The Last Gryffindor (Sirius Black)

Chapter XXVI: Changing

• — • — •

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
—VIKTOR E. FRANKL

• — • — •

Aeliana Apparated away before coming to any concrete decisions about where she should Apparate to, so it came as quite a shock when she found herself face planting into the freezing snow just outside Malfoy Manor.

"You always had a penchant for dramatic entrances," a voice drawled from a few meters away.

Pushing herself to her feet and brushing off her completely ruined robes, Lia turned to meet the source of the voice with all the dignity she could muster.

"You of all people should know, Severus, that if you're going to go anywhere, you might as well do it in style."

She strode up to him, hands on her hips, and glared to better get her point across. The silence the followed her announcement was colder than even the bitter chill seeping into her bones from the merciless temperature. They stayed like that, leering at one another, almost diligent in our determination, until at last he cracked.

It was the most minute twitch of the lips, the faintest curve of his mouth that gave way to a smirk, but he still broke first. That was all it took to break Lia's composure in turn.

"You're so annoying," she laughed, smacking his arm.

"It's not my fault you're clumsy," he said, evenly, sporting the barest of smug smiles.

"Whatever." She shook her head. "I'm too tired to talk to you. I'll knock you down to size in the morning."

"I'd like to see you try," he challenged, matching her steps into the manor.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow," Lia yawned, waving him away.

She made her way to one of the countless spare rooms littering the manor, tearing off her tattered cloak and throwing it carelessly to the floor.

"Completely ruined," she sighed, lighting it ablaze with Incendio.

Going toe to toe with a werewolf, being uncovered by Regulus, and then nearly being caught by Death Eaters while giving Lily and James a heads up to escape made that day rank among the most exhausting of her life, yet sleep still eluded her. She rolled to her side, curled tightly into a ball, and couldn't help but wonder:

What the hell am I going to do? What the hell am I even doing right now?

• — • — •

The morning brought sour temperaments and exactly zero hours, minutes, or seconds of sleep. The rest of the inhabitants in the manor were surly over having just scarcely missed the Potters, wondering how they got away so swiftly, but Lia's sullen mood, though she tried to disguise it, stemmed from the many worries pelting in and out of her brain.

Scratch that, Bellatrix was surly over having just missed out on murdering some people, but Lucius and Narcissa's testy moods stemmed largely from the bouncing bundle of pre-Death Eater joy they'd had last summer.

If Lia were to be completely honest, baby Draco's company was far more pleasant than the half of the people walking through that house, crying or not. She might even go so far as to say she enjoyed his company, because it reminded her of taking care of her cousins when they were small. At first, Narcissa was loathe to let her anywhere near her precious pea, Lia presumed out of a vague distrust of Death Eaters, ironically enough, but Draco was quite the cryer, so she eventually gave in and allowed her to look after him every once and awhile to give her a moment of peace.