November 1966. Number twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"Sirius! What are you doing?" a little girl burst out in an indignant voice, her fists on her hips.

Her name was Alya Merope Black; she was a thin and petite child, but this did not prevent her from filling the room in which she was with her innate haughtiness. She had long raven hair, styled in a ponytail that fell softly over her shoulder, in stark contrast to the diaphanous whiteness of her skin. On the thin face, with slightly harsh features, stood out two gray and sparkling eyes, which darted reproachfully on the figure of his brother, Sirius Black.

As soon as he heard his sister's trilling rebuke, the little boy couldn't help but snort loudly, with evident impatience.

"It was those Muggle kids." Sirius answered with a nonchalant tone, as he hurried to close the window "They threw another stone. I just wanted to say hello!"

"You know we're not allowed to talk to Muggles. If mom finds out, you're in trouble." Alya warned him in a knowing tone.

Sirius snorted a second time, rolling his eyes.

Like his sister, he had a gray and glittering gaze. He had the same black hair and coarse features, which gave him a haughty air. The two children looked alike in all respects, which made it clear that they were twins.

"Oh, Alya, stop it! See if I care!" Sirius shrugged, as if the danger of being discovered by his mother didn't bother him at all.

Alya sighed in resignation. It was useless to reason with his brother, he was stubborn as a mule.

At that moment, a croaking voice broke into the room, making Alya jump.

"The children should be in the kitchen now. The mistress is waiting for them for supper."

A strange creature had just appeared from behind the door of the living room where Sirius and Alya were, looking at the two siblings with suspicion.

It was Kreacher, the old family house elf. His appearance possessed almost nothing human; the strange creature was almost as tall as a child - little taller than Alya and Sirius - but resembled a shriveled old man. Its skin was gray and wrinkled, while the face was pointed, half of which was occupied by large round eyes (much larger than normal) with a stern look. A long curved nose, similar to the beak of an eagle, stuck out in the middle of the face, giving it an even more grim air. On either side of the head were two large ears that dangled a little limp, like a bat's wings. Its hunched-up body was wrapped in an old, shabby, filthy rag that served as a dress.

"The children don't have to stay here and play. The mistress is waiting for them ..." Kreacher urged them again.

"Yes, Kreacher! We were just on our way." Sirius interrupted in a bored tone.

The elf did not reply, merely narrowing his gaze with offense. He took a quick look around the room. His probing eyes seemed to suspect some mischief being made by the two. But nothing seemed out of place, so he just opened the door wider and motioned for the two children to follow him out.

Alya followed obediently, with Sirius behind her whispering contemptuously:

"I bet the mistress sent her spy here to check on us. That hag!"

"You're lucky he didn't catch you saying hello to Muggles!" Alya scolded him in a low voice, trying not to be heard by Kreacher. Sirius replied with an impatient snort.

Neither seemed surprised or frightened by the presence of that strange creature called Kreacher. In fact, they treated him as part of the family.

After all, Sirius and Alya weren't children like everyone else. They were wizards. Wizards belonging to one of the most illustrious and ancient families of magical blood in Great Britain: the Blacks.

Sirius and Alya were twins, born on the same day, at the beginning of a cold November, just over a minute apart.

The first to be born had been Sirius, who had been impetuous from birth, had come out a hundred seconds before Alya, grabbing the right to be considered the eldest son of the family and older brother. In addition to their date of birth, the twins shared very similar physical traits: both had thick dark hair, gray eyes that sparkled proudly; the features were well marked and gave them an intelligent and sharp expression.

But, as similar in appearance, Alya and Sirius could not be more different in character. Sirius was rebellious and grumpy, especially with his mother, with whom he always seemed to be at loggerheads. Alya, on the other hand, was more thoughtful and less prone to rebellion. Observing how her brother was often punished for his confrontational attitude against her mother's dictates, Alya had learned that being compliant with the strict Black house rules guaranteed her a much more peaceful existence.

Sirius and Alya also had a little brother. His name was Regulus and he was two years younger than twins.
Alya was very fond of Regulus: their characters were very similar and they shared the calm and obedient nature that their parents liked so much, as well as a certain pride typical of their family. Despite the twin bond she had with Sirius, Alya felt far closer to her younger brother. Both, unlike the first, were deeply terrified of their mother and, more precisely, of her terrible punishments, of which Sirius was often the victim. Therefore, Alya and Regulus were careful not to arouse the ire of Mrs. Black, faithfully following every rule she imposed, in the name of their particular family.

An interesting factor that all three of the Black siblings had in common was their names. In fact, since ancient times, it was the custom of the Black family to use the names of stars and constellations to name the future heirs of the noble House.

This was one of the many ways in which Blacks delighted to emphasize their status as pureblood wizards (definition reserved for families who did not mix their magical blood with those who had not received the gift of magic, commonly called Muggles), considering this factor as the mark of an innate natural superiority: as the luminous stars glittering above the world below, observing it from the top of the celestial vault, so the pureblood wizards had the right to dominate those who did not possess such power.

The fate of Sirius, Alya and Regulus was no different: each of them was given the name of a star. And, through those names, the three siblings also received the burden of upholding the honor of their noble lineage.

Sirius and Alya followed Kreacher out of the living room in silence. They crossed a long corridor, then started down dark stairs, passing under a row of shriveled heads of other house elves, mounted on plaques on the walls. The two children kept following the old elf to the bottom of the steps downstairs, and through a door leading into the basement kitchen. It was a dismal and cavernous environment, with rough stone walls.

The whole room was immersed in a gloomy half-light; most of the light was coming from a large fire inside a sumptuous fireplace, which occupied one of the two ends of the room.
Rows of heavy iron pots and pans dangled from the dark ceiling, like large metal bats. Below them was a long wooden table that stood out in the middle of the spooky kitchen.

When Sirius and Alya crossed the threshold of the kitchen, they immediately saw their austere parents already seated at the table. His father, Orion Black, sat at the head of the table as always, while to his right was Walburga, his wife and the stern mother of their three children. Finally, next to the woman, there was little Regulus, who tried as much as possible to show off the same noble frown of his parents.

As the twins emerged from the darkness behind the door, Walburga shot them a chilling, reproachful look.

"You are late." she scolded them coldly.

Alya lowered her head mortified, unable to hold her mother's cold and relentless gaze. She knew how much Walburga hated that her children were late for dinner, or that they disobeyed any other rules imposed in the Black house.

Sirius, on the other hand, wore an indifferent expression as if his mother's reproach hadn't affected him at all.

Walburga dismissed Kreacher with a second eloquent glance and motioned for the two children to take their places at the table. They both obeyed without saying a word; Sirius sat down to his father's left. Alya sat down next to her twin brother, sitting across from Regulus, who was strictly silent, staring sadly at the empty plate in front of him.
Alya felt a hint of tenderness towards her little brother. It was evident that he was starving. But in the Black house no one could eat his meal before all the other family members were gathered at the table.

"Well, now that we are all here we can start the supper. But first, let's recite the sacred words that our noble ancestors have handed down to us." Orion announced in a grave and solemn voice.

After that, both Orion and Walburga lowered their heads slightly in reverence and closed their eyes. Regulus, Alya and Sirius did the same, although the latter seemed a bit bothered by this ceremony.

The gloomy room fell into an even darker silence, broken only by a soft, subtle chant, recited as a prayer by all the members of the noble Black family.

"C'est comme un arbre, notre famille
Ses branches jamais vacillent.
Toujours pur, toujours uni
Que nos ennemis soient punis."*

The five voices were transformed into a single whisper, which spread throughout the kitchen, mingling with the soft crackle of the fire which still danced inside the large fireplace.

Finally, Orion Black raised his head again and opened his eyes, as proud and sparkling as those of his children.
Dinner began, the dishes were served, and all ate their meal in strict and austere silence, as was the tradition in the Black family, in Grimmauld Place number twelve.

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Hi everyone :)!

*The French chant is my invention, in which I put the famous motto of the Black family: Toujours Pur.
I'll speak more about this chant in the next chapters. But I wanted to introduce it.

Let me know what do you think about it and, in general, about the story, too.
I'd like to read your opinions ❤

I hope to read you soon^^!

Valentina ❤