"I know who you are."

Harry's words echoed in her head.

"We know who you are," corrected Sirius.

"No. No, you don't," Marina answered and shook her head, refusing to believe his words. "You're a disgusting criminal. You don't know anything."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius answered before he could do it. "I never betrayed the Potters," he said with a steady voice, "I would have died before I betrayed them."

The man plopped down in a chair at the end of the table. He looked nothing like the posters that used to hang in Hogsmeade. She had expected him to be a pale, scared man with yellow teeth and a sunken face. But instead, he was tall, thin and handsome, wearing the signature black hair of their family as his crown. Marina leaned forward and knit her eyebrows together.

"You know, I have been told that if I ever got the chance to meet you, I should kill you in an instance," she spoke.

"And who told you that?" Sirius smirked, picking a cup from the big table and bringing it up to his lips. "Bella? Lovely little bedtime stories?"

Marina felt her cheeks turn pink.

"I heard you... remember after the Quidditch match?" said Harry softly, looking down at his own hands to avoid her gaze. "When Draco came in... he called you cousin..."

In a last attempt to assert her control over the situation, Marina let out a feeble chuckle. It was funny, how all the Blacks looked alike, with their empty eyes and dark hair.

"Can't you see, Potter? I've been playing with your heart all along!"

Harry only sighed. He shook his head, got out of his seat and walked over to her. "Now, I don't believe that. Answer me honestly, do you trust me?" he asked. "I want to show you something, but you have to trust me first."

It took a moment before she managed to meet his eyes, as she was frozen of embarrassment and shock. Her eyes were glossy, and she was biting her lip as hard as she could in fear of the tears falling down. If there was one thing that her family had taught her, it was that she was never to show weakness. But she nodded slowly, taking Harry's hand and watching him kiss the palm of her hand. Sirius got to his feet, opening the large door and letting the twins walk in. Sirius took Harry's free hand, and let the twins Apparate them away.

Everything went dark for a moment. Marina felt as though she was being pushed through a tight tube. The world span around her in bright colors. She could feel a lump in her stomach - feeling glad that she hadn't eaten anything that morning. Then, she heard a loud crack. She landed on her knees, throwing her hands on the ground to keep her balance.

"Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black..."

A second crack was heard, and the twins Disapparated. Marina got to her feet, squinting her eyes to look around the dark room they were now standing in. The walls were black, the wallpapers nearly peeling off; a large staircase across the room lead up to a portrait of an old woman; there were large holes in the carpet they stood on. A small House-Elf was hovering over a severed leg of a troll next to her.

"Welcome to the Home of the House of Black," said Sirius. "12, Grimmauld Place."

"WHO DARE DISTURB ME?" the old woman in the portrait by the staircase suddenly cried, making Marina jump. "Filth! Scum! Nasty halfbreed!"

The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, and the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed. It didn't take long before Sirius gave in, and ran up the staircase to throw his coat over the painting.

"Who was that?" asked Marina as she and Harry walked up the stairs.

"That would be my mother."

Watching several other portraits come to life, the trio found themselves sprinting up the stairs, entering a long hallway. Marina grew more and more certain that the house had been abandoned for years; everything she could see was either rotting or covered in dust. She found it nearly unbelievable that the house was the home of her own family. It was nothing like what she had imagined her family's headquarters to be like...

Peeking into the room at the end of the hallway, her heart skipped a beat. There sat a grumpy man, throwing his fist on the table while talking aloud. For a second, she nearly believed it was Junior, but then she realized that it was the real Mad-Eye Moody. She quickly turned her head away, feeling her chest sting.

Sirius stopped in front of a gigantic wooden door and rested his hand on its doorknob.

"We think you deserve to know the truth, Marina," said Harry, and stepped forward. Sirius twisted the doorknob.

"This is the Black family tree," he whispered with a weak voice, letting the girl step inside.

The room was huge, with large windows overlooking the street outside the house, and a fireplace which burned light green flames. Instead of the usual black walls in the house, this room had tapestry of the Black family tree, showing tens - if not hundreds - of faces, all with the same dark look.

THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK
TOUJOURS PUR

Marina let her fingers trace the tapestry carefully. She was watching her family's history, all her ancestors in one room. It didn't take long before she went to search for herself.

"Cygnus Black," she read to herself aloud, "Pollux Black, Irma Crabbe... Cygnus Black, Druella Rosier, Narcissa Black, Andromeda Black... Bellatrix Black."

Marina's face twisted, tracing her finger down to where her portrait should be, but finding nothing but emptiness. Where was she?

She took a step back, glancing at the wall. Maybe they had misplaced her? Maybe she had not gotten a painting yet?

Then, she found it. Her own portrait. Her dark eyes glanced back at her, making her stomach turn; for the portrait was on the wrong spot.

"On June 1, 1980," Sirius began and Harry shut his eyes, "you were born to Regulus Black and Darya Swan."

"No..."

"Both being only eighteen, Darya's family turned against her. She ran away, leaving you in my brother's arms. That was when Voldemort and Bella found you - both of you - and decided that only one of you deserved to live. Bella took you in as her own, pretending to be your mother. But as soon as the Ministry found out about the kill, they sent her to Azkaban, giving her just enough time to place you in Narcissa's arms before they came for her."

"No." Marina turned around, facing the man with tears rolling down her cheeks. "It's lies. It's all lies."

"Harry told me you were able to transform into a mermaid in the Triwizard Tournament. I hope you know that only those with mermaid genes are able to do so. And last time I checked, there was no mermaid genes in the Black family. So, it's impossible for Bella to be your mother."

"But Darya," Harry breathed, "came from a long line of pureblooded wizards with the genes."

"Who did they tell you your father was?" Sirius blurted out.

"Sirius!" Harry hissed loudly, and the man sealed his lips shut. Marina was gasping for air and clutching her chest, her vision disfiguring.

"How long have you known?" she asked, breathlessly, and turned to Harry.

"Since the summer."

She glanced at him, unsure if she wanted to turn the pain into anger, like how the Dark Lord had taught her to do. With only a flick of her hand, she could watch the green flames in the fireplace surround him, burning him alive.

But she couldn't. She couldn't bear the thought of Harry getting hurt, no matter how much he hurt her.

And so, she found herself storming out of the room, warm tears falling down her cheeks like waterfalls.