legendi euis vitam

𝟙𝟠⏐through the trapdoor

"So Cori, what do you think of all of this?" Remus asks his goddaughter as they eat their dinner. Cordelia had convinced Regulus and Severus to join them at the table and Remus was happy that Sirius was holding his tongue. While the Black brothers hadn't publically gotten along; Sirius was protective of his brother in private.

"What do I think of all Uncle Remus?" Cordelia asks innocently, twisting the fork in her salad. She hadn't wanted anything more at the moment because her stomach wasn't feeling right but her father had pointed out she needed to eat.

"Of reading the books and the revelations that are happening?" Remus questions, narrowing his eyes at his cub. "People's reactions are bothering you aren't they?" He asks; gaining the attention of Lily and James who had been having a muted conversation. Cordelia squirms under Remus' stare, the wolf was highlighted in her eyes and she knew she had to answer the question.

"Can you put up a ward?" Cordelia asks, glancing at the other ends of the table. Regulus chuckles, drawing Cordelia's attention to him.

"I put one up when we sat down, little niece, now answer my brother-in-law's question please," Regulus says, smirking at the blush that coats Remus' cheeks and Sirius' matching smirk. Severus sighs exasperated, knowing Regulus was riling up the Gryffindors.

"I just get nervous when they get angry."Cordelia stutters out, gripping her fork tighter and twisting it in the salad, glancing at her mother who gave her an encouraging nod. "I don't understand why everyone is so mad if it already happened, the other Professors are angry too but didn't they know what happened in the school?" Cordelia asks with a frown.

"No they did not, in fact; I had no clue you had been in the forest at all," Severus says with a scowl. "I would've nipped that detention in the bud, for all of you. Professor McGonagall had just told me Draco was helping Hagrid with something on the grounds." He adds, his own grip tightening slightly.

"Pup, you know that we won't let anyone hurt you right?" Sirius asks, glancing at Cordelia who sighed and nodded. James glances at Sirius and his daughter before deciding that it needed to be brought up now, no matter how much it hurt.

"Cori love, even if you are punished, we wouldn't hurt you," James says, noticing how Cordelia got tense on the word punishment. "You would probably be grounded from flying or hanging out with friends, or cleaning out the animal shed at the Potter Animal Sanctuary," James says reassuringly.

"Or write lines or we'll just send you to Sev's house; I'm sure there are cauldrons that need to be scrubbed!" Lily adds with a little smirk toward her brother in all but blood.

"She's done that enough in her lifetime; I should think," Severus says glancing at Cordelia who gives him a halfhearted glare before sobering up.

"Uncle Sirius mentioned that Grandad Charlus would pull you over his knee for something dangerous; like when he found out you were an illegal animagus and I got scared," Cordelia mentions while shifting on the bench, not used to sharing what was wrong with her.

"Oh Love," James says gently, grabbing his daughter's hand. "If that ever were to happen you'd have to have endangered your life severely and even then I don't know if I would do that." He says, not knowing that his daughter had done that at least 3 times in her life. Regulus glances at Cordelia's face and sighs, motioning toward Remus who nudges Sirius. "My Dad was a bit old-fashioned, especially.." James gets cut off by Sirius who notices Cordelia's facial expression.

"James, maybe that can be talked about later and only used in a severe situation?" Sirius says quietly, giving James his 'listen to me just this once' look. James nods and turns back to his daughter.