The Black Sheep

( non-binary | she/they | adeline rudolph) —— isn’t that HAN-NA “HANNAH” BRODIE? yeah that is them, outside the three broomsticks! they used to be in RAVENCLAW but apparently they now work as a MEDIWIX at the ST. MUNGO’S AND THE DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. sybill once said that they reminded her of a well-loved book breaking at the spine; walking away without looking back; a voice raised in protest; a gentle hand fixing a wound; blood staining a white uniform which seems about right. anyway i’ve heard they’re still a bit KIND, STUBBORN and INTELLIGENT, they’re TWENTY TWO now but some things never change! i wonder how being a HALFBLOOD is affecting them after hogwarts, especially now they’re an AGENT with ORDER OF THE PHOENIX? i guess only time will tell…

“you can’t really have known that, drunkards are unpredictable at best. but even if you did —” he stopped himself, he sounded like a dad, like he was lecturing. “that attitude is going to get you hurt one day, you aren’t invincible.” that would be the last he’d say about that. “yes but —-” he wasn’t a healer, he didn’t know what that job entailed and it wasn’t his place to try and correct her or tell her how to live their life. which he had already done, he realized. “i’m sorry, i just worry about my friends.”

           she’d   been   a   gangly   thing   in   her   youth   ,      too   long   in   the   limbs   to   be   truly   graceful   but   still   a   quick   little   thing   .      maybe   that   had   been   why   kseniya   had   been   the   go   to   for   running   messages   between   the   streets   ,     not   just   for   the   shop   but   half   of   knockturn   too   .     and   while   age   had   let   her   grow   into   her   features   a   bit   more   ,      where   what   once   seemed   almost   absurd   now   came   off   as   graceful   ,      she’d   still   kept   her   quickness   about   her   .     still   was   the   go   to   for   messages   .

           head   down   and   barrelling   near   head   first   through   the   crowds   on   diagon   alley   ,     nothing   was   stopping   her   ,      pushing   through   those   that   didn’t   duck   out   of   the   way   .      nothing   but   the   voice   of   a   one   time   sibling   who   was   now   …        who   was   now   nothing   to   her   .

           ❝      it’s   nothing   you   can   help   with   ,      not   anymore      ❞

Not anymore. Hannah should’ve seen that coming. Sense would tell them to walk away now, to treat Kseniya just like any other stranger, for that was what the two of them had become. But it was impossible for them to forget the years spent with their little sister. To forget that they had been close once, even if baffled by each other’s lives when not at the shop.

          otto was slightly bored. it was one of those days where he didn’t work and it meant he had the full day to himself. which usually meant that he did something dumb, like spend the entire day walking around diagon alley looking for things to buy. his parents had always warned him to stay away from knockturn alley and he was sure they were right about it, though he’d always been the type of person to not care about the forbidden. technically muggle london had been forbidden for him at one point too. otto was there for about ten minutes before being bored. wizarding items just didn’t thrill him like muggle ones. 

          what he hadn’t expected was to see hannah. their friendship was one of his favorite friendships. otto liked to believe that most people he talked to was his friend, despite the truth being that most people likely didn’t like him. when it came to friends, he really did like hannah above them all. when that’s who otto realized he’d bumped into, he blinked a couple of times, ready to make a joke until he saw her state. “hey. are yo… what happened?” 

***

“Otto.” Oh thank Merlin. She needed a friendly face right now. “My-- Jasmine happened.” It wasn’t exactly accurate to say sister any more, was it? Not when she’d walked away and her family had now clearly accepted that. “Work sent me to the shop, but I’m not exactly welcome.” Hannah put her hand on Otto’s arm, steadying herself. “She’s still good with a curse.”

Hannah walked out of Knockturn Alley, head held high and not stopping to look back at Borgin and Burke’s behind her. Her ears rang, throwing her off balance and leaving her feeling deaf in the left ear. There was chatter and noise around her, but it sounded like it was coming from underwater. Dammit Jasmine. The warning shot had been close and loud, but the damage was fixable. Hannah just had to get to St Mungo’s. 

She reached Diagon Alley and stumbled as a young wix--running through the crowd without even looking--bumped into her, her balance thrown off. The wix shouted an apology as they disappeared down the road, but Hannah just waved them off before swearing under her breath and continuing to walk. It had been stupid to go alone. Foolish. She didn’t belong there any more. But despite what she told herself, convinced herself, it had hurt to have Jasmine so quick to curse her. To see her as not just not her sibling, but her enemy. It was the consequences of the choice she made, but it hurt nonetheless.

she ignored the warning, or she would have if she needed to fire another shot. if anyone were to ask jasmine she’d have told them that hannah didn’t have the backbone required to fight back, they’d just run away like they always did. “you’re worthless, hannah, every inch of you and everything you own; worthless.” if hannah truly believed that flashing a few coins would erase what they’d done they were delusional. yes, the shop cared about money but jasmine was running this branch right now and she knew her worth, she knew where she would draw the line. hannah could offer a million galleons and jasmine would still throw them out. “coward.” her voice low and dangerous, but still the word whipped through the air like a weapon itself. 

Hannh let the words roll off them, ignoring it. They had known how badly their siblings would react when they left. They had known that coming here was not a good idea, and had tried to warn their superiors that their connection to the place would only be a detriment in her assignment. So they had to don their armour and ignore it, not stooping to Jasmine’s level to respond. They paused in the door, but only for half a second, before leaving without a glance backwards, holding their head high.

You’d think one encounter with her estranged family would be enough for one week, especially after Hannah’s brush with injury at the end of Jasmine’s wand. But apparently fate wished to drag the past to the present these past few days. Or at least, so Hannah assumed, when she came face to face with Kseniya in Diagon Alley.

She could keep walking, but Hannah had always had a soft spot for her younger sister. A hope, perhaps a foolish one, that her sister might see what Hannah saw. It was a losing battle, although Hannah had never been one to let something go so easily. But it had been two years since she had last spoken to her sister.

she took out her wand then and fired a warning shot next to hannah’s head, enough to blow out an eardrum. her fury ran cold, but she felt like she was burning up. “how dare you” she screeched, though her voice was low she was barely containing it, her whole body trembling with her anger. “the ministry can go fuck itself, and so can you. next shot won’t miss hannah.” her wand raised now and pointed straight between her ex siblings eyes. the idea she’d accuse the shop of being dirty was the most infuriating part of what they’d said, with them thinking they hadn’t betrayed anyone a close second. 

***

Hannah ducked their head away from the blast, ignoring how their ears rang now, wand slipping from their sleeve into their hand on instinct alone. Lifting a hand up to their ear, they checked for blood, ignoring the pain and the way they couldn’t hear from that side right now. When they went back to St Mungo’s to get this fixed, they hoped their boss who’d sent them here saw. “Don’t you dare,” they warned, raising their wand slightly, ready to defend themself. They should’ve known better than to come here. Should’ve known better than to even think for a moment this could’ve ended another way. “Am I so dead to you that my money’s not worth anything either?” They shouldn’t push. They should just walk away. But they were stubborn and in pain. They lowered their wand, turning to the door, hoping Jasmine wouldn’t fire at their back. “Goodbye, Jas.” 

“does not letting anybody get hurt extend to yourself, though? because it should, if you’re hurt you can’t help anyone else.” he wasn’t trying to lecture them or anything, but prioritizing your own health and wellbeing was never a bad thing. “how is that possible, when do you sleep?”

when hannah didn’t cower toward the exit it made jasmine’s blood turn to ice, that they would dare to not only remain in the shop but think they would be served? blasphemous, heinous, horrible. there weren’t enough words in english to express her anger, thank merlin she knew several more languages. “do i need to spell it out for you? i said get out. we don’t serve traitors in this shop.” she could taste the venom in her voice and it felt like swallowing poison herself. “you’ll be gone now if you know what’s good for you.” which hannah clearly didn’t, so no hope there.

***

Hannah wouldn’t cower, nor look away from their sister’s gaze. They would not bow to the pressure to leave, like they had not bowed to the pressure to conform to their family’s hateful views. “I betrayed no one,” they replied, unable to help themself. Clearly they did not know what was good for them. Perhaps if they did they would’ve left long before nineteen. “But I’m not here for myself. I’m here on Ministry business. Better me than an auror poking around. Or has everything been cleaned up in the last two years?”

she had a bright smile on her face, her eyebrows raised and she snorted, rolling her own eyes back at the person. she wanted to say something that was probably childish but it would lead to a stupid argument and arden really didn’t want to waste her breath. “hope you enjoy having that wand stuck up your arse.” she says, shrugging grabbing her cigarettes out of her pocket and sticking it in her mouth.