The Ascendant
brings to life the moment when Sirius Black (Daniel Elliot) decides to run away from home out of disgust for his family's blood-purist ways and support for the genocidal Voldemort, as well as a way to protect himself from their relentless abuse. We get to see his interactions with his younger brother, whom he wishes would follow him, his cousin Bellatrix (Aiyana Demers), with whom he maintains an acerbic, antagonistic relationship, his abusive mother Walburga (Gaya Chernorhokian), and his cousin Andromeda (Fey Knight), a kindred spirit.
This Fan Film is a 2024 live-action Potter Verse short produced by Star F (leader of what was then named The Mischief Productions) and directed by Dorian Niemoja, who also plays Regulus Black. The secondary cast comprises Alessandra Blaszczyk as Narcissa Black, Rafael Alessandro as James Potter, Tom Robin as Lucius Malfoy, and Ally Reid as Euphemia Potter.
Chronologically, it's followed by The Prank, which involves the same cast and crew.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: In canon, all we have confirmed about Walburga Black's parenting is that she was extremely verbally abusive toward Sirius, her firstborn, for being a "blood traitor" to the point of constantly breaking into histrionic breakdowns over it. In this fan film, that behavior is topped by her liberal use of the Cruciatus and Imperius Curses, as well as an unnamed cutting spell, on Sirius by the time he's 16. She remains verbally abusive toward her youngest son, Regulus, berating him for not making his brother toe the line.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Regulus begs his older brother to stay at Grimmauld Place, telling him that being a man who betrayed his family is worse than being a man who betrayed himself and his friends. Sirius has repeatedly asked Regulus to go with him, since his little brother is his only actual family. When it's clear that Regulus won't budge, he reminds his older brother that he promised he'd never abandon him. Sirius tells him, "I'm not leaving you, Regulus. You're choosing to stay behind". The younger brother's only answer is to keep calling for Sirius's name as he walks away.
- Blue Is Heroic: Andromeda Black dyes her hair blue and wears baggy blue jeans after she's been banished by her family. The context clues make it very clear that, while she didn't run away out of love for her sisters, she didn't want anything to do with the Blacks' toujours pur philosophy. She won't support Voldemort and won't beg her parents to accept her back. She's also the first person Sirius seeks refuge with after leaving Grimmauld Place. The way she comforts him marks her as a very heroic character.
- Caged Bird Metaphor: Elegant, feathered attire or accessories seem to be traditional to the Blacks. Narcissa, conscious enough of her family's stifling rules but not in actual disagreement with their blood superiority beliefs, calls the newest generation of Blacks (which includes her) "birds in a cage" just after Bellatrix likens their whole lineage to fierce eagles. After walking away from Grimmauld Place, Sirius ditches his feathered arm brace, signifying he's a bird set free. The fact that he was the one wearing the least amount of feathers (compared to his brother's jacket and his cousins and mother's dresses) also cues you that he's long been ideologically opposed to his relatives.
- Disowned Sibling: Sirius is devastated upon realizing his younger brother Regulus is unable to leave their toxic family behind. Despite repeatedly asking the latter to run away with him, Regulus won't budge, causing Sirius to see him as just as bad as the rest of the Blacks. He says to Andromeda that he has no brother.
- Double-Meaning Title: One could interpret the title as referring to either Lucius Malfoy or Sirius Black. Maybe even Regulus Black. When criticizing Lucius for not waiting composedly enough, Bellatrix says, "I thought father said the Malfoys were verging on royalty". By marrying Narcissa, the daughter of a family that is heavily implied to be all but royalty, one could say Lucius is ascending. On the other hand, Sirius is very much the main character of the Fan Film. By leaving his bigoted, abusive family behind and then subsequently being adopted by the Potters, Sirius's lot in life considerably improves. Finally, this very same act causes Regulus to ascend to his parents' heir.
- Evil Wears Black:
- Black clothing, makeup, and jewelry comprise the entirety of the Blacks' wardrobes. The only members to deviate in the form of white shirts/blouses while still living in Grimmauld Place are Andromeda and Sirius. The former was banished for marrying a Muggleborn, while the latter ran away from home.
- The trope is ultimately subverted by Sirius, curiously enough, who is wearing a distinctively Muggle all-black attire upon arriving at the Potters' door. It might signify that he's still carrying his family's darkness in the form of trauma and bitter anger. Or it might just be turning his family's colors against them.
- Good Wears White: At the key moments that drive Andromeda and Sirius, respectively, away from the Blacks' blood purist legacy, they are wearing white on their torsos, right over their hearts, marking them as their family's White Sheep. After he's left his home, Sirius seeks refuge at Andromeda's, and she embraces him while she herself is enveloped by a white, fuzzy blanket. Later, James Potter wears a conspicuously striped white sweater when he receives his best friend with open arms.
- Half-Empty Two-Shot:
- Both times a Black leaves their family behind, there's a shot of their sibling who chose to stay—Narcissa and Regulus—standing near the center of the camera, with their shoulders and head framing the gaping hole where their sister/brother—Andromeda and Sirius—was occupying just prior, begging them to get away together.
- After they've been making out in Narcissa's room, she and Lucius return to the parlour because, since Sirius has arrived, the ceremony with Voldemort is about to start. However, Lucius would rather they kept going, so he tries to persuade Narcissa, first by words, but then forcibly despite her denial. She leans toward him, whispering, "If you touch me again, I'll rip your balls off". After that, she suddenly pulls away, leaving her discomfited fiancé standing awkwardly on the right side of the camera for a short while.
- Mirror Character: The canon never addresses how Andromeda Black's two sisters, Bellatrix and Narcissa, felt about her banishment, nor how their relationship was prior. This short draws a clear parallel between Narcissa and Regulus, whose respective White Sheep siblings—Andromeda and Sirius—beg them to leave the family with them, only to be turned away. Both Narcissa and Regulus are heartbroken, but they either don't disagree enough with the Blacks' ways, believe there's no escape from their gilded cage, or love their parents more than their siblings. Bellatrix is also hurt by her sister's leaving, but unlike Narcissa and Regulus, she doesn't weep over the fact, instead turning the pain into rage and fanaticism. Another way in which The Ascendant makes the two cousins similar is that they, in turn, beg their respective sibling to reconsider and try to get back in their parents' good graces.
- Shot/Countershot: The fan film makes ample use of this kind of shot during Sirius and Regulus's heated debate, switching to the brother who speaks, while the camera lingers from behind the other. This exchange is meant to reflect how the brothers advocate for opposing ideas and values—Sirius wants to escape from their abusive mother and rejects Blood Purity, while Regulus still finds family in his brother and cousins while believing it's impossible to get out of their parents' reach—that they sadly never come to reconcile.