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PERENELLE FELT LIKE she was going insane, hallucinating maybe. All day, every class, even at lunch, everywhere she went people were whispering. Chances are— and oh Merlin how she hoped the chances were in her favour, none of it was about her.
She wasn't sure how she was feeling about those odds. Because honestly, it truly was whispering everywhere she went.
"Why's it only me?" She muttered to Marceline, as the two walked to dinner, the groups of students around them sneaking glances and snickers, "—it's not like I was the only one, do you know if Vaud's been getting this?" Though Marcie only shrugged, which did absolutely nothing to cease Perenelle's paranoia.
"Or maybe it's my hair, I curled it today— oh for Merlin's sake Marceline is my skirt stuck in my stockings? Check for me!"
Marceline quickly snuck a look behind them, neither breaking their stride, and answered confidently, "Nope, your skirt is in fact not up your arse"
Perenelle's head whipped around so fast she may as well have given herself whiplash, and she stared pointedly at Marceline as they entered the Great Hall,
"It's not funny Marc!" She whined, "I'm genuinely turning into a nutter ove—"
"—Bloody hell"
Marceline had stopped, her hand tightly grabbing Perenelle's wrist to make her do the same, as they stopped the flow of traffic entering the hall for dinner.
Pera's eyes followed Marceline's over towards the Slytherin table, her jaw dropping— and she dragged Marcie towards the table, ignoring the continued strange stares and whispers.
Vaudeline was in a right state. Her perfectly done up face scrunched in discontent as she lay into Damien for whatever had happened.
Though Vaudeline's berating was not what had Perenelle's jaw dropping. As Damien and Antonin both looked as though they had been smacked around by a troll. Bruises— littering the parts of them uncovered by their robes. A dark purple bruise stood out stark against Damien's under eye. While Antonin had a particularly difficult to look at busted lip.
"—It was none of your business!" Vaudeline exclaimed, her voice low to avoid the attention of anyone listening in.
"—And I told you it wasn't because of you, how many times do I have to—"
"—What in Salazar's name happened?" Pera asked, quickly sliding in next to Vaud, Marcie doing the same on the other side, and the girls sat across from the bruised and battered boys. Though notably, Severus seemed to be missing.
"I don't think you want to ask that right now Per" Antonin winced, nudging his head towards Damien, who if Vaudeline could murder with a look, would have dropped dead at that moment.
"I don't know" Marcie shrugged, looking between them all with a mischievous grin, "I'm kind of curious"
Pera pursed her lips as she gave Marceline a pointed look from the other side of her sister, and turned her attention to Damien, who was in what seemed to be a staring contest with Vaud. If it was a real staring contest, Vaudeline would be winning.
"Look I don't know what you want me to say!" Damien complained, his hands in the air, "We did not get into a fight with your cousin and his friends because of you two— love you both, I do! But it was because of Sev"
"—You what?" Perenelle interjected, eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment, cries of "See! See!" from Vaudeline as the boys groaned. Marcie didn't say a word, far too intrigued by the calamity of the situation.
"I told you, Potter was picking on Snape—"
"—That's why we look like this, the bloody idiots tried to fight us like dirty muggles" Antonin interrupted, running a hand over his busted lip.
"I don't believe you" Vaudeline challenged, "Where's Severus then?"
Damien didn't say anything, though Antonin gave a low whistle before leaning in closer,
"Probably nursing his injuries and a broken heart...I didn't tell you but I don't think we'll have to worry about his friendship with that mudblood anymore"
Perenelle's ears perked, and she curiously looked over towards the Gryffindor table. Her cousin and his friends were missing— but she spotted Lily Evans' red hair, held against the chest of a sympathetic Mary Macdonald, and Lily looked to be crying.
"Well good— he finally gets rid of her, but why?" Vaudeline said in a droll, and Damien perked up.
"—Well, Potter had Snape upside down so his robes were up and over his head—"
"—No!"
"—And Evans tried to make them stop, right as Toni and I were getting there, and we made it just in time to hear Sev call her a mudblood and tell her that he didn't need her help"
"—Well no offence, but by the looks of you two maybe you all did need her help"
"Shut up Marceline" Antonin snapped, "Don't start getting all sympathetic just as we've fixed Snape" and Marceline didn't say anything, and Antonin rolled his eyes before finishing;
"They'll get what's coming to them after we graduate anyways"
Perenelle shot Marcie a look, but didn't say a word. Not in agreement or disagreement. It was odd, Perenelle had never found offence in the word— it was true, people like Lily Evans did have dirty blood. Though for some reason she wasn't able to fathom Perenelle felt a deep feeling of discomfort every time it left one of her friends' mouths so freely.
Vaudeline continued to argue with the boys, while Perenelle seemingly stared into space. She believed them of course, it didn't surprise her one bit that James Potter would pick a fight with Severus, though a part of Perenelle had a feeling the boys weren't too upset with the challenge, itching for a fight since what had happened with the twins. She drew her attention back to the conversation, Vaudeline edging it on, Damien looked ready to snap, while Antonin sat calmly, explaining the same points over and over.
It was odd, but as she thought about it she came to a conclusion, the almost scary look on Antonin's face as he rolled his eyes at whatever her sister had said only solidifying her observation.
Damien was hot-headed, this was a fact. Evident in the way he seemed to be the first one to defend anyone in their group. He was warily similar to Vaudeline in this way, perhaps that's why the pair of them worked so well. Snape was an observer— sort of like her, but not enirely, as Perenelle had far more of a backbone than Severus did. Though the quiet boy certainly more often then not just seemed to go with the flow, dealing with the hand dealt to him.
Then there was Antonin. Perenelle loved him to bloody pieces, but occasionally he would send a chill through her that froze her down to her bones. He wasn't like the others— he didn't snap at the drop of a hat like Damien, but he wasn't a pushover like Sev either, something about Toni was scarily methodical. Pera was glad they were so close, as at that moment the last thing she ever wanted was to be on Antonin Dolohov's bad side.
Though their loyalty ran deep— a well boasted Slytherin quality, and even in moments where they argued and saw the worst of each other Perenelle could never be afraid of any of them. They cared for each other too much.
"Whatever, I'm done with this conversation— we have to go to our detention" Vaudeline said, her eyes shining in disinterest as she purposely ignored Damien and gathered her things.
Perenelle had a feeling that in the next week Damien would buy her sister a new shiny piece of jewellery and the spat would be forgotten.
"Good luck with that" Antonin snorted, and Pera rolled her eyes, before getting up from the table to follow Vaudeline— who had left without her.
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"Good evening children" Mcgonagall greeted, her robes billowing behind her as she entered the classroom, "I appreciate you a— oh for Merlin's sake where is Sirius?"
Not a word was said, and Perenelle and Vaudeline shared a look from across the room.
They had spread themselves out, Perenelle, Vaudeline, and Regulus each taking a corner of the classroom. The remaining corner left untouched similarly to the rest of the room; void of Sirius.
"—Sorry Minnie!"
Sirius had rushed into the room, out of breathe, and Perenelle was able to finally see for herself the damage inflicted by Damien and Antonin.
It wasn't much. He had a faint black eye at most. As estranged from her cousin she was Perenelle couldn't help but feel a strange surge of pride as she realized Sirius had been able to hold his own against her friends.
Then again it was two against four.
"Take a seat Mr. Black— I am not even going to ask" She chided, gesturing to his face, though Perenelle suspected she meant his tardiness as well.
"I see we've got a pattern going on" Sirius remarked, waving his arm at the three corners claimed by the others, and Perenelle instinctively avoided his gaze.
"Well I'll go here I suppose"
And he plopped himself down at a desk in the centre of the room; typical.
"Do you all understand why I've called you here today?" Mcgonagall asked, looking at each of them, and Perenelle felt incredibly uncomfortable.
"—I'm going to be completely honest here with you Min, I don't think any of them are going to be entirely receptive to this— I'm not, but you already knew that" He sighed, and Mcgonagall ignored him. Perenelle couldn't help but wonder how in Salazar's name Professor Mcgonagall didn't ring his neck for calling her Minnie alone.
"Me? I came to see the utter disaster this turns into" Sirius finished, a grin on his face as he leaned back in his chair and rested his feet in the desk.
"That is enough Sirius, and I ask you to remove your feet from the table" Mcgonagall reprimanded— her accent making it come out quite shrill.
"I am not here to yell at you— or berate you" She paused, pursing her lips as she looked at the fractured family in front of her. "I have called you all here to get to the bottom of it, to fix whatever has caused you all to act as disgracefully as you did, and if I succeed— have it never happen again"
Sirius promptly burst into laughter, and Perenelle absentmindedly shrunk in her seat. There was no way. Surely Professor Mcgonagall did not think she was going to piece together years worth of familial turmoil in one session— in any session.
Perenelle wasn't even entirely sure if she wanted to repair her relationship with Sirius.
"I do not know why you are laughing Sirius, as I am not joking in the slightest" Mcgonagall reaffirmed, before addressing the rest of them, "And you all— you're not mute, I've heard your voices, even screams from some of you" Vaudeline promptly avoided eye contact with their deputy headmistress, "So enough with this, we are here to discuss this and we will discuss this now"
Sirius raised his hand, a grin plastered onto his smug face— "Oi Minnie! I want to go first"
She eyed him for a moment, before nodding.
Perenelle had a feeling this was not going to go over well.
"I have done nothing wrong...ever" He began, before gesturing to his family— well, blood family, as Perenelle had heard him countless times affirming the Potters as his real family.
"This lot and their family believe in the joyful practice of pureblood supremecy and blindly following orders— so when I got sorted into Gryffindo—"
"—Sirius, I am failing to see how this is going to lead to a productive discussion"
"Well that's because you interrupted me!"
They bickered back and forth, Perenelle watching anxiously— though it was more from a place of mutual respect than one of disobedience. No matter how annoying Sirius was Pera knew he would never purposely disrespect a teacher, especially Mcgonagall.
Regulus didn't move a muscle, it was eery watching him, seated at his desk, eyes forward ahead as though Sirius wasn't even in the room. It made Perenelle incredibly uncomfortable that Regulus had become so numb when it came to his brother.
As even after everything— Sirius was his brother, they couldn't alter blood, now matter the fact that sometimes Perenelle pondered the thought. The thought of never knowing Sirius, never having grown up with him, loving him. It left a pit of hollow sadness at the bottom of her stomach.
"—And then they attacked me! Minnie what did you want me to do? Let them eat me alive?"
"—You were the one who came after me Sirius"
It had come out so quietly that for a moment Perenelle hadn't even realized the words had left her mouth, though the room stilled as every head turned to her.
"What was that Miss Black?" Professor Mcgonagall asked, and Perenelle froze. Their professor had heard her— she knew it, so why make her say it again when she wasn't even sure she wanted to say it in the first place.
"—No, you were insulting me to my friend and then insulted him to boot, which is why—"
"—I never insulted you Sirius" Perenelle interrupted, a surge of adrenaline rushing through her as she sat up straight in her seat, a calm look on her face as she turned towards her disgraced cousin.
The calm look on her face did not reflect the mess of nerves growing— running through her. But if she didn't say it now, she didn't know if she ever would; certainly without crying.
"Remus Lupin sought me out, Regulus knows, he was there" She said, gesturing to Reg, who besides clenching his jaw did not move a muscle. "He came to apologize to me for something you should have apologized for— me telling him to mind his own bloody business isn't me insulting him"
"So Mr. Lupin was involved in this?" Professor Mcgonagall asked, an eyebrow cocked as she addressed Perenelle, and she gulped nervously before slowly shaking her head.
"Well not really no— he didn't attack me in the corridors mam"
"—You insulted me! You called me an overgrown child with a victim complex, which is not true"
Not a word was said, not even by Professor Mcgonagall, and Perenelle fought to suppress the urge to smirk at his expense.
"Minnie come on, aren't you going to make her apologize?"
"—Apologize for what Sirius? You haven't apologized to me once in the last six years!" Perenelle said, shaking her head as a dry laugh escaped her, "We all may be to blame but you don't take any responsibility— ever"
"Responsibility for what? Leaving a family that hated me!"
There was a loud bang at the end of Sirius' sentence, and Regulus had slammed his fist on the desk. Perenelle practically leapt in her seat— Vaudeline doing the same. While Sirius looked at his brother in bewilderment.
"—Mr. Black!" Cried Professor Mcgonagall, though it was no use. Regulus looked furious, and not half a second after his fist made contact with the desk he bound up from his seat, storming out of the room.
"I-I, Regulus! Reg wai—" Vaudeline fumbled, looking between Regulus' retreating figure and a flabbergasted Professor Mcgonagall, before choosing to get up and run after her cousin.
The room lapsed into silence, Mcgonagall staring at the open door, Perenelle had her head between her hands, trying to decide whether or not to go after them— though Sirius' voice was faster than her decision.
"—well, what did I say? No use"
Perenelle cringed, expecting Professor Mcgonagall to snap— but she didn't. Instead letting out a long sigh before looking at the pair of them.
"Very well, my room again after dinner this Sunday evening"
"You cannot be ser—"
"—Oh no Sirius I am being serious"
Sirius didn't even crack the joke. Instead getting up and leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
Perenelle made no move to leave— instead staring down at the mahogany top of the desk.
Fuck.
Well that had gone incredibly well, surely Vaudeline was waiting for her in their dormitory to snap on her for not storming out after them. Though how could she? She wasn't raised to behave that way— none of them were. Regulus was the last person she'd ever expect to react in such a way, especially considering how adamant he was about his contempt for Sirius. Was everything she thought to be true a lie? Was Regulus merely putting up a front? It was all too confusing to think about.
Though she realized with a stark realization, the three of them hadn't exactly behaved the way they were raised when Sirius had came at them in the corridor either— so perhaps it was Sirius who brought out their worst qualities. But what did that say about them? Their family? Was it truly that fragmented that when together they were all overcome with the urge to ring each others necks?
"—Miss Black? Is there a reason you're still here?"
She was suddenly pulled back into the present, embarrassment hot and flushing to her cheeks once she realized she was still in the room, and she stood up at once.
"I'm sorry mam...I was just—"
"—How do you feel about this Perenelle? Truly?"
Perenelle closed her mouth. Pondering the thought of telling Mcgonagall the truth.
"Honestly?" She asked.
"Yes Miss Black"
She faltered for a moment, the urge to lie rolling off her tongue, before standing up a little straighter,
"I understand your concerns Professor Mcgonagall" She paused, "And— I think that I share them, however I don't know if this is a good idea— I don't think it's a good idea"
Professor Mcgonagall looked as though she was considering Pera's words for a moment,
"I appreciate your honestly Perenelle, though I ask you not to doubt my abilities, as you would be surprised" She paused, and Pera nodded, "I am doing this for your own good— whether any of you appreciate or are receptive to that is your choice"
Perenelle didn't say anything— not entirely willing to lie with Mcgonagall and agree with her. Though not willing to disagree and insult her either. Professor Mcgonagall was a bright woman, she was a beloved teacher for a reason. Though Perenelle not only doubted her abilities, she did not believe the effort to be worth it.
The Black's were past the point of return. No rebuild in site, and it seemed the next step was to schedule the inevitable demolition.
She bid Professor McGonagall a good night, promising to inform Vaud and Regulus of their next detention— something she was not looking forward to, and left the room, closing the door behind her.
"—Well I'm glad you got a hand of the beater drill, Fabian was telling me that you two were having some trouble with it, I'll see you later— I've just got to drop this revised essay to McGonagall"
"—See you mate"
Sirius and Gideon were both outside of the classroom, deep in conversation, and Perenelle didn't even have a moment to feel surprised that Sirius had stuck around, suddenly faced with the awkwardness of being in front of Gideon Prewett.
The once man— or rather boy of her dreams, and now a witness to one of her most embarrassing moments, she didn't know what else to do but avoid his eye and walk past them.
They had noticed her, though Sirius didn't say a word, instead turning to leave, practically hightailing it away from her.
She moved to do the same, before Gideon's voice made her freeze,
"Hey Perenelle— how are you?"
There he went, calling her by her first name again, involuntarily making her heart squeeze in her chest and a flush rush to her cheeks—
A "Hi Gideon" spilled past her lips so quickly it almost wasn't discernible, and she quickly walked away, ignoring both Gideon's call of "Wait, Pere—" she was out of earshot before he finished his sentence, and the furious pound of her heartbeat against her chest as she put as much distance between herself and the transfiguration classroom as she could.
Well fuck.
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woohoo here's chapter seven! brief glimpse of gideon at the end, I know I know I'm sorry! we see him significantly more in the upcoming chapters so don't worry x
so... that detention
interesting to say the least and certainly not the last!
glimpse of the next chapter: perenelle finds out why everyone is staring at her (feel free to guess if you'd like LOL... whether I'll confirm or deny is yet to be decided), pera and gideon finally have an actual conversation, and the next detention occurs, though I can't promise it will be as much fun as this one was!
until next time, jess <3