The Twisted Truth
TW: Domestic Violence
21st February 1978
It was almost dinner time when the boat pulled back into the bank. They had listened to Remus’ cassette nearly three times before Solana had decided she really liked the song Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, which she requested many times once the tape was over.
“Are you going to be alright?” Remus asked as they got to the castle door.
Solana nodded, “I’ll be fine. Don’t really know what I’m going to do but…” she shrugged.
He smiled sympathetically, “If anything happens you can always come and talk to me,”
“Thanks Lup– Remus,” she corrected herself, she smiled softly at their newfound friendship.
“See you around, Lana,” Remus nodded his head before turning towards the Great Hall.
Solana wasn’t hungry. All she wanted to do was climb into bed and get warm, so she headed towards the Slytherin common room instead.
“Solana! Solana!” she heard Antonin’s voice from behind her as she rounded the corner. “I’ve been looking for you all day.”
“Leave me alone, Antonin.” she snapped, hasting her pace. But Antonin had done a run to catch up with her.
“Solana–” he reached for her arm, but she pulled away quickly.
“How long have you been fucking her?”
“Solana it’s–”
“How long!” she screamed, her voice echoing through the halls, although no one could hear her as they were all in the Great Hall for dinner, “How long have you been tying her up like you tie me up with the same fucking ropes Antonin!”
Antonin’s nostrils flared as he did not answer her, he ran his hand through his hair stressfully.
“You’re not going to answer me, are you?” she said, shaking her head.
He glared at her, his breath heavy.
Solana breathed out a hollow laugh. “You know last night was the best night I have had in months. You have treated me like shit for far too long, and I am so glad that I no longer have to marry a worthless piece of shit–”
“What?” Antonin’s voice grew dark.
“I am not marrying you after I found you in bed with another woman,” she couldn’t even bring herself to say Alecto’s name. She reached into her pocket pulling out the ring and threw it at his chest.
She didn’t get to hear it fall onto the stone floor before she felt a sharp sting across her cheek.
Solana always remembered the first time she ever saw her father hit her mother.
She was five and it was during a ball, at the time Solana and Alecto were playing in the drawing room, but one of her dolls had broken, the head had fallen off, her mother was always good at fixing things so she went to find her, she searched the entire ballroom, mistaking her Aunt Walburga for her mother before she could hear her father’s raised voice, from his study.
It seemed her father was always shouting.
She poked her head through the door, she had forgotten she was supposed to knock before she entered.
She saw the back of her mothers head sitting down on the chair in front of her fathers desk. She still had the curls that Solana had spent hours watching her do, she wondered if she was still wearing the red lipstick that she had carefully picked out for her.
Solana could never remember what the argument had been about but she remembered the violent red of her fathers face as he raised his hand, slapping her mother’s cheek. Solana jumped in her place, forgetting all about the doll and ran back to Alecto, not telling her what she had just seen.
That night when Druella tucked Solana into bed she couldn’t help but notice the redness on her mother’s cheek.
“Why did he do that, mama?” Solana asked, touching her cheek carefully.
Druella stroked her youngest daughter's hair, “I didn’t listen, mi amor , it was my fault,” she smiled sadly. “Remember you must always listen,”
Solana hoped she would never end up in the same situation as her mother.
Antonin gripped her throat pushing her against the wall with force, she let out a pathetic whimper as he tightened his fingers dug into her neck. She clenched one of her fists, beating it against his chest but Antonin did not move an inch, the other hand tried to force its way between his hand and her throat so she could breathe, but he only got stronger.
His face was bright red with anger, so much like her fathers, “You will not ruin this for me Solana!” he roared, pressing her up against the wall. “My family has worked hard to get into the Noble House of Black! We have paid our debts, my father paid your father. I own you!”
The words didn’t seem real, her vision was blurry she couldn’t even mutter a what?
“I fucking own you,” he let go, bearing over her as she fell to the ground, she gasped deeply coughing and sputtering, she reached towards her neck touching it tenderly as the tears spilled down her cheeks.
“What do you mean?” she whispered.
Antonin leant down his voice an angry whisper. “I paid for your hand in marriage, Solana. You belong to me.”
Solana shook her head.
He grabbed her cheeks, squeezing tightly, “Yes.”
She wanted to be sick, she wanted to scream, she wanted to punch Antonin in the fucking face but she couldn’t move.
She was frozen.
“How much?”
“What?” Antonin spat.
“I at least deserve to know how much you fucking paid for me!” she shouted.
She let out a yelp as he grabbed a chunk of her hair. “You watch your fucking tone with me, Solana because I can make your life fucking miserable!” the anger pounced from him.
“How much?” she whispered once he let go.
“One million galleons.” he told her, finally.
Solana closed her eyes, a million galleons wasn’t even a fraction to what was in the Black family vault. That was nothing to her father. Did her mother know? She would have told Solana, or maybe she wouldn’t, her father would have forbidden her.
Solana wiped the tears from her face, she saw the ring by her foot, she picked it up, staring at the large diamond.
“You never loved me, did you?” her voice was quiet, she didn’t think he had even heard her.
“No.”
“Right,” she muttered, she controlled her breathing, the tears had stopped streaming down her face. Her neck was burning, it felt like Antonin still had his hands wrapped around her, it hurt when she swallowed and her cheek still stung.
She leant on the wall as she stood up, Antonin was in front of her, almost on top of her.
“Don’t hit me again,”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want to you.” he snarled inches away from her face, his voice was venomous.
She looked at his evil gaze, remembering the first time they had met, he was nervous, she could tell instantly.
Solana had made him laugh and he became comfortable around her, she knew then she would always feel safe around him, now she couldn’t even recognise the man before her eyes.
She just nodded.
There was nothing she could do. She couldn’t fight back. She couldn’t call the wedding off. And she could not go to anyone.
She was stuck. Her life was no longer her own. She had been bought out of her life, and she would never be able to get it back.