The Reincarnated Twin

Chapter Eighteen - Help Each Other Out

It was after the dinner party now and the Black's had come back to Grimmauld Place. Shaula was now lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling waiting for her brothers to come into her room in a few minutes. She knew they were going to come in, especially after the stunt she pulled at the dinner. She thought back on when everyone first returned after the meal with the Lestranges and sighed. 

Shaula gracefully stepped out of the fireplace after Sirius with Regulus coming after her. Sirius had already been making his way up the stairs with Shaula following when they were stopped by Orion.

"Sirius, Shaula. I want to talk to you both." 

Sirius and Shaula glanced at each other quickly before walking back down the stairs and towards their father, just as their mother came through the floo. A scowl was worn on her face and both siblings knew that they were going to be yelled at then. Regulus hesitated at the bottom of the stairs but with a nasty scowl from Walburga he turned and walked up the stairs as quickly as possible whilst trying not to provoke his easily irritable mother even more. 

"YOU EMBARRASSED US AT THAT DINNER, HOW DARE-" Walburga began to screech at the twins, who tried to hide their winces from her as her shrill voice pierced their ears. However, she was interrupted by Orion, who shocked all three of them.

"I thought I raised failures for children when you didn't enter Slytherin, but I realised I raised the most Slytherin children of them all," he smirked at them. "I'm proud of you both for helping your fellow Purebloods by doing what no other Slytherin would do, and join the other houses."

With that, Orion went up the stairs and left all three behind in shock.

A knock on Shaula's door bring her out of her memories and before she can respond, the door is opened and her two brothers walk into her room. Regulus shuts the door behind him as Sirius' is too far in his temper to worry about closing a door whilst also being too busy pacing a hole into her floor. 

"Is what you said true? At dinner, is what you said true? Because if it is, I want nothing to do with it. I'm not going along with this plan of yours." Sirius rambles as Regulus stays silent and Shaula nods her head along before speaking.

"No, nothing I said was true. I just needed something for Mother and Father to believe so that we wouldn't be hurt once coming back home," says Shaula. Regulus fidgets on the spot, unsure of what to say, unlike Sirius.

"What if I don't want to lie? What if I want them to know I'm not in Gryffindor just to 'turn' the 'enemies' into 'allies'? But rather because I am an actual Gryffindor?" Sirius snapped at her, his pacing halted as he turned to stare her down with a fierce look on his face, or as fierce as it could be on a twelve-year-old boy. 

"Well, you'll have to lie for a while, Sirius. I'm sorry if you don't like lying but it's to make sure you don't get hurt," retorted Shaula as she stared back at her brother, unafraid of his glare.

"Don't get hurt? What does that even mean?" 

"What do you think it means? It means Mother and Father would hurt us for being bloodtraitors, which I don't want to happen! Do you not remember the howler you got upon entering Gryffindor? Mother would have happily hexed us if she knows the truth, and Father would have stood there and done nothing but watch. I will not allow my family to get hurt if I can prevent it," she angrily replied to him and an uneasy silence fell over them for a minute before it was broken.

"I'm confused... Why would you want to be bloodtraitors? Isn't it wrong?" asked Regulus quietly, looking between his elder siblings in confusion and worry. Both Shaula and Sirius turned to him, before looking back at each other and then back to Regulus in their uneasy silence. 

Shaula holds out a hand and waits for her younger brother to take it, before pulling him to sit on the edge of her bed and she loosely wraps her arms around him. He falls into her embrace and lays his head on her chest whilst Sirius moves to sit cross-legged on the bed. 

"Reg... The bloodtraitors... They aren't in the wrong. To be honest, it's the purebloods who are wrong. Do you remember how I explained when we were little how it's impossible for muggleborns to steal magic to make themselves muggleborns?" Shaula softly inquires, laying her head on top of her brothers. 

He nods and states what his elder sister told him many years ago from memory, "Yes. If witches and wizards don't know how to steal magic from other witches and wizards, then how would a muggleborn know, when they are only a baby."

Shaula smiles proudly at her brother's words and gives him a squeeze to show him her happiness. 

"This would mean that the purebloods are wrong and have been telling lies all these years. Meaning that the bloodtraitors aren't wrong and that it's better to be a bloodtraitor," says Sirius as he reaches over to grab Regulus' hand. 

Shaula continues on from Sirius, "However, we can't allow the other adult purebloods to know we're bloodtraitors. If they do find out, it means bad things to us could happen." Regulus shot a panicked look up at Shaula when she said that. She quickly continued to speak, trying to stop Regulus from panicking. 

"But, no matter what, Sirius and I will protect you. I also have no doubt that Kreacher will keep you safe as well. We're not going to let the purebloods know," She sent him a reassuring look, moving her hand to hold his other, so both twins held one of Regulus' hands each. "This is going to be our secret. When we are old enough, we are going to leave this house. We will find a new home. You, me, Sirius and Kreacher." 

Sirius shot her a look of betrayal, not wanting Kreacher to come with them, wherever they go. She gave back a steely look of her own, preventing her elder brother from saying another that could upset their younger brother. Regulus had an odd attachment to the house-elf who had practically raised them.

"Where would we go?" Regulus asked.

"Wherever we need to go, to be safe and happy," replied Shaula. The trio sat in more easy and comfortable silence for a while, allowing the words said that evening to sink in. Regulus moves out of the embrace and stands up and begins to head towards the door before stopping and turning back and asking,

"Why... Why are you so fixed on trying to get us all out of Grimmauld Place?" 

Shaula doesn't even hesitate when she answers.

"Because you're my brothers. We're meant to stick together: help each other out. Through any problem." 

She smiles at them both, earning a smile back from both and Regulus leaves this time. After closing the door behind him, Sirius turns to Shaula.

"I'm... sorry for getting angry." 

Shaula crawls over on the bed and wraps her arms around his shoulders, Sirius wrapping his arms around her. 

"It's okay.  To be honest I made all of what I said at dinner up on the spot. I'm surprised they honestly bought it." She grins at her brother, who barks out a laugh at his sister, not at all surprised that she had made it all up in her head in seconds.

"You honestly are a Ravenclaw, aren't you? Super smart to create such a cunning plan in your head in only a few seconds. This'll be the greatest prank on our family ever played I bet." Sirius grins back at her and tightens his hold on her. 

"Prank?" 

"Yeah, they aren't going to see us leaving them ever. When we do, they're going to be so mad, they'll be sending out search parties to look for us while we relax in our new home away from them. I can't wait." His wolfish grin while he speaks gives Shaula a warmth in her chest and allows a soft smile to grow on her face.

She only hoped that search parties were the only things sent out for them and not death eaters sent to torture or kill them instead.