𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝑶𝒇 𝑳𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 ~ 𝑊𝑎𝑙𝑏𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑎 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘

chapter six

Present day,

Lost in her thoughts, Walburga doesn't hear the bedroom door open or Orion's heavy footsteps before he drops onto the bed, drunk. She clenches her jaw, he doesn't even hide anymore. He comes back with his neck covered in lipstick marks, and thinking about Sirius makes Walburga more human.

And that's when anger boils in her blood. Orion is just a good-for-nothing. A dirty guy who would be nothing without her who runs the house, educates Regulus, and she grabs his feet and throws them onto the bed a little roughly, tearing a groan from her husband.

"Easy," he growls.

"And, you went easy on that whore?" she says coldly. "Take off your shirt."

Her voice is cold, her face impassive and she lets him take off his shirt while she removes his shoes and goes to get something to clean his neck. Walburga has a lump in her throat. Her humanity appears very rarely, but it always ends up disappearing. Returning to the room, she finds Orion sitting and she approaches him, ready to rub his neck, but he grabs her wrist and pulls her towards him, trying to kiss her. She tries to push him away and grimaces, he smells of alcohol.

"You look pretty today," he says, "take off that dress so I can show you how hard and brutal I went with that slut."

Orion has always been afraid of her. At least, he has always feared her and ended up being submissive to her. However, when he is drunk, the old Orion resurfaces, believing himself to be the king of the world and, weakened by her past, she cannot free herself.

"Come on," he says, "relax and let yourself go."

"Let go of me," she says.

Orion grabs the collar of her dress, which he rips, revealing her chest and Walburga wakes up. She feels this contained anger and she pushes him away before slapping him brutally. He brings a hand to his cheek then gets up, staggering. Walburga knows, weakness must be eradicated and thinking about Sirius only makes her weaker.

The slap she takes sends her to the ground and she raises her head, gasping as Orion grabs her hair and he climbs on top of her, holding her hands. Walburga still suffers after he has emptied several bottles, but fortunately, he never remembers it and remains submissive and fearful of his wife.

"Mother?" Regulus calls while knocking on the door. "Is everything okay? I .. I heard a noise and .."

"Go back to playing the piano," she spits, keeping a cold voice. "It's an order."

Behind the door, Regulus lowers his head and remains planted in silence in front of it. He closes his eyes, trying to find what to say, but the words don't come. As he starts to turn on his heels, a sound of struggle rings out again and he hesitates.

Walburga struggles, Orion is heavier than her and he lifts her by the hair before throwing her on the bed and removing her underwear. Again, he grabs her so that she doesn't move and puts his hand under her dress. She then thinks she's going to live that nightmare again, but Orion lets out a grunt as his body hits the ground.

She straightens up, watches her husband as Regulus, short of breath, looks with fear at his father who was about to hurt his mother. And while Walburga betrays no expression, Regulus lets himself go to a distress as his mother gets up.

"Did he hurt you?" asks Regulus.

For all response, a slap crashes on his cheek, so hard that his hair covers his face and he brings his hand to his cheek, looking up at his mother, his mouth half-open. She glares at him and he steps back slightly.

"What your father and I do is none of your business, Regulus," she hides. "How dare you hit the man who raised you?"

He does not answer, too afraid of the blows that could come. However, Walburga does not hit him again and helps Orion to get back on his feet. The man, still naked, grabs his son and hits him in the face before pulling on his underwear as best he can.

"Mother...," Regulus pleads.

"We don't plead in this family," she replies. "Take responsibility for your actions."

Regulus has a glimmer of sorrow cross his eyes, replaced by a dull terror when his father grabs his hair to pull him out of the room. Walburga looks at the hallway and then at the door to her son's room which slams and shudders at the first cries of pain.

"You disappoint me so much," says a voice behind her. "What have you become if not a monster?"

Walburga's face automatically breaks, the young Walburga comes back for a short moment and she turns to Sirius. It's been a long time since she saw him although he is only the fruit of her mind. For a while now, she has been forgetting more and more who she was.

"Look at you," he continues. "You are nothing more than the creation of your family. You are everything you have always fled from."

The noises in the next room give her chills and she remains motionless, unable to move or speak. She closes her eyes, inhales deeply and when she opens them again, Sirius has disappeared. She doesn't know how long she stays like that, but it is a little darker when Orion comes out of the room.

He goes back to their room and ignores Walburga, letting himself fall on the bed and starts to snore. She clenches her jaw and manages to move. She goes down to the kitchen, prepares some tea before pouring a potion into it. She then goes back up and enters Regulus' room.

Seeing him in this state, she swallows hard and kneels on the floor, grabbing her child to hold him against her and rocks him gently, placing kisses in his hair.

"It's okay, my baby," she says. "Mommy's here."

Walburga helps him up and lays him on the bed before letting him drink the tea, then she goes to get something to clean his swollen face. She sits on the mattress, her face soft, and smiles at him softly.

"Everything will be fine," she says. "You'll see. Soon, you will be the right hand of the Dark Lord."

"Mom," Regulus moans.

Her heart sinks. She strokes his cheek with pure tenderness and looks at him, her eyes filled with tears. He is her baby. Her little boy and she loves him deeply. Regulus has trouble keeping his eyes open and he frowns a little.

"What did you give me?" he asks.

"A potion that will help you," she says.

"Help me?"

"It will help you forget," she breathes. "You will forget the tenderness I had for you tonight. It is for the best, believe me my son."

The next day, Regulus will have forgotten her kindness, her help and her tenderness. Walburga prefers it that way. The Blacks do not show their feelings, Regulus is still fragile. He needs to build himself up and so she pushes her love away so that he can survive.

"It will also ease your pain," she says. "Sleep now."

She watches him close his eyes as she begins to hum a soft melody. She strokes his hair, watching his pale face relax as he drifts off to sleep and when she is sure he is asleep, she places a kiss on his forehead.

"I love you," she whispers. "I am sorry that you carry a legacy like this. But everything will be fine, I promise you."

She straightens up, becoming that cold and straight woman again, and leaves the room before going to her own and going to bed for the night. Fortunately, these moments of weakness don't last. They lock themselves in her mind, letting the monster in her take over and she knows it's the best thing to do to survive.