Her grandfather's painting swung forward to reveal a secret hiding space behind it. On the top shelf were the five books Lord Slytherin had so far loaned or traded her. She slid her precious gift next to her slowly growing private collection, stood back, and regarded her hidden treasures with pride and a little trepidation. It wouldn't do for her father to learn what she was up to, after all.
....
Later that afternoon, Alexandra stepped into the sitting room of Grimmauld Place to find her father collapsed in one of the high-back chairs, eyes closed, still wearing full auror uniform. On the table next to him sat a glass of half-drunk fire whisky.
She sat in the chair facing him, on the opposite side of the room, and slid herself to the chair's back. She opened the book she'd taken from the library that morning, and continued to read.
Moments passed.
"Ah, hey there, Alex. Didn't see you come in. How was your day?" The voice yanked her from the world she'd just started to fall back into.
She placed a bookmark into the same page she'd taken it from and closed the book, resting both hands on its cover.
"It was fine."
"How are your summer classes coming along?"
"They are also fine."
"I've heard you're still top of class, eh? You must be quite pleased about that."
She paused before answering. "Learning is important for the future."
Silence filled the room for a moment.
Her father gave a small grimace, and reached for the glass beside him. "Lily says if you continue at this rate, you may do better than her when you finally go to Hogwarts."
"Lady Potter is a good teacher. And I do plan to be top of my year at Hogwarts too."
"Ah, shooting for Ravenclaw then?" His voice sounded hopeful.
More silence. Silence as cold and uncomfortable as an iced pond.
"Maybe."
Sirius sighed. Then he suddenly perked up, a large grin forming over his face. "So!" His large hands landed on his knees. He leaned forward. "Who do you want to invite for your birthday next week?"
She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say a word he continued.
"I've already invited John of course, and Susan, It'll be nice to have some time with James and Amelia"
She groaned.
"I'd have invited Ginny as well, but I'm afraid she's grounded at the moment. Molly isn't happy with her just now. How about Hannah? And Ernie? And maybe—"
"—I thought," she interrupted and then paused for a moment. "I thought, we could invite the Carrow twins."
Her father looked like he'd just swallowed muck.
"Why in Merlin's name would you want to invite those two? You hardly know them."
"That's why I want to invite them. They're both girls, my age. What's the point of inviting only people you know to a party?"
He shifted in his seat. "Alex, a party is for having fun!"
"Dad, I'm going to Hogwarts in one year. How am I supposed to do my duty if I only know a handful of other wizards."
Sirius shifted again. His eyes refused to meet hers. "Alex… really… you don't need to worry about that. It's not that important. It's more important to have fun."
"Dad, I talk to my classmates, you know. I'm not stupid. Everyone else worries about it." Her voice was starting to rise. "Don't pretend you're not going to spend half the time next week talking with your auror buddies. Talking about who's going to sit where and with whom on the train. About what's best for Potter, and Weasley, and Susan, and everyone to say to whom and when."
"Alex, I just… I just don't want to distract you from your studies."
"Ah, that explains why you 'just want me to have fun,'" she snapped.
Her father stiffened. "No Carrow twins, and that's final!"
Her eyes widened slightly before narrowing. She laid aside her book, stood, and gave a small curtsey. "As you wish, my Lord Black."
Sirius winced. "Alex, surely there's someone else you'd like to invite?"
She landed back in the chair. "What about cousin Draco?"
Her father choked on his drink. "Absolutely not!"
"Well then…" she sighed as though in defeat "What about Luna?"
She knew this was a gamble. Two years ago he'd have said yes without hesitation, but things had changed. Luna had switched to a different homeschool group, and they hardly saw each other anymore. Susan said that many saw Lord and Lady Lovegood's defection to the Gray as an unforgivable betrayal.
Sirius paused. He swished his fire whisky around in the glass. He looked up at the ceiling. "I… suppose—"
"Yay! Thanks, Dad!" She leapt off the chair and dashed out of the room.
Behind her, Chief Auror Sirius Black, The Hammer of the Light, stared, then collapsed back in his chair, sighed, and downed the rest of the glass in one large, tired gulp.
....
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