Chapter 2: Identity
Arcturus stood at the window holding his grandson, Regulus Black III. He had only moments before arisen from his chair and had swiftly proceeded to pluck the child from Cassiopeia's arms. His cousin had shot him a fierce scowl but she had not fought him nor had she voiced a verbal reprisal, for which he was grateful. He stared into the gray eyes of his grandson and slowly smiled at the child. Regulus had the gray eyes of the Black family which had passed his elder grandson, Sirius. The older boy had blue eyes the same shade as Melania's, but this boy, his little Reggie had his eyes.
"You are sure that the conditions could never be replicated?" He asked as his mind already began to form a plan in order to both protect the child he held in his arms and to ensure the future of his House.
"Positive." Cassiopeia answered. "I could not tell you what poison he drank or why he had done so. Nor could I tell how long it had been in his system."
Arcturus hummed his agreement with Cassiopeia. She was correct. There were too many variables that they did not know. Without knowing they could not mirror it in order to hopefully return Regulus to his adult state.
"He will have to grow up again then." Arcturus said as he raised a hand to gently smooth over the soft black hair of his grandchild.
"Yes." Cassiopeia agreed with him. "He will. Arcturus, we cannot give him back to Walburga."
Arcturus agreed with her, but he did not want her to know it yet. "Oh? Why-ever not?"
Cassiopeia frowned at him. "She is a terrible guardian for any child, but particularly for children of the House of Black."
"Need I remind you that Walburga was born a Black?" Arcturus asked lightly, clearly more amused than insulted on his daughter-in-law's behalf.
She scowled at him. He always enjoyed riling his cousin. Often when he wanted a good opponent he would rile up Cassiopeia Black. Of course he could not tell her that. There was no way that he would let her know that she was as dear to him as a sister. She would be far too smug if she knew that he respected her opinions and held her in warm regard. It would also change the way she treated him and he knew he did not want that. Not now, not yet, and maybe not ever.
"Look at how she raised Sirius and Regulus!" Cassiopeia exclaimed. "Sirius ran away from home because of Walburga. Oh he blames the entire family but you and I know that when Sirius is older and wiser he will realize that his real problem was always Walburga."
Arcturus nodded his head as he watched her. "True, but Sirius has made his choice. I reached out to him and he turned me away. He made his desire to never have anything to do with this family quite clear." He fought to control his voice so as not to frighten the babe he still held. It was only a few years ago that Sirius had forsaken his family and the wound was still fresh for Arcturus. The need for revenge was still pulsing within him. Melania had begged him not to harm Sirius and so he had not. Melania so rarely asked anything of him. She did not understand that his need for revenge would continue to dance in his blood. He was a Black. He would be avenged.
"Walburga hurt both of them." Cassiopeia spoke softly now. "It was not to make them strong. There is a madness in Walburga. She did not love her children, she used them. They were toys that could speak back. She doted on Regulus in order to hurt Sirius. She wanted Sirius to do as she told him so he would again be the favorite but instead he rebelled even more and he turned on Regulus whom he once adored simply because the boy was their mother's favorite."
Arcturus mulled over her words, examining his own memories of what he had seen of his daughter-in-law with his grandsons. "How often did Sirius think that you were just like your mother because you were her favorite?" He asked of Regulus in a gentle tone that belied his sadness. He kissed the baby's smooth forehead and sighed. "You are right of course, Cassie."
She blinked startled, clearly taken by surprise that Arcturus was agreeing with her with so little argument. Arcturus found that he liked the sight.
"I am sure you have a suggestion as to who should raise this little one?" He said as he brought the child back to her. He let her take Regulus back into her arms and he found he missed the weight of the child.
"I want to raise him." She said and her tone was full of defiance.
He slowly sat once more behind his desk and raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "Really? Were you longing for children all of these years Cassie? I could have arranged a nice marriage for you so you could beget heirs of your own." He could not stop himself from taunting her.
She scowled at him. "You know that I did not wish to wed." She refuted. "Regulus is my god-child. I still feel the connection."
"Even now?" Arcturus asked. He knew she had felt it before Regulus had de-aged, for lack of a better term, but he did not realize she still felt it now.
"Yes." She said simply. "I was a good god-mother to him. I suppose I might have made extra effort with Regulus in order to make up for the short-comings of his god-father."
Arcturus nodded his head in agreement. Walburga never should have been allowed to name her brother, Cygnus, for Regulus' god-father.
"Have you thought of a story to tell as to why you suddenly have the heir of the House of Black in your possession?" Arcturus asked pleasantly.
"The heir?" She asked with a frown and then sighed. "Of course he is the heir. Sirius is disowned. Regulus is the last male of the house."
"And soon he will be dead." Arcturus said.
Cassiopeia clutched tightly at the babe and narrowed her eyes at her cousin. "What do you mean, dead?"
Arcturus smirked. "Cassie, we cannot let people believe that Regulus Black is alive if he must grow up again." He said reasonably. "We shall have to let the world believe he is dead."
She slowly relaxed her arms and nodded her agreement. "But the Black family tapestries will know. The magic cannot be fooled."
"No it cannot." He agreed. "Which is why we shall have to change Regulus while he is an infant."
Cassiopeia blinked in surprise. "Change him, how?"
Arcturus watched her for a moment wondering how well she would take what he intended to do. "We need the world to think that Regulus is dead, yet the child in your arms is the future of this House, a future that has been dwindling no thanks to Sirius and no thanks to Walburga." He began his explanation.
"Nice to see you credit Walburga with her part in the downfall of our illustrious House." She said snidely.
Arcturus chose not to be drawn into a battle about Walburga's lack of worth. He kept to his main topic. "We need that babe to be the next heir of the House of Black. To that end I suggest that we perform Blood Adoption upon the child."
"Whose blood?" She asked of him.
"Sirius Black." He answered.
Cassiopeia opened and then promptly closed her mouth. She stared at him for several moments deep in thought. "Revenge?" She asked of him.
He smirked. "You know me too well." He replied.
"You let Sirius live when he left the family. It is unlike you to not avenge such a slight on the House. My conclusion was that Melania begged for his life." Cassiopeia explained.
"Your assessment was correct." Arcturus admitted. "But the need for vengeance still burns me."
She nodded. "Sirius is quite the womanizer." She pointed out as Regulus began to fuss. She gently began to check him to determine what the boy needed. She sighed when she realized he was hungry. "Timery." She called out the name of her House-Elf and was gratified when Timery appeared a few moments later. The Elf bowed low to Arcturus and then approached Cassiopeia. The smart Elf already had a bottle in hand and deftly took Regulus from Cassiopeia in order to begin feeding the child. "Thank you Timery." Cassiopeia said absently.
Arcturus smirked. "He is, isn't he?" He said with a smug tone of voice. He was pleased with Sirius' womanizing because it would play into his hands now. It would aid him in his revenge against Sirius as well as help him to weave a shield around Regulus. "We just need to determine the right sort of woman to be the mother of Sirius' son." Arcturus said to her. "Even with the child being born illegitimate I will then legalize him, raising his status from illegitimate to legitimate and heir to the House of Black."
Cassiopeia nodded her agreement. "And you will grant me the right to raise him. The last two heirs were raised in the bosom of the family but those were not such dark days. This child should be raised with me at Ivy Hall where proper safety measures can be taken to protect him."
Arcturus conceded her point. "Yes. Any of the London residences would be too close to the Ministry of Magic. They would surely detect the more ancient protections if we were to raise them." He agreed. "Ivy Hall is a perfect place to raise him since the old protections were never lowered."
"Then you will give me the guardianship?" She asked of him.
"Yes." Arcturus finally allowed. "I shall. You were there when he needed you Cassie and you gave him another chance at life. For that I thank you Cassiopeia Black." He told her. "Thank you for taking such good care of my grandson."
Cassiopeia simply stared at him for a long moment at a loss for words. "You are quite welcome." She finally spoke. "Regulus has always been special to me."
He nodded his head. "I have had men watching Sirius for years, keeping tabs on him. I have a list of his various lovers."
She frowned. "The blood has to be fresh." She reminded him.
Arcturus nodded. "Yes, of course you are correct."
"How will you get the blood from Sirius?" She asked him.
"Oh I intend to have him attacked." He said airily. "It would not be that surprising for him to be attacked since he is an Auror." He pointed out.
"The girl must be alive as well." She pointed out to him.
"I know." He said with a frown. "Yet we need the girl out of the way." He added. "We cannot let the woman have a hand in raising the Black Heir in any way."
She nodded her agreement. "The poor girl." She said and then rallied after a moment. "Still, the girl should have known that it is dangerous to be involved with the likes of Sirius Black."
"Yes, too many young girls are drawn to dangerous men. Each one believing that nothing bad will ever happen to them." Arcturus said pleasantly, as though they were discussing the weather.
He waved his wand then and a panel in the wall opened and a file of papers came floating out of it. The papers came to rest on his desk and he waved his wand again closing the opened wooden panel. As Arcturus rifled through the papers, Cassiopeia visually examined the dark oak panels on the walls around the room. She was now beginning to believe that they were cubby holes where Arcturus kept important documents that he did not want others to easily discover.
"Ah here we are." He said happily. "Greengrass, Olivia." He said pleasantly.
Cassiopeia glanced to the corner where Timery was rocking Regulus to sleep in the cradle of her arms. She smiled slightly at the sight and then truly took in the name that Arcturus had suggested. "Wait, Olivia Greengrass, as in daughter of Lord Demetrius Greengrass?" She asked.
"Yes." Arcturus said. "According to my report she has been to dinner with Sirius five times and three of those times she returned with him to the apartment he holds in Pimlico where she stayed the night."
Cassiopeia frowned. "Can you be sure she slept with him those nights?"
Arcturus gave her a look that spoke of how daft he thought she was being. "I would be mightily shocked if Sirius had not talked her into his bed. One night, perhaps they just stayed up all night talking. But three nights? No, my dear Cassiopeia. Sirius bedded the girl, I am sure of it. What's more is that she fits perfectly into the category that we need."
"Pure-blood, ashamed of having a child out of wed-lock." Cassiopeia listed for him. "So, we must paint a story where this poor girl hid her pregnancy, had the child, and gifted him to the House of Black to raise because she feared harming what was an obviously magical child."
"Something like that." Arcturus agreed. "Fret no more over the details Cassie, I shall handle everything." He promised her. "You will have to keep the child a secret for a time of course." He reminded her. "Do not tell Melania whom the child really is. She would not understand the opportunity we have been gifted."
Cassiopeia nodded her head in agreement. "I had wondered if Melania knowing would be safe." She admitted. "Not that she would spread it around. I know that Melania is not a gossip for all that she is a sociable lady." She said before Arcturus could find offense. "Melania has such a big heart."
"She was a Hufflepuff." Arcturus said with a rare tone of affection while thinking about his wife. "She would want Regulus restored and we cannot restore him. Then she would fret over Walburga and want us to at least inform Walburga of the truth or worse, give the boy back to Walburga. Things that we agree are not in Regulus' best interests."
Cassiopeia nodded her full agreement and then glanced once more toward the child. "He needs a new name." She said softly. "Regulus Arcturus Black III is dead. This child remains. He needs a new name. As the Head of the House of Black whom was given custody of said child by the child's mother you must of course name the boy."
Arcturus smirked. "Quite right." He agreed and then he called out to the House-Elf. "Bring me the child." He watched as the House-Elf looked to him and then to Cassiopeia. He saw Cassiopeia nod out of the corner of his eye and only then did the House-Elf come forward with the child. Arcturus gave himself a small moment to appreciate the loyalty of the House-Elf before he dismissed the thought and took the offered child into his arms. Regulus stirred and opened his gray eyes to stare up at him.
Arcturus smiled down at his grandson, no, now his great-grandson. "Leonis." He said as he stared down at the child. "Fitting for the son of Sirius who was a Gryffindor." He murmured. "This child shall need to be a lion. Majestic and powerful to behold. He will need to be brave for he will be the only one of his generation to truly bear the Black Name and the fate of the House shall be on his shoulders." He nodded thoughtfully. "It is also a hint of his past. Regulus is the greatest of stars in the constellation Leonis or Leo."
"Regulus also means "Little King". Befitting the Heir to our esteemed House." Cassiopeia murmured.
Arcturus nodded his head. "Yes, and Leonis Regulus Black sounds far better than Leonis Sirius Black, do you not agree?"
Cassiopeia blinked at that but nodded her head in agreement. Traditionally the middle name of a first born son was the name of their father. Yet in this case it made sense that Arcturus would not gift a son of Sirius' with his name. Sirius had chosen exile from his family and later disownment.
"Leonis Regulus Black." Arcturus proclaimed the child. "When I deem the time right, we shall tell the world that Olivia Greengrass brought the child to you."
Cassiopeia smiled. "I shall leave the important matters of gaining Sirius' blood and of gaining Olivia's support in this endeavor entirely up to you."
Arcturus nodded then he smiled down at Regulus. "Do not worry, little Lion." He murmured to the child. "Before the new year we will see you presented properly to the family as the Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black." He promised.