Cinders and Magic (Harry Potter/Worst Witch Crossover)

Family Tensions

"Getting one's letter, attending Hogwarts. It's supposed to be a more magical moment than this."

Hermione felt Esme squeeze her shoulder to reassure her, yet her older step-sister's words from the day before stuck with her as she observed her father and stepmother, noting the tension between the two. She swallowed back nausea, noticing how the tension went over Ethel and Sybil's heads as Ethel held her chin high, and Ursula fussed over, making sure Sybil, with her red cloak, remained as neat as a pin.

"Do we really have to take Muggle transportation?" Ethel sighed, sending a dirty look her stepfather's way as Hermione cringed, swallowing again.

"Indeed," Ursula snapped. "What will your mother and father think?"

"I'd think you'd have realized by now I honestly don't care what they think anymore," Regulus responded, while Sybil glanced up, tilting her head, having caught onto the tone of voice between the two. She lifted her tiny hands, latching onto his arms, drawing his attention, and bringing a smile to his face as he ruffled her head.

"Don't do that. Esme just finished Sybil's hair."

"Actually," Esme started to say but then stopped, shaking her head, not revealing that Regulus took over the task yet again while taking his hand to manage Hermione's brown curls before they headed out.

"Goodness knows, you may have inherited the color from your mother, but you've got the unfortunate luck of inheriting this from my side," he'd said, his hair pulled back into a ponytail to keep it from snarling like Hermione's did.

"You were going to say, Esme?"

"Never mind, Mother," Esme said, not looking her in the eye; the tension between their parents remained throughout the entire bus ride, even when they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Ah. It's the Young Lord Black, isn't it," the barkeep stated the moment they entered, resulting in her father flinching and all eyes drawing towards him.

"Didn't expect him to patronage such a lowly establishment," one of the patrons said.

"Probably Apparated his lot nearby, not caring if a Muggle saw them," another replied.

Ursula reached out, grabbing his arm, tugging him towards the back, her mouth twisted into a scowl as Hermione followed, her father's hand reaching out to grab onto Sybil's hand, his gray eyes attempting to avoid eye contact. "This..."

"Ignore them." The barkeep interrupted her, nodding his head. "Are you meeting that brother of yours?"

"Sirius?" Hermione watched the tension fall from her father's face. "Sirius is here?"

"With his god..."

"You're not," Ursula said, reaching up to grab Regulus' ear, resulting in a yelp from her father. "...talking to that Blood Traitor."

"Blood what?"

"Never you mind," Esme said, gently touching Sybil's shoulders, biting down on her lip lightly with Ethel kept her chin in the air, but when they arrived in what appeared to be a back alleyway—

Hermione watched Ethel finally falter, her jaw dropping as Ursula lay into Regulus, speaking low so nobody could hear, her finger poking into his chest. At the same time, he massaged the ear she'd just pulled. "This! This is why, Regulus Arcturus Black, we should have taken the Floo like normal wizarding folk, but you're absolutely not to speak to that, that..."

"It's my business whether I do or not," he snapped, pulling out his wand and tapping the bricks, resulting in the wall opening up and revealing a secret street filled with all sorts of shops as Ethel, despite her normal haughty demeanor and Sybil let out sounds of awe.