Potter's Girl / Butterfly Effect.

46. Are Finally Shed

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX;

ARE FINALLY SHED

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The tapestry had to have been at least two centuries old. Its edges were frayed beyond saving, the coloring had faded to a dull grey, and it looked as though Doxies had gnawed through it in several places. Nevertheless, it entranced Cassie, and not just because she had noticed Harry looking at it the day prior.

Her fingers delicately traced the knitted words at the bottom of the tapestry – "The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," and beneath them, "Toujours Pur." Whatever that meant.

However old and faded the hanging was, the moving images on the branches of the trees were glinting brightly and moving a tad in their tiny portraits. Most looked down on Cassie in utter disgust — she could have sworn one managed to mutter "filthy, dirty blood, mucking up my family..."

Cassie traced the family tree all the way to its most recent members, only to find a burn mark where her father should have been, and a young boy, not much older than she, that looked remarkably like her father.

"You would have been on there."

Cassie turned to see her father leaning against the doorway, nodding to the tapestry. He sauntered over and pointed lazily at the burn mark, then his point lingered over the blank area below it.

"That's where you would have been, and your mum.." He trailed off and pointed to the empty area next to his own burn mark. "But I lost the chance when I ran away from home. Damn," he added with an amused smirk, causing Cassie to laugh quietly. "That there would be your uncle. Too soft to stand up to our parents. He wasn't much older than you are when he died."

"I'm sorry," said Cassie, frowning as she gazed at this boy's portrait – she realized with a faint shudder that she shared his grey eyes, too.

"Don't be," said Sirius sternly, his brow furrowed. "He was a Death Eater."

"Wh– you're serious?"

He smirked.

"Shove off," she said with a hidden smile, turning back to the tapestry. He laughed. Her eyes landed on the two adults above Sirius Orion and Regulus Arcturus Black. "Were your parents Death Eaters?"

"No, no, but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the Wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having purebloods in charge."

"I can't imagine they were very happy that you were dating Mum," she mused, her eyes still glued to the many moving faces on the hanging before her. Sirius frowned thoughtfully as he gazed at the tapestry.

   "I see Tonks isn't on here," he said, mostly to himself. "Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her."

   "You and Tonks are related?" Cassie asked, raising her eyebrows.

   "Oh yeah, her mother, Andromeda, was my favorite cousin," said Sirius, still examining the tapestry. "No, Andromeda's not on here either..." He pointed to a small round burn mark between two names, Bellatrix and Narcissa. "Andromeda married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks, so, naturally..." He mimicked pointing a wand at the tapestry and exploding it, then laughed. Cassie, however, turned her focus to a familiar name..

   "I can't believe I'm related to Malfoy," she murmured.

   "Yes, well," said Sirius, smiling amusedly, "just be glad we don't attend family reunions anymore."