Stars and Mist | Regulus Black

c h a p t e r. t h i r t e e n

Melynne Gaunt stood alone as she waited for her daughter. The woman displayed no emotion on her face, silently judging everyone who walked by. The train pulled into view and slowly, students of all ages stepped on the platform. She watched children reunite with their parents, feeling almost remorseful that she couldn't have that kind of relationship with her daughter.

Her mind briefly flashed back to the years shortly after Hogwarts, where she'd been her brother's right-hand woman. She'd tucked her emotions away then, killing people left and right. How many people had been hurt here from what she had done in her years after Hogwarts? Melynne wanted to know.

She blinked and looked in front of her, watching some more children get down. Some of them she recognized, like Walburga Black's children, and others she didn't care about. The children kept pouring out of the train with people to meet them.

"You're like them, then," Christelle Greengrass said as she nudged her chin towards the Potters, who were greeting Sirius Black and James Potter. "Taking in every stray mutt you can find."

"You and I both know that's not true, Christelle."

Melynne looked at who used to be her best friend and at one time her sister, looking at her demeanor. Christelle Greengrass and Melynne Gaunt were never that close, but the two had a mutual goal and they used each other. The pair eventually split due to an emotional barrier, but they still communicated and didn't fully detest each other.

"I hope you don't erase your first daughter's existence from your second daughter. The younger girl will have to accept things that are happening. Tensions are rising, Christelle, tensions between my brother and the ministry, and it would be in your best interests to stay on my good side."

With that, Melynne moved towards the area Mirabel and Liora had gotten off at. She motioned for them to follow her, grabbed onto their wrists, and apparated them to the small apartment the family lived in. She let go of the two once they'd arrived, and the pair looked around. What used to be a shabby one-room apartment had transformed into a comfortable four-roomed one, with glamorous architecture and an amazing appearance.

"What-"

"I've been renovating," Melynne said flatly. "And, you'll find that you can't say the address of here."

"What?" Liora glanced around confusedly. "That's crazy, mother, why would you do this?"

"I told you I'd give you answers. Here they are. This is the same apartment we've always lived in, except with a few minor improvements. I'd also advise you not to leave." Melynne's eyes darkened at that.

Both of the younger girls shivered and nodded at her, standing awkwardly at the entrance.

"Take off your shoes. You can choose which room you want out of those two," She added, then swept away.

***

"Your mom's really glamourous," Mirabel said to Liora once their shoes were off. The pair were sat on the floor in one of the rooms, gazing out at the pouring rain outside.

"She is. Some people even think she's my sister."

Mirabel agreed. Melynne Gaunt was definitely a beauty, with light brown, wavy hair, a pretty face, and a put-together appearance. The only evidence of her age was her daughter. Mirabel, too, looked similar enough to the two that she could be claimed as a Gaunt. She had dark, black hair, dark eyes, and a similar bone structure to Melynne and Liora.

Liora had the same hair as her mother, dark brown eyes, and overall just looked like a carbon copy with the exception of her eyes, which were a shade of light hazel. The girl also had darker skin than Melynne and Mirabel, probably descended from her father.