The wolf and the lioness - the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black (Patreon)

Sirius Black, #12 Grimmauld Place – London.

“I’m sure she’ll come at any moment, I assure you,” said Sirius with determination, while staring intensely at the fireplace, making his beautiful blonde companion sigh softly.

“She won’t come, Sirius, and although I appreciate the effort to reunite me with Andromeda, I am capable of understanding my sister’s message loud and clear,” said Narcissa with a sigh.

“This is a waste of time, Sirius, it’s the fourth time you organize this little reunion and it’s the fourth time Andromeda spits in your face,” said Bellatrix, who polished her wand with dedication, completely immersed in her own world.

Probably thinking about her next dueling competition, his cousin was obsessed with maintaining her championship and becoming the first and only three-time international champion in the history of magic.

Narcissa had been leading her family since the “tragic” death of Lucius, and at the same time she took care of raising that spoiled brat, Isabella, but without the presence of a father, Lord Black knew perfectly well that it was not an easy task.

“Another disappointing result but not unexpected,” said Narcissa with complete indifference, there was not a single tear in her gaze, nor anything like that, only cold and indifferent acceptance.

Sirius made a grimace of displeasure, but deep inside, he knew his cousin was right, Andromeda would not come, as in every time he invited her.

Since the death of Arcturus Black and his subsequent rise as Lord of House Black, Sirius had done everything possible to reunify his fractured family, as it had been his grandfather’s last wish.

At first he thought it would be something easy, that he only had to talk with his three cousins and reach an agreement like civilized people, Sirius would reintegrate Andromeda and her daughter into the family again and everything would slowly return to normal.

However, things did not go as he planned.

All his cousins were Black, after all, and therefore, they had that damned pride up to the sky.

Andromeda had no intention of stepping into Grimmauld Place until Narcissa and Bellatrix apologized, and this pair had no intention of apologizing because, in their minds, they had done nothing wrong, but that Andromeda’s exile had been a consequence of her own actions.

Like getting pregnant by that idiot Tonks and ending up as a single mother, for example.

“For Merlin’s sake, Sirius, forget this nonsense, if our sister wanted to see us she would have come the first times,” said Bellatrix as she stood up and prepared to walk to the dining room and begin lunch.

Sirius simply sighed and opened his mouth to respond, when suddenly, the Floo in the room lit up, roaring with that characteristic emerald flame, surprising all the members of the Black household.

Narcissa and Bellatrix looked at the fireplace with evident surprise, an action Sirius imitated with hope, truly wishing it was Andromeda.

Alas, the disappointment came an instant later, when the unmistakable red hair and the characteristic black robes of Lily appeared.

“Oh, of course,” spat Bellatrix, losing all interest in the Floo and turning around, preparing to resume her walk, at least until a second roar caught the duelist’s attention again.

And this time, a person unknown to Sirius made his appearance, a young wizard, with an innate elegance and a powerful bearing, with black and wavy hair similar to his own, pale skin and high cheekbones, with the grey eyes so characteristic of the—

Oh no…

“Sirius, we need to talk,” said Lily, completely ignoring Narcissa and Bellatrix, who were far more interested in the strange and intriguing young man, who looked around with evident interest.

“So, this is the home of House Black?” he asked, his voice deep and controlled, while analyzing each and every corner of the room, focusing on the now curious portraits, who observed the mysterious young man with something close to hope.

“That’s right, and that is Sirius, the wizard I told you about,” said Lily seriously, making the mysterious young man nod and, looking at Sirius, respond with complete seriousness.

“Then, he is my father,” he said with total normality, making Sirius’s blood run cold, and Bellatrix and Narcissa exclaim at the same time.

“What?”

Completely dumbfounded, both witches looking back and forth between Sirius and the mysterious young man.

“Father?” Sirius whispered, completely stunned, at the same time Lily rolled her eyes and began to walk through Grimmauld Place with total naturalness, followed by the mysterious young man.

He was… tall, with that characteristic elegance that betrayed his nobility, he was literally a Black, and what was more important.

With simply monstrous magic, so powerful that Sirius shuddered just by being near him.

A sensation that, apparently, Bellatrix and Narcissa also experienced, who looked at the stranger with evident fascination.

Sirius looked at Lily completely stunned, Lord Black opened and closed his mouth without making a single sound, until the red-haired witch rolled her eyes and ordered.

“Come, let’s talk in private.”

And without waiting for a response, Lily Evans walked toward Sirius’s study, followed closely by who apparently was his son, leaving Sirius frozen for a moment.

At least until Bellatrix and Narcissa hit him on the head, bringing him back to reality.

“What the hell are you waiting for? Go and find out what’s going on!” they ordered, looking with fascination toward the silhouette of the mysterious young man.

Sirius looked at them with a frown and swallowing hard began to walk slowly, each step heavier than the last, until after a short time, he was once again in his study.

Lily had taken a seat in one of the comfortable armchairs, while her son looked with interest at some of the portraits, who looked at him filled with hope and curiosity.

“So, you are the offspring of my grandson,” snapped Arcturus, looking seriously at the young man, who returned the gaze impassively, completely immune to the tone used by the portrait of his grandfather.

“So it seems,” he said, his voice cold and controlled, the voice of someone accustomed to giving orders and having them followed, the voice of a Lord.

Who the hell was this young man?

Sirius looked at Lily, begging for an explanation, and in response, the red-haired witch simply rolled her eyes and made a subtle gesture toward the portraits, the order more than implicit.

Meanwhile, the mysterious young man chatted with Arcturus, curiously, about the best ways to… eliminate your enemies.

“It all depends on each situation, sometimes a message must be sent, and a painful and agonizing death can be the only option to guarantee victory, but in my experience, excessive cruelty is counterproductive, it is important to find an appropriate balance, an equilibrium between fear and respect,” said the young man in a tone that made Sirius shudder, even more so when he saw the stubborn and stoic Arcturus Black nod in approval at those words.

“You speak with wisdom beyond your years, young Black, experience I imagine, I see in your eyes the gaze of a warrior, something this family has lacked for a long time,” said his grandfather, making Sirius roll his eyes.

“Enough, all of you, out of here, this conversation is private,” he ordered, using Black family magic to force the portraits out of the office, sealing it, leaving only Lily, the mysterious young man and Sirius present.

Lord Black took the opportunity to inhale deeply and steady himself, before looking directly at Lily with a pleading gaze, finding a stoic look in return.

At least, until the redhead could not hold it any longer and burst out laughing like a madwoman, like Sirius had not seen in more than a decade.

“Oh, by Merlin your face! Hahaha!” said the redhead, making Sirius look at her in disbelief, before turning his gaze toward the mysterious young man, who nodded in place with a small smile.

Lily Evans, the Iron Queen of Hogwarts… had played a prank on him.

On him, Sirius Black.

“Oh thank Merlin!” he exclaimed with relief, upon knowing that the mysterious young man was not a lost son from some past mistake, but still looking at him with extreme curiosity.

After all, the resemblance to House Black was… simply absurd, the mysterious young man truly looked like a lost son of his.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Black, Lady Lily has spoken to me a lot about you, I am Aegon, Aegon Targaryen,” said the mysterious young man, making a subtle bow of respect, which Sirius returned.

Immediately after, Lily told him about the fiasco at Hogwarts, the death of the basilisk and the mysterious appearance of the young Aegon.

“Arianna will extend a hand of friendship to Aegon, but due to his age he will attend Hogwarts as a student in disguise, while we give him the space and time necessary to contact his people, he needs some difficult-to-obtain ingredients, perhaps you could be of help,”

Sirius nodded and looked at the mysterious Aegon, who observed him calmly, too calmly to be honest.

“I have no problem, I suppose the little act from before was to convince my cousins that, indeed, Aegon is my son,” he said calmly, making both of them nod.

The young man nodded and responded.

“That is correct, Lord Black, Lady Lily was very kind and devised this plan, giving me an alibi for my sudden appearance, in addition to the fact that our appearance is quite similar, not many people will question it, the plan is simple, I will be a young foreign wizard who lost his mother who, before dying, revealed the identity she had hidden for so long, a young wizard reluctant to take his father’s surname,” he said calmly, making Sirius look at him with amusement.

It would be a damn national joke, oh Merlin he could hardly wait, thought Lord Black.

But first, he had to have a serious talk with Lily.

“Aegon, why don’t you go out and talk with your aunts? I’m sure they’ll want to meet you,” he said calmly, subtly letting him know that he wished to speak alone with Lily.

The black-haired young man understood the message instantly and nodding with elegance replied.

“I understand, thank you for your hospitality, father,” he said with a nod of his head and a smile, before leaving the study, leaving Lily and Sirius alone.

“I almost shit myself for a moment,” confessed Lord Black, making Lily raise an eyebrow with satisfaction and snap back.

“Good, consider us even for that time you shit on the carpet as Padfoot in Potter Manor,” she said with satisfaction, making Sirius grimace in discomfort.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked seriously, all of this was… truly surreal.

Lily nodded with determination and said.

“Yes, his story is… not very believable, at least until you see him in action, but he is here, with unknown and terrifyingly powerful magic, and if he managed to cross into this world perhaps…”

At this moment, Lily’s face twisted in pain and she looked away, doing her best to contain the treacherous tears.

“Perhaps you could do the same…” said Sirius with compassion, making Lily look at him with fury.

“Don’t you dare look at me with that face of pity, Sirius,” she snapped furiously, wiping her tears with ferocity.

Sirius only smiled sadly and shaking his head replied.

“I’m not, I only see a woman who lost absolutely everything, a woman who lived something she should never have lived,” he said, making Lily look away again.

“I… I held Harry’s body, lifeless and cold in my arms, until you arrived at Godric’s Hollow, I saw how my husband and my son were placed in coffins and descended to their eternal rest before my eyes, no… I have nothing left, Sirius, I have nothing to lose, but Aegon… Aegon represents an opportunity, perhaps… out there, in the vast ocean of worlds, there is a Harry, a little Harry who does not have a mother and father… perhaps… I could…”

Lily could not finish speaking, before looking away, as if ashamed of what she had just said.

“I will support you,” said Sirius with determination, making Lily look at him with surprise.

“This young man, Aegon, seems powerful and quite capable, I have no reason to doubt your words, if you trust his word, then I will support you and I will support him, it is the least I can do, after what happened,” he said with pain in his voice, making Lily frown and say firmly.

“What happened was not your fault, Sirius, it was James’s and mine, for trusting who we should not have, no one else’s.”

Sirius smiled falsely, before sighing heavily and saying.

“Come on, I’ll inform the elves about my son and I’m sure Narcissa and Bellatrix have him completely overwhelmed,” he said, making Lily laugh with amusement.

“Oh, don’t give them too much credit, Aegon killed a basilisk, a couple of Black witches won’t be a problem,”

Sirius snorted, between dealing with a pair of Black sisters and a basilisk, he would choose the damn snake every time.

Moments later, Sirius removed the spell from the portraits and called Kreacher.

“Yes, master?” asked the old elf, frowning as he looked at Lily as if she were an insect, a look the redhead ignored with elegance.

“Prepare two rooms, one for my son Aegon, and another for Lady Lily, who will be staying with us for a time, also clean one of the basement rooms and set it up as a workshop, my son will need it for his magical experiments,” he ordered with veiled disdain.

The elf looked at Sirius with surprise and said.

“But… Kreacher does not detect Black magic in the young Dragon, Dragon powerful, but not a Black,” he said in confusion.

“The magic of his mother’s family overwhelmed the Black gift, I will take care of awakening it later, do not question my orders,” said Sirius firmly, lying with alarming ease, making the elf nod slowly and disappear instantly.

“Well, with that settled we...” however, Sirius’s words were interrupted by a disturbance in the wards, at the same time that an unknown word was heard.

“YOL!”

Loud and imposing, it was clearly a spell, a powerful one judging by how Grimmauld Place shook completely, alarming Sirius and Lily, who ran toward the living room, fearing the worst.

Upon arriving, Sirius found Bellatrix looking at Aegon with fascination and uncontrollable desire, while Narcissa looked at him in absolute shock, one hand on her chest, looking between his “son” and the charred stain on the wall, where once stood the portrait of his deceased and annoying mother.

Aegon stood furious, but completely controlled, hands behind his back as he looked with an impassive expression at the burnt remains of Walburga Black.

“Did any of you wish to comment anything else about my mother?” he challenged, taking complete control of the room, and of all the portraits, none were foolish enough to respond to such an evident display of power.

“No, heir Black, the message was received loud and clear,” said the portrait of his grandfather Arcturus, who could not stop looking at Aegon with pride, relief and hope.

At those words, the rest of the portraits nodded and murmured approval, looking with respect and fear toward the new “heir” Black.

“I see you had problems with my… with your grandmother,” Sirius said calmly, continuing the charade.

Aegon looked at him for a moment before nodding and responding.

“Yes, a rather unpleasant being, she dared to insult my mother, an act that only one other person had dared to do, neither of them lived to tell the tale, evidently,” he said with complete naturalness, making Bellatrix laugh softly, clearly pleased with how the situation had unfolded.

“Bella, Cissa, allow me to present my son, Aegon Targaryen, who will be living with me from now on,” Sirius said with determination, making both witches look at him in surprise before frowning.

“Targaryen? Not Black?” asked Bellatrix, looking at Sirius and Aegon with disapproval.

Before Lord Black could intervene, Aegon responded.

“It is the surname of my late mother, the only one I have known my entire life and I have no hurry to change it, there is no problem with that, is there?” he said calmly, stepping in front of Bellatrix, challenging her to say something about it.

Bellatrix frowned, and although Sirius prepared to intervene, something incredible happened.

Narcissa intervened.

“There is no problem, Aegon, we understand that your surname is important to you, isn’t that right Bellatrix?” said Narcissa, looking sternly at her sister, who simply pouted.

“Yes,” she said simply, making everyone sigh in relief.

“But…”

Oh no, Sirius thought, seeing how Bellatrix stepped forward, wand in hand and with a mischievous smile on her face, looking at her “nephew.”

“I wish to measure your magical abilities, a duel young nephew, here and now, to test the capacity of the future Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black,” her gaze was calm, but the desire to fight more than evident.

Sirius and Lily looked at each other, not knowing how to react to such a challenge, at least until Aegon responded.

“Sounds interesting,” said his “son” at the same time he extended his hand and, before Sirius’s incredulous gaze, blue flames began to appear between his fingers, kissing his skin without the need of a damn wand.

“Wandless magic,” whispered Narcissa, looking at Aegon with surprise and… something else in her grey eyes that Sirius could not identify.

Something that was also present in Bellatrix and Lily for some reason.

Lord Black simply sighed, his headaches were only just beginning, it seemed.