Response to the Weekly Family Challenge by halffictionalprincess.

Prompt: "We keep going round in circles and it's making me sick."

Character: Orion Black

Word count: 343


Orion admired Walburga, but he didn't know if it went farther than that. She was everything a Pureblood woman was supposed to be: beautiful, smart enough to manage the house, polite, observant. She was his second cousin, but that didn't matter. That just meant he knew for a fact how pure her blood was. He practically shared it, himself. No, it was what made her Walburga - her personality, not her actions - that gave him pause.

Orion couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to court her or not. Despite her seeming perfection, Orion didn't know if he could keep in control, didn't know if her overbearing nature would override his status, taking the House of Black for her own. He began and dropped a courtship of her five times.

They were courting again, but Orion was almost sure, this time, that she would not be good for him. He broached the topic exactly as he had each time before: "Walburga, dear, we really need to talk." Before, Walburga had let him, when he broke off their courtship. This time, she decided that she had had enough. One of her small hands flew to cover his mouth, staying his words.

"You're right, Orion," her voice was bitter, "We do need to talk. More specifically, I need to talk. Orion, we keep going around in circles and it's making me sick. Just sign the marriage contract already! As it's obvious you can't make up your mind, so this is me doing it for you. I refuse to continue this way."

Orion signed the contact that week, and they were married within a year. Looking back, Orion decided that that's when he should have realized it would go so wrongly. Having his wife make up his mind for him had led to two of the five young Blacks disowned, one dead, and one imprisoned. Only one, one of his nieces, had survived Walburga to become a credit to his House. Lying on his deathbed, Orion wished he'd taken the other way out of the circle.