astronomy • marlene mckinnon

fifteen

t.w. abuse

Ever since they were young, the Blacks were taught to conceal their emotions, hide it from everyone watching, whether they were a friend or a foe it didn't matter.

They were told that showing their emotions would make them look weak and vulnerable.

It didn't matter if they were afraid, confused, angry, or extremely happy, they just couldn't show it, couldn't tell anyone, and even if they did, they would get nothing but a blank look.

So, the children of the noble and most ancient house of Black thought that no one really cared and built huge walls around themselves, to protect themselves from the people around them, but mostly from themselves and the emotions kept inside them, bottled up and locked in a cage.

Just waiting to be freed.

The only time the children could see any emotion on their faces was when they were staring at the reflection, all alone, away from prying eyes.

They pushed away themselves so far that they simply could not bring themselves to put what they felt on display to anyone, except to the people they were closest to.

But, even though they had hidden themselves and everything they truly felt inside from the world, they knew that no matter what would happen, nothing could ever come between the bond Sirius, Astraea, and Regulus Black had.

Astraea snapped her head towards the door and stopped pacing in her room as she heard the sound of a door open and slam close downstairs, followed by Sirius yelling something, announcing his presence.

The raven-haired girl immediately ran out of her room, cursing her twin's stupidness as she reached the staircase.

Her eyes immediately clouded with worry as she saw her mother standing at the bottom of the stairs, with her arms crossed as the elder woman faced her eldest son who was looking back at her with a very annoyed look.

She was about to go step down when she felt someone pull herself back and she looked up and found herself looking into the ice-blue eyes of her much taller younger brother.

"Are you completely mental?" Regulus hissed. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It's Sirius," Astraea explained, her eyes returning to the blank grey. "That stupid git went out again, and decided to return while making a grand entrance."

Regulus bit his lip and sighed as Walburga Black's screams, which were loud enough to wake the dead, echoed throughout the house.

"There's nothing you can do Rea, you know that."

Astraea's blank grey eyes hardened and she stared at her younger brother for a while wanting to say that there must be and they should be, but in the end, there would be no point in arguing because there really was nothing anyone could do if they were afraid of Walburga and Orion Black's wrath.

The youngest two Black siblings had never felt more helpless as they continued to stand on the marble floor, leaning against the wall, out of sight as Walburga continued to yell at Sirius, who would shout back.

The unmistakable sound of flesh meeting flesh bounced across the dark walls as the sound echoed throughout number twelve, Grimmauld place and Astraea and Regulus flinched and immediately connected hands, trying to find the tiniest bit of comfort in each other, trying to block out the feeling of helplessness, trying to push away their fears.

Trying, but failing.

"What are you two doing?"

The two raven-haired siblings immediately let go of each other's hands as they turned around to face their father's stern and blank gaze.