never until forever [s. black]

eighteen

tw: mentiones of suicide and violence

"so, how are classes?" katherine looks up from her plate at her father, charles avery the fourth. he had an extremely intimidating air to him and it crushes everyone around him, especially katherine.

"they're all right. i found interest in alchemy." she admits, making him wave her off and her brother, charles joseph avery the fifth snickers. everyone called her brother joseph, too make sure no one was to confuse him and her father.

"silly girl. the only interest you should have is becoming a death eater." joseph says, making her frown down at her plate, before looking back up at him.

"what if i don't want to be one?" she asks softly and a deafening silence settles on them. the last time someone had gone against the idea of becoming a death eater in their family, she had died. of course her father would have never killed her mother, but he had forced her into becoming a death eater and she became miserable that even staying alive for her children wasn't enough anymore.

"don't be foolish katherine. you know what happened to your mother, don't be like her." charles says, making her take a deep breath and look at him vulnerably. there used to be a time she was daddy's little girl, and he'd spoil her to the tooth. but now, all that mattered to him was serving lord voldemort.

"she raised me, i am more like her than you." she says daringly and she sees the anger in his eyes rise up, before he slams his fist on the table, making her flinch.

"nonsense! she chose to die over raising you!" he shouts, making her wince and cower back into her chair. he takes a deep breath to calm himself. "now, you'll become a death eater. no questions asked."

"severus snape has become one and regulus black is following suit." joseph muses, making charles smirk as he looks at his daughter, who is at the verge of tears.

"you should follow your friends and do the same." charles says, making her clench her jaw as she looks down at her plate so that he doesn't see the tears forming in her eyes. it would be a form of weakness and weakness wasn't allowed in this house. "how about emma vanity? i hear that you're spending a lot of time with her recently."

"she will become one too eventually. how could she not." joseph snickers, a malicious smirk forming on his lips as he leans back in his chair. "she's quite exquisite that one."

"joseph. behave." charles snarls disapprovingly. katherine bites her lips and takes a deep breath in hopes to calm herself down, blinking away the tears, before looking up at her father.

"could... could i be excused?" she asks weakly and he takes a moment to think, before waving her off dismissively and she doesn't hesitate to leave. joseph snickers as he shakes his head and looks at his father.

"she won't survive a day in the war. she's too weak." joseph says, making charles look at him in slight annoyance. "might as well let her join the opposing side, won't change a thing. if anything it'll make them weak."

"you underestimate your sister. she's a lot like her mother unfortunately, stubborn and somehow sympathises with mud bloods." charles snarls in disappointment, before shaking his head.

"i'll go check on her." joseph says as he stands up and goes to katherine's room. he knocks on her door and she opens, before she can do anything he grabs her by the neck, making her gasp as he slams her against the nearest wall.

"joseph!"

"you really think you can get away from your duty? if you try to escape i'll hunt you down and murder you myself." joseph snarls, making her wince as her air becomes limited. he let's go and she slides down the wall as he leave the room, making her burst into tears.