selenophile || remus lupin

chapter eighty nine

28 July 1997

7:42 pm

Ophelia had been recovering well. Of course, she was still in a lot of physical and emotional pain, but having a wonderful support system helped immensely. She was so incredibly grateful for her friends, even if she sometimes got annoyed that they wouldn't leave her side. Tonight wasn't one of those nights, however. She, Sirius, Remus, and James were sprawled out across one of the many couches in the large living room of Potter Manor, enjoying each other's presence. Ophelia's head was laid on Sirius' lap while he combed his fingers through her hair and occasionally braided a small strand. The four of them were sitting together in comfortable silence, something that was rare when it came to the marauders. Sirius, however, soon broke it, caught up in his thoughts and slightly frowning.

"Ophelia," he started, putting his hand through her hair again to keep her from moving, startled by the use of her full name. "What happened?"

"Sirius, I thought we agreed to not push anything until she's ready to tell us," James said, also frowning slightly.

"I know, I know. Just remember, if you ever want to talk, we're all here whenever you're ready."

"No, it's okay, James. It's healthy, I guess. I think I'm ready to tell you at least a little bit about what happened that night."

"Whatever you want to tell us. Or even if you decide you don't want to tell us anything more a sentence in, we just want you to be comfortable," Sirius said.

Ophelia closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find a place to start talking. She had thought about that night so much since it had happened, it was the one thing that almost constantly preoccupied her mind. But as soon as she considers talking about it, it vanishes as if it had never happened, and she can't seem to collect her thoughts. She goes back to that night in her head, takes a deep breath, sits up, and locks watery eyes with Remus.

"Please don't be mad at me," she said, her voice breaking slightly.

"I couldn't be truly mad at you if you tried, darling," he said gently.

"I'm sorry, Rem. I really am."

"You're scaring me, Phee."

"It was- It was Evan. Evan Rosier."

Sirius wrapped his arms around her while silent tears fell down her cheeks. James took a hold of one of her hands, but Remus wasn't so comforting. His jaw hardened and his eyes tore straight through Ophelia as if he were trying to do legilimency.

"I'm- I'm sorry, Remus. I couldn't- there was nothing-"

"Did he touch you?"

"Remus-"

"Did he touch you, Ophelia?" he asked again gently, making a conscious effort to not raise his voice.

"No, not like that. I made sure of it."

"But he tried?"

"He's the reason that I'm here."

"What does that mean, though?" James asked.

"We were eating dinner with him and he um- he tried to make a move, I rejected it, and he got pissed. His family too."

"And if another pureblood family is pissed, Mother and Father would be pissed too," Sirius said, connecting the dots.

"Henceforth," Ophelia motioned to the scars littering her body and face.

"Wait, why were you having dinner with the Rosiers?"

Ophelia's body tensed up, not wanting to have to explain it but knowing it was for her own good. Sirius felt her tense and brought her closer to him, holding her tightly.

"Our parents said they had an announcement to make," she spat venomously.

"No-" Sirius gasped, knowing what their family was like. "No!"

"What?" James asked frantically.

"I'm betrothed to Evan Rosier."

The silence that loomed around them hung deadly in the air, waiting for its first victim to take a breath and speak up first. Ophelia looked down at her hands sitting in her lap, refusing to see any of the boys' reactions. Remus was the first to speak.

"You- what?"

"Please, Remus. Don't be mad, you have to understand that-"

"Stop, Ophelia. I'm not mad at you, I promise. I promise. I know that you wouldn't do anything like that if you had the choice."

"Exactly! I didn't have a choice!"

"You always have a choice," James muttered, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to comprehend the whole situation.

"No, James. I didn't," Ophelia's lips quivered subtly. "They imperioed me," she revealed, turning to the window and closing her eyes, letting a single tear fall down her face.

All three boys' faces were the same: Shocked. Terrified. Angry. It made Ophelia want to sink into the couch and drown in the cushions to where she didn't have to see their reactions. She wanted people to know, she just hated the pity that always inevitably came along with it.

"You want to know the whole story? Here's the whole story; The Rosiers came over to dinner one night. Our parents announced our betrothal. Evan was ecstatic, of course, and he wanted to start acting like an engaged couple right away, but I immediately tore that idea apart. Apparently, that was too disrespectful for everyone, and Mother realized that I wasn't going to willingly marry him without a fight. She used the imperius curse on me. It was weird. It felt wonderful and horrible at the same time. I didn't have to think about anything, yet I wasn't able to think about anything. We made an unbreakable vow, that as long as I was 'a true Black' and he was 'a true Rosier', we would have to get married as soon as we graduate. I couldn't do anything to stop it. Of course, as soon as the curse was lifted I protested. I was enraged, as any sane person would be. Mr. and Mrs. Rosier didn't like me insulting them by refusing to marry their son and they punished me. And then they stormed out and mother and father punished me for being so rude about not wanting to be forced into a marriage to someone I barely know and most certainly do not like, let alone love."

"Ophelia, what do you think punishment is?" James asked slowly. Ophelia saw the look in their eyes and knew that she didn't have the mental strength to tell them much more that night, so she kept her mouth shut and shook her head.

"That's not punishment, Fia. Those scars. That's fucking torture. Punishment is when you've done something wrong and you get put in timeout or grounded. Not whatever the hell they've been doing."

Ophelia looked back towards Sirius who nodded sullenly. "It was hard for me to believe when I heard it for the first time, too, but after living with the Potters for so long, it's hard for me to believe that any form of punishment is more than a talking to or a temporary ban from my broomstick."

Ophelia then looked towards her boyfriend, who sat staring at her with a calculating look on his face. She really hoped that he didn't have any more questions for that night. She was already exhausted and hated the stupid looks of pity on everyone's faces. But a question never came, but instead something that made Ophelia think for a long, long time.

"You're not betrothed anymore."

"What? Of course, I am, did you not just hear-"

"No, Fia. You ran away, you're disowned, just like Sirius was when he ran away. If you're disowned, you can't be a 'true Black'. The unbreakable vow is broken."