"This is the most sinister thing imaginable." Esme grumbled as she stared at herself in the long mirror.

"Sinister?" Regulus asked, zipping up the back of her dress.

She turned to face him, "This whole party to celebrate the fact we've essentially joined a murderous cult?"

Esme turned back around to look at herself in the mirror. She twisted her arm, revealing the Dark Mark branded into her skin. As she grazed her fingers over the black tattoo, it was still tender to touch.

Regulus gently placed his hands on her shoulders, "You're right, this is really sinister. We just need to play along for a while."

"Hopefully it's not too difficult." She sighed, "As long as we're not to complete any missions."

"Right." He agreed, straightening out his own collar as he stood beside Esme in front of the mirror.

Esme pursed her lips and continued to stare at herself in the mirror. Her whole life had been turned upside down but still she was expected to carry on as if nothing had happened.

"Regardless, you look very beautiful."

She turned to face Regulus, scepticism carved over her features as she asked "Why?"

"Excuse me?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Um..." He hesitated slightly, "Because it's true? It's true all of the time but particularly right now too."

Esme scoffed, "Shut up."

Regulus laughed, kneeling down to tie up the laces of his shoes, "What did I do?"

"You're trying time distract me and I won't fall for it."

He retorted, "Doesn't mean I'm lying."

"Oh do shut up."

The party downstairs filled Esme and Regulus with dread as they stepped over the threshold and into the lavish parlour room of the Avery household.

The walls of the expansive room were lined with streamers of celebration. The floor filled with swaying and chatting witches and wizards, all dazzling in an array of black, silver, and emerald formalwear.

Regulus nudged Esme gently with his arm, drawing her back to reality as they looked around the room.

"Right... Yeah..." She gripped tightly onto his arm.

Esme couldn't get over how this was the complete antithesis of the last party she'd attended - the Lestrange wedding anniversary. Everything had changed since then.

Everything had gotten much darker.

"I should go and speak to my parents. Do you want to come?" Regulus asked.

"I-er..." She thought back to how icy Walburga and Orion had been when she visited over Christmas, "I think they've seen enough of me for a long time."

He sighed, "Esme..."

"It's fine. I need to talk to my father anyway. There's... Something I need to ask about." She reached for his hand and gently squeezed his fingers before heading off across the room to where her two parents stood, chatting merrily to Antonin Dolohov.

Esme couldn't stop the image playing over and over in her mind - on a loop.

The figure, his silhouette illuminated in the large window, it was unforgettable. It was carved into her brain. The way he seemed to glide effortlessly as he turned to her. The face of Tom Riddle.

He was the Dark Lord. He was Voldemort.

"Father." Esme tapped Lucas on the arm.

"Ah! Is this your daughter, Lucas?" Asked one of the men. He was slightly on the short-side and had bright blonde hair, almost white. "My, she is stunning." He mused.

Lucas grinned broadly, "Yes! Esmerelda, my dear, won't you say hello to Corban Yaxley?"

Esme forced out a slight smile to the man. But she couldn't hide her repulsion when Yaxley reaches for her hand and slowly pressed his mouth to her knuckles.

"Pleasure." She greeted through pursed lips.

"Perhaps you remember me?" He asked with a grin, "I was in my last year at Hogwarts when you joined, I believe."

"Oh, yes."

"Was there something you wanted?" Lucas asked his daughter, with a large smile still plastered across his face. Clearly the man had started drinking rather early as he was bubbling over with giddy joy.

Esme looked around at the small group of wizards all staring intently at her.

"Er, no. It doesn't matter. I'm going to go find-"

"Look who it is!"

Spinning around quickly, Esme was more then startled to see Bellatrix Lestrange peering down at her through her mane of wild black hair.

"Itty bitty Ezzy-Merelda!" Squealed the young woman excitedly.

Esme narrowed her eyes and corrected, "Esmerelda."

Bellatrix smirked with glee, "Oh you haven't changed a bit!"

Esme froze up as she was sharply tugged into a hug with Bellatrix. She caught some of the woman's frizzy curls in her mouth and coughed as Bellatrix mumbled something in her ear.

"Won't be long before we're sharing in missions together."

It was as if Esme's heart was in her throat as she stood back, her and Bellatrix looking each other in the eye.

The women sneered, "How are you feeling now? I wondered where you disappeared off to so quickly. Ill?"

"I actually promised I'd go and find Regulus." Esme blurted out hurriedly, hoping to desperately escape Bellatrix's company.

"Oh, of course!" The woman was suddenly filled with glee, "You two are wittle-ittle buddies again, aren't you? Hah! I owe Cissy two sickles for that. I never expected you two little birds to nest together - how quaint!"

Esme rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Better get that money to Narcissa quickly. That Malfoy is a fool and he'll probably blow their money on his stylist."

"Funny as always!" Bellatrix laughed menacingly as Esme walked away, praying that she could hold onto her sanity a little longer than Bellatrix had.

Across the room, still with his parents and some cousins, was Regulus Black. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Esme walking towards him.

"I'll be back in a moment." Regulus briefly waved farewell to his mother and turned to face Esme half way across the room. He placed a hand on her hip, steadying Esme's nervous trembling as he asked, "Is everything alright?"

"This is all a bit much." Esme shook her head, "How did I never really realise what psychos these people are?"

"Let's dance."

She laughed at him, completely caught off guard, "Did... I'm sorry, what?"

"Dance. It'll be a good distraction."

"I hate dancing." Esme frowned.

He chuckled, "Even more reason to do it. You'll be so distracted with how much you hate dancing you won't be thinking about anything else."

She pursed her lips together and ran a hand down his arm, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Not at all."

"Fine, let's get this over with."

"Oh what joy you bring to my life." Regulus sighed as a smile emerged across his face. Gripping each other's hands, he led the way towards the far end of the room where several over people - including Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy - were dancing slowly.

"Have you ever even danced before? Properly?" He asked, letting out an airy laugh as Esme stumbled over his feet.

She stepped back, dropping his hands and standing still, "Do I look like I dance? We can't all be prissy like you. This is stupid."

"Just, come here." Regulus took her hands again, placing them on his shoulders as he placed his hands on her own shoulders to guide her side to side, "It really isn't that difficult."

But, no matter what Regulus said, Esme kept thinking about what Bellatrix had told her. Sharing missions together. Missions.

As the song came to a close, Esme stepped back slightly and dropped her arms to her sides. "If we keep dancing, we'll never hear the end of it from our parents."

"I could really do without that interrogation." He agreed with a laugh.

"I need a drink." She sighed.

"A drink?" Regulus inquired, "Like squash? You are aware we're not at a bar?"

"I think my parents will let me get away with anything given what they've roped me into." Esme shrugged nonchalantly, heading back across the room towards a table lined gloriously with full glasses of bubbling liquor and bottles of firewhiskey. Regulus was close on her heels, quickly startled as Esme gulped a large mouthful of the firewhiskey and turned to him with a slight grimace on her face.

"And what is your plan now?" He smiled warmly as she handed him a glass. He sipped quietly at the drink as she thought, "We could leave."

"Leave now? Early? Won't that look-"

Esme took the empty glass out of his hand and put it back down on the table, "I don't really care. Let's go." She gripped his hand and hastily made her way out of the parlour room.

"I can already hear everyone asking questions about us." Regulus mumbled, laughing suddenly as Esme stumbled up the stairs with him not far behind.

"Why is it when it's just the two of us, you talk too much?" She giggled, running her hands through his hair.

Regulus wrapped his arms around her waist, "I won't say another word."

"Good." Esme leant in, connecting their lips. Slowly, she pulled away and, as her hands toyed with the bottom button of his shirt, she mumbled in his ear, "Close the door?"

A heat rose to the boy's cheeks, but he still nodded eagerly, turned to close the door, and hurriedly reconnected the lips again in a series of deep kisses.

It was a relief, a safe haven for both of them to escape into. Just the two of them, they could block out all of their troubles for just a little while. After all, they were just two teenagers, they were allowed to have a little reckless fun.