Warning: This story includes incest.
This was written for the 'One and One Challenge' on HPFC. My character was Orion Black and my prompt was 'narrow' so I went for 'narrow-minded'.
I know this doesn't follow canon. In this universe, Orion dies of old age.
Regrets
Orion Black was a man who was very sure about everything. Everything needed to be as he expected it to be or else he would be furious. He knew that his family needed to be in Slytherin, so he ended up being sorted into that house. He knew that Slytherins were all a certain type of person, so he made himself become that sort of person. He was narrow-minded. That was his most absolute trait that anybody could describe him as. Narrow-minded.
So when his two sons came to talk to him on that dreadful evening, he did as any narrow-minded person would—he reacted badly.
"What is this?" he demanded with folded arms. He had been summoned to Sirius's bedroom because according to the house elf, Sirius and Regulus had something that they needed to tell him. He stared at his two sons who sat on the edge of Sirius's bed looking very fearful.
Sirius—his eldest—cleared his throat. "We have to tell you something, Father," he said. Orion could sense that Sirius's tone was faux brave. His son may be a disgusting Gryffindor but only because he begged the Sorting Hat to be there—not because he had any actual courage.
"Well then," Orion said. "I don't have all day. I have errands to run." He wasn't lying. The Minister of Magic was expecting some very important documents on his desk by the end of the day and he had a couple of people he needed to speak with before he could even start the paperwork.
He watched as Sirius and Regulus glanced at each other and then Sirius opened his mouth to speak again. "I—we… we're both…um—"
"—Sirius, let me," Regulus said quickly. Orion moved his eyes from Sirius to Regulus, who seemed to cower under his stare. "I—I—uh…"
Orion sighed loudly. "Well, I really must be going then."
"Wait!" Regulus said. "Please."
"Well hurry up and tell me whatever you need to say," Orion said abruptly. "If you're afraid of how I'll react, then let me tell you know I'll be even angrier if you waste anymore of my time."
He watched as his sons exchanged scared glances again.
"We're both… well… we're gay," Sirius said in barely a whisper.
Orion felt as though his whole world had completely stopped. He could hardly believe his ears. What kind of a sick joke was this? His sons? His own flesh and blood? The heirs to the Moste Noble House of Black—homosexual?
"Father?"
"I'm still trying to process—"
"—Before you finish processing, can I drop another quick bombshell?" Sirius said quickly.
Orion didn't have a chance to reply.
"We're in love with each other, and we know it's weird and unusual but we can't help how we feel," he blurted out. He then proceeded to take Regulus's hand. Regulus only stared at Orion in a sort of frightened trance.
Orion wasn't angry. No, he wasn't even furious. He was sickened. Physically sickened. He stared at his sons, who held hands on the bed in front of him and all he could think was that he would never call those—those freaks—his children ever again. He didn't want to be associated with that.
His perfect life had been ruined. It had been tainted by the disgraceful acts that had been committed in his home under his supervision. He felt responsible, and that sickened him even more.
He refused to even look at them. Instead, he looked at Sirius's bed and all he could think of was what kind of horrific things they'd done in that bed.
"You," he breathed slowly, looking anywhere at the boys. "Are no sons of mine," he spat.
"Father, please."
"Get out of my house!" Orion yelled. "Take your disgusting selves and your filthy behaviours out of my house!"
He was aware of Sirius getting up, and before he had a chance to do anything, Sirius was right in front of him, forcing Orion to look at him.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Me?" Orion said through gritted teeth. "What's wrong with me?"
"You're so narrow-minded!" Sirius yelled. "You won't even give us a chance to prove to you that what we have is pure and good and right, will you?"
"I will not stand for this!" Orion bellowed. "Not in my house! This disgusting… this abomination…"
"You and Mother are cousins," Regulus said. "That's not much different…"
"Your Mother and I got married in order to keep the line pure," Orion said. On speaking his words, his brain seemed to put things together—this was the price of marrying his cousin. He had fought against it, but when it came down to it he knew he had to keep the Black family pure. He'd failed—his sons weren't pure. They were anything but.
"You two are… you're brothers," Orion said. "It's… I have no words. Homosexuality and Incest are sins. You will both rot in hell and I will not be pulled down with you. Get out of my house before I do something that I regret."
"Father…"
"GET OUT!"
Orion watched stoically as Sirius and Regulus scrambled to get out of the room. As soon as the room was empty, he let out a slow breath and slammed his fist into the door hard. How was he to tell his wife? How was he to tell their family? How was he to continue?
Orion Black was a ruined man.
Orion lay in his bed, old and frail. His wife, Walburga, had just recently died. He was very sick. He had a number of magical and muggle diseases and he knew he didn't have much longer to live.
For the first time in years, Orion wondered about his sons. He and Walburga had never had any more children for fear that the same thing would happen again. But as Orion laid there in his bed, he felt a sudden rush of regrets.
If he hadn't been so narrow-minded, he would know where his sons were right now. If he hadn't been so narrow-minded, he would still have people who cared for him.
If he hadn't been so narrow-minded, he wouldn't be alone in his deathbed. He'd have family.
And that was his biggest regret.
~The End~