#Cygnus Black & Narcissa Black

[regheart]

i'm thinking about how the characterisation of the black family tends to be really difficult to get right and one of the reasons that i can think of is that we don't know enough of wizarding culture, so we try to convey the atmosphere and the dynamics through codes that are familiar to us

that's why they are so victorian in so many fics. they act and speak like they're inside a victorian novel, they only ever wear black and dark green, the high society/pure blood circle is also composed by meeting for tea, and having balls, and discussing politics, and arranged marriages

and that's not bad!!! i read and love some fics like that, but i think this is an aesthetic that completely ignores some of the things we know about wizards and about the blacks

first of all, the clothes. wizards wear robes. not late 19th century clothes, robes. and they're most often dramatic and colorful. this is something easily observed in the very first chapter of PS. so i think the blacks should wear deep purple and emerald green and silver and burgundy and turquoise, make outfits fun!!!

second, grimmauld place tells us some things about its inhabitants. the fact that it's a muggle house in a muggle neighborhood shows that they must have some level of cognitive dissonance in terms of what elements of muggle culture and lifestyle they hold (but i don't think that applies to holding the same patterns of views and behaviors of high society, again, it's about how the writers tries to convey "rich and uptight" with codes that are familiar to them). the decoration choices for the house are also very telling, family heirlooms, big clocks, tapestry... troll leg and house elf heads??? that's morbid. that's camp.

and my point is, black family characterisation lacks on campiness. wizards are inherently weird. anything in which they're overly polite and too aristocratic is inaccurate. they are bigots and lobbyists and one of them was literally headmaster of hogwarts. they are into the dark arts but they don't torture their children. make them funnier and messier and weirder and more like real people instead of a bunch of lines from downton abbey glued together

[lurveinn]

So I was thinking about the different reasons Narcissa has a non-star name, and for the longest time I headcanoned it was because Cygnus didn’t give a fuck and was mad about having another girl, so he let Druella name her. Today though, I was reading up on the Narcissus plant, specifically Narcissus poeticus, which among other things is my favourite flower (in my country it’s called nargis) and thought to be the specific flower from the story of Narcissus.

An interesting fact about Narcissus poeticus- ‘the plant blooms late, after the setting of Arcturus about the equinox’.

In HP, names have power, so I propose- Cygnus gave Narcissa her name, and he did it because he was superstitious; he was himself annoyed at having another daughter, but also so annoyed at the rest of the family’s jabs at him- specifically Arcturus’- that he named his daughter Narcissa to tempt fate, so that her ‘bloom’, ie. coming of age, would coincide with Arcturus’ death.

[konstantynowitz]

Riddle era headcanons

Walburga, like her son Sirius, was very rebellious in her youth. Wally’s parents had difficulty suppressing her recalcitrant tendencies and it only got worse once she got to Hogwarts. 100% bullied Muggleborns, probably even tried to hex Tom maybe once or twice before he earned his reputation.

Orion Black and Abraxas Malfoy were the first of Tom Riddle’s peers that he befriended during his first year at Hogwarts. In spite of this, Malfoy was the only one out of the two who joined the Knights of Walpurgis.

There is no doubt in my mind that would lead me to believe that Orion was not a pure-blood supremacist, but I don’t think he was much of an extremist when it came to blood purity. It definitely comes down to how far you are willing to go in order to preserve your own ideals and for Orion that only went as far as to marry your own cousin.

Alphard Black was a metamorphmagus like his grandniece Nymphadora Tonks. Being a metamorphmagi was not widely accepted back in the ‘30s and ‘40s, especially for witches and wizards born into influential pure-blood families so I don’t think Alphard’s parents approved of his abilities and probably implored him not to use them in public.

Cygnus and Druella were a love match which was a rare occurrence for pure-blood marriages at the time.

Tom Riddle’s classmate Rosier Sr. was the father of Evan and Felix Rosier. Rosier Sr. is also the brother of Druella Rosier, which therefore makes him the uncle of her three daughters Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa.

Druella inherited the lighter Rosier traits such as blond hair and blue eyes from her father, while her brother Rosier Sr. got the gene for more darker features from his family like his aunt Vinda Rosier.

Birth order of the Black siblings: Walburga (b. 1925), Alphard (b. 1927) and Cygnus (b. 1929). Canonically, Cygnus was born somewhere around 1938 which would’ve made him thirteen by the time Bellatrix (b. 1951) was born. Most fans have considered this a mathematical error made by J.K. Rowling and so I’m going to put his date of birth around the late 1920s.

Lucretia Black was not a pure-blood supremacist like her family, making her much like her cousin Alphard in that regard. She would later become an ally to the Order of the Phoenix when Voldemort rose into power.

Rodolphus Lestrange is said to have the gift of foresight, which I headcanon he gets from his father Lestrange Sr. Ironically, the raven is the family emblem of the Lestrange family, and in Greek mythology, a raven is the sacred bird of Apollo, God of foresight.

Lestrange Sr. married Tasoula Shafiq, a pure-blood witch from the Shafiq family who are listed in the Sacred Twenty-Eight. The Shafiq family are of Middle Eastern origin which is where I assume Rabastan Lestrange got his name from; the name Rabastan is Arabic for ‘Head of the Serpent’.

Euphemia Potter and Walburga Black were actually very close friends during their time at Hogwarts. The two grew apart especially once they graduated and Euphemia went on to marry Fleamont. Walburga didn’t approve of the match, because even if the Potters were a respectable pure-blood family they were not supremacists.

Orion and Walburga saw their marriage as more of an obligation than a partnership. It was a practical match which neither Orion or Wally were hesitant to accept. The two of them believed that it was their duty to keep their bloodline pure and if that meant marrying each other then so be it.

Due to the House of Black’s constant inbreeding, Orion was born with hemophilia.

[myriadparacosm]

Because the Black family deserves a REAL LORE

Their names are stars (mostly but it's definitely a tradition and not a random one), there a not many families who would dare name their children after stars because the Black were here first.

The first of the their bloodline, at least who got a proper name, was Sol. Powerful wizard, terrifyingly so, and at that time Muggles weren't that many and still terrified of the dark - he had everything in his palm! A terribly ambitious wizard who decided to harness the stars, naming the Sun after himself and promising to name all the other stars for their powers.

The stars are his. A name for a power. Sol is the star and the rest is pure pitch black.

Sol Black got children and each baby was named after stars, one of the many he named with a promise. His children took on that heritage and the tradition kept on going, twisting over time and dripping with the darkest magic and hunger for power.

Babies always chose their own name with a burst of accidental magic around their second month. Grimmauld Place as one of the oldest house of their bloodline has, in the dancing room, a beautiful scene made up with tiles and precious gems to show all the stars and constellations to do this baptism.

Sometimes it went quick, barely bringing the child there and a star immediately shines, or it comes like a surprise, shy or too ferocious.

Sirius threw a fit in his father's arms, his star shining in rhythm of his wails. Regulus took a bit longer, quiet baby sucking on his thumb, with Walburga losing her patience before hiccuping and his star shone like a firework before quieting down.

[acertifiedwitch]

This is my Roman Empire:

[capriddle]

Black family dinners are the kind of dinners where you go from absolute boredom to attempted murder in an instant. In short, scary evenings where anything could happen.

[enbysiriusblack]

Sirius' opinions on his family:

Walburga- loves her so much. and also hates her equally as much. thinks of her as an evil monster but also as an irrevocable part of him and just wants her to pay attention to him and to love him

Orion- loves him and also hates him and wants to see him miserable. thinks he is an irrevocable part of him and will always have a metaphorical broken chain around his neck from Orion's leash that he freed himself from

Regulus- loves him but would never admit that. thinks that he will never be able to free himself from the family and that he is an idiot for not wanting to free himself from the family. wants him to escape so they can be brothers again more than anything, but knows regulus will never want that

Bellatrix: Got on with her as kids, but hates her as he got older. Thinks she is completely unstable and insane. Knows they have a lot of similarities and hates that about himself, which only makes him hate her more.

Andromeda: His favourite cousin. Loves her. Doesn't particularly like meeting up with her as they just remind each other of all the past trauma, so they don't see each other often, but Ted does write to him a lot with updates on their lives, and Sirius writes back.

Narcissa: Thinks she's a priss. Finds her the most amusing family member to irritate. They are complete opposite people that have never once agreed on anything other than that Frank and Alice are good people.

Alphard: Loves him so much. Imagine Zuko and Iroh's relationship. This is that. Thinks he's very wise and has a terrible sense of humour but learnt a lot from him and felt like he had no more family left when he died (until James comforted him)

[mrsnerdygirl]

I want to learn more about Grimmauld Place.

Did the black sisters also live there, or would they visit often. Did they have rooms there ? Did they leave anything behind?

How is Orion and Walburga's room? Walburga's wardrobe?

I mean imagine how many things you could find .

I'm sure that the Blacks owned more than one house, so if the black sisters lived in another manor, is that manor untouched or did Narcissa go back to collect most stuff? How come, if Sirius was the hier, he only had one house in his possession? Were the Blacks as rich as we think or not ?

The chapters we got in order of the phoenix were not enough. We need to learn so much more, i wish that Molly wouldn't have interrupted harry and sirius when they were talking about sirius' past and his family.

I need ALL of the information.

[jameskinniesrise]

i dunno why i hc all the blacks as extremely white, pale, tim burton-esque features but i bellatrix and andromeda as slightly tanned with rounder feautures.

[izzythehutt]

Narcissa learns the truth and Sirius makes a decision about his future. Orion faces the music. Walburga has a long overdue conversation.

[lulublack90]

Prompt 5 - Whump

@wolfstarmicrofic July 5, word count 994

Not gonna lie I had no idea what this prompt meant so had to look it up. I hope it's right 😅

CW - Torture, use of the cruciatus curse

His father grabbed him by the collar and forced him to walk down the hallway towards the library. He struggled as best he could, but Orion Black knew what he was doing. He flung Sirius onto the hearth rug. Sirius grunted at the manhandling but stubbornly got to his feet and glowered at his father. He hadn’t even done anything this time. He’d been lounging on his bed reading a wizarding history book for Merlin’s sake. 

The library door opened again and a procession of family members filed in. Bella and her husband, Cissa and Lucius, Cygnus and Druella. Then finally his mother. This wouldn't be good. 

He automatically stood up straight with his head held high like he’d been trained to do his entire life. 

“Father, what is going on?” His voice adopted his old accent as a form of self-preservation. His eyes flickered to his mother’s side where Regulus’s grey eyes peeped from. 

“Stop being pathetic Regulus,” Walburga scolded her youngest son, dragging him from behind her. Sirius’s eye twitched as he watched Regulus grit his teeth in pain as Walburga’s hand squeezed tightly around his arm. Sirius had to tense his muscles to stop himself from crossing the room and wrenching her hand from his brother’s arm. 

“It is time for you to take your place in this family, Sirius.” Orion brought Sirius’s attention back to him. His ears pricked as Bella laughed her horrid cackle, but he never took his eyes off his father. He swallowed and steadied himself. 

“What would you have me do, Father?” He kept his jaw clenched tightly, silencing himself. 

“It is time you proved yourself the true heir of the Black family and join us in the new future that shall soon begin.” He felt his stomach sink. This was more than just taking over from his father. 

He allowed his eyes to quickly scan the room. The only ones that seemed uncertain were his aunt, Narcissa and Regulus. His eyes rested on his mother and her superior scowl. This was bad. 

“Enough pretty words Uncle,” Bellatrix burst out, ripping the sleeve from her forearm. “It is time, little cousin, to take the mark and join your family in our rightful place.” She rasped proudly, the snake and skull tattoo stark against her pale skin.

“Father, you can’t be serious!” He turned back to Orion, panic creeping into his voice. 

“We have allowed your little rebellions for too long, Sirius,” Walburga took over as he knew she would. “You will take the mark, Sirius, and you will find more suitable companions. From this day you will no longer associate with the Potter boy and the other riff-raff you seem so fond of.” He couldn’t help it, he shook his head at her. No. “If you won’t agree on your own, then we will make you!” She raised her wand at him. “Crucio!” She spat the curse at him. He watched in slow motion as the red spell crackled its way towards him. 

The pain was unlike anything he’d ever felt. His skin was melting from his bones. A thousand knives sliced into his nerves. Time meant nothing as the pain engulfed him. Then, just like that, it was gone. He was on the floor. He didn’t remember falling. He lifted his head defiantly. 

“Crucio!” Bella cackled with glee. The pain shot back through him, harsher than the first time. He screamed, his throat felt like it was ripping itself apart. He was on the floor again, panting, when his cousin lifted the spell. His body spasmed with aftershocks. But again he raised his head. 

“Crucio!” Orion drawled, flicking his wand at his eldest son. Sirius’s scream croaked out of his burning throat as he thrashed about on the floor. Orion let up sooner than his mother and Bella had, but at this point it meant very little.

It took him what felt like hours to raise himself onto his knees and raise his head this time. He glared at his mother. Seeing Regulus’s blank face beside her. 

“Crucio!” Multiple voices said in unison. He had no idea which of his family members had cursed him this time, but the pain spread to every part of his being. His spine curved backwards and his neck followed. His muscles were so tense he was sure they were tearing. He felt his mind starting to bend towards madness. But he refused to let them win. He conjured Remus’s face to the front of his mind, blocking out what he could. His vision became fuzzy and blackness crept in at the corners. As he lost consciousness, he kept that vision of Remus close.

When he came to, the room was empty. They’d tortured him until he couldn’t take it any more and then left him, broken on the floor. 

“Sirius,” A whimper came from the corner. “Sirius, can you get up?” Regulus’s face appeared above him. “Sirius, you have to go! They’ll kill you,” Something dripped onto his scorching face.

He was rolled over and over and into green flames. “Potter Manor!” Regulus choked out. Sirius’s last view of his family home was of a shaking, tearful Regulus as he swirled away in green flames. 

He landed with a thump on the hearth of Potter Manor in the middle of the night. 

“Sirius?” A voice he’d know anywhere gasped into the quiet room. Candles around the room suddenly burst into life and Remus was holding him, stroking his hair from his face. Sirius burst into tears and grasped at Remus, needing him closer. Remus wrapped him in his arms, murmuring sweet words to him as he gently rocked him. “You're safe now. I promise you’re safe. I won’t ever let them hurt you again.” And for the first time in a long time, Sirius felt safe. He spotted the Potters coming down the stairs and let his eyes close as he lost consciousness again, safe in Remus's strong arms.   

[grimst4rs]

regulus black had a lonely funeral; carnations scattered around a black coffin. orion and cygnus were carrying it, and in their eyes, there was a strange sorrow, a strange regret.

walburga and druella were trailing behind. walburga, solemn as always, mourned the spare son. druella mourned the lesser of the two brothers, the weak, the meek.

bellatrix was walking in front of them, her head high, her face dry. she was not going to mourn a traitor, she was not going to cry over a man that had ruined their master. she, however, allowed herself to grieve the young man that her cousin had been, aside anything else.

narcissa stood beside her, and her eyes glistened with tears. she clung to lucius' arm, as if it was the only thing that could keep her away from falling apart, from spilling away. she had loved regulus, she really had. she had seen deep within him. she had seen the boy he hadn't been allowed to be. she had seen deeper than the façade, deeper than the skull mask, deeper than the dark mark, etched into his skin, forever black ink, now, white.

maybe that was forgiveness. in death, there are no sinners. the dead are pure, the dead are forgiven. the dead would soon be forgotten. was the change of color something meaningful, or was it a mere coincidence?

was it death that united a family so distant?

regulus black had died in a cold, empty cave. the crisp air of december was biting at their cheeks, leaving them rosy and cold, the same way their hearts were. their hearts were red and alive, and regulus' was deep within the carcass that his body was; his soul, however, had ascended (had it? or had he been such a despicable person that no one would forgive him?)

it snowed on the night of regulus black's funeral. his headstone was simple, and it read the same thing that ot read for everyone else in the black family.

regulus arcturus black

1961-1978

he hadn't been special, of course. the noble and most ancient house of black knows no exceptions, even for those they were supposed to love.

regulus black died a lonely death. regulus black had a lonely funeral; however, in the dead of the night, a slender dog knelt beside the gravestone, white tulips in his mouth. a wolf howled in the distance, pained, a wail of grief and madness. the dog's body was pressed against the cold stone.

there was something holding him there, a pulse of the earth that kept him close to a boy he had once loved, to a man he had resented.

[hp-confessions]

I don't know why so many people headcanon that Druella & Cygnus Black were abusive parents. If anything, Narcissa and Bellatrix read as two people who were spoiled absolutely rotten growing up lol.

~

[konstantynowitz]

Noble and Most Ancient House of Black — The Mother Monster

[slytherwrites]

Yandere House of Black Headcanons

Characters: Narcissa, Andromeda, Bellatrix, Cygnus, Druella, Walburga, Orion, Sirius, and Regulus

It was Narcissa who latched onto you first. A fellow first year Slytherin who was a pureblood, but not familiar to the British Wizarding World before this, for whatever reason.

As a Black, her word was law for any Slytherins her year of the years under. At the start of first year, that wasn't many people except for their peers. Though, that was enough power to be able to make everyone else avoid you, so you would be running to her for everything.

Narcissa hated sharing with others she deemed as unworthy. And even other Sacred 28 purebloods were not worth your attention like she was.

Her sisters however, they were fine. They were allowed to be in your presence. They were worthy.

And that's where her mistake was made. Because Andromeda and Bellatrix both became as attached as she was with you.

She only went to them because they had more status then she did. Andromeda was smart, beloved with professors and students alike. And Bellatrix was feared.

But she didn't think that they'd be attached like she is.

Andromeda thought you were so kind and out of your element, wanting to teach you the joys of power and the good parts of being here with them.

Bellatrix found you fascinating, wanting to put you through the ringer in order to help mold you into a strong member of the House of Black.

Because sweet you were going to be a member no matter what. No matter what deal with the devil (their parents) they had to make, they'd get you as a sibling.

They brought you home for winter holidays. Cygnus was interesting. Very rarely his three daughters ever asked for the same thing. Very rarely they all accepted one person to this degree. Druella was concerned, knowing how fixated they were. After all, they are their father's daughters.

But it didn't take long for them to get attached to you too.

Cygnus is the first to crack, seeing you like a daughter as well. Like you were the last piece of the puzzle. It didn't matter that he didn't have a male heir. You were who they needed to round out the family.

Druella's concern only grew, but the obsessive nature of the family quickly watched over her. You were now her favorite child. Even if she didn't birth you, you were hers. She knew it. Her children knew it. That's why they brought you to her.

The Annual Black Family Yule Celebration was coming soon and you were invited, treated like the royalty they saw you as. And that's when the other half of the family finally met you.

Druella and Cygnus introduced you to Walburga and Orion. The girls had obligations to mingle with their betrothed and their families. But you were mingling with Walburga and Orion. All four of the adults knew of the intent: getting you arranged to be married to Sirius.

Sirius, their heir, was the one way to get you into the family forever. Marriage would bind you to them eternally.

It doesn't matter that your parents aren't here. They never really cared did they? Not like Cygnus and Druella do? Not like Walburga and Orion will.

Orion finds you of interest first. He holds a conversation with you, silently judging you to see what you're worth. And you've been taught well. Moldable, but he'd love to mold you into the perfect pureblood. He doesn't see you like he sees the others. It's potential he's glad to exploit.

Walburga isn't as impressed, but she likes seeing you squirm. The way you try so hard, but shy away from compliments is delicious. You're just like the girls she would lead during her school days. Though, she doesn't want to break you completely. You're like a piece of clay, able to become a prized piece of art.

They lead you to Sirius and Regulus. Regulus isn't impressed at first, but he grows as you indulge his childish instincts. And Sirius becomes jealous of that. He holds no claim to you yet, but something snaps into place in his mind. The once in sync brothers become at odds, each wanting your attention.

By the end of the break, your life is being planned out. Married to Sirius, becoming a Black yourself. Holding no power except to indulge your in-laws with your time. After all, they're making you into the best you can be. After all, they'll be your family now. After all, they'll be all you have left, once they get rid of the family you belong to now.

[gulnarsultan]

The golden trio are shocked when they learn that you are Draco's grandmother. Because they don't understand how a good person like you can be related to Draco.