Harry pulled Sirius over to the table and they sat down. Arcturus rose from his seat and raised a glass.
'Allow me to propose a toast,' he said in his high, reedy voice, 'to my grandson, Sirius Orion Black, heir to our Noble and Most Ancient House, and to his fine son, Aries Sirius Black, who has turned into such a magnificent young gentleman, a tribute to his breeding and upbringing. Sirius and Aries!'
'Sirius and Aries,' the family mumbled. Arcturus sat back down.
'Merlin, Sirius, it's good to have you back,' Melania gushed, piling food high on his plate with her wand. 'You're awfully thin. It's not healthy. Not to worry, though. We shall have you fixed up in no time.'
Cassiopeia coughed pointedly.
'Thank you, Granny,' Sirius said. 'Actually, Aunt Cassie has already done a good bit of fixing me up and bringing me up to date. I don't know how I could have managed without her.'
'Oh, it's nothing at all,' Cassiopeia said, blushing faintly.
'Oh no, Aunt Cassie, I'm very grateful to you,' Sirius said. 'I'm especially thankful for the excellent tutoring you've been giving Aries. I do hope you'll continue.'
Cassiopeia beamed at him. 'Well, if you insist, dear, I suppose I can. We must provide only the best for darling Aries.'
'Yes, I see no reason why anything should change, simply because Sirius is free,' Pollux opined. 'You and the Squibs have been doing a fine job of raising Aries, and I'm sure Sirius will be only too happy to maintain the status quo.'
Irma rolled her eyes. Marius and Clytemnestra just sighed.
'Well, I for one am glad that little Aries has a father,' Abraxas said. 'You're a fine boy, Sirius. Allow me to express my joy at having you as my son-in-law, and to welcome you to the Malfoy family. Our home is your home.'
Lucius muttered darkly under his breath.
'Thank you, Mr Malfoy,' Sirius said.
Abraxas chuckled. 'Please, call me "Dad."'
Lucius continued his angry muttering. Harry glanced over at Draco and rolled his eyes. Draco chuckled, but not before Harry had seen a look of longing in his cousin's eyes as he stared at the way Sirius had his arm around Harry's shoulders.
'By the way, Aries,' Cassiopeia piped up. 'Don't forget that your father and I shall take you and Draco to Diagon Alley tomorrow in order to purchase your wands. That will give you a good month of practice before you return to England.'
Pollux harrumphed. 'I don't see the need for these preposterous restrictions on underage magic. The French take a much more sensible line on this, I think.'
'Well, our children manage to do magic at home without being detected,' Irma replied acidly. 'I don't think their having to abstain in public is such an insuperable hardship.'
'Not all families allow their children to use magic at home, Irma,' Melania pointed out. 'I was never allowed to practice during the holidays.'
'Yes, dear,' Irma replied in a saccharine voice. 'But you come from a family of Hufflepuffs.'
'Don't let your great-grandmother prejudice you, boys,' Melania said to Aries and Draco. 'Hufflepuff is a fine House.'
'I'm with you, Granny,' Dora said proudly.
'Draco, if you're Sorted into Hufflepuff, I swear I'll disown you,' Lucius said evenly.
'Don't be ridiculous, Lucius,' Abraxas said. 'Draco will go wherever Aries goes, and where else could our little Parselmouth go but Slytherin?'
Lucius resumed his muttering.
'I don't know, Dad,' Sirius said with a mischievous smile. 'Aries could take after his father and wind up in Gryffindor.'
Everyone fell silent and scowled at Sirius. Harry jumped in to his father's defence.
'That's brilliant, Dad!' he said. He gave Draco a pointed look, and his cousin jumped in.
'That's right, Uncle Sirius,' Draco said. 'It would be wicked for me and Aries to wind up in Gryffindor! Who knew you were so devious?'
'What are you babbling on about, Draco?' Lucius demanded.
'Think about it, Uncle Lucius,' Harry said. 'If I'm to fulfil my true destiny, it's essential to keep meddling old fools like Albus Dumbledore from suspecting what I'm up to.'
'He'll watch us like a hawk if we're in Slytherin, given our family backgrounds,' Draco said.
'The prejudiced old codger,' Pollux muttered emphatically.
'But in Gryffindor, we could do as we please, without fear of retribution,' Draco continued.
'We can build up our power bases without opposition,' Harry added.
'And when the time is right, we strike,' Sirius said brightly, to everyone's shock and delight. 'The Muggle-loving fools won't know what hit them.' Harry and Draco looked up at him in a mixture of surprise and admiration. No adult had ever caught onto them so quickly before, still less joined in.
Cassiopeia cackled. 'A fine plan. Worthy of Slytherin's true Heir.'
Abraxas chuckled thoughtfully. 'You make good points, boys. If anything, I think this proves the two of you think like Slytherins. But, if you can pull it off, your plot has my blessing.'
'No one would expect the next Dark Lord to come from Hufflepuff, either,' Melania said, sulking, but no one paid her any mind, except for poor Dora, who was beginning to understand just why her parents wanted her to keep her distance from the House of Black.
After dinner, Sirius, Harry, Draco and Abraxas went outside for a game of two-on-two Quidditch. Harry and Sirius teamed up against Draco and Abraxas, and the teams were fairly evenly matched. Sirius and Harry won the first match, and then Sirius suggested they switch. Draco seemed surprised.
'I thought you'd want to spend time with Aries,' he sputtered.
'I do,' Sirius said. 'But I'd also like to get to know my favourite nephew.'
Draco raised an eyebrow. 'Uncle Sirius, I'm your only nephew.'
Sirius grinned. 'Precisely.'
Abraxas and Harry won the second match handily, and Draco looked a bit frustrated, but Sirius ruffled his hair and promised him that they'd play again the next day after they got back from Diagon Alley.
'And tomorrow, we'll win,' Sirius assured his nephew.
'In your dreams,' Abraxas retorted. Harry and Draco both laughed.
.....
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