The Not So Noble House of Black

Chapter 2: The Missing Letter

Thursday 19th August 1971

Ascella Black had gone to bed confused, so, naturally, she had woken up confused. Why, you might ask?

Yesterday, her brother Sirius' Hogwarts letter had arrived. Ascella had dreamed of Hogwarts ever since she was old enough to know what it was. She would be a Slytherin, just like every other Black before her, and she would spend her days learning, playing Quidditch and spending time in Hogsmeade with the friends she was sure she would make. This all seemed so perfectly thought out but there was one snag in the plan.

Her Hogwarts letter hadn't arrived. The tawny owl that had flown through the kitchen window yesterday afternoon, had only one letter in its beak and that letter was addressed to Sirius. All three Black siblings had been confused at this and Sirius had assured her that they were probably sending the letters separately

But her letter didn't arrive that evening or by dinnertime or when she went to bed. As she looked around her bedroom, it became apparent that it hadn't arrived while she was sleeping. Ascella washed and dressed but there was still no sign of the letter.

A knock sounded on the door, short and sharp. Without waiting for a response, her brothers entered, Regulus clutching a tray piled high with precariously balanced pancakes, toast and more breakfast options than you could possibly think of.
"Still no sign of it?" Sirius asked, sitting down on Ascella's bed. She picked up a piece of toast, nibbling at the corner.

"No, not yet" she replied glumly, "Thanks for the breakfast though. Can I assume that Kreacher prepared it and that Mother is unaware?" Sirius laughed and snatched a pancake off of the tray.
"You could assume that, yes." They finished their breakfast and began a day of board games, pranking Kreacher and laughing so hard it hurt and Ascella forgot about the letter.

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.**.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.**.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

When it neared dinner time, the sun melted away softly, leaving pink streaks in the slowly darkening sky. It was too dark for the siblings to play outside, and they were too tired to function properly anyway. With still no letter, somewhere through the day, they had decided to ask their parents about Ascella's lack of letter at dinner.

The Blacks were a pureblood family, though calling them a family was a stretch. To Walburga and Orion, family was merely blood and a way of keeping their grip on the wizarding world. Blood was thicker than water, but power was worth more than blood. They rarely ever saw each other during the day and the only time they ever spent together was dinner. That made it the perfect time to discuss the still missing acceptance letter.