The evening rolled around at Grimmauld Place and Molly called everyone down for dinner. She had made a huge cauldron of pumpkin and potato soup with a jug of Pumpkin juice. Sirius sat at the head of the table with his small glass of wine while the Weasleys, Blair and Hermione all settled into the spare chairs. Jasper and Crookshanks had walked into the room together for some of the crumbs that had fallen to the floor from the bread that Molly accompanied with the soup, before perching themselves by the door.
"Do you think they like each other?" Ginny questioned as she eyed the two felines that sat with their tails lapped over one another.
"They're both boys. It's impossible," Hermione answered with a shake of her head.
"They could still like each other," Blair spoke up from her soup. "They just wouldn't be able to have kittens."
"Thank Merlin for that," Fred mumbled but received a harsh look from Blair, making him shrink down to his soup to avoid her patronising gaze.
"O-Oh well of course," Hermione stuttered. "I-I just meant t-that-"
"It's alright, Hermione. They might just be friends anyway," Blair gave her an understanding smile and Hermione swallowed with a small nod, turning her attention back to her soup in embarrassment.
"So Blair," Sirius spoke up and turned the attention of the table to him. "I'm sure you're partially aware of my family's background. Is there anything you know about your family?"
The heads at the table turned to focus on Blair who put down her spoon and shifted her eyes to settle on the blank wall opposite her. She knew that the Black family were immersed in the dark arts and were known supporters of You Know Who. Bellatrix Lestrange, who was once part of the Black family until she married into the Lestrange family, was one of his most devoted followers. She is now in Azkaban for her crimes and refused to bow down for a lighter sentence. Most of those accused after the first Wizarding war tried to plea as being under the Imperius curse, but she was sure to let the Ministry know that she enjoyed what she did and that You Know Who would return again.
She was surprised at first at how nice Sirius was considering how families like the Malfoys are when meeting those who aren't devoted to You Know Who. He was laid back and had a mischievous glint in his eyes that Blair saw in both Fred and George's. She liked his free spirit and understood his frustration with being locked down to his house because of him still being a wanted man. But even though he would be able to sympathise with the prejudice behaviour she gets for having the last name of a known death eater, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable and nervous to talk about it at the table.
"W-Well I only really knew about my dad," she admitted with a small shrug. "I've never heard about who my mother was. But I think I did hear about my grandmother being one of Grindelwald's lieutenants. She was French."
"Ah yes Vinda Rosier," Sirius nodded and looked into the distance as if to imagine the woman herself. "She was said to be very mysterious that one. Deeply committed to Grindelwald. She went to Azkaban after Dumbledore had his duel with him. Lived out the rest of her life there."
Listening to Sirius's ongoing biography of her grandmother was something that Blair didn't like at all. She knew that her family was dark but she never had looked anymore into it than that. She preferred to stay unaware of the possible crimes that her ancestors had committed and hearing that her grandmother was the supposed 'lieutenant' of one of the most dangerous and evilest men in the Wizarding world, was enough to rattle her bones and gulp at the idea of being related to such a woman.
"And then there was of course Evan Rosier," Sirius continued, oblivious to Blair's grimace and sad look she gave her unfinished and cold bowl of soup. "What a wizard he was. As powerful and wicked as my dear cousin Bellatrix. Skilled in curses beyond anything I'd ever seen and even took a part of Alastor's nose with him when he died! But of course we-"
"That's enough, Sirius," Molly intervened in a stern and demanding tone. The man looked confused at the interruption and looked over to where Molly was hurrying to, only to see that Blair was gripping the table until her knuckles had gone white and was biting her lip until it bled. Sirius hadn't meant to upset the girl but had gotten carried away with the past memories of his time before being in the lonliness of Azkaban.
"Are you alright, dear?" Molly said in her soft, motherly voice once she got to Blair's chair and put her hands comfortingly on her shoulders. "He just doesn't know when to shut his big mouth."
"I'm sorry, Blair, I didn't mean to-" Sirius started but was stopped by the scrape of Blair's chair against the wooden floor and watched her walk out the room silently. He felt awful for upsetting the only other person in the house that he could relate to even mildly and thought about following after her.
"George, could you please?" Molly motioned upstairs to her son and he didn't need to be told twice. The boy stood up from his chair and followed after Blair in a small jog, leaving the rest of the Weasley family and Hermione to awkwardly stare at each other through the tense atmosphere.
"You might as well have said about the girl joining You Know Who!" Molly whipped around to face Sirius with her cheeks flushed red and her hands on her hips. "When you agreed in taking her in, I wasn't aware that you'd spend the whole time bringing up all her horrible ancestors!"
"I didn't mean to! I just got carried away!" Sirius tried to fight back but knew that he had done the damage regardless. If he had known he was upsetting Blair, he would have added a little joke in about how his family were exactly the same and that she had nothing to be ashamed of. He sighed and picked up his glass of wine and busied himself with it, hoping that George would be able to comfort her and assure her that he meant no disrespect.
Hermione and the rest of the family tried to pull the conversation into something more light-hearted and left George to sort out Blair, considering he knew her the best. Molly was able to be calmed down for the time being but would be making sure that Blair was alright when she next saw her.
George climbed the stairs and headed towards his and Fred's shared room. They hadn't established where Blair would be sleeping yet, so her trunk was still on the floor of his room among all the other clothes he and his twin had thrown carelessly. He assumed that it would be the place she would go to for some peace and quiet.
He pushed open the door gently and saw that Blair was indeed inside with her legs crossed on top of his unmade bed. She sat with her elbow pressed into her thigh and her fist against her cheek, smooshing her round face and making her appear like a small child. George resisted the urge to start teasing her for her child-like position and appearance, seeing as it wasn't the time to do so. Instead, he shuffled into the room and silently waited for her to acknowledge his presence.
"You alright, sweetheart?" he inquired and walked around Fred's bed, slowly sinking into the space on the edge of his own.
"I'm fine. I just... never really thought about my family in that much detail," she admitted, pulling her fist away from her cheek and fiddling with her sleeves. Her cheek now displayed a red mark from where her knuckles had pushed into her soft and pale skin, making George smile and reach out his hand to rub his fingers against it. Blair turned to face him and saw him displaying a warm smile as he stroked her skin. It made her think about how wholesome and gentle George was regardless of her usually distant and cold attitude. He and his whole family were welcoming and the complete opposite of what she thought was a 'family' (which was the orphanage, so not very warm and welcoming at all).
"Why do you put up with me, George?" she found the words leaving her lips. They had been swirling around in her head for days and now that she was seeing him in person again, she had the urge to find out why he wasted his time and kindness on her.
"What do you mean?" his eyebrows pinched together in concern and confusion. "I don't put up with you. I want to be around you. No one is forcing me to be with you, Blair."
"But... my father and... all my family-" Blair didn't like the growing pain in her chest and felt the familiar ping of tears in her eyes.
"I don't care about your family," George cut her off and took hold of her pale hands, enclosing them in his warm ones. "No one in this house cares about your family. Well, maybe Kreacher. But we don't care about anything that your family has done. Sirius's brother was part of You Know Who's army during the war and his parents threw Sirius out of the house when he said he'd never convert into the dark arts. We know who you are and that you're not like your family. I think Bill was even good mates with someone named Rosier when he was at school. Felix Rosier, or something.
My point is that you don't have to think even for a second that we'd judge you by your last name. We're not the Malfoys."
"You just went against all that you just said," she pointed out and George rolled his eyes playfully.
"The Malfoys are twats. No one likes them anyway," he sassed, bringing a smile on to Blair's sorrowful face. George warmed inside at the sight of her bright white and crinkled nose, glad that he was able to make her laugh. He then received a grateful look from Blair and felt her stir her hand inside of his and lace her fingers through the crevices.
"Thanks, George."
"No problem, sweetheart."
When they had chosen to leave the room and return downstairs for the dessert that Molly was bound to be dishing out, they were stopped by the woman herself coming up the stairs in a hurry. She stopped on her frantic pursuit when she saw them in the hallway already and felt bubbles in her stomach at the sight of their entwined hands and happy faces.
"Oh Blair, I just wanted to come and say that whatever Sirius said is irrelevant to what we think of you!" Molly let out in one quick breath. "You are always welcome in our family and no matter how bad your family is or has been, we don't think that you'd ever-"
"Alright Mum, I've told her most of that already," George stopped her with a sheepish grin and laughed nervously at how flustered his mother was becoming. It was typical of his mother to get so worked over something like this and he was slightly embarrassed that Blair had to watch her go through the seven stages of grief in a matter of seconds.
"Oh. Right then. Well..." the woman nodded and smiled regardless of her previously frantic state. "That's good. As long as you feel welcome, dear. That's all that matters."
"Don't worry, Mrs Weasley, George did well in establishing that," Blair replied and smiled when she felt George's arm wrap around her waist and pull her flush against his side. He beamed down at her and Molly was basically bursting with the urge to squeal like a teenage school girl.
"But I still want to try your treacle tart that I've heard so much about," she continued.
"Oh there will be no dessert tonight, I'm afraid. We're having an Order meeting down in the kitchen," Molly said with a shake of her head before narrowing her eyes up at George accusingly. "So that means none of your's and Fred's eavesdropping products! I warn you, George Weasley, if I see another one of those Extendable Ears in the hall tonight, there will be trouble!"
Molly gave Blair one last bright smile as if she had done nothing different, before turning around and descending the stairs again. George and Blair watched her over the banister and saw her disappearing into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her. The two waited for anymore noise to be heard before retreating back over the banister and looking to each other.
"Order meeting?" Blair repeated in confusion. "Is it that much of a secret?"
"Mum likes to think it is," George replied before a knowing grin grew on his face. "But Freddie and I have developed a way to listen in."