this queen don't need a king

Cora had a parchment spread in front of her and was proof-reading the article she’d written about the fashions from The Witches Institute charity tea as she waited for Briar. She had come early - usually Cora worked from the office or home, but sometimes a change of scenery was nice, and it certainly seemed to help this time. After making a last note about changing a sentence, she looked up to see Briar approaching and beamed, casually waving her wand to roll the parchment up and direct it into her bag. “Briar! Just in time, I finished my article revisions so my attention is all yours.”

“It was very productive,” she said. “When I say I got flowers I mean I got flowers. Dozens of them,” she admitted with a laugh. “It was probably a mistake. But I figure I can fill my flat with beautiful flowers and bring them to work with me so they don’t go to waste,” she said. Ophelia nodded her head sympathetically when Cora said she had come to get away from her parents. “They can be such a bore, right?” She said. But Ophelia didn’t have problems with her father for the most part. It was her sister that drove her crazy. “Absolutely,” she said. 

Ophelia shook her head. “I was so sad to miss it but my father had planned a holiday for us to spend some time in America, actually. He was doing some work with some wizards there and brought all of us. It was a nice trip, but a little bit too much family time with my sister especially,” she said with a laugh. “But I heard that it was a blast. Did you go?” She asked curiously. 

Cora couldn’t imagine anything better than a flat filled with flowers, honestly. She might have to make that a motto if she ever found her own place to live - flowers everywhere. But there probably could be too much of a bad thing, as unthinkable as it sounded. Nose wrinkling, she nodded emphatically at the question about her parents. She loved them, and they weren’t as awful as some other pureblood parents were, but still. She was glad for a chance to get away for a little bit.

Her curiosity was piqued at the mention of America - she’d never traveled that far, and didn’t really have much interest in doing so, but it was unusual. “That sounds like it must have been fun though! Too much family time aside.” Having no siblings of her own, she couldn’t relate to that but she did think spending an extended amount of time with her parents might be too much. “Oh, it was such a good time! I had almost started to think he was just a legend. I think his estate was the size of a small country.”

coraline parkinson

Cora shook her head; after the things that had happened in the Black family, you would think the family might have learned some humility. Honestly Cora didn’t know if she could have held her head up in that sort of position but maybe it was simply that the Blacks felt so superior that nothing could touch them. “I’ll be glad to see that,” she muttered. It was probably not a proper way to feel about another pureblood family but Cora just didn’t much like them. “Oh, I don’t know really. Mostly just enjoy myself, I suppose. I didn’t have any real thoughts when I came to find you. Am I keeping you from something?”

Violet lifted her shoulder upwards in a soft shrug. “As will I,” she drawled. Personally she had little ill will against some of the Blacks, but the majority of them carried themselves with the entitlement that she found vapid and even more annoying. While Violet might believe in the superiority of blood, she found the superiority of names to be one of those things to ignore. “Not at all,” she said with a smile as she looked back over at the dog and gave her a pat on the head. “It’s good to get some fresh air anyway. I imagine tonight will become stuffy at some points.”

Her words drew a chuckle out of him, genuine and amused. He had never been a fan of Americans, thought them just uncouth enough and he shook his head as they spoke. “Perhaps they do,” he said with a shrug. “But I can’t get over the accents, I’m afraid.” After spending years of his life perfecting a British accent, the idea of bastardizing it speaking American English was not one that Antonin wished to entertain. He ran a hand along his jawline, nodding briefly, not wishing to speak too much longer on his homeland. Antonin was in England now and he intended to keep things moving forward.

“I work in imports and exports,” he told her with a smile. Not necessarily legal ones, but he wouldn’t say such things to a lady. “Some magical objects, some muggle ones, too.” After all, muggle money was still easily converted into gold. “It’s all very technical at times and from what I understand is very boring to hear about.” He took another sip from his glass.

“I don’t mind the accent so much,” she said, grinning. She had seen quite a few attractive Americans during her travel year - abbreviated though it had been - and found the accent just intriguing enough that she didn’t mind it. Still, she certainly didn’t fault Antonin for his dislike of it, and she didn’t think she would want to have to listen to that accent for her entire life. Imports and exports certainly wasn’t the most exciting thing she’d heard about, but it was better than . . . banking or something. Probably.

“Muggle things too?” That was certainly interesting; there were many purebloods who would have nothing to do with anything related to Muggles. As Cora’s blood wasn’t strictly pure, she was more interested than she liked to let on. “What sort of Muggle things do you import?” She ignored the comment about it being technical and boring; if it became boring, there were a million other topics they could discuss, or they could go their separate ways. Although she rather hoped that didn’t come too quickly. Antonin was fascinating.

Ophelia was grateful that her father didn’t try to micromanage her life for the most part. Of course, he was like most Pureblood fathers and he had his expectations, but Ophelia had always gotten away with things. She had always been allowed to be herself, whoever that was at the moment. She loved popping into Ireland when she had a day off from her job  The Augurey was her favorite bar in Ireland, and whenever she was in the area, she made sure to pop in for a drink. It just made it better when the Hobgoblins were supposed to be there. It was her and Adrian’s favorite spot in Ireland whenever they came. It was always worth the trip.

Seeing Coraline was a bit of a surprise. She hadn’t expected to see anybody from England there, but she smiled at the other girl. “Oh, me neither,” she said in agreement, laughing. “Oh, I came to Dublin to get some flowers for my flat. I had the day off and figured I would come and enjoy the beautiful weather. What about you?”

“That sounds like a productive trip,” she said, thinking of the flower market. She had accompanied her mother on multiple trips there in the past. It would be nice to have her own flat to decorate - she would have to find somewhere that would let her bring Ellie, of course, but it was a thought to pursue. “I don’t have any real reason, other than I wanted to get away from my parents.” She laughed, moved closer to the bar and Ophelia’s seat. “May I?” 

She hadn’t come here for a social visit but she wouldn’t be able to flirt with Ophelia here, in case whispers of her inappropriate choices reached her parents. So she would have to find another way to pass the time for now. “Did you come to Flint’s estate for the holiday?”

Violet’s mother might not have been the best of them, though Violet thought she was a product of her environment more than anything else. And at least Violet had never felt unloved in the home she’d grown up in. “Fitting, perhaps, but it says nothing of her own sense of shame.” Then again, she wondered if she expected Narcissa to have shame for something that she’d been successful at. Certainly Violet would not have felt it. But that was a thought for another day, not a thought for a lazy walk around the estate grounds. Violet laughed again, shaking her head. “She does,” Violet agreed, shrugging her shoulders, as if the words mattered little. And perhaps that, at least, was true. “But she’s a Black. They all think that way. One day, though, they’ll learn to realize that it’s simply not true.” And, truly, she very much looked forward to the day when Narcissa Black realized that her surname would not be enough to get her everything she wanted. “What do you wish to do tonight?” she asked Cora, head turning back to look at her friend.

Cora shook her head; after the things that had happened in the Black family, you would think the family might have learned some humility. Honestly Cora didn’t know if she could have held her head up in that sort of position but maybe it was simply that the Blacks felt so superior that nothing could touch them. “I’ll be glad to see that,” she muttered. It was probably not a proper way to feel about another pureblood family but Cora just didn’t much like them. “Oh, I don’t know really. Mostly just enjoy myself, I suppose. I didn’t have any real thoughts when I came to find you. Am I keeping you from something?”

Date: April 19th, 1979 Location: Augurey Open

Ophelia loved having the freedom to just pop into Dublin for the day, to go to the flower market to pick up dozens of bouquets for her flat and then a show at Augurey. Adrian was supposed to meet her there, but even if he didn’t show up, it was going to be a good night. She had always been a fan of the Hobgoblins, and when she had heard from a reliable source that they were performing tonight, she knew that she had to go. She knew that she had work in the morning, which was a bit of a downer, but it would be well worth it. 

Sitting at the bar, waiting for her drink, she looked around the pub. She just loved the atmosphere, away from the stuffiness of pureblood society back home. Ophelia knew that she couldn’t complain too much, she enjoyed the luxuries that her father provided, that society provided, but sometimes it was good to let her hair down and have fun. Some of the pureblood girls could use the fun. 

She turned around, looking to see if Adrian had arrived, he hadn’t of course, but she saw a familiar face walk in. “I didn’t expect to see you here!” She exclaimed with a laugh.

Cora didn’t rarely venture far from home; she had learned her lesson and knew she couldn’t risk going out by herself and losing the trust that she had rebuilt with her parents. But it didn’t stop her from doing so occasionally, and taking the risk to go to places that were less approved than the norm, and tonight she had excused herself from her parents and ventured out to enjoy some anonymity - or something close to it, anyway. There was a cute bartender at Augurey and Cora’s focus was on the bar as she stepped in, but it was quickly wrenched away as she recognized Ophelia’s voice.

Turning with a smile even before she had fully recognized the other girl, she let out an answering laugh and shifted directions to walk toward Ophelia. “I wasn’t expecting to see anyone I recognized,” she said cheerfully. “But it’s a pleasant surprise. What brings you out here, Ophelia?”

“Indeed,” he agreed. While it was cold in Russia, Antonin had not found it as dismal a place as London in the springtime. “Though I find the Americans and their jaunts to the Caribbean to be strange.” His mouth twisted in amusement and he took another sip from his drink as they conversed, content with this conversation as opposed to the many others he’d felt forced into thus far on his holiday.

“Russia is beautiful,” he agreed with a nod of his head. “Though it is not the best place for travel at the moment.” The tenuous political situation did not help the idea of tourism. Antonin shrugged one shoulder. “Business, mostly. And the British government didn’t try to garnish my wealth.”

“Americans are generally strange, aren’t they?” Cora laughed lightly; she had nothing against them, of course, but she had noticed that they just seemed a little odd to her. But that might be her British prejudices popping out. “Still, they have the right idea as far as climate.” Maybe she could talk her parents into a holiday this year, somewhere warm and tropical; she’d have to promise to be on her best behavior, but she could do that. “That makes sense,” she murmured, although she wasn’t overly aware of anything going on in Russia at the moment. She liked to know what was going on in England but didn’t pay as much attention to the rest of the world. 

“What sort of business? I know it’s not a very ladylike question,” she added, wrinkling her nose, “but I’ve always been more curious than is good for me.” Or so her mother liked to say. All Cora could say is that she wanted to know everything.

Violet laughed, knowing well that Cora was not the type who could simply sit idly by and do nothing. While Violet herself preferred being somewhat productive, there were days she much preferred doing little; it helped to recharge, to plan for the future, and she was still rather curious about how to best move forward. “Mother was always supportive of learning.” That was a statement few pureblood daughters could make, as so many mothers seemed to think women should be seen and not heard, that learning would diminish their value to a man. Violet was inordinately thankful her own mother was not like that. She reached out to pet the dog once more before responding to Cora’s question, thinking how best to articulate what she felt in a way that would not be awful if it was overheard. “I do not. I could be wrong, but I believe she is avoiding me. I am incredibly amused by the thought.” Her smile was smug, the corners of her mouth flickering.

Cora wrinkled her nose at the thought of Vi’s mother, although it was something that she had at least supported education. In Cora’s general opinion, life was better when one thought as little as possible about one’s parents - or one’s friend’s parents. Her expression softened as she watched Vi and Ellie; it was such a little thing but she was always  so glad that her friends liked her dog. Ellie had been one of the things to help her feel like a true adult, despite still living at home. “Well, I think it’s only fitting that she should avoid you.” If Narcissa didn’t realize how wrong she had been through this whole situation, and that Vi was planning her revenge, then the younger girl was far less clever than Cora assumed. “She thinks she’s so special and superior,” Cora added, frowning at the thought. It was one of the things she most disliked about Narcissa, that she seemed to think she was so much better than anyone else. That seemed to be rather a universal truth about the Black family though. 

It wasn’t as if the manor was announced public to everyone and there were enough people to run into someone unexpected. Regulus had been trying to distance himself but his attempts seemed fruitless. “They’re politicians or want to be politicians. People like that were born to smile through a conversation and talk until they bore someone. It’s quite a talent.” Regulus never cared for Ministry employees but wasn’t bold to ridicule them. The other departments that weren’t sanctioned to the idea of corruption. 

“Perhaps. I know little about event taste, but I’m sure your professional advice would be more convenient. Have you talked to my cousin at all? I’m aware that Narcissa is in the midst of planning a gorgeous wedding. I don’t know how much Lucius is offering though I doubt it’s much.”

“That’s true. Politicians feel like an entirely different species,” Cora said, laughing. That seemed like a universal truth, in the magical and muggle worlds. She would have to try to avoid the ministry workers so she didn’t get stuck in boring conversations. Cora did like to think she had good taste - there was a reason she was the fashion writer for the Prophet, after all. But it didn’t mean her advice was always welcome. And in Narcissa’s case . . . well, Cora couldn’t imagine the other girl asking for her advice at all. Not that she wanted to give advice to Narcissa anyway, and Vi would feel so betrayed. 

She hid her dislike under a smile though, and shook her head. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to her about her wedding, but I’m sure whatever she plans will be quite stunning. And in my experience, men are rarely very interested in planning a wedding. Not that I have overly much experience in that area. I’m sure that’s a very thrilling conversation for your family - the upcoming wedding.”

Violet inclined her head; she certainly hadn’t minded house elves, though she did not know that she would go so far as to say she was fond of them. ( Or, at least, she was not incredibly fond of house elves save the ones that served her. ) Her lips curved upwards and she laughed. “Why, you’d be lost in a maze most days. Or you’d never leave your bed.” Her tone was incredibly fond and warm and she squeezed Cora in return, taking comfort in the other woman’s presence. There were few that Violet trusted like Cora and even fewer that she liked. A soft exhale escaped her mouth. “Books are windows into other worlds. Or at least that’s what Mother used to say when I was a child.” When she wasn’t told reading was unattractive, that she’d need to use her looks just as much as, if not more than, her brain. “I know that, and I am inordinately thankful for the two of you. Especially now when I have to deal with her.”

“I almost would say that sounds like the ideal life but we both know that I’m too antsy to be happy staying in bed all day.” Even when she didn’t have anything to do, she rarely spent her time lazing around in bed . Or anywhere else. She had to keep busy, both physically and mentally, or should would lose her mind. “I do agree with that statement of your mother’s,” she said a little cautiously; she had rather mixed feelings about both Vi and Briar’s parents and their relationships with their daughters. Which was something that probably was universal for most purebloods. Although Cora herself got along fairly well with her parents, she had never been overly close to them. “At least you don’t have to see her constantly - right? I haven’t seen her constantly but I am at the office for a good portion of the day.” And Cora wasn’t overly worried about Narcissa either. If Narcissa had stolen Cora’s betrothed, then she would probably be far more attuned to the other girl’s presence.

He took a long sip of his drink as he looked over at the woman. There was little he knew of her, though he had people that could find out information if he so desired. But for now he was simply making small talk, not trying to forge lasting connections that would benefit him in the future. He could afford to relax and so Antonin forced himself to smile wider and allow his shoulders to loosen.

“I have always found warmer climates to be better for vacations; there is more for one to indulge in.” He chuckled, a good-natured laugh that made him sound more approachable than most people found him. “Indeed. I grew up in Russia.” Antonin had hated it most days, finding the squalor of Moscow untenable. “There are place in the northern part of my country where one can see it. It’s a magnificent sight.” Unless, of course, it was one that he had already partaken.

“That’s true - and coming from England, I was always very happy to be in a place where it was sunny and didn’t rain as much.” Their family vacations were some of her favorite memories as well; they didn’t do a lot as a family but that was one thing her parents insisted on. They took trips together when they could, although the trips had been much less frequent since her graduation from Hogwarts. Perhaps because of her one rather disastrous solo trip. It was funny how just that laugh made Antonin seem less intimidating - he still didn’t seem like the sort of person she would just approach flippantly, but he had a charming smile. 

“Oh, that must have been lovely for you. I remember hearing about it and wishing I could see it. But again, we wanted warmer climates for our holidays. What brings you to England now?”

Narcissa wondered what it would be like to have a dog. Perhaps she would have to talk to Lucius about getting one when they were married. She would have to find out if he even liked dogs. She didn’t consider herself the biggest animal person, but a small dog could be fun to have. And it seemed like the next step after getting married, get a pet, and then have children. And truthfully Narcissa wasn’t sure if she wanted to rush into having children after they were married, but that would be a conversation for her and Lucius to have. 

She nodded her head. “Well, there’s plenty of room to exercise her here,” she said in agreement. “She seems rather attached. I suppose that that’s one of the perks of having a dog,” she said. “I’ve never had one, but I have heard that they get very attached to their people.” Her mother had always said that animals were filthy and didn’t let her or her sisters have a pet. But that had been fine by Narcissa, she never felt a draw to having a pet. As she listened to Cora, she made a mental note to seek out their host. It seemed like everyone had had a chat with him, except her and that just wouldn’t do. She nodded her head. “Yes, he’s very lovely. Very kind to have us here,” she said in agreement. “I’m glad that you were able to bring her and not leave her at home, then.” She really didn’t care either way, but she knew that it was the right thing to say. “Well, that’s lovely, then, that you have found time to enjoy yourself. I couldn’t imagine having to go back and forth to London, but I suppose we all do what we have to do. I’m sure the paper is glad that you’re able to commute.”

“Ever so much space, and she’s quite spoiled. Luckily we do have plenty of space on the estate at home, but it’s obviously not as extravagant as this one.” Which was fine; Cora didn’t think she would enjoy living in a place that was large enough for her to get lost in on a regular basis. “He’s been quite courteous,” Cora said agreeably; she was rather impressed too, because he had such a large party here. Giving attention to each guest seemed like it would be difficult but he managed it quite well. “The travel isn’t really a problem,” she said, laughing softly; as a witch, she obviously had access to easy travel options. But it would be much more convenient when she had returned home.

The conversation felt like it had dragged on for far too long, and although it wasn’t a kind reaction, Cora was rather amused at the idea of leaving Narcissa here to wait for Lucius longer. That might be something to pass on to Violet as interesting information. “I’m sure Lucius will be here any minute,” she said, glancing around, “and I do need to get Ellie inside so I suppose I’ll take my leave now. It was lovely as ever to talk to you, Narcissa.”

Though the woman in front of him was familiar, it took him a moment to place her name with her face. Parkinson, he thought to himself as he recalled the evenings of mingling and introductions he’d endured on this trip so far. He lifted the goblet of wine to his lips as she spoke, swallowing before inclining his head. “It is very beautiful indeed, Miss Parkinson.” His lips pulled into a smile as he looked up at the sky, with the stars that twinkled down, unobstructed from pollution or clouds at this late hour.

“Have you seen the aurora before?” Having lived in Russia for many years, it was a sight that Antonin had previously beheld. And even he was not immune to its beauty.

Cora had always prided herself on her ability to remember names and faces - she might get lost walking down a hall or street, but she could recall people with ease. Antonin Dolohov was not someone she had interacted with much but she knew the name. They weren’t well acquainted enough for her to have a true opinion about him, aside from a general sense that he wasn’t cut from the same cloth as many of her peers. “I have no, so I was very excited for this opportunity,” she said, smiling as she took another sip of her wine. 

“Our travels have been to areas more tropical, I must confess.” A flash of memory startled her - the scent of the salt water and bergamot and dark curls and laughing eyes - but she shook it off. “I feel that this might be a foolish question but have you seen it before?”