(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I'm home now, I had an exam earlier today... these next few chapters were written in my notebook over the past few days, and here they are!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Leo

The dress robes were an elegant, well-fitted phthalo green, paired with a silver vest made of silk and a black bow tie that was currently trying to choke me. "Stupid thing..." I muttered to myself as I adjusted it in the mirror, before running a wet comb through my hair one last time, leaving it neater than I'd seen it in nearly seven years. My shoes were a shiny black with tips of polished silver, and on my finger was the Meliflua family ring, a constant reminder of just where I was. After delaying it as long as I could, which was only a minute longer, I made my way down to what we called the kitchen, which was really the dining room adjacent to the actual kitchen, where we could see the house-elves at work. Usually, my parents preferred their staff to consist of predominantly pureblood humans, but given the fact that she'd had to clear out any member of staff that might ask questions- or be able to answer any questions that might be asked in future- the house-elves were the only beings left to complete the work required to run the property.

"Leonides. Are you ready?" Her voice, as per usual, held a sharp tone. She had changed, now wearing a dark green floor length trumpet dress to match my dress robes, a pair of silver, elbow length gloves, and the same diamond choker at her throat as before.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

She flashed me a sharp-toothed smile. "Good. I'll tell you the details of our deal on the way." From here, she led the way outside to the carriage.

"Why a carriage?" I asked as the horses navigated the busy streets of London, swerving around car after car, bus after bus, without having any effect on the quality of our ride. It was something I'd always been curious about, but never had the guts to ask- I figured now was probably the time, considering I knew she wanted something from me... and that she couldn't hurt me in any way that might leave marks, at least until after the night was through.

"It has a certain elegance, don't you think? It makes me feel like the woman the muggles refer to as a Queen." While I saw what she meant, the wooden carriage's interior having been lined in silk, I still didn't see the point. Then again, I didn't see the point in most of the things she did. "Now, Leonides, you must be confused as to why I need you." Saving myself some trouble, I simply nodded. "People have started asking questions, Leonides; it has been seven years, after all. So, you attend a few balls to clear up all the suspicions, after tonight I give you the antidote, and you owe me."

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "What if I say 'screw you' after you give me the antidote? You won't have any leverage." She tutted at me, smirking- there was nothing scarier than my mother's smirk. It was a sharp, dangerous thing, and it inevitably meant that things were about to- or just had- gone very wrong.

"If you double cross me, I'll kill your friends. That's enough leverage, isn't it, Leonides?" I looked away, not answering; I didn't have to, and even if I could have found the words, it would only make things worse. Not worse for me, I didn't care about that, but worse for my friends? That, I cared about.

"Who's attending this thing, anyway?" I asked, more out of curiosity than any lingering attempt at self-preservation, and I hated the fact that she looked pleased that I was interested enough to ask.

"A whole host of pureblood families. The Mikaelsonn's, the Romaer's, the Jomi's- from Peru- and of course, it's being hosted by the Black family."

I did my best to look nonchalant, even though I was as shocked by the news as I had been by my mother's reappearance. "The usual suspects then."

A few minutes later, we arrived at a large brick building. It was exactly the type of old, but well-maintained, ivy covered building that a lot of pureblood families liked for these kinds of events, and as we both descended from the carriage- me helping my mother down, knowing I needed to fake being the dutiful son I had been before- I could feel the weight of ancient magic rolling across my skin. The wards were strong here, probably to stop anyone from apparating too close to the party; another reason my mother's carriage might be a preferred method of transportation. As I hooked my arm in hers, I saw two familiar faces at the door to the hall: Sirius... and my stepfather. Chatting politely. Together. As we approached, I steeled myself.

"So I told him-" He'd never been a subtle man, my stepfather, especially when he felt he deserved the attention- which was all the time- and he certainly wasn't interested in being quiet, right now. He looked almost exactly the way I remembered him; his hair was dark brown, eyes the color of jade, and without even the slightest hint of facial hair- though whether that was because he was incapable of growing any, or he was simply wary of my mother's hatred of it, I'd never been quite sure. The only difference I could see was that he was shorter than I'd last seen him... which couldn't possibly be true. I knew that was just because I'd last seen him through the eyes of a terrified seven-year-old, but having the size difference suddenly grow smaller didn't make him any less frightening.

"Father! Sorry we're a little tardy, my fault entirely." Sirius's head snapped around, eyes wide, and I would've shot him a look pleading him not to react further if I hadn't known my parents- such as they were- would absolutely notice it.

"Ah. Sirius Black, this is my son, Leonides Joannis." Obviously, my stepfather had been briefed on the situation as well; I suppose that just left me to play my part.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sirius Black," I said as I grabbed his hand and shook it, snapping him out of his daze. I tried to squeeze it in such a way that would be unnoticeable to anyone watching but would be unmistakable to him, but in the short time I had to do so without drawing attention, I wasn't sure I managed it.

"You as well... Leonides." He looked mildly confused but smelled utterly bewildered, so I assumed that even if he hadn't received my little message, he wasn't going to blow my cover anytime soon.

My mother dropped a hand onto my shoulder, far more lightly than she ever would have if this were actually real. If this had been the last event we'd attended, before... "Well, we must get inside. Many people to see, much dancing to do." Sirius nodded us past with an air of befuddlement, and we entered the main room, which was decorated elegantly- if a bit garishly- and full of purebloods in beautiful clothes.

Not too far away, I caught sight of Mia, wearing a pale green dress with a single line of pearls at her throat, and another at her wrist. She was chatting to some children who looked to be around her age, and I briefly wondered whether they were friends of hers, or just a distraction from everything else that was happening. From waiting for- "Miasenna, darling," My mother called, resting a hand on Mia's cheek in a way that brought her sharp nails perilously close to my sister's eye. The smile she gave her was far more predatory than encouraging. "How goes the gala thus far?" Mia avoided looking at me, looked at our parents instead- though whether that was because she knew she'd be punished for looking, or because she didn't want to take her eyes off the very real threat on her cheekbone, I couldn't tell.

"It's been marvelous, mother." From the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius watching us- and he wasn't the only one. He wasn't even the only Black.

"Cipicia, Sebastien, how nice to see you here!" Sirius's mother announced as she neared us, but by the way her eyes were glued to me, I had the feeling that they weren't the ones she was excited to see.

"Walburga Black. Leonides, this is Sirius's mother; Walburga, this is my son, Leonides."

Her eyes were hungry- and I'd know. "I haven't seen Leonides at one of these things since he was knee-high to a house-elf!" She exclaimed, holding out a hand for me to kiss. "It is so nice to see you again." I did as expected of me, then stepped back.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Black." She ferried Sirius forward- and by ferried, I mean that she most likely would've shoved him if he hadn't been anticipating this as her next move.

"This is my son, Sirius Orion Black. Say hello, Sirius," She instructed in a cold tone, gripping his shoulder tightly.

"Mr and Mrs Joannis, it is lovely to have you in attendance."

My mother smiled sharply, clearly noticing the tint of hatred evident in his eyes. "And it is lovely to be here."

His eyes darted between the two of us, but I put on the most believable smile I had. "It's beautiful, really. It's a shame I haven't had the chance to attend one of these things in a while, but I suppose I'm lucky in a way, since my first one back happened to be the best our society has to offer." Sirius watched me with narrowed eyes, and I knew he was trying to figure out what was going on, why I was acting so... strange. Beside him, Walburga looked inordinately pleased with herself, which was exactly what I'd intended.

"The best our society has to offer," My mother said slowly, as though rolling the words over in her mind as well as her mouth. "Yes, I think that's exactly what you are returning to." Her hand slid up onto my shoulder as she flashed me a smile, but there was no way I could fail to notice the sorrow in her eyes.

"Well, Walburga, we should get to mingling. So much to see, so little time, correct?" My stepfather asked, flashing her a tight lipped smile- which I'm sure was equal parts because he was worried that talking too much could reveal our little secret, and because she had very little to offer him in terms of 'entertainment'.

"As you were, Sebastien. Go on you four, enjoy the gala," Walburga said so frostily that even her smile was cold, and even though she was nowhere as scary as my mother, I could still see Sirius eyeing her nervously.

"We will, Mrs Black," Mia assured her, and all four of us made our way away from the Black family.

(A/N): So, what do you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories!

This chapter has had small edits made to it on 30/12/22 - Because for some reason this particular chapter was a mess of jumbled words, like 'leacinf ir' instead of 'leaving it'.

This chapter has had minor edits made to it on 5/2/23 - Because I put Leo in a suit instead of dress robes, and Cipicia would never have given Leo a muggle suit to wear.

This chapter has had minor edits made to it on 30/10/23 - Because I said it was the Joannis family ring, instead of the Meliflua family ring.

This chapter has had fairly major edits made to it on 3/10/24 - I changed Leo's dress robes from silver with a green vest to phthalo green with a silver vest, because I thought that would look better, and the phthalo green is (sort of) a reference to something later in the story. I added the explanation that the Joannis's typically prefer human staff to house-elves, but the house-elves are preferable to nothing getting done, and are therefore the only alternative for the night, since they had to send their regular staff away rather than risk anyone asking questions about Leo. They use house-elves the rest of the time, but only for certain jobs, since there's NOTHING more high class than having other people- particularly other purebloods- do your dirty work for you. Had Leo mention that Cipicia's dress matches his, because despite the fact that she hates what he is, she kind of needs people to see them as a matching set tonight, and what better way to achieve that then to wear matching outfits?

Had the carriage swerve around traffic rather than moving through it, since I don't know how that would work, logistically. This way, I imagine it's sort of like the Knight Bus, but less of a 'bumpy ride'. Added Leo explaining that he'd always been curious about the reason behind the carriage but was previously too scared to ask. Changed it so Cipicia's response clarified that the purebloods- or at least the kind of pureblood that she is- don't recognise 'the woman the muggles refer to as a Queen'. Added Leo saying that there was nothing scarier than his mother's smirk. Added Leo being worried about his friends after Cipicia threatened them, whereas before he just kept his mouth shut. Added Cipicia being pleased that Leo was interested enough to ask who was attending the gala. Added the description of the building, as well as the fact that Leo could feel the anti-apparition wards. Changed the first thing Sebastien said from 'And I was saying-' to 'So I said to him', because I imagine Sebastien was in the middle of some sort of raunchy story, likely about being caught making unwanted advances on a woman and talking his way out of any consequences, and this fit better. Added to Leo's description of Sebastien, including about him 'not being a subtle man', which comes up a lot later, and the fact that Leo isn't sure whether Sebastien is capable of growing facial hair or not. I also added the bit about Leo thinking Sebastien looked shorter, but realising it only felt that way because he was seven the last time he saw him- and that it didn't make him any less frightening, because as we later find out, Sebastien is the one that menaced Leo the most, at least when it came to physical violence.

Added Leo wanted to shoot Sirius a look to tell him to keep his mouth shut, but not wanting his parents to notice. Added Leo trying to get Sirius to play along by squeezing his hand. Added Leo's description of Sirius looking confused but smelling utterly bewildered, and his assumption that that meant that Sirius wouldn't blow his cover. Added that Cipicia's hand on Leo's shoulder was far more gentle than it typically would have been (possibly because she knows he's strong enough to fight back, now). Added Leo saying that hall was decorated 'a bit garishly', as well as elegantly- he just said elegantly before, but I think these are the sorts of people to overdo things in a way Leo wouldn't personally be a fan of. Added Leo wondering if the kids Mia was talking to were her friends. Changed Cipicia saying, 'Miasenna, my darling girl!' to just 'Miasenna, darling,' because I thought it was a bit over the top. I also had her rest a hand on ONE of Mia's cheeks, rather than taking both cheeks in her 'taloned hands'. I emphasised the threat of Cipicia's nails on Mia's face, though, which was likely just as much for Mia as it was for Leo. I changed Mia's response about how the gala was from, 'It's been beautiful, stunningly so', to 'It's been marvelous, mother', because again, I thought it was a bit over the top.

Added Leo noticing Walburga watching before she approached. Added emphasis to Walburga's interest in Leo, as well as him saying 'I'd know', after saying that she was watching him hungrily. Changed Walburga saying that she hadn't seen Leonides at an event since he was 'as small as a house-elf' to 'knee-high to a house-elf', because that's what was in my head anyway, and you know I love those modified idioms. Changed it so Walburga held out a hand for him to kiss, and Leo doing what was expected of him, rather than her holding out a hand and him twisting it in order to kiss the back of it, because it looks much better for him in this context if what he's doing follows the rules, rather than being more courteous than expected (although in this case, kissing the hand of a woman that didn't initiate it is very much impolite). Also, he didn't actually kiss the back of her hand, he either hovered just above her hand or brushed his lips to her skin, which is how ritual hand-kissing is meant to go. Added the part where Leo says Walburga would've shoved Sirius forward if he hadn't anticipated her ushering him forward.

Changed the most cringe-inducing part, which was Leo's 'speech'. He originally said, 'It's beautiful, really. Having so many purebloods under the same roof, it reminds me of heaven.' but I changed it to what's written above because I thought it fit better (and didn't make me cringe anywhere near as much). Added Walburga being pleased by that comment, and that being Leo's intention (because Leo knows how to kiss ass, as well as kick ass). Changed Cipicia's response from, 'So much purity. This is how it should always be.' to what you see above, because again, I thought that fit better- especially because neither of them is 'pure', but Cipicia definitely believes that even 'impure', they ARE the best that society has to offer. Added the explanation that Sebastien was trying to hasten their departure just as much because he didn't want their secret revealed, and because he wasn't interested in Walburga. Changed Walburga's response from, 'Right as always, Sebastien', to 'As you were, Sebastien', because I think even Walburga Black would hesitate to inflate Sebastien ego any further.

So, yeah. Pretty major edits.