Trouble is brewing in the Pureblood families
After his sisters opened their presents that day, Fred quickly found himself thrown into various etiquette classes, mostly instructed by the Lord Arcturus' wife Melania.
Having spotted Fred tripping once in the hallway, Melania had ordered him into hours of dance lessons in order to rid him of his so-called clumsiness. Now he knew why everyone hated Melania Black, nee MacMillian. Her surprise etiquette lessons were the reason.
In the small large sitting room, Fred had been instructed to dance with Bellatrix the proper way. Apparently his form lacked so much she felt the need to hit his sides with her cane to straighten him out every 20 seconds. Nonetheless, Fred cooperated, often struggling to lead because Bellatrix wanted to instead.
"Bellatrix! Stop leading!" Melania barked. "You are not a man!" Bellatrix would roll her eyes in the most discreet ways as she relinquished control and let Fred lead her. "You have the grace of an infant mudblood! Control yourself!" she then barked at him. The foul word always badly resonated with Fred, ever since he had first heard it. It had always irked him.
He struggled to remember the first time he had heard it, but distinctly remembered the shattering of teacups and plates, followed by his mother Molly's shrill voice. He had almost mixed up the memory of Druella calling muggles a bane instead of Molly screaming.
"Get your head out of the clouds, boy!" He felt the cane hit his back sharply, cutting his train of thought.
He almost felt the need to backtalk to her, but that would have only ended badly. 'Bite your tongue… Don't say anything…' The slow, rhythmic droning of the waltz music had become increasingly more annoying than anything. It had gone on for 3 more long hours before coming to an end when Arcturus Black, the Head of the Black Family stepped in to summon Fred.
Lord Black had arrived along with his two little cousins, Sirius and Regulus while Bellatrix was sent off to be in their company despite her intense dislike of them and Fred was to follow the Lord.
Every since he had watched his sisters open their presents and he had received the note, he had been told to wait by his father until Arcturus came to him, which Fred found useless and boring as he had to wait many hours, only to have said man's wife come to visit and badger him about his lack of grace.
Arcturus led Fred to one of the studies of Grimmauld and warded the room before taking a seat at the desk and began rummaging through his things. Fred patiently took the seat across and waited until the elder Black was finished searching through his things. "Frederick, you look tense, my boy. Relax." He told him. "I am not here to scold you in any manner." The words did little to relax the Heir, though it had some desired effect. "I simply wish to know how your year is going. You have not written me any letters."
"I'm sorry. I didn't think-"
"Ah yes. Your father told you not to send letters unless it was of urgency, yes?" Arcturus said, an eyebrow raised a faint smile. "Don't listen to him. I always eagerly await letters from my family on the happenings in their lives, no matter how insignificant they may seem... All they do is ask favours, you see. Do promise you'll write this old man a letter before June comes along?"
"Of course, Lord Black."
"Call me grandfather, Frederick. You don't want me calling you Heir Black all day, do you?"
'Not what I expected at all… Very...relax…?' Fred immediately thought. "Alright… Grandfather…" He seemed so unsure of himself. 'Is he even my grandfather… No… That's Pollux. He's like… My great-uncle...?'
"Worry not about the specifics Frederick." Arcturus cut off his thought process. "Now, your gift." He lifted a small box, the same size as his previous one. "Go on. I wish to witness your reaction." The old man smiled faintly at his Heir as he slowly undid the wrapped her of the box. Lifting off the lid, he pulled out a small ring. Or, a rather large one at that. "You turned twelve recently, which makes our tradition of gifting the Heir their signet ring on their 12th Christmas." Fred rolled the ring around in his palm, admiring the family crest and the moto Toujours Pur that was written below the banner. "You may choose to begin wearing the ring today if you wish, or hide it until later in order to keep the Prophet from latching onto new gossip vines." Fred slipped the ring onto his finger and watched it resize to fit his own specifically. "This is also what you will use for any official letter. You stamp the signet into a few drops of wax to close up a letter. It will be viewed as a high priority letter to read and, if you choose to send me one, be it important or just any correspondence letter, I shall see it as my top priority."
"I think I'll keep it hidden in my trunk for school for the time being." Fred told the man. "Unnecessary attention isn't really my priority at the moment." Once it came out, Fred realised just how cryptic he sounded but the elder man shrugged it off.
"You've always been peculiar, Frederick. Different than your typical Black." Arcturus began, a glossy sheen over his eyes. "You don't seem to flaunt your family name and you don't care for dramatics. Truly a mystery, my boy. I do wonder why." For a moment, Fred was taken back by the words, finding how they were used just a tad bit off before he continued. "Now, tell me about your new friends at school." And so, Fred momentarily forgot about the words he had just heard and went on to entertain the Lord Black of his stories from school.
"Brilliant news, Freddie," Bellatrix came to find him the moment he emerged from the study with Arcturus. "Hermione wrote back. She said her parents are allowing her to come for a visit the 27th and father is allowing the Malfoys a visiting day as well." Bellatrix and Fred cracked the same grins with the same glimmer in their eyes as they both dashed back down the halls of the home.
"Those two…" Arcturus smiled as he shook his head before encountering his nephew, Cygnus Black rounding the corner, just about to bump into the twins who had just left. The moment he took notice of his Head of Family, he gave a polite bow on the head and motioned to the study for a private word.
The two entered the study and it took no time before Cygnus spoke up. "Uncle, you gave him the signet ring?" It seemed more like a statement to the elder man. Animosity had quickly coated the air around the two when the door closed. Both men's eyes crinkled at their edges and narrowed to each other. It seemed this particular type of encounter was beginning to be more frequent as one recent between the two Blacks.
"If you have a problem with my decision, you will tell me now." Tension so thick, the two Blacks had a stare-down that would later result in various consequences.
25th of December, Malfoy Manor
Later that evening, Following a very cheerful family dinner, a chilling cold swept through the manor rather quickly, igniting a thick tension between the two elder Malfoys.
Lucius and Hermione sat idly by as their father seemed to glare at the Head of the Family. Alexandra seemed to be torn with what was going on and had no clue as to what to say.
Lord Malfoy had his usual expression, yet a glacial air in his eyes, entirely directed at his son, Abraxas, where as Abraxas had a visible scowl directed to his father, Lord Malfoy. It seemed as if Alexandra didn't even know what the two men were so angry about. She couldn't resolve an issue she didn't know about, yet she knew it was there.
Lucius and Hermione tried to occupy themselves after dinner to avoid the conflict that brewed between their father and grandfather but it was rather difficult to ignore when an explosion occurred. Running down the hall to the study, the door slightly ajar. The two sat outside the study out of the sight of its voices were loud and the atmosphere at dropped a few degrees.
The first voice they heard was their grandfather's.
"It is not your right to do so! You mustn't forget your place Abraxas!"
"The Malfoy reputation is on the line! I will not let our name be sullied!"
"You have sullied it enough in the last decades, your place by Grindelwald damaged our family enough. Do not think I have not heard the words you spout among them."
Lucius and Hermione momentarily looked at each other in confusion as the conversation took a turn. It seemed heated enough and they doubted that their mother was in the room. If she was, she'd have spoken up by then.
"I am leading this family on its rightful path! How dare you speak to me this way!" Lucius paled upon hearing his father's words. If he'd spoken to his father that way... Well he'd be stuck standing for a few days. The two siblings knew there was going to be another outburst. Septimus Malfoy might be old, but in no way was he incapable. "Their actions can only sully our name from here!"
"You dare speak to me in such a way? I brought you into this world, and do not think for one second that I would hesitate to remove you from our line. Permanently ." Lord Malfoy's tone took an icy turn as his sentence paused. "It is your company that will bring our name into the mud."
"It is her company that she keeps that will drag our name through the mud, not my acquaintances."
"Her company has no political agenda!"
"She keeps Mudbloods and Blood Traitors in her presence! She does not deserve to carry my family name!"
Hermione's blood ran cold in that moment, whether it was simply one word or the entire conversation, she couldn't help but stand up and leave, leaving Lucius beside the door confused.
I apologise, it isn't very long.
For the earliest updates of the story, make sure to check out Rewind on AO3, I go by the same same name there too!