Siblings lost
It was late evening as Hadrian sat with Draco and Neville opposite Dudley and the twins.
The twins had been cooing over the new boy and demanding stories of Hadrian as a child for hours now. As Dudley had also been a child and rarely paid his cousin a second thought, he was sorely disappointing them.
Behind their sofa, Sirius conversed with Severus, Prunella, and the recently arrived Remus and the Malfoys. Hadrian definitely was not eavesdropping.
Sirius cleared his throat when the introductions were over, “We need to talk about protection for the latest to join our family. What do you know of your lineage, Prunella?”
Prunella looked back and forth between Severus and Sirius, “Please, call me Pru. As for my lineage, my Martin had my records expunged. Dudley’s birth is also listed as being Martin’s child with the blood adoption we performed.” She glanced over at her son, “Martin was born infertile, so he would only be able to blood adopt, which was convenient for both of us. As he and his brother-in-law work in the French ministry, they backdated the adoption to the day Dudley was born.”
Prunella grinned mischievously, a look Hadrian did not know the woman could possess, “Apparently, filing clerks lose things all the time. Instead of Dudley no name, he was born Dudley Fournier. My back story was that I was found pregnant, disowned, and obliviated. My magic was already bound, and when they unbound it, the magic linking my ancestors was mostly blocked. Martin passed it off to the French ministry that whatever family I hailed from must have used a ritual so I would not have any claim to family vaults.”
His father nodded, impressed, “Thorough. What happens when they do a lineage test on you or Dudley? Do any names that are not affiliated with your husband come up?”
Prunella nodded, “Prince, which I now know comes from Severus, and Gaunt.”
Hadrian groaned from the sofa, “That is possibly the worst name possible.”
Prunella looked over curiously, “Why?”
Draco scoffed; apparently, Hadrian hadn’t been the only one listening, “Because it’s linked to the most recent Dark Lord and Hadrian himself.”
“Do you need us to call anyone else?” Sirius asked as Walburga and Dorea sauntered into the room with Alice and Augusta.
Prunella nodded sharply as she righted herself, “My husband will need to be involved in anything we discuss. He has done much to aid both of us. Can I call a house elf to retrieve him?”
Sirius nodded, “Go ahead.”
“Pippin!”
*Pop*
A tiny house elf in a lace-trimmed dress bowed before the group, “Bonsoir Maîtresse Prunella. Que peut faire Pippin pour vous?”
“J'ai besoin que tu amènes Martin. C'est urgent.”
The elf nodded, “Oui, maîtresse.”
*Pop*
*Pop*
“Pru, what’s wrong?” A tall man asked, observing the room’s inhabitants as he snaked a hand toward Prunella. His French accent was much thicker than both Dudley and Prunella’s.
Sirius leaned against the back of Hadrian’s sofa, addressing Pru, “What we need to focus on is your heritage. Actually, both yours and Dudley’s heritage.”
Martin’s brows furrowed, “Her heritage? Who are you?” His eyes swept across the room.
“Family.”
Martin’s piercing blue gaze found him, and his eyes hardened, “She’s been purged of family ties.”
“Gaunt.” Martin blinked at Hadrian questionably, probably wondering why a child was involved in the discussion, “We carry the name Gaunt. And it carries much significance here. If someone were to see that name on their heritage charts… they would be pinned as Dark. Possibly worse.”
Martin encircled his arm fully around his wife, his gaze never leaving Hadrian’s, “We know the history of the Gaunt family; they had to accept the Guant lineage in order to break the bindings of their magic.
Hadrian’s eyes widened, “You know who the Gaunt family is descended from? Their entire history?”
“I know they are said to be descended from Slytherin.”
Hadrian stared at the man, “…and…”
Martin’s brows furrowed, “What is more impressive than being descended from Slytherin?”
Hadrian’s eyes closed, “So they only accepted the Gaunt magic; they didn’t accept the rest?”
Pru shook her head, “No…”
His father nudged his shoulder, “You’re off topic.” His eyes flicked up to Pru, “We have a way to hide it.”
Martin glanced from Hadrian to Sirius, “How?”
Sirius nodded to Severus, who pulled a parchment from his robes, “It is not known by many, but I had a half-sibling. My grandparents wanted an heir to the Prince line. Unfortunately, they were fading fast. They could not bear another child and did not wish to blood adopt. They wanted a true heir, pure of blood, to carry on the Prince name.”
Hadrian nodded thoughtfully. The half-hour Severus had spent with his account manager had proved fruitful, as this seemed to be news to everyone in the room.
“As my mother was their only child and the last child of the line, they decided she would provide them the heir. The fact that she was already married to a muggle and I was just a babe did not matter. They stole her away from my father for nearly a year and forced her into a coupling that resulted in a pregnancy. However, when the baby was born a girl, my grandfather was livid. He officially disowned my mother and culled the child before she was even named. Mother never fully recovered after that.”
Pru tightly gripped Martin’s arm, “That’s awful. Sev, I had no idea…”
Severus shook his head, “I lost a sibling that day, but I gained two more many years later.”
“What does your lost sister have to do with me, though?”
A gentle voice cut in, and all eyes turned to Dorea Potter-Black, “In this family, we are overly cautious.” She smiled at the individuals gathered in the room, “We have Lady Magic on our side and occasionally Lord Death. We use old rituals and are friends with the goblins, which means that we also have their magic on our side. Because we are so paranoid, we are also always prepared; We will do anything to avoid our family secrets being revealed. Within our vaults, the goblins have the blood of all of our family members stored, and therefore, we are able to perform rituals that most wouldn’t dream of. If I’m correct, Severus has a vial of his mother’s blood in his pocket. The goblins can perform a specific blood adoption ritual on you, so the Prince bloodline overrides the Gaunt on your charts if someone were to become curious. You would still be a Gaunt, but only the Goblins would be able to provide that knowledge.”
Pru nodded slowly, “What of the father? Do you know who the man was?”
Severus shook his head, “No, I was never told.”
“But I was.”
Every head turned to the elderly woman sitting in the plushest chair in the room.
Walburga Black sighed, “Orion.”
Sirius gaped at his mother, “Father. Father was unfaithful?”
Walburga shook her head, “No, I was aware. He wished to help his father’s dearest friend, and I didn’t have to do any of the work. At the time, he had no idea that Eileen was imperioused. All he knew was her parents asked for an heir who would be born a Prince, not a Black. They did not want marriage; they only wanted the offspring.”
Sirius slumped, his voice hollow, “I had a sister?”
Walburga looked at her son, “I’m sorry, Sirius. She would have been not much younger than Regulus. We had no idea that they planned to cull the child if it was not a male heir. If Orion had known, he would have made a stipulation that he would be able to keep the child.”
Alice slid herself in next to Sirius and tightly embraced him as he digested the news.
Walburga returned to Severus, “I have Orion’s blood in my vault. Ragnok will retrieve the vials needed and perform the ceremony. He can also mask the abilities you wish to hide from certain testings.” She turned to the aged house elf sitting at her feet, “Kreacher, can you please tell Ragnok that we will indeed need Orion’s blood?” Kreacher bowed once and disappeared.
Martin narrowed his eyes as Kreacher popped away, “You mentioned testings?”
Remus laughed bitterly, “The headmaster has a tendency to treat individuals as objects, just pawns to his whims. He tests students without their knowledge to determine whether they are light or dark so he knows if he needs to keep an eye on them. Those that he does observe tend to encounter much interference.”
Neville nodded, “Hadrian and I have been on his radar for a long time. We haven’t had a normal year yet. Luckily, the Goblins masked some of our abilities; otherwise, I fear our trials would have been more… aggressive.”
Hadrian grimaced, “Nev, not all of our bad luck was directly a result of Brian’s moves.”
Neville rolled his eyes, “You believe all you want, Hades. I’m proceeding with caution.”
Martin eyed Dudley, “I believe we would like that option.”
Hadrian turned from his brother to observe the man in depth, seeing him through the Emrys gift for the first time. He chuckled softly, “Yes, you would want to hide that. It’s a rare gift.”
Martin’s eyes narrowed, “Hide what?”
Hadrian’s head tilted to the side as he watched the green shimmering light fall off the man— the golden flecks he associated with his own gift swirling through emerald light, “Was it a bonding with a Veela?”
The man blinked owlishly, “My mother is Veela.”
Hadrian nodded, “Magesthesia.”
Martin let out a deep breath, “How do you know this? It is never spoken to outsiders.”
Hadrian grinned, “I had a little birthday chat with Lady Magic about my family magic. It was a gift associated with my mother’s line— I have mine masked.”
Martin nodded numbly before his eyes turned golden in Hadrian’s vision.
The French man laughed, “Oh, that is amazing.”
Pru pulled at his sleeve, “What is it?”
Martin turned to his wife, “That boy is an array of colors.” His gaze turned back to Hadrian. “Swirling colors of magic teeming with power. I’ve never seen one with so many connections to Lady Magic.”
Dudley’s eyes turned golden, his dark blue and shimmering golden light swirling in excitement, “Wow.”
Their magical observations of each other were interrupted by the echoing *pop* as Kreacher reappeared in the middle of the room with the Black family goblin. Each Black family member bowed their head to the goblin in greeting.
Ragnok nodded in return before turning to Severus, “Do you have the blood to add to the brew?”
Severus brought a vial from his cloak pocket, “This belonged to my mother, Eileen Prince.”
Ragnok nodded, “Give me a few moments in my office to prepare the adoption ritual for Prunella and a secondary grandparent adoption for Dudley. Are there any other services that will be needed tonight?”
Walburga nodded, “Their magic will need to be masked. We cannot let our enemies know the power of House Black.”
Ragnok grinned sharply at the woman and chuckled, “No, none must know the power of Clan Black.” He quickly departed back to his office through the open floo.
Martin turned to Sirius, “I have never witnessed a goblin refer to a family as a clan. Why does he?”
The Blacks each looked at each other before nodding towards Hadrian. Hadrian broke the silence, “As you will shortly become a part of the Black family and be loyal bound by the bonds of family magic, we can part with some secrets. Through my mother’s heritage, I am the rightful heir to the Gaunt and Slytherin family, but through my birth father’s side, I am the heir to the Gryffindor family. Both were eligible heirs to the Peverell family, who are heirs to many more hidden families. Through their long histories, they are the only family able to bond with the Goblin Nation. In return, the nation bestowed them with the honor of Clan. To them, I am the head of the Black Clan, even if I am one of the youngest.”
Martin’s eyes widened, “And all of those present are of the clan?”
Hadrian shrugged, “More or less. Quite a few are out of the country and unable to be here.” He gestured to the armchairs, “My grandmothers, Walburga Black and Dorothea Potter-Black. My father, Sirius Black. My stepmother, Alice Black, previously Longbottom. My brother, Neville Longbottom. His grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, is over by Dorea. My cousins, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black, and her husband Lucius Malfoy, with their son, Draco Malfoy. My adopted Uncle on the Potter side, Remus Lupin, and his twins, Fabian and Gideon Lupin. And finally, Severus Snape Prince, my mother’s blood brother and adopted Uncle on the Black side.”
Sirius groaned loudly, “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”
All eyes turned to him as he glared at his mother and Severus, “Severus was already a blood brother to Lily. Now, we’re adopting her actual sister.”
Pru narrowed her eyes, “Do you dislike my sister?”
Sirius laughed loudly, “Dislike her? I married her.”
Severus smirked, “My, my Sirius. How very Black of you.”
Remus snorted as Pru shook her head, “No… Lily married James Potter. I was there.”
Walburga sniffed, “Yes, but then she accepted her lineage and, with it, her ancestral family magic. As Lilian Guant, she married Sirius.”
Pru looked scandalized and advanced on his father like she was about to hex him, “You married your best friend’s wife? You were their best man!”
Sirius waved off her aggravation, “I married her to protect her and her unborn child, Harry, from the headmaster and an unhinged dark lord.” He batted away her attempts to hit him with her bag, “Godric, you’re just as feisty as Lily!”
Fabian grinned, “Does this mean I’m allowed to marry Ginevra?”
Draco whirled on the boy, who was biting his lip to refrain from laughing.
Remus sighed and ran a hand down his face, “No. She’s your birth sister. You are not that desperate.”
Gideon grinned, “Well, Dora’s a bit old for me; what about Lyra then? Can we get married?”
Remus glared at the boy, “If you two keep this up, I will leave your betrothals in the capable hands of your Great Aunt Walburga.”
Both boys paled.
Walburga chuckled and winked at Remus, “I’ll start searching.”
The fire blared to life, and Ragnok emerged from the flames. His beady eyes observed the Blacks before he shook his head and stepped forward to complete the rituals.
——
Hadrian glanced over to where the adults had congregated after the rituals were completed at the sound of a shriek.
Regulus had just entered the room, and in true Black dramatics, he appeared in his animagus form, Crookshanks lounging in his arms.
Apparently, it had been Prunella who screeched at the sight of the dementor. The rest of the adults looked at her like she was seeing things.
Dudley shivered beside him, “Do Blacks have no souls?”
Hadrian chuckled, “We’re used to him; that’s Uncle Regulus.”
The blonde eyed him as the rest of the Black children smirked, “Uncle?” His eyes roamed across the group, “You do know how dementors form, right?”
“I do.”
“So, technically, your Uncle is lost. Adopting the new form just isn’t the same.”
Hadrian grinned as he watched Onyx circle the room, floating toward their group, “What do you think would happen if a human were to willingly bond with a lethifold?”
Dudley scoffed, “I’d say they were mad.”
“Oh, hello, Uncle Regulus, didn’t hear you come in.” Neville grinned mischievously at the dementor who stood directly behind Dudley.
- Hello, Neville.§
Dudley gaped up at the being above him, “I understood what it said.”
Hadrian nodded, “You’re a Black now. And, to boot, a descendant of Peverell. It was a toss-up whether Lady Magic would allow you and your mum to have the Peverell gift. It’s technically now a Black gift as well.”
Onyx glided past the children and over to the grand window on the opposite side of the seating area. He stood staring down across the lawn, his bony fingers tangling into Crookshank’s long fur as he absently stroked her form.
Hadrian shook his head in exasperation at the Black dramatics as he turned back to his newfound cousin. Prunella and Dudley were now officially of the Prince and Black lines.
Dudley broke the long silence after Onyx’s departure, “So, I’m also an heir of Slytherin?”
Hadrian nodded, “Yes, I guess you are technically an unofficial Heir of Slytherin. You or your mother would be next in line if something happened to my own line. Then, if both of our lines die out and Lady Magic agrees, it would fall to Tom, the murdering bastard that he is.”
Neville nodded thoughtfully while the twins lounged on either side of him, “How long do you think Dudley will last before Brian tries to test him.”
Fabian blew a raspberry in Neville’s ear as Gideon asked, “Who’s Brian?”
Draco scoffed as he threw his new practice snitch into the air, “Ole Longbeard. We use nicknames to bypass the listening charms he has charmed to his name within the castle. You were in Slytherin; how did you not know?”
Fabian and Gideon looked at each other over Neville’s head, “He does?”
“We just figured insulting him was your main goal.”
Hadrian slowly turned to the twins, “You don’t use his name when discussing family matters, do you? We aren’t actually sure they are there, but Severus does agree that it’s very probable.”
Gideon laughed, “No. We are much too insidious to do so.”
Fabian eyed his brother, “Insidious, brother?”
Gideon smirked, “Sly, cunning, shifty, elusive… Which would you prefer?”
Fabian growled as he jumped across Neville toward his twin, shifting mid-lunge.
Neville rolled his eyes as he pushed the fox’s tail out of his face while Dudley gaped at the fox currently tugging at his brother’s collar with its sharp teeth.
Hadrian sighed in annoyance, “Why is it always the fox?”
Gideon grinned and pushed Fabian the fox off the couch, shifting into his wolf form in the process.
Dudley spluttered in astonishment.
“Or the wolf.” Hadrian shook his head, “Seriously, do you know how lucky you two are? You have unlimited forms; why not go for a new thing each time?”
The red-eared wolf looked at the black fox and smiled wolfishly; they each shifted into hyenas and preceded to circle the seating group, cackling as they paced.
Hadrian snarled and shifted in place until he was in his spectral grim form. The hyenas stopped cackling and threw themselves on the floor, bowing before him.
Neville shook his head, “How can they make groveling to a grim sarcastic?”
Dudley was shocked still, “He just turned into a grim.”
Draco raised a brow, “So?”
Dudley rounded on him, “There’s a meter and a half tall grim in front of us, and your first thought is ‘So?’ He’s a bloody grim!”
Neville grinned, “True, but it’s also only Hades. It’s his familial form. Takes after his dad on that one. Anyone in our family with a strong enough connection to the Black family magic can achieve the family form. Unfortunately, I’m just a tad too much Longbottom. Hopefully, someday, I will figure out what the family form actually is.”
Dudley shook his head, “Magical form? If he’s an animagus, then that’s his bloody form!”
Draco grinned, “Yeah, and Uncle Regulus prefers to spend the majority of his time in his familial form. It unnerves most people.” He glanced towards the window, “I must say, Marlene tagging along today is a nice touch.” He gestured over toward where Onyx stood, bony fingers scratching the orange tabby under the chin.
Dudley’s jaw gaped, “That’s actually a person?”
Onyx turned from the window and placed Crookshanks in a wingback chair. The next moment, Regulus Black was smirking at his new nephew while Marlene lounged across the arms of the chair with a bored expression, untangling the knots from her hair that she had gained in her Crookshanks form.
Neville laughed at Dudley’s look of disbelief, followed by the unearthly sound of the spectral dog laughing, “Ah, my dear new cousin, you have much to learn. The Blacks aim to turn wizarding Britain on its head, and Hadrian will be at the helm, steering us into a better future. Luckily, he shares with the family.”
Hadrian shifted back to his human form, kicking out at the belly-up hyenas in front of him, “Which is greatly beneficial to you, dear Diddikins.”
Dudley frowned as he shook the stupor away, “I don’t like that name. Fleur uses it every time she pinches my cheeks.”
The hyenas shifted on the floor, each twin lying propped up on their elbows, “Fleur? Oh, is she your little French girlfriend?”
Dudley’s nose wrinkled, “No, she’s my cousin.”
Hadrian threw himself back onto the couch, “For being the last of our lines, we sure do have a lot of cousins.”
Draco’s brow rose, “Hades, we’re purebloods; everyone’s our cousin in some roundabout way.”
Hadrian tried to muffle his snort, but it was in vain. The entire group burst out into laughter.
There was no way they could honestly deny it.
French translations:
“Bonsoir Maîtresse Prunella. Que peut faire Pippin pour vous?” — “Good evening Mistress Prunella. What can Pippin do for you?”
“J'ai besoin que tu amènes Martin. C'est urgent.” — “I need you to bring Martin. It's urgent."
“Oui, maîtresse.” — "Yes mistress."