𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒏 ♔ 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯𝘦

xiv . the ministry

╭━ ⋅☽ ⋅ ━━ ⌁☍ ━━ ⋅ ☾⋅ ━╮

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫
𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰
𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚

╰━ ⋅☽ ⋅ ━━ ⌁☍ ━━ ⋅ ☾⋅ ━╯

"AAAAAARGH AHHHH!!"

Edmund and Isadora threw their hands to their ears at the sound of the bloodcurdling screeching echoing throughout the house.

"What in the Merlin, Arthur, Salazar is that noise!" Edmund cried, his face contorted in sheer horror.

"Dear grandmama!" Isadora said, "I bet Tonks knocked over that bloody troll-leg stand again!"

"Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers-"

They both rose from the bed they had been resting on and headed downstairs. By the time they had reached the portrait hall, the rest of the portraits had begun to wail too. Remus and Molly were trying desperately to tug the curtains shut over the portrait of Walburga Black, but they refused to close and she screeched louder than ever, brandishing clawed hands as though trying to tear at their faces.

"Corrupted my children you lycanthrope! You Uranian!" She noticed Isadora pass her with Edmund and halted her abuse at Remus, "-ARGHH YOU! YOU BASTARD CHILD! CURSE YOU BRYA! NO DAUGHTER ARE YOU OF MINE!"

Isadora just laughed at her, relishing in the pain she was causing her grandmother just by living. She pulled a very startled Edmund past Tonks (who was apologising over and over again as she dragged the huge, heavy troll's leg back off the floor that she'd knocked over for the umpteenth time) and over to stand by a lost-looking Harry Potter.

"Hi Harry," She said cheerfully, "Welcome to the house of Live, Laugh and Loving."

Mrs Weasley abandoned the attempt to close the curtains and hurried up and down the hall, stunning all the other portraits with her wand.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, SHUT UP!" Sirius roared, appearing from the meeting room and seizing the curtain Mrs Weasley had given up on. The old woman's face blanched even more than she had for Isadora.

"Yoooou!" she howled, her eyes popping at the sight of her son, "Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"

"I said. Shut. UP!" He roared again, and with a stupendous effort, he and Remus managed to force the curtains closed again. The old woman's screeches died and an echoing silence fell. Panting slightly and sweeping his long dark ringlets out of his eyes, Sirius turned to face Harry and Edmund.

"Hello, Harry, Edmund..." he greeted grimly, "I see you've met my mother."

"Y-your..."

"My dear old mum, yeah," Sirius told Harry who still looked astounded, "We've been trying to get her down for a month but we think she put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of the canvas. Let's get downstairs, quick, before they all wake up again."

"But what's a portrait of your mother doing here?" Harry asked, bewildered as they went through the door from the hall that led the way down a flight of narrow stone steps, the others just behind them.

"Hasn't anyone told you yet? This was my parents' house... But I'm the last Black, so it's mine now -that is until Brya inherits it eventually. I offered it to Dumbledore for headquarters...  About the only useful thing I've been able to do."