My Time

Chapter 25

Hayden stiffened entirely, the heated excited whispering of the Black family falling on deaf ears. Turning around to stare at Orion, raising his index finger, he pointed it at Orion's chest, narrowing his gaze, "And. Just. How. Do. You. Know. That?" poking him in the chest with every single word, causing him to wince. Hayden was by no means being careful, the tip of his nail biting through his clothes and into his skin. Luckily it wasn't enough to bleed – there wasn't enough nail for that – but Orion wasn't thinking like that right now.

Orion flushed red to very tip of his ears, not a usual look for the graceful arrogant pureblood. Hadn't he just recalled earlier this evening that Hayden probably didn't even realize he knew? "It wasn't my fault." He declared, there was an almost sheepish look to him.

"Oh? What wasn't?" Hayden demanded to know.

"Your medical records were left lying out," Orion revealed, tone softening apologetically. Normally you'd never be able to get a word passed his lips that weren't intentional. He was very private, and not to forget very reserved naturally. Hayden…Hayden was to him family already. He belonged in amongst all the Blacks. So, revealing this information – to him – was natural and expected. It wasn't as if his family would dare to speak about this to outsiders. Not at the extent of infuriating him and damaging their place in the family. "At the hospital, I didn't intentionally read them. when I realized what they were I immediately sought the situation to be rectified."

Hayden recalled the memory easily enough, despite it happening weeks ago. He recalled the healer asking him questions, and him quickly tending to another who had quite an awful coughing fit. He'd left the results at the bottom of his bed. He vaguely recalled meeting Orion not long after that. "I remember that," he agreed. "But when exactly did I give permission for you to tell your entire family?!" he went from understanding to annoyed in a nanosecond. Waving his hands up as if to say 'well?'

Arcturus watched his son be scolded by the young Lord Peverell. Flinching when he was touched so unexpectedly. Hyper awareness and vigilance causing him to react in ways he normally wouldn't. The fact his brother, his youngest brother had not reacted the slightest at being found out. No remorse, no regrets, not even what it would do to his children…it was horrifying really.

"Are you finally seeing what I've been seeing for over a month now?" Melania whispered softly into her husband's ear. A small almost indiscernible smile on her face. It had taken a long while for her to get the courage to talk back to her husband when they first married. Orion and Hayden having that sort of passion right away? Well, it spoke wonders to an equal and happy marriage, didn't it? it was more than she'd dreamed when it came to her son. After all they had all, behind her back, signed her son off to his cousin without her consent. Instead, all she could do was find a suitable match for her daughter, make sure she was truly happy with her pick.

Arcturus not up to speaking quite yet, just gave a jerky nod. He wanted everyone to leave, to leave him alone. So, he could grieve, so he could mourn, today he'd lost a brother, and quite possibly made things very troubled with a potential son-in-law. At this rate Orion was going to leave the family as it was if he and the rest of the family didn't buck up.

It was easy to forget that Orion had every intention of leaving. Especially when it hadn't come to that, or them losing their magic luckily. If it wasn't for Hayden that might well have still actually come to pass in at least two years' time. Which was when Walburga would have reached a marriageable age. In which the contract would have become viable. Now everyone would just assume it wasn't needed, wasn't a problem.

They didn't know Orion well enough to realize just how stubborn he was.

He didn't just receive the Black stubbornness, no, Orion also received the Macmillian side too. They were to the outside world, very mild mannered and entirely forgettable – except Melania who was the most beautiful of them all – but nobody knew the temper they had on them if they felt wronged. It had taken years for Melania to lose her temper, but she did, and she was very stubborn too.

A carrier, Arcturus thought in awe, his son had not only fallen for a damn Peverell but a carrier. A carrier that actually looked like he wanted to have a family, to use the gift he'd been born with. Instead of bargaining with the children the husband desired, trying to force their husbands into letting them be further educated, university and such. While it was unthinkable for witches to ask…it was unfortunately, not so odd for carriers to ask, so it was politely tolerated – and accepted – by society.

There was no doubting that children born of a carrier were significantly more powerful than the average wizard. Merlin himself was said to be born from a carrier. As were the founders of Hogwarts, and they were the most powerful wizards and witches, their powers had been off the charts and never replicated.

Then again, they no longer tested children's magic, believing that it was detrimental to them to know some children have so much more magic than others.

Orion was all but squirming on the spot if you looked well enough. "You are family." Anyone that didn't know him would assume he was entirely unbothered.

"That won't get you away with just freely talking about my medical history!" Hayden argued, but his tone had softened. "And damn you for manipulating me with something I want more than anything else." he hissed out so that only Orion could hear that.

Orion turned to face Hayden properly, before ducking down a little and whispering, "I didn't, it's the one thing I'd never do. You have my solemn unbreakable promise." Using those particular words knowing they'd have the desired effect. He might be a Slytherin, and he might do whatever it took to get what he wanted…but never at the expense of someone he cared for.

Hayden groaned; one lip raised as if he's about to sneer but not. "You're not very easy to stay angry at." He grumbled, shuffling his feet, annoyed that he didn't have the capacity to stay pissed at him.

Orion smiled showing off all his teeth, which prompted Hayden to groan again, smacking his hand against his face. Not the sexy smile! He couldn't resist that either! Rolling his eyes, he froze when he caught sight of both of Orion's parents watching him. "Orion…why is everyone staring at me?" realizing belatedly that it wasn't just them. It was all of them, even Charlus and Herbert and they weren't even Blacks.

"It's just been a while since anyone of note was a carrier," Orion explained, making no effort to be quiet on that front. His entire family heard him, and it seemed to kick their brains into high gear. "The founders and Merlin are primarily the ones we think about when the word 'carrier' gets floated around." It wasn't completely rare, although probably quite rare here in Britain, more so than anywhere else.

"And go figure it would be a Peverell next," Charlus thumped him on the back, releasing the tension in the room. Although, everyone noticed that Arcturus wasn't one of the ones who untensed. He was coiled like a spring and looked not to relax any time soon. "Right then…I guess we should…" making a gesture towards the kitchen door and the exit.

"Sit down, everyone, now," Arcturus demanded of them, technically he had no real say over Charlus and Dorea or Herbert and Belvina or Harfang Longbottom and Callidora. Two out of the three were Lord's of their own estates, they came out of respect for the Black family. Charlus came because of Dorea's unwavering and staunch loyalty to the family.

Everyone reclaimed their seats, whether they had to lift them from the floor where they'd fallen. Everyone was tense, even more noticeably now, sitting at the table all grim faced and deeply uncomfortable for some. None more so than Hayden, who had once again been prevented from leaving.

Then just like that, Arcturus had Pollux at the middle of the table, levitating him. Making sure that everyone could see him, and would be able to listen to him. Grasping a hold of Pollux' long hair, he pulled it back, bearing his neck to the family, before he opened the vial of Veritaserum with a flick of his thumb and gave the wizard the exact three drops required.

"Rennervate!" Arcturus cast the reviving spell, which doubled as a counter-curse to the stunning spell. Pollux had no visible signs on him of any other spell, so he was assuming it was the stunning spell.

"What…" Pollux said staring at them before he gradually became lax, eyes growing glazed as he succumbed to the artificial calmness the potion causes. He could not get another word out, for the 'calmness' that it induces was the catatonic sort.

"What's your name?" Arcturus asked, almost wishing that another name came out…that this was all something an outside had concocted and his brother was perhaps held captive. Or even dead, it would have been preferable to the way he had betrayed the family.

"Pollux," came the dull reply, he was no longer a Black, he'd need to pick a new name for himself to use. It certainly wouldn't be a magical one, lest he be sued, since nobody would want Pollux associated with them.

That thought burst like a bubble, and Arcturus barely reacted to it. It was wishful thinking, he knew. There was never a hope that it could possibly be true. He could see by his parents' visible reactions that they too likely had similar thoughts.

Hayden closed his eyes for a moment, clutching Orion's hand, offering what comfort he could. What he was doing was probably seen as improper, luckily for everyone, it was happening under the table. Orion needed him; he couldn't claim to understand what he was going through. To truly understand them, you need to go through the same thing. He had come close, the girl he'd thought would be his wife and the mother to his children had killed him…if that came close. He hadn't been gifted with a family, not a brother, not an uncle, not the way Orion had anyway. The way Orion spoke of his uncle…he'd never had that. Vernon had loathed the very air he breathed, and would, if he'd had the guts, left him somewhere to be found. The only thing staying his hand was the fact he was worried about wizards.

"How long had you been planning to gain the Black Lordship?" Arcturus, praying to any deity that this wasn't a massively longstanding plan.

"Twenty-five years," Pollux said monotonously.

Arcturus inhaled sharply, the pain unbelievable, his stomach twisting unpleasantly. He'd began this plan from the very moment he'd taken over from their father. "Why?" why would he do this? Was he so unhappy in answering to him? When had he ever denied him? He'd given him more money every time he asked!

"Because I wanted to be Lord Black, I deserved to be Lord Black!" you could almost hear the vehemence in his voice, even through the Veritaserum. Pollux truly believed he deserved it, more than his brother.

"How long had you been planning in one fell swoop to betray your family with that contract?" Arcturus asked, glancing away, blinking the tears from his eyes. He did not want his brother to see him grieving, or worse have the others see him.

"Sixteen years in the making," Pollux told him, each spell, each word painstakingly decided upon. Each addendum added so thoughtfully to ensure that it was entirely legit.

"Did you regret it?" Arcturus asked, still staring at the floor a single tear running down his face. His baby brother…oh, it hurt so much, wasn't it bad enough that he lost Marius? Now Pollux? What did he do to deserve this? Was he simply that intolerable?

"No," incapable of lying, if he'd gotten away with it, he wouldn't have cared a bit. He didn't even regret getting caught, he was just…disappointed. Plans two decades in the making, course he was going to be disappointed. He'd been planning to take the Lordship for two decades, but the plan with the contract was only seventeen years in the making.

"When did you begin hating me so much?" Arcturus asked so utterly bewildered by his brother's hatred.

"I've always hated you," Pollux would have sneered or snarled if he could. "Right from the second you told me to 'buck up and be glad I'm not the one being sent away because I'm a squib',"

Arcturus staggered back, that? That? That? He could barely remember saying it until he spoke about it. He had been lashing out! Angry at the world! His brother had just been sent away, he who had the most memories of him. Those simple words had condemned him? nearly condemned his son to a lifetime of slavery? "I'm sorry," he croaked out, "I'm so sorry," but it was too late, too late for sorries, to late for any relationship to be repaired, too late for them both.

Arcturus glanced at Regulus, glanced at his other brother, and found him entirely too fascinated with the floor. Did Regulus hate him too? Swallowing thickly, he hadn't meant what he said, he had been just as angry at their parents for sending Marius away. His shoulders slumped, did his entire family hate him? He knew his son did, and his wife…Merlin, he didn't know anymore, all he knew was that he was just so tired, so resigned, so hurt.

"What did you want the wizengamot seats so much?" Arcturus asked holding his breath, praying for another reason other than those little words he'd said when he was young and grieving. "What were you hoping to accomplish?" hoping against hope for one moment that this had all been done to find their brother, Marius and return him home. That he may be able to forgive.

"Power, it would be my voice that's heard amongst the masses, not yours," Pollux declared, the desire to be needed, wanted above all else Black was evident right from a young age. "I wanted to be the Minister for magic," to be revered, sought out more than his brother, to have more power, to be liked. Liked. Liked. Liked. To change everything, to be remembered, and not just another name attached to the Black family. He wanted to be renowned for bringing the Black name to new heights.

He just wanted everything he'd ever dreamed off to come true.

He deserved it. His brother didn't.

Clenching his jaw Arcturus ground his teeth painfully together, all this was what…some sort of Merlindamned childhood jealousy and anger? What the hell was wrong with Pollux? Sure, hate him…but their parents? What because they made him Lord Black as is customary?

"Does Walburga know about your plans?" praying his niece wasn't part of this too, otherwise he would be disowning yet another member of his family. Two in one single fell swoop, Merlin, he didn't know what he'd do. It was very rare to disown family, they were everything.

"No," Pollux declared.

Arcturus nodded, not so surprised, Pollux was is misogynistic to the extreme. Really badly misogynistic, views he'd been very surprised to learn his brother had. It was only a few years before Irma had died. The only upside of having a daughter was being able to marry her off.

"Does Cygnus and Alphard?" their very future hinged on Pollux's reply.

"No," was the reply.

Arcturus raised his head and stared at the ceiling; he was so very bone achingly tired. He was so conflicted on what to do with his brother. He had no regrets; he'd likely would have done it all over again. Not that it mattered, when he was through with him…Pollux was going to wish he was dead.

There was going to be no mercy for him.

If it had just been him…he would have had a chance…but no, he'd messed with his son, his (not so) little boy. Now that was the most unforgivable thing he could have done.

"Stupefy," Arcturus pointed his wand at Pollux's chest, and the wizard was stunned.

"Oh, Pollux, what have you done?" Sirius said softly, grief coating his voice. At this rate his family was going to cause the second heart attack that killed him. He felt a hand at his shoulder, Lucretia, his granddaughter trying to console him.

"I must beg of your patience…for we have one more task to perform." Arcturus said, a faraway look on his face. It was best to seek forgiveness than ask permission. If his niece was innocent then he would apologise and seek forgiveness.

"She's fifteen-years-old," Callidora cautioned, "She can't possibly have anything to do with what happened. You heard Pollux! She had no idea what was going on, she isn't fully grown, there must be a reason they don't use it in the legal system for anyone under seventeen."

"Then leave," Arcturus stated, he was doing this whether they liked it or not. If they didn't want to see it, then fair enough, he wouldn't force it on them. If they felt like they needed plausible deniability he'd give them it.

Harfang Longbottom, wrapped his arms around his wife, displeased with Arcturus' handling of this meeting. Also, how he was treating people, the pass because of his brothers' traitorous actions would only extend so far.

"I'll go get her," Melania said, wrapping her robes around her as if to shield herself. She was off, making her way directly to her husband's study where Walburga waited.

Nobody else moved, nobody broke ranks despite the clear desire to do so. Nobody wanted to see a fifteen-year-old ganged upon so severely. Especially after Pollux had admitted that she knew nothing. So, they did not see the need to force her to take a potion that would make her answer what the obvious answer would be.

"What is going on? Why was I pulled from Hogwarts? Have my bespoke robes finally arrived? My jewellery?" Walburga's voice was heard as her and Melania walked towards the kitchen. Excitement suffused her voice, to the point of almost sounding like a squeal.

Sirius grimaced, truth be told, he hadn't actually ordered them, the family crisis had taken top priority. He had completely forgotten, in his anger at her actions, the way she was with family the day after their beloved Carina had passed away. Forgetting that she was just a teenager, that it was a phrase that she'd grow out of eventually. He hoped.

"I'll be sending you and your brother back tomorrow, I think," Melania explained, although she wasn't sure that was possible. Merlin only knows how long it would take the boys to recover from magical exhaustion. She did wonder why Walburga hadn't been affected. The only reason she could think of was that she wasn't as powerful as her brothers, and didn't feel the abrupt drain as much.

"My stuff, did it come or not?" Walburga asked, swinging the kitchen door open, not even noticing the others, too focused on Melania and her answers.

"Not yet," Melania said in placation, vividly recalling her own daughter's phase, admittedly she'd been ten not fifteen. One conversation in her father's office with her father had changed her tune. She wasn't even sure what exactly had gone on, nor had she found out actually.

"Sit down!" Arcturus demanded; his voice rather loud.

Walburga just about jumped a foot in the air, whirling around, "Uncle Arcturus!" she blurted, finally realizing something was going on. A family meeting, "Father…what's going on…" she rushed to his side, but before she could reach him, Arcturus' hand prevented her, without pause, easing her into one of the free seats.

"What are you doing? What's wrong with my father? Why aren't you doing something?" she asked, glancing over at her father in worry at his bound unconscious state.

"Drink this," Arcturus said, sliding over the glass of orange juice. Giving her a look that suggested he wasn't kidding around. He had only put two drops of Veritaserum in it, he didn't want to actually risk his niece's life. He did want answers…and he honestly believed trying to read her mind would be more detrimental than Veritaserum.

Walburga huffed in a breath, ready to explode in sheer annoyance at how secretive everyone was being. That's when she caught sight of her uncle's face, and she swallowed the words. Very confused, she reached out and drank the juice, all of it. There hadn't been much just enough for a mouthful.

There was no glazing over of her eyes, since there weren't three drops and it was diluted by the juice.

"Did you know your father was betraying the family?"

"No,"

"Have you seen or read the contract that binds you and Orion in marriage?"

"No,"

"Do you want to marry Orion?"

"Yes,"

"Can you give her the antidote now?" Callidora asked pursing her lips, she had two children and never wanted to see anything like this done to them. Perhaps it was time to leave her Black roots behind. Hopefully before Lord Black left scars that will never be healed.

"Did you have suspicions on what your father was doing to the family?" Hayden worded it a bit differently, suspicion playing across his face. He honestly wasn't sure whether he could trust it or not.

"Yes,"

"Did you overhear conversations that made you suspicious?" Orion asked cautiously.

"Yes,"

"Did you know what was in that contract that bound you and Orion?" Hayden asked, there was a big, big difference between read or see and verbal after all.

"Some, father wouldn't talk about it with whoever was there," Walburga pouted a little.

"Arcturus?" Melania asked, wondering what to do next. "It's really, very late…" they'd been here way too long, the children were exhausted and needed to go home to bed.

The wizard's shoulders hunched, even Walburga had suspicions and he had been entirely oblivious. "Take her to the guest bedroom and have her locked in for the night. I…I need some time." he confessed, removing her wand from her person, looking defeated, destroyed. "I…I just…need…some…some time."

"I'll update all of you when there's something to be updated on," Melania told her family, a soft sympathetic look on her face. Getting Walburga out of her chair, and to walk, which she did a little robotic since she was under the potion.

That was all the permission they needed, every couple stood, eager to collect their children and return home. Their minds were bursting with information and the consequences of that information.

Lycoris and Regulus moved to hug their brother tightly, talking quietly. Nobody could hear what they were saying, but they were reaffirming that they loved their brother and didn't blame him. The tears on their faces on Arcturus' neck revealed they were just as affected as him.

"I definitely have to go this time," Hayden murmured, squeezing Orion's hand, seeing Arcturus sobbing on his brother and sisters' shoulder was a bit much even for him. This was very private and shouldn't be watched by anyone let alone him.

He didn't see the looks of awe and fear in equal measures that every single member of the Black family (by name or not) gave him. Talking to Death on one hand…scary and of course, a sacred carrier, amazing.

"I'll come with you," Orion murmured quietly, standing up along with him.

"Oh, no, I'm going alone. Whether I understand or not…you had no right giving out my information like you did." Hayden said, pressing his hand against Orion's chest, physically parting them before swiftly leaving before Orion could get his ass into gear and follow.

There was an ache in Hayden's chest, wondering if he would have been chosen if he hadn't been a carrier instead of Walburga or if it would have happened the way it should have done.

A/N – You know I originally started this story to make it about politics and family, and I'm wondering right now if any of you actually want the family drama? Or was it more geared towards not wanting them to take on Cygnus or wanting to wait a few years before they have them? because I can quite happily have the story go on until they have a family then make an epilogue of how many down the line 😊 I can think of a lot of things that can happen instead I honestly don't mind…I didn't expect another story to take off quite so soon after The Contract 😉 kids yay or nay? And how many 😉 R&R please