The Half-Blood Black

Chapter Twenty- Four✨

"Oh, my darling girl, I've missed you so much!" Sirius says  as he envelopes me in a bear hug.

"Dad." I say, breathing in his scent and smiling. I squeeze him tighter and hope to never let go.

Sirius eventually pulls away to look at me and runs his hand down my hair. "Curly as ever."

"Always."

We smile and embrace again before I hear someone clear their throat from the doorway. I look to see Tonks standing in the kitchen doorway with her arms crossed and tapping her foot impatiently.

"Tonks!" I catapult myself into her arms as she squeals, laughing and I nuzzling my face into her neck, holding back tears of joy. 

You meet people in your life that no matter when you meet them, or how, they make your life a better place. They make it complete. Tonks happens to be one of those people.

"Hello luvvy. I've missed you terribly. In case my letters didn't express that enough." She says ruffling my hair. 

"Oh, excuse me please while she sees her favorite uncle." Remus says wrapping his arms around the both of us. "I only have a limited amount of time anyway."

I leave Tonks briefly to give him a squeeze and stand back to look at the three of them-- Tonks, Remus, and my father-- knowing that this is what family really is.

"Well let me introduce myself, I haven't seen her in months!" A large red headed woman says. "Don't you remember me? I'm Molly Weasley."

"How could I forget you? It's nice to see you again, all of your children are very nice to me." I say, giving her an awkward side hug as she tries to kiss me on the cheek.

"Oh that's wonderful to hear. Come on have you had breakfast yet? I've just made porridge and..."

"She ate at school, thank you, Mrs. Weasley." Snape says coming up behind me. "Remind me, everyone, why we had to come all the way here instead of the Room of Requirement?"

"I needed my daughter back home, Severus. But I'm sure you don't know much about love." Sirius says.

They stare at each other until Dumbledore's humming breaks the silence. We all look at him and his eyes glimmer as he says, "Molly, I would love to have some porridge."

-

It's over just as fast as it begins, pride swelling inside me to be a part of something as big as this. 

Molly brings out heaps of food, her attempt at American cuisine is weak but I eat up as much as I can anyway. Sirius gives me soft smiles from across the room, the two of us waiting until we can finally bond again. I feel like such a different now, only a few months have passed and I feel ... changed. 

After a few hours everyone starts to disperse and I find my father, giving him a light punch on the shoulder. "That wasn't so bad now was it, Sirius?"

"Oh it wasn't that, darling." He says, giving me a sad smile. "That was the easy part. The hard parts are to come ... the parts where we have to lay down our lives for each other, where we may watch more of our best friends die. You are now someone who has to stand and fight along with us if the need occurs ..." He sighs and shakes his head. 

I wrap my arm around his back and look up into his face that mirrors mine. "Luckily, I'll have you to guide me." He kisses my forehead and leads me into one of the many sitting rooms at Grimmauld Place.

"This is the Black family tapestry. This is everyone in your family that you could possibly need to know about. Most Slytherin, exceptions such as myself and Tonks apply. There were a few more, I just never bothered to learn them because Gryffindor is better." He shoots me a wink and offers me a big plush chair. "How are you liking it so far?"

I sigh, this weight on my chest finally able to be unloaded. "I just ... I don't know. The Sorting Hat said something about me being dark ... and I just feel like I was sorted wrong. Do you think that because we come from a long line of Slytherins, that's what it meant? I'm just so confused." I start. "I feel like I don't belong in Gryffindor."

"Well of course you do, that's where the Sorting Hat put you. I would doubt that it is ever wrong."

"Sirius, listen to me. Nobody speaks to me in Gryffindor house. The Weasley twins used to but I never see them anymore. Fred will come by every now and again, but I feel like it's out of pity. And then there is Harry, but he is always running around doing nonsense. I feel so estranged that I don't even know what it is to be a Gryffindor. I'm just going through the motions." 

"I know that it may feel that way right now, but trust me they are the most humble and loyal people. They will have your back no matter what. When I was at Hogwarts--"

"Are you even listening?" I exclaim standing quickly.   What is he not getting? "They aren't! They aren't like that anymore; Gryffindors walk around like they own the whole fucking school and expect others to treat them like they are God or some shit." I scoff at how pathetic I sound. "You wouldn't understand. The famous Marauders, the golden era of Hogwarts."

"Watch your mouth around me, Lyra." Sirius warns, standing so that he hovers above me. "I am still your father and I have lived in this world far more than you, I know. Those in Gryffindor are sorted there for a reason."

I scuff and roll my eyes. "My misunderstanding of the wizarding world is not my fault. I never had a say in it -- like I never had a father." My words cut deep as I see the expression on his face. "You didn't hear what the hat said to me ... how it made me feel ..." I shiver at the thought. 

"Is this about the Malfoy boy?!" He explodes. "Has he threatened you? Why are you fighting me so hard, I know this isn't you. Everyone in the Black family has been in Slytherin and they have all supported Voldemort, becoming Death Eaters. This is not the path you will be taking. I watched my brother waste away before my eyes, I'll be damned before I let you go."

Silence falls between us. I so wish that I could tell him what I'm doing, but he's too protective. He would tell me not to, tell me to get away. At times I wish that I could go back in time, act like I never met Draco that fateful first night. That Snape had assigned one of his jackass friends Goyle or Crabbe.

But as much as I hate to admit it, it's nice having Draco around. He's a friend, a real one. And I don't have to compete with him for Sirius' love like I do with Harry.

Maybe it's better, this way. If Sirius thinks there's something going on, I'll be able to surprise him with everything that I can learn. He'll be proud of me, and we'll think back on this and laugh. If only Draco would just give in. 

I take a deep breath and tilt my chin up at him. The whiny adolescent teenage daughter is gone, now a member of the Order of the Phoenix stands before him. "You think I'm fated to become a Death Eater, just admit it. That you can't save me like you couldn't save your brother." I turn on my heel and walk away. "I'm done with this conversation."