Aquila forced herself to wait until eleven thirty before she set out to find Dudley. Since his father was gone - work - and Petunia was off having tea with Piers's mother, he was alone, as Potter seemed to be somewhere. She knocked on the door and practically vibrated with excitement. Merlin, her mother was going to get a large cake for this - made specifically with her own hand.

"Woah, what are you-?" he began, surprised to see her.

Aquila squealed, pushing past him and into the house. "Okay, so quick question before I press on and I want a completely honest answer, alright?"

"You're like really excited about something," Dudley observed slowly. He eyed her before looking down at her hands, grabbing his forearms as she turned him to face her. "Alright?"

"Do you think you'd like Quidditch?"

"Yeah, sounds a lot like rugby and footie, really," Dudley admtited. "You know, with flying and stuff."

She smiled and jumped a little in excitement before pulling him further into his house. "Okay, well, I have an extra ticket to the try-outs, and the match, and Mum just gave the go-ahead, so if you want to come along, you're absolutely able to! I just need to know by Friday so we can get you a Ministry pass and-"

"Your mother said this?"

"Yeah, you're invited to come along. It'd be Angelina, her parents, Fred and George Weasley, and Alicia Spinnet, and you'd get to meet Aidan Lynch, probably the rest of Ireland's team, and they'd take us to the match with them after the final day. I mean, you'd obviously have to ask your parents and whatnot, but it'd be completely free and all you'd need is to pack clothes." Aquila released him suddenly. "And if you want to meet everyone beforehand, Angelina says we could have like a big sleepover with everyone at her Manor so you can get to know them beforehand. I mean, I don't know when you start school, and what not, so, that could interfere I guess, but it's totally up to you. It's completely fine if you don't want to go, or you can't. And it's totally safe, if you're worried about that. And Merlin, my mother's been thinking about this since after dinner last night, so I just got the news like seven this morning and I didn't know when you were awake or anything, so yeah, I've been driving my mother crazy."

"What days are they?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"August fifth until the fifteenth. Fifth would be Angelina's. The sixth is a Sunday, and that's the first day of trials. And the thirteenth is the last day of trials. The fourteenth is a Monday and the day of the match. And Tuesday, in case the match lasts a while so we can crash either at Angelina's or the camp or something." Aquila bit her lip as she flushed. "Oh, and, uh, sorry for sort of attacking you like that."

"That'd be wicked," he admitted. He smiled at her, "How did you get an extra ticket?"

Cedric. "Well, Angelina was going to give it to Fred and George's sister Ginny, but Ginny's too young. And she thinks you'd enjoy it a lot. I mean, I know you just started to hear about the wizarding world, but yeah... she likes you. She thinks you'll fit in with our friends and stuff... But no pressure. Absolutely no pressure."

She played with the hair over her shoulder as he seemed to think it over. "Yeah, I'll ask Mum and Dad when they get home."

"And if Potter asks why you go," Aquila grinned, hearing him chuckle, "let him know it's because he's not exactly in our circle of friends and he is a bit too targeted for me to enjoy the flying." She bit her lip as she grinned up at him. "So yeah, that's basically all I had to say. Offer you a week away from Little Whinging."

"Well, I don't have school, so that won't interfere. That doesn't start until about September fifth." Dudley shrugged his shoulder. "Uh, what are you-"

She knew he was going to ask what she was doing for the day, so she quickly interceeded. "My mum is just finishing unpacking and there's about five boxes left that she really wants to get through today, and I'm trying to stay in her good graces for the next few weeks so I'm sort of giving her me time." Aquila giggled in just happiness. Merlin, she couldn't remember being so happy in a while. "And even greater news, I'm not getting in an arranged marriage, and I'm not forced to marry some guy. She just said she has to approve. And Merlin, I couldn't sleep last night, I was practically leaping around the house. Like, this is not as excited as I was earlier."

She blushed in embarrassment as he laughed and she tried to calm down, but simply couldn't. "So, because of that, I'm sort of appeasing my mother with whatever she asks. So, I'll probably see you whenever. But I have to unpack the house and hopefully that's all the heavy labor she's forcing me to do to hang out with her." She hugged him suddenly and then pulled away, her cheeks turning pink. "Right, well, you have until Friday, but if we, for some reason, don't see each other after you find out, just stop by or whatever."

He chuckled. "Alright. I'll be sure you're the first I inform."

"Alright, thanks! Sorry, again, for just sort of barging in and stopping by unanounced..." She shrugged, giggling to herself. "I mean, you could have done anything or had anyone over and-"

"I'm not as popular as you think I am," Dudley cut her off, chuckling. "But, yeah, I'd really like to come."

She hugged him again, a little longer than the two seconds of last time. He was tall, though, so it was a difficult, and she fell back on her heels after a few more seconds, biting her lip and clasping her hands in front of her. "Right, well, I need to go. Have a good day and I'll see you... yeah, I'll see you." She bounced past him and towards the door. "Bye, Doc."

"Bye." She closed the door behind her and was halfway down the road when she squealed and sprinted the rest of the way home. Her mother glanced up at her entrance.

"And his response?"

"He's excited, but he has to ask his parents first. I told him that I have until Friday to request the Muggle pass." Aquila grabbed the nearest box, full of even more China. Honestly, how much China did they need and transfigured the armoire to be a little wider, giving her room to add another set. "Mother, thank you for this. It's really unexpected and... and I really appreciate it."

"I know, you've told me about eighteen times already in the past hour," Euryale admitted.

"Oh, right," Aquila muttered, lining the plates up along the free space and then working with the tea cups. A permanent dust removal charm followed.

Her and her mother were oddly silent as the day wore on, collapsing the last box just as the sun began to go down. Polly made a simple meal of roast and potatoes and Aquila sat across from her mother, the silence comforting, yet at the same time making Aquila anxious. Merlin, what? It was like her mother was going to say something to dash Aquila's hopes at eternal freedom away.

"I don't want you to run away," Euryale said at last. "I know it runs in the family, but please don't."

"I don't need to, now," Aquila admitted carefully. Her mother looked up sharply. "If I was going to run away, it would have been over the marriage contract thing..." She cleared her throat uncomfortably. Her mother's blonde hair had been put up in a rather Muggle style and her clothing was very casual. Her mother was changing, too, it seemed. Maybe Muggle areas were a good influence. "I was thinking of actually running to Sirius, if I had. He would have understood. He was in the same predicament as I back then, only he had the Dark Mark pressure as well." Aquila swallowed and played with the potatoes on her plate, mashing one up. She couldn't meet her mother's gaze, put a part of her wished she would. "I would have gone through drastic measures to get out of those marriage contracts. I mean, I don't even speak Italian."

"What if a nice fellow offers to marry you?" Euryale asked. "Like maybe ... Neville Longbottom, you know, that boy a year younger than you. Or maybe Anthony Otterburn." Aquila blinked.

"Are they?"

"Well, I received a letter from Simon Otterburn's father. Simon's just graduated, friends with Evan, it seems, and he is rather handsome." Euryale continued quickly as Aquila gave her plate a stab. "He's offering ten million galleons for your hand-"

"I don't want to be bought like some cattle," Aquila snapped. She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Let me guess, you've accepted. Nice wizard that will keep me in Britain, so you can visit your grandchildren and gush about how they're so perfect and how their Pureblood lineage will put me into the goodgraces with the Dark Lord, hmm?"

"Aquila..." Euryale warned. "Just listen to me. Now, he's said that the terms of the marriage would be children after three years of marriage. And he would like to get married this Christmas-"

"Absolutely not," Aquila interrupted. "Mother, I'm not even of age yet! I can't get married when I'm barely seventeen-"

"I understand that, but you-"

"No, mother, please. You said that you just had to approve of who I dated!" Aquila reminded her, her eyes wide. "You can't just... you can't just break this one ounce of hope I had in choosing my own husband. I don't care if my marriage would be acceptable to the Dark Lord. I loathe the Dark Lord, as do you. So I'm sorry if I see no point in forcing me to marry a man that I barely know in order to satisfy an evil person because you're scared he'll target me. News flash, mother. He will target Harry Potter. Not me. We all know that. Potter and his friends. I may go to his house, but I'm not friends with Potter, so-"

"He won't just target Mr. Potter and his friends. He'll target anyone in the Order-"

"Exactly, so who I marry doesn't matter. I'll be in the Order no matter what."

Her mother frowned slightly. "Ten million galleons is a lot more than-"

"I don't care about galleons," Aquila insisted. "We have plenty - enough to get us by. Enough for my grandchildren to live off of. We don't need to trade me in for anything. Am I worth ten million galleons to you? Is ten million my breeding price?"

"Aquila, you're worth far more than ten million galleons, but he's a good man-"

"So what you said last night, that was all a lie?" Aquila demanded. "I truly have no choice in who I marry?"

"He's an Order member-"

"I can't believe this. You even confirmed the decision with me after our conversation and it all changes with one letter and ten million galleons? You're trading me for a new wardrobe! Do you realize that-?"

"I'm not trading you. We'd still see each other-"

"I have school," Aquila informed her. "I can't get married in the middle of my sixth year! I have Quidditch matches to do - I'm being named Captain! I can't just... You can't just expect me to throw that all away. I thought I'd get to do what I could in school - I always thought I could finish whatever unfinished business I wanted to in school because I always knew that after I'd never get to do what I wanted. I just..." She dropped her fork and stood quickly. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be in my room."

"Aquila, wait-Let's just talk about this-"

"There is no talking," Aquila insisted. "My say in the matter matters nothing to you. Any man that flashes a bit of gold at you and you'll marry me off to his eldest son!" Merlin, she had been so happy, so ready to do things her way. She should have known better. "I'm your daughter - your only daughter! You can't just ... Obviously you can."

Aquila made to leave, but a flick of Euryale's wand and the door shut and Aquila couldn't go that way. She moved towards the living room, intent on leaving through there, but she bounced off the shield that was cast between the non-existant wall of the living and dining room. "I'm letting you go to the Quidditch rubbish with that boy down the road-"

"Rubbish?" Aquila said in astonishment. "Rubbish? It's everything I've ever dreamed of, to go to these things. You've never had a problem in the past, but suddenly I'm so excited about rubbish and you... you're marrying me off for rubbish and my life is just rubbish. What would Evan say? What would dad say? You know Dad never wanted me to be in an arranged marriage. He told you that. Evan even told me that you talked about it often. He refused to put me in a contract-"

"That was different," Euryale muttered.

"How is it different? It's the same thing! You're marrying me off to make our vault just a bit fuller. We don't need the money, there's no point in marrying me off. I'm not you, mother. I'm not-" She felt tears leak down her cheeks and brushed them away. "I'm not happy with staying at home and bearing children. Maybe you are, maybe you aren't... I don't even know... I've never been happy with it. I want to experience the world, I want to see all there is to see. I want to live and breathe freedom. I want to play Quidditch until I'm physically sick of it. I want to write articles in Quidditch Monthly. I want to wait to get married until I'm like twenty-five. That's the normal thing. That's... life. Life isn't staying at home, listening to the matches in private because it's improper for a woman to want to listen to a male's sport, coddling eighteen children because your husband spoils them to think they're better than Muggles and Muggleborns. Life isn't being some man's pillow and some man's trophey. Life is being yourself. Life is being... happy."

Euryale sniffed. "Yes, and I was happy being just what you think life isn't-"

"But we're different people!" Aquila cried. "I'm a tom-boy. I'm a certified 'one of the guys'. I'm not some lady. Maybe in title, but ... not in person. I love getting down and dirty in the mud, I love flying in the rain and snow. I'm okay with breaking my arms or legs in practice or in matches, because, bloody hell, it's exhilerating. And I'll sleep for months in a tent, if it meant I was having fun. I'd live in the woods with no access to running water for years. I'd cut all my hair off and live in the Muggle world. I'd train for years in the harshest of conditions and the worst of locations if it meant I did what I loved. I'd get tan and have cracked nails and-" her mother had already visibly cringed, but this seemed to be too much. "And I'd have split ends and live on two sickles. I'd rather prefer it to this... this sheltered self that has to sneak out to do anything that's considered improper. I love being me. I love being able to put on my pratice clothes, or a jersey, and just go out there and do what I do best - and if I get dirty or hurt, bloody hell, good!"

"Your father wanted me to do what was best for you. Those Quidditch matches could kill you-"

"It's completely safe," she insisted. "I've been doing it since I was young enough for dad to teach me how to ride a broom, Evan to make me faster and stronger on them. And then Hogwarts... Aidan Lynch, the Irish seeker, taught me how to play Quidditch! The moment he put that beaters bat in my hand, I realized just how much I wanted it. He wants me to play for the Ireland team - the national team the season after this. And Merlin, I want to so bad. Bloody hell, mother, when have I ever not wanted to play? When have I ever lasted long without a broom? I've literally gone all summer without it and I'm dying. When have I ever not just gone into the garden after it rained and just gotten in a mud fight with Evan? When have I ever been a proper lady? I'm a girl that wants to roll in the mud and fly in the rain. I'm not a polished princess of a far off land. I'm sorry."

"I know I told you that your future would be yours to decide, but, Aquila... Maybe I was wrong-"

"Please, mother, please don't do this to me..."

"We all must make sacrifices," Euryale told her sharply. "We have to sacrifice something for the war, and maybe your freedom to marry is one of them."

"It's not just my freedom to marry, though," Aquila informed her. "It's my entire future. It's everything. If I married that Otterburn bloke, I'd have to go to Ministry balls, smile and be polite, talk about the children, inform everyone I was expecting my eighth child in ten years. I'd have to put make up on and wear dresses and heels all the time, and I can only go out with friends with my husband's permission. No listening to matches on the radio, no attending matches, no anything. I can't have a career, I don't have a future besides being a house wife... I'm not marrying Simon Otterburn, I'm not marrying anyone. I refuse to get married. If I'll be an eighty year old bachelorette, so be it. But I refuse to get married."

"I never had a choice with who I married-"

"So you don't want me to either?" Aquila demanded. She threw up her hands and moved towards the door again. "Let me go to my room, please."

"Aquila-"

"Please."

"I just want you to be happy."

"Then you need to start learning what makes me happy." Aquila was released and the door slammed against the wall, indenting the drywall, as she rushed up the stairs to her own room, slamming the door shut and leaning against it as tears escaped. Merlin's beard. She slammed her open palm against the door and sighed.

"So, I guess this is a bad time."

She gasped, flying around and her wand immediately pointing to the person sitting atop her bed. She had to wipe at the tears in her eyes, her heart beating fast in fear, but flipping the light on, her wand fell to her side and her brow furrowed. "Bloody hell, you scared me to death. What are you doing here?"

His tanned skin, shaggy brown hair, and wide, perfect smile made Aquila unable to frown. She gave him a small smile as he shrugged. "Missed you, kiddo."

She leaped toward him, tackling in a hug. "Merlin, Evan, you're getting married in like what? Few weeks? Bloody hell, does mum even know you're here?"

"Of course not," Evan laughed. She placed a hand firmly over his mouth, shushing him. When he finally quieted, he continued quietly while Aquila cast a silencing charm around her room. "Yeah, Rosa Javier... She's bloody amazing, Aquila. I wish you'd meet her."

"Why are you even here?" she asked, confused. "I mean, you should be in Spain."

"The Order called me in on business," he shrugged. "I got finished early, so I thought I'd stop by. I heard the scream fest downstairs and stuck up here and found your room..." He paused as Aquila collapsed on the bed, groaning. "What was that about?"

"Last night, she told me that she was cancelling my contracts to those blokes in Italy... But, well..." She glanced towards Evan as he laid beside her. "After she told me I could go to Quidditch with this boy down the road, she broke the news that Simon Otterburn is asking to marry me. Well, not Simon specifically, but his dad." Aquila covered her face with her hands. "And I was so sure that I'd be free to try out for Ireland and whatever I wanted now that I don't have to have my future dictated, but of course not."

"But ... but that's not fair! I'm not in a contract."

"Because you made a respectable engagement to Rosa Javier," Aquila muttered. "She even promised that all she had to do was approve of whoever I wanted to marry, promised to my fucking face, Ev, and then just as I'm so sure that I could make something happen for myself, she's already taking back her word!"

"I'm going to talk to her," Evan insisted. "How much was it?"

"Ten million. Merlin, Evan... What am I going to do? Angelina said I could live with her if I run away." Aquila bit her lip as she glanced at him, her hands falling away. He seemed to consider it. "I was thinking Sirius, though. He's sort of understanding on the whole Black pressure thing. Bloody hell, you got away, you lucky bastard."

Evan chuckled. "Yeah, well, it wasn't easy. I had to beg for that mission. . . You'd love Spain, Aquila. I'd offer to take you back with me, but you have school... and a new boyfriend?"

"No," Aquila answered the unasked question. "He's just a friend. Potter's Muggle cousin..." Evan raised an eyebrow. "Great bloke, Evan, he really is. And I probably would be dating him, but... But Cedric and... Every time I sleep, I still see Cedric's dead body."

"Cedric doesn't deserve your grief," Evan said stiffly. "That bastard... if you would have told me he was doing that to you, I swear... I thought you guys broke up that's why I was so-"

"Oh, no, we definitely didn't," Aquila muttered. "Because I'm an idiot. I know he doesn't deserve it, but that doesn't change how I felt about him. Merlin, I was so in love with him. He made me rethink marriage. I wanted to marry him, because I knew that we would have been able to have our own futures. He was going to work in the Ministry, he encouraged Quidditch for me..." She huffed. "And then Cho fucking Chang. Bloody hell, what did I even see in her? She's the worst friend ever."

"And Mum accepted the marriage proposal? Merlin, Simon's a slimey git! I know I was friends with him, but bloody hell, Ella, you can't marry him! He's a right git. Always toyed with his girlfriends. Got sex and left."

She frowned. "That's not even all. He wants to get married over Christmas break. This coming Christmas break."

"What!?" Evan cried, sitting up and staring at her with astonishment.

"Yeah," Aquila muttered. "So I probably would be knocked up before I even get to Seventh Year. Joyous."

"Has mum completely lost her mind?"

"I sure hope so, because this is ridiculous!" Aquila insisted. "I always knew Quidditch was off the table, but this... She just wants the money, you know that. It's always been about gold."

"That's it, you're living with me."

Aquila laughed. "No, I'm not. I don't even know Spanish."

"Yeah, well, I speak English, Rosa speaks English, you'll be fine."

"Is she really pregnant?" Aquila asked him suddenly. "That's what mum said."

Evan frowned. "What? No, we haven't even slept together. But with the war, we just wanted to get as many years together as possible. We both know it could be bad... She's an Order member, too. Her whole family is. They run the branch in Spain."

"Oh... Well, I can't live in Spain... I have Hogwarts - Davis said he was telling Flitwick and I that he was naming me captain since he graduated." She sighed. "But then again, I'd rather be single than have a husband my second term of sixth year, learning Spanish doesn't sound bad either."

Evan laughed. "Well, I mean, I can take you to the Order... You could live with Sirius until school starts-"

"But..." She frowned, thinking of Dudley. She'd never see him. "I don't know, Evan... I don't want to make a scene-"

"Yeah, but you also don't want to get married. So it's either you stay here or you go to Sirius, because I doubt Angelina would like to be contacted this late-"

"It's only eight."

Evan sighed and leaned against her headboard as he crossed his legs in front of him. "Have you pulled the Dad card?"

Aquila snorted. "Last resort. Of course I have. Over dinner, which was how the argument all started. She says it isn't the same thing."

"Bullshit," Evan insisted, running a hand through his shaggy hair. Merlin, did he have stubble? Since when? Aquila didn't even know he hit puberty! "Merlin's balls, Aquila, when did she get mental? I mean, I know she's always talked about it-"

"Yeah, well as soon as you left she was convinced that you were going to die in Spain, and she'd never get any grandchildren out of you, so she started talking to the Zabini family in Milan and some other family - I never listened that far - where I had three brothers that would compete over me. And just yesterday I convinced her they could turn bad, and she agreed it was a bit foolhardy... So, it took two months just to get that. I have a month until school for just one guy, and I don't think I can do it. Not when they keep offering her millions of galleons."

"She knows we don't need them-"

"Yeah, I said that," Aquila admitted. "She didn't listen."

"I'm going to talk to her, and if she doesn't listen, I'm taking you to Sirius."

He rose from the bed and Aquila was after him in an instant, grabbing his arm. "She's already angry-"

"Tough shit," Evan insisted. "You're my little sister. You're not marrying one of the biggest idiots in Hufflepuff. And she doesn't even know him, how can she decide what's best for you. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, you're going to be a celebate nun in Spain and they take that shit seriously."

Aquila giggled as he opened the door, "Evan, please, I-"

"You can either stay here, or listen in but not be seen. Because this is going to be good."

"Ugh," Aquila sighed following him. "How come you always know how to get me to follow you into something that's probably a bad idea?"

"Because I'm your brother. I have to do something cool."

"You look good, you know," Aquila admitted as they walked down the stairs. "Spain's been good to you."

"No, Rosa's been good to you," he winked.

She stopped from following into the dining room, but she heard her mother's exclamation of surprise. Merlin, this was going to be a nightmare. She should have stopped him. Body bind, maybe even a slumber charm. Maybe locking him in her wardrobe while she let him figure out how to get out and that would distract him enough to forget about it. He had come to see her, not her mother. He had come to check in, not argue. Merlin, that was why he left in the first place.