The Sun and Her Moon- Remus Lupin

No one likes a happy ending

It certainly seemed as if it should be impossible to remove so much skin and hair from a body, but as Aveline was sent to her third spa treatment (if you could call it that) of the day she beginning to think the limit was endless.

Her mother and Mrs Nott had a house elf spend three hours plucking her eyebrows alone, and when Aveline looked in the mirror they virtually looked the same. Another two hours was spent scrubbing her body, of almost every skin cell she had. Leaving her skin raw and red. Then she was drenched in greasy body oil, hair waxed and plucked till she was smooth as a baby.

She genuinely thought she couldn't have been pampered anymore, till one of the house elves began to bring out the bath oils, and the process started all over again.

Rosier mansion was buzzing with the whole Nott and Rosier families. Along with the hundred of house elves running around to the place wedding ready.

Aveline's entire extended family had arrived. Which included grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. As had the Nott's, which meant the majority of the pureblood wizarding families were at the mansion considering all the inbreeding. Even the Black's were, Theodore's Aunt and uncle.

She spent most of the time hidden in her room when Mrs Nott and her mother would let her out of their site. Hiding in the well of her bathroom window, staring out of the grounds longing to be anywhere but Rosier mansion.

Mr Honey sat in her lap, a pink slip nightgown on falling to her legs. She clutched herself into the tiniest ball she possibly could, trying to focus on nothing but the softness of the rabbits fur. It was mid morning, and she was lucky enough that no one had come and woken her up with a start. So she basked in the glory of allowing herself to be hidden and alone.

Her wild curls were half falling out of a low pony tail at the back of her neck. Little pieces framing her face and dancing on the skin of her collarbones. Her makeup free face it's usually rosy red cheeks and soft pink lips. A dash of freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose.

The door squeaked open, and in burst perhaps one of the last people she expected to be walking into her bathroom. Regulus Black, already dressed for the day in a suit without the tie. The casual attire of a pureblood during these times. He was out of breath, his eyes flickering on her before he shut the door quickly behind him.

"Merlin I've been looking everywhere for you!" He exclaimed, walking over to where she was sitting.

It was then that he realized she was in a tight nightgown, as a blush crossed his cheeks and he awkwardly tore his eyes form her. Forcing them to stay on her face.

"Regulus is everything okay?" she asked softly, pulling her legs down and looking at him gently.

Something was wrong. She could tell but his clenched jaw and uptight shoulders.

"You can't marry Theodore," he said, his voice stern and looking as if he was on the edge of panic. "I can't say— I can't say. But Aveline they have bad things planned. Once your married your trapped. They can do whatever they want and Aveline—" he broke off running a stressed hand through his hair.

In the wizarding world a traditional wedding included an unbreakable vow. So the couple could never split up and the woman would always be powerless in the relationship. Though the rest of the wizarding world had abandoned the old fashioned practice, the pureblood still did it. Even if it was technically illegal, there wasn't exactly a way for the ministry to find out.

By the look on Regulus face whatever they were planning on making her vow was bad.

He knew these things now, being a death eater and all.

"I know what I'm getting myself into Regulus," she said sternly, trying to keep her expression as emotionless as possible. She trusted him, though she didn't need him knowing anything that could get him in trouble. Even talking to her right now alone would be enough to get him trouble.

"Do you?" he hissed. "Do you really? Because I don't think you know what they have planned for you."

He was partly right, she most definitely did not know exactly what they had planned for her. But based on the fact the last time she saw  death eaters she was trapped to a table and tortured, she figured it wasn't rainbows and sunshine.

"Well what do they have planned then?" she asked, crossing her arms and standing infront of him.  "Couldn't have been worse then kidnapping me and trying to steal my magic?"

She so badly wished that Regulus didn't know about that. That he hadn't known about their attempts to hurt her. Though based on the subtle flash of fear and sorrow in his face, he knew.  She gulped, fighting tears that wanted to fall.

Regulus was kind. Regulus was smart. Regulus had potential to be someone who wasn't a mindless death eater. Though as much as she wished and as much as Sirius tried, he didn't have the courage to step away from it all.

Maybe one day he would. Maybe one day he redeem himself from the path he currently walked. She knew he didn't want to be a horrible person, but she also knew he wasn't going to do anything to stop it.

"Thank you for informing me Regulus," she said formally, pushing past him to enter her room.

" I can't tell you, what they have planned. But you can't marry him, you can't," Regulus repeated in a panicked voice chasing after her.

She was standing infront of her vanity now, her fingers moving through a stand of necklaces she had. The soft metals clinking against her fingers, her back turned too Regulus.

"I'll see you at the wedding," she whispered, and he knew it was her way of dismissing him.

For a moment he just stared at her. Her small frame in the nightgown, curls falling down to her waist. The pale skin on her fragile arms, as her delicate fingers fiddled with a necklace in front of her.

Regulus Black always liked to consider himself a tough person. He didn't wear his heart of his sleeve or act irrational like his brother. Though perhaps, he realized as the couldn't take his eyes of the small of her back, Aveline Rosier made him want to do those things.

He took a shaky breath, forcing his eyes on the floor as he left the room quietly. Shutting the door gently without as much as a goodbye.

When she heard the soft click of the door close she let out a shaky breath, turning around and flopping  back down on her bed. Staring up at her ceiling wishing it would collapse and take her out with it.
_______