Emma and I climb over some old, discarded furniture and walk to the door that Sirius is standing in. He looks at me for a moment then smiles and hugs me to him.
"You know the polite thing to do would be to send an owl before you apparate into someone's attic." He says to me.
I laugh and pull away from him, "It was a last-minute thing. We didn't have time."
More people run up the stairs, wands drawn. "It's alright!" Sirius calls, "It's just Violet and her friend!"
POP!
Fred and George appear on the top of the stairs. "Violet!" George says, a smile instantly appears on his face. He scoops me into his arms and starts peppering my face with kisses.
"Nice to see you too Georgie." I laugh.
George puts me down back on my feet and gives me a proper kiss. "What are you doing here?" He asks. I look over at Emma who is awkwardly staring at Fred.
"I need to talk to Sirius. And we don't have long." I say to him. Sirius turns around and looks at me.
"Come with me then." He leads me away from the twins, but he stops beside a pink-haired girl I've never seen before, "Tonks, best you come with us." He says. The girl, Tonks apparently, looks confused as all hell but she follows Sirius, Emma, and I down the stairs.
"Violet?" I can hear Molly say from the kitchen doorway. I look over and smile at her but I don't stop to say hello. Sirius leads us into a room that looks all too familiar. Instantly I know that this is a Black family house. The tapestry covers every single wall in the room.
Sirius conjures up some chairs and we all take a seat. "How long do you have?" Sirius asks me.
"I don't have an exact time frame but I know it won't be long before Aunt Narcissa comes looking for me in my room."
Tonks looks at me, "Aunt Narcissa?" She asks.
I stick my hand out to her, "Violet LeStrange. Daughter of Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus LeStrange.
Tonks looks at me but doesn't shake my hand. "Nymphadora Tonks. My mums Andromeda." She says coldly.
I take my hand away from her and nod. I look back at Sirius. "I don't know how much George has told you. If he's told you anything at all. They made me get the Dark Mark as soon as I got home from Hogwarts."
Sirius frowns, "They did?"
I nod, "As soon as I stepped into the front door Aunt Narcissa took me into the living room and they gave it to me. No one even asked me if it was what I wanted. They did it to my friends too." I nod at Emma and she looks down to the floor.
"It's like you said, Sirius. They're recruiting young wizards." Tonks looks at me in disgust almost. "How did you even know to come here?"
"My boyfriend told me. I'm sorry but who do you think you are talking to me in that tone?"
"Your family nearly killed my mother when she was pregnant with me! You're just like them. Supporting He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named." She spat.
Instantly my hand goes for my wand, Tonks does the same thing. Sirius puts his hand on her leg and that seems to calm her. "Violet doesn't think like the rest of the Blacks. If she did, do you really think she would be coming to me with her problems?" He says.
That seems to calm Tonks down a smidge. "I don't know what to do Sirius. I've spoken to the Dark Lord. He knows me by name. I can't just run away anymore... And Draco..." I say to him.
"Keep me updated on things, as much as you can. As many things that you think you can say so you don't get in trouble." Sirius says. "Are you going to Hogwarts this year?"
I nod, "Aunt Narcissa and Uncle Lucius want me to finish my education. They say its what my mother wants for me. But that's what they said about the Dark Mark as well."
Emma taps my arm, "We should probably go." She says quietly.
Sirius and Tonks stand up, Emma and I do the same. "It was nice to meet you, Tonks. It's good to know that not all the Blacks are awful." I say to Tonks. She nods, "Say hi to Aunt Andromeda for me, please? I would love to meet her someday. Aunt Narcissa tends to talk fondly of her."
Tonks snorts and walks out of the room, Emma follows behind her. I grab onto Sirius' arm before he can leave. "I'm scared," I whisper to him.
Sirius lets the door close behind Emma and puts both his hands on my arms. "You're strong enough to do this."
Tears swell up in my eyes as seems to be the pattern of late, "I don't think I am."
"Shh shh shh shh," Sirius says to me. He squeezes my arms, "You're a Black. We're genetically created to survive it all." He winks at me which makes me laugh a bit. "You better be off."
I nod and wipe my eyes with the sleeves of my blouse. Sirius pulls open the door and I step outside. George is standing there waiting for me. "You alright?" He says sheepishly.
"No," I say half smiling at him.
George opens his arms and I step into them and bury myself in him. "Stay here with me," George says, his voice vibrates his entire chest.
"I can't. I have to head back before they notice me gone... Is Emma still here?" I let go of George but keep my hands on his ribcage.
"Nah she left as soon as she left that room. Fred wanted to talk to her but she just walked right past him." He says. He brings his hand up to my face and traces my jawline with his thumb, "You're beautiful."
"I'm damaged goods."
"Shut up."
I look at my watch, "I've been here for half an hour. I gotta go." I kiss him hard, with tongue.
"I'll see you on the train?" He whispers when I pull away from him.
I peck his lips again, "Definitely." I step away from him and smile. "I love you."
"I love you too baby."
I picture my room at the Malfoy Manor clearly in my head and I spin in a circle.
When I open my eyes I'm back in my room, I can still smell George like he's right in front of me. Norby comes bursting into my room.
"Good Master LeStrange is back!" She squeals, "Norby figured that Master LeStrange went away but she didn't tell anyone no she did not."
"Did anyone else figure it out?" I say to her.
Norby shakes her head no, "No Master LeStrange. Nobody but Norby figured it out. Very good on your part."
I smile, "It was pretty smart wasn't it?"