his neck pushing our bodies even closer as I felt his hands grab my waist.