A Drink Can Fix Anything (open)

[Regulus Black]

Regulus smiled lightly. "I have enough cousins already that one more really isn't too upsetting. Now, if you were another great-aunt, we'd have a serious problem. Funny that you were sorted into Ravenclaw, though. Do you know what your mom was? Our entire family, up until Sirius, was Slytherin. If they'd known about you, it would have been like...a double-scandal. A lovechild and a ravenclaw," he joked lightly.

He thought distantly of his cousins, the three daughters that Uncle Cygnus had rather than Bridget. Knowing that she had a half-sister in Ravenclaw that had been raised in America would have done nothing but annoy Bellatrix...and probably incite her to pick on the half-sister. Narcissa...wouldn't have really cared. Andromeda would have been thrilled--Bridget probably would have been her closest friend when she was being disowned. Personally, Regulus would have liked to have Bridget around...because Sirius being sorted into Gryffindor wouldn't have seemed like such a crime if they knew they'd had a Ravenclaw relative. "I can introduce you to Uncle Cygnus," he offered. "Not as his long-lost lovechild, of course. But I have some errands to run to Aunt Druella anyway..." Regulus shrugged. "You'd be able to see him, at least."

A year or two ago, he never would have made such an offer. But hearing Bridget's story...Regulus felt his heart go out to her. Maybe it was the influence of Katie on his life...maybe it was being estranged from his parents. Whatever caused him to do it, he meant the offer sincerely. He didn't presently have any real errands for the house, but he could easily make one up, pretending to be looking for one of his cousins...Bridget's final statement made him blink in confusion. "Potentially wreck my family?" he asked, confused. "How so, Bridget? Knowing that Uncle Cygnus had an affair and gave his lover a huge payoff to leave the country isn't anything but amusing. Sirius and I will laugh about it, now that we know." Regulus paused. "And I won't tell anyone other than my brother, I swear. And he won't tell anyone either...not even Andy, even though he's pretty close with her. If you don't want anyone to know, I swear on my honor that no one will know..." he smiled. "Aside from Sirius, because I don't have much information like this that'll make him laugh...he usually comes back to me with all the good stuff."

Her final question made him blink. "Pretend it never happened? Well, I think first of all, you should come to dinner sometime with Adriana and I. Maybe when Sirius is over. You've lived without a family for so long. It's the least that we can do for you...we've all had our lives messed up by the family at some point, but I think you win the blue ribbon for bad experiences." Regulus paused, looking at her thoughtfully. "Of course, if you want to go back to wherever you've been living and keep away, that's your decision. But you're welcome over any time."

[Bridget Ashford]

Bridget chuckled at his comment about the double-scandal. Although he was only teasing, she still knew that he had a valid point. She wondered if things would have been different if she had been in Slytherin. Maybe they would have actually given her a chance…probably not though. That wouldn’t be a theory worth testing. She wondered why she had even ended up in Ravenclaw. If it was up to her, she thought that a lot of her qualities would have fit better in Slytherin anyways. Maybe the Sorting Hat saw something inside that she couldn’t detect. Or maybe it was just too old to be trusted for an accurate sort. She sighed knowing that it was just her luck for a mistake like that to happen. Oh well…she shouldn’t be pestering herself over the past.

"I can introduce you to Uncle Cygnus," he offered. "Not as his long-lost lovechild, of course. But I have some errands to run to Aunt Druella anyway...You'd be able to see him, at least."

Bridget’s heart stopped at his suggestion. Regulus gave her an opportunity…to meet her father. A dream that only a few hours ago, she had thought was impossible. Could she handle that? Being in the same room with the man who had cheated on his wife, with her pathetically desperate mother? Though Bridget was full of insecurities, her curiosity was stronger. She had a sudden urge to know him…to hear his voice, and learn his personality. Bridget had inherited her mother’s face and slender figure, but her thick black hair looked nothing like her mom’s strawberry blonde curls. What else did she have in common with his side of the family? Only one way to find out…. “I think I might just take you up on your offer. I mean…as long as the part about me being his daughter is out of the picture,” she answered.

Bridget frowned when Regulus said that her family’s scandal was amusing. Was she going to take that? The hell she was. “I’m glad something good is coming out of this situation, wouldn’t want you to get bored,” she teased. “I bet you’re just jealous because my dad’s scandal beats yours by a mile.” He promised that he would keep the secret between him and Sirius. She felt a little uneasy that Regulus was telling anyone at all, but they were brothers after all. It wasn’t like he was alerting the Daily Prophet. She giggled when he mentioned that he would use the new information to basically rub it in Sirius’ face. Yep, Regulus definitely scored the jackpot this time. At that moment a thought came to Bridget.

“Since according to you this is so amusing, maybe I should have gone into stand-up-comedy instead of raising mythical animals for a living,” she said sarcastically, trying not to giggle.

"Pretend it never happened? Well, I think first of all, you should come to dinner sometime with Adriana and I. Maybe when Sirius is over. You've lived without a family for so long. It's the least that we can do for you...we've all had our lives messed up by the family at some point, but I think you win the blue ribbon for bad experiences." He told her, eyes soft.

She smiled to herself, agreeing with him. She had to admit that her crazy life did win the prize for the worst experience. She was surprised when he invited her over, but she figured that the main reason he did was because he felt sorry for her. Bridget didn’t mind though. She didn’t really care what his motive was; just that he was willing to put forth an effort. Bridget flinched at his following comment. Go back to life the way the way it was? Could she…go back to hiding now? Talking to Regulus seemed almost…normal. Like something average cousins would do together. Sure the subject of conversation wasn’t anywhere near normal…but that was acceptable. She liked speaking with him, and not having to worry about hiding anything.

“…But you're welcome over any time,” he finished.

Bridget found herself at a loss for words. She hadn’t decided what she would do yet, so finding a reply to that was difficult. Would going over to Regulus’ house be too awkward for comfort? What if Adriana didn’t feel the same way about the situation as Regulus did? She shivered at the possibility of Adriana being mad at her. Bridget had heard rumors of Regulus’ girlfriend’s unpredictable temper, and she didn’t want to be a victim of Adriana’s wrath. She bit her lip, and concluded that she wasn’t going to let her worry stop her. Bridget had been wanting this for a long time, and she wasn’t about to chicken out at her first opportunity for family.

She glanced at Regulus, taking in a few deep breaths before speaking, “That sounds…nice, actually. Where are you staying?” She pulled out her wand from her bag, and quickly transfigured a cup into a quill so that she could write Regulus’ address onto a napkin for future reference. She wondered how serious he was about his muggle lifestyle. “Wait a sec…do you even have an owl? I know you pointed out that you and Adriana were hiding out as muggles…” she asked him inquiringly.

[Regulus Black]

He smiled at Bridget's obvious apprehension about meeting her family. He didn't blame her...from what he knew about Uncle Cygnus, he'd be worried too. The man could end a conversation with a single glance. "Of course I won't tell them," he scoffed. It'd be one thing to turn up on an errand looking for Andromeda...as only disowned family members could communicate with each other. Regulus shivered at the thought of bumping into Bellatrix while he called...but it'd be an entirely different thing to turn up with a long-lost half-daughter and force her on his aunt and uncle's family. He wouldn't do that...to them, or to Bridget.

At least she was able to keep a sense of humor about the entire situation. "It does beat mine," he replied, grinning. "I'm not angry...I'm glad. Family scandals are the most entertaining part of my life. You have no idea how dull parties would be without knowing the nuances of everyone else's lives," he rolled his eyes, sarcasm lacing his voice.

Laughing, he shook his head. "Stand up comedy about the Black Family. It'd bring down the house every time," he joked.

Glad that she'd decided to take him up on his offer, he said, "Well, then, why don't you come over on Sunday? Around...six? Adriana and I live at 57 Ridgemont Way." Regulus smiled brightly at her. He'd invite Sirius over then too...kill two birds with one stone, introduce Bridget to his girlfriend and his brother at the same time. They'd all gone to school together, so it wasn't like he was bringing home a total stranger. And he was sure that, once she'd told her story, they'd understand why he'd brought her along. It really wasn't too much trouble to start incorporating her into the family she'd been denied all of this time...even if she couldn't grow up with Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix...she could at least enjoy some time with her cousins.

[Bridget Ashford]

Bridget couldn’t help smiling as she copied Regulus’s address onto the napkin. Sure she was nervous, but she couldn’t ignore the excitement that was slowly beginning to travel through her body. Regulus had actually invited her to dinner with his well…their family. She had seen them all at school many times before, but eating with them was definitely going to be a different experience. For once she wasn’t going to have to hide, or worry about saying too much.

“Sure, Sunday would be terrific,” she answered, happier than she had been in a long time. Life had been especially dull since school ended. She waved good bye to Regulus, before buttoning up her coat, and exiting the Leaky Cauldron, ready to go home. It had been a long day, and she had a lot to think about. As she strutted through the door, she couldn’t help but be thankful for meeting Regulus, and having the strength to tell him the truth.

--End--