Life of a Black (Sequel to Life of a Malfoy)

Reality and Dreams

"I thought I would find you here," a rough voice made out. I quickly sat up, and the candles flickered on. Across the room standing at the doorway was him. I threw the covers off of my chilled body and walked up to my father.

"Why are you here?" I asked him, and his face looked hurt. "That- I didn't mean it like that.. It's just.."

"I told you I would come back when you had taken the right path," he explained, touching my cheek with his hand. He seemed so real, and his hands were burning through my icy face.

"If you're still alive, why don't you stay here? With me, Hermione, Ron, and Harry? Why do you keep leaving me?" I whispered as tears welled in my eyes. He couldn't leave, he had just came back!

"I'm sorry, I can't stay here. People think I'm dead.."

"What happened that night? Tell me." I begged for answers. He took my arm and sat me down on the bed.

"What have you been told?"

"That Bellatrix used the killing curse on you, and you disappeared into a veil." I looked up at him. "Please tell me this isn't a dream, and that you really are alive."

"I really am alive," he said, and tucked a piece of fallen hair behind my ear. "I disapparated into the veil, and going back to the real world would have been a mistake. People knew I was innocent, but everyone thought they saw me killed. I wish I could stay here, but I cant. You need to listen to Hermione when she makes decisions. You four can't stay here forever."

"Please don't leave me.." I whimpered. He gently kissed my forehead. "Where's my mother?" I quickly asked before he would have to go.

"She's in hiding too. We'll show ourselves to the world when the time is right."

"Dad.." I cried, knowing what his next words would be.

"I'm sorry, Lexa. I love you." He kissed me on the forehead once more, and stood up. He turned around for a moment, and pulled an object out of his pocket. It was a picture. I looked at it closely and saw myself as a baby, my brother as a toddler, and both of my parents smiling. It was a wizards photo, and I was squirming to look at my parents in my father's arms. Both of my parents were laughing. I looked back up, and Sirius Black walked out the door as silent tears streamed down my face.

I crawled back into the bed, completely defeated.

There was a soft knock on my door, and I gingerly arose.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I made breakfast," Hermione replied, and opened the door. She gasped as she saw my face, and I realized that I probably looked like I had been dipped in tar. "What- what happened?"

"Sirius came last night," I told her, as if she would believe me.

"Lex, Sirius is dead." Hermione cautiously said. I snorted.

"No, he's not," I snapped. I was sick of people. "If you really think I'm lying, bring me a pensieve and you can see my memories!"

She stood there, appalled at my anger.

"And I'm not hungry. I want you to leave this room right now." There was an awkward pause of silence as she stared blankly at me, and she quickly left the room. I heard her talking downstairs, and more footsteps came.

"Can you not snap at her?" Harry asked me as he appeared through the door.

"I'm going to snap at anyone who calls me a liar, or thinks that I'm mad." I turned my gaze away from him, and jumped up. I stepped over to the nightstand, and picked up the photograph that Sirius had given me.

Harry's eyes widened as he saw it. "Thats not.."

"He gave this to me, last night." He looked back into my eyes.

"How.."

"He disapparated through the veil. He's in hiding now, so is my mother." I pushed past Harry with the photograph in my hands, and went down the stairs to the first landing. I poked through a door to find the Black family tree; just what I was looking for.

My vision grazed over Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa. I followed Narcissa, connected with Lucius, and to their only child, Draco. Ted Tonks was next to Andromeda, and Nymphadora was beneath them. Rodolphus Lestrange was connected to Bellatrix.

I scanned over the tree, and found Walburga Black, followed by Sirius and Regulus. I traced my fingers on the burnt space of Sirius's portrait, and he was connected with another portrait, Ruby. They lead to Alexander and Alexandria.

So it was true. Throughout the year, I had been wondering if I was still guessing, if I was still playing the game. How was it even possible that I had descended from a pureblood family? I glanced at the portraits more closely.

Sirius, Ruby, and Alexandria were all burned out. Alexander's photo was crystal clear, not a scratch mark on it.

I found a pot of ink in the drawing room next door, and went back into the room with the Black Family Tree. I dipped my fingers in the ink, and smeared them all over three portraits. I smiled. They deserved to be gone. They didn't have a soul, or have a care in the world.

And just like that, Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, and Alexander Black were covered with ink on the tree, disowned by me.