43 : mrs. black
Having to tell Sirius that the most violent, and terrifying, vision that I had ever had was of his brother's death was extremely painful.
The moment I was back in my own body, I was crying. Part of me knew that the vision was different, that it wasn't a warning. It was simply... the reality.
There was a stillness in the air, as Sirius stared at me. When I told him it was Regulus, he jumped up, telling me to side-apparate with him. As he realized I was doubled over, crying, in my spot, he gently asked why we weren't going to save him.
I told him it was too late, that not only was I sure that the vision was happening at the same time he was dying, but I could not apparate to him. He was in a cave, where there were intense anti-apparation magic, and I had no idea where it was. Sirius stopped, he dropped his pants onto the floor and stared at me.
I watched him, closely, as he slowly sat back onto the bed, his eyes gently sliding away from me and to the bed.
Sirius didn't speak for a long time, and as the tears continued to fall from my own eyes, tears welled in his. He let out a low sigh, his shoulders beginning to shake as his brother's death washed over him. Part of me wished he and Regulus never reconnected - for Sirius' sake, but I was so grateful - for Regulus'.
I crawled to Sirius, wrapping my arms around his head as I pulled him to me. He cried, hard, as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He held me tightly.
That morning, I went back to Lily and James'. My heart was in my stomach as I did the knock.
The door swung open quickly, and Lily immediately deflated as she and I stared at one another. She gently said she expected Regulus.
"He's dead," I said quietly. Lily's hand flew to her mouth as she gently grabbed my arm, pulling me into the house. She called for James, her voice shaking. "I got the vision last night, he drowned in a cave. He was getting that thing that Voldemort was protecting... there was no possible way to save him."
As Lily softly cried, James asked me if he should come by the house to see Sirius. I shook my head softly, admitting he wanted to be alone. James nodded.
I left, and as I walked back home, I let myself cry.
For nearly two weeks, I had nightmare, after nightmare, of Regulus' death. I had vivid nightmares of the way his face fell into such a desperate fear. How he told me cared for me, that he could have grown to love me the way Sirius did.
A hundred million things about that night were brought back. The simple relief that he saw me, the sadness in his face when I last saw him in person; the calmness that came after his heart stopped beating. The way that the pain and fear seemed to snap away. The screams of the dead, and the way my lungs felt so tight and constricted. The nightmares of the drowning brought back nightmares of the times my lungs filled with blood.
The nightmares of his screams brought back the nightmares of when I died.
The nightmares of that snap of calmness brought back the nightmares of when my parents died.
After a few nights, it seemed like Sirius was comforting me more than I was comforting him; and I felt awful for it. His brother died. His only family died. Yet, he was comforting me?
In that time, I would have done anything for Sirius. I would have given him the world, and more.
A week passed when we got a letter from Walburga Black. In the letter, she informed Sirius and I of his father, Orion's, passing. She said, curtly and in few words, that Orion died the night before; a wake would be held in three days time. She said she'd appreciate it if we at least showed up for a moment.
She vowed that no Death Eaters would attend the wake, but the funeral would be crawling with them. She wrote that the wake would be held in Grimmauld Place, after dusk.
She asked if we'd heard from Regulus.
Sirius seemed to take his father's death well, and while I knew he was at least slightly upset that he'd lost half of his family in one week, he was only truly hurt by Regulus' death. I did not ask if he was alright.
I also did not ask if he wanted to attend the wake, so when he asked if I did, I was surprised.
I told him, honestly, that it was his descision. I'd go if he wanted to, and I would not pry if he didn't want to.
He softly asked if it was normal that he did want to go, but was worried about whether she was lying. So, I offered to bring Dean with us. I offered not to bring Esme, and to glamour myself heavily.
Sirius softly agreed to half of those offers, but quietly said that he didn't think I'd need to glamour myself.
So, Sirius and I got up early, and wore black. We insisted on going, even when Dean asked us if we were insane. He was adamant about going, and so he walked with us as we went to drop Esme off with James and Lily.
We then apparated to Grimmauld Place, Sirius keeping a protective arm around my back as Dean stayed just in front of me. Sirius knocked three times as we stood outside the door.
Within a moment, the door swung open to reveal a black clad woman. I recognized her as Sirius' mother, through the small crack between Sirius and Dean's shoulders. I held my marbles in my hand, ready to throw them if I needed to. My left hand was gently tucked into my pocket, where my wand was tightly held. I had a wallet in my other pocket, but it was more for show than anything.
I wore a black romper, the top of which was loose. I wore heels, as usual, and the antler necklace. It was quite a simple outfit, which was fitting for a wake.
I could barely see Walburga's face, but I knew it was not one of happiness; maybe shock. She did not love her son as much as she should have. She likely could not even pretend to be happy to see Sirius.
He was not as shocked as I was that she invited him to the wake, even though he was disowned. Sirius explained that despite being outcasted, it was his father's wake, and in the Black family, the wake was usually held specifically for disowned relatives. He said that they were rarely happy, or sad, events, but they were held in respect.
Walburga said a short, and curt, hello to the boys, and stood aside as we entered. As soon as I stepped into the house, Sirius whispered a warning.
"Watch the troll foot."
I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked around, and sure enough, there was a troll foot being used as an umbrella stand. I inwardly rolled my eyes, because of course they had a troll's foot as an umbrella stand.
As Walburga shut the door behind me, I felt a chill run down my spine. I was in enemy territory, and I was on edge from the moment that I stepped through that door frame.
Sirius moved his arm from my back, instead gently grabbing my right fist in his right hand as he moved in front of me. Dean fell behind, now keeping a steady hand on my bicep, as Walburga walked beside us.
She did not speak, and as Walburga led us down the hallways that seemed to last forever, my heart began to thud. Sirius looked back at me with a small smile. I furrowed my eyebrows in concern, but smiled anyway. I felt Dean squeeze my arm, and I glanced at him. He looked at the wall to our right, were there was a display case of elf heads.
Part of me was suddenly, very disturbed. That feeling got worse as I thought about Flora.
We turned the corner, faced with stairs going up, and down. The banister seemed impossibly dusty, even though there were magicked dusters working hard.
So, Sirius and his mother began to go up the stairs as I took my hand out of my pocket in order to use the banister. I didn't actually touch it, but I hovered my hand just above it in case I fell. Dean followed behind me, a bit to the left of me, as he watched behind us.
I felt like some sort of celebrity, being escorted the way that I was.
I wished that was the reason.
As we reached the next floor, Sirius gently wrapped his arm around my back again, firmly gripping my side, as Walburga led us to a room. Sirius seemed to shake, just the slightest, as I assume he realized where we were going.
I wished I had that knowledge.
"That is the toilet," Walburga commented as we passed a door straight across from the steps we just came up. Her voice was stoic, and unemotional. She did not sound as if someone she cared for died. She did not sound like a woman I would ever want to know. "If it is occupied, there are three more bathrooms. The next two floors have one in the same spot, while the fourth floor has a bathroom with access through both of the bedrooms."
She was more-so telling Dean and I, rather than telling Sirius. She had not said a word to her son, true to what Sirius had assumed. In addition to not speaking to him, Sirius had lived here for sixteen years - he knew where the bathrooms were.
She opened the door to a room, and walked through. She still said nothing, and as Sirius walked us through, I noticed that we were not the only ones here.
The moment that we were in the room, Walburga shut the doors behind us. After less than a moment, Sirius was suddenly in a defensive position. He had me pressed against a wall, his back just an inch from me, both of his arms out to the sides. His left arm was slightly behind him, while his head was cocked and his shoulders were squared.
Dean stood beside us in a similar manner, less defensive, and more relaxed. Like he was uncertain if Sirius was being exaggeratedly concerned, or justified.
"Narcissa," Sirius voice sounded dark, and it had a ring of a warning, "Why are you here?"
"I'm not here to steal, nor kill, your... whatever she is now," The voice that belonged to the name sounded annoyed. She seemed just slightly offended, but more like she was trying to ease Sirius' qualms. I recognized the name, though. She and her husband were suspected Death Eaters; mainly because her sister was a very notorious one, Bellatrix. "It is your father's wake, cousin, I would not disrespect you, nor Orion, like that."
"I do not trust you. You're likely aligned with them."
"I understand that, Sirius. But, you make me sound like I am my sister."
Now I was confused. I had gotten a glimpse of familiarly dark hair, it was insanely curly - but not crazy like Bellatrix's. I could have sworn it was Andromeda, who was Narcissa's other sister. Which was she referring to?
I would have assumed Andromeda, based on how she sounded offended by it, but Andromeda was kind, and definitely not out to get me.
Sirius didn't move, and after a long, silent, moment, I rolled my eyes.
"I can take care of myself."
As I spoke, I gently pushed Sirius away from me and slid out from behind him. As I was finally able to get a look at those around me, I almost immediately noticed that Andromeda had not come alone. With her was her husband, and daughter. Ted, and Nymphadora. The latter of which sporting bright blue hair at the moment.
I finally got a look at Narcissa, and was startled by how completely different she was to her sisters. Based on the knowledge I had of the Black family, specifically these three girls, it truly surprised me that she was related to Bellatrix and Andromeda.
The older of the Black girls both had dark hair and eyes, the eldest having wildly curly black hair, while Andromeda had thick curls in her chocolate brown hair. Narcissa, though? Blonde hair, blue eyes.
A wave of familiarity ran through me when I saw Narcissa and Andromeda together. I was thrust onto the Hogwarts Express at 11 years old - when I first met Lily.
"Our family frequently jokes that she's not our father's," Andromeda said with a faint smile. I realized, then, that my eyebrows were raised, and my entire face screamed shock. "Our mother had dark blonde hair, but we still have yet to figure out how Cissy got pale blonde hair; and blue eyes."
"I apologize for staring," I nodded towards said Black - or well, Malfoy - as she smiled softly. "Was not expecting pale hair."
"You would actually be surprised by how many people are that surprised. Not many know more than one, or two, of the Black family," Narcissa said gently. Her voice was more melodolic than even Andromeda, who I had noted frequently had a song-like dreamy voice. Narcissa did not seem to have an ounce of similarity to Bellatrix; whose voice was rough, and strangely pitched. "You know more Black family members than almost I do."
"I do?"
"Well, you definitely know Sirius, you had to have met Regulus," She began, her voice carrying this gentle humor to it. "You know Andy, and have met Bella. Now, you have met Walburga, and I'm sure you've seen a photo somewhere here of Orion."
"That's only seven?"
"There's not many of us," Andromeda snorted. "We're not like a clan."
"I know, but... You lot are talked about as if there's at least a dozen more."
"Being talked about, and being true are truly different. Sirius there is the last male Black, aside from Regulus but..."
"What do you mean?" Now Andromeda seemed confused.
"Lucius said he defected," As she spoke, the cold sadness seeped in. Andromeda sighed deeply. "It's likely safe to assume that if he doesn't show up, he's gone."
"That's awful," Andromeda said softly, looking to Sirius. He refused to meet her eye. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah."
"Anyway," Narcissa said, twiddling with her thin fingers as she changed the subject. Despite being at a wake, where the atmosphere was already slightly sad, the sadness that accompanied the mention of Regulus had a twinge of awkwardness. That twinge was likely that there was an entire group of Order members in the same room as someone associated with Death Eaters. "He's the last one to carry the name, and he has a daughter."
"I guess the whole daughter thing runs in the family," Dean said quietly as he faced the door. I glanced at what he was looking at and felt shock ripple through me once more. "There are a resounding amount more of women here than men."
"That is a fact," Andromeda said softly. "There are more alive women in the Black family than men; but very few of them still have the last name. As she said, Sirius is the last male able to carry the last name."
"And he only has a daughter."
"You sound like you really want us to have a son," I said quietly, glancing back towards Narcissa. "Why?"
"Had my husband not have been so proud of his name, I likely would have kept my maiden name. I wanted to, but Lucius would have felt incredibly disrespected."
"I know that feeling," I replied. "I'm proud of my name, but my brother has the whole passing it on thing under wraps."
"Potter is a name to be proud of."
I looked at Narcissa again, still reeling over how kind she seemed. I had expected a more monstrous of a person. I had expected to hate her.
As I looked at the wall behind us, Sirius went to sit with Ted and Nymphadora. He didn't look at the wall once. Andromeda and Narcissa came to stand beside me, looking at the wall as well.
"It's the Black Family Tapestry," Narcissa said quietly as she stood beside me. "It's older than dirt, but it's treasured."
"To the family members lucky enough to still belong on it," Andromeda snickered. "I was blasted off by dear Walburga when I married Ted. She prevented Nymphadora's name from even appearing."
"Sirius was too," Narcissa explained. "Mostly because Walburga was angry with him for leaving; but also because he chose you over his family."
"He wasn't given much of a choi-"
"I am not trying to be condescending, Jemina, truly. I just mean that... to Walburga and Orion's parents, and their parents, and so on, the entire Potter line, after Dorea, is deemed as bloodtraitors. Had you lot not popped up so often, and so high up, you would have been blasted off. All of you," Narcissa said softly. "Walburga follows her parents' beliefs strongly. She would blast my name off if she knew I was being so friendly to Sirius and you."
"Sure, Sirius got himself blown off by being in love with a Potter, but not only because of that. He got blasted off for believing in what he does, what we do, and daring to be vocal about it. Narcissa isn't as awful as her husband, or our sister. She's biased because of her blood, and her parents; but she's not a monster."
"I see that."
"Your daughter appeared a few days after she was born, mainly because she is the first cross of the Potter and Black bloodlines in centuries. Because of how pure your blood is..."
"What do you mean?"
"Hey, Jem," Dean said suddenly. "You're related to Sirius."
"Very, very, distantly, and by marriage only," Sirius called from his corner of the room. "My parents were more closely related than us."
"What do you classify as 'very, very'?" I asked, my voice holding an immense amount of humor.
As I moved to where Dean was standing, Narcissa followed. Andromeda went back to Ted, sitting beside her cousin.
"Near the top," Dean said. "It's vague, and difficult to read."
"So, Dorea was Walburga's aunt," Narcissa began to explain. "She married Charlus Potter, who had a brother. His brother had a son, who then had a son. That Potter had a son named Henry, who was your father's father. You and Sirius, on that side, are second cousins, by marriage. On the other side, Orion's, you two are third cousins once removed; by marriage."
"So, my great, great, grandfather-in-law is Cygnus II, who is Sirius' great-grandfather?"
"And great uncle."
"What?"
"Walburga and Orion were second cousins, by blood," Narcissa said. "Sounds weird, but it isn't... that weird."
"Sure."
I didn't know how to feel. As I looked at the Black Family Tapestry, seeing how my daughter's name was there twice; as Sirius and I weren't married. If we got married, her name would likely move to under ours, while my face would then be there twice. Once towards the ceiling, where the Potter family line extended thanks to the marriage of Dorea and Charlus Potter, and again in the middle of the wall to my right. There was a lot of space, and as unfortunate as it was; space that likely wouldn't be filled.
"Will James' children show up?"
"Likely not," Narcissa said. "After so many generations, if the line doesn't cross back over, it just stops being listed. Until Esme, your father and mother weren't on the tapestry; neither were you and James. The four of you popped up a few days after she was born."
"Family trees are confusing."
"That is why many people do not map them like we do."
"What qualifies a child to appear on the tapestry? Aside from relation."
"As long as they are born, and named. While a miscarriage, even if named, won't appear, a still-born child will. It is mainly whether the child was born expected to be alive, or known dead."
I nodded softly as I turned away from the tapestry. I had seen everything that I wanted, or needed, to. I had seen my family's line, one side, at least. I had seen Sirius' blasted off name, as well as our daughter's name.
Our son wasn't there, and now I understood why.
It made me sad to know that Sirius was the last of the Black line able to carry the name, as our daughter would likely change her own. It made me even sadder to know we would not have any other children, causing the name to die off.
I couldn't imagine how stressful it was to Sirius to be expected to continue the Black family name. I couldn't imagine how painful it was to him to know he couldn't. Because of me.
After about half an hour more of chatting, I had to use the bathroom. The unfortunate thing was that Andromeda, Dean, and Sirius were in the loo already. I didn't mind going to the top floor bathroom, so, I excused myself from Ted, Nymphadora and Narcissa.
I walked up the stairs until I got to the top, the attic stairs being where the lower floor bathrooms had been. There were two doors, and since Walburga said that the bathroom was shared between the rooms, I took a gamble at which room to go through. I chose the door closer to me, and immediately felt like an intruder.
There was a Slytherin banner above the bed, the walls were a dark emerald, and there were multiple posters of the Slytherin crest.
My heart broke, knowing it was Regulus' room.
I quickly moved to the bathroom, shutting both doors behind me.
When I was finished, and had washed my hands, I went through the other door. I was immediately surprised by the immense difference. While Regulus had decked his room out with the Slytherin colors and crest, Sirius had done the same with Gryffindor, to an impressive scale. There were at least three massive banners that had 'Gryffindor Pride' on them in massive letters.
I smiled softly as I noticed a corkboard on the wall with the dresser. There were red and gold tacks holding up pictures of Sirius with his friends.
Then, in the center, was the picture of us in the Astronomy Tower. I watched as it moved, as each photo moved, showing different little snipbits of our stories. There was a picture from third year that drew my attention; it was right after one of the boys' pranks. Sirius and James were running from a furious McGonagall.
I remembered taking that picture, and grinned. Minerva was screaming for the boys to stop, giving them another detention each time they passed another student. They had transfigured her desk into a massive cat tree, then proceeded to sprinkle catnip all over it.
Minerva was not happy about it, and was even more displeased that the boys made the joke that they thought she'd thank them.
I'd been coming from Defense Against the Dark Arts, where we'd learned how to handle Boggarts. Mine was, at the time, me in a hospital bed, dying. I had a camera I'd borrowed from a sixth year around my neck, having wanted to take a picture with my friends. When I saw Sirius and James running, I thought that their faces, mixed with Minerva waving her wand at them angrily, was the funniest thing I'd seen in a long while. So, I snapped the picture.
As I watched them move, they looked back at Minerva, then back at me. They continued to laugh as students moved out of their way. At the very end, you could just catch them running into a nonexistent barrier that I had procured. Sirius was not happy with me, while Minerva thanked me. James was glad I got a picture.
They did end up with a month of detention, though she commended them on properly preforming such a good spell.
I gently touched the picture as I looked at the others. There were pictures from first year that Sirius had paid other students to take, including a group photo where we were all there. Remus and I were sitting beside one another, reading, while the other three were sitting beside us. James threw his arm around me, causing me to look up, and then roll my eyes. I watched as I elbowed Remus, who glanced up and smiled for a second before returning to his book.
Sirius had been sticking his tongue out at me when I rolled my eyes.
Eventually, I left Sirius' room. As I left, I closed the door softly. I was surprised to see that Regulus' door was open again.
Thinking that it was Sirius looking for me, I stuck my head in.
"Oh," I said gently as I saw Walburga looking at photos of Regulus and his friends. I went to leave. "Sorry."
"You're fine. Wait," Walburga replied as she plucked a photo off of the wall. I turned back to her. This particular photo was half hidden behind another photo. She turned to me, sticking it out for me to see. I took a few steps into Regulus' room, gently taking the photo from Walburga. "Here."
"That's me," I said softly as I looked at the photo. From the looks of it, it was from my fourth year. James had convinced me to play a game of Quidditch with his team, subbing in as a Chaser, as one of them were out sick. Since our father had taught us how to play, I was adequate. I never liked it, but I could definitely play. "This was from before I got really sick."
"He took the photo, Regulus did. He'd been passing by the pitch when he heard you screaming. He snuck into the stands, and took the picture when you scored. Apparently, your brother threw a Bludger at you."
"James did," I said softly as I watched myself throw the Quaffle into the ring. I watched as I turned to James, triumphant and arrogant. I didn't like playing Quidditch, and it always bothered James that I could beat him. "I was better at Quidditch when we were young, and even then, but I hated playing. It tired me out. It frustrated James that I refused to play on the team, yet beat him during a practice."
"I found the photo that summer, and asked Regulus why he took, and kept it. He admitted he fancied you."
"I know," I said softly. "He told me he did, the last time I talked to him. He thought that had he been in Gryffindor, he might have had a chance. He thought I didn't talk to him because he was in Slytherin; and I was in Gryffindor."
"Why didn't you talk to him, ever?"
"Because he was in Slytherin," I said as I looked back at her. She squared her shoulders and I shrugged. I was not trying to be inflammatory, but it was a foolish question. She knew my beliefs, my house, my family. "He was in Slytherin, and the year below me. I only saw him in the halls, and during Quidditch games. I had no reason to talk to him; we had nothing in common. He was Seeker, I prefered Chaser if I did play. He liked the Dark Arts, I liked Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was Slytherin, I was Gryffindor. There was nothing we had in common, except Sirius. And he treated his brother and my friends awfully. Why would I talk to him?"
"Why did you talk to him, eventually? When did you last speak to him?"
"That's not your business."
"He's my son, of course it is."
"You forced your son to join a group of murderers," I snipped quietly. She raised an eyebrow. "To me, you lost any right to know anything about Regulus when you forced him to do that without ever thinking what it would cost him."
"When did you earn the right to judge my parenting? To judge my beliefs?"
"Since I am the only person your sons ever trusted. You chose your beliefs over your children, what kind of mother does that?"
At this point, I was definitely being rude. I had promised myself that I would not do this, that I would pretend like I didn't hate Walburga for what she did to Sirius and Regulus. I had sworn I would pretend like it was water under the bridge. I had sworn to be respectful; but she didn't care that her husband was dead, she wasn't even grieving for her son's potential death. She wanted to pry about her son that she lost because she was a bigot. She wanted to interrogate me about the son that she was proud of, but drove to try to redeem himself by dying for the opposite cause.
I did not like Walburga Black, and I could not pretend that I did when she was standing in front of me, acting superior, and faultless.
Perhaps I was being judge-y, but Regulus died to prove he was not what his parents wanted him to be. I would never forgive, nor forget, that.
"I loved my boys mor-"
"Loved? Past tense."
"You are here because I invited you."
"I am here because you wanted to grill me about Regulus. I am here because you wanted to pry; to try to figure out whether I knew where he was. You invited me to harass me about the son you care for. You only extended the invite to Sirius because you knew I wouldn't come if he didn't."
"You came in here with a bodyguard, what are you afraid of?"
Walburga seemed to grasp at a straw, likely trying to push my buttons. She was successful, as it did annoy me, but she would not antagonize me into saying Regulus was dead. She did not deserve to know, not when it was partially her fault.
"I am not scared. I have a daughter I have to stay alive for. My child, that I actually love."
"You have no idea what you are talking about, Jemina Potter."
"I do though," I said as I dropped my arms to my sides. I held onto the picture tightly. "Regulus is my friend, Sirius is my everything. They have trusted me more than they ever have anyone else. You traumatized them."
"Did your parents raise you to be this disrespectful? To talk to a grieving widow this way?"
I was silent, for a moment. How dare she?
"At least you have the privilege to hold a wake, and a funeral, for your husband. I didn't get to respectfully bury my parents. I had ten minutes to put them in their graves. Two months after they died."
"That is not my problem."
"Your sons hating you is not my problem, either."
Walburga stared at me. There was a fire in her eyes that I knew reflected in my own. I turned from her, furious and tearful. The mention of my parents was like a stab to my heart. It was like she had taken the knife their deaths had implanted into my chest, and twisted it.
I wanted to leave.
I stormed down the stairs, still holding the picture Regulus took of me. As soon as I made it to the Tapestry room, I opened the doors.
The entire room turned to look at me, and Sirius immediately got to his feet. The fury running through me did not dim, not even for a moment.
"She's awful," I growled as I stood there. "She is awful."
"Are you alright?"
Andromeda and Narcissa looked at one another, before looking at me again. Sirius came to my side and gently touched my arm. I took a step away as I pushed my hair out of my face.
I could not remember the last time I was this angry.
This anger was worse than what I felt when Sirius nearly got Severus killed; and I shattered the Great Hall windows when that happened.
"Don't touch me," I said quietly as I looked at the floor. I placed a hand over my heart, feeling it pound. "I need to leave."
"What happened?"
"Sirius, I need to leave."
As I spoke, the table across from us, where Nymphadora had been coloring, began to shake. The girl looked at the shaking table, and then at me. She tilted her head, her hair mimicking my own. Andromeda gently tapped her shoulder, pulling her away from the table as it continued to tremble.
"Jem-?"
A vase shattered from the fireplace mantel against the wall across from us. It didn't shoot glass across the room, rather turning into fine shards in it's spot. Dean quickly moved in front of me, grabbing my the sides of my shoulders as he forced me to look at him. He started to tell me to calm down, but before he could even finish the first word, there was a loud thud.
The portrait of Orion above the fireplace fell, hitting the floor on it's face. Right after that happened, one of the couches broke in half.
"Do you want me to catch things fire?" I nearly growled, meeting Dean's eyes. "Because that's what is next. Ask Sirius, I tend to shatter things, and catch them on fire."
"She does, though she cannot control it," Sirius replied gently. "We need to get her home, give her some time alone."
So, Sirius and Dean apologized to the others, the former repairing the vase, before they led me out of the room. As the doors closed behind me, I heard Narcissa's voice.
"There were few things I had not anticipated, and her being able to do that was one of them."