Betrayal of the Black

forty-six

CELESTIA COULD COUNT THE AMOUNT of people she trusted on one hand. She didn't like to think she had trust issues, it was simply how she was. The people on her list were as follows:

The person who had had her trust for the longest was Draco Malfoy, her cousin. Though, she more considered him her brother than some distant blood relation.

Theodore Nott, her best friend and the man she loved, was undoubtedly at the top of the list. There isn't a thing she would not do for him, and he for her.

Pansy Parkinson, her sister from another mister, and who she would die for without a second thought.

And finally there was Blaise Zabini. One of her closest confidants and partner in crimes.

She would lie, cheat, steal, and kill for them without batting an eye. If it were any of them asking her this, she would have no trouble believing that they had everyone's best interest at heart.

But this was Regulus Black, a man that less than twenty-four hours ago, she'd believed dead; a man who had gone into hiding for seventeen years, and claimed to only have come out for her; a man who had told her that Voldemort was invincible unless she did something.

She didn't like Voldemort — far from it. He had broken her bones, and he had relished in her torture. You would have to be insane to like him.

Betraying him, though, went against everything she believed in. She was loyal, and she prided herself with that fact. Yet, allowing Voldemort to dictate every decision also contradicted her beliefs.

Right now, it was either standing by the Dark Lord's side or giving her uncle a slither of trust. She'd been fucked over by Voldemort, and by her family in the past.

Maybe, maybe, because of that very fact, she could give Regulus a chance. She wasn't the same gullible fifteen-year-old she was when she met her father. She knew what to look out for this time round. If he so much as blinked the wrong way, he'd regret the day he ever met her.

"I'll give you a week," she announced.

He startled. "What?"

"You have a week to convince me why I should go on this wild expedition with you," she said.

She realised it sounded a bit silly, but it was all she could think to do. It gave her the opportunity to fully suss out both her uncle and what he was offering, and Voldemort would never have to know about it. It wasn't like she was returning to Malfoy Manor any time soon.

"You're not kidding?" said Regulus.

Gulping, she wondered if she was making a mistake. "No, I am not kidding." She stood up, making her way to the door as she continued, "I have to carry on with my task, so you better be ready to travel across Great Britain."

Behind her, Regulus rose quickly, stumbling after her. She opened the door, and he followed her out. He finally composed himself enough to speak.

"When do we leave?" he asked.

"If the boys have finished their floors, then now," she told him.

He stayed silent behind her, processing her words and all that they meant. She descended the stairs, and she saw that the two boys were waiting in the the drawing room.

Entering the room, she didn't hesitate to approach Theo and wrap her arms around him. She needed that comfort, that stability. He hugged her back tightly.

She would've liked a hug from Draco, but they were practically siblings; affection was often foreign between them. No doubt would he have hugged her, but he'd half-heartedly shrug her off after a couple moments. She didn't blame him, she'd probably do the same if he hugged her. Right now though, she needed to be held. And Theo was more than happy to oblige.