ex umbra in solem - from the shadow into the light

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There was a patronus before Skull, it was shaped like a dog so he had an inclination of whose patronus it was even before Sirius' voice sounded as it gave its message. "Alphard is dead and you were invited to the Will Reading - May 17 at noon."

The dog moved in a way that was almost a nod before dissipating, its purpose done with the message delivered.

" What ," Reborn's voice reminded Skull, very suddenly, that he wasn't alone - that he was, in fact, currently with other members of the I Prescelti Sette and his first thought was a curse. "Was that."

"...what was what?" Skull tried, not really thinking it would work.

It did not, it in fact had Reborn pointing a gun at him and Luce giving him a disappointed-face. "Don't try to avoid my question."

"It was a message from my nephew about my brother's death." He attempted, answering without touching the obvious topic.

Cool metal butted the side of his head and Skull winced, regretting taking of his helmet. " Lackey ." The tone very nearly made him flinch, he'd heard it a very small amount of times but when he did …

"... ex umbra in solem …" He sighed because he'd doubted he'd be able to avoid answering or that he'd successfully obliviate them. "The dog was something called a patronus and it's, well, magic ."

"You don't act like a wizard," Viper inserted their opinion and it felt like they were watching him keenly.

Skull blinked, though, as a thought occurred, "Are you-"

"No, I'm a squib." Which, from the sharp tone, was obviously a sore topic for them. It was likely that they were disowned, then.

" Magic ," Verde scoffed, "Are you trying to tell me it's real?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," Viper bit, "You witnessed proof with your own eyes."

Reborn cut in, "Both of you shut up. Lackey, talk."

"Anguitenens Izar Black?" Skull heard as he paused before the office doors, it wasn't too late to leave.

"Anguitenens?" Colonello muttered, voice clear through the Flame-tech communicator (it looked like an ear piercing) Verde made, and he was reminded that no , he couldn't just leave. Not with them all watching - more Flame-tech, this one a camera (and likely an array of sensors because Verde ) hidden in the tie - him since he'd refused to bring them along (honestly, he was still surprised he won the argument). "The hell kind of name is that?"

"Is Anguitenens Izar Black present, if not does he have a proxy?"

With this question, Skull entered the room, "There's no need, I'm here."

He could hear Colonello sputtering, "Your name is ANGUITENENS!?"

"You're a BLACK!?" Viper added their opinion of his birth name.

"Is being a 'Black' important?" Reborn demanded as Skull looked to see who was present.

There was his older sister, Walburga was standing near his older brother, Cygnus, but Sirius was on the other side of the room with his friend, the Potter he shared a dorm with, while an unknown man- likely the official will reader- stood between the two groups.

"Anguitenens," his sister smiled, that cold smile that Alphard dubbed her 'I am planning which spell I am going to use to disembowel you' , at him. "I'm surprised you deigned to show up after the scene you made when you left."

"Thing Vongola notoriety with Vindice reputation without their dedication to justice," Viper said tersely, answering Reborn.

"Of course I came," Skull told her, reaching for that distant cold that served him so well growing up (that he'd swore to never use again when he left and he hated himself for breaking his word), to give himself the same bitingly cruel tone. The voice that said you are insignificant filth and you dare speak to me and don't you know who I am all at the same time. "I wouldn't miss the reading of my favorite sibling's will. It would be entirely improper, right, sister?"

Walburga, who hated it being brought up that she was an illegitimate child of an immature teenager, turned a furious, ugly red and Cygnus swiftly rose to her defense, "Only as improper as missing the alleged favorite sibling's funeral."

"I suppose if we're picking at each others faults," Skull said, feeling like his blood were freezing slowly, as if ice were making it's way through his veins to his heart. There was a reason he tended to ignore the older members of his family save for Alphard. "I'm obligated to talk about how neither of you told me our brother was dead."

"...damn…" Colonello whistled. "If this is the kind of reunion you have, I guess we know why you never mentioned family before."

Walburga rallied, "If you truly cared ," the word was spat out like a curse, "Then you shouldn't have left!"

"You know why I left." He told her flatly.

His sister sneered, "Yes, because you're a coward and a traitor to your House! "

Distantly, Skull was pleased that the Potter kid was smart enough to keep his nephew out of their fight.

Mostly, though, he was fucking furious .

" It's the House who betrayed me! " Skull shouted back, vaguely aware that his reaction shocked the I Prescelti Sette .

"YOU DARE-!" Walburga started, displaying her own Black temper.

" Oh, I dare. " He hissed, cutting her off. His sister may have a Black temper, may even use it more often but his, for all that it rarely reared it's head, was a Black-Cloud .

His sister hissed and spat like an angry cat, "YOUR PARENTS SHOULD HAVE DROWNED YOU AT BIRTH! YOU FAILED IN YOUR DUTY TO YOUR HOUSE-!"

"I did nothing wrong! " Skull shot back.

Walburga returned, "YOU LEFT-!"

" BECAUSE I HAD TO! " He roared over her.

She glared, "You left your family!"

" Family ," Skull spat, "Does not punish someone for having a different opinion! Does not abandon its members for falling in love !" He was especially angry over Andromeda's treatment. " Family does not try to change someone because who they are is unacceptable! "

"I am myself," he told her, he told the I Prescelti Sette still listening . "There is nothing wrong with that. I refuse to change myself just because I don't meet your standards of what I should be like."