DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.
~ The Dangers of Being Courted by a Black ~
Ignatius Prewett slammed the door behind him, sealing it with as many different locking enchantments as he could remember. Once he was certain that the door could not be opened from the other side, he turned around and leaned his back against the cool wood.
Closing his eyes, he breathed out a deep sigh of relief.
He did not realize that anyone was in the room with him until he heard a male voice say, "What are you doing?"
Ignatius opened his eyes to find Orion Black frowning at him from across the room.
"I'm hiding from your sister," he answered. "In case you haven't noticed, she's a bit of a psychopath."
Orion's gaze flicked to the thin line of blood streaming down one side of Ignatius's face.
"I'm sure that's just her way of flirting with you," he said.
"Throwing a vase at somebody's head is not flirting."
"At least she didn't stab you," Orion replied.
"Yes, at least she didn't..." Ignatius trailed off. "Has someone stabbed you, then?"
"Walburga did." When his interlocutor cringed in sympathy, Orion felt compelled to add, "It wasn't a deep wound. It was only sewing scissors, not a knife. It's completely healed now, no sign of a scar."
Ignatius just stared at the other wizard, unsure how to respond. He felt blood start to seep under his collar.
"We're engaged now," Orion added, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and anguish. "And since my sister seems to have taken such a liking to you, let me be the first to welcome you to the family."
Ignatius would much rather not become a part of this family after all, but one did not spurn a Black and live to tell of it. If Lucretia was determined to have him as her husband, then so she would, and he would simply have to resign himself to his fate.
~end~