Her Single Rose (Remus Lupin)

Twenty-One

Regulus and Aries were told they only needed to have their wands and their house elf, Kreacher, would pack a few pieces of clothing for them.

The two had left Dumbledores office by floo network and found themselves in the Malfoy Manor. Aries was rushed up to the second floor by her mother and separated from her brother who was being rushed by her father into another room on the first floor.

Her mother walked quickly but with poise and confidence, her steps almost looked like they had been measured to perfection.

Aries had forgotten how large the Malfoy Manor really was until they had walked down a couple corridors.

She was hurried into a room where Bellatrix and Narcissa were. Sadly even though Andromeda was a sister of the Blacks, she was blasted off the family tree like Sirius and wasn't to make the ceremony.

Her reasons were different, she's now happily married to Ted Tonks somewhere, Aries hadn't spoken to her in some time.

"Now, your dress is hanging in the washroom, Winky will come up and do your hair." Walburga said before shutting the doors.

There was a short silence in the room, full of uncomfortable tension.

"Congratulations, Cissy." Aries spoke, she was surprised how confident she sounded when deep down she wasn't too sure she should be in the room with those two alone.

"Yes, well, it's not like I have a choice. Andromeda is almost lucky." Narcissa muttered as she turned to face the full length mirror again.

Her dress was surprisingly white, long and flowy. It reached her ankles where you could clearly see her silver shining heels.

"We do not speak of that traitor. We get to serve the dark lord Cissy, it's an honor. Suck it up." Bellatrix rolled her eyes before standing. "I'm a Lestrange now, and look how great I turned out." She smirked.

"If your definition of great includes bad hair and becoming a psychopath then you're more than great." Aries retorted as she walked over to the lavatory where her dress hung from the top knocker.

"We're all lunatics on the inside." Narcissa shrugged.

"Exactly, just do what I do and let the lunatic of yourself take over." Bellatrix said as she watched her cousin roll her eyes and shut the bathroom door.

Aries locked the door and leaned against it with a sigh. "Two years till marriage, one and a half until the plan." She calmed herself.

"She's not gonna do it, if she's anything like her twin, she'll run." Aries heard Bellatrix say.

"She won't run, Aries isn't a coward, behind her annoyingly smart exterior, she's still a Black." Aries heard Narcissa defend.

"Being a Black is earned and claimed, Cissy, not just some name to be thrown around." Bellatrix scoffed.

"Aries is only fifteen, sixteen in a few weeks. Aunt Walburga is training her to become a woman just like our mother did and uncle Orion is going to show her how to become what we both are. Death eaters." Her cousins words hit a string to her spine causing a rippling shiver.

Aries got into the bridesmaids dress and pulled her hair back to start on her makeup, nothing much, but not too little. Enough to make her noticeable, but not too much to make her stand out against the bride.

Once she had finished with her makeup, she opened the door and walked out, directly to the chair where Winky now popped up.

"Miss Black." She bowed low until her nose barely skimmed the dusty ground.

"Hello, Winky." A hint of a smile on her face before looking back to her reflection. She couldn't deny that she already felt beautiful, her hair in a braid still.

Winky took all of her hair down and let the dark hair fall down her back gloriously. The shiny raven black hair flowing down like a dark waterfall as the house elf brushed through it.

Soon Winky had finished Aries now French braided hair and had curled two front pieces that framed her face.

"I must go now mistress Black, I have been summoned." She said before popping out of the room.

Aries didn't hold an expression as she stood up and brushed out the wrinkles on her now smoothed out dress.

"I knew I should've gone with pure white!" Narcissa muttered to herself before grabbing her wand and pointing it at Aries.

She didn't flinch which surprised Bellatrix as Narcissa flicked her wrist with a wordless spell. The dress turned from off white to pure white in less than seconds.

"I think it looks better with this color." Aries said as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"Of course it does, I thought of it." Narcissa shrugged as she placed a veil on her head. "Now remember, this is a pre wedding day rehearsal, don't get that dress dirty because I won't be too happy if you do." She hissed.

Aries nodded and Bellatrix just rolled her eyes.

The three exited from what seemed to be Narcissa's bedroom until after the wedding when she would move into Lucius's room.

They stepped down in sync with one another down the stairs and out to the backyard where a complete theme of white was waiting.

White chairs, a white alter, white flowers, everything was white except for the black ribbons on the white chairs and the groomsmen in black suits.

"So you're not going back to Hogwarts this year after the big day." Aries asked Narcissa.

"Why would I? I already know everything they teach there, plus Voldemort can teach me more." Narcissa looked confident as the three took small strides down the white carpet.

Though Aries saw it, two different emotions passing through both her cousins eyes when Narcissa said his name.

Bellatrix smirk widened at her sisters words.

But not Narcissa. Aries saw something she was quite familiar with. It wasn't fear. Not completely. It was that uneasy feeling that you knew you were doing the wrong thing.

"This will be you one day, cousin." Narcissa spoke quietly towards Aries, "soon enough, your path will intertwine with a suitor and you will become a death eater too."

Beatrix rolled her eyes, "or just become one now! Don't wait. You will be of good use to Lord Voldemort." Aries glanced over at her cousins.

Narcissa swatted Bellatrix before looking back to the raven haired girl, "Don't believe everything you're told, Aries. Especially by our family." She spoke the last bit at Bella, but there was something underlying in Narcissa tone.

Maybe she wasn't as corrupt as Aries thought.