It was a week after the traumatizing situation—one that Madam Morar and Marianna promised not to breathe a word of—when Professor Palaemon Wyatt arrived at the Rosier house. He had been handpicked by Felix to complete Cait's education, and Cait found herself apprehensive as Marianna helped her dress that morning. She wouldn't have a school uniform, naturally, so it was decided that proper dress was the way to go.

Eventually, a white blouse with ruffled sleeves and a buttoned-up lace front was selected, which only accentuated her neck, and a black pinafore dress with no sleeves to accompany it. She was also expected to wear stockings with the outfit, and appropriate black shoes, which Cait remembered were called Mary Janes. After the outfit was selected and the clock chimed nine, off Marianna went to inform Milly, the personal shopper elf, to buy multitudes of clothing which matched the description, while Cait held her breath. Petting Verena one last time, she stepped out of her bedroom and through the sitting room and into the library, where Professor Palaemon Wyatt was reportedly awaiting her.

The professor himself was quite tall and had blond hair streaked with silver, and appeared to be somewhere in his thirties, due to how youthful his face still looked. He had his nose in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 by Miranda Goshawk, which he quickly lowered as Cait approached. His eyes were blue flecked with gold and he lowered the textbook he held and tucked it underneath his arm, before he held out his hand to Cait.

"Good morning, Miss Krum," he said politely, his British accent thick. "I am Professor Wyatt, and I am honored to become the personal tutor to the future Lady Rosier."

"Pleased to meet you," Cait replied, accepting his offered hand. Looking down at the surface of the cherry wood table, she saw other books scattered about. Among them were Intermediate Transfiguration, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newton Scamander, Intermediate Astronomy by Jupiter Phoenix, Confronting the Faceless, A History of Magic, Grade 5 by Bathilda Bagshot, Intermediate Guide to Potion Making, Goshawk's Guide to Herbology by Miranda Goshawk, Ancient Runes Made Easy by Laurenzoo, and the final one was Numerology and Grammatica.

"Ah, yes, the textbooks," Professor Wyatt said fondly. "Your OWL's, that is, your fifth-year examinations, will be of charms, transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, herbology, ancient runes, potions, and arithmancy."

Cait's mouth wrinkled; she knew, by this time, that charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, transfiguration, potions, and herbology were among the required classes at Hogwarts. Others included History of Magic, astronomy, and flying, but, she supposed, they were permitted to tweak the rules to suit Felix. Cait also readily assumed that Felix had to pre-approve all the classes she was to take; it made her angry that Magical Theory was not among the ones selected, and promptly came to the conclusion that this was just another way to control her, not that she expected anything less.

Cait reached forward tentatively and picked up one of the textbooks; it turned out to be the potions text. "And what if I perform less than satisfactorily on one of the examinations?" she asked softly, not looking forward to potential consequences.

"You will be required to achieve five passing OWL's," Professor Wyatt replied patiently. "We will be doing NEWTs subjects upon the completion of your fifth-year studies. You need three NEWTs to graduate with qualifications."

"Not that I'll be doing much with my life, other than lying on my back and breeding heirs for the Rosier family," Cait said, letting go of the book, which slammed down onto the surface of the table, rattling it.

"Ah. I take it that this was an arranged marriage, then?"

Cait's eyes flashed upwards to the professor's, and immediately shook her head. "If by 'arranged', you mean forcibly kidnapped, and then bought and sold for property and several handfuls of Galleons. Hardly a fair trade, if you ask me, given that I had no choice in the matter, and was taken away from a family who loved and cared for me, forbidden to contact them or anyone else, and was only permitted to keep my familiar."

"A familiar?" Professor Wyatt asked.

Cait scoffed. "That's what you got from all that? I suppose that's believable," she said, throwing herself into one of the chairs. "Verena is my cat. Felix oh so generously permitted me to keep her, when I prevented her from outright attacking his cousin, who was the man who took me away from my education at Durmstrang. Sure, it was a prison in and of itself, given that their headmaster is a tyrant who liked to prey upon the female student population, but," Cait said, and gave a small shrug, "what could I do? He is friends with my mother and father, who adopted me and gave me shelter when no one else would... All the Muggles that took me in did so because of the goddamned government stipend they'd get each month."

"So, you are not a Krum by blood?"

"No," Cait replied tersely. "Not by a longshot. I've no idea who I am, given that my original name, that is, the name I always went by, is in no magical directories of any kind."

"Have you sought out Muggles ones?"

"Headmaster Karkaroff identified me as a Pureblood when he met me," Cait said, twisting her fingers into her skirt. "It granted me admittance into Durmstrang without issue, as well as placement with the Krum family."

"Even Half-Bloods are permitted admittance," Professor Wyatt said softly. "Do you mean to tell me that the headmaster probed your magical core?"

"He probed quite more than that," Cait replied darkly.

Professor Wyatt suddenly went white. "That's what you meant, when you said you were transported from one prison to another?"

"Yes," Cait replied, her voice soft. "Yes."

"Dear Merlin, so you're really the girl that's been missing all this time," he whispered, dragging a hand through his hair.

Cait straightened up then. "You mean... They're looking for me?"

"Exhausting each method they can possibly think of, according to The Daily Prophet," Professor Wyatt confirmed with a nod. "They're even searching with outside sources, with Headmaster Dumbledore of Hogwarts being one, and Headmaster Cobbe of Ilvermorny being another. It is said that they're both devastated, and young Anna and Viktor are barely managing to hold it together in their classes. Not to mention the lack of discipline that the entirety of Durmstrang seems to be faced with..."

Cait bit down hard on her lower lip. "Lack of discipline? I don't understand. We're taught to be extremely disciplined while on campus, and especially during class or mealtimes... I don't understand how something as important as discipline could potentially fall by the wayside, or what it has to do with me..."

"Are you familiar with two students, twins, by the names of Branimir and Vasilisa? I believe they were in your house, Doblest..."

"Yes," Cait replied. "Branimir and I were...close..."

"Ah, I see," Professor Wyatt replied, no judgement in his tone. "Well, apparently young Branimir attacked the headmaster so severely, in the wake of your disappearance, that he has been expelled from Durmstrang."

"Expelled?!" Cait cried out. "Is Bran all right?"

"His mother managed to appeal the decision, and Branimir will resume classes at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France," Professor Wyatt informed her. "As for Vasilisa, she refuses to inform anyone why Branimir attacked your former headmaster, claiming that she was unaware of the information."

A lump rose in Cait's throat as she lowered her eyes. "Yes, I see."

"Vasilisa will continue her education at Durmstrang without incident, according to The Daily Prophet," Professor Wyatt continued. "She is reported to be quiet and withdrawn in the wake of her brothers' expulsion, which is to be understood."

Cait looked up. "Surely, they were close, but..."

"Twins, especially magical ones, are like two halves of the same soul, according to the ancient witches and wizards of the magical realm," Professor Wyatt explained. "When one is without the other, they will potentially engage in risky or dangerous behavior, for a part of them realizes that they are incomplete and, therefore, do not care as much about themselves because of it."

Cait scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, well, I'm not a twin," she said, pulling a textbook towards her and flipping through it. "These are fifth-year texts."

Professor Wyatt looked confused. "You are fifteen, are you not?"

"Well, yes, but I was a fourth-year when I was taken out of Durmstrang," Cait said. "My birthday falls in the month of November."

"Well, I've brought both fourth and sixth-year texts with me, in addition to the fifth-year ones before you there," Professor Wyatt informed her. "We'll just have to test and see, without a wand, mind you, just where you are in the educational process."

Cait slouched in her chair—fuck propriety, and everything related to it. "Very well," she said, and waved her hands about, causing the books to do a complicated dance upon the surface of the table, causing Professor Wyatt's jaw to drop. "Let the work begin, I suppose..."

. . .

There was nothing but darkness before her, and, although many children, Muggle and magical alike, were afraid of it, Cait basked within it. For in this darkness, there appeared to be nothing and, if there was nothing, there was naught to hurt her. As she traipsed through the darkness, however, she was in for a rude awakening, for, hidden among the shadows, was literally her worst nightmare.

"Catherina."

The entirety of the small hairs on Cait's body stood on end, and Cait whipped around, looking over her shoulder. In the darkness, which caused her to stumble backwards, were a pair of white, wrinkled hands, with a downing of black hair upon them.

"No," Cait begged, tripping over her own feet as she fought to get away from those hands, which came towards her. "No, not again. Not again, please..."

"You will address me as 'sir'," came the growl, just as Headmaster Igor Karkaroff stepped completely from the shadows.

Cait attempted to scream, but found that she couldn't make a sound, and was now barely able to move, due to the dark eyes of her most hated enemy locked upon her.

"Ah, did little Catherina go silent in my presence?" asked the headmaster, as he proceeded to walk around her, like a shark, or a large cat, stalking its prey. "Silence could mean respect. But I suppose I wouldn't have to tell you that it can also mean disrespect," the man continued, and he stopped directly in front of her, roughly grabbing ahold of her chin and yanking it upwards so that they were staring at one another.

"N... No," Cait begged, her voice trembling.

"You will address me as 'sir'!" came his shout then as he dropped his hold upon her chin, only to lift his hand again and backhand her across the face, causing Cait to fall down onto her side, crying out as she did so, for she'd landed so hard. "Have you not learned respect by now, my Catherina?" he asked.

Cait stared up at the man, through her strands of hair and through her tears. "What is it you wanted from me?" she whispered, deliberately not calling him 'sir', for she could handle a beating more so than she could handle being raped again.

The headmaster's expression darkened further at her perceived disrespect, but nevertheless continued speaking. "Despite what you may have heard, about the Krum family seeking every avenue to find you, it is a falsehood."

Cait threw her hair back then, glaring up at her former headmaster. "What are you talking about now?" she growled back.

"They were only too glad to be rid of a troublemaking freak like you," the headmaster said in a tone riddled with disdain.

Cait felt her blood run cold. "They loved me! I know they loved me—!"

"Saying one thing and meaning another are commonplace within the human race, Muggle or wizardkind included," Igor Karkaroff said impatiently. "Think back to your time in the States, and how all those families rejected you..."

"They were Muggles!" Cait burst out. "They didn't understand my gifts—!"

"What you call 'gifts', others would call 'curses'," said the man, glaring down at her. "The Krums only took you in as a favor to me, their friend. End of story."

"It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with the goodness in their hearts!" Cait yelled, and found the strength to get to her feet. "I know they suspected you in the end, due to my withdrawn behavior. Oh," she said, as a torrent of fear seemed to flash across the headmaster's face. "I thought you. You honestly believed that I was able to keep our dirty dealings a secret. I suppose you doubted a mother's love for a moment. Don't you ever doubt the love of a mother, Igor, especially my mother."

"Catherina..."

"Don't you ever call me that again!" she shouted. "The Krums are my family, because they took me in and discovered who I really was. They shielded me, nurtured me, and loved me, to the point where they made me a permanent member of their family, both in spirit and legally. You may doubt familial love, because you yourself don't seem to have it, but don't you dare doubt mine, because I found it. I may not have it now, due to the fact that I am in yet another prison, but I will one day get out of this. And, when that day comes, Igor, your days are numbered, because I will tell! I'll tell everyone who will listen all that you did to me, all that you said, and all the filthy, filthy things you wanted to achieve in future..."

The man stepped forward then, the silvery gleam of a dagger he now held never catching the light, and held it aloft. When it made contact with Cait's skin, she didn't cry out, and it was a mere gasp which escaped her lips. When the man's hand came around her body then, lashing at her throat and her lips, did Cait finally have the strength to cry out and struggle.

"No, no!" she shouted, and her eyes suddenly seemed to snap open then, and she was lying upon her bed in the Rosier house.

"Miss Krum?" came the shout of Madam Morar, as her bedroom door came crashing open, and there stood the housekeeper, Marianna at her heels. "Are you all right?"

Cait shivered, lifting her hands to her throat, and let out a scream as they came away wet, and began flailing about in her bed.

"Lumos," Madam Morar said, and the lights immediately came on in Cait's bedroom, and she stepped forward, putting a hand to Cait's forehead. "Ah, you're quite warm, my dear," she said with an understanding smile. She summoned an empty glass from across the room and tipped her wand into it. "Aguamenti," she said softly, handing over the glass of cold water to Cait.

"Are you all right, Miss Krum?" Marianna asked tentatively, once Cait had slowly drunk her water at Madam Morar's urging.

Cait nodded, setting the glass aside and wrapping her arms around herself. "Yes, sorry. It was just a nightmare..."

"About the man who hurt you?" Marianna asked softly, letting out a slight gasp as Madam Morar swatted her in the arm.

"No, it's all right, Madam Morar," Cait assured the elder woman, and forced a smile onto her lips as she straightened up. "To answer your question, Marianna, yes. It seems as though he entered my dreamscape and attempted to hurt me again." She reached up and touched her neck, and although she found it tender, it was merely wet with her sweat, and not with blood. "I suppose I'll be all right now..."

"You're sure, Miss Krum?" Madam Morar asked. "We'll not leave you, if you think that you may suffer more..."

Cait bit at her lips. "Well, perhaps some Dreamless Sleep will aid me in achieving proper sleep, and then I shall be right as rain come morning."

Madam Morar nodded, and summoned a vial from the cupboard across the room, where Felix Rosier had permitted certain potions for Cait to be kept. She unstoppered the vial and handed it over to Cait, who promptly drank it in one swallow. "All right now, love?"

Cait smiled at the term of endearment, and handed over the now-empty vial. "I shall be," she said softly, sighing with relief as Verena made herself known and crawled into her lap. "I suppose with some more sleep, I shall be ready to distract myself come morning with Professor Wyatt's lessons..." Her eyes slowly turned to Marianna, who blushed. "And how are things going with him, then?" she asked.

Marianna flushed all the more deeply then, although she did smile. In the eight weeks or so that Professor Wyatt had been teaching Cait—and found that she was more-suited to fifth-year texts after all—he had developed quite a rapport with Marianna. In so doing, the pair was always seen together about the house when he was not teaching Cait, or Marianna waiting upon her. While a friendship had quickly bloomed, Cait was under the correct impression that the pair of them were well on their way to growing closer still.

"All right, I suppose," Marianna said softly. "I've never met anyone like him. He's lovely, and I feel as if I can be myself around him..."

"That's exactly how it should feel," Cait assured her, reaching out and taking Marianna's hand with a smile.

"All right, you two," Madam Morar said indulgently, "we'd all best return to bed now. Our lovely mistress needs her beauty sleep, after all."

Cait smiled at them both as they moved to leave her bedroom. "Thank you," she said quietly, and Madam Morar and Marianna turned around to face her. "For...all this. You needn't do anything, and yet, you seem to be here whenever I have need of you."

"I would say it was our job, Miss Krum, but it has become more than that..." She sighed. "You do not deserve what has befallen you, any of it, and, rest assured, Marianna and I will do all we can to get you through it."

Cait smiled, willing for herself not to cry. "Thank you."

Madam Morar nodded one final time, before swishing her wand about the room. "Nox," she whispered, and Cait leaned back in her bed, waiting for the door to creak shut behind them, as she slowly drifted back to sleep.

. . .

It was the final Friday in June when Felix returned from his duties in Romania, and Cait was to be ready to have dinner with him. She had finished her OWLs a month previously, and was told that she would have to wait until dinner that night to open them. They had been delivered at lunch that afternoon, so it had been several tiring hours of waiting for the day to arrive to the evening hours. She had finished her classes for fifth-year that afternoon, and was permitted by Felix, pending her OWL results, to have the rest of June, plus all of July and August, off before beginning her sixth-year classes with Professor Wyatt.

The dress pre-selected for her to wear that evening at dinner was a white one, with multi-colored flowers all over its cotton surface. It had a swing-like skirt, and a high oval neckline, plus short sleeves. Cait also stepped into a pair of white sandals, and was given a simple pearl necklace to wear with it. After her long hair was brushed out and pinned in a high ponytail, she was permitted to head downstairs to the main dining room for dinner.

She sat at the foot of the table as instructed, sitting straight in her chair. She waited for Felix to come into the dining room, and promptly got to her feet when he did so, keeping her eyes down upon the surface of the table. Just beside her plate was the envelope from the Ministry of Magic, embossed with its seal, waiting to be delivered to Felix, who would, of course, see her examination scores first.

"Sit," Felix said without preamble, and, once Cait did so, he took out his wand and pointed it in her direction. "Accio," she said, and the envelope flew towards him. "Were there any classes you did not enjoy?" he asked conversationally.

"Arithmancy, and ancient runes," Cait admitted softly.

"I never was very fond of those either," Felix said with a nod, and finally got the parchment out and looked it over. "Ah. Well, it seems as though you'll have those months off before your sixth-year classes begin," he said, and banished the parchment towards her.

Cait took ahold of the parchment when it was given to her, and her eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she took in the scores.

Ancient Runes O

Arithmancy O

Astronomy O

Care of Magical Creatures O

Charms O

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Herbology O

History of Magic O

Potions O

Transfiguration O

"If you truly did not enjoy ancient runes or arithmancy," Felix said, causing Cait to look up at him for a moment, "I see no reason to continue them. Eight NEWTs are more than enough, I feel, for someone who will be a lady of leisure."

Lady of leisure? More like lady imprisoned, Cait mused to herself as she lowered her scores down onto the table, placing her hands into her lap as the various servants entered the dining room with the soup course. "How were things in Romania?" she asked softly, hoping to draw out a more pleasant conversation.

Felix raised his eyes to Cait down the table, looking slightly taken aback by the notion that she would even ask him about his career. "It was fine," he replied, nodding his thanks to the butler who had served him the potato and leek soup, and motioned for the man to go down the table to give Cait some as well. "We had some Swedish Short-Snout hatchlings a fortnight ago, and their mother was already teaching them how to blow fire by the time I left."

Cait trailed her soup spoon along the soup's hot surface. "Aren't they the dragons that have blue smoke?" she queried.

Felix nodded, seemingly relieved that Cait knew something about the subject. "They are. Their breath can also reduce timber and bone to ash within seconds."

Cait, who had, by this time, moved to take a bite of her soup, nearly choked upon the hot liquid going down her throat. "Well," she said, wiping delicately at her mouth once she'd gotten ahold of herself, "it doesn't appear to be a creature I'd want to mess with."

Felix's mouth pulled slightly at the edges, considering laughter, but thinking better of it. "Well," he said, moving to take more of his soup, "I was thinking that, in addition to the books you asked for, which I did bring," he went on, and Cait gave him a small smile, "that perhaps, on sunnier days of your next term, perhaps you can have some outdoor lessons."

Cait blinked. "Outdoor lessons?"

"Yes," Felix informed her with a nod. "I've spoken at length via letter with Professor Wyatt, and he is in full agreement. The pair of you, once the theory is out of the way, will partake in some Care of Magical Creatures lessons outside."

"Oh, my," Cait whispered, hardly daring to hope that her lessons would get any more fun then they'd been previously. "Thank you."

"Just continue behaving as you have been," Felix said, once they finished their soup, and gave a quick nod of approval as a roast chicken with potatoes and vegetables came into the room on an immaculate tray. "I can see no reason why further privileges cannot bestow themselves upon you if you persist in doing so."

. . .

The nightmares of Karkaroff subduing her in some way continued, and they would always end with him slicing her to pieces with his dagger, besting her in a duel with Cait being without a wand, or by raping her and leaving her for dead. After each nightmare had taken place, Madam Morar and Marianna would be there for her for a short chat, and a vial of Dreamless Sleep. It was a relief to Cait that they seemed to have a never-ending supply of potions, and Felix never seemed to be upset by her consumption of it.

Cait continued to do well underneath the tutelage of Professor Wyatt, and encouraged him to seek out Marianna whenever he had a spare moment. Cait could see how happy the pair of them were, and, once or twice, wished that she, too could have such happiness. However, even as Cait turned sixteen and celebrated her birthday with her jailer, nothing much seemed to change. Felix permitted her to select the menu and the cake for the evening, and he gave her a great many books—both wizarding and Muggle—as gifts. However, there was no love or tenderness in his eyes whenever he looked at her, as Cait had noticed whenever Professor Wyatt and Marianna had been staring at each other. As Cait struggled to keep her head level as she went through hard study sessions for her NEWTs, she couldn't help but think that she would be stuck in the Rosier household forever.

Felix stayed away for months after her sixteenth birthday, only sending a few letters every few months, letting Cait know that he was all right. He sent her plenty of books, mostly due to the fact that Professor Wyatt's reports to him about Cait's lessons were above satisfactory level. It felt like a breath of fresh air to have her jailer gone, and would frequently invite Marianna to attend her Care of Magical Creature lessons in the expansive gardens of the estate.

"Today we have a lovely creature," said Professor Wyatt, and whistled slightly, prompting a white winged horse to step out from beneath the foliage of a cherry tree. "If you recall from your reading on the subject of winged horses, Cait, I'm quite positive you can name this one."

Cait smiled. "Yes, I can. That is a Granian," she said effortlessly.

"Very good," Professor Wyatt said. "Approach her slowly, now. She'll permit you to pet her as long as you're gentle."

Cait gave Professor Wyatt a nod as she carefully stepped forward, so as not to spook the animal, and lifted her hand within its line of sight so as it would know what she was doing. Carefully, Cait arrived into her proximity and caressed the fur, which felt as smooth as the finest velvet. "I think you're lovely," she whispered, and the horse whinnied.

"You are to think of her as an early wedding present from Lord Felix," Professor Wyatt said softly, knowing just how Cait felt about her upcoming nuptials. "She's trained to know where to fly and where not to fly, so you are permitted to fly her."

Cait nibbled at her bottom lip, initially determined to dislike the animal before her, but found that she could not do so, despite where she had come from. "What is her name, then?"

"She doesn't have one yet," Professor Wyatt informed her, from where he was now standing beside Marianna. "Lord Felix believed you would wish to name her yourself."

Cait looked up into the captivating brown eyes of the animal, and nodded her head. "You shall henceforth be called Marici, after the Goddess of the Heavens, of the Sun, and of Light," she declared, and Marici quickly lowered her head, permitting Cait to stroke at it. Turning to look over her shoulder, she asked, "Am I permitted to ride her?"

Professor Wyatt nodded. "Of course. She is yours, after all."

Cait nodded, effortlessly getting onto Marici's back, and stringing her fingers into the creature's impressive white mane. "Take flight, girl," Cait whispered to her.

Marici quickly let out a sound akin to a squeal, and began pawing at the ground with her mighty impressive hooves. Slowly and carefully, she began running along the garden path, prompting Cait to throw herself downwards and wrap her arms around her neck. Heart pounding in her chest, she let out a gasp as Marici took flight, spreading her wings and flapping around along the skyline of the manor. Cait looked all around her, seeing that there was nothing around the manor for miles, other than lines and lines of forest.

When Marici had been flying for close to a quarter of an hour, round and round in circles around the grounds of the estate, Professor Wyatt whistled as he had before, prompting the creature to begin her landing. She did so easily, careful not to jostle Cait too much upon her back, and, once they'd landed safely, Cait slipped off. Waving her hand towards a cluster of apple trees, a red and juicy one came flying from the branches and into her hand.

Turning towards Marici, she offered the horse the apple, palm-flat, and smiled as the horse eagerly accepted the treat from her new mistress. "That good?" she asked, cooing at her, and running her fingers through her hair.

"Did you enjoy your flight?" Professor Wyatt asked.

Cait sighed, the adrenaline and exhilaration quickly dying down, but nevertheless enjoyable all the same. "I did, yes," she replied, nodding.

"What was it like?" Marianna wanted to know.

Cait smiled slightly then, before turning to look over her shoulder at her closest friend and her tutor, who were so close to falling in love that Cait could practically see it. "It was like being free," came her reply, before looking skyward once again.

. . .

Cait woke up the morning of her seventeenth birthday feverish and nauseated, but insisted to both Marianna and Madam Morar that she would be fine. She bathed in the ritualistic bathwater that Madam Morar had prepared for her, and was stiff as a board when Marianna put her into her wedding dress. It would have been beautiful, were it not for the fact that Cait was being forced to marry the very man who had imprisoned her.

The dress itself was stunning, with an intricate lace pattern decorating the top portion, and short sleeves. The bottom part was a tulle skirt, in the princess style, and Madam Morar had declared it a gown more than once. Cait stood before the mirror as Marianna clasped the new pearl necklace around her throat, before piling up her hair into an intricate bun, and putting on the tiara, before clasping the veil upon it, and putting it over her face.

Cait walked down the main grand staircase later that evening, a bouquet of lilies acting as her wedding flowers, as she had been permitted to select them. The entirety of the staff was standing by, dressed in their best, to follow Cait into the chapel on the property to witness the wedding of their master and new mistress. Cait kept her eyes down upon the staircase; despite everything, she didn't want to trip and fall down them. No; she wanted to get everything over with, as she officially signed her life away.

Stepping out of the main entrance of the house, she walked down the garden path and towards the chapel at the east end of the massive gardens. The building, built out of stone, was upon the edge of the property, and was heavily detailed upon the inside, with oil paintings covering every surface of the walls and ceilings. Cait kept her head bowed as she stepped towards the doors, which opened automatically for her, and waited until her musical cue began, with the rest of the staff filing in to sit in the provided pews.

Peeking through her eyelashes, she noticed that Felix had entered via the door he'd been instructed to, and shook hands with the minister, and Cait felt herself growing faint again. She knew that she had to accomplish this, and, despite the trembling in her limbs, she knew that she would be lost if she turned back now. As the traditional song began to play in the impressive pipe organ within the balcony of the church, Cait straightened herself up and stepped through to walk down the aisle. Slowly, she looked up then, and even she had to admit that Felix looked quite dapper in his wedding robes, although she still felt the coldness of his eyes. She turned to the minister once she had approached, and bowed her head briefly to the man, before she took her place beside Felix.

"Face one another, please," said the minister, and Cait and Felix moved to do so. "Felix, please take Catherina's right hand in yours, and say your vows."

Felix clenched his teeth, but nevertheless took Cait's hand and spoke. "I, Felix Corvus Rosier, take you, Catherina Scylla Krum, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part; according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow."

"And now, loose hands with one another," the minister ordered, and nodded with approval once the pair had released one another. "I would like you now, Catherina, to take Felix's right hand in yours, and to say your vows to him."

Cait swallowed; she had never willingly touched Felix, but, she supposed, she would have to get used to that fact, now that she was swearing to be his wife. Taking up Felix's hand, she forced herself to speak. "I, Catherina Scylla Krum, take you, Felix Corvus Rosier, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part; according to God's holy law, in the presence of God I make this vow."

"You may now loose hands once more," said the minister, and, once they had done so, snapped his fingers, and Cait was then holding a simple platinum band in her hands, while Felix was holding the rose gold, diamond-encrusted ring which surrounded a sizeable emerald. "Felix, take Catherina's hand again, and give Catherina her ring and your vows with it."

Felix reached out and took Cait's hand. "Catherina, I give you this ring, as a sign of our marriage. With my body, I honor you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

"Now, loose hands," came the command from the minister, and the pair did so, Cait feeling the weight of the ring upon her hand. "Now, Catherina, take Felix's hand, and give him his ring and your vows with it."

Cait swallowed yet again, but nevertheless reached forward and took Felix's hand. "Felix, I give you this ring, as a sign of our marriage. With my body, I honor you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

The minister raised his hands, and Cait and Felix once again broke apart. "In the presence of God, and before this congregation, Felix and Catherina have given their consent and made marriage vows to each other. They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife," he said, and joined their hands together once more. "Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder," he declared, smiling to them both, and Cait felt herself growing ill, knowing full well what this was all leading up to. "You may kiss the bride," he declared, and let them go, and Cait felt as if she would crumple and fall.

Felix took charge of the situation, with turning Cait towards him and lifting her veil. He looked slightly taken aback, and Cait was convinced that it either had to do with the fact that she wasn't as good as concealing her feelings as she initially thought, or that she somehow looked different in the year that they had been apart. Nevertheless, Felix stepped forward and kissed her, and Cait was not surprised to discover that she felt nothing.

Doing her best not to stumble back up the aisle, they made their way to the minister's office, where the marriage document was awaiting them upon the table. Felix signed his name with a flourish before handing over the quill to Cait. Painstakingly, Cait dipped the quill into the ink and signed her name where Bride had been written. The words Catherina Rosier stared back at her as the document popped away, the minister letting them know that it would be on file at the Romanian Ministry of Magic immediately.

Heart in her throat, Cait forced herself to accept Felix's hand as they walked out of the chapel together, with the entirety of the staff having disappeared. Once inside, Felix led them both to the formal dining room, where they were sat at a regal-looking table, and plied with expensive food that Cait had to attempt to force herself to eat. The sun had set long before now, and Cait knew that it was only a matter of time before they were due to share a bedchamber together to consummate the union she had been forced into.

Once Felix took her hand after the meal had completed, and led her back up the grand staircase, Cait knew that a chapter of her life was over. According to the Wizarding World, she was no longer a child. Her NEWTs scores had been proof of that, with her receiving an O in each subject she had taken. With eight Outstanding NEWTs to her name, she supposed she should be happy, but she could not bring herself to be so.

Once she was taken into the room, and Felix had whispered, "Nox" before guiding her towards the bed, Cait truly felt ill. Even as she attempted to disassociate from the entirety of the act, she could not do so. Perhaps it was her past with Karkaroff, or it could be the very fact that her groom seemed disgusted with her lack of virginity.

He knew what he signed up for, Cait thought to herself, as Felix repeatedly slammed inside her with the intensity of a jackhammer, and Cait resolved that she would wait to be ill once he had finished with her.

. . .

Felix had left a fortnight after their wedding to return to the dragon preserve, and Cait couldn't have been happier. Her husband had insisted upon their sharing a bed each night, and several times in a row, would reach out for her, drag her towards him, and do what he liked. Thankfully, he wasn't upset that she wouldn't participate, and instead, merely lay there and allow him to do what he wanted. Cait was just relieved that she wasn't required to say or do anything to please her husband, other than lie there, although it filled her with a sick feeling each time his hands crawled along the surface of her skin in the dark.

Now that Professor Wyatt was no longer teaching her, he had been permitted to stay on as added security, and so he wouldn't have to leave Marianna. Cait wondered when Marianna would receive a marriage proposal, and hoped dearly that it would be soon. It was, and when Christmas arrived, Marianna was presented with a ring by Professor Wyatt, who now was insisting that Cait call him Palaemon, now that he was no longer her instructor. Cait celebrated with them both for a time, but had to beg off more festivities as the hour grew late, and found that she wasn't feeling up to celebrating.

Almost two weeks had gone by after the engagement and Cait was still feeling ill, and the scents of a great many foods or potions would frequently put her off. She opted for an afternoon nap that day, but Madam Morar came bustling into her rooms before she could fall asleep. Looking tiredly up at the housekeeper, the woman nodded in understanding.

"One Diagnostic Spell coming up," she said, and aimed her wand at Cait, before dragging it along the entirety of her body. "Oh," she said, as it flickered her, and immediately stood back and away from her mistress.

"What? What is it?" Cait whispered, feeling exhausted from the after-effects of the spell, as well as whatever illness had afflicted her.

Madam Morar perched on the side of Cait's bed, and took her by the hand. "How do you see your future?" she asked.

Cait swallowed. "You know very well what I see, Madam Morar. Being away from here and living my life somewhere where I can be free," she replied.

Madam Morar patted her mistress's hand, her eyes filled with sadness. "Other than the obvious, my love," she said gently. "How do you see your future?"

Cait swallowed. "I don't know," she admitted. "I've completed my education, and yet find myself in a marriage with the very man who imprisoned me, and one whom I cannot, or will not, ever love. How can I even imagine a decent future?" she whispered.

"I am afraid, my dear, that it will not be an easy one for you," Madam Morar told her, not letting go of her hand.

"What...? What did you find?" Cait wanted to know. "You found something, didn't you? What is it? Am I going to be all right?"

"I'd say, by the end of this summer, that you'll be having a baby," Madam Morar said, her dark eyes grave.

Cait let out a cry, inadvertently dragging her hand away from Madam Morar's and clutching at her face as despair flew through her. "I can't have a baby, I can't!" she cried out, and Madam Morar patiently went forward and held onto her. "It is one thing for me to be locked away here for the rest of my life, but to actually bring a baby into it..." Cait felt hot tears streaming down her face as she considered it. "What... What if the baby is like him?"

"How could the baby possibly be like Lord Felix, when it's got you as its mother?" Madam Morar asked, pulling back and looking at Cait. "No baby you have can be like Lord Felix, despite him being the father."

Cait trembled in Madam Morar's arms. "How am I even supposed to like a child, whose father has utterly destroyed my life?" she whimpered.

"Because this child is half you, love," Madam Morar said gently, and placed Cait's hands upon her stomach, and Cait was surprised to feel the surge of magical life within. "Before you make any rash decisions, know that this child is a part of you, and not just a Rosier," the woman said, before pressing a kiss to Cait's forehead, and leaving her alone.

Cait leaned back on the abundance of bolsters upon her bed, and stared up at the ceiling. Her hands were frozen upon her midsection, and she couldn't deny that the spark of life within her didn't fill her with a combination of excitement and trepidation. Perhaps Madam Morar was correct, and the baby would be like her, for she couldn't even fathom what she would do, should it turn out to be like Felix...