Chapter Text
Orion Black is not an easily surprised man. He lays careful plans and watches as they unfold before him like flowers blossoming on the cusp of spring but Orion is not foolish enough to think that his eldest does not often cause his eyebrows to raise. It had been a trying experience since Sirius’ boyhood, how quick he was to anger, quicker with his tongue in a way that should’ve not been charming. Sirius took after Melania in more ways than he knew, bold, insightful, crafty in a way that made his eyes twitch for their subtlety.
Walburga might’ve thought Sirius to be a weak link in comparison to Regulus despite her obsessive nature towards their eldest but Orion saw and continues to see why his father demanded Sirius to be his heir. Sirius Orion inspires many emotions, especially in his last two years at Hogwarts. Lord Black before he turned 17, terrible use of the family magic when Orion had never been able to call upon such a thing, his sentencing of Malfoy, the ghostly canines he commands, how he charmed Death himself and married his spawn. Orion had never been more pleased. What did blood status matter in the face of death? In the span of forever?
Then Sirius Orion provided him with a grandson then another. Such charming, little creatures with a levelheadnesses of their sire but the continued craftiness of both of their parents. No, Pyxis and Corvus did not take offense lying down despite being so young. Ah, so bold his grandsons are. Orion has never been more besotted in his life beyond that of his own sons. It was amusing to watch Regulus grow into the man he has become, especially when faced with his nephews.
A quiet knock comes to his study and Orion peers up from a thick roll of parchment, flicking his hand. His youngest strides inside easily, so tall now, filling out in a way that is every inch of himself even if there are specs of Walburga present. Regulus inclines his head in greeting, two letters between his fingers. Orion sighs, recognizing the penmanship of his oldest along the front. He had told that boy he was not having a birthday party but it was becoming incredibly hard when his son and grandsons demanded that he must. My weakness is being exploited, Orion thinks, charmed, taking the letter from Regulus.
“Curious that he sent two.” Regulus comments, breaking the seal on his own.
Orion watches him as he skims the contents, slowly working his letter open. Regulus’ face goes white, which is alarming. Orion quickly turns to his own letter. Had something happened? Was his family in danger- His mind rears sharply, catching the meat of Sirius’ correspondence like a crash of some kind. Papa, it says. I hope you’re ready to have another grandchild clapping in your lap. Ah, but how surprising that now you get the best of both worlds. Two grandsons and now, a granddaughter.
Orion pushes to his feet. He sways, “A what?!”
“A niece.” Regulus says softly. His eyes are dangerously wet as they were the first two times Sirius had sent such nonsense. Orion can already imagine his son in law's shock. He can barely imagine his own. A granddaughter? In this house? Oh, Orion thinks wildly. Oh. He feels strangely furious with his mind providing the image of a little girl bouncing up to him, smiling, always smiling, just as happy as his grandsons. Oh, Orion thinks, nearly desperate to push these emotions away. Was it not trying enough to have such charming grandsons that he must now experience a granddaughter? In this economy?
“A…” Orion doesn’t know what else he says beyond that point as his mind simply goes dark.
-
“Siri has sent us a letter!” Euphemia announces cheerfully as she sweeps into their sitting room, Boo, that little bastard, perched on her shoulder, puffed up with a glint in his eyes. Oh? What could these letters contain that has this little owl so pleased?
Fleamont perks up. He could not wait for it to be their week with his grandchildren. Such clever, little shits. He privately hopes that James will drop Henry off the same time Corvus and Pyxis arrive so he can teach them how to build forts. He could already imagine his sons' delight. Euphemia may have his head come evening their first night but that was easily a welcome punishment. Neither of them had expected more than one grandchild and now they had three! Incredible!
Euphemia passes a letter to him, which is curious, but it must be a plot of sorts because Sirius only ever sends separate letters or letters at all when he’s being particularly messy. Otherwise, he would’ve just dropped by as James would. Not that either of them mind. Fleamont can’t count the number of times he’s woken up to Sirius in their kitchen with Mipsy or James lounging in their living room, how they would turn to them with those wide smiles. Ah, Fleamont sighs happily, opening his letter. His pride and joys have given them children.
Euphemia has gone deathly still where she sits beside him, eyes growing more and more wide and she bursts into tears. Fleamont gasps, alarmed, and she gestures aggressively to his letter. He reads it quickly. Oh. Oh no. Fleamont Potter wasn’t a particularly possessive man but he was protective of his family. He hadn’t even known such love could extend beyond his own genes until James brought Sirius Black home. Then Pyxis was born, then Henry followed by Corvus, and now this silly boy is telling them they will have-
“A fucking granddaughter?!” Fleamont jumps to his feet.
The gender is truly irrelevant, but he cannot move past this. A third Black Peverell child, a girl Black Peverell child. Oh no, Fleamont thinks wildly. He can already imagine his cousin and Orion Black’s rage towards any who so much as looks too long at this child. Not to mention their sons! Sirius and Hadrian had such pretty children that Fleamont could only imagine what sort of genes this girl child would have. His mind spasms. Fleamont must speak with Harry immediately, then Orion. A girl, Fleamont thinks. Heaven’s help him. Sirius dresses his sons so cute already! When will Fleamont Potter know peace?!
“A-a girl!” Fleamont shouts. “Mipsy!”
There is a pop and Mipsy happily appears. Her expression immediately transforms into alarm. “Sir?”
“S-Siri and Hades are having another child-”
Mipsy shrieks, clapping happily.
“A star girl.” Euphemia weeps softly.
Mipsy’s eyes go comically wide. “A young mistress?!”
“A… young… mistress?” Fleamont faints.
-
“The Grimms were incredibly restless today.” Harry comments idly. He has had to stop not one or two but three fights from happening because Rigel appeared shellshocked and strange. This does not bode well for Harry’s general psyche because the last time this happened, Sirius was pregnant again. Ha, pregnant, Harry thinks, then narrows his eyes, hands on his hips as a familiar falcon sweeps into their kitchen. While Aldrich is a regular visitor, they had already seen their son today, so what could’ve happened in the span of then and now?
Nyx immediately appears alarmed, eyes narrowed suspiciously. He gives Harry a speculative, shrewd glance as if this is somehow his fault. Harry can’t think of a fucking thing he’s done recently to earn such a look. Souls were taken care of, he only spent a teeny amount of money on toys for his grandsons - wow, a grandfather again, Harry thinks happily. Sirius, Big Pads, had been exceptionally delighted to know that their little shit had not one but two ghost babies, as was Ginny, even if she cackled at his panicked expression upon learning the news.
Mini Pads did bring Pyxis and Corvus to the nether often, simply because Arcturus just wouldn’t know peace until seeing his heir’s heirs or whatever. Harry didn’t take Arcturus Black as an emotional man but he did get misty eyed when Mini Pads introduced Pyxis to him as his grandfather and seemingly unable to compose his emotions a second time when meeting Corvus. Then again, Harry has seen Orion’s heavy emotion when it came to their grandkids. Monty was not much better but that was a Potter trait.
Harry gently takes the letter from Aldrich, offering his lunch as payment. The falcon, of course, happily shucks it down his throat. The letter rips itself from Harry’s hand, causing both his and Nyx’s eyebrows to shoot up, and splits itself in half before becoming two separate images of a healer’s incredibly clear sonogram. Oh no, Harry thinks, eyes wide. Another? Another one?!
Nyx gasps quietly, misty eyed, and gently takes one into his hand. Then the picture ripples again and Sirius’ voice spills out, “Vater! Hope you’re ready to become a grandfather once again to not one or two but three little shits. Oh, and you’ll finally get your little princess aside from me of course.”.
Sirius’ laughter lingers long after the letter has stopped. Nyx sets the image down, tears pouring from his eyes, “A girl.”
Harry quickly snatches his own up, panicked. A girl? A girl grandchild? He feels almost as frazzled as he did when Ginny announced Lily Luna’s gender to him. How curious to have such intense emotions once more. While Harry hadn’t expected his son to marry the Sirius Black of this time, he should’ve expected the amount of stress it would produce. Regardless, Harry has no regrets about this turn of events because wow, his little Hades is out here doing scary things and gave him little shits to fall in love with. Sirius’ voice once again filters through their kitchen, “I feel like Nyx opened his letter before you, daddy oh. I imagine you’re both sitting there in shock ahahahahaha. Up for another little princess?”
“A girl?!” Harry gapes. Oh. Oh no. It's as if the thoughts have finally settled in his mind. Had the Mother not given him enough grief that Fate must extend her hand towards him once more?! His beautiful, precious sons have already given him incredibly cute grandsons that he would do terrible, awful things for but now he must be tried with a girl. Harry pushes to his feet, swaying. He needs answers and needs them now. “Nyx, I’ll be back.”
“Yes, sire.” Nyx weeps. “I will join when I am able.”
-
At a bistro in France, Cassiopeia Black sits elegantly in her chair with Narcissa Lestrange nee Black and Lucretia Prewett nee Black across from her. They are on their fourth cup of spiked tea and dreadfully giggling like fools. Cassiopeia is glad Pollux didn’t join them. He has become such a bore recently, especially bitter with the turn of events like he had any say in them to begin with. Same with Cygnus and ah, poor Druella has been weepy recently, especially after Andromeda was brought back into the fray. If they kept this up, well… Sirius Orion had a temper, yes, but that husband of his was especially brutal when it came to her nephew’s emotions. Cassiopeia has no sympathy for any who garner Hadrian Peverell’s response.
Personally, Cassiopeia feels her nephew has done a splendid job of handling their house. She has heard the whispers of his actions during Wizengamot sessions, that stunning example of a Black’s rage as he has always been. So what if he spoke against Creature nonsense, he also was the only reason they passed a bill to continue allowing dark artifacts in ancient houses. She was not willing to give up her trinkets.
Not to mention how Sirius wanted to bring back the old ways with rituals for Samhain and Yule. Cassiopeia has that session on recording because mm, simply delicious to hear Sirius Orion chew out various light families that were opposed. “If you can have your Christian values, I can fucking have this. My sons are wizards. We are wixen in case you forgot. Was it not bad enough with the witch hunts that you force this nonsense down everyone’s throats?”. Oh yes, she listens to it frequently.
A happy chirp startles them and Cassiopeia peers at the sky to see her nephew’s beast of a bird. She about had a conniption the first time such a creature landed in her parlor. Dramatics! Of course, Sirius Orion would have a blasted falcon instead of a respectable owl but the thing is incredibly handsome and seemed to love orange lemon marmalade which charmed her desperately. Aldrich gently lays a set of letters on the table between them, dips his head, and is off once more as graceful as a swan. Oh yes, Cassiopeia is charmed indeed.
“If this boy does not let me steal my grandnephews, I will set him on fire.” Cassiopeia huffs, plucking a letter addressed to her from the stack. She greatly enjoyed their presence. A sparkle to their eyes that was every inch of Sirius despite the cool, polite demeanor they took from Hadrian Peverell. They have caused much hell. How delightful, Cassiopeia thinks dreamily.
“Didn’t you just house them, aunt?” Narcissa asks sweetly.
The audacity! So what if she did? Such perfect, beautiful children. Cassiopeia would house them until the sun exploded! She sends Narcissa a speaking look, both of them startled at Lucretia’s sharp push to her feet. Cassiopeia places a hand on her chest, scandalized, because what could the contents be to cause such disturbance?
“Read his letters.” Lucretia hisses.
Heaven’s help her, what has her nephew done now?! Cassiopeia flicks her fingers, delicately breaking the seal of her nephew’s letter, and reads it lazily. There is indeed confirmation that she can steal his boys, which is grand, but her eye catches a glimmer that sets her heart ablaze. Pyxis Harion and Corvus Arcturus were simply the most stunning children Cassiopeia has experienced, with her nephews being a close second. She knows she is vapid, perhaps superficial, but the Blacks had always displayed impressive qualities when it came to beauty. It wouldn’t make sense if her great nephews didn’t have the caliber of their parents' stunning looks. Cassiopeia may not be as spry but she did have eyes.
But… to have a girl with such genes! She rises at the same time Narcissa does, letters clutched furiously in their hands. Well, Cassiopeia will do as she did before and simply move into their luxurious manor and stay a few years. It is not as if Hadrian Peverell tells his husband no.
“I cannot believe this.” Narcissa hisses furiously.
“Such a splendid addition.” Lucretia sounds weepy, which is terrible.
“Ah, the world will have to watch how they treat such a girl.” Cassiopeia sighs happily. With the mounting tempers of their family and Sirius’ husband’s, they may have a civil war on their hands. Oh, yes, Orion is certainly quaking in his manor as we speak, not to mention Regulus. Ah, Cassiopeia had not expected such a protective streak from her youngest nephew but he’s always been soft for Sirius so naturally this would extend to his beautiful spawn. Cassiopeia titters.
Civil war indeed.