Trouble~ Sirius Black

41"

Valentina paled a bit. Not from her mother snapping but from the fact she had just learnt.

The Dark Lord had been in her house?

"As a matter of fact, I don't have time to be sitting around, the house must be perfect for the celebrations occurring this wednesday" she said, standing up and bustling around the house

Valentina stood up and followed her, "what's next wednesday?" she asked, fearing her mothers answer

"It's the boys induction evening" Oksana said as if it was obvious.

"The boys?" Valentina asked

"Yes, your friends" Oksana said as if it was obvious, "Rosier, Mulciber and of course Casper"

Valentina's face paled.

"Casper? he's getting inducted this week?" she asked in shock

"of course Valentina, please keep up"

"But I thought that the Dark Lord wanted to wait until we had graduated" she reasoned

"Well there has been a change in plan" her mother said in a tone in which suggested she was getting annoyed, "The severity and scale of the cause has rapidly expanded and continues to do so, the dark lord needs as many death eaters as he can get. I believe Casper and his friends have been in contact with him and have expressed their willingness profusely"

Valentina felt sick to her stomach.

Avery had failed to tell her this.

Oksana noticed the look of worry on her daughter's usually cool and collected face.

"Oh not to worry dear" she waved off, "The Dark Lord isn't interested in you. Your Father and your brother have been doing such an excellent job already. Our family is already within the lords good graces. News of your engagement to Casper has reached the Dark Lord and I believe he is very pleased with the arrangement. Depending on whether you birth children of course"

Valentina could finally feel as though she could swallow.

she breathed a sigh of relief.

It all felt very backwards and misogynistic but if it was a choice of being a death eater or not, she'd take it every time.

"That is why it is extremely important that the house is prefect this Wednesday"

She took Valentina by the hands, finally stopping walking around the house in a manic way, and staring at the engagement ring on her finger.

"When your betrothed receives his dark mark Valentina. Your life is set. Just make sure he stays in the inner circle and favoured. From the point Casper receives his mark, he is your life line"

Valentina didn't know how to feel.

Relief? They didn't want her to become a death eater

Scared? The dark Lord and his followers would be in her house, under their roof

Heartbroken? Avery was the only way she could be safe and that meant, no Sirius.

Valentina laid in her bed, listening to try and figure out if her mother had gone to bed.

She never did go to sleep late so Valentina thought it may be safe at midnight.

She pulled out Sirius jumper from behind the dresser and slipped it on snuggling down into bed. She held the mirror close to her face.

"Sirius!" she whispered

As usual, Sirius instantly appeared in the mirror, he always responded straight away. Sirius looked concerned.

"Val? is everything ok? what's a matter"

Valentina smiled to the sound of his voice.

"Sirius it ok, i'm alright" She smiled, she considered telling him everything. "I just... miss you"

Sirius smiled, he looked to be also lying in his bed in his room at the potter manor.

"I miss you too" he said softly, "I see you're wearing my jumper"

Valentina nodded, "it smells of you is all" she shrugged, "I wish we could talk face to face, I wish i could just touch you, hug you, kiss you"

Sirius looked incredibly sad at Valentina's words but smiled softly, "I promise you Val, when we graduate, we'll be free to do that until we turn grey"

Valentina frowned, she didn't know how that would possibly work, "But Sirius, I can't. I'm engaged"

"We'll run away together, somewhere no one will find us" He reassured, "we will live in a little house with a garden and we will share a bed and fall to sleep together every night. That's the life you deserve Val"

Valentina felt tears form in her eyes, she attempted to force them down before Sirius could see them. "You know I can't Sirius"

"You can Val. You know id do anything for you"

Valentina knew it was true.

"They'd find us. They'd kill us both Sirius"

A nasty thought flashed across Valentina's mind.
If Sirius hadn't have gone and left home and been kicked out of the house of Black, perhaps they'd be free to marry happily.

Valentina knew it was horrible and instantly felt guilty about it.

"They wouldn't" Sirius said firmly, "I wouldn't let them lay a hand on you"

Valentina shook her head with a small sad smile, "That's not what you want Sirius, that's not you"

Sirius was about to ask her what she meant but Valentina had beaten him to it.

"You want to stay and fight. Stand up for what is right" Valentina explained, "Running away is not a life you want to live"

Sirius knew that was true but he would well and truly do anything to protect Valentina and make her happy.

"Valentina, you understand I love you, don't you?"

Valentina felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her.
Sirius had felt this way for some time and had hoped to reveal the information at a more romantic moment, but now felt right.

"I love you and I will do anything for you, to keep you safe and make you happy. And if leaving everything behind and running away is what it will take, then i'm prepared to do it"

Valentina could feel the tears she'd previously pushed down bubbling back up.

"I love you too Sirius" she said as the first tear dropped from her eye and rolled down her cheek.