The Status of the House of Black
The most ancient and most noble house of Black.
The most prominent, largest, oldest, and wealthiest pure-blood family in Great Britain.
Their name alone is synonymous with status and wealth that even is beyond most of the richest and most influential families in the wizarding world.
Their family lines go back to the Middle Ages and lie prominently in Great Britain.
When people hear the Black family, they think of nothing but the most powerful, the most talented, and even the most beautiful. They were also known for their talents in dark magic. Back in the day, they could rival even the dark lords.
When people hear their name, it was either treated with respect, prestige or fear. They are practically the royals of the wizarding world.
However, these royals have all but declined over the years as fewer and fewer Black family members have remained with the most recent, facing almost none of the youngest generation to carry the Black name.
Arcturus Black, the current head and paterfamilias of the house of black stood there staring outside his office window in Blackwood Castle - the family home estate that has been in the family for generations. Despite the beauty of the gardens even in the dead of night, the old man can't find some peace by looking at them as he used to.
Arcturus Black is facing a crisis. The current dark lord Voldemort was defeated by a baby no less and the light side of the political wizarding world celebrated as this could be the sign of the new era for the light as they say. But Arcturus will never side with the light, especially when their current leader is Dumbledore. The man can smile as much as he wants but that twinkly eyes will never fool him. That man is as manipulative and as powerful as any dark lord but he was furious with the current dark faction as well, the faction that their house belongs to for generations.
There are three factions in Wizengamot, the light, the dark, and the neutrals or grays. The neutral faction is very few however they are also losing members as the light side has been building traction as they entice members to their side. The dark side has faced significant decline mostly due to losing heirs and families. Most of them were casualties of war, some were the result (and he would never admit it) due to their inbreeding with cousins. The Black family were guilty on both.
The two remaining youngest male heirs, Sirius and Regulus Black have practically disappeared. Regulus is believed to be dead. The dark lord was kind enough to inform them of his death at the hands of the aurors. However his body was never recovered. Sirius has sided with the light but even though the war has ended, the boy (yes he is an adult but to Arcturus he is a boy) is nowhere to be found. It was liked he vanished from the face of the earth. Some say he was also a casualty of the war but he could not find any evidence that the boy is dead. Still he is presumed dead at this point. If he really is, then it is now the end of the Black Family.
The remaining male family members are old and less likely to produce their own children. While it is still possible for them if they found a younger woman to bear their children, it is mostly impossible for them to do so without being a scandal (not that this happened before). Not to mention that aside from Arcturus, the rest of their male members are not a picture of health while the women are still strong but because of their family being a patriarchal one, they could not inherit the position unless one of them were to produce a boy out of wedlock and has to carry a boy. But that boy will still be illegitimate.
The only remaining youngest Blacks left are the three sisters. Andromeda who has left the family so he could marry a muggle-born man, Bellatrix who has gone insane, committed a heinous crime and got sent to Azkaban, and Narcissa who is married to Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa has a boy and followed the Black legacy of naming their children from the stars and the constellations. Arcturus knows why. This was Malfoy's attempt to get into the Black family fortune. Naming their son "Draco" made it possible for the boy to show up in the Black family tree despite the fact that he carries not have the Black family name.
Arcturus would rather severe his right arm than watch the glory, wealth, and status of the Black family be handed out to a Malfoy. If that happens, then their family will just be absorbed under the Malfoy house no longer the glory and prestigious name. Fate has definitely cast a dark shadow on their family. Is Arcturus the first ever paterfamilias who will witness their end?