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training4theapocalypse · 3 months

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A Nest of Vipers Ch7. (Cormac McLaggen x Original Female Character - Slytherin)

Rating: Explicit 18+

Word Count: 6.6K

Warnings / Tags: Canon atypical descriptions of violence, parental abuse, pure-blood supremacy, tragic romance

Summary: Una and Cormac's activities at Slughorn's party last night have caused a stir. A scandal from Una's childhood comes back to haunt her.

A/N: Please take heed of the warnings because, damn, Una is actually pretty normal all things considered.

Masterlist

Chapter 7: Scandal

The usually frantic corridor of the Hogwarts Express felt less chaotic to Una as she walked down holding Cormac’s hand. Perhaps she was achieving a thus far unprecedented sense of inner peace. Or maybe it was just because the crowd was parting and hushing each other as they passed.

Last night’s events at Slughorn’s Party had spread like fiendfyre - Una Montague and Cormac McLaggen were caught cheating with each other and thrown out. Then to top it all off, Una had been attacked by Ginny Weasley for stealing Hermione Granger’s date.

It was the scandal that everyone was talking about on the train ride home but Una was on top of the world. Ginny might have been popular amongst her Gryffindor classmates but she was notorious for her fired temper throughout the rest of the school. Una had even received sympathy for her twisted ankle from the Hufflepuff prefect, Zacharias Smith, who had been on the receiving end of the Weasley girl’s hexes more than once.

Una stopped outside a compartment when she saw Sabine and Meredith sitting inside and Cormac almost walked right into her.

“Woah,” he said, realising that she was intending on sitting with them. “I’m not going in there.”

Una laughed. “Oh, come on. I need to patch things up.” But Cormac stood resolutely still. “You’re not scared, are you? They don’t bite.”

“Sure about that?” asked Cormac and they both glanced through the compartment window to Sabine and Meredith, who looked as if they might as well have been sharpening their fangs.

“Alright - I’ll find you again before we get to London,” she said. “I need to smooth things over first.”

“You’re welcome to come and sit with us, y’know, if the ‘patching up’ doesn’t go to plan.”

“And Eddie Carmichael would be happy about that?” asked Una, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, he definitely doesn’t bite if you change your mind.”

Una smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Cormac pulled her close by her waist and kissed her back, his tongue slipping into her mouth unashamedly. They broke apart and Cormac squeezed her hand as he made to walk away but Una pulled him back for one more.

“You’re making it very difficult to leave,” murmured Cormac, his lips smiling against hers.

“I can’t help it. It’s so unfair I won’t see you for two weeks after this.”

“Think of all the time we’ll have in detention next term,” he said, grinning.

“As if Snape will let us be in detention together,” groaned Una. “Detention. I can’t believe I need to tell people I’m doing remedial Defence Against the Dark Arts. As if everyone wont guess that I’ve got detention anyway after Snape paraded us in front of everyone.”

“It was worth it,” said Cormac as if that settled it. “Come and find me when we get to King’s Cross, yeah?” He pressed a kiss on her forehead and this time turned and walked down the corridor to find his friends Eddie, Leanne and Katie.

Una let out a happy sigh as she watched him walk away. Things were finally going her way. But the sigh dissolved in her throat when she saw Sabine and Meredith glaring at her from behind the compartment window. Sabine mimed shoving a finger down her throat as if she was being sick.

She slid the compartment door open and sat down.

“PDA much?” shot Sabine.

“Thanks for ditching me at breakfast,” said Una sarcastically, ignoring her comment. The pair had left the dormitory before she was even dressed this morning.

“You seemed pretty cosy at the end of the Gryffindor table with Cormac McLaggen and Katie Bell,” Sabine sneered. “And that seat is taken.”

“By who?” asked Meredith obtusely.

“Anyone except her,” snapped Sabine while Meredith recoiled in fear.

“Well, I don’t see anyone else clamouring to share your compartment,” said Una. “Come on, Sab. It doesn’t have to be like this. You don’t see Blaise and Draco telling Graham to piss off.”

“That’s because Blaise and Draco are idiots. I told you what would happen if you went with Cormac so why don’t you go and find his friends and sit with them?” Sabine grabbed her magazine from the empty seat between her and Una and snapped it open, holding it in front of her face.

“I suppose I could…” said Una. “You know, it would be a pretty unstoppable group if I did.”

Sabine just tutted and turned a page of her magazine.

“I mean Carmichael is in Ravenclaw, Cormac and Katie are both in Gryffindor and their friend Leanne is in Hufflepuff. Who knows what kind of information would just slip out before it gets to us on the usual grapevine? I mean, think about it - if it wasn’t for Cormac, I never would have found out about what the Weasleys did to Graham.”

Sabine lowered her magazine slowly. “And what kind of information would you give them?” she asked, raising a perfectly threaded eyebrow.

“Only the type of information we choose to divulge. Information that would directly benefit us... Or me, I suppose if we’re not friends anymore,” Una pouted playfully.

Meredith looked between Sabine and Una as they stared each other down. “Sab, please, I hate that we’re all fighting -”

“Shut up for two seconds, Meredith,” groaned Sabine. She pursed her lips, surveying Una for a moment. “You know what, Una? You really are a conniving bitch.”

“Maybe… but you know, there’s no one else I’d rather connive with,” sang Una, scooting closer into the empty seat as Sabine’s lips curled into a small smile. Could she actually be pulling this off? Just the right amount of flattery with a subtle threat seemed to be working. And she should probably get in Meredith’s good books too, for good measure.

“You too, Meredith,” she added and Meredith’s face cracked into a smile.

“If you backstab us, I’ll tell your parents about Cormac,” said Sabine casually, leaning her head on Una’s shoulder so they could both read her magazine.

Her parents. They’d never approve - would they? Cormac had all the appearance of being well-off but he had mentioned that his dad and his uncle both worked at the Ministry. Surely, if his family worked, they couldn’t be from old money like the Montagues.

And the name ‘McLaggen’ wasn’t on the old tapestry in her father’s study detailing the lines of the sacred twenty-eight pure-blood families. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t though - he could be from a pure-blood family that was extinct in the male line. But she didn’t want to ask Cormac this - she didn’t care if he was a pure-blood at all but her parents on the other hand absolutely would. And Sabine knew it.

But Una pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She’d cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, Una had it all. Her best friends were speaking to her, she no longer hate to date Cormac secretly and her plans for revenge against the Weasleys were primed and ready to go after the holidays - everything was coming together nicely.

“Fair enough,” agreed Una, looking at the magazine. “Please just be cool when you see them at the Minister for Magic’s Christmas lunch,” she said.

“Ugh, I’m not going,” Sabine huffed. “My mother is engaged again - we’re spending Christmas with her husband-to-be.” She lifted her head and looked at Una. “You can tell your new friends that - if you need a piece of gossip to get them on-side.”

Una nodded.

Meredith, feeling left out, got up from her seat and plopped down on Una’s other side. “I won’t say anything about Cormac. I promise,” she added unnecessarily, overestimating her own self-importance in Una’s plans.

“Thanks, Meredith,” said Una, taking pity on her and deciding to throw her a bone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cormac McLaggen continued down the train looking for Katie, Eddie and Leanne. To his horror, Ginny Weasley and Hermione Granger emerged from the compartment next to theirs just as he was about to slide the door open.

“Oi, McLaggen,” said Ginny, and Cormac’s hopes of slipping in quietly evaporated as her sharp voice cut through the air.

He turned slowly, forcing a neutral expression. “Alright?” he asked.

“Alright?” repeated Ginny angrily, while Hermione’s jaw tightened. “Your little girlfriend should have been expelled.”

Cormac laughed derisively. “Una? You’re the one who should be expelled. You attacked her.”

The compartment door opened, revealing Eddie, Leanne, and Katie, with Graham Montague looming behind them. He hadn’t seen Graham since last night and was now wondering if he should have asked Una if her hulking brother was the overprotective type.

“What’s going on?” asked Katie.

“Look,” Cormac began. “Hermione, I’m sorry for ditching you last night. That was poor form. But there’s no excuse for the pair of you attacking Una -”

“Oh, really?” asked Ginny, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t think you were the type to excuse that sort of behaviour… unless she didn’t tell you what she said to Hermione?”

Una hadn’t mentioned anything about provoking them.

“She -” Hermione swallowed. “She called me a Mudblood.”

There was an immediate uproar of dissent in the corridor as everyone started arguing and clamouring over each other. Eddie, who was muggleborn and never liked Una anyway, was immediately outraged. Katie and Leanne were shocked. And Cormac felt slightly dazed, stunned silent by the accusation.

“Woah, woah, wait a second,” said Graham. “Una would never say that.”

More than anything right now, Cormac wanted to believe him. But Graham, after all, was -

“Well, obviously you’d defend her. She’s your sister,” Ginny retorted.

Graham’s defensiveness grew. “I swear, she isn’t like that. She hates that word.”

“I know what I heard,” Hermione insisted.

“So you can stop covering up for her -” said Ginny.

“He isn’t covering for her,” said a quiet voice behind Ginny and Hermione. Blaise Zabini had arrived in the corridor and was looking intently at Ginny. “Una tells people off for saying that sort of thing in the common room.”

Ginny glared at him. “Stay out of this, Zabini.”

“I’m serious,” he said, addressing Cormac directly. Ginny and Hermione also looked at Cormac expectantly.

“I think,” said Cormac carefully. “You were looking for an excuse to pick a fight and misheard her.”

Ginny groaned in fury, and Blaise touched her arm. “Weasley, listen to me -” he started, but she shrugged him off indignantly.

“Why am I not surprised you’re covering for her?” she shot. “You lot are all the same.”

Linking arms with Hermione, the two of them pushed past Blaise and marched away down the corridor, in the direction of the trolley witch.

Blaise closed his eyes and sighed before turning his attention to Graham. “Montague, Draco is looking for you. We’ve saved you a seat in our carriage. Are you coming?”

“Get in here, everyone’s staring,” Eddie urged as more curious faces peered around the surrounding compartment doors.

“And you’ve got some explaining to do, Cormac,” said Katie.

“Ugh. Yeah, I’m coming, Blaise,” said Graham, squeezing Katie’s hand in farewell. “I really don’t want to hear McLaggen explaining anything about my sister.”

Comac drew his shoulders back, standing aside to let Graham pass. Should he say something? Apologise for snogging his sister? But Graham just gave him a curt nod as he exited.

“Montague, I -”

“Look, McLaggen, I’m not exactly thrilled you’re dating my sister but if you’re waiting for me to say something like ‘If you hurt her, I’ll jinx you,’ don’t hold your breath. It’s not gonna happen. She can handle herself - I mean - not -” He sighed before adding in a low, solemn voice, “I grew up with Una and I know her. Really know her. She’s not what people like Granger or Weasley think. She wouldn’t say that word.”

Cormac felt the deep worry sinking like a stone in the pit of his stomach lighten considerably. Graham Montague had a point. Eddie might argue that Graham was biased, but somehow Cormac didn’t think so. As he watched Graham walk away with Blaise, Cormac’s mind raced. Could Una really have said something so horrible?

There was an irritating niggling feeling in the back of his mind as he remembered how Una had taunted Myrtle in the bathroom. The vicious things she had said to get a rise out of her. He himself had called Una a bully that night. He’d even once jokingly told her he thought she might be evil.

But being mean to Myrtle was nowhere near as bad as calling someone ‘mudblood’. And she had been sorry about what she’d said to Myrtle, hadn’t she? And after that Una had been so vulnerable with him - opened up to him. He couldn’t reconcile that image with someone who would use such a hateful word.

He glanced at Eddie, who was still fuming, and at Katie and Leanne, who looked concerned and confused. This was a mess, but the sincerity in Graham’s eyes and Blaise’s calm assertion gave him hope. They knew Una better than anyone, and they were adamant she wouldn’t do something like this.

Taking a deep breath, Cormac made his decision. He believed the people who knew her best. He had to trust them.

“Look,” he said to his friends, “Let’s get inside. I don’t believe Granger and Weasley.”

Eddie opened his mouth to protest, but Cormac held up a hand. “Graham and Blaise know her better than you lot.”

“Graham wouldn’t lie,” said Katie slowly. “But I know Hermione and Ginny. And I can’t see them attacking her for no reason.”

Leanne pursed her lips. “Ginny smashed into the commentator’s box just because Zacharias Smith’s commentary about Gryffindor was less than complimentary. And I heard Hermione sent a swarm of birds after Ron Weasley just for snogging Lavender Brown.”

“Sounds like I got off lightly, then,” said Cormac, trying to deflect the subject to something less serious.

But as they all filed back into the compartment, Cormac couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling gripping him. He hoped he was right to trust his instincts. For now, though, he had made his choice. He would find out the truth from Una when he saw her again after the holidays.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Christmas morning, Una stood in front of her ornate bedroom mirror smoothing down the front of her dress - a short, black velvet number adorned with pearls along its sweetheart neckline.

“You can’t wear that to St Mungo’s,” said Una’s mother, startling her. Una hadn’t even heard her stealthy footsteps enter the room which was no small feat in her high heels.

“You - you bought me it,” Una stammered as she watched her mother’s reflection approach. Morgana Montague, with her features drawn tight in perpetual scrutiny, examined Una’s choice with evident disapproval.

“To wear to an event where you might find a husband - not to visit a hospital,” she said, rolling her eyes, lined with dark eyeliner. Morgana Montague was a beautiful woman when she smiled, not that ever Una saw it, for when she spoke to Una, her face was always twisted with disdain.

“I thought it might be nice to wear to the Minister’s Christmas party… It’s just that I won’t have time to get dressed into something else if we’re going straight from St Mungo’s,” said Una in what she thought was a reasoned argument.

Her mother disagreed.

“Well, whose fault is that?” her mother sniped, priming herself to dredge up the event that hung over their family like a dark shadow. “Whose fault is it that our entire family needs to spend every Christmas morning visiting the Marchbanks boy in the hospital?”

“Mine,” she said resignedly. “I’ll change.”

“We won’t have time for that - you’ll make us all late. Just put on some tights and a jacket to cover yourself up. We don’t want the healers to think we’ve brought him a prostitute as a Christmas gift.”

That stung unexpectedly. She hadn’t spoken to her mother since summer - she’d almost forgotten how her cruel comments could come from nowhere like a slap in the face. Una felt tears welling up in her eyes. Stupid, she thought. Don’t ruin your makeup.

“Oh, don’t pout, Una,” said her mother, putting her hands on her shoulders as she stood behind her and watched her face fall in the mirror. “It’ll all be over within an hour or two.” Of course, her mother thought her tears were from guilt about what happened to Everett Marchbanks all those years ago, rather than her own cutting words. “His family are still content to believe it was an accident,” she added, seeing only what she chose to in Una’s reflection.

Una bit her bottom lip.

Una’s mother’s eyes met her own. “Your father tells me you’re doing very well at school now. And I suppose that means you’re much more in control of your magic these days.”

“Y-yes. I told you I was made Head Girl. I wrote to both of you -”

“Well, someone who was made Head Girl shouldn’t accidentally blow someone up if she were to be betrothed again.” Her mother smiled. A different smile than the sort she reserved for Una’s brother. “The consequences would be much more severe now that you’re of age.”

“Mother, you promised after what happened last time that you wouldn’t.”

“Una, you’re eighteen years old and you still haven’t met a boy from a decent family. Tiberius Ogden is bringing his nephew to Rufus Scrimgeour’s party this afternoon and -”

“Tiberius Ogden?” asked Una in disgust. “From the Wizengamot? Isn’t he about a hundred? How old is his nephew?”

“Do not interrupt me,” her mother hissed in her ear, her grip tightening on her shoulders. “Tiberius is a friend of your father’s and he’s very sympathetic about what happened. No other families have dared offer their sons as a suitable match after they heard about what you did to Everett Marchbanks.”

What kind of horror must Tiberius Ogden’s nephew be if he was unmarried and willing to be matched with her? Una shuddered to think.

“Mother, please, I’m begging you. I don’t want to be bartered like livestock -”

“You should be grateful.” Her mother cut across her, her tone sharp as steel. “Meredith’s mother was just telling me that Meredith was desperate to secure a betrothal. You know, there aren’t many pure-blood families left.”

“I don’t care about that,” said Una, picking up her lipgloss from the dresser. The little talisman that made her feel in control. Made her feel powerful. How would she break it to Cormac if she came back from the Christmas holidays betrothed? “Tell Meredith’s mother she can have Tiberius Ogden’s ugly, old nephew - ow!”

Una’s mother grabbed a fistful of her hair from behind and pulled her head back, forcing her to look her in the eyes. She wrenched the lipgloss from Una’s hand and threw it with such ferocity against the mirror that it cracked.

“Listen carefully,” said Una’s mother venemously. “If you don’t have a suitable match by the time you graduate you have two choices. Either you’re no longer a member of this family - and that means no inheritance and no trust fund. Or -” She let go of Una’s hair roughly and walked towards the door. “- I will inform Mr and Mrs Marchbanks that you’re willing to fulfil your obligation to Everett”

“You expect me to marry someone who’s a permanent resident in St Mungo’s?” asked Una, horrified. “He’s lost his mind - he’s -”

“And I ask you again: whose fault is that?” repeated her mother, turning around to look at her.

Una said nothing. Instead, she sniffed and opened her chest of drawers to find a pair of tights.

“Una?” called her mother in a voice so gentle that Una’s shoulders relaxed, hoping beyond hope that maybe she’d changed her mind. She looked up into the mirror to where her mother stood by the door. She held her breath, waiting for her mother to take back her harsh words.

“Forget the tights. You’ll want Tiberius’s nephew to get a good look at you.”

And with that, she shut the door, leaving Una to stare at her distorted reflection in the fragmented mirror.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Is it too early for Firewhisky?” grumbled Cormac, eyeing up the drinks cabinet as they walked into the reception room of the Minister for Magic’s official residence.

“Oh, come on, m’boy. It won’t be too terrible,” said his Uncle Tiberius, slapping him on the back.

“It’s already terrible. I’m wearing a shirt for Merlin’s sake. I’d much rather be spending Christmas in my pyjamas.” Cormac looked around the room, observing all the Ministry types and wondering if they too would rather be spending Christmas at home than mingling with their higher-ups. “I don’t get why you brought me instead of Dad.”

“Well, er…” Uncle Tiberius looked around shiftily. “I’ve been meaning to tell you. You’re here to help me get Ministry approval for our next hunting trip.”

“Oh no. No way. What, do you want me to ask for sponsors or something? On Christmas Day?! I’d rather empty my own vault at Gringotts if money is the issue -”

“Keep your voice down,” hushed Uncle Tiberius, putting his arm around Cormac’s shoulder and taking him aside. “Gold isn’t the problem. But a culling licence for Nogtails is - and I need you to get old Ulysses on side. He’s a Ministry benefactor and, more importantly, friendly with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“Well, these sorts of things can’t be bought with money. They’re bought with favours and I said I’d do him one…”

Cormac had a feeling where this was going and he didn’t like it one bit. “Get to the point, old man.”

“He’s trying to marry off his daughter into a pure-blood family and -”

“Oh, right. No big deal. Just get married to some pure-blood supremacist hag. Cheers, thanks, Uncle Tiberius.”

“You don’t have to marry her. But I did promise you’d at least have a conversation with her. Apparently, she’s very beautiful.”

“Sure, that’s why her parents are desperate to find her a blind match,” Cormac heaved a sigh. “And I have a girlfriend, by the way.” He added, and thinking of Una sent a pang of longing through him.

“Well, your girlfriend might be old news when you see Ulysses’s daughter.”

Cormac dragged his hand down his face. This was unbelievable. “You feel good about whoring me out for a hunting licence?” Uncle Tiberius just grinned. “Fine - I’ll endure one conversation. That’s it. But I am actually going to need a Firewhisky then.”

“That’s the spirit, Cormac.”

“Spirit is right,” said Cormac, pouring two large Firewhiskys from Rufus Scrimgeor’s drinks cabinet. “You know the whole concept of arranged marriages is messed up, right? I can’t wait until these old traditions die out.”

“Well, they worked out for your great-aunt and me,” said Uncle Tiberius, looking delighted despite the joke at his expense and raising his glass slightly in a toast. “And don’t hold your breath waiting for old traditions to die out. I’ve got plenty of years left in me.”

Cormac drained his Firewhisky in one and winced. “I wouldn’t be so sure, Uncle. Try and set me up again and you may just have a suspicious hunting accident.” His eyes searched the room as he swirled the ice around the bottom of his empty glass, not entirely sure what he was looking for. “What’s the spinster’s name anyway?”

“Quiet - there’s Ulysses there,” hushed his Uncle nodding and Cormac froze. Uncle Tiberius laughed at his stunned expression and waved to the family of four who had just entered from the other side of the room. “See? I told you she was a looker,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.

Across the room, Cormac watched Graham Montague elbow Una in the ribs and point to where he and his Uncle were standing. Una’s eyes widened as she and Graham followed two people, who Cormac assumed to be their mother and father, in their direction.

“Tiberius!’ said Ulysses Montague, a short, amicable sort of man who let go of his regal-looking wife to shake Uncle Tiberius’s hand. “Good to see you. You know my wife, Moragana, of course. This is my son, Graham - he’s the Slytherin Quidditch Captain. And this is my daughter, Una.”

Cormacs brows knitted together slightly. He didn’t fail to notice the lack of plaudits before Una’s name.

“Well, this is my nephew, Cormac,” said Uncle Tiberius and Cormac extended his hand to Graham.

“We meet again,” said Graham, shaking his hand.

“Of course! Cormac plays Quidditch too. You must have crossed paths on the field,” said Uncle Tiberius but Graham just grinned.

“McLaggen hasn’t had the pleasure yet. How many games have you had this year?”

“The same as the amount of goals you scored in your last game, Montague.”

Cormac turned his attention to Una. “You know they’re trying to marry us off to each other, right?” He asked.

“Cormac,” groaned Uncle Tiberius behind him.

“So I’ve heard,” said Una quietly. He thought that his question would amuse her but on the contrary - she looked anxious.

“Do you two know each other too?” asked Una’s father and Cormac didn’t miss the way Una’s mother observed them shrewdly. But there was something else there when she looked at Una. Something worse. Something like disgust.

Una’s eyes widened in what Cormac understood to be alarm.

“Hardly,” said Cormac, quickly correcting his misstep. “We have a few classes together.”

Graham Montague raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“Cormac, why don’t you show Miss Montague the library while I catch up with my dear friend, Ulysses?” asked Uncle Tiberius jovially. “I hear the Minister has a fine collection of books on hunting Nogtails.”

Una looked at her mother, waiting for permission and Mrs Montague’s jaw tightened for a moment. “Graham - go with them please,” said Una’s mother sharply. “It’s not proper to have them meandering off on their own.”

And so, Una, Cormac and Graham left the reception room and entered the polished marble foyer. The double doors shut behind them, muffling the hum of distant conversation.

“Honestly,” said Una scathingly. “A chaperone. What does she think will happen?”

“The same thing that happened at Slughorn’s party?” suggested Graham.

“She doesn’t know about that. And besides that was different -“

“Gross - don’t tell me any more. Just - come and find me before lunch is served. I’ll get it in the neck from Mum if she thinks I’ve left you alone.”

“You can come with us if you want?” offered Cormac but secretly hoping he’d say no.

“Not a chance. I’d rather jump off the Astronomy tower than watch you two snogging.”

“Graham, we’re not -“

“I’m going to see if Albie Selwyn is here yet. He might have cigarettes,” said Graham cutting across and waving his hand dismissively behind him as he left.

Una and Cormac began walking to the library, the footsteps creaking on the antique hardwood floorboards of the Minister’s residence. “So… you never told me you’d be coming back from the Christmas holidays betrothed,” he said, with a sideways glance.

“You’re one to talk,” said Una. “I only found out this morning.”

“So did I,” admitted Cormac. “I didn’t even know arranged marriages were still a thing.”

“Lucky you,” grumbled Una. “My mother -” She stopped abruptly, already feeling that she’d said too much.

“What about her? You can tell me.”

“Not here,” she said, looking around edgily. “I don’t want to be overheard.”

They continued walking and, when they found the library, Cormac shut the door behind them. The stately room was walled with towering bookcases and had a grand piano in front of the large bay window. It was snowing outside and cold winter sunlight danced on the lid of the piano. Una’s shoulders immediately relaxed when Cormac pulled her into an embrace. She slumped her forehead against his chest and Cormac felt tears against his shirt as she let out a shuddering sob.

He made a soothing noise and held her tight. He had known something was wrong the second she and her family had been introduced to him.

“I’m - I’m so relieved it was you,” she choked in a muffled voice. “Cormac - you - you have no idea what it’s like.”

“It’s okay. I’m here,” he said quietly, now feeling guilty about joking about their situation in the foyer.

She took deep breaths before pulling back. Cormac studied her mascara-streaked face. The dark trails cut through her skin like spilled ink on paper.

“Your shirt,” she said, her voice strangled with hopelessness. “I’m sorry. Here - ” she fumbled, looking for her wand in her handbag. “Scourgify,” she added, pointing her wand at his white shirt and the black makeup stains vanished. Una wiped under her eyes and sniffed. “I didn’t mean to go to pieces like that. I’m fine. It’s just been a rough day.”

“Unes, what’s going on?” asked Cormac, his concern deepening. He’d never seen her cry before. Una was formidable. If something had brought her to tears, it had to have been serious.

“It’s a long story,” she said. “And you’d think the worst of me if you heard it. Everyone does. Well… except Graham. But he’s the only one who doesn’t think I’m a fucking terrible person.”

Cormac said nothing for a moment. He thought hard about what happened on the train and was certain at this moment that Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley, like Eddie Carmichael, like everyone else, were blinded by their preconceptions of Una.

“I don’t think you’re a terrible person,” he said simply.

Una sniffed and sat down on the piano bench. “Maybe we should keep it that way. Let’s talk about something else.”

She stared at the floor but Cormac crouched down in front of her and held her hand, putting himself in her line of sight. “Try me,” he said gently. She bit her bottom lip worriedly, just like she had done when her mother glared at her earlier. “Is it your parents? Una, we can just tell them where to stick their betrothal.”

Una snorted a dismal laugh. “Yeah, right. You might be able to say stuff like that to your uncle but my mother would… My mother is a difficult woman.”

“Graham told me at Slughorn’s party that they tried to set you up with someone before and it didn’t work out,” Cormac said slowly, recalling the confusion he had felt during that particular conversation.

Una paused. “Cormac, I almost killed him.”

Cormac’s words of reassurance were momentarily erased from his mind in shock.

“See?” said Una with a pained smile. “I told you it was bad.”

He needed to understand. His heart pounded in his chest. “Una… how? What happened?”

She sighed heavily. “It happened when I was eight -”

“Then it wasn’t your fault,” said Cormac immediately. “Kids don’t have control of their magic.”

“Oh, I had control alright. But I’d never shown any signs of magic until that point. My mother and father thought I was a squib. Graham had been showing signs of magic since he was a toddler So they called out experts from St Mungos, my dad even used his connections to have the Head of the Department of Mysteries come and take a look at me. They said I was a late bloomer. But my parents didn’t listen. They were so worried about their reputation. Having a squib in the family would taint their bloodline,” she added bitterly.

“But you do have magic,” said Cormac, his voice filled with conviction. “Loads.”

“But they weren’t to know that. So, to secure my future, they betrothed me to a boy a year older than me, Everett Marchbanks..”

Cormac frowned. He had heard of the Marchbanks family but never an Everett. “Was he in the year above us?”

Una shook her head. “He never got to go to Hogwarts. You see, my parents kept my lack of magical abilities hidden. But Graham knew. And he was only seven so he wasn’t great at keeping his mouth shut. And Everett found out.”

“And he told his parents?” asked Cormac.

She shook her head again. “Nope. One day, we were over at the Marchbanks house. Graham and I were playing in the garden and Everett came out and told him our parents were looking for him. Everett and I were alone outside and he -”

Una took a deep breath and Cormac squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“I didn’t really understand what being betrothed meant. But he did. He said he didn’t want a squib for a wife and would make me his house elf instead. He told me to eat dirt. I refused, of course. That made him angry. He called me names, and I called him plenty back.”

“I bet you did,” offered Cormac with a small smile but Una didn’t return it. She continued.

“But then… Then he pinned me down, grabbed a handful of dirt and tried to shove it in my face. I opened my mouth to scream for my brother and he shoved it in my mouth. He pinched my nose and covered my mouth, forcing me to swallow it.”

Cormac felt his pulse quickening, his stomach turning at the awful image Una was painting. His heart ached for her, a mixture of horror and pity washing over him.

Una squeezed her eyes shut. “And I did. It was - it was disgusting. I vomited immediately, thinking it was over. But then he shoved another fistful into my mouth. I started choking. I couldn’t see anything through the tears and the dirt falling into my eyes.”

A mixture of horror and pity washed over Cormac, he had to make a conscious effort to breathe. “Una - that’s awful. I’m so sorry that happened to you. You need to remember, though, that kids have magical accidents all the time. Especially if they go through something traumatic. If you did something uncontrollable when he was choking you, nobody could blame you.”

“It wasn’t uncontrollable. I didn’t even hear Graham shout Everett’s name until he was pulling him off me. I was sick again. On my hands and knees - retching until there was nothing left. And when I looked up, my parents and Everett’s parents had come out to see what the commotion was. And then I saw her face. My mother. She was furious. But not at Everett. She was looking at me - disgusted by the mess all down the front of my dress.”

Cormac was horrified. He felt a surge of anger towards Una’s parents. How could they have been so blind?

“And so I stood up. And I felt it. Magic. For the first time. I really felt it. Rising up inside me like it was boiling. And I saw Everett. He took one look at my mother then back at me and smirked like he knew I was in trouble. And then…” Una looked up from the floor. “I remember all I wanted was to hurt him. I'd never wanted to hurt anyone or anything before. And I just exploded. I don’t remember how - I can only remember a bright, searing light and the next thing I remember was Everett’s mother sobbing over his body. He was unrecognisable.”

She sat up slightly, her voice trembling. “But I do remember one thing. It felt good. Really good. I meant to hurt him. Badly. And I did. I didn't feel any guilt... I felt powerful. Powerful because I fought back.”

Cormac’s heart was pounding, his mind reeling from the weight of Una’s confession. He felt a wave of horror at what she had done, mingled with an overwhelming pity for the child who had been so brutally mistreated and pushed to the brink.

“He deserved it,” said Cormac.

“No, he didn’t. It was stupid kid stuff -”

Una, it wasn’t just kid stuff. It was fucking sick,” Cormac insisted, his voice low with intensity.

“My mother knew I meant it. My father blamed her for a while - it was her idea to betroth me so young. They haven’t mentioned marriage for years, until this morning.”

“Why do they care about you getting married now? I mean, you’re only eighteen.”

“The same reason your family cares.”

“Well,” said Cormac, realising that his problems from this morning paled in comparison to Una’s. “My uncle only set this up because he wants your dad’s help getting a hunting license.”

Una laughed unexpectedly. “Wow,” she said. “Well, my parents want me to marry into a traditional family.”

“A pure-blood family,” confirmed Cormac with a tight-lipped smile.

“Yep. And the whole awful ordeal with Everett spread pretty quickly amongst the sacred twenty-eight. And none of them wanted to put their sons at risk with someone like me. So that only leaves minor houses - the ones whose names became extinct in the male line.”

“Like mine,” finished Cormac.

“Yep,” said Una bitterly. “And my mother told me this morning that unless I find a marriage match before I leave school, she’ll force me to honour my obligations to Everett.”

“Where is he now?” asked Cormac.

“In St Mungos. Permanently.”

“Una, they can’t just force you to marry him.”

“They’ll disinherit me otherwise.”

“Fuck their inheritance. You’ll make your own way.”

“It’s not the money I care about. It’s Graham.”

“Look, I don’t know Graham but from what you’ve told me, he’s a decent guy. He’d understand.”

“They’d disinherit him too. And he missed so much of last year when he was in the hospital wing that he’ll be lucky if he leaves Hogwarts with a handful of O.W.Ls. - who’s going to give him a job? And besides, I don’t want to force him to choose between them and me.”

“Fine. Let’s tell them we're getting married then,” Cormac said fiercely. Instinctively. He couldn't not.

Una blinked at him. “Cormac, that’s very gallant of you but we hardly know each other. I mean, what are we? Are we even boyfriend and girlfriend? I can’t let you do that.”

“You can,” Cormac insisted. “And maybe we don’t know each other well.” He pressed his lips to the back of her hand. “But I know how I feel about you. You're my girlfriend and I care about you enough that I don’t want you forced into a marriage with Everett Marchbanks.”

A bell rang some distance away and the door to the library opened.

“Oi, you two. You were supposed to come and meet me - woah, Una, are you alright?” asked Graham as he stumbled into the scene before him. Una’s face, streaked with tears and Cormac kneeling in front of her.

“I’m fine. I just - I was telling him about Everett Marchbanks.”

Graham’s face darkened. “It’s been ten years and I still want to punch his stupid face. Even if he’s only got half of it left.”

“Well, we’ve worked out a solution,” said Cormac.

“A solution to what?” asked Graham but Una stood up abruptly.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said and shot Cormac a warning look as he got to his feet too. “Thank you for the offer, Cormac, but I can sort this out myself.”

“Sort what out?” asked Graham, increasingly perplexed.

“None of your business,” said Una, pulling a compact mirror from her bag and touching up her appearance with a tissue. She snapped the mirror shut and swiftly moved past him, bumping his almighty frame with her small shoulder as she exited the room.

Graham stared after her incredulously. “She’s always like this. Never walks anywhere - just stomps ominously.”

“I heard that!” called Una from the corridor.

“I hope you know what you’ve let yourself in for, mate,” said Graham, clapping Cormac on the shoulder in condolence.

Cormac straightened himself up and followed Graham from the room. He wasn’t sure what he was letting himself in for. Not really.

But he had a feeling he was about to find out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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