Genetics • Sirius Black

Chapter Eleven: We Are Nothing Without It.

With a sense of pride, Narcissa grinned lightly. "Lucious gave it to me as a gift."

"That's kind of him." Freya was very lost and prayed Regs wouldn't have to marry his cousin. Feeling the weight of all her champagne on her bladder, Freya smiled. "Forgive me for asking, but where is your restroom?"

***

"Bloody hell." Freya clenched the edges of the bathroom sink and took a deep breath. This party was taking days, and she hadn't been able to do any of the networking she planned to do. No one talked about these things at parties, or if they did it was in a clump of old men that had apparently grown in the same bloody sandbox.

It didn't help that Freya had missed every aspect of the dress code and everyone seemed to have the same piercing gaze she admired but hated at the same time.

She hoped the sweat wouldn't show through the fabric of her dress. Who chooses purple, anyway?

Looking herself in the eye, she inhaled and straightened her shoulders.

In her head, she planned and refocused.

Baring a more pleasant expression, Freya opened the door and was met with an older man. He skimmed over her face and laughed a little. "Bit of the devil's grass, eh?"

Before Freya could retort or explain, he went inside the bathroom. Offended, Freya removed any likes of the pleasant expression and resumed as she was.

***

Sirius Black greatly despised these dinner parties. Most of the time, he could hide out in his room, and be the disgrace of the family in his muggle-decorated room in peace. But there wasn't much of a choice as he sat beside his mother and some freckled-faced pure-blood from Scotland. Purposely, he slouched in his chair with the stuffy get-up his mother forced him to wear.

At the head of the table was his father, who had just finished giving a massive(and extremely boring) toast and was now contently cutting into some beef platter. Orion Black dug his fork into the meat and turned to the pale boy beside him. "So, my boy, how was Quidditch?"

He asked as if it were his only boy and only son that played Quidditch. Sirius had developed a rather annoyed look and picked apart one of the dinner rolls.

His brother's thin lips curved up gently, and he took a sip from his goblet. "Won three games this session."

"Made Slytherin proud." His mother piped up beside him.

Gryffindor did that his fourth year, and no one care, not that it mattered; his family wasn't significant to him.

His father smiled and drank more from his goblet. Then his eyes settled over to the curly-haired girl beside Regulus, who didn't even look like she was breathing. Sirius could tell his father was confused by the way it looked like he was holding in the urge to use the restroom. After a moment, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at her. "Forgive me, but I don't think we've met." His head tilted. "Are you a friend of Regulus?"

"Freya Grey," Walburg answered before Freya could then continued. "Her father used to work in the ministry." Boring.

"Grey? Okan's daughter? Shame about what happened." His father shook his head mournfully. Less boring. Sirius' dark eyes flew to Freya from her reaction. She stilled lightly and didn't change much in her expression, but Sirius could tell she didn't like this new topic. "And how is your mother doing?"

"Quite well, sir," Freya replied, voice smoothed.

"Send her my regards."

"I will, thank you, sir."

"Perhaps next time she can join us." Sirius' mother smiled politely, but he sensed a bit of cruelty underneath it.

Regulus turned completely passive, staring at his soup with distant intensity.

Freya took a sip of water. "Hopefully, Ms. Black."

Sirius wanted to know what the hell was going on. He had never heard of the Grey's(aside from Freya) and didn't know anything about them other than the fact that they must be purebloods, despite not being a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families.

The conversation moved on the dreadfully boring and painfully civil.

Slytherin, isn't it amazing?

Yes, and so is oppressing muggles.

Haha, haha.

Or at least what it all sounded like to Sirius.