Chapter Text
Rain fell gently upon the city of London. The night air was cool, and crisp, chilling anyone who walked across the damp cobblestones. Inside of Grimmauld Place, the chill was sneaking in through the cracks, clashing with the warmth of the crackling fire. A large crib sat in front of the fire, rocking slowly.
A small coo sounded from inside the crib. Two babies lay under a green blanket. Both babies had tufts of hair on the tops of their heads, one black and one brown. Their skin was still flushed red, revealing that they could only be a few hours old. The baby on the left was the larger of the two, and was the one who was cooing. The other was resting, arm stretched out towards the larger, almost as though she were reaching out.
The door to the dim room opened slightly, revealing a man, carrying a tumbler of some alcohol. A black beard was on his severe face, and cold gray eyes looked at the crib. His eyes slid to the larger baby.
“Sirius…”
He then looked at the other child.
“...and Elena Black. The heirs of the great House of Black. You are bound for greatness, of that I am certain.”
The man’s voice stirred the smaller baby, Elena, awake. She let out a small whimper, obviously upset at being awoken. Orion’s eyes slid to the girl.
“There will be no room for argument. Your mother and I have our expectations, and you will meet them.”
He took a sip of his drink before turning and walking through the door. What he did not see was the flash of gold that filled his daughter’s eyes. It was only for a second, but it was as though the child was answering her father’s challenge. Once the gold was gone, Elena fell back into a peaceful sleep.
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(Seven Years Later)
Elena let out a small sigh as she sat in the windowed alcove of their family’s library. She was watching the people, the Muggles, roaming around outside. They seemed so happy, going on with their mundane lives. She wished she could be outside, soaking up the rare sun that shined on London. Instead she was trapped inside, waiting for her next lesson. It was maddening being stuck inside all the time. She wished she were like her brother, ignoring their parents and sneaking out to play.
The sound of her bedroom door opening caught her attention. A smile formed on her features as she recognized the mass of curly hair sneaking in. She launched herself towards the boy.
“Sirius!”
He gave her a hug, laughing at her excitement.
“Hello Lena. I could hear you sulking from downstairs.”
She scowled, hitting his shoulder gently.
“I am not sulking.”
Her brother scoffed, moving to throw himself on her perfectly made bed.
“Sure. You ready to play hooky?”
Elena’s gray eyes widened slightly, as she pushed a dark brown curl behind her ear. It was a nervous habit of her’s, and one that her mother frowned upon.
“Sirius, you know we have lessons soon!”
“So what? You’ve got to live a little Elena. Mother and Father have you convinced there’s no life outside this place. There’s more to life than the noble House of Black.”
Elena took a deep breath, smoothing out non existent wrinkles in her emerald dress.
“We’ve talked about this before. You can run off and have your fun. It isn’t worth the thrashing Mother and Father will give you later.”
Sirius sat up, smirking.
“It is always worth it. Seeing their faces….ha! Getting out there, and seeing the Muggles, experiencing them! It’s amazing Lena! Mother and Father are so wrong about them!”
Elena turned back towards the window, clenching her fist.
“Sirius…”
“You know I’m right.”
Another sigh escaped her lips.
“What about Regulus? Who will watch out for him if we’re gone?”
That seemed to stall Sirius’s thought process, but he quickly overcame it.
“They won’t bother him. As long as he goes to his lessons he’ll be fine. We’ll get him a treat while we’re out.”
Elena bit her lip, her eyes sliding back to the people walking outside. She longed to be out there.
“Fine. But we need to be back as soon as possible.”
Sirius let out a yelp of happiness, picking her up and spinning her around.
“Thank you Lena. I promise you won’t regret this. Come on.”
He slipped his hand into her own, pulling her through the house, and outside. Elena followed, giggles escaping her lips every so often. They wandered through the city, stopping at some shops, observing the Muggles going about their daily lives. Sirius had somehow managed to get Muggle money, and bought several pieces of candy for both her and Regulus. Overall, it was possibly the best experience Elena had ever had.
Unfortunately, that meant that she lost track of time. Panic had flooded Elena’s system as she raced towards Grimmauld Place.
“They are going to kill us.”
Sirius rolled his eyes, keeping pace with his twin.
“It’ll be fine. You’re their princess.”
She glared at him, rushing up the stairs and inside. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anyone around. The twins made it to the first step before Orion’s voice called out.
“Elena…Sirius…to the sitting room.”
Their father motioned for the two children to move, anger simmering in his eyes. Elena shrunk slightly, attempting to look small. Sirius, however, didn’t seem intimidated by their father. Orion walked behind them.
Once inside the study, they saw their younger brother, Regulus, playing in front of the fireplace. Their mother, Walburga, was sitting close by. She was a severe looking woman.
“Ah, look what the cat dragged in.”
Orion went to stand beside his wife.
“I found them trying to sneak back into the house.”
Elena pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I’m sorry Mother…Father…”
Walburga stood, pulling out her wand.
“Regulus, dear, please pay attention. Your siblings are about to learn something about obedience.”
Dread flooded Elena’s system.
“Mother, please!”
Sirius stepped in between Elena and Walburga, determination in his eyes.
“It’s my fault. I was the one who convinced her to come out.”
Walburga smirked.
“Thank you for taking responsibility, Sirius. Yet, it changes nothing. Crucio.”
Elena couldn’t help the scream that escaped her lips as Sirius fell to the floor, writhing in agony. She felt the tears forming.
“Father! Please!”
Orion simply drew his wand and pointed it at her.
“Crucio.”
Fire raced through Elena’s body as she fell beside her brother. Both were screaming, tears running down their young faces. From the carpet, Regulus was watching the scene, eyes wide.
“Lena? Siri?”
It seemed like an eternity before the pain ended. Elena gasped, trying to keep herself from vomiting. Walburga spoke.
“Now, children, what have you learned?”
Sirius pulled himself up, reaching for his sister.
“I’ve learned that you two are crazy!”
Elena kneeled beside him, reaching out to touch him. She wanted to make sure that he was still whole. Just as her fingers touched the silk of his shirt, her mother’s voice sounded.
“Crucio!”
Sirius once again fell on the floor, utter agony on his face. Elena crawled towards him, tears once again rolling down her cheeks.
“No! Please, stop! Please!”
No amount of pleading seemed to sway Walburga as she continued casting her spell. Sirius’s eyes had rolled back into his head, and his mouth was foaming. Elena scanned the room immediately looking for anything that would help her. She knew she had to save her brother, knew that she had to do something. Something inside her felt like it was bubbling up.
“Stop!”
Once again, her mother ignored her wishes. The rage in Elena continued to grow, her eyes flashing gold.
“I said stop!”
At her words, a burst of gold shot from her, disarming her mother. Walburga gave a slight yelp, holding her wand hand to her chest. The room fell silent. Elena stroked her brother’s hair.
“Sirius. Please, look at me.”
His eyes fluttered open, and it took a moment for him to focus on her. When he did, he smiled gently.
“Hey…please don’t cry.”
Elena let out a small chuckle.
“Then don’t get hurt, you dolt.”
Her attention slid back to her parents, who were working at her warily. Orion cleared his throat.
“Help your brother to his room. Then I expect you to find yours, Elena.”
Walburga pursed her lips.
“Yes. I believe that was enough of a lesson for now.”
Elena did not wait for them to change their minds, helping Sirius to his feet. They stumbled from the study, and towards the stairs. Sirius let out a small groan.
“What did you do Lena?”
“I have no idea.”