A Pureblood's Guide to Dating The Brothers Black

Chapter 8: Eavesdropping

October 1st, 1977

With her back pressed against the trunk of the tree and her body situated on a rather large and comfortable branch, she began to read one of the novels she had smuggled in this year—Jane Eyre. It was a story about Jane and her life struggles, her tragic life of falling in love with a man who was married to another, and her abandonment of Roche, including her trying to find another man—a clergyman and her cousin.

Colette often wondered if the story was written by a witch, considering that Jane hears Rochester one night in the moors. Not to mention the whole cousins marrying cousins ordeal, which just had the Lestranges, Blacks, and Gaunts written all over it.

The warm autumn sun kissed her cheeks. The courtyard was empty for the most part. Several students lounged around, their bags and cloaks acting as blankets to protect them from the damp Scottish dew. Colette had shed her robes and bag, leaving them right at the tree's base as she climbed up high onto the branches.

Heaven.

"Lils!" a familiar voice shouted, disrupting her peace.

Glancing up from her novel, a groan slipped her lips. Severus and the Gryffindor Head Girl—Lily Evans—were hurrying towards the stone bench beneath her tree limb.

"But we're supposed to be friends," Severus looked towards the witch. "Best friends?"

"We are, Sev, but you know I don't like the people you hang around with!"

Colette furrowed her brow. A part of her took great offense to that, considering Severus mostly hung out with her and Esme. Okay, a little lie there. He did tend to find himself more and more with Evan (her brother), Burke, Wilkes, and Mulciber.

"They are harmless," Severus said. "Esme and Colette are—"

"I am not talking about the younger Avery and Rosier!" Evans snapped, "I am talking about Burke and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you even see in him, Sev? He's horrid! And not to mention creepy!" Okay, she had a point. "Do you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?" She folded her arms over her chest, looking at his thin, gaunt face. "Well?"

"That was n-nothing," Severus stammered. "It was a laugh."

"A laugh!" Evans scoffed, narrowing her emerald eyes. "It was Dark Magic. Do you think that's funny, Sev? Huh?"

Colette heard what had happened. It was absolutely horrible, and she was ashamed even to be related to Demeter Mulciber (by her father's side). She learned through the Ravenclaw gossip mill that he cornered Macdonald outside the library and fired seriously demented curses at her. Rumour had it that the Gryffindor witch was skilled enough to defend herself and fight off the Slytherin, giving him a nasty concussion. He ended up in the hospital. Still, something inside of her made her feel sick at the thought. That if her own cousin—as demented as he was—was firing dark hexes, then what was Regulus, her brother, Burke, and Wilkes doing?

A chill coursed through her.

"What about the stuff that Potter—" Severus said the name with such disgust that Colette almost felt the word's acidity on her tongue, "—and his mates get up too?"

She could see his cheeks grow ripe as he tried to hold in whatever emotion clouded his thoughts. She knew the dark-haired wizard absolutely despised Potter. His emotional connection to the Evans witch ran so deep that he was too blind to see that she was indeed more interested in her Gryffindor lion rather than the dungeon-dwelling, potion-making serpent.

Severus straightened his spine, squaring off his shoulders. "Well?"

"Are you serious? What does Potter have to do with anything?" Evan's asked, voice raising an octave.