elizabeth nott

Location: Nott Estate Ballroom Date: October 18, 1986 Starter: Open

“I see.” Andromeda simply responded as she perked up one of her eyebrows giving the person talking to her a bit of a quizzical glance. “And do you truly believe that a ball held in remembrance of those who suffered during the war is the best place to discuss politics?” She mused as she realized she did not have near enough alcohol for any of this. “I do believe that this room is filled with a great deal of conflicting ideologies and it may be nice to simply live at peace for the night.” 

A soft sigh escaped her lips that had been painted with black lipstick. She was not one to talk politics as she remained nuetral during the war for the sake of the safety of her daughter. It was something that she never would question or doubt for even a second. If a second war were to stir, though she doubted it would, Andromeda would make choices again that protect her family. It mattered more that her family was safe and alive than to die for an ideal. 

“How about, we move on from this matter? The music is nice, the food is delicious, and the drinks are good. No need to get in heated discussions for the night.”

Elizabeth made her way through the party that she was hosting, keeping an eye out to make sure that everything was running smoothly. This was her estate, after all, and the outcome of the night would reflect back on her family’s reputation, for better or worse. Considering her husband’s state as a convicted criminal behind bars in Azkaban, the Notts could do with some good publicity. It hadn’t escaped her notice that there was a group of Aurors here, and suspected Order members, no less, but she had nothing to worry about. Even if they were trying to get her on something, they wouldn’t find anything.

As she made another round, she overheard a ghastly old man discussing politics with a woman who looked torn between boredom and offense, and when she recognized the captive party, Elizabeth couldn’t help the small smile that crossed her face. She hadn’t interacted much with Andromeda since she had been blasted off the Black family tree, but Elizabeth wasn’t related to Andromeda through the Blacks, so she saw no reason why she shouldn’t take pity on her cousin.

“Really, I think the lady’s right. It’s too nice an evening to ruin it with impolite conversation. Incidentally, I was hoping to have a word with Mrs. Tonks here. Mind if I steal you away, Andromeda?” She gave the other woman a meaningful look, resisting the urge to wink until they were out of the sight of the man in question.

Captain of the H.M.S. Lucius

Lucius’s shudder at Elizabeth’s mention of dementors in conjunction with the “spectator sports” about which he had been banter was only half-feigned; they were ghastly creatures, and if the Ministry of Magic were truly as progressive an entity as it claimed to be they would have had them all exterminated years ago instead of making uses of the beasts to guard their little gulag. The first few months after the war – both during and after the trials in which a large chunk of the Malfoy family gold and an even larger chunk of the favors and debts which Lucius, his father, and his wife had all accumulated had been spent to secure their freedom – had involved more than a fair few nightmares about Azkaban and its ghoulish guardians. These days however, Lucius hardly thought about the dementors – and he liked it that way.

“I cannot imagine what would possess you to reference such horrid creatures in conjunction with such pleasant activities,” Lucius grimaced then cautioned her, “but if said reference ends up haunting me enough to negatively impact my ‘sport’ I assure you that both I and Cissy will hold you to blame.” He was only half-joking; there were few things in the world that Lucius took as seriously as pleasing his wife. Even his hair came second to Cissy – barely second, but it did.

“At any rate, darling,” he continued, the partially-horrified and partially-teasing tone dropping from his voice to leave gentle logic behind, “you do worry me. It’s not healthy, locking yourself away like that. Stephen is the one behind bars, and tragic as that is, you can’t live your life like you’re there with him. I can’t imagine he’d want you to, either; whatever he sacrificed for your freedom, he’d want you to be free. He’d want you to be happy. Don’t you think?” There was uncommon sincerity and sympathy in Lucius’s voice and in the soft smile he turned on her. “And there has to be someone who’s caught your eye at least in passing in five bloody years. Have some fun,” he suggested. “It will do you good.”

The sincerity and sympathy both vanished a moment later, swept away by Lucius’s more usual boisterous excitement as he exclaimed, “Ah, look! Fizzing Whizzbies!” As Draco, startled from his babbling conversation with Liza, looked up and clapped his hands in glee, Lucius leaned down to confess sotto voice to Elizabeth, “They’re one of Draco’s favorite treats. He enjoys the floating – a future Quidditch star in the making, I’m sure!” Patting his son’s knee proudly, Lucius led the way toward the sweets vendor, glancing back at the Nott witches to say, “And what of you, dear Liza? Will you partake of the floating as well?” The words may have been directed at the girl, but it was really her mother he was asking. Lucius might be a bold, sometimes even reckless man, but he knew better than to risk the wrath of a mother – at least not one with such a knack for nasty spells as dear Elizabeth.

Despite the negative emotions that the topic of sex and the dementors that constantly haunted her husband brought up, Elizabeth couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips as Lucius warned her about the retribution that would come should her comment affect his own relations with Narcissa. Elizabeth knew better than to take the warnings seriously –– she doubted that anything would impact Lucius’ ability to be thoroughly enthusiastic when it came to his wife. After all, the Malfoys were nearly famous in their circles for being that inappropriate couple. Elizabeth and Stephen had once given them a run for their money, but those days were over. For now.

Elizabeth was touched by the genuine concern she heard in Lucius’ voice, but his words had little effect on swaying her from her devotion to her husband. Stephen was the only one she would ever have eyes for, no matter how long he was stuck behind bars, and if she had her way, that wouldn’t be all that long at all. But of course she couldn’t tell Lucius that. For all he knew, the Dark Lord really was gone, and Stephen would be in Azkaban for the rest of their lives. But Elizabeth knew better –– she had listened when their master had bragged about his road to immortality, and she had been trusted with his great secret about the horcruxes. It was only a matter of time before Stephen was back at her side.

Still, she had to play the part of hopeless war widow for a while longer, even to those who had once been (and still were, she admitted sadly to herself) her closest friends and confidants. As much as it hurt her to admit it to herself, she couldn’t trust the Malfoys with this secret, and she wouldn’t let anything get in the way of her plans. As much as she loved Lucius and Narcissa, she would always choose Stephen over them, and the only way to get him back was to get the Dark Lord back. “Ah, alas, I think that time of life for me is over,” she said lightly, turning her attention back to her daughter with the hopes that it would close the subject.

Luckily for her, Lucius’ attention was grabbed by a passing vendor, and she sighed inaudibly with relief, looking down to watch Liza’s excited face at the prospect of fizzing whizzbies. At Lucius’ words, Liza looked up at her mother hopefully, and Elizabeth couldn’t help the indulgent laugh that left her mouth. It seemed their children would always be their weak spots. “Absolutely, she will,” Elizabeth responded to Lucius, her tone of voice back to the confident and assured one that most of the world was so familiar with. “I think she and Draco will be fellows on the Quidditch team one day.” 

Elizabeth stood with a champagne flute in her hand, looking out over the party with a sense of satisfaction. It hadn’t been an easy feat to convince the Ministry committee to let her host this celebration (her husband’s status as an Azkaban prisoner had done quite the number on the Nott family reputation), but she and Theodore had both called in a few favors in order to seal the deal. It was well worth it –– not only did it help her standing in the public eye, but it was a chance to show that though the Notts may have been knocked down, they weren’t staying that way. 

With many more than usual house elves at her disposal, thanks to the access the Ministry seemed to have to them, Elizabeth could sit back and actually enjoy the night, knowing that if she was needed for some reason, her elves would find her. Scanning the crowd to see who she might approach for a conversation, Elizabeth took a sip of her drink. Sensing that someone had come up behind her, she turned, a gracious smile on her face. “Can I help you with something?” 

Captain of the H.M.S. Lucius

The smile that curled across Lucius’s face might have been more fitting to a man wearing a silver mask – all thin lips and sharp teeth and glittering, glinting grey eyes as sharp as a crucio…but then he ruined it by waggling his eyebrows as he said, “Ohhh, there are plenty of surprises in our marriage on both sides, my dear Elizabeth, you needn’t worry on our account.” He winked and laughed, not at all abashed about making such salacious innuendo around the children. “Just the other day she caught me completely off-guard with an Incarcerous for instance, and we had a truly lovely interlude right out in the garden.” It was innuendo for a reason, after all, and one of those reasons was (or had been, as soon as Draco was old enough to begin understanding English, anyway) that little ears lacked the understanding of enough context to parse its meaning – or at least, that was one of its chief reasons in the Malfoy household.

The other, of course, was that it was more fun to tease and flirt than to simply state such things outright in bland, boring, and obvious words. Where was the fun in that?

He laughed again, without any of the sly wink-wink-nudge attitude that had characterized the earlier outburst, at her teasing about the Ministry and his charms. “I don’t know,” he grinned back, “it seems pretty well intact to me. And look, as usual I didn’t even have to draw my wand.” Lucius didn’t know why the fellow had stared like that – could have been because he was overwhelmed by Lucius’s fame, could have been captivated by his robes or his general good looks, could have been remembering an earlier flirtation or affair, could have been old half-dormant memories from having been Imperiused during the war…really, the reasons were as infinitely multitudinous as the contents of Lucius’s jewelry cabinet – and didn’t much care; the end result was amusing all the same.

Lucius knew, of course, that Elizabeth Nott was not by nature pragmatic enough to have drawn the same obvious conclusion that he had about the end of the war and the future of the wixen world – but at least she wasn’t moping. Not outright, anyway. That was more than he could say about many of their former “colleagues” – and she was certainly right about the Ministry. “Despite my youthful preoccupation with the Quaffle,” Lucius drawled, not actually referring to his school-days Quidditch career but one didn’t raise such topics as their time together in the Death Eaters openly in public, “I do find that I’ve come to enjoy spectator sports more and more as the years go by.

“Except sports involving Cissy, of course. Not that spectating isn’t enjoyable there too, from time to time – but I do generally prefer a hands-on approach.” He winked again, then let his voice drop lower. “And you? Have you been enjoying life as a spectator, or do you long for a return to…sports?”

Elizabeth shook her head, unable to stop the chuckle that left her mouth at the insinuations Lucius was making. The fact that her cousin had found such a happy marriage (and such an active one) was something that Elizabeth was glad for, just as she was that her own marriage had been so full of love and...activity. After all, it was that activity that had gotten Elizabeth pregnant at the peak of the war when she most wanted to be out on Death Eater duties. It was difficult to be careful when you were so earnest. Still, she wouldn’t trade a thing. She had Liza now, and that was a better reward than even serving her Master.

Watching the wizard walk away, Elizabeth considered Lucius’ words. It was true, they were well intact. Maybe that was where her annoyance came from. They weren’t attempting to bolster their reputation –– they were showing off the fact that they had managed to maintain peace for these last five years. It infuriated her when she thought of what that peace had cost her. 

Elizabeth looked back at Lucius as he prattled on about spectator sports. Anyone overhearing as they walked by would think nothing of it, but she understood his meaning. He had gotten comfortable in a life without serving the Dark Lord. For Lucius, the war was really over, and so was his allegiance to their Master. She wondered idly if he really thought that the Dark Lord was dead. It seemed impossible to her, to think that anyone else within the inner circle could assume that, not after the way he had boasted about immortality, but of course, maybe Lucius hadn’t been as trusted by their Master as she and Stephen had been. After all, they were two of the few Death Eaters who knew about the Horcruxes.

This was just one of many instances that had Elizabeth worried about what would happen to the Malfoys when she finally managed to bring the Dark Lord back. They had spent the last five years denouncing him and cozying up to the very people that their Master would have most wanted destroyed. Would he forgive them their dalliances? Would they even want to return? 

Narcissa nodded, looking down at her son with a kind of fond adoration she didn’t think she’d ever lose. He truly was a special little boy. “Oh, I’m sure,” she said as she shifted her gaze back to Elizabeth. “I don’t know what he’ll find himself doing, but I hope he enjoys every moment of whatever it is. He certainly won’t want in persuasion to make it happen.”

Elizabeth’s grace and ability to slip past what could have been unpleasant moments in conversation never ceased to amaze Narcissa, she mused as she listened attentively. “Always nice to have good help,” she agreed, “but I suppose that’s a blessing for them that they get to spend so much time with your lovely little girl.” 

She sighed, only a little wistful about braids and tying hair in ribbons, but she always had her husband for such things. Narcissa admitted, “I don’t know that we have a docket today honestly. Looking around, perhaps checking out the Quidditch shops for a children’s set of equipment. Otherwise, I just plan to wander as the mood strikes us–well, strikes Draco anyway.”

Elizabeth laughed, nodding in agreement. It would be a pleasure to watch both of their children grow up, and Elizabeth hoped that Draco and Liza would always be able to be as close as they were now. “Can you imagine the kind of havoc this pair of cousins could wreak on our world one day?” She asked, shaking her head as she smiled fondly at them both. “The world had better watch out for those Rosier genes!”

Nodding in agreement, Elizabeth privately thought that she liked it much better when she was able to handle the raising of her daughter. The house elf that served as nanny for the Notts was always available, but she didn’t get as much time with Liza as most nannies probably did. Elizabeth preferred to keep her daughter close, unless Death Eater business meant that she had to keep her daughter tucked away for safe keeping.

“That sounds exactly like our plan,” Elizabeth replied with a shrug. “I don’t have any particular shops in mind –– I don’t really care about the sales either way. This day is all for Liza, so she gets to choose the way.” Of course, that’s how most days were, but Narcissa already knew that. It sometimes made Elizabeth laugh to think how soft both of them had become when it came to their children. 

A thought suddenly struck her. “Say, have you been approached about being on the committee for the St. Mungo’s ball?” 

If there was person that Elizabeth wished had been rounded up in Azkaban with the others, it was Alecto Carrow. Bellatrix was bat shit mad, but at least she was bearable to be around, and the Rosier blood loyalty meant that no matter how crazy Bella could be, Elizabeth would always have her back. Now with Alecto, things were different. She might not have been as mad as Bella, but she was far worse. She was loyal to their master, yes, and Elizabeth knew that was a gift to have in her ranks at times like this, but at what cost?

She had been awoken earlier than usual with a timid summons from one of her house elves. ‘Miss Carrow was being downstairs, mistress. I is telling her that yous is sleeping, but she is insisting to see you.’ Rolling her eyes and waving off the elf, Elizabeth dressed hurriedly, checking to make sure Liza was still asleep, and made her way downstairs to the sitting room, where the elves took the guests to wait.

Upon entering the room, Elizabeth had to force herself not to scowl at the impatient look on Alecto’s features. The audacity, really, to storm into her house demanding her attention at this hour and then be annoyed when she was forced to wait. Elizabeth made her way to a tray of breakfast that had been set out for her, grabbing a piece of toast before turning back to face Alecto. “And to what do I owe this pleasure, Carrow?” 

Although Alice didn’t really want to be in this conversation, and figured Elizabeth probably didn’t either, she was trying. She figured it must have been difficult for the other woman. Alice’s husband had been the one to apprehend Elizabeth’s husband. In her opinion, it was just what he deserved for being a death eater, but she also knew she probably wouldn’t have been too happy if it was her. Luckily, her husband wasn’t an evil death eater so she never had to worry about him getting imprisoned.

She ex-auror did wonder about Elizabeth though. Her husband was the person she was the closest too, and they shared everything. She couldn’t imagine him having a big secret like that, and keeping it from her. It was why she was a little suspicious of Elizabeth, and wondered how involved the other woman had been. Of course she had no proof, but it didn’t stop her being suspicious. 

Now, the way Elizabeth introduced her to Liza surprised her, though her reaction nor body language reflected that. Years of growing up with the Rosier’s had taught her how to hide her emotions. Luckily, although she had denounced her old family, she hadn’t forgotten the many tricks she had learnt. Alice had known that they would come in useful in the future. 

Alice was pretty sure this wasn’t genuine thing, but she wasn’t going to play into it. She’d grown up in that world, she could be as manipulative as the next pretty pureblood lady. She just chose not too. “Hello Liza!” She murmured, a smile on her lips. It was hard to tell if it was genuine or not to be honest. Part of her was happy to meet Liza. She liked kids, and wouldn’t judge an innocent child, just because of the actions of her mother. So…. maybe the smile was a little genuine.

But it didn’t mean she wasn’t cautious of Elizabeth. “It’s lovely to meet you finally” Yep. Little dig there. “I grew up with you Mommy. We had lots of fun times.” And lots of nasty times too. There had been a reason she had left after all.

“This is Neville!” She continued, nodding down to her little boy. “Are you enjoying the festival Liza?”

Elizabeth noted the subtle digs that Alice threw in there. How could she not? She was pretty sure that she had been the one to teach Alice how to be subtly cruel, though she knew her cousin would deny that was what she was doing. Alice was so self-righteous, so insistent that she was one of the good guys. But Elizabeth knew what Alice would refuse to admit to herself –– she could change her last name, but she couldn’t change that she was formed a Rosier. The ability to be cruel and dark was just as ingrained in Alice as it was in the rest of them.

Lots of fun times, indeed. That is, until Alice turned her back on her family with no gratitude for all the benefits that being a Rosier had provided her. Just like Andromeda, which still made her grit her teeth when she thought of it. Just like Sirius, though that stung less, as Elizabeth wasn’t actually related to Sirius (at least not directly). 

Liza looked up at her mother for guidance, unsure of whether she should answer the woman, but Elizabeth nodded and gave her an encouraging smile. Smiling shyly, Liza nodded her head. “Yes, I am. My cousin Draco told me all about it, and Mummy said we could come for the day.” Her eyes widened with excitement, but then she remembered her manners. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Longbottom.” 

Elizabeth smiled proudly. Her daughter was perfect, in her opinion, and she would grow up to be perfect, too. Far unlike the chubby little urchin standing next to Alice would probably become, if he made it that far. Elizabeth wouldn’t forget that Neville was the one her master had gone after in the end, and she doubted that he would forget, either. It was only a matter of time until her cousin’s family was back in the danger that had once plagued them. She felt a grim sense of satisfaction at the thought.

“Well, we should be going. I promised Liza that I would let her look at some of the new broomsticks.” Grabbing her daughter’s hand, Elizabeth took one last long look at her cousin. “It was good to see you, Alice.” 

Captain of the H.M.S. Lucius

Draco caught at Lucius’s pale locks with one tiny fist so he could hold himself more securely upon his perch as he waved down at Liza. It stung a bit, and anyone else would have suffered mightily for upsetting the flawless perfection of his hair, but Lucius would have shaved his head bare for his son (albeit not without weeping) and he’d suffered far worse pain for far less worthy reasons, so he merely winced and ignored it.

There was quite a bit of distance between the children, with Draco towering on Lucius’s shoulders and Liza walking on her own two small feet, but that didn’t stop Draco from unleashing a torrent of chatter toward the younger girl as he told her all about his marvelous day and its adventures so far; Lucius smiled indulgently and tuned-out the happy babble to focus on her mother’s words instead.

“I would never be so crass as to pry into Narcissa’s private plans,” Lucius said loftily, which was patently a lie as Elizabeth would well know; there were no limits to Lucius’s nosiness, especially not about a topic for whom he cared as deeply as he did his wife. Then he added slyly, “Besides, what if she were trying to buy me a present? I would hate to make it difficult for her to surprise me with something lovely, if she wanted to,” which seemed much more in keeping with his usual narcissism.

“But yes,” he continued, “it’s all been quite enjoyable so far, if a bit trite – but what else can one expect from mere mortals such as shopkeepers and Ministry flunkies?” he drawled. Lucius waved idly to a passing flunky, a harried and preoccupied-looking wizard trying to juggle four different clipboards at once…although not so preoccupied that he failed to recognize the identity of the man waving to him, at whom he gawked until he walked into a streetlamp. Lucius smirked and turned back to Elizabeth. “And you, darling? Is the day everything you could have longed for?” he asked sardonically.

Elizabeth smiled indulgently at both Lucius and his son. If there was one thing she could respect about the Malfoys, it was the kind of parents that they were. She hadn’t understood it at first, when Draco was an infant and they were all serving the Dark Lord. To an extent, she had even resented the fact that the Malfoys cared more for their child than the cause, but when Liza was born, all that had changed. As devoted as Elizabeth still was to returning their master, Liza would always come first. 

Laughing and giving a slight roll to her eyes, Elizabeth smirked at her cousin’s husband. He was far too much of a busybody for that to be true, but he also wasn’t often inclined to share gossip about his own family, so Elizabeth would have to come to her own conclusions about where Cissy was spending her time. Luckily for her, Narcissa never shared information that would put Elizabeth in a...difficult situation, so if she didn’t discover it, all the better.

“Come now, has Narcissa ever been able to surprise you?” She asked, shaking her head. Elizabeth had never quite understood the dynamic between the Malfoys, but it worked for them, and she was glad that her cousin and best friend had found happiness in her marriage. Laughing outright at the interaction with the Ministry official, Elizabeth raised her eyebrow. “Now come, Lucius, don’t tell me your ability to charm the Ministry has worn off?” 

This conversation already felt awkward, and honestly she did just want to walk away. If they didn’t have the fact that in Elizabeth’s eyes she had betrayed her to contend with, they also had the fact that it was due to Alice’s husband that Elizabeth’s was in prison. Not that she saw that as a problem at all. All of the deatheaters deserved to be in azkaban, so that she didn’t truly give a damn about. But it did make things just a little bit awkward. Luckily, since they were in the middle of a big alley, she knew Elizabeth wouldn’t try anything. She had no idea if her cousin was involved or not, but she would probably always be suspicious of her.

She didn’t miss how Elizabeth pulled her daughter closer. Did her cousin think she was dangerous? Or was she more concerned with whom she was mixing with? Funny that. Once again Alice was sorely tempted to continue on walking. But one had to polite. She couldn’t risk someone observing the conversation, and thinking negatively of them.

“Yep. This is Neville.” The boy looked up at the mention of his name, and smiled at the other woman. A little quiet hi, and then he was eating his ice cream again. Alice was proud. Her boy was polite, and she adored him. “I’ll admit…. I’m only here mostly because of Frank, but the It is quite enjoyable….”

Elizabeth hated how much the need to be polite could override her desire to keep Liza as far away as possible from some people within society. As a Rosier, she had been raised to know the power that came with proper manners, and she never neglected to use that to her advantage, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Not when her daughter was too young to understand that the woman she was smiling up at was both a traitor and one of the reasons she had grown up without a father.

Elizabeth was tempted to grimace at the mention of Frank, but an interested smile flitted across her face instead. “Ah, I understand that. I’m only here because this little one insisted,” she replied, glancing down to meet her daughter’s curious gaze. Swallowing a sigh, Elizabeth supposed that if she was going to observe the niceties, she might as well do it properly. “This is Liza. Liza, this is Mrs. Longbottom.” She hesitated. “She’s mummy’s cousin.” 

Elizabeth glanced back up at Alice to see what her reaction would be. It was no secret that Alice had long ago denounced her old family, but had she done so to the point where she would take offense at their relationship being explained to a four year old? Smiling politely, Elizabeth felt a thrill go through her. She loved testing and manipulating people, and she was eager to see how easy of a target Alice was.

Narcissa looked down at the kids, amused by the way they so quickly slipped into their own language of excitement, lots of repetition and excitement over the things they’d seen. Well, mostly what Draco had seen, but knowing Lucius, it didn’t shock Narcissa that her son was a talker.

“Sorry about that,” she said with a tight smile. “His excitement can be infectious, can’t it?” Draco would be the kind of wizard everyone turned to listen to someday; she could tell. Her little leader in the making, Narcissa thought as she looked at him fondly.

Shifting her attention back to Elizabeth, Narcissa gestured around the alley behind her. “He’s somewhere. We decided to divide and conquer a bit to make sure neither of us spent the whole time worrying about Draco might be getting up to. “I’ll find him in a little while.” She offered that same sympathetic smile she offered Lizzie whenever such direct comparisons came up. Raising a baby alone couldn’t be easy for her, even if she was making it look surprisingly easy.. 

Despite the fact that Elizabeth had been exceedingly annoyed when Draco got Liza all riled up about the event, she smiled now. It really wasn’t so bad, and Liza was happy. Besides, Draco was a child. It was only natural that he would share the things he was excited about with his friend and cousin. Elizabeth wanted Liza to benefit from the same kind of relationship with her cousin Draco as Elizabeth and Narcissa had as children. 

“He’s got his father’s gift for getting people to listen to them, that’s for sure. And when he combines it with his mother’s charm, I don’t think there’s any door that will be closed to our little Draco,” she said with a laugh, giving the boy a fond look before turning her attention back to Narcissa.

Elizabeth nodded, noticing and skating over the awkwardness of the indirect comparison to her own life. Stephen would have loved to raise Liza alongside his wife, but that choice wasn’t given to them –– at least not right now, and that wasn’t either Lucius or Narcissa’s fault. “Ah, yes, I’m sure that is helpful,” she said with a nod. “I don’t mind having this little munchkin glued to my side, though. If I wanted to get things done on my own, I’d leave her with the nanny,” Elizabeth gave a careless laugh, so practiced that it didn’t sound in the least bit forced. “So what’s on the docket for the Malfoy family today?”

Events like this tended to cause Alice a lot of anxiety. She didn’t like being in large crowds anymore. It just set her on edge, and she didn’t enjoy the experience. She did have to admit though, she was having some fun today. She supposed it was because there was so many familiar faces. Alice also had known that this was an event that they really did need to be at. Really, they were celebrating because of the sacrifice of her mother in law. That alone made Alice feel like they should be here. So, with that thought, and some convincing from Frank, Alice had come to the event.

“Be careful darling…. it’s dripping….” Alice warned her son as they walked down the cobble stones. Frank had brought them all an ice cream, but he’d just paused to talk to a work colleague that was on duty. Alice had carried on down the road, not wanting Neville to get bored.

She’d been wary when she’d noticed Elizabeth. They hadn’t really talked for years, not since Alice had abandoned the Rosiers. She didn’t regret it, even if at times she thought that some of the danger her family had gotten in. But, at times like this, and at events like this, she could be polite, even though she probably didn’t really want to talk to her. “Elizabeth…. lovely to see you”

Elizabeth registered quickly that it was Alice who was speaking to her, and her polite smile became even more forced. If there was one person she didn’t want Liza to consort with, it was Neville Longbottom, the son of her traitor of a cousin. Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest move socially to not suck up to the Longbottoms, who were credited with ending the war thanks to the stubbornness of one Augusta Longbottom, but Elizabeth couldn’t forget that it was Frank Longbottom who had apprehended her husband, sending him to prison. Any child of his wasn’t someone she wanted Liza to be around, even if sidling close to the Longbottoms might help her in some ways.

Still, there was no reason to be rude. As far as Alice knew, Elizabeth had only married into the Death Eaters, not wormed her way into the inner circle. Not wanting to be close to Alice was one thing -- alienating her by being rude was an entirely different matter. Making sure her smile was a little less forced, Elizabeth nodded at Alice. “Alice, good to see you as well.”

Elizabeth looked down at Liza, grabbing her shoulder to pull her a little closer before allowing her gaze to move over to Neville. He looked like any other chubby little six year old -- was he really the one who was destined to take down the Dark Lord someday? Elizabeth wasn’t sure she believed the prophecy, even if her master had. After all, it was Augusta Longbottom who had brought about his downfall, not Neville. “I take it this is little Neville?” She asked, turning her gaze back to her cousin’s. “Are you two enjoying the festivities?”

“Liza!”

Narcissa looked up from the leather Quidditch gloves Draco had almost talked her into as her soon took off running across the street. 

“Don’t mind him, Lizzie,” she called after her son before starting over herself, although Lizzie seemed to take a moment before she’d recognized that it was in fact Narcissa. Narcissa hadn’t expected to need to keep Draco contained, but she supposed as he got older, he was getting more and more mobile. She was just glad he was distracted by friends and shiny things, not more dangerous considerations.

Narcissa stopped as she reached her old friend and cousin. She’d run into Alice earlier and much preferred this conversation. It was less unsure, less political by its very nature. She may not have always agreed with Lizzie’s zealous nature, but Narcissa enjoyed her company and appreciated still having her close. “How are the two of you this afternoon?” she asked with a smile, already turning her attention to the kids. 

Elizabeth was looking into the window of the apothecary, considering popping in to restock some supplies, when Liza tugged on her hand and drew her attention away from the shop. Hearing her daughter’s name shouted, Elizabeth furrowed her brow, trying to locate the source of the sound. It took a moment, but she soon recognized Draco by the crop of blonde hair flying through the crowd to reach them, and she smiled. 

Narcissa’s voice broke through the crowd, and Elizabeth’s smile widened further as her cousin approached. It brought a little warmth to her heart, to see the friendship that existed so easily between Draco and Liza. They were family, and that had come to mean something to Elizabeth since having a child of her own. 

Dropping Liza’s hand so that she could greet Draco, Elizabeth shrugged. “It hasn’t been too horrible. The crowds are maybe a little much for me, but after Draco mentioned the event the other day, Liza wouldn’t rest until we came.” She chuckled at the willfulness of her daughter. In her eyes, it was something to be proud of. “Where’s Lucius?” 

Captain of the H.M.S. Lucius

LOCATION: Diagon Alley DATE: Oct 5, 1986 @elizabeth-nott​

Draco, tired of walking – and of being too short to see through the crowds – was now riding on his father’s high shoulders, directing their pace with imperious commands and pointing fingers. Lucius kept one hand fasted around his son’s ankle to hold the eager, curious boy securely in place as Draco gawked down at the sights from his lofty perch. He sported an indulgent smile on his face, perfectly content to have his son order him around.

He did swerve slightly of-course when he spotted the familiar harshly-handsome features of Elizabeth Nott, ducking into step alongside her with a little bow that made Draco giggle as his perch bobbed. “Elizabeth, you’re looking radiant as ever this afternoon.” In truth, radiant was a word that Lucius thought rarely described anyone but his own wife, but a little flattery between friends never went amiss.

“Da-da, go!” Draco commanded, kicking his heels and pointing insistently at the row of stalls that had been their destination. Lucius smiled at Elizabeth (it should have been an apologetic smile, probably, but that was overwritten by the pride that suffused Lucius at Draco’s mere existence, so it simply came off as pompous) and said, “My apologies, the lord and master has spoken, I must carry him over there. Would you care to walk with us?”

Elizabeth was just trying to talk her daughter out of the ice cream cone that she was begging for (the line was ungodly long, and Elizabeth didn’t have the patience to deal with such a crowd for a bit of ice cream) when she caught sight of Lucius Malfoy making his way through the crowd towards her, little Draco heaved onto his shoulders. Luckily, the sight of her friend (and cousin) distracted Liza from her previous request, and she bounced on her feet with a desire to greet Draco.

As Lucius detoured over to them, Elizabeth fell into step with him, laughing at the proud way Lucius carried himself when it came to his son. She couldn’t fault him for it -- she was just as indulgent with Liza. There was something about being a parent that made you lose all sense of dignity and suddenly become a slave to a small human. 

Seeing her daughter nod eagerly, Elizabeth smiled at her old friend and nodded. “We’d love to join you,” she said, taking Liza by the hand to pull her along as they made their way through the crowd. Luckily, the crowds seemed to part for them, no one wanting to get on the bad side of a face as harshly beautiful as Elizabeth’s. “How are you enjoying the celebrations?” She asked casually, a bit of boredom evident in her tone. “I assume Cissy’s off shopping?” 

“Stay close, Liza,” commanded Elizabeth in a soft voice, her fingers reaching out to caress her daughter’s hair. The four year old took after mother in almost every way appearance wise, except for the ice blue eyes that were all her father. Those blue eyes in question were wide as she took in the unfamiliar sights that had been set up in diagon alley, and Elizabeth couldn’t help but chuckle to herself, despite her disdain for the makeup of the crowd. If she had her way, she wouldn’t have brought her daughter to a place where she would surely be mingling with filth, but Draco had let gushed about the upcoming event on the Malfoys’ last visit, and Elizabeth couldn’t distract her daughter from the event. 

Ah, well. There was sure to be some of those that Elizabeth would want her daughter to consort with, as well, and it never hurt to appear in public with her fatherless daughter. It was always good to drum up sympathy for the poor Notts. Fixing a diplomatic smile on her face, Elizabeth turned her attention away from her daughter (but still kept her hand where it was to keep Liza close) and joined the girl in taking in the sights. 

The Ministry really had outdone themselves on the event, and Elizabeth knew that there would be more to come in the rest of the month’s celebratory events. Of course, Elizabeth would rather don a mourning attitude for anniversary of the fall of her master, but that wouldn’t do as far as keeping the public’s sympathy, so she would have to show her face at these events and pretend to be just as delighted as the rest of them at the last five years of peace. If only she could figure out a way to have her master return sooner. What poetic justice for him to reveal himself on the five year anniversary of his defeat. The thought brought a smile to her lips, one that someone passing her in the crowd seemed to take as a greeting. Elizabeth was pulled from her thoughts as the passing person spoke her name, and she forced herself to return the greeting.