The Black Sisters

fifty-seven

"your father had a few requests of you, and you will respect his wishes" she spoke calmly, numbly, emotionless. Dorea just sat there, barely meeting her eye. Not waiting for a response from her daughter Druella continued "you Father wished you to marry Regulus."

Dorea had known, Dorea knew. Dorea knew that he did, Dorea had felt hopeless, like it was set in stone. Dorea had known this would come eventually. But it didn't feel real then to her. Regulus had told her it felt so real the moment she had spoken to him about it, but she never felt like that. It felt like a distant vision of the sad life they'd have together. It felt imaginary when they spoke, on the few rare occasions when they brought it up it never lasted long enough for her to explain how distant it felt. But in that moment, sitting there with her mother she felt different. What if Sirius was right, she could leave now, she could escape, she could run. She could go to live with James. Would he even take her anymore? She felt like she could do something about it.

"but I do not love him mother" she said calmly in a normal speaking tone, not pleading, not crying just simply telling her mother her case.

"and I do not care" Druella spoke her voice not wavering. The two women sat as if challenging each other calmly to a battle to the death. trying to find the weak spot of their opponent.

"I am a child, I am not old enough to marry"

"I am aware of that child." she paused staring at the girl. She had very childlike features, still had baby fat, big doe eyes, a child like innocence. "but we will work to improve that" Dorea sat there silently cracking her knuckles under the table. Her face did not change. "you will dance with Regulus at each ball, you will not leave his side at any time. You two are to be inseperable."

"why?" the question was simple, but it stuck in the calm conversation quiet bites to each other like a clown in a symphony.

"Because you two are to give off the illusion that you love each other, i do not care if you don't. You must act as though you two love each other"

"if we're marrying why does it matter now?"

"so the high rank notice your relationship and enjoy watching it evolve, they will become invested and when you get married they will send finances." Druella's tone faltered annoyed for a slight moment but paused. "you will work off that attrocious fat on your face and will dress more maturely. You are to grow up. You've been an embarrassment far to long, we cannot afford more from you." she spat

Dorea's face did not change but she wanted to cry. her eyes stung and she wanted to burst. Hearing that tone from her mother was not unusual, but those words stabbed her right in the chest.

"you are to look older, you look like a six year old now it's awful." Dorea just nodded slowly, she didn't even open her mouth to talk back "you are to speak when spoken too, you are to take part in quiet activities, and learn to tend a house. You are to stop visiting that man in the forest, it's a disgrace, an awful affair Dorea that you should feel guilt for"

Dorea then opened her mouth but her mother continued.

"that cat of yours can stay in the basement it eats the rats or it will starve. yes I know of your guilty pleasures. You are to be a perfect girl, hair tight, mouth shut, graceful like a swan." Dorea didn't know what to say as the horrid words escaped her mothers mouth "you'll be finished, and since your father never payed for a tutor to finish you I shall finish you myself."

"finishing school?" Dorea gaped

"you are to be a polite young lady. Your placement was already enough, we will bring out the respectable qualities and add some of our own. You do not have a voice of your own anymore, you speak for the family and the family only." Druella stood up brushing off her skirt and walked to where Dorea sat, she leaned down to her ear and whispered clear as day. "you do not have a way out as Andromeda did, you will do as your told or suffer the consequences" she then walked away to the drawing room as if nothing had happened.