Cygnus Phineas Black, pureblood, Knight, ex-dueling champion, youngest son, father of the Black sisters. Walburga's failure to conceive and Alphard's bachelorhood landed him the responsibility of continuing the bloodline, and so he was wed to the French Druella Rosier. The passionless marriage left them with three children -- all daughters, never a son: Bellatrix, his favorite; Andromeda, the odd one out; and Narcissa, the baby. Attended Hogwarts while Tom Riddle was still a student and so had a fast-track entry to the all boy's club of the Knights of Walpurgis. Purist ideology was never a question with Cygnus, but unlike many, he is not blinded by Riddle's charisma -- his allegiance is to the Blacks first. There is only one sure way to shake Cygnus from his cool, and that is to threaten his family -- The Family, as it were, capital letters and all. Like the bird that is his namesake, any perceived danger to his kin will rouse an anger that is frightening and almost deranged; he had to be magically restrained from setting off after Ted Tonks once the degree of his involvement with Andromeda was revealed. One of the three Black 1979 deaths.

Significant dates
1925 -- Walburga born
192X -- Alphard born
1929 -- Orion born
21 February, 1929 -- Cygnus born
1940-1947 -- Cygnus attends Hogwarts
1947 -- Meets Druella Rosier
1950 -- Cygnus marries Druella Rosier
21 March, 1951 -- Bellatrix born
15 March, 1953 -- Andromeda born
2 October, 1955 -- Narcissa born
1972 -- Andromeda disowned
1975 -- Bellatrix marries Rodolphus Lestrange
1979/80 -- Cygnus, Orion, and Regulus die

Personality: The general impression is that of Pollux's three children, Cygnus is by far the mildest. As the second son of the second branch of the family, the task of proving himself a leader never fell to him; the bulk of the inheritance and power was to go to his cousin Orion, while his brother Alphard more than adequately fulfilled the role of the family's resident charmer, and so Cygnus was faced with few responsibilities other than the all-important mandate to pad out the family tree. He has always been quietly-kept, possessing a level-head and the patience of a saint, traits that have been sorely tested over time by the fiery temperament his family is known for.

This isn't to say that Cygnus is particularly nice. His rather detached manner is often construed as snobbery -- which, to an extent, it is, for he whole-heartedly believes that he is royalty by virtue of his blood -- but he will rarely condescend to lose his temper with those many people he sees as being inferior. Confrontations with him are often maddeningly anti-climatic, as Cygnus would rather let the other know that he has no time to argue with Mudbloods, and then turn the other cheek instead of yelling and threatening and giving them the satisfacation of being acknowledged. He is a man of few words, displeasure manifesting itself in the tightening of his jaw or the drum of his bony fingers against the armrest of his chair, and as a child, this dispassionate quality often earned him a "stop sulking!' from his mother. While his siblings rail and lose their tempers, Cygnus internalizes and throws himself into his work, emerging only when the anger has been reduced to a controllable simmer.

This tendency for emotional reserve extends to the relationship he has with his wife. It is a marriage of mutual silence, of convenience, and while he has never been in love with her, Cygnus has grown to love her. Unlike Walburga, Druella is a non-threatening presence, and his initial tolerance of her has developed into an affection that has its roots in an appreciation for the understated way in which she carries out her wifely duties. They are a very private couple, never known to argue in the presence of others, and their discretion exists even when they are alone, Cygnus demonstrating his appreciation and fondness for Druella not through passionate words and physical displays of emotion, but rather through small gestures, gifting her with books that he thinks will interest her and often conversing with her in her native French.

There is only one sure way to shake Cygnus out of his cool, and that is to threaten his family -- The Family, as it were, capital letters and all. Like the bird that is his namesake, any perceived danger to his kin will rouse an anger that is frightening and almost deranged; he had to be magically restrained from setting off after Ted Tonks once the degree of his involvement with Andromeda was revealed. He might not be the most emotive of men, but anyone who knows Cygnus knows that to him, the Blacks rank above all others, and to go against the calling of one's blood is incomprehensible to him. He is in no way an affectionate sort, but he has a definite weakness for his three daughters, one that has overshadowed whatever disappointment he feels regarding his wife's inability to provide him with a son, and while it is unforgivable to him to rebel against family, it required a screaming lecture from his sister and the terrible finality of Andromeda's name being blasted from the family tree for him to finally disown her.

Magical strengths/weaknesses/peculiarities: In his youth, Cygnus was a champion dueler, but where his daughter Bellatrix demonstrates fiery prowess in the field, he is cool, collected and utterly detached. It is rare to see him cast a spell in rash anger, and he often chides his eldest daughter for letting her temper get the best of her. Like his wife, Cygnus is loath to make a fuss; the spells he casts are strictly utilitarian, designed to address the task at hand and nothing more, and he will rarely be the first to lift his wand. Duels are not won by defensive means, but he is only too willing to let his opponents tire themselves out, falter and give him the advantage, and then bring the conflict to a neat end.

While he would prefer to cause damage and exert control in rather more legal means, Cygnus' collected and quietly stubborn nature makes him more than capable of performing a good Imperius curse. Unlike Bellatrix, the only time he can execute the Cruciatus is when his family is threatened, for only then is he shaken from his clinical detachment and forced to really mean it.

Wand: A slightly supple, 11 inch vine wood wand with an occamy tail feather core.

Appearance: Cygnus is undeniably a son of Black, possessing the dramatic looks that is the family's trademark: strong features, dark hair, and the imperious manner of carrying oneself that seems to be genetically ingrained. Like his sister, Cygnus is small and dark, and it is his stance and clothing -- impeccably tailored, no matter what the occasion -- that prevents others from overshadowing him. The heavy gaze that Bellatrix is famed for is courtesy of Cygnus, whose dark grey eyes are almost literally the windows to his soul, their flicking and gleam revealing emotions his expressions might not, while encroaching age is revealed in the slight greying of his hair.

Alliance and views on purism: In a nutshell: purity ftw. Cygnus has always and will always possess the view that purebloods are better, and Blacks are best. He is indifferent to halfbloods, but Muggleborns -- Mudbloods are a dangerous, base species that he ranks somewhere below maggots. Muggles frighten him -- they kill each other in wars fought over some intangible mystical concept that they cannot agree on, and the sheer size of their population should give any sensible wizard a cause to worry. After all, twelve mangy dogs, as the quote goes, can kill a lion. While he has no issue with working toward the purist cause, he has always played a passive role, and so is unspeakably proud of what his eldest daughter has and will accomplish -- until, of course, he realizes her loyalty is to Voldemort first and foremost.

Potential relationships:

WIFE, DRUELLA Theirs was an engagement of three dispassionate years, during which initially hesitant, impersonal letters were exchanged as Druella completed her schooling and Cygnus made his place in the world. They have never been in love, but Cygnus surprised many, including his wife, when he didn't cast her aside following her failure to give him a son -- he feels, if not love, then a strong affection for her, and an appreciation for the way they seem to complement each other. Theirs is a quiet, intensely private and unassuming relationship; they have never been known to raise their voices at each other in anyone's presence, preferring instead to weather out conflicts in the seclusion of their tea room.
DAUGHTERS, BELLATRIX, ANDROMEDA, NARCISSA From the beginning, it was all too evident that Druella was uncertain as to how to treat her first daughter, and for a while, Cygnus was also unsure and awkward around her, limiting himself to hovering around the cradle while the nursemaid cared for her, occasionally charming her toys to play out well-known children's tales above her head. By the time Druella's second pregnancy was announced, Cygnus had overcome his shyness. Remembering how his sister had resented her gender as a child, Cygnus decided his daughter would be as well educated and cherished as any boy, and took an active role in her early instruction. It was not uncommon to see the dark haired little girl playing in his study, or the pair of them exchanging spells as he attempted to pass on to her his love of and skill in wand-work. So involved was he in Bellatrix's upbringing that he paid her newborn sister scarcely any attention -- Andromeda was simply there, another girl, to be loved unconditionally as one's child should be, but that was it.

Narcissa would have been held in the same disregard as Andromeda had she not been Druella's final pregnancy. Once the devastating pronouncement had been delivered -- Druella would never conceive again, there would never be the much longed for son -- Cygnus held his youngest child in a new light. It could have been so easy to resent the quiet, fair-haired little girl for not being a boy -- certainly, when she angers him, such thoughts do occasionally cross his mind -- but instead he regarded her as a precious thing, a doll, their last. While he never gave her the attention he'd given Bellatrix, he spoiled her horribly, and left Druella to handle the details of her upbringing. Meanwhile, Walburga had finally given the family what they wanted most -- and then again, with her second son. If Cygnus felt any resentment while holding the boys, it was hard to tell; he shrugged off barbed comments regarding his own offspring by innocuously commenting on Bellatrix's achievements.
SISTER, WALBURGA
BROTHER, ALPHARD
COUSIN, ORION
NEPHEW, SIRIUS
NEPHEW, REGULUS