A Broken Inheritance

Chapter 4: A Newfound Fixation

Chapter 4: A Newfound Fixation

The winter air had lost its bite by February, though the castle still carried a lingering chill, and the sky remained heavy with gray clouds. James Potter sat with Sirius and Remus in a quiet alcove near the library, ostensibly working on a Transfiguration essay. His parchment, however, was blank save for a doodle of a Snitch he'd been absentmindedly sketching for the past ten minutes. His attention, as it often was these days, was elsewhere.

Across the corridor, Anastasia Gaunt moved with her usual measured grace, her robes sweeping behind her as she passed by with Lucius Malfoy and a handful of Slytherins in tow. Her expression was impassive, her dark eyes cold and distant, but as Malfoy leaned in to whisper something, the faintest flicker of amusement crossed her face—a rare, fleeting smile. It was gone almost before it appeared, replaced by her usual unreadable composure.

James frowned, his quill tapping against the edge of the table. He had been watching her for weeks now, ever since the news of her engagement to Riddle had broken. Something about her didn't sit right with him—not that it ever had. But this was different. There had to be a reason she'd helped Sirius escape over the summer, and he was determined to figure out what it was.

Why would she risk her standing in the Black family? Was it some ploy to claim Sirius's place as heir once he was gone? Or maybe she was grooming Regulus to take over, keeping him close as her puppet while she pulled the strings. James didn't trust her—not one bit.

"You're staring again," Sirius said, his voice breaking through James's thoughts. He didn't look up from his essay, but there was a smirk tugging at his lips.

"I'm not staring," James muttered, sitting up straighter. "I'm... observing."

"Right," Sirius drawled, finally glancing up. "Because observing is so much less creepy."

Remus chuckled softly, scratching a note in the margin of his own parchment. "He's been at it for weeks. What exactly are you hoping to find, James? She hasn't done anything since winter break."

"She hasn't done anything yet," James corrected, his tone defensive. "But she's up to something. I know she is."

Sirius groaned, throwing his head back dramatically. "Not this again."

James ignored him. "Think about it. Why would she help you, Sirius? You've said it yourself—she's cruel, she hates you, she hates us. So why go out of her way to save your skin?"

Sirius shrugged, his grin fading slightly. "Maybe she felt guilty. Or maybe she didn't want to deal with the fallout of me dying in that house. I don't know, James. I'm not exactly close with her anymore."

"That's exactly my point," James pressed. "You're out of the picture now, disinherited, and who's next in line? Her or Regulus. And she's been spending a lot of time with him, hasn't she? Always whispering in corners, steering him this way or that."

Sirius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So what, she talks to her cousin? That's your big red flag? She's not exactly turning him into the Dark Lord."

"Admit that it makes sense, Pad." James mumbled.

Sirius snorted, shaking his head. "Yeah, that's exactly it, James. She spent her whole life enduring my parents just to wait for me to leave so she could inherit a house she probably hates as much as I do, or groom regulus to inherit a house they both hate."

"Okay, well then there's Malfoy," James continued, ignoring Sirius's exasperation. "She's always with him too. Smiling, laughing—"

"Oh no," Remus cut in, deadpan. "She has friends. The horror."