Author's note:
Dear readers,
thanks for taking the time to read my new story. This story idea has hunted me for some days now, so I have decided to give it a try and write a fanfiction about it. I love to read FemSnape stories and I like the possibilities gender changes offer to fanfiction writers. I hope that you will like my story outline and review it. As I'm a non-native English speaker, constructive critic regarding my grammar and/or spelling mistakes or my writing style is always appreciated. I try to improve my writings skills due to writing stories, so everything will be helpful. Therefore, just leave me a review or PM with some pointers of what I should improve. Positive reviews or PMs are naturally also appreciated ;-). As this is a "work-in-progress" I don't know when I will finish it. I will try to post new chapters weekly.
This story is rated M because it contains adult language, themes, and suggestions. It is set in the Marauders time in an AU world, where Lord Voldemort doesn't exist.
I don't own any characters, they all belong to J.K. Rowling.
Have a nice Sunday,
Vani12
Wedded Bliss
Prologue – Wedding dreams gone bad!
Prince Manor, Countryside near Manchester, July 1977
Serena Prince looked at her mirror stunned. The young woman facing her looked beautiful. Long luscious coal-black curls, popping obsidian eyes and rosy lips adorned her angular porcelain face. Her mum had worked a magical miracle on her appearance by applying her Make-up Charms and Hair-Curling Spell. She didn't recognize herself. She had transformed into a beautiful swan out of some ugly duck. Her cheeks were rosy thanks to some applied rogue, her skin looked flawless thanks to a porcelain Make-up foundation and her onyx eyes looked alluring thanks to some mascara and golden eyeshadow. The simple elegant white wedding dress combined an A-line organza silk skirt and a longsleeved lace top part with a V-cut back. She loved the floral pattern of her lace top part because it reminded her of a flowery meadow in spring. She had chosen a mix of roses, belladonna, and chrysanthemum for they were her favorite flowers.
Mrs. Malkins had designed this stunning dress according to her wishes, only using the finest materials and newest Fashion Spells. Serena had met her thrice to draw the sketches, select the materials and fit the gown. It fitted her like a second skin and accentuated her svelte figure as well as her subtle curves. It conjured up a nice cleavage making her Cup B breasts, that were normally hidden under baggy shirts, appear one cup bigger and it accentuated her slightly muscled back, that was normally hidden under her school robes, making it look like a diver's back. Mrs. Malkins had enchanted her bridal gown with an Anti-Ripping Charm, Water-Repelling Spell, Heat-Withstanding Charm, and Dirt-Repelling Spell to protect it against any environmental influences. Her mum Eileen had shed some tears when she had seen her in her wedding dress for the first time and whispered into her ear "You look like some fairytale princess, sweetheart" while caressing her cheek lovingly.
Serena had never before considered herself as beautiful because she had always been a plain Jane with her pale skin, lanky coal hair and slightly hooked nose. But today she had to agree with her mum for the young woman staring back at her in the mirror really looked like some princess. Her elegant diamond halo onyx engagement ring in white gold, that featured a cushion-cut black onyx surrounded by shimmering diamonds and flanked on shoulders by rows of eight diamonds on each side, sparkled on her right hand. Cushion-cut black onyx earrings in white gold, that were surrounded by shimmering diamonds, graced her ears and a cushion-cut black onyx and pavé-set diamond bracelet in white gold adorned her delicate right wrist. She loved her jewelry for her fiancé had designed it and gifted it to her on her 17th birthday as a symbol of his willingness to make their unwanted marriage work. Sure, her black onyx engagement ring was a Black family heirloom that he had presented to her on their engagement party on Christmas, but the other jewelry pieces had been designed by Sirius with her in mind.
He had chosen them because he knew of her weakness for black and he had expressed that they matched her mysterious onyx eyes. Although she had blushed, she couldn't help herself to roll her eyes and shake her head. Sirius had really thought that he could win her over with some sappy complements, puppy eyes and dashing smiles. She had seen him play his role as the Hogwarts' Casanova often enough to know his tricks and flirting technique. Sure, his gesture of designing jewelry for her warmed her heart and signaled her that he put some effort into improving their relationship. And she wasn't immune to his handsome looks and easy charm. But she couldn't forget the years of his bullying, taunting, and namecalling with a snap of her fingers. He had rejected her hope for friendship on the Hogwarts Express in their first year by labeling her evil for her hopes to be sorted into Slytherin. He had shattered her self-confidence and self-worth by calling her an ugly, slimy snake over and over again in the following school years. And he had triggered her anxiety and caused her physical and emotional pain by hexing her with his Marauders every chance he got.
The feelings of loneliness, worthlessness, and helplessness had been her steady friend in her childhood and teenage years. Her Muggle dad Tobias had loathed her for being a witch and insulted her as a useless little demon without a brain. Without the love and protection of her mum Eileen, she would have grown up as an unloved, unwanted child and possibly been beaten to death by her alcoholic dad. Thankfully, her mum had told her every day how special she was, taught her everything about the magical world and praised her for her intelligence. Therefore, she hadn't felt totally unloved and worthless. But Tobias' words kept festering away on her soul and every sneer from her Muggle classmates or reprimand from her Muggle teachers had etched itself into her memory. On darker days she believed Tobias' words and felt utterly depressed. Although Lily's friendship had helped her to cope better with her depressing thoughts and self-confidence issues, she had been still very vulnerable to the judgment of other people.
Luckily for her, her mum had left Tobias some months before she had been due to go to Hogwarts because he had tried to intercept her Hogwarts' letter and had threated to make her life a living hell if she went to Hogwarts. Eileen had had enough of his verbal abuse, alcohol addiction and misery, wiped his memory of his wife and daughter and left Spinner's End in the company of her daughter with their meager possessions. Although she had been ashamed of her failed marriage and bad life choices, she had decided to face her parents, swallow her pride and ask them for help. Thankfully, her grandparents had welcomed them with open arms, furnished a manor wing for them and helped Eileen to get re-integrated into the Wizarding world.
Serena loved her grandparents because they were kind, generous and intelligent people who spoiled her rotten and taught her new magical spells every day. But they were also responsible for her unwanted marriage to her Hogwarts bully Sirius Black. Months after her mum's birth, they had signed a binding marriage contract with Sirius' grandparents. It entailed that Eileen would have to marry their son Orion when she turned seventeen. Alas, Eileen didn't honor the contract and ran away into the Muggle world where she fell in love with Tobias. Enraged by her actions but still aiming to combine the bloodlines of the Blacks and Princes, Sirius' grandparents had drafted a new contract. They agreed to wed the first son of Orion with Eileen's first daughter and installed a Binding Charm in the contract. If one of their grand-children sabotaged their deal, he/she would lose all her magical power. He/she would be forced to live a life in the Muggle world without any asses to their magical energies.
Hence, Serena couldn't back out of this marriage. Although she felt like crying on the supposedly happiest day of her life, she would not cause a scandal and act like a runaway bride. She couldn't disappoint her grandparents and certainly wouldn't survive a life without her magic. Her magical energies buzzed through her veins, made her feel powerful and complete. If she lost them, it would be like cutting out her heart and living in darkness. She loved to create new spells or invent new potions. She dreamed of becoming the youngest Potions' Mistress in Britain and earning a Master's degree in spellcrafting. She knew that she could live out her dreams with hard work, dedicated studies, and a creative mind. Thankfully, her fiancé Sirius respected her plans for her future and didn't intervene with them. He had vowed to support her and to not stop her from getting a higher education and working for Prince Potions. Naturally, she wouldn't have reacted too kindly to any attempt of cutting off her dreams. But in the patriarchal Wizarding world, her husband would be able to stipulate her life choices to her. He could force her to be an uneducated trophy wife, who would have to bear him at least two male children – an heir and a spare – and act as an elegant society lady by throwing balls and collecting donations to charity.
Sure, Sirius knew that he wouldn't be able to turn her into a submissive housewife and has decided to not waste his energies on some pity fights. She couldn't deny that he has put some real efforts in his promises to get to know and treat her better in the last months. He has apologized for his bullying actions in their past, stopped the cruel pranks and unfair attacks of the Marauders and even shared his study sessions with her. To her astonishment, they had somehow become friends. Not close friends who told each other every single secret, but friends who were in the first stages of their friendship trying to get to know each other and looking forward to spending time together.
Serena couldn't deny that Sirius was a charming, handsome and intelligent young man who told entertaining stories, made all girls in Hogwarts swoon and aced at Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. She enjoyed their lively passionate debates about new defensive spells and his funny jokes. But she couldn't erase his bullying and namecalling out of her memory. It still festered at her heart and made her afraid of their marriage. Perhaps, he was only putting up the act of the remorseful, attentive fiancé right now and would be verbally abusive to her in their marriage, a dark voice whispered inside her head. Hell, she even had nightmares about an enraged Sirius that insulted her looks, belittled her magical powers and treated her like his house-elf. In her sane mind, she knew that Sirius wouldn't treat her like trash. But in her darkest hours, she couldn't suppress her fears and bad memories. She would have to deal with them and talk to her husband about them. But she was still too afraid of his rejection to open up to him. She hoped that she could be honest and real to him with time.
Most girls at Hogwarts envied her for her luck to marry the dashing Black heir. When the Daily Prophet run the story about their engagement, they had looked at her with hateful glares, pitied Sirius for his bad luck and called her an ugly Potions obsessed know-it-all behind her back. Thankfully, her best friend and future brother-in-law Regulus Black as well as her fiancé Sirius had defended her by hexing every jealous witch and urging them to stop their lies. With his mischievous grey eyes, dark brown locks, Greek god-like facial features, dashing smile and muscular body, Sirius was the epitome of a heartthrob. His reckless attitude, charming personality and daring pranks only magnified his attraction, so that most girls in Hogwarts dreamed of their wedding to Prince Charming. She had never been one of them but thanks to some old pure-blood contract, she would be Mrs. Black soon.
Sure, she had also shared phantasies of her dream wedding with her best friend Lily. She had always dreamed of walking down the aisle in a stunning bridal gown in front of her friends and family, enjoying a delicious meal and throwing an epic party. But the key wish in her dreams had been to marry the man she loved. And she didn't love Sirius. Hence, despite her unique custom-made dress, beautiful jewelry and lovely bridal bouquet – a beautiful arrangement of cream-colored roses, belladonnas, and chrysanthemum – she felt hollow inside. Although her mum had organized a dream wedding with a lavish buffet, classical music orchestra and magnificent firework she couldn't be happy on her wedding day. Looking with sad obsidian eyes onto the reflection of this stunning, foreign-looking bride, Serena asked herself how her wedding dreams could have gone so bad.