“My Lady, it is a pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance. Her Ladyship is waiting for you. If you wouldn’t mind following me this way.” The boney boy held an arm out into the direction they needed to go and Euphemia smiled kindly at him, following him down the dimly lit passageway. He looked only to be around 15, though the Black family were known for having young servants around. Something about the thought that their servants would have to take care of children that were just over 3 years younger than them sickened her. So she decided to move her focus to the walls around her. It was much more dismal than her own castle and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was for cost-efficiency or personal aesthetic that the halls were so dimly lit. She had to pick up her skirt and look down at her feet to ensure that she was not going to step on it. James followed behind her, looking around at each crack in the walls as though something would jump out at him at any moment.
They walked in silence until Euphemia decided to tilt her head to face the servant with a warm smile, her signature charm shining through. “Do you enjoy working here, my dear?”
The boy stumbled and whipped around quickly, looking startled and confused as to what he was supposed to do. It would have been comical if it weren’t so upsetting. He quickly regathered himself and shook his head turning back to face the way he was walking and wearing a completely blank expression, like a puppet more than a living boy.
“Kreacher is not permitted to speak on such matters, My Lady, it is improper.” He gulped and shuffled a little faster, not daring to look back at Euphemia, in case he had angered her.
She frowned slightly and hesitated. “Kreacher? Is that your real name or is that just what they call you.”
He stopped and turned around to look at her shyly. “I do not know, My Lady. I cannot recall it” He cleared his throat and opened a large wooden door at the end of the corridor. “Just this way.”
She felt the overruling urge to sweep the poor boy into her arms and take him away to give him a proper childhood was so strong that she forgot to walk for a second whilst pushing it to the back of her mind.
She placed a hand on James’ shoulder and lead him through into the large hall, noticing the way the temperature dropped to even lower than the halls had been. On the opposite side of the room, there was seated a woman with thin lips and deep, consuming black eyes, framed by dark wisps of hair that grazed her cheeks and stretched out to her waist. For somebody who lived in such a bitter place, she had the type of beauty you would expect from a princess who had been raised in a world of delicacy and light. She was wearing a deep emerald dress with pointed shoulders and a strict silhouette. She looked completely juxtaposed to Euphemia, with her red dress, soft features and dark bronze skin. Comparing herself to the woman made her wonder how beauty can differ. She had always been told that she had a natural beauty but so did this woman in front of her, who looked to be carved from stone, and the two were as far from each other as you could get.
At either side of her was a young boy, the same age as James. Walburga Blak clicked her fingers at one of them to get his attention. “Sirius, you may leave. Go to classes and keep to your room, we don’t need you pranking the staff whilst we have guests in the castle.” The boy rolled his eyes and stood, smiling at Euphemia and James as he left, kicking Kreacher in the ankle on the way out.
“Sirius! Leave Kreacher be. He has done nothing to you, apologise and be gone.” The boy muttered an apology and his mother huffed and shot an apologetic glance at the servant boy. “Kreacher, you may go and each your supper and head to bed. If Orion tries to stop you, tell him that you are sick and have orders from me.” Euphemia raised a questioning eyebrow and Walburga turned to her with an icy glare that looked oddly charming. Like there was something in her eyes that seeped out of them, into Euphemia’s soul and calmed it to the point where all she could feel was adoration towards the beauty before her.
“What? I don’t know what stories you have been told about me but it is my husband who runs the place as it is, not me. Surprisingly, I am not the heartless beast I am made out to be. As you know, women are in no place to control how things are run, we just speak to our staff more. May we get on with the business at hand?”
Euphemia nodded quickly, tightening her grip on James’ shoulder as they approached the seats. “Of course.”
Her eyes fell to the young boy in the chair. According to what they had been told, he was 12 years old, just a little younger than James. He was younger than Sirius by just over a year but supposedly the most suitable son to be married off into another family. He had the same regal features as his mother, the same sharp jaw and nose, the same pointed eyes and paper-thin lips. The family truly did have the most perfect genes and James had appeared to have noticed that too. He was smiling at the boy, seemingly without even realising he was doing it, his eyes swimming with admiration.
The boy’s hair reached his shoulders and had a carefully styled wave to it that was clearly done to make him look more presentable for their guests.
Walburga nodded at James and he took a deep breath, walking towards her and kneeling down, kissing her hand and standing again to walk over to the young boy. He hesitated a little that time, kneeling in front of him and taking his hand as he had before, but staring at the hand for a few seconds before kissing it, pulling back quickly and stepping away, not seeing the blush on Regulus’ cheeks afterwards. Walburga nodded and turned back to Euphemia, her gaze not harsh but not kind either.
“Now, the agreement is that upon the 15th anniversary of Regulus’ birth, he shall marry your ward and the wealth of both families shall be split. In the meantime, they shall have frequent meetings to grow used to each other’s company, to which you will sit with me and discuss important matters in this ordeal, is that correct?”
“Yes, that is what I had been told.” She confirmed, quietly.
“And you see no issues with this plan?”
She shook her head. “No, I do not. If James is content with the situation, I would happily go ahead with it.” Both women turned to James for confirmation, watching as he paused and looked back at Regulus, who was just as flustered as he was. He paused and looked down at the floor to hide his blush.
“Yes, thank you. I am perfectly happy with the arrangement.”
They nodded and looked to Regulus, who chewed his cheek and looked around awkwardly.
Walburga whispered to him. “It will not change your father’s mind on the agreement but at least tell me if you are happy with it because if you are not, I can tell them that the boy was a dreadful fit who would endanger the family. Are you okay iht marrying the boy?”
Regulus nodded frantically, looking back over at James bashfully and letting his head shrink down into his shoulders. “Yes, Mother. I would be delighted. James is…he would be good for the family and he is, erm, really rather pretty, if I am allowed to say anything of the sort.”
James’ eyes widened and he looked down again, not seeing the smile Euphemia had acquired from the innocent awkwardness between the two boys.
“I believe that is it the, isn’t it? Lady Potter, it has been a pleasure. I shall look forward to seeing you and your ward in a month’s time.”
Euphoria nodded, relieved at how it had all gone, and, in an impulsive gesture, she leaned down and grasped the woman’s hand, pressing a lingering kiss to it and smiling softly, closing he eyes to take it in. When she pulled back, she caught Walburga’s face shift into shock and something that looked almost like joy, and took in one deep inhale of the smell of sea-salt and lavender that was surrounding her, before gently placing her hand back by her side and stepping back. She could feel her heart pounding, trying to rip itself free from her chest. “The pleasure is mutual, My Lady. I will be highly anticipating our return.” She nodded and put her hand back on James’ shoulder, leading him away but not missing the way he quickly waved at Regulus.
Whatever she had expected from the meeting, it had not been that.
Leter on, when she had changed into her nightdress and was preparing for bed when there was a tap at her window. She tugged it open and took the rolled up parchment from the crow outside, curious as to what it could be.
Lady Euphemia Potter,
The script was beautiful, curled and even, the writing only somebody of uppermost education could achieve, which led her to believe it was a man. But the salty smell the paper held told her otherwise. She read on.
I apologise for bothering you so soon after your visit and understand that this is not the usual form of communication used but I could not deal with any others intercepting my message to you and reading it. I hope you can understand.
I was desperate to inform you that our meeting was simply wonderful. I think it as good for the boys and for us. I could not say it whilst we were there but I found that you have a natural charm to you, it is nurturing and kind and it told me immediately that you were the sort we could trust not only with our riches but with our son.
I wish to see you again soon. Before our next scheduled visit. As a matter of fact, I as thinking about how busy we are in the coming week and recalled that we are free of any duties for the entirety of tomorrow. Would you feel at all inclined to meet us for a ride through my father’s woods with James. I shall bring Regulus and the two of them can familiarise themselves with each other whilst we talk between ourselves. I believe it would help us make some progress, as to speak, in where we stand with each other. It may help us develop an understanding of each other, if that is any motivation.
Please do not feel pressured to respond.
-Lady Walburga Europa Black
Underneath the writing, was a small, pressed violet. She picked it up and turned it around in her fingers for a while, before placing it gently down and picking up her quill, a smile spreading across her face as she began to write.