Dark is the road I wander [Esme/INVITE]

[viola]

Viola watched Viktor disappear up the stairs leading to the boy's dormitory. She could have followed him, instead she left for her own dormitory to fetch a set of new robes. Viola spent over two hours in the prefect's bathroom taking a cleansing both. She felt odd and could not quite explain what she was feeling. Later that night when she was snuggled in bed, Viola could not sleep. All she could think about was Viktor, what the two of them had done and what everyone would think especially her very own mother.

After a long unbearable sleepless night, Viola came to one conclusion. She had to see her mother. That same afternoon, after her last class, she headed straight towards her mother's office and barged inside without even knocking. Viola started pacing up and down in front of Esme's desk in silence. After several minutes she held her ground and whirled around to face Esmerelda. Viola pointed her finger at her and said in a shaky voice, "Mother I have something important to say. And I request that you do not interrupt me."

The slytherin took a deep breath and began, "Last night I caught Viktor with that insane Furner girl. He tied me up and forced me to watch the them. That is until Furner ran away from the common room." Viola paused and passed a hand through her hair. "He came onto me. And tried to rape me. But I begged him to untie me." She started gritting her teeth and clenched her hands into tight fists out of frustration. "I slept with Viktor and I absolutely like it," she finally admitted.

Viola collapsed onto the small couch in her mother's office and inhaled deeply. "He is different from my days." She looked up and said in disbelief, "He even said he liked me. But I am pretty sure that is one of his devious ploys." Viola started biting her lower lip and looked at her mother with a worried expression. "I do not know what to do. I feel... weird?" she offered. Viola stood up from her perch and ran towards Esme.

She sat down at her mother's feet and looked up at her with wide eyes feeling more lost and confused than ever. "I even called him master," she said in outrage. Viola buried her face in her hands for several seconds waiting for her mother to speak. When she didn't Viola looked up with a raised eye brow and said, "Mother? You can speak now. Please tell me what to do." Viola shrugged her shoulders uncertainly and stared down at her lap looking vulnerable.

[esmerelda]

Esmerelda was not even paying attention, as the door to her office was barged open. She was looking towards her desk, deep in thought. Esme looked a little shocked at her daughters voice, but nodded and leant back in her seat, and listened to her daughters torment. "Go ahead" she said gesturing with her hand to talk. She crossed her arms to her chest, and waited.

Esme tilted her head to the side, listening intently. It seemed her daughter was in the same sort of dilemma she was. She blinked, she just sat there and didn't say a thing. Even after Viola had stopped talking. She thought over her daughters words. She sat up straight as Viola told her she could speak. "I do not know what to say to you darling" she crooned softly. Acting like a brilliant - normal - mother. "You called him master?" she said raising an eyebrow in disbelief. Her Viola answered to nobody. "Well... He is a fine choice, even Lord Slyherin realises that. He said, a child from the two of you, would be extremely powerful, that it could surpass You and Viktor. If I were to tell you to get over it..." she paused "I would be hypocritical" she simply finished. 

Esme pushed her head into her hands, unwilling to share what she was about to, but knowing she would have to. She didn't keep secrets from Viola, she couldn't. "I have a situation similar to yours..." she started slowly. "I slept with Scorpius... I mean Professor Furner and enjoyed it." she gave a small laugh "It was different from with your father, or with the drooling idiots" she frowned, Esme was no prude and like her daughter had had little affairs. But they had stopped when her oldest daughters were around 11. "I never did like your father. He was a arrogant stuck up arse. He never took into consideration what I wanted" she said in a mini rant. "I was glad he cheated, it gave me motive to kill him" repeating a line she had said the night before. 

[viola]

She looked crestfallen when Esme admitted she did not know what to say. Viola felt her cheeks blush and mumbled, "I know mother. And I am not proud of calling him that. By I wanted him so much and he would not have untied me if I had not said that." The girl frowned. Was she hearing correctly? Her mother had discussed such delicate matters with Slytherin.

Viola hmphed loudly and declared, "You know I do not wish for children just yet..." Her voice trailed away and she looked at her mother sharply. What was that? What had just her mother said? Hypocritical? Viola did not like the sound of that. And what was to come was beyond her imagination. Viola's visage turned an alarming shade of white as she listened to her mother's confession.

"I will kill him," she hissed threateningly. Viola had never opposed her mother's affairs. Mainly because they had never been a threat to her. Viola feared that if her mother became involved with a man, she would forget about her. That and the fact that she did not want anyone hurting her mother again. Her father had been bad enough and if Esme had not killed him, Viola would have.

This was certainly not the talk that she had been expecting. Viola had wanted her mother to give her a trademark talk, in which she reminded her that men were vile cheating bastards. Her first reaction was to snap at her mother. Instead she stood up and threw her arms around her mother's neck. Viola held her tightly to her and said softly, "Don't leave me mother."

[esmerelda]

Esme simply nodded, a little shocked. "Okay my dear" she watched her daughter. "That was exactly what I said. I told him I would not allow it either." she told Viola. She blinked as her daughter turned from a healthy colour, to a shade of White. "No you will not!" she exclaimed. "Do you want me to kill Viktor?" she asked raising an eyebrow. Wait. Was she defending Scorpius from her daughter? What was up with her she had never defended anyone before, especially not from her daughter. 

Esmerelda hugged her daughter back, kissing the top of her head like she had done in her daughters childhood. "I won't ever leave you, no matter what you are my number one, don't ever forget that" she whispered softly to her daughter. She let go of her daughter. "I am not weak, I know the hurt men can cause, and I will not allow that to happen again" she paused "I want you to make sure he doesn't hurt you like that" she gave Viola a hard stare, signalling she was very serious about this. 

[viola]

Viola could still see the shock in her mother's face, however, she was extremely relieved that Esme dropped the subject. She was certainly not happy that she had been reduced to calling him master. Viola made a face of disgust and shook her head to herself. She listened to her mother with a raised eye brow and said genuinely, "Thank you mother."

The Slytherin jumped slightly when she heard Esmerelda's exclamation and she wondered what was wrong with her mother. Esme had never spoken to her in that way before. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it just as fast. "Yes," she snapped in response. Viola pouted and added hastily, "Alright. Fine. No, I wouldn't want you to kill him."

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes at Esme's response. Viola fought them back and hugged her mother tighter. Esmerelda was the most important person in her life; losing her would be like losing part of herself. "You are my number one too," she said in a strangled voice. Viola soon felt her mother loosening her grip and pulling away from her.

Viola lifted her head off Esme's shoulder and listened in silence. Her eyes narrowed and she said dangerously, "If he hurts you. I will kill him and all his family." Her expression softened and she gave a small nod. "Don't worry about me mother. I will make sure I will not get hurt." She paused and took Esme's hand in hers. "Does this mean I can... uhm... you know?" she asked with a shrug.

[esmerelda]

Esmerelda fought the urge to laugh at her daughters look of disgust,that would only further irritate her daughter, then smiled "It's okay Viola" Esmerelda frowned in thought, why had she snapped at Viola. She never snapped at Viola. She definitely didn't defend someone from her daughter, especially not men, or one man. Esmerelda smiled in an amused fashion. "My dear. please make up your mind" she said softly, her tone full of mirth.

Esmerelda sighed, and looked gently on Viola. "I am glad of that" she said softly. Rubbing her daughters back comfortingly, Esme realised that she probably shouldn't have taken away her daughters father, she wondered if Viola ever missed Jacob. Esme had never taken on Jacobs surname, and as the Drayton name was carried a maternal line, Jacob had concented to giving any girls they had the surname Drayton, but only if when they had boys that they would be Kirk, he never lived to see Esmerelda bear a son, she was happy with her three daughters. Well she had been, now she was content with the one.

She gently rocked them both, again another action she had not done since Viola's childhood. She let Viola realise her grip on her, "If he does. I give you ever permission to hurt him, but I won't let myself be hurt... not again" she sighed, and ran her fingers through her daughters long curly hair. Viola's hair certainly wasn't as mad as Esme's was, but it was still curly. She looked her daughter in the eyes, and answered her question. "Yes, you can. I will think no less of you, don't you worry." She gave her daughter one quick smile. Viola had been all that Esmerelda had, had to keep herself just a little bit sane. For a year or so after... her husband... she could not bare to even look at her youngest two, but Viola was a close enough likeness to herself, for her to be able to bear.

[viola]

Viola's cheeks turned a bright red when her mother asked her to make up her mind. She stared down at her feet and shuffled her feet uncomfortable. "I do not wish to see him die. Not yet," she mumbled in response. Her gaze wondered back to her mother's face and she offered her a small smile. Viola stood up properly and moved closer to her mother.

She curled up in her mother's lap and rung her arms around Esme's back. When Esme started rubbing her back, Viola felt herself relax. She rested her head in between her mother's neck and shoulder, and inhaled her mother's scent. "Are all men like father?" she asked. Viola looked up at her mother and watched her closely waiting for a response.

Although she had been only five, Viola had never forgotten how broken her mother had been after learning that her husband had been cheating on her. She felt a renown surge of hatred towards the man she called father and tightened her hold on Esme. "Mommy? I don't hold it against you for killing him. I think he deserved it. He should have never hurt you."

Viola did not often call Esme 'mommy'; only when she felt exceptionally vulnerable or emotional. She was glad that her mother gave her permission to hurt Scorpius if necessary; and that she would still love her even if she was with Viktor. A thought crossed her mind and she whispered desperately, "I am afraid to being tied down to someone."