✧PUREBLOOD PROBLEMS✧

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The news of Rabastan Lestrange and Aria Roswell no longer being mortal enemies and now were a doting couple was the strangest gossip known in the castle walls. It seemed like everyone was talking about it. Avery and McNair had done their mate justice and made it seem much more epic than colliding with a tree. The only issue with all this was that Remus Lupin had been a brooding mess and Sirius had been caught in a rage and not being able to be consulted until Remus came out of his own sense of depression.

If anyone had a right to be angry, it was Remus...He'd been attempting to get close to her all this time but never made a romantic attempt.

Yet watching the two interact almost instantly making Sirius' gag reflect enact.

Aria wasn't one for public affection, but Rabastan surely adored kissing and touching her. Sometimes suggestive, but otherwise harmless.

On another note, Aria had finally given him his birthday present which damn.

He spoke too soon on her knitting work. And he would never judge anything Aria made again.

Her beautiful stitching had made a custom Slytherin Quidditch Jersey. One of which that all his mates were jealous, and it meant that it was an exclusive edition until Avery and McNair were caught attempting to purchase one from her.

However it took Aria far too long to make one, and if she made another team's jumpers then she might lose her fingers.

So it was only her team and Rabastan who had this beautiful fabric. Though he was trying to make Regulus one for his birthday in the coming future.

"Oi! Roswell!" Holding her books tightly towards her chest did she turn to look behind her. It was so odd to see Sirius by his lonesome. And she smiled in greeting, though cautiously joined closer to hear what he had to say.

"Heard something funny...That I wanted you to clarify for me."
"And what would that be Black?" He chuckled, trying his hardest not to sound bitter and jealous because truthfully he wasn't. He just didn't want her to get hurt.

That's all this was.

"You and Lestrange? I must be out of my mind." She shook her head, her shoulders incaving further as she felt his judgment and it was harsh.

Very harsh.

"See thing is, I know you're smarter than this love...Has he promised you something?... Ari if he's threatening you then I promise I'll—"
"He's not threatening me." She breathed in complete shock and displeasure to what he was assuming.

"Then what is it?! For fucks sakes Aria, what are you doing?!"
"I don't know what you expect me to say Sirius, that we got off to the wrong foot and—"
"Wrong foot?! Is that what you call your suicide attempt, a wrongful meeting?"
"That is none of your bloody business!" She spoke, her eyes already giving way to the weight of her tears.

She knew that the Marauders were aware of what Remus did, and now under further thought she wondered if it was because they had the map that Remus had any knowledge about her bleeding out in the abandoned bathroom.

"Yes it is! If you're too much of a dumbarse to realize it, I'll lay it out very clear without a riddle that you need to solve. He wants to shag you Aria, it's a reigning joke that he shags half-bloods. All you do is meet the criteria Aria! You're a temptation." Her silence only made her tears all the more damning, her lip quivering made his heart retaliate in punishment.

He meant for this conversation to go a completely different direction but she was already hurt.

It was as if every time he argued he knew where to stab the wounds.

"You act as if you're any better Black...But you aren't. The only difference is that you wear red and he wears green, but you're from the same bloody piece of cloth that it amazes me how you don't care about anyone's feelings or emotions or why they do the things they do. Please don't talk to me again." She stated, her head reigning low as she hurried past him. Her wrists struggling to wipe away the onset of tears.

Ignoring his shouts after her.

It was easy to lose him, especially since he didn't have the map on his person. It gave her plenty of time to escape elsewhere, yet it was another Gryffindor that wanted to speak with her.

"Ms.Roswell, Mr.Crawford is with the Headmaster. You'll be going to the ministry for a meeting." An instant ray of hope sparked in Aria's eyes as she followed after her deputy mistress and greeted Eli with a warm hug.

He hadn't had much time to explain, but after packing a bag and writing a quick owl...Aria had said goodbye to the Hogwarts walls to land at the hotel.

Eli had come that morning apparently, excited with the news that his lawyers were finally starting to make leeway and this was the first of many interviews and appeals to get Aria transferred to be both an American citizen and adopted under the Crawford name.

She was technically considered a legal immigrant but never the less she was proud to have attended Salem and looked forward to the possibility of a career in either the United States or Europe.

Depending on where life took her.

All this was well and good, and her story surely spoke volumes to the board she was being interviewed by beside Eli himself. The only issue is that it took time for Aria to have the credibility to her name, whoever had abandoned her had done a piss poor job in giving her any sort of background or plausible birth certificate that it was difficult to move forward when theses steps were still unattained.

Although the whole three days spent either in the Hotel completely exhausted by meetings or out eating...Aria and Eli were stuck in the Ministry, and every chance she had gotten did she apologies for this process being so difficult and every time he had responded the same way.

He leaned in kiss her temple, bringing her close to his embrace and smiled before saying
"You are worth it." Course he would add her nickname if they weren't in front of an audience, though she was sure it added a few brownie points when he did slip up the one time.

It meant that they were already in the relationship of what a father and daughter should be, they just lacked the paper and support of either ministry.

What the lawyers were trying to argue was that Aria didn't even count for being part of the ministry here in Britain, she started school in American and thus she would be considered to be more American under the legal stature of magic. Her wand was America made and bought, and everything about Aria was indeed American.

It was her birth that they were arguing is what is making this so difficult, and the sense that they wanted to find her parents. But that is when Aria put her foot down.

She did not want to meet her biological parents, and she said that outright. And it was a beautiful interjection that if Aria's birth certificate was faulty, why trust that she was born in Britain at all.

And thus it started the process.

So Aria left the castle feeling unnerved and unsettled, to feeling hopeful and giddy. Eli promised her that she would be a Crawford by the end of the year, and it looked like it was starting to officially happen.

Her happiness was contagious and addicting. It made any and all time that Rabastan spent with her to be relaxing. She told him that part of it had to do with the court wanting to do a background to what happened when Erika attacked her and she updated her citizenship, which wasn't a total lie and thus she was just stretching the truth.

In this record of happiness, he managed to gift her a few things, though it would usually start with a feeble frown and a whole rant that she didn't like people buying her gifts. Only for Aria to snog him sensuously for his consideration, though he warned her that he was going to give her gloves.
And they were beautiful, yet she demanded to know how much it cost.

He laughed at the idea of her ripping them off after hearing the cost. "Merlin that's a month savings Rabastan!" She'd say, and it was comments like those that wained him in wanting to ask about it.

Why didn't her parents give her any money?
Why was Hogsmead such a forbidden topic?

But his favorite was to throw his relationship in spite of Black and Potter, if anything Regulus was annoyed at Rabastan acting as though he knew Aria the longest.

"Ohhhh Black..." Rabastan cooed, it was one thing to tease Regulus on other things. But teasing the older one was just as fun.

"Hear that? Sounds like a git is calling for me. What'd you suppose he wants this time?" He whispered off towards James, but Potter knew that the feud between these two worked well before walking into Hogwarts.

And neither Black nor Lestrange knew why, but they loathed the other.

"Don't want to leave any witnesses?"
"What do you want Lestrange?"
"Nothing, nothing at all...But you see, my kitten told me some very interesting things that you said to her the other day."
"And what'd that be?" Rabastan cocked a grin, one that Black was just itching to wipe off his face.

Not even with magic, just with the cool cuff of his fist would do nicely.

"How I want a relationship just to shag her."

"And she believed you when you said you aren't. Good grief you really do have her possessed don't you, what is it? The imperious curse? Both know how our fathers favor that over the other."

"But yours has a little bit more a trigger happy finger, but no...Aria is such an easy witch to convince otherwise." Sirius gritted his teeth and remained placid, he knew Aria was naive

But this was new levels.

"The tables have turned Black, you and your mates won't matter in a few months...Aria holds great potential." Sirius's eyes flared in recognition, the bloke was recruiting!

"And you're dumber than I thought if you think Aria has any means on hurting anyone."

"She'll come to see reason enough, she has much more of a reason to hate muggles than the rest of us." He hinted, repeating Aria's words from a while ago.

But Sirius had thought that she shared her upbringing, but obviously she hadn't if he was still being a cheeky bastard about recruiting her for those known who call themselves death eaters.

"And she has just as much of a reason of hating witches and wizards, get off your bloody high horse. That I'm sure she's told you once or twice." Rabastan did hear it a time or two, but what really instigated his anger was that still...Even when he was dating Aria, it seemed like Black still was able to one-up him.

"I swear if you hurt her—In any way—I will make sure you regret it. You hear me?"
"Will be difficult if she's told you to stay away...Have a goodnight Black, I should be getting to my date." He instated, he had a very good idea planned. Slightly hinted to by Regulus himself but that didn't matter, what did is if Aria enjoyed herself in Rabastan's company.

And the two hadn't seen each other at all, considering it was Friday and it was usually the busiest of the week. And with his game tomorrow against Hufflepuff he could use some good luck, especially if she was wearing his jumper in the morning.

It was fortunate to catch Clemintine talking to Wesley. As he asked if they could send Aria down for him to talk to, and thus the wizard Ravenclaw had turned giddy and devious as he nor Clem told Aria who was waiting downstairs.

Yawning and stretching her arms did she look towards Rabastan in confusion.

"What's wrong?... I didn't miss a meeting did I? O-or a patrol?" It was clear that the poor gal had woken up from a nap, and although he felt slightly bad he knew she had slept through dinner.

One thing he was keeping track of.

"Hm, it's alright love...best throw something warm on. It's snowing." She nodded and hurried back into her Ravenclaw nest before taking a cloak, gloves, and snow boots. Or what Rabastan thought were snow boots but were just Ugg boots that Elizabeth had gotten her for a previous Christmas.

He smiled in victory whenever she was wearing the gloves, she was surely the easiest gal to shop for. She favored practicality and used them every chance she got.

"I was going to tell you had you been at dinner."
"I was so tired after brewing the skeleton growth order that I passed out after a shower...What are we doing going in the Astronomy tower?" She questioned outright, and he shrugged.

"Usually someone snogging in here right?" Not seeing anything wrong with it did she hurry up the ladder but then was taken back by the sudden display he had managed to create in the hour that he had.

It was much like the little set up they had on the island with Ghost, but it was easier to have different food being brought up from the kitchen.

And one of them was a platter of Mozerella sticks.

"What...Is all this?" Coming to reach the top base of the ladder did he wrap a hand securely around her waist to bring her closer to the picnic.

"I wanted to enjoy a peaceful night with my girlfriend, and since you slept through dinner I thought you could use a little something to eat." She leaned into his chest, which ultimately allowed him to kiss the top of her head.

She was too easy to cater to.

After she moved away from his hold she jumped and hurried to the pillow, though she went straight to the butterbeer and took a cautious sip.

Non-alcoholic. He was learning.

"I don't know if you should be tipsy the night before a game."
"Nonsense, I've done worse and managed for a game the next day."
"That doesn't sound good, your liver is going to hate you later." Her little poke to his lower abdomen had caught him off guard but still caused him to react in a bellowing laugh.

With their steins emptied and the meal finished they laid up to look at the ceiling, it being enacted to show the constellations and he could see the calmness etching on her face.

Was it the fresh air?
Having snacked on a full meal?

He hoped it was partly his company but it was a mixture of them all, what Rabastan was learning was that Aria needed to be pulled away from her books and work or even sleep if one wanted to do something with her.

"The Scamander family asked if I wanted to join them for Easter...It either that or I leave early for the holiday."
"Why would you leave early?" She hummed before reminding him of the possibility of getting a portkey illness, no part of Aria wanted to be caught in Saint Mungos or Salem Memorial. So it made sense if she would leave early or come back later than the usual crowd.

In that regard, Aria recalled wanting to ask Rabastan about his home life. He always seemed to be asking the questions that she surprised him with her own, and thus he caved in.

"I figured you were the lil one of the family."
"What do you mean?"
"Just that I know what it's like when your siblings are all older, granted I only have my brother. But I see Bella as a sister—Most of the time, when she's sane." Aria didn't really know who any of these people were and thus she started to build a family tree that was surrounding Rabastan...And Sirius.

As apparently Bellatrix was Sirius' cousin.

"I sometimes wish I had a younger sibling, I like to wish that Phoebe is my sister sometimes, and Chris as a little brother."
"And that's...The Halliwell siblings?" Aria nodded, but even then he was having trouble picturing otherwise.

Was Chris really her younger brother?

"I realize you aren't the biggest fan of those in the pureblood world but I..." He wanted to tell her, and Aria turned onto her stomach and looked up towards him. A silent sign that she earned his full-hearted attention.

"Rabastan you looked beyond stressed, it's just me remember? Just Aria." She quoted the parcel they sent to one another, and he sighed at the idea.

"But it's not just me when I say this, I'm not just Rabastan. It's a Lestrange issue."
"Oh...Will I understand it?" He was sure she would, it wasn't that it was entirely honed in on the pureblood lifestyle. But his thoughts were so loud that Aria awaited for him to sort through then, and instead leaned her head onto his chest. Her soft eyes giving such an easy ground to fall back to.

"You're awfully adorable tonight kitten." He said, wrapping his arms further around her and she conformed further.

"I just like cuddling, and may I remind you Raba, that your warmth is nice." He grinned even wider as he turned his attention from Aria to the sky above but then back to her.

"I'm worried it just won't void well for me...That my father's actions would reflect badly on myself and that you'll—"
"Why would I care what your father does? If it bothers you then you have the right to voice it. Have you told Avery or McNair?" He shook his head, feeling slightly guilty for not being honest with his best mates.

But if the truth is revealed then what would that make him look like, his father's indiscretion would just look ugly. Yet he realized that telling Aria would shine a light, she wouldn't think like the rest. Which might be why he hadn't told either McNair or Avery, they lived in the same upbringing.

"I can't...In case they foolishly tell their parents on accident, it'd cause a riot. And right now the Lestrange's are under the Black's."
"How is that chosen?"
"I don't rightly know, the Black's have always been on top. Hell, we rose because of my brother's wedding to a Black daughter, but others fall all the time. It's just an awful mess in the sacred twenty-eight." It hurt to hear all of this, but perhaps it would make sense as to why she was abandoned if she heard him out.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not in any realm near that. So I don't think my judgment counts, and maybe it'd make you feel better to it off your chest."
"I rather have you on my chest." He was devious in having picked her up and laid her onto his form. It was perfect as he felt this extra layer of protection, though it was rather compromising as Aria was only wearing her pajamas underneath.

"Well if you have a good game tomorrow we can cuddle some more?" It was an open invitation and he squeezed her tighter.
"Will you have a butterbeer with me then love? We won't be alone I promise, Regulus could chaperon the both of us." Her chin propped up as she locked eyes with him again, though it took a moment for his to realize she wanted his attention.

"I don't know if I plan on getting hammered tomorrow, after new years and all. But Regulus doesn't need to chaperon, you know that I won't be continuing to those lengths."

"I'm sure I can find something you like kitten." She snickered, her body motioning that his comment had worked well and thus he would begin to brainstorm tonight.

"Think someone is changing over the conversation, and of course it'd be about snogging."
"I just never said it out loud before Ari, it just feels strange that it's...Real." She nodded, but smiled in encouragement gave him all the help he needed.

"My parents were betrothed a long time...Mum wasn't even born yet so I guess my grandparents were always close and wanted their children to come together. I'm not sure about that bit, so my father and mother never really..." Aria nodded in understanding what he was trying to get at without saying it.

They weren't in love.

"It why I think my brother and I are so far apart...But anyways my father had a relationship with a woman named Linda, and after whatever bloody heartbreak they had—Father still kept going back to her, even after he was married and especially after she was married."

"Does your mum know?" He confirms her question with a quick nod before continuing.

"Mum's known this whole time...But there's nothing she can do about it. I wish there was." The room had grown silent in the time it took for Rabastan to get the sentence out into the air, however he still hadn't told the worst of it.

"Linda's with child." Aria's eyes widened in realization, but in doing so she wondered if Rabastan automatically knew that the child was a Lestrange heir or not.

Though before she could open her mouth to question it, he voided the question with one more detail.

"Her husband has been dead for two years." She sucked in a breath and curled into his hold further. "And how...On earth would this make me look at you differently Rabastan?"

"That my father is trying to hide a bastard child?" Aria had scrambled off his body as she looked at him.

"A bastard child?... That child is innocent."

"Innocent?! It's proof that my father's an arse."

"Well obviously, that was a given. But you're putting anger out on an unborn child. You're asking me not to be judgmental to you because you're scared of how your father's actions are going to reflect you but they aren't. Rabastan you've labeled the child before they're out of the womb." Aria had been sitting on her bent legs as he started to sit up as well.

"How else am I meant to take this? My mother's hurt."
"And that baby is a child of circumstance, and I know you're feeling betrayed and loyal to your mum...But going into the whole 'my father's having a bastard child,' sounds as if you already hate them." He remained silent and it was all too easy for Aria to realize that that was the case.

She held her hand up to her head, trying to soothe away the on growing headache and tears. There was no part of her that was prepared to tell him that she thought she herself was a bastard child that was discarded out of the pureblooded royalty that he just made him, so when she released a sigh she reached out for his hand with the both of hers.

"This world has so much hate as is...You could be getting a brother or sister? Should it matter who their mother is? You told me you understood what it's like the be the youngest child, but maybe that's not the case anymore."
"I don't want anything to do with them."
"Well sometimes life doesn't work out that way, sure that could work—But are you focusing your anger on the babe rather than on your father and Linda?... As humans, we tend to hone in on the weakest link, and nothing is more weak and innocent than a small child." Their voices had been firing back, but Rabastan had stared in awe at Aria's assessment.

She was right.

"But...My mum. I get what you're saying Ari. I am, but mum is...Mum hates father long before the adultery started."
"Is that why you were scared to tell me?" He confirmed it by looking away, as if complete and utter guilt was wracking his body from that point on.

Having said that Aria crawled forward and sat on his lap, his arm instantly going out to support her even though she wasn't going to fall. "How did you come to find out?"

"Father's boasting about it—Well not really because if word gets out that's going to cause an uproar with the Selwyn children, that'd get us into a war. But he's more excited than he was about my own birth, and I'm his legitimate son." He was jealous.

Aria couldn't help but put that label in after hearing him say that, and she offered a kind smile in rectifying the guilt after realizing her thought. "I'm sure that's not the case, maybe the babe is a daughter and you're confusing that excitement of a gender to that of another child...It's a beautiful thing having a child. And sometimes things happen for a reason—"

"Happen for a reason?!" He rasped out, and Aria leaned her head down for a moment to sort out her thoughts that didn't sound so religious-based.

"Yes, it happens for a reason. Maybe it's finally time someone calls your father out on it. I know you want to side with your mother and I feel for her as well, but look where Mrs.Sewlyn stands. She can't name the child's father in fear of being the heat of it all, probably scared out of her wits from your mother and then having to be with-child knowing that the babe's half-siblings are all going to look at her with the same general distaste." She was right, he knew she was right but he still felt so much anger that he bowed his head into her chest.

This comfort was strange, usually he would be the one to soothe Aria from crying. But instead here the two were, in the middle of the Astronomy tower in each other's embrace. Although he was holding her, she had the taller height, and thus her head locked on top of his.

"It takes one second to hate someone and it takes a monument not to...You'll be the bigger person. She'll need that when she's older, right? What do pureblood usually do to bastard children?" He realized that with Aria being raised in America that she wouldn't understand much of this lifestyle, but then again he knew that adultery was still a heavy crime in her religion. So perhaps it would work out in the end.

"Usually they don't get much recognition, and perhaps it's better than Mr.Selwyn is dead as if there's an obvious difference to the child they wouldn't be safe." Aria had stilled, and thus Rabastan had rounded out his sentence. Had he said something wrong?

No, he simply answered the question she asked and it made the gears in her mind spin too quickly.

She sometimes would dream that perhaps her situation was too much and her parents made the ultimate decision to put her away. Was it her mother's doing? Or her father's?

These questions kept twirling in her mind that in record of being silent for so long she lets a hand run through his hair. Almost instantly making him moan.

"Well I wasn't prepared for that Raba response...But that is duly noted too." He motioned that he wanted more, and if words weren't working that Aria would run hands through his curls if it did a better job.

"Things happen for a reason, and then they work out in the end, don't they?... Look at the two of us, that could be a prime example." From having avoided him in the halls to having him nag at her to hold her books in the time span of the summer holiday was the strangest turn of events.

Which was why the Marauders were so damn confused, and Remus so damned betrayed.

Not that he said it out loud at all.

"Why do you think the babe is a girl?" Aria shrugged her shoulders, running another hand through his hair as she went to explain the situation. "I don't know, the other day I had a dream of a woman giving birth to a baby girl. At first I thought it was Erika because she should be having the babe in a few months..."

"Why would you think it's Linda then?"

"Is she blonde?" He nodded in confusion and thus Aria closed her eyes in conclusion. "Erika is brunette, suppose that dream was yours then."

"Do you usually take your dreams to be truths?"

"Lately yes, it's just little things. But maybe that's why I saw it. To pass it along. Instead of just calling them a bastard child you know they're a sister. You have a baby sister on the way Rabastan, and if you want to be in your father's good graces, not that I'm saying to suck up the arsehole. I'm sure he'd be very surprised if you interact with the babe when she's born. Or just simply ask how they are." Rabastan took it into consideration, he tried to anyway. But after detaching the idea that his mum wasn't with child and another witch was—Carrying his sister?

"I guess you're right."
"Oh no pouting, come here." She said, pulling him back up from him hiding in her chest. He smiled as her hands snaked up to hold his cheeks high enough for him to look up to her fully.

"A baby sister is going to be a lot easier than someone coming out of nowhere claiming their you brother...We aren't our parents Rabastan, and their actions don't dictate what we do or how we're meant to look like." He leaned upwards, wanting to kiss the living lights out of his bird before so unbelievably positive when he was having a really difficult time with all this.

But he was withheld and he pouted again.

"My brother and mother will hate me."
"Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman, I'm sure she'll understand your perceptive soon enough. And your brother well...He sounds like an arse. No offense."
"None taken, he is. He gets it from father." And thus she had surcome to his instigating want to kiss her and thus it enacted a rather long snogging session.

One Rabastan had taken the liberty of feeling her body against his.

And it was extraordinary perfect, especially when she responded so fluently to his movements—So perfectly in sync he had to stop before it was too much for him to handle.

They did stop, Rabastan found the willpower to stop and they continued to talk about the most randomest of topics that he was starting to enjoy and find a key featuring in keeping her entertained.

Yes, Rabastan Alastair Lestrange was starting to do a lot more than fancy Aria O'Hera Roswell.

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Date Posted: 04-25-2020

Time: 2:12

Words: 5257

I thought it would be an interesting conflict for Rabastan to be facing, and the relationship with his parents is going to be significantly different than before since they aren't the best of friends with the Black's (Orion and Walburga).

Sooooo, Lydia's on her way:)

Also,

If I wrote a Newt Scamander fic, would anyone be interested in it?