Heirlooms

Irma Crabbe Black

Sirius dreaded visiting his grandmother.

Because Irma was a Crabbe by birth, a Black by marriage, and a Slytherin by nature, and she despised him for not being exactly like everyone else in the family.

(Plus she had a long memory, and she hadn't ever forgiven him for charming her cane to squeak loudly every time she touched it.)

But now she was finally dying, and she'd asked to see each grandchild individually so she could bequeath her final gifts to them. So here he was, dressed up in uncomfortable shoes with his hair slicked back, standing outside the door of the grandmother he despised.

"Hullo, Granny," Sirius said sullenly when it was his turn to enter her bedchamber.

"Sirius." Irma coughed. "Gryffindor traitor."

Sirius sighed. "Yes, Granny."

"The Sorting Hat made a mistake. No Black is a Gryffindor."

"Yes, Granny, I know. You've been telling me for a year."

"You go up to that headmaster and tell him it's a mistake!"

"It's not a mistake. I like Gryffindor House, and I think it's a good match for me. I'm loyal. Loyalty runs in our family, doesn't it?"

"Loyalty to Slytherin!"

Sirius didn't say anything for a moment. "I'm sorry I'm not just like you, Granny," he said finally, and he tried very, very hard to make it sound like he meant it.

She shook her head. "I have no gift for you. No gifts for traitors!"

Sirius tugged at his necktie. "Erm. Okay."

"I don't want to waste my time on you," she snapped. "Send in your brother."

Regulus loved Granny more than anything in the world.

"Regulus," she purred when he came through the door. "How are you, my darling grandson?"

"Fine," Reg whispered. "How are you, Granny?"

"I'm . . . waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"Death," Granny answered, and Reg's ten-year-old eyes began to swim with tears. "Oh, don't cry, my darling. I've had a long, lovely life." She patted the bed. "Come sit down."

Regulus sat gingerly.

"I want to give something. A a piece of advice." She wrapped her gnarled hands around his smooth ones. "Be true to yourself, Regulus. You know right from wrong. Always do what's right. Even when it becomes difficult. Even when others try to tell you not to." She squeezed his hands. "That's what I did. And I have no regrets."

Reg's eyes had overflowed.

"Don't cry, Reg, it's going to be okay."

"You're dying," Regulus choked. "I don't want you to die."

"We all must face death," Granny said. She pressed a kiss into his cheek. "Send in Bellatrix next, would you?"

Reg nodded and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Granny," he began. "Granny, I - I lo - I love - "

"No need to say it, darling," Granny said with a smile. "I know you feel it in your heart."

Bellatrix admired her grandmother more than she admired anyone else, her own mother included.

"Bellatrix," Grandmother said when the third grandchild strode in. "Little Bella Black. My pride and joy."

"How do you feel, Grandmother?"

"I feel . . . weak," Grandmother said. "It won't be long now." She sat up up haltingly. "I have a gift for you. It's there. On the night stand." She pointed at a long, thin box.

Bella's eyes widened. "Grandmother, that's your wand."

"My grandmother gave it to me before she died," Grandmother said. "And now I want to pass it on to you. Go on. Pick it up."

Eagerly, Bella lifted the lid and pulled out the wand. It was long and black, polished to a shine and slightly curved like a talon.

"I know you already have a wand," Grandmother said. "But this one is ancient, and powerful. Just like the Blacks. It runs in the family. Walnut wood. Dragon heartstring. Strong. Unyielding."

Bella waved it in a careful swish-and-flick. The night stand shot up in the air.

"Use it wisely, Little Bella. Maybe to teach your cousin Sirius a lesson once in awhile. Toughen him up, make him see where his loyalties should lie."

Bellatrix's mouth curved into a small smile. "Sirius will come around someday. Don't you worry about that." She bent to kiss her grandmother's hand. "Thank you, Grandmother. I will cherish it forever."

"You're a good girl, Little Bella Black," Grandmother said. "You're going to do great things. I can feel it." She closed her eyes. "Send in Andromeda next, will you?"

Andromeda was afraid of her grandmother, and she didn't really know why.

"How do you feel?" she asked when she came in.

Irma looked her up and down. Andromeda was the beauty of the family, there was no doubt about it. Her hair fell in soft brown curls around her heart-shaped face, and her eyes were wide and heavily-lashed, not small and sharp like her older sister's or pale and scared like the younger one.

Pity the good looks were wasted on Andromeda.

Because the middle Black sister was odd. She wasn't a traitor like Sirius, but she certainly wasn't as devoted to her family as Bellatrix, and Irma got the feeling Andromeda would abandon them all in a heartbeat if someone better came along.

"I'm well," Irma said. "Well, I mean, I'm dying. But it feels good to see you, Dromeda." She reached up behind her head and gently unclasped the large, ugly locket around her neck. "I want to give you this," she said, offering it to her trembling granddaughter.

Andromeda cradled it in her hands as if it were a broken-winged bird. "It's lovely," she said hesitantly. "Thank you."

"That locket has been passed down through the generations. Wear it, my love, and let it remind you of your bond with this family. You are tied to us for all eternity. No matter what. You are a Black, and you will always be a Black." Her black eyes bore into Andromeda's, and even though her tone was civil, it sounded like a threat.

Andromeda swallowed. "I know I'm a Black."

"Good. You can't abandon your family, Andromeda. You never can, even if you want to. Your blood will pull you back."

"Even if I wanted to?" She crinkled her forehead. "Of course I don't want to. You say the strangest things sometimes."

Irma sighed. "I hope I've gotten through to you," she said with a cough. "Send in Cissy."

Andromeda walked out of her grandmother's chambers looking confused. "Narcissa, it's your turn," she said, turning the locket over in her hands.

"What's that?" Cissy asked. "What'd she give you?"

"A locket." She sat down on the couch next to Regulus, who had tears dripping off the end of his nose. "She made it sound really special. I don't think I want it."

Reg sniffled. "You don't?" He looked hopeful.

"Here." Andromeda handed the locket to her little cousin. "I'm sure you'll find something to do with this."

Reg lowered the chain around his neck and clutched the locket with both hands. "Thank you, Dromeda," he whispered, and she pulled him in so he could cry against her shoulder.

"I would never give away my gift," Bellatrix said from her place near the mantelpiece. She held the wand up to catch the dim light. "Mine's an heirloom."

"She didn't give me anything," Sirius said. "Prat. I drag my arse all the way over here, get all dressed up and everything, and all she does is yell at me again for being a Gryffindor."

Bella laughed. "She hinted that I should use my new wand to torture you, Sirius."

Sirius swore. "She really doesn't like me."

"Better watch out," Narcissa warned. "Bella knows lots of curses. She can even do - " she lowered her voice to a whisper " - crucio."

"That's right, I can," Bella said with a smirk. "Better be nice to me, Sirius."

"Cissy, go," Andromeda said, giving her sister a little push toward their grandmother's room.

"Okay." Narcissa straightened her dress and pushed the door open.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't use that spell on me."

Bellatrix held out her wand threateningly. "I would."

"I'd use imperio on you first."

"Not if I use avada - you know, that one. Not if I use that one on you first."

"Old Irma would probably worship you if you did that," Sirius said with a grin.

"So would all your Professors," Bella said, stowing her wand.

Narcissa walked into Grandmother's room with her hands behind her back. "Grandmother?" she whispered.

No answer.

"Grandmother?"

The shape on the bed wasn't moving.

"Grandmother?"

But Irma was already gone.

[Tien Len Competition: King of Hearts - Irma Crabbe, waiting, "You say the strangest things.", "Me? Well, I'm well. Well I mean I'm in hell, but I still have my health. At least that's what they tell me."- Amanda Palmer 'Runs in the Family']

[Disney Character Competition: Mama Odie - write about an advice-giver. Prompt: Cry]

[Collect A Collection: Regulus Black (Marauder's Era)]

[Monthly Drabble-A-Thon: Regulus Black]

[Fiddler on the Roof Character Challenge: Tevye - write about someone who places tradition over family.]