Fool's Gold // Sirius Black

Chapter One: Pyrite

The Pyrite family's purity rivaled that of any wizarding family. 

Their lineage was nearly impeccable, and members were proud to display it given the opportunity. The Pyrite family hailed from Scotland and gave rise to many generations of powerful, intelligent wizards and witches. The family was known for the noble occupations its members held. It was not uncommon for Pyrites to become Ministry officials, headmasters, legislators, and physicians. And perhaps most notably, members of the Pyrite family recurrently sought to become Dark Wizards.

Despite their extensive history, the Pyrite family started to dwindle in the early 1900's. The family started to produce more daughters than sons. These women started to marry only into pure-blood families, losing the ancient Pyrite name. The family started to worry there would never be another male heir and the name would be lost. But in 1915, Cassius Pyrite was born as the only son after a series of seven Pyrite daughters. 

Cassius Pyrite was raised on the values of his overbearing father and grandfather before him. Cassius easily adjusted to the duties pressed on him as the only Pyrite heir. He held blood purity to the highest standard, incessantly sought power, and never showed weakness, just as his father instilled in him. Even Cassius' looks reflected his powerful and aristocratic lineage. Even as a student, he was a tall, burly man with dark hair, dark eyes, and a constant scowl. He fit in wonderfully with his surly classmates at his "prestigious school" (as his grandfather called it)- Durmstrang Institute.

For generations, the Pyrite family seemed to pick the spouses of their children. It was never titled an "arranged marriage," yet, the spouse choices were heavily suggested by both families. These arrangements seemed to be the only explanation for why Cassius Pyrite married Aurelie Fontaine.

Aurelie seemed to contradict Cassius in every way. She came from a long lineage of pure-blood French wizards who excelled at charmwork at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. She grew up in a small cottage in Normandy and was known throughout the town as the beautiful blonde with extreme luck. Some said it was a sort of enchantment or a result of the 'Liquid Luck Potion', and some said it was due to an accumulation of good karma from her radiant personality, but Aurelie seemed to constantly be in the right place at the right time. She knew whenever a neighbor needed a shoulder to cry on, and she would warn the town of unprecedented, horrible weather even before it happened. She was able to make bets on which Quidditch team would win the World Cup down to the numerical score with extreme accuracy. Aurelie never revealed the secret to her extreme fortune, and it soon became the demise of her father.

After an unfortunate gamble with a group of Goblins, Aurelie's father lost nearly everything. He hadn't consulted his lucky daughter before betting his entire fortune on a duel. Therefore, while Cassius came from a rich family, Aurelie grew up humble and relatively poor. Even her name, Aurelie, meant 'gold' in French, while the Pyrite name was referred to as 'fool's gold.' 'Pyrite' fit the family perfectly, for not only did the mineral impersonate something more beautiful and valuable, but so did each member with the coveted surname. Contrastingly, Aurelie was true and real, and while Cassius' wealth glittered on the outside, it covered a fake and dark history. 

Still, her blood purity was enough for the Pyrite family to set up a meeting between the pair, and they were married only a year after Aurelie finished school. Despite their differences, Cassius and Aurelie fell madly in love. This fact was a shock even to their parents, who impressed the union for years, disregarding the emotions of their children. There was never a happier arranged marriage to move in to the Pyrite manor.

At twenty-three years old, Cassius and Aurelie decided to try for their first child. When Aurelie announced she was pregnant, Cassius spoke proudly of his certainty that their firstborn would be a strong male heir. His son would be the brightest wizard of his age and attend Durmstrang. The next Pyrite heir would do great, bold things! The family would not need to worry about the extinguishment of their name!