Love, Life, And Lies- Regulus Black

.to true love.

.i can lose everything, but not you... oh god, not you.

Rosier manor was cold and dark in comparison to the bright cheerful atmosphere of the castle. I felt the oppressing gloom the second my feet hit the ground outside of the gates. The Dark Lord had placed wards over it so that one could not apparate inside of its walls. A precaution he told us. A prison was more like it.

I could see the windows of the entrance hall and the ballroom glowing as the house elves worked tirelessly to finish decorating for the party my mother and father insisted upon. They just wanted to show off their prized daughter.

I walked down the lane until I reached the massive iron doors and took a deep breath before pushing my way inside. My mother and father had beaten me back to the manor it appeared. There was no warmth in their eyes as they congratulated me. Achievement was never anything special in my family because it was an expectation. When you did well, you were merely meeting the standard rather than exceeding it.

In their eyes, that made them better than everyone else and they wanted to show off their Hogwarts graduate to all of their friends and coworkers. No doubt to try and push me into a Ministry career.

I was instantly whisked away by my mother to my dressing chamber where she redid my hair shoving pins into it until I could feel a headache forming behind my eyes.

"Beauty is pain." She hissed at me every time I winced, and then would rip my hair even harder.

Other than that, we sat in silence.

"Don't anger your father tonight." She said after long moments of nothing.

My eyes shot up to find hers in the mirror. The deep green of hers flashing against mine.

"I don't control what upsets him." I shrugged, not willing to engage, or make any promises.

"Cassiopeia, please." She pleaded. I saw a look of fear behind the mask she wore and that look unsettled me. "For all of our sakes."

I was surprised. My mother hardly every said please. She never needed to. I wondered why after all of these years she just now began to fear my father.

I never replied. I couldn't think of anything to say. Anything would be a lie. Instead, I just dropped her gaze and let her finish her work.

Finally she was finished with her beautification tasks. She started to depart with a lavish grace. But not before conjuring an evening gown I was to wear for the night. It was dark in the shadows. I almost thought it was black for a few moments until I slipped it on, the light from the fire bringing out the deep emerald color. It was always Slytherin green. Every dress I owned was in the shades of emerald, silver, or black. There were no variations.

As irritated as I was with the color, I couldn't deny the gown was stunning. The bodice was tight and covered in delicate lace and beadwork. Thin straps connected at my shoulders, crisscrossing over my back leaving the vast majority of it exposed. The skirt hugged my hips and thighs, only becoming looser at my feet, allowing me to walk easier.

I almost gasped as I took in my appearance in the full length mirror. I was pretty on a normal day. But tonight, I emanated a jaw dropping beauty. My green eyes appeared big and intense with the makeup my mother had applied. My curves accentuated by the fit of the gown. My hair was pinned up, but several tendrils floated loosely in my face, softening my features. It seemed they were pulling out all of the stops tonight.