Inside the ancestral house of the Black family, on the eve of Yule, three generations sat within the same room.
It had been a very long time since that had happened.
Two estranged brothers stood apart beneath the weight of ancient portraits, their grandfather seated between them like a judge carved from time itself. And among them all sat Corvus Lestrange, quiet and observant, his vivid purple eyes standing in stark contrast to the steel-grey gazes that defined the Blacks. He looked like an anomaly. A star fallen into the wrong constellation.
No one spoke.
The silence stretched, old and uncomfortable, thick with everything that had never been said.
At last, Arcturus Black broke it.
"So," he said slowly, his voice roughened by age and memory, "it has been a while. The last time both my grandsons stood before me together… that must have been nearly ten years ago."
He leaned back, eyes distant.
"A remarkable achievement," he added dryly. "For a family as… functional as ours."
Sirius scoffed under his breath.
Sirius's gaze lingered on Corvus for a long moment.
Then he scoffed.
"So this squirt's a Metamorphmagus, huh?" Sirius said, folding his arms, mock outrage dripping from his tone. "Listen here, squirt. That doesn't give you the right to be arrogant."
Corvus didn't blink.
Sirius continued, curiosity slipping through the sarcasm. "How come I've never heard of this? Because as far as I know, if Bellatrix knew, she'd strut from Diagon Alley to Hogsmeade like a peacock, screaming about noble blood and destiny."
"Because she doesn't know," Corvus replied calmly. "Apart from the people in this room, only my grandfather is aware. My parents do not."
He paused, then added evenly, "That was intentional."
Sirius's brows rose. "Huh."
"And I would prefer it stays that way," Corvus said, turning his head slightly toward Sirius. "Including beyond this room."
Sirius barked a laugh. "Oi. Why would I go around telling anyone about you, brat?"
"You might tell your friends," Corvus replied. "Who might tell others. And frankly, I have no desire to become a piece on the chessboard of the head of your… organization."
Sirius stiffened. "My what now?"
Before he could continue, Arcturus spoke.
"He is referring to your headmaster," Arcturus said mildly. "Dumbledore."
Corvus nodded. "A man whose nose is famously long. Long enough to meddle in matters that are none of his concern."
Sirius bit back a snort. "You're worried about the wrong man, kid. You should be more concerned about the noseless bastard than the one with the biggest nose."
"And that," Corvus said simply, "is precisely why my parents don't know. They are… heavily invested in Lord Noseless."
Regulus exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple.
Sirius, on the other hand, snorted outright.
"Don't let your mother hear you say that," he warned. "She'll Crucio you into oblivion."
Corvus tilted his head. "Takes one to know one."
Then, without raising his voice, he continued, "Besides, as in the last war, so too in this one, the Black family has members on both sides of the conflict."
The room stilled.
"It doesn't matter which chessmaster wins," Corvus said calmly. "The Black family will float regardless."
He turned his gaze toward Arcturus.
"Isn't that right, Lord Black?"
For the first time since the conversation began, surprise crossed Sirius's face.
Regulus looked at Corvus as though seeing him for the first time.
Arcturus Black did not answer immediately.
But the faint, knowing glint in his eyes was answer enough.
"Finally," Arcturus said at last, a slow smirk curling his lips, "someone in this family understands my intentions. Though I must admit… I did not expect that someone to be a seven-year-old child."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Tell me, boy. How did you discern what most of them never could?"
Corvus took a measured breath.
"Because it is simple, Lord Black," he said quietly. "One only needs to read history carefully. Not the declarations. The gaps. The patterns between the lines."
He looked up, unflinching.
"This is not the first time members of the Black family have stood on opposite sides of the board. Every century breeds a new Dark Lord. And every century, some Blacks follow him… and some do not. Regardless of who wins, the Black family survives. The Blacks always remain near the top."
He hesitated, then continued.
"But this time," Corvus said, voice lowering, "the consequences will not be survivable of the Black family."
Arcturus's brow rose. "Elaborate."
Corvus exhaled slowly, as though steadying himself.
"There is something else," he said. "An ability I have not shared with anyone."
Regulus stiffened. Concern flared in his eyes.
Sirius, for once, said nothing at all.
"I am a Seer," Corvus said. "But not a conventional one."
That earned another ripple of surprise. Sirius looked genuinely stunned now. Regulus's concern deepened, sharp and protective.
Arcturus, however, remained still. "Define non-conventional."
Corvus swallowed.
"To be honest… it began in childhood. Or rather," he corrected softly, "from the day my mother took me to see the Dark Lord."
The room chilled.
"Since then, I have received visions. Not regularly. Not at will. They are… random. About people, about events, past or future. I do not see for everyone. But I do see for my family."
His fingers curled unconsciously at his side.
"When they come, I sometimes lose consciousness. I wake with headaches. Sometimes nightmares. Not all visions are… picnics."
His eyes glistened, but he did not look away.
Corvus was careful. He wanted them to understand his intelligence without drawing the wrong kind of attention. He had already suspected that both Arcturus and his grandpa knew more than he let on.
The old man's next words confirmed it.
"Hmm," Arcturus murmured. "Lord Lestrange has already explained how you know things no child should. So tell me, Seer…"
He fixed Corvus with a penetrating stare.
"What have you already tried to change?"
Corvus hesitated.
Then spoke.
"I tried to stay in contact with my aunt," he said softly. "And to spend more time with my godfather. To make sure he does not believe he is alone in this world."
Regulus's breath caught.
"So that," Corvus continued, voice trembling just slightly, "he does not end his life."
Silence fell like a dropped blade.
"I love my godfather," Corvus said simply. "He is a good man. I do not want to lose the last normal person in my family."
He lowered his gaze.
"It is selfish, I know. But I cannot help it. My parents are already… too far gone."
No one spoke.
Not Sirius.
Not Regulus.
Not even Arcturus Black.
And in that silence, something irrevocable settled into place.
Sirius broke first.
"Hey, Regulus," he said quickly, forcing a grin that didn't quite hold. "What is your godson even talking about? This is hogwash, right? Under no circumstances would Reggie decide to end his life."
The sarcasm was loud.
The concern beneath it was louder.
Regulus did not answer immediately. He sat still, eyes closed, as though weighing something heavy and unwelcome. The room waited.
Minutes passed.
Finally, he spoke.
"I do not see myself ending my life," Regulus said evenly. "Not any time soon. What brought this on?"
Corvus hesitated.
"You will understand," he said carefully, "once the Dark Lord requests an elf, or he already has."
That was all.
Regulus's jaw tightened.
Corvus turned his attention back to Sirius.
"And you, Mr Dog Star," he said coolly, "do not jump to conclusions. And do not act on emotion. If you do, you will fall into traps that land you in Azkaban for twelve years."
Sirius stiffened.
"And your friends will die," Corvus added, unfazed. "Especially the four-eyed one you brought with you today."
Sirius bristled. "What....listen here, squirt, I don't believe a word out of your venomous mouth, you slimy snake."
Corvus frowned faintly. "How am I a snake? I am named after a raven. I fly. I do not slither."
"Oh, you're definitely a snake," Sirius shot back. "Classic Slytherin energy."
"I have no intention of going to Slytherin," Corvus said flatly. "When I eventually attend Hogwarts, Slytherin would be… unwise. Too risky."
He spoke as if discussing weather.
"Ravenclaw suits me better. It allows distance from mundane politics. And access to knowledge. I prefer studying magic to surviving it."
Sirius snorted. "So you want to join the house of nerds? Fine. But don't even think for a moment that I believe your Seer nonsense."
Corvus smiled.
Not smug. Not triumphant.
Knowing.
"Rat, Dog, Stag, and Wolf," he said softly. "Marauding through the forest."
Sirius froze.
"Huh?"
"Moony. Padfoot. Prongs. Wormtail," Corvus continued, voice mild. "Sworn to be up to no good. Now that they've left Hogwarts… how do they manage their mischiefs?"
The color drained from Sirius's face.
"You... you...." He swallowed hard. "How do you know that?"
Corvus didn't answer.
He only smiled.
Arcturus cleared his throat, the sound sharp enough to cut glass.
"So, Sirius," the Lord Black said calmly, "is there something you wish to tell me?"
His eyes peering into his rebel grandson,Sirius Black.