England's Bloody Rose

Iolanthe Potter Chapter #2

"Come on Daddy, we're going to miss the train!" Iola Potter shouts, hands filled with breakfast bars, " I got you breakfast."

"Iola, my life, my star," Sirius begins, "I love you very dearly, but it's only 9:00. We will make it on time. Just let me wake up in peace."

"Your kid is just like you Lyds," Sirius whined, "not letting me sleep. At least older me looks better than the first version we saw."

"Stop whining Sirius," Lydia pouts, "you love it when I wake you up. Waking up at the crack of dawn is essential to every prankster's life."

"Never Daddy," Iola shouts, dragging Sirius through the kitchen, "are Callie and Benjy going to see me off?"

"Dorcas told me she'd do her best to make it," Sirius said tiredly, "and Amelia's going to be meeting us at the station with Susan. Oh, and Augusta's bringing Neville as well."

"Why would I be bringing a child to the station?" Augusta wondered, "I'm far too old for such a thing."

"Hard as it is to say this," Alice whispered, tears threatening to fall, "is it possible Frank and I died?"

"Don't say such things Alice!" Augusta scolded her daughter-in-law, "you two are fine. I'm sure of it."

"Don't push it," Frank whispered to Alice, "she won't believe it until there is evidence in her face."

"Is Uncle Reggie coming?" Iola asked earnestly, a gleam in her eyes, "he always gives me blackmail on people. He promised to give me blackmail on all my teachers before I leave."

Regulus blushed at all the sudden attention on him. So what if he listened carefully and knew a lot of things he shouldn't know. He was Aunt Cassiopeia's favorite for a reason.

"You best not be teaching my future grandchild such things Mr. Black," Fleamont said sternly to his son's younger brother.

"What I do or do not teach my future niece is not up to you," Regulus sneers, while internally feeling strange. He had just claimed Potter's spawn as his niece. Times were strange.

"Depends." Sirius smirks, "I have it on good word he's planning on popping the question. Bought a ring and everything. Whether or not Cathy agrees determines if he comes. If she says yes, he'll be there. If she says no-"

"He'll go to his depression cave," Iola finishes smiling, "I hope he marries Cathy. She's ten times better than him."

Regulus blushes as his friends' eyes bore into him. His parents look at him with strange eyes, and his brother is openly laughing at him. Regulus himself was confused. He has never met a Cathy in his entire life.

"Seems ickle Reggie's in love," Sirius sing songs, "I wonder who this Cathy is?"

"I wonder as well," Walburga says, stern as ever, "I don't know of any pureblood Cathy's."

Gasps were heard around the hall. Is it possible that THE Regulus Black would marry anyone other than a pureblood?

It's surprisingly Sirius who makes that notion impossible. "Nah," he says, "ickle Reggie's too much of a suck up to go against Walburga and the family."

"Everyone knows it Deary," Sirius laughs, "even Reggie himself admits it. Thank goodness she moved here from the U.S. Otherwise, I think Reggie'd be alone forever."

"So he's marrying an American," Walburga said thoughtfully, "I will have to look into the families there. Not many remain pure on the other continent."

"The girl never said yes," Regulus protested weakly.