"Taking a Stand"

June 1969, 8 months later

The air in Hogwarts seemed to have thickened in the Slytherin common room as the year came to a close. It was relatively empty as students were busy packing their trunks or finishing their final lessons, fortunately for the fifth years their lessons had ended.

Andromeda sat cross-legged on a black leather couch beside Vaughn, who had his arms spread across the back of the sofa and one leg propped atop the other. Across from them, Lucius lay across the length of an identical couch. His long silver-blond hair splayed out around him as he threw a misplaced remembrall above his head and caught it.

Vaughn heaved a heavy sigh and threw his head back.

"I'm bored!" He kicked his legs out and switched their position.

"Sorry," Andromeda began as she placed her quill back into the inkpot on the coffee table in front of them, "are we not good enough company for you?" She blew gently over the damp ink on the parchment, frowning when a small bubble of ink blew across the name, replacing the 'e' with a dark spot.

"Oh, Andy, you know I love you dearly but our," he points to himself and Lucius, "girlfriends are in a class and they can provide the entertainment you cannot."

Raising an eyebrow at him, Andromeda begins to fix the name.

"Who says?"

"Who's Ted?" Vaughn's appearance over her shoulder made her jump, the inkpot spilling and covering the coffee table. Andromeda scrambled to remove the parchment from impending damage and glared up at Vaughn. "Is he that mysterious boyfriend you won't tell us about?"

"V!" The irritation on her tone told him all he needed to know. Sharing a knowing smirk with Lucius, who had paused to watch the two squabble, he watches her fold the parchment into a square and stuff it in her robes. "You could help!" She shoved his shoulder as she crossed the room to collect a box of tissues.

Upon returning to the centre of the room, Vaughn wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He squashed her awkwardly against his chest and wiggled her around.

"I'm sorry, Andy!" Giving up on resisting, she sighs and speaks as best as she can with her face half-squished.

"You're not funny." Pushing away, she returns to the coffee table and begins placing down tissues to soak up the ink.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Lucius exclaims as he watches her pick up a damp tissue with the end of her wand. "There's a much easier way to do this." He stands and points his wand at the mess. "Scourgify." The ink and tissues vanished slowly, leaving the wooden table as clean as it had been before. Sitting back down, he kicks his feet up onto the table, spreads his arms across the back of the chair and smirks up at his friends. "Fourth-year charms, remember."

Collecting her empty inkpot and quill, Andromeda mumbles under her breath and sits back down as Vaughn follows suit.

"Yeah, I remember," he mutters.

Suddenly, a small figure leaps over the back of the chair and sits close to Lucius. Narcissa clutches her ankles where they crossed over each other and smiles up at Lucius.

"I just finished packing my trunk!" Removing his arms from where her head was now resting on him, he glances to Andromeda and shuffles away slightly.

"Uh, cool." Narcissa grins and throws her head back, her eyes never leaving him.

"It is, isn't it?"

"'Cissy, don't you have any homework?" Andromeda peered over at her little sister, sensing the unease coming from Lucius as the third year continues to sit closer to him.

"Oh, yes! But none of them needs doing until this afternoon and it's only ten o'clock! I have practically all day so I thought I would hang out with my big sister and her cool friends." Andromeda rolled her eyes and glanced over at Vaughn. The two boys were waiting for her to do something, the younger Slytherin's presence dampening their mood. Narcissa rested her head on Lucius' shoulder and smiled.

Ever since they had met, Narcissa had fawned after Lucius but ever since he had let Serenity into the common room for the first time she had become more clingy. It was becoming common among the elder students to leave her with the other third-years as quickly as they could. At first, it had been a bit of fun, something they could all laugh at- even Serenity and Lucius. After a while, however, the couple grew agitated with the youngest Black sister.

"I think I'm going to meet Serenity outside her lesson!" Lucius sprung to his feet, leaving no warning for Narcissa as she fell to the warm empty spot he left.

"Good idea!" Vaughn also jumped to his feet, a smirk growing as he anticipated seeing Juliet. Andromeda stood also, turning to her sister and pointing an authoritative finger at her.

"'Cissy stay here."

"What, why?"

"I know what you're like, you'll most likely have forgotten to pack something and will remember when we get home." Narcissa huffs and crosses her arms.

"I'm not double-checking!"

"Then do your homework!" Andromeda was doing her best not to yell at her sister but it was becoming all the more difficult by the moment. Narcissa didn't respond and simply tried to run for the exit. Catching her shoulder, Andromeda pushes her sister backwards slightly.

"Stay here, 'Cissy. For the love of Merlin!" Andromeda ran a hand through her hair. Watching as her sister turned and ran back to her dormitory.

*

Dara exited the twins' room later that evening and headed down to the living area where she found Lucia spectating on a game of Wizard's chest between Irene and Christian. Watching the three of them, her fingers twitched and she clenched her fists.

Forcing a smile onto her face as Irene's queen struck down Christian's knight, Dara imitated a bounce in her step and dropped onto the sofa behind the group.

"Cormac and Winston aren't going to Hogwarts." She announced. The small pieces of knight scattered across the board as her three siblings fell silent. Their attention turning only to their youngest sister who sat above them on the couch. Raising an eyebrow, Dara waits for one of them to fight her on her decision but only finds shocked faces. "I'll homeschool them... here."

"Why?" She grins.

"I'm glad you asked, Lucy. You see, they won't be able to cope without me. The other kids will tease them- they can't even hold a wand!" Christian found himself speechless as his mouth hung open. None of them could believe what they were hearing and, as parents of Hogwarts students, they couldn't comprehend how their children would be if it wasn't for Hogwarts.

"Dee, think about this." Irene began slowly, ignoring the game in front of her now as her eyebrows knitted together. "Think about what they'll miss out on. The friends they'll make? The lessons they can learn only from experience? Help in choosing their career path? You cannot provide all of that." Lucia shook her head, finding her voice.

"You're scared they'll get bullied, I get it. I had the same fear with Dex due to how awkward he is around other witches and wizards. I communicate with Professor Dumbledore often and he's started raising his hand in class now! Sure, it's three years down the line but Hogwarts has helped him build his confidence. I really think you should reconsider." Dara's mouth hung open. She looked between each of them with a dirty glare.

"Christian?" His head shifts as he drags his focus back to reality. "Do you have any deprecating words for me too?" Clearing his throat, he looks around his sisters.

"Hogwarts has proven to change our kids. Merritt is exceptional in her classes and Serenity-"

"Is a traitor. Both of them are. I would have expected you, if anyone, to understand my wariness but you're all selfish. You can't bear that I still have both of my boys while you hardly see your kids anymore." Standing, Dara flees the room.

The three remaining siblings sit in shocked silence, looking between each other and the door their sister had left through.

"What, exactly, just happened?" Shaking her head, Lucia laughed in disbelief. Her snigger triggering Irene and Christian into fits of giggles.

A/N

Ugh, Dara, SHUT UP