"So is it safe to ask what all this is about yet," Rabastan Lestrange asked, shooting Marlene a friendly, amused smile. "I wasn't sure, considering when Bella did earlier you ran out of here as if you'd just seen a ghost."
Marlene shivered, intentionally not gazing in the directions of Walburga or Orion Black, who, as a matter of fact, she had seen in her scrying ball as ghosts not so long ago. "Spooks can be frightening," she murmured, dropping her gaze from the face of the younger Lestrange to her plate. They were having roast duck, and baby potatoes which did seem appetizing in spite of the current stress her stomach was experiencing. "If it's all the same to everyone, this topic is best spoken of on a full stomach," she said carefully.
"Now you've really got me curious," Rabastan said. His tone was gleeful, and she gave him a perplexed glance that he didn't miss. "Just wondering what's so bloody important that has to do with my stomach," he explained. Marlene couldn't help it. She laughed.
"It's only that some things are best not spoken of over a meal. Also some things are taken better on a full stomach."
Rabastan's dark eyes narrowed knowingly, but an amused grin still played across his lips though he was no longer laughing. "So it's going to be unpleasant enough to perhaps cause us to lose our appetite if we hadn't already eaten."
Not wanting them to lose their appetite as a result of the confirmation of that, Marlene merely shrugged. "That depends on how hungry you are, I suppose."
"I'm starved," Rodolphus said, cutting with enthusiasm into his bird. "Looks great as always, Kreach."
The elf puffed up a bit, giving the elder Lestrange a pleased smile.
"Well everyone eat up," Walburga said. "I want to see what this is about."
Marlene grinned, oddly pleased that the family matriarch was acquiescing to her request for everyone to be full before they heard what she had to say. Walburga clearly wanted to get the meal over with, but she was still willing to have it before Marlene had to spill her news. Marlene felt herself respecting the woman as well as finding her amusing. This was unfortunate, though, because obviously the last thing Walburga Black aimed for was amusing.
"So you and Regulus are school friends, Marlene?" The mildly curious question came from Orion Black, who'd glanced up from his plate to regard her.
Marlene swallowed. Why hadn't he asked Regulus that earlier? Had he and what had Regulus said? Or had he simply not thought to wonder until now, and somehow she was stuck answering? "Um...Well, he's a few years behind me and in another house so we don't see one another often really."
"She is friends with Sirius's lot but not overly closely from what I have noticed," Regulus told his father, giving Marlene an amused smirk that made her want to smack him. If he turned his parents against her, it would only hurt him.
"Not feeling smart today, are you, Regulus," she murmured and Rabastan laughed.
"If you only knew the half." He flashed a look at Kreacher and Marlene's eyes widened. They knew? Could the Lestranges actually be aware of Kreacher and Regulus's secret and be keeping it for them? Could they and actually accept it? The Lestranges were into that pureblood rubbish up to their necks. Then again elves were pure magic and quite powerful so perhaps they didn't care if it was magical blood mixing with theirs. That and...well as Kreacher and Regulus couldn't have children, she supposed nothing was mixing. Still were Regulus interested in a Muggle boy, she highly doubted the Lestranges would be supportive in any way, shape or form. Perhaps Muggle blood was the problem.
"I probably do know more than the half," she replied a bit flatly. She wasn't certain if she and Rabastan were referring to the same half, but it was still true. Then she returned her attention to Regulus's father, who was giving her a look of perplexed horror at mention of Sirius. She sighed. "I am not particularly friends with Sirius, but I see no reason to pick fights and make trouble," Marlene told Mr. Black after shooting Regulus an annoyed glare. It was true. She'd never truly known Sirius well, but after he gave zero damns about his family dying, her respect had plummeted a bit. He disagreed with them, but they'd never abused him. Instead, they'd given him a silver spoon, and he'd thrown it down to go and use the silver spoon of the Potters, who thought more as he did. She didn't see why he couldn't just have loved them as family and simply agreed to disagree without having to behave as he did. She loved her family, though, and tended to disagree with them often enough. Those disagreements were always light hearted. Granted they were about far sillier matters, but the sentiment stood nonetheless. Family closeness may take more work for some than others, but if they were only thinking differently, family was family. People thought differently. It happened, and it should be understood rather than resisted. Just because you understood someone else's view, why they felt so, did not mean you had to change yours as a result. It may but then other times it did not. As all these thoughts ran through her mind, Marlene was unaware that she was staring blankly through Orion Black.
"Have I gravy on my face, girl," he asked, giving her a slight smile.
She shook her head. "No sir, you don't. I was just thinking about Sirius, and that family is important. That learning to understand one another so that you can love one another is more important than having your own thoughts echoed all the time and he did not see that. Then again it cuts both ways."
She shut her mouth on that final comment, not in the least interested in going to bat for Sirius's right to enjoy Muggle toys or whatever he did. She was just here to stop Jegulus and didn't give a shit about the Black family drama. She would not ruin her chances of stopping Jegulus by getting these people angry on Sirius's behalf if none of them cared enough to work it out. And as she saw it they were all to blame. Sirius's parents hadn't come after him when he'd left either. Perhaps they were hurt by his rejection of their values and thus them, but still.
"Understanding one having a different opinion and shaming one's family outright are entirely different matters," Walburga said coldly and Marlene nodded.
"Sure, yes Mam." She wasn't being paid to play middle man for Sirius and his family and in the end she didn't really care as it wasn't her business nor her family. It had nothing to do with her and she was here to stop Jegulus.
"Sirius constantly and intentionally attempts to antagonize, never to compromise," Regulus said, winning a warm smile of fond approval from Walburga.
"As he didn't blink an eye at the prospect of any of your imminent deaths, I suppose I can believe that," Marlene said. Then realizing that she'd just opened up that huge tub of worms that she'd wanted to leave closed until everyone was working with a full belly she groaned. "God damn it!"
Regulus nodded sagely. "Indeed."
"What on earth are you on about, Ms. McKinnon," Walburga asked. The frost in her tone matched the sudden frosty look in the gaze she turned on Marlene. Likely Walburga hadn't gotten enough food into her to be feeling reasonable yet.
"Shit," Marlene muttered. Normally she wouldn't swear in front of the parents of friends, but this was already so out of hand, that she doubted a little much needed self expression under the circumstances could hurt.
"Kreacher believes a stronger swear word may be more appropriate," the elf muttered and Marlene sighed. He was probably right, but she was far too stressed to feel creative at present. Drawing in a deep breath, she opened her mouth to begin her explanation to Mrs. Black, but Regulus spoke before she could.
"I asked Marlene to come here tonight, because I wanted help breaking some very disturbing news to all of you," he said. "Well all of you except for Kreacher, who already knows. Before you protest, please hear Marlene out completely. This is my only request." He cast a pleading glance to his mother then his father, then even to the Lestranges. Everyone nodded, though Walburga reluctantly and with an annoyed sigh. "Marlene is a strong seer," Regulus stated calmly. Marlene almost admired his calm under the circumstances. Then again everyone at the dinner table liked him, so nothing he said could get him killed. "She saw some very troublesome things in our futures. Of course, being no fool, I did not believe her right away. I asked her to prove herself by giving someone a reading that she did not know well at all. She readily agreed. She knew things about a friend of mine that he swore he'd never told anyone. He was as skeptical as Kreacher and I, but she made him believe in her abilities. Kreacher and I witnessed this and we believe as well." As Regulus spoke, he gave the elf seated at his side a sidelong glance, and Kreacher nodded his silent affirmation.
"Very well," Orion Black said quietly. Turning to Marlene, he nodded. "Go ahead then, Girl. Tell us what has our Regulus so moved."
Marlene drew in a deep breath. This ought to be easy. Just start from the beginning and proceed from there. She opened her mouth. "Your Dark Lord is a soulless monster...literally. He's making Horcruxes, breaking his soul apart and scattering it about in case he dies. That's what he cares about, not any of you or your Grindelwaldesk beliefs. He will see you all dead or driven mad if you don't stop him. This I have seen." She glanced at Regulus and Kreacher to see both of their eyes wide in horror. Well, on second thought, perhaps she hadn't started in as gently as she could've. Walburga made a choking sound and Bellatrix looked as if she may faint. Rabastan's expression was doubtful, and Rodolphus just studied her thoughtfully.
"Is this some sort of joke," Orion Black asked flatly. Biting her lip, Marlene shook her head. "No sir. I am afraid not. I sort of...ur...stumbled across the information when we were scrying in crystal balls during Divinations class. I literally expected nothing to come of it. No one does in Professor Trelawney's class to be honest." And now she chose to start at the beginning, Marlene thought a little hysterically.
"Now I know this has to be some sort of joke," Rabastan Lestrange spoke up. "Good job, Regi! Really that was a good one!"
"You should know that I would never joke about the Dark Lord," Regulus snapped, turning an icy glare on Rabastan. "And stop bloody calling me Regi. It is demeaning and annoying."
"Nah it's just shorter than saying Regulus and sounds far less stuffy," Rabastan shot back. Rodolphus and Bellatrix both nodded in agreement, but Bellatrix's eyes were still glazed with shock.
"Kreacher even got me another scrying crystal ball to try, so we are certain nothing was done to the balls in Divinations class to influence my visions," Marlene said, turning the topic smoothly back to the matter at hand. "I had no idea I had such an ability, but I suppose my use of the scrying ball triggered something latent in me. I didn't ask for any of this, but as I have it, I see no reason to stand by while dreadful things happen to the people I know. It isn't just your family. It's others and I am trying to help them too. She leaned forward intently to regard the family who silently stared back at her. "You have to kill him the right way, though, because when you try to just use the killing curse six against one, it won't work, you know, because of the Horcrux, and things go very badly for all of you."
Walburga made another choking sound and Bellatrix shot Marlene a dark scowl.
"What makes you think we would ever try to kill our Lord," she demanded.
Marlene arched her brows. "Because you're disillusioned by him when he tries to kill Kreacher in order to cover up his Horcrux. Vold...He asks to borrow a house elf for a task and of course Regulus will be more than eager to involve Kreacher. So he does and Kreacher helps hide a Horcrux, but he is unaware. HE tries to drown Kreacher in a lake of Inferi. And you know what? I think that lake actually used to belong to Merlin and Nimue. You know it's where Arthur's sword went... Anyway I bet they'd hate to know that Vold...HE has bloody gone and filled it with Inferi and ruined it." She blinked. "Sometimes that happens," she said apologetically. "More just comes to me when I delve mentally into a vision or think about it longer...or when I slow it down as I am doing now to talk of it to people."
"Or you are simply spinning fanciful yarns and have a very good imagination which you confuse with truth," Orion suggested calmly.
Regulus shook his head, frowning. "No, Father. I told you she scried for a friend of mine and saw very personal things that he has never shared with anyone." He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Not to mention she has seen very personal things about me."
"Like what," Walburga demanded.
Regulus shook his head. "That is personal, Mother, and hardly relevant to this situation, but please take my word for it. Marlene's abilities are real."