She woke to the low buzzing of chatter drifting through the door. It reminded her of the few times she would stay at her aunt's house in her past life. The old woman would always bring her friends around to drink wine and gossip. Antonia remembered sitting with them and just enjoying the calm atmosphere. It was fun listening to the rumours they told, some of them plausible while others were fantastically outlandish.
Antonia smiled at the memory and sat up, which she immediately regretted as it made her light-headed. Reaching out, she grabbed hold of her bedside table to steady herself. She clenched her jaw and swung herself off her bed and onto her feet. Her legs buckled slightly, and she had to catch herself again. It only took a few moments for her to regain her footing, and as soon as she felt ready, she began dressing.
Having finished, Antonia took in a deep breath and opened her door. She entered onto a landing spanning three sides of the central atrium, in the centre of which a witch and three wizards were having a stern discussion. She smiled as she recognised the familiar figures of Rodolphus and Rabastan. An uneasy feeling began building in her stomach as she saw the frowns on both their faces. Only then did she notice the young boy standing next to the unidentified pair. They all had their backs turned to her, so she couldn't even guess who they might be. Rabastan's eyes met hers, and he motioned for her to come down.
"You might be obligated under contract, but still, you must see the advantages to both our families," Rodolphus said as she entered the hall.
The other man was about to retort, but was swiftly interrupted: "And here she is."
All eyes turned to her, and the older wizard smiled. "Hello child, I don't think we've met before. Fleamont Potter, this is my wife Euphemia, and our son James."
For a few seconds, she didn't say a word. What were the Potters doing here? She glanced over at Rodolphus, but he just smiled and nodded.
"How about you two go play wizard's chess? We still need to discuss some things."
Antonia smiled and nodded, still confused. "Please follow me." She then grabbed James' hand and guided him down one of the corridors towards the drawing room.
As they walked, Antonia kept looking back at James. He looked so different compared to his adult self, which shocked her. His hair looked like a mane, long as it was, and without his glasses, he looked nothing like young Harry. She noticed she was staring and quickly looked away.
"Here we are!" she said as they reached the drawing room, and she quickly pulled James inside. The interior was cosy-looking, with a few armchairs surrounding the large, blazing hearth and a massive oil painting of a Lestrange ancestor hanging above, watching them.
Stepping over to one of the many cupboards, she motioned at the table. "Please, sit."
Seeing that James had made himself comfortable, she swiftly produced a chess set from one of the drawers. Sitting down, Antonia began setting up the pieces, with black on her side and white on his.
"You any good?" James asked as he watched her.
"I'm alright, but I've never bested my brothers."
Smiling, James leaned back. "Yeah, I've never beaten my dad either."
"You can start!" Antonia said, and James quickly righted himself.
"So… you have any idea why we're here?"
She shook her head and moved a pawn, same as him. "No, but I guess your parents just didn't want to leave you alone with your house-elf."
James chuckled. "Nah, they've done it before," he said, moving his knight.
Smiling slyly, Antonia took the knight with her bishop. "Well, I'm sure it's some…" She slowly placed the defeated piece down. "No… it can't be." She quickly stood up and was on her way to the door when James stopped her.
"What is it?"
She spun around, jaw clenched and eyes moist. "Don't you get it?"
He stared at her, confused. "What?"
"They're going to make us marry each other!"
For a few seconds, there was silence before James stormed out of the room with Antonia close behind him. As they re-entered the atrium, the others had already left, and James turned to Antonia, who was already storming down a different corridor. They soon reached the family head's office and slammed the door open.
Antonia shouted, "WHY—" but she was cut off by James.
"HOW COULD YOU!"
All the adults turned to them, eyes wide, and Euphemia looked at her son, saddened. "I'm sorry, we're only doing what's best for you."
Antonia looked at her brothers with a mix of anger and heartbreak. But Rodolphus didn't speak; he only nodded solemnly.
"Alright, I think it best if we go home now!" Fleamont said, standing abruptly, and Euphemia nodded.
A loud tap echoed around the study, and Fleamont slowly turned to Rodolphus, who seemed to be motioning towards a piece of parchment on the desk. The older man smiled nervously and quickly signed it before taking his wife's and son's hands and exiting through the door.
Giving her brothers a quick glance, Antonia ran after them. "James!"
The boy turned to her, confused.
"You're alright."