Upside Down Mirror: Muggles and Sardines

Untitled Part 1

"Why are Wizards superior to Muggles?"

Arcturus Black looked up at his young grandson who somehow managed to find his way into his study and now stood there with his arms tucked behind his back and a serious look on his young face. He found himself surprised at not having noticed the boy come in, but not he looked at the boy, perturbed that he would ask such a thing. "You know very well Regulus Arcturus Black that we are superior to Muggles, so why would you ask such a question?"

"I didn't ask if we are superior to Muggles. I already know the answer to that question. What I asked is why we are superior to Muggles."

Arcturus set the book down, looking at the small boy as his lip protruded, apparently perturbed with his grandfather not actually understanding what he meant by the question. "I see." Arcturus then said, "Don't pout like that. It is very unbecoming for a member of the Black household."

He watched the boy attempt to correct his posture only for the child to fail miserably simply because he tried too hard. "You didn't answer my question."

"No, I hadn't." Arcturus pondered the question carefully, noting how the small boy put more thought into the matter than one would expect of someone so young, but he felt an honest answer should be provided to an honest question of inquiry. "We are able to use magic to fly on brooms individually while Muggles pack themselves into a container like sardines in a sardine tin and fling themselves through the air via some preposterous, outlandish, and senseless non-magical means."

"Oh."

"Did that answer your question Regulus Arcturus?" He let one eyebrow up, amused at the serious look, or attempt at seriousness on the part of the boy.

"Yes, it did. Thank you, sir." Regulus made a slight bow before heading out of the office and Arcturus thought that would be the end of it.

Except, it wasn't.

A few days later he found himself paying a visit to Grimmauld place at the same time as his daughter Lucretia and her husband. The menfolk retired to the downstairs study with the door ajar as they weren't discussing politics or any major family matter when a loud metallic thud was heard from out in the hall followed by Lucretia letting out a scream before Walburga began yelling up the stairs at her eldest.

Arcturus stepped out of the room with the other men, his head turned towards the sound of Walburga allowing him to catch sight of a homemade miniature catapult with Regulus standing nearby, his eyes wide as his mother yelled up the stairs. Turning his head in the other direction, he looked at the wall and saw a tin of sardines having left a definite smudge on the wallpaper due to the impact bending the tin to the point of tin twisted and ended up opening.

"What!" His older grandson's voice made Arcturus turn his head back in time to see the boy confront his mother.

The woman let out a few choices curse words she honestly shouldn't be using around the children, chewing him out for his latest prank. Sirius looked at the catapult incredibly, then at the mess on the wall which could be taken care of with a good Scouring Charm or even House Elf magic. That of course wasn't the point of the matter.

"I didn't do it." Sirius snapped, only for his mother to pull on his ear.

"Of course you didn't, you little..."

"Walburga," Arcturus clicked his tongue, wishing his son would stand up to his wife more often. She pulled back, looking at the family head. More importantly, her yelling stopped. He looked at his youngest grandson, whose hands were tucked behind his back. "Regulus Arcturus Black. In front of me now."