Equinox

fourteen

The ground below us materializes and I manage to stay upright by chaining myself to Lilith's side. I do however have to close my eyes and hold a hand to my forehead. It sincerely doesn't feel healthy to portkey three times in the span of a couple of hours, I feel like my head is going to fall off.

"The two brothers seem to be getting on great," Pansy murmurs in my ear. I look over to spot Draco on the far right but no Theo. I glance over to my left and see Theo on the other side of Lilith.

I lean my head over to Pansy's ear. "Have they ever been like this before?" Pansy just shakes her head slowly. Then in a moment, our collective attention snapped to the row of cinderblock homes that are now spreading apart revealing a hidden house, darker than the rest. I can't help checking everyone's expressions, but the rest of them are blank; only in the corner of my vision, I spot Corvus's hand flexing in and out of a fist.

Lilith moves my arm ever so slightly to grab my attention. "This is Grimmauld Place," she whispers to me, "once was the House of Black before Sirius turned it over to the Order. Only descendants of the house can reveal it."

"It's almost like you can read my thoughts," I whisper back to her.

She smiles. "I know you better than you think."

"Starting to believe everyone knows me better than I think." I retort with an eye roll. Corvus knowing me for a few months can read me like a book. Theo—even though he was my boyfriend for a short period of time—knows all my tells and how to convince me to do what's best for me, even if it's the last thing I want to do. Pansy is my best friend, and she understands how to talk to me, or more the right things to say to me.

As we ascend the steps, Corvus slices his hand with a blade and turns it into a pallet. Dipping his fingers into the blood using it to draw a ruin on the door. A clicking sound on the other side, like a lock unlatching. He swings the door open, and dust disrupts off the nearby surfaces and flows through the air sparkling in the rays of sun.

"Don't get too comfortable we're only here for the night," Corvus calls out as we all step into the house.

"I thought we had to be back by nightfall," Pansy points out.

"Change of plans," he simply states.

The door shuts behind us and that same locking sound returns. The House of Black is the most noble and pure of wizarding Britain. They were practically royalty. There are shelves upon shelves of books about the Noble House of Black in the Hogwarts library. Now, the last of the name falls onto Corvus. I wouldn't blame him if he allowed the name to die with him.

"Kreacher," Corvus calls, and a small house elf appears. The elf is older than the ones I've seen. His face is stern and angry with a long pointy nose in the middle of it. His eyes were small and squinted as if distaste was overwhelming him.

"Master Corvus," he says pleased and his crocked arms together at his hands. "Kreacher is here to serve the heir of the Noble House of Black."

Draco clears his throat at the edge of the foyer. Kreacher slowly waddles over to him with widened eyes. "Kreacher did not see Master Draco," he hurriedly says. "Kreacher will always serve Master Draco the same as his mother."

I roll my eyes. Of course, his ego was wounded by a house elf who referred to Corvus as the heir to the House of Black. He may be half a Black, but he's also a Malfoy which is the family name he bears. Even I would recall Corvus as a higher-ranked heir than Draco.

"Kreacher," Corvus claims the elf's attention, "how soon can you have breakfast ready?"

"Kreacher can have a meal ready in mere minutes for Master Corvus," Kreacher waddles away into the kitchen.