A Star on the Rise
Walpurga had been in labour for far too long and she hated every second of it. She remembered how her mother had convinced her to try for a second child, even though she already had a son. Her mother didn't know about her other pregnancies and how they had ended, when Orion had discovered the babies were female, or if she knew, she didn't care. She'd gone along with it, not wanting to start a fight with her husband or her parents. The healer who had examined her some time ago had said that this one would also be a boy. Orion already had a name for the boy, Regulus, his little king. Walpurga wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep, she wanted the baby out of her. She was done. There would be no more babies after this one, the research was done and the spell was on the tip of her tongue. When the baby was here, she would cast it before Orion even saw the baby. She would blame it on the birth, she had it all planned.
Another wave of contractions shot through her body and the healer, who had long since been summoned, looked between her legs. "I can see his head crowning, Mrs Black," the young woman said. "You must push now!" And push she did, then she felt it, the baby gliding out of her in one swift movement and the pain was subdued. Fingering blindly for her wand, Walpurga watched absently as the healer cleaned the baby. She didn’t care for it and grabbing her wand, she pointed discreetly at her pelvis. Thinking of the few words she had read in an old book in her brothers' library, she felt a cold wash over her overheated womb. The knowledge that she wouldn't be able to bear any more children entered her mind and she smiled.
She lay back and closed her tired eyes. There was a whisper in the hall and the door was slammed open. Walpurga felt the cold air rush into the warm room and cool her hot flesh. She only wanted to sleep, but when a small body was placed on her chest, she couldn't help but look. Small grey eyes, too similar to her own, looked up at her before a small hand grabbed her sweaty shirt. "Why is it a girl?!" Orion's harsh words registered in her sleepy brain and in a split second Walpurga was wide awake. It couldn't be, could it? "I... I... I don't know, sir," the healer stammered as Walpurga looked at the little girl. Her daughter. "How do you not know? Where is the other healer who did the tests? Did you know?" he spat the words at his wife. Walpurga shook her head, no, she hadn't known, but that wouldn't change anything. "I thought it would be a boy too. I didn't know, Orion," she still looked down at the little girl and patted her little back. Walpurga could bear her touching her skin, which was new. Her other child, she didn’t want to think about it. All the pain she had to go through just to birth a boy. The child was too clingy, too familiar as if she could like it. This little girl would be better, and she would not let Orion take her away from her. She would protect her, like she couldn’t all her other children. "She will live," she said in a firm voice. Her free arm clutched her wand, ready to send curses at her husband. Walpurga looked at her husband and saw fury, but also resignation. The man she'd grown to love wasn't such a monster, he'd also been pressured by his parents and the rest of his family. He sat down next to her and looked at his little daughter as well. "I'm not going to kill her," his eyes were soft, "we already have Sirius, they can't expect more from us, my love." Walpurga smiled like a wolf. She knew her family wouldn't like it. Her brother already had three girls and another one wouldn't be good for the family. "We can still call her Regulus, they won't know until she's too old." She waited for Orion's answer. His grey eyes bored into hers and she knew he understood what she wanted to do. There was a fire in his eyes and she remembered from their youth, when they both still had a little mischief in them. How his eyes had lit up when she had suggested a plan to get out of various events and situations. How he had been her accomplice and how the euphoria had put a smile on both of their faces when they had gotten away with it. She missed those times. "Regulus Askella Black, our little secret." He cradled her daughter's small head, his ring shining in the dim light. "I will make the arrangements, my love." Walpurga smiled, a smile she hadn't waved in years, signed and let go of the tightness of her body as her husband rose to leave. A sharp pain ripped through her womb and Walpurga couldn't help but hiss. The healer was back between her legs in a moment.
"What's happening?" She prodded gently with her wand, mumbled a few words and seemed to come to a conclusion, "It seems the birth has damaged her womb, I'm afraid she won't be able to have any more children, Mr Black." Orion said nothing, just stroked her matted hair gently. Before she fell asleep, she felt her daughter being tucked further into her chest and a light blanket being drawn over both of them.
A few days later, Walpurga was lying on the diwan in the drawing room with her little girl. She was exhausted but happy; the girl was still alive, her family didn't know. Orion was on his way to pick up Sirius from Cygnus and Druella, where he had been staying for the last few days. She was glad for the rest, the last few nights had been rough, but Askella was asleep now. Walpurgas' eyes wandered to the tapestry that hung on one wall of her house. There, on the far side beside her, was a small branch showing an icon of an infant with the name Regulus underneath. She knew there was a similar one in the Black Manor where her brother lived. There wouldn't be any questions about the child's gender in the near future. Her eyes flickered to the other small icon above, her son's black hair and name not disappearing. The baby on her belly opened its grey eyes and looked at her. It was the first time the little child had really opened its eyes. They were almost colourless, not the typical stormy grey of the House of Black. For a moment, a a fleck of molten silver seemed to swirl in her eyes before the baby closed them again and blinked sleepily at her mother like any other baby a few days old. Walpurga had the urge to press a kiss to the top of the child's head, as she had seen Druella do.
Through the silence of the house, she heard the door open and voices travelled up the stairs. Then someone ran up the stairs and a curly haired girl poked her head into the sitting room. "Hello, Bella." Bella smiled and quietly closed the door: "Is he asleep?" "Yes, come and see," the 9-year-old padded over to her aunt with careful steps and looked at the sleeping baby. "He's so tiny." "He'll be big in no time." "I think so, look, Mum said I should bring this over." She held out a bag with some containers, "She had Rotty make you some food so Kreacher has more time to take care of you." "Say thank you, even though it wasn't necessary." "My dad took me to the capital last week." "Oh really?" "Yes. He works in the palace with the Arkhon, but he took me to the town outside the palace. We had a meal and he bought me this trinket." She reached into her robes and pulled out a small pendant for her belt. "Oh, it's beautiful!" whispered Walpurga. "I brought one for him too, if that's OK." Bella looked unsure, but with a nod from Walpurga she pulled out another pendant, similar to her own. It also had three little ravens pressed into one side, just like the crest of the House of Black. Careful not to wake her daughter, Walpurga took the trinket from her niece and placed it beside her. "And what else did you do in the capital?" "We also went to that shop where they sell books and..." While Bella chattered on, Walpurga looked back down at her daughter, who was fast asleep and seemed to ignore the chatter. "I've taken Sirius up to his room, he's been quite tired," Orion's calm voice interrupted his niece's lively narrative. "Thank you, how long is Bella staying?" "Your brother said he would pick her up in the evening." With that, Walpurga turned her attention back to her niece.
A few hours later, Cygnus showed up to pick up his eldest daughter. "So this is my newest nephew," his deep baritone voice said as her brother leaned in the door. He was the spitting image of his eldest daughter, with black curly hair that Walpurga had always envied. As he walked over, he looked at the chess board where she had been playing with Bella. He leaned over the crib and reached for one of the baby's hands. "Hello, little prince," he cooed and then looked at his daughter: "Time to go, Bellatrix, you know how your mother is with dinner." Walpurgas's brother held out his hand and Bella took it with a smile: "Can we continue the game another time?" "Yes, absolutely, Bella." While Bella recounted her day, the two disappeared into the house. Walpurga heard them stopping in the hallway, but was too tired to go and investigate. She stared at the chess board a while with a smile until she put it away, then she took her daughter out of the crib and made her way back to her chambers.
A few weeks later, Walpurga and Orion introduced their daughter as Regulus A. Black, with A officially standing for Arcturus, but in the privacy of their home they called her Askella. This was also the name she would be known by in the wizarding world in a few years time.