The next morning, breakfast was silent. No one really felt like talking. Sirius and Regulus wanted to break the silence, but they didn't know if their grandparents wanted to talk.
Finally, when breakfast was over, Arcturus motioned for them to go into the sitting room.
When they were sitting comfortably, Arcturus started speaking. "What happened last night is something I wish to never happen again. We have suspected for years that Orion may decide to leave us, but we never expected it to happen the way it did."
"So, you saw this coming?" Regulus asked.
"In a way, yes," Melania answered. "We had a feeling it would happen one day, but we never thought it would happen during the Yule Ball with the entire family there."
"Well, we're not our father, and we're never going to abandon the family like he did," Sirius declared.
"Sirius is right," Regulus added. "Our father's stupid."
"I believe the better word for that is foolish. Your father is foolish," Arcturus corrected. "And while it is very sad to see him leave us like this, all we can do is move forward."
Sirius and Regulus nodded.
Meanwhile, at Evans residence:
Lily Evans sat at the breakfast table, having pancakes. She was in a sour mood. The day before had been Christmas, and while her parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents had gotten her presents, Petunia had not.
"Freaks don't deserve presents," Petunia had said coldly.
Lily sighed as she watched the snow hit the windows. Petunia had been cold towards her since she found out she was going to Hogwarts without her. While their parents did not like the way Petunia treated her sister, they never did anything to stop it.
They had once told Lily that they wanted to keep the peace in the family. Lily could understand that, but that did not make it alright for her parents to just sit back and do nothing. They would spoil Lily rotten to make up for the treatment she was getting from Petunia, but that was not enough, in Lily's opinion.
Before the first of September, Petunia had just called her names and insulted her. But since the holiday break had started, Petunia enjoyed slapping Lily over the face whenever she had the chance. Lily had a feeling that her sister would only get worse, and she feared that she might become more physical. She" decided it was time to do something.
Lily was about to compose a letter to her headmaster and deputy headmistress, but before she could, an owl flew in through the window.
"Lily! Get that nasty freakish thing out of here!" Petunia shrieked.
Lily ignored her. She recognized the owl as the one belonging to the Prewetts, meaning Severus had written her.
"Hi Stardust," she whispered. She took the letter from the owl and tore it open.
Dear Lily,
Last night, I went with Lucretia to the Yule Ball at Black Castle. I met Sirius' mother and father, and they are very unpleasant people, to say the least.
The ball was fun for a while, but then Lucretia caught Walburga with an object with black magic. Apparently, if a Black has an object with black magic, they are immediately disowned. The object was Slytherin's locket, and Voldemort gave it to Walburga to keep safe. Arcturus disowned her immediately, and Walburga threw a fuss like a two-year-old. I can see why Sirius and Regulus don't stay with her. She's a nightmare!
Then, after Walburga was kicked out of the property, Orion declared he was leaving the family behind so he could stay with Walburga. A lot of people were upset by this bit of news. Lucretia went immediately to her room when we returned to Prewett Hall, and she was not seen again until this morning.
When I tried asking Lucretia what black magic means, she got very stern with me real quick. She told me that it's forbidden magic that I will not find out about until I'm seventeen. Yet, I feel like Sirius knows about this magic, and he's only twelve. Lucretia says it's because he's the Heir to the House of Black, but something tells me they're hiding something. However, I know better than to push. The Blacks have their secrets, and they will tell us at some point, I assume.
I hope Christmas is going well for you. I have sent you a present. I hope you find it enjoyable!
Your friend,
Severus
Lily sat stunned. She had not expected for there to be so much in just one letter. She then giggled. Severus still called Arcturus by his name. She wondered if or when he would call him Grandfather.
Lily took out a piece of paper and pencil and wrote a reply. When she was done, she gave Stardust the letter. She then started composing a letter to two of the Hogwarts staff.