In the weeks following the incident with Lucius, the family struggled to keep up some sort of semblance of their well-ordered lives. They had done their best to keep things quiet, but Lucius had been a very influential wizard, and no amount of gold could keep his mysterious disappearance secret for long.
Rumours began to spread, and there were even a few speculative articles in the Prophet. Sirius was grateful that at least the boys' role in the unfortunate events remained completely unknown. They had more than enough to deal with without having to do so in full view of the entire wizarding world.
Even more than the boys, Sirius worried about Narcissa. She was all alone at Malfoy Manor now, since Abraxas was at Hogwarts during the term, and he felt that the solitude couldn't be good for her.
He had encouraged her to come to Windermere Court, or possibly to go stay with Druella and Irma at Grimmauld Place, but she had refused to leave her home, demonstrating conclusively that she could be as stubborn as any other member of her family.
Of course, Sirius was stubborn too, and he had her over every Sunday to dinner at Windermere Court, as well as making a point of calling on her at home three or four times during the week. Narcissa seemed to appreciate his attentions, though they didn't always know exactly what to say to one another.
On one such visit on a rainy day in late November, he arrived just in time to take tea with her in the drawing room. Narcissa welcomed him graciously, and he took his customary seat. After exchanging greetings, they spent the next several minutes in awkward silence.
'The weather's been frightful lately, hasn't it?' Narcissa said feebly after a while, doing her utmost to make conversation.
'It has,' Sirius agreed, and took a sip of tea before continuing boldly. 'But I didn't come here to talk about the weather. How are you holding up, Cissy?'
Narcissa looked at him incredulously. 'How am I holding up? My husband used our son to attack our nephew, and then nearly cast a Killing Curse at my cousin in our dining room. How do you think I'm holding up?'
'I think you're doing remarkably well, all things considered,' Sirius said with a smile. 'A lesser witch might well have cracked under the pressure.'
Narcissa let out a soft chuckle. 'Well, I am a daughter of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. I've been bred to remain dignified even under the most extreme conditions.' Her face fell, and tears came to her eyes. She stiffened and blinked them away. 'I just can't believe he did it, Sirius,' she whispered. 'Draco has always worshipped him. He'd have given his right arm for even an approving glance from his father. Lucius knew it too; I spoke with him about it on more than one occasion.' She sighed. 'What kind of wizard takes advantage of his son's affection in order to use him as a weapon against his own best friend?'
Sirius snorted. 'The worst possible kind.'
'I'm mostly worried about Draco,' Narcissa continued. 'What's going to happen to him now?'
'Abraxas has decided to make Draco his heir,' Sirius pointed out. 'His future is financially secure.'
'I know, and I appreciate it immensely, but that's not what I meant,' Narcissa replied. 'Gold and land are one thing. But how can a boy grow up properly without a father?'
Sirius stared down at his cup of tea. 'Draco has you and Abraxas, not to mention me and Aries. He'll pull through.'
'I hope so,' Narcissa said sadly. 'But it won't be easy.' A single tear ran down her cheek. 'For either of us.'
Sirius set down his tea and took Narcissa's hand into his own before looking her directly in the eyes.
'I'll be here for you, Cissy,' he promised. 'Both of you. No matter what happens.'
His cousin smiled at him. 'You've been looking out for Draco ever since you were freed from Azkaban,' she said. 'He's lucky to have you as an uncle.'
Sirius sat back casually in his chair and helped himself to a biscuit. 'He's a good kid. And he's Aries' best friend.'
Narcissa nodded and took a small sip of her own weak tea. 'Any news from Hogwarts?' she asked.
'Not really,' Sirius replied. 'Aries and Draco seem to be carrying on with their normal activities. Remus says they've been a bit subdued – not so many pranks as before – but that's only to be expected.'
'If the only effect of this tragedy is to tone down the boys' boisterousness, I shall consider myself a very lucky witch,' Narcissa wryly.
Sirius grinned. 'So will Headmistress McGonagall.'
A chime sounded, and both Sirius and Narcissa reached for their wands, only to relax as they saw Cassiopeia step out of the fireplace, triumph shining brightly from her eyes. She clutched the diary in her hands.
'I've done it!' she cackled as she strode towards her niece and nephew and sat down on the sofa. She laid the diary on a side table.
'Done what, Aunt Cassie?' Narcissa asked, pouring the older witch a cup of tea.
'I've figured out what the diary is, of course,' Cassiopeia replied, taking the cup and saucer from Narcissa's hands. 'Thank you, my dear.'
'Don't keep us in suspense,' Sirius urged her. 'What is it?'
'The diary is a Horcrux,' Cassiopeia said simply.
Sirius frowned. 'That word sounds vaguely familiar, but I'm not exactly sure what it is. How about you, Cissy?'
The blonde witch shook her head. 'I don't know either.'
Cassiopeia sighed melodramatically. 'What do they teach them in these schools nowadays?' she wondered aloud. 'A Horcrux is an enchanted object in which a wizard has enclosed a portion of his own soul. So long as the Horcrux continues to exist, the wizard cannot die.'
Narcissa gasped. 'Is that why the Dark Lord was able to return?'
'Indubitably,' Cassiopeia replied calmly, and sipped her tea.
'If the Horcrux is what's keeping Riddle alive, then destroying the diary ought to kill him!' Sirius said excitedly.
'Yes, if it's only the diary that's keeping him bound to the world of the living,' Cassiopeia said. 'However, if that is truly the case, I find it very strange that Riddle would be so careless with it. A Horcrux ought to be kept in a secluded fortress under heavy protective enchantments with at least a few dragons standing guard, not handed over to schoolchildren as a plaything.'
Sirius frowned. 'Are you sure that the diary really is a Horcrux?'
'There is no doubt in my mind,' his great-aunt replied. 'Once I had an idea of what I was looking at, a few relatively simple tests were able to prove it conclusively.'
'It seems very unlike the Dark Lord to be so careless,' Narcissa observed.
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