Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or locations from the Harry Potter series. They belong to J.K Rowling.

Sunday night dinner with my parents. It was always the lowlight of me week. They still insisted on keeping up the old pureblood tradition of weekly family formal dinners. I was still shocked that they all the sudden wanted to be a part of my life after I graduated from Hutchbins Academy of Magic. After all the years of sending to the Irish countryside for school, they wanted to act like a real family. Even holidays I spent with the Malfoy family instead of my own. It's a wonder they even allow me to live in the family vacation home instead of the manor.

I was on my way to the fireplaces in the lobby of the Ministry of Magic when something caught my eye. It was a picture of Landon Covington, star chaser of Puddlemere United, on the cover of the Daily Prophet. We had been secretly dating for almost two years. I quickly grabbed a copy and stuffed into my purse before entering a fireplace, throwing some floo powder and saying, "von Arden Manor."

The only thing worse than the feeling of being tugged every which way through the floo network is stepping into the manor and hearing my mother's annoyingly high pitched voice.

"Victorine," she said while wrapping her rail thin arms around me. "We thought you weren't coming."

"It's 7:20 mother, I said I'd be here at 7:15. No need to send out the brigade."

"Don't patronize me Victorine. With the resistance growing it's only a matter of time till they round up all the purebloods."

"The way the dark lord had the muggleborns rounded up."

"Completely different circumstances Victorine. You didn't choose this life, it chose you. You were born into this and you need to accept it. You can't pick and choose the parts of your pureblood life that you want partake in."

Before I could respond my father walked in. The few interactions I had with my parents growing up always ended with my father breaking up an argument between me and my mother. She blindly followed the rules set forth by the dark lord and my father while I always questioned everything. My father always said this would open more opportunities than just being pureblood would.

"Ladies, ladies, let us come into the dining room and eat. No need to start fighting yet, you can have your words after dinner."

Dinner is always the same. My parents asked a few questions over the first course about my work at the ministry and how my potions were working to aid the war. The second course included my mother asking questions about my personal life and trying to find out if I had found a good, pureblood wizard yet. The next few courses were spent in silence until dessert, when my father permitted my mother and me to continue whatever argument we were having earlier as long as it didn't get out of hand.

This dinner was different thought. During the middle courses my mother and father kept making eye contact and nodding or shaking their head. I knew something big was coming. What was it this time? You shouldn't be working. You're too pretty to work. It's an abomination for pureblood women to be in the work world. Or why are you still single? You're too pretty to be single. You need to be married soon before you're too old.

"Victorine, there is something we need to tell you," my mother said as my father took her hand. I could tell this was serious."I think we have indulged your lifestyle long enough. You need to stop working and find a husband. Do you want to end up an old maid like your Aunt Marlow?"

"Of course not, mother."

"Good. Because your father and I have done something that I think you will be very happy about."

"Darling, we have arranged a marriage between you and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy's son Draco."

"You what," I shouted while I shot up from my seat.

"Honey, aren't you happy? Draco is a fine match, a pureblood, and on our side of this war."

"So because all of those reasons I should give up everything to marry him?"

"Honestly dear, how much would you be giving up? Your job. The family vacation house. Draco can give you a life you never dreamed of. He's very high up in the ministry."

"I can't even think about this right now. Father, thank you for having me for dinner. Mother, always a pleasure. See you both next week."

I quickly apparated from the manor to the vacation house. I poured myself a glass of wine and walked to my bedroom. As soon as I was through the door, someone spun me around and pushed me against the wall.

"You made me spill my wine, Landon."

"My apologies. Would you like me to get you some more or would you rather I," Landon began kissing my neck and collarbone. It took all my strength to push him away.

"Actually Landon, there is something we need to talk about." I took him by the hand and led him to the couch in the sitting area of the bedroom.

"What Vic, you think you're pregnant again," he chuckled. I just shook my head while using wandless magic to refill my glass.

"My parents have informed me that they have…" I took a sip of my drink. "I have to…"another.

"Come on, Vic. Just say it."

I took his hands and said, "They want me to partake in an arranged marriage."

He slowly removed his hands from mine. I could see the hurt in his eyes. Landon and I had talked about marriage. We had planned on talking to my parents after I turned 18 in a month.

"And you're going to go along with it?"

"I don't know yet. I don't want to. I want to be with you. But they're my parents, Landon. I know that we might not have the best relationship but they're still my parents. I don't think that they would do anything that's not in my best interest. And if I went against them, I'd be disowned and lose everyone in my life that is important to me other than you. It's not like we'd have to stop seeing each other. We've been in a relationship for almost two years and still no one knows. And it's common knowledge that no pureblood marriage is monogamous. I want you. That's what I want. But I don't want to lose my family in the process."

"You do realize that in marrying him you'd be marrying one of Voldemort's top agents."

"Voldemort hasn't surfaced in over a year, how do we even know he's still alive?"

"Of course he's still alive Vic. He never goes away. I'm just lucky that I'm not tangled up in this entire war because I'm a public figure. If you married Draco, you'd be deeper in this war than you ever thought you would be."

"Landon, you can't ask me to choose between you and my family. We might not always get along, but they're still my family."

Landon stood up and walked towards the window. He couldn't even look at me. "I think I just need some time to think. We'll talk about this later." And with that, he apparated out of my house.