Unlikely Allies

Chapter 16

"So is it safe to ask what all this is about yet," Rabastan Lestrange asked, shooting Marlene a friendly, amused smile. "I wasn't sure, considering when Bella did earlier you ran out of here as if you'd just seen a ghost."

Marlene shivered, intentionally not gazing in the directions of Walburga or Orion Black, who, as a matter of fact, she had seen in her scrying ball as ghosts not so long ago. "Spooks can be frightening," she murmured, dropping her gaze from the face of the younger Lestrange to her plate. They were having roast duck, and baby potatoes which did seem appetizing in spite of the current stress her stomach was experiencing. "If it's all the same to everyone, this topic is best spoken of on a full stomach," she said carefully.

"Now you've really got me curious," Rabastan said. His tone was gleeful, and she gave him a perplexed glance that he didn't miss. "Just wondering what's so bloody important that has to do with my stomach," he explained. Marlene couldn't help it. She laughed.

"It's only that some things are best not spoken of over a meal. Also some things are taken better on a full stomach."

Rabastan's dark eyes narrowed knowingly, but an amused grin still played across his lips though he was no longer laughing. "So it's going to be unpleasant enough to perhaps cause us to lose our appetite if we hadn't already eaten."

Not wanting them to lose their appetite as a result of the confirmation of that, Marlene merely shrugged. "That depends on how hungry you are, I suppose."

"I'm starved," Rodolphus said, cutting with enthusiasm into his bird. "Looks great as always, Kreach."

The elf puffed up a bit, giving the elder Lestrange a pleased smile.

"Well everyone eat up," Walburga said. "I want to see what this is about."

Marlene grinned, oddly pleased that the family matriarch was acquiescing to her request for everyone to be full before they heard what she had to say. Walburga clearly wanted to get the meal over with, but she was still willing to have it before Marlene had to spill her news. Marlene felt herself respecting the woman as well as finding her amusing. This was unfortunate, though, because obviously the last thing Walburga Black aimed for was amusing.

"So you and Regulus are school friends, Marlene?" The mildly curious question came from Orion Black, who'd glanced up from his plate to regard her.

Marlene swallowed. Why hadn't he asked Regulus that earlier? Had he and what had Regulus said? Or had he simply not thought to wonder until now, and somehow she was stuck answering? "Um...Well, he's a few years behind me and in another house so we don't see one another often really."

"She is friends with Sirius's lot but not overly closely from what I have noticed," Regulus told his father, giving Marlene an amused smirk that made her want to smack him. If he turned his parents against her, it would only hurt him.

"Not feeling smart today, are you, Regulus," she murmured and Rabastan laughed.

"If you only knew the half." He flashed a look at Kreacher and Marlene's eyes widened. They knew? Could the Lestranges actually be aware of Kreacher and Regulus's secret and be keeping it for them? Could they and actually accept it? The Lestranges were into that pureblood rubbish up to their necks. Then again elves were pure magic and quite powerful so perhaps they didn't care if it was magical blood mixing with theirs. That and...well as Kreacher and Regulus couldn't have children, she supposed nothing was mixing. Still were Regulus interested in a Muggle boy, she highly doubted the Lestranges would be supportive in any way, shape or form. Perhaps Muggle blood was the problem.

"I probably do know more than the half," she replied a bit flatly. She wasn't certain if she and Rabastan were referring to the same half, but it was still true. Then she returned her attention to Regulus's father, who was giving her a look of perplexed horror at mention of Sirius. She sighed. "I am not particularly friends with Sirius, but I see no reason to pick fights and make trouble," Marlene told Mr. Black after shooting Regulus an annoyed glare. It was true. She'd never truly known Sirius well, but after he gave zero damns about his family dying, her respect had plummeted a bit. He disagreed with them, but they'd never abused him. Instead, they'd given him a silver spoon, and he'd thrown it down to go and use the silver spoon of the Potters, who thought more as he did. She didn't see why he couldn't just have loved them as family and simply agreed to disagree without having to behave as he did. She loved her family, though, and tended to disagree with them often enough. Those disagreements were always light hearted. Granted they were about far sillier matters, but the sentiment stood nonetheless. Family closeness may take more work for some than others, but if they were only thinking differently, family was family. People thought differently. It happened, and it should be understood rather than resisted. Just because you understood someone else's view, why they felt so, did not mean you had to change yours as a result. It may but then other times it did not. As all these thoughts ran through her mind, Marlene was unaware that she was staring blankly through Orion Black.