DEXTERITY | S. BLACK

15.

FELICITY NOTT LOVED HER FAMILY. She loved greeting her husband when he came home from work at the ministry. She loved picking out robes for Callista and making preparations for Castor and Pollux's parties. She loved dining with the other pure blood women and networking for her husband and children. She loved helping them secure their places in society. Most of all, she loved being a wife and a mother.

As a child, much of her time was spent following her father around in the wards of St. Mungo's. Alexander Rowle was a great man and an even greater healer, and he was her biggest inspiration. Felicity dreamed of becoming a healer like her father was. She wanted to help people in the same way he did. But then, at age fifteen, Alexander Rowle tragically passed away — or so the news would read, Felicity knew he killed himself overnight — and her dreams of becoming a healer went through the window.

     Her father's death had been a reality check of sorts for Felicity. She finally realised that he was a fraud and she had no business looking up to someone who couldn't even save himself from a broken marriage and self-hatred. As a teenager, she had to take on the role of both father and mother for her younger siblings — as her mother was off sleeping around and spending what was left of her father's money instead of raising her children. Felicity's eyes had been opened. Long gone were the disillusioned dreams of an easy future. She had to work for it. And work, she did.

     She maintained a perfect record at Hogwarts. Perfect grades, perfect manners, perfect looks. She lied about her family life — no one needed to know what a whore her mother was and how they were barely scraping by — and created the perfect reality. She was going to escape the hellhole her mother had dug for her, one way or another. Even if it meant marrying that numbskull Nott, who couldn't tell the difference between his left and right leg and followed that eerie Slytherin prefect around like a lost puppy.

     Everything was finally perfect. She had money, she had status and she had three beautiful children. Sure, it got a little lonely. But that was fine. She couldn't have it all. But, as she watched Callista cry and slam her bedroom door, and Castor punch his brother in the face, she was livid. How dare they? How dare they ruin the perfect life she had given them? She gave them luxury. She gave them the best tutors money could afford. They had two living parents and yet they dared to ruin it all? They couldn't. Felicity wouldn't let them ruin the perfect family she worked so hard to build. Not when the Dark Lord was just about to make things so much better.

•*•*•

     "He's gone mad," Castor told her, pacing around Callista's bedroom floor. "It's his stupid fiancée. I knew Evelyn was bad news from the minute I saw her in first year and yet that idiot went and decided to marry her. I mean, it's one thing to hate mudbloods and blood traitors — that's fine really — but his own sister? Give me a break."

Callista rubbed at her eyes. The days after she snuck out had been horrible. Her mother had locked her in the west wing for two days before Castor came back home and got their father to let her out. Pollux was an absolute nightmare to be around. He and Evelyn would taunt her and instigate fights. The only one that seemed to be on her side was Castor.

     "They keep calling you a blood traitor," he said quietly, taking a seat beside her on the bed. "And if it's—"

     "And if it's true what?" Callista snapped, turning to face her brother in disbelief. "Are you going to curse me too? Will you lock me in my bloody room until it's time to go back to Hogwarts?"

     "For Merlin's sake, Callista," Castor gripped at his hair with one hand, "I knew you were like this — I always knew — but I thought you had enough sense to keep your opinions to yourself!"