A Confrontation with Consequences.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. However, since Rowling discarded my favourite characters I picked them up and took them into my care to give them the love and attention they deserve...and occasionally give them reason to need that love and attention no matter how much they deserve it without needing a reason.

Summary: What if Bellatrix put a bit more value in her family; an action that changed everything as she learned a devastating truth?

Warnings: Use of language, some OOc behaviour, abusive past for Sirius.This story contains some Sirius/Remus in the fourth chapter, no more than a half kiss and discussed among others. But you have been warned.

Special thanks to Kitty for her patience with my repeated grammatical errors and her overall brilliance that always gives me ideas. All honour to her for the title and summary. You are a life saver!

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Shifting away from the crack in the study door, Bellatrix could only listen in shock as her Aunt raged to her Uncle inside about her cousin's sorting a week earlier.

Gryffindor...the little twerp had actually gone and been sorted outside of Slytherin, the house of his ancestors and where every Black before him had gone.

She had always known he was different and didn't follow the same beliefs they did and as such she had known he would not end up in Slytherin. Ravenclaw had been her bet, because for all that she heard about his antics; the boy was not stupid.

But not in a million years would she have imagined him to end up in Gryffindor, the house of Mudblood and Half-Blood lovers.

She should feel disgusted by the revelation, some part of her probably did, but that was not registering with her right now as she overheard what her aunt and uncle were saying.

Aunt Walburga was talking about locking the boy up for good, making him pay for daring to dishonour them the way he had in a way that he would finally learn his place once and for all, but her uncle had disagreed, saying that if he hadn't learned that by now, then he never would and they should get him out of the way while they still could.

Bellatrix herself was no saint, had actively targeted Mudbloods for disgracing the Pure-Blood community and firmly believed in the Dark Lord's idea of disposing all the ones unworthy.

But those weren't family like her cousin was. Sirius was the Heir to the House of Black; the noblest house left from ancient times. But most importantly, he was family and you didn't hurt family unless there was no other option; but from the sounds of it this wasn't the first time her aunt and uncle had hurt the boy.

She had never seen any sign of abuse in the boy on the few occasions they had met, but instead of being proud of the way he clearly behaved according to Black tradition, not giving any emotion away, it was instead disgusting her and made her feel sick to her stomach.

They were speaking of not lifting the Cruciatus Curse until it drove him insane this time, indicating they'd put him under it often enough to know how far they could go without leaving any lasting damage.

Bellatrix was no stranger to the curse, it having been used on her and having used it on others repeatedly without any regret. But Sirius was her eleven year old cousin, not some worthless Mudblood she didn't know.

In a split second she was at the fireplace, not consciously aware of having moved until she was already spinning around through the Floo network, stepping out automatically as she reached the Deputy Headmistress' office. She had counted on the Fireplace to be open and connected to every student's house in case of emergency and was not let down as she had no trouble travelling through.

She knew that she might have been wiser to travel to the Headmaster, but she had never trusted that old fool and although she had never liked McGonagall, she knew she was fair and would be a lot more useful than the Headmaster.

As the woman rose from her desk, startled by her unannounced presence, it occurred to her that the woman was now her cousin's Head of House and decided to use that to her advantage.

"Where is my cousin?"

"Miss Black! What in Merlin's name do you think you are doing here?!" McGonagall hurried forward and Bellatrix wasn't surprised to see a wand in the woman's hand as it seemed her reputation had preceded her.

"Get Sirius here."

"You cannot just burst in here and expect..."

"I do," Bellatrix cut her off. "Either you have him retrieved here, or I will go out and get him myself," realising she needed to get a grip on her anger, she tried to clear her mind. "Please."

"I have always known the Black descendants are deranged, but this...you are very far out of line," McGonagall snapped. "Get out of my office."

"They're planning to kill him, Professor," Bellatrix wasn't sure if it was the use of her title, or the words themselves that got McGonagall moving, but realised she had made the right decision in revealing her Aunt and Uncle's plan as the woman's entire stance had changed from defensive to protective.

"Elf!" McGonagall called a house-elf, ordering her to retrieve Sirius from class right away before she returned her attention to Bellatrix. "Why do you care about what happens to Mister Black?"

"He is my cousin, the Heir to my House," even now Bellatrix wasn't entirely sure why she was so upset by the knowledge young Sirius was being abused by his parents. It wasn't unusual for the Blacks to be firm in how they raised their offspring, although she knew that despite a slap here or there, no one had ever actually raised a wand at their own.

"If that is so, then why did you not go to your Head of House but came here?" McGonagall asked, but before Bellatrix could think of an answer to that, the elf returned with her cousin.

It surprised her how pleased she was to immediately see the boy draw his wand at the sight of her; telling her that despite where he had ended up, he still had a good head on his shoulders.

"Put that away," she was aware he would not tell her the truth if asked and simply stepped forward to yank his robe back hard enough that the fabric ripped; pulling the material off of his shoulder before he could so much as blink.

She only caught a flash of marked skin before a hand slammed into her chest and she was magically pushed back several feet.

"Get away from me!"

The magic behind the shove had been strong enough to knock the breath out of her and the strength of it surprised her. Regaining her balance, she looked up to see him trying to fix his robes; but one look at McGonagall's shocked eyes told her she had been right.

"How long have they been beating you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Sirius snapped at her but her attention was on the marks and bruises standing out starkly on the pale skin on his too thin body as he tried to repair his robes; making her feel sick as she realised how deep he must have been bruised for them to still be that visible after a week.

"Don't deny it when I can clearly see it is true. Did you know I went to visit your parents today? It was supposed to be a surprise visit so I didn't announce my visit and forbade Kreacher from alerting them. It's funny, what I heard just as I was about to announce my presence," she caught McGonagall staring at Sirius' back in shock and suddenly knew exactly what she'd find there.

"How long?" he winced as she grabbed his arm and forcefully turned him around; taking in the faint whipping marks she had expected to see from McGonagall's reaction.

Aunt Walburga always had been fond of telling stories of how she had used that spell on blood traitors and Mudbloods while in Hogwarts herself.

"What do you care? You lot are all the same," he tore his arm out of her grip; finally managing to repair his robes now that she was not actively tearing at them and his clear talent at magic would've made Bellatrix proud if she wasn't so angry right now.

"Us lot? And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Pure-Blood bigoted racists, incapable of seeing just how wrong you all are," Sirius snapped as he straightened his robes.

"Because we believe in Pure-Blood elitism? We are better than Mudbloods and traitors," the venom in her voice was not half of what she intended as she caught the tiny tremor in his right hand as it gripped his wand tighter. 'How often have they used the Cruciatus on you?"

She ignored McGonagall's gasp as her cousin scoffed.

"Better? Because you marry your own cousins to keep your blood so-called pure? Pure-Bloods are the ones with mudded blood, not Muggles or Half-Bloods," he completely ignored her question but she had seen the slight tensing in his body; the boy unable to completely hide his emotions like a true Black would have.

But then, from the sight hidden underneath his robes, she knew it would not have done him any good.

"Muggles see inbreeding as something wrong as it deranges the bloodline and leaves mental instability; they are rather right, aren't they?"

"When have you had the time to consort with Mudbloods?"

"Haven't you heard? I'm a blood traitor," a defiant look came over her cousin's handsome boyish features. "And proud of it."

"Proud of betraying your family's legacy? What they stand for?" Bellatrix tried to rein in her anger, aware of what that same family had done to the small boy across of her.

"You mean to ask if I am proud of not being a racist? Of withholding judgement until someone deserves to be judged? To not persecute people simply for existing?" His voice had taken on a different note as he spat out the words; but it wasn't one of anger. If Bellatrix daresay; she would have said it held a pride she had never heard in him before. "Then yes, I am proud of that and I would rather die than turn into one the likes of you."

"Because I believe we Pure-Bloods are better than the lot you are defending? Because I want us to rise to where we belong instead of hiding like criminals?"

"Isn't that exactly what you are?" Sirius shot back. "Torturing and murdering innocent people for something that they don't even know about? Sounds exactly like a criminal to me."

"You think they are innocent?" as she stared into those judgemental light grey eyes, so different from the rest of the Blacks, she couldn't help but feel that an eleven year old should not have the power to make her defend her upbringing so thoroughly.

"You think they are innocent?" she managed to hiss out to hide her discomfort at the wisdom far beyond his years hiding in those young eyes. "Do you know how many of our kind have been persecuted? Slaughtered for their magic?"

"Do you know how many Muggles wizard-kind murdered in turn? Yet it are never the guilty who are punished, always the innocents. Muggles these days know nothing about magic, most don't even believe in it and yet they are still paying for something their ancestors did because plenty of Pure-Bloods cannot let go of the past or be happy with the world we have now."

"Because we deserve better than what we have," Bellatrix automatically returned.

"What more could we want? We have our own lives, our own culture and community. We aren't bothered by Muggles or persecuted, why can that not be enough?"

"They come into our world, like they own it. Stealing our magic and our jobs!"

"Are they? Merlin was Muggleborn; his parents nothing more than commoners. When he used an de-ageing spell on himself to not be recognised when he wanted proper magical guidance after Hogwarts formed, Slytherin took pride in his legacy, yet they somehow forget what he stood for, what he became famous for in the end. He lived in peace among Muggles, even fighting against dark witches to protect those he cared about. Even to this day, Muggles know of his greatness, the bond he had with King Arthur, even if they don't know it as more than a legend; a story."

"That is different!" she had actually not known that and briefly wondered how he did.

"How is it different? He is the most famous wizard of our time and the most respected. No one's ever accused him of stealing anyone's magic, despite his ancestry. So why are the Muggleborn of now any different?" Grey eyes stared her down coldly. "How is it that you believe in Pure-Blood supremacy, yet serve a Half-Blood narcissistic self-proclaimed Lord?"

"How dare you...the Dark Lord..."

"Your precious dark master's real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, isn't it?"

"Yes, he is the descendant of the House of Gaunt, a House even older than ours," her anger deflated at his calm tone, not sure where he was going with this change in subject. "He is..."

"Is a Half-Blood, the result of a marriage between a Witch and a Muggle man," as he cut her off something unpleasant rose in the pit of her stomach and she suddenly found herself frightened of the cold certainty she could see in his eyes.

"You don't believe me? Look it up for yourself in Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy. The Gaunt family is in there with your precious master listed; but the line is noted as extinct in both the male and female line as the last male descendant died without any heirs. The female descendant married a Muggle by the name of Tom Riddle, presumably dying in childbirth as her time of passing matches her son Tom's day of birth."

"W...what?" Bellatrix stuttered, unable to believe his words.

"How does it feel, cousin? To know you serve a Half-Blood while you preach about Pure-Blood supremacy?" There was no change in his emotions but Bellatrix could feel the taunt through her very core at what he was revealing.

"The Dark Lord...he's...show me that book!" Bellatrix demanded.

"I don't have it, Grandfather made me learn all the Pure-Blood lines as part of my training."

"There is a copy in the library," McGonagall's voice made Bellatrix twitch and she cursed herself for having forgotten the woman was even there.

"Retrieve it," Bellatrix barked; the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach slowly turning to dread as she was uncomfortably aware the boy had no reason to lie and if he wasn't lying, then all she had believed the Dark Lord stood for had been a lie.

"You never bothered to check his background when he was boasting about his ancestry?" There was a hint of disbelief in his voice and Bellatrix bristled in anger; though not at her cousin. She was angry with herself for having blindly believed the man on his word when the Blacks prided themselves on their suspicious nature.

Glaring up at her cousin, she wondered why he looked so defensive before she suddenly realised he had very effectively steered her away from the reason she was there.

"You are coming with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with a Death Eater," Sirius' hold on his wand tightened and she couldn't believe his defiance; could he not see she was trying to help him?

"So a Death Eater would be worse than parents who beat and torture you?"

"They are not my parents," Sirius snapped. "And you are just as bad as they are; torturing innocents."

"I would never lift a hand at a member of the family, especially not a child!"

"And that makes you so much better," Sirius scoffed. "The family is so much better than others; disowning people for following their hearts or because they are not as they would like them to be. A family that looks down their nose at anyone not up to their social standards."

The cold words forcefully reminded Bellatrix of the younger sister she was trying so hard to forget after the betrayal committed.

But more so than the words, the boy himself was eerily like Andromeda when he was defiant; a sight she had hated in her sister but had not once before seen in her young cousin.

As a matter of fact, Sirius had never shown any kind of character whatsoever on the occasions they had met and she had seen him as a silent and withdrawn little boy, standing beside his parents on family events.

Nothing at all like his younger brother who had been interacting with the other cousins freely; all laughs and joy.

As they had been growing up, she hadn't thought much of it as she just saw him as aloof like his parents usually behaved; but now she wondered if he truly was like that, or if it had been beaten into him early on.

There was nothing of that quiet boy in him as he stood across of her; telling her exactly where he stood in his beliefs.

Had Gryffindors' influence changed him so much in such a short (of) time? Or had it brought out something that had been simmering inside all along?

Or was it something else altogether that had brought on this change?

Her musing was interrupted by the arrival of a house-elf with the requested book and she immediately reached out to tear it out of the grip, but her cousin acted faster and gently took it from the house-elf.

"Thank you, Tiffy," he had the decency to smile at the elf more warmly than she had ever seen him look before, the elf smiling up to him in return before disappearing again.

"Page three," his voice was a lot colder as he held the book out to her but she ignored the discomfort she felt at the display to page to the indicated page and there it was, writing in thick black letters.

The undeniable proof that the Dark Lord had lied about his blood status.

She had listened to his speeches about blood supremacy and how only those pure of blood should be allowed to be in positions of power; wholeheartedly agreeing with his views.

But now it turned out that he had played her and everyone else, being nothing more than a worthless Half-Blood himself.

Shame washed over her as she realised he had used the pride of her House for his own personal gain; had used her all this time.

"I'll kill him," the shame quickly made place for a blinding rage because she had loved the man; had tortured for the ideals he had shown her and had believed in him. She had given everything up for him and he had used her, had lied to her!

"I don't think that will be so easy."

"No, he's made Horcruxes to ensure it's not," her anger was too great to care what she was revealing in the presence of a known enemy.

"Then we will have to destroy it," Sirius seemed oddly unaffected by the news, even though McGonagall startled heavily. "Do you know where it is?"

"Of course not, he doesn't even know that I know they exist. He handed me a cup for safekeeping, telling me it was of utmost importance but not what it was. Like I would not recognise a Horcrux if I saw one," she snorted at McGonagall's surprised glance. "I am a Black, dark magic is our speciality."

"Where is this cup?" Sirius asked.

"In my vault at Gringotts, it will be relocated to our shared vault after my marriage to Rodolphus."

"I still can't believe you intend to marry that creep."

"He is a respectable Pure-Blood party and will make a good match," Bellatrix parroted her parents words.

"If you are going to marry for convenience rather than love then at least pick someone who can support you financially and not some bankrupt creepy idiot who is incapable of thinking for himself," Sirius shot her a glare. "And don't even pretend that you love him, because we both know that's not true."

"No, I do not. But Mother and Father believe he is respectable," Bellatrix admitted.

"I'd rather remain single my entire life than to have to marry someone just because they make a respectable party," Sirius scoffed.

"Thinking like that gets you throw out of the family," Bellatrix growled.

"Who cares? At least I would be happy rather than stuck in some miserable arranged marriage like Narcissa will be after she graduates. Andy is the smart one; she is both happy and free of the Blacks' suffocating demands," her cousin looked awfully wishful and McGonagall wasn't the only one who shifted uncomfortable at his words.

Bellatrix hated that he had brought up her sister once more, but couldn't help but admit to herself that although Andromeda had disgraced the family, she had at least appeared to be happy with her Mudblood partner.

Bellatrix had always been in love with the Dark Lord, even as a small girl and she wasn't above admitting that the only reason she had accepted Rodolphus' proposal was because she knew her parents approved of the match.

"That's all very well, but do you know how to destroy a Horcrux?" McGonagall broke the silence that had fallen, bringing them back to what Bellatrix had revealed.

"No, but I'm sure there is something in the Black library."

"You need to destroy it beyond possible repair," Sirius raised an eyebrow as they stared at him surprised. "You just said yourself that dark magic is the Blacks' speciality. As the Heir, I am required to learn all about it."

He didn't look particularly happy about that, but Bellatrix had just realised something else as she turned to McGonagall, not sure when they had all sat down.

"How do you know what Horcruxes are?"

"I read about it during my studies. There was a book in the library that mentioned the subject and how to make them," McGonagall revealed.

"Secrets of the Darkest Arts," Sirius nodded. "There is a copy at the library at Grimmauld Place and I know Grandfather has one as well."

"Then it won't be hard to get our hands on a copy should we need it," Bellatrix brushed her hair back over her shoulder. "If I am going to do this, I will need your help."

"Going to do what?" Those much too wise eyes stared her down, telling Bellatrix he already knew what her next move would be.

"Take down the Dark Lord."

"Then what do you need me to do?" Sirius grinned, startling her.

It was one thing to see anger and defiance displayed in those light grey eyes, but Bellatrix had never seen the boy smile, let alone full out grin and she found that she quite liked the change.

Even if it made him a blood traitor and she should hate him, it seemed that Gryffindor was actually good for him as she knew Slytherin would have beaten him further down.

"I can get my hands on the cup without a problem, but I only know of two Horcruxes."

"How do you know he has made more than one?"

"He keeps a locket in his private chambers. He told me it is a family heirloom of the Gaunt family but I could tell immediately it was a Horcrux."

"A locket?" Sirius picked up Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy and skimmed through it. "This one by any chance?"

Looking down at the portrait of three he was showing her, she immediately recognised the locket around the girl's neck. "Yes, how did you know?"

"That is Salazar Slytherins locket. It was stolen along with Helga Hufflepuffs Cup many years ago," Sirius stopped her from closing the book. "Grandfather had me look up all priceless heirlooms of the founders that are lost or were stolen as part of my training in research."

He turned a page back to the portrait of an older man and tapped to indicate to the ring the man was wearing. "This is another heirloom lost after the last Gaunt died."

"You think it might be another Horcrux?" McGonagall looked over his shoulder at the portrait.

"Perhaps, if Bellatrix is right about there being two then what are the chances that there are more?"

"How much more are you thinking about?" McGonagall's breath hitched.

"No idea and I hope there's just the two, but there is a way to determine how many exactly he made."

"By tracking it down and checking it truly is a Horcrux," Bellatrix nodded.

"That would be the hard way."

"There is an easier way?" Bellatrix frowned; intrigued to what kind of idea her cousin might be having.

"If we have one Horcrux; we could connect to the soul piece inside of it to try and find out how many he made."

"Because they would be connected through magic," realising where he was going with this, Bellatrix frowned. "But the Dark Lord's mind is a very dark place. I don't know if I could handle his mind even though I am a Legilimens."

"You could if I shielded you," Sirius looked down at the book. "My Occlumency shields are good and if you give me a few weeks to focus on practice, I shouldn't have a problem shielding you while you enter his mind. Or vice versa if you would prefer that."

"No!" She cleared her throat self-consciously as both Sirius and McGonagall startled at her outburst. "You are eleven years old, and although clearly very bright, I cannot in good conscience allow you to do something that risky. Grandfather Arcturus would have my head if I endangered the Heir like that."

"Then I will just shield you. Think you can get your hands on that cup?"

"If I go to Gringotts right now, I could have it in my possession within the hour."

"And you know how to destroy it?" McGonagall turned to Sirius.

"Yes, but that information would not be of much use until we have established a connection and determined how many he had truly made and where they might be hidden," Sirius shifted. "And even so, I will need a few weeks to practice shielding another."

"So I will travel to Gringotts and retrieve the cup, and then wait until you are ready," Bellatrix nodded.

"If we are trying to hide what we are planning from him, it might be wise to exchange it for a fake one," Sirius said. "If you can safely get your hands on the Locket the same way, you could retrieve that in the meantime as well?"

"If that is truly Salazar's Locket, then we will need a Parselmouth to open it," McGonagall noted but Sirius shook his head.

"I have no intention of opening it. But we will need an open space away from any living creatures where we might destroy the Horcruxes in case it comes down to brute force."

"I will look for such a place then in the meantime," McGonagall offered.

"Are you truly serious about taking him out?" Sirius looked up to Bellatrix.

"Yes," of that she was absolutely sure. No one got away with betraying her like that. "Why?"

"Because it might take a lot of time before we can and it would be useful to have someone on the inside who can keep an eye on his movements."

"A double spy," taking a deep breath, Bellatrix nodded. "Very well, I will do it."

"You can't let him read your mind," Sirius warned her.

"He is not a skilled enough Legilimens to look into my mind without my permission," she pushed her long locks back. "He won't learn anything from me."

"Then I suggest we get to our respective tasks and meet up here in a few weeks," Sirius turned to McGonagall. "I will need access to the Forbidden section if I am to study expendable shielding and try and find more information on dark magic without anyone knowing."

"Questions might be asked if you are seen in the Forbidden Section too often so I will arrange for the books you might need to be brought here. You can study them here under the pretence of detention," McGonagall didn't seem happy to involve Sirius, but was aware enough of how much they would need him to not protest.

Though Bellatrix was fairly certain she wanted to keep an eye on the boy anyway.

"Anything else I might be able to do until you are ready?" Bellatrix asked.

"Not really. I plan to visit the House-elves to see if they know more and perhaps Peeves."

"Pee...why?"

"If I remember correctly, then that ring went missing while he was still in school. He might just have been arrogant enough to openly wear it here so if anyone would remember, it would be them."

"How so? The Dark Lord has absolutely no patience for lesser creatures like that," Bellatrix frowned.

"Just because most don't have patience for them, doesn't mean they don't see a lot of things or know a lot of secrets about all the students."

"Right," Bellatrix thought it was rather farfetched, but she was willing to take any lead no matter how slight it seemed. And although she wondered how her cousin thought he was going to get anything useful out of the Poltergeist, she didn't question him.

"I will see what I can find as well. I might not know half as much about dark magic as the two of you, but if you tell me what I am looking for, I can help you search," McGonagall turned to her table to write a quick note. "Keep this with you, if you need to miss class to be able to practice, you can just show them this and tell them I have sent you on an errand."

Bellatrix looked surprised to see the older woman hand over the note to Sirius; always having seen the woman as strict and unyielding. Yet now, she was not only aiding in Sirius' involvement, she also made no attempt to get the old fool involved.

"You cannot tell the old meddler."

"I have no intention to involve Albus. Although I have no doubt that he would want to help, he is too known to move in the shadows," she glanced down at Sirius. "Yet the shadows are where we must move if we do not want to risk anyone finding out what we are doing before we are ready."

Reading the woman's concern about Sirius' safety, Bellatrix nodded. She had not forgotten what she had come for originally and turned to Sirius.

"Do you think you will be ready before Christmas?"

"I should hope so, why?"

"Just trying to form a time frame in my mind," she deflected his question, already planning in her mind to try and keep him from having to return to Grimmauld Place.

"I will make sure the Professor will keep you updated on my process," Sirius luckily didn't seem to sense what she was thinking about. "But I should return to class before my classmates will wonder what's keeping me. Meetings with our Head of House do not usually last this long."

"Of course. We will be in contact," Bellatrix watched as Sirius turned. "Oh, and Sirius?"

"Not a word to anyone, I am not stupid, Bella."

The use of her nickname among members of the family she was closest to caught her off guard, but he was out of the door before she had thought of a counter.

"If it takes him longer than expected, I will find a way for him to remain at Hogwarts for the holidays. I'm sure I can blame him for a prank to ensure he cannot return to his parents," it seemed McGonagall was smarter than Bellatrix had given her credit for.

"He cannot return there."

"No, he cannot," the older woman agreed, shooting her a curious look. "You don't have a problem with him being in Gryffindor?"

"Regardless of my personal opinion, I cannot deny the positive effect the House has had on him in such a short time already," Bellatrix found that it was remarkably easy to speak to the woman she had never given a kind thought while in school herself.

"I don't know if that credit goes to the House or the friends he has made upon arriving here."

The amusement in the woman's voice was enough that Bellatrix dreaded the answer; yet found herself unable to hide her curiosity. "And just who might those be?"

"Two Half-Blood students and James Potter."

Of course, Bellatrix shook her head. Not only had the boy managed to get sorted into that hated house; he had also befriended the Heir of the biggest blood traitor family in existence. Why was she not surprised by this news.

Yet, as much as it annoyed her to know her cousin had chosen to even speak to such a blood traitor, his words had left her thinking.

Was there a chance that there was truth to his words? Everyone in their world worshipped Merlin; if it was true he was a Mudblood, then what did that mean for their society? The man had been a Slytherin and taught by Salazar himself; even a close friend if the Black history was to be believed.

What did it mean for the Blacks specifically if their ancestor had been willing to both teach and befriend a Mud- Muggleborn despite knowing his inheritance?

Did it mean her cousin had been right and their beliefs were wrong? Or had it just been a fit of madness of their ancestor.

It seemed that she had a lot to think about, more so than she had ever thought and perhaps some research of her own was needed so she would not be caught unknowing again.

And if her cousin made acquaintances out of Half-Bloods and a Potter in the meantime, well, perhaps she could find it within herself to live with that for the time being until she had figured everything out.

If the prolonged exposure to the likes of those would bring forth more of that defiant little boy she had met today, then perhaps she might not even protest against such involvement too much.

"Of course he did. I will work on my part of the plan," she hesitated. "I will deliver the Horcruxes to my cousin for safekeeping."

"You want to leave extremely dark magic in the care of an eleven year old?" McGonagall stared at her incredulously.

"Sirius has shown to possess wisdom beyond his years. Perhaps his care is the safest in which something that dark can be kept. He will know how to safely keep them hidden," she realised she truly believed her words and rued having to admit an eleven year old might have more sense than an adult witch.

Much to think about indeed.

Without another word, she made her way back to the fireplace to quickly travel to Gringotts; putting her whirling thoughts to the back of her mind a she focused on more important things for the time being.