Remus looked between Sirius and Regulus, worry crossing his face. "We have to wake them up, don't we? They're supposed to be here for an inspection."
"Right!" Sirius said, eyes widening. "Oh, Merlin—if McGonagall finds them like this…" Without another thought, he pulled out his wand. "Aguamenti!"
A stream of cold water shot from Sirius's wand, dousing Orion and Abraxas. Both men shot upright, spluttering and shouting in unison, "What the bloody hell?"
Orion wiped water from his face, glowering. "Regulus, do you mind telling me why you're here? Don't you have classes?"
Regulus raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing, Father."
Abraxas groaned, clutching his head. "Could everyone just keep it down? And where's *my* son? Look, even you two brought along your favorite werewolf," he smirked at Remus, "and Lucius couldn't even be bothered to show up."
Remus turned red but managed a grin. Regulus's eyes widened in realization. "Wait—you're a *werewolf*?" he asked, looking at Remus with newfound curiosity. "Does that mean you really have, you know, heightened senses and everything?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Of all the questions you could ask, that's the one you choose?"
Remus gave a nervous chuckle, glancing around. "You're not… afraid? Or, you know, disgusted?"
Orion shot him a cold, piercing look. "I could end a hundred men in a hundred different ways without a wand—even during a full moon."
Abraxas nodded in agreement, his eyes narrowing with a dark gleam. "You're the one who should be afraid of us."
Orion shifted his gaze between Sirius and Regulus, his eyes a bit clearer now. "So, judging by your stunned expressions, what exactly did we let slip?"
Sirius and Regulus exchanged a look before Regulus spoke up. "We know about her," he said quietly. "We know Walburga wasn't our mother. And apparently, we have a sister."
Sirius tried to shrug nonchalantly, though his voice came out tight. "You know… just another Black family secret. Like a lovely Christmas surprise."
Orion looked at him and shook his head with a smile. "That sarcasm? He got that from Vishakha," he muttered to Abraxas, who chuckled in agreement. "Reminds me of seeing her in person."
Sirius pulled out the photograph, showing it to both men. "So… this is her, right? Vishakha?"
Abraxas immediately thumped Sirius on the back of the head. "Show some respect. That's my sister-in-law—and *your* mother."
Regulus held up his hands, exasperated. "Can someone explain this, please? Fully?"
Orion and Abraxas exchanged a glance, before Orion leaned back, his voice taking on a serious, nostalgic tone. "It's a long story," he began, "but I'll keep it short."
Orion began, "It started during Quidditch practice. Abraxas and I saw this strange light over the grounds—blazing, like a comet. Naturally, we went to check it out."
"Like two idiots," Abraxas cut in with a grin, "we went rushing over without a plan. And we found two young women—a beautiful Indian woman named Vishakha, and her cousin, Meenakshi. They'd… well, they'd literally fallen into our arms."
Orion laughed. "Except we all ended up crashing to the ground. So much for a grand first impression."
Orion continued "And they were from a different timeline… aroythe 2010's? Yes that's what she said."
Abraxas nodded. "A different world entirely. There, they practiced magic differently. No wands. They were elementalists and martial artists. They controlled magic through their energy, their movements. It was unlike anything we'd seen."
Orion nodded. "Once they found their bearings, they started looking for their families. Somehow, they found distant relatives here, their family's bloodline in this world. It was all a bit… well, surreal."
Abraxas's expression softened as he continued. "Meenakshi couldn't find any of her direct family, but Vishakha's family welcomed them both in… reluctantly. Not exactly 'accepted,' more like… tolerated. The Rathore family wasn't too keen on their 'modern thoughts'."
"And your mother…" Orion's voice grew softer, his eyes distant. "Vishakha never liked being bound by rules. It drew us together. She was wild and free, and it was impossible *not* to fall for her."
Abraxas smirked. "The family patriarch nearly exploded when we got engaged. After our marriages, he disowned both of them. But we brought them here, married them properly, and had you lot."
Remus's voice was soft, almost tentative. "So… what happened?"
Orion's jaw tightened, his voice lowering. "One day, she was gone. Vishakha. Meenakshi too. I'd just returned from a council meeting when I found her… lifeless. She was carrying your sister, Regulus I held her… but before her body even turned cold, it vanished. *They* vanished."
Abraxas sighed heavily, a haunted look crossing his face. "We searched everywhere, tried every spell, consulted every contact. But there was nothing. And after that, we… well, we withdrew. We grieved."
Orion held up a small, cracked mirror, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Well, would you look at that… I found the two-way mirror we gave them. Surprisingly, it still works, though but now I think it's a one-way connection. They can't see us, but we can see them. And time seemed to run slowly there I think since your sister is just looking like a child around 2 years when she should be 11."
Abraxas nodded, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "So we thought that this is huge. We might actually have a chance to bring them back, or at the very least… make them talk. But here's the strange part—people have completely forgotten them. It's as if they never existed. Lucius doesn't even remember the woman who raised him until he was six."
Orion's eyes darkened. "Everyone forgot. The bonds between the Malfoys and Blacks, the ties we had… it's like we're strangers. We were the closest of friends. But something's shifted here, as if reality itself is bending."
Regulus, watching them both with a newfound understanding, spoke up. "So… the timeline is changing? Shifting back to the way it was before they came here?"
Orion nodded. "Exactly. This world is trying to erase them, pulling us back to a state where they never existed."
Sirius and Regulus exchanged a glance, a mix of determination and unease.
"We have a lot of work to do," Orion said, his voice steely. "Sirius, Regulus—you're coming with me. There's a family meeting, and it's time you both attend."
Abraxas grinned, shaking his head in disbelief. "Well, I'll go track down my own useless son… but Orion, think of it! We both have daughters now."
Orion chuckled, a rare warmth in his gaze. "Yes, we do."
Turning to Remus, Orion extended a hand. "Mr. Lupin, it was a pleasure."
Remus shook his hand, looking between Orion and Abraxas with a mix of respect and awe. Abraxas, meanwhile, continued questioning Orion about the appearance of his daughter as they strode out of the room, leaving Sirius, Regulus, and Remus to process the whirlwind of revelations they'd just been handed.