✧THE TRIALS OF AMELIA AVERY✧

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-Amelia Avery nee Harper-

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The McNair wedding was beautiful, Evelyn surely had a hint of her style in the midst of the entire design. Which Rory adored, but this was the first wedding where she wasn't pregnant, and although she couldn't drink heavily or with any alcohol. Rabastan catered to the whim an already stripped the alcoholic contents from the offered glass, claiming that it was delicious and needed to be enjoyed.

Evelyn looked gorgeous, and she was entirely happy with the way Rory had managed to design something so quickly. And perhaps finally...Finally had the birds accepted her, it confused Aurora as to why it took so very long for it to happen, but it didn't matter now as it was a happy occasion.

And it seemed that the Felix Felicus potion that Rory slipped into the bride's wine worked wonders, because within five minutes after administering the potion, the two left to their honeymoon.

"Grand idea to send them to France Rory, don't think McNair has been to the country before." Rabastan praised his wife as she was getting undressed from today's events.

"A week getaway...Did you have Daisy lock our bedroom?"
"Of course, I wouldn't want McNair looking at my wife's lingerie closet." An adorable tint graced Aurora's cheeks as she tried to brush her hair before heading to bed, though it was Severus' parcel that confused her.

Hadn't they just talked at the wedding?

"Who's that from?"

"Snape, he wanted me to check his plan for the syllabus." He rolled his eyes and continued getting undressed, in a last decision did he run the shower for a few moments before humming along.

Aurora hid her giggle, though she was just as guilty in doing the same.

Hearing the water come to an end did she rise from her vanity and go to hand him a towel. One of which he wiped his face before wrapping around his waist.

Sly snake indeed.

"Any plans for tomorrow?" He asked, and she shrugged.

"The twins were asking for the brooms again today, or perhaps Harper could come with Wyatt for a bit. Haven't really decided." He wanted to hear that she was going to brew, usually in Hogwarts she had these small finger twitches when she began to get antsy from not brewing in so long.

But it has long since past that time, and he sighed all the more when kissing his cheek. "Think your theories journal needs to be tested eventually love."

"I shouldn't be near a cauldron so close to after the birth Raba...Soon though." He hummed once more and settled a kiss on her lips before walking out of the bathroom and into his closet to get properly dressed for bed.

While Rory returned to the note that Snape had sent, throughout the night she caught the idea that he was a bit...Distracted.

Though she couldn't place what was distracting, perhaps she would ask when they figure all this out...

*

It had been a long while since Rory ventured down to her stores, luckily Severus was modest and kept the area clean to her standards.

A reason why she allowed him to continue working here until his was properly built.

Although she tried to ignore the looming question to ask about Snape, it was in the realization that if he did indeed need help she offered it before. His decision to ask the question was his ability to phrase it correctly.

It was nice to smell the familiar brew of a pepper up potion, as she simply wanted to get back in the groove. Though Snape joked that she could manage to secure said potion perfectly with her eyes closed.

"The Dark Lord informed me of your vision, have you had any more since?" She shook her head, explaining how odd the paralyzation was after said vision.

"And...Lily?" It ceased her stirring instantly, and Aurora wasn't one to act foolish in front of a burner. "Don't tell me you're just now curious about Mrs.Potter." Severus might've known Aurora for years, he was still unable to tell one emotion to another with.

She's a trained Black and Lestrange, but the bored and daring expression was indeed throwing him for a loop.

"N-not curious, just—"

"I rightly remember the day you called her a mudblood. So excuse me for suddenly suggesting that you cared for her."

"I do care—I did care." A sly smile had rallied as he had a slip of the tongue. Complete anger flourished his expression as turned sour, turning off his burner completely and beginning to clean the wooden spoon he used.

"Past tense, present tense...There is a very big difference there Severus. I urge you to be careful, Mrs.Potter is quite alright." It hadn't escaped his notice that she responded to his question, and even if it fueled more, he could safely leave the rest for another day or a future mention when the time comes...

But the time was coming closer than one would've hoped.

*

Amelia had received a jarring piece of news, she should've expected it now that McNair was being too honest with his little wife, but this was going to destroy her marriage the second Avery finds out.

Her stressful tears had caught Aurora's attention and ordered a quick brew of her famous calming tea. Rory had a bit of a theory that her friend is pregnant, but any thoughts and assumptions had been silenced as she read the letter written to Harper from McNair.

The silence was causing her to panic further as she moved to her feet and began to pace.

"Rory I don't know what to do! We promised never to speak of it. I-it was Hogwarts, I didn't know that he was going to actually propose!" Mrs.Lestrange, who was dealing with the entire mess of either side of the war, four children and fixing her own marriage...could not even begin to take on the effort to tell her friend in what to do.

Aurora kept her attention on the note before folding it closed and returning it to the table. "When did it happen?" Perhaps that was the worst question to respond with, as her and McNair slept together at the very beginning of her relationship with Avery.

And what made it worse, was the fact that it hadn't just happened one single time.

"Amelia...This is—" 

"It's completely unfair! I wanted to tell him before but I stayed silent because he didn't want to have the discussion!" Aurora began to rub her temples as tried to think of a viable solution, but the tears and fits of anger was not aiding her.

"Amelia...I don't know what to tell you...If it happened once it would've been easier to—"

"Easier?! How?! I slept with his best mate, I didn't think Avery was loyal!" She hadn't believed it so she went out to seek the same nature?

"Then that should've been discussed when you thought he was being unloyal, I can't tell you what that will do to his response but—"

"Oh brilliant! I knew I should've gone to Izzy, you're too much of a prude to understand." Amelia had snagged the letter from the desk and wished her friend a good day before hurrying off to exit the room.

But the door slammed shut just before she could manage to step through the threshold.

It caught Rabastan's attention for sure.

"A prude. Is that what you called me?" Aurora spoke, taking a sip of her tea as she looked to her friend. Sure it was said out of anger, but usually it steamed somewhere to be spouted hatefully.

"You're right, I am a prude. A religious witch who has only slept with the father of her children. But you see, Amelia, I won't have these problems because I wasn't reckless at Hogwarts. I couldn't be, so suck up that bloody ego and for once admit that you are wrong. If you believe you should've told Avery sooner then listening to McNair was another mistake." The woman scoffed, shaking her head at the pointed fingers.

"So while we're stuck with your issues endlessly, ours shouldn't matter?"

"I made your wedding bands, did you know that Amelia? I made the bloody foundation of your marriage with the supplies downstairs. I watched as your husband was thrilled beyond belief in getting the chance to propose...My issues, though they are many, aren't my fault." Common sense was not being met as Amelia put her foot down and a manicured nail into her friends face.

"Yet you come to us."

"You're right, apparently I was wrong Amelia. But your problem could've passed as a mistake if you left well enough alone. I would've said the same, be honest." Anger rallied Mrs.Avery as she continued off, this time without having the door slam to keep her contained.

Rabastan had barely missed who had walked down the steps and out of the manor, instead he continued off towards his wife's study, peeking in to see if whatever happened defused or rallied up his wife up.

"And who or what nearly broke your door?" Rory had chugged the remains of her tea and sighed further into the couch.

"Amelia, it's not worth giving you a headache." He didn't doubt that for a moment, but it was indeed giving his wife a viable headache that he sat down beside her and brought her entirely in his hold.

"Will you tell me?"

"That she called me a prude or the fact that she slept with McNair while she and Avery were dating." Rabastan froze, he hadn't thought of his wife being a prude. He had no right to sleep with the last remaining Black heiress when she could've been promised to another, Harper hadn't had that fear growing up, instead she was simply given the pureblooded speech which she chose to ignore.

"I don't know why she's getting angry with me and claiming that I go to her with all my problems. It's not like I can control what happens to me, she—"

"I'm sure she was simply angry, though she has no right be to. What would you have told her Rory? That everything is going to be okay?" Aurora cuddled further into her husband's hold.

"If I came to you and told you that I slept with McNair or Avery in the beginning of our relationship because I thought you slept with Bryston, what—"

"I would kill them." He darkly remarked, and she sighed further.

"And Avery? What do you think he is going to—"

"He knows that Amelia wasn't pure when they started seeing one another. I thought she simply had more class, and McNair...Why have this surface now?" Rory gave the suggestion that he wanted to tell Evelyn, as it was a bit of being honest and open with her on who he has been with.

But his best friend's wife?!

"I will kill anyone who dares look to my wife in the same way I do."

"Killing is a bit much Raba, and now you see why I waited for our honeymoon. Look how much drama we escaped." He was indeed thankful for that, as well as how much her brothers had protected her from wandering eyes.

Though she did go on a date her third year, which did indeed cause him to demand a kiss.

"What was that bloke's name...The one who took you to Hogsmead for—"

"Oh don't even Lestrange, between you and Sirius no wizard would dare look at me!" She hadn't meant to pin him to the couch, but the way his hands firmly pressed against her waist and his back arched to meet her height. His amused smile only made her blush further as she was completely aware of what was happening.

"How do you suppose this will blow over?"

"Horribly." Her answer to his question was too quick for his liking. Though he knew deep down it was not going to swim fluently, and to make matters worse of course this little spat would be shared with her brother and sister.

Because Rodolphus and Bellatrix had laughed at the issue at hand, granted ether looked elsewhere for their sexual tension and release. As they unfortunately gave up on trying for a child months ago, but they enjoyed the get-togethers with their nieces and nephews.

However, having told the issue to Bella, it was surprisingly defending as the woman had scoffed and brightened her sister's feelings. For once the woman had said the right things as it brightened her mood from the previous tea session.

Unfortunately with Rory, she was coming to retrieve Avery with Bella herself. Yet it was Amelia who came to greet the two witches.

Causing Bella to sneer.

"Aurora, what is—"

"You have no business speaking to my sister." It caused a shift in station, as Amelia was indeed frightened by the elder Mrs.Lestrange. Yet Aurora held her sister back.

"Bella we don't mix business with personal issues, isn't that Amelia?" It was saving her the dispute with her husband now, but a quick side-eyes ensured that the truth would be coming out whether she liked it or not.

Yet it hadn't even been a full three days before Avery came storming to the Lestrange manor in looking for Rabastan.

Though he found Aurora.

"DID YOU KNOW?!" The voice shocked her into almost dropping Cara, and taking on look at her enraged friend he summoned an elf to take her youngest away from the scene as well as summon her husband.

"She came to me a few days ago, Avery I promise you it's—"

"It's what? Alright for Bella to call me a whore?!" Aurora was now caught in the middle of either of the Averys and she groaned into the air as she held out her hands.

"Well Amelia, what would you call it? You thought he was unloyal and did the same. Is there another name?" The master of the manor had watched the dispute from the top of the staircase and hadn't wanted anytime before departing down and taking his mate's shoulder in hand.

"Rory, why don't you check on the children...I'm going to get Avery a glass of firewhiskey." She smiled lightly to him before dropped her gaze off to Harper.

"You're dismissed Mrs.Avery." She spit, and Amelia's heart shattered as she started to go after her friend but was caught with a mirrored expression.

"You cannot come into my home and ask for help after what you said. Now I ask you to leave before I forcibly remove you, is that understood?!" Avery did indeed appreciate the stance either of the Lestrange's were giving him, but seeing his wife bow her head and return to the front entrance allowed the three to finally take a moment.

"Has your migraine returned?" Rabastan spoke, pure worriment in the back of his mind.

"I'm going to lay down for a bit...Avery, had I known back in Hogwarts I would've told you, I swear it."

"I know you would, my mistake was trusting my wife." His tone was broken and differently pitched in another, Rory nodded to her husband with a hope that he could fix this situation.

Izzy had been in the same predicament as Aurora had been, though she was pregnant while watching her friend to the couch across from her.

"How could you say that to Rory? After everything she—"

"She hasn't done a single thing, she brought us into the fold. She brought us into this world, are you prepared to let your children become Death Eaters?" Isabella had risen to her feet and defended the likes of her friend.

"She has done more than you realize, both her and her husband...Our husbands, they protect us from the Dark Lord. Has he asked anything of you other than attending the Galla?" The silence cultivated the answer, and to top it all off it hadn't been much of a mission considering their husbands had done the tasks.

They were just there to distract and discuss.

"No, because Aurora has her children, her husband and us to worry about. Nobody is safe from her wrath as you clearly can tell. But do not dare stand before me and question her loyalty when you couldn't do the same to ether her or Avery!" The pregnant woman had left her own shelter in a fit fill of tears, causing Corban to come in confusion to the whole ordeal.

And a struggling Mrs.Avery in hand as he continued to the Lestrange manor.

"Perhaps it is none of my business, but whatever drama is coming between you and your wife Avery. Please leave mine out of it, she is emotional enough these days without having to bicker about their loyalty." Yaxley had spoken formally before leaving Amelia in the room with two beating snake eyes.

"How could you...I hadn't taken anyone since the idea of being committed to you...You—" She did not have an explanation as to why, all she remembered was being jealous of the relationship Rory had with Rabastan...Even if they had been falling in and out recently.

One thing was for certain, both Rory and Rabastan felt immensely guilty for Wyatt. This argument was directly affecting him as neither parent was giving him attention or affection.

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Date Posted: 11-08-19

Time: 9:00

Words: 2945