Brief Lesson: On a winter night, one can look into the sky and spot the Orion, The Hunter constellation, one of the grandest constellations in the sky. It takes the shape of a Greek mythological hunter, Orion. He was a companion to Artemis, chaste goddess of the hunt, until her brother Apollo got jealous and killed him.
Task Chosen: Choose a character that is named after a star or constellation. Write a story centered on that character, drawing parallels between characteristics of the star/constellation and characteristics of the character.
AN: Arcturus is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Boötes. Its name derives from Ancient Greek Αρκτοῦρος, meaning "bear guard"; this refers to the story in Greek mythology that Zeus placed Arcturus in the sky to look after Arcas and Callisto, who were turned into bears and then into the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor to protect them from Hera's wrath. In this story, Arcturus Black is guarding the youngest members of his family.
A Responsibility Like No Other
(Part of the "Into the Unknown" AU)
1)
If he could have avoided the position he was in, he would have. However, he is the oldest and as such, his duty is clear.
It's a thankless job, being the head of house, especially being head of house of one of the Sacred 28 families, but it's an important one. Not only was he in charge of the every day (both legal and illegal) business dealings, but he was also in charge of overseeing the well-being of his family.
The latter is a more daunting task than the former.
2)
Arcturus' first true test as head of house arises when he finds his grandsons and Cassiopeia's grand-nieces in his drawing room.
They smell of smoke and they smell of blood and although he wants to get to the bottom of whatever has happened to the children right away, he also recognizes the beginnings of shock on their faces.
He decides that answers can wait.
3)
He knows that he could be quickly overwhelmed if he doesn't handle it properly, so he sends missives to Alphard and Cassiopeia and asks (demands) that they come to the country estate and for them both to pack for an extended stay.
Knowing when to delegate certain tasks is essential to being a good leader.
He doesn't ask this latest generation of Blacks any questions in regards to the reason behind the smell of blood and smoke. Instead, he asks them if they are okay (they respond that they are, but of course he doesn't believe them) and after receiving their answer, he encourages them to take warm baths and informs them that they will talk in the morning.
Arcturus hopes that with the rising of the sun that he will be able to see things more clearly.
4)
The morning after only brings more questions and scrutiny.
Aurors brings news of a house fire that has taken the lives of an undetermined number of witches and wizards and they express concerns that Orion, Walburga, Cygnus, and Druella are among the dead.
"We're also afraid that your grandsons and grand-nieces are among the victims."
"No, they're not. Sirius, Regulus, Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa are in their rooms upstairs, asleep."
"Thank Merlin," one of the Aurors exclaims in happiness, thankful that the children are safe.
"I appreciate the sentiment," Arcturus says smoothly. "But if you don't mind, I have additional guests to prepare for. My nephew and cousin are coming to stay since it is rare to have all five children together all at once and they do enjoy their company a little more than they enjoy mine."
The Aurors mummer their understanding and informs Arcturus that they may be in contact later if they need any information from him or have some additional information to provide him.
Arcturus thanks them for informing him of the so unfortunate news and the Aurors leaves his home, not envying his task of informing the children of the demise of their parents.
5)
After the Aurors leaves his home, Arcturus acts quickly.
He moves galleons from one account to various other accounts, calls in favors and promises a few in return so any investigation by the DMLE will not be done so in depth and also any investigation into whatever has happened will not be prolonged.
'Protecting one's family,' he muses silently, 'has no price I am not willing to pay.'
6)
Arcturus is hoping that Alphard's and Cassiopeia's closeness to their nephews and grand-nieces will help in learning what has happened to them. He wishes that he was closer to them like he once was but their parents had stopped bringing them to visit him and he didn't visit them often and now he is faced with familiar strangers.
It's a situation he is hoping to change soon but until then, he is hoping that Alphard and Cassiopeia observations will help him with any actions he might take in the future.
But his heirs and heiresses are secretive and they close up whenever anyone asks about the events that prompted them to seek out his home late in the evening.
It takes Alphard and Cassiopeia overhearing a conversation between the five plotting how to deal with Alastor Moody most efficiently before they realize the seriousness of the secret they children are hiding.
"Artie, we have to confront them directly. All of those children are too Slytherin for their own good."
"I agree with Cassie," Alphard states. "I always shared Sirius' and Regulus' secrets and the fact that they haven't shared this with me speaks volumes."
"I know you don't want to push them," Cassiopeia continues, "but maybe pushing them is what we need to do. We won't be able to protect them otherwise."
7)
After finally learning the circumstances of that night, Arcturus reassures the children of their safety.
"Although I commend you all for looking out for each other, I do want you to remember that you're not alone. It is my duty and my privilege to protect my family, especially the members that are too young to protect themselves."
Arcturus can see and almost feel the relief from the children and he realizes that maybe he should have confronted the five much sooner.
Conversation flows between Arcturus and the youngest members of his family and he informs them of the many steps he has taken to protect them, from the maneuvers he used to keep the Auror division of the DMLE from investigating too deeply to the various protective measures on their home.
"And I, along with Alphard and Cassiopeia, will be teaching you how to defend yourself, both magically and non-magically."
"Non-magically? You mean, like Muggles," Bellatrix says and Arcturus can hear the disdain and disgust in her voice and he wonders if he's too late to counteract her father's and aunt's influence. Walburga was very . . . expressive about her hatred of Muggles and Cygnus always followed his elder sister's lead. It didn't surprise Arcturus at all that his daughter-in-law still held sway over her brother even into adulthood.
As for Arcturus, despite having no particular love of them, he found that Muggles could be useful.
"Yes, like Muggles. Generations ago, members of this house were protectors and fought by their sides during a time of war. There were instances that wands couldn't be used. You thought those suits of armor were just decorations?"
A flabbergasted Bellatrix snaps her mouth shut and Sirius and Regulus look up, an interested gleam in their eyes. Even Andromeda and Narcissa seem intrigued.
"Looks like I will also be adding family history lessons to the curriculum," Arcturus informs them.
The enormity of his task looms before him but Arcturus will not be deterred. For better or for worse, the future of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black is in his hands. He decides that he will not falter in this task.
After all, being the head of house is a responsibility like no other.