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souurcitrus · 3 months

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List of events that occurred from 1980 to 1988 in Earth-18104. The story behind these events is not completely complete, some are well summarized. Most of these events happening here are taken by other medias, like the movies and the comics, but doesn't follow Marvel Canon or the time-line established so faithfully, and include stories of my OCs.

The (N) at the end of names serves to indicate character births. I will include more events as I write more about the characters.

List of Events of Earth-18104 (Resume)

1980 -

• Alongside his friend Mendel Stromm, Norman Osborn (25) founded his company Osborn Chemical, also known as Oscorp.

• He also married his college sweetheart Emily Lyman and they had a son, Harold "Harry" Osborn. (N)

• Unfortunately, his wife became ill and died, which caused Norman to bury himself in his work and rarely have time for young Harry.

• June 5 - Peter Parker is born, son of CIA agents Richard and Mary Parker. (N)

• Alicia Reiss's mother, Marcia Deaton, died from radioactive isotopes involved in the explosion that killed her husband years earlier. While Alicia (14) grew up to become a noted sculptor, Phillip Masters (51), her adoptive father, was heartbroken over Marcia's death.

• Adrian Toomes (33) and his wife Cheryl had their second daughter, Valeria Toomes. (N)

• Ben Grimm (18) received a football scholarship to the State University of New York, where he studied alongside his childhood friend, Reed Richards (17), who rented the Baxter Building, at 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, and decided to rent the entire top floor to transform it into a laboratory/house, which he shared with Ben.

• In college, the two met a foreign student, a scientific genius named Victor von Doom (18), who quickly formed a rivalry with Reed.

• (The Dane's plane crash)

• When Lorna Dane was five years old, her stepfather Arnold discovered that she was not his biological daughter and decided to confront his wife. He took Suzanna and Lorna to fly in his plane and a fight broke out between the couple.

• Lorna was upset about the flight and began crying, triggering the manifestation of her immense magnetic abilities, which caused her to emit a magnetic pulse that destroyed the plane and killed her parents, as well as giving her hair its iconic green color.

• Lorna was the only one who survived and was found by her real father, Magneto, who was attracted to the location by his magnetic pulse.

• Believing that she was not ready for his abilities or the life he could offer her, he had Mastermind use his illusionary powers to rewrite Lorna's memories of that day, leaving her to believe that her parents died in a car accident. plane when she was a child, so she was raised by Arnold's sister and her husband.

• Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (12) lived a happy childhood, traveling with their family and adoptive parents throughout Central and Western Europe.

• As they grew, their mutant powers emerged and with the protection of their family, they had complete freedom to explore their abilities. Wanda had a strong connection with magic, while Pietro manifested super speed, which he used to his advantage on many occasions.

1981 -

• By the age of eighteen, Reed Richards had earned four degrees in fields such as engineering, mathematics, and physics.

• Meanwhile, Ben Grimm (19) quits college and joins the United States Air Force and becomes a highly skilled fighter pilot. At some point he started dating Dr. Linda McGill.

• Franklin Storm gambled away the family fortune, ending up in a penitentiary for murder after accidentally killing his loan shark. His children went to live with their aunt Marygay Dinkins, who ran a boarding house.

• Sue (16) told Johnny (8) that her father had died, and he would not discover the truth until years later.

• While her sister went to college, Johnny, who was very attached to Sue and saw her as a substitute mother, suffered greatly when she left. In his early teens, he was attracted to automobiles and became a mechanic at a young age.

• Stephen Strange (37) studied magic with the Ancient One for seven years and returned to the United States where he became a mystical consultant and protector of New York's Sanctum Sanctorum, alongside Wong, the librarian of Kamar-Taj.

• During his last years at university, Henry Pym (18) met Maria Trovaya, a Hungarian immigrant studying in the United States with whom he begins a relationship.

• Unknow to him, Maria was daughter of Dr. Janos Trovaya, a Hungarian geneticist and entomologist, secretly involved with the HYDRA and the Red Room.

• Since then, Strange has fought demonic entities, his reputation has grown, and he has even become an occasional consultant to local and federal authorities.

1982 -

• Clint Barton (16) adapted his archery skills to become a star of the carnival, a master archer named "Hawkeye," also known as "The Greatest Shot in the World."

• One day, he found Jacques Duquesne (29) and his brother Barney Barton (21) embezzling money from the circus where they lived. Before he could stop them, Jacques beat him and left him behind, escaping with Barney from the city.

• After this, Clint's relationship with his brother deteriorated.

• Greer Nelson (21) met William Nelson when he joined the Chicago police. They quickly became close and began a relationship. Will, wanting to be the hero in their relationship, tried to convince Greer to leave the police force and be a housewife, but Greer refused, wanting to maintain her independence and sense of adventure.

• Gabriel Summers, later known as Vulcan, is born. (N)

• Years after Xavier divorced, Gabrielle Haller a teacher, was living in Paris with her son, David (3). She met and married Daniel Shomron who helped her care for her son.

1983 -

• Matt Murdock (18) got a scholarship to State University. On his first day he met Franklin "Foggy" Nelson, who was also studying law.

• Foggy and Matt immediately formed a strong friendship and Nelson often joked about his blindness, while Murdock teased Nelson about many of his poor life choices.

• (EVENT Captain Marvel - Incomplete)

• Carol Danvers (28) and Maria Rambeau (30) were chosen as test pilots for Project PEGASUS, a joint scientific project between the Air Force, SHIELD and NASA, under the command of military scientist Doctor Walter Lawson, who was secretly the Kree soldier Mar-Vell in disguise.

• Danvers and Rambeau, receiving the pilot callsigns "Avenger" and "Spectrum" respectively, would continue to fly under Lawson's supervision together.

• Lawson (or Mar-Vell) became a mentor to Carol, for whom he developed a special concern, while Carol was inspired by Lawson's passion for his work and his desire to use his skills to end wars.

• One morning, while on a reconnaissance flight, Danvers and Rambeu noticed an unknown ship approaching. Danvers did her best to avoid the attacks, but was hit. As she lost control, Carol's Kree powers activated for the first time and the cabin filled with light.

• Carol survived the fall and was found by Walter Lawson. A few days later, she woke up to find that she was in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.

1984 -

• Henry Pym (21) started working on a formula for shrinking objects, but was having difficulty finding funding. He also noticed how distant his girlfriend Maria Trovaya was becoming and began to suspect that she was hiding something.

• Bobby Drake's (7) mutant powers emerged very early.

• One day he woke up feeling strangely cold, his hands were pale, his lips were purple and his body couldn't stop shaking. Despite this he didn't feel sick or weak, the cold didn't bother him in the slightest.

• At the hospital, doctors were unable to diagnose what was wrong. Bobby's core temperature dropped to fatal levels and yet he was apparently completely healthy.

• Doctors told the Drakes that their son probably wouldn't survive the night unless there was some kind of miracle.

• The next morning, Bobby was feeling better, his body had returned to normal temperature, although his skin was still pale. His mother prayed gratefully, believing that a miracle had indeed occurred, but Bobby and his father thought otherwise.

1985 -

• (X-Men - Marvel Girl)

• Jean Grey (10) was playing with her friend, Annie Richardson, when she was hit by a car. The stress awakened Jean's telepathic powers that linked her empathically to Annie, allowing her to feel her life slipping away.

• The traumatic experience left Gray in a withdrawn and deeply depressed state. Not being able to control her newly awakened telepathic abilities forced her to isolate herself from other people to maintain her sanity.

• Months later, a psychiatrist recommended that her parents consult Professor Charles Xavier (48), who revealed to Jean, but not to her parents, her mutant status.

• To protect her, Xavier decided to block her intense telepathic abilities by erecting psychic shields until she developed the necessary maturity to deal with them.

• He also helped her unlock her telekinetic abilities, teaching her how to levitate and manipulate objects.

• Howard and Maria Stark die in a car accident.

• Their son, Tony Stark (21) inherits his father's business, Stark Industries.

• In a short time, it transformed from just a munitions company into a multinational corporation with a range of interests that encompass virtually every type of contemporary scientific industry and leading the cutting edge of electronics.

• Tony also bought the company that built the car his parents were driving when they lost their lives and fixed the flaws in the brake system.

• (EVENT - The Incredible Hulk)

• Bruce Banner (23) earned his doctorate in nuclear physics at Caltech and wanted to pursue philanthropic hallmarks of science, but was unable to receive any funding for his projects.

• Lacking options, he began working at a United States Department of Defense nuclear research facility in New Mexico.

• There Banner met General Thaddeus Ross, and his daughter Betty, with whom he ended up falling in love. Banner designed and supervised the construction of the "Gamma Bomb" or "G-bomb", a nuclear weapon that has a high emission of gamma radiation.

• He was present at the site for the first bomb detonation, however, upon seeing that a civilian, Rick Jones, had breached security and entered the restricted testing area, Banner entered. His assistant, secretly a double agent, detonated the bomb and intense waves of radiation reached the surface.

• Banner was irradiated with highly charged radioactive particles, which altered his body, causing him to frequently transform into the immensely powerful humanoid monster known as "The Hulk".

• Eventually, Henry Pym (22) became the hardest-working biochemist in the world, but the lack of innovation in his experiments eventually became too much for him.

• While working on a development program paid for by the Roxxon Oil Company, Pym was distracted by an ant farm and when his employer picked up on the case, Pym finally lost his temper.

• Grumbling about not being able to use his imagination, Pym angrily threw the ant farm across the room and quit his job.

• That same night he met with Maria Trovaya, who took him to the beach to relax. Lying in the sand, Pym expressed his desire to spend the rest of his life with her, just enjoying her presence.

• Maria joked about Pym being a "very hard-working ant" and said she doubted he would know how to relax if it weren't for her.

• Back at his apartment, Henry was inspired by Maria's words and his father's motto and decided to use his scientific prowess to try and fight crime while continuing to create his size-changing formula.

• Using ants as an example, he began studying entomology and began experimenting to find a way to reduce objects to "ant size" as well as restore them to normal.

1986 -

• After graduating from high school, Helen Cho entered college, where she graduated and became a geneticist and began working at U-GIN, a highly advanced bioengineering company based in South Korea known for her work in elaboration of regenerative tissues.

• Biologist Barbara Morse (22) was chosen by SHIELD to become an agent, being trained by several agents as well, receiving the codename Angente 19. Additionally, Barbara's propensity for insulting her opponents in battle earned her the codename of "Mockingbird".

• CIA agents Richard and Mary Parker are killed by the Red Skull and accused of treason during a mission. Young Peter Parker (6) was adopted by his uncle and aunt, Ben and May (42) Parker.

• (The Ghost Rider)

• When Johnny Blaze (22) found out that his father, Barton, was dying of cancer, he was embarrassed for planning to skip the Quentin Carnival, refusing to attend the shows with his father.

• One night, a strange man approached Johnny and offered him to sell his soul in exchange for Barton's health. Skeptical, Johnny accepted, and the next morning Barton was cured of cancer and gave Johnny his favorite motorcycle and let him go away with his beloved Roxanne.

• Despite the agreement, Barton would die almost instantly afterwards while attempting to set a new world record with a 22-car jump. About to leave Carnival, Johnny heard of his father's death and was devastated and went after the man he made the deal with and discovered that he was a demon, Mephisto.

• That same night, Johnny transformed into Ghost Rider and almost lost his soul to Mephisto, were it not for Roxanne's timely intervention proclaiming her love for him and temporarily driving Mephisto away through her purity of feelings.

• Realizing he could never free himself from his curse, he abandoned the Carnival where he grew up, taking Roxanne with him. The two would continue traveling the West seeking to escape Mephisto and remain safe.

• As he grew up, Kevin Brashear (16) fell in love with his father's work, Blue Marvel, and became his partner in Adam's countless adventures over the years.

• Stark Industries designs the Helicarrier designs for SHIELD.

• After months of work Henry Pym finally discovered what he called Pym Particles, which at the time he distilled into a chemical formula that, when exposed to the skin, caused objects to shrink in size, and a specially made antidote could restore them to normal.

• After successfully shrinking a chair, Pym presented his discovery to the Scientific Research and Development Committee.

• By displaying the shrunken chair, Pym's ideas were ridiculed, and when he accidentally mentioned a possible military application for his formula, the humanitarian committee rejected his grant.

• Leaving the committee, he met with Dr. Vernon Van Dyne, who wanted to obtain funding for his own invention, a gamma ray beam that he believes would allow him to contact worlds other than Earth's solar system.

• Normally accompanying her father to scientific meetings, Janet Van Dyne (20) met up with Pym.

• Expressing her attraction to the young man, she invited him to dinner when they first met and he quickly declined, saying he already had someone he was interested in.

1987 -

When her son was still a child, Gabrielle Haller realized that David (7) was autistic and took him to see a psychologist who confirmed his diagnosis. After that, she took David to the premiere of Return of the Jedi, making David a fan of the saga.

• (EVENT Iron Man - Incomplete)

• (February)

• While in the Middle East for a field test of a prototype weapon, Tony Stark (23) was kidnapped by the terrorist faction known as the Ten Rings and was seriously injured.

• Faced with imminent death and desperate to survive, Tony found the inspiration he needed to create the miniaturized arc reactor to power an electromagnet that held shrapnel from his heart.

• However, the arc reactor had another purpose - it would power Tony's escape plan and revolutionize modern weaponry.

• After coming of age, Angelo Unuscione (18) moved to North America and legally changed his name to Gunther Bain. He used his ability to create a virtually impenetrable force field to launch a career as a flamboyant and invincible costumed fighter known by the stage name Unus the Untouchable.

• Upon completion, Natalia Romanoff (25) was injected with the "Soviet Spider-Soldier Serum." Survival was not guaranteed, but she proved capable of handling it.

• Transformed into Black Widow, Natalia joined the service as an assassin, seductress, spy and saboteur. She often worked alone, but also carried out missions with other Black Widows and the Winter Soldier, with whom she began a secret relationship.

• (X-Men - Iceman)

• May 5 - Bobby Drake's powers manifested again during his 10th birthday. He accidentally froze his pool while his parents were cooking burgers; when they returned to the yard, they found their son skating on the frozen water.

• William and Madeline immediately knew that their son was something different than they thought, something more like the superhumans appearing on TV lately. Concerned for his safety, they told Bobby to be careful with his powers because others would fear them.

• Bobby, on the other hand, found the idea of being a "superhero" very exciting. After this accident he began to train his powers in secret and little by little he learned how to cover his body with snow.

• (June)

• Tony Stark returns to the United States.

• After Iron Man's debut, Clint Barton (21) decided to become a vigilante, using his archery skills to fight crime.

• Just a few months after his debut as "Hawkeye" Clint Barton was handpicked by SHIELD director Colonel Nick Fury for his skills, becoming one of SHIELD's most skilled agents, where he served alongside Agent Mockingbird, Barbara Morse (23).

1988 -

• (February)

• Warren Worthington III (12) was enrolled at St. Joe's Catholic School. There he continued to excel in sports, breaking the high jump record.

• Henry McCoy (14) attended Bard College. Despite being a promising and intelligent student, his mutation made him a target for bullies; even teachers often ignored him.

• One day, when he was being harassed by some of his classmates, Henry was pushed into traffic. He was saved from a fatal accident thanks to his agility. Upon witnessing this, the coach of the local football team became determined to make Henry play for the Bobcats, the school team.

• Henry became an instant star on the field, winning game after game and becoming a rising star.

• (EVENT - Ant Man)

• After many more tests, Henry Pym (25) decided to foolishly test the Pym Particles on himself, shrinking in size, despite protests from his girlfriend Maria Trovaya.

• He ended up being chased by a mouse and ran out of the house, where he stumbled upon an anthill. Fortunately he was found by Maria, who took him back into the house and helped him find the growth formula to restore himself to normal.

• To celebrate his victory in his project, Maria took him out to dinner.

• At the restaurant, the two were interrupted by Janet van Dyne, who was surprised to discover that Pym actually had someone in his life.

• Annoyed by Janet's presence, Henry tried to dismiss her, but changed his mind when he saw that she was accompanied by Janet's father.

• While Maria was upset about the interruption of her meeting, Pym invited the van Dynes to join them and explained his research, and although Vernon was unimpressed, Janet became even more enamored with Pym, which drew Maria's fury, who left the restaurant without speaking to Pym.

• Confused by the turn of events, Pym tried to talk to Maria, but she ignored him and went home. Embarrassed by her behavior, Janet tried to apologize as well but Pym left angrily.

• For the next few weeks, he did not hear from Maria and continued to study and learn how ants communicated.

• (May)

• Henry Pym then began designing a special communications helmet that allowed him to communicate with ants, as well as a suit woven from Unstable Molecules that protected him from insect bites.

• Testing these new inventions, Pym found himself in danger when he frantically tried to find the proper frequency to make the ants obey his commands.

• An ant failed to fall under his control, and when it attacked, Henry was shocked to discover that although he had shrunk in size, he still retained his average strength that he had at normal height and was easily able to fight the ant.

• Trying to get closer to Henry, Janet offered to finance his research, which made her closer to the scientist, much to Maria Trovaya's anger. Henry, on the other hand, felt a genuine friendship with the young woman and amused her with all his latest ant discoveries.

• Henry first became Ant-Man for the purpose of fighting crime, when he took a government position trying to develop a way to make people immune to radioactivity. The notes on this formula were the target of a group of spies who tied up Henry's colleagues.

• Unwilling to divulge any information, Pym was locked in an office until he was ready to speak. This allowed Henry to use his formula to decrease from size and, like Ant-Man, rescue his colleagues. Using his control helmet, he commanded an army of ants to help untie his fellow scientists and then attacked the spies.

• The spies panicked from all the insect bites and were soon incapacitated and tied up by scientists who had no idea how they broke free or what happened to their captors. Ant-Man silently escaped and returned to his normal size.

• After this, as Ant-Man, Pym established a connection with law enforcement in New York City and developed technology that allowed him to learn about ongoing crimes and police activities through a network of ants.

• (August 6, Saturday)

• (Summers' Incident)

• The Summers family was returning home from a family vacation in Christopher's old private plane.

• Scott (12), Alex (10) and Gabriel (6) were sleeping when the plane caught fire and began to fall. His mother woke them up and tied them to the same parachute, then pushed them out.

• Scott had trouble opening the parachute and they were already very close to the ground. He managed to protect his brothers from the fall, but ended up suffering a major impact, hitting his head on the ground and breaking his legs.

• Upon seeing Scott's injury and Gabriel's dispair, Alex ran to find help. After telling police about the incident and Scott receiving medical help, Alex and Gabriel taken in by different foster families, separated from their older brother.

• The head injury damaged the part of Scott's brain that would allow him to control his optic blasts. When he woke up in the hospital, he felt extreme sensitivity to light and intense pain in his eyes.

• (August 11, Wednesday)

• A few days later Scott still didn't know where his brother was and couldn't call his grandparents to let them know his situation.

• Enraged, he accidentally launched an optical blast that destroyed several floors and the hospital's roof. Soon afterwards he fell into a coma.

• Alex Summers was placed in the care of Andrew and Joanna Blanding, being raised alongside their daughter Haley. Alex was pressured to act as a replacement for Todd, the couple's son who had died years ago, which he tried to do as best he could.

• For a long time, he was frustrated because no one had information about his parents or siblings, and he could not communicate with his grandparents, often failing to remember where they lived.

• After a few years living with the Blandings, Alex grew up and gradually forgot about his old life, becoming unaware of the existence of his powers.

• Charles Xavier (50) and Moira MacTaggert heard about Scott Summers and visited him in hospital, hoping he would wake up one day so they could take him to Graymalkin Manor.

• (August 20, Saturday)

• While on leave from the United States Marine Corps, Frank Castle (32) met a woman named Maria, with whom he instantly fell in love.

• (September 1, Thursday)

• (EVENT Ant-Man and Wasp)

• By this time, Henry Pym was developing a way to graft a wasp's wings and antenna onto a human body, which would protrude from their bodies once shrunk by Pym Particles

• When Dr. Vernon Van Dyne perfected a gamma-ray beam device, there was an accident in his laboratory. A fire broke out, causing an explosion that collapsed the entire building beneath Vernon.

• Although the authorities warned Janet that it was an accident, she was not completely convinced and called Henry Pym for help. As Ant-Man, Pym investigated the murder and was surprised by Van Dyne's bravery in wanting to avenge his father when they discovered that Vernon had in fact been murdered.

• Pym and Maria became closer to Janet during her time of mourning, as they continued to deal with crime on the streets.

• As a crime-fighting duo, Ant-Man and the Wasp have fought many villains. The Wasp, with her smart and cheerful attitude, proved crucially beneficial to Ant-Man's career, as she displayed masterful competence as a superhero.

• Deciding to reveal his secret identity to Van Dyne, Henry developed a suit with synthetic wings and antennae and began experimenting directly on Janet, exposing her to Pym particles and teaching her how to use the Wasp suit.

• Additionally, in between her adventures, she constantly expressed her desire to become romantically involved with Pym, but continued to be rejected because he was still in love with Maria.

• With a growing reputation as a charismatic celebrity, the Wasp also frequently entertained fans, hospital patients, and even Henry Pym and Maria Trovaya, telling them various fantasy stories

• (November)

• Three months after they met, Maria informed Frank Castle that she was pregnant, offering him the chance to leave as she was willing to raise the child alone, only for Castle to propose to her, resulting in their marriage. Months later their first daughter, Lisa, was born.

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endlessly-cursed · 11 months

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Primrose Gray’s Legacy, Act One, The Younger Years, Chapter Six: One Last Name

A/N: After a long block, I finally came around and finished this!! This chapter is as hilarious as it is angsty and cute. Enjoy!!

Summary: Primrose’s mother summons her on a weekend to Winbourne, and when she finds out the reasin why, she cannot just accept it. But she can get rid of it with womanly wits.

OCs featured: Henry of Alderly, Malcolm & Estelle Stolberg-Burke ( @gaygryffindorgal ) William Devlin ( @unfortunate-arrow )

OCs mentioned: William Devlin (more mentioned than featured tbh) Siobhan Llewellyn ( @kc-and-co ) (briefly)

Warnings: Angst, mentions of inbreeding and being part of the nobility

Word Count: 3.0k

Taglist: @gaygryffindorgal @nicos-oc-hell @camillejeaneshphm @hphmmatthewluther @catohphm @thatravenpuffwitch @magicallymalted

Easter had fallen upon the castle, and many spoke of how excited they were for seeing their families for two weeks before coming back for their exams. Primrose had been among them when she rose, but the moment her mother sent her the awaited letter, everything changed.

To my dearest daughter,

Easter is almost upon us, and having you back home is a joy that no words in any language could my heart express.

This Easter is special, for these holidays we have an important guest: your dear cousin, George Barton, who just turned ten and five and has been looking forward meeting you. He is the son of my beloved aunt and godmother, and a gentleman whose reputation is beyond reproach.

I have sent you a dress in which I want you to dress in during your journey back home. I expect you to be on your best behaviour, for impressing this man is capital for us. I’m afraid we’ll have to postpone your friends coming over for another time. This is family business.

I also advise that we hush about Hogwarts. During his stance here, you are studying in Switzerland and just came back.

Your most loving and affectionate,

Mother.

Primrose moaned as a complain of having to impress a toot. Henry noticed and looked at her, questioning what had happened. Not hungry anymore, they headed towards the gardens. Malcolm noticed them and waved them.

“Come join us, Prim!” Estelle cried.

They obliged and Primrose barely touched her toast. Estelle raised an eyebrow “You seem preoccupied.”

“Yeah,” Henry followed “what is it?”

“Your secret’s safe with us.” Malcolm assured.

Primrose sighed and handed them the letter. Malcolm read it aloud and Henry squeezed her hand. “That sounds suspicious. Why so keen on impressing a cousin?”

“Estelle,” Malcolm warned his sister.

“I’m with Estelle,” Henry concluded “your mother’s matchmaking campaign isn’t over.”

Primrose’s eyes widened and felt a lump on her throat “But… he is my cousin!” She cried, horrified by the idea.

“You wouldn’t be the first one to marry her cousin.”

“I’m afraid that’s true. For what I’ve seen in History of Magic, it is a common practise still.”

“Not only in history, but here. The Gaunts have inbreeding practises still. And they’re not the only ones.” Estelle added.

Primrose cringed at the idea and fanned herself, trying not to throw up out of disgust. Estelle and Henry quickly fanned her as well as Malcolm waved his wand and his cup of water was now cold enough. Primrose gulped it all rather unladylike and sighed “Thank you, Mal.”

“No problem. Cold water is good for cooling off disgust. You were starting to turn green.”

Henry and Estelle giggled and Primrose covered her face in her hands, moaning again in despair “Maybe I can say that I am bedridden because of Flying class?”

They all laughed as Primrose whined, knowing that this dinner had no escape.

Saturday had come, and Vincent Gray was on his way to pick up his daughter. If he wasn’t thrilled at all, he didn’t show it. Instead, he kissed his daughter’s forehead and smiled at her “Look on the positive side: if you get bored, you can fake food poisoning and retreat earlier.”

Primrose looked at her father curiously “And how does one do it?”

Vincent smirked “Get into the carriage and I’ll happily teach you.”

William was there to bid her goodbye, and he had to kiss her hand “I hope you have a pleasant holiday and that we can see each other soon,” he said, as it had been requested by the viscounts and rehearsed.

Primrose, with an equally rehearsed smile, inclined her head towards him in thank you and turned to get into the carriage with his help.

“Take care of yourself, William, and remember my advice.”

He only nodded before drifting off to his dorm. He’d be picked by the viscountess later.

As the carriage passed the magical barriers, Primrose, with her blue navy riding habit, looked at her father “I believe that you were about to tell me how I could fake food poisoning. I hope it does not require actual poison.”

Vincent smiled knowingly “Leave that to your dear father.”

As they arrived, Primrose had been asleep after a thorough class on food poisoning and was clueless of the receiving she was about to get. Vincent had an eagle’s eyes and soon woke up his daughter and applied the water spell to wash off the sleep off her face and straightened out her dress.

The door opened and all of her servants curtsied to her in line as her mother, the Dowager Duchess Olympia and a tall, blonde boy around her age stood there, arrogance in his eyes. Beatrice soon put an apron on the muddy floor as Vincent helped his daughter off the carriage and Beatrice cried out “Lady Primrose Sabrina Gray, Heiress of Winbourne!”

The boy in question didn’t wait for her to come to him and kissed her hand. He was around fifteen or seventeen and had a sneer on his face “My lady. Your generosity knows no bounds, though I expected you to be taller.”

Primrose, having been in her friend Siobhan’s influence, had to bite off a sarcastic comeback and simply smiled as she curtsied “My lord. You honour me with your presence.”

“Indeed.” Vincent said, a sarcastic tone on his face “We are much obliged to host you here.”

“Of course you are.” He smirked.

Primrose was not a violent woman, but a slap for his arrogance would’ve been gratifying. She simply greeted her mother and great-aunt. The old Olympia squeezed her cheek and smiled “What a handsome young girl you are! You shall be the bane of many men’s existences.”

“You honour me, Your Grace.”

“Oh, dearest, call me aunt!”

She nodded as they went to take tea and Primrose went to change her riding habit to a baby blue dress and her hair in semi-collected hairdo and applied eau de cologne with the smell of primroses. She went down the stairs and Beatrice mouthed good luck before she entered the room. There, Olympia smiled “My grandson George is just a jewel of a boy, is he not?”

“Indeed. A man of respectable wealth, looks, lands and reputation.”

“How do you like your tea, dear cousin?”

Primrose almost spilled out her cup of water “Pardon?”

Olympia cried “Hasn’t your mother told you? I was the sister of your late grandfather, and godmother of your mother! Oh, Vicky, you and your secrets…”

Primrose’s heartbeat dropped as she looked at her mother in despair. Her mother smiled “Surprise, dear!”

She stood up to leave and lock herself in a room, but the moment her feet touched the ground, she fainted. She could only hear her mother crying out for a doctor before she gave into the darkness.

Three hours later, she woke up, and Vincent covered her in kisses, trying to supress tears falling from his eyes. Beatrice started fanning her and Primrose thanked her before throwing a pillow to her father.

“Primrose! To what do I owe this behaviour?!” He cried, equally surprised and hurt by the hatred in his daughter’s eyes.

“Did you know?! That we are cousins?!”

“I’m afraid so, dearest.”

“And you’re alright with it?! Does Viscount Carlisle know that you’re trying to throw him under the train?!” She demanded, in a higher voice than it was proper.

“He does not, and neither did I till I came to fetch you at Hogwarts. Beatrice told me—,”

She turned around violently towards her lady’s maid and cried out “You knew?!”

Beatrice turned red in shame and bit her lip, nodding “Your mother’s maid told me via letter and I…”

“You what?! Kept quiet without telling me?!”

“Primrose—,”

“Get out! All of you!” She screamed, her cheeks burning hot, her heart going fast and breathing hard, trembling with rage. They all obliged and left, and Primrose hid her face in a pillow as she cried and screamed into it. She yelled many times that she would not go to the dinner, and stayed that way during all Friday night.

On Saturday morning, Primrose had woken up from the third time, and the day was about to begin. Putting on some petticoats and boots, she used the vines from her window to sneak out and ran towards the stables and soon picked her beloved horse, Ledger, and soon set off to the forest, riding for a long time. The wind in her hair, in the early morning, where the birds had woken with her and not even the milkman was to be heard with his cries, Primrose soon stopped her horse when she saw that she had reached the limits of her estate.

Spotting a tree with many fresh apples, she saddled her horse and climbed the tree, picking several apples. She bit into the red one and sighed, trying to get off her image the nightmares of waking up in a wedding dress and, when she went downstairs to fetch her mother, found herself in a church where everyone looked at her as George laughed at her. The third time she had that nightmare and woke up panting and barely breathing, she took off then.

Having eaten something, she closed her eyes as she enjoyed the early morning’s breeze and the chirping of the birds, the sound of being the first person to wake up in the morning.

She almost forgot about George and her mother’s attempts to replace poor William with her first cousin. Almost. When a baritone voice woke her from her inner peace “Excuse me, miss?”

She opened her eyes to find a man, about twenty, squinting his eyes as he asked “May I know why are you in my dominion? Are you lost? Where are your parents?”

She started stammering as she got down from the tree, some apples falling off her nightgown. She had never felt to bare and vulnerable. She started to clean off the crust and stepping back from the gentleman “I was—I was just leaving.”

“It’s alright, just tell me your name.”

“G-good day, sir!” She cried before mounting Ledger again and storming off the fields. She rode and rode as fast as she could, praying that she would not be followed. Suddenly, another neigh called her attention and she stopped in short, finding her own father in a full riding habit and with a worried expression. Primrose now felt truly doomed.

“Primrose Sabrina Gray!” He cried “Where on earth have you been! You left in the morning, no note, escaping from the window like a bandit, undressed and without an escort!” He had never raised his voice at her until now. Primrose’s eyes glassed, trying to collect herself “What if a bandit found you? He would’ve kidnapped you! He would’ve killed you, or—or… Godric, just why! What if I didn’t find you?! How could you be so—so reckless and stupid?!”

He finally his daughter’s silent weeping as she dismounted her horse, trembling of pure sadness and guilt, the hem of her nightgown full of detritus from trees and the horse grunting, feeling her owner’s pain. Vincent finally mellowed at such sight and dismounted his loyal horse as he dropped to his knees, hugging his daughter. She was quick to squeeze him in the hug and she muttered “I am sorry, Papa. I—I couldn’t sleep—and I had—I had nightmares and—and then—I rode off and—and and—,”

He covered the crown of her head in kisses “It’s alright, darling girl. You’re here, in my arms and safe, that’s all that matters.” He kissed her again and wiped her tears “Forgive me. I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you—,”

“You were not. I deserved it.”

“Hey, hey! Look at me.” He cupped her small face into his hands “Never once think that you deserve to be disrespected or disregarded in any form by a man. Much less me. You’re a lady, and what’s more, you’re a human being, worthy of respect. Never tell me that you deserve to be yelled at or any sort of disrespect again. Alright? Now, come here, I’ll sneak you into the house and give you a bath before your mother realizes you’re not sleeping.”

“Will you ever forgive me?” She asked in a raspy voice.

He kissed her nose “I already had. The moment I saw you safe, I forgave you. And you? Do you forgive the poor sod of your father?

She hugged him tightly, and he allowed himself to be in his little girl’s arms for a while before going back to the estate.

After such a morning, Primrose dressed in beautiful violet tulle and brushed her hair, glad to have put all that behind. Of all the options she had been given, marrying someday William wasn’t as bad as her own cousin or a stuffy duke who’d be older than her. She was going to reject him in such a kind way, he couldn’t possibly be mad.

As lunch approached, the knock on her door let her know that the battle had begun, and she’d win it at any cost. She had learned from her aunt Alina that in the high society’s game, when you were a woman in power, it was either winning or winning. An example of it was the queen herself. She had won by being visible, quiet, patient and wise. And she would be no less. In these less bloodthirsty times, the cunning and intelligence was of great importance when it came to power, no matter how small it was.

Going down, she bowed to the respective guests and family members and sat down, wanting to look as innocent as ever, though, despite her tender age, she did catch up on some things quickly.

“Tell me, my little peony, do you enjoy poetry?” Dowager Duchess Olympia asked.

“Oh, very much! At my school, dearest Willie reads me some of it.”

George cleared his throat “Who?”

She looked at him with a clueless and innocent semblance “Why, my betrothed! Such a lovely boy, he is!”

Primrose didn’t care whether he was jealous or just pissed off that someone beat him at the game. He could choke on that feeling, whatever it was.

Vincent, catching up on what his daughter was doing, smiled “Oh, yes, little Will! Our little blossom just adores her future husband. William this, William that, he is just the perfect match for me, she says!”

Victoria’s eyes twitched with a fake smile “Ah, yes, a girl’s infatuation. Priceless feeling.”

“What infatuation, Mama? I already love him! You two picked the best man for me, honestly.”

Victoria hissed in her ear “Stop that now!”

She just smiled innocently at her guests. Olympia was uncomfortable, for she considered that a promise was a promise “And how long have you been promised to him?”

“Oh, a few months—,”

“Since she was but eight years old. She adored him already when they met, and he is very much charmed with her!” Vincent smiled proudly.

“That is rather a long time,” George observed. How Primrose wished she could photograph that moment.

“He is the love of my life, I can tell!” She smiled. Best to serve the cake now “How I wish to be Mrs. Devlin and give him dark-haired babies!”

Her father had to drink wine to hide his laughter “It shall pass, my girl.”

George was fuming, having got the hint that were he to propose, she’d say no, and Olympia was convinced that she loved that boy. Beatrice had to go to a servant’s hall to laugh in muffles.

It seemed like the Barton’s visit would be over in a few hours.

When saying goodbye to their visitors, she whispered to George when he wished her well “We may share one last name and family, but that will never be enough for me to ever become your wife.” She smirked and said in high voice “Thank you for your visit. You shall be missed!”

Some servants snickered and her father bit his lip. Victoria was displeased.

When they left, she said “To my office, Primrose. Now.”

With her head high, she followed her mother and sat with ladylike manner. She turned around “Since when do you have affections for that boy, hm?”

“He is a good boy and he treats me well.”

She scoffed “I am trying to rid you off a loveless engagement and you just hijack it!”

“And trapping me in another will make me happy by marrying my cousin?” She asked.

Victoria massaged her temple “I am buying you time. Engagements can be broken!”

“I am quite satisfied with my own.”

“That,” Victoria cried “is a farce! Everybody whispers how the Carlisle’s have tricked us into his little bastard marrying into the family!”

“Let them whisper. I’d rather be engaged to a good man than my blood cousin who happens to be a git.”

“Primrose,” Victoria warned.

“You talk of love, of how I will love the husband you choose for me. What about me? Can you not trust my decision? Or my criteria, just because I am young? Have you ever thought whether I want to begin my adult life married and carrying numerous children? No! You don’t, and never have. You just want me to follow your path, don’t you?”

Victoria raised her hand, but stopped in short when Primrose ducked in advance. A sepulchral silence haunted the room before Primrose left, not wanting to be in the same room as the woman who had wanted to slap her.

Hours later, she asked her father to take her back to Hogwarts. He agreed upon hearing why. And when she arrived in the dorm, she laid in her bed, trying not to cry before her classmates until it was very late. It’d be one of the few times Primrose ever stayed late.

#hp victorian era #hp fanfiction #primrose gray's legacy #pgl book one #the younger years #oc: primrose sabrina gray #henry of alderly #malcolm stolberg-burke #estelle stolberg-burke #william devlin #george barton #olympia somerset #vincent somerset #victoria somerset #mywriting*

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