Chapter Text
The party was everything Walburga expected. Pureblood families and dark wizards were gracefully swooping about the Black house, elves were rushing around carrying tea trays and flutes of champagne, and –most importantly–Sirius had not a clue as to what the party was for.
Y/N glued on her perfectly practised smile, her twin brother, Regulus, standing next to her wearing a similar expression and sipping demurely from a goblet of wine. She felt bad (horrible, really. Her stomach was twisting uncomfortably and she couldn’t seem to breathe properly) for not warning her older brother about what the party was for. Maybe it was selfish, but she was honestly scared shitless. What would he do if he knew? Confront their parents? Run away? Her parents would kill him if he didn’t comply, and no matter what, she couldn’t have a dead brother at the end of the night. And that’s all without even mentioning what they’d do to her if she told.
Y/N sighed and Regulus stepped on her foot. She jumped and reinserted her seasoned smile. An old woman dressed in a traditional black dress– similar to Y/N’s ankle length black pleated skirt and embroidered button up– approached and gave Y/N two light kisses on each cheek.
“Oh, my dear! Don’t you just look darling?” she simpered.
“Thank you very much, Mrs. Turner. I trust your daughters are well?” Y/N replied.
“Yes, very well indeed. My oldest– Carmen– just had her initiation ceremony last week. I’m excited for yours, Mr. Black,” Mrs. Turner said, looking at Regulus. “But! Tonight is about your brother. Where is he, anyway?”
“Oh, upstairs, I think. I’ll go get him. Everyone is so eager to see him.” Y/N bid Regulus and Mrs. Turner goodbye and moved down the hall and up the stairs. Approaching Sirius’s room, she called out for him.
“Can I come in? Sirius! Everyone’s asking for y–” She opened the door and stopped mid sentence. Sirius stood in the middle of the room, broom in one hand, wand in the other with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
“What in Merlin’s name are you doing?!” she hissed.
Sirius shushed her and glanced around nervously. He wasn’t dressed in his dress robes, but in jeans and a ragged muggle t-shirt. “I’m not getting that mark. There’s no way in hell!”
Y/N rubbed her face and sighed. “I know you’re nervous, and I’m sorry for not telling you, but can’t you understand? This is for the family!”
“What family? Families have love, and there’s not an ounce of it in this house!” Sirius snapped. He softened. “Please, Y/N. I’m going to the Potter’s. Come with me.”
Y/N gaped at him. “Come with you? Are you mad? What, leave Mother? And Regulus? And generations of tradition? For once, Sirius, think about us!”
“I’ve thought about you for the last sixteen years! Y/N, you and Regulus are fifteen now. You need to think for yourselves! Mother will make you get the mark. Is that what you want?”
“She loves us,” Y/N mumbled.
“Yeah, and we’re still recovering from that.” Sirius gazed sadly at her. “You wouldn’t get it. You’re just not…brave enough.”
Tears pricked Y/N’s eyes. “Not brave enough? Really? Just because I’m not a Gryffindor, like you? Because I’m willing to fight for our family? It’s all I have, Sirius!” She paused. “And I’m not going to let you take it away.”
“Y/N wait–”
“Mother!” Y/N called, turning from Sirius. “Mother, come quickly!”
“Y/N! Stop, you–”
The definite sound of heels clicking on the stairs filled the room and hung heavy in the air.
“I’m sorry…but this is my family too,” she whispered.
“Y/N? Is everything alright?” Walburga asked, approaching the room.
“It’s Sirius. He’s trying to–”
Sirius jinxed her mouth shut. She whipped around to find him, tears in his eyes, pointing his wand at the doorway, ready to take on his mother. She began to panic. He’d die. He’d get killed.
Walburga entered the room and stared at the scene before her: Y/N clawing at her mouth, Sirius pointing his wand at her, the duffle bag and broom now lying on the floor.
“Sirius. Orion. Black,” Walburga snarled. She flicked her wand at Y/N carelessly and the girl gasped for breath. “You are an insult to this family. You will go down and get that bloody mark and you will not utter a word against it. You need to commit to this family. Go. Now.”
Sirius spat at her feet. “You crazy bitch, I will do no such thing.”
She took a step forward like a predator cornering its prey. In a flash, she grabbed his wrist and yanked him down the stairs. He struggled in vain to release himself and Y/N followed grimly. He swore at Walburga and Y/N all the way down to the party.
“You traitor! See what you did, you coward!” he spat.
Y/N stayed quiet.
Walburga threw Sirius down in the middle of the room. “Sirius Black, the blood-traitor brat.” She turned to the room at large. “My waste of a son tried to flee tonight.” A wave of gasps went over the room. Orion Black stepped forward, his eyes dark coals smoking with fury. Regulus stepped forward and stood next to Y/N.
“Father,” Regulus began.
“Not now, son,” he retaliated. He took two more steps toward Sirius, who was on the floor quivering, before he drew his wand. He took one look at his son, raised his weapon and shouted, “Cruci–”
“Stop! Please, Father!” Y/N pleaded, stepping in to shield her older brother. “Please…not that. Anything but that. I implore you.”
“Move, girl,” one of the onlookers jeered.
Orion softened slightly. “Y/N…move. Now.”
“Please! Father, not this! Please! Torture me! Just leave him alone, please!”
Orion stood in front of his daughter, a look close to kindness in his eyes. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her away, Walburga taking his place.
“No, no no! Please, stop! Please–”
She was cut off by the sounds of Walburga’s yell and Sirius’s screams. Time seemed to slow down. Regulus kneeled in front of Y/N, trying to soothe her and quiet her pleas. Sirius screamed and screamed and the most horrible sounds seemed to echo around the house.
She wasn’t aware of when Orion let go of her, but she was suddenly rushing to Sirius’s side hugging him and holding on like she could somehow ease his pain.
Walburga stopped the spell. “Move. Y/N, I’m not asking you.”
“You’re monsters!” she shrieked. “You’re evil, foul, horrible–”
“Sectumsempra!” Walburga slashed her wand down and it was Regulus’s turn to cry out in shock. Hot sticky blood was dripping down Y/N’s chest, bleeding through her white button-up. She thought to herself deliriously, ‘Mother’s going to kill me if she sees the mess I made of my shirt…’
Cut after cut dug itself into her body. She collapsed at some point, but they kept coming. She wasn’t sure when her vision went foggy, but she heard yelling and felt someone scoop her up and drag her across the floor. The fireplace roared and green light filled the room. Next thing she knew, she was flying through space and onto someone’s carpet.
There were yells. Oh god, when would the screaming stop. It echoed in her ears long after everything went black.