September the 1st dawned bright and early, and to say that Grimmauld Place was unusually busy would be putting it mildly. What was usually a place of silence and cold austerity was uncharacteristically filled with the sounds of heavy footfalls and various curse words as the youngest members of the Black Family rushed from room to room in a last effort to collect the school supplies they had happened to misplace over the summer holidays.

Antares however, was nowhere to be seen. Instead he was sitting in his room, dressed in his finest robes whilst seated at his desk, a phoenix feather quill in one hand and a piece of toast in the other. Ever since he had been to Gringotts, and seen the vast wealth that he had recently acquired, he had taken a vested interest in personally handling his finances. Currently he was going through various business portfolios in order to look for potential investments, a task that was as boring as it sounded. Several minutes passed, his quill making several scratches on the parchment as he took another bite of his toast and sipped on his green tea.

Hearing footsteps on the stairwell, Antares picked up his wand and cast a quick Tempus spell, his eyes widening slightly when he noticed that it was already time to head to the station. Getting up from his chair, he waved his wand over his desk, nonverbally casting two banishing charms (one to send his dishes to the sink, and the other sending his documents to his trunk). He was halfway through shrinking his trunk when somebody knocked on his door. Judging by the sound of it, his father was on the other side.

"Enter"

He was correct of course, as he knew he would be. His father stood before him, his tall frame draped in expensive black robes, the black crest proudly displayed on his left breast.

"It's time to leave. Have you got everything?" he asked.

"Just about" replied Antares, before stuffing both his shrunken trunk and his wand into the innermost pocket of his robe.

"Ready" he said.

"I'd like a word before you leave, if that's okay?" asked his father, who now that Antares though about it was looking a little stressed, the bags under his eyes being one of several signs.

"Of course" answered Antares.

"I know that – things – haven't been the same between us Antares. Ever since I informed you of your marriage contract you have barely left your room, and I hardly doubt it's because you need the extra study. Is there anything you need to discuss with me, anything at all?" asked Orion, his dark eyes taking on a concerned look as they gazed into those of his sons.

Antares looked towards his father as he debated on whether or not he should reveal his true feelings in regards to the marriage contract between Helena Greengrass and himself. The relationship between he and his father had always been a strange one, his father had always been a strict and commanding parent, expecting nothing but the best from all of his children. Yet his father had always been stricter on him than on that of his brothers. Despite this, his father had always been there to help him when he needed it the most, especially when it concerned matters of the heart.

"As a matter of fact, there is" replied Antares as he turned around and sat down on the edge of his bed, his father taking a seat before him on the nearby desk chair.

Not knowing where to start, Antares decided to skip all of his other concerns (especially the one that concerned his love for someone he wasn't supposed to) and focused on the one thing that was truly troubling him.

"I am concerned that my betrothed and I will not be happy together. That we shall be doomed spend the rest of our lives together in a relationship that is comprised of anger and resentment." Said Antares, his voice filled with dread, his slender finger fiddling with

If Orion was surprised at his son's troubled view of his future, he didn't show it. Instead, he leaned forward and grasped his son's hands between his own and looked directly into his son's eyes, eyes that mirrored the exact same expression he had worn twenty years ago.

"Listen to me Antares Orion Black" whispered Orion, his voice quiet yet stern. "For neigh on two millennia our family has remain untainted by those of lesser blood. It is the pureness of our blood that makes the family magic remains some of the strongest in the entire world. It is because of marriage contracts like yours that we are able to make sure that our heir finds a suitable mate and that our lines remain pure. Not all marriages are happy ones, that I can agree with. Although you and Miss Greengrass may have a marriage such as you described, there is no telling for sure what your future together may hold. Who knows, you both might discover that you have more in common with each other than you previously thought."

"But what if we don't have anything in common, what if we never fall in love?" interrupted Antares.

"Then make her fall in love with you, use that big brain of yours to show her that you are everything she desires in man. Make her fall in love with you and you may just find yourself falling in love her. Heed my advice Antares, if only my father had given the advice I have just shared with you, then maybe my marriage would be as happy as yours hopefully is."

Antares nodded his head as his father spoke. He wasn't totally convinced that his father's advice would work, but he would give it a try nonetheless, better he try it and fail than regret not trying it at all.

"I'll do all that I can father, you can make sure of that" replied Antares.

"Excellent" smiled Orion, before getting to his feet.

"Now come on, your brothers are waiting for us in the living room".

30 minute Later – Platform Nine and Three Quarters, London, England

Antares and Regulus stood side by side, their backs straight and their heads held high as they waited for the Hogwarts Express to depart. They weren't alone of course. Platform Nine and Three Quarters was packed with Hogwarts students (and their families), all eagerly waiting for the train to depart and for the school year to begin.

Antares looked around the platform in sheer disgust, his keen eyesight quickly landing on several mudbloods and their filthy parents. Oh how much easier it would be if he could just take a portkey to Hogsmeade, at least then he wouldn't have to be seen in the same vicinity as the muggle scum that currently stood not 12 feet away from him.

Checking his watch for the fifth time that day, Antares was pleased to learn that the train would be leaving in 15 minutes.

"You may as well go and find your friends now, the training will be leaving soon enough" Antares said to his brother.

"Finally! Ares" replied Regulus, "I don't know why you didn't just let me leave when Sirius went off to find Potter"

"You know exactly why I didn't let you leave. It is my job to look after you, and a lecture from Mother and Father is the last thing I need right now. Now go, I don't doubt your friends are looking for you"

But as the last words left his lips Regulus was already on the move, his small build weaving through the throng of people as he rushed to meet up with his friends.

Shaking his head in amusement, Antares followed his brother's footsteps and made his way onto the train.

A cacophony of noise assaulted his ears as he entered the carriage, the small space effectively amplifying the sound of the room. Antares glanced down the corridor, and mentality groaned as he seen just how many people where jam packed into the hallway. At this rate, it was going to take him forever to get his compartment.

Antares smirked evilly as he came up with a quick solution to his problem. Drawing his wand from his robes, he subtlety aimed it straight down the corridor of the train. With the required spell in mind, Antares silently waved his wand from side to side.

Before his very eyes the compartment doors on either side of the carriage opened with a BANG!, and everyone who had previously been occupying the hall were forcefully pushed into the compartments, where the doors then preceded to lock them in (in order to prevent retaliation from Antares' peers).

Smiling slightly himself, Antares walked through the now empty corridor (past his disgruntled classmates), until he reached the very last compartment, the only compartment that happened to be empty.

Opening the door, Antares entered the small brightly lit room, and promptly sat down on the left-hand side, right next to the window. He was in the process of tucking his wand back into his robe when he remembered that there was around two dozen students trapped in various compartments against their will, which he promptly reversed with the flick of his wrist.

Antares didn't have to wait long as before he knew it the trains horn signaled that it was about to depart, and it was moments later that he began to feel the train start to move. Moments went by and soon enough the train was going fast enough that entire fields where passing by the window in a blur.

It wasn't long before Antares had to pull his Arithmancy book out of his trunk in order to stave of his impending boredom, but even that couldn't take his mind away from the fact that he would be meeting his future wife in naught but a month.

One would think that he would choose to share a compartment with his friends, and normally he would. In previous years he had used the annual train ride to Hogwarts as a way to relax and enjoy the company of his close friends, and also to fool around with some of the less proper girls who had shared his bed on more than one occasion. But this year, he had no time for such idle chit-chat and tomfoolery. He had various things on his mind that prevented him from relaxing with friends and making out with pretty girls in the train's lavatory. Marriage, Helena Greengrass and Lily Evans where the most frequent of his thoughts.

If he was being completely honest with himself, Antares was still deeply upset over the fact that the rest of his life had already been planned for him. Sure, he had expected to be married in the near future, but the fact that he wasn't able to choose his own wife was something that deeply upset him. The Black Family had of course used marriage contracts for time beyond reckoning, and he should have known that the same rule would apply to him. Yet he had though that society was modern enough, and that his family loved and respected him enough, for him to at least pick who his future partner was.

Antares had plans for his future. Plans that would see him, and his family, raised to such a legendary status that witches and wizards for a thousand generations would remember the name of Antares Black. He still hadn't decided on whether or not him being married had hastened or halted his plans, but he guessed that all would be revealed in due time.

Turning to the window where the green fields where ever present and a light rain had begun to fall, Antares couldn't help but smirk as he envisioned his plans for the future of the Black family.

"And what a glorious future it shall be" whispered Antares.