Why This Year?
“Why this year? They weren’t like this before. I’m not even of age.” Sirius had asked this same question many, many times over the last week.
Yet again, Regulus sighed and said “They’re worried about you.”
“Stop giving me that shit. You know they’re not.”
“They are! They’re worried about you properly continuing on the Black line.”
“Why can’t someone else do that?”
“All our cousins are girls, Sirius. They can’t keep the name if they get married.”
“Why can’t you then?”
“You’re the heir Sirius.”
“Why?”
“Oh for the love of Merlin. I’m not going to keep explaining this to you.” Regulus huffed.
Since Sirius had seen his brother’s scar, he and Regulus had struck up a tentative friendship. More of an alliance really, although one where Regulus also seemed to be on their parents side when it was necessary. A friendship where they didn’t talk about the war, or school, or their lives outside of Grimmauld Place at all.
“I’m serious.” Sirius laughed, and Regulus groaned at the ancient joke. “Why can’t they make you the heir?”
“That’s just not how it works. It’s about image, and tradition, and doing things right.”
“That’s rubbish.”
“Sirius! Just make life easier for yourself. Not all people from the twenty-eight are that bad. Marry a nice one, have a few children, and stop being such a child. You’ll be fine.”
Sirius snorted. That did not sound like ‘making life easier’; it sounded like living an extremely boring nightmare. The thought of doing anything his parents wanted always made him feel like he was failing in life. He refused to fail at anything he didn’t feel like failing at.
“If I left, would you inherit instead?” He was pretty sure they’d already had this conversation a few times before, but he needed to know for sure.
Regulus snorted. “If they let you go. If they disowned you.”
“Would you want to inherit, to be the heir? Do you ever wish you were born first?”
“No.”
That surprised Sirius a little. It seemed like the perfect role for perfect little Regulus.
“Really Reg, why this year?” Regulus stalked off to his own room.
That night the Rowle family dined at Grimmauld Place. One of their daughters was just a year older than Sirius, and apparently hadn’t been sent off to any of the other Pureblood maniacs yet. She was just as pretty as all the others that had been paraded in front of him (or was he the one being paraded? Both, most likely.), just as cold, and just as bigoted. Sirius couldn’t tell if she truly believed the things she said or if she was just going along with it, like Regulus, to make life a little easier. Either way, Sirius couldn’t imagine much of a future with her.
It was obvious to him that he had little to no choice in who he married anyway, so he wasn’t sure what his family was waiting for. They were all the same, all relatively lifeless girls but perfect Pureblood matches from families with the ‘right’ values. Were they waiting for someone more cruel? Perhaps someone who actually cared a little more about the things they said. Sirius had no idea.
“Sit up straight” His mother was whispering to him. Her hand was tight on the scruff of his neck.
They’d, of course, never talked about what she’d done to him the day she’d been so enraged. He still didn’t know what Regulus had told her, or what had actually caused him so much pain. He knew he absolutely didn’t want it to happen again, and if she ever did it to someone he cared about, he’d certainly have the power for avada kedavra. It was just another thing he was supposed to pretend had never happened.
The hand on his neck tightened, and he remembered he was still supposed to be making conversation and eating. He’d been having a hard time focusing lately, maybe he still had a concussion.
His father was talking about their summer houses, essentially trying to bribe the Rowles without seeming like he was bragging on purpose. He was, of course. Perhaps this would be the one they chose. He hated the idea of that, but he was a Gryffindor wasn’t he? He could do it to keep Regulus from the same fate. Being married to a Rowle girl couldn’t be that much different from being married to anyone else could it? He could do it.
There were nails digging into his hand. He’d zoned out again. Sirius passed out from his mother’s anger again that night, and the Rowles didn’t bring their daughter back.