soirée, sirius black 2.0

05. ready, set, go!

Florence was having a difficult time suppressing the feeling of pure dread. Amaryllis had brought them over to the emerald couch where the most suspected death eaters were. Sitting across from them were: Sebastian Lestrange, Evan Rosier, and Regulus Black.

     She had a hard time believing any of these people were truly friends. From her brief time in pureblood society, everything was about status and how to gain from others. Being a pureblood was a game of sorts, it was who could outlast to win.

     She then thought about how obsessed they were with the idea of purity. She didn't believe purity existed, at least not in the way they did. Because with everything that came with being pureblood was stained. So how could it be pure?

Their obsession with bloodlines and lineage creates an illusion of purity, but beneath the surface are layers upon layers of issues. It's a race of who can be more valued. Florence knew that race would kill anyone trying to win it in the end.

      She was knocked out of her thoughts as Sirius sat down extremely close to her on the couch, their thighs pressed together with a closeness that bordered on discomfort. Despite their proximity, Sirius seemed intent on maintaining a noticeable distance from Amaryllis, who lounged on the opposite end of the couch. Florence noted how she looked way more comfortable. Meanwhile, Florence found herself lacking even an inch of personal space.

She cringed as she noticed the others eyeing Sirius judgmentally. Florence had never talked to death eaters before — at least not to her knowledge — she didn't know how to act. She only had the brief information that the order had provided. She also felt like she had to watch over Sirius. Not only did he not want to be here, but he also had a strong aversion to Slytherin.

"I don't bite you know," Amaryllis said sassily, gesturing to the empty space between them. "At least, not you."

Florence could feel Sirius shudder against her, "Excuse Wenzen, he is a bit shy. He is not used to social interactions." She said patting him on the shoulder harshly. "He'll warm up."

      Sirius glared at her, to which she sent him a polite smile. Florence shimmied herself out from Sirius, moving to sit next to Amaryllis. If they were trying to get anything valuable out of them, they needed to appear comfortable. She also knew it would be difficult to focus when she could feel his every move against her.

     Amaryllis offered Florence a smile as she turned to the boys sitting across from them. "These are the new Slytherin's." She said, "Florence Gaunt and Wezen Black."

     Florence shifted her attention to the trio. They were all giving both Florence and Sirius skeptical looks. Were all Slytherin's this untrusting?

     "So, Florence Gaunt and Wezen Black," Sebastian Lestrange drawled,  "Quite the intriguing pair you've brought us, Amaryllis."

     Florence had to hold off an amused snort, they acted so superior. In reality, these were seventeen-year-old babies. They were not all-powerful, well maybe they came close considering their strong families.

     Amaryllis smirked, "Thought you might find them interesting, Seb."

     Evan leaned forward, his expression unreadable. "Gaunt and Black, hmm? The Gaunts haven't made an appearance in years, we weren't sure there was even any left. As for Black, we never thought your side would make it out of France."

     Apparently, there was a side of the Black family that was still respected but never made an appearance anywhere. It was the perfect cover. As for the Gaunt's, Florence really didn't know. Dumbledore only provided a brief explanation that there were very few left and the few that remained were hard to reach. 

     Florence steadied her nerves, meeting their gazes with a calm facade. "Amaryllis extended an invitation, and we thought it wise to accept."

     Regulus' brow furrowed slightly as he studied Florence. "Names carry weight, especially in our circles."

     Again, could they be any more self-righteous?

    "I am aware," Florence said. "That is why we wanted to talk with you. It is important to put ourselves in the right company."

Sirius remained silent beside Florence, his features carefully neutral. He was nervous his brother would recognize him. He knew that thought was irrational, he was under a charm that made it impossible to be recognized. Even if the charm failed, he hadn't seen his brother for almost three years. Sirius didn't know if Regulus would even recognize him.

Sebastian's lips curled into a smirk. "Well, you've certainly have made the right decision."

Amaryllis turned to Florence and Sirius, "Welcome, Gaunt and Black. Let's see if you can keep up."

Florence exchanged a glance with Sirius, a silent acknowledgment passing between them. They were in deep now. Florence bet her parents would be proud of her.

note: okay, I am aware of how short this chapter is, but the next will be long I PROMISE!!! I just saw this as its own thing and want to move on to a new chapter. This is where the plot really picks up:)