Somewhere in Lazio, Italy
Friday 4th June 1976
The heat pressed against him, leaving sticky rivers of sweat wherever it touched. His eyelids felt heavy, but he forced them to remain open as fragments of his father's voice drifted through the thick, unmoving air.
''………you will both remember your manners ……our blood is still the purest in Europe… you will carry yourself with the full dignity of your station….."
He forced himself to nod; the heat having sapped him of the fight that had burned so fiercely back in England.
He stole a glance at his brother, who was listening to their father attentively, as if he had not heard the same speech at home, and again during the crossing at Calais, and now for the third time while their carriage flew over the Roman countryside.
Why were his parent's wasting time and energy arranging Sirius's marriage? When Reg would allow them to fix him up with any old harpy, he would probably even marry warty great aunt Lycoris, if mother and father told him too.
Sirius scowled at his reflection in the window.
'Sirius, are you listening to me?' Orion asked sharply, jolting Sirius from his stupor.
He looked over at his father, and Orion regarded him briefly before continuing.
'You will comport yourself with the dignity of your birth. Any reports of you acting like an ill-bred hellion, and your mother will hear about it.'
The one saving grace of this brief excursion was his mother remaining at home. Walburga hated travelling, so had deferred the arrangement of the marriage contract to his father. But even from miles away, the threat of her disapproval sent a prickling sensation through his body.
'Of course, father, I will be on my best behaviour.' Sirius said in a monotone. The anger that the heat had stifled had returned and had risen in Sirius's chest, clawing its way up his throat. He felt Regulus stiffen slightly beside him.
'Your grandfather went to great pains to secure this match.' Orion reminded him for the umpteenth time while ignoring the scowl forming on his son's face.
'As long as old Arcturus is happy, what more could any of us want?' Sirius countered, his voice laced with sarcasm. His entire body tingling uncomfortably and his head spinning with both heat and anger. 'When we eventually shag, should I'll tell her to lie back and think of Grandfather?... Purely as a token of my gratitude to the old man, of course.'
Sirius knew he had gone too far, but still glared at his father defiantly, ignoring Regulus's slight gasp at his crude language.
Orion merely shrugged, his face remaining a stoic mask.
A silence settled over the carriage with both boys watching their father. Sirius continued to lounge against the leather seat, whereas Regulus was sitting perfectly upright.
The silence stretched on, and Orion's eyes fixed on his eldest son, as Sirius felt sweat slide down the side of his face.
'If Lorenzo Marcellus had lived another year,' said Orion, finally punctuating the silence, 'He would have honoured tradition and signed the contract the second the girl turned 16.'
Orion paused, arching an eyebrow. 'Instead, we must defer to Leone Marcellus's jumped-up notions about his sister having an equal say in the matter. You must perform for the girl's approval as though you are the son of some ill-bred half-blood from nowhere, instead of the scion of England's most ancient wizarding family.'
Orion's voice became colder as he continued, 'If you had been any other Black heir, my father would have burned the contract, the instant Leone refused to honour his father's word.'
Orion's lips twisted in contempt.
'But as you have chosen to make a mockery of our name and bring shame down on all of us, no other decent family will even entertain marrying their daughter to you. Hence this charade we are all about to perform.'
Sirius felt his father's eyes boring into him but held his gaze, ignoring the roiling in his stomach.
' Make no mistake boy.' Orion's voice dripped with contempt, 'The indignity your grandfather suffered at having to arrange this shameful little sojourn, will not be easily forgiven.'
Orion lent forward towards his son. 'Over the next four days, you will secure the girl's hand and the future of our name. And once we return to England, you can begin to restore your standing with your Grandfather………… Then perhaps your mother and I can finally attend family gatherings with our heads held high.'
Sirius shifted in his seat and stared out the window, his cheeks burning and an uncomfortable lump forming in his throat. His hand had twitched towards the door handle when his father's voice pulled him back into his body.
'Sirius Orion Black, I will not wait any longer for confirmation of your acquiescence.'
Sirius tore his eyes from the window and locked them with his father and nodded slowly.
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The noise of the carriage hitting the ground broke the silence that had once again settled over its occupants, the door swinging open to reveal Kreacher standing at the bottom of a small stepladder.
'Masters, we have arrived at our destination,' he announced with his customary bow.
'I had gathered that from us, no longer being airborne.' Orion responded, 'Now clear the way and see to our luggage elf, I would like to get out of this infernal heat as soon as possible.' The carriage trembled as Orion slid from his seat, straightened the front of his robes, and gracefully descended the small ladder by the open door.
Sirius glanced at his brother, whose eyes glittered back at him.
'After you, of course.' Regulus said with a sweeping gesture and a slight bow.
Letting out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding, Sirius hoisted himself up and jumped from the carriage door onto the immaculate lawn beneath. As the impact of the ground reverberated through his legs, he sensed a gentle movement behind him. As the carriage emptied of its final occupant, Orion, gave Regulus a nod and then fixed his gaze on Sirius's chest, his brow arching.
Sirius looked down at his navy robes that had become slightly dishevelled during the journey. And as he absently brushed a hand down them, a sudden crack caused him to start. A house-elf, wearing a purple silk toga, had appeared by his father's side and bowed to each of them before speaking.
'Gigi is most honoured to welcome you to the ancestral seat of the house of Marcellus.' The elf squeaked in a perfect English accent. 'I will escort you to the terrace where you can partake in an apéritif with my master, before dinner.'
Orion cast a warning look at Sirius, before making a gesture for the elf to lead the way. Gigi led them past a row of cypress trees, which filled the air with a heavy woody perfume, towards a pair of ornate iron gates.
As they approached, Sirius tasted the metallic sting of ancient wards and attempted to keep his face impassive. Since becoming an Animagus, his senses reacted to ancient magic in a visceral way. And as the gates approached, he vividly remembered violently retching when returning to Grimmauld place after his first transformation.
He steeled himself as the elf unlocked the gate and beckoned them forward. The magic seemed to shimmer around him, and the taste of blood filled his mouth. He stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. Clinging to the sides of his robes and forcing himself to concentrate on walking in a straight line. Slowly, the smell of lavender and roses replaced the unpleasant sensations, and as he looked around once more, a house loomed over him, its white marble columns gleaming in the mid-afternoon sun.
'My master's ancestor Marcus Claudius Marcellus, built this house a few years before he went to fight the invader, Hannibal.' Gigi said puffing with pride as they approached the house.
'Copies of his statue are all over Rome.' The elf continued while pointing at a marble statue of a man wearing a toga, sitting at the top of the flight of portico steps the group was now climbing.
As they entered the house, a cooling charm wrapped around Sirius and he bit his cheek to prevent himself from moaning with relief. A giant fresco depicting scenes from the Aeneid covered the entrance hall. He tried to catch his brother's eye, knowing it was one of his favourite stories as a child, but Regulus already appeared to be preoccupied with a scene depicting Dido's funeral pyre. Before they could linger any longer, Orion had cleared his throat, and the party kept moving.
The elf continued to lead them through a labyrinth of wide corridors, keeping up a steady monologue about the paintings and statues that seemed to fill every spare space. After what seemed like an hour, they arrived on a terrace overlooking a fountain. A table laid for a light meal occupied the centre of the space and as Gigi bowed and disapparated, the table's sole occupant rose and walked towards Orion, his blue robes billowing behind him.
'Welcome to my home.' The man said in a lightly accented voice. 'Orion, I trust your journey was well? And that my elf has seen to your luggage?'
'The journey was uneventful, and our elf has seen to our trunks' Orion replied while looking over the man's shoulder and scanning the terrace. The man nodded, before stating, 'I must apologise on behalf of my sister. She is currently recovering from heat exhaustion, but rest assured you will meet her at dinner.'
There was a long pause until Orion nodded and said, 'That is unfortunate.' He paused again before continuing, ' However, allow me to introduce my sons, Sirius Orion Black and Regulus Arcturus Black.'
The man finally looked over at the two boys, who were standing slightly behind their father. A shadow seemed to flicker in his dark green eyes as they swept over Sirius, but his face broke into a smile as he held out a hand for him to shake.
'As your potential brother-in-law, I will introduce myself to you slightly more formally than is natural.' He winked. 'I am Leone Claudio Marcellus, head of the house of Marcellus, I also have a range of other titles, but now is not the time to bore you with them.' He said jovially while continuing to smile, despite a slight tick in his jaw.
'I am an honoured guest in your home.' Sirius replied, the rote response taught to him by one of his many etiquette teachers, rolling off his tongue. Leone flashed him another smile before turning his attention to Regulus, shaking his hand before stating.
'Ahh my father and your great uncle Regulus, were fast friends I hope we reach a similar level of amity before the end of the weekend.' He clapped Regulus on the shoulder before addressing their father. 'Orion, these poor boys look dead on their feet.'
'Don't worry boys, you will get used to the Italian heat,' Leone said, turning back towards them. ' You might even come to enjoy it.' He added with a smile.
'What say you, Orion? Should I order the elf to show them to their room? They could perhaps use some rest after the journey.'
A shadow crossed Orion's face, 'That's a capital idea Leone,' And turning to his sons, his grey eyes the colour of steel, he stated simply, 'I will see you promptly at dinner time.'