no nothing good starts in a getaway car

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                    𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗙𝗢𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗨𝗦 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗛𝗔𝗗 𝗔𝗟𝗪𝗔𝗬𝗦 been strangers. Betrothed at seven and polar opposites, it was natural for awkwardness and a bit of hatred to drive the two apart. Across ballrooms and parties, stolen glances and glares became a casual occurrence. But in August of 1977, this dynamic would begin to shift into a disastrous downfall.

                   𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗𝗡'𝗧 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗜𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗬𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘. Champagne in hand, she strode across the ballroom of Malfoy Manor and yanked Sirius by the arm, dragging him behind her. "Black. We need to talk," she said simply.

The partygoers spared them amused looks, finding their antics cute and romantic.

"Malfoy, where in Salazar's name are you taking us?" Sirius hissed, snatching his arm back. He matched her pace, sighing an exasperated breath.

Celeste huffed, leading them out of the manor and into the dark gardens. Her black and gold dress trailed behind her, the silk running like smooth water. "Somewhere private."

Turning through the familiar hedges that she had spent her childhood years running through, she found a shadowy corner and turned around to face Sirius. Under the night sky, the moonlight and darkness accentuated his sharp jaw and cheekbones, giving him the impression of an alluring villain. It certainly didn't help that he was impeccable and lavishly dressed.

Clearing her throat, Celeste informed him, "I'm going to Hogwarts this year."

A horrified look overcame his face. Sirius slowly shook his head in confusion. "But you're homeschooled."

"Right," Celeste drawled. "But now I'm going to Hogwarts. Y'know, that castle where you learn magic and live in a cramped dorm―"

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius snapped. "I know. I happen to go there as well. Why are you going? Got bored of your palace?"

Celeste clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to smash her champagne flute against his head. "On the contrary," she said lightly. "My mother is making me. She says we need to get closer, and I need to expand my social circle."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Don't you have enough of those spiffy pureblood girls that follow you around?" He crossed his arms, looking her up and down. 

Celeste scoffed in disbelief, looking away. "They don't follow me around, Black. Those are my friends. You might not be familiar with that concept, since you seem to be running low on those."

Sirius glared at her, his expression suddenly dangerously dark. "You have no idea what you're talking about. You have no idea who I am, or who any of my friends are. Don't cross a line you clearly don't understand."

Celeste refused to flinch at his harsh words. She was accustomed to Sirius' tempers, but still, they always managed to hurt. "Okay," she answered tightly. "Fine. Anyways, that's all I had to tell you. You can go now." A part of her hoped that her dismissal would hurt his ego.

He nodded stiffly. "See you at school, I guess."

Celeste looked away, her arms tightly folded across her stomach. When she didn't reply, Sirius swallowed and stormed away.

-

Though he would never openly admit it, Sirius Black had gotten lost in the maze of hedges. He he followed the twists and turns, occasionally breaking out into a light jog. He had been at it for nearly fifteen minutes now. But his pride and ego fueled his determination to continue, convinced that the garden couldn't be so difficult to solve.

He was wrong. 

He had passed by the same ivy covered statue three times now, and was utterly confused. Sweaty and exhausted, he discarded his jacket and pushed up the sleeves of his white button up shirt. Loosening his tie and the top few buttons, he slowed and stood still, breathing in the scent of the sweet summer air. 

Thorny roses lined the new path he decided to take, and he found himself startled at the sight of Celeste Malfoy, sitting at the edge of a shallow fountain. The stars illuminated the water's surface, silently glimmering and twinkling. With her back to him, she appeared crestfallen and tired, a slight slouch to her usual flawless posture. Her dark hair appeared even darker, and the moonlight had somehow made her skin unearthly pale, like some sort of regal wraith. 

Great, Sirius thought. I'm right back where I started. Without thinking, he cleared his throat.

Celeste jolted up in fright, a tiny shriek escaping her lips. When she turned, she gave an exasperated groan at the sight of him. She rolled her eyes, though her cheeks burned red in embarrassment.

A tiny smirk tugged at Sirius' lips.

"Why are you still here?" she demanded, crossing her arms. She had somehow already composed herself, becoming perfectly rigid and stiff again.

"I thought you might be lost," Sirius lied with a nonchalant shrug. 

For the first time in his life, Sirius Black witnessed Celeste Malfoy laugh. A real, unrestrained laugh ― with her head slightly thrown back, her shoulders shaking, and her face somewhat scrunched up. Something shocked his soul.

Celeste looked like she was fighting back a smile. "Black, you do realize this is Malfoy Manor, right?"

"Sure," he responded lamely, still processing the fact that she had just laughed.  

"And you do realize that my cousin lives here, so I practically grew up here?"

Sirius blinked, coming out of his trance. "Oh."

"Oh," Celeste deadpanned, rolling her eyes again. Smoothening down the front of her dress, she brushed past him and strolled away. 

Confused by their somewhat friendly exchange, Sirius waited ten seconds and followed after her. 

-

Knowing that Sirius was close behind her, Celeste quickly disappeared back into the party, eager to escape his infuriating face. She snatched a new flute of champagne, discarding her empty one on a nearby floating tray. 

Her sister, Selene, immediately found her.  "How did it go?"

Celeste shrugged. "A bit of arguing here and there. He didn't take it very well."

Selene snorted, taking the drink from Celeste and downing half of it. "The poor boy will have to recover soon enough. He'll have to see your annoying face everyday now."

"Shut up," Celeste grumbled, snatching the drink back. "He's the annoying one. I think I had a heart attack when he snuck up behind me earlier. I almost fell into the fountain."

Her younger sister laughed. "You should start getting used to that. Sylvie Tudor told me that he and his friends are insane. They pull the most outlandish pranks around the castle. Even on the professors and ghosts."

"Oh," Celeste frowned. "I hadn't heard of that. Only that he's a Gryffindor."

"Really?" whispered Selene. "Is that allowed? I thought we're only allowed into Slytherin."

Celeste lowered her voice, shifting uncomfortably. "Honestly, I don't even understand how it all works. How do we even―"

"Evan Rosier is looking at you," her sister interrupted quickly. "Like, really intensely. Abnormally. We should move somewhere else."

Celeste's eyes widened. "Who's that?"

"He's got a reputation at school," Selene said hurriedly. "Let's move. I think he's walking towards us."

Trusting her sister, Celeste quickly followed after her, as they made to move to the other end of the room as quickly as they could. Following the proper etiquette, it wasn't exactly very fast. They strolled past too many familiar faces, and had to endlessly smile and nod their greetings.

In a quick blur, a stranger accidently stepped on the hem of her gown and Celeste stumbled back. But before she could lose her balance and topple over, a firm arm wrapped around her waist, steadying her.

Celeste looked up at her savior, meeting a pair of familiar grey eyes. Her heart staggered, but she squashed away the feeling when she realized it was Sirius. She grimaced. "Oh. It's you."

"I know," Sirius sighed. Somehow, he had fixed his attire. He winced, as if his next words would hurt. "It's not me ― it's my mother asking. We need to dance."

Celeste wrinkled her nose. "I need to dance with your mother?"

Sirius blinked. "What? No! You and I. We need to dance."

Looking back at her sister, Celeste mouthed sorry and let Sirius lead her to the dance floor. "Y'know, I might prefer a dance with your mother over you."

"You can do that after this," Sirius informed her. "Though you might sorely regret that decision. She's a wretched woman. I pity anyone related to her."

Celeste felt the beginning of a smile tug at her lips as they began to slowly dance. Years of lessons had paid off, and the two circled the floor, twirling and stepping with perfect synchronization and poise. They drew every eye in the room ― the two infamous heirs of the wizarding world's most influential and wealthy families.  

And it wasn't just their names and titles that was such a sight to see; it was their very aura and the compelling way they carried themselves. Something powerful glowed and glittered in their eyes, shining so strongly that the finery that adorned them went ignored. 

Sirius had that unwavering scandalous look across his face, as though a glance could ruin one's reputation. Celeste had that regal air to her, as though even royalty was not worthy of her gaze. A disapproving look from either of them could devastate dynasties and burn bloodlines. They were the pride and destruction of their great houses. 

In that moment, Sirius spun Celeste outward into an open position, her skirts flaring around her like a sea of dripping starlight with her jewels gleaming beneath the chandelier lights. Celeste whipped herself around, and Sirius was already waiting to catch her, letting her fall into a slight dip. 

Celeste smiled as Sirius pulled her up and the music gently faded to an end. Thunderous applause echoed through the room. Their eyes locked. 

"You're a terrible dancer," she quipped. "You missed at least two beats."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Right, and I'm Dumbledore."

Celeste laughed again. "Goodnight, Black. I hope you can tolerate seeing my face everyday for the rest of the year."

He shrugged. "I'll tough it out, don't worry. You should be concerned for yourself. Seeing my dazzling face everyday might drive you insane."

Celeste started to jest her response when a new voice joined their mix from behind her. It was deeper, rougher and entirely unfamiliar. 

Sirius stiffened, his arm still around her waist. "Rosier," he said tensely. "Fancy seeing you here."

Celeste broke away from him to turn around. Evan Rosier had caught up to her at last. He smiled down at her, sending a eerie chill down her back. His eyes were alarmingly blue, with dark unruly hair. Celeste might've thought him attractive, if it weren't for the smug look that took over his face.

"Black," he nodded in greeting. "And who might you be?" His eyes gleamed in both curiosity and amusement as her looked Celeste up and down. 

"Malfoy," Celeste answered cautiously. "Celeste Malfoy."

"Celeste," he said, smiling cruelly. "Would you care for a dance?"

It would've been highly inappropriate for her to deny him, but even worse to do it in front of the entire room. Swallowing, Celeste stammered, "Sure."

"I hope you don't mind, Black," Evan added lightly. "You can have her back in a moment. I know how you are with pretty girls."

Celeste frowned, shooting Sirius a confused look. When he didn't meet her eyes and coldly strolled away, Evan pulled Celeste far closer to him than needed. Intense, dramatic music filled the air, as Celeste gathered her skirts in a hand. She fell into a complicated pattern of steps, taking the lead.

Evan's hand tightened of her waist, holding her so close that it was nearly possessive. He danced faster, harsher than Sirius. Their steps quickened, and Celeste found herself trying to keep up. She prayed to all saints for the song to be over faster.

When it was over, Celeste felt a sickening sensation sinking in the pit of her stomach. She hastily bid Evan a goodbye, and darted back to her sister. 

When she scanned the room for Sirius, he was already gone. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE        

hi everyone! if you're just seeing this random ass update for chapter one, just know that i'm currently rewriting a couple of the earlier scenes. i really really hate my old writing, and i think some introductions and dynamic could've been done better, so here's a brand new chapter one! 

this doesn't change anything in the plot, and you can feel free to skip these updates if you'd like! 

xx, aria