REPUTATION • [j.p.] ✔️

[06]

Chapter Six:
Cruciatus

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tw: abuse
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THE MARAUDERS SAT in their compartment on the train on the way home for Christmas holidays. Jessie laid across one of the benches, leaving James, Remus, Sirius and Peter to the bench across from her. Peter kindly taking up a spot on the ground to give the others more space.

Jessie was wide awake, holding her engagement ring between her fingers. She was giving it back to her parents, once and for all.

She had gained significant weight in the last few weeks since Regulus and Jessie were kept apart. Therefore, no more love potion for Jessie. It was a sweet relief, she decided. She reached inside her coat pocket, feeling the picture of Dora sitting there. She exhaled her anxiety slowly.

"Jess?" James asked softly.

She hadn't let herself think about the smell of the love potion. The smell of evergreens, just like James's sweaters, nor the Potter boy himself.  But as she raised her eyes to look up at James, her heart fluttered.

He was fairly cute, she couldn't deny that, much of the school would agree. With cute glasses and messy, slightly curly hair. She shook her head, this was her best friend James Potter and she had more pressing matters at hand, anyway. It was doubtful she'd ever have the option of being with him. Not that she wanted to.

"Yes?" she asked after a moment.

"Are you okay?"

Jessie sat up, feeling a little dizzy, having been laying down for so long. She held the ring in her lap, looking down at it. "I'm scared."

"Yeah, right. Jessica Verity Black doesn't get scared," Sirius scoffed.

Jessie narrowed her eyes on. "You grew up in a Black household, did you ever show your emotions?"

Sirius lowered his eyes, knowing she was right. Jessica stared at the ring for a minute.

"There's a Christmas party. Regulus will be there. Even if my parents accept that I'm ending it..." she shrugged, raising her eyes again. "What if he slips another—we're pulling in. I'll see you boys next year."

She frantically grabbed her things, rushing out of the compartment so her parents didn't see her with her friends.

•••

At dinner, that night, Jessie cleared her throat. She knew better than to speak when she wasn't spoken to, but she did so, anyway. It was just her and her parents. Bellatrix was off with her husband as was Narcissa. Andromeda didn't exist to her parents, so her absence went unnoticed. She swallowed hard, feeling the picture of Dora in her pocket still.

"I'm not marrying Regulus Black."

She set the ring in the center of the table. She sat up straighter as the room remained silent.

"Yes, you are," laughed her mother. "Don't be silly! Listen, we know you saw Andromeda, but Regulus told us you were telling her off. He saved you from her."

Jessie threw her fork down. She had a place with Andi. She had a safe place to go. Her mother jumped at the sound. "Bullshit! I saw her because I love her. Because she's my sister—"

"No she is no—"

Chose courage.

"Regulus made me drink ammortentia all year. It made me so sick! Andi tried to save me from that pig!" She yelled, shoving away from the table. She stood up, only to be flung across the room by a spell.

She screamed, bouncing of the wall. She curled in on herself on the ground as her father yelled a spell she couldn't bear to think of.

Her screams were horrible and rang out long into the night, until her father was bored of it.

But this was what Jessie did. She endured.

She endured when her parents found the picture of Dora in her pocket. Her mother made her watch as the picture burned in front of her.

Choose courage.

Then he yelled the curse again, every inch of her writhing in agony. The pain only stopped when she passed out from the pain.

This was how dinner went every night. Jessie denied the betrothal to Regulus, her parents tortured her. Until the final straw: Christmas dinner.

Jessie knew this was her final chance to persuade her parents to call off the engagement. She was exhausted and every inch of her still hurt from days upon days of being tortured, but she wasn't stopping.   

She slammed the ring down on the table, staring at her mother and father across from her. The table fell silent.

"I am not marrying Regulus Black!" She said in a cold, stern voice.

"Jessie—" Narcissa started only to be silenced by her mother's hand. She held it up, not even glancing at Narcissa who sank back in her chair, remaining quite.

"Jessica Verity Black. It is one thing to defy us at home during dinner, but in front of your whole family on Christmas—"

"This isn't all my family. Where are Andromeda and Sirius? Hm?" Jessie demanded.

"They are not family," hissed her mother.

Her father stood. "Jessie, do we need to talk in the other room?"

"Oh, no father, if you want to torture me, do it in front of the whole family. I'm sure they'll all love it because they're so sick and twisted!" She shouted at them all. She grabbed her wand, pointing it at the ring. With a wave of her wand, it was a melted puddle of metal and a pile of sand.

"You are not my daughter. Not anymore," her mother said calmly. "Go get your things, but you better be gone before we return home, Jessica."

In that moment, Jessie felt like she was falling, but only in a dream. It was surreal, this sense of freedom and abandonment stirred inside her. It was odd. Freeing, but terrifying.

But Jessie packed her things and knew exactly where she would go.

•••
[Published 01/29/18]

a/n: I'd really like to know your thoughts on the book so far!