Ultimatums

Chapter 16

Seeing as Sirius Black wasn't speaking to James Potter at the moment, it was much easier to sneak away at Hogsmeade. The boys assumed he was off to brood, which was becoming a daily pastime, but in reality he was slipping into the Hogs Head where Hermione was sipping a Butterbeer with a hooded stranger.

"Alright Dromeda? Been puking lately?" he asked, sliding into the seat with an unpractised grace.

"Shut up, dog breath. You should be ecstatic. I'm going to have to leave, meaning you won't be the only Black disgrace" Andromeda hissed across the table.

Sirius knew it was in a good nature, so he replied "Black sheep, eh?"

It was the first time Andromeda had laughed in days, though it was a wry chuckle at most.

"Loan the money in your dowry to Edward, he'll buy the cottage we spoke of. Move your non essential things in as discreetly as possible, but quickly, and then when you're showing even slightly, you go. No note, no word to Bella, no trace, no nothing. You go off the map" speaking in a hushed whisper, Hermione circled the rim of her cup with a trembling finger.

Andromeda nodded sharply, and Sirius decided to change the depressing topic.

"What names are we thinking?"

"Nymphadora for a girl, Alexander for a boy" Andromeda grinned "Alexander's Ted's dad, and no way am I calling my baby Druella. Salazar knows how awful that name would be"

"And you think Nymphadora is safe? I'd off myself if that's what my name was. Pray to Merlin that that baby is a boy"

"Don't be so cruel to your unborn cousin, I hope it's a girl just to spite you" Andromeda stuck out her tongue quickly, before rising and pulling out a letter with a flourish. "Give this to Cissa will you?"

"She won't read it" a gruff voice said from the bar, and Sirius looked up to see a worse for wear Dumbledore.

Before he could question why the headmaster was in the pub, Andromeda asked "what do you mean Aberforth?"

"My brother left a note. I was angry and hurt, so I tore it up. Never reached out. She won't read it"

The man polished cups and tankards with a slight increase of aggression.

"I have faith in her, my sister. She'll come around. She has to" Andromeda said with a tight smile, tucking her chair in, the wood screeching across the floor.

"Oh I never forgave Albus. I moved on, but I never forgave him. She won't accept a note. We live ten minutes away, and me and my brother haven't spoken in months and that was only for Yule." Aberforth scoffed.

"Narcissa is no Dumbledore, sir. I believe she'll be... mature" and with that Andromeda left, and that was the last time she stepped foot in Hogsmeade in years.

☏

Narcissa sat next to Bellatrix in the older girl's dormitory, brooding with a scowl not dissimilar to Sirius's, who was doing the same in the Gryffindor tower earlier that morning.

"What's wrong Cissy? You're not listening to my story about the vile second years I hexed" Bellatrix pouted, examining the girl's face intently.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just something Andy said"

Narcissa seriously contemplated whether to tell her sister's secret. It would surely get Andromeda disowned immediately, but was that a bad thing? She would get the freedom she craved, and her family would be spared the embarrassment. It was selfish, she knew, and the part of her that cared for Andromeda pleaded for her to reconsider. She did. For now.

"And what was that?"

"Uh... something about her wedding. How she hates the blue napkins Mother bought and will go with green" Narcissa spoke rapidly.

Bellatrix yawned dramatically "I'll just let Mother plan everything. I don't even want to marry, it's highly caging. But I suppose Lestrange could be worse. I could be marrying Longbottom!" 

A knock on the door revealed Hermione with a letter in hand. "Cissa, a friend asked me to pass this to you"

"I'm not reading it. Burn it"

"Who's it from?" Bellatrix asked.

"An admirer. A Ravenclaw, quite pretty actually"

"Confringo" Narcissa exploded the letter, and the smouldering pieces floated to the floor, the message lost.

"Good. Though I don't see why you can't have a little fun, Cissy.
☏

"Evans! What're you doing here? Rethought my earlier suggestions?" James asked hopefully as he swung open his dorm door.

"No, Potter, I will not have a picnic with you. I would like to talk to Sirius"

James frowned at the mention of his friend "He's not here. He's still being sulky. Will only talk to Remus, the two of them are off somewhere."

"Any idea?"

"Sorry Evans. For what it's worth, you were right you know. His family isn't good for him."

"So why do you allow Hermione to basically live with them?" Lily asked, folding her arms expecting James to falter.

"She can do what she wants. I told her what I thought, she didn't listen. Plus, we aren't so much siblings anymore anyway. She prefers the Snakes" he shrugged, not showing the slightest care.

"She cares what you think Potter. It's just that the Blacks have shown her the love at Hogwarts that you fail to. She doesn't trust you, but she loves you unconditionally." Lily responded quietly, walking down the stairs swiftly.

James scoffed and slammed the door, not believing Lily for a second.

"Pete? Where's Sirius. I know he told you where he and Remus were going."

Peter looked up and sighed "I can't tell you James, trust me, you don't want to know"

"What do you mean I don't want to know?"

"Where they are, what they're most likely doing, it's not something I think you'd like to know. So I won't tell you." Peter took one look at James's expression, murderous at best, and basically ran out of the room.

{A/N}

So. The next chapters are Nita and Reg in their fourth year and the Marauders are in their fifth. Just to clear things up ☟︎

In this story, Bella is still a supremacist, but she really tips over the edge when she meets Riddle, call it infatuation.

You may see quite a bit of hate towards some of your favourite characters, but I'm going redeem most of them don't worry.

And finally, LGBTG+ relationships involved. Any hate isn't accepted.

Enjoy ;)