𝘍𝘓𝘖𝘞𝘌𝘙𝘚 𝘎𝘙𝘖𝘞𝘕 .

“Mhmm….” Liza had to admit, she was midly put off that Penelope wasn’t giving her her full attention. Liza wasn’t exactly used to not being in people’s attentiion. “Of course they are perfect” The red head murmured with a laugh. “I don’t have anything less than perfect” And that included herself. Liza liked being perfect, or pretending to be perfect. Of course, she knew that some things weren’t perfect, but she just didn’t boast about them. “You’ll have to come to Italy with me next time. The little boutiques there are glorious….” She murmured with a smile. She adored shopping with her friends. “You can borrow the shoes dear, as always” Because what was the point in having pretty shoes if she didn’t share them with her friends.

❛    that  sounds  lovely  .    ❜  penelope  replies  with  a  smile  .  and  it  does  .  she  will  take  any  excuse  for  shopping  ,  really  .  especially  in  recent  years  when  the  world  is  becoming  more  and  more  political  .  its  annoying  ,  really  .  no  need  to  focus  on  all  that  when  she’s  strolling  the  streets  going  to  the  hottest  designers  .    ❛   it’s  been  too  long  since  i’ve  been  to  italy  .  i’ve  been  sticking  to  france  in  recent  years  -  but  the  change  would  be  nice  .    ❜

rita’s laugh rung out loud and proud, bouncing off the walls of the great hall with a sheer sting. “ merlin, i was sure professor kettleburn was off his rocker when he started on that one. though at least invisible little bugs can’t kill you, unlike a number of his other main features. ” tapping her nails on the wooden table, rita provided her friend with a wide grin. “ well i’d be silly to take up a bet like that, darling, that’s just certainty. what if we say four galleons that lovegood doesn’t try to mount one of the stupid things ? ”

❛   they  can  bite  .  but  at  least  they  aren’t  trolllike  .    ❜  siena  offers  in  response  ,  both  their  professors’s  lectures  and  his  appearance  at  the  front  of  their  mind  .  she’s  not  awfully  fond  of  the  man  ,  but  his  class  is  her  favourite  when  he  isn’t  discussing  theoretical  information  .  if  she  wanted  theory  ,  she’d  read  it  in  a  book  .  and  ,  she  does  .  ❛  ooh  ,  now  that’s  a  good  bet  .  i’ll  take  that  action  .  four  galleons  it  is  .   ❜

“Perhaps she just needs a new owner,” Mercy felt her tongue sting as she thought of owning something that had their own thoughts and feelings. “Maybe my family could use a house elf. We wouldn’t ask too much of her, so she’d be able to handle what she is capable of without much stress to her or the family. And you can get a house elf that is better suited for your needs.” All of this made her stomach churn. Her brow folded. “And my name isn’t Burbage. It’s Mercy.”

❛    not  quite  how  that  works  ,  love  .  would  hardly  be  worth  the  effort  really  .  and  stress  to  her  ?  oh  salazar  ,  you  sound  like  one  of  those  ridiculous  ‘  freedom  to  house  elves  ’  activists  ❜  penelope  has  heard  her  mother  mention  them  a  time  or  two  ,  has  seen  them  in  diagon  alley  .  pesky  folk  that  they  are  .  barely  worth  the  time  it  takes  to  get  past  them  .    ❛  i  think  i’ll  stick  with  burbage  ,  mercy’s  a  bit  .  .  .  informal  ,  don’t  you  think  ?  ❜ 

     “  whoever  decided  that  THESTRALS  should  be  on  the  curriculum ,  it  is  in  my  humble  opinion ,  wants  to  watch  the  world  burn .  ”  the  words  were  followed  by  a  huff  that  could  on  one  hand  be  described  as  a  scoff  and  on  the  other ,  a  laugh .  “  i  mean ,  they’re  just  pandering  to  the  crazies ,  aren’t  they  ?  siena ,  my  love ,  you  will  just  have  to  be  a  dear  and  tell  me  which  one  of  your  classmates  claims  to  see  them  this  year .  that’s  certain  to  give  me  a  laugh .  ”

❛   at  least  they’ve  stopped  trying  to  convince  us  that  like  ,  nargles  and  the  like  exist  .     ❜  siena  replies  with  a  laugh  .  they  can  cope  with  a  great  many  things  -  but  there  are  just  some  things  that  even  the  most  open  of  minds  cannot  take  .  she  can  recall  the  lesson  of  metamorphmagus’s  too  ,  and  just  how  wrong  the  books  had  been  .  as  much  as  the  textbooks  are  to  be  praised  ,  not  all  of  it  can  be  taken  seriously  .  ❛  what  kind  of  friend  would  i  be  if  i  didn’t  ?  i’ll  ,  hmm  ,  i’ll  bet  you  four  galleons  it’s  lovegood  .   ❜

♖

          it’s incredibly familiar, the way she speaks in the very same voice as so many of her peers, as if beneath her words is an underlying incantation: all this, from the stones beneath my feet to the towers above, and the whole wide world beyond it, it’s all mine. and however familiar it is, no amount of prolonged exposure will make the sentiment any less noxious. “ right, yeah, ” he says flatly, “ but like i said, party’s over. pretty sure even slughorn’s gone off to bed now. ” he raises an eyebrow at her, hoping she’ll pick up on his meaning, but she’s not stupid. he knows that she knows it’s past curfew; she’s just being deliberately obtuse. 

          “ this might sound a bit mad, i know, but the curfew does actually apply to everyone. ” it’s a foolish hope, to imagine she might just acknowledge and accept it; he’d never known penelope to make anything easier. but something about deducting house points, however momentarily satisfying, just feels so incredibly petty, and he’d rather avoid it if he can.

curfew  does  apply  to  everyone  ,  but  slytherins  have  never  been  so  good  at  being  a  part  of  ‘  everyone  ’  by  hogwarts  standards  .  certainly  not  by  dumbledore’s  .  it’s  a  shame  ,  really  .  but  their  reputations  truly  do  proceed  them  .  

❛  even  so  ,  i  left  something  there  and  i  wasn’t  about  to  wait  until  morning  to  fetch  it  .  it’s  designer  ,  who  knows  what  someone  could  do  with  it  by  then  .  ❜  lashes  bat  and  hand  lifts  to  fluff  her  hair  ,  sweet  tone  matching  near  pout  .  feigns  innocence  -  as  if  witch  does  not  know  just  how  late  it  is  .  her  words  are  true  ,  but  does  not  make  her  motivations  any  less  false  .    ❛  it  won’t  take  long  .  you  can  even  escort  me  if  you’d  like  .  ❜  

         the  remark  certainly  doesn’t  go  unmissed  but  it  fails  to  garner  a  reply  ,  the  coast  still  not  clear  after  all  .  his  voice  deep  ,  unmistakingly  his  ,  would  be  recognised  by  any  professor  in  the  vicinity  .  having  a  lot  to  say  to  everyone  now  a  curse,  an  easier  way  to  be  caught  .  “  exactly  ,  you’ll  have  your  parents  talk  to  mine  and  i  can  say  goodbye  to  my  trust  fund  ,  ”  how  poetic  ,  not  getting  rewarded  for  bad  behaviour  ,  for  once  ,  “  i  can  already  feel  it  dwindling  by  the  second  .  ”  it  won’t  be  by  much  ,  however  ,  who  else  would  their  riches  be  passed  down  to  ?  it  certainly  wouldn’t  be  towards  a  charity  working  towards  the  emancipation of  house  elves  ,  that’s  for  sure  .  “  not  really  ,  some  mudblood  got  in  my  way  and  i  may  have  used  a  spell  .  the  details  are  a  bit  fuzzy  but  i  can  assure  you  ,  it  wasn’t  my  fault  ,  ”  there  is  that  not  so  charming  arrogance  ,  “  anyway  ,  they  only  saw  the  last  part  and  i  should  have  a  few  fifth  year  slytherins  supporting  my  case  ,  so  i  shouldn’t  lose  my  role  as  prefect  yet  .  ”

when  the  other  nearly  there’s  nothing  like  this  type  of  wealth  ,  living  dependant  on  that  rush  that  comes  with  each  new  purchase  .  both  trust  fund  babies  with  vaults  at  gringotts  filled  past  the  brim  -  the  alternatives  unimaginable  .  ❛ you  think  so  little  of  me  .   ❜  penelope  tucks  her  book  away  with  an  eye  roll  .  ❛   i  would  never  .  i  refuse  to  picture  you  wearing  robes  off  the  rack  .   ❜    it’s  a  matter  of  pride  ,  really  .  if  one  of  them  falls  -  so  too  shall  the  rest  in  time  .  how  fragile  a  system  .  even  cut  like  diamonds  -  made  to  last  -  they  are  as  delicate  as  the  rest  .  ❛   sounds  like  you  were  entirely  in  the  right  .  shame  .   ❜  speaks  with  a  soft  lilt  ,  the  witch  stepping  away  from  the  wall  .  ❛   i’m  glad  .  couldn’t  have  you  losing  it  so  early  in  the  year  .  if  you  need  further  alibi  ,  i  was  just  heading  to  the  dungeons  .   ❜

rabastan !!

       “   of  course  i  heard   .   you  know  how  the  grapevine  works   :   anna  told  billy  who  told  cindy  who  told  blah  ,   blah  ,   fuckin’  blah  .   ”   he  didn’t  like  it   .   not  alexander  rowle   .   not  penelope  avery   .   he  saw  a  kinship  with  rowle   ,   one  that  refused  to  settle  in  the  pits  of  his  stomach   ,   often  causing  black  bile  to  surface  from  the  back  of  his  throat  .   he  hated  having  similarities  with  someone  so  dark   .    and  it  was  wildly  hypocritical          for  what  was  rabastan  if  not  the  epitome  of  nothing   .   the  absence  of  light  .   he  couldn’t  fight  the  disapproval  though   ,   and  he  voiced  such  to  his  parents  when  he  lunged  at  the  chance  to  marry  her  himself   (   if  only  to  save  her  from  someone  so  dangerous   )   .   they  showed  excitement  over  his  interest  in  finally  marrying  a  worthy  pureblood  girl   ,   but  it  didn’t  matter   .   she  was  taken   .   and  that  did  nothing  but  open  the  floodgates  for  his  parents  to  showcase  a  long  list  of  potential  brides    .    “   so  have  you  started  to  resent  each  other  yet   ?   or  does  that  come  AFTER  marriage  ?   ”   he  snapped  his  fingers   ,   lazily  adopting  a  mock  look  of  disappointment  .  “   i  can  never  remember  .   ”

❛    oh    ,  of  course  .      ❜    penelope  nods  .  she  even  works  hard  to  keep  it  that  way  .  just  not  ,  usually  ,  about  herself  .  and  she  hasn’t  shared  her  newfound  betrothal  status  with  many  outside  of  her  immediate  circle  .  or  ,  she  hadn’t  before  the  train  .  still  ,  who  knows  what  her  sister  had  leaked  .  merlin  knew  penelope  has  learned  to  gossip  only  from  the  best  .  still  ,  the  drama  of  her  own  betrothal  is  not  something  she  likes  others  to  know  before  she  tells  them  -  even  if  she  has  come  to  terms  with  it  .    ❛    and  ooh  ,  not  yet  .    i’ll  keep  you  posted  .  maybe  you’ll  have  your  chance  after  all  .    ❜  teasing  words  ,  lips  rising  up  on  the  corners  .  common  room  remains  empty  save  for  them  ,  and  she’s  grateful  for  it  .  a  crowded  room  wouldn’t  be  welcome  with  such  conversation  .  adjusting  herself  on  the  sofa  ,  penelope  crosses  her  legs  at  the  ankles    ❛    no  ,  you’ll  be  taken  by  then  too  ,  won’t  you  ?    ❜

“i suppose that makes you one lucky girl for getting to spend the rest of your life with a charmer like me, huh?”, alexander responds playfully, words accompanied by a cheeky wink. not that penelope avery deserved anything but someone who’d remind her again and again what a goddess she is. that much he knows for certain even though he doesn’t quite know yet how he feels about her. ever since girls went from being disgusting to being fun to be around, he’s liked to flirt with her just for the fun of it. now it feels different, more meaningful and yet, his feelings towards her are still the same. but then again, mutual fondness and feeling attracted to the other person is the most he expected to start a life-long bond with anyway. something so mundane as love hardly ever plays a role in pureblood alliances and for good reason. and, as any guy in this castle and most likely outside of it would agree, there are worse women to spend the rest of your life with. “you’re a devilish creature”, he almost purrs, what could have been an insult being actually anything but. if she really was as frail and sweet as she looked, he’d have most likely eaten her for breakfast ages ago. “i’d have killed at least two of them by this morning if i was prefect.” he shrugs. “but then again, i guess that’s the reason why lucius gets burdened with that shit and not me.” lips curl into a little smirk upon her talk about their future. “i mean my bed back at home is pretty much perfect, but…” too many things have happened in it that i’m not proud of, his dirty smirk says as he picks at a piece of toast. “don’t you usually get houseelves to take care of such things?”

❛  luck  has  nothing  to  do  with  it  ,  ❜  teasing  smile  on  her  lips  ,  faintest  of  rosiness  appearing  on  the  apples  of  her  cheeks  as  she  places  her  tea  down  .  ❛  and  perhaps  i  am  .  ❜  whatever  it  is  that’s  between  them  ,  it  has  the  potential  to  be  electric  -  penelope  knows  that  much  .  it’s  not  love  ,  and  she  doesn’t  expect  it  to  be  -  nor  does  she  hold  out  some  childish  fantasy  of  finding  true  love  .  it’s  illogical  ,  especially  for  people  like  them  .  even  the  storybooks  she’d  read  as  a  child  hadn’t  been  full  of  love  .  romance  ,  sure  .  but  when  love  had  cost  both  the  warlock  and  the  maiden  their  lives  -  it  seemed  an  undesirable  feeling  .  especially  when  told  to  a  young  impressionable  girl  .  of  course  ,  after  that  even  the  story  of  the  knight  and  the  fountain  couldn’t  change  her  mind  .  ❛  well  of  course  .  because  you  ?  a  prefect  ?  ❜  a  laugh  ❛  now  that  i  simply  cannot  picture  .  and  just  think  you’d  be  stuck  wandering  for  hours  with  burbage  .  ❜  then  again  ,  nor  can  she  picture  herself  as  one  .  she  cannot  imagine  the  annoyance  of  being  bothered  at  all  hours  by  younger  years  ,  or  being  required  to  help  them  with  their  schooling  .  she  barely  likes  most  of  their  classes  as  is  -  but  aiding  others  in  learning  them  ?  oh  salazar  ,  no  .  ❛  i  think  a  new  one  might  be  best  .  ❜  juniper  eyes  roll  ,  ❛  of  course  not  .  how  can  a  house  elf  know  what  bed  is  best  ?  i  hardly  trust  them  with  something  so  important  .  comfort  charms  or  not  ,  i’d  rather  know  it’s  the  best  one  available  .  ❜

wilda griffiths  :  personal playlist

wilda griffiths  :  character playlist