Beginnings
Andromeda’s Pov:
They had to deal with the ministry for two hours straight.
After about a million questions, a lot of Narcissa’s fake crying, roughly twenty ministry officials, and a concerning amount of screeching from Walburga and Druella.
Their mothers have now been dragged away to ministry holding cells to await trial, their fathers are in body bags in a mortuary somewhere.
And so far, all five of them have avoided suspicion. They now sit in silence in the kitchen of Grimmauld place, the house empty except for them and Kreacher.
None of them can find anything to say, they are all exhausted and yet not one of them leave to go to sleep. They simply sit, letting the silence eat at their souls, waiting stubbornly for the morning when the ministry should hopefully send them a letter informing them of their mother’s deaths and if all goes to plan, a second letter notifying them that the case is closed.
Andromeda, thinks that maybe they’re also in a bit of shock. She imagines that events such as these probably cause stress on the mind and body. But...all of them are fairly adept at blocking emotions and trauma until such a time that they are prepared to deal with it, or...when the stored feelings blow up unable to be contained any longer.
She assumes that at some point in the next few days when they all stop denying their pain and guilt...there will be a series of emotional explosions.
Personally, Andromeda has chosen to not think about their parents at all, her mind stays fixated on the expected letters.
The hours drag on, agonizingly slow, on and on as they wait for a dawn that doesn’t want to rise.
Dark hours, full of dread, and taunting hope just out of reach.
Suddenly there is a loud, “CRACK!” they all flinch at the noise. Kreacher appears in the kitchen bowing so low that his long wrinkly nose touches the cold floors. “Would masters and misses be wanting Kreacher to serve breakfast.”
“Merlin, I would kill for a cup of coffee.” Sirius groans sleepily, resting his head on his hands. “Actually, I already did the killing part, now I need the coffee to go with it.” he adds thoughtfully.
“No jokes. I will rip your tongue out if you tell another joke.” Reg says through gritted teeth, glaring at his brother. Her youngest cousin is not a morning person, she has almost lost limbs a few times due to Reg’s rage at being awake too early in the day. Luckily, she had enough self-preservation to avoid prodding the angry teenager, Sirius on the other hand...
“It wasn’t a joke.” He looks at Reg a grin stretching across his tired face. “I was being-”
Everyone in the room groans, already knowing what he will say, even Kreacher lets out a little sigh of exasperation,
“-Sirius.” Regulus doesn’t hesitate, she watches a smile appearing on her face as he turns into a black cat and dives across the table landing on Sirius who does not have time to defend himself from the sudden attack.
The cat lets out a growling war cry before sinking its teeth into Sirius’s arm.
Laughter fills the room as Siri tries to shake off Reg’s furry gremlin form, the tension that the silent night had brought dissipating slightly as the brothers fight.
Eventually the cat lets go, patters across the table and transforms back into a grumpy Regulus. “I told you no jokes.”
Andy wipes tears of laughter from her eyes, she was not expecting the first emotional outburst to be this.
Sirius rubbed his arm and then sticks his tongue out at Reg. “You said you would rip out my tongue.”
Reg dropped his head down onto the table with a loud thud. “That can still be arranged.” he mumbled into the wood.
“Kreacher will bring breakfast.” then he turns to look at Siri pointedly. “Master Sirius should be leaving Master Reg alone if he wants coffee.” Then disappears with a crack.
Siri scoffs indigently and mutters something about favoritism.
Narcissa smiles at the spot where the elf disappeared. “I refuse to hang his head on the wall when he dies.” Andromeda is taken by surprise at her sister's random statement. “We are breaking that morbid family tradition.”
Reg raises his head from the table to nod in agreement. “And no one will punish him. I don’t care what he does no one will raise a wand or hand to him.” he looks around at them sternly, daring them to disagree.
“Fine with me! I have no desire to harm the little toe-rag.” Her older sister stretches back in her chair closing her eyes.
“He helped us kill them, he’s in my good books, now. Even if he is a little shit-head.” Sirius says as he casts some type of healing spell on his arm. “Also, Reg, Padfoot is going to bite your ankles the next time he gets the chance.”
The younger of the two brothers rolls his eyes in annoyance and then turn to face her. “You won’t hurt Kreacher.”
She huffs in annoyance, and fixes him with a disapproving look. “Regulus, when have I ever shown and desire to harm house elves. Of course I won’t hurt him.”
“Good.” Narcissa says softly. “Kreacher deserves a better life than what our parents gave him.”
No one disagrees with her; they all deserve a better life than what their parents gave them.
Now that they have taken matters into their own hands, and saved themselves from the hell hole their parents created...Andromeda thinks that they may actually have a chance.
She smiles to herself when she thinks of the future that is now within grasp, a future where she can be with ted without the fear of disownment and death, a beautiful life on the horizon that her dearest family can be a part of.
She is brought out from her day dreams, by another loud, “CRACK!”
Kreacher reappears waving two letters wildly whilst floating plates of food and pots of coffee in the air. He clicks his fingers and the food settles on the table, then he hurries across the floor towards Cissa. “The letters miss! The pesky birds deliver to Kreacher.”
She holds her breath in anticipation, this is the moment they find out if they plan succeeded.
*~*~*~*
Narcissa’s Pov:
She took the two letters -that held their doom or freedom depending on the contents- from Kreacher with shaking hands.
The letters are addressed to the head of the house of black, in plain grey envelopes and black lettering. “They’re addressed to the head of the house of black. Bella, do you want to open them?” she asks shakily, looking at her sister across the table.
Bella shakes her head. “No flower, you open them.”
Meda waves her wand, summoning a silver letter opener from a kitchen draw, then sliding it gently across the table towards her. “Go on Cissa.”
Narcissa feels like all her emotions are on full display. The calm mask she usually dons is shattered on the floor, she feels as if she is one word away from having a mental breakdown.
With her fear displayed for them all to see, she picks up the sharp blade and slits open the first letter. She unfolds the crisp piece of parchment and begins to read aloud...
To the head of the house of black,
I am writing on behalf of the department of Magical law enforcement, to inform you of the recent Suicides of Walburga and Druella Black.
Sometime in the early hours of this morning, they were found dead in their holding cells. We assume they committed these acts out of guilt or possibly to avoid Azkaban.
We have run full screening tests on their bodies, and found nothing that suggest suspicious involvement in either of the two womans deaths.
We will hold their bodies at the ministry until such a time that your family is able to arrange funerals.
Sincerely, Amelia Bones head of the department of magical law enforcement.
I offer my deepest condolences for your losses.
Narcissa stares at the letter with wide eyes. No one seems to move or breath, her family all stare at the letter her own shock reflected on their faces.
All of them knew it was coming, but to see it in writing...
She knows none of them will move until she reads the other letter so she slits the second one open slowly, and slides the second letter out. Once again reading the letter out loud...
To the head of the house of black ,
The Auora department writes to inform you that the murders of Orion and Cygnus Black will not be investigated any further.
All evidence points to them being killed by Walburga and Druella Black, as both of them are now dead we have closed the case due to no further action being needed.
Please contact the department of magical law enforcement, for more detail on the deaths of Orion, Cygnus, Druella, and Walburga Black. They will be happy to provide you with full reports and answer any question you may have.
Sincerely, Alastor Moody. Head Auror and lead official on this case.
Bella and Siri leap up from their chairs at precisely the same moment, shouting and laughing. “We fucking did it! Oh, my fucking god we did it!” Siri exclaims.
Bella throws her head back her eyes sparking with joy a huge grin on her face. “We did it. WE ARE ORPHANS! We're fucking FREE!”
Andy gets up and throws her arms around their older sister. “Bella we’re Free. We’re free from them.” Her eyes shine brightly with tears. “Oh Merlin, We’re free.”
Narcissa turns to Reg, he’s crying silently tear pouring down his face as he looks back at her. “We did it, Reg.” she whispers.
“They’re actually dead. They’re gone?” The words come out in a sob; her cousin automatically brings a hand to his mouth to stifle the sound.
She pulls him into a hug, her own tears making shining paths down her face. “We don’t have to hide our tears Reg, they’re not here to hurt us anymore.”
He sinks into her embrace and they both sit together, holding each other tightly in their tears made of a thousand feelings.
The hope and the reality of a future none of them believed was possible, washing over the room in waves.
*~*~*~*
Sirius’s Pov:
The guilt and fear that had been eating at him, is squashed as Narcissa reads the final words of the letter.
Soul cracking relief floods his body.
He leaps up laughing and smiling, shouting. “We fucking did it! Oh, my fucking god we did it!”
It feels like he’s been reborn. A whole new life that he never thought he would experience, a chance to live in a home without fear, to never have to feel his parents harsh magic or Walburga’s cutting words. He will never have to hear Reggie's screams ever again; he won’t have to live in a world of blood.
When he leaves school, he can marry moony! And buy a motor bike. Wear whatever clothes he likes whenever he likes. He can live the life he wants without losing his family in the process.
He won’t lose them. He will live a happy life...with them by his side.
It's to glorious to be true, he hopes this isn’t some elaborate dream. He hopes that this is truly the beginning of their life without fear.
*~*~*~*
Regulus’s Pov:
After what felt like hours of dramatic emotional displays, the last of the black family sits eating breakfast.
Regulus still hasn’t fully accepted that they actually did it, they killed their parents.
It is tremendously difficult to believe you are free when you have spent a lifetime being caged. He fears that something will still go wrong and they will all end up somehow worse off than they were before.
He wonders if the feeling will ever fade.
“I have a suggestion.” Andromeda’s voice cuts through his spiraling thoughts.
“Oh?” Bella ventures. “And what would that suggestion be?”
“I know we still have a bit of work to do. Planning funerals, public statements, paper work, and hundred other things...but when that's all done, I was thinking.” she sighs softly, “We should buy a house.”
When everyone looks at her in confusion, she continues speaking.
“Bella will be our legal guardian until we are of age, we will all be living under one roof. We could pick between Grimmauld place and Black Mannor, but I think we should pick somewhere completely new.
Our childhood homes are full of horrific memories, screaming and blood stains, fear and torture...I don’t want to start our new lives in a place that reminds us of them.” she tells them with a sad smile.
Regulus thinks for a moment and realizes Andy is right. Every room of this house is full of pain, it’s haunted with the shadows of monsters, and tainted with years of survival. For the Black brothers Grimmauld place has always been a house, never a home.
Maybe it's time the children of the house of Black had a place to call home.
*~*~*~*
Bellatrix’s Pov:
It's been a difficult two weeks, they had to deal with their parent's funerals. Which were quite frankly terrible, it’s difficult to appear grieving when there was never anything to grieve in the first place.
Bella has had to deal with the daily prophet, she had to give a statement about their parent's deaths, and how utterly tragic it was. She also had to deal with a lot of paper work to claim her new title as head of the house of Black and guardian of her sisters and cousins.
It's been a strange adjustment living their lives without the shadows of her parents, she imagines that they won’t ever truly get used to it.
It will be even stranger when they’re back at Hogwarts, and they won’t have to hide their relationships, or think carefully about every word they say or action they do.
She looks down at the lordship ring on her finger, a large black diamond set in delicate silver with intricate carvings of stars and ravens on the band. It is different from the one Orion wore; the lordship ring changes every time there is a new head of the house of Black.
Technically Sirius was next in line to take the lordship when Orion died as he is the oldest male in the family, but as he isn't of age yet, the title passes to her until he is old enough to claim it.
But Sirius has never wanted to be lord Black, he was happy to sign it all over to Bella permanently.
She has named Reg and Narcissa as heirs, Andy much like Sirius doesn’t ever want to be head of the house of black so she was happy to stay without an heirship.
They have plans for changing the house of Black and everything it stands for; Bella is determined to leave a legacy that means more than purity of blood.
Everything about their lives has changed, but she knows it's for the better. For the first time in her life she has hope for her future, it’s staggering to live each day without the worry that it’s your last. The dreams she has always had for her life are suddenly all possible, the vile hideous oaf Rudolphus will never have her hand in marriage, she won’t be forced to conform to the life her parents forced on her, she will be free to marry Rita if she chooses, and she won’t be forced to have children.
Her mind drifts back to the last time she saw Rita...
Bella goes to answer the door of grimmauld place a day after her parents were killed, the Wixen world is now aware of it since the headline of today's prophet was dedicated to ‘The wives of the house of black gone mad!’
Whoever is on the other side of the door is knocking aggressively / potentially trying to break down the door. She flings the door open, fully prepared to scare the living daylights out of the idiot that dares to treat her door with such violence.
Her anger however quickly dissipates when she realizes who it is. Her girlfriend flings herself over the threshold and suddenly Bella has an armful of Rita Skita.
Bella ignores the surprise she feels at Rita’s abrupt and unexpected arrival and wraps her arms around the other woman who is laughing so hard Bella can’t help but worry for her sanity. “They’re dead!” she says gleefully. “They’re dead!” Rita places a hand on either side of Bella’s face and pulls her into a deep kiss.
Bella sinks into it, pleasure rolling over her in waves at the feeling of Rita’s soft lips on hers, sadly the kiss last only for a few seconds before Rita pulls away a sharp grin spreading across her face, as she looks at Bella with hungry eyes, her blonde hair ruffled and her red lipstick smudged. “Good morning, by the way.”
“Good morning.” She chuckles breathlessly, still holding Rita tightly. “And yes, they’re dead. All four of them dead and almost buried.”
Rita kicks the door shut, her eyes flashing with a sharp sort of pride. “My darling, please tell me you are behind their tragic demise.”
Bella shakes her head a smirk on her lips. “I will tell you, but only because I already made you take an unbreakable vow back in fourth year, to never tell any secrets about the house of black.” Rita pouts and then flops back dramatically leaving Bella to catch her as she swoons.
“Oh, my beautiful Bella don’t you trust me, I am wounded!”
Bella cackles at her words. “Rita. Darling. I know you.” she brings her free hand up to brush the blonde hair from Rita's face. “I trust you with my life and my heart, but... you do have a reputation for spilling secrets into news articles, I would be insane to let you run free with all my many secrets without taking precautions.”
She sighs in defeat and then stands back on her own two feet. “Ugh! fine if you insist.” She holds a perfectly manicured hand out for Bella to take. “You like gossip just as much as me. How many times have we hid from sight listening in on conversation no one else should know about? You're as guilty as me.”
Bella doesn’t deny her words, she enjoys getting dirt on people just as much as Rita does. "Let's go sit down and then I'll give you all gruesome details, on how we murdered our parents.” Bella takes her hand and begins leading her to the kitchen.
“You're going to be my wife.” Rita suddenly states boldly, as she follows Bella through the hallways of grimmauld.
Bella spins around to look at her with wide eyes. “What?”
“Your mine. You will be my wife.” she kisses Bella’s hand leaving a smudging of red lipstick behind.
“Are you...proposing?” she asks dumbfounded. Looking at her girlfriend's gorgeous face, feeling as if someone thrown her into another dimension.
She’s known for a while now that if she was ever to get married Rita is the only one, she wants, but the way Rita states it so plainly is throwing her through a loop.
“No. I'm declaring.” Rita smirks at her and Bella has to resist the urge to push her up against the wall and kiss the smirk of her face until neither of them can breathe. “Your parents were the only thing stopping us.” a dark look crosses her girlfriends face. “Trying to pawn you off to that fucking bastard Rudolphus.”
“Aww is my Rita jealous.” Bella mocks softly.
“I am not.” she huffs. “If you did Marry him, I was planning to crawl into his brain in my beetle form and keep biting until he dropped dead.”
Bella smiles, and begins pulling her towards the kitchen again. “You would crawl into his slimy brain, for me? I'm touched.”
“For you my darling” Rita leans close so her voice is mere breath on Bella’s back, sending shivers down her spine. “I would do anything.”
“Rita.” The name sounds like a desperate plea, for what?... Bella doesn’t know.
The other woman smirks playfully, blue eyes flashing with desire. “Trixy.”
She groans, how can she be expected to not rip her girlfriends' clothes of in the middle of the hallway when Rita speaks to her like that? Rita places a finger on Bella’s lips, “Hush now.”
Rita laughs as Bella turns away from her with flushed cheeks, she hopes that if she can’t see Rita, she’ll be able to control herself better.
Finally, they reach the Kitchen she pushes the door open, to find Reg and Cissa already sitting at the table drinking a pot of coffee.
Reg looks from her to Rita then says with amusement. “We were just about to leave.” picking up his mug and standing from his seat.
Narcissa does the same and then smirks. “Nice lipstick Bella.” walks past them out the kitchen door then calls over her shoulder. “You don’t usually wear red.”
She smiles to herself at the memory. Spending the rest of her life with Rita Skita is everything she could possibly want and more.
She will have the life she wants; she deserves more than what her parents granted her. She deserves to stop surviving, and start living. They all do.
*~*~*~*
Sirius's Pov:
Nestled in the countryside far away from people, a large house stands tall, exposed brick with bright red ivy climbing elegantly up the front, a big porch made of dark wood, extensive grounds filled with blooming flowers and swaying trees, an empty stable to the back of the property, and a beautiful conservatory of the back of the house made of clear glass and green framing.
With seven bedrooms, two studies, a small cozy library, a large family room with soft armchairs and fluffy rugs, a kitchen with a table set for five, big windows that let in light to each room making sure their house will never be drowned in darkness.
A home. A home. A home.
Sirius lays in his bedroom, staring up at the ceiling which is painted with swirling patterns of crimson, and littered with gold stars.
His bedroom in his home, that he shares with Bella, Andy, Cissa, and his little brother.
A house that is a home, safe and warm, bright and utterly wonderful in every way.
He spent his life surviving, breaking, waiting for the chance to breathe without fear dancing in the back of his mind.
Even at Hogwarts he had never felt truly free.
It was a hard life, a painful life. But in this moment, he can’t help but think that every second was worth it.
They forced their way through the darkness and now they bask in the shining light.
“All we had to do was kill our parents.” He lets out a bark of laughter, it echoes through the room a smile settles on his face.
This is the place where they will begin again.