For many sacred pureblood families, betrothals, legacies and keeping up the bloodline had been no joke. As part of one of the noble houses, and a girl, your life has been set out for you since before you were born.

You'd been promised to Evan Rosier - heir to House Rosier, a fine suitor and one of your dearest friends.

You should have known better than to speak to anyone else, to fall interested with anyone else, to fall in love with anyone else. But you couldn't help it. Raised with high expectations you'd been attending balls and meetings since before you could talk. There you met your friends - Pandora, Evan's sister, Barty, and Regulus.

You gravitated closely to Pandora. Evan's sister, your future sister in law. They shared the same blonde hair and blue eyes. She was a kind, sweet girl and so unlike any other pureblood you knew.

You also gravitated towards Regulus Black. Ever since his older brother, Sirius, had ran away and been banished, he was the heir to House Black. He was the epitome of pureblood aristrocracy, of pureblood perfectness, and he was your best friend. The two of you became friends instantly, with his twisted ways of thinking and what he considered to be "fun". When your intended, Evan and Barty Crouch Jr were off who knew where doing who knew what, you spent time with the perfectly prim boy, whispering with him, playing with him, falling for him.

Even at school nobody said a word. Yes, you were Evan Rosier's intended. Yes, Mr. Rosier barely showed any romantic interest in you. And yes, you went around with Regulus.

Of course no one said a word. Not even the older pureblood students. They were all terrified of Regulus, of his regal stature, of the name he carried around like a badge. Evan had no problems, no complaints. Regulus was his friend, after all. You'd all grown up together, and he had no romantic interest in you, and had never quite taken the betrothal, the promising of families, seriously.

Until one day in sixth year it happened. Evan had been acting different. He'd distanced himself from Barty, stopped slipping classes, stopped having fun, started paying more attention to you. As if he'd been told, as if he'd been forced.

And Regulus - oh, Regulus. Regulus who had been infatuated with you since childhood. Regulus who didn't date you, but stood by you like some sentry to ward off anyone who tried. Regulus who started a brawl - no wands, no magic, fists, a very muggle brawl - with Evan, in the school's courtyard.

They were yelling. "You talk about it like as if I had a choice!" Snarled Evan.

"Oh, you have a choice! Perhaps it was made for you at birth but you're a man. You can choose who you want. She's a girl."

"And who else do you suppose I should marry, then?!"

"Not her! Never her, Rosier!" And Evan laughed at that, icy and cold and cruel. "Oh shut up, Black. She's been promised to me since birth. She's mine."

Regulus was very very close to Evan now, so close that Evan could feel his death like breath on his neck. It was unsettling. "Oh, I promise you, brother." The boys often called each other that. "Marry her and it will be the last thing you do."