Woes of Betrothal
Chapter 1: Layers of The Slytherin Heart
"Elisabetta!" Mona Moretti's voice called up the grand staircase to her daughter. A small, chocolate haired girl, just turned 7 years old appears at the top.
"Yes, Mother?" her small but strong voice carried down the stair case, and it intimidated him a bit. He could just barely see her from where he stood in the den, and he shifted uncomfortably. This place was nowhere new, and that small strong voice was one he knew well.
"We have company, dear. And business to discuss! Your father has something wonderful to tell you."
The pitter patter of feet danced down the stairs just as they were expected to, how they were trained to. Elegant but swift, quick to answer the call of their father. Elisabetta looked at the guests in the den and couldn't help but smile.
"Sirius!" she smiled at him and he gulped.
"Hi, Ellie!-" interrupted by a nudge to his ribs. "I mean- Hello, Elisabetta." thankfully, the little girl smiled warmly at him, knowingly. She knew how they had to speak to each other in front of their parents. she seemed to always understand everything, that wonderful Ellie of his.
Mrs. Moretti lead the way into a different den down the hall. This one was dimmer, with a large oval mahogany table in the center, with deep green cushioned seats surrounding it. Behind the table was Antonio Moretti, Elisabetta's father, and Sirius' own father, Orion Black, deep in conversation. They turned once they had realized the rest of the party had joined them, Antonio greeted the children with warm smiles. Well, as warm as Antonio Moretti could smile, at least, which was warmer than Orion ever offered.
"Elisabetta, Sirius, we have an announcement." Antonio began, and looked at both of the children.
"As you know, it is tradition in our society to prepare our youth to carry on our ideals, our blood, and our magic in the proper manner. One of the ways to ensure that, is to assign our youth to a proper spouse." Sirius looked over to Elisabetta for some sort of reaction. But there she stood, her tiny chin held high, her eyes locked on her father like a proper pureblood daughter.
"That being said," Antonio started again, and Sirius turned his attention back to him. "The noble house of Black has requested to join our Families together in The form of a union between our eldest; you two. Which means, at the age of 18, you, Elisabetta…" Antonio took a moment to look at his daughter, and couldn't help but sigh a little. "Will be Wed to Sirius Black."
For a moment, there was nothing but silence as Antonio looked at his daughter. Elisabetta nodded, saying nothing, and curtsied. Sirius fumbled to take her lead with a bow, mumbling quickly about it being an honor to be chosen. She was always so much better at this stuff than him. After that, the children were dismissed, and the moment the large oak doors to the garden closed behind them, a surge of energy seem to hit the two 7 year olds.
"What a surprise! Isn't it wonderful, Seer? I thought it was going to be Rabastan. Ugh, I would have run away tonight if it was him." Elisabetta leaped onto the stone wall and started to balance, walking beside Sirius.
"So, you're not weirded out, or anything?" Sirius began, looking over his shoulder to make sure none of their parents were around.
"Godric, no! Better you than anyone else. At least I'll like who I end up marrying. I'm already happier than most married off purebloods."
"I guess so…" He began. "It's just… Ellie, doesn't it feel a bit…. Off? Them picking who we marry?"
Elisabetta plopped to her bum on the stone wall in front of him.
"What? This happens all the time, Sirius. You knew they would pair you with someone."
"I know! I know. And I'm glad it's you than any others, too, but-" he stopped, looking up to catch her Green eyes locked on him, her full attention focused on him. He didn't want to say anything, he was scared to. Another minute of silence passed before she broke it.
"You can tell me."
Her voice was soft, gentle. It was comforting and sweet, genuine and kind, understanding and welcoming, and it was everything he thought it wouldn't be, and she was so wonderful, his Ellie. So he took a deep breath, straightened out his back and put his chin up slightly.
"I don't…. Think I agree with them." it was the first time he had admitted it out loud, even to himself, and it sounded so terrifying in spoken word. To his surprise, she smiled and nodded.
"I question it sometimes, too. But this is who we are, and it's what we do, and it's always been like this." Sirius nodded and looked over at the willow down at the bottom of the hill, hiding a small cove of the massive pond on Ellie's land. He always loved that willow, it always seemed to comfort him. Elisabetta made him feel comfortable too, she was the one person Sirius felt.. Home, around. And if there was anyone Sirius would be forced to marry, he was glad it was his wonderful Ellie.
Hogwarts express, 10am, beginning of 7th year.
The sun was up, and it was actually a remarkably beautiful day for September in London. There were a few other students on the train, coming early to grab a compartment, the excitement of the year being too much for them. Elisabetta, better known now at 16 (17 in a few short months,) as Effy, was not one of them. This, was simply tradition. Effy was standing on the platform with her parents and her little brother, Mateo, scanning her Green eyes across the platform patiently. Mateo was going into his 5th year at Hogwarts, which means OWLS, which means her parents were far too busy fussing over him. Suddenly, to her right, there was a Black mass going through a trolley connector.
"Mother, father. I'm exhausted, I think I'm going to go on the train early, and catch up on some reading. You'll write me when the first ball is?"
"Yes! Yes love of course." her mother glided over to her and ran a hand over her cheek. "Be a good girl this year, Elisabetta, and no funny business!" Effy smiled and promised, though she knew what she meant, and she was on her way to do just that. Her sweet mother, who tries so hard, and it's not fair that Effy feels this way towards them at all. But Mona doesn't stop it, and by doing that, she encourages it. Elisabetta's eyes land on her father, who catches her gaze and nods politely towards her. Effy does the same, but they both know they don't want to. Mona finally let go of her daughter and smiled tearily at her, knowingly.
"Enjoy this year, Darling. Enjoy it." Effy knew she meant it and thanked her quietly before walking off towards the train, making sure no one was watching her as she walked passed the train door and between the carriages after the black mass.
"That took longer than last year." Effy jumped at the voice in her ear, looking over to see Sirius leaning against the train with a smirk plastered on his stupidly handsome face.
"Not even my fault, Sirius. I didn't see your fluffy black tail sauntering through the train until 10:15. Now we only have 45 minutes." Sirius let out his bark like laugh.
"We're only going to need 20." He said, running a hand through his hair. Effy raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms at her chest, Sirius's eyes couldn't help but wander to where they met.
"Only 20? It's been a month. You, are, pathetic." she joked.
"This is true. A full 4 weeks." Sirius smirked and reached forward, grabbing her wrist from her chest and pulled her against him. "We might only need 10 then."
"I don't even know why I hang out with you." she laughed, running her hand up his chest towards his neck. Sirius' hand travelled down her side, onto her hip, as far down her outer thigh as his fingers could stretch.
"What, you mean besides my incredible sense of humor and my astounding wit?" Effy scoffed jokingly and rolled her eyes.
"All of which you've gotten from me. But really, I mean, besides those, what do you really have to offer?" she smiled and flicked her tongue against her lip, proud of her own joke. Sirius growled in a quiet chuckle and grabbed her by the back of her knees, pulling her up onto his waist and turned, pushing her back against the train. Effy let out a small squeal at how Suddenly it happened, laughing with her back to the train as he spoke into her hair and neck, brushing his lips against her skin as he spoke.
"Let me just remind you of one of the few."
Hogwarts express, 10:58am
The train whistle blew and the train jolted to a start as they hopped onto the back trolley, sneaking in through the back door.
"20 minutes my ass. I told you! I know you better than you think I do." Effy pointed a manicured finger at him. "Stop doubting me. I've never been wrong." Sirius laughed and put his hand on her lower back, pushing her along the corridor.
"If the train wasn't about to leave we would have needed more time." he whispered in her ear and she shuddered as his breath tickled her neck.
"Yeah, yeah. Save it for the dark corridors, Sirius. How was it this summer?" Sirius sighed, pulling his hand away from her back to run it through his hair.
"Better. Better than the last couple summer's. How was yours?" They caught up on their summers as they walked through trolleys to their respective compartments. "Right, well. This is my stop." Effy looked around the trolley, wrapped her fingers around the hair on the back of Sirius' head and pulled him in for another kiss. "Write me. I'll see you at the feast."
Sirius watched her as she walked away, wiggling her bottom more than she usually would just to give him a show. He smirked as he watched her walk down to her compartment, blowing him a kiss before sliding open her compartment door and disappearing into her usual sea of green and silver, his wonderful Ellie.
The thing no one tells you about arranged marriages, especially ones you've known about since you Were 7, is that you grow fiercely protective of them. At least, that's what Effy keeps telling herself. Something flipped a switch that day. Sirius and Effy were always close, ever since they could remember. They were certainly each other's favorite pureblood child to be around, but once they found out they were paired to each other, it cemented their bond. Of course, then they were young and innocent. It was building a friendship, telling other children off for trying to be mean to them, and nothing more, but knowing they weren't going to get out of each other's lives, they were constantly looking out for each other. Of course, when they turned 11, all hell broke loose. Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor. Elisabetta spent the next 4 years fighting to keep the arrangement to stick with their parents. Instantly they wanted to reconsider the offer. Walburga and Orion were grateful to have Elizabetta on their side, regardless If they had different reasons for it. Walburga and Orion swore that it meant nothing, that Sirius was a good pureblood and it changed nothing of his true character. He would still be a suitable pairing for Elizabetta. Effy fought it so she wouldn't lose Sirius, he was the only one she trusted. But she told her parents the same things Walburga and Orion said, though she knew it wasn't true. Each year it got increasingly harder, and it turned into Elisabetta arguing with all 4 of the parents to keep the arrangement the summer of 4th year. But Sirius and Effy began blossoming on the side, and ended up falling into each other's bed their 5th year. Effy knew she was going to marry Sirius. Something deep inside her knew that. Until he left. And everything snapped, and he was no longer an option. He was blasted off the tree, and Everything Effy had fought for was in ruins. 6th year was rough. She had managed to convince her parents she needed the year to "heal over the betrayal" as she had to say, and they decided that they would start the courting process her 7th year.
Of course she understood why he left. He had to, and she didn't want to see him like that anymore. Sirius was different, yes. He didn't believe in their ideals and he was so, so strong to stick up for his beliefs, she just wished he hadn't been treated so poorly that he had to leave when he did. So they spent their 6th year how they were supposed to in front of everyone- filled with malice and hatred for each other. But behind closed doors, they still met. Passion still happened.
Another challenge with arranged marriages is that they aren't exactly looked highly upon outside of pureblood Families. Some purebloods are paired off young, some are paired as teens, it really depends on when the family is approached and the relationship between the two Families. If you're one of the ones who finds out young, you're trained to basically ignore and honor it at the same time. You are completely free to date other people, as long as it isn't for an extended period of time, as long as you form no real relationship with them. Through the years, Elizabetta and Sirius had to watch each other date other people, as it was just easier to hide it that way, being in different houses an all. Sirius had so many little groupies, it was easy for him to find replaceable girls. Effy was no stranger to male attention, by any means, but whenever she would find a boy to waste her time with, Sirius would intervene. Unless of course, Regulus and Mateo got to them before he did. This year it would be more difficult. The engagement was off, Effy was due for her first courtship ball by christmas, and the people they dated could be for real this time, and Effy would have to deal with that.
It's not as if they had feelings for each other at all, that wasn't the case. Sure, he was handsome and she was beautiful but they had been friends since they were toddlers, grew up together between each other's manors, spent countless fancy balls running through the gardens and teasing the other children who had annoyed them. By the time they found out they were paired to be married, the concept that they would luck out and be happy in the marriage they were forced into unlike most of the people they knew, they just kind of… Fed onto that excitement as years passed. The sexual attraction was just that, sexual attraction. There they were, two 15 year olds, at the peak of their hormone riddled sexual curiosity and… Well, why not? They were going to get married, they knew that, so fuck it, right? If the first person they had sex with, was the person they were going to marry, regardless If they found other sexual partners in between, they were still sort of proper pureblood children. Not that they were ever really worried about it, but, it was an image that Elisabetta had a duty to uphold.
The difference between Sirius and Elisabetta, was that she enjoyed pureblood life. She enjoyed dressing up, the glitz and the glamour, going shopping for beautiful gowns, looking pretty and feeling it. She missed her huge room with her beautiful mahogany canopy bed while she was at school, she liked that She carried herself more like a ballerina than a person. Not that she was better than everybody because of it, but it gave her confidence, it made her feel good. And I guess that's where she found comfort in Narcissa. She was the only other pureblood child Effy could really stand aside from Sirius, Regulus and her brother. Sure, she mingled with the rest of them and had discussions with them, but she couldn't wait to break free of their presence.
What she didn't like about pureblood life, however, was how it was turning more to hurt people. Some people breed with muggles, but she didn't see that as her business. It wasn't her life, why should she care? The fact that people were so invested into what other people were doing, to the point of hurting people, was absurd to her. No, Elisabetta would much rather spend time worrying about her own life than what other people are doing. But, alas, her own life was starting to become "hurt people for what they choose to do with their life, or be killed." maybe it was just Elisabetta's stubbornness, or maybe she knew deep down that Sirius was right in leaving, but considering her current situation, being killed really was starting to sound like the best option of the two.
Up until Sirius got blasted off the tree, Effy took comfort in knowing she wouldn't have to deal with that extremity that the purebloods have gone to once she Married Sirius. She would only need to put up with them for holidays, then she could go home to her 'more handsome than Prince charming' husband, crawl into her silk sheets and worry about what color She should get for her manicure tomorrow. But that life was gone now, and Effy didn't really know how to deal with that yet.
6th year was a silent emotional roller coaster. Sirius was dealing with being exiled, hated by everyone He grew up with, his parents disgraced by him. Elisabetta had a hard year too. For the first time she was punished, severely, by her father. 9 years of defending someone becomes hard to shake, and Effy found herself doing nothing but defending sirius, even though she knew it was for nothing. Nothing was going to change, the option of him was gone now. But Elizabetta invested a lot in her short, young life to the man who was supposed to be her future, and at some point he became the only family she really cared about keeping around. Sirius was her future, and she was taught to think of her future from day one. in her mind, she was being an obedient pureblood paired off daughter, but in the eyes of her parents, she was being an ungrateful brat who needed to learn her place. Effy had never known pain like she did last summer, and so she decided to cater to what was expected of her, and figure out the rest as she goes. Because she refused to live like this. Whether her father realized he did it or not, Elisabetta was raised to be a strong, confident woman with self worth, not to be an obedient cow to expect to be beat for having an opinion and using her voice.
And so, here she was, riding up to the castle in a carriage with her forced friends, Narcissa staring at her from the other side, worried about her friend. Effy smiled the best she could at her but was the first out of the carriage when it arrived, wrapping her cloak around herself to hide from the wind.
"Effy! Hey, Eff!" came a soft voice from behind her once Effy entered the hall. She turned and smiled at Cissa, her silver hair matching her perfectly pretty smile. Cissa has been absolutely enthralled in planning her wedding to Lucius for the upcoming summer, and it's put a bit of strain on their friendship lately. They were supposed to be planning their weddings together, it's been that way since Cissa was paired with Lucius in 4th year.
"Hey, Ciss. Have a good summer?"
"Yeah, it was wonderful. Missed you, though. First time I've gone to Paris without you." Effy jutted out her lip in a pout.
"I know, I missed you, too. I just needed some time."
Bless her for trying to avoid wedding and family talk. Bless her soul.
"Still? Eff, it's been a year."
"Yes, out of 9. We should go to the feast." Narcissa smiled apologetically and just choose to walk beside her friend. You would think she would understand better, being paired with Lucius for 3 years now. But maybe Effy and Sirius were different. She wouldn't know, She doesn't know anything else but the "relationship" She had with Sirius.
Elisabetta couldn't even focus during the sorting or the speech from Dumbledore. Half of her was screaming at her to ask Sirius to help her leave the life her life has become. But the other half, the rooted half, told her to stick it out, she could get killed. Besides, She would Have to deal with everyone in her house still, she would be an outcast, a disgrace. An easy target for any of the dark lords followers that were still in school. Just one more year, maybe, then maybe she could escape. For a brave moment she shifted her eyes to the Gryffindor table, and caught the stare of the familiar dark grey ones bearing down on her own green eyes. They held the stare for a few moments, wondering what the other was thinking, and then he broke away.
7th years girls dorm, 2am
"Elisabetta Violet, please don't." Narcissa whispers from her bed. The dorm room was dark and quiet, Effy scoffed quietly as she slipped on her other shoe.
"You don't get is, Cissa, and that's okay." Effy stood up in front of the mirror, fixing her hair as she spoke.
"I've already dedicated myself to him for almost a decade, I can't just drop it like that."
"Yes, i know you say that, Effy, but if you just try-" Elisabetta turned to her and interrupted her.
"I don't want to, Cissa. I don't want to try to move on. Stop trying to stop me. You're either my friend regardless or you're a spineless sheep like your sister, pick one." Elisabetta matched Narcissa's glare.
"Effy, I'm just worried about you. You're getting paired off By christmas, people are lining up for your ball, you need to get your head straight." Narcissa's voice was low and calm, a trait they had learned at a young age from their mothers that clearly read 'watch your tone.'
"I have three months to do that. And unless you plan on entering your name for my courtship, I suggest you give it a rest. I'm fine, worry about your wedding." with that, Effy turned and walked out the dorm, down the stairs and out the door. It was late, past midnight, but these rendezvous usually were. Effy crept along the wall, looking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed. Luckily, Effy had done this many many years and knew how to travel around the castle undetected, ( in fact, Sirius was always one that could find her whenever she didn't want to be found,) and she made it to the 7th floor just short of 5 minutes. Not bad when you're coming up from the dungeon at 2am. And there he stood, in all his stupid glory, smirking that stupid smirk he smirks, leaning casually against the tapestry across the hall from where they were going.
"You seem distracted today, Moretti. Was your mind still at the platform or was it here?" Effy rolled her eyes at him and waved towards the wall.
"I need to talk to you." with this, his face went serious and he nodded, pacing the hall 3 times quietly. A door appeared, and without hesitation Effy reached forward, swinging it open and waltzed in. When the door closed behind Sirius, she turned. There was no point in waiting to tell him, Elisabetta always just found it was just easier to spit the point out, then explain after, and that's exactly what she did.
"They're setting up courting balls. They expect me to be paired by christmas." Effy's green orbs searched Sirius' face for some sort of reaction, but if course there were none. He was far too good at that. Sirius just nodded slowly, thinking to himself as he navigated the room to a large comfy chair. He didn't speak until he Sat.
"I'm not really sure what you want me to say here, Eff."
"I just wanted you to know." her voice was the same comforting low that Sirius craved, it was hard to be anything but calm around Effy, and he still needed that. But she wasn't exactly his anymore, so if she were to be paired, what was he to do?
"Look, Effy," he began, taking a deep breath. "If you're waiting for me to throw a fit and Sat absolutely not, I can't do that.
"I know." she said, taking a step towards the chair, her arms wrapped around herself.
"And i can't go to the balls to court you, they won't allow it."
"I know that." another few steps closer, quieter than a mouse.
"I have to let it happen. It's going to happen. I can't stop it."
"I know that." she repeated. Sirius finally shifted his eyes to her.
"You're not mine anymore." there was a silence, and she sat on the tables ledge facing Sirius.
"And you're not mine anymore." hearing it stung worse than it should have, he should be pleased that he's free of that sort of control, from that life. But his Ellie, she wasn't, and she would never be now, because he couldn't do it anymore.
"But we were. For so long. And that's why I'm telling you. So that you and I can move forward." Effy's stomach was in her throat and she felt like she couldn't breath.
"So, what? Now you want it? Now you want that life? You want to be married off to some bastard that's going to hurt people, so that you can stay home and wear dresses and breed more of them?" The anger was sudden and it surprised even Sirius, but he rolled with it anyways. Effy raised her eyebrows and straightened her back.
"What am I to do, Sirius? You know as well as I do that they're recruiting through the school. If I left My family now I would be surrounded by potential harm at all times. My parents aren't fools, they started the process in school so that I couldn't leave this summer. I have 3 months until I'm supposed to be married off to someone else, and that's not my fault, is it?" She paused to let what she said sink in- it was his fault she was this trapped. "I don't want this, I don't any part of that. You, of anyone, should know that." Sirius leaned back in his chair and sighed, his anger deflated again.
He looked across at her and watched her gaze out the window to their right. Her hair was down to her waist, just as Sirius liked it. Of course she kept it that way on purpose, constantly trying to tease him. She was truly the only person that would do anything to please him, but was able to keep her own identity. The only one that met every one Of his needs and kept him in check, to remind him that she does it because she wants to, not because he said so. Effy always knew what she wanted, and she was always so proper about getting her way about it. She always made it seem like it was your idea until suddenly, at the end of the conversation, it dawns on you that she meant that conversation to go that way. Rather cunning, really, his wonderful Ellie.
"Can't you just…. Not choose? At least at the first ball? I'll try to figure something out. You can't go down their road." she sighed and looked back at him.
"I'll try. But I really don't know how to get out of this. If I don't choose, they will for me eventually, you know that." Sirius nodded and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his face closer to her than before.
"You know we should date this year." he meant other people, and he meant really date, and she knew it.
"I know. So I think we should… I think this should stop. Whatever this is. So we can move on properly from that part of our life. We both know the attachment is there only because we were conditioned for it. We can break that, But we have to stop this."
It was weird, breaking up with someone when you were never really officially anything really. So many years, invested into a relationship that never was a relationship to begin with, and it hurt more than Effy had expected. She went to go speak again, but before she could, his hands were in her hair, his lips over hers. Instinct kicked in, answering his kiss with matching passion for a few moments before they broke apart, their foreheads resting together. She wasn't really expecting this kind of reaction, but Sirius wanted to meet her tonight for this, so it shouldn't have been that surprising to her.
"Maybe after Christmas we'll start trying to stop, yeah?" Sirius laughed out, his breath dancing across her lip. Effy answered by pressing up against him, pushing him back into his chair, straddling him as She unbuttoned her jeans. That was exactly what she wanted to hear him say.
Room of requirement, 3am
The rhythm of his breathing made her feel like she was home, but the chaotic thoughts in her mind were the only thing bringing her back to reality.
"Sirius," she mumbled out, her eyes still shut, her head still on his bare chest. Sirius groaned in response, not moving an inch.
"We have classes tomorrow. We should go to our dorms." there was a moment of silence before Sirius wrapped his arm around her tighter than it already was, rubbing a thumb over her bare shoulder.
"I don't want to." He stated bluntly.
"I know." of course she did. She always did. She always knew everything, his wonderful Ellie. "But we need to."
Elisabetta finally opened her eyes, picking her head up to get him to move. If she didn't, She would have fallen asleep on his chest, and he wouldn't have moved. The poor pup was already half asleep, and probably enjoyed sleep more than sex. Effy took in every line of his face, every chiseled bone, even the lump in his nose from it being broken too many times. It was all beautiful, he was so beautiful, and she couldn't ever believe that there would only be a few more times that she was able to do this. A sudden sadness washed over her, much to her annoyance and surprise, and Effy shook her head as she got up. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed she sighs, trying to push the pit in the bottom of her stomach out of the way. Her hand found her long chocolate hair, pushing it through the roots to adjust it all down her back. She always felt sadness for the life she lost, for how happy she had planned to be, but never for him specifically. For a moment there she had the thought to run away with him, to hell with the lavish living and her family, to everything she learned while being the perfect debutante daughter, to hell with dealing with what that house had turned into….But that wasn't who Effy was, what she was born into, this was. She stood up finally, gathering her clothes, careful not to look back at Sirius.
"Effy…" she cringed as he spoke. So soft and gentle, Like he did care. She looked over her shoulder at him as She slipped on her jeans. Sirius noticed the shift and took it as a sign to keep talking.
"We can figure something out. You don't have to be them. I'm not, and look at me." her teeth grinded together.
"What? Exiled with a bounty on your head?" she chuckled slightly, shaking her head.
"That's not me Sirius. I can't live like that."
"But you can live like them?" he spat viciously. She turned around then, whipping her shirt on quickly. He was up now, his pants on, shirt still missing, his chest still glistening with the remaining sweat.
"You can live with people being tortured in your basement, teaching any future children you have that That's okay? For what? Pretty dresses and balls?"
Effy narrowed her eyes into green slits.
"Like I'm some materialistic bimbo like cissa? A fucking sociopath like Bella? I am nothing like them, Sirius, I assumed you to be the one to know that."
"Oh you aren't?" he laughed at her. "You're just as bad as them by going along with it!"
"Don't raise your voice at me-"
"Don't tell me how to behave!" he spat.
"Then don't tell me how to! Don't tell me how horrible I am for surviving the only way I know how in this world! Don't sit there and yell at me that dresses and balls would ever overcome how I would raise children! How am I to leave?! Huh?! They already have Mateo on the mind set, do you want me to leave to Charlotte to the same fate?! Do you think my mother and father and brother will lead her down the right path if I left?! If they would even let her live if I left?! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, SIRIUS?!" she found herself screaming back at him, her voice shaking, her fists clenched.
"If I leave Charlotte alone with those people then I'm at fault for what she becomes, if she becomes anything. You know just as well as I do that they will take that innocence from her and drain it out of her. Do you want that?! Do you want that for her?!"
Sirius just stared at her, his eyes still narrowed. He watched her breast heave in anger in her oversized shirt.
"Of course I dont, Elle, but-"
"But nothing, Sirius, and you Damn well know it." her voice was slow, dark, menacing. He had never heard that tone used on him before and it shocked him. His back straightened out and his eyes relaxed, staring at his wonderful Ellie. She stared at him for A few moments longer before slipping on her shoes and stalking out towards her common room.
"FUCK!" Sirius yelled as she left, kicking the wall next to the door a few times. He Sat for a few minutes in a chair facing the door, waiting for her to come back like she always has whenever they fought. But she didn't.
A pain hit Sirius's heart and he rested his head in his hands. How could he forget about Charlotte? How selfish of him. The tiny toddler was the light of their life for the past year, but Effy had been the one to solidify that Charlotte even had the life she has now. Charlotte is one of the Moretti families deepest secret to anyone who didn't follow the dark lord. Anyone else that happens to find out about her, they tell them it their cousin's child that they took in, a poor pathetic half blood they're trying to "raise right." But Sirius knows Effy's entire family and he knew this wasn't the case. The summer of their 6th year, the year he left, the year Effy lost all respect for her family, the year she was beat mercilessly for defending him, was the summer they got Charlotte.