Orpheus had rushed through his Transfiguration test and although McGonagall had given him a queer look when he excused himself early, she hadn't said anything. And so it was a bit earlier than he had expected that Orpheus arrived at the Mulciber residence. He was anxious to hear what Tony had to tell him. It had to be important if he had called the 7th year out of school for it. Dumbledore had been easily convinced so that wasn't really a worry of Orpheus' as he arrived, but an uneasy feeling had settled in the pit of his stomach much to his dismay. He had a feeling that whatever this was, it was a negative sort of important - not something he would like.

Orpheus tugged on the cuffs of his shirt as he stepped out of the grate in the fireplace and adjusted his robes. He would much rather have apparated, but since he was unable on Hogwarts grounds, this was the next best thing. Orpheus glanced around the room Tony had chosen to have him access before leaning against the side of the fireplace. Tony would have been notified Orpheus had been on his way.

It was only a few minutes after Orpheus' arrival that Anthony walked into the room in a swish of black robes, looking rushed and unsettled. The room was, mush to his state, very simple and elegant, consisting of one desk with one chair on one side, and two on the other, a bookcase and a comfortable looking sofa right next to it. He made his way directly to the desk, the only greeting echoing out of his mouth was that of Travers' name.

"Sit." He ordered in a sharp tone, taking his time to find himself a crystal glass, and then poured himself some whiskey, but failed to offer Orpheus any.

Feeling much like he'd been summoned to the headmaster's chambers for disciplinary measures, Orpheus sat down uncomfortably in one of the two chairs facing the desk. There was some part of this hasty meeting that he was not aware of - a part that seemed crucial to why he was here. Something about this seemed out of place.

"What can I do for you, Tony?" he asked, his voice more confident then he felt. 

Anthony did not answer. Instead, he walked over to the fireplace, moving his glass in small circles that only made the ice cubes he'd added before hit each other noisily. He stopped, took a swig, and continued swirling the drink, but this time, as he walked back to the desk.

Towering over Orpheus, he pulled the wrinkled photograph out of his pocket and slammed it against the desk in front of him, without saying a word.

The ice knocking against the side of Tony's glass did nothing to ease Orpheus' nerves. If anything it added to the shaking feeling he had in his knees. Was he in trouble for something?

At Tony's slamming of the photograph down on the table, Orpheus' eyes bugged out of his head just a little. WHERE THE HELL HAD HE GOTTEN THAT?!? Attempting to remain calm and not wet his pants in terror, Orpheus cleared his throat.

"Where did you come by that one?" He felt he sounded cool enough - cool, calm, collected and crazy.

"Does it matter?" Anthony hissed out, staring daggers at the younger boy, daring him to say yes.

He took another turn about the room, his grip around the glass so tight it threatened to crash. After he thought he'd given Orpheus enough time to form a complete sentence of the explanation he needed, Anthony went back to the desk, sat down and leaned back in his seat, glaring darkly.

If looks could kill...

If Orpheus could have sunk into his chair and turned to a pile of mush, he probably would have under the glare that Tony was giving him, but instead he gathered his courage and sat tall in the chair.

"I'm unsure of why I've been called in for questioning, but yes, if you're asking, that's me in the picture." And truly, the boy in the photograph was Orpheus, his arms around the girl's waist. It wasn't that it looked so bad, the two of them standing there, but rather that Orpheus had looked in the direction of the person taking the photo. Even that wouldn't have been so bad, but it was the look on Orpheus' face, like a deer in the headlights, that was damning.

Anthony did not like the reaction he received, and in order to convey that to Orpheus, he slammed his glass on the wood of the table, causing whiskey to splash everywhere.

"That photograph was taken after you've expressed your interest in my sister." 

"Yes," Orpheus rasied his voice slightly, "it was taken after your sister expressed no interest in me." He was slightly more nervous now that Tony had reached the 'whiskey throwing' stage.

"I might, perhaps, wish to be informed why you admitted still having designs on her only a few nights ago." His tone was colder than the ice cubes that were scattered across the desk, and his glare just as intense.

Orpheus tried to laugh, but it didn't exactly come out right. It sort of sputtered and died instead. "I'm a man, Anthony. She drives me crazy and what else would you like me to do when she's," wow, this was sort of awkward.

"She gets me" Orpheus paused, unsure of how to ask her brother what he was supposed to do when Laura had him all hot and bothered and he knew he couldn't touch her. "I couldn't very well," oh, he couldn't say that either. Orpheus decided to shut his mouth before he dug himself into an even deeper hole.

Anthony started, and his astonishment was obvious. How dare he present his own sister in such a way! Without even realizing what he was doing, Anthony stood up sharply and leaned across the table to grip the Slytherin's collar with a firm hand, then quickly yanked him upward.

"A man!" He cried both in disbelief and horror, abandoning all attempts to keep his nerves in check. "You call yourself a man? You have no control over your bloody prick and you call yourself a man? And what, have you expected Laura to give you anything before marriage?"

Orpheus' eyes went wide and he tried to stay calm. He didn't do this whole controversy thing well. He was so much better at a hexing or just a simple murder job. Throw in some people skills and he was hard put.

"No," he said quickly, which was entirely true as well. "I don't expect anything from her. But when she's out in the hallway in her nightgown in the middle of the night," again, so not a discussion to have with her brother.

Orpheus shook his head. "Nothing, no, never." Not that he hadn't thought about it, but he wasn't going to force her to do something. He did have some sort of class.

His grip didn't falter, on the contrary. He pulled harder, half pulling Orpheus over the desk, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Are you fucking giving yourself an excuse for being weak? Are you telling me that you're allowed to seek other girls whenever you feel that you can't control yourself? And what if you got Laura's approval, how can I be sure you'd be able to bloody control yourself until you get married?"

"I-I-I," Orpheus stuttered, trying to gain control of himself. He wrenched himself away from Tony's vice grip and stood tall, straightening his tie.

"I would not ever do anything to hurt Laura. When it comes to her I have the utmost self control," he glared at Tony.

"If I were the villain you're making me out to be I wouldn't have sent her back to bed when I had her alone in the hallway after she insisted upon seeing my dark mark and then proceeded to run her fingers over it." He adjusted the collar on his shirt, trying to look important.

Anthony didn't even allow himself to think on Orpheus' words of his sister's actions, there was a more important task at hand.

"Never do anything to hurt Laura!" He cried again, smacking the glass with his hand so hard it went flying to the side and smashed against the floor. "Because fucking other girls won't hurt her, will it? If you're excited, you get the job done by yourself. Hadn't they taught you how to do it?" 

"Not if she bloody can't figure out what the hell she's doing to me!" Orpheus started to raise his voice again. "Then no, I don't think it would hurt her if I was with other girls." Orpheus threw his hands up in the air.

"And I'm quite capable of handling things on my own, thank you very much, as far as that's concerned."

Anthony felt himself growing angrier with every passing second, but this time, he tried his utmost to compose himself and speak in a tranquil tone, that, if Orpheus listened carefully, was dripping with venom.

"You know me, Travers, don't you? You've heard about me and what I do. Don't think, even for a split second, that I would hesitate in damaging you so bad it would hurt even to blink if you ever get near my sister again. Do you understand me?"

Oh bloody hell, this was not going the way he planned. Orpheus was going to open his mouth but he shut it tightly, knowing that if he did he would certainly be sorry. He sat down in the chair beside him quite suddenly, putting his head in his hand.

"What would you like me to say, Anthony?" he asked quietly. "That I'm sorry and it was a mistake? Well that it most certainly was."

"I don't want you to say anything. I want you to stay away from my sister. Got it?" Anthony spoke in that same tone, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Aw, fuck Tony, you can't ask me to do that." Orpheus was on the verge of whining. Didn't he understand he couldn't do that to him?

"And why not, exactly? I'm sure that lovely blonde would help you overcome whatever difficulty you might have in staying away from Laura." Anthony said viciously, his eyes narrowing in another glare.

"It's not like that," Orpheus was just making excuses. He needed other women to keep his mind off Laura, he was going insane.

"Fuck, Tony. I can't think, I can't sleep." He put his head in hand again. This was hopeless. How could he make him understand that the only girl he really wanted was Laura, the only one, aside from Narcissa, it seemed he couldn't have. Maybe that was the draw, he wanted her becasue he couldn't have her...

"What the fuck are you on about?" His tone was decidedly less cold, but only because he was too surprised by the boy's words.

"She's driving me crazy. I thought that would help but Salazar it only made it worse," Orpheus said keeping his head down. Why couldn't he just accept she didn't want him and move on. He was nearly whining again.

Anthony stared. How could he reply to anything like that, anyway? The boy was nearly cracking down in front of him, because his sister drove him crazy.

"Do you really like her that much?"

Orpheus looked up and glared at Tony. "Do you actually think I would sit here and let you reprimand me like my father if I didn't?"

Anthony looked like he was having an inner battle at the moment, a very nasty one, that was decided quite quickly and that its results weren't something he liked.

"I swear to god, Travers, if I ever find out that you'd touched another girl again, you'll be worse than dead."

"Done," Orpheus answered immediately. 

"Now get out of my sight before I change my mind." Anthony spat out, turning around to get himself another glass of whiskey.

He was loosing it. He was bloody loosing it.

Orpheus stood, resisting the urge to hug the other fellow who had moments before appeared as if he wanted to pop him off. "Thank you."

With that he quickly apparated back to his home in London. He needed a nap and a very very strong drink.