Orion blinked his eyes open to a dimly-lit room. He noticed that it had to be nighttime, and he was clearly in a room in St. Mungo's. The door opened and in walked Andromeda Black.
"You're awake," she said with a slight smile. "How are you feeling?"
"I am fine. Now, when can I leave?" Orion asked, already wanting to leave.
"Not so fast, Uncle," Andromeda said sternly. "You were tortured pretty badly. You are still healing, and we need to talk."
Orion looked at her strangely. "I left the family. Why are you still referring to me as if I am still family?"
Andromeda sighed. "You and I may not see eye to eye on many things, but whether or not you left the family, you are still my uncle."
Orion sighed. "How long do I have to stay here?" he asked. He had always hated hospitals. When he was at Hogwarts, he would sneak out of the Hospital Wing whenever he could.
"You'll have to stay here until you're completely healed," Andromeda responded. She pulled up a chair, and sat next to the bed. "Now, what happened to you? Who tortured you?"
"Walburga," Orion spat out the name like a curse. Andromeda looked surprised. "Don't be too surprised, Andromeda. Walburga has always harmed anyone she could, especially Sirius and Regulus."
"You did too," Andromeda pointed out.
"I… I suppose so, but she was always worse," Orion admitted.
"She might have been, but do you realize you hurt your children as well, which, no matter who is worse or better, harming children is unacceptable," Andromeda pressed.
Orion sighed. "Let's not talk about that."
Andromeda realized Orion still had to come to terms with some things, so she decided to let it go for now, but when the time was right, they would be talking about that.
"Alright," she agreed. "So, why did Walburga torture you?" It did not slip Orion's notice that Andromeda did not refer to Walburga as her aunt.
"We were at a Death Eater meeting, and I was lost in thought, and she tortured me after that," Orion confessed.
Andromeda knew there was a lot to unpack from that simple sentence, but she knew they needed to talk about one thing at a time. "You're not marked, so I know you are probably not a real Death Eater. Do you go to those meetings because you have to, or because you want to?"
"Because I have to," Orion stated. "Walburga's marked, and I have to go wherever she goes."
"When did she start torturing you?" Andromeda asked.
"When she no longer had Kreacher to torture," Orion informed her.
"Wait, Kreacher was tortured as well?" Andromeda asked, horrified. "How did we not know about it? Why didn't he tell anyone? Especially your parents."
"Walburga ordered him not to tell anyone, and since Mother and Father never suspected anything, they never ordered Kreacher to tell them," Orion explained.
Andromeda thought for a moment before asking curiously, "Why didn't you tell them?"
Orion snorted. "At that time, I didn't really care. I just let Walburga do whatever she wanted."
"So, what changed?" Andromeda asked.
"Well, I think that what changed was the fact that Walburga has started targeting me and torturing me, so now I know how it feels to be tortured, and now I understand what others have been through," Orion admitted.
Andromeda asked the question that Orion had been waiting for. "Do you think your children deserved to be harmed?"
Orion hesitated. "Maybe not, but Sirius has always been the vocal one, defying everything the Black family stands for," he replied.
"And what does the Black family stand for?" Andromeda asked.
"You're a Black. Don't YOU know?" Orion snapped.
"I do, but I want to hear it from you," Andromeda stated.
"Well, the Blacks are all pure-bloods, superior to half-bloods and Muggle-borns, and it is important to act accordingly," Orion explained.
Andromeda sighed. "When you were growing up, what did your parents teach you about the Black family values?" Andromeda asked.
"Father was the one to teach me all about the Black values, and he always claimed that the Blacks value pure of magic, not pure of blood," Orion said.
"So if that's the case, then what made you value pure of blood over pure of magic?" Andromeda asked curiously.
"When I went to Hogwarts, my housemates taught me to value blood status over everything else," Orion explained.
"And you believed your housemates over your own father?" Andromeda asked. She was doing her best to remain calm and collected, despite the fury she was feeling inside.
Orion nodded. "Yes," he admitted. Andromeda noted that Orion didn't hesitate with that response.
"Uncle, I think it would be in your best interests to seek mind healing," Andromeda said quietly. She already knew that he would protest, so she held up a hand. "Hang on. I know and understand that you probably do not want to talk about anything with a stranger, and you probably don't think you need to see a mind healer. I understand that. However, I think that after everything you've been through, especially with Walburga, I think it would be beneficial."
"I am not about to speak to a stranger about my feelings!" Orion exclaimed angrily.
Andromeda nodded in understanding. "I'm not really trained in mind healing, but if you would like, since we already know each other, I would be willing to work with you. It won't be at a professional level like with a mind healer and patient, but it will be between two people with familial ties."
Orion stared at her in surprise. "You would do that?" he asked.
"Yes, but on one condition," Andromeda said.
"What is it?" Orion asked.
"You will not go back to Walburga," Andromeda stated. Orion was about to protest, but she continued before he could. "If you truly want to heal, both physically and mentally, you need to be away from the people who will hurt you."
"Well, where will I go?" Orion asked.
"Well, you cannot live in a Black Family property, due to not being in the family, but I'd be willing to help you find a decent place to live," Andromeda offered.
Orion hesitated for a moment. He then commented, "But Walburga will come after me."
"That is why, when you move into your new home, you can put up a fidelius charm, and you can be your own secret keeper," Andromeda pointed out. "Then you can tell those you want to know, and Walburga will never find you."
Orion widened his eyes. "I believe you have a point there," he said thoughtfully. Then he sighed. "Do I need to tell my parents what's going on?"
Andromeda shook her head. "Not until you're ready to. I won't tell them anything. It will be up to you who and when you want to tell. I think it would be a great idea for you to reunite with your parents someday, but that will be your choice."
"But after I just turned my back on them, I don't think they would want me anyway," Orion commented.
"Actually, I don't think that's true," Andromeda said with a slight smile. "They were very upset when you left. Even your father was in tears, and that's saying something."
Orion was surprised. "Father never cries," he said in disbelief.
Andromeda laughed lightly. "You're right. I think that was the first time I've ever seen him in tears. But your parents love you, and I am sure that, when the time is right, they would love to have you back in the family."
"I'm not committing to that," Orion corrected her.
Andromeda hid her laughter behind a cough. Secretly, her goal was to get Orion on a path where he would value his family and want to be in the family again, but she knew there was a lot to work on first, and she was willing to be patient.
"I understand," she said kindly. "Let's just take everything one step at a time."
Orion nodded. "Then I will accept your offer, and I will not go back to Walburga," he promised.
Andromeda smiled. "Excellent!" she exclaimed. "Then we have a deal!"
Andromeda then checked to see how Orion was healing before leaving the room, telling him to rest. She knew that there was a long road ahead, and it would require patience and understanding, but she was ready to be there for her uncle. She, along with many other family members, had always known that Orion had a heart, but it was just misguided. She was determined to help him, no matter what it took, and maybe, just maybe, she could help him understand the true values of the Black family, the values that Arcturus always tried to push. She was ready for the challenge.