A/N: This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments) Forum Lineage Studies Assignment: I would like you to write about one of the following early members of the Black family. You may use other members of course, but you must use at least one of the following as your main, predominant character. I have chosen to use Cygnus Black I as my focus and this will be (per a prompt) an Arranged Marriage!AU. Here are the following assumptions I will be making please read:

- Misapinoa will be the sister of Arcturus Black I and Cygnus Black I, as it is suggested on Harry Potter Wiki.

- Misapinoa will be the daughter of Licorus Black and Magenta Tripe

- The fic will take place in 1847, when Phineas Nigellus Black was born. Therefore, Cygnus Black I will be 18, Misapinoa will be 21, and Arcturus will be 12, as per the dates of birth given on Harry Potter Wiki.

- Cygnus Black I will be married to Ella Max (who will not feature), and he will be the Heir to the House of Black

- It's not a feminist story, i.e. there is prejudice against women. They live in the early 19th century, when women still did not have many rights. These are not my views.

- They're all going to speak quite formally to each other

Disclaimer: None of my work belongs to me, it is solely the property of the one and only J.K. Rowling and any other company which has the copyright of Harry Potter, including Warner Bros. Nothing here belongs to me; all the characters are J.K. Rowling's originally, though any new character not part of the Harry Potter series belongs to me.

Title: Purity

Author: hpjkrowling4ever

Purity

"I am to be married," Misapinoa announced, walking into her younger brother's study. Cygnus, who was looking over some papers, looked up at his older sister in surprise. Misapinoa had never been one to make dramatic announcements like that, and she had always told him that she would never get married. Only something, or someone, like their father would have managed to force her to change her mind.

"According to whom?" Cygnus asked, gesturing for her to sit down. His sister was normally extremely reserved and emotionally she was an impenetrable rock, and it was often very difficult to sense whether or not she was upset about something. Only through eighteen years of practice was Cygnus able to read his sister's emotions: her index finger and thumb of her right hand were playing with her signet ring on her left hand, which was the only sign of her agitation.

"Father," Misapinoa replied, staring ahead. Cygnus snapped his fingers and a house elf appeared, bowing low to him. Their father had trained them all to be completely silent, so the house elf's lips moved but it said nothing. Cygnus snapped at it to put away his papers, and the house elf immediately set to work.

"Come on, Misapinoa, we shall retire to the sitting room, where you shall tell me everything," Cygnus ordered, walking around from behind his desk and leading his sister down the hall into the smaller sitting room. It was less austere than the other rooms in the house, but it was still rather grand and screamed of the wealth of the Black Family. Cygnus sat his sister down on the chair nearest the fire and then poured himself a glass of port from a decanter on a chest of drawers.

"What did Father say?" he asked, sitting down opposite his sister. He did not offer her any port; after all, port was not a drink for women. He gestured for her to start speaking.

"Father called me to his study just before I came to you," Misapinoa said, looking straight at Cygnus. Her black-eyed stare unnerved him slightly, and reminded him that she was older than him and thus still deserving of his respect. "He announced to me that it was time for me to be wed, as you have been wed these two years past and I am your elder, thus I should be wed."

"I was very lucky in my marriage to Ella," Cygnus demurred proudly. "Her family is of excellent breeding, and she has produced for me as our first child a strong son, Sirius, and our second child is another son, Phineas. She is a credit to the House of Black. I presume that you are upset because your husband will not be such a credit?"

"Indeed, brother," Misapinoa nodded slowly, her posture rigid on the hard-backed chair she was sat on. Their mother, Magenta Tripe, had had a strict upbringing and had brought her stern ideals to the Black Family, which involved forcing her children to sit in hard-backed chairs. The compromise between Licorus and Magenta had been that the women would sit on the hard-backed chairs and when the boys had reached fifteen, they would be permitted to sit on softer chairs, like the sofas, as it was socially acceptable for a boy to lounge, but it was not for a girl to do so.

"Who is he?" Cygnus asked, sipping his port.

Misapinoa paused before answering, and her hand shook slightly as she brought it up to her hair to take out her wand from her tight bun. It was currently fashionable for women to put their wands in their hair, as wands were a good indicator of personality based on their rigidity and of their specialisation in magic, based on their wood type. Misapinoa twirled her wand in her hand and then tapped the air in front of her twice. Tapping the air twice with your wand always made the name of your betrothed, or of your spouse appear, and was often an excellent way to check the identity of someone, for the magic would always read your true betrothed, whether or not you were disguised. The name 'Jimbo Blishwick' appeared in the air in front of Misapinoa. Cygnus tried not to chuckle.

"The Blishwick Family is not part of our exalted circles, as you well know," Misapinoa observed, staring at the name. "They are an extraordinarily successful business family, and their wealth would equal some of the less wealthy members of our circles. Father is looking for such ties for the House of Black, and thought the arrangement worth undertaking. Jimbo Blishwick is quite a lot older than me, and the only surviving descendent of the Blishwick Family, which, as you well know, has bred with half-bloods in the past. Their blood is quite tainted by the intermingling of this blood, though they are currently classed at pure-blood."

"Jimbo Blishwick is forty five years old, Misapinoa," Cygnus commented. "It is quite unfortunate that the House of Black will have to associate with someone of such poor lineage, though I do suppose that he does qualify as a pure-blood, more so than the Potter Family, who have dallied among Muggles. However, I am certain that Father knows what he is doing."

"It was Mother who suggested the match, Cygnus."

"Why is Mother interfering with such alliances? It is not a woman's business to take part in such things," Cygnus said, frowning. Misapinoa nodded in agreement.

"It is what I told Father, but he categorically stated that it was a woman's business to ensure that her daughter had a good match. It is his business to ensure that his sons have a good match."

"Which is why you have such a disastrous match and I do not," Cygnus mused. "I suppose you called on me for a reason, Misapinoa?"

Misapinoa slashed her wand through the air and the writing disappeared.

"Brother, I would much appreciate it if you spoke to Father on behalf of me. As the lawful Heir to the Black Family, it is important that your Family make the correct choices."

In reply, Cygnus downed his port in one swallow.

Cygnus knocked strongly at his father's study door. Licorus Black was a grim, severe man who, though he was devoted to his family, found physical affection and showing emotion galling and quite unnecessary. As a result, all the children were not only formal with him but formal with each other and did not show affection to anyone in the family. Cygnus had never been told that he was loved, and had been brought up in the knowledge that affection could weaken the strength of a family; unions and alliances had to be based on pedigree, not on feelings.

"Enter," the deep voice of Licorus Black called out, and Cygnus opened the door. He walked over to his father's desk and stood behind one of the leather armchairs. His father's face was impassive, his mouth set in a thin line and his blue eyes flickered eerily in the candlelight let off by the candles on his desk. His black hair was tinged with grey.

"Sit down, boy," Licorus ordered, and with a bow to his head, Cygnus sat down.

"State your business," Licorus barked, "And do not waste my time. I have better matters to attend to than the moaning of my son."

"Indeed, Father, I am certain that you do. I apologise for wasting your time, but the matter that has been brought to my attention is quite important."

"Is it to do with that wretched girl's betrothal?" Licorus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Has that child come bleating to you, finding me deaf to her complaints?"

"She has, but we are both aware that she has a woman's constitution and is thus vulnerable to hysterics. What concerned me more was the age of her match," Cygnus said, looking into his father's eye.

"It is true that Jimbo Blishwick is no longer in the prime of his life, boy, but I see it as a just punishment. My wife is no politician, and I find her suggestion suitable. Your damned sister has caused me a lot of trouble over the years, and marrying to Jimbo Blishwick will benefit our family financially, if not in purity. But then, your match to Ella Max has been very profitable to our family."

"Your reasoning is more than adequate, Father. I am merely concerned that the man might be impotent. It would be a shame for Misapinoa not to become pregnant due to his…incapacity."

Licorus observed Cygnus from under his bushy eyebrows. Cygnus knew that he was making a very valid point; it would be indeed shameful for a daughter of the House of Black not to produce a child, and would tarnish the Black name. Licorus took a deep breath.

"Your worry is indeed valid, my son. However –"

Licorus opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a sheaf of papers. Cygnus recognised them as betrothal papers, and knew that he was soon going to find out why his father had decided that the match was a suitable one, despite the risk that Jimbo Blishwick might be impotent due to his age.

"Here are the betrothal papers." Licorus handed them over to Cygnus, and Cygnus started perusing them. Licorus continued speaking. "Due to the advanced age of Mr. Blishwick, he has been quite desperate to find himself a suitable match, and furthermore, one which will bring up the ailing standards of his Family. The Blishwick Family, as you well know, has tainted itself with half-bloods, but is reasonably pure that they can call themselves pure-blood in polite society once more."

"Naturally, Father," Cygnus answered, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline when he read the sum that Jimbo Blishwick was going to offer the House of Black in return for Misapinoa. "This arrangement is very favourable to the House of Black. It seems that it was a woman's mistake for her to become so…concerned with his appearance. It seems like she did not absorb the contract adequately."

Licorus nodded approvingly at his son.

"I am glad that you realise those failings. Women are always much more concerned with emotions. It is necessary, that as the Heir to the House of Black, you never forget that. Never make assumptions simply because she is your sister. Always look at the facts."

Cygnus, recognising that the interview with his father was over, rose and bowed his head. He understood when he had been beaten, and his father was the master at twisting words and ensuring that he came out on top.

After all, the House of Black must always come out on top.

The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black would remain under the purview of a male descendent of Licorus Black for decades, until the death of Sirius Orion Black. Though it lost much of its standing in the course of the 20th century, Cygnus Black I's realisation that the House of Black must always come out on top became a mantra that was followed by each generation of the House of Black. The continuance of the purity of the House of Black, as is apparent from the marriage of Cygnus Black I and Ella Max, is vital.

Misapinoa never had any children, but she did not matter in the great scale of things, as is apparent from the casual way in which her father and brother describe her betrothal. Cygnus Black's eldest son, Sirius Black I, died aged eight, and it was his little brother, Phineas Nigellus Black, who took over from his grandfather as Head of House Black following his father's death. He married Ursula Flint, continuing the Black Family's desire to keep their blood and lineage pure. Their son, Sirius Black II, became the next Head of House son, Arcturus Black III, in turn married Melania Macmillan, a distant relative of Ernie Macmillan, and keeping the blood within the purity of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families. His son, Orion Black, married his second cousin Walburga Black, and their son, Sirius Black III, was the last male descendent of the Black line.

It was only due to Sirius Black III's abandonment of the pureblood ideals set in place by Licorus Black that the Black Family finally died out through the male line. Their other son, Regulus Black, died in the service of the self-styled Lord Voldemort, whom the Black Family only associated with because of his belief in blood supremacy. Regulus Black's belief in his family's ideal of blood purity was his eventual downfall; the horror of what Lord Voldemort had done to himself turned Regulus away from his family's ideals of blood purity, and thus the House of Black lost another son.

In the end, the Black line, from Licorus down to Sirius, only lasted one hundred and eighty eight years. Was the inter-marrying, the arranged marriages, this desperation for status, really worth it in the end? Sirius Black III was a deeply unhappy man, scarred by his childhood and the desperation of the Black Family to remain Toujours Pur. In the end, Sirius Black III abandoned all of his family's ideals in preference for as happy a life as he could possibly have.

Was the emphasis on purity really worth it?

A/N: I do apologise for turning this into a bit of an essay, but I find the Black Family quite an interesting study. There's not much of a flow to the story, I know, but I wanted to demonstrate the deep prejudice of the Black Family. I used the prompts Arranged Marriage!AU and house-elf.