Alya Merope Black, twin to Sirius, beloved sister to Regulus and daughter to Walburga and Orion Black.
The complete opposite to her twin Sirius, Alya is the typical pureblood Slytherin, full of ambition and arrogance.
But something strange is going...
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The following morning, Alya woke up full of determination. Her aim was to ask her father about the mysterious painting she and Regulus had discovered the day before, in the octagonal room.
Orion Black was a creature of habit and used to punctuate every moment of his day with very precise actions. He and his wife usually got up at the crack of dawn, much earlier than their children, and, after a frugal and quick breakfast, Mr Black used to hole up in his study on the ground floor, to smoke his pipe in solitude while his eyes devoured all the news presented in the pages of the Daily Prophet, the most famous wizarding word's newspaper.
Alya, who knew her father's habits very well, would take advantage of this particular moment to put her intentions into action and satisfy her greedy curiosity.
Therefore, immediately after finishing her meal, Alya slipped out of the dining room and trotted determinedly towards her father's study. However, part of her confidence failed once she found herself in front of the dark wooden door behind which the room was concealed.
The fact was that Orion Black was a stern, authoritarian man who rarely liked to be disturbed during his strict morning activities, especially by the childish antics of his children. This was the sort of thing to be delegated to his wife. It was Walburga's job to look after Alya, Sirius and Regulus.
Alya stood still for a few seconds, staring at the handle, unsure of what to do. The last thing she wanted was to get a rebuke from her father. However, her intense curiosity got the better of her. She inhaled deeply, arming herself with courage. She raised a little fist and firmly knocked three times on the door.
Hesitantly, Alya opened the door and slipped inside the room. The sweetish, pungent smell of the pipe invaded her nostrils violently. By instinct she wrinkled her nose, slightly nauseated.
"Alya?" said Orion with a serious expression, vaguely surprised to see his little daughter standing in the doorway of his study. "What's going on?"
Alya swallowed, intimidated by the harsh severity with which her father peered at her from behind the pages of his newspaper. The little girl hesitated for a moment, biting her lower lip nervously; Orion's eyebrows were travelling further and further up his forehead.
"Come on, Alya. Come closer." Orion said, inviting the girl to sit on one of the two chairs opposite his desk. With an uncertain step, Alya cautiously advanced into the study and sat down opposite her father.
"So?" he pressed her, with ill-concealed impatience.
"M-may I ask you something, father?" squeaked the daughter fearfully.
"Well, I hope it's important. Let's hear it."
Alya looked down at her feet, not daring to look longer her father in the face. His haughty gaze always struck her with awe.
