elegant savagery

Sybill frowned and shook her head, “I grew up in central London, there was a shocking lack of ice skating rinks.”

-

“your parents did not think to take you somewhere with a rink? that is a shame.” cissy mused. they weren’t muggles. it wasn’t as if they were confined to simply one city. there were brooms, apparation, and even floo powder in a pinch if you wanted to be anywhere in a blink. however most parents weren’t as concerned with their daughters being accomplished as hers had been. sybill, hopefully, was seen as more than a future wife to some pureblooded heir. “it is... fun. serene.”

“me? just plain old mediocracy,’ remus smiled, shrugging his shoulders again. it takes some amount of strength to not roll his eyes at her next trick. he’d never seen narcissa black be even slightly bad at something, and it was beginning to drive him mad. he knows his frustration is unreasonable, but he’s cold, and exhausted, and overflowing with things he’d waited to say about sirius’ family. it could pass for an act of loyalty, so he doesn’t stop himself. “that’s nice. did you have family skating shows, then? classists on ice?”

-

narcissa might have smiled if she was with someone she trusted more. “and here I always thought that was mine.” her words were short and clipped, as was her way. she’d always presented a very specific image of herself. average to middling at almost everything. not clever or talented enough to be brilliant, but hiding behind what everyone already assumed of her. a wallflower beauty at best. there was simply no point in attempting to prove anyone wrong. as she’d learned, those who wanted to see more would find a way. narcissa let down the leg she’d been stretching out and moved to stretch her other. she stopped quickly and turned her head sharply at her cousin’s friend. her tone remained pointedly even. “unfortunately not. as I’m sure you can imagine, some in my family are less inclined towards performance than others.”

“Maybe if you’ve done it before” he countered, shrugging his shoulders. “Which evidently you have done” he added, his lips twitching. He glanced around at the students on the ice, and shook his head. “No, I haven’t and I didn’t fancy my first time in front of my peers, when I would definitely fall down. Imagine the chaos I could create with blades strapped to my feet”.

-

“it is not so difficult to learn.” narcissa clarified. she stretched out her other arm. “I believe I started skating when I was about four year old. surely you have enough grace to match that of a toddler.” then again, maybe not. “either way... you will never learn until you begin. why are you at the rink if you have no intention of being on the ice?”

[ cissy moodboard ?/?? ]

[ cissy moodboard ?/?? ]

[ cissy moodboard ?/?? ]

[ cissy moodboard ?/?? ]

[ cissy moodboard ?/?? ]

[ cissy moodboard ?/?? ]

Paris hadn’t exactly been watching Naricssa, he’d not been focused on anything, really. Her voice brought him out of his daze and he acknowledged her with a blank expression. “You’re practically as cold, it most definitely isn’t a surprise to me.” The corners of his lips turned up ever so slightly.

-

“good evening, mon vilain.” narcissa greeted paris with a nod. it was as warm a greeting as she would offer anyone given her proclivities towards said frigidity. it was a relief to see him in slightly better a state than they’d last parted. his eyes seemed more clear. “are you, by chance, feeling up to skating tonight? it would be appreciated company.”

“I was merely appreciating the show, darling.” Lucius offered a cheeky little wink, elbow resting on the wall he was leaning on, his chin resting firmly in his open palm. He even had the audicity to bat his eyelashes a few times. “I can’t skate, but watching you might be a worthy substitute.”

-

cissy approached him more readily than she once might have. honestly, lucius had been on her mind quite frequently since the holidays. the snowglobe he’d given to her had been an incredibly thoughtful gift, and when he’d gone off with paris and the others, narcissa had been worried. “I’ve never known you to be one to happily sit on the sidelines.”

Sybill’s mouth twitched up into a smile and she shook her head, “not surprising at all, actually. I was envying your elegance, to be honest. I’ve fallen over three times already.”

-

narcissa looked over at sybill curiously. “did you not go ice skating as a child?” she asked. it seemed more people were uncomfortable on the ice than were not. she hadn’t expected it. “it just takes practice.”

Mason sipped his hot chocolate thoughtfully, jumping a little in surprise as he was addressed by, fittingly, the girl who some people in his house referred to as the ice princess of Slytherin. “No, it’s not, but I was actually just admiring the fact that you are able to glide along without falling onto your arse, unlike most of the students I have seen skating tonight”.

-

“it is not so difficult.” narcissa replied simply. she pulled her arm across her chest to stretch it out. “I have had plenty of practice to be able to do so. have you tried?” she asked idly, not even sure with whom she was currently speaking.

“How mysterious of you,” he teased, bumping his cousin slightly with his side. “Well, some might think it’s best to show a different face every day. Wouldn’t want anyone to pin them down, make them portray only one version of themself,” Evan said, eyes grazing over the crowd below again. “Or they don’t even know who they are, and are constantly trying to fit in.”

“am I not allowed a little mystery of my own?” she asked, her green eyes cutting to the side. “if they show a different face to all, everyone will realize there is no integrity to them. it’s not a very good idea.” cissy mused about the revelation all the same. “what a sad and pathetic excuse. who would want to fit in?”

“not at all,’ remus shrugged, picking at the loose thread threatening to pull apart his cardigan “it’s admirable, i appreciate your dedication to your… brand.” remus was, perhaps, a bit jealous. the combination of his disproportionate body and seemingly constant headache had rendered him a horrid skater both the times he’d attempted it. “does the noble house of black train all their daughters in ice skating, or are you just naturally gifted?”

-

“and what is your brand mr. lupine?” narcissa asked, her slender brow lifting in question. she stretched out her leg behind her, balancing momentarily on just one skate. “yes. we were all taught how to skate, but the improvement certainly comes with practice. I would daresay I like being out in the cold more than the rest of my family. at least more than most.”