A/N: More inspiration! Probably came about because the semester is almost over – I'll most likely have more time to write during the summer since the only thing I have is work. As a side note, this is mostly headcanons, don't think it's legit or anything.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Title: House Words

Rating: K

Pairing: N/A

Summary: The words of a house can tell you a lot about what they value. It is the words that pureblood children learn first before everything else, and it is these words which carve a house's place within Wizarding society.

Black: Toujours Pur

Always Pure.

For that was what the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was and what they prided themselves to be. Obsession was a nasty thing however, and many heirs to the family found themselves quickly driven to the brink of madness in order to obtain the one ideal that was expected of them.

Some had done so, choosing to marry into the families that had been chosen for them. Others turned their back on this noble goal, in doing so, turning their back on their family, their history, their legacy, their blood; for this, they were punished. If they could not stand with their family, they would stand against them – blood traitors. Only the head of the family could disown a child of the Blacks, however, for that was his duty, his right.

By the powers that be, the Black family was one of the oldest Wizarding families of Great Britain's magical community, and with that came great influence. Priding themselves on their pure blood, they made waves within the Wizengamot – many Blacks were known and feared for their political skill and their magical power, and later, their hordes of books on the darkest kinds of magic. Only in recent history would they delve into the secrets kept on their shelves, only recently would they take up their wands and use such spells in the name of a lord that was not of their own house, for their minds were addled with the prospect of more power and the insanity that came with marrying one's cousins for several generations.

There is a tale that was once told to the youngest of Blacks that has since faded to time – a tale of how they obtained their name, their words, and the animal that adorns their crest. It has been forgotten in favor of the pursuit of power and purity, of death and inbreeding. Not everyone has forgotten however, for the books within the library of the Blacks remembers, even if they sit and collect dust, hidden under stacks of tomes of dark spells and curses.

It is said that the Blacks, young and flourishing and powerful, slowly grew from humble beginnings – peaceful healers, roaming bards, skilled potioneers, no one is sure. But the youngest of four, kind and noble Cygnus Black I, protected and raised a unicorn, the purest of all magical creatures. The fair creature was forever grateful to the young Black, so grateful that he bestowed upon the other a hair from his tail for which Cygnus used as the core of his wand. And with this wand, the youngest of the Blacks led his family, in turn honoring his dearest friend and his kin – toujours pur.

However, the Black family slowly forgot over time their honorable and humble beginnings, indulging themselves in the fruits of their labour, the gold that they earned, and the status that came with being such an old family. They deemed the unicorn on their crest as weak, and the Black family was not, could not, be considered weak. They changed their crest, changed the animal which decorated it for centuries. But they kept the words. These however they twisted the meaning of, tainting them until they became a mockery of what they once were.

'Always pure' of blood, for in this new world, blood is the only thing that matters.