This one is a little bit shorter. The next chapter is from Sirius POV and will be uploaded on Wednesday and I technically see it as the other half to this chapter (but it is in no way ready just yet).
Enjoy this little filler!
Song of the Day: Good Luck, Babe by Chappell Roan
They observed the dinner party from the topmost floor, the myriad of people walking into the brightly lit house for one of Walburga Black's extravagant soirées. Eliza wanted to take a peek at the dining room, but Walburga had yanked Eliza by the arm and pulled her up the stairs, telling her to keep to her studies.
None of the children were allowed to attend until they were of age. Despite obeying his mother, morbid curiosity would catch them every once in a while when a word or two dropped, and Regulus would wonder all night what it was exactly that his mother was doing.
He nudged Eliza in the rib, pointing out the tall bald man.
"Look, that's the head of Magical Games and Sports!" Regulus exclaimed.
Eliza eyed the man. To her, he didn't look like someone who could be the head of Magical Games and Sports. He seemed rather normal, mundane.
"What did he play?" she asked him.
"Wizard's Chess," Regulus commented. "And a bloody good one at that. His wife played on the Harpies until a couple of years ago."
"Oh, Lysandra Moonbrook, the Keeper?"
"Yeah!"
Their excitement was cut a little short as the oldest Black brother stormed up the stairs. They saw his small exchange with Kreacher, the old house elf snapping at him once more in the name of Walburga.
"Keep it down, will you two? I need to talk to James. I need someone who has a brain cell."
Eliza looked at Regulus' older brother. To her, Sirius looked like a menace in his current state. Much to Walburga's dismay, he'd grown out his hair since she'd last seen him, akin to every muggle man recently. What was missing was a moustache, though he could grow a few stubbles here and there.
At least he didn't grow a mullet, which would make him look unattractive. Regardless, he was the complete opposite of Regulus's clean face and kempt hair that was swept back, locked into place by a pomade.
Sirius glanced down the staircase and sighed.
"You're not mooning over the lot, are you? Don't you have better things to do? Oh, I don't know. What do you kids two do for fun?"
"I'm older than you," Eliza blurted out, only by a couple of months. She bit the inside of her cheeks and then pointed to the Head of Sports. "And you see that?"
Trailing behind the wizard was a timid-looking house elf. The house elf seemed to shrink and shriek at the sight of the heads of house elves that adorned the wall to the house elves' quarters, with Kreacher showing up to show the way. Looking at her master first, the Head of Sports nodded and nudged the house elf in Kreacher's direction.
"Ah," Sirius scratched his beard. He raised an eyebrow at the pair. "House Elf watch. Well, keep it to a minimum, will you?" He slammed the door behind him
"What's his problem? " Eliza wondered. Regulus shook his head.
"My brother prefers to company of bloodtraitors and doesn't think much of all of this."
"I don't think much of it either," Eliza tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.
"You're different," Regulus replied politely.
"How so?"
Regulus took a moment to answer. "Sirius likes to talk, but inherently, he's just like you and me. You at least recognise that. He's just as…"
"Flawed?" Eliza supplied. She rested her cheeks on the top of the staircase railing. Her mother was downstairs with everyone else, chatting up a storm hoping she could connect to Ministry officials. It was all a game. You needed to know the right person at the right time.
Regulus hummed, "I was going to say he's just as much as a bigot."
She met Lily for a shopping trip the next day and relayed everything that happened. Lily did not seem one bit surprised but was still hesitant.
"I just don't understand it," Eliza said, her brow furrowed in frustration.
Lily nodded in agreement, her expression thoughtful. "Muggles aren't any better, you know. We just keep reinventing the same thing."
Eliza sighed, her frustration evident in her voice. "I just wish more people would see things the way we do," she said.
"And how so?" Lily started. "I mean, you're deep, deep in the circle. You're not really doing anything to transform it."
"I have to! I don't have the means to do anything else. At least, as long as…" she looked at the ring on her finger. Lily grimaced. She knew what Lily thought of Regulus, so she kept the two apart as much as possible. It worked well at Hogwarts, as they were in different years, but the situation would feel sour every time Regulus showed up to her and Lily's spot by the Black Lake. But she wasn't the only one with a questionable friend.
"I know that you don't really have a choice, but at some point your silence will kill someone," Lily noted. She pointed at the muggle newspaper on their table, which held a picture of Nixon and the newest updates from the East. "Speaking up is a hard skill."
"Lily, do you ever get the feeling that Snape is... different?" Eliza asked hesitantly, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
Lily considered the question for a moment before shaking her head. "I think Snape has his own demons to contend with," she replied diplomatically. "But I don't believe he's inherently evil. People are more complicated than that."
Eliza nodded, her mind swirling with conflicting thoughts and emotions. Lily was having none of that today, though. It was their day off from everything.
"Okay, say you don't have all of that, you get to be yourself. What is the first thing you will do?"
Eliza thought for a second. "I… I want to be a healer. Like my dad. Not only the doctor kind, but he sort of helps out around the neighbourhood. And I want to get rid of the stuffy wizard clothes."
Lily laughed. Eliza felt a lot lighter whenever she was with Lily.
Their conversation shifted to lighter topics as they continued their stroll through the city, their laughter mingling with the sounds of the bustling streets. For a brief moment, they were just two teenage girls enjoying a normal day in Muggle London, free from the burdens of their world. They didn't even care when Petunia was annoyed that they were a little bit late for dinner, and Lily's parents allowed her to stay over. Her mother only sighed, saying that she would lie to Walburga about her whereabouts just once.
—
When Eliza woke up the next day, sleep did not leave her eyes easily. The velvet blanket embraced her skin, and the bright morning sun was a natural light in a naturally dark room.
Let me rest for this once, she told herself. She wanted to linger in her memories a little bit longer.
When she finally made it out of the room, it was noon.
As she neared the kitchen, she could hear Kreacher muttering to himself. The old house elf's voice dripped with contempt, his words a venomous stream directed at anyone within earshot.
But especially towards Sirius.
She had no faintest clue what happened beforehand, but there was a foul mood in the air.
"I need you to clean up this mess," Sirius said, gesturing to the cluttered countertops and dirty dishes that littered the room.
Kreacher's lip curled in disgust. "Kreacher does not take orders from the likes of you," he sneered. "You are nothing but a disgrace to the noble House of Black."
"Just do as you're told, Kreacher," Sirius said through gritted teeth. "And try not to make a mess of it this time."
With a muttered curse, Kreacher begrudgingly set about his task, muttering darkly under his breath as he worked. Sirius watched him briefly, his fists clenched at his sides, before turning and storming out of the kitchen. Eliza followed him.
"I don't know how long I will survive in this household while he's here," Sirius said through gritted teeth. "What if I free him?"
"And then what, Sirius?" Eliza crossed her arms. She was conflicted about the house elf situation. "He will no longer be bound to you and betray your whereabouts."
"And then what, indeed," he muttered. They were in the drawing room, which held the Black family tree in the wall tapestry. Numerous spots on the wall were burnt, an attempt to control the narrative of the utmost pure house of Black. "I wish we weren't here."
"You and me," she muttered.
"My mother couldn't have been that terrible to you if she had Kreacher calling you mistress Black," Sirius mentioned. She looked at him, and he shrugged.
"What?"
"You know she was watching me like a hawk during the War. And she wasn't always… kind."
"She let you stay."
"Because of Regulus," Eliza reminded him. "And trust me when I say she didn't want to do anything to upset him."
Sirius looked towards the part of the tapestry where he was burnt off, the branch from Walburga Black and his father ending in Regulus. The portrait looked nothing like him, but a medieval caricature of the young Black brother whose features were more youthful than that of his brother. Eliza's hurt tugged, knowing that his life was ultimately cut short.
"He was an idiot," Sirius grumbled.
She bit the inside of her cheek.
"You know, siblings tend to learn from each other," Eliza said softly, playing with the ring on her finger. "I see it in Petunia."
"Petunia? Evans? What does she have to do with this?"
Eliza closed her eyes, counting her breath to avoid panicking. Regulus was not a topic they talked about often, especially given the unprecedented situation. "I'm trying to make a point.
"I'm trying to see it."
She sighed.
"What was it between you two anyway?" Sirius asked suddenly, eying the ring on her finger. "Surely, you weren't a thing, right?"
Regulus was her beacon of hope, a flicker of light in a world darkened by cruelty. In his presence, Eliza glimpsed a gentler side, a glimpse of humanity amidst the shadows. He was her confidant, her ally, in a bond unconventional yet profound. Eliza never thought she could change him, but she yearned to reveal the beauty he seemed blind to, the warmth in a world he believed to be black and white. Yet, despite her efforts, the poison of Walburga's influence seeped into his soul like a corrosive tide. Running away from that potentially cost his life.
"Would it be bad if I said I want to keep that for myself?" she asked Sirius.
"Okay fine," his face went blank. "Just… go shopping for food. I'll wait for Remus."
"Sirius," Eliza wanted to reach for his hand, but when their hands brushed, he jerked it away as he stomped up the stairs and shut the door behind him. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes.
She needed fresh air.
And that fresh air turned into a trip to the Leaky Cauldron.
Eliza sat at a dimly lit corner table in the Leaky Cauldron, her mind swirling with thoughts of Sirius. She absently stirred her tea, lost in her thoughts, when a voice interrupted her reverie.
"Mind if I join you?"
Startled, Eliza looked up to see Cade standing before her, a friendly smile on her lips.
"Of course, Cade," Eliza replied, gesturing for her to take a seat. "What brings you here?"
Cade settled into the chair opposite Eliza, his gaze curious but warm. "A little shopping. I couldn't help but notice you looked a bit preoccupied," she said, leaning forward slightly. "Is everything alright?"
Eliza hesitated for a moment.
"It's... complicated," she admitted, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "I'm trying to help a friend, but I'm not sure where to start."
Cade nodded sympathetically.
"I may not know the specifics of your situation, but I do know a thing or two about navigating the bureaucracy of the Ministry," she said cryptically. "If you're looking to build a solid case, I might be able to point you in the right direction."
Intrigued, Eliza leaned in closer, her interest piqued. "You could?"
Cade nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Let's just say I know a few people who might be able to help."
Over the next hour, Eliza and Cade delved into a detailed discussion about the inner workings of the Ministry, who was in charge of what, and who could be bribed to get something going faster. To Eliza's surprise, many of the names were former members of the Slug Club.
And it all clicked into place.
Cade smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Anytime, Eliza. You know, I'm having a small get-together soon. I'll send you an owl, and I can get those people in the room."
"Gladly," Eliza nodded her head.
"You won't tell me what this is for, do you?"
Eliza shook her head, "No."
"And do bring that dear husband of yours," she added. "I swear, no one believes me!"
She clenched her fist a little. She didn't want to lie to Cade, but she would have to for now.