THE DOLL HOUSE
Chapter One: Muggle Men
"Oh wow…You look beautiful, Eileen!"
She had been standing in the middle of a Muggle grocery store looking for her younger sister when she heard the words. The almost eighteen year old witch spun around to stare at the young Muggle man in surprise. Surely he was talking to some other Eileen. The young girl blushed and looked shyly around, half expecting some gorgeous model who shared her name to come running up to the clerk. The time she turned her dark blue eyes to him again, she realized he was staring at her.
"It isn't right to lie to people, Mr. Snape," Eileen said quietly, unable to stop herself from nervously toying with the rose colored bow around the waist of her dark golden dress. "Even if it is a nice lie."
"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Tobias?" the man said with a grin. An older woman with two children came to the counter to check out, but Tobias didn't seem to notice them. "And I wasn't lying. Even if you don't see it, I think you are very lovely!"
Tobias seemed sincere in his compliment, but Eileen shook her head. She was well aware she was lacking in the beauty department, and that was just an understatement of the fact! The truth of the matter was, she was downright ugly! She was too tall, too skinny, and too pale. Her face was too narrow and too long, her hair was too black and too stringy, and her eyes were too small and too dark, so dark you could barely tell they were blue at all! She barely had any feminine curves at all. Her lips were too thin, her nose too long and too crooked, her ears too long and were too flat on her head. Eileen Elizabeth Prince looked too much like her father to be good looking in any way, shape, or form. How on earth even a Muggle could claim she had any redeeming features was beyond her understanding.
"You have a customer, Mr. Snape," Eileen said quietly, dropping her gaze to the floor as she smoothed down the front of her skirt.
The young man turned to the impatient mother and smiled apologetically. "So I do!" he exclaimed. "And it's Tobias, you know," he reminded her before moving on to greet the poor woman. Eileen was tempted to linger here, to watch him work and keep him company. She had more important things to do, however, and instead resumed her search of her sister. "Rosalie!" Eileen called out, though her voice was too timid and too quiet to really be heard.
Rosalie Prince was the baby of the family. While Eileen was nearly two years older than her, she was feeling more like her mother than her sister. Always she had to come to town to get Rosalie out of trouble! Ever since summer started, Rosalie would claim to be spending time with various classmates under the guise of tutoring sessions while in all reality she came out into the Muggle world to spend time with some boy! A Muggle boy named Sam who worked at this same grocery store as Tobias did. Rosalie was absolutely smitten! She claimed to love the bloke! According to her darling baby sister, they had met the summer before and Rosalie was madly in love with him and wanted to marry him once she graduated Hogwarts.
She would shame the family. Eileen might not care too much, but their parents surely would. This was suicide, Eileen was certain of it. Rosalie liked to tell her to lighten up. Eileen might have been the least favorite of their parents, due to poor looks and useless talents, but that could very well change if Rosalie announced she was carrying on some torrid affair with a non-magical person. It made Eileen sick just to think about how her parents would react! It had been bad enough to them that Rosalie had been placed in Huffelpuff ("Even if not Slytherin, Eileen and Victor at least ended up in Ravenclaw!" their father had shouted the summer after Rosalie's first year), but this was completely unforgiveable in their eyes. Rosalie at least was very beautiful. She was the only of the Prince children who was attractive at all, inheriting their mother's fair looks and seemingly nothing of their unsightly father. She was brilliant with Charms and Potions. She was enchanting, creative, funny, and very polite. Rosalie actual had hope of making their parents proud despite what House she had been placed into.
It was the same speech Eileen gave Rosalie every time she had to drag her home.
"You're not jealous, are you, 'Leen?" Rosalie would ask. It wasn't even in the snotty, arrogant way their eldest sister Diane would pose such a question. It was only asked softly with a sad smile. "You really shouldn't be. You're very smart, you know! Loads smarter than me."
"Yes, I am," Eileen would always reply. "Because I would never fall in love with one of them!"
With a heavy sigh, Eileen began walking the store. She made sure to walk slowly and look at everyone carefully to be sure. Her ears strained for the sound of her sister's soft, girly voice. She had to be here. Rosalie was almost always here! Very rarely did she and Sam meet elsewhere (at least not during the day) and Eileen knew for a fact that the boy was scheduled to be here at this time! Eileen had checked! "Rosalie!" she called out again.
"Oh, hi, 'Leeny!"
Rosalie walked out of a nearby aisle and Eileen stopped in her tracks. Lovely Rosalie looked so off today. She had the same thick, curly auburn hair inherited from their grandmother, Miriam Rosier. Gwendolyn had been so happy that someone had gotten her mother's hair. Miriam was just as famously beautiful in her time as Gwendolyn was in hers and Rosalie was now. Her eyes were just as wide and pale blue. Her skin was just as smooth and creamy as ever, her lips just as full, her teeth just as straight and white, and her body just as voluptuous as always. Most of her charm and beauty came from her confidence and brightness and she seemed to be lacking in those departments today. Her smile was strained, her eyes a bit dull, her wrist trembling a bit as she lifted it to wave to her sister.
The young optimistic witch had never looked so sad in her life, which was strange considering she wasn't even crying or frowning.
"Rose?" Eileen said nervously.
"We can leave in a minute. Let me say goodbye to Sammy," she said before turning to disappear back down the aisle. Eileen followed and stood near the entrance while Rose walked down to where Sam was stacking boxes of cereal. He stopped to give her a sad smile and pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the side of her head. Eileen could never approve of their relationship because of how much trouble Rosalie would get into because of it, but there was no denying that Sam loved Rose and it melted her heart to see how tenderly the Muggle touched her sister, how lovingly he looked at her.
Then again, who wouldn't? Rosalie was beautiful and she deserved such delicate treatment, the same reverence from everyone.
After a few long minutes of just hugging, Rosalie finally stepped back and waved goodbye before walking back down the aisle to loop her arm through Eileen's, tugging her along. Rosalie seemed so small today, much the same way Eileen always seemed, despite her tall stature. Eileen frowned, but said nothing just yet. They were almost at the exit when Tobias Snape came over to them.
"Oh don't tell me you're leaving already," Tobias said, sounding disappointed.
"I have to. Rosalie isn't feeling well," Eileen explained.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Rosie," Tobias said with a frown.
Rosalie only offered a weak smile.
"Goodbye, Mr. Snape," Eileen said, wrapping her arm around Rosalie and leading her towards the door.
"Feel better, Rose! And try to get your sister to call me by my first name, yeah?" Tobias called out.
Rosalie giggled quietly. "I'll try," she assured him as they left the store.
The two sisters walked through the town of Cokeworth quietly side by side. Eileen grew increasingly worried by her sister's silence, though she wasn't much sure what to say herself. This was an odd situation. Rosalie hardly ever seemed so depressed before. Rosalie was the ray of sunshine that lit up the world; she was not that little girl who hid away in shadows with heartbreaking smiles.
When they neared a smaller area, one they could easily Apparate in, Eileen finally decided to speak. "Rose, what's wrong?"
"Oh, 'Leeny," Rose said, her voice thick. Eileen was horrified to see her beautiful eyes full of tears.
"Rose!" Eileen exclaimed, reaching forward to throw her arms around her baby sister, pulling her into a tight hug. "Darling, what's the matter?"
"You'll be so mad," Rosalie whispered.
"Honey, why would I be mad?" Eileen asked, stroking Rosalie's soft hair.
"Leeny…Leeny, I'm pregnant," Rosalie whimpered.
"You're what?" Eileen asked in confusion.
"Pregnant. I'm having Sammy's baby," Rosalie whispered.
Pregnant? Eileen froze, tightening her grip on her sister momentarily. "R-Rose, you can't be pregnant! That…Oh Merlin! Mother and Father will be furious!"
"I know," Rosalie mumbled, tears finally rolling down her cheeks.
"It's bad enough you've been sneaking around with that boy! But you can't have his baby! They'll kill it first!" Eileen exclaimed. Goodness, Rosalie was going to be in so much trouble! Her poor little Samuel was probably going to be murdered and so was the baby! Then they'd give her beautiful Rosie away to a horrible, brutish husband and make her have a lot of babies just as awful as the rest of their family. If they didn't kill her along with her love and her child.
"No, I won't let them!" Rosalie cried. She wiped the tears from her face, though they kept falling and she stood up straighter. "I love Sammy. I'm going to run away with him. We'll elope, we'll move away, we'll have our baby, and everything will be fine! But I won't stay in that place! There's nothing wrong with Sam or my baby, but they'll think so and…and it's not right, Eileen! It's just not right!"
Eileen sighed heavily. "You can't leave, Rose."
"And why not?" sniffed Rosalie.
"You still have another year at Hogwarts, that's why!" Eileen reminded her.
"Screw Hogwarts! They can have my magic, they can have my wand, they can have everything! None of it matters if I can't be with Sam. I would rather live the rest of my days as a Muggle than be subjected to the life our parents expect from us. You would do well to get that same mindset! That Tobias Snape fellow really likes you, you know. He could make you happy! You know damn well that if you let our parents decide for you, you'll only be miserable!"
All she could do was blink at Rosalie. She wasn't really sure what to say to that, other than the fact that she was probably right. Just because she was doomed to a life of unhappiness, didn't mean Eileen was going to do much to change it. There was no real reason to. It wasn't as though she could be happy even if she did abandon the family and all of their beliefs.
"Let's just get you home, Rose," Eileen sighed.
"Oh come on, Eily! Think about it," pleaded Rosalie. "I love you so much and I would be so disappointed if you didn't at least try to look at a better life. I've never been happier in my life than I am with Sammy! And you could be happy, too. Why, Tobias thinks you're the loveliest girl and he is such a sweetie! The fact that he doesn't have any magic shouldn't mean anything. I think you would love him very much and he would make you such a nice husband and father of your children!"
"I barley know him!" Eileen said, eyes wide in shock. She could feel her face burning in embarrassment, too. She did enjoy talking to Tobias whenever she came to rescue Rosalie, but that was only because he was so nice to her. Eileen wasn't used to many people being kind to her or thinking she was pretty.
"Then get to know him!" Rosalie said with a dazzling smile. "Come on, let's go home! You'll help me pack tonight, won't you?"
"You're leaving tonight?" Eileen demanded with a frown.
"I think I'll have to," Rosalie said, frowning, as well. "I can't risk staying very long. What if they find out? No, I'll have to leave before they figure out anything."
"Oh golly, Rose," Eileen sighed, hugging her sister again. "I'll miss you too much."
"I'll miss you too much, as well," Rosalie agreed, getting all choked up again. "I'll write you a lot, okay? And whenever you're free of them, you can come and visit us! Oh, and you can be the godmother, I think!"
Eileen giggled through her tears and took a shaky breath. Strange that the ugliest and the prettiest sister were so close, but Rosalie was her best friend. She made being at home bearable. Eileen didn't want to let her go, but Rosalie was her baby and Eileen had to take care of her. She pressed her lips to the side of her head.
"Alright, I'll help you pack," she finally agreed. "But you have to promise to stay safe."
Rosalie giggled and pulled away, wiping her eyes. Eileen did the same. "It's a deal! Now come on, let's go before anyone starts to worry."
Eileen felt the need to point out that she was already worried, but she decided to keep that to herself for now. Her sister would be perfectly fine she tried to tell herself. By the churning of her stomach and the heaviness of her heart, Eileen didn't think she had entirely convinced herself.
Author's Note: So I have to admit, I was inspired to write this by recently rereading Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. I finished the book a week or so ago and I've had this idea floating around in my mind ever since, and I just couldn't get it to go away…So here it is! My other stories will probably be a priority, but I do have a lot of ideas for this. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Please review if you enjoy it and want to read more! I would love to know if anyone else is interested in this.