jemina // sirius black

ten

chapter ten - rage

"How's Harry?" 

"Bloody hell, Esme! You scared me."

"Sorry?"

"He's angry," Aubrey sighed, pulling her bag from her shoulder. She set it beside her as she sat on her bed. I could tell, just by the look on her face, that Harry was more than angry. My sister looked at me, and she looked like she was going to break into a million pieces, "He feels like I lied to him. Said that I had to have known what my father did to his and that I should have told him. Asked what kind of friend hides something like that."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing about Mum, if that's what you're asking. He probably did the math on his own, Esme. There was nothing I could do or say. He's probably in her office as we speak."

"Mum isn't in her office. She went for a run if you know what I mean. I can tell she's fraying, Rey, and it's worrying me," I spoke softly as I moved to sit next to her. We knew this day would come; when Harry would find out that we were his cousins. We hoped it would be from us, but... life has always found a way to screw us over. I wrapped an arm around Rey's shoulders, pulling her close to me, "He'll forgive you. You two have been best friends since you met. Harry trusts you with his life, Rey."

"I'm more worried about him forgiving Mum. You know how devastated she'll be if he doesn't."

"I hope Harry will understand why she did what she did."

"I hope so too-"

"He doesn't know!"

Hermione burst through the door and whispered feverishly and then she huffed as she closed the door behind her. 

"What?"

"They didn't mention your mum being James' sister, he doesn't know Professor Black is his aunt. He just knows she's the wife of the man that got his parents killed, and I'm worried he's going to confront her."

"Mum isn't in the castle, Hermione."

"He has this... map, it's called the Marauder's Map. It shows the grounds of Hogwarts and where everyone on it is. He'll know right when she comes back."

"Hermione, our mother is what is best described as a master of evasion. If she wants to avoid someone or something, she will," I insisted, Aubrey nodded in agreement. Mum had always been good at avoiding anything she wanted to, and that included people. Remus saw nothing of her for the first week of the school year, and she didn't miss dinner or breakfast. She thinks Harry must know that she's his aunt. Mum will avoid him for the rest of his life if she feels he won't forgive her, "Don't underestimate her desire to avoid him right now. Mum's biggest fear is Harry hating her, or not trusting her. She's going to avoid him until we tell her not to."

"Will you tell her that he doesn't know?"

"Is there any benefit to keeping it from her?"

"She'll continue to avoid him, and then he won't get to yell at her for something he knows nothing about."

"Yeah, but Aubrey, as I said, she's already fraying. She's expecting the worst out of this, she's expecting him to never speak to her. She's expecting him to look at her with hatred in his eyes, and when he does, she's going to assume it's because she didn't tell him. We have to tell her that Harry doesn't know, but that he knows about Dad and is angry at her."

"I'll tell her," Aubrey sighed, I furrowed my eyebrows at her. She looked at me and shrugged, "I told her about my boggart. She's been a bit extra careful around me, not to upset me or something, and as annoying as it is... If I tell her to avoid Harry, she will."