A Broken Inheritance

Chapter 4: A Newfound Fixation

"Maybe staying alive," Remus said quietly, his voice breaking the tense silence.

The room fell into silence, the weight of Remus' words hanging heavy in the air. James ran a hand through his messy hair, his frustration mounting.

Remus finally broke the quiet. "So what do we do now?"

"We don't do anything," Sirius said firmly, taking the letter and folding it neatly. "She'd kill us if she knew we had this."

James frowned, his hazel eyes narrowing. "We're just going to let this go?"

Sirius nodded, tucking the letter into his pocket. "What else would you do, Prongs? What can you do about this?"

James sat forward, his elbows on his knees, his hazel eyes alight with determination. "We have to go to this ball."

Remus glanced up from his book, his brow furrowed. "What?"

"You heard me," James said, his tone firm. "Even if the Potters are considered blood traitors these days, we're still part of the Sacred 28. We always get an invitation. My parents usually ignore it, but this time..." He trailed off, his expression darkening. "This time, I think we should go."

Sirius, who had been leaning back in his chair with his boots propped up on the edge of the table, raised an eyebrow. "And why, exactly, do you think we need to crash the Pureblood Ball?"

"To see them," James said simply, gesturing at the letter. "To see her with him. To figure out what the hell is going on."

Sirius scoffed, swinging his legs down and leaning forward, his gray eyes narrowing. "Oh, that's brilliant, James. Because watching her sip champagne and make polite conversation with Riddle is really going to crack the case."

James ignored him, his jaw tightening. "You didn't see her face when she read that letter."

"No," Sirius snapped, "but I've seen her face every day since. You really think she's going to act any differently in front of an audience? She's not the type to make a scene."

"Maybe not," James admitted, his voice rising slightly. "But you can tell a lot from how people act around each other. Body language. The way they look at each other. The way she—"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, James!" Sirius interrupted, throwing his hands up. "Even if she does act differently, what are you going to do with that information? Think you can save her? Sweep her away from Riddle and ride off into the sunset? News flash: it's not happening."

James bristled, glaring at him. "I just..." He faltered, his expression tightening. "I want to know the truth. That's it."

Sirius let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "The truth? You already think you know the truth. You think she's some power-hungry Slytherin who's thrilled about this engagement. You just want a way to morally justify your disdain for her. And guess what, James? I'm not going to help you with that."

"That's not—" James started, but Sirius cut him off.

"Yes, it is!" Sirius snapped, his voice hard. "You've been obsessed with her for months, waiting for her to slip up so you can point and say, 'See? I told you she's terrible.' And for what? To feel better about yourself? Because let me tell you, mate, it's not going to make a damn bit of difference."

Remus, who had been watching the exchange with a furrowed brow, finally interjected. "Sirius has a point, James. Even if you do find something... what then? It's not like you can stop her engagement. That's not something you have any power over."

James turned to him, his voice tight. "I'm not trying to stop it. I just—" He stopped, running a hand through his messy hair. "I don't know. I just want to understand."

"What's there to understand?" Sirius said, his voice quieter now, but no less firm. "She doesn't want this. She never wanted this. But she's not going to tell you that, and she's definitely not going to let you see it."

James frowned, his mind racing. "And you know this because...?"

"Because I know her," Sirius said simply. "Better than you ever will. And I know she doesn't want your help. She doesn't want anyone's help."

James leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "So what? We just do nothing? Pretend this is fine?"

"It's not about pretending, James," Sirius said, his voice tired. "It's about accepting that this isn't your fight. You can't fix this. You can't fix her. And honestly? It's condescending to think you even could."

James didn't respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames. After a long silence, he muttered, "I still think we should go."

"Of course you do," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Because Merlin forbid you let this go."

Remus sighed, rubbing his temples. "If you're doing this—and I'm not saying you should—how are you planning to explain Sirius? He's disinherited, remember?"

James smirked faintly. "Easy. He can snake his way in as a Black. Even the Sacred 28 wouldn't snub their own, no matter how much they'd like to."

Sirius gave him a deadpan look. "You're hilarious."

"I'm serious," James said, his smirk widening. "It'll work. They'll tolerate you for the night."

Sirius sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair. "You're insane, you know that?"

James shrugged. "Maybe. But you're going to help me anyway."

Sirius didn't reply, but the faintest trace of a smirk tugged at his lips. Remus groaned, burying his face in his hands. "This is a terrible idea."

James grinned, leaning back triumphantly. "Terrible ideas are my specialty."