The next morning, Orion found himself back in the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore was standing before the gallery of portraits of his predecessors, his gaze fixed on a painting of a sallow-faced man with an impeccably trimmed beard.
"Professor Dumbledore," Orion began, "you looked quite taken with that old fellow on the wall. Does my... esteemed ancestor have some sort of hereditary madness I should know about?"
Dumbledore sipped his tea. "Who can say?" he said, his eyes twinkling over the rim of his cup. "Pure-blood families are often known to possess certain… eccentricities."
"Ah," Orion said flatly.
A cold dread washed over him. Wonderful. I wake up in this world with nothing to my name, and now I find out I've inherited a legacy of lunacy.
Dumbledore seemed to read his thoughts. "Do not worry, my boy," he said reassuringly. "From what I understand, the particular strain of madness in the Black family is not entirely consistent. And I believe the most pronounced traits stem from your great-great-grandfather's generation, so you should be relatively insulated."
Orion rolled his eyes. That's his idea of reassurance?
"Now then," the Headmaster said, setting down his cup. "I suggest you spend some time in the library. It is not wise for you to be wandering the castle unsupervised." He handed Orion a small, enchanted ring. "And try to stay out of trouble."
Orion left the office, turning the strange ring over in his fingers, his mind a swirl of thoughts about wands, rings, and family curses. He decided a walk would do him good.
He found Hagrid outside his small wooden cabin, pulling on a pair of thick boots. Fang, the boarhound, was circling his feet excitedly.
"Are you heading out, Hagrid?" Orion asked.
"Orion! That I am. Time for a patrol of the Forbidden Forest."
"The Forest?" Orion's eyes lit up. "Take me with you."
"Can't do that, I'm afraid," Hagrid said, shaking his head. "Strict school rules. No students allowed in the Forest."
"But Hagrid," Orion said with a sly grin. "The rules say students are forbidden. Technically, I'm not a student yet."
Hagrid paused, his brow furrowed in thought. "Well… when you put it like that… alright then, you've convinced me!"
As they walked into the twilight of the ancient woods, Hagrid rambled on, his booming voice echoing through the trees.
"Met his son the other day, I did. Harry Potter. A good lad. A Gryffindor, I reckon, just like his parents. A shame, what happened to Lily and James. Excellent people. All because of that rotten You-Know-Who…"
Orion patted the half-giant's broad back. "Alright, Hagrid. Let's not dwell on sad things."
Their patrol was an education in itself. Orion learned to bow respectfully to a herd of magnificent Hippogriffs, their front halves like giant eagles and their back halves like horses. He learned to bribe the mischievous, squeaking Nifflers with shiny Sickles to keep them from pilfering his ring.
Deeper in the woods, a rustling in the leaves signaled the arrival of a centaur. He was tall and handsome, with the body of a palomino stallion.
"Hagrid," the centaur said, his voice grave. "You should not have brought a foal into these woods."
"Firenze!" Hagrid greeted him warmly. "Don't you worry about Orion. He's tougher than he looks."
"It is not him I worry about," Firenze said, his gaze distant. "The Acromantula are growing restless. This is no place for any two-legged creature tonight." He nodded to them both and disappeared back into the shadows.
Hagrid nervously shrank in on himself. "Right then. Best we head back."
As they turned to leave, Orion noticed something odd. Fang, who had been sniffing around a large oak tree, was now contentedly chewing on a large, perfectly cooked steak.
That's strange, Orion thought. Extremely strange. Where would a piece of roasted meat come from in the middle of the Forbidden Forest?
He filed the thought away as Hagrid began complaining.
"It's those Weasley twins, I'll bet!" he grumbled. "Spend half my life chasin' those two out of the Forest. One of these days I'll catch 'em red-handed and drag 'em to Professor McGonagall myself."
"Don't worry, Hagrid," Orion said with a grim smile. "I'll help you. We will bring them to justice."
Just then, he spotted a flash of red hair behind a nearby tree. Then another.
"Shh! Don't let him see us," a voice whispered.
"Relax," whispered another. "Look at that pretty little thing with him. She'd never tell on us."
Orion's eye began to twitch. The familiar surge of rage was a welcome change from the cold suspicion of a moment ago. He took two steps back, pointed a dramatic finger at the bush where the twins were hiding, and tapped Fang with his other hand. The boarhound, wanting to join the fun, let out a loud, joyous bark.
Hagrid spun around, his eyes widening as he saw the two red-headed boys.
A few minutes later, Orion walked proudly out of the forest beside Hagrid, who had a firm grip on the ear of one of the twins. The other twin trailed behind them, looking sheepish. They were heading straight for McGonagall's office. Orion felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Perhaps I have a talent for detective work, he mused.
After the twins were thoroughly reprimanded, Orion made his way to the Great Hall for lunch. He was immediately accosted by Filch.
"There you are!" the caretaker rasped, his eyes gleaming with suspicion. "I know what you're up to, you little spy!"
"A spy?"
"Don't play dumb with me! You're a spy for Hagrid, sent to keep tabs on me and my sweet Mrs. Norris!"
The commotion drew a crowd. Students from every House began to circle him, whispering and pointing at the strange, new face without a House insignia. One older girl, who clearly had no concept of personal space, reached out and pinched his cheek.
"He's so cute!" she squealed.
That was the last straw. The noise, the crowding, the cheek-pinching—it was all too much. As a wave of panic began to set in, Professor McGonagall's sharp voice cut through the din.
"That is quite enough! Back to your tables, all of you! Ten points from Hufflepuff for… unsanctioned cheek-pinching!"
The crowd dispersed. McGonagall glared at the Weasley twins, who were watching the scene with amusement.
"Poor little thing looks terrified, George," one of them stage-whispered.
"Quiet, Fred," the other shot back. "We just lost Gryffindor twenty points, let's not make it worse."
Orion finally snapped. "For your information," he said, his voice dangerously calm, "I was brought here personally by Headmaster Dumbledore. I will be starting next year. And for the last time, I am not a 'little thing' and I am not a girl. Honestly, you'd have better luck guessing my gender if you just picked a random object! A teapot! A shovel! It would be more accurate!"
The twins stared at him, their identical grins widening.
"A feisty one," said Fred. "I'm Fred, and this is George."
Orion sighed and gestured to the signet ring on his finger. "Orion. Black."
"Black, you say?" George mused. "Are you sure you're not a Slytherin spy sent to infiltrate Gryffindor?"
"Don't be ridiculous, George," said a tall, pompous-looking redhead who had just walked over. "Percy Weasley," he said, puffing out his chest. "Their older brother and a House Prefect."
Orion endured the introductions with the glazed-over expression of someone scrolling blankly through a social media feed, wishing he could simply dissociate until it was all over. After a profoundly awkward lunch, he fled. He needed sanctuary. He needed silence. He needed the library.
The library was quiet that afternoon, populated mostly by a few studious Ravenclaws. Orion headed for the restricted section—a privilege granted to him by Dumbledore. His magical repertoire was still limited to a few terrifyingly powerful spells; he needed to learn some subtlety. He couldn't solve every problem with Fiendfyre.
He settled at a secluded table and began to read.
"Excuse me," a soft voice said. "You're the new student, the one without a House, right?"
Orion looked up. A pretty girl with long, dark hair and a Ravenclaw tie was standing there. "I am," he said. "Orion Black."
"I'm Cho Chang," she said, giving him a small smile. "I saw you in the Great Hall. It looked… intense."
"You could say that," Orion replied with a dry chuckle.
They fell into easy conversation, discovering a shared, morbid fascination with the more gruesome aspects of magical history.
"The food here is good," Orion commented after a while, "but some of the dishes are bizarre. Are you used to it yet?"
Cho shuddered dramatically. "The food is a nightmare. Can you believe they put beef kidney in what looks like a perfectly normal meat pie? It's barbaric."
"Tell me about it!" Orion said, horrified. "I thought it was a mushroom!"
"Nasty!" they both said in unison, bursting into laughter.
Their chat was cut short by the sudden, looming presence of Madam Pince, the librarian, who glared at them over her spectacles. With a single, withering look, she pointed a bony finger towards the door.
Blushing, Cho gathered her things. Orion, however, was unfazed.
"Don't worry about it," he said calmly as they were ushered out. "You get used to it after a few times."
Cho giggled. "I have to get to class." She waved and hurried down the corridor.
Orion smiled to himself. Perhaps, he thought, Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all. He turned and walked right back into the library.
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