✧YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH✧

❦❦❦|♕♕♕

◊━━━━━✥━━━━━◊

***

After using the downstairs floo system, the first thing Aria had done was rip off her shoes and unpin her hair. Groaning in pure happiness that she was free of either restraints and limitations.

But all Rabastan could really manage to take from that was the pleasured sound as well as her wavy locks teasing him.

"I'll be right back...LOKI!" Aria called out, running up the steps in pure excitement to see her puppy and it left the two wizards down in the living room.

"Could you please keep it in your trousers?" Regulus shot after and Rabastan could only straighten his shoulders and trying to think of anything else.

But it was hard, instantly hard when the candles that were flickering around the room, letting out Aria's signature scent.

"She's your sister..." He whispered, and Regulus never experienced whiplash, but this was surely the same.

"You know? Did she tell you? What the fuck—Well grand, now that you do know...I can say, as her brother, keep it in your fucking trousers. Mate." Regulus said while rubbing his eyes, and Aria only returned back downstairs cleaned up, and dressed into comfier lounge attire as she hurried down the stairs with her mutt.

"Did you want to stay tonight?" Aria asked, but the two wizards said in unison 'yes,' causing them to glare at the other.

"I don't think that's very smart Rabastan, I...I meant Reg."
"Of course...But you did say that you'd clear up a few things." She nodded and went into her downstairs cabinet to try and find the photo album she took from her bedroom in Grimmauld Place.

Or she tried to when Loki demanded his mama's attention. "Oh you spoiled boy, here." Aria said, giving him a small piece of jerky which he happily took off to his downstairs bed and began to naw on it.

"Ah! Found it!" She cheered, taking out the photo album in question and went to go and sit in the center of the long couch. Which the lads didn't hesitate to sit down beside her, or Loki to get the best seat in the house right in Aria's lap.

"Uncle Alfie knew that you and I dated, he's the one to show me that we were friends...I don't know if I have that picture in this album though." She started, but the pureness of Aria—Cassiopeia at the delicate age of five having made a personalized album this beautiful...

It just made sense.

The first pictures held a few photos of the family, while the wizards were always the ones to stand in the photograph, Rabastan realized that all the photo's he's seen were simply altered to fit the banishment of Cassiopeia.

However the next page had offered exactly what Rabastan was waiting for, and sweet Merlin...He absolutely hated not being able to remember.

The smiles showing brightly towards the camera was simply adorable, as was the way that Aria would turn and giggle to him as if he said something funny.

Had he said something funny?

"Apparently your mother yelled at us for climbing that willow tree...I guess it makes sense as to why our parents thought a contract would be the right plan." Regulus narrowed his brow on that end, and he turned to either of the two.

"What contract?"
"Reggie, meet my first betrothal." The silence had returned, however, it was soon filled with the taunting laugh of the male Black heir.

"Oh that's rich! The biggest load of karma I've ever bloody heard!" He cheered, acting as though tears were in his eyes as he wiped them away.

"I personally like the instance that this one asked to get eloped and within five minutes his father asks me to be his mistress."
"Sounds like you were pissed off enough to tell them, Merlin I wish I was there!" Another laughter filled the room, and before long the fireplace grew in size as Orion soon stepped out.

His eyes instantly glaring to how close Rabastan was to his daughter.

"Six feet. Now." Rabastan instantly followed protocol—It was considered illegal to be that close to a pureblood daughter without the consent of her parents, and it was clear he hadn't gained Orion's trust.

Nor would he ever.

"Here, you can keep looking...Father isn't going to do anything, are you?"
"Not in front of you, my little light." The endearing tone sent sirens into Rabastan, as though he heard them before.

"Why don't I remember..." He mumbled, looking at the pictures and waiting for a memory to connect her to.

"Bella took your memories, it was your father, Rabastan, that dropped Aria off at the Orphanage."
"My father dropped her off at that hell hole?!" Aria's eyes flickered to meet his, beginning him not start something over again.

She came to terms with it, but Rabastan hadn't gotten the chance.

"I don't have my memories back, Alfie never got his taken away and my parents numbed theirs..."
"She's a metamorphic! Merlin, you can feel her nexus, what the bloody hell happened?!" While Orion wasn't rightly fond of the Lestranges at the moment, he did have to admit that he was genially surprised by the way Rabastan was reacting.

"And this relationship, between you and my daughter?" Regulus smirked as Rabastan turned pure white.

"...That you failed to mention your previous betrothal?"
"Yes, but we're past that father. It's been almost two years." It was supposed to comfort the father, sure, but it hadn't settled his mind from thinking of his daughter as anything but innocent.

"You might be passed it, but I have a small inkling that it wasn't as small as your letting on, darling." Rabastan felt himself in an utter reminder that Orion is the two's father.

How could he not see it before? The grey eyes? The mannerism?

Aria screamed of the Black family genes without fail, probably why his own father didn't need evidence to prove it.

"Because it was before I knew who you were and thus, isn't your concern...What did you end up discussing with—?"
"He'll be trying to get the contract reinstated no doubt, not to worry, doubt he'll want to out his own mistress and bastard child." Aria turned with a disappointed frown towards her father, and he hadn't known what it was that was said that offended her.

"Uh...Best refrain from using the term bastard, sir, she gave me a might good whack the first time I said it." Orion grinned at the idea of violence but then nodded, apologizing for being insensitive about the topic.

It was clear that Aria was exhausted, so Orion excused himself, but only after Rabastan had left. Course the Slytherin Prince had decided to return a few minutes later when he knew it was safe.

The three of them needed to talk—Espeaclly him and Aria.

"I thought father said to head home, Rabastan," Regulus said with a smirk, causing his sister to roll her eyes.

"I bought those ice cream bars you like." The lad narrowed his eyes and strode out of the room, only losing his sister's eyes as he walked to the fridge and fished out two of them.

"I'll take the bribe, but I want Loki." The pup tilted his head at the sound of his name and Aria rolled her eyes. "Go boy! Go sleep with uncle Reggie!" The puppy didn't hesitate to follow the lad up the stairs to the guest bedroom, and Aria hurried off towards the freeze herself.

"Wanna go to my loft?" Goddess he would do anything at a moment like this.

Course he was confused as to what he was handed, it was cold to the touch. But it had the same packaging as the thing Regulus retrieved from the kitchen. He followed up the two flights of stairs and he couldn't help himself but grin.

The loft was surely her study, goddess was it spoke volumes to Aria's personality.

"Alfie actually furnished most of the place, sorry, perhaps I shouldn't mention my former employer." She said before taking a bite to the ice cream sandwich in her hand.

"Love I'm sorry."
"I think it's bloody hilarious, and good for you for the speech. But next time, bring me to get my head checked, yeah?" A playful smile erupted on his face as he realized she was teasing him.

They were back to that stage of friendship at least.

"I guess that wasn't my best moment." 

"Nope. And I don't want you going home, not with how angry your father looked."
"Does that mean I get to sleep over too?" He said with a cheeky grin, and so she perked her lips.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this right alongside my hangover headache."
"I'll gladly standby and make sure you're alright in the morning...If you'll have me." His voice seems so soft that it almost tore Aria's already tattered soul further.

It made so much sense, they had been close as children and masked by a lack of memory of one another. Her mere image of a muggle-born and Ravenclaw caused him to taunt her and never give her the light of day.

But now it made a difference, and when Aria leaned forward—Her hands finding stability as she pressed her lips against his. All Rabastan could do was hold her, the hunger he had for her was damning.

He kept it soft and sweet, as it was clear that when she pulled away with her eyes squeezing in regret that Aria hadn't meant to act on her drunken thoughts.

Yet as Rodolphous always said, drunk words are always sober thoughts—Though what did that make drunk actions? Sober wants?

"I said slow...Didn't I?"
"Aria...O'Hera...Crawford Black. I would give you my heart if you asked." With that being said, Aria's hands felt down to the spot of his chest, and she could feel how erratic his breath and heartbeat actually were.

"Do I make you nervous?... I didn't mean to—" His hands overlapped hers, lightly kissing her knuckles as he shook his head. "You have this hold on me, love, that makes me nervous and excited all the same. Let me prove it to you, let me show you." Aria's lips parted as she wanted to answer with a yes.

She truly did.

"Shouldn't we take a moment...? You did find out about my heritage and I...I know you didn't really care about me being a half-blood but—"
"And you're busy with your potion." He said, realizing that there was hardly any room for her to really be a couple.

"Can start by hanging out more than just a quick glance at a party but...But I can't offer you more than that, and certainly not in public. Your father will use it against me." Rabastan turned silent, he hated that his parents would surely use any means.

"You...You're not going to marry Avery or McNair though, right?" She smiled and let her fingers pinch his cheeks, he was so adorable when he was vulnerable that she just wanted to hold him.

"Rabastan, I would rather be your mistress than look at Avery in any sexual way, shape, or form." He let out a held breath, nodding, feeling rather relieved and thus nodded out.

"I'd take good care of my mistress...But I guess I'll settle on my potion mistress instead."
"Smooth move, Slytherin. But I want to take a shower and get into pajamas...There's a shower downstairs if you want to use it." He smiled and agreed, however Aria went to take a peek on Regulus.

He slept so soundly here, and she wondered if Loki helped at all. Rabastan felt himself thankful for the hot water to get rid of his improper thoughts.

Aria is a pureblood. That meant he had to properly court her, that rules applied now. Her father, no matter how old she is, would always defend her and offer a blessing to her future husband.

And while Rabastan was plotting, he needed to get on Orion's good side. He needed to be the perfect boyfriend to be seen as a perfect husband.

He wouldn't treat Aria the same way he treated Claudette, and he doubted his parents would treat Aria the same way.

Not when she was really Cassiopeia Black.

Rabastsan had returned back upstairs, peeking up in the loft only to find that she wasn't there. Turning back he knocked on her door ever so gently—Did she want him to sleep beside her?

The answer was all said and done when he caught some lounge pants that she left from him out on the bed. In that instant he decided to get redressed and lay in wait, course it was easy considering Omen didn't hesitate to join him.

"Do you think she'll let me stay?" He whispered his question, and Aria's familiar simply blinked slowly. And not so long after, Aria had come out of the bathroom smelling like a flower.

And goddess did Rabastan struggle to hide his all too eager member.

"There's a guest room across the hall." She said as she sat at her vanity putting drops in her hair, it must be a witch thing for he recalled his mother doing the same in his youth.

"R-right...Er, good—"
"I was kidding, but you stay on your side." She said with a pointed finger, and it didn't take long before she curled up into her pillow with the covers firmly over her shoulder.

"Can we talk?"
"About...?"
"Everything, anything...Aria, Merlin sakes. I just learned that you're a Black daughter and that...That we were always friends."
"Not always, you bullied me up until the fifth year. So perhaps we'll keep that from my father too."

Rabastan realized, in that moment...He's a dead man walking.

"It's not that big of a deal Rabastan, I'm still Aria."
"That's the problem, love, you aren't just Aria anymore. You're Cassiopeia, Cassi...Cassi." He was testing her name out, and she turned to look at the ceiling before turning fully around to face him.

"You didn't call me Cassi, only our parents did. You and my brothers called me Rory—For my middle name, Aurora."

"Aurora." She hummed, clearly her eyes starting to get a little droopy with how warm her shower was as well as the bed itself.

"How are you handling all of this?" Rabastan whispered out, and Aria peeked open her eye for a moment before closing it shut.
"I've been handling it, the real question is...Does this change how you see me now that I match your levels of pureblood and have your parents blessings to try and 'court' me? Whatever courting actually entails." She was right, of course, she was right. Aria was a humble Ravenclaw and no doubt she hid this from him for the exact reason she just mentioned.

Does this change how you see me...?

"No. No it doesn't, not in the sense you're getting at. The fact that we looked to be good friends—"
"Alfie said you used to follow me around like a puppy, so technically that has never changed." She teased, a smiling building up on her face.

But her eyes remained closed.

"Lovely, can't even remember the embarrassing stories—With what you're saying, do you think my brother knows of you?"
"I'm sure your father is telling him within the next day or so, and Bella well...She's the one who took all our memories, I'm assuming she's at least a decade older than us or so?" Rabastan nodded, Bellatrix was the eldest among her cousins.

Her cousins.

"I don't think I ever want those memories back, it'll just hurt all over again. But you can get yours if you want, father has them in his safe." He didn't realize that he was waiting for permission on that front, he wanted to know what life was like with Cassiopeia Aurora Black before everything came crashing down.

"Imagine that...We would've gone to school, side by side."
"Instead of you pushing me our first day." Aria laughed, leaving him to realize another one of his mistakes.

"But in the light of imagining, I'm sure I would've still been a Ravenclaw."
"Course, I can't imagine you in green—Well I can, but you know what I'm getting at."
"Yes, and that's very naughty to say when I kindly invited you to stay over." He perked his lips, and Aria knew very well that he'd make that face.

So when she opened her eyes again, she let out a small giggle.

"You're not going to go to sleep, are you?"
"How can I? I just learned part of my life if an utter lie, that we were supposed to get married...That...That it was always intended."
"The world works in funny ways Raba, it's why the Dark Lord's offer of finding my parents didn't really prove to be all that inviting. Cause I already know." He surely saw that as a losing battle for the Dark Lord, but as his eyes followed the ways of the fan above them.

He realized that getting any closer to Aria would allow the Dark Lord to figure out her heritage, or learn her heritage just to gage a reaction.

"Why did you tell my father and I then? You could've kept it hidden..."
"I know my father would've yes, but Walburga is...Well Sirius didn't run away for just any reason lets say. I don't like her, not like my mum. She was all too quick to write parcels and such, to be honest, I don't know what I was thinking or if I really was thinking. I didn't think I'd hate any more than Mrs.Blachard, but to add to the fact that your father was the one to drop me off at the Orphanage—Well it was nice to prove him wrong. And the look of failure in his eyes was beyond enjoyable." Rabastan thought for another moment, then two. He told his father that Aria predicted the gender of Lydia, he wasn't angry then so he shouldn't be now...Would he?

"And I don't like how he spoke to you...You're legal age Raba, you can defend yourself."
"That's where you don't understand love, my father is the head of the household. Even my brother doesn't have much leeway—"
"I believe you forgot I turned into your brother for all of two minutes, and it's clear what the difference is...You deserve to be treated better." She said, shifting herself further under the blanket and hugging the pillow she had in between her legs.

"Thank you love, but I'll start by treating you better." He said, leaning towards her to kiss her cheek. Only to move away and be greeted with a tired grin.

"Cheeky."

"Always...Good night, kitten."

◇──◇────◇────◇──◇

Date Posted: 10-06-2020

Time: 10:48

Words: 3159