✧ONCE AGAIN ALONE✧

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Aurora had another strike of insomnia, and it was partly due to the string of dreams her mind had given her. After speaking with Sirius previous nights before, it caused her to create a growing fear.
Especially when feeling the guilt of what she was doing against her family and her husband.

Even now as she closed her eyes was she given the pleasant image of her husband damn near ready to punish her for her crimes against the Dark Lord. His bottom row teeth showcasing as he threw curse after curse, and the issue with her vivid dreams...The pain was unmistakably real.

"Then why...My dear, dear wife...Would someone claim to have seen you leave the Order's safe house?"

It was times like this that merely hearing his voice in that tone would cause her to shoot up and out of her attempts to sleep. She requested from Severus a sleepless potion that is safe for pregnant witches, since her own lab was once again being wasted down below.

The wizard seemingly found himself using it more than the mistress of the home. But with her request, he put her before himself.

"Explain, before I bring you to the Dark—"

"Then what?! Kill your unborn child. Cara doesn't deserve my punishment."

"No. But my own wife, going against me...All the times you've talked about trust or faulted me about our cause you—"

"Your cause I do not stand behind, nor do I stand behind the Dark Lord. Congratulations. You've played well Husband."

Her dream gave her the benefit of being blessed with a wand in hand, what she was doing prior was minuscule details that she didn't focus on, it was her husband and his words that she truly relished in. Instead she continued to run her fingers through Nymira's fur and groaned further.

Seeing the anger and rage in her husband's eyes was damaging, especially as he had to subdue her to the ground. Her muscles twitched in going in defend her stomach as she had done in the dream, which most likely brought out Rabastan's second nature.

"And for someone to say he placed us in front of the cause, it seems my fears are coming true. You wouldn't have cursed me for any other reason."

What was worse, was that Rabastan hadn't reported her. He kept her prisoner in the highest tower, a close replica of that muggle folklore.

She was given no time with the children, a few hand-selected books to read, all of which were potion manuals as it was an assumption that he was trying to make a gentle punishment.

Especially when he had an elf deliver a potion to relieve the pain.

But she refused, her body wouldn't allow her that blessing.

"My wife...An Order Member..." 

It was these quick mutters under his breath that had her choke, Sirius was right that this would be the biggest punishment.  But Rabastan wouldn't be able to see her hurt or killed by anyone's hand. She had been correct, Cara didn't deserve to die because of

"...My wife...A blood traitor." 

He made it a point to bring her meals, like he was waiting for an apology. Waiting for remorse or an explanation, but the gaunt look on her face as she was being withheld and drained of life was giving Rabastan a difficult end.

He tried to persuade her, talk to her of the beliefs, reign her in on the details.

But she remained silent.
Dulled eyed and unresponsive.

And in the present time, Aurora had touched her throat as she was indeed starving herself in that room. One of the rooms she had visited the second day when the dream still pledged her mind.

She would eat her food, then the second he left she'd puke it out...There was no stopping nausea from taking control of her body.

From there on it was blurry, fits of him yelling to bits of him begging for her to return.

"Just kill me Lestrange..."

The expression on his face made it hard to breathe now as she was in a fit of tears once again, Omen's high meow's catching the attention of Rabastan in the hallway, who had been entertaining Roe in his study.

Apparently the kids started to favor staying with their papa as he did his work. Much like she did when she was younger with Orion.

"Roe it's mummy, how about you give her a hug." A sniffle is what brought Rabastan to urge their youngest forward to his mum.

The twins aided their brother in learning to walk, which gave Aurora an easier time as she simply sat back and observed while Rabastan had been away.

Seeing him run in her direction had Omen dart off in the opposite corner. Rabastan chuckling lowly as he continued further, the cat knew when to stay away from the all too eager hands of the kids.

"Snape is almost done with the potion love, are you sure you don't want me to call healer?" She shook her head, her hand settling Ronan into her chest and hummed.

"It's hard to eat anything, I just need sleep." Rabastan cupped his wife's cheek and tried to give her a sense of comfort. But her misery was far too easy to read.

She was irritated, and Rabastan didn't want Roe at the end of his mother's anger.

The end of April seemed unforgiving.

"When are you leaving?"

"Soon...But not during your hibernation. Have you considered in bringing all your birds to come and live here for the time being?" Rory shook her head, in theory it had been Corban who didn't want his new bride to be alone...But all in the Lestrange manor?
With four children, when counting the Avery son.

Rory couldn't handle the stress, or constant eyes around her.
She rather be alone.

Which was entirely odd considering her nightmare was featuring a level of solitude.

It hadn't been long after when Rabastan was due to leave, and all her birds came forward to cry on one another shoulder while Aurora had found comfort in her bed with her children.

Spoiling them as they all slept on their father's side with an attached fence on the other side.

Speaking of father's...Orion Pollux Black had died.

Aurora had thought that it was torturous in attending Regulus' funeral when he wasn't truly dead. It was numbing, it was exhausting.
But she wasn't prepared to handle her father's funeral.

The heavily pregnant witch had stayed past the hour mark, which made her mother visibly angry. And when Walburga dared to cross her, Rory hadn't held back.
"Your husband—my father has just died. Are you that heartless of a woman to act this way at his funeral?!" She hissed, her children weren't here to aid.

Nor was Rabastan.

"Daisy...I want you to take my father's portrait and put it in my study." She ordered, awaiting for the elf to pop in for a second before going to fulfill the task.

"You—Cassiopeia that is highly improper to—"

"I think we are passed what is proper and improper mother. My brothers are gone, my father. Now if you would please, I'd like a damn moment." Walburga Black was left to return to the empty manor of Grimmauld Palace, while Rory relayed the previous prayer and the next.

Why the witch expected Rabastan to come was putting too much hope, the first few days Dobby had come to deliver a quick word or parcel.

But those seemed so distant.

At least her bed wasn't cold, her children were happy and her brothers were alive. That is all she could ask for.

Mrs.Lestrange had avoided her study for an entire week, in grieving, before entering to see her father's portrait, she assumed it was from his youth but he looks—well he looked strongly like Sirius now.

So much so Aurora's jaw parted and tears swelled further.

"Father..." She whispered, as the portrait seemed to be caught in a trans of time. Something she read up prior to this meeting.

In dependence on the portrait's timeline, she would have to explain things in mention for a memory to be jogged. But that wasn't as bad as to lose his spirit for the entirety of her life.

"Father? I'm no father." The scoff that escaped his mouth was surprisingly light-hearted, but the sudden distaste for tears to the young pregnant witch before him was...Unsettling his mind.

"Why are you crying miss?" So perhaps talking in full recourse of memory would be more difficult than previously planned, good thing the munchkins were sleeping for the night already.

"What is the last thing you remember?" She turned around, wiping her tears on her sleeve before coming to sit down properly in front of the frame.

"I...I don't rightly know, the manor? I know that I am dead, where am I now?" She smiled lightly as she looked around the room for a moment, perhaps not the most decorative of it all but it did its job in giving inspiration.

"You're in my study, I didn't want to leave you with mother and—"

"Who's your mother?" This game continued, and rightly so had there been a few stern remarks, some grumbles and a hold hefty dozen of scoffs before the true memories started to kick into gear.

And right when Rory was about to call it in for the night.

"Cassi...My little light. Yes—Of course, how could I ever forget you darling." His voice just as soft and gentle as before, and for the second time was she able to converse to her father.

To be honest and truthful.

She told him that she still speaks to Sirius, but it wasn't that that was giving him a struggle choke.
It was the fact that Regulus is alive.

"Truly? Are you sure?"

"Yes father, I made sure to set him up properly with a family friend in America. He is safe...Actually, I believe he is enjoying himself a bit too much with Elizabeth's sister." All Orion Black ever wanted was his children to be happy, but in recent events he knew his daughter was anything but.

"Has Ronan said mummy yet?"

"He's coming close, I think he is going to start talking earlier than the twins, just because he has them to lean on." It was brilliant to have her father to talk to, though he too had a day and night cycle.

And not to disrupt her father, she would seek out other areas of the home in order to give him a sense of privacy, though he wanted to spend all hours talking to his daughter.

His little light.

But unfortunately for him, time moves on and waits for no man or woman, witch or wizard...No matter how pure or how unpure.

That is just how the world works.

On the lighter note, with Regulus still unknowingly alive, it left the request Orion had given to Rabastan to be ceased.

And she gawked at her father at the idea, sure it was brass...Sure it caused her to storm out of the room. But her father was an old soul, old ideals and certainly at fault for not birthing another son instead of a daughter.

But in the better sense of it all, Rory was starting to feel at peace with the manor, as though her father was the warmth she needed...Yet she would never receive a hug from the man again. And that was what caused her the most sadness.

*

Aurora had been called by an Elf that morning, and being in the relatively good mood that she was in, she took it with a smile...As she was in the midst of responding to a letter from Narcissa, Draco was already hitting his first month into the world. And as a Godmother, Rory wanted to send a gift.

She decided to leave her father's company and go down in search of who it might be.

And McNair was certainly not the one she expected...Though she didn't rightly know who she expected.

"Ah Rory, I'm sorry love...I was looking for Rabastan." That didn't seem too promising as she held her stomach further. "Is there something wrong? Is he missing or—"

"No, but he claimed to want to return home a few days prior...Suppose his brother needed the help." The witch might be dealing with far too many issues on hand, but she couldn't help but feel the unsureness radiating off of McNair.

"Seems we're both at a loss...Daisy, could you prepare some tea?" The wizard sighed, he didn't mean to press Rory into entertaining him. But the last person he wished to talk to was anyone in his family, and with the rest of his mates occupied...Nor having the heart to refuse Rory's kind smile, he simply offer her an arm and allowed her to lead the way.

"No offense love, but tea isn't going to cut it for this one."

"Naturally, but drinking with another is better than drinking alone. And since I'm going on . about... Fourish years without it nor can I have it, I best resort to tea." Merlin did he miss this sassy side of his mates' wife, clearly it's upped in wit since their days at Hogwarts...And honestly, this was indeed in need of a discussion.

Rory had taken Rabastan's seat, one of which smelled like him heavily that she relaxed close to instantly...While McNair took the liberty in taking two quick shots and chasers before sighing into the air.

"Circe you're making me nervous, you promise it's not about Raba?"

"Sorry, just plainly bitter. Actually haven't seen him all that much...Mum said I'm meeting my betrothed soon." Aurora had simply taken a kind sip of her tea as she took note of how unnerved the wizard across from her really stood.

Did he not want to marry?
Did he have someone else?

"You haven't met her?"
"I have, sure of it...She just graduated." Oh. Now that makes it insanely better, but the idea of a witch from Regulus' year was making her heartache.

Did she know?

"Why don't you try to—"

"No offense Mrs.Lestrange, but not all of us can marry our soulmate." The woman rolled her eyes as she took another curt sip before darting her attention back to him.

"The only offense I'm taking, McNair is you calling me by title. Honestly, if you're feeling the stress image how she'll feel? You might be a handsome bloke but it's difficult for anyone to get the idea properly across without having a positive first meeting." He gritted his teeth, knowing full well the woman was right. So he poured another glass and dropped the contents down his throat and nodded.

Rory was surprised he agreed, but given that he was going to finish the entirety of the fire whiskey bottle...She was sure by the end of it he was going to agree close to anything.

"From my position McNair, this is going to be your wife and mother of your children. Be a git and she'll act against it. Be nice and you'll be returned with the same pleasantries." He hummed, and what really should've been her first question rightly resulted in her own sigh.

The witches' name, and if she hadn't had such a steady grip on her emotions.

Hearing Evelyn Selwyn would've surely triggered one or the other.

She had been Regulus' girlfriend for the better part of a year, she hadn't talked in favor of wanting to know the details. Or perhaps her brother told her and now it was escaping her mind, but now?
It was tearing McNair apart.

"Merlin she's—she's so young a-and so—"

"And she'll be a nervous wreck to meet you. And if you have any trouble, you can bring her here and I can help her get acclimated." The wizard frowned, his mate wouldn't want his wife to take on another witch to cater to and watch out for...And one glance to his direction did she read that all too easily.

"Do you not want your future wife friends with me?"

"No. Of course I do."

"Then what is the issue? Are you nervous yourself?" The bloated and sober question had brought the wizard hands to his face as he groaned further.

"I never saw myself settling down—and marriage? That was for Bass and Avery. Not me." Aurora sighed further, pouring an extra cup of tea before passing it over to him.

It was indeed time to sober up.

"McNair do you want children one day?"

"Y-yes, I suppose I would like a few—"

"Now from memory, Evelyn is a gorgeous witch. Do you not favor her or is there something else?" It was indeed nerves, he rightly didn't date in Hogwarts and he did it was the title of dating with benefits, which left no room for romance.

"I'm not Avery or Rabastan, I can't create a dinner or know the ins and outs of a woman's mind."

"Then our code hasn't been cracked. Do you plan on being loyal? Are you worried about being tied down?" That was indeed a fear, and Aurora sighed.

"I cannot force you to be loyal, but Evelyn is a sweet witch. Take her out on a date, have a conversation with her. Learn her interests, you'll be surprised. Maybe she is your soulmate." He knew he wasn't drunk enough to believe that notion, but he was indeed going to try to make this work.

And starting it off was going through with this date that Rory seemingly planted into his brain.

Aurora had demanded that he spend the night due to his inability to apparent, and her inability to do the same. His stubborn arse only made it to the bar's couches, though comfortable to sit...Was not a substitute for a bed.

The hangover food the next morning was suitable for him to return with the motivation he needed to properly meet Evelyn.

"Now...If you see my husband could you pass a message?" It was more than reasonable as he was likely to see him soon, relaying that Mrs.Lestrange aided him would be nothing without a message, so he smiled brightly.

"Of course." Aurora matched his expression and came closer to him, but then her mouth turned flat and her eyes narrowed.

"Cara's coming early and if he misses the birth...He should pray that I am still in this manor when he returns." Merlin have mercy on Rabastan's soul if he misses his daughter's birth.

"Damn Lestrange, I thought Bass was terrifying." She grinned and kissed his cheek before bidding him a safe departure to the rest of the Death Eaters.

But of course, McNair had taken Aurora's offer of being friends with Evelyn far too quickly and literally. Which brought both Lydia and Linda into her manor.

Now this will surely to cause some issues, and there wasn't enough time to sneak back to her father's portrait for some answers.

"Rory!" Lydia cheered, the young witch was going to start Hogwarts this coming fall and she looked beyond excited to join.

"Lydia behave yourself...Mrs. Lestrange, thank you for inviting us to your manor." Linda had taken full reign of the situation, and Aurora had to withhold her laughter.

Merlin the old generation was still going strong with this pureblood royalties, and if anything...Aurora felt far too high on the pedestal for her liking.

"Please, let us sit...I'm afraid my ankles are against me in these final weeks." Linda, as the elder witch in the room, hurried along and aided Mrs.Lestrange into getting to proper seating.

"How far along are you?" Evelyn questioned, and the witch received a kind smile.

"Thirty-five weeks, though the healers said she will be early." From there it was an odd bundle of assumption, but luckily the mother and daughter had left for Aurora to get properly aquatinted with this witch.

She was bright, that much she rightly remembered. Or perhaps it was Regulus who wanted to boast to mother and father about the witch he was with.

Either or, she did score a few O's throughout.

"I'm sure you don't remember me all that much Mrs.Lestrange, but I—"

"Of course I do, I tutored you in potions a few times right alongside—" Regulus. And a flash of pain struck across Evelyn's face.

"Merlin—Mrs, forgive me I hadn't meant to—"

"Honestly, sweetheart breathe." Aurora was tired of the pedestal, pinching the brink of her nose did she sigh.

"Evelyn, I wish to be friends...Part of me wishes and hopes that I can protect you from what McNair and the rest of them are doing now or will be doing in the future."

"He's told me, he's shown me his mark." Rory hummed a bit, cursing McNair for being far too bold in that response. He's scared her to witts end!

"I do not have the mark Evelyn, I have a rule with my husband that we keep it away from the children." The young witch blinked in surprise, at both the rule and how Mrs.Lestrange was acting.

Curious, her aunt had prepped her all morning on how to act with the witch and now...Now that seems to have been thrown out the window as Aurora seemingly was far too kind.

Evelyn wondered how she was even related to Bellatrix when she spoke so softly.

The two talked about many things, but it was Rory who was explaining what her purpose will be and how she herself will be an owl away if she needed anything.

"I...I'm nervous for the wedding...Actually the honeymoon..." Ah yes, Rory remembered that vividly. And damn her husband who would taunt her out of the blue with it on occasion.

"Of course, I love my husband even at the alter...I was still petrified in the honeymoon...But I've already warned McNair that if he plans on wronging you in any way shape or form, he'll be answering to me." It made a relieved smile erupt on her face, she'll be protected under Mrs.Lestrange's word.

And that meant more to her than her own parents.

"A-and what if I'm no good?"

"Well darling, that I cannot help you with. But in recommendation of some light reading, and perhaps a few designs for bedroom attire, it'll give you a better version of what can or could happen that night." Why was it that Aurora was aiding her more than her own mother?

Right. Because the other half of the Selwyn family had lost a mother.
It left Evelyn without a mother.

"Darling, in the placement of your mother at the moment...Are you pure?" The young witch knew instantly what was being referred to, and she nodded right away.

"Now what I am about to explain is something passed down between witches, from mother to daughter. They are called virgin rites..." And with that, the two had discussed long into the afternoon, with the pause of lunch, on what Evelyn's role will be once she becomes Evelyn McNair.

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Date Posted: 11-01-19

Time: 8:03

Words: 3872