At breakfast the next morning, Antlia was physically there but her mind was worlds away. She was still stuck on her visit to see Severus. Her heart felt like it had shattered beyond repair and honestly, she didn't know what she was goig to do. She loved Severus Snape, but he cared nothing for her. Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, nothing.

"Antlia, my flower," her father's deep voice came clearly from the other end of the table. "You've hardly touched your porridge."

She half mindedly picked up a soggy blue berry with her spoon. "Didn't really sleep well last night. The food is wonderful, I'm just not very hungry.

Walburga raised an eyebrow at Orion, who in return gave a small sigh. "We need to talk about last night."

"What about it?" She asked, lazily stirring her breakfast.

"My alarms on my wards went off last night."

"Oh?" She could feel Regulus tense up beside her.

Orion frowned as he eyed his daughter. "I know you left, Antlia. You know that my rule, my only rule with you staying here was that you can't leave the house. It's not safe or smart."

"Don't worry. I'm not leaving again," she mumbled, not bothering to look up.

"Antlia Grace."

She dropped her spoon, letting it clang loudly against the bowl. "I said I won't be leaving again, so can we just drop it please?"

Walburga's face turned bright red. "You will not speak so disrespectfully to your father! He has been gracious enough to give you food and a roof over your head and this is how you choose to behave? Absolutely unacceptable!"

"I just made a mistake! It won't happen again!" Antlia shouted, feeling her own face grow red as she stood up. "I'll go back to playing prisoner in my room." Not bothering to listen to her father's protests or Walburga's yelling, she took off towards her room.

A a melodramatic move, she fell backwards onto her bed. She desperately wished she could just oblivate the past year from her mind. Nothing had gone right. She had lost her mother, Nolan, and now even Severus. Was she doomed to lose everyone she cared about?That's not true and you know it.A little voice within her seemed to push.Your mother and Nolan weren't your fault, and neither was Severus. And besides that, you've gained so much. You have Regulus and Narcissa now. Even the werewolf. They are your friends. And you accomplished what you set out to do in coming to Hogwarts. You found the movement. You met your family. That's far from failure.

Antlia left herself relax as she stared up at the ceiling, clutching the locket. The little voice was right. She had accomplished every goal she had made for herself since her mother's death. Hell, she was in good graces with Tom Riddle himself. She couldn't let the little things along the way stop her success - it would be plain foolish. It didn't matter how much they hurt her in the moment. She had to simply push through it and keep going. If anyone could do it, it would be her. She was strong and had already made it so far.You've just got to stop pushing people away when you need them. Let others help you.

As if on cue, her room door opened and Orion carefully walked in. "Antlia?"

She sat up and ran a hand through her hair as he shut the door. "I'm sorry, Father. Walburga was right. I shouldn't have acted like that."

He stared at her, eyes filled with worry as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's going on?"

"I just had a really rough night when I left last night," she admitted, letting her hand fall to her lap.

"Tell me about it? We can work through it together."

She couldn't stop herself from stiffening up, but the voice returned quickly.Don't shut him out. He's your father. Let him help you."Okay," she said and took in a deep breath. "I went to go see a friend but it didn't go well. It really didn't go well."

He frowned. "Did you get hurt? Did someone else find you?"

"No, no! I'm fine! He just didn't want to see me and said some hurtful things," she whispered.

His frown deepened immediately. "A boy? Did you have feelings for this boy?"

Antlia hung her head. "Yes. I thought he did too, but I was wrong."

Orion hesitated, clearly not sure how to handle comforting his daughter. "Well that's his loss, my dear," he finally said, gently brushing her hair away from her fae. "But maybe it was for the best."

She quickly looked up. "What do you mean?"

"You come from a reputable family. You deserve a worthy match, someone who can measure up to what you deserve. Some-"

"Father?"

He stared down at her, not seeming upset over the interruption. "Yes, little flower?"

"You don't have to do this. I know it's awkward and I appreciate you trying, but it's alright. I'll be okay."

Orion was silent for a moment as he took hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "There's something we need to discuss then."

"Yes?"

"There has been an offer made for your hand in marriage. It's a good match, really, but I haven't accepted it yet."

Her blood ran cold and her entire body tensed up. He wanted to plan her engagement just after things with Severus had come to a halt? She could feel her stomach twisting into uneasy knots as the information sank in. Who had asked for her hand? It couldn't have been Yaxley, could it? He did come from a pureblood family and she couldn't see her father entertaining the idea of arranging for her to marry someone that wasn't of a high blood status. They had the proud Black family name to uphold, after all. But would he allow her the chance to say no to whatever match he made for her? The fact was though, it didn't matter who had gone to her father and asked to marry her. Another relationship was the last thing she wanted at the moment.

"Father, I really don't want to talk about this. Not right now."

He leaned in and planted a very gentle kiss on her forehead. "I just wanted you to be aware. Your seventeenth birthday is coming up in June, so it's time to start thinking seriously about things. Nothing is cemented yet, but I believe this wizard would give you a good home and a good future. I want what's best for you, little flower."

"I know," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him. As much as she hated the idea of an arranged marriage, she knew he only had her best interest in mind. He cared about her; she didn't doubt his love for her for even a moment.

After patting her back, Orion stood up. "We'll talk more about this later when you feel up to it, Just promise me one thing, doll?"

"Yes, Father?" She asked, lifting her gaze to meet his eyes.

"Just promise me no more leaving the house. It's too dangerous. I can't lose you again."

Her gaze dropped after she saw the genuine worry and pain stretched across his features. She didn't want to make the promise but she knew she couldn't let him down. She couldn't stand the idea of hurting him. "I'll stay here. I promise."

"I love you, Antlia. I really do," he whispered.

"I know, and I love you too, Father."