Piano
Sirius was a bit tense, while Orion was smiling, with a far away look in his eyes. Hermione frowned.
“You invited Dorea and James to this house? For a party?”
Orion nodded.
“Yes.”
“But why? I thought you didn’t approve of James and Sirius being friends.”
Sirius took a deep breath.
“He didn’t. It was all his plan. He knew that I would behave myself since not only would grandfather be there but almost all our relatives as well. I might have been a rebel, but I would never do anything that could bring real shame to my parents. Not back then. I was trying my best. And he hoped that if James saw what I was like at home, he would abandon me. Be too freaked out to still be my friend.”
Everyone looked to Orion. The man nodded.
“That was the plan, yes.”
Sirius tilted his head, a deep frown on his face.
“There is one thing that I never understood.”
Orion made a small head movement to show Sirius that he could ask. The younger Black took a few seconds to think over his question, before he asked slowly:
“What I don’t understand is why you agreed to me spending the rest of the summer at James’ place. You weren’t able to control me there. So why did you agree?”
Orion looked slightly hesitant for a moment. Then he shrugged, almost as if to say that it didn’t matter anymore what he said, since he was dead.
“I had made a decision to keep you safe from my father. However I could. Letting you stay with Dorea, made me a bit calmer, since you were not in harm's way.”
Sirius closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly.
“I don’t get it. You hated me.”
Orion sighed.
“I never hated you, Sirius. I disliked you, at times. You made me disappointed more than once. But I didn’t hate you.”
Sirius seemed to still not really get it. He shook his head and turned to the others.
“Anyone have any questions before we move on to the next one?”
Molly turned to him, a bit hesitant after the cold tone she had been getting from Sirius before.
“Why… Why did Walburga hate you so much? I understand that you’re not her biological son, but I don’t get how someone could hate a child. Especially if it’s a child they raise.”
Sirius sighed. He didn’t want to lose his temper again.
“My father had a child with someone other than her. With me being his child, I would be the heir of all our fortune. If my father died, I would be able to do whatever I wanted. I could throw her and Regulus out of the house and forbid them to ever come back, and they couldn’t do anything about it. That’s why she hated me. Because, the day I was born, all her hopes of controlling our fortune were gone.”
Orion snorted, when he saw Molly’s confused face.
“Don’t strain your brain, Weasley. You’ll never understand the ways of aristocracy.”
Sirius rolled his eyes.
“However I hate to agree with him, I have to do it now. You won’t understand this kind of life unless you’ve lived it.”
He looked to the others, but no one else seemed to have any questions, so he waved his hand towards the wall and leaned back against the back of the chair to be more comfortable.
They were in a big ballroom in the Black House. Sirius was dressed in black pants and a blood red shirt. On it, he was wearing a black cloak. His hair was newly brushed and there was a calm look on his face. There weren’t many people in the room yet. Walburga was sitting on the couch, talking with Penelope Malfoy. Abraxas was sitting in one of the armchairs, just listening to the two women. Lucius was off to the side, talking with the Lestrange brothers. Their mother, Cynthia, was in a deep conversation with Druella, the women glancing towards Sirius from time to time. Augustus Lestrange was sitting at a table together with Orion and Cygnus. They were talking in quiet voices, making sure that no one heard them. The brothers were sitting close to each other and it was clear that something had changed between them. Regulus was talking with Andromeda in one of the corners. Sirius was next to one of the windows. Next to him, Narcissa was looking out through the window. Bellatrix was standing behind them, glancing between them and her mother. Both girls had their hair made beautifully and were clothed in long dresses. Narcissa’s was blue with silver while Bellatrix’ was a deep purple and black. Suddenly, the door opened and a tall man walked inside. He was dressed in black and green robes. There were a few grays shining through his black hair and his silver eyes shone with intelligence. Orion stood up from his chair and walked over to him.
“Alphard. It’s so nice that you could make it.”
Alphard smiled.
“It’s nice to see you, brother.”
He glanced around and his smile widened when he noticed Sirius.
“And my favorite nephew.”
He walked around Orion and pulled Sirius into a big hug. The boy flinched slightly and Bellatrix quickly split them up, making sure to not draw attention to them. Alphard frowned.
“Sirius?”
Sirius shook his head, so Narcissa answered instead.
“Grandfather was mad at Sirius.”
Sudden anger appeared in Alphards eyes. But, before he could say anything, the door opened again. Dorea was dressed in a beautiful red dress, her hair was let loose and she had light makeup on her face. Next to her, James was visibly uncomfortable in the black robes he was wearing. His hair was slightly tamer but it was still sticking in all directions. Sirius grinned when he saw him, but didn’t move from his spot. Welcoming newcomers was his father’s responsibility.
“Dorea.”
The woman nodded.
“Hello, Orion.”
“You look beautiful today.”
She smiled politely.
“Thank you.”
He let her pass, not even sparing a glance at James. Dorea put a hand on his shoulder and led him over to where Sirius was standing.
“Alphard. It’s lovely to see you again.”
He smiled and hugged her.
“Yes. It’s been way too long. I’m going to agree with my brother. You look beautiful.”
Dorea’s smile turned warm.
“Thank you. You’re holding yourself together quite well too.”
He shrugged.
“I’m doing alright. Come on. Let’s go talk somewhere and let the young ones get some time to themselves.”
She nodded and turned to James.
“Remember to behave yourself, James. You’ll keep an eye on him, right Sirius?”
The boy nodded.
“Don’t worry, Mrs Potter.”
She gave him a quick hug, before she and Alphard walked away from them. James turned to Sirius.
“Are you alright?”
Sirius nodded.
“Yeah. It’s been calm.”
Just then, the door opened again and both Narcissa and Sirius paled. James turned around and tilted his head. The man who walked inside was old, but he was holding himself in a way that made people immediately fear him. Sirius pulled himself together quickly and straightened up. Arcturus looked at him with hate, but he didn’t manage to say anything, since Orion had stood up and walked over to him.
“Father. How have you been?”
Arcturus turned his cold eyes on his son, but the man didn’t even flinch. He just stared back and they all noticed the sudden change in the old man’s face. He frowned and nodded, before walking over to Walburga. Sirius let out a sigh. Orion turned to him with a frown.
“Sirius. Why don’t you play for us?”
The boy nodded quickly, a smile appearing on his face. Druella smiled too, and turned to her youngest daughter.
“Narcissa, would you mind joining Sirius?”
The girl shook her head and walked over to the big piano that Sirius had sat behind. His hands rested on the keys, while he waited for Narcissa to pull out her violin from its case. She mouthed a title to him and he nodded with a smile. They started playing together and everyone noticed the calm expression that appeared on Sirius’ face. Somewhere in the middle of the song, Alphard grabben Dorea’s hand and started dancing with her. Walburga rolled her eyes at that, distaste clear on her face. Seeing that, Cygnus smirked and dragged his wife out onto the floor. The two pairs danced in the middle of the room, smiling with happiness. Seeing the longing look on Penelope’s face, Augustus bowed before her and pulled her into a dance, ignoring her husbands shocked expression. Suddenly, Orion walked onto the dancing floor and tapped Alphard on his shoulder.
“May I?”
Alphard smiled at him and gave him Dorea’s hand. The two started to dance while Alphard looked around. He was clearly not done with dancing, but he didn’t know who to ask up. Cynthia noticed his look and shook her head. His eyes passed over Andromeda and Walburga, only to stop on Bellatrix. He smirked.
“Bella. Do you want to dance?”
She nodded with a smile and he pulled her into a dance. Sirius smiled at Narcissa, before he turned his head towards James, his fingers never missing a key. The other boy smirked at him. On the couch, Arcturus was glaring at his grandson with hate in his eyes.