Chapter 10

"Hey Princess, you all tucked in ready for your story?" Sirius had decided to keep things as normal as possible for Iris, he would finish talking with his grandfather tonight and maybe he'll be ready for another emotional conversation after a good night's sleep. Iris wasn't stupid and she'd know things had changed but Sirius had to think about the right way to talk to her about it. As Sirius walked across the bedroom h removed his robe leaving him in trousers and shirt before laying himself upon Iris' bed and snuggling in with her. Iris cuddled straight into her daddy's side, she loved when daddy told bedtime stories. He knew all the best ones.

"So what story would you like tonight then?" he asked as he kissed the top of her head.

"The Fair Ones, daddy." That was Iris favourite story out of all the stories daddy told her, when P'ongs had told her bedtime stories, Iris favourite was the Three Brothers. Iris loved these stories because she knew they were family stories.

Outside the open bedroom door Arcturus drew in a sharp breath, with all the hatred Sirius had for the family he hadn't expected Sirius to pass on the family origin story.

"Once upon a time there was a lord and lady and they had the most beautiful daughter in all the land, hair as black as the night sky, skin as pale as moonlight, and eyes as bright as the stars. In fact she was named Astra which means 'from the stars'.

"Astra grew up to be even more beautiful, but she was a quiet girl she did not show her feelings freely. She became known for having a stone face, she never smiled, never cried and never laughed. When Astra was of marring age he Father decreed that whomever made Astra's stone face break would win her hand. Lords and Heirs, Princes and Kings arrived from all over came to attempt to win her hand but not one could cause her stone face to crack.

"Eventually word reached the Fair Ones of the contest to win the maidens hand. The Fair Prince decided he had to see the girl for himself so he snuck into the Human world and watched her walk in her gardens. The Prince fell in love with the girl's beauty with his first look and so he rushed back to his mother the Winter Queen and begged for a chance to win her hand.

"The Winter Queen agreed to allow her son a chance at the human's hand, but he would have to follow the human's rules. To win the maiden's hand he would have to crack her stone face. The Fair Prince agreed confident in winning after all who could resist a Fair One's charms.

"Astra was out walking in the winter gardens when a sudden snowstorm blew up around her, it was such a strong storm that Astra couldn't see and she became quite lost in the storm. Eventually she came upon the Fair One's Glen and was amazed by the beauty around her but still her expression did not change.

"The Fair Prince invited Astra to join the celebration, Astra knowing the stories of the Fair Ones did not verbally agree but followed the Prince anyway. Fair One's were tricky people who would take great offence if they felt rejected but would take a verbal agreement for more than was intended.

"As the Fair Prince led Astra around the Fae Gathering she was shocked at all the different creatures, some like the Prince were beauty beyond compare where others where more horrifying than your worst nightmares. But still her expression remained unchanged.

"The Prince offered Astra the finest food and wines but Astra replied that she had not long eaten and was very full. The Prince offered Astra the most beautiful gems and gold, Astra thanked him but replied that she had no need for such things.

"Finally the Prince offered the Secret to Eternal Youth to Astra. Even that did not cause Astra to show her feelings of shock and amazement, and again Astra replied that she did not want to be eternally young because that was not for one such as her.

"The Winter Queen had watched her son and was surprised by the Human. She had remained unchanged in her face the whole time and had not taken anything her son had offered. After the maiden rejected the offer of Eternal Youth the Winter Queen decreed that the Prince had lost and that the Maiden was free to leave.

"The Prince in anger at having be out witted by a Human placed a curse upon Astra, he cursed her features to always change to reflect her feelings and thus Astra was the first metamorphmagus and the first Black."

As Sirius finished his tale he looked down at Iris and realised she was long asleep. Gently moving her to lay down fully and pulling her blankets up to cover her, Sirius slipped from the room picking up his robe as he passed. Silently closing the door behind him, he nearly yelped in shock when he came face to face with Arcturus smiling softly at him from just beside the bedroom door.

"I haven't heard that story since I last told it to you." Arcturus spoke quietly in deference to Iris sleeping on the other side of the door. Nodding his head Sirius stepped around his grandfather and strode downstairs back to the drawing room. When both men had settled in their chairs again Sirius looked at his grandfather expectantly. Ordering his thoughts Arcturus took a sip of his drink before he spoke, "What are your plans for now?"

Shocked Sirius spluttered "What!? You don't have a problem with who her mother was or how she was conceived?"

"No grandson, blood heritage has never been the problem for me. What I disagree with is the losing of our traditions and our ideals to appease new comers to our world."

"Then why was Andromeda disowned? Mother claimed it was because she'd married a muggleborn."

Shaking his head sadly Arcturus sighed, "Andromeda was disowned because she deliberately broke a marriage contract that left the Black family at a disadvantage. If she had spoken to me I would have disbanded the contract for her in such a way that the Family lost nothing. I could care nothing for the blood status of her partner, from what I've heard the family's magic have revived in her child. There is also Lily's blood adoption to consider, at the very least that would make Lily a half blood of the Potter line so if such things mattered to me I could consider Iris more pure than Muggle. Now what are your plans grandson?"

"I plan to keep Iris' true heritage from as many as possible. The inheritance test Ironclaw preformed confirmed that Iris is the Potter Heir, if Dumbledore finds out he will stop at nothing to interfere in her life. He proved that when Lily and James were still alive, constantly trying to insist he had to meet their child and that they should raise the child a certain way that he approved of. The old Goat believes there is something special about Iris but he won't share. Luckily Lily was too sensible to fall for any of his tricks and he never meet Iris. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know that Iris is a girl. I'd like to keep it that way."

"So you need to create a background story for Iris' mother," Sirius nodded at his grandfather.

"I was thinking I'd stay as close to truth as possible while being misleading. Iris' mother was a foreign half-blood that was killed during the recent attacks."

"Foreign? I wasn't aware Lily was from overseas?"

"She was born in the Asia's, though her father never told her exactly where. Lily's father Henry had packed them up and escaped an attack on their home village. Lily's mother had died in childbirth a few years before and Henry had no other family left, he chose to run and save Lily instead of risking her life. He arrived in England, changed their names to more western sounding ones and settled down. Eventually meeting and marrying Lily's step-mother. Lily's first name was originally Yuri but she never told me what her surname was before Evans."

Taking another sip of his drink Arcturus hummed in acknowledgement, "that certainly makes things easier if we could find what Lily's original surname was then we can register Iris with that name and tie up the loose ends in the ministry. What about your work? Iris education? When I mentioned earlier that I wanted her to be raised a proper Black I meant that I wished for her to learn the Black heritage and have a proper education to fit her future standing in society. I did not mean force pure-blood elitist rubbish into her had like your mother tried. Why my son ever married that harpy I will never know."

Looking mildly chastised Sirius apologised, "I'm sorry for my earlier reaction Grandfather. I have a month's paid leave from work for the moment to think about what I wish to do. As much as I want to spend all my time with Iris I know I'd become too bored without working. I had thought about asking Andromeda for advice on what Iris would need tutoring in. She will be learning Japanese and I plan to learn beside her as that's what Henry said was closest to his home language. I don't want Bellatrix or her husband anywhere near her, and I still need to decide on Narcissa as I don't trust her husband."

Thinking back on the Inheritance test he had received from Ironclaw Sirius swallowed his pride, this was for Iris sake not his.

"I'm going to need your help with this though." Pulling out the parchment from his robe pocket Sirius handed the results over to Arcturus. Lifting it up Sirius knew when Arcturus had read the most important parts as he drew in a sharp breath and his eye-brows lifted.

"Well, that's surprising. To think the Potters were hidden Peverels all along. Do you have any idea about the rest of these?"

Drawing the parchment back over to himself Sirius pointed out the Japanese script at the end of the maternal inheritance, "I'm assuming that's Lily's original surname but as it was never used in English magic doesn't know the translation. The Slytherin Inheritance I can only guess had something to do with the attack and I doubt Iris remembers enough for us to be able to work out what happened. We shall just have to wait until she's old enough to do the full heritage test and find out that way."

"So we need to get the name translated so you can register Iris properly, I'll make sure its hidden away in the ministry's archives but it does need to be there. Contact Andromeda as she will be the best to advise you if you can't trust Narcissa. I'll contact your account manager and have Iris' trust vault set up. As a favour to an old man could you convince Andromeda to have her child attend these lessons with Iris? I plan to set up a trust vault for the child as soon as I have her name."

"Nymphadora Tonks. Her name is Nymphadora Tonks. I will try but I can't promise."

"That is all I ask Grandson."

As both men settled back into their chairs listening to the crackle and pop of the fire a distant clock chimed 8. Rising from his chair Arcturus waved his grandson to stay seated.

"I can see myself out, I shall return before Friday so that we can discuss what to do with Iris' inheritances. Try to think up some idea yourself. For now I shall take my leave, be well Grandson."

"Be well Grandfather."