“Sirius, Darling!”
Sirius froze.
He hoped he hadn’t heard right.
It was a day after the big Halloween feast and November hit the castle with cold rain and foggy mornings. James and Sirius had just gotten up from the Gryffindor table under a grey and cloudy enchanted ceiling when he heard his cousin Narcissa call for him.
She hadn’t done this in quite some time, calling out for him in public. The last time in September hadn’t ended well, they both remembered, and Sirius knew his cousin didn’t want to make a scene in public – ever.
Before he knew Narcissa placed a well-manicured hand on his shoulder to force him around.
“There you are, silly.” She laughed.
“What do you want, Cissy?” Sirius mumbled. He felt uncomfortable, as if his mother could somehow see through Narcissas eyes and judge him. His parents hadn’t responded to any of his letters if he didn’t count the letter from his mother at the beginning of term, where she had come up with a list of socially acceptable families in Gryffindor house. It hadn’t been many altogether, her list of whom to stay away from had been considerably longer. Sirius had read the list to James, and they had both laughed about it. It had taken the gravity off Sirius’s chest.
But now, with his cousin smiling down at him in her own terrifying way of sweetness and cruelty, he felt the weight on his shoulders again.
Narcissa threw a charming smile at James and steered Sirius away from Gryffindor table, into the Great Hall.
“I’ll just borrow him for a teeny second”, she chirped over her shoulder and some moments later Sirius found himself strolling through the inner courtyard.
“We need to discuss your birthday arrangements.”
Sirius tried to stop and look at his cousin in shock, but she still held tight to his arm and dragged him on it what seemed to be a noncommittal stroll between family.
“It’s so terribly inconvenient you being a Gryffindor. It makes my earlier plans impossible, a nice cream tea in the Slytherin common room. Of course I must reconsider the guest list now. We just make it exclusive, family only. Well, and of course Lucius.”
She giggled, and Sirius’s eyes widened at the prospect of spending his twelfth birthday in the presence of Lucius slimeball Malfoy.
He finally shrugged Narcissa’s hand off and stopped his paces.
“What if I don’t want to spend my birthday with you?”
Narcissa almost smiled at his silliness, but she controlled herself perfectly.
“It is expected of you, silly.”
“Well, I don’t care.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I am not thrilled by the perspective as well, but there are rules in society and we must obey.”
“Here you two are. What’s the matter? I thought you’d wait for me Cissy.”
Andromeda walked towards them, her long dark hair so unlike Cissy’s waving behind her.
“I am not spending my birthday with you.”
Sirius felt trapped by the older girls and knew he sounded childish but he wanted to make his point very clear.
Andromeda just ruffled his hair and laughed.
“Of course you don’t. We are these old and uncool cousins and you want to spend time with your young and cool friends. I get it. But can we not even have lunch together or something?”
“You weren’t there for any of my birthdays ever, because you were here, at Hogwarts the past years. So why fuss about it now?”
Sirius crossed his arms before his chest defiantly.
The two sisters shared looks. Finally, Cissy spoke. Her voice now more harsh and snappish than the usual sickening sweet voice of hers.
“Auntie asked for it. She told us to introduce you to more proper peers.” She screwed up her nose.
“Or at least show that you are still part of the family and that everything is perfectly in order.”
“Of course I’m part of the – wait, she owled you? More than once?”
Again, his cousins shared looks.
“Look, Sirius”, Andromeda started softly.
But he had pushed past the two girls.
“I am not spending my birthday with you at some boring afternoon tea!”
“Of course, sweetie, you’re busy.” Narcissa quickly looked around the courtyard to see if anyone worthwhile could see Sirius’s outburst.
He just scoffed and stormed off.
“Yah, busy switching your breakfast with troll bogey”, he muttered while running past the wyvern well.
“Teenage boys.” Cissy shook her head as the two sisters watched their cousin stomp off.
Andromeda just smiled.