Miss Sylvia Is Not Pleased

Sylvia Mordant had always believed that most problems in the world fell into two categories: those she could solve, and those she simply hadn’t gotten around to solving yet.

She came from an ancient pure-blood family, was its sole heir, and had talent so formidable it was despair-inducing. No one would have thought it strange if she had ruled Slytherin by force. When she was eleven, Sirius Black challenged her to a duel for the first time. Three seconds later, he had lost his wand.

The next day, he came back.

And he kept coming back for years.

Sirius kept trying to escape the Black name, while Regulus worked hard to become the kind of Black his family needed. Lily made Sylvia realize for the first time that so-called “blood status” could truly determine whether someone lived or died. More and more Slytherin classmates, who had once shared lessons, drinks, and pranks with her, began to stand by Voldemort’s side.

Sylvia finally realized that the freedom she had once been so proud of was not the way the world normally worked.

Some eras do not allow everyone to remain neutral forever.

So this time, she decides to choose a side.

And as for Sirius?

Everyone tries to make Sylvia belong to a family, a man, or a certain kind of life. But he is the one who loves her and has never asked to possess her.

Likewise, everyone wants Sirius to become a certain kind of Black. She has never asked that of him.

Neither of them ever tames the other.

They’re simply two people who could never be held on to, yet somehow, in the end, neither of them leaves.

Theme: True freedom means not only having the right to choose, but also accepting responsibility for those choices. Love is not possession; it is two whole, independent people choosing each other of their own accord, even when they are free to leave. A woman’s worth should not be defined by marriage, childbirth, the continuation of her family name, or someone else’s choices. Every life shaped by a woman’s own will deserves respect.