Magic? || Years 1-5

The Trial: Year 5/Summer

While Harry and Sirius talked to each other by the tapestry, Amisty sat with Hermione and Ginny and ate their sandwiches and cake.

It was rather peaceful, until --

"You're related to the Malfoys!"

It took a bit for it to click.

She was related to Sirius through her father, and if Sirius was related to the Malfoys... well.

Amisty choked on her sandwich.

"WHAT!?"

"Oh, that's weird," George commented, thumping her on the back before she actually choked.

"Calm down, Amisty," Sirius called from across the room, a faint smile on his face. He still held by his warning from the year previous, but he knew about their relationship...

Just... not about the letters she wasn't supposed to be sending him.

"At most you would be eighth cousins by marriage..." He continued, adding on when she didn't seem reassured, "thrice removed."

"That's still weird," Fred piped up, chuckling.

"The pure-blood families are all interrelated," Sirius replied calmly. "If you're only going to let your sons and daughters marry purebloods your choice is very limited, there are hardly any of us left..."

Amisty buried her face in her hands, groaning.

Her appetite was gone.

"Oh, pucker up, Am," Hermione was clearly holding back her laughter. "You're not even blood-related. You heard Sirius, cousins by marriage and thrice removed."

"Can we just -- I don't even -- let's change the subject!" Amisty rubbed at her forehead, swatting at George and Fred as they laughed harder.

Oh, what was she going to tell Draco?

"Stop it," Mrs. Weasley scolded sharply. "Amisty, dear, it's nothing like what you think. The River family married into the Black family, for one, and they were one of the first families to break off the pureblood ridiculousness. Parker River -- the last River on there -- died before he could come of age to marry, and his brother would have been your great-great-great-grandfather. You saw, he was burned off, he married a Muggle-born, and that's where your bloodline would have followed. You're about as related to Mr. Malfoy as I am."

Amisty nodded, still weirded out of her mind but slightly reassured.

Fred and George were still snickering, but after another sharp look from Mrs. Weasley they all let the topic drop.

-=+=-

They spent the rest of the day cleaning out the rest of the glass cabinets, finding many strange and weird objects in it.

One of them in particular almost crawled into Harry's arm if Sirius hadn't swatted it down in time, and a music box that almost sent them all drifting to sleep before Ginny slammed it shut and they snapped to attention. A locket that refused to be opened, ancient seals, and an Order of Merlin, First Class awarded to Sirius's grandfather.

All thrown into a rubbish sack.

Kreacher tried more than once to sneak out any and all things he could get his hands on under his loincloth, and if they ever caught him -- which they always did -- he'd mutter words that would make a sailor blush under his breath.

The next three days they decontaminated the rest of the drawing room except for the tapestry and rattling desk before moving on to the downstairs dining room.