A/N: Thank you for your comments, kudos and bookmarks after last chapter! And huge thank you to lanamarymack for alpha/beta reading this chapter! You can find me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) for sneak peeks, story updates and to ask any burning questions.
Please let me know what you thought of chapter fifty-one and be on the lookout for chapter fifty-two soon!
Hermione crept down the stairs from her bedroom to the first floor where Orion's office was. She stood at the door, taking a moment to smooth out her robes, before she pushed it gently open. Inside, she found Orion behind his desk, with Sirius and Regulus on the other side. They each had had glasses of firewhiskey in hand, though Regulus's remained untouched.
He was the first to notice her timid entrance into the room and walked over to pull her into a tight hug. Hermione returned the hug just as fiercely.
"You have no idea how long I've waited to do that," he whispered into the top of her head. "I replay that last day on the train again and again and I couldn't remember if I even hugged you that day. If I'd known that you were going to be—"
"Hush now," Hermione said, comforting him. "It's in the past." She couldn't imagine the hurt that he must have experienced, having her ripped away unexpectedly.
Regulus offered her his arm before guiding her to where the other two were waiting, which she happily took. There was no denying the lingering tensions between Regulus and Sirius and she was reminded of Sirius's assertion that Regulus would never forgive him for sending her forward. She hoped that wasn't true, hoping that now that she was returned they could begin to mend things.
Looking around the room, Hermione suddenly became aware that someone was missing. "Where is Mother?" she asked, feeling the air leave the room as soon as the words left her lips.
"Oh, Hermione," Regulus said softly, guiding her to a chair. "Perhaps you should sit down."
He didn't even need to say the words for her to know what he meant — that Walburga had died. The three wizards were fluttering around her though she could barely focus on them with the tears in her eyes. "No," she whispered, shaking her head back and forth.
Orion pressed a glass of firewhiskey into her hand. "Yes," he answered. "Walburga died in 1985. She had a heart attack. It was rather sudden. There was nothing that you could have done."
She felt like the floor had dropped out from under her, hearing that her mother was gone. She remembered the way that she'd complained about going to the dress shop with her, popping out to talk to Sirius without even properly saying goodbye. Salazar, what a horrible daughter she was. "But, I was so rude to her at the dress shop," she gasped.
"She didn't hold it against you," Orion reassured her. "And she never lost hope that you would come back to us eventually."
Hermione brought the glass to her lips and took a gulp, hoping that the sting of the hard liquor would shock her back into herself, but she barely could swallow around the knot in her throat. "I didn't know," she said, hating that she hadn't been able to fix this. Truthfully, she'd never known the circumstances of Walburga's death, never thinking to ask Kreacher about it the first time around. She'd just known it had happened at some point prior to 1995. "I should have done something."
"There was nothing to be done," a soft voice came from her right. It was Regulus — he'd kneeled down and took her hand in his. "There are some things that can't be changed, Hermione and you must not blame yourself for them."
Sirius raised his glass. "To Mother," he said, offering a small toast. "Who fiercely loved her family until the end."
She knew that it was an olive branch. Things between Sirius and Walburga had never been easy and she did not think that the relationship had been repaired while she was gone, but he could at least recognize some of her good qualities. Hermione took a drink, as did Orion and Regulus.
With her glass empty, Hermione set it back on the desk and began to furiously wipe at her cheeks, knowing that Walburga would want her to be strong. "Okay, tell me everything that happened," she prompted. She wouldn't be able to focus until she figured out everything that had happened.
"After Sirius made his misguided decision to send you forward —"
"You mean when Sirius had his most colossal fuck up yet," Regulus interrupted his father, needing to get another jab in at his brother.
Orion glared at his younger son. "Not helping, Regulus. We thought that something had happened to you. We knew that you had dueled openly against Death Eaters and we worried that perhaps someone was trying to make a statement by stealing you away," he explained.
"Then that traitor showed his sorry face and told us what he'd done," Regulus said, further turning the screws.
"Sirius came and told us what he'd done," Orion agreed. "It took me a while to break the blood magic vow that you and Sirius had made to one another — rather impressive that, darling —" he complimented her, making Hermione preen, "but once the magic was broken, he was able to tell us everything that you had told him."
"Sorry," Sirius said, looking at her. "I know I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."
"'S okay," Hermione reassured him. If she wasn't in the past, she supposed she would want Orion to have the clearest picture about Voldemort and everything that would come to pass. She hadn't told anyone but Sirius about how he'd died and managed to come back to life, to terrorize them again once Harry started at Hogwarts.
"With the knowledge that Voldemort would be killed, it was clear to me and my father more than ever that the Black family could not support him. We would not put the might of our family behind a losing horse," Orion described. "It caused significant disagreement in the family."
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
"It means that Pollux and Cygnus thought that they could throw around their weight. Pollux wanted us to follow Voldemort now more than ever. And, he thought if Grandfather was too weak to do it, maybe he should be Head of House," Regulus explained with a snort. "I don't know who he thought he was convincing — even Cassiopeia couldn't stand her own brother."
"So what happened?" Hermione asked, on the edge of her seat.
"Grandfather only had one choice," Sirius explained. "He disowned Pollux's whole branch — Cygnus, Bella and Narcissa. Technically Mother, too, but since she followed Father she was still on the tree."
"And then Pollux and Cygnus were free to fully support Voldemort. And then he was felled by a child not more than one year old," Orion explained. "He lorded that fact over Pollux until he died."
"Pollux is dead?" she asked. She hadn't really studied the family tapestry that much before she'd been sent back in time, so she wasn't sure if that was what had happened last time.
"Yes, Pollux died in 1990 and my father lived another year before he died," Orion told her. "And I think Cassiopeia was pleased to outlive both of them, until she died in 1992."
That stung to hear. Hermione knew that she would greatly miss Cassiopeia, who'd given her the direction and the confidence to take her own fate into her hands. "So, you are the Head of House now?" Hermione asked him. "But, we are all that remains of House Black."
It was so crushing to see how much their number had been diminished, but she had to remind herself that it was better than before. If she hadn't gone back in time, none of the three wizards in that office would still be alive.
"Once Voldemort died, we decided to look for you. I remembered that you would have already been born," Orion explained. "We tried to find Marius — to explain to him that you were important, but we couldn't find him anywhere. I don't know what the old bastard did, but he did not want to be found."
"Father made me petition for a seat on the Board of Governors at Hogwarts and once I'd done that, I was able to check the role and I found you from there," Sirius explained. "But it wasn't until you were due to start at school. I am sorry that we weren't able to give you insight into your magic before then."
Hermione frowned, but she understood. She still wasn't sure if she could ever forgive her grandparents for keeping this part of herself from her.
"Once we knew that it really was you and that you were safe, we decided to give you some space," Regulus said, with an equal frown. He's obviously struggled with the decision. "We hoped that if we didn't draw attention to you that you might not be sent back in time again."
"That didn't work," Hermione murmured, remembering that she'd still gone to the Ministry of Magic. That Bellatrix had still sent her back, a particular gleam in her eyes. "Bellatrix has a different name now. But I can't remember what it is."
"She married Evan Rosier," Regulus explained. "We are not privy to the reasons why."
Hermione frowned. Yes, that sounded right. "She knew it was me," she said confidently. "I didn't realize it at the time, but now I know... she knew it was me."
The three wizards shared a look. "Yes, we have been worried about that since you started at school," Orion explained.
"Voldemort was still able to come back, even though he died," she said, thinking about her memories.
"Yes," Sirius nodded. "It took us a long time, but I think we have it figured out."
"The cursed wizard made horcruxes — multiple of them," Orion explained. "It's extremely dark magic, where you place a fragment of your soul into an object."
Hermione shivered at the thought. "And what good does that do?" she asked.
"Well, you can't die if your soul is separated," Regulus explained. "And he's made more than one. He's more or less invincible while the horcruxes are all over the place."
"We have to tell the Order," Hermione blurted out. "We have to warn Harry. He is fighting a losing battle if he doesn't know about the horcruxes. He needs our help."
Orion made a little noise of derision. Sirius looked at her. "The Order won't listen to anything that we say," he explained. "They are all mistrustful of me since I rejoined the family and even Remus... Well, he only started talking to me again after your third year, when he was teaching at Hogwarts. He recognized you and then he finally reached out to me."
Hermione remembered the way that Dumbledore and Orion had not gotten along and she hated the Headmaster for making things complicated. For not trusting information just because he did not like the source. "We will just have to make them listen, then!" she argued, hot under the collar. "At the very least, they will be pleased to hear that I have actually turned up. They can't turn away Hermione Granger."
Again, the three wizards shared a look.
"Harry will listen to me, I am sure of it," Hermione said, confidently.
Harry. Salazar, she had squandered such an opportunity to give him a normal life, didn't she? She felt tears, heavy and warm fill her eyes until her vision was blurry again. "I'm so sorry," she said, repeating the words over and over again. "So many terrible things happened — things that I could have prevented, if only I'd told you earlier."
"Oh hush," Orion said, comforting her. "Surely you've realized by now there are some things that cannot be changed, no matter how much we wish it."
"Besides, surely you would have come clean about everything, if Sirius had only given you the opportunity," Regulus said with a snort.
She had planned on that, after she'd told Rabastan the truth. Oh Salazar! Rabastan! She stilled, when she thought about how confused he must have been to have her wink out of existence. Of course, Sirius had told Orion what he'd done, but did anyone tell her betrothed.
"What happened with Rabastan?" she demanded, wondering how she managed to keep her voice still, even if she was feeling rather hysterical inside. "He didn't know, he must be —"
"I explained everything," Regulus cut her off, hoping to stave off further worry.
It did make her feel a little better that he wasn't totally in the dark, but still, it would have been better if it came from her directly. "I want to see him," she insisted.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Sirius said, standing up suddenly. "Any promises made... well, you can't be expected to hold to them now."
"He is my betrothed," Hermione insisted.
"The marriage contract is still in place," Regulus said, letting her know the facts of the matter.
"So fucking what?" Sirius demanded. "That doesn't mean that Hermione should be forced to keep to the terms of the contract that she was coerced into agreeing to in the first place."
Regulus frowned. "We could see about breaking the marriage contract. Perhaps Edmond could be reasoned with after so much time. I'm sure he'd like to see one of his sons get married and it has been a barrier," he mused.
Hermione was upset. "I don't want it broken," she insisted. "I was ready to marry Rabastan and I don't see any reason why that should change. I love him."
"You don't even know him, not anymore," Sirius insisted. "It's been over ten years, Hermione."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, well, I think the decision on our betrothal and dissolving it should be between me and Rabastasn," she insisted, imperiously. "Father, please, I want to see Rabastan. We owe it to him to at least meet."
Hermione could see the wizards around her crumbling, each one bending to give her what she wanted. Sirius looked the weakest of all of them. "Sirius, you owe this to me, after what you put me through," she needled him, knowing that she could use his guilt against him. "Regulus, isn't he your friend?"
Regulus was the hardest of the three of them. She remembered that he hadn't been pleased with the way that she and Rabastan snuck around the castle, snogging one another. And then, she'd gone and reminded him of that fact. "He's still my friend," he agreed. "But, in this case, I think Sirius is right. We should... explore what our options are."
"I'm not saying no," Orion said, settling the matter for them all. "But, we should approach this with caution."
She couldn't help herself. She stood up from the chair, hands pressed into little fists at her sides while magic crackled around her. "I don't want to be cautious! I want to speak with Rabastan," she demanded a second time, before storming out of the room, intent on finding Kreacher and something to eat for dinner, hoping that her temper tantrum would bear fruit.