Marmoris | Rabastan Lestrange [1] ✔︎

62 | EPILOGUE

"You can't wake up
this is not a dream."

★

"HOLD ON, THAT'S cheating!", Phoenix called out to Rabastan with a laugh, as he grabbed her around her waist.

"It's your word against ours, love."

That was when Rabastan's four-years old cousin Lyon touched her waist with a childish giggle and ran off, shouting for his older sister, who seemed to be the only one left that he had to tag. Phoenix watched him dashing through the doors, as Rabastan placed her back down on the floor.

"I could've won", Phoenix pointed out and pouted up at Rabastan, who simply smirked.

"Then I wouldn't have got a minute with the birthday-girl alone", he explained, leaning his forehead against hers.

Phoenix rolled her eyes, not happy about him reminding her of the adult guests that were waiting in the dining room - or somewhere else in the house. "My birthday was before summer break even started."

"But we are celebrating it today, which kind of still makes you the birthday-girl", Rabastan remarked.

Phoenix pulled away from him and walked over to one of the large windows of her bedroom, which allowed her to watch people walk through the evening rain. She murmured, "Why is it such a big deal, though? We never celebrate birthdays. Why is turning seventeen any different?"

"Because you're coming of age. Now, you're a full member of our society. It's kind of a huge step", he reasoned.

Phoenix didn't move, but muttered, "I know. Nonetheless I wish we wouldn't have to grow up at all."

"Who are you? Peter Pan?" Rabastan grinned, as he made her face him.

She nudged his chest, but couldn't stop a small smile from creeping onto her face. "Stop making fun of me."

"No, I think I enjoy it too much", he replied and smirked down at her, leaning his forehead against hers once again. "What is it that you're so scared of? Everybody down there loves you and is so proud of your recent decisions."

"It still doesn't feel right. I don't know what it is, all of it, I guess. Also I hate myself for it, but I wish Sirius could have been here", she confessed. That, however, was only half of what was making her uncomfortable. In the morning she had woken up with that weird feeling in her stomach, like something incredibly bad was about to happen. She had tried to ignore it, but she found herself unable to shake the feeling completely.

There was a knock on the open door and they both turned around to watch Regulus enter the room with a sad smile. "Me too."

She almost laughed at that, considering how much they had fought before Sirius had left, but his facial expression told her not to and she knew how much he actually cared about their brother.

"I'll go find Lyon. Salazar knows where the little guy went", Rabastan piped up, leaving the room after squeezing Phoenix' hand and patting his best friend on the back.

"Really?" Phoenix inquired about her brother's previous statement and sat down on the edge of her bed.

He followed her example, staring at the floor. "He was my big brother too. Although he started to change in a terrible way after he got sorted in Gryffindor, I still kind of looked up to him. I have done that since we were five and I guess it's impossible to get rid of that kind of a habit."

"You have a funny way of showing that."

"Oh shut up", Regulus chuckled, nudging her arm. "Also we should get down to the lounge. Father wishes to speak out a toast."

"Hopefully they won't be as boring as Lucius'."

"Most certainly not, but therefore way more embarrassing."

★

ACTUALLY IT TOOK even half an hour more until Orion Black clapped his hands and cleared his throat. What followed was truly embarrassing, as he shared the most hilarious stories of them as toddlers, but there were also stories that showed how close the two of them were. He told the guests a lot about how they seemed to sense each other's negative feelings even if they were in a different room of the house. Not once, however, did he mention Sirius. It was unbelievable how he was being erased from their family after he had left and Phoenix shuddered at the thought of having had the same fate.

"The twins have made me and my wife proud on so many occasions and I am certain that they will proceed to make us proud. It is in their blood and legacy as Blacks." He raised his glass of firewhisky. "To the twins."

The guests repeated his words searching for them with their eyes and taking sips of their respective drinks. Phoenix felt her brother give her hand a soft squeeze before letting it go again, like they had used to do it when they were little. She gave him a small smile. Perhaps she had really been worried for nothing. The sky outside of the huge windows was already turning dark and she doubted that anything would happen in those last few hours of the day. Maybe her weird feeling had been concerning something entirely different. She faced her father when he spoke up again. "Would you please come here, Phoenix?"

Startled she looked at her brother, who only shrugged his shoulders. Slowly she made her way through the guests to her father's side, who chivalrously kissed her hand and smiled. Her eyes went over the guest, which were all looking at them and her breath got caught in her throat. She had always made sure that she wouldn't stand out in any way, but right then there were way too many people observing her every movement.

Her father continued in a joyful manner, "At our Christmas dinner I got the pleasure to announce that my son, Regulus, joined the Dark Lord's ranks. Today I will be the bearer of more great news." He paused for a moment. "Jackson Avery?"

Phoenix' eyes widened as he called her tutor forward and her heartbeat started to accelerate even more. Was he really about to tell everybody about her monstrous powers? She fixed her eyes on him, as he approached her with a calm look on his face and a small smile. When her father continued to talk about her joining the Dark Lord, Jack leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "Breathe! You're doing great. Nothing bad is going to happen."

She gave him a small nod, but when she heard her father's next sentence, she froze and her heart seemed to stop. "I am joyful to announce that my beautiful daughter is going to marry this fine young man, Jackson Avery."

THE END OF BOOK ONE