The grass ticked her feet, running through the garden and holding onto her flower crown she wore, running away from Regulus in a game they invited; they decided to call it tag the loser. She decided to not wear any shoes when running outside, hearing her heart beat through her eyes and mildly screaming at the same time as her white dress she wore around the house gets dirty at the bottom.
"How are you so fast!" Regulus panted, poor twelve year old not keeping up. "This is good fitness for quidditch tryouts!" Nora reminded; hearing the boy grunt before going again, not looking back to see him hunched over and tired. The Black garden could go on for miles, having their own little trail to get to other Pureblood houses without being noticed by the muggles, charming it and making it seem like it's gated off.
Nora didn't mind about the fact regulus got tired too quickly, looking down and realizing her mother would flip her lid if she saw what happened, especially having naked feet, feeling a little rebellious by it. Regulus too had done the same thing, ready to collapse on the ground as Orion was sitting on a chair and reading the daily prophet.
"Father what time is it?" Nora asked, coming over and picking regulus up so the two could walk over. "Almost three daughter, Regulus go get ready so we can get you new pants for school." Orion spoke up, checking his watch and sighing to see Nora be dirty.
"Go fix yourself before your mother throws a fit, you're a girl, start acting like one." He hissed, disappointed and folding his newspaper, patting Regulus on the back to go back inside. She felt her stomach hurt a little, girls can't play and get a little dirty? Nora never saw that side of her father in a while, always trying to be on his hood side since he didn't want to keep Nora, an heiress? There was no point.
Sitting on the porch swing and seeing green flames through one of the windows, Nora turned to see a bird stare her down, starting to caw at her. "Looks like someone is in a bad mood." She mumbled staring at the bird— wondering what type it was. The bird started to caw again, louder and seemed like it had some anger behind it. "Well excuse me, but I don't appreciate the tone you're giving me, you sound like my mother."
All of a sudden the bird stopped and almost looked offended, Nora couldn't help but feel like she should apologize, hearing a laugh behind one of the bushes near by the gate to the path, getting scared.
"Sirius is that you?" Nora yelled out, looking at the bird and thinking it was one of their friends. She gasped too loud to see the person she loathed with every inch of her body.
"I come in peace Nora." James Potter raised his hands in defence, then stuffing them into his jacket pocket. "How are you darling?" He smiled.
His curly hair was gone, being flat and now a little bit in his face, he was taller, having that face grow into a smile when he came to see how Nora was embarrassed. It wasn't because of the way he saw her yell at a bird, it was because of he was there to see her being yelled at and not acting like a lady.
"What the hell are you doing here potter? My mother is right inside and could literally kill you." Nora yelled, running down off the porch to get a closer look at the boy. "I'm here for your brother— clearly." Potter stated, walking towards her.
"Get out of here, you don't belong here." Nora threatened; gritting when she talk. "And? Your brother doesn't belong here either, I'm helping him get away from this lovely home." His sarcasm made her want to punch him, Sirius was of course happy here, they all were.
"You're pathetic James Potter, absolutely pathetic." Nora scoffed, deciding enough was enough and to leave. She heard potter mumble something else, walking up the porch stairs and seeing Sirius open the door. The two stared at each other as they walked past one another, feeling as if the world was going to stop.
"What about going to Atticus' house?" Nora asked as the boy struggled to put on his leather jacket.
"Go without me Rory, have fun though." It was hard to swallow what he said, watching him run and see potter swing his arm around Sirius' shoulder as he looked back with a smirk on his face. Nora stood on the patio before she heard her mother call her in for something.
"Bye Sirius." The brunette mumbled, sadly walking back into the house without her twin brother and younger brother, going to change her clothes and now going to Atticus' house for the rest of the day.
Snapping out of the memory and realizing where she was, Nora admired the empty corridors tonight, they were her favourite thing. Sneaking past the prefects to do her homework in the astronomy tower with Atticus, both needing to finish their astronomy homework anyways, seemed like an everyday thing.
"No way you actually did that to the James Potter." Atticus whispered, being informed on Nora's shenanigan last night after the game.
"Well of course!" Nora got herself riled up, looking both ways before the two tip toed to the other side of the wall, "he was being a dick, practically telling me that they're might be a snake in my bed." She scoffed, fixing her book bag.
"And nobody witnessed it? Not even his friends?" Atticus had to ask, getting Nora to stop and have Atticus hit her back.
"Uh, probably not mate, it was getting quite dark, and these windows don't show you shite." Pointing to the window near her, she knew if you were to see people outside they would look like small objects moving by the quidditch field. "Don't scare me like that." Nora snapped, heading towards the stairs when the two heard some talking.
Backing into a wall and putting her hands to her mouth and Atticus; Nora slowed down her breath as Atticus started to freak out. She couldn't make out as to who it was, hearing a girl laughing and a boy speaking. "It's Evans." Atticus muffled through Nora's head, slobbering it by accident.
"Fuck off." The brunette gasped, swearing under her breath and coming up with a plan, hearing their voices get louder. "Follow my lead." Nora whispered to Atticus, counting on three and beginning give Atticus their book bag.
"Honestly I don't understand how you can forget about your bag being in the astronomy tower" Nora aggressively whispered to the boy and winking at him.
"It's not my fault, she distracted me and then we were in the back of the Library." Atticus freaked out, giving the most ridiculous lie.
"Hey guys! What are you doing up? It's past curfew." Nora turned to see not only Lily Evans on duty but Remus lupin also, walking towards them.
"Dumbass here left his book bag in the astronomy tower, we were getting it as we were done helping Madame pince clean up the library— well I was as he was doing something like else." Patting his chest playfully and grinning excessively, Nora looked at the way the two communicated with their eyes. "And this was a two person job Nora?" Lupin asked, crossing his arms.
"Well of course, me and Atticus do everything together— it's almost like we're twins." Harshly saying the word she was never allowed to say and feeling herself going to vomit, Atticus squealed as she had to kick his ankle.
"Point is," Nora continued, "We are sorry for being up past curfew but now that we have his bag we are heading to the kitchens." Nora joked, seeing lupin chuckle a little.
"No you can't do that." Evans said, stating the obvious. "Lily she's kidding, it's hard to understand her sarcasm sometimes." The boy whispered.
"Well alright." Evans sighed, putting her wand back into her boot. Nora looked at Atticus wondering if he saw what she saw, both looking at the red head weirdly. "I'm going to let you two off the hook, just this one time!" Evans put up one finger in the air, warning both Atticus and Nora, seeing the approving nod from lupin.
"And we thank you dearly Evans, aren't you precious." Nora said in her cheery voice, matching the red heads. "Oh, thank you?" Evans said, putting a strand of hair behind her ear and being embarrassed by the pink tint she had in her cheeks.
"Good night Nora.. Bulstrode." Lupin nodded the two off. Smiling and grabbing Atticus' hand, the two fist bumped each other when they were able to get away. "Haven't done that in a while huh?" Nora sighed loudly, happy with their little mission.
"And everytime I feel like fainting." Atticus holds his stomach, thinking he might vomit. "Should we still go to the astronomy tower or do you want to go back and copy off of Snape's homework?" Giving the option, the two already knew the answer and deciding to head back, knowing they'll be walking for a while before they'll be in the common room; sighing.
Humming a random song she's heard, Nora tried to not step on the cracked lines beneath her, keeping herself in tight boxes of the floor and telling herself that if she stepped on the cracks, Atticus would grow a third eyeball; having shivers to know what it would be like. "Nora you're doing it again." The boy behind her chimed in, taking her book bag away for more room to go.
"I'm not doing anything Atticus, I'm simply enjoying this game." Nora hushed him. Even though they were in the abandoned part of the corridors, she was worried they would still be caught by who knows what.
"You only play this game when you're thinking of something that has happened between you and Sirius, which one is it today?" Stopping and stepping on a crack, Nora turned her head to see Atticus catching up to her.
"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm fine, I'm fine." Nora said stubbornly, rolling her eyes and hurrying up her walk to get into the common room.
Atticus tried to tell her he could read the brunette like a book and unfortunately he was right, he could read her through in and through out.
"Potter is acting like me and my family are such bad guys; I mean yes my parents are very prejudiced and want to kill every single person who isn't Pureblood... but am I like them? I just had a civil conversation with a muggle born and half-blood! Shouldn't that say something?" Nora asked, working herself up that she needed to take a breath.
"Well I could tell you wanted to bite Evans face off for a minute; but yes you did contain it." The boy agreed, scratching his head and wondering where this conversation was going to go.
"Yes but did I kill them? No, did I call her that filthy word? 'Course not! I'm not Avery or the Carrow Twins, I know how to keep my cool."
Heading down their stairs and hoping there were no prefects that were in Slytherin now in the dungeons, stressing out quite a bit. "Some days I do wonder why Sirius didn't try fighting to know he belongs with me and you, I mean, he accepted the fact that Slytherin wasn't for him, when he only talked about being in Slytherin."
Rolling her eyes and feeling the pats on her back, she knew what Atticus was trying to say; let it go, this happened over five years ago. But how can she let this go? Knowing that it wasn't supposed the two of them against the world, his sarcasm and her brains would've said each other.
"Talking about me eh?" Swearing under his breath and walking away from the brother, Nora was left by herself; watching Sirius and his sidekick strut over towards her.
"Well my eyes don't believe it, the two most troubled Gryffindors pranking curfew! Oh the horror." Nora's sarcasm filled the empty space between the three of them, completely ignoring the boy who wasn't wearing his glasses, making Nora change from Sirius to Potter.
"Now I may need glasses; are you seeing this?" Nora asked Sirius, poking potters face to get it moved away by her brother.
"First you let my best friend almost rot outside and now you're talking about me? What's next huh?" Sirius changed the topic, crossing his arms at Nora.
"So I'm the bad guy huh? Because I was told something that slithered would be in my bed, so piss off." Nora defended herself, smiling and looking at Potter. The boy was in no smiling matter, staring at her long and hard infuriated him even more when he was in the presence of Nora. "What do you want anyways Sirius? I was just let go to not in trouble so if you don't mind—"
"I got an invitation to the wedding." Trying to get away, Nora's mind felt lighter as those words came out of the boy, looking at him with joy. "Who sent it?" She asked coming back.
"Lestrange family, said we are still family no matter what." He said, staring at the floor as Nora smiled with glee.
"Why aren't you happy?" Her smile fell as Sirius shook his head, reaching into his pocket and giving her a letter.
Sirius Orion Black,
You shall NOT go to this wedding! You are a disgrace and overall disappointment to the Black family name, we don't need our name to get harmed more because we didn't invite you. You are to stay home and do chores with Kreacher or there will be consequences.
-Walburga Black.
"Name getting harmed? They harmed the name when she decided to screw her first cousin, talk about inbreeding." Nora scoffed, handing back the letter. "I'm not going to go, I'll be at the Potters the whole week." Sirius said, as if it was a final decision. Nora scoffed and felt hurt to hear that, not even there for Christmas or anything.
"The hell you will be, Sirius you can't do that! We have family traditions, last time I checked you're still my brother; or are you moving on to be his brother? Cant stand being an only child huh Potter?" Nora felt her hands getting into a tight fist as he finally said something.
"Are you jealous that Sirius rather be with a happy family than be with a family who smiles through the pain?" He asked, looking at Sirius.
"I honestly, cannot believe you Sirius. Running away his house isn't going to solve your problems, you have a 12 year old brother who looks forward for us being under the same roof for more than 5 hours, think of Regulus and not me; you've shown me that you can't handle being in this house when we need you the most." Nora tried to make him reconsider, but she knew Sirius wasn't going to hear her pleading, even if she tried to yell at him for it.
"Someone sounds jealous." Potter smirked, looking Nora up and down before putting his glasses back on to get a better look. "And jealous of what exactly? Because I bet you'd be jealous to know I was off the hook by Lily Evans and didn't get in trouble. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she smack you with a book in the arm when you complimented her hair?"
Potter gasped as he tried to say something else, instead Nora tightened her fists before she finally let them breathe; deciding enough was enough
"I'd rather die than to be jealous of my brother." Nora mumbled, staring at the other one beside Sirius. "Potter we still have to study for transfiguration! See you tomorrow." Sighing and hitting Sirius right in the chest to walk by, Nora felt tears coming down, yelling at herself.
You're okay, no crying; we're okay.
"Christmas tradition lasted 15 years to be thrown away by the potters." Nora mumbled before stepping into the common room, hearing Atticus yell at her to begin their homework, running to her room to change into something comfy before beginning the long night ahead of them.
_______________
Short chapter today because some things never change with the Twins and how the parallels in this chapter took place>>. Somehow I managed to do homework and write this chapter so #multitasker.
Question of the day; your favourite song?
-t:)