"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly.

"There is no reason to venture out there, my dears. Monsters dwell there, lurking in the darkness. Little devils conceal themselves from their malicious intent. You my darlings are born with tragedy in your blood and they wait for you. They will take you if you let them."

"Cas?" A young girl with fair skin and curly hair the color of raven wings ran after her brother who beseeched her to follow him quickly as he chased after another…

They are nine years old and they know this forest better than their own ancestral home.

"Alula hurry, hurry!" Her brother's voice echoed as he laughed, they continued to get deeper into the dark forest that surrounded the unplottable land of their ancestral home, that was too far from their grasp, not that they cared any longer.

Three times before now their father has dressed them in their best robes, bringing them out here to this dark and mystical place, further from the estate each time before quickly apparating away.

...

"Tradition." Is what their father tells them the first time they make it back by the morning. His grey eyes are unyielding and unrepentant as he looks over their haggard appearance. Their faces are red and their eyes are puffy from the hours of crying.

Trying to survive in a forest on your own is no easy feat especially at the age of six.

Their clothes are torn, they are covered from head to toe with dirt, grime and sweat. Castor's left arm hangs at an unnatural angle and yet he still has the strength to help her stand and her left ankle is three times the size of her right. They are both covered in an array of scratches and bruises and yet he only warns them once that they must always bring pride to the house of black without failure. They are dismissed for the day, house elves immediately flocking to their sides is a chaotic formation.

Their aunt Cassiopeia tells them it is 'Training' when they make their way back the evening of the second time. They are still covered head to toe in dirt and grime. They are still painted with scratches and bruises but this time Castor has not dislocated his shoulder, trying to cushion her fall from a tree that would have cracked her skull like an egg...this time her ankle is not fractured from moving her brother out of the way from fall that would had speared him.

They are only seven. Their face is less red, their eyes are less puffy…but they have yet to fully give up hope. They beseech their aunt with their gaze. Their father has clearly gone round the twist, and while they might have survived this horror that doesn't mean that they will be lucky enough to survive it again. They plead with her, she is their only hope.

Her grey eyes hold an unspoken pain, her aura radiates guilt as she stares at them. She lets the house elves swarm their forms immediately to take care of them, better care that any of the adults had given them at any given time. Before she leaves she implores them that they must always find their way back to the house of black, that they must always survive.

It was when they arrived home in the middle of family dinner during yule that they had discovered the truth.

"Not a step closer and you'll regret it." She growled out glaring at the two teens that had appeared within their vicinity.

The male had gotten too close to her likely to a slumbering Castor and she did not bother trying to control the reaction her magic had to a perceived threat.

They looked like they could be in her family, the same dark hair and grey eyes but that couldn't be true as she had never seen them before. On top of that they were dressed quite strangely. They were dressed in light summer clothing that was completely in contrast with the winter weather around them, they were also barefooted with diadems made up of white heather, fir and ferns on their heads...utterly ridiculous.

The male chuckled and looked toward his female counterpart. "My my Deimos, does she remind me of you. Fangs bared and poised to attack."

"As she should be Phobos. She is a true daughter of black protecting what is hers." The female, Deimos cooed at her like she was a cute little puppy. Alula was not one to take an insult lying on her back, but she didn't know these strangers, and now wasn't the time for her to be reckless without a plan.

"State who you are and why you're here." She said bluntly.

The male, Phobos chuckled. "Right, again so much like you Deimos, straight to business. Very well then. Little star we are here to help you. This here is a big with enough supplies to last you until you make it back to the black estate."

Alula blinked not at all bothered when her magic reacted the the male tossing a bad her way. The bag exploded and the male gave a helpless cry.

"Alula?!" Castor said immediately waking and standing to his feet. He narrowed his eyes on the male that was whimpering several feet away from them over the loss of his items after he had made sure that she was unharmed.

"W-why did you do that?" Phobos whined. "I told you I wanted to help you!"

He looked towards the woman who was staring into the sky as if to ask it for strength. "Deimos, she is too much like you, she's mean. She blew up my bag!"

Alula didn't bother to hide her suspicion. "Do you take me for some type of fool? You say you want to help me yet you don't say why or introduce yourself properly. You appear suddenly on my family's land with enough supplies to help my brother and I make it home and I'm just supposed to take that in good faith?"

"Yes!"

Alula scuffed. "Then it is you that is the fool."

"The women in this family are way too suspicious-" Deimos slapped her hand across Phobos's mouth before he could say another word.

"Stop, you are making this harder than what it needs to be." She told him before looking Alula straight in the eyes. "This is your third time, is it not...making this journey?"

Alula's face was blank as she stared at the woman who took her silence as a confirmation to continue speaking.

"It is simultaneously getting both harder and easier to return to the black estate is it not? The first time was the hardest and easiest. Hard because you were abruptly abducted from the comfort of your home with little to no training on how to survive out here, easy because you so desperately wanted to escape this place where you could die at any given moment…"

The male spoke, a serious expression covering his features, his tone as cold as the woman's eyes."The second time that you were brought here the trip back home was a little longer, you were further away, and yet it still had nothing on the very first time on your own. After that first time you studied a bit more, learned a bit more. Knew what to expect a bit more, the forest is not as scary as the very first time. Still you rush back home, rush back to that familiar comfort, that is who you are nobleborn's of house Black...still you hurt, you hurt because you do not want to be separated from your family, ripped from you home at odd hours of the day and tossed into the wilderness."

"This is your third time and you find comfort in this dark forest." Deimos eyes flicked to where Castor had laid so peacefully moments before. "This place that you were once so fearful of, once so eager to leave has slowly become your home hasn't it? Even now in this weather where just years before you would have been frightened of freezing or staring to death you are calm. You are aware that this forest will provide, whether that is food you are needing or shelter...anything else your magic takes care of. You have found that life out here is much simpler and easier. There are no rules or expectations, you merely just are, like the rivers that run and the trees that spread their branches skyward. Despite being much further away you could have easily returned home by now. You leave your families to question if you've finally been defeated. You enjoy imagining your mother's guilt and aunt's guilt at not questioning or stopping your father's decision, you even enjoy the idea of all your father's work of training going down the drain...the taste of true freedom is hard to give up is it not?"

"You won't admit it out loud, you were raised to suffer in silence. But here are the deepest darkest parts of the forest so far where even the bravest wizard fears to tread you can admit it. You take longer to return home because you do not want to. You do not wish to look upon smug pride filled faces at your victory of surviving yet another year on your own because they've chosen to abandon you here. They take bets I've bet you've noticed, on how long it will take you to return home...if you return home at all. It hurts because they are your family and they are not supposed to be the ones to treat you like a stray dog. It hurts more because you know that other children of your house are not being treated in such a manner...you won't ever be met with the sight of Arcturus abandoning precious Lucretia here and she is the same age as you, nor will he ever abandon his heir Orion. And I can tell you right now Pollux has no intention of making little Alphard go through this ordeal either."

Alula's eye twitched and her fist balled at Phobos' words and the familiar way he spoke of her father, cousins and patriarch, but she still refused to speak.

Alula did not hate often but when she did, she did so passionately. She hated the way their words had affected her. Their words proverbial arrows striking down on her conscience. What the hell did they know anyway?

"You speak of our family, familiarly." Castor said offhandedly as he stared at them, but his body was brimmed with tension. He was not left unaffected by their words either.

Too familiarly went unspoken.

Phobos laughed. "Well I would hope so, considering they are- or is it were?... our family too."

"Technicalities aside, we are children of black, just like you. Twins too if you could not tell." Deimos said her lips curled into a smirk.

Alula's eyes narrowed. "If what you say is the truth, why have we not heard of you before? Deimos and Phobos are not such names one is soon to forget."

"Why is that so hard for you to believe, it is not as if there is not another name that you two are received by..." Phobos said coyly and when he was met with narrowed eyes he waved his hands in the air. "You two are so stiff, since you do not recognize our middle names then what of our first, Marius and Pandora?"

Alula and Castors magic flared in indignation.

"You lie, Marius and Pandora Black died in 1927." Alula snapped her temper getting the better of her.

The two shared twin smirks. "Did they now?"

"And who told you that?" Deimos asked mockingly.

"Pollux I'm betting, the bloody wanker." Phobos muttered.

"No. All have you know; we do more than just accept the word of our sire as fact." Alula sneered as Castor spoke in a crisp tone.

"The family records also mark the death of Marius and Pandora black, the family tapestry also confirms this. Marius and Pandora black born 1916 died the year 1927 at the ages of eleven. The magic that runs through the house of black is sentient and tied to one's magical signature, it does not tell lies."

Alula nodded along with her brother's words. She tossed her hair over her shoulder haughtily before speaking again. "The only thing unclear of your death is exactly 'how' and 'why', though it is hinted that the 'why' is because the two of 'you' were squibs thus making learning the 'how' rather fatuous. It is understood in noble pureblood families, especially dark one like ours, what is to be done with squibs."

Deimos gave a mocking chuckle. "So we're squibs huh..."

"And are you of like mind about what should be done with squibs?" Phobos asked her with a blank expression.

"No we are not, and while it is unfortunate for a child to be born without magic they are still of our blood, just because a squib does not have magic does not mean that their child will be unable to use magic. Aunt Cassiopeia is a shrew and a spinster but she is also an Unspeakable, we've seen some of her work she's done in her labs about genetics and bloodlines to know that what we speak holds more truth than muggles finding a way to siphon our magic from us. To throw away such a magical source is precipitous and wasteful." Castor stated his opinion boldly.

"My brother is correct." She said softly but just as seriously. "There is something wrong internally that restricts a squib from using their magic, that does not mean that they do not have it at all. For that reason alone I believe squibs should neither be killed nor exiled from their family lines. It will be so much harder to track how the magic will reappear, because it will reappear and I would eat my left boot before I see my families magic appear in an unworthy line...like those freakish Lestrange's, those horrid looking Parkinson's and Carrow's or even worst those damned Weasleys!"

Phobos' face cracks a smile at her brutally honest words.

"And yet here we stand before you both." Deimos said, seemingly amused by them.

"If we are to even believe your pack of lies. Explain right now how what you are saying is even possible?" Alula demanded.

"Yes because you've obviously aged the appropriate amount of years you would have had you still been alive, the question is how." Castor said tone cooling over his sister's heated command.

"Simply put, we were once in the same situation that you find yourselves in, sacrificial offerings of our most grand and noble house." Phobos said.

"Wait what are you meaning by us being sacrificial offerings?" They both sputtered.

Phobos continued after smiling at them. "You see, twins are something of a rarity in the magical world. Some families like the Prewetts; it is a common occurrence. Every so often producing a set of identical twins. For the black family producing twins is an omen under the gemini. Depending on the kind of twins that are born, usually identical or fraternal depends under the court they are subjected too, and who house black should curry favor with."

"Court?" Castor said as Alula silently watched them.

"Yes, court." Deimos said. "For example; we are considered fraternal twins. While we share familiar black family traits we both individually look like our own selves, and thus being said we fall unto the minor court of spring. Had we been identical twins we would have fallen under the minor court of autumn."

"You however are unlike us in a way we have not seen before." Phobos said his eyes glittering with wonder at them. "We've been told that you are considered polar-body Piscean twins."

Alula and caster shared a look each arching an eyebrow. They had never heard of such a term before.

Phobos continued. "You are fraternal twins that look identical in every way except for your sex. Truly amazing really. If I were to cut off Alula's lovely dark curls and dress her in pants or Castor a dress the two of you would look identical would you not?"

Alula and Castor exchanged keen looks. They could vividly see the other as themselves.

"That being said you two are more of a rarity than even identical and fraternal twins, you being as special as you are have the pleasure of falling under the grand court of the rising suns; the summer court." Deimos said before her brother could get carried away.

"What are these courts that you keep mentioning?" Alula asked with a frown. "And what is the significance?"

They blinked before Phobos spoke a frown making its way to his lips "While Pollux is a right prat surely he wouldn't- I mean he... You must know the stories of how our great and noble lines magic came to exist…right?"

"Or at least a watered down version of it?" Deimos asked wearily. "I mean even our father told us as much before he began leaving us out here…he did not leave us blind."

Phobos let out an abundance of artful swears that made even Alula flush as they returned his question with confused blank faces.

"Alright. Sit down and listen, this is going to take awhile." He said plopping himself onto the ground with Deimos joining him.

"I now understand why she wanted us to meet them." Phobos mutters too lowly for the children to hear and Deimos nods with understanding.

Castor and Alula too sit down...not necessarily because they trusted these strangers that claimed to be their family members but because they had nothing else better to do. And that strangers they may be, but they were correct. The taste of freedom was not one they were willing to give up so quickly...

They sat and they learned.

They learned their origins.

They learned the truth.

And in the end they learned that pretty soon they would be experiencing the truth.

"She will call for you both after your ninth birthday, do not try to resist." Deimos said as she and Phobos stood to their feet. She tossed them a bag that was similar to the one Phobos had given earlier.

Unsurprisingly Alula's magic did not perceive it as a threat.

"There are enough supplies to last for three days, but then you two should return to the black estate." When they remained silent she spoke again. "I know it gets harder to transition back, but in less than a year you will not have to worry about that."

"Follow her and become more than what you are...Lucretia and Orion might be heir's of house black via the blood of the first born son, but we are the heir's chosen by the house of Blacks original matriarch." Phobos said with pride.

"Will we see you again?" Castor asked and Alula looked on for their answer because she wanted to see them again too.

Phobos and Deimos shared conspiratorial smirks. "If she wishes."

They nodded in understanding.

"Do us a favor won't you darling niece and nephew and pass on a little message for us."

"What? Give them hell? We were going to do that anyway." Castor said with a chuckle.

Phobos grin was wide and cheshire like. "In a manner of speaking. Make sure to look like this, and speak in unison because it freaks Pollux out."

Deimos grinned just as widely and just as sharp. "Tell them us 'squibs' send our love."

And with that Alula and Castor watched as said 'squibs' dissaparrated without a single sound.

The two stared at the spot for a few moments longer before Alula spoke. "How those two were branded as squibs of all things is fucking beyond me."

"I have truly grown frightened with your use of foul language." He sighed heavily. "No matter, just have it all out of your system by the time we reach the black estate yeah? You'd give poor ole Creature a heart attack, you know how much he idolizes you."

She gave him a grin."I'm just aspiring to be like Phobos, he has such a wicked way with words."

Castor rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, he's a real bloody poet."

When they returned precisely three days afterward they were still covered in grime and sweat but were no longer painted with an array of bruises and dirt. They allowed the house elves to lead them to their rooms, and to dress them in warm clothes not that it made them a difference...One stops being cold when forced to adapt to colder situations.

In Alula's case, she sits and allows Creature to cry tears of relief at her safe return... she pats him on his head giving him a small smile and even goes as far as to sooth him.

"Don't tell me Creature, that you ever doubted my return?" She muses as looks from her now cleaned appearance to that of the elf kneeling beside her.

"Never my lady, this lowly Creature could never doubt your power, this lowly Creature has faith in his young miss."

"That is good. As my elf I expect your faith in me to never waver. I have more than enough people that doubt my strength, don't you think?"

Creature nodded. "This lowly Creature believes in his young miss strength and power always."

She nodded and smiled wider at him, he trembled under the brilliance of her smile. "And I believe in you Creature."

"That house elf's smile is truly a frightful thing." Castor said with a shiver. "Honestly sister, that house elf loves you so much that I'm sure if you'd asked he'd even slip old man Arcturus an undetectable poison. You must tell me how you've completely ensnared his loyalty, Creature hates Lucretia and Orion because you don't like them. If old Man Arcturus or even father knew of the depth of that elf's devotion to you, they'd have him killed."

"All the more reason they'll never find out." She said evenly and her brother rolled his eyes.

"You know I would never...I'm just jealous. Anim would never go so far for me, she's so strict for a house elf." He said with a pout and this time she rolled her eyes as they exited her room making their way to the dinner table.

There they sit, their places at the family table, the adults watching them even as they chose to ignore them for each other.

Because in the end, others were not worth their time. Others would not have their backs. She would never trust another with her life the way she trusted Caster.

She caught her eyes on his face, they glittered and she knew she was undoubtedly reflecting the same emotions. They had each other, that's all that mattered, that's all they needed.

Still…

With voices devoid of all emotion, they speak in perfect harmony as they unleash pandamania at the dinner table with twin cheshire grins.

"Uncle Marius and Aunt Pandora the squibs send their love."

...

"Don't be afraid, my little lambs."

"Cas!" She calls out to him when her dress gets caught, in all honesty she doesn't even know why she bothers wearing them anymore. Completely unconventional for running through the forest.

"Cas…" She whispers but her voice carries throughout the trees. The forest always seems so much darker when she's alone, despite her years of knowing it, it manages to feel that much more dangerous when her brother is not beside her...

"Come to me."

"Castor!" She shrieks, throwing her fist towards his face when he appears before her suddenly.

"Bloody hell Alula!" He groans as he clutches his now bleeding nose.

She stares at him imperiously, he should have expected a good hit to the nose for appearing so suddenly. "Don't use such course language in front of a lady."

He shot her a look of his own. "Right, I'll remember your wise words when I actually see one."

Her dress was caught within the tree but she had enough movement to give him the bird.

He snickered as he helped her to be free. He held out his hand to her and she grasped it before they began taking off.

"I will keep you safe from the devils hidden within the dark."

They ran and ran and ran further still...and they noted as they continued to go deeper the trees began to shift and change. They began to mold themselves into arches each grander than the next until they stopped in front of an arch that was so grand that they could not see the top of it.

Made from trees larger than they'd ever thought possible and decorated with giant flowers; sunflowers, hydrangeas and yarrow, multi colored zinnia, forsythia and marigolds were some of the few that Alula knew shouldn't even be in season.

"Magic..." Castor breathed as he looked at the giant magical arch that had no ending in sight and seemed to hum with magical energy.

While they were greatly intrigued they didn't dare go beyond the archway, for all that lay within the arch was pure darkness.

"How strange..." Alula mumbled her hand reaching out to touch the petals of an eye catching yarrow. It such was a good plant to have considering it properties-

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you. Those are not your typical yarrow, their petals coated with a paralytic toxin that would kill you under 5 minutes." A female voice chimed, making Castor swipe her hand and keep it within his own as they turned towards the female voice.

Alula felt her breath catch. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful being she had ever seen.

"Come close to me little lambs, let me cloak you in my darkness. I shall protect you from all but one-"

Her eyes were the shade of their world's most unforgivable curse; her lips having the resemblance of shades of blood. she was barefoot, though the vines the wrapped around her bare legs and feet gave the resemblance of sandals so perhaps they offered her some comfort despite the chilling weather around them, her shoulders were bare but her arms were covered and she seemed to wear a dress made from thousands of freshly spun webs that gave no illusions to her curvaceous figure as it stopped a bit lower than mid thigh, morning dew drops resembled diamonds as the caught light. flowers were filling in her hair. Her crown made of eye catching scarlet sage, hydrangeas, flax, and senbon shaped thorns. Those same components also made up a long flowing train behind her with the addition of red zinnia, tiger lilies, and lantana.

"Hello there foundlings." The woman was glowing, literally. Her terra-cotta skinned glistened like it had been dipped in honey. Her eyes glittered with happiness and youth and warmth.

"Hello." She said leering at the beautiful female in front of her, her voice huskier than she intended but she couldn't find it in her to give a single care. She immediately ignored the begging look her brother gave to the sky, probably questioning what he could have possibly done to deserve an older sibling such as herself, Castor was dramatic like that...

The female's lips curve into a rather wicked smile that has the ability to make Alula's young heart beat as fast as a hummingbird's wings.

"My name is Castor, my sister Alula." Castor said and avada toned eyes flickered towards him.

"I know who you are little black star, the question is do you know of me?" She didn't give them time to speak. "I am the mother of young Serotinal and Vernal. I and the counterpart and consort of Hiemal. I am Aestival but you might know of me and mine by different names. I've drawn you to me because you have been found to be wards of the rising sun congratulations on this success."

She seemed to move and then suddenly she was no longer in front of them but behind them and much closer to the arch. "Come with me now the while the sun continues to reign, there is much to do and much you will learn from our realm."

"Wait," Castor said, gripping her hand as she began following after the woman beyond the gates and into the dark. She looked at Castor but didn't speak.

"So, we're just to leave...just like that..." Aestival raises an eyebrow and Castor flushes under her gaze. "I mean, for how long will we be away from home?"

"Time is merely an illusion that does not hold the same meaning to us that it may to you." She spoke amusement in her tone.

"So then we are to what? Stay with you, indefinitely because time isn't a factor that is considered in your realm?"

She cocked her head to the side, staring at him like he was a very rare and interesting animal. "Is there something that binds you to this plane of existence? Is your consort not enough for you to be content?"

"Consort?" Castor said with a frown glancing towards his sister before flushing when he fully understood what she was getting at. "Alula isn't my consort, she is my sister."

Aestival continued to stare at him with that same intrigued expression, her eyes rolling over him and her respectively before returning back to him before flickering behind and above.

Her eyes seemingly less bright, happy and cheerful as she takes note of what Alula learns was the sky. Alula tears her gaze from her finding it hard to look upon her because her avada gaze burns, like acid to flesh "We must leave quickly, we can speak more of your concerns when we arrive. The moon has slain the sun and stretches her influence further throughout the sky. If you wish to be brought before the presence of Hiemal instead of myself, we may stay..."

"Let me have a taste, for have I not earned you?

Your innocence calls to be defiled and with all others slain there is nowhere left for you to run..."

And while Alula could tell Castor was displeased with just up and leaving, she was even more displeased with the thought of being in the presence of Hiemal. Because Aestival was by all appearances, all things good, light and very much alive, her counterpart had to even her out in every way. Hiemal was all things bad, dark and dead.

"Castor, we may be children of Black, but I do not ever wish to be before Hiemal." She said her tone held a healthy dose of fear. Her brother caved to her easily and they both missed the dark satisfaction that flashed through Aestival's eyes before they took on their sun shiny glow as they willingly followed her into the dark...

Alula years later would look back to this day and think that perhaps she had spoken too soon. Being in the presence of Hiemal would have proven to be the lesser of the two evils.

"To the victor goes the spoils..."

OC's

Pandora Deimos Black

Younger twin of Marius Black

Siblings: Pollux, Cassiopeia, Dorea

Blasted off the family tree for being a 'squib'

Castor Black

Younger twin of Alula

Son of Pollux

Oc x Canon charters

Marius Phobos Black

Elder Twin to Pandora

Siblings: Pollux, Cassiopeia, Dorea

Blasted off the family tree for being a 'squib'

Alula Black

Elder Twin to Castor

Daughter of Pollux

Comments?

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Fern

Symbolize: Magic, Fascination, Confidence and Shelter

Fir

Symbolize: Time

Heather [White]

Symbolize: Protection, Wishes Will Come True

Zinnia [Red]

Symbolize: Constancy

Flax

Symbolize: Fate

Forsythia

Symbolize: Anticipation

Hydrangea

Symbolize: Frigidtity; Heartlessness

Sunflowers

Symbolize: Loyalty; Wishes

Marigolds

Symbolize: Comforts the heart

Yarrow

Symbolize: Health; Healing

Salvia (Scarlet Sage)

Symbolize (For the sake of this fic): Duplicty

Tiger Lilies (Fire Lilies)

Symbolize: Confidence, Pride and Wealth,

Lantana

Symbolize: Severity and Rigour