Chapter 1
When Pandora Selwyn had been sorted into Hufflepuff rather than Slytherin the whispers and pointed stares had been expected. After all, her brothers had been in Slytherin, as had been her parents. And while Ravenclaw, even Gryffindor, would have been forgivable, acceptable, because as her father would say "those houses had still made some great wizards". Hufflepuff had been a shock. Something no one in her family had even thought to consider. And the reactions from those who had known of her or her family over the years, had been expected and obvious.
Of course, it had been quickly shut down after a few short months. It helped when one had two very protective best friends. As well as two equally protective older brothers. No one wanted to be caught on the bad side of Narcissa Black, Molly Prewitt, or either of the Selwyn brothers. Particularly Molly, who had landed herself a rather spectacular number of detentions and points deducted from her house for a first year for her antics in the name of retribution for Pandora.
So by the time her seventh year rolled around, no one seemed to really care about the lone Selwyn in Hufflepuff. Or if they did, they didn't have the nerve to speak about it out loud where they could be heard. Now, just days before graduation, she hadn't been self conscious about it, at least not truly, in a very long time.
It was incredible to believe really. Just two days and she would be leaving Hogwarts for good. No more brief summers and then having to come back. She knew that her parents were dragging her to some celebratory ball that the Black's were throwing in their class's honor the day after they returned home. And honestly the only thing that sounded good about that was that she would be with her friends again. And not home alone with her parents.
Of course, she couldn't help but wonder as she sat through one of her last classes, with Cissa lounging in the seat next to her, if he would be there. Of course, she had no delusions that he would be looking for reasons to see her the way that her mind slid to thoughts of him. After all, he had been in her brother Etienne's year, and one of the most well regarded Slytherins his entire time here. And she chalked what had happened in her fifth year at that quidditch after party to them both being drunk, him more so than her.
After all, why else would Antonin Dolohov have looked at a fifth year hufflepuff for even a moment.
~
Antonin hadn't forgotten the tiny blonde that had captured his attention in his seventh year. He hadn't forgotten the look of hesitancy that had been painted on her face as the youngest Black girl and the Prewitt girl had pulled her into the Slytherin common room to join the party. He hadn't forgotten the way her brother had watched her like a hawk, almost as intently as Antonin himself had been, until he had gotten drunk enough to loosen up a bit. And he hadn't forgotten the murmured warning his best friend had given him when he had caught him, not for the first time, looking at Pandora Selwyn.
"Cannae say if that's a good idea mate. Heard Etienne Selwyn made a right mess of the last one to look at her like that."
"And do I look like I'm afraid of the Selwyn brothers Corban?" had been his simple response, before he had taken another swig of the firewhiskey that the Lestrange Brothers had managed to sneak into the castle and his eyes had returned to the blonde.
He had decided days before then that he would be kissing her that night. And he had no intention of letting her brother get in the way. Or anyone else for that matter. And by the end of the party, sure enough, he had found a moment to get her alone. And kiss her he had. He had wanted to go further. But even drunk he had known that when he finally saw all of her that he did not want it to be in a broom cupboard or the Slytherin dorms.
And so after thoroughly tasting her lips, and nothing more, he had forced himself to pull away. And he'd left her with a murmured "I'll see you again Malyshka."
He hadn't forgotten. He'd kept his distance. Bided his time after he graduated, waiting for the right time. Watched her from afar at a few of the events that he knew he'd find her at during the summers and holidays. Glaring at any boy who had the audacity to ask her for a dance. But never intervening. Not yet, it wasn't time. But making a note of each of their faces all the same.
And if none of those boys had ever made the mistake of showing her their attentions again. Well, one could call that a happy accident.
But now, after a little over two years of waiting, his witch was finally graduating. He'd been present when her family's graduation announcement card had been delivered to his grandmother. And he had simply smiled to himself as his Babushka had read the calligraphed text off the card out loud. Finally.
And when the invitations had come for the Blacks' ball to occur just two short days after that graduation. An event that he knew his malyshka would be present for. He knew that everything was falling into place just as he wanted. No longer would he wait. No longer would he watch others approach or flirt with his witch. He had stood in the shadows long enough.
~
Pandora bit her lip and stared at herself in the mirror as her mother finished with the last of the buttons on her dress and fussed with her hair. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous about this ball, after all she had been to at least fifty of these parties in her lifetime already, probably more. It was always the same thing. Smiles and social niceties. Dancing with whoever asked. Stealing time with Cissa and Molly in the time in between.
She supposed that a small part of her was holding on to the hope that he would be there, and that he'd come find her. But he hadn't acknowledged her existence in two years, and she'd given up any real hope otherwise more than a year ago.
Molly and Cissa had of course been outraged on her behalf when the older boy… well now, a man she supposed… had kissed her, only to pretend like she didn't even exist the very next day. It had taken her nearly an hour to talk Molls out of hexing him. And Cissa had jokingly reminded her that she was top of their class in potions, and that she'd been reading up on poisons.
And she had loved them both for it. She had briefly considered asking Etienne if he had heard anything. After all, her brother had at the time shared a dorm room with the boy in question, even if they weren't necessarily friends.
But that would involve telling her overly protective older brother that she had been drunk and that she had kissed a boy in his year and house. And Pan honestly couldn't see that ending particularly well. Of her brothers, Etienne was the more impulsive one. He also had the more blatant temper. Martyn, the more reasonable and older of the two, had graduated the year before that. So she hadn't been able to go to him either.
She had written to Martyn though. After a while. When it continued to bother her and she couldn't banish it from her head. His only answer was that sometimes boys did stupid things. And that it wasn't any reflection on her. Words that she was sure he had meant to be helpful. But had really done little at the time to ease her mind.
And now, as she stared in the mirror at her perfectly coiffed hair, smokey eyes, red lipstick, and the gorgeous red silk ball gown with puffed tulle sleeves, she knew that she should feel like the princess that her parents had raised her to be.
But instead, she was asking herself for the millionth time in the last two years what exactly she was lacking that had made the first boy that had ever kissed her avoid her like the plague afterwards. She had invented a number of reasons in her mind. The most likely being that he had only been interested in her that night because of just how much of that contraband firewhiskey he had ingested. And maybe it was better not knowing. But a part of her wished she had some answer all the same.
And of course, she had heard the whispers about him. About the things he and his friends got up to. About how cruel he could be in the right circumstance. And sometimes she wondered if his forgetting her was a blessing. But then she remembered how gently he had handled her that night. And she thought that surely, someone who had taken such care even while drunk couldn't be too terrible.
"It's time to go ma chérie" Her mother's voice shook her from her thoughts. And catching her eye through their reflections in the mirror, she gave her a small nod.
After all, it would be rude to be late to a party that was being held partially in her honor.
Picking up her skirts delicately, she turned to face her mother with a smile. "I'm ready. Are Papa and the boys waiting downstairs?"
"They should be. Let's not keep them waiting any longer, Oui?"
~
He hadn't taken his eyes from the door since the moment he had arrived at this godsforsaken ball. He had arrived early, it was true. But both Narcissa Black and the Prewitt girl had already made their appearances. And patience had never been one of Antonin's virtues. Of all the nights for his witch to make a late appearance, it had to be this night?
He could hear Rod's dark chuckle from beside him, and he frowned at his friend. "You're going to glare a hole right into that door if you keep that up 'tonin" his friend teased.
"Don't you have an unwanted fiancée to make nice with tonight?" he snapped back, not at all in the mood for his jokes.
Bellatrix Black, while beautiful, had never been what Rodolphus wanted. But both families had pushed for the alliance rather insistently. Of course, if they had only asked his friend for his opinion on the matter, they easily would have come to a better agreement. Just not with the eldest Black sister.
But Matisse Lestrange never had cared for either of his sons' opinions on much of anything. Rod had no intention of going through with the marriage. But playing nice for the time being was easier than causing an uproar among pureblood society before he was well and ready.
His friend rolled his eyes, and smirked at him. "Someone's cranky," he murmured, "she'll be here soon enough you impatient bastard."
He'd opened his mouth to retort when suddenly there she was. Flanked by both her brothers, that was annoying. But Merlin he'd never seen anything so perfect. The dress suited her perfectly. And all he could think about was how badly he wanted her close to him again. Finally.
But he'd have to wait until Martyn and Etienne gave her a little more space, if he wanted to do this without causing a scene. And while that kind of thing had its place. Tonight was not the night for it.
He caught her gaze as her eyes found him, and a number of emotions he couldn't decipher seemed to flash in them, before she quickly ducked her head away, a visible blush rising to her cheeks.
He chuckled as she seemed to make a very blatant effort to appear interested in whatever it was her eldest brother was saying, and kept her face pointedly away from him.
"Oh I see you Krasavitsa," he murmured, amused. "I see you."