Harrigan Peverell shook his head, once again stunned by the opulent magnificence of Black Manor. It suited the moniker, covered inside in mostly dark hues of rich brocades and silks and richly-hued wood, some were black, others dark brown, certain pieces were a deep shade of reddish-brown that was disconcertingly similar to the color of dried blood. The floor beneath his feet was black marble swirled with deep gray, fading to hardwood covered with thick Persian rugs in the actual living spaces.

Black Manor had been built quite some time ago, the art of such construction now mostly lost. Two levels but massive in length, the pride of Black Manor was the oratory on the far right side of the Manor, used for celebrations of the Old Ways (bondings, naming ceremonies, that sort of thing). Meant to provide a more intimate setting, the room inside the half-bubble of pure, clear crystal had a deep amethyst runner on a pure white carpet, wall sconces with crystal covers that had the Black Family Crest embossed on the surface and a beautiful old table built in a long, slender crescent with seating for 15, both the table and chairs were made of pure white wood and the cushions on the chairs were white with the crest in pale silver.

It was an absolutely awe-inspiring sight, as Harrigan had seen himself when Orion had shown it to him for the first time. The timing had been obviously planned out, there was a certain mischievous expression on Orion's face when he had grandly gestured Harrigan through a white door into the beautiful room, a particularly magnificent sunset shattering radiant color onto the carpet and table. Orion had told him, with a somewhat grimly humorous expression on his face, that the last event the room had seen was in fact his official betrothal to Walburga.

Thoughts of Orion's thankfully deceased wife reminded Harrigan of Sirius. The young man had agreed to meet his father in a café in Hogsmeade a week after Lucius had finally explained the truth of things. Orion admitted that it had been very awkward at first, but he had been too relieved to finally see his eldest again to care.

The relationship between father and eldest son had been improving, slowly. Harrigan had accompanied Orion the next time, on Sirius' own invitation surprisingly enough. The young man had explained when they arrived that it only seemed fair, considering the fact that he always had Lucius around for these little gatherings. Watching the interactions of the younger couple had made an amused smile cross Harrigan's face, they were obviously very besotted with each other.

Harrigan strolled through the Manor, taking in the paintings and the wealth of antiques. A wizarding museum would faint in stunned shock if they ever obtained some of these pieces. Harrigan didn't know much about these pieces or their time periods, but even his untrained eye could see that they were rare and most likely priceless objects.

He had ended up in the front parlor somehow and was just contemplating heading to his quarters (Orion had insisted that Harrigan stay with him, insisting that it was 'too damn quiet' here without company.) He and his house elf Tobby had been ensconced in a private suite within hours of the original conversation, Orion didn't take no for an answer and could be very persuasive. He flushed a little in memory of said persuasion, he was certain that most didn't win arguments by giving very passionate kisses to their opponent.

However, as he passed by the front doors on his way back he paused. There was someone there, standing just inside. He frowned, wondering why Orion's elf Dilly hadn't come to escort him to Orion yet. The little female was very proper and somewhat controlling for a house-elf, she seemed to have been 'mothering' Orion since the passing of his late, unlamented wife.

The man standing just a few meters away from Harrigan was tall, almost Orion's height, with blonde hair that was perfectly straight and just brushed his shoulders. He was dressed to impress in the latest fashions, posture ramrod straight and stiff. His eyes were a pale, cold blue color and appeared to lack any sort of life.

Spotting Harrigan just around a corner he barked, "You, take me to Lord Black this moment!"

Harrigan raised an eyebrow, realizing that the man thought him some sort of servant. He stepped fully into the man's line of sight, revealing his elegant, expensive tailored rust-colored silk tunic and black cotton slacks. And of course, his Lordship ring.

"I would certainly be willing to escort you to Orion's study, should you first give me your name, sir. For future reference, my own is Lord Harrigan Peverell."

Pale eyes narrowed in sudden contemplation and after a moment he said in the same cold tone as before, "I am Cygnus Black."

"Ah," Harrigan said in recognition. "You would be the father of Andromeda, Narcissa, and Bellatrix, correct?"

The man's eyes narrowed even further and he stated, "Yes," in such a tone that conveyed both a warning as to the topic at hand and his own irritation at only having sired daughters. Apparently, he was one of those of the mind that daughters were useless aside from their importance as bribery objects for other men's sons.

"Come with me," Harry said, turning away. He did not wait for Cygnus, nor did he slow his long, elegant strides. As such he reached the office a few paces in front of Cygnus and when he opened the door he was able to convey a slight wordless warning to Orion. The current Lord of the Black family stood gracefully and moved around the desk, presenting a solid, impressive image to his cousin.

"Good afternoon, Cygnus," he stated in a quiet, warm tone.

"Skip with the pleasantries, cousin!" Cygnus barked. "I want to know why the contract between my second eldest and Heir Malfoy burned on top of my desk the other day, and I have a feeling you know exactly why."

Orion arched a sculpted brow and in a much colder tone said, "Your cousin I may be, Cygnus, but I am Lord of our family house and you would do well to keep a more civil tongue in your head, no matter your distress."

Cygnus froze and appeared to take in what he'd said. Realizing the truth of it he said in a grudging tone, "I apologize cousin. Please do explain this if you can."

"Certainly," Orion replied, voice still containing a cold and now slightly sarcastic tone. "Have a seat. Would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you," he replied. He stared somewhat askance at Harrigan and said after a moment, "Is it necessary for your friend to be here?"

Orion fixed a frigid stare on his cousin and said, "I know you may be behind the times, Cygnus, but it is public knowledge that Harrigan and I are in a courting contract and if the Goddess chooses to continue bestowing her good nature upon, it will be a betrothal contract soon. So yes, it is 'necessary' for Harrigan to be here, after all, this will become his family."

Harrigan didn't know quite how to react to Orion's statement about their relationship, not to mention his hopes for. He eventually settled for a warm gaze to Orion and then a cool stare at Cygnus for the insinuation in his statement. To his amused surprise, the man actually flushed a little and looked away.

"Please explain, cousin," he repeated.

"Did you ever ask your wife Druella about the contract when she first brought it up, Cygnus? Specifically, her conviction that it would be agreed upon by Heir Malfoy?"

"I can't say that I did, cousin. You know how women are, they say they have a 'feeling' about something," he snorted. "It's not very logical or solid, but I was surprised to realize that for once she was right."

"She was right, it turned out, because Belladonna Malfoy turned out to be homophobic, as well as my late wife. They found out about Heir Malfoy's relationship with my eldest Sirius and threatened his life in order to get him to agree to the contract. Quite frankly, I'm not sure how much longer I would have let it stand had Heir Malfoy not formally asked me to dissolve it as Lord of House Black."

"What?!" Cygnus bellowed, turning red with rage. "That little upstart! My daughter should be good enough for anyone, let alone a stuffy poppycock Malfoy. And you're letting this insult stand! I knew you should never have been given the title of Lord Black, you didn't deserve it!"

"Sit down, Cygnus," If Orion's voice had been cold before it was frigid now. Cygnus sat before he could think about it and once he had he actually took in his cousin's appearance. Whatever he saw made him change his mind about speaking again and instead he sat absolutely still.

"I knew you were enraged about not becoming Lord Black, but get over it! My father was the elder son and it passes to the eldest son of his, of which I happened to be the only son. The title was mine by default and you are whining over it like a small spoilt brat that hasn't gotten their way. I am Lord Black, so deal with it. Otherwise, I may look into removing a spoiled branch of the family tree," Orion hissed.

"Your daughter will not become Lady Malfoy. Nor will Bellatrix become Lady Lestrange, I saw fit to end that contract as well. I am not about to let the Black Family be dragged into a private war by a man who may or not be who he claims he is. I have been doing my own research into him and his claims are less than supportable. As you have not seen fit to care first for your family I am taking controlling custody of your two daughters, Bellatrix and Narcissa. They may stay with you until they graduate, but their further education and marriage contracts are now my concern, not yours. Be glad you and your wife are being left with your own vault, I am not pleased with your behavior as of late."

When Cygnus started to open his mouth, most likely to complain, Orion snapped, "Be careful. You are only my second cousin and I am not that fond of you, certainly not as of late."

"I see there is no changing your mind," Cygnus said stiffly, rising slowly. His shoulders were tense and his hand twitched as though he dearly wanted to draw his wand. "You will regret it when the Dark Lord rises."

"I highly doubt it," Orion replied off-handedly. "Campaigns of any type require funds and supporters. There are many that follow this family, without it your 'Dark Lord' won't get far."

A hint of red rose in Cygnus' cheeks and he stared at Orion for a long moment. "Good day, cousin," he finally said curtly. "I will show myself out."

"No, I don't think so," Orion replied in a smooth tone. "Dilly will show you out. One can easily get lost in the Manor, after all."

Once Cygnus left the office Orion stood, walked around the front of his desk, and leaned against it, placing his thumb and finger against the bridge of his nose in clear exasperation. After a long moment, he walked over to a cabinet and retrieved a bottle of Ogden's Finest, pouring a generous finger into two glasses. Offering one to Harrigan he took a long gulp of his own and sighed in relief.

"Cygnus is my second cousin. He is my late wife's brother and we were born the same year. I had to endure his spiteful comments about what he was going to do when he became Lord Black all through our childhood years and schooling. When my father announced he was following tradition and made me his official Heir in our 6th year he went into a towering rage that lasted all of Yule break. As you saw, he has never gotten over it, nor has he learned to control his emotions and his considerable greed. Probably the only thing he saw in his daughter's contracts was the considerable bride price for both of them."

"My sympathies for handling a man like him all your life," Harrigan offered, making the older man chuckle.

"Thank you. Now, I have had enough of paperwork. Shall we head out onto the grounds and I will show you the walking path through the orchards?"

"Sounds delightful. I shall go retrieve my cloak and meet you at the front doors."

Orion snagged his hand and dragged him closer, pressing a warm, chaste kiss on his mouth before letting him go.

"Agreed," was all he said.

Harrigan smiled and left the office. Brushing his fingers over his mouth he wondered to himself, will Orion's kisses ever stop knocking me for a loop? Oh, I certainly hope not.