personal 2

He arrived with a soft crack at the driveway to a small pleasant looking house in the suburbs. Muggle neighborhood, a nice little garden attached to the small brownstone house. Definitely not somewhere anyone would search for a member of the Black family. 

He walked up the cobblestone path, leading through the perfectly stylized lawn and garden, Andromeda's work no doubt, she'd always been a green thumb. He didn't feel much in the way of wards, although he wasn't an expert of any kind. Probably more of a safety in obscurity approach - cheaper too. War time wards were very expensive unless you happened to have a ward master on your own handing out favors. He paused at the door, straightening out his robes, before taking the knocker in hand and knocking loudly thrice. 

There was movement in the house, and soon enough the door opened slowly, like the owner was hesitant. Sirius caught his first sight of Andromeda in a few years - the woman still beautiful, even in a sweatshirt and an apron, although too similar in facial structure to Bellatrix for his tastes. She also looked very hesitant. 

"No hug for a favorite cousin?" Sirius said softly. Stood on the doorstep feeling some anxiety at the very open hesitation in the woman in front of him. 

"Sirius…." Andromeda said slowly, the door still only half opened. "If you're here for an apology," She said, straightening her back, fixing him with a glare. 

Sirius chuckled and stopped her from continuing by speaking up, "Not at all, Andy, you had nothing to do with my imprisonment." 

Andromeda bit her lip, hand on the edge of the door, "But I never for a second believed you were innocent, either." She said quietly. 

Sirius was taken aback, he hadn't expected that?" Really, not even one? Out of everyone I thought you…" Sirius trailed off, both of them standing uncomfortably at her door. 

She sighed, opening the door up, "You might as well come in then." She mumbled, stepping back and allowing Sirius to enter her home. "Ted is at work, and I'd prefer to finish this before he comes home." She walked ahead of him, "I suppose owls were all sick? Floo not working?" She asked, somewhat waspishly. 

"Ashamed of me?" Sirius had to ask, still slightly thrown by how this meeting was going so far. "And I guess it was a bit rude of me to just appear at your door." He admitted sheepishly. 

"Not anymore then I am of any other Black." She replied softly. Moving into the living room, taking a seat at a dining table, a floral table cloth adding to the homey feeling of the space. Several plants dotted the living area, making it feel alive in a way. Lived in, he supposed. Nothing like Grimmauld place which was more of a mausoleum. He sunk into the chair opposite of hers, eyeing her carefully. Probably not the best time to ask her if she wanted to redecorate Grimmauld. Even though she was the only name on his list at this point. 

"You have to understand Sirius. I fled the family - I expected that during the war Bellatrix would kick down the door and kill us all. If we were lucky." Andromeda said gently. Hands laid onto the table, fingers intertwined. "And that was if any other members of the family didn't pull some strings to arrange an accident." She smiled sadly, "I lived in constant fear of the name Black." 

Sirius grimaced, pulling a hand through his hair, "No, I get that part, I really do. But Andy, I'm not like them." 

"Aren't you?" Andromeda said shrewdly, eyes piercing through him. "I remember the boy you were Sirius. Cruelty was never very far away, and if the papers are correct, you were on your way to murder a man, instead of turning him in to the authorities, when everything turned wrong for you." Her lips quirked into a mirthless smile, "Murder seems very Black to me, Sirius." She hesitated for a moment, before letting one last arrow fly, "There's a reason no one really argued against your guilt, Sirius. It wasn't that unbelievable."

Sirius couldn't even argue most of that, because it was mostly true, from a certain point of view it certainly looked bad, he didn't agree with them all thinking him evil without bothering to question him, though. "I made mistakes, I've seen that now, but it was never my intention to do anything evil." He said, eyes meeting hers, "I'm trying to be better. And I'm trying to force the family along for it." 

Andromeda just sighed, and sat in silence for a few minutes, before shaking her head, looking at him with tired eyes, "You haven't learned, not if you're trying to bring them all together in one direction - away from their comfortable hate. You can't Gryffindor this all together." She chastised, "This isn't Hogwarts, Sirius, this is the real world, you can't just move on with nothing but hope and wishes."

"Then join me, add your Slytherin mind to the process, we can make the Black family a force for good." Sirius implored her, he hadn't meant to pitch her today, had only meant to touch base again, suss out how receptive to rejoining the family she'd be, but if he left without doing it now, he might not get another chance. 

"I left for a reason, Sirius. And I have a daughter now. I don't want her exposed to that kind of darkness." Andromeda said, immediately rejecting him. Eyes firm, mouth drawn into a thin line. 

"She doesn't need to meet any of them until everything is sorted out, she'll be safe, Black wards would keep her away from anything that could hurt her." Sirius argued, but his heart wasn't really in it. He could tell that he was talking to a wall. Andromeda wasn't going to change her mind. 

Indeed, she looked at him with sad eyes, "Sirius," she said softly, "How safe were you under Black wards?" She looked even sadder as Sirius immediately stiffened, "The threat isn't outside, it's inside. I'm not going back in, I won't!" 

Sirius stood up, nodding slowly, "I admit this is not how I wished for things to go," he said quietly, studying his cousin. "If you ever need anything from me, I'm just an owl away, we'll always be family, Andy."

"Thank you." Andromeda said softly. "I wish you well, Sirius. Really I do, but please don't come over unannounced again." She asked, awkwardly.

The conversation was obviously over, so Sirius quietly let himself out, and apparated directly home. His mood was thoroughly ruined. 

That had not gone how he wanted. 

Andromeda had been a big part of his plans going forward. Not just for such a simple thing as redecorating Grimmauld place. But to take over in the Wizengamot for the Black's once he became Minister. 

Andromeda would be perfect for running the family's PR. 

This was a real setback. 

It also hurt. He hadn't expected it. But it hurt that she thought so lowly of him. Even if he couldn't blame her for not wanting to deal with the rest of the family. He'd thought she'd at least want him. 

That he'd be part of Nymphadora's life. 

But being the Black Lord, a title that let him in almost anywhere in the magical world - was exactly the kind of thing Andromeda apparently wanted nothing to do with. 

As soon as he arrived home he summoned the firewhiskey - time to see if getting drunk the magical way solved anything. 

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Andromeda sat quietly at her dinner table for almost twenty minutes, going back over the conversation, feeling slightly guilty for being so straightforward. She should have cushioned it a bit. Merlin she'd been as blunt as a Gryffindor. She blamed his unexpected appearance today for her less than sensitive reaction. 

Then again, she wasn't entirely unaware that he'd be here eventually, so there was no real excuse. She sighed loudly, standing up and walking up to the tiny fireplace in the living room, taking a pinch of floo powder from the small tin on the mantle and tossing it into the flames. "Headmaster's office, Hogwarts." She called out sharply, watching the fire flaring green. Getting on her knees and sticking her head through as soon as the floo connected. 

"Mrs Tonks? I take it that he arrived then." Albus Dumbledore said immediately upon seeing Andromeda's head in the fireplace. Peering down at her through his half moon glasses, seated at his desk, a large tome in his hands. 

Andromeda frowned, feeling discomfited, "He did. It didn't go well." She reported clippedly. She wasn't overly happy with being involved with Dumbledore, but he had protected her during the war. So she owed him this at least. 

"Tell me everything, my dear."

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Time moved on and the day for the family dinner arrived. Sirius even assisted Kreacher in making sure the formal dining room was set up properly and cleaned top to bottom. Appearances were important - he couldn't be seen as faulty - they'd already be against him, he needed an aura of competence and control. 

As for catering for the meal, Sirius didn't trust Kreacher enough - loyal now or not - to create a dinner menu for the entire Black family on short notice - also because Kreacher wasn't too fond of Cassiopeia and the last thing he needed was the little bugger putting shampoo in her food. Also, Sirius was a delightful son of a bitch, (both in a factual sense, and metaphorical) so he placed a catering order from the nearest muggle Indian restaurant he could find. Screw pumpkin juice - his family was going to drink Pepsi tonight, while dining on the best muggle Indian food money can buy, when one orders at the last minute from the nearest available place, anyway. 

It says something that having been reborn, so to speak, in this magical world - the greatest culture shock he received so far was having to go and order the food in person, as he had no access to a muggle phone - and the modern takeout model of a click away on your cell phone didn't exist anyway. Besides, the muggles wouldn't even be able to find the house, so it was a moot point. 

As for why he was being petty? Because fuck his family. Sirius had been so busy planning for everything going forward - that the whole actual food part of the dinner situation had slipped his mind. In the end he was fairly pleased with the solution. Because he'd get to crack up on the inside the entire dinner, watching their faces as they navigated Indian food, while trying to remain polite in front of their new Lord and suss out his intentions. Especially his mother, who he knew saw anything foreign as distasteful and trashy at best, he'd enjoy watching her try and hold her tongue the most. 

He had a balancing act to maintain. His family needed to stay aware that he wasn't really like them. That he was a Gryffindor not a Slytherin, ( although he'd admit he had several Slytherin qualities… ) One, so they would always underestimate him based on their biases, making them easier to manage. Two, so that they understood he wouldn't do business as usual, that cruelty and torture was not going to be allowed. 

Unless he had to do it to them, of course. Do as I say, not as I do, and all that. They couldn't be trusted with it, but he trusted himself just fine. 

The dinner itself would showcase his political ambitions and tactical acumen. Showing he wasn't just a Gryffindor. But the Indian food prank - would make sure they didn't believe he'd changed too much. Important that. Because people feared what they couldn't understand and old people feared change more than anything. If he came off as too changed and without any of the characteristics they'd known of him as a young teenager - they'd work that much harder against him just on pure suspicion and spite. Better to have them go along with the Gryffindor, for now. While thinking they could snatch an advantage at some point. It also played into showing his control, because they'd all know that he picked this food to needle them - to test them, push them. To give him an excuse to exercise his powers over them. 

So even if it was last minute - it did serve the purposes he needed for it. 

Time ticked down, he went and got the food, Kreacher magicking everything together onto the table, the muggle Indian food going into 16th century goblin made silverware. 

He wore the formal Black Lord robes, the heavy robes almost featherlight for all that they looked massive - the finest silks, jewels and runes combining into a masterpiece of excess. Royal purple and the darkest black - it was really a sight. Then he sat down at the head of the table and waited. Kreacher would greet the guests at the floo and bring them over, one by one. Supplicants come to see their Lord. 

There would be no spouses today. Only those of Black blood were coming. Sirius didn't need his family to be distracted - they needed to listen, whether they liked it or not. Also he had more control over actual members of Black blood. 

The first to arrive was of course his grandfather, Arcturus took one look at the table, before sneering, shaking his head in disbelief as he slowly walked over to the right hand of the table. Sitting down gingerly, peering suspiciously at the food nearby, kept under warming charms. "I thought you smarter than this." He said sharply, "My Lord." He added on as an afterthought.

Sirius wasn't going to have any of that. "Don't forget who holds the power here, grandfather." He said with finality, twisting the ring on his finger, "I will do as I must. They'll fight me either way, better for something that doesn't matter." 

"This will end well." Arcturus muttered, but bowed his head in aquisence. Picking up a goblet and sniffing at it suspiciously. Before taking a sip of the muggle soft drink. Rearing back immediately with disgust, "Circe's behind! Is this pure sugar? It's revolting!" 

"You get used to it." Sirius said, trying to hide his amusement. By the dark look thrown his way, he wasn't doing a very good job. 

Soon enough the next guest arrived. Pollux Black. And immediately followed by his sister Cassiopeia, who'd arrived as well, both entering with Kreacher together. Kreacher looked smart in his butler uniform, something none of the arrivals had yet to mention. Sirius wondered if they'd even noticed. 

He'd give fifty/fifty chances his grandfather had, and bet the house that none of the others would. Except his Mother perhaps, due to her weird relationship with the elf. 

"Pollux, Cassiopeia." He said quietly, waving to the seats to his left, "Take your seats." He ordered firmly. The siblings shared a loaded look before obeying. They were both in their seventies and it showed, silver dominating their hair, Pollux more than Cassiopeia. While other wizards aged gracefully - Black's it seemed managed to look their age. Cassiopeia looked like a cranky old witch who baked children in ovens in her spare time. While Pollux was gaunt and thin, his face could be carved out of rock. 

Cygnus Black came through next, the stocky man had a weak chin and watery eyes, forever under the yoke of his older sister Walburga - Sirius dear mother - it was a wonder how Cygnus had managed to produce three women like Andromeda, Bellatrix and Narcissa. Sirius simply waved him to an empty seat, this one needed no words, he'd simply follow Walburga in whatever foolishness his mother would try. 

He'd been broken decades ago, he'd be of no real use.

Cygnus had a lot in common with Sirius' father Orion, both weak men under the yoke of the same harridan of a woman; his father died in '79 however. Which is perhaps why his mother arrived alone, next. He'd expected her to arrive with one of the others, trying to project strength in numbers. 

The permanent sneer that was always on her face was even more prominent today, as she stormed in, wearing so much black that she looked fairly ridiculous, the woman even wore a veil - not that it hid her ugly sneer from anyone. 

"Mother. Have a seat." He ordered calmly. Meeting her eyes, his own cold. He could cast a killing curse right now and not even feel a twitch of regret. 

Walburga seemed to possess some self control, as she sat down, as far away as she could from him and still be seated at the table. Sirius suppressed a chuckle at the honest horror on her face when she noticed the food on the table, the woman looked sick with rage. 

"Ah, our last arrival." Sirius called out a few minutes later. "Fashionably late as always, Cissy." 

Narcissa entered the dining room, cold and unfeeling as usual, and dressed in the finest robes money could buy, her blonde hair looked out of place amongst the black family that had gathered. She looked like the perfect Malfoy. Thank Merlin he'd forbidden spouses today - imagining Lucius being here as well was enough to make him gag. 

As she took her seat next to her father. Sirius stood up with a cold smile, splaying his hands out, "All the family together again. All come before their Lord!" He grinned somewhat maliciously, "Don't worry, I don't need you to crawl and kiss the hem of my robes," He enjoyed the way they all squirmed at that, except for Narcissa who glared at him, some fire in those cold eyes at that comment. It was nice to see some life in her stuck up face. 

"What is this… Garbage!?" Walburga shrieked shrilly, waving at the curry in front of her. 

Sirius calmly sat back down at the head of the table, taking her usual inability to keep a clear head as business as usual, it was not yet time for her to be an example. "It's your food, mother. It's dinner time, after all. Shall we?" 

There were some quiet mutterings of agreement, none of the Black's willing to push too far quite yet. Sirius greatly enjoyed seeing the grimaces and looks of bafflement as his family partook in Indian food, muggle made at that, plus the wonders of muggle soft drinks. Amusingly Narcissa seemed to actually enjoy it, well she always had a sweet tooth. 

Speaking of the woman, after a dainty bite of curried chicken she spoke up, "I am… Surprised that Andromeda isn't here today." She said carefully. Not looking at her father, but staring straight at Sirius with piercing eyes. 

Sirius noted the turmoil in Cygnus, and took amusement from his poor attempt to hide his rage at his runaway daughter being brought up. "Ah, yes, she somehow figured this lovely gathering wouldn't want her around." Sirius drawled sarcastically. "Something about wanting to hunt her down as a blood traitor." 

That was all Cygnus could take, the weak man that bent over at every point - still had the strength to bluster out, "She's a mudblood whore!" 

Sirius smiled coldly as every eye turned his way, assessing him. "Interesting." He said, turning his gaze on Cygnus, tilting his head. "Andromeda has produced the first Metamorphmagus in the Black family in centuries. What have you achieved, Cygnus?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sirius! Cygnus produced three Black children, that trumps some mudblood half-breed!" Walburga came to Cygnus' defense, slamming a withered hand down on the table. 

Sirius hummed, "There's supposed to be a Lord in there somewhere I think." He laid his hand flat on the table, the Black Lord ring visible to all. "You are no longer allowed a voice." He ordered mildly. Grasping the family magic through the ring. Intent on his mother. 

Everyone felt it as the wards activated. Cygnus cursing and rearing back in his chair as Walburgas tongue vanished. The woman stared madly ahead, trying to scream something. Pollux and Cassiopeia, who had been content to observe so far, both shared a look, before scooting their chairs away from Walburga. 

"As for that ridiculous assertion. Let's count them shall we. Your achievements, Cygnus." Sirius said harshly, a dark smile on his face, "Andromeda of course produced the Metamorphmagus child, after disobeying you and marrying elsewhere. So not any of your work." Sirius shook his head, clicking his tongue loudly, "Secondly we have Bellatrix, married off to the Lestranges and insane, and childless, rotting in Azkaban." He clapped his hands together shortly, the sharp noise making Cygnus shrink into himself, "Lastly we have Narcissa, who's produced one Malfoy spawn, and otherwise have been busy sucking the cock of a half blood, born of a squib and a muggle."

Walburga's eyes bugged out of her head and she rose up, screaming, still internally, reaching for her wand as Cygnus and Pollux both called out that he was a liar in outraged voices, his grandfather and the other women observing quietly. Sirius scoffed, waving his hand, utilizing the wards to freeze his mother in place where she stood. Only her eyes were able to move, and did so madly.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle." Sirius intoned, writing the name in the air, his grandfather closing his eyes, refusing to see the harsh truth once again. With a wave of his wand, Sirius changed the words into their emo teenage purpose - I am Lord Voldemort. 

"No!" Narcissa gasped, looking even paler than usual. Cassiopeia eyed the name shrewdly, before giving Arcturus a look, upon seeing the older man wasn't protesting the discovery, she leaned back in her chair, a considering look on her face. 

Her brother wasn't as calm, Pollux standing up, hands on the table, "That can't be true! The Dark Lord can't be…. From a muggle!?" 

Cygnus had a hand to his heart, breathing rapidly, "A mudblood!" He squeaked out, eyes horrified. 

"He's a Gaunt. The family so inbred the last girl of the family was born a squib, one who snared a muggle, raped him, and bore Tom Marvolo Riddle." Sirius drawled out before smirking mockingly, "Or as you lovingly call him, The Dark Lord or Master." 

"You don't care about the difference between mudbloods and purebloods, why are you showing us this?" Cassiopeia asked bluntly. 

"I don't care. And I will be taking the family in a new direction. The family motto is Always Pure. We shall keep it. Always Pure. In magic. That's what's important. Magic." Sirius said coldly. Meeting her disbelieving eyes.

Narcissa laughed suddenly, cold and sharp, "Is that Dumbeldore talking, Sirius?" Pollux shook his head free from his mutterings and stared at Sirius angrily at that. 

Sirius smiled, "Forget that I am your Lord again, Cissy, and you'll be licking your husband's feet without a tongue." He warned. "Dumbledore doesn't have what it takes to rule the magical world. Only a Black does." 

"Rule the magical world…" Pollux muttered, looking completely thrown, "What are you after?" He blinks quickly and adds, "My Lord." 

"I will revolutionize the wizarding world, at the top of the Ministry, with all of you working for the same goal. The advancement of magic," Sirius shrugged casually, sitting back down, "Of course family bloodlines will benefit as they have history, but there will be no more mudblood propaganda, no more murdering squibs, the world will change." 

"You'd see us drown under a flood of mudbloods!" Cygnus said horrified. Having regained some semblance of composure again. 

"Don't be ridiculous." Sirius snapped. "The two most powerful wizards of the last one hundred years are half bloods. Dumbledore and Voldemort - and Voldemort might as well be a muggleborn - born as he is from a squib and a muggle. Harry Potter somehow killed Voldemort, and he's half blood too. Andromeda's daughter is a half blood and a Metamorphmagus - the first in centuries." Sirius stared them all down slowly, meeting their eyes one by one, except for his mother. "It is the truth, we can either stick our heads in the sand and avoid it, and drown as the world changes. Or we can be the change!"

"Sirius, is right. It's why he's the Lord of the family now." Arcturus cut in grouchily, "The Black family has always stood at the top of the world, we won't lose that now because you fools can't see the opportunity in front of us."

"What opportunity?" Pollux asked slowly, sinking back into his chair, Cassiopeia putting a calming hand on his arm. 

Narcissa scoffed, "isn't it obvious, he's a war hero, Dumbledore's side owe him one after Azkaban." She smiled viciously, the previous shock gone as if it was never there, "And the godfather of the boy-who-lived." 

Cygnus shook his head wildly, "The purebloods won't follow some mudblood lover!" 

Sirius rolled his eyes, and casually removed the tongue from the weak fool as well. The man choked in fright and shock, as he sat in his chair, no longer daring to move. Narcissa sent him a concerned look, before pursing her lips and returning her gaze to Sirius. Seemingly reassessing him. 

"You will get your tongue back at the end of our little get together, "Sirius said casually, "Maybe." He amended nastily. 

"He's not wrong." Cassiopeia said calmly. Meeting Sirius eyes with a measure of amusement in her own. 

"The end goal is one thing, obviously that will not be made public." Sirius explained. "Before any change can come, the Ministry itself needs a complete changeover. It will take time." He met the eyes of those of his family who so far had not proven completely idiotic. "But if we do it right… The Black family will be mentioned in the same breath as the founders of Hogwarts."

"Lofty goal." Narcissa murmured. But there was a greedy glint in her eyes. 

"A goal worthy of a Black." Arcturus agreed with a nasty little smirk. "Dumbledore will fall over dead just at the thought." 

"Good." Sirius said coldly. Drawing intrigued looks from the rest of the family. 

Silence fell over the table as everyone pondered the possibility of gaining power in the Ministry. Sirius could see the greed and hunger for power in his relatives, except for perhaps Cassiopeia - he didn't know her motivation was, he'd have to find out. Greed he could easily control. They'd be eating out of the palm of his hands. 

He didn't want an unknown variable. He'd have to find out what made her tick. He eyed Pollux - he'd be the weak link for her. 

"Before we speak of any particulars, let's take care of some housekeeping." Sirius said, turning to his still fuming mother, frozen perfectly still, her eyes rolling in her head. "As Lord of this house, I banish you Walburga Black - to the property in Norway, to never be allowed to leave, or communicate with another being again, magic lost to you under my aegis." 

There were some sharp intakes of breath and Cygnus looked like he was going to piss himself. Although not actually removing her magic - he'd basically done the same thing. Confined her to a Black property and prevented her from accessing magic while under Black wards. She was basically a squib now. "Kreacher, take her away." He ordered, disregarding her from his mind, not even watching as the woman disappeared out of his life forever.

He eyed Cygnus darkly, laying a hand on his shoulder, "I trust there won't be any more objections." He asked mildly. A small smile on his face. 

Cygnus shook his head so rapidly he almost fainted. And Sirius utilized the family magic to reverse the tongue removal. Cygnus grasped his tongue with both hands in relief. The man was pale and shaking. 

Sirius turned to the rest of the family clapping his hands together. Meeting their calculated gazes with one of his own. "Let's talk about oaths…" 

He almost laughed out loud at Narcissa's fallen face, did she really think he'd allow her to just go spill the beans to Lucius. No, Narcissa would serve the Black family. Not the Malfoy one. 

Lots of plans were made that night, the Black family slowly falling in line with his thinking. 

Even if in the back of their minds they no doubt remained the same lovely bigots as usual. 

Sirius could work with that. 

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Authors note:

So that's the Black family. Lovely bunch. All of them died within the decade in canon. Let's see if they have any longer life now. 

In Black family stories Andromeda always, or at least so it seems - like a general trope, signs back up immediately. Not very realistic to me so I went the opposite direction, she doesn't want anything to do with the people she'd spent years fearing would come kill her and her family.