The house was quiet, scaring her a little bit, eating her cereal by herself, sitting in her room on her bed and waiting for time to go by. Her room door was open but it felt like if someone went near it, they would be cursed. It was odd, being on a different floor than everyone else sometimes, regulus' room being nearly down the hall, Sirius' room downstairs on the first floor.
The layout of the house was weird from the beginning. Kreacher always had a workout with all the stairs he had to tackle through his life of working for the Blacks, and while Nora tried to help him, he was stubborn just like the rest of them.
Her mother barley appreciated the fact Nora was around; doing chores to make her day go by faster, it didn't however, looking at the clock to barley see time go by. It was sad; but this was her life now. Her parents were just happy to know she did something they never thought she would do, now although they didn't ask to see her arm, they knew by the look on her face that she was one.
But she didn't feel like a death eater, almost moving on with her days and forgetting how she has a duty to fulfill, ignoring it everyday. It had only been a couple days after the meeting, and Nora felt numb around that talk, hearing regulus mumble about how his arm hurts, or how Evan will soon have to get it.
She couldn't help him even if she wanted to. Sitting in her room for days on end gave Nora a new sense of reality she thoroughly enjoyed laying on the ground too much, but it was confirming. The cold titles touching her cheeks, looking at the window and hearing faint birds.
In other words; it felt like Nora was slowly going insane in her room, knowing she wasn't appreciated anywhere else. The portrait of her; Sirius and regulus all laughing was taken down from the living room, watching her mother put it in the storage room, a room she didn't know existed.
Hearing her mother yell for regulus to be careful, Nora put her bowl down after finishing, seeing them aparate out of the front room, grabbing her wand. Nora wanted to spend her day today in that storage room, knowing half of the things that were taken away from her was in there, heading up the final floor and using her wand to unlike the door.
Opening the door and gasping to see all the things she once loved, Nora even noticed unopened boxes that was just thrown in here, seeing a section of all the half naked girls that Sirius purposefully put in his room, snooping around and jumping over things.
On the right of a dresser, were many letters from their late uncle Alphard, his name on one of the boxes, curious to see what was in it. Stabbing her wand to cut the tape, Nora was in awe to see all these books with muggle writers, grabbing one of the letters.
Wallie,
Don't be mad at me, I'm dying for merlin sake. Don't end my journey of you being mad at me because I'm interested in the muggle world. Please give these books to your children, lie and say they are wizards, they will learn a lot and if I were there, I would've given them to these. That little Nora of yours is going to be the brightest girl at Hogwarts, with or without help.
- Alphard.
A small smile laid on Nora's lips, knowing she's failed her uncle with the things she's been doing, not feeling very bright anymore.
Putting the dusty letters down and turning to the boxes of old photos, Nora picked up a photo of the five of them, Sirius holding four year old regulus in his lap with Nora holding a doll, and her parents looked down at them sweetly. She remembered that day, complaining on how Sirius got to fully hold him while Walburga compromised and gave her the doll to not whine anymore minutes before aunt druella took the photo.
She knew they would never have that moment again; knowing why that photo is to never be hung up again. There were many photos of her family smiling and actually liking each other. It hurt her stomach a little to see how her family had crumbled so much, to andromeda being the first to run away, Bellatrix slightly going insane, Narcissa soon to be married, herself in crossfires, Sirius out of the frame, and regulus sacrificing himself. At one point this family was happy.
Something about the snooping was making her emotional, not knowing how she feels, Nora put the pictures down as she looked around the room, half of her childhood just being thrown in here, all the flower crowns she once gave her mother was just tossed in the corner, her stomach hurting a little.
It felt like her childhood— her girlhood was taken away from her when Sirius was put in Gryffindor, all the focus and attention now and him, heavily focusing on the fact Nora was a girl and will never satisfy them all of a sudden. She always liked to think her childhood was better than the others, but she forgets about all the things she's blocked off mentally, especially the first time she defended Sirius in a fight.
Sighing and moving some boxes, Nora saw some more portraits that never made the living room, her favourite one was the way Nora stood in the middle wearing white as her brothers wore darker clothes beside her, all staring towards the painter. It was only her favourite one because the way she was in the middle all that time.
However she looked more pale than her brothers, forever mad at the painter. He said she would look better with paler skin, and yet he mad a mockery of it. It was no wonder she never got to see that painting be hung up, her mother actually considering her feelings for once.
"What are you doing in here— what is this?" Jumping to the sound of her brother standing at the door, Nora turned to face him, watching regulus slowly walk in and notice all of the books and paintings, even the leaves he liked to collect when he was younger; looking back up at his sister.
"Seems like she was keeping this a secret." Nora shrugged, moving her hair and noticing more things in boxes, regulus coming closer to her, seeing all the portraits. "They've left for the weekend." He said, putting his hands in his pockets.
Nora saw the way he was also still in his pyjamas, humming to his comment, putting the pieces together of how she saw her mother use a suitcase for something, thinking that was a little weird.
"You know she's never touched Sirius' room? It's still the same way." Regulus commented, catching Nora's attention to look at him a little confused. "I always see her in it, she doesn't touch anything, just stands there." To the right of him was all the things Walburga once took away from Sirius, smirking at some of the half naked girls.
"It's the one thing she still has in memory of him." He continued, putting his hands in his pockets, Nora felt tense with this conversation, wondering where he's going to go with it, letting him talk. "It's just a shame, as a big brother you think he would care for us."
That's when she felt targeted, his voice suddenly going no tone and dull, losing eye contact with his sister and subtly throwing a little shade towards her; or hinting towards something. "Luckily for you Nora, I can always say you've had my back." She didn't know what this was, but Nora held her ground and continued to let regulus speak, finally hearing what's been making him so mad for these last couple weeks as he walks around with a mark on his arm, fuming until this day.
"Andromeda was never a good role model, neither is Bella and Cissy, I always knew Bella was messed up when she laughed at a bunny dying. Andy has always been off whenever we were over. And cissy just followed her parents like a chicken with their head cut off."
Nora watched regulus walk past her to the portraits, shaking his head at the one of him and her, a smile trying to be covered up and Nora looking at him past her shoulder in a red dress that she wasn't even wearing, the painter fixing it.
"Cant you see Nora, they don't even care about us, and I've spent half of the summer arguing with you over something I did," he huffed, his eyes slightly red, looking at his sister.
Nora took a deep breath, relived to see them finally getting better, watching him get a little angry.
"I've been so stupid listening to them for them to just manipulate me and not even remember my birthday— but of course you did! Because you've been raising me more than them.... and I just feel like a fool and arguing with you has been the worse, I never want to do that again with you Nora."
This was his version of I'm sorry.
Nora opened her arms without hesitation, immediately accepting for the flaws he's done over the summer, seeing growth in him. Regulus flew to hug his sister, both a little emotion as Nora kissed his head, nestling it on her shoulder, lightly crying to her.
"I don't want to be a death eater Nora. I'm scared, I already lost a sibling I can't lose another one." He choked, tightening the hug a little bit, Nora telling him to calm down a little. "You won't Reg, I'm here for long term no matter what. I'm always going to be here for you." She reminded, stroking his back and trying to help him.
"I'm.... sorry for being a dick." She heard him slightly mumble, holding her waist a little while longer, not wanting to go. In some ways Nora was always a mother to regulus, and a sister to Sirius, but the two brothers were always enemies, swearing to herself that she would never get in the way of their feud.
But with both Nora and regulus now being death eaters, she didn't know of staying alive was possible, and if regulus were to ever die, she knew Sirius would eat himself alive to know they never had a brotherly relationship, using James instead.
It made Nora wonder if she would break her own promise, involve herself or let them never have the relationship she has with her brothers, seeing herself in the mirror that was hung, taking a minute to see the current situation they were in. Regulus eventually let go of the hug, not crying anymore, looking up at Nora.
"I'm sorry if I was ever selfish Reg, even if you didn't mean it, I swear I'll be there for you more." Nora said, wiping the final tear off his cheek. "I know you will, you always have been."
Nora bit her lip, while she was happy to see the this fragile side of regulus, there was a lingering feeling from her father creeping into her mind. It wasn't it place, but it made her what to wonder if he knew yet, breaking the hug.
"Are you hungry? I know a muggle coffee shop not too far near a bookstore." Nora suggested, pressing her lips into a fine line.
"Yeah alright, better than being here." Regulus said, both exiting the room to go and get changed. Nora had been getting better at muggle clothing, wearing black bell bottoms and a white shirt to match, putting her leather jacket over, fixing her hair into a ponytail to not have it in her face.
Grabbing her wand and shoving it in her back pocket, the two left together, muggle money in their hands, going down their stairs. Regulus had followed Nora, taking the scenery route and cutting through a path, wondering how she knows about this coffee place.
"Taking the scenic route is simply better; plus there's a little pond coming ahead." Nora said, walking over a little bridge, turning to see the frogs below them, regulus on the other side noticing them. "Is this what you've been doing when you leave the house?"
"Oh no, I sit on a playground set near the house, the swings are very fun." She told him, knowing how depressing that really sounds, frowning at the thought of that. "Oh, well that's sad." She heard Regulus mumble, continuing their walk.
"I'm glad it stopped raining, I didn't think it would." Regulus commented, noticing all the puddles that were still on the ground many days later. Nora was just lucky she didn't catch a cold that day, sometimes replaying it in her head of how she just left so abruptly, guilty of leaving James with being so defensive of her towards Sirius, hoping it didn't start anything.
"I quite like the rain, feels better that way." Nora told him, soon making it to a busy road, staying on the pavement and making their way to the shops, seeing the coffee shop she had discovered, hoping he will like it.
"I'll just get whatever you have." Regulus told her, standing very close to his sister. Nora could see how busy it was for a random Wednesday, everyone getting their morning coffee. Nora rolled her eyes when she saw the same boy taking orders, sighing and being polite.
"Oh hi Emily— and who is with you?" The boy, Jack asked, regulus smirking at the fake name. "Kyle." Regulus played along, nodding his head at the boy. Ignoring the look her brother was giving, Nora didn't even need to say his order, Jack already punching it in for her.
"Could you make it two?" She asked, Jack already one step ahead of her. "Anything for my favourite costumer," he winked, openly flirting with her. Nora knew it was 18 year old boy syndrome, especially with the muggles being no different from the boys at Hogwarts, however they truly had to worry about getting a girl pregnant.
"Here's ten pounds." Nora said, letting him keep the change, putting it in the tip jar in the front. "It'll be a few minutes, take a seat." Jack said, the wandering eyes looking Nora up and down.
The two sat down; regulus giving a slow clap for her act, quite impressed. "Is this the reason why you come here?" He joked, pretending that is wasn't bothering him. "Merlin no, he just started when I started coming here, he said it was fate and I told him to get hit by a car. I'm not sure why he still wants to talk to me after that comment." Nora shrugged her shoulder.
"You don't even look like an Emily," regulus said, squinting his eyes. "Out of all the names." He said in a disappointment tone. "Okay Kyle, like anyone would believe you're a Kyle." Nora hissed, pretending to be normal again when Jack came, smiling at Nora again.
"Two mediums mocha frappes, enjoy." He said, regulus giving a disgusted look. "It's basically chocolate coffee. I quite like it." Nora told him, giving the towards him. Regulus read something on the coffee, Nora rolling her eyes at how he was reading what was in it, liking her drink.
"Re— Kyle just drink it." Nora said, Jack walking past the two to another group. "How's the little man liking it?" He asked, leaning on Nora's chair, both looking at regulus. "He likes it; now please fuck off." Nora mumbled the last part, looking at regulus to get up and leave, quickly following him out.
"Are all boys like that?"
"I think just muggle boys." Nora laughed, her laughter fading when the two stopped and looked at eachother; their hands slightly burning from the hot drink.
"We're going to be okay right? With the war and everything?"Regulus asked, squinting his eyes a little as wind slowly started to pick up faster, their hair going all over the place.
"I would lie and say we're going to be okay, but at this point; I think it's best we also stick together and never fight again. You and I regulus, we're all we have; let's not ruin it."
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Did anyone else laugh for Nora and regulus' name? It was Timmy's and hailees other characters ( in case you didn't get it ). ALSO OH MY GOD 100K?! THIS WAS THE BEST GIFT I COULD EVER RECEIVE OMG! I LOVE U ALL SO MUCH!!!