Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, nor will I ever be as brilliant as her. I am simply me, in all my inglorious mess.
She Ran.
Not physically of course, oh no. On the outside she was the perfect hostess: impeccable etiquette and an engaging personality. Armed with a stunning ruby gown and flawless, smouldering eyes. A slow smile always on her lips and ebony hair tossed across one shoulder. The pure-blood princess, untouchable and cold.
Yet she ran, as far away in her mind as she could go, from the manic guests, the stuffy ballroom, the over-large egos and devious intentions. She ran from her fiancée, with his indifference and conceit. She ran from her future family and their hidden mistakes. She ran from this world she belonged in, the world for which she was groomed and nurtured her entire life.
She knew of another, had entered it for a fleeting second it seemed. Where friends existed, safety was known, acceptance bloomed, and where He was found.
So she ran away in her mind, seeing the long corridors with their locked doors; doors that led to rooms with such instruments never used, save for times of desperate need or cloying anger… down the grand staircase she would be expected to descend gracefully and marry her husband in two weeks time… across the foyer, buffeting the house elves in her haste… heaving the front doors open and feeling the cool night air on her back, her dress streaming behind her… but freedom was not to be.
With a warning squeeze on her wrist, she was brought back to reality and her fiancée Lucius. He knew she was day-dreaming, a frivolous activity he blamed on her incessant reading. This would not be allowed after their marriage he thought, annoyed. He narrowed his eyes at her and she understood: she was embarrassing him in front of the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters. She allowed a tiny nod, then walked away to compliment another Death Eater's wife on her excellent taste in sherry.
Not entirely paying attention to what the simpering woman was saying, her eyes swept the room, searching for anyone she may have forgotten to socialise with. She locked eyes with Narcissa Black who simply watched her from a distance, as if knowing what her traitorous mind was contemplating earlier. She inclined her head, then, looking around, said something, anything vaguely passable to the wife whom she had just realised, asked her a question. She meandered away to the stained glass windows in an attempt to study the murals, and, sipping from her glass of rose wine, she saw it reflected in the window.
Behind her, a flash of grey, almost predatory. Everyone wore masks, being at a masquerade it was to be expected. But those eyes, those eyes she'd recognise anywhere. They looked at her as though they saw her very soul, and the way it bled for him. They looked at her and she imagined she could feel his fingertips sliding over her skin, softer than silk but more heated than a bonfire. She could not tear her eyes away from his reflection in the window pane, thinking, hoping he would just leave… walk away like he did the first time and disappear. Her heart would survive it; after all it already had practice. Her chest rose rapidly in short breaths, she would panic if he stayed any longer. So she broke eye contact and swept away to Severus, who looked mildly pleased at her arrival. Striking up a conversation with him about any breakthroughs in werewolf control that the Dark Lord may have had, she felt, rather than heard him behind her. He grasped her elbow, tugging her away from a puzzled Snape and through a concealed door behind a tapestry. He obviously knew the Manor well, being a pure-blood himself before he turned traitor on them all; he had visited here with his cousins when they were all children. He ripped off their masks and took her face in his hands, seeking something in her chocolate eyes she didn't know he could see. He evidently found what he was looking for so desperately: he kissed her. Softly and sweetly, but with the addictive, drugging undertone that was all Sirius Black. Memories flooded her… scents and feelings, laughter, joy and unrelenting sorrow. But above them all, hope. Hopes once dashed were now blindingly new; she knew she could never leave him after this.
A knock on the door returned their senses. She pushed him deeper into the room along with his mask. Straightening her hair she stepped over and pulled open the door, an ever ready smile on her face… a smile that faded as she came face to face with Narcissa.
Narcissa spared one glance at her then entered the room, addressing the grey-eyed shadow in the back. She could give them a minute's diversion but that was all she'd risk; after all Lucius was the one she loved, and she'd risk nothing marring that. Sirius nodded at Narcissa who then exited, then he came forward to grasp her hand tightly in his, lacing his fingers through hers. There was a thud, then the tinkling of shattered glass. At this, they rushed outside and peered around the tapestry, watching Avery being helped to his feet by Narcissa as glass rained down on the two from the broken stained glass windows. As persons flocked nearer to the accident, women expressing their dismay at losing the beautifully designed windows while men jokingly removed the glass of mead from Avery's hand, Sirius jerked his wrist and they fled through the unguarded doorway.
Through the long corridors they ran, passing the locked doors they prayed would not burst open suddenly… down the grand staircase that would never see her in bridal finery… across the foyer, buffeting the house elves in their haste… Sirius heaved the front doors open and she felt the cool night air on her back, her dress streaming out behind her as she took a breath. Sirius grasped her hand in his, brushed his lips over her knuckles before bounding down the walkway with her at his side. They ran out the gates, passing through them like ghosts; Sirius pulled her close to him, causing her heart to stutter as he gazed into her eyes, before turning on the spot and apparating into Godric's Hollow.
She smiled… Freedom was theirs.
A/N - I'd love to know your thoughts, as this was the first story I've ever written that I absolutely loved! I usually hate everything I write, but this struck a chord with me for some reason... Thank you for reading :)
Trish.