Hey everyone. This story was written for The Return of the Chocolate Frog Cards. I choose to write for (Bronze) Phineas Black and the task was to write about how Phineas Nigellus must have felt/acted when his son was discovered supporting Muggle Rights, and therefore had to be disowned. I hope you all enjoy Phineas' Guilt.
"Phineas," called his wife Ursula's voice, "are you in here?"
He could tell her that he wanted to be alone but he could hear the same hurt and rejection that he felt in her voice. Sighing he wondered to himself where he had gone wrong with his namesake. What had he done to turn the boy against them.
"Phineas," Ursula's voice was now at the doorway, "you shouldn't hide away like this. The other children are afraid that you are mad at them too. Please talk to us."
He looked at her knowing she was right. He should be out there trying to comfort his other children. He should be out there trying to make sure that they didn't follow in their brother's footsteps. But to do that he had to figure out where things had gone wrong with Phineas. What had he done to make the boy think that supporting these filthy Muggle-borns was the right thing to do?
"Phineas," Ursula's urging voice came to his ears yet again, "we still have four other children. Phineas will easily be forgotten. It will eventually go back to normal here again. You will see."
He looked at her as though he couldn't believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. He really couldn't believe the words that had just come out of her mouth. How could she think anything about this was going amount to normalcy? How could she just watch their second eldest child be disowned and think that anything was going to be normal for them ever again. Nothing would be normal.
"Daddy?" came the voice of his daughter Belvina. "When is Phinny coming back?"
He heard a muffle cry coming from his wife at the nickname their daughter had given their second oldest son. Wasn't this the same woman who a few seconds ago was talking about things going back to normal? Why now in front of their daughter was she acting all saddened? He motioned the his daughter over to him.
"Phineas isn't going to be coming home," he told her quietly. He watched as her mind worked around the idea of a life without her brother. Wiping a tear from the corner of his daughter's eye he continued. "Do you understand why Mummy and I had to disown Phineas?"
The girl stared at him and shook her head. "No," was the sad reply.
"Phineas did a very bad thing," Ursula told the girl carefully. "A very bad thing. Do you know what Muggles are?"
Belvina nodded sagely.
"Daddy says that Muggles are very bad people," she told us. "They are very dangerous to our people and should never be trusted. Why are you asking about the Muggles Mummy? Why is Mummy asking about the Muggles, Daddy?"
To hear the hurt and confusion in his daughter's voice hurt more than anything. He didn't want her to hurt for the world. He put his hand on the top of his daughter's head and patted her gently.
"Mummy is asking about the Muggles to make sure you know that we are not being overly out of line with your brother Phineas," he told his daughter. "Because Phineas was found to be supporting Muggles rights."
The shocked look his daughter turned on them almost brought out a tinge of pride in him. But then he remembered why they were having this conversation. He remembered the look of shocked betrayal that his own flesh and blood turned on him when he was blasted off the family tree.
"Leave me," he told them both abruptly as he felt his will power melting quickly. He didn't know how much longer he could keep up the pretense of being strong for his family. "I need some time to think things through."
They nodded each giving him a sad look. His wife pulled him into a hug. Kissing him with all the love he thought had drained from him the moment the son was blasted off the darn wall.
Watching the door close behind his wife's form he finally let the tears slip down his face. They came in torrents that he hadn't known he was capable of making. He didn't know that he would be this upset after everything that had gone down that night.
"Why did you do this to us, Phineas?" he asked the seat that had once belong to his son before composing himself for bed. "Why?"
I hope you all enjoyed Phineas' Guilt.