beautifulinvisiblebroken

The pressured had become overwhelming. The rest of the Greengrasses had traveled to Romania to meet a prospective betrothal for Vee’s older sister, which had left the younger one with far too much time on her hands and way too much time to think. At this point, it had been several weeks since the discovery of her betrothal to one Sirius Black and his parents had still not told him the news. The idea that they were going back on their agreement was eating Vee alive. She was at her breaking point. “There. We’ll see what they think about that,” she huffed as the scissors sliced through the hair she’d been growing for years.

     Regulus gives a sympathetic grimace. He didn’t have any sisters, but the times he had to accompany any of the women in his life while shopping left him in something close to pain. Especially his mother. He cringes inwardly at the memories and shakes them off. “You could always skip out,” he says. “I won’t tell her if you accidentally fall into the floo network and find yourself back at home.” 

“She can’t exactly fault me for fraternizing with another pureblood family, can she? I mean, isn’t that exactly what we’re meant to do? Get together, procreate, and save the world?” she rattled, only realizing at the end that bitterness had slipped its way into her tone. Bitterness fueled by fear. Her recent knowledge of the betrothal was eating into her conscious mind. It was all she could think about. “I mean, uh, maybe if we walk by her you could tell her that you need help choosing dress robes? And I have to go with you to be the one that helps? Maybe?”

          there were three shops he was mostly familiar with in london: the art store, the bookshop, and the jewelry store his father frequented. anywhere else, he felt like he had no idea where he was going because he did most of his shopping near his hometown. “um, the robe shop. my mum says i’ve outgrown my dress robes and i need to have more.” for whatever reason she said he needed the dress robes and he wasn’t going to argue with her. “i’m in the wrong area aren’t i?” he let out a long sigh. “i don’t know why diagon alley confuses me.” 

Without intentionally thinking about it, Vee looked him up and down as if deciding herself whether or not he needed the robes. Perhaps it was distrust, perhaps it was human curiosity. “If you want robes that come with hexes and curses sewed into the pockets, you’re in the right place,” she teased, tilting her head in the right direction. “Walk this way with me. We could probably both benefit from some distance away from Knockturn. Plus, who doesn’t want new dress robes?” The emphasis in her sentence pushed the narrative that she was not a fan of clothes shopping. 

      𝑖𝑡  𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑  𝑏𝑒       easy ,    talking  to  genevieve .    they   align   on  things  smoothly ,     voice  their  thoughts  in   similar   ways ,    and  sirius  has  always  enjoyed  her  company  at  its   core ,    while  she  never  seemed  to  voice   displeasure   in  holding  his .    but  it's  not  easy .   it   really   isn’t   —   not  when  the  fundamental  clamour  in  him  just   clashes   so  harshly  with  the  shields  she  puts  up . ❛     what ?     why  not ?   ❜     sirius  pushes ,    despite  himself .    he's   leaning   forward  even  after  the  change  in  genevieve's  disposition ,    miffed   and  pressing  even  if  she's  clearly   scaling   back ,   because  he  doesn't   want   her  to .    she   brought  this  up ,    didn't  she ?    but  he's  still   fighting   with  a  slightly  calmer  side  of  himself   urging   that  there's  really  no  need  to  get  so  angry .   still ,    he  sputters :      ❛     i  mean ,   i  won't  -    tell   anyone .    not  if  you  don't  want  me  to .    but  i  can't  even  know   who  ?   ❜    he  knows  he  has  absolutely  zero  real   right   to  know .    he   knows   that ,   but  he’s   hurt    by  the  idea  that  vee  won't  trust  him ,    eager  to  disprove  whoever  it  is  he  apparently   wouldn't   shut  his  mouth  to .    when  vee  simply  expresses  the  desire  to   leave   the  situation ,   he  sits  back  in  his  seat ,    disgruntled .     his  arms   cross   over  his  chest ,    admitting  defeat .         ❛     sure .    go ,   ❜       he  says ,    chin   nudging  to  the  door  belligerently .    he   bites   the  inside  of  his  cheek ,    avoiding  her  eyes  in   rummaging   thoughts  before  they  catch  up  to  him .    she   is   at  his  house .    without  her   elder   sister .    she's  not   keeping  company   with  her  parents ;    she’d  never   had   to .    sirius  snaps  up ,   turning  to  call  out  the  question  before  he  even   ponders   the  action  of  doing  so :             ❛     it's  not   reg ,    is  it ?   ❜

This was easily the first time Genevieve had ever been so uncomfortable talking to Sirius that her skin crawled. They’d known each other since nappies. For all they knew, they had been around for each others’ first steps, first words, first heartbreaks, everything. Although they had made different friend groups once arriving at Hogwarts, they had always remained one of each other’s oldest friend. This, however, was changing everything.

Why didn’t he know. Why hadn’t the Blacks told him? Her fear of the whys and the what ifs had made her completely regret coming to see him. Staying away until more answers presented themselves would have been a far better thought. Her chest rose and fell dramatically before she stood up abruptly, not using the arms of the chair to hoist herself. Fear was her momentum.

“When he knows... we can talk about it then,” she assured him, sounding tense as if she had just licked a lemon. Vee wasn’t, as most purebloods weren’t, fantastic at showing her emotions. As much as she wanted to break down and cry right there, it wasn’t the time. However, she was ruining a friendship by not divulging information. Her fear was too strong. 

Reg.

No, it wasn’t Regulus. Maybe that would’ve been easier to tell him. “Don’t you think you’d know by now if it was?” she responded coldly, turning her face from him and making her first step toward the door.

—

     The stiffening of her shoulders didn’t go unnoticed by the ever-observant and annoyingly curious Regulus Black. “Nothing wrong with talking to yourself,” he shrugs, laughing at the comment. Merlin knew he spent a lot of time doing it. He was pretty sure that was an early indicator of madness, but often couldn’t bring himself to care. It was a lot better than talking to other people. “That is true… Slytherins and all. With that logic, I’m sure you’re right and can do whatever you’re about to do.” He shoves his hands in the pockets of his robes and looks at her curiously. “Which is…?”

Vee gave an I’m-sorry-I’m-so-odd-but-thanks-for-not-being-mean smile to the boy who had known her at least his whole life. It made it easier to be closer to Sirius being in teh same year, but it didn’t mean she didn’t see some of herself in Regulus. Being the second child in a pureblooded family always came with certain implications and those were usually not positive ones. Either you had to live up to your sibling’s accomplishments or you had to make up for their failures. The pressure was overwhelming in both cases.

“Go convince my older sister I don’t actually hate shopping?”

    𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟  𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ  𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒𝑠       him  at  the  response ,   this  one   needing  his  hand  to  draw  up  over  his  mouth  to   stifle   a  bit .    it’s  rather   instinctive   —   like  he’s   somehow  grown   unused   to  it ,   or  would  otherwise  want  to  stop  from  being  heard .    lest  anyone  think  he’s  having   too   good  a  time  here .        ❛     i  mean ,    i    wasn’t  going  to  say  it ,   ❜      sirius  grins ,   throwing  genevieve  a  fleeting  glance .     ❛   i’m   certain   that  would   overstress   you ,    absolutely ,   ❜        he  says  then ,   clearing  his  throat  to  try  and   retain   impassiveness  again . receiving   the  explanation  didn’t  rid  vee  of  the   atmosphere   she’s  been  bearing ,    and  it’s   written   all  over  her .   it’s   strange ,   too   —   how   easily   sirius  picks  up  on  it .    he’s  always   known   vee  to  falsify  the  way  she  behaves  to   some   extent ,   unsure  if  she’s  ever  really   known   who  she  could  be  underneath  it  all .    he   certainly  has  no  idea ,   often  finding  that  the  root  cause  of  their  minor   disputes   across  the  years .   by  now   he  knows  better  than  to  keep   pushing   his  own  narrative ,    but  even   this   weighs  on  him  in  thick   desire   to  have  her  honest  .    watch  whatever  she   could   be   —   whatever  hasn’t  been   stifled   and  hurt  by  the  world  they’ve   grown   in .   even  if  he  hates  it .    and  it’s  selfish  of  him ,   he  knows   —   to  want  it  for  nothing  more  than  the   idea   that  it’ll  be   for  her   what  it’s  been   for  him ,    despite  clear ,    rightful ,  push   against   it .    but  it’s  there ,    simmering .    constantly .    he’s   attached   and  it’s  simply  suffocating  to  be  left   wondering   what  to . ❛     right ,   ❜      sirius  repeats  the  same  word  she’s  nervously  called  one  few   too  many    times .    then  it’s  matched  with  the   tilt   of  his  head ,   both   confused   and   consoling   at  once   —    because  surely ,   there’s  something .       ❛     and  i’m  sure  he   knows ,   vee .    or  will  be   told   soon  enough .    i  don’t  know  why  he   wouldn’t   unless  the  bloke’s   abroad   or  something .    it’s  not  like   you’re   a  terrible  catch ,   ❜      he  states ,   hand  coming  up  to  go  through  the  words  of  it  like  he’s  reading  off  a  menu .    but  sirius ,   of  course ,   can’t  be  fed   bait   without  asking  for  the   entire   fish .      ❛     so  who  is  it ?  ❜

Genevieve’s eyes dart around as Sirius lets out too joyful of a sound. Deep down she knows exactly what it is like to push all of your emotions unti they are half fulfilled, never being allowed to show too much at once - lest it diminish what others thought of you. She was comforted by the fact that she and Sirius never had to put on faces for each other. Well, they didn’t have to, but they were purebloods. Sometimes the façade was more natural than who they really were.

Her discomfort grew immensely. Little nervous tics began to show themselves. Her knee bounced. Her eyes blinked excessively. Her tongue no longer sat comfortably in her mouth and she suddenly became very aware of her breathing pattern, making it irregular. “Sirius,” she urged, “It’s not something I can tell you right now, okay? I shouldn’t have said anything in the first place. I was just--” How could she tell him that she was trying to feel out whether or not he knew?

Why hadn’t his parents told him yet? Vee began to fear that perhaps the Blacks were changing their minds - realizing she was not their real first choice and they intended to change their minds, create a sit down with the Greengrasses and let them know they had made a mistake. Vee wasn’t anywhere good enough for their first born son. The thought of telling Sirius they were betrothed only for it to be taken back was a mortifying prospect. Truly, she would never live it down inside. Once that fear formed in her mind, she was unable to rid herself of it. 

“I... should go.”

    𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠  𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑠  𝑖𝑛       her  nods  with   continued   amusement ,   slow   mimicry   of  them  as  if  waiting  with  utter   patience   for  vee  to  finish  her  points ,   listening  intently  the   entire   time .         ❛     i  would   abhorrently   refuse  to  be  called  sir  sirius ,   ❜      he  confirms  with  a  short  laugh .      ❛    i’d  much  rather  give   you   my  title .    lady  genevieve   has   far   more  promise  in  it .    although  i   do   think  i  might’ve   stolen   that  from  somewhere ,   ❜        he  says ,    giving   an   easy   shrug .    then  he  waits  for  her   answer   to  his  part . it  isn’t  much  of  a   surprise   at  all ,    given  the  context .    vee  had  been  a  clear   pawn   for  her  parents  from  the  start .    the   second   anyone  suitable  would  come  along  and  he’s   more   than  certain  they’d  jump  at  the  chance  like  piranhas .    it  settles  in  him  sickly ,   but  he  knows  better  than  to  try  and   shove   his  beliefs  onto  her .    despite  it  all ,    she’s  remained   loyal   to  her  family’s   status .    he  didn’t  come  here  to  reopen  old   wounds . he  swallows ,    expression   unchanging .       ❛     …   you   are  ?   ❜      he  repeats ,    though  he  knows  he  doesn’t   have   to .    sirius  takes  a  breath ,    wavering   the  line  of  it  because ,   frankly ,    it  does  seem  to  be   affecting  her   —   and  he  isn’t  sure  if  he’s  quite   ready   to  hear  why .   still ,    he  assumes   —        ❛     is  it   bad ,   then   ?    ❜      he  asks ,    sitting  back  in  his  chair  and  giving  a  quick   glance   to  the  door ,   ensuring  they  aren’t  to  be   joined   any  time  soon .       ❛     not  anyone  too  old  or  anything ?   ❜

“Lady Vee certainly sounds like a proper pureblooded woman, I suppose. Although, if you really think about it, it could almost sound like a lady of the night as well - which is a bit... out of character for me,” she joked, a subtle flush growing up her neck as she let out a short, breathy laugh. Although Vee was pretty, she had never been one to find her looks to be her best feature. Being confident enough to believe she’d make it in such a profession was impossible in her eyes. 

The smallest smile flashed over her face, but it was void of humor. is it bad then. Was it? Honestly, it was the first time she had felt as if her parents actually thought anything of her. This wasn’t to confuse that with her lack of desire to be betrothed, but if she was going to be betrothed, there was something almost flattering about her parents choosing the eldest Black and the fact that his parents thought enough of her to choose her for their son. It was antiquated. It was honestly disgusting. They weren’t prized cattle to be bought and sold, but a part of her finally felt like she held the slightest bit of, well, value. As vile as the practice was in reality.

Vee leans back, putting physical distance between herself and Sirius in a subconscious attempt to distance her emotions from the situation. “No, um, it’s definitely not the worst, but well, you see, I don’t think he knows yet and that wouldn’t really be fair to go spreading it around yet, you know? Plus I’m still processing it myself and all...” the speed of which words flew out of her mouth nearly ran them together into one jumbled mess of sound. “We knew it was coming, though, right? I mean, at least it isn’t someone on his third wife after the other two passed of mysterious causes and I’m pushed to collect the money he’s gathered over the years as he gets closer to his death bed, right?” Terrible jokes.

     Regulus steps into the hallway of the pub, having heard a slightly nervous voice come from it and been unable to hide his curiosity. He had meant to leave, really, already slightly buzzed from a shot and an incredibly low alcohol tolerance. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he chuckles at the words he can hear more clearly now. “Thanks,” he says, smirking at her in the mirror’s reflection. “What exactly can I do, though?”

A swift stiffening of her shoulders made it painfully obvious Regulus had startled her out of her own little world. Before she even had to turn around, his voice triggered instant recall. Genevieve had only just been told she was now betrothed to one Sirius Black. Avoiding the Blacks for a bit seemed to be the best way to give her time to process, but now here was one of them. Vee didn’t know that the only ones who knew besides herself were the parents. “Oh, uh,” she stumbled before putting herself back together,” I should probably learn not to talk to myself out loud, but I’m sure you can do whatever you set your mind to - us Slytherins always are, right?” It was forced, but it sounded a lot better than the truth.

G.  GREENGRASS       ╱     invisiblevee

      𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑠  𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦  𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑠       his  steps  in  the  slightest  at  the  sudden   burst   of  a  topic ,    brows  coming  up  to  look  at  genevieve  the  second  she  starts .    it  isn’t   unusual   of  her ,    but  the  expression  she  wears  had  him  expecting   exasperation   of  some  sort .    but  it’s  still   cute ,    he  finds .    as  if  trying  to  fill  silence  with  something  she’s   passionate   about ,   at  least .    it  always  reminds  him  a  little  of  when  moony  sets  off ,    almost   embarrassed   of  it . ❛     all   of  them ?   ❜         sirius  repeats ,    coming  around  to  take  a  seat  in  the   armchair   facing  genevieve .   he  rests  his  fingers  over  his  lips  in   contemplation ,     eyes  on  her .        ❛     would  i  be   defying  the  muggle  queen   by  helping  them   back   into  the   ocean ,    then ?    is  there   protocol   for  letting  them   know   or   choose   what  happens ,    and  aren’t  they  so   slow   the  whales  would  all  be   choking   before  anyone  can  do  much  about  it ?   especially  in   1324 .   ❜      he’s  grinning  lightly  by  the  end  of  it ,     shaking   his  head  slightly  but  finding  genevieve’s  overall  demeanor  not  exactly   light   in  tone .    not  as  much  as  he’d  expect  from  the  strange  topic ,    anyways .    he  drops  his  hand  to   lean   forward ,    elbows  on  his  knees .        ❛     you  okay ,    vee  ?   ❜

“All of them,” she repeated, far too quick nods of the head accompanying her declaration. She stalled at his question, her eyes looking up, weighing the options. “I mean, if I owned something, I’d want it to stay living. I feel like it would be a grand favor of sorts to rescue them from an unfortunate demise. Perhaps even worthy of knighthood. You could be Sir Sirius... which is now very odd to say I realize as it doesn’t roll off my tongue quite as planned.”

Her own words sounded rather obnoxious in her head and she wondered why she couldn’t be like the other Slytherins - like her sister - ruthless and always getting ahead. Sure, she had manipulated many in the past, but it was different with Sirius. They were - or at least had been - far more understanding of one another than that.

His question didn’t throw her off guard. It was far too expected at this point. Nothing flashed in front of her eyes to give anything away this time. “I’m betrothed,” she spat out, immediately locking eyes with him in a hurried attempt to determine whether or not surprise would flash upon his face. Perhaps he was simply playing dumb as she was. Lips tightened but her eyes didn’t blink.

@beforedawnstarters​

          He had promised his mother he would not spend all summer back home, so when she said she was going to London for a few days on business, he decided to join her. Kaz didn’t like London, but then again, he didn’t like anywhere that wasn’t the safe comfort of his home or Hufflepuff common room. Since his mother was busy with work, it meant he was left to find something to do. Since he promised his mother he would not spend the whole time reading in the inn. That’s how he ended up lost in Diagon Alley. “Excuse me,” he said, softly approaching someone, “I think I’m a little lost.” 

Vee was doing what it felt like she always had to do - follow her sister around shopping. When the elder Greengrass had gotten stopped by an acquaintance, Vee had taken her chance and slipped into the shadows. Without paying much attention, she had ended up way too close to Knockturn Alley. Perhaps it was unfortunate she knew so well the dangers of that path, but it had caused her to instinctually take a large step back when Kazimir approached her. Her eyes narrowed, studying him for a slight moment before recognition hit and she softened slightly but kept on guard. “Where are you trying to go?”

»       CLOSED   STARTER  !       @invisiblevee  :

      ❛    𝑎   𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒   𝑣𝑒𝑒 ,       spotted  in  the   wild .    how   miraculous ,❜         sirius  speaks  from  the   archway   to  their   sitting   room ,   where  his  mother  had   so  politely   told  him  to  go  entertain  the   guest .    he’d   seen   her  father ,   and  heard  the   singular   use  of   guest .    frankly ,    he  was  really   expecting   it  to  be  her   sister   he’d  have  to  try  and   tolerate   for  a  few  hours .    seeing   genevieve   there  alone  washes  him  with  enough   relief   to  offer   more   than  just  a  tight  smile .        ❛     how  has   summer   been  going  for  you ,    then  ?   ❜

Her smile was immediate and forced. It grew too far across her face and the worry in her eyes bubbled over, fed by the heat of her racing heart. It was as if a neon sign flashed above her head questioning whether or not Sirius knew how their lives had just changed, exploded from the inside out. 

Vee had yet to decide how she felt about the arrangement. On the one hand, it had been the first sign throughout the entire course of her life that her mother and father actually thought she had worth. You didn’t set up your child with a Black if you didn’t think they were going to bring you honour. On the other though, this was forced and most forced events in life were met with undeniable resistance. 

The fact that he wasn’t looking at her with any sort of grief or disgust meant he probably didn’t know, right? 

Vee let her chest rise with a breath large enough to drown her lungs. “Spent it doing the usual - being a nerd and studying law. Did you know that all beached whales in the UK have belonged to the muggle king and queen since 1324?” She was sputtering.

VEE.

—

          Silas had gotten used to a quieter atmosphere. He didn’t like large crowds of people these days because it felt like everyone was staring at him. Silas didn’t know what had changed to make him overthink everything, but he didn’t like it. He wanted things to go back to normal. Maybe it was something he should talk about with his sister, but he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to do that. He wanted to get something nice for Amaline, though he wasn’t sure what. These days things felt far too tense between them and he didn’t know how to close that gap. Buying her love back felt cheap, though he was pretty sure that felt like a very normal thing for their family. Lost in thought, Silas didn’t realize that there was someone looking in the mirror by the hall and he grazed a shoulder. He looked up. “I apologize. I wasn’t paying attention.” He sighed and closed his eyes. 

As soon as her shoulder was touched, Vee became exceptionally aware of everything. Everything down to the direction her feet were pointing, as if that would matter to someone. Accustomed to being invisible, being seen sometimes felt like it required a fake act - as if she suddenly could no longer be herself blending into the background. “No, no, my fault,” she immediately took on, “I was probably blocking half the hallway or someth--.” Being invisible had given Genevieve plenty of time to study other people without being noticed. Not an expert by any means, but it didn’t take one to notice the pain etched on the man’s face. Or at the very least, he was clearly not in a cheerful mood. Commece stepping on eggshells. “Are you... okay?” Was she even allowed to ask that of him?

“You can do this,” she told herself, looking in the mirror in the hallway of The Three Broomsticks. With a swift nod of her head, she inhaled and attempted to release any lingering emotions. Strength and dignity. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her sister, whom she was about to meet with for a “shopping trip” (which meant anything Vee tried that looked remotely nice on, her sister would get for herself), it was just that she had a lot on her mind and now was simply not the time to be looking out for someone else’s best interests. For now, she really just wanted to be alone. Perhaps a crowded inn was not necessarily the best place to have stopped off to get a quick shot of something strong to calm the nerves. A mint and a touchup of her lipstick and no one would ever know.

( cisfemale | she/her| naomi scott) —— isn’t that GENEVIEVE “VEE” GREENGRASS? yeah that is them, sitting there at the SLYTHERIN table with those other SEVENTH years. when sybill looks into that crystal ball of hers, she sees second place trophies second fiddles and second best, dark clothes to blend in; sneaking down corridors and through secret passage ways to go undetected; getting what she wants only by grabbing it herself; constantly accepting less than she deserves; questions behind ‘yes father’ head nods; and an overwhelming desire to be the one chosen first which seems about right for that NINETEEN year old. anyway i’ve heard they’re pretty INVISIBLE, RESOURCEFUL, and UNORTHODOX. apparently they’re NEUTRAL and PUREBLOOD but i’m sure that’s not related…

How do you break someone’s essence down into words? Pull from their inner core and rearrange the tendrils of color that come up from their being and begin to form letters? Or do you wait in the silence in the hopes that their story comes across on a breeze? Perhaps it is the waves that carry razor sharp stings of someone reminding you that they exist.

Genevieve can hardly be reduced to a few small paragraphs, but for the sake of time, let me give you a small glimpse into what creates this fragile individual being. 

TW for what is below - illness, blood, neglect, anxiety, death