Warnings: Adult Language and Situations. Physical abuse. Rated T.
Written for the "OTP Challenge" at Hogwarts House Challenges
Prompt for Quidditch Pitch:
(spell) Expulso
Thanks so much to GallonsoftheStuff for betaing!
"For the love of Merlin, smile for once, would you?!" Patricia Prince snapped at her daughter.
Eileen grit her teeth. Her mother should be happy that she was even bothering with this whole bloody charade‒ not that Eileen had much of a choice to begin with, but the woman had severe issues showing the tiniest bit of gratitude to her only daughter.
"I do not see the point in this," she said, pinching a bit of the frilly red dress that her mother had picked out for her to wear. "It's not like Orion doesn't know me. We go to the same school, Mother."
"We are to put on our best impression tonight, Eileen. This is your first official meeting since the announcement of your betrothal. You're supposed to be happy. The Blacks are‒"
"One of the last, finest, Pureblood families," Eileen mimicked her mother's opinion on the Blacks. "I know, Mother." The students born with that surname made sure the entire school knew just how grand their name was. Eileen never understood why their name was so great. They didn't have any known accomplishments. Not like the Princes anyway. Eileen's grandfather had made cures that were commonly used today and she wanted to follow his footsteps. Only her stupid mother felt that Eileen needed to marry a man and become a bloody housewife instead, since that's what Patricia had been raised to do.
Patricia sent the girl a deathly look for her cheek and Eileen gave her one back.
The older woman pointed up the drive that led to the Black's invisible house. "Walk," she ordered in a tone that was not worth arguing with.
Eileen reluctantly obeyed and stiffly swept past her mother. She heard the woman's steps start behind her and clenched her jaw. She hated her mother! She was never allowed to do anything she wanted! Patricia made all of Eileen's decisions. Including choosing the man who Eileen was supposed to marry.
Orion Bloody Black.
Eileen couldn't stand him. He was an arrogant snob and the thought of him sent a lump of bile up into the deep of her throat. She didn't want to carry his name, having a dislike for the Black family since her first day at Hogwarts. Walburga was a dorm mate of hers, and had cruelly teased Eileen since day one. And, because Walburga was a member of the Black family, of course everyone else jumped aboard, because how dare you go against a member of that 'respected' family.
And now she was being forced to marry into the bloody family...
"The Blacks have proposed that we unite our families," Mother had cheerfully announced three weeks earlier.
"No thank you!" Eileen crossed her arms over her chest.
"You don't get to decide, Eileen," Patricia informed her, almost smugly, as she had a fiendish delight in annoying her daughter. "Orion is the only one that has made such a proposal," Patricia continued as she wrote a reply to the Black family, accepting the offer. "There are several candidates out there for you but, evidently, you are not a looker and still lack quite a few domestic skills. So, since the Lestrange girl has just married the Malfoy heir, Orion either must marry you or a cousin of his."
"I'd rather marry a Muggle," Eileen grumbled.
Patricia narrowed her eyes up at the sixteen-year-old and Eileen knew she had made a mistake that she was going to pay for. "Moppy," the woman coldly summoned up her elf, standing up from the chair at her desk.
A small elf appeared and promptly bowed. "Madam?"
"Get me the swatting belt." Her eyes never left Eileen's while she spoke to the servant.
Moppy sent Eileen a sorrowful look and then gave his mistress a nod before disapparating to retrieve the requested item.
Eileen lifted her chin, denying her mother the satisfaction of making her regret her little comment.
'It's true,' Eileen thought bitterly, stepping up onto the front stoop of the house. 'I would rather be disowned than have to marry him.'
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Patricia asked rhetorically after she had stopped next to Eileen. "Ring the bell, and remember to be on your best behavior," she warned. "If I hear any complaints‒"
"Yes, Mother." Eileen didn't need to be told twice. With a deep breath to suppress all of her emotions, she rang the bell to announce their arrival.
A house elf answered and gave Eileen a look of scrutiny. "Kreacher welcomes Mrs. and Miss Prince to The Noble House of Black," he said, stepping aside to allow them in. "The Master requests for all guests to have clean shoes before exiting the foyer. Kreacher has been ordered to ensure this."
Patricia lifted up the hem of her black dress showing a pair of white slippers. "Do these look dirty to you?" she asked indignantly. "Smart witches cast anti-muck up spells on their clothing, therefore, we do not get dirty."
Eileen rolled her eyes at her mother's attitude. It was hypocritical of her since she expected Moppy to do the same thing to the visitors of their own home.
"Kreacher apologizes," the elf responded immediately. "I will inform my master that tonight's guests are much more thoughtful than his previous ones have been."
"You do that," Patricia huffed. "What a fine how do you do," she muttered sarcastically once the elf had disappeared.
Eileen stopped herself from pointing out that she was not respecting the Blacks like she should be. Instead, the girl bit her tongue‒ hard.
Orion's father appeared shortly with a smile pasted on his face. "Ladies," the man greeted. "It is a pleasure to have you here." His eyes briefly wandered down to their shoes and his smile widened. "How promising," he complimented, giving Eileen a slight nod of approval. "Come along then." He gestured them to follow him. "Tea is about to be served. Orion will be down shortly."
Mr. Black led them to a small sitting room where Mrs. Black was sitting in a wing back chair. "Hello," she said warmly. "Please sit down. Orion is a bit nervous tonight. You know how he is; everything must be in perfect shape! He gets that from his father." She gave her husband a loving smile.
Eileen shifted in her seat to keep from snorting out in derision. While Orion did make himself exquisitely presentable, he was not a perfectionist (at least not at Hogwarts).
Small talk was exchanged between Mrs. Black and Patricia until Orion entered the room. His appearance did surprise Eileen quite a bit, looking like a different boy all together; much nicer than he usually did at Hogwarts, where he was allowed to be more relaxed with his loose hair and unbuttoned clothes. Tonight he had tightly braided his long hair behind his back and the fancy green dress robes he wore had gold snake buttons (that were fastened).
"Ah, here he is," Mr. Black chuckled, standing up at his son's appearance. Everyone else followed suit.
Orion instantly matched his father's charming smile and approached Patricia, holding out his hand. "I do apologize for my tardiness, Mrs. Prince. How lovely to have you here. Everytime I see you, you look a day younger."
Patricia giggled and set her hand into his palm allowing him to place a delicate kiss atop of it. "You are such a dear," she said truly flattered.
Eileen wanted to gag. He was only this polite when he had to be. Orion wasn't this way in the Slytherin common room to anyone unless he was trying to bed a girl.
Orion finally acknowledged that Eileen was even present. The charm in his eyes that he had held for Patricia was now gone. His lips twitched slightly before he held out his hand to her. "Miss Prince," he addressed Eileen evenly. "Pleasure to have you here." Eileen was sure he had to force himself to say that.
Eileen ignored her mind, which told her to swat his hand away. "Likewise, Mr. Black," she said with a convincing smile. He brought her hand up to his lips, his kiss lasting a fraction of a second more than when he had kissed her mother's hand. Eileen noticed his eyes momentarily narrowed before he released her.
He was not happy with the arrangement either, but that was no surprise to Eileen. In his opinion, she wasn't good enough to carry on their name; Pureblood or not.
"Why don't you show Miss Prince around, Orion?" Mrs. Black suggested.
"Of course, Mother," Orion automatically answered. He held out his arm for Eileen to take, which she uncomfortably did.
He gracefully led Eileen out of the room and once they rounded a corner, they hastily pulled apart, exchanging cold looks.
"The only reason I have agreed to this is to make my parents happy," Orion stiffly informed her. "They seem to think the world of you, especially after reading about you becoming the captain of the Gobstones Club." He rolled his eyes at this, muttering a few incoherent words under his breath. "And I'm not going to let anyone get in my way‒ especially you. Just don't think for a second that I have any sort of feelings for you, Prince, because I don't. Nor will I ever. I have always found you to be exceedingly revolting!"
"Likewise," she retorted grimly. "Begin the tour then." Eileen mockingly waved her hand out ahead of her.
Orion lifted a finger up to her. "I know for certain that you don't get away with that behavior at home and you won't do it here either," he scolded.
Eileen laughed scathingly. "Was that an order?" she asked with a sneer. "Black, I would hope that you know me much better than that. Me, take orders from you?! Ha!"
His eyes narrowed, giving Eileen a dark look. Orion stepped up to her, enclosing the gap between them so quickly that she had no time to react. "You will be my wife soon and you will act like it or I shall teach it to you!" Orion growled threateningly.
The smile left her face as she grew angry. She lifted an eyebrow. "Teach me?" Eileen snarled slowly. "Teach me what exactly? What could you possibly teach me? All you have, Black, is your petty, little name; you have nothing over me. Nothing."
He raised his hand and slapped her. The slight sting shocked Eileen for a moment. She covered her sore cheek with a hand and glared at him, waiting for another. Her mother never stopped at one and she doubted he would be any different.
"Don't you ever speak to me like that again!" he spat with actual spittle flying out of his mouth that hit her face. "Ever!"
"I don't want you nor your stupid name," she told him as calmly as she could. "I don't need you for anything."
"Those are my exact thoughts about you too, Prince," Orion muttered before turning his back on her. "Come," he ordered as he stalked away.
"I'd rather stay here," Eileen spoke up. "I honestly don't care to see your house."
He whipped around with eyes full of fury. "I suppose your mother would like to know how you have been treating me then? I'll just go tell her now that you have refused my hospitality."
Eileen grit her teeth. "Fine!" she seethed and walked up to him. "But if you hit me again, Black, I'll hex you to the bloody moon and back!"
"Just shut it already!" he snapped. "The sound of your voice makes me want to stab myself seven times over!"
Silently cursing him and her life, Eileen followed him up a staircase and down a hallway, stopping at a door. "This will be your room. Mine is across the way." He pointed to his room's door and then opened the door to hers.
Everything was decorated in several shades of green. It wasn't something that Eileen hadn't expected, since all the Blacks had been sorted into Slytherin from the beginning. The Palace of the Prince had a more assortment of colours though, as the Princes had nearly been equally sorted into Slytherin and Ravenclaw throughout history.
"It'll need some redecorating," Eileen grumbled, wrinkling her nose up at the pea coloured walls.
"When it comes time to... copulate, I will come to you and we will do it here," he explained, simply ignoring her complaint. "We will do no such thing in my own room."
His statement made Eileen freeze up. The thought of performing that kind of activity had never crossed her mind. Now that he had implanted it, her pulse nervously began racing. Somehow she had this feeling that he wouldn't care what he had to do to make it happen.
Orion snorted at the disgusted look she wore. "Yes, I am not looking forward to that moment either. It'll be done strictly for reproducing. I can assure you of that." He gave her a look over and curled up a lip. He shuddered. "Ugh! I'll certainly have to put a sack over your hideous face just to be able to start the exercise!"
Eileen looked away, feeling tears prickling into her eyes.
"And you best not make me fight you for it! You will submit accord‒"
"That is a subject for another day," she interrupted harshly. "A topic only for after we have married."
Orion nodded in agreement and resumed to his task of showing her around the house. Eileen hardly paid any attention to his boasting about the ancient treasures that his 'glorious' family had collected throughout the years.
Instead, she was racking her brain for a way out of this horrid arrangement. This match wasn't meant to be. Neither of them liked each other. They couldn't agree much on anything (except on how worthless the other one was).
If an escape was possible, she was going to go for it.
*/*
"Anyone know where Orion is?" Walburga asked the crowd that was lounging around the Slytherin common room.
Caspar Crouch chuckled. "Seen him escort Nancy Max up into the dorms earlier." His statement caused a bunch of eyebrows to raise and some of the older boys hooted softly.
"Isn't he engaged now?" a girl asked curiously.
"He's getting a few more satisfying slips in, if you know what I mean," was the reply to her question. Laughter followed.
"Can't say I blame the chap. Prince is a hag."
"I am right here!" Eileen snapped from the table that she had been trying to study at. "Do you not see me?"
Someone scoffed. "It's really hard to not notice that you're here."
"Why don't you just use a glamour spell already? We would all be grateful of it."
"Orion would surely appreciate it. Poor man‒ hope the children get all his looks!"
Eileen clutched her wand, clenching her jaw so hard that she heard a tooth crack. "Say that again, Faredin, I dare you!"
"Whoa!" a redheaded girl cut in quickly. "They were only playing, Prince. Relax."
"Yes, there's no reason for you to be upset. After all, you're marrying one of the best wizards out there," Crouch said. "I'd like to know what he's getting out of it though," he added in a thought.
"You mean a Gobstone champion isn't enough?" a boy asked sarcastically.
"Not with those lanky limbs of hers."
Eileen pursed her lips together. She was tired of it all. All she wanted was to get away.
With her wand still clutched in her hand, she walked out of the common room and talked herself into staying at the school. 'I'll wait until I graduate first,' she promised herself. 'Then I'll go. I don't need anyone. I do not need Mother. I do not any of my housemates. And I certainly do not need Orion Bloody Black!"
*/*
Eileen held a copy of her final grades, smiling faintly at the results. Even when she wasn't going to use her top marks for her future, she was still able to feel a little pleased with herself.
"A fine job, Miss Prince," Professor Dumbledore complimented her, stopping in the hall.
She straightened herself up instantly after noticing his presence. "Thank you, Professor."
"The world could use more talented witches such as yourself."
She nodded in agreement.
"I look forward to seeing what becomes of you," he told her with twinkling eyes.
Eileen shrugged. "I'll warn you not to expect much."
The professor reached into a pocket of his robes and popped a yellow sweet into his mouth, giving her a thoughtful smile. "Rather than turning the page, it's much easier to just throw the book away, Miss Prince." He tilted his head in farewell and took a few steps before turning around to look at her once more. "Oh, and Miss Prince…?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Just outside the gates is all the length you'll need to go." And with that, he went on his way, softly humming a tune.
*/*
Eileen looked around cautiously, feeling uncomfortable. She was starting to doubt her decision. The Muggles were staring at her and she realized why: she stuck out like a sore thumb in her Hogwarts school robes, pulling her trunk behind her.
"Oi, you there!" someone called for her attention. She looked up, finding a dark haired man not far from her, holding open a door to a moving machine. "Were you needing a taxi cab, miss?"
"A… taxi cab?"
"Yes, come on!' He waved her over. "We can share! It is utterly impossible to get a cab at this time of day!"
Eileen didn't want to seem any more abnormal than she already did, so she allowed the friendly Muggle and another (who she later learned controlled the machine) heave her trunk into the back of the 'taxi cab'.
"Where you off to?" the Muggle man asked.
"Um…" She didn't have an answer to that. She had no where to go. "I am not from here," she informed him quickly.
"You need a motel then? I know of a good place!" He then hollered to the driver, rattling off an address.
"Thank you." Eileen then squeaked out as the taxi cab was jerked forward, throwing her against the back of the seat.
The man next to her chuckled. "You act like you've never been inside a car before!"
"That's the nearest guess you could make, sir!"
"Tobias Snape." He held out his hand. "Call me Tobias."
She looked at it strangely, not knowing what he wanted her to do. Tobias gave her an odd look before placing his hand on his thigh. "I am not filthy or anything…" he said slowly.
"No," she agreed. "You are very clean."
"Then there's a different reason you don't want to shake my hand?"
"Shake your hand?"
"Yeah, you take my hand and… shake it."
"For what?"
"It's a polite thing we do as we introduce ourselves‒ where you from? You don't look like someone who wouldn't know what a handshake is. I mean, you dress a little odd, but you seem very civilized."
Eileen looked straight ahead, feeling sick to her stomach. This bumpy ride was nothing like flying on a broom. "From a far away land, Tobias."
*/*
"You don't really mean that?" Eileen gaped at the man who was looking at her with glowing eyes.
"Why would I say it if it wasn't true, Eileen?"
Her eyes shamefully fell to the top of the table that they were sitting at. "It's just that… I am… not really pretty…"
"And why would you ever say such a thing?!" he gasped.
Eileen took a quiet sip of her tea. "It's what everyone says about me."
"Well, I am not everyone, Eileen. When everyone else might see a weed, I see a beautiful flower."
Eileen blushed. "I am deeply flattered, Tobias. Most deeply."
*/*
She took a huge breath and rang the doorbell. If she had better sense, she'd just turn around, leave, and send an owl instead. But it was better this way. At least, she thought she would feel more better if she did it this way. Less cowardly, at any rate.
Kreacher answered the door, his eyes widening at the sight of her. "Miss Prince has finally returned!" he said in surprise.
"I'd like to speak with Orion," Eileen requested as she stepped into the house, shivering slightly from the chill of the late fall's breeze.
"Kreacher will go get the young master."
Orion apparated into the foyer soon after the elf disappeared. "Where have you been?!" he demanded in a hiss. "Everyone's been looking for you! We all thought you had disappeared off the center of the Earth!"
"I was giving myself time to think," she told him simply.
"Think? About what?!"
"My life."
"There's nothing to think about! You'll become the new Mrs. Black, bear my sons, and serve me," he said bluntly.
Eileen shook her head firmly. "No, I won't. I've met someone else."
Orion sent her an ugly scowl. "What did you just say?"
"I... have... met... another... man..." she emphasized slowly. "And we have married."
"You are lying. No one would be willing to marry you."
"It's really true, Orion. I only came here to let you know that you are permitted to marry whomever you please now."
"We have a written agreement!" Orion bellowed. "Your mother signed it!"
"But I never did. Goodbye, Orion." She turned and reached for the doorknob.
"You are not leaving this house, Prince! I'll kill you first!"
Eileen heard his footsteps near her and she quickly pulled out her wand, blasting him away with a well-timed Expulso curse. He lay sprawled out on the ground, moaning in pain.
"Don't come looking for me, Black. You will not return home if you do."
AN:
Professor Dumbledore's quote, "Rather than turning the page, it's much easier to just throw the book away," is by Anthony Liccione
Tobias' "When everyone else might see a weed, I see a beautiful flower!" was inspired by Alfred Tennyson's poem 'The Flower'.