"We think it's your engagement." her brother's voice kept spinning around her head, she didn't want to believe it. She wasn't even fifteen yet, she couldn't get engaged.
"Aries, you're not even listening to me." Dorcas interrupted her thoughts.
"Huh?" Aries looked up at her.
"I'm trying to tell you how amazing my date was and you're not even interested."
"No I am... I just have a few things on my mind." Aries said.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Dorcas asked, growing concerned.
"No, no, I'm gonna go for a walk." Aries shook her head, getting up from her bed.
"But it's after curfew."
"I won't get caught." she said, she opened her drawer and took out her sketchbook, she picked up one of her blankets off her bed.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
Aries shook her head. "No, no it's alright."
She walked down the steps off the dorms walking past the fifth years getting in last minute studies before their mocks. She slipped out of the common room and walked up the steps towards the boat house.
The air was chilly, a shiver ran through her body as she sat by the water, despite it being spring it still felt as though it was the dead of winter.
She opened her sketchbook to continue her sketch, she only had one pencil which she had stolen from Benjy at the beginning of the year. Using a quill wasn't the same as a pencil but she knew she couldn't get some because her parents wouldn't approve of using muggle tools, when she was a witch.
The wind echoed, she thought she could hear footsteps behind her but she knew it was just the boat house creaking. The boats banged against each other causing her to jump slightly.
As she pressed down on the page a voice startled her and the lead broke.
"I didn't know you could draw- oh my gosh, I didn't mean to scare you!" Peter gasped as Aries let out a scream.
"Peter! What are you doing?"
"I'm sorry! It's just I saw you on the map, and I was wondering why you were out after curfew so I followed you out here to make sure you were okay." he said scratching his neck.
"I just came here to get a breath of fresh air." she said.
Peter sat down next to her. "Sirius told us about the engagement."
Aries nodded. "There is a one in three chance that it's mine, but he seems to think it is." she sighed. "Just to keep the bloodline pure."
"You might like the guy." Peter said.
"Not if he's a pureblood maniac like my parents." Aries ran her fingers through her hair. "I always knew they'd force me to get married but I thought I'd have a little more time."
"Hey, you don't know yet. Might not even be for you."
Aries nodded. "But if it's not for me, then it'll be for Sirius and... I know he wouldn't get engaged."
There was a short silence before Peter spoke. "Can I see what you were drawing?"
"Oh um..." Aries hesitated, looking down at the closed sketchbook. She never let anyone see her artwork, not even her friends. Her grip was tight on the book but she slowly released, handing it to him.
He took a hold of it, opening the pages, he smiled as he turned each one, making sure to look at every detail.
"These are really good- oh you drew the Willow." he said, stopping at the drawing of the whomping willow. "You don't use any colour?"
"I only have one." she said, holding up the broken pencil. "Which I don't think I can use anymore."
"Oh." he said, taking his wand out of his pocket. "Pass it here."
She gave it to him, he muttered the spell under his breath, the fragments mended and the pencil was fixed. "See, good as new."
"Thanks Pete."
"Anytime." he smiled at her, he looked back down at the page. "My mum used to do a lot of art, I could see if she's got any stuff you can use."
"You don't have too."
Peter shrugged. "They're just going to waste otherwise, she doesn't use them anymore- where is this?"
Aries peered down at the drawing. "Oh that's the ballroom at my house."
"A ballroom? How big is your house?"
"Big enough to have a ballroom." she replied.
☽☆☾
"Aries, you have a stain on your dress." Walburga scolded, using her wand to clean it up. "And your hair is a mess."
She felt a tug on her hair as it was put up into a bun, she looked in the mirror at her reflection, her mother had put her in an emerald green dress which clashed with her pale white skin. She didn't look like the rest of her family, they all had black hair, with the same grey eyes.
But Aries had light blonde hair, and her eyes were hazel. She was always told she resembled her grandmother, Melania who had died a few years before Aries was born.
"Now." Orion spoke.
Aries stood in between Sirius and Regulus, they were both wearing their best black robes, Sirius was tugging at his sleeve uncomfortably.
"When you go out there I don't want you embarrassing the family name." Orion's eyes flashed towards Aries and Sirius. "We have welcomed families to join us for this evening and I don't want any of you to cause a scene, am I clear?"
"Yes, Father." the three siblings said in unison.
Orion nodded, opening the door, the family walked out into the ballroom. By the windows house elves were standing at the tables holding trays of food and drinks.
The crystal chandelier above the dance floor lit up warmly, showcasing the paintings on the ceiling.
Aries saw her elder family sit next to the orchestra, her grandfather Pollux sat by an empty chair, his wife Irma had passed away earlier that year.
Aries walked straight towards Kreacher and took a glass off the tray. "Thank you, Kreacher."
"Very welcome Miss Aries." the house elf bowed.
Aries leant back against the wall, she hated the parties her parents held, she always had to listen to drunken speeches about muggleborns and how they were ruining the wizarding world. She took a sip of the champagne, she grimaced in disgust putting the glass down.
Note to self, you don't like champagne
"Aries, you look lovely." Mrs Rosier said, kissing both her cheeks, her son Evan stood behind her looking bored.
"Mrs Rosier, thank you." Aries smiled, tilting her head.
"My sweet Evan was too shy to ask you for a dance."
Aries smiled politely, catching a glimpse of her Mother's glare behind the two. "Of course." she said, she walked towards the dance floor with her arm linked with Evan's.
The song started and the two began to dance, Aries looked up at his bored and stuck up face. She hoped that she wouldn't have to marry him, she could only imagine how boring her life would be.
She winced as he stood on her foot.
"Can you watch where you step?" he snapped angrily.
"Oh I'm sorry, did Mummy not teach you how to dance as well as ask someone too." she said through gritted teeth.
"I didn't want to dance in the first place." he spat.
"Neither did I before your Mother decided to ask me for you." Aries glared.
"Don't talk to me in the tone, stupid Hufflepuff."
"You really think that's an insult?"
Evan's grip tightened on her arm digging in his nails. "Or maybe I should tell your parents that you're a blood traitor? I've seen you hanging around with those half-bloods and mudbloods-"
Aries stopped dancing, shaking her head. "Don't use that word."
"What mudblood? Are you a mudblood lover?" Evan taunted.
"Evan, good man." Sirius said, jumping between the two. "Do you mind if I steal my sister for a moment? She won't be back."
Sirius pulled Aries away from Evan.
"What did Father say?" Sirius said.
"Not to cause a scene." Aries glared towards Evan.
"And you were about to, we can't make any mistakes, Air."
"I know." Aries looked around the ballroom. "Have you heard anything? About the engagement?"
"Nope, not a thing. Reg hasn't heard about any of it either."
"I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to make us marry cousins." Aries sighed.
"Oh, I am free of that." Sirius said. "Seeing as Bellatrix and Narcissa have been married off, Andromeda is disowned. I have no more cousins to marry, but you dear sister have the pick of them all. There's cousin Castor or cousin Arcturus or Grandmother Irma died so you could marry Grandfather Pollux." he joked, pointing around the ballroom.
Aries grimaced then glared up at her brother. "I'm going to tell mother you have a boyfriend."
"You wouldn't." Sirius gasped.
"I think I might, you're pissing me off."
There was a sharp ring as Orion tapped on his champagne glass to gather everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here for a ceremony."
"Ceremony?" Sirius scoffed, Aries looked at him worriedly.
"Are you sure this is an engagement, and not a wedding?" she asked.
"No... no, it can't be." he replied, but he didn't sound sure.
Orion looked towards them. "I'd like to welcome up my eldest son, Sirius."
Sirius straightened up, he handed his champagne glass to Aries to hold. He gave her a reassuring smile before walking towards their father.
"Exciting isn't it?" Narcissa whispered to Aries.
She turned towards her cousin. "What is?"
"You don't know? The wedding."
Aries' eyes widened and she turned back at Sirius.
"Wedding? With who?"
"Sirius and Alecto Carrow, I can't believe you didn't know, your parents have been planning it for months."
Aries' heart sank, Sirius couldn't marry Alecto, not today, not ever. "It must have slipped their mind, sorry you'll have to excuse me Narcissa."
She walked away and searched the ballroom for Regulus, she spotted him walking towards her.
"It's a wedding," he said.
Aries nodded. "I know." She looked back at her father and Sirius, the giant doors opened and Alecto walked out wearing a long white dress, the orchestra played a wedding march as the crowd split, making an aisle between them.
"What are we going to do?" Regulus asked.
Aries watched as Alecto walked past her, down the aisle. She shook her head. "I don't know. We can't do anything."
The music stopped when Alecto stood in front of Sirius, the two were both pale, the same frightened look on each other's face.
Sirius turned to look at Orion. "No." he shook his head. "I'm not doing this." he pushed away and sped down the aisle running out of the ballroom, Walburga shouted for him.
"Sirius! Sirius, get back here!"
Aries followed Sirius up to his bedroom, he pulled out his trunk from under the bed.
"Where will you go?" she asked.
"To James', they'll be fine if I go there, I'm not staying here. I can't." Sirius said, shaking his head.
"I know, I don't expect you to."
"Come with me, you don't have to stay here Air, James' parents will be fine if we both go, we can bring Regulus."
Aries shook her head. "You know he won't leave, I'll stay with him." she heard the stomping of her parents running up the stairs, she pressed her back against the door holding the handle so they couldn't get in. "Get packing!"
Sirius nodded, he shoved all he could grab into his trunk.
Orion burst into the room, Aries was pushed aside as he shouted. "What the hell are you playing at Sirius?"
"I won't marry her."
"Yes you will, we have planned this-"
"You didn't tell me!" Sirius roared.
Walburga glared at him. "We didn't tell you because we knew you would have acted this way."
He shook his head. "I won't be a puppet in your little game."
"This is not a game, Sirius. This is to protect the bloodline-"
"Oh fuck the fucking bloodline! That's all you ever talk about! I don't care about the bloodline-"
There was a loud clap as Walburga slapped Sirius' cheek. "You will marry Alecto, even if I have to drag you down there myself!"
"No." Sirius said, his eyes were glossy, he shook his head. "I won't marry her. I'm gay."
Orion and Walburga were stunned into silence, but it didn't last very long.
"What did you say?" Walburga uttered, her eyes became angry.
"You heard me Mother, I'm gay. And I will not be marrying Alecto." he picked up his trunk, and turned to walk out his bedroom, he stopped in front of Aries. "If there's anything Air, come to me and I'll help you, okay."
She nodded, pulling him into a hug. "What you did was brave." she whispered into his ear.
"Thank you, Air." he whispered back.
"Go before they stop you." she said, releasing from the hold, he walked down the stairs leaving the house.
"Where is he going Aries?" Orion asked.
She looked at her parents, then smiled softly as she turned back to where Sirius was previously.
"Home."
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Chapter three!!!
So I've changed the fan cast for Aries from Ellen Fanning to Florence Pugh because I was writing a scene yesterday and I could only picture her also the Marlene cast is now Emma Mackey because I love Maeve Wiley from sex education and saw a tik tok of her casted and was like yes, thats Marls!
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