Bonded By Blood (Atticus)

William had been searching for Atticus for quite some time. Since his mother told him about his brother's mother's death, he thought that if any time was a good time to go talk to him, well, now would be it. William had wanted to talk to him before now, but it was just too awkward a situation. But now...

Asking around, many told him that Atticus had taken to hanging out in the Forbidden Forest, and if he wanted to track him down, that would be a good place to start. So, he made his way there. Reaching the tree line, William stepped in and followed one of the more worn paths, hoping it would being him to his brother in time. As he walked, he tried to think of what he could say to him.

Cresting a small hill, William paused as his dark eyes spotted Atticus sitting on a fallen tree. Now or never, Will... Taking a deep breath, he heading over to him, and called out, "Atticus."

Atticus was trying to not focus on the fact his mother had left this world and he had done the finishing blow, but being alone all the time didn't help, now Celeste was gone and he had no one to talk to although he was sure he wouldn't anyway, it'd still be nice to have company, any sort of it. He tried to focus on other things, he tried to focus on his remaining family members, on Mira, Drake and Serena, those he lived with but barely spoke with him.

Hearing a voice Atticus rose to his feet and looked over his shoulder, ...You thinking a bit before speaking up he inhaled deeply, "Hello brother..."

Pausing at Atticus' greeting, William offered him a small smile before closing the distance and standing before him. William noticed he was nearly as tall as Atticus, even though he was a year behind him, and he could see some of the features of the father that they shared. "I uh.... I'm sorry.... I'm sorry for your loss, Atti-....Brother," he said, tucking his hands inside his coat pockets as he tried to find the right way to talk to this boy that he had only seen in passing. William didn't even know that Atticus knew he was his brother, but assumed that, perhaps, he had heard about it, much like William had.

Atticus watched the boy take a few steps closer to him and his brow furrowed for a brief moment before it returned to normal. He wondered how long ago had William found out that they shared the same father, because, Atticus had found out when he learned out to read, which immediately allowed him access to his father's journals. "How does it feel? How does it feel to have won? I mean, your mother outlasted mine. Surely you feel like that's a victory...," he replied with his own question and although it could sound harsh that was what Atticus felt when he now looked at William. He could only think of his whore mother, and the fact their father had fallen for her as hard as he described in his journals.

Atticus' biting words didn't phase William. In a way, he expected anything other than the normal brotherly reunion that so many had thought might happen with them. He knew better. "I didn't know it was a competition.... Look, I'm sorry.... But, I can't help what our father did," William retorted, calmly. When his own mother had told him the story of his father and her and what had come to pass, he wasn't very pleased that he was the product of an affair, but what could he do? What they did before him he couldn't change, and, while he could hold it against her, what was the point? She was his mother, all he had. She had fallen in love with her father, and he with her, and he was the product of it. "I guess... I guess I just wanted to let you know that.... Even if we don't know one another, and you might hate me, we're still family. And, if you need anything," he said with a shrug, "Well, you can always come to me..." William thought for a moment to turn and leave, but something made him stay. He felt like he needed to stay...

Atticus wasn't used to this...behavior, because when he used that tone on someone it usually meant that person was gonna fight back with the same coldness. Celeste was a perfect example of that and that's why they broke up in the first place, not just Atticus' state of mind at the time. But William proved to be somewhat different and Atticus had to admit he felt close to the younger boy as even though he was trying to be the usual dick he was, they were still brothers, and William saw that. Clenching his fists Atticus bit back a growl but he had finally had enough of being unsure, his whole life had been about that and he was done with it. Calmly walking towards his brother, he opened his arms and pulled him into an embrace, sighing heavily, "Thank you...baby brother..."

William watched as Atticus seemed to be stunned at his reaction. He didn't say anything while he waited for him to react in some way. When he moved to him and pulled him into a brotherly hug, William smiled slightly as he wrapped his arms around him. "Hey, you're welcome," he said, holding him tightly. Ever since his mother told him about Atticus, William had wanted to talk to him. He wanted to have a relationship with him. They shared a father, and he liked to think that, maybe, their father would want them to be not just friends, but brothers. Letting him go, William put his hands on Atticus' upper arms. "Are you ok?" he asked. He knew the answer was likely going to be 'no', but he didn't know how else to ask him if he was alright.

Atticus offered his brother a rare wolfish smile. Shrugging at his question Atticus had no real way of answering, because he knew he would either lie or sound harsh, "I've been worse," was the best he could manage to blurt out.

William nodded at Atticus' response. He hadn't expected more than that, and he wasn't sure if his brother had been worse, unless he had begun the healing process and so each day was slowly but surely getting better. Moving to sit where his brother had been sitting, he sighed before looking at him. "Sorry it took so long to come talk to you, Atticus. I just.... I didn't know how to go about it, or if you even knew about me," he said rubbing the back of his neck with his hand before putting them in his pockets.

Smirking somehow at his brother's words Atticus shrugged and recalled the age he first found out he had a half brother. "I've known about you since I was four," he admitted to William.

"So long?" William asked, looking at the ground in front of him. "Did...ummm.... Did your mom tell you?" he ventured to ask, turning his head to look at his older brother. He remembered when his mother had told him about having a brother. It literally blew his mind for the first little while. Then he wondered what it would be like to have an older brother. He smirked slightly at the thought... William had been a younger brother all his life, but never knew his older brother. Now, he was an older brother to the twins, and really was an older brother before he was a younger brother... "My mother told me about you a few years ago. That I would likely meet you when I came to Hogwarts... Guess, she was right..." he said, a touch of sadness in his voice that he tried to hide as best as he could.

"Mom? Ha...No. She probably didn't even know. I read dad's journals. He wrote a lot when he was young. I read about the whole relationship between him and...Vixen. " he answered tensing his jaw slightly remembering how his father had been betraying his mother nearly from the start of their young relationship. It angered him quite a lot but he couldn't do anything now, his father was gone, dead, and he'd just have to accept the Lestrange woman being his brother's mother. "Maybe she thought we'd be in the same house," he mused and shrugged, "I still find it weird you're a Ravenclaw," he added.

William caught the hesitation from his brother at the mention of his mother, and while he had put her past behind him, he could still understand the frustration. Even more so when it was Atticus that discovered that he had a brother through another woman that their father had been with while still with Atticus' mother. Really, it was enough to drive anyone mad. Smirking at his thought about being in the same house, both from his perspective and his mother's, William nodded. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm in a different house from you and them. But, then mom says that I might get that from our dad. That he wasn't 100% Slytherin," he told Atticus with a shrug. "Guess, you get an odd ball brother. You were expecting a house mate?" William added with a laugh.

Hearing his brother Atticus quickly retorted. "If your mother was with father, she wasn't 100% slytherin either," he answered knowing full well that his father would never be with a true slytherin because they were simply not for him. "That, or a lion. You're the first Ravenclaw of the family. At least in the last four centuries or so," Atticus responded with a quick shrug not of confusion or doubt, but of being unsure.

Thinking about what Atticus said for a few moments, William nodded. "Guess you are right. I didn't know much about our father, but from what mom has said of him, it sounds about right," he said, leaning back slightly. The first Ravenclaw in several centuries.... And it was him.... "Hopefully that doesn't bother you.... Having the first Ravenclaw in forever as a brother...." William added softly. It had taken the loss of his brother's mother for him to go talk to him, and now he finds out that he is even more of an oddity in the family. He didn't want to lose a brother so quickly if it was something that didn't sit alright with him.

Sighing Atticus was forced to repeat what Kreacher wrote in so many pages of Regulus' journals. "He was a...lion. Inside a nest of snakes," he answered quickly and some times, especially now, wondered if he was the same. "My unc-...Our uncle was the first gryffindor, period. And that didn't bother me. So you being a ravenclaw most certainly won't bother me either," he added. And it was true, Sirius was the first Gryffindor in the Black/Niger family, and not just in a few centuries, he was simply the first lion.

There uncle was the same, and even more of a rare bird in the family as a Gryffindor. Not just any. The only one... Smiling at his brother, William felt at ease that his being in a different house wasn't even a thought of an issue for him thanks to the history of other houses being present. "Good to know, Atticus. Ummm.... Where will you be staying now that.... Well, now that your mom is gone?" he asked. If Atticus did't have a place to go, he wasn't about to let him go off to the orphanage. Granted, he figured that his aunt, their aunt..., would take him in.

"Where I was staying before. I didn't live with her I just visited once or twice a year. I've always lived with uncle Sirius' family. Our cousins Drake and Serena and our aunt, Mira." he replied and maybe, it'd sound strange, and it was. Atticus didn't fancy living with his mother and those who surrounded her because he felt like the Grimms weren't his family, the Blacks were. Which was why, in the end, he remained at the house he lived at now.

Relief, in a way, washed over William at hearing that his brother did have someplace to go. In fact, he had been staying there all along. "Well, then, no worries there," he said with a smile that mirrored their father's. "Serena is a sweetheart. Haven't really had the pleasure of meeting Drake. Same with Aunt Mira," William thought outloud, and wondered fleetingly, if anything should happen to his mother, if his Aunt might take him in, too. Not dwelling on the thought, he offered, "You know, Atticus, if you ever need anything, I'm here for ya..." He hoped the awkward feeling he wa having with his brother would eventually fade. It had to. Surely this was just because they had never gotten on before and now.... Well, now they knew one another and it was just like starting a new friendship from nothing.

"They act all like Serena. Don't know if they're being fake about it or not, 'cause in a way, I can kick them out of the house - yes, I own the house - alas, I just can't be sure...up until now I've always thought of aunt Mira as nothing but a bitch who wants me gone," he shrugged, sighing heavily afterwards. He had caught a glimpse of William's smile, and his brow had to furrow. They both looked like their father in a way, however, William had the closest smile, whilst Atticus looked more like his uncle Sirius, "Same here brother," He replied with a firm nod.

"I don't think Serena is fake. She's been nothing but nice to me and anyone else I see her interact with. I'm sure it's not a facade just for you. Wait.... You own the house? What, dad left it to you?" William asked his brow slightly furrowed as he put the pieces together. "What made you change your mind about her?" he asked standing and cracking his neck slightly. Taking a good look at his brother, he noticed that there were some features that were very like his own, but her couldn't help but see the similarities between their Uncle Sirius and Atticus. Tipping his head in satisfaction to his brother as he returned the offer he just made, he pointed towards the castle. "Want to grab a drink in the Great Hall?" he offered. If anything, the could continue to get to know one another in a place they had in common. They might not be from the same house, but the Great Hall was where everyone gathered and often mixed.

"Well maybe she's okay. But you haven't met aunt Mira nor Drake," Atticus pointed out before nodding at his question about whether or not Regulus had left him the Black house. "Well yes. I own like, everything dad ever had. Kreacher, the house, yatta yatta. I'm the eldest son, plus the 'official' one, no offense," he replied and it was true really, the child that was recognized by the Black family was Atticus, not William, considering most of the Black family members didn't even know William existed. Plus Regulus' relationship with Vixen had been a secret, so that was another thing. "Lately my mind has been going through changes. I don't know why...maybe losing my mom was what I needed to wake up," he responded shrugging at his own statement because even he didn't know what was going on with him. Maybe it was puberty? He had no idea... "The great hall?" he asked and laughed loudly, remembering his and Artemis' encounter there, "Sure bro," he finally answered.

"True, I haven't. I'd like to one day," he said nodding at his brother's point. He could really only pass judgement on Serena since she seemed to find him more often then not when he least expected it. "None, taken. Lucky, though. Having your own house and everything else," William said. He couldn't be upset by Atticus' comment of being the 'rightful' Black heir. He knew it was true. He didn't even know if Serena really knew that they were cousins, but she was a quick one. It was possible she suspected but never said anything. As for everyone else, he didn't know if anyone else knew about him. His mother had told him the whole story about her and his father. So, if their relationship was a secret, then likely his birth and existence was simply not known to the rest of the family. Hearing about the changes his brother was going through as of late, struck William. Maybe that was why he suddenly felt ok to go talk to him. Had he noticed little changes in him that signaled things were changing? "It's possible. I mean, there are tons of things that could be bringing about your changes, but, I'd lay 10 galleons on it that losing your mom has something to do with it," William offered with a shrug of his own. His brother's laugh at his offer for a drink in the Great Hall, caught him off guard. With a grin he asked, "What's so funny?"

"It's our house really...I don't mind it sharing with you. Though if uncle Sirius was still here I'd give it to him, no doubt about it," Atticus shrugged and began walking towards the great hall. Hearing his brother bet that his mother's passing was what began morphing him into a 'better' human being, Atticus shrugged once again because he had no reason to deny it. He just didn't want to think too much about it. Hearing his question he grinned, "Well, you'll end up hearing this anyway. There were tons of people at the great hall that day....know Artemis Calor?" Atticus asked raising his brow.

"Thanks, Atticus," William said, falling into stride next to his brother when he commented that he didn't mind sharing the house with him. The thought that they would never get to see their Uncle Sirius saddened William slightly. He would have liked to have met his father's brother. Seeing the shrug from his brother at his mention of his mother's passing likely being the key to his changing, William didn't reply, feeling it better to just let it go. But, deep down, he truly believed that event was the main cause. "I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting her. Why?" he answered as they headed back towards the school.