Orion Black could be called many things. Powerful, intimidating, persuasive, dark - yes. Gentle? No. So why was it that he felt the strong, albeit irrational, urge to hold and protect the blood traitor at that very moment?
***
The week had started out as many others had. Orion and Walburga Black were sitting in their parlor room sipping afternoon tea as their sons hid somewhere in their ancient, drafty house. As per tradition, neither spoke until both were done with their tea. It was an unspoken agreement they had. The two would sit and drink as they collected their thoughts.
Finally, after a little over thirty minutes, one spoke. “It seems that Sirius has finally managed the sticking charm.” Walburga Black said, her disdain for their heir coloring her words.
“Has he now?” Orion spoke out of politeness. He knew his wife would continue even if he had not answered.
“Oh yes. And it seems he has deemed it fit to sully our walls with those disgusting muggle photos,” she spat.
“Hmm.” Orion knew where this conversation was going.
“And what's worse is that they are photos of muggle women. Half naked muggle women!” Her tone was reaching hysterical.
“That does seem to be a problem.”
“A problem indeed,” she huffed, “I think it’s high time one of us taught that boy a lesson!”
“And what would you have in mind?” Orion knew what type of lessons she liked to teach. He had talked her out of quite a few extreme ideas on more than one occasion.
“Oh, never you mind that. I’ll make sure that boy knows his place. Oh yes, I know exactly what to do.”
“Hmm.”
And with that, Walburga had stormed out of the parlor and up the stairs to her eldest son’s room. Orion sighed. This was going to be a long summer.
***
That night, Orion wasn’t very surprised to not see Sirius at the dinner table. Walburga’s smug expression told him everything he needed to know. The boy would most likely spend the next day or so sulking in his room. And for that next day or so, Orion would pretend to not notice him “sneaking” down to the kitchens for some food. Really, it was no wonder the boy wasn’t sorted into Slytherin. He hadn’t an ounce of cunning in him.
What was surprising, however, was when Orion hadn’t seen him downstairs for over two days. Either Sirius had suddenly become an expert in the art of stealth, or something else was wrong.
He decided to wait another few hours before going up to his room.
***
It was well after supper before Orion finally remembered his son. Sighing, Orion set down the paperwork he had been reading and moved to get up from his desk.
At that very moment, he heard a peculiar thumping sound in the hallway.
“Sirius?” He called out. The thumping stopped.
“Sirius, come in here.” The following silence lasted long enough for Orion to wonder if it had simply been a house elf. He started towards the door to look, but stopped himself. It really could have been a house elf.
Just then, the door to his study started to open.
Orion blinked hard when his son finally shuffled in. He couldn’t believe what he was looking at.
“Yes father?” Sirius’ meek voice broke through his shock.
“Sirius….” His eldest son wouldn’t meet his eyes and for once in his life, Orion didn’t know what to say.
The silence dragged on as Orion studied his son. From what he could see, it was a wonder he was standing. Sirius’ face was an ugly patchwork of deep purple bruises and unnaturally pale skin. And that was just what he could see.
“Did your mother…”
“She’s no mother!” The boy spat. Finally, Sirius’ wide eyes flew up to meet his father’s. Orion could see the pure fear in the boy’s eyes. He could hear the hitch in his breath and could see as he took a trembling step backwards.
Orion reached a hand up to steady the boy but froze when he flinched away. The flinch was so violent that his son actually stumbled backwards into the door.
His son.
His son.
His boy was afraid of him. Not that Orion really blamed him. Orion was not a particularly kind father. He was rather cold and distant. And while it was true that Orion himself never raised a hand to his children, he had never raised a hand to stop his wife. The most he did was talk her out of doing something like...like this.
Orion dropped his hand. And for the second time in his life he didn’t know what to do.
***
Sirius was having a shitty week.
Not that he’d expected much more from being “home.”
The week had started out pretty normal. A few sneers and disappointed looks from his parents, Regulus’ quite warning to, ‘not antagonize their parents’...Sirius antagonizing their parents…
He knew that he probably shouldn’t have brought home the posters… James, Remus, and even Peter (Peter!) had warned him not to…
But he just couldn't help himself. He knew it would set them off (Regulus’ reaction to them - his face going unbelievably pale was enough to confirm this. His reaction was what obviously prompted him to use the permanent sticking charm he had learned) he just hadn’t expected his mother to be quite so… reactive. She had always held off before but this time…
At least he finally had a good enough reason to leave.
‘Small victories,’ Sirius thought to himself as he opened his door and dragged his half packed trunk through into the hall. He made it barely three steps when Regulus’ door opened. Sirius waited with baited breath as his baby brother’s carefully blank expression faltered when he took in his brother's battered face.
His eyes widened ever-so-slightly. Those same intelligent eyes flickered down to his trunk before looking back up to meet his brother’s eyes. And in that instant, Sirius knew exactly what his brother’s silence meant.
Goodluck…
Sirius met Regulus’ gaze and tried to communicate everything he couldn’t with his eyes. And Regulus understood. He gave his older brother a single nod before slowly closing his door again. This time, Sirius could easily read his baby brother’s silence. It was a goodbye.
At one time, it might have been more, but the world wasn’t kind to the two brothers. And they understood that. Even more, they had been forced to accept it.
Sirius stared at Reggie’s door for another moment before he turned and started down the stairs. Pain thrummed through him with every step. Sirius ignored the pain though.
He needed to move faster. He was close. He was so close...the door was just down thi-
“Sirius?”
Sirius froze. He felt pure panic course through him. He had thought everyone, besides Regulus apparently, had been asleep by now. They all should have been asleep by now! Why wasn’t his father aslee-
Footsteps. Orion was coming for him. Oh Merlin, what was he going to do? He was so close!
Obey.
For once in his life, Sirius would listen to Reggie and just play along. It was the only way he could get out. He had to get out.
The footsteps had stopped. What was his father doing? Sirius had decided to not wait and find out and edged towards the door. His hand was shaking so bad he could barely grab the knob. As he finally opened the door and slipped in, Sirius had managed to follow the hazy instructions on proper obedient behavior around superiors he and his brother had received as children. He kept his eyes down and tried to act as respectful as possible. Sirius knew he was slouching but he couldn’t help it.
“Yes father?” He couldn’t bring himself above a whisper. He was afraid he might cry. And real men didn’t cry.
For a few minutes, his father stayed silent. He was just….watching. What was he waiting for? What did he want!?
“Did your mother…?”
For a few moments, Sirius felt white hot anger flood through him. “She’s no mother!” The anger died just as fast as it came. Panic replaced it even faster. Sirius went cold and felt himself start shaking.
Oh no...oh no
Sirius didn’t even register he was moving until he saw a hand flash up. He flinched so hard he fell black into the door. He was trapped. He was trapped! And now his father was going to-
Orion started towards him. Sirius had never been so afraid in his life. He never knew what to expect from the cold, calloused man that was his father.
He felt any remaining blood drain from his face and his vision started to darken and his breathing got faster…
This was it. He hadn’t moved fast enough. And he was so close…
Sirius squeezed his eyes shut and drew back even further as the hand came towards him.
***
Orion didn’t know what to do when Sirius drew impossibly farther away from his hand. He didn’t stop, however, and reached out for his son’s face, where a particularly nasty bruise sat on his cheekbone.
He could see Sirius wobble a bit when his hand finally made contact with the boy’s face. It wasn’t anything more than a gentle touch but Orion doubted Sirius’ mid registered the difference. His son was afraid. So afraid...
Orion held still as his fingers rested on Sirius’ face. After a few moments, Sirius’ eyes opened, blown wide with fear and confusion, and he looked at Orion. For the first time in years, Orion allowed his face to soften.
***
After waiting for a blow that would never come, Sirius finally forced his eyes to open. What was happening? Why wasn’t his father moving? What was he going to do? Surely Sirius’ outburst was enough to-
And then he saw his father’s expression soften.
It wasn’t by much, but it was enough for Sirius to see.
And then Sirius felt his lower lip wobble.
“Sirius…”
And he felt his resolve start to crumble.
“Papa…”
***
“Sirius…”
Orion knew the moment Sirius understood. The change was so extreme that Orion could see what would happen before he thought even Sirius realized.
“Papa…”
Orion felt a part of him that was long since buried reawaken.
And then Sirius’ legs were giving out and Orion was catching him. Orion kept his hands on Sirius’ shoulders as his son leaned his head against his chest.
Neither of them had ever been overly fond of physical contact such as this, but Orion held still as his son started to cry.
He hadn’t held Sirius while he cried since he was three and a half years old.
Orion forced himself to relax because his boy needed him. He knew he would never (and could never) be what Sirius needed, but right now, he could be this.
And so he kept one hand on Sirius’ shoulder with the other on his back while Sirius cried silently into his chest.
***
Only when Sirius’ shaking shoulders eased into a quiet sniffle did the two pull away.
Sirius rocked back onto his haunches and stared down at his hands, his face still puffy and as red as it could be.
“I think it’s time for you to leave, son…”
Orion watched as his heir’s expression faltered for a moment before he took a breath and nodded.
Sirius took another moment before he stood up and moved over to the door. He slipped out as quietly as he came in and Orion followed.
Orio stood silently as Sirius grabbed his school trunk.
So that was what the thumping had been…
Orion had been standing passively at the top of the stairs watching Sirius. At least he had been until Walburga had come out of the sitting room.
For a moment, everything stilled. Until…
“YOU! YOU!”
It would seem it only took her a moment to recognize what was going on. Sirius was halfway out of the door after all. Walburga was too angry to properly form her sentences. She kept stopping herself with outraged spluttering.
“WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING? YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE...ORION! STOP HIM!”
At that, Sirius’ frightened eyes flicked up to look at his father.
And it was Orion’s turn to nod at his son.
And then Sirius slipped out into the dark London night.
And Walburga’s angry spluttering turned into outraged screaming that would never form her first born’s name again unless to insult and ridicule.
Yes, Orion Black might not be a particularly caring or kind man, but in that moment even he could see that this was the right thing to do. This was best for everyone.
Only once in the rest of his life would he question his actions that night.
And only to wonder if he could have saved his youngest as well…
***