As Terebellum made her way up to the Great Hall, she was well aware that during breakfast a Howler would arrive via owl sent just for her. She had received them a few times in the past, penned always by her mother, and by now had grown a sense of when they would arrive and knew what she would do when she got one. The confidence she had upon entering the Entrance Hall was nearly tangible, yet there was still plenty of annoyance that she felt for what had to be done.

If only Ascella would mind her own damn business every once in awhile.

There wasn't much she could do about her sister, at least at the moment, so Terebellum entered the Great Hall with Druella in tow. She hadn't told the other girl about her suspicions of a letter arriving that day but didn't feel that it was necessary, after all if she could time everything just right no one would hear what the Howler had to say anyway. Strutting across the room to her table, Terebellum marked an area beside a couple of her first cousins, Heze and Alphecca Longbottom, hoping that if any part of a possible Howler were to be witnessed it could potentially only be heard around family members. Well, and Druella, but chances were she would marry one of Terebellum's cousins anyway so that was hardly a detail to worry about.

There was no greeting between cousins as Terebellum sat next to them, an unspoken agreement that the Black-Longbottom's stuck to their friends while the Black-Crouch's stayed in their own circles. The only exception happened to be Ascella, who made it her duty to correspond with any acceptable family relations they had at school. Bartemius was too caught up in his studies for much of a social life and Terebellum found that although Druella was just as bad as many of the others in the Sacred Twenty-Eight, she at least didn't have the capability nor the drive to share more personal information with her mother.

Plopping down on the bench Terebellum helped herself to some eggs, pancakes and bacon, picking up a bagel on the way as it looked too delicious to pass up. Beside her Druella took a banana and a couple of fresh fruits, the only considerably unhealthy food choice on her plate being one piece of buttered toast. It was only natural that Terebellum ate more, unlike Druella she felt as if good tasting foods were luxuries and she deserved all the luxuries in the world. Luckily she wasn't normally reprimanded at home for her appetite, though Ascella could always find it in herself to give her sister dirty looks. For this, staying at Hogwarts had always been ever more appealing in that avoiding Ascella was somewhat easier.

While she ate Terbellum looked up periodically for any owls that might decide to swoop in, her plan already in order as her Herbology book sat on the surface of the table separating her breakfast from Druella's. Pretending to listen to Druella, Terebellum had been anxious for the arrival of Topaz, the family owl. Just at the corner of her eye she caught Topaz, a sooty owl with greyish black feathers and specks of white, gliding through the air towards the Slytherin table.

Quickly Terebellum pushed her plate to the side and opened her Herbology text. When the letter dropped onto the empty space she shakily opened it. The letter had immediately started hollering.

"TER-"

Terebellum stuffed the letter into the open Herbology pages and slammed the book shut, then shoved it under her cloak. This had muffled the letter's words greatly but the noise had still startled about a dozen of the students around her, including the Longbottom's and Druella, but Terebellum could not focus on that as she still needed to implement the next part of her plan. With speed and a strange amount of grace for the occasion Terbellum slipped out of her seat and dashed out of the Great Hall. Only the Slytherins that she sat around at the table noticed this display.

Once Terebellum made it to the Entrance Hall she pulled her Herbology book out and allowed for the rest of the message to be heard.

"-TIME. REPUTATION IS KEY, TEREBELLUM, AND SINCE YOU CHOOSE TO-"

Doing her best to ignore the yelling, Terebellum ghosted her finger along the written words, trying to read what the letter had been shouting while contained within her book.

To Terebellum Crouch

Terebellum Crouch, why do you choose again and again to make a mockery out of your family name and status!? We are well aware that you had made a ridiculous and immature scheme to escape from your potions class, which neither your father or myself are proud of! You have proven time again that you are not academically inclined such as Bartemius and this is something we can accept and are most certainly not ashamed of. In fact, this trait of yours is the least of anyone's worries and could potentially even help you to become a better wife! But the meandering you do around the halls of Hogwarts, the incident that had happened towards the end of last year, the disrespect you show for your Professors is not the type of attitude that a pureblood witch should obtain!

Seeing as you particularly enjoy having an amorous behaviour, your father and I have decided that these mistakes you have made serve as an example as to why you should dedicate yourself to becoming committed rather than frittering about like some sort of trollop! This will be the last time. Reputation is key, Terebellum, and since you choose to have this flirtatious nature about you we have decided that our only choice is for you to have a match to dedicate yourself to, lest you find that no self-respecting pureblood wizard would want your hand in marriage and that you have spent too much time neglecting your studies that there will be no career for you after Hogwarts.

We may have already picked one by the time this letter gets to you.

Your Mother

Charis Crouch

Alright, this was getting to a whole other level of insane. Terebellum wasn't able to grasp all of it before the parchment burst into little pieces right in her fingertips, becoming a pile of dust at the bottom of her feet, but from what she understood there was no need to know every detail of the stupid message. The gist had been that her mother was having enough of her badassery and went out of her way to find someone for Terebellum to get hitched to before anyone could be turned away by her romantic escapades or lack thereof.

Walking back into the Great Hall casually, Terebellum rejoined Druella and her cousins though the latter two showed no signs of having really noticed her disappearance despite having seen the whole ordeal. The two Slytherins across the table give her open-mouthed and curious looks but Terebellum easily signs them off, as they were most likely just a couple of second years. Maneuvering back into her spot Terebellum almost instantly had Druella coming into her personal space, leaning over just inches from her face.

"Was that a Howler, 'Bellum? What did it say?"

Terebellum pulled away a bit from Druella, not in the mood to act conspiratorial. "I just got scolded for what happened yesterday, Drew, Ascella doesn't know how to keep her big fat gob shut so now my mum's upset with me,"

"Do you think she'll yell at you during Christmas break?"

For a moment Terebellum genuinely considered how her winter vacation would pan out now that she was expected to have a quasi-fiance, but she shooed it out of her mind with a figurative broom, not at all wanting to picture what it would be like if she did end up following her mother's wishes. "Perhaps, if we don't have any guests over it's almost a guarantee. Oi, Heze-"

Terebellum nudged the boy sitting beside her. He turns to face her, with dark eyes much like her own, but his hair is a lighter, soil brown similar to Ascella's. "Yeah?" He answers, eyes glazed over and uninterested.

"You think Aunt Callidora will want to take you lot to come visit us during Christmas?"

"Nah, we're headed to dad's relatives this time, I believe,"

"Okay," She dismissed, and with that he once again faced his sister and their regular group.

"That's practically a definite yes that she'll yell at me. Maybe instead of having turkey for Christmas she'll slow roast me instead. Ascella'll probably fancy that,"

"That's completely insensible, you would probably taste awful," Druella joked, scrunching up her nose. "Besides, she adores you too much even with how barmy you are sometimes,"

"You should try telling her that. Actually, don't she may try to cook you up too. Getting my messed up family out of the way - no offence dear Longbottom's even though you probably aren't listening - how has your breakfast been so far?"

After having a bit of a chat with Druella, Terebellum excused herself to write a corresponding letter. Leaving the Great Hall, this time with no plans of returning until lunch, Terebellum knew that the person she would be writing to would most certainly not be her mother. Any attempt at getting her thoughts on paper would both upset her and in turn get her into deeper trouble with her mother. Rather, as she walked along the hallways passing a couple other students, Terebellum had a totally different person in mind. Once she recited the password and made her way into the Slytherin common room Terebellum plunked herself down at one of the vacant tables and placed her quill and a spare piece of parchment she had before her.

Bringing quill to paper, Terebellum began penning down her message.

To Father

If you know anything about the letter that mother has sent me than you must be just as aware as I am that she has gone completely bonkers. I won't be taking her message seriously by the way, there is no need for me to as I am only fourteen years old and surely you remember what being fourteen is like. Well perhaps you don't, I can imagine that you were studious just as Bartemius and mother was probably just as uptight as Ascella - which is a very weird thought - anyway as I was saying I am just going to take the Howler as mum being too dramatic for anyone's taste.

How have you been, by the way? Christmas break is coming up soon enough and I am not sure what to get you for the holidays. Bartemius seems to think I should get something from Hogsmeade for you, at an antique store, and although I think he might be right I know that's where he'll be getting a gift for you and it would feel tacky to do the same thing. Don't worry too much about whatever gift you get me - as long as it looks wonderful it will probably do. Scratch that, go all out if you'd like, but remember that if mother has any hand in it I'll still only thank you as she has been driving me up the wall lately.

I hope you are not as raving mad as mother is about what had happened in potions class. I know that I don't really live up to your expectations but I highly doubt you would try to punish me so harshly. Though mother probably doesn't think of anything she does as a punishment. Hopefully you will be able to talk some sort of sense into her.

Love,

Terebellum Crouch

Folding the letter Terebellum stuck the parchment into her Herbology book, trusting that if it could keep a Howler in check it could certainly do the same for an innocent letter. Well, mostly innocent with some hints of passive-aggression. One of these days she truly would need to let her anger out on something, but for now Terebellum didn't really want to spoil anything.

It was a bit of a disappointment that Slughorn, upon beginning potions class, instructed that they would be continuing their girding potions. Taking her cauldron from the back cabinet Terebellum placed her work on the table top, and then went to grab from her storage some of the ingredients she would need for the potion. Beside her the Hufflepuff, Roddrick, also had his cauldron out yet when she peeked over at it his was a deep blue. This could either mean that he was one or several steps ahead of her, and on closer inspection she noticed that the only ingredients he had out were the flying seahorses. Only a few more steps until his was complete.

Terebellum might also have been that far along with her potion, if she hadn't messed up twice already and forced to start over each time.

"Yours is looking good, Huffle-boy,"

He had one of the flying seahorses pinched between his fingers and nearly dropped it when she suddenly started speaking.

"Uh, thanks...?" He glanced at hers for a moment. "Have you got a lot ahead of you?"

"One could say that. Surprised you decided to be halfway decent to me today,"

He looked a bit offended at this. "You're one to talk, you've just called me Huffle again after I already asked you not to,"

"Ah ah ah, Roddrick, I called you Huffle-boy. Not the same thing,"

Just then Slughorn came around and miraculously decided to stop by their table, giving Roddrick's progress a once over. "Not bad, my boy, certainly leaps ahead of the last attempt I would say!" Slughorn clapped the Hufflepuff on the shoulder while Terebellum stared openly. On one hand she was irritated that even a random Hufflepuff got more praise than her in this class, and on the other felt a bit better about herself now that it was revealed that Roddrick also had to restart on one occasion.

Then just as spontaneously Slughorn departed from them to finish up the rounds of inspection, though Terebellum hardly concerned herself with that. If one were to ask Terebellum, she would definitively proclaim that Slughorn could go on a trip to the moon and it wouldn't do much for anyone's performance in the class. Dropping some of the toasted dragonfly thoraxes from her container into the cauldron, Terebellum kept one eye on what the Hufflepuff was doing, mostly because she couldn't bring herself to focus on doing just one thing at a time. He'd already slipped one of the little seahorses into the cauldron and was now adding another one. Their potions book hadn't really clarified whether or not they should add all three in at the same time or one by one, or if there should be a bit of a wait between each one... really when potions skills required a certain amount of precision it was a wonder that anyone managed at all with such general instructions.

He must have done something wrong, as the liquid turned a nasty shade of purple, not the green that was supposed to come next. Trying to be subtle Terebellum took a quick glance at his face just to see the reaction. His mouth had turned into a thin line and his thick eyebrows were furrowed, not at all pleased with the outcome. Wordlessly, Roddrick picked up his cauldron and carried it away to the back to, presumably, dump it's contains.

Having distracted herself so much with the goings-on of the Hufflepuff, Terebellum hadn't noticed her own potion until she turned back to it and found that the contents of her cauldron had gone from a lovely shade of pink to a puckish orange instead of the red that it was meant to turn into. Sighing, Terebellum briskly picked up her own cauldron and transported it to the back, running into Roddrick who was currently cleaning up his cauldron for the next go at the girding potion.

"Fancy seeing you here," Terebellum greeted cheekily, dumping her potion-gone-wrong into a drain.

"What're you doing back here?" He'd asked, not looking over his shoulder at her, annoyance clear in his voice.

"For the same reason you are. Well, not exactly, I'm not really sure what you did wrong with your potion seeing as you followed the recipe as well as anyone could, which is why this class has a few flaws in my opinion. No, I-"

"Wait, you were paying attention to what I was doing?"

For just a second, Terebellum felt stuck. But she pulled herself back speedily, probably one of the only useful skills she'd gained growing up. "I admit I was, I always do that with whoever is sitting next to me. Helps me know what I'm supposed to do. Usually since I'm always beside Druella, for potions at least it normally works out,"

"Oh, excuse me for not doing my duty perfectly than. It must be my fault that you had to scrap your potion, right?"

"Did I say that? Did those words literally escape my mouth? No, they hadn't, and I wasn't really implying anything either." Terebellum defended, moving to the opposite side of him and grabbing a rag to manually clean her cauldron. Unfortunately Slughorn didn't like wand-using in his classroom so students were often forced to clean their equipment by their own hand.

"I wouldn't know what you are and aren't implying, Crouch, I have no idea what you're capable of. Which is why I'm not sure what to make of your whole 'nice' act,"

"If you're not so sure than maybe you shouldn't be so open about that, Roddrick, you Hufflepuffs don't even realize how much that honesty flags you as a target. Not that I would personally take advantage of that, I have much better things to do. But-... oh, you're gone." Terebellum noted, looking up to find the space where the Hufflepuff had been now vacant.

With her cauldron scrubbed down Terebellum made her way back to her table to start on the girding potion for a third time. She refused to try and start up any conversation with the Hufflepuff boy again, if he wanted to get over himself than she would make the effort, but only then. At least for the rest of the day's potion class.

"What is it with you and that Hufflepuff boy, 'Bellum?" Druella had inquired once potions was over, on their way back to the Slytherin common room.

"Hmm? What does it seem like to you, Drew? I have to sit next to him for the next couple days in potions class. I'd just rather my girding potion get done eventually, and if I can't have you around to give me tips than I have to get it from someone,"

"Oh... that makes sense I suppose. But you should know that Hufflepuff? He's a Mudblood, just so you know that you're conversing with filth,"

"Uh... good to know?" It was always strange for Terebellum to hear her classmates, never mind good friends, talk about muggle-borns in that way. Normally she associated the supremacist behaviour with that of her stuffy mother and her side of the family, but witnessing those in her own age group speak that way made Terebellum feel uncomfortable and awkward. Although she wasn't strongly against the blood caste system the whole ordeal was just too weird for her to think about, which was part of the reason she never bothered with muggle-borns to begin with. Avoiding the subject was made a lot easier that way.

That was easier done when she hadn't been shoved into a seating arrangement with one of them.

One interesting thing Druella had said was that it was Roddrick who was a Mudblood. For some reason she had got it into her head that it had been a younger friend of his, someone in the same year as Ascella, who had been teased for their status. Really she'd assumed that he just happened to be there and stood up for whoever it was with that infamous Hufflepuff loyalty, and the result had just sort of been Roddrick being dragged into the name-calling. Then again it wasn't too surprising that a Hufflepuff had let himself be bullied by a bunch of underclassmen despite the weird defensiveness that Roddrick had displayed the other day.

Perhaps Ascella had gone too far with him. Terebellum could picture that scenario, as her younger sister often went beyond what any sane person could tolerate.

"I'm just watching out for you, 'Bellum, wouldn't want to get mixed up into the wrong sort now would we?"

"Believe me, Drew, no matter what my marks may reflect about me I am the last person you would see getting personally involved with a Mudblood. As Slughorn said, this is all only temporary,"

It didn't seem wise to mention how said Mudblood barely wanted anything to do with her, that every time they spoke it was her who had to coax any sort of response out of him. There was no reason to draw Druella's attention to that, word spreads easily and in a very short amount of time she could be shafted by pureblood households for something as simple as initiating communication with a Mudlbood. The cautionary action, in retrospect, was incredibly silly but Terebellum knew that most of the things she had to deal with were silly anyway. Especially the laughable letter her mother had sent her. That one took the cake, no doubt.

Sprawled out on a green cushioned couch in the common room, Terebellum had one hand touching the hard, cold ground. Her head hung over the side and every once in awhile she had to pull back her long dark hair as it persisted on draping over and obscuring her vision. Druella sat to the other side of the couch, leaning against the arm rest with one leg crossed over the other. Around them were plenty of other Slytherin's doing schoolwork or chatting amongst each other. Through and through, it was just like any other afternoon in the Slytherin common room, just as dark and ominous as it always is with an odd mixture of camaraderie to go around.

"-all together, okay? When you only add one flying seahorse at a time, they dissolve too quickly and the potion has a funny reaction to it. Then you have to make sure you stir it, alright? Don't just let it heat by itself or else the ingredients won't have been mixed properly,"

"Uh-huh," Terebellum agreed, her voice muffled a bit as the side of her face was pressed against the cushion.

"You should do fine next class, hopefully everyone will finish soon so we can move on. Studying for Arithmancy became tiresome the minute I had to start doing so today,"

"Hello Terebellum, Druella," Someone had greeted though with her eyes on the floor Terebellum couldn't see who it was.

"Oh, hi Cygnus," Druella had returned while Terebellum flipped herself over to flip the newcomer. As Druella had indicated the person who came up to them had been none other than her own second-cousin, Cygnus Black. He stood there, tall and menacing, his dark eyes entirely on Terebellum.

"Hello, Cygnus. What brings a seventh year such as yourself to stop by for a chat with two fourth years?" Terebellum asked cheekily, relaxing herself into a new laying position on the couch.

"Actually I'd like to speak with you, Terebellum. Privately, that is," Now he looked meaningfully towards Druella, who quietly excused herself and scurried away.

Terebellum frowned as she watched her best friend leave. Turning back to Cygnus, who had in the meantime snaked around to join her on the couch, the frown was still present on her face. "Druella is the groveling sort, Cygnus, you should have just let her stay. Now she'll be all grumbley for the rest of the night,"

He shrugs, noncommittal. "She left through her own free will. Besides, I'm sure she wouldn't have wanted to stay in on our conversation either way,"

Terebellum groaned, suspecting on the reason he decided to confront her at all. "My mother didn't tell you to have a few words with me, did she? Listen Black, we both know that I am the only one with the information on what happened between you and that third-year Gryffindor last year, and since everyone already knows about me you've got no dirt. So, in short, there'd better not be any bad reports about me sent to your mummy," She warned.

There never any rest in making sure her good name stayed clean.

He smirked. "For the record, you may not be a Black in name but you are in blood. Though 'Crouch' is respectable all the same. And no, I'm not some little errand boy, I'm sure one of the Longbottom's are already assigned to that. Or more likely Ascella. But it is about family I'll give you that. I received a letter this morning, it was rather interesting,"

Terebellum raised a brow. They both received letters that morning. Already this was not sounding any bit favourable. "So?"

"You got one too, didn't you? I know you did, it was brought up in the letter. Yours was a Howler from your mum, about leaving potions to 'help' Druella right in the middle of class?" Terebellum nodded, and Cygnus continued. "Well mine addressed a few of the same things-"

In that second, Terebellum could feel her heart dropping down to her stomach.

"More specifically, mine had requested that I make you and I a match," He said so casually, so coolly, that one might think under a different context that the letter could have suggested that he invited Terebellum to sit with him during lunch simply because she didn't have any friends of her own.

Trying to play it off with the same amount of self-assurance but failing miserably, Terebellum sat up somewhat from her spot and tilted her head to the side, feigning curiosity. In truth the amount of curiosity she held at the moment could be measured to the same degree of how much she adored Professor Sughorn as a teacher. "Why do you sound so serious about this? I would think that you would find the whole situation to be hilarious at best and awkward at worst. Me and you? You're three years older than me, we-"

He interrupted. "Who cares? I'll be leaving Hogwarts next year-"

"And I'll still be here-"

"Which means I need a fiancee, as of yesterday, so that my parents are off my back. During summer you can come and stay with us at our manor, and while you're here at Hogwarts... well, I'll be enjoying all of life's simple pleasures," He winked.

"Ew... I'd bet you'd shag everyone from here to London if your mother didn't have a leash on you. What on earth makes you think I'd want to marry you, especially after telling me that?"

He leans back, just as confident as ever. A thought snuck up on Terebellum, about how the other fourth year girls were probably watching them right now and she would be badgered by them all night about everything to do with Cygnus Black. That on top of how he had probably silenced Druella for the rest of the night and Cygnus had proved that he was making her evening worse than it already was without even having to bring up any letter. But he did, and that might have ruined the rest of her year.

"Because I'm the most eligible, formidable pureblood at Hogwarts. You may be a bit wild at the moment now Terebellum but you're a good, wholesome girl at heart. You despise who you're supposed to and follow in the correct footsteps just as I do. Together, we could satisfy every desire we could possibly have," As he was talking he inched closer to Terebellum, lifting a lock of her dark hair and smoothing it between his fingers.

He was wrong. Terebellum knew that he was as every word spilled out of his mouth. Yet she wouldn't try to correct him, could never try to correct him. For the moment he was what Charis Crouch wanted for her daughter. Well, one of her daughters.

That gave her an idea. "Couldn't you just go along with Ascella? I'm sure she would love to have you," Terebellum insisted, tilting her head so that Cygnus would lose his grasp on her hair. Thankfully it fell out of his grip giving Terebellum confidence as it swung back to her side.

Cygnus made a face to show his disapproval. "I'd never, Ascella is the type of girl who tries to take control of every situation handed to her. Not to mention she doesn't quite have the same noble features that you possess,"

So that was part of it. He wanted little clone Black babies for his clan to continue perfectly and cleanly. No muss or fuss, no chance that his children would gain any other looks than the aristocratic ones handed down to them. The ones that would mark them as undeniable members of the House of Black, if the name they would already be gaining weren't enough. Terebellum had to hold back a gagging sound, even she wasn't so full of herself to put such efforts into making sure any of her potential offspring were exactly like her. Bloody hell, she never even gave it that much thought! She had her mother to do that for her, and the woman probably gained about fifty more grey hairs from doing so.

Terebellum managed to disguise her sound of disgust as a scoff instead, seeing that there was no need to offend one of the few chances she had at getting into the good graces of her mother once more. "Cygnus it is all nice and lovely that you have this stage of your life planned out but as far as 'wooing' me goes, I would have to give you a zero. Perhaps if you could manage to get me to want to become your match, than I might consider. Until then, I'm afraid our mother's will only manage to see us as a couple in their daydreams,"

Sweeping herself up from the couch Terebellum dodged a few pieces of furniture and people as she quickly made her way to her dormitory, hoping that she didn't look as much like a wreck as she felt. Three out of three of the Slimy Snake girls followed behind her at a brisk pace and as she went on Terebellum felt a sadistic twist as she pictured their faces once they heard of her 'engagement'. If she even bothered to tell them. Now though, she was more focus on finding Druella.

They needed to have a nice long chat, and Terebellum was thinking that it should be after proper hours.


A/N:

The next and LAST semester of my high school career starts tomorrow. And I have Bio and Math :( But enough about me, a lot went down in this chapter and yet again, the lighthearted train continues! I hope I gave Cygnus Black the right amount of cocky/entitlement/wealthy bastard vibe. Though honestly I kinda like him for some reason. I have a hard time NOT liking character's that I shouldn't :P

Thanks to NightmarePrince, Whitetiger91 and Summer Leigh Wind for reviewing last chapter :)

If you liked the story or have any critics I'd love to hear about it in a review! Thanks for reading.