Chapter Text
Ardor sat with her chin in her hands, absentmindedly tapping the glass in front of her. Her doe brown eyes shone with boredom and disdain for the people and discussions filling the room around her. She tried her best to drain it out, to focus on the ringing of the glass, the numb feeling of her finger as she repeatedly tapped at the expensive crystal.
She was draped in an emerald green gown (she had to be a Slytherin tonight, of course) with glittering diamonds hanging down from her ears. Although she looked beautiful, she didn't feel it. Attending these events made her feel like all the blood was being drained from her. Whenever she was forced to talk with another wealthy aristocrat, it felt like she was out of her body, like she was watching herself from across a room. None of it was real, even for them. The sham of it all made her head ache. Although they all wore the same plastered grin, she knew that, beneath it, they all had their true purpose for being here. Every word was calculated and designed. Although the Ball was fun for some, its purpose was more than entertainment. It was a business meeting, a time to make deals and arrangements. That was part of the reason Ardor felt so unwanted. No one had much interest in her anymore. What use did she serve anyone?
Eventually, she let out a puff of breath as she lifted her eyes and gazed around the room. Women were adorned in long, silky gowns, expensive jewels and lavish furs. Men wore their finest black suits, proudly bearing the emblem of their heritage on the right side. They were mostly engaged in quiet discussion, some laughing and sipping their drinks. Some of the more adventurous ones had started dancing, but nothing outrageous. She noticed her brother Ignavus in the corner. He himself was wearing the signature symbol of the Avery house. A phoenix, surrounded by thorns and fire. Ardor always thought that it was a bit dramatic, but her mother reprimanded her every time she said that. Ignavus was making conversation with a pretty looking blonde. Probably the Greengrass girl, she decided. He had been pining after her for ages. Ardor was surprised her mother hadn't arranged them to be married already. Although it was ultimately her mothers decision, Callie was a respectable choice for Ignvaus. She was a pureblood Slytherin, after all. Better than Ardor was.
Ignavus ignored Ardor during most of the parties. Although he would usually offer a shy apology to her afterward, he didn't want to be seen with her in public. She told herself that it didn't bother her, but it did. The fact that her own brother didn't want to be seen with her in public was disappointing. However, she wasn't surprised. Not since everything that happened with Sirius.
Sirius had been her sole source of relief during these parties. At least, before he ran away. They would sit in the corner and make fun of the guests, critiquing their outfits and their mannerisms, guessing what they were discussing. The filth of mudbloods? The rise of the Dark Lord? The newest perfect, pure blood couple? They would laugh until they lost their breath. They would dance obnoxiously around the floor, earning glares and venomous whispers from other guests. However, they were usually too drunk on champagne to care. The alcohol was the one other thing that made the Balls bearable.
Unfortunately, her mother had prevented her from acquiring the liquid tonight. She had instructed the house elves to not give Ardor any, even if she begged. So all she had to do was sit, and listen to the insistent ringing of the expensive wine glasses her mother had ordered.
She sat there for a few minutes longer before she heard footsteps coming her way. She looked up and rolled her eyes, seeing her mother storming toward her.
"Ardor!" She hissed, leaning into the table. "What are you doing? I told you, you have to make a good impression tonight!" Her mother's tone was laced with venom, her eyes a blue fire.
Ardor had to hold her tongue before hurling out an insult, as she didn't really want to be yelled at in public at the moment. "My apologies, mother. But luckily, I don't think any of the guests want to talk to me, either."
Her mother clenched her jaw. "Ardor Capella Avery, get up from that seat right now."
Ardor let out a sigh as she slowly rose from her chair and threw up her arms. "What do you want?"
"What I want is for you to talk with our guests. I hosted this ball for you. If we are going to find a suitable husband for you, we need one of the families to actually like you!"
Ardor bit her lip, suppressing a laugh. Internally, she couldn't care less if no one requested her as a match. In fact, she much preferred it. She wouldn't have to live this dreadful lifestyle the rest of her existence, pretending to give a shit about people who she despised.
However, she also knew the consequences of her actions. Although she loathed her family's views, she knew that the Avery name carried privilege, and a fortune. And to inherit that fortune, she would have to get married. After all, an heir is useless if they don't continue the legacy. Plus, she saw what happened to Sirius after he ran away. He had no money to his name. He was no longer an heir to a Black fortune, but merely a blood traitor in the eyes of the Sacred 28. Ardor wasn't ready to give up her inheritance. Besides, her mother wasn't as bad as Walburga and Orion. Although her mother's tongue was barbed like thorns that could easily prick the skin, she would never hurt Ardor, at least not in a physical way. Sirius hadn't been blessed with the same fortune. There had been parties where he was so bruised that he couldn't dance, or times where Orion had dragged him out and beat him in a separate room. The thought made her shiver.
Ardor looked up at her mother and nodded, trying as hard as she could to stay serious. A grin started to grow on her mothers face as she put a hand on her head and brushed Ardor's hair with her fingers. "Good. Now, I would suggest starting with the Blacks. They haven't been... the kindest, to me as of late. Why don't you go talk to Regulus?"
Ardor's serious face soon fell into one of amusement. "Really, mom?"
Her mother narrowed her eyes at her. "What?"
"What on earth would I talk to Regulus about?"
"Oh, I don't know. You are starting school soon, right? Talk about your favorite subject."
Ardor let out an obnoxiously loud laugh that she attempted to cover with her hands, although a few people in their vicinity had noticed and turned their heads.
"Ardor!" Her mother whispered, voice filled with annoyance. "What is so funny?"
The funny thing was that her mother expected her to have anything to say to Regulus Black.
Ardor had always been close with Sirius, but her and Regulus barely spoke. While Ardor and Sirius shared a common dislike for pureblood culture and prejudices, Regulus was more likely to buy into them. He never objected to the hatred filled words of their parents like Sirius had. He usually stayed quiet when those conversations came up at dinner, at least when Ardor was there. Besides, even though they were in the same year, he tended to stay away from her. Ardor had a feeling he didn't want to be associated with his brother in any way possible.
Ardor lifted her gaze, trying to find him in the crowd. It didn't take long. He was standing close to the middle of the room. He wore a black suit, his usual head of curls messily hanging from his head. His fingers were littered in expensive rings, and Ardor noticed the signature Slytherin snake on one of them. He looked rather similar to Sirius. Although she didn't want to admit it, they both carried the Black family's good looks. The only difference was that Regulus was a tad skinnier than Sirius, and obviously their personalities contrasted in ways that made Ardor question the authenticity of their relation.
What surprised her least of all was the group of girls surrounding him. That was another thing him and Sirius had in common, she pondered. None of the ladies (and some of the men, for that matter) could resist the Black men. Ardor narrowed her eyes at the group of girls and couldn't suppress a laugh as she saw Callie engaged in conversation with Regulus, flirtatiously looping a blonde curl around her finger. She shifted her gaze and noticed her brother watching them with rage and jealousy. Even so, Ardor couldn't bring herself to feel any sympathy for her brother.
"Mother, he is surrounded by girls." She said at last, pointing to them.
She simply shrugged in reply. "And you will be the most special one there. Off you go!" She said, shooing Ardor away with her hand.
There was no way that she was about to do that.
Her mother looked at her expectantly and then crossed her arms when she realized that she was not going to budge. "Fine. Have it your way." She turned to the right and shouted, "Regulus! Would you come over here please, dear?"
Regulus turned toward her, his face contorting in a bewildered expression as he looked from Ardor to her mother. He narrowed his eyes and Ardor noticed him bite the inside of his cheek. Just like Sirius. The girls next to him all shot daggers in her direction as he began to pace toward her. She sat back down and buried her head in her hands, hoping this was all a dream. "Why would you do that?" She mumbled to her mother, not wanting to look up.
Her mother ignored her and tapped her on the chin, forcing Ardor to meet her eye contact. "Here he comes. Be polite, Ardor." Her mother's gaze was serious. Ardor knew that she wanted her to repair their relationship with the Blacks. She wanted to remain a high status pure blood, and at the moment, Walburga was blaming Sirius's betrayal on Ardor, which made little sense to her. After all, Ardor was the one still at a Sacred 28 Ball, not Sirius. In reality, whatever Walburga thought of her meant very little to Ardor, if at all. All she could do was roll her eyes at her mother, who flashed her another desperate glance before reluctantly walking away, leaving Ardor alone with Regulus.
Ardor let out a puff of breath as Regulus approached. He leaned against the chair next to the one she was sitting in, turning his gaze toward her. The depths of his green orbs were filled with caution, but also curiosity. The urge to enter his mind at that moment was tempting. After all, she was well versed in legilimency, having taken special, private lessons in magic from a young age. The need for those was especially necessary now, as the Dark Lord could easily enter someone's mind and see their most secret memories or desires. However, she knew that Regulus had surely received the same lessons as she had, and penetrating his mind would be the last way to regain the Black families' trust.
"I was summoned?" He asked, giving a sip of his champagne and pushing a brown curl out of his face. She met his gaze, almost wanting to look away, but decided to hold it.
"And that you were", she said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
He narrowed his eyes at her, obviously confused as to the purpose of the conversation. "And what exactly for?"
She didn't really know how to respond to that question, so she decided that honesty would be the best route. Her mother deeply cared for her social status in the circle of pure bloods, especially after Ardor's father had passed. Ardor believed her mother clung on to her status like a safety net, the one thing keeping her afloat. However, Ardor really couldn't care less about her status. "My mother believes that I need to make amends with the Black family." She said with a shrug.
Regulus almost choked on a sip of his champagne as he let out a laugh. He looked at her again. He paused for a moment before asking,"And what exactly are these amends for?" His lips were curled into a mischievous gin.
She gave him a look. He was playing dumb. Of course he knew why they were mad at Ardor. He just wanted to hear her say it. She knew that bringing up Sirius to Regulus would not lead the conversation in a good direction. If anything, Regulus was looking for a fight.
"Because your parents are simply so jealous of me. After all, I am charming and beautiful and successful and I outshine their son Regulus Black in every way."
Ardor realized that she probably shouldn't have said that right after it came out of her mouth. She peered up at him anxiously, but tried not to show it on her face.
To her surprise, he grinned and took another sip of his drink, lightly tapping the side of the glass with his finger. "You see, I don't recall that being the issue."
She tilted her head at him, but stayed silent. He looked at her for a few moments more before commenting, "I see you're dressed in Slytherin colors today."
She blinked at him. "Well, I must blend in with the crowds here, mustn't I?"
He raised his eyebrows in amusement. "I suppose." I took one last sip before placing the drink down on the table and taking a seat next to her. "Do you not have much pride in your house?"
Ardor rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. It's just that the people in this room tend to view the other houses with dislike, if you haven't noticed."
He narrowed his eyes at her and he looked her up and down. "Hmm. Well, I can see why." He got up from his chair and smirked at her. "And, I would say that my parents are certainly not jealous of a girl who cowers in the corner during her own Ball." With that, he walked away.
Ardor could feel her face light up in red. What stung the most was that he was right. Ardor was far from the ideal pure blood girl. In fact, many of the families in the room had come to view her with dislike or disgust. But she wasn't going to admit that to Regulus.
Ardor buried her head in her hands. She supposed she would have to lie to her mother about how that conversation had just gone.
When she looked up, she saw her mother eyeing her from across the room with a smile, and then walked up to her.
"Guess what?" She murmured, leaning into her daughter's ear.
"What?" Ardor murmured, feeling uninterested, and more than anything, wanting the ball to be over.
"I was talking to the Nott's. They said that you were beautiful, and they are looking for a match for Oliver." Her mother's smile was wide, and she could see an excited sparkle in her eyes.
Ardor suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at her. This type of thing happens at almost every ball. Someone was looking for a match, Ardor would talk with them, or they would learn about her... beliefs, and they would lose interest.
Ardor shrugged. "Okay? And?"
"Well, why don't you do talk to Oliver?"
She bit her lip and told herself that this would all be over soon, that she just had to follow through with one more dull and dry conversation. She looked at the clock. It was 11 pm. The pure bloods usually didn't party into the late hours of the night. They would soon be heading back to their own manors. One more conversation.
She huffed and stood up. "Okay, where is he?"
Her mother smiled and pointed across the room. He was talking with a few other boys around her age, in a similar black suit as the rest of them. Ardor always found Oliver to be one of the nicer ones of the lot, even if he was still a Slytherin. He didn't laugh at her like many of them, and he was never openly rude. However, she still distrusted him. She knew that nearly every pureblood boy her age was being recruited by Voldemort. She hoped, for Sirius' sake, that Regulus hadn't joined him, but she knew that he probably had. Although the Dark Lord extended invitations to all members of pure blood society, the men, thankfully, were more expected to join. Even her own brother had started attending meetings. It made a shiver go up her spine. She had only seen him once. He had made an appearance at a Ball, only for a short time. He had come in rather abruptly, pulling a few of his closest followers out with him. Ardor supposed that it was probably some sort of emergency. But what she did remember was his face. Pale, opaque skin, almost white. His eyes were a beady red, and he had slits for nostrils. He reminded her of a snake.
Ardor nodded and started to walk up to Oliver. He smiled as he saw her approach, although many of the boys around him scowled.
"You look beautiful", he told her as she approached and stood in front of him. She could feel her cheeks redden as she looked down, feeling embarrassed.
"Maybe for a blood traitor", one of the boys remarked, as some of the others started to laugh. She looked up at them, trying to hold their gaze defiantly.
Oliver shot his friends an annoyed look and returned his smile to Ardor. "Why don't we go sit down?" He offered, and started walking toward an open table.
Ardor sat down next to him and folded her hands.. "How was the ball for you today?" He asked with a smile.
She couldn't help feeling a bit surprised at his demeanor. He was being very kind. Not that he wasn't kind before. This just felt a little... unusual. She narrowed her eyes at him slightly, but tried not to look suspicious.
"Not very fun, if I'm being honest."
"Mmm. And why is that?" He said, tilting his head to the side.
"Because I'm missing my dance partner."
She saw him frown. Sirius was usually a touchy subject for most of them. Oliver and him were in the same year, and probably spent a lot of time together as kids. However, she doubted they were very close after he was sorted into Gryffindor. It had always just been Ardor and Sirius.
"You miss him?" He murmured, looking down.
She shrugged. "Of course."
He looked back up at her and held her eye contact. She couldn't deny he was a beautiful creature. His eyes were an ocean blue that you could get lost in. "Are you two..."
She let out a laugh. "Oh, no. We're just friends." She saw him relax a bit and a smile started to grow back on his lips. Although Ardor may have liked him for a while... a lot longer than she would like to admit, they were just friends. Best friends.
"You know, I think a lot of people think you two are dating." He said, looking around the room.
She raised her brown and shook her head, looking down. "Well, I supposed they have been mistaken."
They were silent for a few more moments before she looked up at him again, looking deep in his orbs. "Are you looking for a match?"
He blinked, as if the question had taken him off guard. "I mean, my parents want me to find one..."
She crossed her arms and sat back in her seat. "I'm surprised you couldn't find anyone better than me."
His frown returned. "Don't say that."
She let out a laugh. "It's true! You're Oliver Rosier. You could have any girl you want. Why would your parents like me?"
She saw his eyes soften a bit as he looked at her. Shit. Does he actually like me? She swallowed, nervously shaking her leg under the table, like she always did when she was nervous.
"If you really must know, I have multiple options at the moment. But, you've always been... intriguing to me." He admitted, fiddling with a ring on his index finger.
She let out a soft laugh. "And why is that?"
"You aren't afraid to speak your mind", he said with a shrug. "So many of the people here just go along with everyone else."
"Hmmm, well, there is a difference between that and being a blood traitor." She muttered.
He rolled his eyes at her. "You're not a blood traitor."
"Mmm... you see, I think others would disagree."
"Who. Regulus?"
She stared at him. Regulus? Did he think she was a blood traitor? Probably.
"I mean, yes. But other people here too."
"I think Regulus has more respect for you than you realize." He murmured, meeting her gaze as he continued to fiddle with his rings.
She felt a little taken aback by that statement. She seriously doubted Regulus held any respect for her. She shrugged, "I don't really care what Regulus thinks of me."
"And I don't really care what they think about you", he said.
She offered him a shy smile. This boy was being too nice. Why now? Why would he want her as a wife? It didn't make sense. He had much better possible suitors than her. The thought that he may actually fancy her made her feel sick. She wasn't ready for marriage, at least not one that she wouldn't decide upon. If he proposed, she wouldn't really have a choice if her mother approved of him. However, Ardor had to stop herself before she spiraled out of control. He had numerous suitors and was unlikely to choose Ardor anyway. Besides, this had happened before, and none of the matches had ended up successful. She would just have to use her wit on his parents, and they would surely change their mind.
"Thank you." She got up from the table, with which he followed by standing up as well.
"Let me know when you've found a real match", she teased.
His lips turned up into a grin and he reached out his hand. She tilted her head, confused, but put her hand in his. He leaned down and touched his lips to the back of her hand before standing up again, meeting her gaze.
"See you at Hogwarts?" He asked.
"Hogwarts", she replied.