Chapter 1: The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

An elderly man walked through the Ministry of Magic Atrium. Fifteen years ago, he had privately sworn he would never step foot in the Ministry building again. However, his only heir was locked in a holding cell and a letter from a member of his House had convinced him to venture out for the full story –it was, after all, his last chance to avoid surrendering the line of succession to his cousin, and their Most Ancient status with it.

Even at 86 years old, he was a formidable man. Though he walked with a cane –a silver plated, goblin-made cane with a magical focus –he stood at just under six feet tall and wore robes perfectly tailored to accentuate his height. His dark eyes sparked with fire and his once midnight hair, now silver-gray, hung perfectly about his face. It was clear he was once a very handsome man, though his face was now lined and aged.

Just before he reached the security checkpoint, a woman stepped into his path. She did not make eye contact, but curtsied low with her head bowed before him. "My Lord Black," she intoned.

Lord Arcturus Black studied the woman for a long moment. Her breeding clearly ran true, her dark locks fell forward to cover her face and he knew, though he could not see them, that her eyes were as black as night, much like his own. "Andromeda," he acknowledged.

She straightened her posture, but said nothing further, waiting for his leave.

"Have you seen him?" he queried.

"Yes. He is…" Her eyes grew sad as she spoke, "as well as could possibly be expected, my lord. He has retained his mind at least. Head Auror Bones contacted me directly to tend to him as his personal Healer, he won't allow anyone else to touch him."

"Good. Trust no one but family."

She nodded. "Toujours pur," she murmured, so quietly it was but an unheard breath. She turned and led him past the security desk, not even sparing a glance to the junior auror manning it. Arcturus followed her to the lifts and deep into the Ministry.

"Siri?" A familiar voice shook him out of his stupor for the second time that day.

"Andy? What are you-" Sirius paused as he looked up at Andromeda and the man following her up to his cell. "Grandfather," he said coldly.

"Hello Sirius."

"What brings you here among blood traitors?" Sirius asked.

Arcturus' eyes flashed with fire as Andromeda admonished Sirius sharply for his rudeness. "My son may have been swept up by the Dark Lord's promises, Sirius, but I know better than to sacrifice our status as the Most Ancient House of Black for something as fickle as your personal beliefs. The House of Black will endure," he said strongly.

Sirius looked up at him with matching fire dancing in his eyes. "I hope you won't mind my half-blood heir then," he retorted, his tone emphasizing the challenge in his words.

"Your heir?" Andromeda interjected, surprise evident on her face. "You never said…I thought..."

"My magical heir," Sirius clarified, eyes softening. "In 1980, on the Winter Solstice, James and Lily performed the godfather rites with me, Harry Potter is my magical heir... Andromeda says I likely will not be able to father any children."

Arcturus rocked back on his heels, watching his grandson carefully. Sirius, clearly the same hotheaded boy that goaded his mother into blasting him off the family tree, despite his emaciated appearance, looked him directly in the eyes.

"And you would be willing to teach him the ways of the Blacks?" he asked.

"Within reason, yes." Sirius returned, his eyes seeming to focus elsewhere. "We're his family now."

Arcturus nodded, reminding himself that, despite his late son's opinion, his grandson had always been a true Black at heart, in his passions and loyalty. "Where is the boy?" he asked.

Sirius blew out a breath; his expression darkening almost imperceptibly. "Bones says Dumbledore used his power as Chief Warlock to seal the Potter will and place Harry somewhere secretly 'for his own safety.'"

"Do you know what the will says?"

"I didn't witness it, but it will say I am his Godfather by Rite."

"Alright. I will contact our barrister and have them prepare you for trial. Is there anything else?"

"The DMLE has Pettigrew, he was the Potters' Secret Keeper, if they can't get Veritaserum allowed -I'll take it, willingly."

Arcturus met Sirius' gaze straight on, searching for any hesitation. "I understand, but I hope it doesn't come to that. The Wizengamot would certainly love to have a Black at their mercy," he spat darkly.

Sirius smirked, then stood shakily, grabbing the cell bars with one hand to hold himself still. He met his grandfather's stern gaze again, standing proud, though unsteady. Holding his right fist over his heart, he rasped, "May they tremble before the power of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."

"Toujours pur," came the strong reply.

The hall was deathly silent for a long moment. "Toujours pur," he growled in return.

Arcturus was seated in his study, parchment spread across the desk, when Tenebris, his eagle owl, alighted on the windowsill with a soft hoot. He held out his arm for the creature to land, gently untying the missive from its leg. He quickly turned to dig in his drawer for an owl treat, holding it out to his companion, who took it gently and took off back into the night.

It had been a few days since he met with Sirius at the Ministry and Lord Arcturus Black had not been idle. Besides arranging for a barrister to represent his grandson, he had been reaching out to old allies, feeling out their allegiances, hoping to get Veritaserum questioning for Pettigrew approved, without also exposing his family. Despite Sirius running away in his youth, he still knew many family secrets, not to mention the family magics. He had also arranged for a Black family meeting for the New Year, provided the trial went well, of course. With a sigh, he opened the letter, spreading it out before him.

My Lord Black,

My Husband and I will be honored to attend dinner at Black Manor tomorrow.

Yours,

Andromeda Tonks

House of Tonks

He ran his finger over the final line, frowning slightly, his brow furrowed in thought. Had Cygnus tried to disown his daughter? He couldn't quite recall those years, when his late wife Melania had first become frail and they had withdrawn from public life. She had been dead two years now, he had missed much in the last couple decades, it seemed.

Yes, there was much to discuss.

Andromeda stepped through the Floo first, followed by her husband Theodore -better known as Ted. A house elf greeted them immediately. "Welcome to Black Manor Miss Andy, Sir Tonksie, Mimsy be taking your cloaks. Yous be coming to the parlour, Master Black be ready for you."

Andromeda nodded, handing over her cloak. "Thank you Mimsy, I remember the way."

Arcturus rose to meet her as she entered the room, clasping her hand in both of his and pausing, forcing her to look him directly in the eyes. "Remember Andromeda," he said intensely, his eyes flaring with emotion. "Your father has never been the Lord of this House." Arcturus kept her gaze, searching for a sign that she comprehended what he was really saying. She looked into his eyes in confusion. "Only the Lord may disown you from the House of Black." he finally told her gently.

Andromeda's eyes closed, a single tear streaking down the left side of her face against her will. "Toujours pur," she whispered.

"Toujours pur," he replied, kissing her hand and letting her go. He turned and sat on the armchair by the fire, indicating for them to take a seat. "I am sorry, I did not realize what Cygnus had done until I saw your letter, you and your daughter remain daughters of House Black." He trailed off, now gazing at Ted. "I apologize, Theodore, I should have introduced myself, I am Arcturus Black, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Please allow me to apologize for how other… members of this House have conducted themselves towards you in the past."

Ted looked startled, but was able to answer him haltingly. "Thank you... Lord Black, I appreciate your words and your actions towards my wife and daughter. Please, call me Ted, my father was Theodore."

"Very well, Ted." Arcturus looked over at Andromeda, who was watching the two of them closely. "Tell me, how much do you know about marriage contracts?"

Ted's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden turn in the conversation. "Well, being a lawyer, I do understand the advantages to drawing up these contracts in certain circumstances, to protect the family. But, being a mostly… Muggleborn… lawyer, I do not deal with them directly very often. My clients are not much interested in them," he said, eyeing Arcturus warily.

Arcturus nodded. "Yes, yes. Such as with a Scion of a Noble and Most Ancient House?"

"Yes, sir," Ted agreed reluctantly.

"Let me be plain, Ted, you know that Sirius is the only eligible blood heir in my line. Did Andromeda share his… condition with you?"

Ted shook his head. "No, we do not discuss Andy's clients for privacy reasons."

"Yes, of course, but you are family... Sirius… cannot have children, not after Azkaban. But he does have a magical heir -Harry Potter."

Ted met Arcturus' gaze, comprehending immediately. His emotions played prominently across his face, disbelief, anger, indignation -then his eyes went curiously blank. "Then it is certain Sirius will be exonerated?" he finally asked absently.

"It seems so, yes."

Ted maintained eye contact and said in a flat, firm tone, "I won't contract Nymphadora without her permission."

Arcturus' eyes sparked with respect. "Then her permission we shall have. Come, let's dine and discuss this with Nymphadora later."

After dinner, Arcturus followed the Tonkses to their home. As he stepped through the Floo, he analyzed the small home closely, but found nothing to critique, despite its small size. "You keep a beautiful home, Andromeda," he complimented.

She inclined her head. "Thank you, my Lord Black."

Suddenly, a barefoot, pink haired teenage girl bounded into the room. "Mum, Dad…" she cut off her exclamation suddenly, freezing in place. Her cheeks turned bright red, her hair flashing to match. But her eyes... her eyes matched her mother's perfectly.

"Hello Nymphadora," Arcturus said, his eyes burning with restrained mirth at the appearance of the girl.

"I… I.." She suddenly seemed to realize who this must be and dipped into an awkward curtsey, "My-my Lord Black," she managed to say.

He smiled at her. "Nymphadora, I have something I wish to speak to you about."

And so, fourteen-year-old 'don't call me Nymphadora' Tonks sat next to Lord Black –her Lord Black! –on their blue couch, her toes pressing into the carpet nervously. She listened quietly while Arcturus explained to her what had happened, what he was asking of her and why. She asked him a few questions, but did not get angry or defensive, as her mother and father expected her to be. Arcturus answered all of her inquiries patiently, then waited for her to process her thoughts.

She was utterly silent for a few minutes, but eventually responded. "I'll do it."

Her father looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure dear? You've never liked anyone deciding things for you…And this is a big decision to make."

She nodded. "I know Dad, but I…" she blushed again and looked at her hands. "The boys at school, they… they…"

Andromeda put her hand over her daughter's gently. "Dora, do they -ask you to change for them?"

She nodded. "And, the girls, they think I'm trying to steal their boyfriends, they don't like me. I…" her voice cracked with emotion. "I just –I think it would be better this way. Maybe… maybe he will take care of me?" Her voice was now very small, almost broken and, when she looked up to meet Arcturus' gaze again, there were tears running down her face.

He smiled at her gently. "Nymphadora, you and he can be friends. He's just a boy right now, but I hope you both will be happy with this in the future. There is one thing I want to make sure you know before you agree to this..."

One of her eyebrows raised in question. "Alright," she said cautiously.

"The boy –he is the head of at least two families, and…"

She waved him off quickly. "I understand, my Lord. Mum taught me all of the old ways, it's alright."

He surveyed her in appreciation. "Well, Lady Nymphadora, let me be the first to officially welcome you to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."

"My Lord, please, call me Dora."