Lacerta Black -- James Potter --

14

trigger warning: controlling relationship, starvation

Being at Hogwarts was worse than ever. Lacerta was forced into a new circle of 'friends' by her fiancé. Natalia and she were talking again, but she noticed that her once best friend was more prejudiced than she'd ever realized. Her comments had just been layered in sweetness and made to seem like a joke they didn't find funny. Avery, Mulciber and Snape welcomed her arrival with crude comments and off-hand insults directed towards her Gryffindor friends.

Tonya and Lacerta could only speak once they were in their beds with a silencing charm so as not to wake up Natalia. Each time one of the Marauders tried to approach her, Selwyn would curse them. He. Never. Left. Her. Side.

Regulus was a welcome escape. He allowed her alone time with her brother under the condition that he watched from afar. Thankfully, he couldn't hear them, and she was free to talk about whatever and whomever she wanted. The younger boy passed letters between her and the Gryffindors, who he had reconciled with for her sake. 

Transfiguration was difficult. Her partner was James, who was desperate to talk to her, but the boy she was engaged to was in the same class keeping a watchful eye. The stress of it all left her without an appetite and whenever she was hungry, he limited her food so much that it was barely enough to keep her standing.

She was thin, far too thin. She was covering the circles under her eyes with makeup every day to make him happy. She tried to not flinch whenever he rolled up her skirt or unbuttoned her shirt for her. 

They were transfiguring tortoises into teapots as she struggled to stay awake. James nudged her gently, "You alright, Lizzie?"

"Hm? Oh, yes," she yawned, trying the spell but her teapot still had a shell for a top. "Oh, bugger all to hell."

"You are waving your wand around too much," he laughed, effortlessly completing his own teapot. "If you could get away from that stick of glue you're going to marry, we could meet in the library, and I could help you study."

She bit her lip, "Selwyn has quidditch practice tomorrow night. I can't miss it but knowing you I'm sure you could think of a way to get out of it."

"Already have a billion ideas," he laughed. "We could use polyjuice and have Remus take your place or I could show up underneath the cloak!" 

"Whatever suits your fancy, James," she tried to hide her smile unsuccessfully.

"You're calling me James again," he beamed, a blush creeping up his neck. 

"Don't ruin the moment or it'll be Potter again," she couldn't tear her eyes away for him for a long moment, forgetting about Selwyn until he cleared his throat from a couple of chairs beside them. He was downright furious, crossing his finger along his neck and she didn't know who the gesture was for.

She stared down at her paper for the rest of the class. Lacerta was barely given a second to put her quill away after the bell rang before she was swept into a teeth-smashing kiss. She recognized the cologne as her fiancé. Her eyes found the hazel ones that looked so -- so destroyed at the sight. 

James was quick to grab his things and run out of the room. She removed herself from Selwyn's grasp, wanting to follow James. He gripped her wrist, ignoring McGonagall's disapproving glare as he walked them out of the class. "You're mine," he whispered into her ear. "You better start getting that through your thick head."

"I can speak to whomever I want," she hissed back, unsuccessfully trying to take her hand back.

"Not if I can help it," he said smugly, flashing smiles at familiar people as they walked to the Great Hall. "The only men you should be speaking to is Baby Black and my friends, but only when I'm around."