- Day 49 of 366 Days of Writing Challenge: Tyrant

- The Emotion Challenge: Hopeful

- Hogwarts Funfair/Carousel - Car 11, Seat 3: (emotion) Hopefulness

Pairings/Characters: Walburga, Sirius

Word Count: 431


Tyrant

I never meant to take it out on all you, life has it's problems, and I get more than my share.

"I don't want your life!" a twelve year old Sirius yelled at his mother, as she cornered him in the drawing room. She had been trying to get him to herself all week, so that she could talk to him about a future betrothal.

Orion had been concerned, after all Sirius was only twelve. But Walburga had shrugged his worries off. "It's good for him to learn early," she had said. "You and I were betrothed before we were born." After that, Orion had simply shook his head and returned his nose to his newspaper.

Sirius glared at the newspaper over in the living chair, hoping that his stare could burn through the Daily Prophet and into his father's face. A rustling of the pages suggested otherwise.

"It's not about having my life," Walburga snarled, grabbing her son's shoulders and pushing him down onto a seat. She detested it when her sons and husband didn't obey her tyrannical rule of the House of Black. "But you are going to listen to me, or so help me..."

"Who is it?" Sirius demanded to know. "I suppose it's Bellatrix you want me to marry?" he shuddered inwardly as he thought of his older cousin.

"Of course not," chirped Walburga. "Narcissa, actually."

"I'm. Not. Marrying. My. Cousin."

"I had been hopeful that you wouldn't say that, Sirius," Walburga sighed. "Orion, speak to your son."

"I'm having no say in this," Orion muttered from behind his newspaper. Walburga rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Sirius. As she spoke, an owl soared through the open window. It was a familiar white female owl, with black feathers speckled across its back. It was Aunt Druella's owl.

Sirius allowed himself to be filled with hopefulness that something had happened for Druella and Cygnus to change their mind about him marrying Narcissa. Surely Aunt Druella would have had a say.

Walburga snatched the piece of parchment between her fingernails and unrolled it. She read it silently, and then threw it into the fire, turning to glare at Sirius.

"You're a lucky boy," she sneered, her lip curling. "My dear brother has retracted his decision to marry his daughter within the family. It seems his relationship with Abraxas Malfoy is flourishing..." she stalked out of the hallway, her irritable muttering echoing through the house.

Sirius leaned back on his chair and sighed in relief. It seemed that things might be going his way after all.