Corvus Black and the Timeline

“I didn’t know that ripped robes was a style of fashion that you subscribed to.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Seeing as all the time you spend in France; you must have soaked up some of the fashion sense that Paris has to offer.”

“Actually, I spent most of my time with Aunt Cas-”

“Of course, who could forget that men’s makeup is now a thing. I have to say Corvus, rouge is certainly your color.”

Fiona couldn’t help but smile as she watched Corvus fuss over his robes and then conjure a mirror to inspect his face. She watched as he cleaned away the smudges of lipstick. Fiona loved the way that his cheeks tinted red whenever she caught him snogging. Even more so when she would push his buttons about it.

While Corvus was removing the evidence from his face, Fiona looked to, and she was a little surprised that she was even here, Octavia.

She wasn’t the first choice that Fiona had for Corvus.

A nice French witch would have been perfect. Oh, it would have been glorious! Corvus was half French after all and a nice girl from Beauxbatons would have been the perfect love story. They could have lots of little babies and live a nice life at Chateau Black. Fiona would be godmother to them all and Albert would probably be godfather.

Alas, that dream probably wasn’t going to come true.

Octavia Greengrass wasn’t a bad choice for Corvus. She had a head for politics and was cunning. She had the looks of a pureblood witch as well as the formal training. Maybe the formal training was a little on the heavy side, she did come off as cold sometimes.

At first Fiona thought that the pair wouldn’t work.

Corvus was outgoing and always light of mood. (Fiona could count on her hand the number of times that she saw Corvus truly angry). He was almost as averse to politics as his father, almost. He wasn’t above doing something illegal, in fact he seemed to enjoy it. Corvus simply didn’t take life as seriously as some of the other purebloods.

Octavia by contrast wasn’t outgoing or always light of mood. She hid behind her pureblood mask so much that at times Fiona thought that she didn’t know how to take it off. She didn’t show many emotions and kept herself at a distance to most of Hogwarts. She loved politics and would take every opportunity she got to go to a Wizengamot session. Octavia was just not as easy going as Corvus.

So, it was a surprise that the two of them got along so well.

Fiona was still stumped on how that happened.

Corvus wasn’t a flirt, but he was easy and quick to complement. When he wasn’t putting on the act of Crazy Corvus Alphard Black, he was Corvus Black the Handsome. He was the one with the dashing smile and good looks.

He could have indulged himself with the female population of Hogwarts.

But he didn’t.

Fiona noticed that Corvus would never go to Hogsmeade with a date. He would go to Hogsmeade of course, but it was only ever with family and close friends.

He and Bellatrix would have lively discussions about the best dueling spells to use for a certain situation. Andromeda would bring out conversations about life outside of the pureblood world. Narcissa would involve some of the more private plots that the two of them would do, as well as what life after Hogwarts would be like.

Fiona and Albert would go with Corvus to talk about Triumvirate business or to just enjoy the day with a couple butterbeers and some good food.

That was how it was until their sixth year.

It had been a surprise to Fiona and everyone else at Hogwarts when Corvus went on an actual date to Hogsmeade. Fiona at first thought she was seeing things. Albert had nearly choked on his tea when he saw the two of them together.

It was such an unlikely pair. Corvus Black and Octavia Greengrass.

Fiona had been approached by Narcissa about what was going on. After neither of them could come up with an answer they definitely didn’t spy on the couple as they walked through Hogsmeade. They also definitely didn’t eavesdrop on them.

When Lucius spotted them huddled around a corner trying to hear a certain conversation, Narcissa quickly pulled the boy with them and quickly shushed him. Fiona had to smother a laugh at the look on Lucius’ face as the three of them peaked around the corner. For all that he acted indifferent, Fiona could tell that Lucius was interested as well.

Albert and Diana would later join the trio and they must have made a peculiar sight that day.

When the couple went into the Hog’s Head, the operation had become a rather hard to keep covert. It especially didn’t help when all five of them chose to sit at the same table.

They were discovered when Lucius spat his butterbeer all over the table after Narcissa said something about the Hog’s Head and how romantic it was.

Corvus had given them a bemused look that quickly turned into laughter as he saw butterbeer dribbling down Lucius’ chin and Narcissa wiping it away with a napkin. Octavia cracked a grin and Fiona could have sworn it was the first time she saw the girl actually let the pureblood mask slip.

They had all introduced each other after that and Fiona could see that Corvus wasn’t putting on his act with Octavia. His smile was a genuine one and Fiona decided to give Octavia a chance.

So far, she was glad that she did.

“Is this where you always hold your meetings?” Octavia asked.

They were currently standing around the “Bench by the Great Lake”. Fiona had to admit it was one of the stranger meeting places that they had over the years. The bench itself only had room for two people to sit on and it was rather public. It wasn’t as populated as Hogwarts’ courtyards, but the area wasn’t completely empty either.

“We actually don’t have a set meeting place.” Corvus said with a shrug.

“That seems rather counterintuitive for a group known as the Triumvirate.”

“Well, I could give some elaborate and complicated answer about how we modeled it off the First Triumvirate of Ancient Rome, but we just liked the name and made it up as we went.”

“It was the only name that sounded cool.” Fiona added.

Octavia raised a brow at both of them before she cracked a grin.

“We go by a rotating list of who gets to pick the meeting location. It was Albert’s turn, though why the Bench by the Great Lake?”

“Honestly? I have no idea why Albert chose this. We always meet in the library for his turn.”

“Speaking of, where is your third member?” Octavia asked.

All three of them looked around and indeed, Albert was not here. Fiona saw a fourth-year couple as well as a couple first years running around. But other than that, the area was empty.

“Ten galleons that he’s studying for his N.E.W.T.s and forgot we even had a meeting.” Corvus said.

“Ten galleons this has something to do about Diana.” Fiona said back and shook Corvus’ outstretched hand.

“So, Bellatrix was right about you having a gambling problem.” Octavia said.

“This isn’t gambling love. Rather… speculative investing.” Corvus said with a smile.

“Oh? So, the three hundred galleons you lost at Etienne’s birthday party was just speculative investing?”

“I’ll have you know that Henry was cheating. So really, he stole three hundred galleons from me.”

“So, you let him steal from you.”

“Well, I couldn’t really attack him at his brother’s birthday party, that would’ve been uncouth.”

“Didn’t you duel him at that party though?” Fiona asked.

“We weren’t at the party though. We were at the back courtyard which wasn’t part of the party. So, we didn’t disturb anyone.”

“I did see money being exchanged before and after the duel.”

“Well of course you have to gambl-… I mean speculatively invest on any duel. It would be unproductive to not watch the entertainment and make some galleons off of it as well.”

“Mmm, you’ve totally convinced me.” Octavia’s delivery was so dry Fiona felt her own throat dry a little.

“Don’t think I didn’t see you make a bet with Bella; I have the eyes of a hawk.”

“You must have the memory of a goldfish though, I wasn’t betting with Bellatrix, merely settling a past debt.”

“Ah yes, that thirty second old debt that came around after I won the duel.”

Octavia didn’t say anything at that and Corvus got that smile on his face whenever he knew he was right.

She in response tilted her head up slightly and gave off that superior look that she did so well. It helped that Octavia was almost as tall as Corvus, almost. That only made Corvus smile more as he sent Fiona a look.

“I’ve retaken the lead.”

“I’ll make sure to mark it down.” Fiona said as she shook her head with a smile.

Corvus and Octavia had a friendly competition to see who was right more often. They always seemed to be neck and neck in terms of score.

“Oh, I wouldn’t celebrate so quickly. You still haven’t explained your little plaything.”

Octavia had sweet smile on her face and her tone of voice was all friendly, but there was clearly something more there.

“There’s no need to worry love. There’s nothing going on.”

“Well, I say otherwi-”

Corvus pulled Octavia into a hug and cradled her head into his chest.

“Listen to the beat of my heart…”

Fiona was sure that Octavia snorted at that.

“Smell the scent of my musk…”

She started to struggle against his hug at that.

“Feel the timeline.”

“Okay, that’s enough out of you.” Octavia said as she extracted herself from the hug. Though she didn’t step any further away from Corvus.

“Alright, maybe that was a little much. But come on. For the timeline!”

“I’m starting to think that the timeline doesn’t mean anything more than an excuse that you made up.”

“Only starting? I’m convinced it is.” Fiona said.

“Fiona! How could you?!” Corvus mocked shock and fell to his knees with a hand on his chest.

“Please Corvus, we all know that it’s just your go to excuse.” Octavia said and Corvus grabbed onto one of her legs.

“Dost, thou mock me?” Corvus accentuated his British accent to the point of sounding ridiculous.

“What have you guys done to make him turn to Shakespeare?” Albert, who had finally arrived, interrupted.

“Albert! My dear Lord President, I’ve been accused of something most vile…”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“…A sacrilege against the timeline…”

“Oh boy.”

“…The weight I bear upon my shoulders is a heavy one…”

“Fiona… and Greengrass, thanks for coming today…”

“…I am Sisyphus, and the timeline is my boulder…”

“Why did you call the meeting here?” Fiona asked.

“…I have cheated death like he did…”

“I thought that a change of scenery would do us some good, though I’m now regretting it.” Albert said and the three of them looked down to Corvus who was still attached to Octavia’s leg.

“…Like he, the crown I wear bears heavily upon my brow…”

“I don’t know why people think this place is romantic. There’s a chance that the giant squid could come up from the lake and drag you down.” Fiona said and gestured to the lake. The bench was rather close to the water’s edge.

“…The duty I must uphold is a sacred one…”

“The squid is mostly harmless. At least no one’s died yet.”

“…For Talenel did not break, why should I…”

“So, what did you call the meeting for?”

“…Storms, there is much work to be done…”

“The newest scandal that Corvus has wrought on us. Lily Evans and the supposed courtship that he’s conducting with her.” Albert said and looked towards Corvus, who was now laying down on the grass with his eyes closed.

“It’ll just be one of those things that Hogwarts takes hold of for a couple months and then moves on.” Fiona said and took a seat on the bench.

“I don’t think so. The ramifications here could be disastrous. Most of what we’ve done before was simply a side business within Hogwarts itself. But this could and probably will spill over into the wider wizarding world.” Albert said, unconvinced in Fiona’s take.

“Speaking of Triumvirate business, have you chosen a successor yet?”

“I’m still not confident the Second Triumvirate will hold it all together after we graduate. But in any case, Diana will be my successor.”

“…You just need to have some faith in the plan Mr. Morgan…”

“I don’t think it will be that bad. Some negative press for Corvus and then it’ll blow over.”

“That’s being overly optimistic. Corvus is a Black, and the Blacks don’t associate with muggleborn. It’ll go against everything that the family stands for.” Albert said and took the seat besides Fiona and placed his head in his hands.

“They wouldn’t disown him though.”

“Why wouldn’t they. As far as the rest of the world knows, Corvus is courting a muggleborn. A Gryffindor muggleborn that’s also a first year at that! I’ll also point out that Corvus isn’t the Black heir anymore, so there are fewer consequences if they do disown him.”

“That’s where you get it wrong. Corvus isn’t the Black heir, so he doesn’t have to live up to the standards that the heir has to. He isn’t the first Black to defy the family. Just look at Regulus Black.”

“Which Regulus?”

“The older one.”

“The dead one?”

“Yes, he’s dead, but he didn’t actually do anything that benefited the Black Family. He was just too stuck up that he wasn’t the Black heir and then drank himself into an early grave.”

“Alright, but that was different though. He wasn’t courting a muggleborn. There’s a high likelihood that he could be disowned.”

“I think you’re forgetting about other Black, the one who’s actually courting a muggleborn.” Octavia said and Albert just groaned into his hands.

“I forgot about them. Those two are going to make a lot of enemies when their relationship finally becomes public.”

“Oh, she’ll get disowned. That’s almost a given at this point. But, Corvy here has the bright idea to soften the blow by having his own fun.” Octavia sat down beside a prone Corvus and patted his arm.

“That in itself is one huge gamble that I wouldn’t put money on. I don’t even know if it’ll work.”

“…Speculative investing…”

“Well, Corvus has done some stupid things before and wasn’t disowned. So, he’ll probably survive this as well.” Fiona said.

“But there are real consequences here. Pureblood politics to take into account. Sirius Black was sorted into Gryffindor and that was a big enough scandal for the year. To add on top of that Andromeda and Corvus courting muggleborn might just be too much.” Albert said.

“I’m still surprised that you got them to not disown him by the way.” Octavia said.

“…All for the timeline baby…”

“Regardless of Sirius Black and his sorting. Andromeda will be disowned because she is going to marry Tonks. Corvus, you have to know that you can’t save her from that right?” Albert asked.

“Guys, lets talk about what we’re talking about.” Corvus said and sat up. “I know that Andromeda will get disowned. I knew from the first moment that she came to me about Tonks. What I’m trying to do is make it so that she’s not completely ostracized from the family. I don’t want her to live completely alone and with this I can make it so that she doesn’t.”

“You plan to Blackmail your family?”

“Would that be a bad thing?”

“How do you know it’ll even work?”

“That’s the point. I don’t really know if it’ll work. Although I do know that Andromeda will have her sisters with her, as well as me. Arcturus wouldn’t disown all four of us. Sirius II might have but I have faith that Arcturus is a little more lenient about the whole muggleborn thing.”

“You’d be dividing the family and putting an undo amount of pressure on Sirius and Regulus.”

Corvus tensed a little at that.

“I… I still don’t what to do about that.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still holding that grudge.” Albert said.

“What? Oh, I got over that years ago. Its just that we won’t be here for their years at Hogwarts. The age gap is a little wide and Aunt Walburga is a demanding woman. Regulus is a good kid. I’d like to think that I’m role model that he can look up to, though I can’t always be there for him. Sirius though, he’s…”

“Complicated?” Octavia said.

“He’s important. He’s the Black heir for Merlin’s sake. I’ve tried to smooth things over with the family but Sirius’ stubborn like you wouldn’t believe.”

“That kid’s already been involved with one Neutral Ground case already. Him and Potter are going to be a menace for Hogwarts.” Albert shook his head.

“Yeah. The future of our family is in his hands, and I know for a fact that he doesn’t take it seriously. That is part of the reason why I’m doing this. Unify the family now before it’s too late.”

“It’s a noble goal Corvus.” Fiona said.

“Noble, aye. But it might be futile.”

“You know he’s too young for politics Corvus.”

“I know but he stands firmly in the light. He abhors how much the Black family associates with the dark and its going to tear our family apart.”

“It could just be a phase.” Fiona knew that it was a weak response even before she said it.

“I wouldn’t bet on it.”

They sat in silence and Corvus stared at his shoes. He had that look on his face when he got serious in his plotting. It was one of the times where he was completely serious.

As much as he liked to joke about it, Fiona knew that Corvus had a lot of pressure on him. He was setting up for the future even if he didn’t acknowledge it. All the in roads and connections he was making had to mean something.

Fiona just wondered what it was.