It is an ancient Slytherin tradition for the boys to choose their wives a month before they leave school.
The seventh year boys were to look at the girls from the house all year round. Once they had chosen who they wanted they were simply to wait until selection day. If they did not have one picked, they would be assigned a girl whose parents wanted her to be married straight out of school (these girls were always the ugliest seventh years).
Usually it was only the NEWT students who were chosen, but I was different.
I am the youngest daughter of my family. Pureblood, as you may expect. I was the last to go to Hogwarts. My older sisters were in sixth and seventh year when I arrived and they were both always buzzing to each other about something I wasn't allowed to be a part of. They always just told me 'Hogwarts stuff. You wouldn't understand.' That was the norm for me.
When we arrived at. Hogwarts, I tried to look unimpressed, uninterested. My sisters were always griping and moaning about the place. They told me about the shitty teachers, the crappy food, the off-his-head headmaster. But there was no denying that the place was, well, magical. It was hard for me to keep the smile off of my face.
We arrived at the castle on the boats, were met at the front doors by a professor, got sorted - you know the story. The sorting ceremony proved me a Slytherin as expected and from there I lived as an average student.
When I arrived in my common room on the first evening we were met by out House Head. He explained the whole betrothal thing to us, and told us that no other house had this tradition, in fact no other house knew. Even the headmaster wasn't aware, he just thought that the arranged marriages took place at all of our pureblood social events.
I was horrified to say the least. How could no one else be aware of this? Why had this been going on for so long? Safe to say that the tradition has been forgotten since that head left.
My first year went by in a flash and before we knew to it was time for the leavers to choose their wives. The head boy stood up first. We all thought that he would have chosen my eldest sister with her looks and beauty.
But then came the shocker. He picked me.
As you can imagine everybody was shocked and honestly quite horrified. He was a legal adult, nearly eighteen years old and I was eleven. However rules were rules and I was set to marry him once I left school.
My parents were disappointed that he had not chosen one of the others (one of his friends had chosen my seventh year sister and the other one was yet to be picked) but they were delighted that he would be a member of the family. In six years time.
The rest of my schooling was... Uneven. He could not come to the school very often in fear of the headmaster discovering the house secret so I was 'called home' due to 'family issues' and he'd not let me return until he knew I belonged entirely to him.
My school years were miserable and I left with barely a NEWT to my name. I was married on my eighteenth birthday and from there I have been controlled and abused every single day. The last time I remember feeling truly happy was the first time I held my baby in my arms.
My child is my life. I would do anything to protect them and I have tried. I tried so very hard but He swept in and took away yet another piece of me. He turned my child into a slave. A slave to the pureblood society.
So now, as I look at this boy lying at my feet, covered in blood, grime and leaves, I know I must do the right thing. This boy isn't whole, nor is he pure.
He is free
And so I shall grant him the freedom he deserves.
I give the boy in the leaves the freedom I never had.
I turn to my master and say 'Dead.'
I hope you enjoyed part one! The next sister will be posted soon, but please let me know what you think in the reviews or feel free to pm me in the mean time. Thanks to theemotionalrangeofateaspoon for reading this through for me and being my best friend on here and in real life.
Disclaimer: all character, place and component content belong to JK Rowling apart from the bit I made up about betrothals in Slytherin house. That is mine.