✧A DEADLY PROMISE✧

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Unfortunately, Aria had been awoken when the door of her room closed. When she had taken the smallest peek, nobody was there.
And after catching sight of the clock, she realized that barely to hours had passed. 

The tiredness that crept up her body had left, it seemed to happen more often than not and it infuriated her to no end. Not to mention that she couldn't go to the facility's labs in the coming weeks, not at the harm coming straight to the babe.

With her morning routine in mind, she cautiously rose to her feet in hopes not to ignite the waves of nauseous. But thankfully her body had been revived with the nap, and thank goodness.

Because she needed to talk to Radolphous.

In dropping her feet to the ground, she caught sight of slippers and hummed in approval to them—Happy for that added comfort with the socks. And better yet, the robe on the couch had been a peace offering, from who? She couldn't say.

Most likely from either Clarissa or Rabastan, but betting on the latter that it was another witch to know these were the added comforts of swollen ankles.

Though it hadn't happened after the first time, she was betting it was an all throughout effect to enjoy.

Having crossed over towards the door, she had wrapped herself in the floor-length robe and sighed at the texture against her skin. She couldn't have an important conversation with her future father-in-law with her fiancé's pants and jumper.

Not one she could get her thoughts across without seeming childishly underdressed.

When she made it to the hall, she noticed that Rabastan is still awake—Leaving her to silently close the door and tiptoe past to make it without getting caught.

When she knocked at the study's door, she received a quick 'come in,' and Radolphous had quickly extinguished the dozens of cigars he had smoked and rose to his feet with such haste.
"Darling, are you feeling alright? Merlin—I ought to curse your father into oblivion, that was completely uncalled for." She held herself by the stomach and followed his lead in taking a seat off by the fire, leaving authority to comfort.

"Your father had left this by the contact, you should take this back."
"I destroyed my father's office worse than yours when I had it. Not worth it." She claimed, tucking her legs underneath herself as her eyes darted towards the fire.

"Rose, a calming tea with a bit of lemon for Aria." The elf hadn't bothered to pop, nor did Radolphous say anything as he summoned a glass of whiskey.

"I guess we don't need that other contract." She mumbled, fiddling with her hands but catching the wizard's attention. "It wasn't my best moment."
"And you think this is mine?" He shook his head, but hummed after a thought..

"It's nothing that cannot be countered."
"And I need to speak with your wife." She deemed, now accepting the offered tea from Rose and humming at the effect of the potion caressing her like a warm hug.

Radolphous had ordered the elf to do just that, yet Aria had taken a few sips to full her for what was about to happen. "She'll be happy to answer any questions about the babe, she's—"
"Oh, that's not why I want to talk to Mrs.Lestrange." She said with a gaze to share between them.

Clarissa had come in with a matching robe as Aria and come over to the two with a bright smile. "Oh, this is beautiful news, no need to worry about the debut ball. Your mother and I will handle—"
"What potion was it," Aria said, looking down to her tea and allowing her hand to sway the spoon to and fore. Her magic was just at her fingertips as she found, and it was a beautiful feeling.

She just wished the pregnancy glow would grace her soon.

"There's only a dash of calming potion, Rose doesn't put more—" Aria tilted her head at Clarissa, leaving Radolphous to understand where she was coming from.

"Tosmin." Clarissa said, nodding along as she wanted to be transparent, happy to finally have a daughter in the family. However, the sudden bubbly attitude of the woman had cut Aria's last and final straw as calmly stood up and faced her.

"Do you have any bloody idea what that does to a witch?!" And Clarissa's face had fallen outright. "Not only did you override my birth control—That I was taking for this very reason, you've forsaken me to the worst type of torture!"

"Darling, pregnancy is nothing to be scared of." It was as if she wasn't speaking English all over again.

"You think I'm scared of pregnancy?! No, I'm scared I won't survive the birth, that the babe could die at any moment. I didn't want to marry Rabastan because I'm not supposed to survive any longer than another year!" Clarissa had stumbled back and clutched her chest.

"A—Ari—Radolphous, is this true?"
"True?! Every time I head to Germany I'm seeing a specialist, and I couldn't take this treatment! They won't do it when I'm with child and better yet, you've given me the most illegal most scarring potion known to man. All for what?!" Clarissa had been on the losing side from the start, wiping her eyes quickly she huffed.

"We'll hire an on-call healer—"
"Money won't solve this. My health is low, lower than I could even begin to dream on carrying this babe. And now to know that the potion that's bypassed my birth control to create this babe..."
"It isn't harmful, I wouldn't—"
"If I don't miscarriage or have a stillbirth, the possibility of its effects to either me or them are fatal. There hasn't been one good case in the entire world." Radolphous had settled the distance between them and motioned Aria to take another sit of tea.

"Clarissa, I want that bottle on my desk, now. We'll speak with a healer and see if we cannot stop the effects."
"It's over, it's how the entire pregnancy happened. And if by chance I do make it through, that I do carry to term. My healers already informed me that I won't see the next day after that. So while you hold your grandchild, you best believe I'll haunt you to the end of your days you desperate bloody bitch!" Mister Lestrange had directed his wife to leave and not return. While it was Aria who sobbed into her wrist, Clarissa didn't mean this out of malicious intent—But to hear such a kind-hearted girl get possessed by a protective mother, well...She couldn't be angry.

This was evidently her fault.

"Shh, it's alright."
"Is it? Because all my healers have told me to terminate the pregnancy." At the mere mention of ending it, he stilled. The magical community wasn't against this option, but for a medical expert to say it was too dangerous then it was catastrophic.

"Aria..."
"I don't believe in it, even if this babe is conceived on a potion. It's what you need right? An heir?" The emotion on Radolphous couldn't be contained anymore, he scoffed a sob at the catastrophe.

His wife was going to be punished, had she consulted him then perhaps he would've disagreed. What would've happened on its own had been pushed forward and at the worst time.

"There has to something..."
"There isn't, course Regulus thought you were going to have me killed."
"Never. You don't have to worried about that in this family."
"I think you need to see how the rest of the community sees you as." They shared a small laugh but it had, though it was short-lived.

"We'll make however long you have left to be the best, to be blissful."
"And Rabastan? The child? That's a lifetime of resentment on my behalf." She sniffled, wiping the snot onto the robe as she turned back towards him.

"Promise me, promise you won't let him. That he doesn't hate me, that he knows I tried—" There was nothing more than the rawness of what Aria wanted, for the babe and for her future husband.

"Of course, we'll draft it right—"
"For just a minute stop playing the lawyer. Play the concerned grandfather, be the restless father-in-law...But don't get legal with this." She cried, grasping for his hand and squeezing it tightly.

"I beg you...I beg you." A dying wish, she wanted Rabastan to thrive. To not abandon the child at the fault of killing their mother. "A-and if by chance t-that the potion has done something to the babe, if they're a squib or some defect...You won't do what you did to me. Let them find a place, even if it's without magic...And Wyatt—" He took it one step farther, he revealed his wand, and a golden line had sparkled and shined bright of an unbreakable vow.

Radolphous had almost forgotten how it looked when the gal in front of him smiled. Brightly at that reason.

"A promise."
"A rather deadly one at that." But that was the least he could do at the chance that Aria hadn't told her father about the potion. That would've been even higher hell than what was displayed.

When Aria had finished her tea however, he sent her back to the guest room. Claiming that they'd go everything properly sometime tomorrow.

With that, she had attempted to leave. But in seeing Clarissa trying to return with said potion in hand, or better yet, trying to get a word in.

"When I have my way, Mrs.Lestrange, you won't have a single right to see the child. My respect for you has diminished and I'd like to be civil about it. Good night." Leaving the mother to gawk at the other, though Aria had gone on her merry way towards Rabastan's room.

Now with the candle's light extinguished.

Much like in previous weeks, she snuck in and removed the robe and left it on the bed frame at their feet. However, when she attempted to slide in underneath the covers, Rabastan had almost jumped to see her and come to her aid.

"Come to join me, love?"
"Don't get cocky now, please. I've seen that enough today." He instead greeted her with a kiss and cuddled her deeply, nuzzling her in the back of the neck.

"How are you feeling?"
"Just in general or the babe?"
"Both. But mostly you."
"Tired, I think your mum left slippers and a robe in my room. Woke me up and I couldn't go back to sleep." She spoke, but Rabastan noticed the hotness of her breath and the scent of tea—To the fresh tears still making her cheeks wet.

"I'm right here kitten, I'm not going anywhere."
But I am, she wanted to admit. But her conscience won over.

"Raba?" She questioned, and his mind was just moments away from falling asleep but he hummed. Going to wake himself up at the prospect of helping where he could.

"Give me your hand." He did just that, but interlocking them as he assumed that is what she wanted and she chuckled. Yet she placed his hand to the slight swell of her stomach and ran it over, only for him to try and grasp it.

"That's..."
"Them. They'll be growing much more soon." She cooed, turning to look at him. And while she had been stricken with such risks, the happiness couldn't stop shining. Whether it was the smile gracing her back when he kissed her neck or the grazes and swirls he'd done to her swell.

He huffed when she went to lay on her back, throwing the cover back and lifting up the jumper. "Lil Lestrange?" He could hardly take the moment to digest her words as he went closer. Aria was the skinniest witch that he's ever met, the Black genes having something to do with it and thus he bent down to get to eye level.

"How small are they?"
"Oh, I'd say to make a fist and less than a quarter than that." She deemed, leaving him to do the calculations with his fist though he took hers for example next. "They're tiny."
"Of course they are, I'm not that far along."
"But just noticeable...How long have you known?"
"Not long, hardly a few weeks." He nodded and leaned down to kiss the lil fellow once again.

"Better yet, I believe your birthday night was—"
"You're kidding." She grinned, yet it was paired with an uncontrolled sniffle, these were the passing moments that she would look back towards.

And the countdown of her days needed to be made the most of it, especially when people relied on her.

Yet Rabastan had wrapped her into his hold, a hand settling comfortably on her stomach and just resonating at the fact that they were on the verge of creating a family.

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Date Posted: 07-31-2021

Time: 9:58

Words: 2184