(Tw: child abuse)
12th August 1966
The sun shone brightly over Lestrange manor's garden, the family was hosting the Annual Summer Ball and had decided the garden deemed best to hold the occasion.
The families from the sacred twenty eight were all gathered for the engagement of Rosalie Lestrange and Caspar Parkinson, it had been planned when they weren't even born their parents had made arrangements with each other and with the two being seventeen that meant it was time to fulfil their plans.
"Doesn't the bride to be look lovely?" Druella Black whispered to her sister-in-law.
Walburga Black stuck up her nose. "I heard they had to pull the engagement forward because the Parkinson boy was courting a half-blood."
"Really? Bellatrix never told me that." Druella said, shaking her head. "She's over with Rodolphus, I'm hoping Cygnus has spoken to Rufus about getting them engaged, you should try and get Aries and Rabastan betrothed."
Walburga shook her head. "Orion doesn't want that for her yet, says she's only a child yet we were engaged before we could talk."
"Times are changing-"
"You can't catch me! You're too slow, Aries!"
"You're running too fast Amycus!" Aries shouted, she tried chasing after him but couldn't catch up, a tight grip wrapped around her arm as she stopped abruptly. "Ow!"
"Stop running." Walburga said through gritted teeth, "You are a lady, you shouldn't be running around like a fool."
Aries swallowed and put her head down.
"Walburga, she is a child." Orion said, walking towards them. "Let her have a little bit of fun-"
"It will not be fun when she embarrasses us in front of everyone, Orion. She needs to learn that she is not here to enjoy herself- she has to be civilised and polished." Walburga glared down at her daughter, "she already has a stain on her new dress and her hair is a mess."
Aries winced as her mother pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, she then removed the stain from the satin dress.
"Now Aries, sit here and don't talk."
She sat down next to Walburga and watched enviously as the other children played together. She kicked her feet back and forth and sighed out of boredom. She looked at her mother who was engrossed in the conversation with Druella.
"Why are you sitting here?" Regulus asked, walking up to her.
"Mother said I have to stay here." she told him shrugging.
Regulus looked at Walburga then back at his sister. "I don't think she'll notice if you're gone." he whispered smiling mischievously, Aries grinned back and jumped off her chair turning back making sure her mother didn't see her leave.
"Finally, I thought you were going to be stuck there forever." Amycus said, as Regulus and Aries made their way up the hill towards him and Alecto. "Okay, we're going to finish our race umm..."
"Ooh you should climb that tree." Alecto said, pointing up at the large willow tree.
"Race you to the top!" Aries laughed, getting a head start.
"That's cheating, Black." Amycus called out, grabbing a branch.
"You're just too slow, Carrow."
Regulus and Alecto cheered on as the two were head to head to get to the top of the tree.
"I'm gonna win!" Aries gleamed as she stepped onto a higher branch but as she did she heard a loud snap and fell to the ground.
"ARIES!" Regulus shouted running towards her, his eyes widened as he saw a large gash on her leg. "I need to get mother-"
"No! Not her." Aries shook her head frantically, she winced as she tried to move her leg. "Get Sirius, not mother."
"But-"
"Please, Regulus, I don't want her to be angry with me." she pleaded, he nodded and ran to get him.
Amycus jumped down from the tree, "Ouch, that looks painful."
"Shush Amycus." Alecto said, she sat down next to Aries. "Are you okay?"
She bit down on her lip trying to ignore the pain and shook her head, moments later she saw Regulus running back towards them but it wasn't Sirius following him.
Aries tensed slightly trying to get up. "I'm sorry, I'm sor-"
Orion shook his head slowly and knelt down next to her looking at her leg. "Stay still, does it hurt?"
She responded with a nod as she sniffed, he took out his wand and straightened out her leg. He used a spell and the wound stitched itself back together with white silvery whisps, he cleaned up the blood with a wave of his wand. "Better?"
"Yes, thank you father." she said, not looking up at him.
He lifted her chin up and wiped up mud from her cheek. "You need to be more careful Aries, if your mother had found you she would be very angry."
"It's not fair." she moaned. "Why can Sirius and Regulus play but I'm not allowed, I have to wear these stupid dresses and sit with mother and it's boring."
Orion smiled sympathetically. "I know, but your mother has her ways set. She wants you to follow the rules."
"But they're stupid rules, and Bella told me that I'm going to have to marry Rabastan, is that true?"
Orion sighed, shaking his head. "You shouldn't listen to everything Bellatrix tells you-"
"But it's true isn't it?"
"Aries, you can marry whoever you want to as long as they are pureblood."
"But what if I don't want to marry someone who is pureblood?"
"One day when you're older you'll understand your role in this family, then you'll know how important it is to protect the bloodline." Orion said, he stood up and took her hand. "Come on, Andromeda and Narcissa have made fresh pumpkin juice, let's go get some."
☽☆☾
That evening Aries was sitting in the playroom with Sirius and Regulus, she watched them as they challenged each other playing wizards chess.
"Next time I'm playing with Aries." Regulus said, scratching his head looking for his next move.
"That's because Aries doesn't know how to play."
Aries rolled her eyes. "Wizards chess is boring."
"Come on, Air, just admit you can't play the game." Sirius teased, grinning at her.
"It's a stupid game."
"Course it is, so is Gobstones." Regulus grinned at her.
Aries was about to protest when the door opened and Kreacher walked in, he bowed down low then looked towards the youngest.
"Miss Aries, Mistress Walburga would like to see you." he said.
"Ooh, someones in trouble." Regulus laughed, he nudged Sirius to laugh with him but he didn't, he had a worried look on his face.
"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked.
Aries shook her head. "No, I'll be fine." she shrugged and walked out of the room and towards the living room.
Walburga stood with her back turned away from the door as Aries entered, Orion sat on the couch looking at his pocket watch.
"You wanted to see me, mother?"
Walburga turned her head. "Yes, did you enjoy yourself today?"
"It was okay."
"And what did you learn?"
Aries hesitated as she tried to answer. "Um... that I'm not there to enjoy myself and I have to be polished?" she answered more like a question.
"Hm." Walburga turned around holding Aries' dress she had worn that day. "Kreacher was cleaning your clothes and he noticed a tear, do you know what it's from?"
Aries glanced at her father for a second but shook her head. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" She repeated her voice like nails on a chalkboard. "You wore this dress all day and you don't know how it ripped?"
Aries shook her head as her mother walked closer to her, she placed her hand on her cheeks and squeezed tightly.
"Tell me the truth, Aries."
"I don't- I-" she hesitated but Walburga's nails dug into her cheeks making her eyes water. "I climbed a tree with Amycus and I fell."
Walburga released from her hold and smiled. "Now that wasn't so hard was it, Aries." she stroked Aries' cheek. "Do you understand why I hurt you?"
Aries didn't answer, she stayed silent, looking down at her hands.
"You disobeyed me today, and then proceeded to lie about it. I did not raise a liar, did I?"
Aries shook her head.
"Speak! I don't know what you're saying!" Walburga shouted, shaking her.
"No mother." Aries said quickly. "I won't lie again."
"How can I be sure? You've lied to me today, how can I know you won't again?"
Aries put her head down. "I won't, I won't do it again."
"You need to be punished."
Orion's head moved quickly as he looked at his wife, she walked over to the drawer and took out her wand. She turned back towards Aries.
"This is for your own good." her wand pointed at her daughter who stood unaware on the other end, a red light spilled out latching onto Aries. "CRUCIO!"
She screamed out in pain and fell to the ground curling up into a ball. The curse seemed to last forever. The pain didn't stop after Walburga had finished Aries lay trembling. She whimpered as her mother knelt down next to her, she brushed aside her hair.
"Did you learn your lesson?"
Aries backed away and looked back to where her father had been sitting but he was gone.
"I had to do that for you." Walburga said, kissing her forehead. "I only want what's best for you." she wiped away the tears from her daughter's face and smiled. "You won't lie to me ever again, now will you?"
Aries shook her head and swallowed, her skin still felt hot and it hurt when she moved ever so slightly. "No mother, I'm sorry mother."
☽☆☾
Aries stared at the couch, her father was sitting in her living room. She stood frozen against the wall as she watched him.
He turned his head and nodded curtly. "I heard rumours that you had created a new life in the muggle world, that you go to school here, I didn't think it was true until I saw you."
Aries set down her keys on the side, she hadn't moved from her place. "What are you doing here?" she breathed.
"I heard about the Potter's, sorry for your loss it must be hard for you-"
"Why are you here?" Aries asked more bravely this time, she edged forwards cautiously, keeping her hand on her back pocket where her wand was.
"I wanted to see you, it's been so long. I wanted to know you were okay-"
"I'm fine, you can leave." she said quickly.
Orion didn't move, but he pressed his lips into a small smile. "You know I named you after my mother, Melania, she was a Hufflepuff too, she was kind and caring just as you are-"
Aries rolled her eyes, "Why are you telling me this? You hated the fact I was in Hufflepuff, you hated- you hated me."
Orion shook his head, "I never hated you Aries, I know your mother and I were a bit harsh-"
"A bit harsh!" Aries exclaimed. "You would call the cruciatus curse a bit harsh?"
Orion hung his head down in shame.
"I was five! I didn't know any fucking better, and it was over something so small! She used it, and you didn't stop her, you left! You left me and let her continue, every single fucking time-"
"I couldn't watch-"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE STOPPED HER!" Aries cried, tears escaped her eyes, her throat burned as she shouted. "She used it on all of us, Sirius was younger than I was and she used it for the first time, we were children- we were children."
"I know." Orion whispered. "If I could change-"
"But you can't, it's too late. You should have stopped her when it started." Aries said, wiping away her tears. "She used it for years!"
"Aries-" Orion went to say but he started coughing violently into a tissue, she watched as he covered the bloodstained napkin with his hand.
"You're dying?"
He nodded. "Healers say I have a few months left, it's funny I used to care so much about being pureblood, yet I'm dying just like a muggle."
"That's why you're here? To ask for forgiveness over the past years, before you kick the coffin?" Aries shook her head. "You're unbelievable."
She watched as he stood up, she backed away from him like a scared child. "I understand that you and Sirius will never forgive me or your mother, but I want you to know that I never stopped loving you both even after you left."
"You never showed it."
"I truly am sorry, for everything Aries."
"Please just leave." she whispered.
Orion nodded and walked towards the door before he left her turned back, he looked at her with regretful eyes, and then said the words she had always wanted to hear when she was younger, words she never thought she would ever hear coming from her father.
"I'm proud of you, Aries."
And with that he left, Aries closed the door behind him, sliding down to the ground, and let the tears fall. She wished her father had changed his mind sooner, maybe tried to stop Walburga, she wondered what would have happened if he had, their lives would be different, maybe Regulus would still be alive because he wouldn't have been forced to become a death eater, but she would never know because Orion never stopped his wife that day, and the days after that, it wasn't until he was on his deathbed he decided to apologise, and to Aries that wasn't enough, it would never be enough.
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Chapter 25!!!
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