Orion Black

"If my research is correct, this is the potion," Hermione said softly, shoving her notes across the table at Regulus. He looked them over and frowned slightly. This would definitely explain a case of mummified bats' wings. He felt a cold fury invade his innards and he scowled at the parchment.

"How do we help my father?" Regulus asked flatly. Hermione bit her lip.

"We have to neutralize your mother," Hermione said softly. Regulus' features hardened.

"Are you suggesting we kill her?" He asked sharply. Hermione shook her head.

"Not if we can avoid it, but Regulus she is potioning your father. This potion…long term use could be damaging his health and sanity. It certainly wasn't meant for prolonged use and who knows what sort of side effects your father might be suffering. He…he doesn't deserve this…does he?" Hermione explained her fears about his father's condition calmly, but when she came to the end her voice quavered slightly and she looked to him for confirmation. She had never met Orion Black and she was unsure about him.

"No," Regulus agreed firmly. "My father…the man I remember when I was a child…no he doesn't deserve this at all."

"Right, so how do you want us to handle your mother? What should we do?" Hermione asked him carefully. Regulus' mask slipped for just a minute and he looked so vulnerable, so lost, that it broke her heart for him.

"I…do you think St. Mungo's could help her?" Regulus asked softly. Hermione shrugged helplessly.

"Mabye?" She offered weakly. "We're not sure why she's done what she's done. If it's just madness…well…we could see if there's some way they could help her."

"And if it's not madness?" Regulus asked plaintively. Hermione swallowed.

"We could approach your Uncle Alphard as Head of her House and ask him what to do," Hermione suggested. Regulus frowned for a moment, but then nodded.

"That would be the proper thing to do," he agreed with firm resolve.

In the end, it had been Walburga Black's unbalanced mind that had been responsible for much of her behavior. Alphard had her taken to a very secure ward at St. Mungo's for treatment, and Sirius and Regulus spent days at Grimmauld Place flushing their father's system and waiting to see if he would come out of the situation unscathed. Alphard had overtaken the household, and had had several of his own house elves come to clean the place from top to bottom and take Kreacher in hand. He loved his mistress with every fiber of his being, and it had taken both Regulus and Alphard, and a cousin of Kreacher's who served House Black under Alphard to convince him that he hadn't failed House Black by trying to follow his mistress' orders.

Orion Black stirred fitfully in his bed. Hermione sat near him and she carefully wiped his brow and watched his face. He shifted again, and suddenly his grey eyes snapped open and she was staring into an older, haughtier version of Sirius' face.

"Who are you?" He rasped at her, frowning. She lifted his head carefully and helped him sip some water.

"Er, what's the last thing you remember, sir?" Hermione asked him cautiously. Orion frowned and shook his head slightly.

"Putting Sirius on the Hogwarts Express for the first time," he said slowly. "What happened to me? Where's Walburga? Is she with Regulus?"

"Er, perhaps I should fetch U-er, Alphard," Hermione said faintly, staring at the man in front of her.

"Hermione, love? Regulus says he'll come take over and then we can go home," Sirius called out and then poked his head into his father's room. "Father?"

"Who the hell is he?" Orion demanded with a dark scowl. Hermione tried to pat his shoulder.

"Now, sir, you need to calm down. Sirius, go get Alphard, please!" Hermione tossed the last bit over her shoulder at her husband who was standing in the doorway staring at his father in shock. "Sirius! Now, please!"

Did you call him Sirius?" Orion demanded gruffly, grabbing her wrist tightly. Hermione blinked up at him nervously. Fear and uncertainty flickered in his grey eyes and his hand tightened on her wrist. She hissed in pain and tried pulling her wrist free, which only made Orion's hand tighten even more.

"Sir! Please, it hurts," Hermione said faintly. Suddenly, a hand broke Orion's hold on her wrist and she realized she was staring at the back of Sirius' robes. Regulus was standing shoulder to shoulder with his brother, making a united wall of protection in front of Hermione. Alphard was standing next to Orion's bed.

"Cousin," Alphard said gently, "we have a lot to discuss."

. . . .

Disbelief melted quickly to shock and then finally anger. Orion knew and trusted his cousin Alphard, and the two men standing protectively between him and the young woman could only be Sirius and Regulus. He had apparently missed the last eight or nine years of his sons' lives. His wife had apparently gone round the twist and drugged him with potions so that she could control their family. He'd known that Walburga was becoming unstable, which happened with a rather unfortunate regularity in the Black family. He should have done something about it, but he hadn't wanted to deal with the stigma of having to have his wife permanently locked up in St. Mungo's. He was flabbergasted to learn that his wife had supported that Voldemort nutter fully, even pressuring his sons to join.

"A Black bends his neck to no one!" Orion had snapped angrily, practically frothing at the mouth with furious rage. "Tell me neither of you allowed this bastard to brand you like bloody cattle!"

"Excuse me, sir?" That young woman that his sons were standing in front of was trying to call to him over their shoulders. Both of his sons glared at the pretty little thing and then turned back to look at him.

"Who is that girl?" Orion asked Alphard gruffly. "Why is she in here and why are my sons trying to protect her?"

"That would be Sirius' wife," Alphard said smoothly with a slight smile. Orion's eyes widened.

"You're married?" Orion demanded. Sirius glanced at Regulus and then looked at his father and nodded.

"Yes, sir," Sirius said quietly. "It'll be a year in August."

"A year? When did you make the official betrothal?" Orion asked in surprise.

"About a year ago," Sirius replied. Orion's face darkened.

"Why did you get married so quickly?" Orion growled. The girl sighed heavily and loudly.

"I courted her from fifth year on, and because of the war, her father and Uncle Alphard pushed through all of the contracts," Sirius said quietly. Alphard put a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Walburga tried to disown him, Orion, so I made him the best possible wedding contract considering his family status at the time. Charlus Potter was most generous with his only daughter," Alphard said calmly. Orion's eyes widened and then he smirked.

"You snagged the Potter girl?" Orion asked in a pleased voice. The Potter family were all purebloods and they had more money than was decent. It was a good match for his son and for their House. Then he scowled darkly. "Walburga tried to disown you? What the hell for?"

"Er, I refused to be branded like cattle," Sirius explained dryly. Orion proceeded to curse so fluently that the girl hidden by his sons gasped in shock, her eyes wide in stunned awe. Orion immediately remembered himself and flushed dully.

"Sorry," he mumbled in embarrassment running a hand through his hair. "It's just that…this is all so surreal. I put my oldest son on the Hogwarts Express yesterday, and now my youngest is already graduated. What about you Regulus? Did she try to disown you as well? You two are the only males that House Black has! Merlin, was the woman completely insane? Never mind, don't answer that."

"Yes, sir," Sirius and Regulus said dryly exchanging a sardonic look.

Um, sir?" The young lady was trying to get his attention again. He frowned at his sons, and raised an eyebrow at them. Sirius sighed heavily and looked thoroughly disgusted. Regulus allowed himself a small smile at that, and they both shifted slightly so that he could see his daughter-in-law. She was a beautiful woman, with her wild, black curls and hazel eyes. He nodded briefly at her.

"And you are?" He asked curiously. She glanced up at her husband and then back at him.

"Hermione Black, sir," the young lady said sweetly and curtseyed politely.

"I assume you feel you have something of either great import or personal interest to me," Orion Black said coolly. The young woman nodded smoothly.

"Yes, sir, I believe I do," she said in delicate aristocratic voice that reminded him quite forcefully of his upbringing. He waved a hand at her, indicating she should continue. "There are quite a few people who are fighting Voldemort. As an Auror, Sirius is doing so openly. Regulus, however, is doing so from the shadows. His way is not as obvious, but it is just as efficient."

"Why do feel it so important to tell me this immediately?" Orion asked with a frown. Hermione glanced at Sirius again and then looked at her brother-in-law whose face had become shuttered and closed off.

"Regulus?" Hermione whispered uncertainly and she put her hand on his arm. Orion was surprised that his oldest son, Sirius, didn't look angry or jealous. Wizards in general, and Blacks in particular, had a tendency to irrational jealously. Instead, Sirius looked concerned for his brother. Regulus sighed heavily and undid his cuff and rolled back his sleeve, showing his father his Mark. Orion sucked in his breath and stared at his son's arm.

"He's been working from the inside to take the bastard down," Sirius explained roughly. "We're almost ready, too, from what I understand."

"Soon," Regulus confirmed quietly. "A couple weeks to figure logistics, but that's it."

"So you're…what, a spy?" Orion said darkly, a frown on his face. Something flashed in his new daughter-in-law's eyes and he realized that she cared for, and felt protective of his youngest son. What had been happening? What on earth had Walburga been up to?

"That's the simplest explanation of what I do, father…so…yes," Regulus said quietly, his face completely impassive. Orion scowled at Alphard who gave him a look like the kind they used to give one another in school. Trust me. Fine. But later, when the boys were gone, his dear old cousin Alphard was going to explain all of this to his satisfaction.

"I'm sorry," Orion said slowly, his brows drawn together. "I'm your father and your Head of House, and I wasn't there for you both when you needed me. I'm sure you've both done everything that you could to uphold the honor of our House. Please don't be offended, but…I think I need to speak privately with Alphard. If you would all join me for lunch tomorrow, I would appreciate it."

"That sounds nice, father," Sirius said in a slightly strangled voice, a strange look in his eyes. Regulus nodded uncertainly.

"Why don't you stay at safe house tonight," Hermione told her brother-in-law gently. "Sirius and I will come join you for dinner. I have a play date scheduled with Fleur for this afternoon anyway."

"You have children?" Orion asked in surprise. Hermione blushed prettily.

"No, sir," Sirius answered for his wife. "Fleur Delacour is my wife's god-daughter. She tries to see her as often as she can."

"Very well, tomorrow afternoon then," Orion said firmly. It was a dismissal, but it was a fairly polite one for a Black. Sirius and Regulus nodded, and Sirius' hand went to the small of his wife's back. The three young people filed out of the room quietly and Orion turned to his cousin.

"There is much you must learn, and learn quickly, Orion," Alphard said flatly, sitting in the chair that his daughter-in-law had been sitting in when he awoke.

"Let us begin, then," Orion said coolly. Alphard nodded.

In the grey hours of predawn, Sirius slipped out of her bed and left the house quietly. She laid there in the darkness of their bedroom and rolled her eyes. Did he honestly think he could just go off to fight Voldemort without her? Hermione rose as soon as he left and performed her morning ablutions. She dressed quickly and quietly in her battle dress. She had promised the Ladies Aide Society that they wouldn't see her on the battlefield, and they wouldn't. She smirked slightly before apparating to her milites Command HQ and quickly transforming to her animagus form before anyone spotted her. She loped easily through the halls. Any of the lower level milites that saw her saluted her smartly by bowing their heads for three seconds and bringing their right fists to their left shoulders.

"Ah, domina," Lucius drawled, his silver eyes impenetrable. "I assumed that you would be here today."

"Don't irritate her, Lucius," Severus said coolly. "She may very well bite you, and then you'd miss out on all the fun."

"The domina is fighting with us today?" Rabastan LeStrange asked uncertainly, staring at the lioness who sat quietly near Severus Snape.

"I am sure that she will, regardless of others' desires," Regulus Black snapped irritably, glaring at his sister-in-law. The lioness snorted derisively and turned away from Regulus.

"We don't have time for this, Regulus," Lucius told his fellow miles coldly. "We're supposed to meet the Ladies' Aide Society and the Order of the Phoenix in a half hour, then we all apparate to the Dark Lord for the meeting he has scheduled, and then, at the appointed hour, our allies will strike."

"But, Lucius, she can't possibly…," Regulus snarled, fisting his hands at his sides. Lucius cut him off with a look.

"Not now, Regulus," Lucius hissed. "We have this under control. Severus? If you would be so kind?"