☤ Pseudonym ☤

~Chapter One~

 As soon as I had disembarked the Hogwarts Express I had been engulfed in a tight embrace. I was taken completely by surprise and just stood there frozen for a second.

"Mum!" I heard Ron's groaning from beside me, "Give her a chance to breathe."

The woman's arms released me and held me at arms length, examining me. "Much too skinny." she remarked although I think she was speaking more to herself than me. "Not to worry dear, we can fix that." she affectionately patted my cheek. I flinched a little, but immediately composed myself, feeling embarrassed. Thankfully she didn't comment on my movement but instead shouted out for Fred and George. 

"Now there's been a change of plan and we won't be staying at the Burrow this summer." there was a commotion amongst the children as they interrogated their mother. "No! No questions. It's not safe there. So we will be apparating to a safehouse." I had no problem where we stayed as long as it was not with any of Voldemort's followers.

I was standing a little apart from the group of redheads, not sure what my place was. Then suddenly the woman turned again, "Oh how rude of me." she placed a hand on a small girl, "This is Ginny, Fred and George," she gestured to the twins, "and of course you know Ron." I smiled and nodded. "And I am their mother, Molly." she grabbed my hand and told everyone to link hands as well. 

She waved at her children who were now loading their trunks into the boot of the strange blue car. Then she took my hand and led us out of sight from the muggles. "Have you ever apparated before, dear?" I just nodded again. I was so nervous about them all liking me that I thought no words were better than the wrong ones.

"That's good. We wouldn't want your arrival tainted by vomit on the floor." she took a breath and with a loud crack I found myself in a new location.

We were standing in a random street. I think we were still in London but I was not familiar with the city so I didn't know. 

Mrs Weasley took out her wand and did a strange motion with it. In front of us I could see the buildings begin to shake and move. There was a low rumble and slowly two of the houses separated to reveal another hidden one. The build crackled and creaked as it shifted. The muggle neighbours didn't seem affected by the movement at all. 

"Wicked." I heard the twins mutter in unison.  

Once the house had become still Mrs Weasley ushered us inside before anyone could see. 

The front door opened into a long hallway, lit with gas lamps and a large overhead chandelier. The house appeared to have once been very grand and ornate. However, it had fallen into a state of disrepair and abandonment. Cobwebs clung to every corner, the wallpaper was peeling off and the carpet worn thin.

We could hear footsteps approaching us. A rather shabby looking man appeared at the end of the corridor. His hair was long and tangled, a rough coating of stubble layered his face and his clothes were dirty and torn. 

The man outstretched his arms in a welcome gesture, "The Weasley family. What an honour to meet you all at last." I knew that voice from somewhere but couldn't quite place it.

Mrs Weasley stepped forward and greeted him by kissing him on both cheeks. "Sirius, so glad you're here." 

This was Sirius Black. I froze, but it wasn't from fear of him, but fear of what he knew about me and how he would react to seeing him again.

He moved swiftly through the group, shaking their hands and making introductions. I sank to the back in the hope that he wouldn't notice me. As they were greeted the children followed their mother up the stairs to find their rooms. 

Finally his dark eyes caught mine and his face contorted with rage. He rushed forward and pressed me against the wall, knocking over the umbrella stand on the way. He pressed his wand into my throat in a threatening manner.

"What are you doing here?" he shouted in my face, "How did you find this place?" I could smell alcohol on his breath as it swept over my face. 

The others had obviously heard the commotion and came rushing back down the stairs. 

"What on Earth is going on, Sirius?" Mrs Weasley shrieked as she took in the scene. She tried to pull him off of me, but his grip remained strong, pulling on my hair to keep me in place. My scalp ached in response to his firm grasp. 

"She's one of them. A death-eater. I would know this face anywhere." he glared into my eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sirius. She's just a child." Mrs Weasley pleaded with him. 

He grabbed my left arm and yanked up my sleeve. "Look!" he shouted, angrily. Mrs Weasley screamed when she saw the tattoo printed on my forearm. 

The rest of the Weasley family took several steps away from me when they saw it. Looking at me with fearful eyes. 

I shut eyes under the weight of their judgemental stares. Tears fought their way forward as I just wished for all this to be over. I thought I was safe. I thought it was all over. I was too naive. 

Suddenly took a large step back and yelled "Expelliarmus." at the same time Mrs Weasley summoned ropes to encase my body.

I felt them wrap around my waist, trapping my arms beside me as well. I whimpered at they cut a little into the skin on my left arm, with the sleeve having been raised they rubbed terribly. 

Sirius grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up the stairs. The Weasleys recoiled as I past them. Emotional pain gripped my heart as people I would have once called my friends had suddenly become enemies. 

On the first floor Sirius shoved me into a room. There were a couple of sofas and large windows. On one end was a large fireplace flanked by two ornate glass-fronted cabinets. However, what caught my eye particularly was the large, detailed family tree that covered the entire left wall. 

Before I could examine it any further Sirius pushed me into a chair he had summoned and restrained me to it. 

He looked into my eyes, the hatred was evident in his. 

"Now let's talk."