A/N: A huge thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed! You really made me more excited about this story, and reassured that it's interesting! In this chapter, I'm introducing a new character, and quite a terrible one at that; Rabastan Lestrange. I hope you like this chapter, even though it's much more dramatic than the first one!
The Easter holidays had approached. Some of the younger students had taken the Hogwarts Express back home for the week, and while Aurelia didn't really have any friends to spend all her sudden free time with, she wasn't fond of the idea of spending a full week with her parents either. And she certainly wasn't fond of the idea of Easter dinner at Malfoy Manor, listening to her uncle's nagging about how inappropriate it was for a pureblood girl such as herself not to be betrothed at her age. Because Merlin knows what could happen at Hogwarts, and what mudbloods she might affiliate with there. If Aurelia's mother was conservative, there were no words to describe Abraxas Malfoy. He had even suggested a marriage between Aurelia and Lucius, and the mere thought of it was so appalling that she felt sick to her stomach. In many ways, Lucius was like a brother to her. Granted, an absolutely terrible one, but still, like a brother. Perhaps it was because they were pretty much raised together, or because of their awfully similar appearances. Their parents being twins was cause for everything, and the fact that her uncle would even consider such a union was monstrous. Thankfully, Aurelia's father was on her side. He always had been. And no matter who her mother had suggested (Rabastan, Mulciber, Regulus, Avery), he never approved. Despite the fact that her father himself was happy in an arranged marriage, he would not force his daughter into one, which often left him in quite a quarrel with the Malfoys.
So, rather than going home, or going to Wiltshire, Aurelia stayed at Hogwarts for the Easter holidays. She had always found it strange, staying at Hogwarts during the holidays. While some students always remained there, it was still empty in a sense. The corridors were mostly silent, as there were no students rushing to class, and the common rooms often hosted several parties – none of which Aurelia attended, of course. She spent most of her time avoiding that kind of social interaction. This was also the reason why she got up so early in the mornings, before first light. She didn't mind waking up early, and having the great hall all to herself for breakfast was a small pleasure in long days of uneasiness.
"Well, well. If it isn't my favourite little Hufflepuff. What a lucky coincidence." Aurelia froze as another person spoke in the otherwise completely empty corridor. She recognized the low voice all too well, and it seemed like perhaps she had headed out for breakfast too early, as the drunk boy indicated that last night's party was barely over.
"It's six in the morning, Rabastan. Perhaps you should head back to the dungeons before Slughorn finds you in this state."
"I don't take orders from him, nor you. I'd much rather stay here with you than going back there." He was slowly walking towards her, determined steps swaying from his obvious intoxication, and she simply couldn't move. In theory, running or raising her wand at him, might've been an option, but Aurelia couldn't bring herself to do either.
"I'm going to have breakfast," she managed to reply, taking a few elusive steps back in hope that he would just give up and go to bed. Being Rabastan Lestrange, though, of course he didn't give up. He never did.
"Won't you stay for dessert instead?" He asked with a smug grin glued to his lips, as he closed the distance between them, and conveniently for him, the distance between her and the brick wall as well.
Most girls would jump at a chance with Rabastan Lestrange, and while there was no denying that he was attractive, Aurelia did not. Rabastan was a seventh year Slytherin, two years her senior, and her mother's favourite choice as to who she ought to marry. And even though there had been a time when she had considered it, Aurelia had no intentions of marrying him.
"Not today, Rabastan. I really should get to the great hall," she mumbled, looking away from those brown eyes that had been staring into her own for too long. His breath smelled of firewhiskey as it hit her face where she stood, way too close for comfort.
"I think you ought to rethink my proposal, Fawley. Just think about it. We could be good together. We were damn good together, weren't we?"
Aurelia tried her hardest to find the words to say, without any success. They had been anything but good together. It was two years ago now, and back then, she had been a completely different person, defined by ignorance and insecurity. Back then, she was certain that if her mother said so, and all the girls at Hogwarts pined for him, then she was lucky to catch his attention. So, for a whole summer, she had played the role of the good pureblood daughter, the good pureblood girlfriend. For a whole summer, she had taken his insults and critique, without a word. And it was because of that stupidity that she found herself in this situation now, pinned between a drunk Rabastan and a wall, with no way to escape.
Shaking her head lightly, she turned her watering gaze back up to meet his.
"I told you Rabastan. I don't want to marry you, not now. Not ever."
"And just who do you think you are? You can't refuse me. I have the support of your mother, your uncle, Lucius and Augustus. Hell, even the Dark Lord himself."
Aurelia found herself shivering as his hand touched her waist and moved down along her side. Perhaps it was because he was pressed so close to her, claiming her… or perhaps it was because of how he so lightly had mentioned Augustus and Lucius in the same sentence as Lord Voldemort. As his lips started tracking her neck, she reached down her pocket for her wand, but was stopped by a firm grip around her wrist.
"Please Rabastan, just leave me alone."
"I've missed you, Aria. That's all." He mumbled, in a much softer tone, pressing his firewhiskey-tasting lips on hers. She wanted to scream at him, push him away, curse him, yet once again, she couldn't move.
"Oi, Lestrange! Can't get a girl to snog you willingly? Now that's a new level of pathetic, wouldn't you say? Levicorpus!"
James Potter did not seem like the 'white knight' kind of lad, yet there he was, cursing a seventh year Slytherin… for her. It was absurd, surreal even. Out of all the students at Hogwarts, he was the one who had showed up just then. He was the one who had helped her.
"Merlin, are you alright?" He asked, carefully placing a hand on her back and leading her away from the furious Slytherin who was still hanging upside down from the roof.
"I'm fine," she mumbled in response, throwing a glance back at Rabastan, trying not to think of what consequences not helping him would have.
"Thanks," she added, looking up at the tall, tense boy who was walking beside her.
"Don't mention it. What was that anyway?"
"That… was a marriage proposal."
"What?! But you're only… What are you, fifteen? Are you two... Together?" The seventeen-year-old looked as though he had seen a ghost, and two things were made clear to her in that moment. Firstly, James Potter hadn't had to think about marriage and betrothals yet, meaning that he came from a very rare pureblood family. Secondly, he was clearly not sober, and had probably not been heading to breakfast as he found her minutes ago.
"Sixteen... and gods no! I suppose it's political, well somewhat at least. It's… it's a long story," she mumbled, not sure how to explain the complex situation that was her family's expectations of her. She wasn't even sure she wanted to explain it, particularly to him. She didn't want him to think that she was anything like them.
They stopped outside the entrance of the great hall, which still seemed to be empty, and there was a lingering silence which you rarely got at Hogwarts. For a moment, they both simply stood there, looking at each other. It was the kind of situation Aurelia would normally try to avoid, one that would most definitely be awkward. But there was nothing awkward about it, and looking into those deep brown eyes, she felt like he truly saw her, as though he understood her, and she him.
"Well, this is me," she said with a small smile, interrupting the silence as she realized that she might actually drown in those eyes if she didn't do anything to stop it. Turning away from him and walking into the great hall, she immediately regretted her actions. Now that she had finally gotten the chance to talk to him, to be alone with him, she had thrown it away like it was nothing. She had most likely ruined all her chances with him, if there even were any to start with.
"Hey, Lia? We're having a party tonight, down by the lake. You should come."
A/N: So Rabastan is terrible, no surprise there! What did you think of this chapter? Let me know! If you liked it, please favorite, follow and review!