'Home'

1947, 23 October- Thursday.

The trip back, to what Orion was supposed to call 'home' now, wasn't exactly pleasant… this world was truly different, which included different 'types' of transportation, they used a 'portkey.' Something he had never heard of before, but he decided at that moment they mentioned it not to ask what it was and went with the flow- it led to him throwing up immediately they arrived in the manor.

His parent thought it best to ignore it actually happened, which Orion was grateful for feeling as embarrassed as he was… a great impression that was.

Eventually, they gave him a quick tour of the Manor in hopes something would spark a memory. As they walked through the long halls of the Manor, arriving at different rooms, they spoke.

Talked about their family and the Manor, among other things, such as the 'incident' was not to be mentioned to anyone. It was what they said, well, what Arcturus Black said. He said something like this could not get out, that his heir had amnesia, the way he had said it made Orion question if the man even cared about his son more than his reputation.

He was not to be leaving the Manor any time soon. They wished to catch him up on everything that needed to be known for someone of his title. The fact he lacked the necessary memories didn't end his role as the heir to the Noble and the Most Ancient House of Black.

Something he was still understanding.

"Our House, are one of the oldest and wealthiest pureblooded wizarding families, in Great Britan, we are part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight…" his father trailed off before stopping, resulting in Orion himself stopping, watching his father turn to him, with his unreadable facial expressions.

Purblooded? Sacred Twenty-Eight?

"Which means we have a reputation to uphold. I understand you seem to be lacking… etiquette, so I assume it is something that must have been forgotten as well. That is something that needs fixing… so much to fix-"

Etiquette? Was he just insulted right now?

"Are you implying I… have no manners, um… Lord Black?" Orion said, still slightly annoyed.

"Yes, that I am. It's uncouth, you may not remember, who you truly are, but that does not mean you are not who you are, which is Orion Arcturus Black- as heir to this House-"

He stopped himself from smiling, right… little did he know.

"-I expect you to act with grace and not like some common mudblood." His father responded and began walking, not giving Orion a chance to even respond.

Mudblood?

With long strides, Orion caught up with him. "I suppose I will do my best to ensure I will not shame you nor this family…" Orion decided was the best response. It shouldn't be too hard to be some 'heir'.

"Um, Lord-" before Orion could continue, he was cut off.

"I will not have you using pathetic, meaningless sounds, Orion. It is a show of hesitation. Black doesn't hesitate. If there is something you wish to say, say it. If you're questioning yourself, then it is best you shut your mouth to prevent ignominy." Arcturus Black reprimanded his son, setting his piercing grey eyes on him, showing his son how serious he was.

Orion nodded slowly, pretending he understood the meaning of 'ignominy' and engraved it in his head to avoid the sound 'um'… as he wondered if the man was usually as he was. He was nice- note the sarcasm.

"Right, understandable. I wish to know the meaning of the word you had just used, 'mudblood.'"

He heard the man sigh, "There truly is a lot for you to be taught. In due time, everything will be clearer about this family and our world. I will have someone brought to teach you all you need to know. I will not have you leave this Manor until I deem you educated enough." Arcturus stated as he stared at his son, their eyes meeting. He then hummed as he looked away.

"The healer had said it shouldn't be permanent, which I am hoping to be true. It would be rather unfortunate if this was to be permanent or last longer than needed. Having no memories can be a dangerous thing in our society." The man ranted on before turning to his son once again.

"… Orion, do tell me, what are the main ingredients for a calming draught?" Arcturus asked, giving Orion an expectant look waiting for a response that Orion didn't know.

At this very moment, he felt like he was back in the hospital. Before he was permitted to leave, they gave him the type of type. There were a few tests with reflexes and general questions he just guessed and said the first thing that came to mind, things he never would have said or even heard of before, yet he was able to answer fluidly. There was also a written test, one he wasn't too fond of because he had expected to see things he wouldn't know, and he did, but the strange part was the answers that were written seemed right. It was weird thinking that it was some muscle memory to remember all these answers even though he wasn't Orion. He was a completely different person, was he not?

A calming draught? That wasn't something he had ever heard of before, yet he felt as though he knew what it was. Perhaps it was the original Orion. It was certain he knew.

"Lavender, Peppermint and a crocodile's heart." Orion found himself answering despite being unsure of what he was saying, only allowing his instincts to take over. Right there and then, he knew that the memories of Orion were there, but he needed to force them out somehow. It was infuriating being in a new environment and being clueless about everything. It was have made sense if he had been reborn in this new world, but here he was, an adult having to relearn it all. It was ridiculous.

Perhaps it showed on his face as his supposed father patted him on the back as if trying to say 'it's alright'.

"It's nice to know you're knowledgeable on such things. The healer had said there wasn't too much to worry about, with the results of those tests, which is good." Arcturus told him, and Orion nodded, giving a small pinched smile, saying no need to sympathise.

"I'm sure I'll get my memories in no time. All I have to do is familiarise myself with everything, just to jog my memory," Orion told the man. "Yes, that is what we were told. Yet nothing has sparked anything like it?"

"No, sorry," Orion responded, as he looked around before facing Arcturus again, who just sighed, waving it off. "I will have someone come, a tutor if you will. Someone you will ask any question you have and teach you things you might have forgotten. We don't know how long this will last for. Herefore we can't afford to dilly dally. For all we know, it may as well be a full year. The healers have already been sworn to secrecy. No one is aware of your situation other than close members of this family and the people I deem trustworthy such as the tutor I will hire." Arcturus told him.

"Oh? Who else knows other than you and, um, Lady Black." Orion found himself curious.

"So far, only your grandfather, but I have a feeling my brother will find out sooner or later. Regulus, you get along with him. He is my youngest brother." Arcturus responded, which had Orion more curious, "Youngest? Then you have another brother? Do you have any sisters?"

"I only have the two. Lycoris is second to me, and Regulus is the younger of the two of us. I'm sure you will be familiarising yourself with the family tree soon enough, as you familiarise yourself with the manor… but as for now, you will not be leaving the manor without my permission, do I make myself clear?" Arcturus spoke again.

"…Yes, Lord Black."

He saw the irritation spreading across the man's face, something that confused Orion. There were a few moments when he did so, like what he said annoyed it or perhaps reminded him of something.

"Enough with that! You will call me father. There is no need for you to call me 'Lord Black.'"

"…Yes, father."

"Right, you can have Solrey escort you to your chambers. Perhaps something there will have you remember something. You're free to continue exploring the Manor. You can always ask Solrey to show you all the rooms that I have yet to show you, like the library, which will certainly be of some use to you." His father spoke, rather laxly, ready to take off in another direction, leaving his son to fend for himself.

"Wait! How would I call for this, Solrey? Is he-" again, he was cut off. Orion was starting to already form an opinion of this Arcturus Black, his supposed father.

It was still strange, the whole situation, especially having a whole new family. Something he didn't want to accept but had no choice but to accept it

"Your personal house-elf, Orion. I suppose you have forgotten that too, have you now?" the man had a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he spoke.

"I suppose so… did you say House elf?" Orion found himself responding, what in the bloody hell was that an elf that lives in the house? That makes sense, but did it truly mean an elf?

"Are you not aware of what a house-elf is, Orion, is your amnesia worse than we thought?" the man said, slightly worried, his brows furrowing.

"No- I am aware of what a house-elf is… father. I merely forget his name," Orion told the man, smiling at him as if what the man had said was the most ridiculous thing, as if saying, of course, I know what a bloody house-elf is.

While in reality, he was trying to imagine what on earth it would look like.

His father's lips thinned as he stared silently at Orion. After a few seconds, the lips parted, "Alright. I will be off now. You will see your mother and myself at dinner. Make sure to ask relevant questions." With that said from Arcturus, the man walked away, the clothes swaying in the air as he did.

Orion wasn't sure how to describe what the man was wearing, perhaps a long coat? It was similar to one, yet it was quite that… perhaps a 'robe'? he didn't necessarily dislike it, nor did he like it, though with what they had him wear when they collected him from the hospital, he hated it.

He couldn't deny how comfortable it was, just the colours were not to his liking. His mother had said she personally chose them… even in his previous life. He hated when his mother chose and bought clothes for him.

It was always a shocking moment when they tell you to wear a particular thing, at first you think their joking, then you slowly realise they were serious and in this new reality, his new mother, Melania, was serious when she expected him to wear the long cloaked, clothing.

He was alone in the lounge he was in. The colour of the cushions caught his attention, not like the orange colour at all.

His gaze continued to look around the unfamiliar room before walking to the tall window at the end of the room, staring out of it, greeted by the green scenery, a field that seemed endless.

A sigh expected his lips. It was all as real as it could get. He looked away from it. Thoughts swirled through his mind on what he was supposed to do.

What's the normal reaction and response to finding yourself in another world, one with magic? What was he to do now? He wasn't familiar with this world. Now he was expected to be a Lord after Arcturus and serve his duties as an heir.

He could find out more about the old Orion, what he was like, what he liked… what people thought of him. He was simply curious to know. Then there was exploring. He wanted to know everything in this world. After all, he would be here until death, is that not right?

Magic, right.

He could figure out this whole magic thing he had. Closing his eyes, he remembered how it felt. When he accidentally used it, he remembered how it reacted to his emotions. Was that normal? He wasn't too sure. Having remembered the boy, Cygnus mentioned' wandless magic'. Perhaps it wasn't common if the boy was asking him to teach it to him.

His hand instinctively went to his pocket as he opened his eyes. His hand took1 out his 'wand'. He stared at the stick, preventing himself from laughing… a stick- no wand, a magic wand. When the word magic comes to mind, the thought of some man with a top hat and with a wand that wasn't made from wood, but from whatever plastic it was made from.

A hat ready to have a rabbit pulled out of it, as he would wear ridiculous clothing.

This.

It was a real wand. This was a real wand in his right hand. It was thin, and light, he wasn't even sure if he was holding it right. There were small symbols carved at the bottom, something that was easy to miss with how light and unnoticeable they were.

He waved it around in a figure of eight movements, before slowing down as he met the middle of the imaginary eight he motioned he struck the wand out, pointing it at the cushion on the armchair.

He frowned slightly, nothing happened, then again he was expecting too much. Though it was worth a try was it not?

Now, onto other things… such as how on earth was he supposed to find his supposed 'house-elf'. His father never answered his question on how to find him. He tucked his wand into his sleeve, the tip peaking out.

What was his name again?

"Sol?" murmured out loud, being the only one in the room. He leaned again on the back of the couch that wasn't far from the window.

It was too short to have been that name, his father had told him.

"Soley?" It sounded similar to what he had heard his father say.

"Solrey?"

'Crack' the sound was sudden and loud, giving no warning.

A heart attack, that was what he nearly had. Perhaps he was having one currently, with- that?

"Master Orion, calls for Solrey?" the elf spoke. Orion couldn't help but laugh humorously. Of course, it was a literal ELF. It was dressed in a crisp linen sheet. It was wrapped like a toga.

"An elf," he said between his laughs. It was beyond ridiculous! There he was, pissing himself laughing, not having to imagine what a house-elf is supposed to look like.

He tried to stop his laughter, seeing the thing looking slightly worried. He coughed lightly, dismissing what had just happened, "Solrey?" Orion said slowly.

"Yes, Master?" it responded, "What is it you do?" Orion asked slowly, staring at the thing, inspecting it. It was fascinating.

"I do whatever Master Orion requests of me! Has Solrey done something wrong? Have I not done my job well- Solrey will PUNISH HIMSELF!"

Orion's lips parted as he gaped in confusion, trying to comprehend how the situation when from, let's say… five? To hundred? He watched as Solrey started banging its head against the floor, with mummers of words passing its lips.

"BAD."

'Bang'

"STUPID."

'Bang'

"SOLREY HAS UPSET MASTER!"

"Stop!" Orion said loudly- he was given no instruction about this! It didn't stop. It was getting hard to even watch. Why was he hurting himself?! He hadn't upset him. Orion was simply asking a question.

"UNFORGIVABLE."

'Bang'

"SOLREY!" Orion yelled, finally catching its attention, "You just told me.. you do anything I ask, right?" Orion asked it.

"Yes! My purpose! I wish to serve master forever!" Solrey nodded his head frantically.

Were all Houselves this dramatic? It was concerning, and did it say his 'purpose?'

"I don't want you to punish yourself like that again, alright? I'm… your master. So you have to do what I say. So don't do that again, alright?" With that said, the elf calmed down.

"Solrey, do you know anything about my wand?" Orion questioned the now attentive elf, who nodded frantically. "Alright, will you tell me about it?" he continued.

"Yes, master. Your wand is Hawthorn wood with a Dragon core of 14 ½" and has bendy flexibility." The elf obediently responded. Orion nodded as he hummed, as though he knew what it meant, taking his wand out to look at it.

How interesting. Hawthorn wood and Dragon core?

Then he proceeded to ask it to take him to his room, which it did. What Orion didn't expect was it to feel like he was using a 'portkey' again, but it wasn't as bad. He didn't throw up this time. Though what he didn't notice was that that particular cushion had vanished.

The room- Well, his room, wasn't what he expected- actually, he hadn't expected anything at all, he hadn't wondered what the room would look like.

The room was large, unnecessarily large. He crossed his arms, just looking around the room. "Will you be able to teleport me to the library?" Orion idly asked the house-elf as he continued looking around the room. He was curious about Orion's room and wanted to see it before heading to the library. He needed to figure out some way to bring out the memories of Orion. What best to ask an elf.

"Yes, master! Now?" the elf responded. Orion shook his head as he walked around the room. "Not now."

He wasn't too sure if it was a good idea to try. At the hospital, they had given him all types of 'potions', all terrible in taste In their own right. They were awful. Even thinking back to that moment, he could taste the after taste of them.

At first, they had assumed he would retain his memories from the potions, but none worked, and seeing the negative effect they had on him, they stopped and did a few more tests before announcing they shouldn't shove anything down his throat as it seemed potions nor magic would be able to restore his memories.

A healer had suggested something, but they were too far for Orion to even hear. Thought from what it was, his father looked outright against such a thing, but the healer didn't push on, which just had Orion assume it was risky.

He sighed to himself, unsure if he would even bother staying here. Did he realistically need to? He was considered an adult. Was he not… was him being an heir a problem? Would that prevent him from leaving? He found himself thinking it a false factor of getting him to stay.

The ceilings were rather high, giving the room a more spacious feel to it. He would describe the walls of his room to be a sage colour, it was nice, something he would choose himself… seeing as in his past life, his bedroom walls were also painted sage, his favourite colour being green, always has been always will be.

Everything else in the room was either white or grey, matching the sage walls. The bed was akin to a king-size, at the end of the room, opposite the door, a long walk from it. Two tall windows sat on both sides of the bed, grey curtains draped over them, the light shining through the windows.

He sauntered around the room, familiarizing himself with it. Eventually, he reached a double door in the room, and he pushed them open after turning the knobs. Revealing a room filled with clothes. It seemed never-ending.

His hands trailed through the clothes as he walked through the walk-in wardrobe, memorized by the number of clothes, shoes and accessories Orion had. As he walked through, he understood the order from the start.

It was amusing knowing the elf was just following close behind, not saying a word, as if only conditioned to answer questions not ask them… which seemed plausible. He turned to the elf, who jumped in attention, ready for what Orion would ask.

"Would I have a bag… that I could use for, let's say, leaving? Something that can hold a lot of things, I would rather not have to carry so many bags." Orion asked, turning from the elf to the clothes.

Solrey nodded, "Yes! I shall retrieve master's trunk!" the elf popped out of existence, leaving Orion to wonder… about said 'trunk', was that what they called suitcases? Not even a travel bag. Again, the sound of the elf appearing, sounded, with him appearing with the said trunk. Now he somewhat understood why it would be called so.

He scratched his head awkwardly as he lowered himself to the floor, opening the trunk. On the corner of it, it seemed to have his initials, O.A.B.

"It seems rather small, no?" Orion commented lightly as he just stared at it, looking at the elf with a frown. "No, no! this master is an expandable trunk. It can hold lots and lots! Master had bought it at the beginning of the year. It's feather-light, muggle proof, shrinking charmed and also has an undetectable extension charm!"

Orion merely hummed, hearing the enthusiasm of the elf, though it all sounded good?

"And… a muggle is?"

"No magic people" was the simple reply he received, and he nodded as if it were the most interesting thing he had heard when really he didn't care and was glad he was aware of the term. So what the elf said was that this trunk that Orion was staring at was one that could hold way more than it looked. With the term that was used, 'expandable trunk,' he was going to assume it expanded within now outside. Now feather-light, that sounded useful, and he was assuming it made it light, so no matter the load, it will always be light.

Then the muggle proof feature.

He closed the trunk and placed it on its side, inspecting it. Then he saw the little switch, 'muggle approved', he hummed in understanding. As he finished putting the pieces together in his head, he finally turned his attention back o the elf and had him explain it all, which resulted in Orion being glad that he had assumed wrong.

"Will you fill it with the necessary stuff? You know, clothes for all types of occasions, perhaps… fifteen of each? And of course shoes, all the sorts…" as he said it, the elf got to work immediately, and the clothes already began to fold as they were moved from their hangers and placed into the trunk, which didn't take long.

Orion slapped his hands together, "Well then… that's done." He stated, then hummed again… he needed money. "Money, how much do I have of that?" Orion asked the elf.

"In Master, likes to keep the emergency pouch in storage in wardrobe. Master also has money within his vaults."

Again Orion hummed. He didn't bother to question about the vaults, which was obviously where people with magic kept their wealth, which seemed obvious but he had been so used to hearing bank account, or perhaps banks card- did they have those?

If they didn't, perhaps it could be something he could invest in making, perhaps not exactly as they are, but something assessable to magic when he actually was much more comfortable in this world.

"How much money is in this pouch? And what coins are used?" Orion asked.

"400 Galleons, Master- there are Galleons, gold, then silver sickest, silver, and Bronze knuts, bronze."

"Okay.. okay- hmm."

Orion stood tall from his crouched position, giving a quick guess of how much it would be in euros. For all he knew, it could be worth ten euros, but he doubted it since it was in the 'emergency pouch'. He was giving the guess of six hundred, right there.

"How much would that roughly be in euro?" Orion asked, hoping they actually converted 'galleons' to 'muggle' money.

"Ah? Solrey is thinking now!... roughly more than two thousand euros, master!" Solrey responded. Orion maintained his composure, reminding himself even though Orion was eighteen. He was an heir to some 'Noble' House, meaning his family was from money. It made sense why someone his age would have that much… now he was curious how much were his vaults. A lot was for sure.

Though there was no need to worry about that now when he had the emergency money, which would likely be a lot considering it was 1947, in the muggle world, compared to the year he came from, assuming they were similar in some ways.

Was the harry potter world the same as the world he came from?

"Solrey? How many world wars have there been in the muggle world?" Orion quickly asked.

"Two, master."

With that, Orion just nodded, "You can put the emergency pouch in with the clothes. You can go after that."

There would be some similarities between his world to this world. Seeing it's 1947, he could think about investing some of his wealth in some companies, expanding his wealth in the muggle world, which wouldn't hurt to do. He defiantly wanted to explore the 'muggle' part of this world and definitely the other magical communities.

Reaching the end of the wardrobe… well, it didn't seem to be the end. Seeing as there was another door on the side, he opened it. It seemed to just be a room of stuff, perhaps to prevent cluttering in his bedroom. There were all sorts of things, the room wasn't big nor small. There were shelves of things, such as books, objects- a broom?

He walked towards it. There was a whole shelf with a broom on it- right, flying on a broom was a thing here. He grabbed it in excitement, flying? He stared at it in wonderment. It was heavy nor light.

As he was about to leave the room, with the broom, he stopped as he laid on a particular book, I was green, a dark green, the cover of it a leather, he tried opening it, but it didn't budge, it was strange, there was nothing that suggested a reason for it not to open. Was it another magic thing?

How fascinating it was.

"Abracadabra", he drawled in amusement, 'magic.' He tried again, trying to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

Refusing to open, no matter what he did. The book hadn't even bent with the force he was using. He stopped for a moment, staring at the journal. Just like his wand, there were small carvings in the leather of the journal, but there were different. The whole thing was scattered with them,

He'll just have to ask Solrey about it.

"Orion!" he heard a voice, as strange as it was, the voice sounded like it was from the exact same room as him, at the moment he was two rooms away from his bedroom, yet there was no one in the room with him.

"Ori?" again the voice called out. He ended up leaving the broom in the wardrobe as he left the storage room and began his way to his bedroom, "Oh? There you are."

It was a woman, another family member? It was likely she was his sister because of how similar she looked to their mother. She had grey eyes too, and that reminded him of their father and the ones he had. She had long dark hair.

She took long strides towards him and sighed in relief, "Orion," she whispered as he wrapped her arms around him. He finally released him as he stared in confusion. She stopped hugging him, yet her hands were placed on his shoulders. As she stared at him, she looked like she was looking for injuries.

"I was so happy once I was told you woke up. Are you alright? Especially after the incident?" She asked him. He opened his mouth to answer her, but she gave no chance for him to actually respond. Her hands released his shoulders as she huffed in annoyance.

"Of course, you're not! I can't believe Walburga would do such a thing, but then again, Of course, that girl would. She has always had some strange obsession with you and becoming Lady Black one day. I don't know who to blame, Pollux or her. Father should have just listened to you when you didn't want to marry her. She's our second cousin, for Merlin's sake! Ca-"

He stopped her right there, his eyes wide, "SECOND COUSIN?!" he yelled unintentionally, the girl, WALBURGA? WAS HIS SECOND COUSIN?! She, they… THEY BLOODY KISSED.

Marry? They were expecting him to marry his cousin? Were they mad, his second bloody cousin? Lord have mercy, was there something wrong with them- this family. The look of horror sat in place as the girl stared at him.

"…Orion, yes. Second cousin, why did it sound like you only realise she's our cousin?" the girl slowly asked.

"Oh… perhaps because I am?" Orion said slowly. She raised a brow before chuckling, "I know Alphard made fun of you for having no 'personality', and here you are trying to be funny again. Look, it's not for you. Just stick to being yourself." She told him.

…no personality? Again with the interesting names. Was Alphard another cousin?

Orion, Walburga, Cygnus, Arcturus, Pollux… the name Meliana wasn't as extravagant as the other names.

"I'm being serious… I suppose you haven't been made aware of my situation?" he told her.

"Situation? Orion, what are you talking about?"

"My memory… I supposed you can say I remember nothing. I have amnesia. I don't know who you are or who this Walburga is, but from what you've said, Walburga is my second cousin, who I am expected to marry, which I won't allow." He spoke.

"I wasn't told this," she whispered. She looked away before facing him again, looking up at him, "You don't know who I am." She didn't ask, no. She told him, stating the truth. He nodded.

"No, sorry. Well, seeing as your, my sister, our father said that only himself, mother and our grandfather were aware of my situation and likely uncle Regulus at some point, but I suppose you've been added to the list of 'knowing', will he be upset with me for telling you? I assumed he wouldn't be allowing any visitors." He replied apologetically, seeing the look of hurt on her face that she seemed to vanish within the second. She smiled kindly.

"Oh… well no, I would assume he would not be upset, and seeing as he had invited me to the manor, I would say he planned on having me aware and for visitors. I'm sure father has already warded the manor allowing on specific people access, so no unwelcomed visitors give you a surprise." She started.

"and there's no reason to apologise. It wasn't your fault. I'm your sister, Orion. Allow me to introduce myself, Lucretia Melania Prewett, the Lady of the noble and the Most Ancient House of Prewett, and scion to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. It must be so hard for you, having to be introduced to people who know you, yet you don't even know their names." She told him.

He found himself curious about what she actually knew of what happened. It was obvious his father wanted to keep things under ropes, so would he have told his daughter? And he wanted to know what happened to Walburga. They hadn't said much on it, and then there was that issue of being tortured.

She didn't mention anything about him being tortured but mentioned Walburga.

"…Yes, I feel annoyance for being ignorant to it all. I'm sorry I can't remember you, but it's nice to meet you. I was made aware I have a sister." He spoke, and she chuckled in response.

"Even without your memory, your personality is still similar. Your etiquette does need a little polishing." She responded.

"…Ah, does it? Father said it was something I needed to work on. Am I really that bad?" he asked her, aghast, completely oblivious to what he was doing so wrong that he needed etiquette lessons.

She laughed at him, "Of course, father would have said so. He always expects 'perfection'. I'm sure he's in his office sending owls, deciding who to choose to educate you. Truly, Orion, it hasn't been too long since you've been at the hospital. How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm just trying to adjust to it all, I suppose. Would you know what my relationship with our parents is like?" he asked her, and she pierced her lips.

"Interesting question, Orion. I wouldn't know the full extent of it. I'm fourteen years your senior. You were only three years old when I got married to my husband and left the Manor, so I wouldn't say I would know too much about your relationship with them. I never made much of an effort to visit, but I know you weren't on the best terms with them, recently, before your incident, especially with the Walburga situation."

"Oh," he responded, unintelligently, "But you are their favourite child, whether the reason is that you're a male or the fact they saw you as a perfect heir, up until you started ranting about your refusal to wed Walburga. Nonetheless, they love you, so even if it feels as if they don't they do. Us purebloods, aren't what you say, exceptional at showing our emotions." She spoke.

There was the word again, 'pureblood.'

"I would say, your relationship with them has been rocky since then. You had been refusing to even speak to them, let alone lay your eyes on them. If I didn't know better, as a Slytherin, father will be using that to his advantage, perhaps have a better relationship with you, than before. Seeing as he won't be forcing you to marry Walbriga anymore. " She told him, then again, he found himself nodding

"Alright." He responded.

She smiled at him, "Perhaps we can talk more about the issue at dinner. Will you be staying?" he continued to speak.

He received a nod, "Of course, mother wouldn't have it any other way. It would be insulting if I were to leave without staying for dinner. It has been a long time since I've done this… it's been a while since all four of us were together."

Eventually, she left his room. She had said she wanted to greet their mother but had not seen her coming to the Manor. He sighed, falling back onto his bed, ruining the neatly and straight grey sheetGetting up, he continued inspecting the room, then he found himself sitting at the desk, reading a document which seemed to be graded. He was assuming it was something akin to the leaving cert. The sheet was in a frame, which indicated its importance.

He stared at the section labelled as 'subjects' sitting there, astonished at the number of classes that they were. It seemed highly impossible to maintain all these classes. In his leaving cert in his previous life he had sat seven exams for his seven classes.

On top of the page was a crest.

-----

NASTILY EXHAUSTING WIZARDING TEST

Pass Grades: Fail Grades:

Outstanding (O) Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A) Troll (T)

ORION ARCTURUS BLACK HAS ACHIEVED:

Advanced Astronomy: O

Alchemy: E

Ancient Studies: E

Astronomy: O

Care of Magical Creatures: O

Charms: O

Defence Against The Dark Arts: O

Herbology: O

History of Magic: O

Magical Theory: A

Potions: O

Study of Ancient Runes: O

Transfiguration: O

Signed: Griselda Marchbanks

Madam Professor Griselda Marchbanks

Governor, Wizarding Examinations Authority

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT & WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Armando Dippet

----

Orion let out a whistle of surprise as he read through the document that showed the results, most being Oustandings, the highest grade that could be given. The previous Orion must have had spent a lot- too much time on his studies to get nearly all Outstandings.

As he continued to scan the document through the glass of the frame, he heard something.

Leaning forward on his elbows, he decided there was no point acting or being surprised. With an owl flew into his room, it landed on his lap, snuffling his chest. It was unmistakably puffy. The owl had a peach-shaped head and an almond-shaped body, both of which were covered in vanilla-coloured feathers.

His fingers petted the bird's check. It was obvious it was enjoying the attention, he continued to do so as he took the letter that was attached to its foot, "What do you have there." He whispered to himself. Taking it, he saw the crest on the face of it, that sealed the letter shut.

It wasn't a crest he was familiar with, which wasn't surprising. He tore it open and began to read it.

'Dear, Orion Arcturus Black.

Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

I've recently heard some good news regarding you. Which would be your health, I am glad to know you have overcome whatever illness had decided to take your health, but thankfully the worst had not come to past, but the best has happened, which is your full recovery. It would seem your stubbornness overcame it.

As your friend, I was deeply perturbed by the news of your sudden take to the hospital. Hopefully, the article I had seen was not one of falsehood, if not then I am glad to give you an early invitation to my Manor, for the 10th November. A dinner, if you wish to call it, it is for us to catch up. I am sure the others will be glad to see you once again.

Before then, I would like to see you again, and without the others bothering us. I'm sure my sister wouldn't hate the idea of seeing you again. I will have to hex you for the suffering on my part, with having to hear Ezra complain and express her worry for you, at some point I found her crying her eyes out, believing you would die.

Perhaps a game of quidditch, just as usual would do us fine. I hope all is well, and you're dealing with your parents in a way you won't get injured. I've already heard of the news your father had decided not to betrothed you to Miss Walburga Black, which I'm sure you find ecstatic. I can already imagine you jumping in the hair for joy, something you would never do.

Would the issue with your health have something to do with Miss Walburga? Simply curious, I'm sure you'll tell me if you can make it to my Manor, for the 2nd of November.

I'm sure Stello is happy to see you again. He always loves snuggling you. He always has me questioning who his owner is, myself or you.

Readily awaiting your response, and if I were you, I would send an owl to Ezra as well. I'm not sure how things ended with you two, but I hope it can be rekindled.

Yours sincerely, your true and faithful friend, Enrique Rowle.

Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Rowle.'

He sat there, his eyes scanning over the letter again. Humming in understanding, this Enrique was a friend of Orion's. There was no point in answering now. He actually wanted to accept the invitation, but he doubted his father would allow it. Though… was it necessary for him to get the man's approval because he just wasn't going to go, there was no point going, seeing as he lacked the knowledge he needed.

He wasn't sure how to respond. When seeing the name, he felt trust. He found himself trusting his gut with this. He could trust Enrique. Perhaps the boy would help him understand the world better and especially with his peers who he would have to come into contact with at someone point. Though he still wouldn't meet the boy, not now at least, and that soon.

He would need to know who to trust and who not to trust.

…Then there was Ezra, Enrique's sister. Who he assumed was called Ezra Rowle. Who was she? Did Orion love her instead of Walburga? She was obviously worried about him, as of what Enrique had written.

Also… what was quidditch?

He really should have at least watched the movies if not read the series.

In the end, he didn't bother replying; he was sure Enrique would understand, seeing as he had just come home.

Holding that journal he had found earlier, with the intent of asking Solrey ho to open it, he called his name.

"Solrey."

'crack'

"Master, calls for Solrey!" the elf said in excitement, practically jumping up and down, "…Why are you so excited…?" Orion couldn't help but ask.

"Because Master is the best! Solrey loves serving Master! Solrey, really really missed Master Orion when he was in that mean nasty coma!"

Interesting… was this the purpose of all house elves? To serve a master… do they get paid? "Right… Solrey, do you get paid to serve me?" Orion asked. The elf frowned.

"No no! Solrey serves master, no pay needed. Master's happiness is payment! Solrey knows the nasty coma took Master's memories away, so Solrey will do his best to answer all questions!"

"…Thank you Solrey," deciding he didn't want to question further on the situation, it didn't really matter did it? Solrey seemed happy enough to do anything, he was starting to think the elf would kill for him… would he?

"Since you're my… elf, you're not allowed to tell anyone what I get up to, not even my family." He told the elf, who nodded frantically.

"Of course! Never ever as Solrey betrayed master."

"Thank you Solrey… this journal here, do you know what it is?" Orion questioned the elf, as he waved the green journal in the air. The elf again nodded before answering.

"It's Master's private journal, no one has ever looked inside other than you, Master. You don't like people questioning it, let alone seeing it. Master just wants to know how to open it! The journal is carved in runes, just like Masters wand! The runes are blood activated, it is what keeps the journal closed, and what opens it, the rune in the very middle is the key to opening it. Master just has to place a finger on that rune, and it will take Master's blood!"

Runes? He knew runes, had to do with the roman alphabet, but in this world it was something more, seeing as it decided whether a journal will open or not… Orion seems to be a secretive person if he went as far as using these 'runes' to keep the journal closed. "Runes…" he whispers and his finger traced the runes.

It was final… he would be spending hours upon hours in the library, he didn't want to be ignorant in a world like this. Just like his previous world, this world would have its bad people and good people… the difference was they had magic. It wasn't some simple case of random Americans keeping fucking guns, it was a case of many people having magic, each one their own person.

…Then again, it seemed like a lot of Americans had guns- Ahh, well…

They themselves decide how they want to use that magic, which could be used for bad. For all he knew there could be someone out there who didn't like Orion, perhaps do something akin to what Walburga did with the supposed love potion.

"Where did Ori- where did I get it?"

"Master was given by a friend! But he also isn't your friend, Master likes to call him friend, but say that it's sarcasm! Master doesn't like him, but likes the gift!"

"Tell me more, just keep talking until I tell you," Orion told his elf.

"Okay! Master was given the journal when he turned thirteen by Mr Tom Riddle, a mudblood! But Master doesn't like him, because of how powerful he is, how he was able to gain the attention of the other purebloods, and how he is snivelling his way into a place he belongs not! Master had said before in thought that Mr Tom Riddle only got it for Master to gain his favour-" before his elf could continue, he stopped him.

"Right, then I don't like this Tom Riddle, whose an apparent… 'mudblood?' because he's powerful, am I powerful Solrey? Why is it that I dislike him because of his power?"

"Oh no, Mr Tom Riddle used his power on you! That is why he had gotten the journal, they are very rare and hard to get! Some call it dark because it uses blood. It was an apology because he wishes to have the Blacks on his side as you are the heir and will someday become the patriarch of the House of Black, and the House of Black are one of the most powerful and influential Houses in the British wizarding, having many connecting in Great Britain and outside of it! You are powerful Master, I can feel it, Master! You had said to me that you had made Mr Tom Riddle bleed, you were very proud and happy with yourself when you had come back home for the Yule Holidays!"

His fingers thrummed against the leather of the book, in thought. So Tom Riddle wasn't someone to trust, how did the use his magic on Orion? Perhaps in a way to make Orion submit? It obviously didn't work if he came back with a 'gift' or perhaps it did, and it hurt Orion's pride, having him refuse to even associate with Tom.

So, Tom is befriending powerful people? Why? For fame? Recognition? Connections? Well, he didn't blame him, it's something everyone thinks of doing, "Is Tom from a powerful house too?" he questioned finally looking up to the elf.

"No no! Riddle is a filthy name! no Riddle wizarding family."

Alright… he really needs to read a book on things like this, if there are specific names which should be known to him a wizarding family, another thing to add to his agenda. He'll gladly have most things read, even if just a few pages of each book before the person his father wishes to bring to teach him comes.

He rather has more knowledge, than have to start from the beginning when the person comes. Instead of starting, he'll just add to the knowledge he already knew.

"Do you know who I trust the most? It's really hard for me to just know with me having no memories anymore." Orion spoke again.

"Enrique Rowle is one of Masters's best friends! Theo Avery is Master's best friend since day one at Hogwarts! Rome Macmillan is also Master's close friend, and he is Master's cousin through Lady Black. Ezra Rowle, Willian Greengrass, Aldrich Carrow and Hendrix Travers."

Solrey continued, talking about these people as Orion questioned it further, with him asking about them, which led to Hogwarts… Orion truly trusted his elf, having told him so much. Perhaps Solrey was the only person he really could talk to instead of his parents, why not tell your elf everything if they can be ordered and obey a command as simple as, telling no one.

All the names Solrey had mentioned were all part of the sacred 28, something he remembered his father mentioning. The elf had explained it to be families who are truly pure-blooded, something along those lines. He found himself questioning what their issue was with 'blood' having heard all sorts of things ending with blood, 'pureblood' and 'mudblood'.

Which his elf gladly explained … all in all, the wizarding world was no different from the 'muggle' world. They're prejudiced and discriminatory against those who don't have a long line of wizards in their bloodline.

It was confusing and interesting learning about this world.

Rowle, Avery, Macmillan, Greengrass, Carrow and Travers were all part of the sacred 28, perhaps that was a reason Orion was friends with them in the first place. Enrique, Ezra, Theo, Aldrich and Hendrix were all Slytherins like he himself was. William was a Ravenclaw.

He was proud to be able to say he now knew all the houses of Hogwarts. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

He was relieved to know there were people Orion truly trusted. He had already dismissed Solrey, a great helper he was. He could never be as happy as Solrey was to serve someone. If he had to do something he'd complain.

It was just how he was.. lazy unless it had to do with something interesting, but if he did have to do something he didn't want to do, there had to be some good in it for him.

There wasn't any point in doing something for someone without something in return.

Now the journal… just as Solrey had mentioned. He placed his thing on the centre 'rune' and immediately felt a prick after two seconds, the runes began to glow a dimmed blue colour, and he just knew that was it. The journal was now able to be opened.

So he opened it.

He flicked through the pages, a frown on his face when he was met with nothing. Blank pages, until finally one page, began to show something, letter and words fading in, he stopped on that page.

…How interesting. Magic was simply amazing.