Aries had been doing a pretty good job of avoiding Remus for the next month or so, though Remus's birthday was coming up along with the next Quidditch match and dueling club match.
James birthday was getting closer as well that month, and Aries was not interested in becoming friendly with the group anytime soon, even if they had helped her once again with her self-harm problems.
"You have to talk to him eventually, he's your boyfriend." Lily tried as her Alice, Aries, and Marlene walked down to the tree by the Black Lake they always met at.
Honey was already hanging by her legs on a branch while the four walked to her. Ben was leaning against the tree himself, probably to keep Honey company until the others got there.
"I can stay away from him as long as I need to." Aries shrugged, though it had been quite painful to be avoiding him.
Ben gave Honey a sweet upside down kiss once he saw the girls coming down and went to leave, "Sorry girls, as much as I want to be surrounded by females, I have Quidditch practice." Ben announced before making his leave.
"I don't understand why all of the sudden you don't like him." Alice questioned.
Aries sighed, sharing a knowing glance with Marlene, "Of course I like him. It's complicated that's all." She admitted.
"Why does it have to be complicated?" Lily asked as they sat under the tree.
"Because Aries is already arranged for marriage." Honey announced as she flipped down from the tree branch she was on.
"Arranged for marriage?" Alice asked.
"What does that even mean?" Lily asked.
"Basically, Aries gets a guy handed to her and they have to marry once they're both of age. Then they have to go through with their marriage until they have a child to keep their blood line pure and continued. Plus when they get married both families share their money so both families increase in wage." Marlene explained.
"So none of it is for love?" Alice asked
"I'm marrying a man I met once, some don't meet their spouse until wedding day and others have known each other since birth and have already been arranged together. I've been set for an arranged marriage so I can't be with Remus." Aries added.
"Why don't you just date in secret." Lily asked.
"Technically we were. Until I found out that someone snitched to my mother, she warned me with punishments if I didn't get my act together." Aries explained.
Marlene definitely could vouch for that one. Even though she was never with Aries on breaks, she could see the emotional and mental damage that Aries mother had inflicted on her.
It would keep getting more and more obvious that something was going on at home if Aries didn't leave home soon.
"Have you tried running away?" Alice asked, "ow!" The short haired girl frowned when Lily nudged her with her elbow.
"You can't runaway-"
"And why not? There's nothing else I can do." Aries cut off Lily.
"Well, you could wait until you're of age, then you could move out?" Lily tried, "where would you even go?"
"I have it all planned out already, the escape plan and such. My uncle Alfred just passed away recently and since I was in his will, it's said that I gain inheritance. With that money, I can leave 12 Grimmauld Place with a few bags and stay with my cousin Andromeda and her family. Once I find a place of my own, I can move there and finish school at Hogwarts before getting a job." That was the plan, more less. A few more minor details and she knew she'd be alright.
"All that, and for what? What would you gain out of all this? More responsibility?" Lily asked.
"That, and freedom. Freedom, I'd gain so much. I could go days without punishments and not get called out for slouching or having a single hair out of place. It would be me against the world." Aries grinned.
"And you'd be able to have Remus." Alice giggled, burning a slight pink blush.
"And him too, I'd have more than enough to be happy. Leaving my parents would mean I could follow my dreams, or dream at all actually." Aries nodded.
The group of girls wondered onto many different topics of conversation after that. Topics of Muggles, baking, fashion, and landed on career options.
"I want to be an Auror. They do so much to help, putting bad wizards or witches in Azkaban and making the wizard of and Muggle world a better place." Lily announced.
"Me too, actually. I've always wanted to use my magic for something useful, something to help the world. Becoming an Auror and fighting evil is exactly what I want." Alice agreed.
"I'm hoping to become a famous musician, I've got a band and we've been playing together for weeks. We're even thinking about playing with not just the wizarding world but for the muggles too, speaking as a half blood." Honey announced.
"I think that's a wonderful idea, Honey." Alice said sweetly.
"Ben is trying to figure out whether he wants to keep going with the band and stop being in Quidditch, or leave the band and keep going on for a Quidditch career. Either way we won't be seeing much of each other." Honey frowned.
"Well, I've seen him play, he's a really great Quidditch player. But he doesn't smile like he does when he's with the band. He's happier singing and playing instruments than flying around on a broom." Alice said, catching the group by surprise.
"I guess, he does seem happier. Since I'm in a band too, we're already seeing less and less of each other." Honey muttered, kicking a rock into the water.
"You can always take a break, you know. We're fifteen and still in school, we have time." Marlene shrugged.
"Then why does it still feel like we're already gaining all this pressure?" Aries asked.
"Probably because our professors aren't going light on the assignments." The group shrieked at the unknown eavesdroppers but relaxed a bit once they saw it was just the Marauders.
Aries on the other hand was having an interior screaming match with herself, to stay and ignore Remus or walk away. With the feeling of eye on her she chose the latter and stood.
"I have to get going, I'll see you lot later." Aries excused herself, walking away from the two groups, ignoring the sympathetic stares from her friends.
Remus on the other hand had enough as he walked after her, she might've been sly and fast to try and ditch him, but he wasn't about to give up so easily on her. "Aries" He called for her, only to have it be ignored.
He decided it was best with physical contact as he made it to her and gently locked her against the wall, "What is going on?" Remus asked her as she struggled against his grip.
"Nothing, just let it be." Aries tried, avoiding his eyes as she struggled harder.
"I can't just let it be, I'm your boyfriend-"
"Not anymore." She cut him off, his heart stopped for a second, he could've sworn his legs would've given in if he wasn't stabilized against the wall.
"W-what?" He managed to whisper out, his hands unlocking her as she straightened out his uniform.
All he had done all month long was attempt to find Aries. He knew she was just trying to avoid a conversation about what happened with the knife, probably even embarrassed. But all he wanted to do was pull her closer. Being with her made him want to be better. A better communicator, a better friend, a better listener. Everything.
"We can't do this anymore, Remus. We can't be together for right now, I don't expect you to wait for me. It has nothing to do with your furry side, I just can't do this. If you really want to understand, tell Sirius I'm almost seventeen, he'll explain." Aries told him quietly before side stepping his body and walking towards the library.
The only thoughts in Remus's head in that moment were revolving around the fact that him and Aries were no longer. If he never felt more than just a liking towards the girl, then why did he feel like his heart was being ripped out of him the farther away Aries got?
________
"I don't understand why she broke it off?" James asked himself as Remus laid facedown on his bed and Sirius was laying on his own bed face up.
"What did she say?" Peter asked, "When she said you two were done, did she say anything else?" Peter added.
"She said, tell Sirius I'm almost seventeen and he'll explain." Remus muttered sadly, contemplating hugging the pillow on his bed.
"Tell me? Seventeen is months away, why would she need to be thinking about turning seventeen? Mother always thinks ahead but the only reason why she would need to be thinking about coming of age is for-..." Sirius stopped as he sat up with widened eyes.
"For what?" James asked.
Sirius turned to Remus with a sad expression, "For arranged marriage." He admitted.
Remus looked at Sirius when he heard those words, "Arranged marria- why on Earth would she agree to something like that?" Remus frowned, clearly upset by this.
"Well of course she didn't agree to it! You know how my parents are, when you become of age, you have to be arranged for marriage, it's all about blood purity and money!" Sirius explained.
"And she's alright with that?" Peter squeaked.
"No, she's not...that's what she meant, when she said she had a plan of escape. She meant she had until seventeen to get out and away from 12 Grimmauld Place. But what is she waiting for?" Sirius asked himself.
"I don't know, mate. But your sister is seriously a mystery." James muttered.