It had been nearly two days since Remus had gone missing, also known as gone on a task Dumbledore had assigned to him.
Cordelia barely left her room, or now a days, her father's.
She had first entered it late at night on the first day of her arrival.
Looking around she saw the dark mark cuttings pasted on the walls, few clipping of news about death eaters and muggle-borns being dead.
The death clippings reminded her of Cedric.
Cedric. Lia left the room soon after.
Her thoughts now consumed by Cedric and his death. How she couldn't be there to mourn at his funeral. The grey eyed girl softly cried herself to sleep that night.
Lia had taken an odd liking to her father's room. She didn't let Mipsy and Billy clean it for her. She looked around at things and red each and every cutting that was pasted onto the wall.
"Cloaked figure"
"Death Eaters leave behind a mark. It's his mark. The Dark mark."
"Another family dead. It was the McKinnon's this Time."
"Cloaked hooded figure"
Lia knew a bit about Voldermot's appearance because of Narcissa.
".... that was the day I decided never to join him. Red eyes, snake like skin."
Lia ignored all the side comments that the Weasley's had for her. It was mainly Ron and his mother.
Hermione sometimes joined in on too.
But that didn't make it easy for Lia. She had no one to talk to, again. She knew bottling it up would only make her explode.
The next day Lia woke up early, walking down to the kitchen she thanked Merlin that no one else was occupying it.
"Mipsy" she called out.
Mipsy came with a pop immediately, standing in front of Lia.
"Miss called Mipsy" the elf said in her high pitched voice.
"Can you make me some breakfast? Uh-" Lia heard some shuffling, looking behind her, she saw Kreacher standing there.
"And some for yourself, Billy and Kreacher" she added.
Mipsy nodded before hurrying to make some breakfast.
"Kreacher brings his mistresses message, she would like to talk to young Mistress Black" Kreature bowed to Lia.
Lia had completely forgotten about the portrait. But no one could really blame her, the ever screeching portrait had gone quiet for the last few days.
"Of course, you can tell grandmother that I would see her after breakfast. Please come back after you deliver the message" Lia told the elf softly.
Kreacher nodded before running down the narrow corridor.
Sirius joined Lia in the kitchen.
Lia acted as if she hadn't seen him, focusing on the Daily Prophet that lay in front of her.
"Morning" Sirius said, his voice husky and a bit gruff, he did look like he had just woken up.
Lia continued to pretend that she was reading the rubbish news printed on the paper.
After a small battle with herself, she cleared her throat before speaking. Her voice a bit scratchy.
"When is Remus coming back?"
"No idea" Sirius instantly replied, "He said it should take him a maximum two days."
Lia nodded her head.
Kreacher reentered the kitchen and started mumbling under his breath about Sirius.
Sirius scoffed at the elf before walking away.
"Sit down Kreacher" Lia gestured towards a chair.
Kreacher looked fearful before sitting down on the chair.
Mipsy soon served Lia a plate full of perfect English breakfast.
"Thank you Mipsy!" Lia smiled at the elf, who looked proud of herself.
Mipsy made three plates more.
The three elves and Lia had their breakfast together. It was an odd sight but Lia didn't mind, she enjoyed her breakfast that day.
Lia moved towards her grandmother's portrait, standing in front of the moth eaten curtain, she ripped them back.
Walburga Black sat their poised as ever, she looked down at Lia with a haughty expression.
"Cordelia Black" she spoke, her voice void of any emotions.
"Grandmother" Lia spoke in an equally posh voice.
"Where have you been?" Walburga interrogated.
"With grandfather" Lia kept her answers short.
"You are here to get rid of these pests aren't you?" Walburga jumped to the point, "I hear whispers of the him being back. You join them, like your father did. Bring back glory to the Black name." She stated.
Lia felt as if her eyes were going to pop out.
"Unbelievable" she whispered breathlessly.
"What!" Walburga roared, "Be thankful I'm not kicking you out for going with that man! Which school even are you in?"
"Hogwarts" Lia replied getting angry by each passing minute.
"House?" Walburga barked.
"Gryffindor" Lia said stoically.
"Traitor! Your father was a Slytherin! You dare turn out like that ungrateful swine, oh how ashamed Regulus would have been with you!" She cried angrily.
Lia clenched her fists by her side, before sighing and glaring at the portrait.
"Well he's not really here to tell me that. Is he!?" Her voice rising by the end.
But before Walburga could say anything else, Sirius closed the curtain again.
"You shouldn't have" he sighed.
"You can tell Remus whenever he comes back that I have no interest in being here!" She yelled before furiously stomping her way to her room.
Mipsy and Billy were startled when Lia barged inside the room, but before she could say anything, Sirius beat her to it.
He quickly followed in behind her, "You cannot leave. Not while Remus isn't around and you're under my supervision." He stated.
"I could care less" she bit back.
"No, no no. Don't be impulsive-"
"Says you" Lia scoffed.
"Well, I didn't know better but I do now, maybe but don't let what Walburga has to say get to you" he reasoned.
"She had no right saying that!" She bellowed.
"I know but don't give her the satisfaction of that she craves. She likes to get on people's nerves, that's what she does best." His voice was a bit frantic.
Lia stood silently, trying to calm herself down.
"Yeah alright" she said vaguely.
Sirius thought for a moment before speaking, "Do you want to talk about something else maybe then?"
Lia was about to dismissive the proposal when she remembered something.
"Who were the McKinnon's?"
Sirius, who had not been expecting this, was startled to hear the name. It brought back so many memories.
"She- she" he took a deep breath, before answering, "She was our friend. A Gryffindor. Great witches and wizards, her family. They refused to join, the death eaters got them. Wiped away the whole family."
"Because they refused to join?"
"Yes as I said. But where did you learn the name?"
Lia replied too quickly, "Nowhere."
Sirius looked suspicious but didn't comment on it.
Lia sat thinking to herself, lunch was nearing but she didn't feel like going down. Skipping meals had become another bad habit of hers, but she couldn't help it at times.
Moving towards her father's room, she closed the door behind her, before shuffling around.
Lia adjusted the bed, jumping back when she saw an insect crawling away.
"Merlin" she breathed.
Something about the room was too eerie. But what, Lia couldn't pin point.
But there was a sketch that caught her attention, it was Sirius, younger. And underneath the portrait there was a word written in nest cursive handwriting- Brother
Lia sighed, carrying the sketch with her.
There were a few more sketches, they were about dark magic but what disturbed her the most was the dark mark sketch lying around.
It was unsettling for Lia.
Lia left the room quickly after that.
Lia would never admit it to someone else, but she was scared. Scared for Remus, what ghe future held for her. Scared for Narcissa, Draco and even her uncle Lucius.
She was scared of the outcomes. For the outcome of a war is never really happy.
She was scared of Voldermot.
Lia didn't go back in her father's room that day, she laid down in her bed.
Mipsy and Billy had found a small room for themselves. Kreature was reluctant to join them but couldn't say no to Lia.
-
Sirius who couldn't sleep that night, for he kept staring at the sketch Lia had handed him wordlessly.
He heard the door unlocking, peering around, he saw Remus.
But he looked tired and out of breath.
"Took you long enough Moony" Sirius smiled, hugging Remus.
"They didn't want to side with us" he sighed, hugging back Sirius.
Sirius made a cup of tea for Remus, who decided to not go to sleep for it was almost time for the others to start waking up.
He had a change of clothes before he sipped his tea quietly with Sirius. Talking about how he had yet again been unsuccessful.
Molly Weasley moved down and smiled upon seeing Remus.
"I should wake Cordelia up? She doesn't really like sleeping in" Remus stood up and walked upstairs.
With Sirius following him.
"She gave me sketch yesterday" Sirius told Remus as the two made their way up.
"What sketch? She doesn't really draw that well" Remus chuckled.
"It was Regulus. He had drawn the sketch, she must've found it in his room and-"
But Sirius was cut off by a loud scream.
"NOOOOO...!"
It came from two floors above them.
"It's her" Sirius stated, "Only she lives on that floor"
The two rushed upstairs quickly before barging into Cordelia's room. Mipsy and Billy behind them.
Remus and Sirius were horrified and bit stunned themselves when they entered the room.
"Wh-what" Sirius whispered shakily getting his wand ready, but Remus read the situation better, he quickly jumped in front of Lia.
"Riddikulus" he waved his wand.
There was a silver orb, making him wave his hand again, the orb burst into smoke.
Lia was curled in upon herself, as she cried softly into her arms.
Remus and Sirius shared a worried look before Remus crouched down in front of Cordelia.
"Hey, it was just a boggart" Remus soothing voice tried to reassure her, "Lia..." he whispered.
Sirius was horrified by what he just saw.
No the dark mark hovering above Remus' dead body was not the horrifying part. But the dark hooded figure.
It had Regulus face, features and body but rather snake like, with red eyes and his wand pointed towards Cordelia, while the dark mark, which every death eater leaves behind as a mark to show that it was them, was prominent near the ceiling, it looked very much like how it was during the raid at the Quidditch World Cup.
The arm which was extended had a dark mark tattooed on it too.