~ Wizard Sweets ~
(Refreshing)
It has not been long since he lost his wife and unborn child and Orion doesn't particularly feel like socializing, but the annual Black family Christmas party is a non-optional tradition. Attempting to skip out on the event would cause more of a fuss than he is willing to deal with. He avoids the majority of his family by joining Alphard in a small unused sitting room for a game of wizard's chess.
There is a glass dish of Peppermint Humbugs sitting on the table where they set up the chess board and as the game wears on, both of them occasionally pop one of the candies into their mouths.
"Have you heard," Alphard says suddenly, in the middle of the game, "that Abraxas Malfoy lost his wife recently as well?"
"No, I hadn't heard," Orion answers after a moment's pause.
"They had a private funeral, immediate family only," Alphard explains. "Abraxas didn't want a huge fuss over it."
"Why are you telling me this?" Orion asks, nonplussed. He has never been particularly close to Malfoy and as far as he knows, Alphard isn't anything like a friend to the man either.
Alphard gives his cousin a hard look, seemingly debating whether or not to tell him the reason. The chess board lies forgotten between them, the magical pieces playing on even without the explicit orders of their owners.
"He wouldn't be considering remarrying at this point if his son were older," Alphard says finally. "But the kid is still a baby, and needs a mother. The precious Malfoy heir can't be trusted to the care of a nanny." On the last bit, his tone slides into sarcasm.
Orion says nothing in response but fears he knows where this is going.
"There's been talk of him marrying my sister."
~8/9~