----------------------> MALANIA MACMILLAN CONSIDERED HERSELF TO BE A PLANNER. Whether it be back at Hogwarts for doing homework or even while she was competing in duelling tournaments around the world. Malania was a plotter, creating strategies for handling galas and life in general to simple things like playing a game of chess and buying presents for her grandchildren.
In fact, the first thing Malania did in the morning -after kissing her husband awake, of course- was to design a schedule either in her mind or on parchment to map out what the rest of her day was going to look like, allocating time slots for different events and prepare outlines for all the tasks she was due to do that day.
With that being said, Malania wondered how exactly she greatly she miscalculated the amount of time it would take to get all her children, grandchildren and in-laws together in the same room while taking caution that they don't either hit each other with knives or spill blood on her precious carpets; she had just had them replaced, after all.
It was Portrait Painting Day, or as James preferred to call it, "The Day We All Stand Still". Her darling Sirius, on the other hand, favoured the title "Day of Absolute Boredom" while sweet Regulus opted for naming it "Day of Dread".
Lucretia, Ignatius, Fabian and Gideon would cringe, grimace, scowl and wince respectively, the expressions on their faces speaking much louder than words while whenever Malania had asked Archie, Orion or Lyra if they looked forward to the day, all she would receive in return was an awkward laugh before the three made some sort of excuse that would get them out of the conversation.
Similarly, Charlus, Pollux and Alphard would fall into a mysterious illness whose symptoms would coincidentally make themselves visible the night before the Portrait Painting Day -not that their silly excuses ever dithered Malania from dragging them to the occasion- while Cygnus, Andromeda and Molly would simply sigh tiredly as the day arrived as if they were prisoners of Azkaban being sent to receive the kiss of a dementor.
Walburga and Bellatrix were two sides of the same coin when it came to their feelings regarding the day, both women loathing and detesting it with every cell in their body. Perhaps the only ones who remotely enjoyed the day were Narcissa and Druella, both of whom adored having their portraits painted for the first twenty minutes before they complained over how unnecessarily long it was taking for the remaining two hours and forty minutes.
Malania couldn't help but feel a little down as she recollected all of their reactions and think that her family, even though she loved every one of them dearly, were ungrateful to the great volume of time, energy and thought she put into actually making that day as perfect as it could be.
Every five years, Malania organised a day to have a family portrait painted. She had been doing this fun little tradition ever since she had been pregnant with Lucretia, having had the epiphany that the majority of portraits in the House of Black was singles or in the rare case, of a couple, but no family.
So, Malania would send daily reminders to all the members of her immediate family from three months prior itself, if only so they couldn't say that they already had plans, and would hire the best painter to paint their portraits and infuse it with magic so whenever she felt nostalgic, all she had to do was look at one of the portraits and be overcome with memories of how they all had been a few years ago, as magic would not only capture their image but also their behaviour.
It wasn't like she was fond of the portrait painting part either, especially considering they would all have to be as still as a statue for the most part before they were allowed to move during the last thirty minutes for the painter to encapsulate their behaviour; but Malania didn't show attitude towards it unlike her family, now did she?
None of them understood the importance of a moment until it had become a memory.
Malania forced herself to snap out of her inner monologue when she noticed the state of Sirius' clothes. Normally, Malania considered herself to be supportive of her family. However, today simply wasn't one of those days.
"Sirius!" She gasped out, horrified. "What happened to your clothes?!"
Sirius awkwardly laughed, eyes firmly averted from her face, much like Archie did whenever he didn't want to answer a question she had asked. "It's a funny story, Grandma."
"I'm sure I'd find it hilarious, darling," Malania sighed. "But the painter is due to arrive in five minutes, so right now, I'm more exasperated than anything."
"In my defence, it was all Regulus' fault!" Sirius quickly pointed a finger at his younger brother, who had previously been trying to quietly walk up the stairs without being noticed, only to be caught startled at the sudden attention from his grandmother due to the accusation of his brother.
Malania let out a visible grimace, noting all the colourful stains on Regulus' clothes, identical to the ones adorning Sirius' expensive robes. "Regulus... really? Now?"
Regulus smiled weakly, giving her a small wave. "Hello, grandmother. You look absolutely phenomenal this evening- like beauty personified, really. So gorgeous that Aphrodite herself would blush with envy. Grandpa Archie is a very lucky man."
"I am perfectly aware of that, darling, and I honestly wish I could comment positively on you and your brother's current outfits as well but I don't have the energy to make up a lie right now," Malania eyed the taints on their formerly white robes with tired eyes.
"It was Sirius' fault!" Regulus immediately exclaimed, pointing a finger at Sirius who spluttered, glaring heatedly at his younger brother.
"Me?! For the first time, I am innocent in this. You started this!"
"But you finished it." Regulus countered hotly.
"Well, excuse me for defending myself against your assault of stainable food items!"
"I wouldn't have had to throw those food items at you if you'd stop making fun of Kreacher when I told you to!"
"Yeah, well, you're a-"
"-Boys," Malania's soft tone successfully commanded the attention of both the brothers, sheepish expressions decorating their features as their grandmother directed an exhausted look to each of them. "I don't care who started this. I don't care who finished this. I don't even care why this happened in the first place or what you both did. All I care is that you all look prim and proper when the painter arrives in three minutes and counting. Can I take it that you understood my words?" She asked pointedly, bringing Sirius and Regulus to frantically nod before running up the stairs to get changed. "And don't run up the stairs! You might fall and get blood on my carpets!"
Regulus and Sirius let out choruses of, "Okay, grandmother!", "Sorry, grandma Mal!" at her remark, slowing down their footsteps as they climbed the stairs.
Malania suppressed a fond smile at their behaviour, hoping they would never change and stay the same forever.
From the corner of her eyes, she could see the fireplace burst into flames before calming down, revealing a flustered looking Dorea accompanied by a grinning Charlus and a bouncing James.
"Hello, Malania. Are we late?" Dorea asked as they stepped out of the fireplace.
Malania shook her head. "No, but I wouldn't call your arrival early either," she stated dryly, prompting Dorea to flush harder and mumble an apology under her breath.
"Mum was asleep," James helpfully chimed in, smirking. "She woke up five minutes ago. Dad and I were ready though."
Malania laughed heartily, ruffling James' messy hair even more. "Were you now? Great job, James, I'm proud of you. As for your mother...," Dorea, who had been glaring at James for spilling that particular detail, gave a small smile at Malania who shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, considering she has to put up with you and your father's mischievous selves, that nap was very well deserved, wouldn't you agree?" Malania questioned James who nodded seriously while his parents grinned. Malania clapped her hands together.
"Anyway, Charlus, could you please call everybody downstairs, it's almost time and Dorea, do remind Druella that we cannot postpone the portrait painting solely for her personal vanity and that she should have begun on her makeup routine sooner." She ordered the couple who nodded their heads in acknowledgement, exchanging a kiss -much to the disgust of James- before separating to complete their respective tasks.
Malania met James' eyes. "Motivate Sirius and Regulus to get ready faster, please?"
James smiled widely, bowing theatrically. "I would be most honoured to, grandma Mal. I know just the techniques to use."
And if Malania wasn't so worried about time, she would have excitedly asked James to elaborate on the mischievous undertone his voice carried. But now, she simply smiled as he ran up the stairs, shouting behind him to walk slower and not trip.
Malania turned around, only to nearly jump when she faced her granddaughter. "Lyra!" She exhaled, horrified.
Just once.
Just once she would like it if she didn't have to worry about the state of her grandchildren. She had assumed that she wouldn't have to be concerned with Lyra but apparently, Lady Hecate detested her.
"Darling," Malania began slowly upon spotting Lyra's smiling face, warily eyeing at the numerous variety of snakes that were wrapped around her granddaughter's body. "Do you realise that your accessories are moving? And alive?"
"The thought did cross my mind, yes," Lyra admitted, the smile on her face unfettered by her grandmother's comment. "But aren't they lovely, grandmother? They match my outfit."
"That's not the point, sweetheart," Malania said. "You shouldn't... You can't wear snakes while having our family portrait painted."
"But they are part of our family as well!" Lyra protested, a pout tugging the corners of her lips as all the snakes unanimously raised their head as if knowing that they were being spoken about. "I mean, look at its little face!"
"Which one?" Malania quizzed dryly. "There are about thirty of them on you at the moment."
"Only sixteen, grandmother, I left the particularly large ones and extremely tiny ones back in the pen."
"What a sacrifice you made, darling."
"I'm aware, grandmother, thank you. It's nice to have my efforts recognised."
"Lyra..." Malania felt a migrating descending. "Two. You get two snakes, no more but thoroughly encouraged to have less."
"Grandmother!" Lyra's tone was aghast. "You can't possibly expect me to choose among my babies. These are your great-grandchildren. You can't ask me to play favourites! I won't do it."
"I will tell Lucius about the techniques we used to stop you from bed-wetting when you were little with extreme detail." Malania threatened.
Lyra's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."
"I also have pictures and a pensive," Malania added casually, her blue eyes penetrating her granddaughter's face.
The threat worked like a charm and Lyra's face instantly morphed into a serene one. "But then again, everybody in our family plays favourites, so why shouldn't I?"
Lyra smiled sweetly before hissing at the snakes who hissed back, all of them lost in their own world for a while before all but two snakes -Malania recognised them as Phoebus and the runespoor Lucius had gifted Lyra on her birthday- reluctantly unwrapped themselves from Lyra and slithered out the room, scaring Fabian who had been walking in and making him leap into the arms of his brother for protection.
Gideon rolled his eyes and dropped Fabian on the ground, prompting the origins of yet another fight to begin between the two and bringing Malania to immediately walk over to intervene. She already had a set of brothers who had a food fight that day, she would rather avoid having another one, thank you very much.
------> 0o0 <------
James' idea of motivating Sirius and Regulus to change their outfits faster had been to prank them. Bellatrix and Andromeda had been engaged in a min-duel with Rudolphous cheering his wife on in the sidelines. Orion had nearly hit Druella with a knife when she criticised the colour of his robes.
Since when did wearing royal blue meant that he supported Ravenclaw better than Slytherin? No, Orion wore it because it brought out the stormy grey colour of his eyes. For a person who ran a fashion magazine like Witch Weekly, Druella was rather dull in her tastes in Orion's most humble opinion.
Walburga had to be physically restrained by her father from endangering yet another poor piano when Alphard taunted her. Fabian and Gideon were rooting her on, prompting their older sister to lecture them on how that wasn't appropriate. Arcturus had taken the time to catch up with Lucretia. Charlus and Ignatius were laughing at something in a corner, unbothered by everybody else.
Cygnus was informing a bored Narcissa on why he still didn't approve of Leonard, even though the boy was smitten with his daughter and if they were to get married, she would become Lady Rowle. Irma, Cassiopeia and Dorea were sipping elvish wine calmly. Arthur was excitedly speaking with a rattled Ted Tonks while Lyra was angrily hissing at her runespoor who were apparently, arguing once again.
By the time Malania had gotten them to settle and pose, nearly an hour had passed and the poor painter looked as if he were about to faint at any moment. She had to remember to pay him extra.
Finally, three excruciatingly painful hours later filled with "Can we move now?"'s, "My legs are hurting from standing"'s, "Lyra, control you're snakes! They are scaring the painter again"'s, "Sirius, James, don't make that face! Fabian, Gideon, you both are supposed to be role models. Oh, Regulus, don't start as well!"'s and of course, Malania's personal favourite, "Bellatrix, you can kill your sister after the painting session is done- but nowhere near my carpets and not using Irma's cutlery. Also, don't glare Ted. If he faints, it'll disrupt the painting procedure."
When the painter had announced that they were free to go, it was Malania who had shouted a "Thank Merlin" before wordlessly walking into the kitchen and a few seconds later, walking out with a half-drunk firewhiskey bottle and heading up the stairs to her room at the Planetarium.
Irma had soon after asked if they were up for a not-so-friendly match of Quidditch since the whole family was present and the occupants were quick to agree and begin the hard process of sorting out teams before they made their way to the Quidditch Pitch at the Planetarium.
It was Molly who noticed Lyra lagging behind.
"Lyra?" She called out softly, making her cousin turn to face her. "Are you coming along?"
"In a minute, Molly," Lyra smiled. "You go ahead without me. I'll be right behind."
Molly hesitated, not wanting to leave her cousin alone when everybody else were already out the door but when Lyra repeated her words, she reluctantly nodded. "Okay. Come soon, alright?"
"Of course," Lyra replied.
She watched as Molly mirrored her smile before following her family before Lyra turned around and walked along the hallways of the Planetarium, stopping where the large portrait painted of them from five years ago was hung up, feeling nostalgia descended upon her as her eyes roamed over the very realistic depiction of them.
It was tragic, Lyra decided, how looking at old pictures made her happy yet sad simultaneously because everything had changed and nothing could go back to how it used to be, only five years ago.
A foreign, frigid feeling crept up Lyra's veins as she wondered whether, in another five years, she would perhaps look into the current times as happier ones in a future that was impossibly bleak.
In five years, her together family had already divided and extended. Bellatrix, Molly and Andromeda had gotten married yet Andromeda was not considered family by half of the Blacks. In five years, Bellatrix and Molly had become Lestrange and Weasley respectively and Lyra had become engaged. In five years, Bellatrix was ready to fight wars while Lyra was eager to run from them. In five years, a new Dark Lord had emerged and tensions were rising high in Britain as whispers of him grew stronger. In five years, emotions such as fear predominately existed in Lyra and she wanted it all to stop because she knew that in the next five years, it would only worsen.