Cait couldn't have thanked Madam Morar enough for encouraging her to literally sleep on her decision-making when it came to her child. The more she considered it, as winter became spring and an intimate bonding ceremony for Professor Wyatt and Marianna transpired, Cait had come to a decision. Given that Felix seemed mighty pleased with himself at her quick pregnancy, Cait knew that it would likely prove worse for her if she didn't keep the baby to term.

As her belly continued to grow, Cait took to having long walks in the gardens, while Felix had returned to Romania to continue working with his dragons. Professor Wyatt, whom Cait had been told more than once to call Palaemon, now that he was no longer her tutor, and Marianna seemed to be in an extended honeymoon phase, wandering around the entirety of the estate, just pleased to be together. Cait wondered if the pair of them would have children, as she sat beneath a cherry tree, filled with thick, pink blossoms, allowing her fingertips to caress her swelling stomach, and considered the future.

Chef Alexandre was very excited about the pregnancy, and had read many books about women's supposed cravings. Cait found it all very amusing as her pregnancy went on, and found that she was nearly ravenous at all hours of the day. Before he had returned to work, Felix had instructed the staff to pamper his pregnant wife in every way she desired, save for returning her freedom. It proved a distraction as she watched her pregnancy progress, eating strange foods, reading all the literature of being a parent that she could get her hands on, and designing a nursery. One thing she always did before going to bed was sing to the baby, who would do backflips while in the womb, and Cait found herself falling in love with her child.

Madam Morar, despite her status as a housekeeper, was also a trained healer, and so she was put in charge of all Cait's medical needs during her pregnancy. She provided all the potions she would need throughout—the most important one being a concoction in which the vessel for the baby's body to house their magical core would form correctly. Every couple of weeks, Cait would submit to a scan, and although there was no way to determine the gender, due to their remote location, the child was proving to be strong and healthy. As summer arrived, Cait could no longer see her feet, and would frequently complain of the temperature of the house, as well as her swollen ankles.

Felix returned to the estate in the final week of August and had informed Cait that he would remain for a fortnight, having let the dragon preserve know that, as his heir was arriving, he would be there. Cait gave a tentative nod, knowing how much Felix reportedly wanted a son, and given Marianna's warning, didn't want to even consider what could happen if she ended up giving birth to a daughter. Felix seemed to approve of Cait's activities, as well as the design of the nursery she had come up with, informing her that Palaemon would remain on the staff to teach their child, once they were old enough, and any further children they had. Cait spent the next several days praying to Circe, that the baby would be a boy, and that Felix wouldn't be bothered to touch her again.

As midnight struck on the twenty-ninth of August, Cait's eyes snapped open at the tell-tale sensation of pain ripping through her body. Gasping and wandlessly turning on the light in her bedroom, she found that she was drenched in sweat. Throwing back the duvet, she let out a shrill scream at the sight of the puddle of blood emerging from in between her legs, hoping beyond hope that someone would come in there and help her.

No sooner had the scream escaped her lips than the door come crashing open, with Madam Morar and Marianna dashing towards her. Madam Morar was quick to assess the situation, and quickly determined that Cait was in labor, and that her waters had already broken. Barking instructions for Marianna to fetch clean linens, Madam Morar spelled the bedding clean and impenetrable, so as to prevent future messes, and pushed up the long nightgown her mistress was wearing, and clicked her tongue.

"No sign of the head yet, I'm afraid, love," she said, and ran her hand coaxingly down Cait's legs, who trembled at the amount of pain flowing throat her. Holding up her wand again, she summoned the pain potions from Cait's medicine cabinet, just as Marianna returned with the fresh linens. "Good job, girly," she said affectionately to Marianna, who stood beside Madam Morar, waiting for further instructions. "Give these to Lady Rosier," she ordered, busily plucking the stoppers from the potion bottles, which Marianna promptly grabbed and tipped down Cait's throat without hesitation.

Marianna then returned to the en suite, fetching a cold flannel, which Madam Morar charmed to remain cold and wet, and gently pressed it to Cait's forehead, taking her hand. "Is there anything else we can do for you, my lady?" she asked tentatively.

"You can have this baby for me— Dear Merlin!" Cait screeched as another wave of pain tore through her insides, knowing that it was another contraction.

Marianna gently petted her hand. "You'll be just fine, my lady," she assured her, bearing it when her mistress squeezed her hand. "The potions should begin working any moment now, giving way to concentration, and the pushing."

Cait glared at Marianna, hating that her closest friend could be married to such a kind individual, and that she had been forced into imprisonment, marriage, and motherhood with a man that she could never love. Falling back onto the bolsters, Cait stared up at the ceiling, the cupids painted there becoming blurry with her tears, and she trembled, feeling relief as the pain proceeded to ebb away, due to the effects of the potions.

"There we are now, love," Madam Morar said gently, noticing that Cait's body had begun to relax in the interim. "Now that we've got all that pain out of the way, do you think you could push for me?"

Cait gritted her teeth, using her free hand to claw at her bedding, but nevertheless complied with Madam Morar's request. Shutting her eyes and concentrating as best she could, she pictured her birth canal expanding, thus permitting her child to pass through it. There was something that seemed to be dislodging from inside her, and let out a squeak, her eyes snapping open.

"Nothing to worry about," Madam Morar assured her. "'Tis merely the child getting into its final position to begin its descent."

Cait wetted her lips and nodded her head, although the movements were jerky at best.

"All right, now," Madam Morar said, her voice just as soothing as it had always been, "I want you to try for a push now, Cait. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Cait swallowed, knowing that she could accomplish this, as it was literally what women were made for, and still programmed to do. Breathing as deeply as she could, she focused entirely on the sensations flowing through her, knowing that something had to give. As she concentrated on the thing moving inside her, something seemed to breech forth, and a tingling sensation of pain tore through her, and she gasped.

"Wonderful, dear, wonderful!" Madam Morar encouraged happily. "The head has just begun to break forth from within. We're going to push now, dear. Push!"

Cait gritted her teeth, letting out a series of screams as she pushed, knowing that she would do whatever was possible to bring her child into the world. From the moment she had felt it move from within her, she knew that it was like her, not like Felix. She would raise this child as a good one, letting them know that locking people up against their will was never all right. And, despite its parentage, she would never make the child feel resentment, and always, always show it the love it truly deserved.

With a final scream from Cait, the child, at last, tore itself completely from Cait's body, and with a final, "Oh, Merlin!" Cait fell back against the pillows behind her, the wail of her baby echoing throughout the room. Looking up, she vaguely saw Madam Morar cleaning the infant, and telling Marianna to get the after-birth potions for Cait. She swallowed the potions once they were given to her, and Cait's sensations sharpened, and her breath caught in her throat as Madam Morar wrapped the baby in a little blanket and brought it over to her, now freshly-cleaned and cooing softly in the housekeeper's arms.

"Cait," Madam Morar said, standing beside the bed with a smile on her face, "may I present the new Mistress Rosier?" she asked, and gently placed the child in Cait's arms.

Cait let out a sigh of relief that it was all over, and allowed the baby girl to nestle in her arms, her heart tugging from within her as she pressed a kiss upon her daughter's forehead for the first time, given that the baby stared up at her adoringly. Her eyes were dark and expressive, her skin pale and smooth, and her crop of hair was the same dark brown shade as Cait's. You would hardly even know that she was Felix's child, were it not for the stylish Rosier nose, an attractive Greek, in the middle of her face, just between Cait's eyes and lips. Smiling down at her daughter, she didn't hear the series of footsteps from outside her bedroom door, but had to quickly comfort the little girl in her arms as it came slamming open.

"Where is my child?!" came Felix's demanding voice as he stalked into Cait's bedroom, and Cait gritted her teeth as he looked hungrily down at her, holding the infant. "And is it the son that we've all hoped for?" he asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Not even five minutes old and you're already resulting to a disgusting display of power once you lay eyes upon your child," Cait said bitingly, and Felix took an unsteady step back, never having listened to Cait talking back to anyone, let alone him. "I have submitted to imprisonment, to marriage, to rape, to a wholly different educational system, and all other things you've desired, but it seems as though your luck has run out," she went on, feeling her magic prickling just beneath the surface of her skin. "On this day, you, Felix Corvus Rosier, bear witness to your line of Rosier dying out, for I've borne you a daughter, and I will never permit you to share my bed, let alone touch me, again."

Felix sputtered. "A—a daughter?! But—"

"Further," Cait went on, cutting across him, not relinquishing her hold upon the baby as she straightened up upon the bed, "you shall never touch my daughter. You shall refrain from all things having to do with her, and, against my better judgement, the only things you shall provide for her are your name, your house, her future education, food, clothing, and, when the time comes, her rightful inheritance."

"I'll not stand for this," Felix declared. "I am Lord Rosier! I shall—"

"Bonds in the Wizarding World can only be broken from a natural death, and this is the bond you wanted to subject yourself to when you married me," Cait told him calmly. "Poison, assassination attempts... All will prove futile, for despite the company you keep, murder is still frowned upon, especially the Pureblood variety."

Felix narrowed his eyes, clearly not liking it, but also intelligent enough to know when he had been beaten. "Very well," he said, straightening up. "The girl shall have my name. Am I permitted to know what other names she will be given?"

Cait stared down at her daughter again, who nestled closer to her, as if she knew they had a common bond against the enemy beside them, despite the fact that he was her father. "I shall be calling her Kymopoleia Liridona Rosier, or 'Leia'," she said softly, reminded of one of the few occasions she had been happy in the American foster care system, wherein she had seen the wonderful film, Star Wars, and how Princess Leia had left her awed for years to come.

"What in Merlin's name do those names mean?!" Felix demanded.

Cait effortlessly soothed Leia against her father's tirade. "Kymopoleia meaning wave-ranging, so as not to forget her mother's abilities," she said patiently. "As for her middle name, Liridona, it means free-willed or freedom, for it is something this little girl and I will deeply desire above all things until our deaths or yours, whatever comes first."

Felix visibly gritted his teeth. "Very well."

Cait smiled at him in a condescending manner. "Wonderful," she said, smiling even more broadly when Madam Morar stepped into the room, holding the necessary documents. Cait handed Leia over to her, not trusting her daughter in the arms of her husband, and quickly scrawled down the necessary information, before signing her own name. "There, now," she said, and handed the document over to Felix, who begrudgingly took the quill and scrawled his own name in the appropriate space.

"Marvelous," Madam Morar said, taking the parchment back, after she had handed Leia back to Cait, and tapped it with her wand. With a pop, it disappeared, and Madam Morar assured both Lord and Lady Rosier that it would be in the hands of the Ministry of Magic in good time. "Just a glorious day indeed," she said.

"I'm returning to Romania at once," Felix suddenly announced, and stomped out of the room, his face flaming red and infuriated.

"He didn't take the news too well, I take it?" Madam Morar asked, once the bedroom door had slammed behind him.

Cait laughed, moving her nightgown aside and permitting Leia to eat for the first time. "The fact of the matter is, Psamathe," she replied, and Madam Morar looked touched that her mistress was calling her by her first name, "I care not what pleases him or not anymore, despite the fact that he is my husband and jailer," she finished with a shrug, before returning her attention back to her daughter, feeling happier and more rejuvenated than she had in years.

. . .

Once Felix had left for Romania, Madam Morar handed over the note he had given to the entire staff at the estate, letting them know he would be staying at the dragon preserve for the foreseeable future. Cait didn't mind this in the slightest; she spent hours doting on her daughter, and was already teaching her words by the time she was six months old. By the time Leia had turned one, she was already speaking little sentences, and Cait was so delighted that she opened up the music room and began teaching her daughter to sing, with Marianna's help, for, it turned out, she was a very talented pianist.

Milly was delighted at the prospect of having two ladies to dress, and Cait got her hands on the latest catalogues from various children's boutique stores throughout Europe. Although they could never leave the estate, Cait made sure that Leia was never lacking for anything when it came to enjoyment. It was within weeks of Cait's delivery of Leia that Marianna informed everyone that she and Palaemon were expecting a child, and their own daughter, whom they called Rosalinda Catherina Wyatt, who quite quickly became Leia's best friend.

Another change to the household came in the form of Isabella Jackson, an American Muggleborn witch who entered the service of the household as Leia's personal maid. Isabella was of similar age to Cait and Marianna and, quite soon, all three young women became quite close. It was quite amusing to Cait and Marianna when Isabella rather quickly struck up a relationship with Chef Alexandre, and the meals seemed to be a million times better, now that the chef had someone to love. In no time at all, their engagement was announced, their wedding was planned, and their vows were said, before just a handful of months went by, and Isabella had given birth to a daughter they called Delancey Alexandra Durand.

"Why can you not simply run?" Isabella whispered to Cait, as they stood in the expansive rose gardens on the estate, with Palaemon and Alexandre muttering to themselves beyond, while Cait, Marianna, and Isabella all stood in a row, watching four-year-old Leia, and three-year-olds Rosie and Della running around, playing tag. "You could run, couldn't you? All the staff loves you, so they're bound to know how to get you out of here..."

"Mon dieu! It is not as simple as that," Marianna replied; as the oldest in their trio, she had elected herself as the oldest sister of the bunch. "The wards are specially trained not to let anyone but the master, Alexandre, Palaemon, Cudo, or Milly out from them. One false move, and Cait could inadvertently Avada herself. And now that there's little Leia to consider," she continued, causing Cait's insides to somersault, "I hardly think it's worth the risk."

Isabella twisted a lock of chestnut-brown hair around her index finger, her green eyes considering all that Marianna had to say. "I never even considered the wards surrounding this place," she said softly, blushing prettily. "My brother, Hudson, is a wardsmith in the States; he works for the MACUSA," she explained. "He was always speaking about the benefits and properties of wards... Now, I wish I'd listened to him."

Cait leaned back against one of the trunks of the expansive oak trees that dotted around the massive estate's garden. "I can't risk doing anything that may offend Felix," she said softly, so as only Marianna and Isabella could hear her. "I may have returned into a good amount of my personality in the wake of Leia's birth, but he still lords over all of us. One false move, and he could hurt Leia, or take her away from me. Or he could hurt me and hide her somewhere, and then I'd never be able to find her again."

"She is a delightful mistress," Isabella observed quietly.

Cait crossed her arms, while clasping her hands upon her elbows. "Honestly, I never even considered having children before the bonding agreement was signed," she whispered. "I suppose a great many people who don't know their biological families want children of their own, in addition to finding their natural parents and siblings. I would never dispute their feelings, as everyone's case within the foster system or an orphanage is different. However, I was just so busy attempting to figure out who I was, plus evading Karkaroff, and attempting to earn good marks at Durmstrang that I never even considered it..."

"If only Purebloods like the Rosier family approved of mind healers," Marianna said wistfully as she inclined her head, smiling as Rosie let out a playful shout and evaded Della's hands, while Leia looked from one of them to the other. "It's a great shame that they're so set in the old ways that they think it's, well, evil sorcery."

"Did you hear about Hogwarts?" Isabella asked, deliberately lowering her voice, as her eyes flashed in a conspiratory manner. "Apparently, one of the professors had a relationship with one of his students last term."

Cait gasped at how close to home the rumor was. "No, I didn't," she whispered to Isabella, while Marianna promptly shook her head. "How is that all right? Surely, said professor knew the student from the time she was eleven..."

"It had to do with the International Student Exchange Program," Isabella reported. "One of the witches chosen was the one who had the affair with the professor."

"How do you know about this?" Marianna wanted to know.

"Hudson's and my cousin, Storm—our mother's younger sister's son—was one of the wizards selected for the program," Isabella explained. "He's a quiet fellow, and he works in the Federal Bureau of Covert Vigilance and No-Maj Obliviation," she went on. "Anyhow, he's had feelings for the witch in question since they began at Ilvermorny. I was three years ahead of them, so I was aware of the burgeoning feelings Storm had, because he's best friends with Hudson, and they were both in Pukwudgie."

"What house were you in?" Cait wanted to know.

"Wampus," Isabella told her. "Anyhow, Storm was chosen, along with the witch in question, and a couple by the name of Samantha Willows and Alabaster Raywood," she continued.

"What was the name of the other witch? The one Storm had feelings for," Marianna asked, and Cait quickly deduced her friend was enraptured by the tale.

"Cassia," Isabella said with a nod. "Cassia Serbus. Her entire name was Cassandra, but Storm said that she hated the name; he didn't know why," Isabella said, shrugging. "Anyhow, he heard from Samantha Willows, who's due to be Samantha Raywood in a few weeks, that Cassia got a job opportunity at the British Ministry of Magic, and has decided to remain in England. She's graduated from Hogwarts now, just like Storm, Samantha, and Alabaster, and while the three of them went back to the States, Cassia stayed behind."

Cait felt that telltale sensation of her magic thrumming through her bones and muscles, just beneath her skin, as this young woman's name was mentioned to her for the second time. She couldn't understand why such a thing would affect her, given that she had never met the woman, and yet, had plenty of information upon her. Perhaps, she reasoned, as she called out for Leia to come back inside for lunch, Cassia potentially held the key to who she really was.

. . .

It was when a terse letter arrived on the first of November from Felix, informing Cait that he would be coming home for a day, that both riled and frightened her. Cait was instructed to make sure that she and Leia were presentable, as the pair of them would be dining in the formal dining room that evening. Cait softly informed her daughter that her father was coming home, and Cait did not mistake the terrified look in her daughter's face.

Ever since Leia's birth, Cait had kept Leia well away from Felix, and he had only been too pleased to accommodate the arrangement, most of the time. He still insisted upon seeing Leia occasionally and Cait had agreed, but on the condition that they couldn't be alone. This usually came in the form of formal family dinners, where Felix would bark questions at his only child and likely heir, Cait nodding to her, and Leia stumbling over her answers.

"It is all right, Isabella," Cait said once she had entered Leia's bedroom on the night in question, a false smile pulling at her lips. "Go and be with Della. I'll see to Leia."

"Of course, Cait," Isabella replied, trailing her fingers through Leia's long, dark hair for a moment before she slipped out of the bedroom.

"It's all right, darling," Cait assured Leia, who promptly bolted across the room and threw herself into her mother's arms.

"Why does Father still come, Mummy?" Leia asked, trembling, although there were no tears as she clutched onto her.

"Because it is his house, at the end of things," Cait replied softly. "Though we neither of us like him, we can hardly bar him from returning."

Leia's lower lip trembled. "All right, Mummy," she said at last.

Cait nodded with approval then, and squeezed her daughter one final time before she let her go and crossed over to the expansive wardrobe. Peering inside, she spotted a late-autumn dress that would be perfect for the evening. It was an understated cotton dress that was a grayish-brown color, with ruffled sleeves and skirt, and an oval neckline. Quickly pairing it with burnt-cream-colored tights and black Mary Jane shoes, Cait effortlessly dressed her daughter, before managing to calm her wayward hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You look beautiful," she assured her.

Although Leia would have liked to have been held, Cait informed her that it wouldn't have been acceptable or proper in these circumstances, and took her daughter's hand as they braved the grand staircase. Once down it, they made their way to the formal dining room, Cait's turtleneck sweater dress leaving everything to the imagination as they stepped inside, her knee-high brown leather boots clicking on the highly-polished marble floor. She raised her eyes upwards at her husband, situated across the room, peering at an ugly oil wizarding painting that housed his grandparents, Ciarán and Morana Rosier.

Cait cleared her throat when Felix made no move to turn around and, when he did so, she fixed him with a bored expression. "Good evening, Felix," she uttered.

Felix inclined his head. "Good evening, Cait." He lowered his eyes then, and they almost immediately affixed themselves upon Leia. "And good evening to you, Kymopoleia," he said in a formal tone.

"Leia, please, Father," Leia said softly, yet politely.

Felix gave a stiff nod, and gestured towards the table. "Come and sit. I'm quite sure that Alexandre will be along with dinner shortly."

Cait felt Felix's eyes upon her then as she guided Leia across the room and towards the table, and pulled out the massive carved wooden chair for her. Taking Leia's hand and assisting her up onto the seat, she gently pushed the chair in and squeezed her shoulder, before she ventured over to the foot of the table and took her seat. "How are things at the dragon preserve?" she asked, as she knew full well this would take up a lot of dinner conversation.

"Quite well, quite well," Felix said with a stiff nod as some of Alexandre's attendants came into the dining room, a bowl of a creamy tomato soup in each of their hands. Felix inclined his head and sniffed at the steam which entered the atmosphere, and Cait and Leia promptly put their oversized linens into their respective laps. "Thank you, thank you," Felix said to the workers, and Leia and Cait softly uttered their thanks as well, before the trio slipped back into the kitchen to help prepare the next course.

"Nothing to report, then?" Cait asked, lifting her soup spoon and trailing it upon the red surface of the thick, hot broth in front of her.

"A co-worker of mine is journeying to England very shortly," Felix put in, after having taken a first bite of his own soup.

"Journeying to England?" Cait asked, perplexed. "Whatever for? And who?"

"He in question would be Charlie Weasley," Felix said. "You remember me telling you about him on one of my last visits."

Cait nodded; she did remember. "Yes, I do. He was the one who had the six siblings, one older, and five younger. The last brother was due to begin at Hogwarts this term, and his youngest sibling, the older sister, next year." Cait hesitated for a moment as she continued sampling her soup; it was quite delicious this evening. "Is he returning to England to visit with his family, then? I can imagine they must miss him..."

"I am quite sure he will see his family, although this was not the purpose of the journey," Felix told her promptly. "Are you aware of the Triwizard Tournament?"

Cait nodded. "I am aware of it, yes. The Krums liked talking about it."

Felix gave a stiff nod; although he didn't typically like it when Cait spoke of her former life, he certainly didn't mind small comments such as this one. If Cait knew something, he liked to know the source of her knowledge. "I suspect they would have," he put in. "Anyhow, they have decided to lift the ban upon it, with a restriction in place."

"What's a restriction, Father?" Leia asked, speaking for the first time.

Felix turned to his daughter, obviously impressed that she had said the word correctly. "A restriction, Leia, literally means that, although the tournament can take place, there are new rules in place, as a compromise."

"A compromise?" Leia questioned.

A smile tugged ever so slightly at Felix's lips, but he was determined not to show it. "That means that many people came together to have a discussion about the event in question. They came to an agreement by saying that some things could happen, and some could not."

Leia nodded. "I understand now, Father. Thank you," she said quietly, and lowered her head to continue to enjoy her soup.

"What was the restriction, then?" Cait asked.

"The restriction implemented is that only those seventeen and older can participate in the tournament in question," Felix explained.

Cait shook her head. "I take it that there will be potential backlash either way."

"With something so controversial taking place, I wouldn't doubt it," Felix responded. "Anyhow, three schools were selected to participate, with Hogwarts playing host. The other schools selected were Beauxbatons in France, and your Durmstrang."

Cait swallowed the final bite of her soup and gave a stiff nod, placing the spoon in the now-empty white bowl, now stained with the red residue. "Have the selections been put forth, then, or are they waiting?"

"The selections were announced on the final day of October, with interesting results," Felix said with a shake of his head. "Of Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour was selected. Of Hogwarts, in an unprecedented move, both Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter were chosen."

A lump developed within Cait's throat then; despite the knowledge that she possessed in knowing that only one contestant per school could be selected, it didn't matter as much to her, for despite being locked away for years, she was well-aware of who Harry Potter was, and the hopes he held for the side of the Light within the Wizarding World. Her head snapped up then as the servers came to clear away the soup, and Alexandre came trailing out behind them, holding a massive platter of roast chicken, roast potatoes, and roasted green beans. Each member of the Rosier family inclined their heads in thanks—Leia taught to do so early on, especially when it was made known that Felix wanted his daughter with him at the dinner table. Once the three minor kitchen hands had departed, Alexandre made quick work of carving the chicken, and serving it along with the vegetables, before returning to the kitchen, presumably to finish with their dessert.

"And," Cait asked, lifting her dinner fork, hating beyond words that her hand was shaking. She knew the answer, she just knew it, but also knew that she had to make an effort to string the words together. "Who was selected from Durmstrang?" she asked.

"Viktor," Felix said, and Cait felt her heart slamming from within her as he said the word, an evil smirk encroaching upon her husband's face. "Viktor Krum was selected as the champion from Durmstrang Institute."

Cait heart slammed within her once again. "And... And why does Charlie Weasley have to go to England?" she managed to get out.

"Why, for the first task, of course," Felix replied smugly, holding up his golden goblet of wine, which was studded in green emeralds for Slytherin. "Each champion is to be given a dragon to retrieve a golden egg from. It will all be in good fun, of course."

"Of... Of course," Cait replied, lowering her eyes, and forcing herself to pick up her knife. she momentarily wondered what it would be like to take the knife and jam it so deep into Felix's flesh that it would kill him, but she couldn't. Felix kept his wand on him at all times, and he would likely take seconds to disarm her, and take Leia away forever. No, she reasoned, she would have to continue as things were—biding her time. Always, always biding her time, until the day of freedom would come.

. . .

"You pamper that child far too much," Felix said scathingly, within a quarter of an hour of his arrival, back at the estate from the dragon preserve at the end of the month.

Cait affixed Felix with a glare; when Leia wasn't around, she didn't keep the peace as she typically did. "It's not merely some minor ailment," she snapped, not wanting anyone to bad-mouth her daughter under any circumstances whatsoever.

"You honestly expect me to believe that?" Felix sneered back. "The child obviously hates me, likely because she has been poisoned by you against me."

"And whose fault was that?" Cait demanded. "You're the one who arranged for your deranged cousin to take custody of a known Pureblood witch to marry, so as you wouldn't have to actually put in any effort in finding a spouse for yourself."

Felix's jaw clenched. "Be very careful with what you're insinuating right now, Cait."

"What? The truth?" Cait spat. "I'm hardly alluding to lies here, Felix. You know quite well that you were more than willing to take me prisoner, attempt to groom me into subservience, and then force me to marry you. I don't understand how anyone can be so cruel..."

"You know plenty about cruel, Dark wizards, Cait," Felix replied in an impatient matter. "I am hardly the first who had corrupted you."

"Corruption, for the most part, implies that the submissive party is willing," Cait said, glaring daggers at Felix. "What you and Karkaroff did to me was rape—nothing more, nothing less. I was never willing."

"If you were not willing, you would have screamed and shouted, and possibly begged and cried, for one of both of us to cease our actions, and you know it. Given all the power you so obviously have, you could have overtaken us."

Cait smiled bitterly at the man who was her husband. "Ah, but Felix, just because I did not verbally say 'no', doesn't mean I wanted it," she replied plainly. "The fact of the matter is, both you and Karkaroff have something in common, besides the darkness of your souls."

Felix sneered, "Oh? And what do I have in common with the likes of him?"

"You both had a hold over me," Cait told Felix steadily. "With Karkaroff, he threatened to bad-mouth me to the Krums, so badly that they would reverse their adoption upon me and banish me from their home," she informed him. "As for you, we have a child together. Leia is my world, and I'm clever enough to know that, were I to push you to far, you could bring damage onto her or onto me, and potentially remove her from my life."

"Leia is my daughter, too," Felix said gruffly.

"A daughter you didn't even want!" Cait snapped back. "She has your name, plus your income to help feed, clothe, and educate her, but, other than that, you do nothing! You never ask about her in your letters, nor do you deliberately seek her out when you're here."

Felix launched himself to his feet then. "I cannot deliberately seek her out, as you have banned me from doing so!"

"Doing so on your own, and rightfully so!" Cait said, standing up as well. "Given what you have put me though, how am I to know how you would treat Leia on her own?"

Felix's eyes went flat-black. "What are you saying?" he growled.

"I'm saying that I don't know how appropriate you would be with our daughter, were I ever to leave the two of you alone," Cait told him.

Felix's jaw set then. "The mere suggestion of that, Cait, is the darkest, most disgusting and abhorrent thing imaginable," he said softly.

"How am I to know any different?" Cait demanded scathingly. "Karkaroff raped me, your cousin kidnapped me to only be raped... The two prominent men in my life so far, save for my boyfriend, younger brother, and father, have all abused me in some manner. How am I to assume that you will treat Leia accordingly, when you've not afforded me the same luxury?"

"You act as if you wish to be treated accordingly."

"Not in the manner you are thinking, I assure you," Cait told him, deliberately stepping back and away from her husband. "I want mine and Leia's freedom. I want to take her away from this oppressive place. Let us go, Felix."

Felix came forward in two strides then, wrapping his hand roughly around Cait's arm, and Cait gasped aloud at the sensation, knowing it would be hard enough to bruise. "I'll not let my wife and my heir leave the ancestral family home of Rosier," he growled at her. "You signed a lifetime contract, Cait—"

"I had no choice—!"

His eyes flashed at the momentary interruption. "—which applies to both you and any children we have. Nothing will ever break this bond, nothing," Felix shoved her roughly away then, and Cait nearly tumbled backwards on the uneven rug.

"I'll be eating my dinner upstairs, after checking upon my daughter," she said, turning around, not permitting Felix to see how much she was rubbing at her inflamed arm, but stopped and hesitated for a moment in the doorway. "It is not merely a childish ailment, you know. What is plaguing Leia, I mean," she said, her voice a mere whisper. "Leia's got Dragon Pox. I just thought you should know..."

"Speaking of dragons," Felix said, and Cait stopped walking away a second time, "the first task apparently went off without a hitch at Hogwarts."

Cait didn't turn around. "And the victor?" she asked.

"Your brother had to battle a Chinese Fireball, and he tied for first with young Harry Potter, who took on a Hungarian Horntail," Felix told his wife smugly. "As far as I know, but wizards came out singed, but not overtly harmed."

Cait straightened herself out then. "Yes, well, we magical folk must prevail, even when circumstances around us attempt to prevent it," she said, and hurried to leave the room, to get upstairs to her sick daughter, not wanting to hear any more of the poison coming out of her enforced husband's lips.