Runaway Bride
3rd June 1978
3 days before the wedding
Remus wasn’t irritated easily, but every once in a while he would slip up, a few years ago he had berated Peter for dog earring his favourite book, got mad at James for chewing loudly and shouted at Sirius for playing gobstones next to him and making the horrible liquid land on his robes all in one day, granted it had been the day after the full moon so they had blamed it on that, but today none of them could blame the full moon.
Remus sat quietly on the sofa by the fire, he was still holding the note he had received from Professor McGonagall, growing more and more irritated as Marlene was planning her birthday party.
She hadn’t noticed his glare as she spoke.
“It’s going to be perfect, gonna book the three broomsticks, party all night,” she grinned as she envisioned it. “And Remus, I will need you to be a little happier because your mood is really getting me down–”
“Marls–” James started, shaking his head.
“Fuck you, Marlene,” he said standing up, “Solana is out there all by her fucking self and all you can think about is your stupid birthday party,”
Marlene looked at him, “Remus it’s been over a week–”
“And she could be dead for all we know!” he raised his voice.
“Moons–” James began, “Calm down–”
“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down James!” Remus shouted. “All of you have given up, and it’s fucking pissing me off–”
James shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do, Remus–”
“There has to be something, this can’t be how it is,” Remus shook his head, he was disturbed by the common room door banging open.
“Remus!”
“What Sirius?!” Remus turned around, he saw a small paper crane in his hand.
“It’s from Narcissa, we have to meet her at Diagon Alley,”
For the first time in over a week Remus felt a light inside of him, he felt hope that he could find her.
☾
Remus and Sirius walked down the sunny street of Hogsmeade, Remus couldn’t help but get annoyed at everyone else living their life as normal. Sirius stopped making him stop as well, he looked up at the sign made up of different types of pink.
Madam Puddifoot’s tea shop.
“It’s here,” Sirius said, “It’s probably the least death eatery place she could meet us,”
Remus nodded, as Sirius pushed open the door, he couldn’t really remember what Narcissa looked like, it had been a while since she had attended Hogwarts.
“She’s over there,” Sirius said, he followed his friend over to the table, “Narcissa?”
She looked up at him, giving him a tight smile that was very similar to her younger sisters. “Sirius,” she nodded, then looked up at Remus, seeming to connect the dots, as the two sat down she slid an envelope over to Sirius.
He furrowed his brows, as he opened it. “Shit,” he breathed out, Remus read the words, the little hope he had was slowly dying.
You are welcomed to the wedding of
Antonin Dolohov
and
Solana Black
“It came this morning, but I’ve known for a few days, I just didn’t know the location,” Narcissa said, she kept looking behind her as if someone was watching them. “Listen, I need your help to get her out–”
“You want to help her?” Remus asked out loud, he knew from Sirius’ experience that once you turn your back on the family you were outcasted.
Narcissa flashed her dark blue eyes at him. “She is my little sister, I don’t care what she has done, who she is involved with, I just know that she will not be safe when they are married, Antonin seems worse than my father. We have six days to devise a plan, and I know you can help me, they won’t let her leave as easy as they let Andromeda leave,”
“Does anyone else know?” Sirius asked.
“That I am here? Of course not, Lucius thinks I’m with Bella,” Narcissa said, looking back at the invitation, “The wedding is… it’s in Russia, at the Dolohov manor…”
Remus and Sirius listened to her as she told them her plan.
☾
6th June 1978
12:07
Remus paced the room, thoughts of failing kept running through his head. What if they were too late, what if it didn’t work, what if they were caught.
“Remus,” Sirius said, leaning next to the door, checking through the gap. Right this moment James and Peter were setting up the dungbombs, they just had to wait for their signal then they could get Solana and use the portkey that Narcissa had left them upstairs in one of the bedrooms.
Which would be going off at sixteen minutes past twelve, that left them with nine minutes, he looked down at his watch. “Have they done it?” he asked, his fists clenched in a ball.
“Not yet,” Sirius said, looking at his watch also, “Fucking hell they’re taking too long– it’s done, they’ve done it–”
He heard a loud bang then shouting, he gave Sirius a quick look before darting out of the room, the green smoke was mainly by the guests, but he saw her almost straight away.
She didn’t look like her, she looked small and frail, the dress she was wearing looked like it was heavier than she was, he checked out for Antonin before taking her arm and pulling her away into the room.
“Get off me!” she struggled in the grip, punching him away from her.
“It’s me– Lana, it’s me–” he let go as Sirius closed the door behind them, she stared up at him in disbelief, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, her chest faltered as she gripped him in a hug, she clung onto his jumper as if he would disappear from her if she let go, she felt fragile in his arms, he wanted nothing more than to protect her.
“You– you’re here,” she breathed out.
Remus pulled back and cupped her cheek, “I’m always here for you,” he wiped away the tears that had fallen down her cheeks.
“I was so scared,”
“I’m here, you’re okay,”
“I know this is all really cute and all but the Portkey is going to leave in about four minutes so we have to go,” Sirius said, rushing them.
Solana looked at her cousin, a small smile appeared on her face. “Thank you,”
“I’m only here for Remus,” he sniffed, not looking at her and back at the door.
She nodded, she knew Sirius cared but wouldn’t show it.
“Okay, let’s go,” he said.
Remus and Solana’s hands found each other without them even looking, as they followed Sirius, Solana looked back at the room where she was almost wed, a feeling of happiness and freedom filled her chest.
Remus gave her hand a small squeeze, and she squeezed his back, they ran through the corridors, Sirius checked every corner for someone to stop them but no one appeared.
“Less than two minutes,” Sirius said, looking down at his watch, he stopped abruptly as he bumped into someone.
“It’s me!” James said, quickly putting his hands up at Sirius wand.
“Fucking hell, come on–” Sirius said, he ran into a back room and everyone else followed. “Where the fuck is it?”
Solana watched them all look around frantically, she didn’t know what it was they should be looking for.
“It should be here–”
“Are you looking for this?”
Solana turned around, her hand still holding onto Remus’. “Bella,” she whispered, she saw her eldest sister holding a large ceramic vase.
“Narcissa was nearly smart enough, hiding this from me, but she wasn’t that slick.” Bellatrix said, admiring the vase, “I have an eye for portkeys.”
“Bella–” Solana started, but she was cut off.
Bellatrix’s eyes had landed on their hands. “So you’re the half-breed?” she snarled, looking at Remus.
“Don’t call him that–” Solana said, defensively.
“Father told me that you had gone against us, just like Andromeda–” Bellatrix said, she played with her wand. “I didn’t think it was true until now,”
Solana stared at her, her heart pounded, the feeling of dread gripped her.
“You have a life Solana, a life with Antonin–”
She shook her head. “No I don’t,” she said quickly, “Bella he–” Solana took a deep breath, she could hear shouting closer to the room they were in, she almost had freedom, this was just an obstacle she had to overcome.
“Antonin hurts me just like Rodolphus hurts you, you told me you would kill him if he ever hurt me–”
“This isn’t natural Solana, he isn’t natural!” she screeched, pointing at Remus. “He’s a dirty half-breed!”
“Shut the fuck up, Bellatrix!” Sirius shouted, James had to grab onto his jacket to stop him from pouncing on the Witch.
“You’re all a bunch of blood traitors,” Bellatrix growled.
“Bella,” Solana whispered, she could hear Antonin’s voice getting closer and closer. “Bella please, I can’t be with Antonin, I can’t– I will never be free. Please let me go,”
Bellatrix looked at her forest green eyes, she remembered the first time her parents brought Solana back home, she was distraught that she wasn’t a boy, but she knew with all her heart that she would protect her little sister, no matter what.
“This isn’t right, Solana,” Bellatrix shook her head, her promise broke as she opened the door shouting out into the corridor, “She’s in here!”
“Bella!” Solana shouted, the portkey fell from her grip, but before it smashed to the ground it twisted and disappeared without any passengers.
Everything felt numb, as Antonin ran into the room with her father.
Antonin’s eyes flashed red, running at Remus and tackling him to the ground; Remus didn’t have time to react as Antonin began punching him.
“Get off him!” Solana screamed through the tears, attempting to pull him off Remus, arms gripped her dragging her away across the room, she watched as James, Sirius, and Peter were struck down by a spell, Cygnus kept her in a hold. “Stop hurting him!”
She kicked back, making her father stumble and let go of her grip, she ran towards an abandoned wand picking it up and pointing it at her fiancé, there were too many thoughts going through her head, so many spells she could use.
“CRUCIO!” her throat burned from her shout.
Antonin let out a loud yelp as he fell back on the ground, she kept the wand pointing at him, letting the spell continue as he kept screaming, she looked at Remus as he, his left eye had begun to close, blood stained his lips. Her knuckles turned white from how tight she was holding the wand.
“I am sick of all of you treating me like I am nothing! Like I am an object!” Solana shouted, banging on her chest. “I deserve a right to my own life! I should not be bought, and I should not be sold!”
As she walked towards Remus, Cygnus had stepped forward.
“Don’t come near me,” she quickly pointed the wand at him.
Her father scoffed, “That isn’t your wand, it won’t work–”
She glanced at Antonin, who had managed to pull himself up with help from a cabinet, she saw him still twitching from the curse.
“Yeah? It’s worked so far,” she said with gritted teeth, she knelt beside Remus, moving his hair aside. “Are you okay?” She whispered.
He nodded, “Yeah,”
She gave him her hand, helping him to his feet, she turned towards her father, his glare pierced into her.
“You are not leaving,” he growled, spit flying out of his mouth. “You will not bring shame onto this family Solana,”
“Your family already has shame, Cygnus.” she said, she held onto Remus’ hand as she walked towards the door.
“Solana,” Antonin cursed, blocking her path.
“You will never lay your hands on me ever again–”
“You don’t get to make that choice–”
“Watch me,” she barged past him, he grabbed her shoulder but this time she was faster than him, using the wand she didn’t own he flung back against the wall. She glanced at Cygnus, then turned back towards the door catching her mother’s eyes.
“Solana,” she whispered, walking towards her daughter.
“I can’t stay here,” Solana whispered.
Druella looked at her with a soft look, pulling her into a hug, her mother’s hugs were rare but when she did give them Solana always felt like a small child, she had to stop herself from crying into her mothers arms.
Solana tried to pull away first, but Druella’s grip got tighter, she leaned closer to her daughter’s ear, her voice barely a whisper, making Solana’s heart drop.
“I will not have a dirty half-breed lover for a daughter,”
Solana pushed away gasping as her eyes guided down to her stomach where a sharp pain had begun, she saw red on a silver blade in her mother’s hand, the white corset she was wearing stained with red as Solana stumbled, gripping onto Remus’ arm.
“Mama?” she whispered, her eyes began to water and her head began to spin, the dizzying feeling made her feel sick.
“What did you do?” she heard Remus yell over the ringing in her ears, “What the fuck did you do!”
Solana fell back, but Remus caught her before she touched the ground, kneeling down, “Lana? Lana!” He applied pressure to the wound. “Come on Lana– James!” he looked up at his friend who instantly ran towards the two.
His face was too blurry to see, “Remus,” Solana whispered, her hand shaking and cold as she reached for his hand. “Remus–”
“Shh, don’t talk, you’re going to be okay, you’re going to be fine,” his voice quivered, “Her hands are freezing, James–”
“I’m trying!” she had never heard James’ voice in a panic, it felt unnatural.
With all her strength Solana slowly raised her arm, cupping his cheek, her heavy eyelids closed.
“No, no, open your eyes, Lana! Please open your eyes!” Remus shouted at her.
She couldn’t shake her head, “Remus– I lo–”
“No! You tell me that when you’re okay! You’re going to be okay!”
A small smile graced her lips. “Mon cheri, I love y–”
Solana‘s words were cut off from her.
She felt nothing.
She heard nothing,
She saw nothing.
Solana was glad to have died in his arms.
She would have hated to die in anyone else’s.