Of all the crazy things she had done, this would definitely be the worst. Cora Green let her emerald eyes roam over the great hall of the Ministry of Magic, and gave a small sigh. Witches and wizards were buzzing around like bees in a hive. Some in a hurry. Some in a relaxed conversation with a colleague. The look of them all, made her palms sweat.

So far no one had recognized her, but that wouldn't last long if she kept lingering by the muggle entrance. Another quick glance around the hall and she spotted the elevator that would take her down to the courtroom.

Here we go.

Her black heels echoed ominously on the black marble floor, or at least she thought they did.

Passing through the hall, she didn't dare look neither left nor right, but focused on the goal ahead with a sense of steel-like confidence. Her black dress swooshed around her ankles and would have given a certain potions teacher a fair competition in drama and flare. The thought made her smirk, but it quickly evaporated when she reached the elevator and the doors opened. Damn it.

Two wizards in purple and blue, in a passionate conversation about the Holly Harpies, stood in front of her.

Cora resisted the nervous urge to pull some of her hair behind her ears. She stared blankly ahead at them and carefully roamed their minds for some signs of recognition. Nope, still all about Quidditch. She stepped into the elevator, and elegantly turned her back against them.

As the elevator traveled further and further down, and the wizards eventually stepped out, she was reminded of the day that the whole circus began.

"Better for who, exactly?" Cora turned around sharply. Her eyes were ablaze, and one could practically see smoke coming out of her ears.

"For everyone." Her once favorite professor said calmly. Professor Snape stood as stoic as ever behind his old desk. His arms were crossed, his black attire flawless and he had bottles of Merlin-knew-what all around him. He was in his sanctuary, while she had nothing of the sort.

Although calm and collected, Cora could see a small twitch in his left eye. Or maybe she'd imagined it.

"Everyone..." She fought to find a sense of tranquillity, a straw to hold on to, but found none. "Everyone, except me, that is."

He didn't reply.

After a short contest of staring each other down, Professor Snape gave a small sigh, or maybe she'd imagined that too, before sitting down behind his desk. He began scribbling on a piece of parchment, while keeping his gaze low, and the sound infuriated her even further.

"So that's how it's going to be then? I have no say in this?"

"It's been decided."

"Decided..." she huffed, and searched the ceiling for an answer. "You know what I had decided for my 17th birthday?"

She waited until he lifted his eyes. They reminded her of the Black Lake - dark, deep and emotionless. She took a few steps towards him, while her own eyes were burning with unshed tears. "I was going to celebrate. Celebrate that I was finally my own person - a woman. And now, thanks to you... and my father..." The last word came out as a hollowed whisper. "I'll forever be bound to him and his most faithful Death Eater."

"Cora..."

She held her hands up in defense, while shaking her head violently. If she didn't find her way out of there quickly, she would surely suffer the humiliation of falling into a bawling ball on the floor.

For her racing heart and misty eyes, she could not see the pain that occurred in his. She spun around and bolted for the door, before slamming it shut and running as far as she could away from there.

The world was a blur of fury and tears. And before she knew it, she had run a mile into the Black Forrest and had no idea where she was.

Her heart was racing rapidly. Her breath was shallow. She half-expected a monster coming out of the woods at any second, and the thought made her frantic. After spinning around a time or two, she saw lights of glitter on her right hand and decided to follow them.

The lights became stronger, as she made her way past dark trees, bushes and large roots, and led her to a stony bank by the lake.

Cora stopped and drew in several deep breaths.

She lifted her head towards the grey sky and the few sunbeams that lured their way through it, and closed her eyes.

A strong wind was blowing through her school uniform, rustling her skirt and chilling her to the bone, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Her father, and that stupid marriage law, had decided that she would marry Severus Snape, and that was that.

She opened her eyes, and her gaze fell on the mighty steeples of Hogwarts.

How massive it was.

She hugged herself, lips quivering from the crying and the cold, and just stared at the scenery. After a little while, the wind settled and the Black Lake was as still as glass. The mountains, trees and mighty castle mirrored almost perfectly on the surface of its waters. It was absolutely mesmerizing.

Cora remembered the first time she saw the school and how excited she'd been about her new home. How amazing it had been to meet others with the same magical abilities, and how easy she'd gotten along with her fellow Slytherins - despite the fact that she was an orphan.

Some of that she owed to Draco. He had elegantly taken her under his wing, because he'd found her mysterious and intriguing. She figured she had been a sort of substitute after Harry Potter rejected his friendship, but she didn't mind. Draco was fun, clever and came from a wealthy family.

He was adamant that a simple muggle would've never been sorted into Slytherin. The fact that she also attended Hogwarts one year ahead of her time, turning 11 almost one month after the school had started, was also peculiar. Therefore Cora had to be special, and he wanted to find out why.

When Cora had asked professor Snape about the latter, he'd only replied that professor Dumbledore had his reasons. Neither had brought up the matter in the years that followed.

Four years into their friendship, Draco's curiosity was finally rewarded. They were first cousins. If it hadn't been for him, and his father's connections at the Ministry, Cora would have lived in blissful ignorance as an orphan.

Despite not being utterly pleased with her lineage, she was glad to call Draco family. Their friendship had been one of the many things that made Hogwarts home.

Now it felt like a prison, and Cora had never felt so alone.

She stayed at the bank for hours, just staring across the waters, wondering what to do next. Option after option popped into her mind, but she disregarded them all. At the end she reached the conclusion that she could either marry professor Snape, go against her father or kill herself.

The last two options would probably end in the same way, and since she didn't have a solid death-wish, there was only one option left.

It would happen tonight, on September 26th, before her 17th birthday. That way, she wouldn't be bound to some stranger that the Ministry had pointed out for her. Someone her father most certainly would kill, so she'd had to pick another. She'd be a black widow before long, unless she married Snape.

She shuddered at the thought.

Dark skies were gathering in the horizon, and the ice-cold, late September-wind was coming back in full force. Her little piece of sanctuary was becoming too unbearable. With a sigh she made her way slowly back to the castle.

It was almost time for supper. Although she didn't have much of an appetite, she joined her fellow students in the Great Hall. She figured she'd pretend like nothing had happened.

Pansy Parkinson was gabbing away into Draco's ear, no doubt hoping the Marriage Law would couple them together or that he would propose during the evening. Draco barely noticed her, and looked rather annoyed that she would cling to him in such an unseemingly fashion.

The thought made Cora smile a little. She would hate to have Parkinson around for the holidays at the Malfoy manor. Maybe the Ministry would be so kind to couple her cousin together with someone less unbearable. Someone nice.

Fat chance.

Cora lifted the large, white cup of chamomile tea to her lips, and noticed how the older parts of the student body looked rather tense. A group of Gryffindor girls were huddled in a whisper, a Hufflepuff girl was crying her eyes out and several couples were already declaring their love for each other. There would undoubtedly be a couple of proposals before midnight.

Not that Cora thought it would matter much. The letter from the Ministry had been short and informative - all witches and wizards between 17 and 40 were required to marry and deliver a baby within the first 3 years of marriage.

The letter, however, had been very little specific about engagements and relationships. So many of the students at Hogwarts were under the impression that they still had a voice in the matter. Regardless, Cora figured that if the Ministry could push through such an intrusive law in the first place, then why would they care about people being engaged? After all, marriage was the only thing that was binding in the Wizarding World.

Exhausted by the whole conundrum, her eyes wandered further around the Great Hall, until they landed on professor Snape. He looked deep in thought, almost painfully so, and hardly noticed the rest of the room.

Cora bit her lip. What kind of life would he give her? Outside of Hogwarts she hardly knew the man. Other than that he was Draco's godfather, and mostly kept to himself during the few Death Eater meetings she'd attended. He'd always treated her justly as a teacher, but how he was as a spouse, was a completely different matter.

Up until Dumbledore's death, she'd imagined that professor Snape had only become a Death Eater to spy on her father, on Dumbledore's orders. She'd looked up to him, and thought that out of all the teachers at Hogwarts, he was the one that resembled her the most. Honest, loyal and with a sharp wit.

After that horrible night at the Astronomy Tower, she realized how mistaken she had been.

Her father's favorite Death Eater was no better than the Carrows - brutal, treacherous and cunning. A stereotype Slytherin.

Suddenly the headmaster's black eyes met hers. Undoubtedly wondering why she was staring at him, and if she had decided to marry him or not. She bit her lip again and let her eyes fall to her half-empty plate. If she took another bite of the otherwise delicious pumpkin-pie she would most certainly throw up.

Cora could feel how his stern gaze rested upon her. The feeling made her sweat, like taking a test she hadn't studied for. Still, she kept her inner walls up high. Under no circumstance would she allow him into her mind.

"Are you alright?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" Draco, who had steered Pansy over to an idolizing 5th-year Slytherin girl, leaned forward. His hushed tone made Cora annoyed.

"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" The words came out at a normal volume, but a little too fast.

"You're as pale as a ghost." He looked almost concerned.

"Thank you for that," she quipped and took another sip of her tea, just for show.

"Sorry, I just -"

"It's nothing." She gave him a vane smile, but could see he wasn't buying it.

"Do you know what's going to happen tomorrow? Who you'll -"

"Yes! I mean - no." She shook her head. "Never mind."

Draco's lips became a thin line. He wasn't letting the matter slide, but she had no intention of letting the whole school know who exactly she was going to marry.

"It's been decided."

Cora poked in the remains of her pumpkin-pie, and dared a glance up at the teacher's table. Professor Snape was now in a conversation with one of the Carrows and seemed irritated. Good. She locked eyes with Draco again, and when she was sure that no one else was paying attention, she mouthed "Snape."

Draco's eyes darted up at the Headmaster and back to her, before mouthing "What?! When?"

"Tonight."

Cora touched her temple slightly, so they could continue their conversation in silence, and asked: "May I?"

Draco nodded.

"Where will it take place? Will your father be there?"

"To give me away, you mean?" She could see that Draco didn't find the imagery quite as amusing as she did. "Yes. He has requested that we meet him down by the Black Lake at 11 o'clock, and the rest I don't know. For all I know he might wed us himself." The thought almost made her laugh. Not quite the material for a sentimental episode of "Say YES to the dress".

"No one told me about it." His brow furrowed.

"When have we ever been given all the details?" Cora rolled her eyes.

"True, but why tonight? You're not 17 yet."

"That's the point. For when I'm 17 the Ministry decides who I should marry, and my father doesn't want that. He wants me to marry someone he can control." She almost regretted telling him the last part, and gave her blonde cousin a pointed look. "If you tell anyone I said that, I will wipe your entire memory clean."

"You love me too much for that." Now it was Draco's time to smirk, before getting serious again. "I won't tell." She believed him.

After the death of Dumbledore, she and Draco had found a mutual understanding and trust. They both hated their situation, and the legacy from their parents, with equal measure of disgust.

On the outside, however, they roamed the halls of Hogwarts as sovereign king and queen. Even some of the teachers were nervous around them, and were careful not to step on their toes, especially hers. That, Cora actually didn't mind. Although, it often felt rather lonely, being on top of the food chain and not knowing who to trust.

"Tomorrow will be a very different day," she sighed. "I hope he doesn't expect me to sit at the teacher's table. People are already giving me long looks as it is."

"They're just scared that you will tell your father about their behavior and that he'll do something to their families." Draco said, rather nonchalantly, before remembering his own situation and then his face grew very dim.

"Exactly. I wish the world would go back to normal. You know, before all of this."

"Me too."

They exchanged a couple of sad smiles, before Cora broke the connection between them. She glanced up at the teacher's table again and found Snape's black eyes. She gave a small, but firm nod, which he slowly, almost invisibly, returned. She wasn't going to make a run for it, and now he knew it too.