Thicker than Water (Marauders Era)

16 February, 1979 - Family (III)

Lavinia put off breaking the news of Orion Black's death for several days, telling herself it was just to give Sirius time to recover from his mission. She wasn't looking forward to this conversation to say the least, because the reality was that she and Sirius held very different attitudes towards their families. Where Sirius had rejected his family entirely, Lavinia couldn't bring herself to let go completely. And since they never talked about it, Lavinia didn't know if Sirius's bravado regarding his younger years might be merely a facade. This, she supposed, was probably a clear indicator that they should talk about such things more often, but it was also one of those topics that neither of them particularly liked to dwell on. It was family, after all, and complicated didn't even begin to describe it.

When she finally worked up the courage to talk to Sirius, it was a Friday night. This was not ideal, Lavinia knew, because Friday nights were usually spent together doing something more fun, liked cooking together, or board games they'd found at the muggle bookshop in town which were, in Lavinia's opinion, utterly hilarious. Why bother asking roundabout questions to solve a crime when you could just cast a revealing charm? But they had fun playing them anyway and it was as close to a date night as they usually got.

Now, however, knowing she needed to get this over with and knowing that there was no sense in waiting any longer, Lavinia finished the dishes, braced herself and walked into the living room where Sirius and Remus sat chatting and waiting for her. It seemed a shame to interrupt or to risk ruining the night but... but it had to happen. And it was her own bloody fault for leaving it this late.

She waited for a lull in the conversation, which occured when Sirius noticed her standing there and motioned for her to sit next to him. She shook her head and smiled to soften the rejection. "I need to talk to you about something," she informed him, her fingers wringing the hems of her sleeves in a habitual motion. "Privately," she added, shooting Remus an apologetic look.

Sirius frowned in concern. "Should I be worried?" he asked carefully.

"No," she assured him, wincing slightly as she realized how she'd probably sounded. "No, I just..." She sighed. "Will you just come?"

Still looking a bit unsure, Sirius stood, casting a glance over at Remus, who shrugged. Lavinia led him to her room and closed the door after he'd entered.

"I have some news," she began, turning to face him as he stood in the middle of the room. As she watched, his face lost some, but not nearly all of its tension. No doubt he was relieved this wasn't a reevaluation of their relationship. As if she could possibly be unhappy with him. These past month had been some of the best of her life, as far as she was concerned.

She shook herself slightly, focussing, and continued. "Regulus sent me a letter earlier this week," she told him, keeping her voice carefully level. She wanted to deliver this news as a neutral party since she had absolutely no idea what his response would be. It would be no good if she sounded like she expected him to react a certain way. So she swallowed hard and sighed again. "Your... Your father passed away."

Sirius stood utterly still, blinking at her and looking completely unsure how to respond. Lavinia watched him closely, waiting for some signal, waiting to see if she should comfort him or if he would rather not make a big deal about it. She knew he harbored no love for the man but all the same.... Family was complicated and the two of them knew that better than anyone.

After a long pause, Sirius finally spoke. "How?" he asked, his voice bland and emotionless.

"Heart attack," she replied, still cautious. He wasn't giving anything away, which was mildly frustrating to say the least. She wanted to know what to do. She wanted to have some idea what was going through his head so she could help him.