Pawns & Players - Sirius Black

-2-

Thought constitutes the greatness of man. Man is a reed, the feeblest thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed. - Blaise Pascal

August 6th, 1971 was a big day for the Sacred 28. The girl every mother wanted to marry their son to and compared their daughter with was turning eleven and the Alexanders had thrown a massive ball for her. She walked down the stairs confidently, recognizing most faces around her. 

The youngest Alexander was indeed charming with visible cheek and collarbones, a lean figure, and almond-shaped brown eyes. Intimidating to some, challenging to others, those eyes were captivating. They had the stability of the ground yet the spark of the sky. A place that some would later call home, and others their worst nightmare.

As everyone gazed at the seemingly perfect daughter, everyone except her, missed the boy being silently dragged into the manor. Walburga had talked to her before. A rather soft woman compared to her own mother, yet spoke arrogantly and was quite benighted if you observed her as closely as the girl did. She brought with her a rage and anger only seen in an unrefined person. 

The boy on the other hand was quite easy to read. A wannabe rebel who didn't even see the need in hiding the fact that he despised her. His piercing grey eyes were quite noticeable and in there, swam an obvious arrogance. But unlike his mother, he looked like he had things to say, to scream as loud as he could.

The large room was filled with respectable people from the highest positions in the wizarding world. She had seen the Minister of Magic looking around for people to talk to about irrelevant things to hide his emptiness. A few middle-aged women drinking away the unfaithfulness of men, and kids who lost their innocence too young, mindlessly making mistakes and continuing their path without a single care in the world. 

No one the guest of honour truly respected. She had not yet met that person.

Making an appearance and welcoming guests was the most irritating part. They all were unlucky people, absorbed and drowned by wealth without awareness. Silently observing the crowd, noting everything she saw, she finally spotted Regulus, the only thing that made the event even slightly enjoyable. Smiling with all his teeth to the birthday girl, he rapidly made his way towards her. 

"So fancy, and all of it for me ?" She questioned lightheartedly.

Joining in on her laughs, he was trying to lift his chin up to appear more confident around others, with mostly unsuccessful tries.

"Kreacher helped. I swear he's better at this than mum. This all looks very nice by the way"

"Well I lost interest in this party the moment I walked in on my uncle and the Ballycastle Bat's keeper in the kitchen" 

"Where where whe-" He was cut off by the girl's strangely rapid speaking.

"And I think I made enough of an appearance for tonight. I'll see you later. 

The truth was that the only person she had a close-to-friendly relationship with was Regulus Arcturus Black, and even to him, she was a mystery. Blood spilling slowly down her left arm, she remembered what her mother had done earlier as she quickly made her way to her room to clean it up. 

Being much more advanced in wandless magic than people her age, the wound was swiftly cleaned up and left in its place a hardly noticeable scar. Her entire body was covered with them, some smaller and others taking much more space on her once smooth skin. Suddenly, she was distracted when a noise came from her balcony's window. Her tawny owl had brought her a letter. The letter. 

Her Hogwarts letter.