Hogwarts 70's: The Adventures of the Marauders | Headcanon

Winter, January 1970

The Black family was one of the most prestigious and wealthy among wizarding families. Their lineage had endured for generations without losing its brilliance, with ancestors holding high positions at Hogwarts or within the Ministry of Magic, where they had advocated for the importance of preserving ancient traditions of purity in the magical world.

The Blacks considered themselves perfect, though that perfection depended on ignoring the names that had been erased from their family tree. Those who failed to abide by the family's strict rules were disowned, condemned to oblivion as if they had never existed. Among these rules, the most sacred was that marriages could only be arranged between cousins or with families equally pure and powerful. Any deviation was regarded as betrayal.

Walburga Black herself, the current matriarch, had adhered to this tradition to the letter. With the patience expected of her surname, she had waited for her second cousin, Orion Black, to complete his education at Hogwarts before marrying him. In doing so, she fulfilled the unyielding duty of preserving the purity of their bloodline.

Today, that tradition continued as the wedding of Bellatrix Black, a staunch defender of the values that defined the Black name, was being celebrated. Recently graduated from Hogwarts, Bellatrix had not hesitated to marry Rodolphus Lestrange, a wizard from a family that embodied everything the Blacks cherished: purity, power, and an unquestionable loyalty to the old ways.

Much of the family had gathered at Black Hollow, the ancient country estate inherited by Cygnus Black upon his marriage to Druella Rosier. It was there that they had raised their three daughters: Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa.

The estate, nestled within a secluded glade, was carefully concealed from Muggles, as if the forest itself—with its ancient trees and branches leaning slightly towards the mansion—conspired to protect the family's secrets and legacy.

Inside, heavy dark green velvet curtains draped over the windows, and magical crystal lamps cast a soft, dim glow. The guests, dressed in fine robes, celebrated the couple's union with cold smiles and proud glances, as if simply attending the event reaffirmed their own purity and prestige.

Sirius Black, barely ten years old, felt out of place. From his corner in the grand hall, sitting alone, his eyes wandered across the room, as if trying to make sense of the surrounding events.

"There's nothing better than a marriage between equals," he heard his uncle Cygnus say, raising a toast with Mr Lestrange.

Sirius, suddenly anxious, crossed his arms, clenching his fists against his ribs, as if trying to suppress an unpleasant sensation rising within him. Why couldn't he feel the same pride as the others? Why did he only feel disgust instead? Was he the only one who could see the truth behind those cold smiles? No one seemed genuinely happy—not even Bellatrix, whose smile never reached her eyes. It was a stiff expression, almost like a mask, which softened only when she thought no one was looking. In those moments, her fingers trembled slightly, her gaze distant, as though her mind was far from that hall.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" A soft, familiar voice startled him. Beside him stood a girl with wavy brown hair, her features resembling those of the bride, but with a warmth and sweetness in her eyes that contrasted sharply with Bellatrix's sternness.

Sirius, who had felt as though the air in the room was too thick to breathe, suddenly felt a weight lift off his chest at the sight of her. Andromeda had always been his favourite cousin.

"Dromeda!" he exclaimed, his face lighting up with a genuine smile. "I thought you were still at Hogwarts. When did you get back?"

"Just a few days ago," she replied, sitting next to him after giving him a tight hug. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she took a slow breath, as if she had just run a long way.

Sirius hadn't seen her since the ceremony began, making her appearance all the more unexpected. He couldn't help but wonder why she was so late. After all, she didn't live far—her room was just upstairs on the second floor.

"I thought you'd be spending Christmas at Hogwarts," he said, still surprised to see her.

"So did I! I planned to stay there over the holidays, but the wedding came as a surprise. My mother gave me no choice," Andromeda sighed, her frustration evident. "She made me take the train back, and these past few days at home have been… a nightmare."

"You didn't want to come…?" Sirius asked, puzzled. His cousins had always seemed close, and whenever they visited their uncles, the girls would stick together—and often invite him and his brother to join them.

"And miss such a joyful celebration? Salazar, no!" Andromeda replied with a sarcastic tone, making Sirius grin. Joyful? Hardly. The surrounding laughter was hollow, the musicians played such a slow waltz that the few guests dancing looked more like they were dragging their feet than enjoying themselves. He noticed his cousin Narcissa adjusting the cloak of his younger brother, Regulus, while their aunt chatted animatedly with Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy's pretentious smile churned Sirius's stomach. He had never liked him; something about Lucius's haughty demeanour and calculated manners made Sirius bristle.

"Then why did you come?" Sirius asked, still confused. If Andromeda hadn't wanted to be there, why hadn't she stayed at Hogwarts? It wasn't as if Aunt Druella could have dragged her out of school by force. That sounded more like something his own mother would do—she would have found a way to bring him home.

Andromeda gave him a sad smile.

"She's my sister; I had to be here. Besides… I needed to see it for myself. To tell you the truth, I never saw Bella particularly excited about Lestrange at school," she admitted, glancing towards the couple from across the room. "They often talked, yes, but you know how it is… In Slytherin, they encourage making alliances, forming connections." She smiled bitterly. "Hogwarts's untouchables…" she added, nodding towards the group of friends surrounding Bellatrix and Rodolphus.

"You don't like Lestrange?" Sirius asked, picking up on the discomfort in her voice.

"It's not about liking him or not," she sighed. "It's just that it doesn't seem like she is marrying him for the right reasons… for love. Bah! Not that love has ever mattered much in this family," she added with a wry smile, though sadness crept into her words. "I just want her to be happy…" she murmured, her voice dropping.

"Are you worried because she's marrying someone with pure blood and a good family, or because of his ties to that dark wizard everyone's whispering about?" Sirius asked, narrowing his eyes.

Andromeda shivered at the mention of the dark wizard. She glanced around nervously to ensure no one had overheard.

"Sirius," she warned him in a hushed tone. "You can't say things like that!"

"It's just… I've overheard more than I should today," the boy replied quickly, noticing his cousin's troubled expression. "Besides, people are starting to talk—everywhere. It's no longer a secret," he added, leaning closer so only she could hear. "Especially here, today. Should we write to theDaily Prophet? Maybe send a warning?"

"Merlin's beard, Sirius! We are not doing that!" Andromeda whispered, half amused and half alarmed, unsure if he was joking or serious. Her gaze drifted once again to her sister, who looked lost among the conversations around her. "And as for your question… I just think neither of those reasons is enough to get married. But Bella doesn't see things the way I do."

"Well, then she'll be miserable!" Sirius said, half pitying and half sarcastic. "I just hope she doesn't take it out on the world. But honestly? She and her husband are a perfect match. Look at them! They look like they're at a funeral, not their wedding," he chuckled, gesturing towards Rodolphus and Bellatrix, who seemed completely detached from their surroundings.

"Lower your hand, Sirius! They'll see you!" Andromeda scolded him, and he immediately obeyed. She covered her mouth to hide a smile, but her serious expression soon returned, along with the sadness she felt for her sister.

For the past few years at Hogwarts, she had watched Bellatrix drift further and further away from her. Bellatrix spent most of her time with her Slytherin friends, sharing a disturbing fascination with the Dark Arts. Andromeda had never liked it—it felt wrong—but she knew better than to say it aloud. Especially since Bellatrix was her sister…

Bellatrix had always been the most serious of the three, but also the brightest and most powerful. Ever since they were little, Andromeda had admired that almost relentless determination. However, over the years, that admiration had turned into fear. Just the thought of what her older sister might be capable of if she ever discovered her secret made her blood run cold. Bellatrix wasn't known for her compassion—least of all when it came to betrayal.

She knew she had lost her sister long ago, though she had never wanted to admit it. Not the girl who used to teach her spells under the covers during summer, but a different woman—colder, as if the shadows had taken hold of her heart.

"After all, it's what the family always expected of her… to marry a pure-blood wizard," Andromeda added, her voice tinged with resignation, as she glanced towards Lucius Malfoy, who was flirting with Narcissa in the corner.

Sirius's gaze drifted towards the groom's family. They all looked impeccable, but there was something about them that made his skin crawl, as if their elegance was just a mask barely containing the darkness that emanated from them.

Mr. Lestrange was a tall, gaunt man with eyes like dark, empty pits. He carried an elegant ebony cane crowned with a silver handle shaped like a coiled serpent, its scales so finely detailed they seemed to shift with the light of the room. Regulus had told Sirius that the cane was not just an ornament: it was said to conceal a wand within, ready to be drawn without warning. For some reason, a shiver ran down Sirius's spine. He was the kind of man who didn't need to raise his voice to be feared; his very presence suggested a restrained menace, like a snake poised to strike.

"So, it's true about the Dark Wizard? Is he really going to rise?" Sirius asked in a low voice after a few seconds of silence. The curiosity had plagued him ever since he first heard the rumour, but he had never dared ask his father about it. Now, here, surrounded by the cold and calculating stares of the Lestranges, the question slipped out almost without thinking. Just hearing about the Dark Wizard made his chest tighten. It was fear, though he didn't fully understand it yet.

"So they say," Andromeda murmured, and the fear in her voice was almost tangible. "They talk about him as if he's going to change our world forever. It's frightening to think he could be real. I've heard things too... I know Bella knows more, but I don't dare ask her. I'd rather not know."

"They say he calls himself Lord Vol—" Sirius began.

"Don't say his name!" Andromeda cut him off urgently, visibly flinching as her fingers tightened around her wand. For a moment, it looked as though she wanted to say more, but she only glanced towards the crowd, as if afraid someone might overhear them. Then she lowered her voice to a near whisper:

"People out there know less than they think. I'm sure the Dark Lord will only reveal himself when he's certain he's invincible. That's what frightens me... because what I've heard is horrifying."

Andromeda turned her gaze towards Sirius, her eyes full of concern.

"Please, Sirius, don't talk about this with anyone else. They wouldn't take kindly to it." She held his gaze, waiting for his promise, and Sirius gave a silent nod.

They remained quiet for a while until Sirius decided to break the silence:

"So, how's Hogwarts?" he asked, changing the subject. Then he added with a hint of excitement, "It won't be long before I can go too. I wish I could've studied with you."

Andromeda smiled.

"Well, you'll still have Cissy for a few years." She teased, amused at the look of disgust that spread across Sirius's face. He scowled.

"Cissy likes Regulus better than me," he muttered, almost resentfully.

"Since Bella left Hogwarts, Cissy seems to be in a better mood. Maybe that's what we needed—for each of us to find our own space," Andromeda said, a mix of relief and caution in her tone. She paused, pressing her lips together, as if unsure whether to say more. "I was never so close to her friends, but now that I'm away from them... I realise how ridiculous they are. All they think about is... I don't know, it's like they're obsessed with something."

"Is it true they're recruiting wizards? Will you join them too?" Sirius asked, worried.

"Of course not! I have no interest in that," Andromeda whispered, lowering her voice further, afraid someone might hear. "Even if they are recruiting wizards, even ones as young as Bella, I would never join them. I'm worried about Bella..." She hesitated, as if searching for the right words. "I know Rodolphus's father is in the Dark Wizard's inner circle. What's worse is that my parents don't seem to care about that. That's all I can tell you."

"Maybe that's why she's marrying him," said Sirius, glancing again at Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange's father.

"I don't think so. Bellatrix wouldn't cross that line," Andromeda replied firmly, though doubt had already begun to creep into her heart. "My parents would know..." she added, as if trying to convince herself of something that felt less true by the moment.

Sirius shifted his gaze towards Bellatrix's group of friends.

"And if you've left those fools this year... Who are your friends now?" he asked with curiosity.

This time, a truly genuine smile lit up Andromeda's face.

"They're people who clearly don't think like our family. I never let Cissy or her friends see me with them; they wouldn't understand. And my father would probably erase me from the family tree," Andromeda said, her tone tinged with sadness.

She placed a hand on Sirius's shoulder before continuing,

"I just hope you don't make the same mistakes I did, Sirius. Go to Hogwarts without any prejudices. Make friends no matter if they're pure-bloods or not, or if they aren't in Slytherin. If you choose your friends based only on what our family approves of, you'll end up feeling very lonely. You might shut yourself off from great friendships, and by the time you realise, it could already be too late." Andromeda smiled with a touch of melancholy and added,

"And don't believe everything your mother says."

"My mother is losing what little sanity she has left," the boy complained, with a hint of anger. Then, puffing out his chest, he added proudly,

"Besides, I don't agree with what she says. I'm not like Reggie, who listens to everything she says."

His cousin smiled and ruffled his curly hair.

"That's why you're my favourite cousin, Sirius." He returned the smile with pride, but his enthusiasm faded as he noticed the shadow of sadness in Andromeda's eyes.

"Please," she added, her voice barely a whisper. "Look after Regulus. Don't leave him at your mother's mercy. He still can't see what's right or wrong."

He nodded. Andromeda shivered slightly, and her face turned pale, as if something had unsettled her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Nothing, I..." she said, jumping to her feet, as if desperate to escape the conversation. "Let's talk outside instead."

As they stepped out, he caught the disapproving gaze of her mother, Walburga, from across the room. Walburga's expression was stern, her thin lips pressed into a tight line, and her eyes brimmed with contempt. Sirius knew with certainty that his mother would scold him later for his lack of manners in leaving the room.

Once outside, they sat on the edge of the fountain in the backyard. Andromeda settled herself, taking a deep breath, and avoided looking at him, instead focusing her attention on the distant horizon.

"Dromeda..."

"It's nothing, Sirius. Weddings just make me... sentimental," she said, trying to dismiss it lightly. Sirius watched her with concern, sensing there was more behind her casual tone. Despite her sadness, she gave him a warm smile.

"You're still too young to understand," she said gently, as if trying to shield him from the sorrow she carried.

"I'm not that little. I can at least try. I can help you," he encouraged, feeling an urge to ease her pain. But Andromeda shook her head again, a wistful expression crossing her face.

"No, you can't help me with this. But there will come a time when you'll go through the same thing. One day, you'll look in the mirror and realise you can't keep following the path that's been laid out for you. And when that happens... you'll have to decide whether to stay what they expect of you, or be brave enough to become who you really are."

Sirius frowned, trying to grasp her meaning. Something in the way Andromeda looked at him made him feel that moment, though distant, was inevitable.

"What if I'm not ready?" he asked quietly, feeling the weight of a responsibility he didn't yet fully understand.

Andromeda smiled at him, but in her eyes shone the certainty of someone who had already taken that step.

"You will be."

With a sigh, Andromeda pulled a small box from her bag. It was made of polished mahogany, gleaming under the moonlight. The edges were adorned with silver details, giving it an elegant, antique appearance. In the centre of the lid was the Black family crest: a skull set against a damask background, with the mottoToujours Puretched just below.

At the front were three silver locks inlaid with sapphires, though curiously, none had keyholes, as if the box could only be opened with magic. It exuded an air of mystery and nobility, like everything that belonged to the Blacks.

"What's that?" Sirius asked, his gaze fixed on the small box Andromeda was holding in her hands.

"Dad gave it to us before we went to Hogwarts," she said. "He told us it would keep us connected as sisters—that each of us could store their own secrets, and we would protect each other's as if they were our own. But I never put anything in it I wouldn't want them to see, not even when Bellatrix told me she would hide the box forever." Andromeda paused, looking at the box as though reliving old memories. "I found it recently, at Hogwarts. It was hidden and full of curses, but I've removed them all." Her hands trembled slightly as she held the box out to Sirius.

"It's got three locks..." he murmured, a mix of curiosity and caution as he traced the sapphire-encrusted locks, which were clearly goblin craftsmanship.

"Dad always believed this box would keep our bonds intact. It didn't... But now, maybe it can now hold something important to me." Andromeda said, taking the box back from Sirius.

"Each lock opens in a different way. I know how to open Bella's and Cissy's, but loyalty also means protecting a secret from our own curiosity." She pointed her wand at the centre lock, and a fleeting smile crossed her face, as if recalling something that made her happy for a brief moment. With a soft click, the lock opened. The interior was lined with green velvet, bearing the Black family crest: a skull set against damask flowers, with the mottoToujours Pur. Inside lay a small letter.

Andromeda reached into her bag and pulled out a rose, a deep red and freshly cut. She brought it to her face, closing her eyes for a moment as she inhaled its fragrance. Without saying a word, she placed the flower inside the box, as if sealing a memory only the two of them would share.

"That stays there now..." she whispered, carefully closing the lid. "And this stays between us."

Sirius looked at her, knowing there was more behind the gesture, something he didn't yet understand but would one day.

"That's why you were late, isn't it? Someone gave you that rose," he said, as if no confirmation was needed.

Andromeda nodded and opened her mouth to reply, but the sound of footsteps made her tense. In a swift movement, she hid the box back in her bag.

"Ah, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere! Let's go inside. I know this is all dull — believe me, I get it," said Uncle Alphard Black with a lazy grin. "Keep me company, will you? I can't stand the Rosiers. Who even invited them? Oh, right... must've been your mother. I always forget she was a Rosier."

Alphard was, without a doubt, the most agreeable relative Sirius and Andromeda had. Tall and lean, with slightly dishevelled hair and an air of carefree mischief, he seemed more interested in enjoying life than following the rigid traditions of the Black family. Unlike his sister Walburga, whose presence was harsh and suffocating, Alphard exuded a lightness that made any family gathering more bearable.

"If I stay in there for five more minutes, I swear I'll turn into a bloody Rosier and start talking about bloodlines like I'm reading from a catalogue of exotic plants. If I have to listen to another conversation like that, I'll be requesting voluntary exile. Merlin's beard!" he added with a wicked grin, making Sirius burst out laughing.

Alphard slipped his arms around the shoulders of both Sirius and Andromeda in an easy, relaxed manner as they made their way towards the hall.

"You know, Dromeda? I always knew marriage was a trap. Love is nice and all, but an eight-hour ceremony with endless speeches? I'd rather take an Unforgivable Curse," he said, shaking his head dramatically.

Andromeda shook her head in amusement, while Sirius tried to stifle his laughter. Alphard winked at them.

"Now, don't get me wrong, I love weddings... when they're someone else's. Look at me — single, free, and not a goblin in Gringotts has reduced my wardrobe over divided assets."

He kept walking with them, gesturing towards the hall with a carefree wave.

"Come on, let's make an appearance, grab something to eat, and then slip out before anyone asks us to dance with a third cousin."