Lost One

Chapter 2

The faint pecking on the window had drawn Walburga Black out of her daze. She had been staring at the drawing-room tapestry, scanning over each family member's name. Slowly and carefully reminding herself of the information of each person listed on the wall before her. As she turned to see where the noise was coming from, aggravation was already sprouting within her. From spotting her brother's owl Winston, she could tell the news would spoil her afternoon.

From previous knowledge, she knew the only times Cygnus sent letters was when he had something to brag about. In the past, he sent letters when bragging about the family estate, being married to another pureblood first, and having children first. Sure Walburga had some wins but only to an extent. She had married, but it was her younger cousin, Orion. Yes, she and Orion had inherited one of the Black Family properties, but the townhouse couldn't even begin to compare to the Black estate. Finally, Walburga couldn't even start a conversation about children. Whether it was with friends, Cygnus, or Orion, they always ended in her being shamed for not producing an heir yet. At the beginning of their marriage, Orion had been supportive and able to keep his temper, but over time his patience had run short while his desire for an heir only grew. It had been humiliating, too, considering Cygnus was Walburga's younger brother, yet he was always treated like a king.

Drawing her attention back to the window once again, Walburga opened it to let Winston inside. As he stood still perched upon the window sill, Walburga snatched the envelope from him and watched as he disappeared into the foggy London mist. Looking upon the letter, she spotted the infamous Black seal, which only fueled her anger. As she tore open the envelope to scan over the letter, Walburga could feel warmth rise throughout her face. Enragement and exhilaration racked her body as she read over, again and again, that same line. That statement had proved that Cygnus had succeeded yet failed at everything they were taught from their youth.

Soon enough, all the excitement had flushed out any sign of anger, leaving her ecstatic about the news. As this was one of the first times she was truly happy, Walburga started laughing. Her maniacal laughter rang through to the far ends of the townhouse. Even on the other side of the house, Orion could hear his wife's almost psychotic howling, as if he was right beside her. Walking up the creaky stairs and toward their bedroom, Walburga's laughter never faltered. When Orion opened the door to the master bedroom, he nearly jumped out of his skin. There before him, laughing hysterically lunatic-like, was Walburga with a piece of parchment in her grasp. Slightly disturbed by his wife's actions, he commented, "What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

Looking over at him, Walburga stopped as if her laughter was a switch and dryly responded, "Cygnus has yet again failed!"

Orion had known about the competitions Cygnus and Walburga would have but always left them alone to bicker about such foolish things. Wondering what all the ruckus had been about, Orion questioned, "What exactly has he failed at, again?"

"Oh, producing an heir, of course!" Walburga said while pushing the letter into her husband's hand.

As his eyes scanned over each word, fascination started to dwell within him. Questions racked his mind: How could someone not produce an heir after four children? How could someone be so unlucky? As all of these questions piled up, Orion handed back the letter to Walburga and started his exit. Nearing the doorway, he presumed, "Write within the hour. Knowing you, you'll want to gloat in person rather than through owl."

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April 9th.

 1955. 

2:02 in the afternoon. It had been a little over a few weeks since Druella had given birth to Elladora and Narcissa. Within that period, Walburga and Cygnus had visited the family home, only for Walburga to be put in her place. In an attempt to gloat about her brother's failure, he had pointed out her inability to conceive and pureblooded children. Of course, they had gotten into an argument for the rest of the family to witness while they bickered for twenty minutes like five-year-olds. It was until Orion dragged Walburga temporarily out of the room that the quarreling ceased. As always, after Walburga calmed down for a few minutes, she returned to the room where the Black family continued on as they typically did for the rest of the afternoon.