𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈

NOCTEMES  :  a  dependent  ANDROMEDA BLACK, FRANK LONGBOTTOM & MARY MACDONALD  for  petrifyhq adored  by  daisy  (  she  /  her  ).

andromeda black,    introduction. statistics. threads. musings.

frank longbottom,     introduction. statistics. threads. musings.

rabastan !!

     rabastan  lestrange  had  frequently  been  compared  to  a  wraith          silent  and  donning  an  aura  of  death  .   he  was  ,   after  all   ,   blessed  with  a  solid  combination  of  porcelain  skin   ,   raven  black  hair  ,   and  impressively  dark  circles  beneath  the  eyes   .   he  always  thought  the  comparison  was  a  bit  dramatic   ,   but  at  the  same  time   …    he  could  understand  .    but  even  then   ,   with  his  reputation  considered   ,   he  figured  her  confusion  at  his  sudden  appearance  had  more  to  do  with  alcohol  than  his  silent  demeanor  .   “  well  if  you  swear  it   ,   ”   his  voice  trailed  off    .   a  ghost  of  a  smile  forming  as  he  casually  tilted  his  head  .   “   imagine  that   .   magic  in  a  magic  school   .   tell  me   ,  did  i  take  your  spot   ?  ”   

“  it  wasn’t  mine... yet. ”  she  admits,  though  she  had  all  but  written  her  name  across  the  wall  in  her  mind. and  andromeda  almost  always  got  what  she  wanted. it  was  practically  her  birth-right,  guaranteed  by  her  family  name. whether  that  was  a  good  or  bad  thing  yet,  she  wasn’t  sure  yet. company  was  not  something  she  had  been  anticipating,  but  she  could  re-calibrate. she  could  be  flexible. “  but  i’d  be  willing  to  share,  as  long  as  you’re  not  as  boring  as  this  party  is.”  it’s  not  a  thought  she  would  typically  disclose,  but  she  seems  to  be  a  bit  of  a  loose  canon  tonight. “there’s  enough  space  for  the  two  of  us. ”  her  palm  gently  pats  the  old  stone,  an  invitation. 

bellatrix !

bellatrix didn’t want to come to the masque, but you can’t always get what you want. 

yes, it was a waste of time. no, there wasn’t anyone new to meet (she already knew everyone worth knowing at hogwarts, of course). but even bella wasn’t unmoved by the giddiness of girls getting ready, the clouds of tulle and hairspray and snuck-in firewhiskey in the dormitories before. she even gave a self-satisfied grin when she caught a glimpse of herself and her sisters in a mirror on the way over- head and shoulders above the rest. just as they should be. 

she’d found a spot at the top of the stairs with a good vantage point to examine the room. with her feathered dress, she probably looked like a vulture circling for prey. “well, not i suppose not everyone is suited for formalwear.”

andromeda  found  herself  already  becoming  bored  —  the  urge  to  return  to  old  habits  and  disappear  back  into  the  dormitories  emerged  stronger  than  ever.  but  she  had  promised  herself  she’d  stay  at  least  a  couple  hours  which  is  how  she  finds  herself  taking  a  seat  next  to  her  older  sister.  her  large  skirt  balloons  over  the  lower  half  of  her  body  and  she  attempts  to  at  least  adjust  it,  pulling  it  closer  to  her  figure. “  it’s  more  like  people  don’t  know  how  to  dress  in  a  way  that’s  flattering  to  their  themselves.  much  of  these  walking  catastrophes  could  be  fixed  if  they  at  least  had  a  good  eye. ”  with  bellatrix,  she  knows  she  can  speak  freely.  and  at  least  with  the  masks  on,  they  could  judge  other  people  and  not  be  so  obvious  about  it.

immy !!

      “   i’m  in  a  perpetual  state  of  disappointment   ,   ”   immy  mused  as  she  lifted  a  drink  to  her  lips    .   “    i  wouldn’t  take  it  personally  .   ”   the  young  witch  had  a  penchant  for  business   ;   it  was  practically  an  extension  of  herself  .  she  was  gifted   ,   smart   ,   and  funny  (  or  so  she  liked  to  think   )  .  she  had  strong  opinions  about  war   ,   foreign  trade  and  policies  ,  and  history  .   but  this  man   ?   the  one  who  zeroed  in  on  her  within  minutes  of  her  arrival    ?    well   ,  he  had  strong  opinions  about  himself   .   and  apparently   ,     he  also  had  strong  opinions  about  her         this  made  obvious  by  the  whispered  ‘   bitch   ’  that  slipped  from  his  lips  as  he  walked  off   .   with  a  breathless  laugh  ,   immy  shook  her  head  and  took  another  sip   .

               “  i  wouldn’t  go  in  there  at  the  MOMENT ,  ”  emma  spoke  up  ,  hardly  bothering  to  glance  at  the  person  who  was  about  to  enter  the  washroom  by  the  punch  bowl  she  was  currently  ladling  herself  a  cup  of  .“  unless  you’re  trying  to  see  a  pirate  FAIL  to  satisfy  a  ‘sexy  ’  house  elf  ,  then  by  all  means  ,  be  my  guest.  i  must  confess  ,  i  AM  curious  to  know  whether  the  masks  stayed  on,  ”  she  mused  ,  pulling  a  tiny  crystal  flask  from  where  it  had  been  tucked  against  her  thigh  and  adding  a  generous  ,  strong-smelling  helping  to  her  cup  before  taking  a  drink  .

brown hues took in the masquerade before them. she had to admit, even if slughorn could be a bit of a pompous arse, he knew how to throw a ball. everything shined,twirled and spun perfectly. it was almost eerie, too perfect.the witch was never interested in such ideal things. it made her skin crawl.

the brunette walked about as she kept taking everything in, lily had said an hour. she could do that, though what could she do to pass the time?  her eyes landed on the overflowing options of beverages. oh, maybe this could be fun.

“  i  don’t  know  why  i’m  surprised  to  find  you  here  already. ”  mary  exclaims,  draping  one  of  her  arms  around  her  friend’s  shoulder  with  a  giggle. her  own  cup  is  already  filled  to  the  brim  with  the  punch,  though  she’d  taken  her  liberty  to  add  her  own  embellishments. “  don’t  try  whatever  the  blue  one  is,  it  tastes  like  absolute  rubbish. ”  the  memory  of  it  is  enough  to  produce  a  reaction,  nose  scrunching  up  in  disgust. “  i  haven’t  tried  anything  else,  though. ”

lily !

her dress was too tight, her shoes were too tall, her hair pulled back too tightly. she couldn’t stop fidgeting with her mask. as badly as lily wanted to enjoy the masque, every fiber of her body was screaming to remind her she did not belong. 

fighting the urge to swipe a bottle of something strong and go back to bed, she found herself watching one of the performed scenes with a bit too much intensity. “it’s rather gory for a children’s story, isn’t it?”

the  reenactment  was  a  little  too  much  for  mary  to  follow,  especially  after  the  couple  beverages  she’d  already  consumed. her  head  feels  light  as  she  turns  to  face  her  friend,  features  suddenly  scrunched  up  in  thought. “  i  can’t  think  about  it  too  hard,  or  else  i’ll  fall  into  the  spiral  that  ends  with  me  realizing  that  my  entire  childhood  was  a  lie. ”  she  admits,  the  words  falling  from  her  mouth  in  a  rush. “  so  unless  we  want  to  go  down  that  rabbit  hole  . . .  ”

rabastan !!

       rabastan  appeared  to  materialize  from  the  shadows   ,   a  halfway-filled  scotch  glass  somehow  already  in  his  grasp   .   the  professors  were  unbothered  by  this  act  of  defiance  because  the  alcohol  was  charmed  to  mirror  that  of  their  very  own  punch   .   he  was  sneaky   ;   not  a  snake   ,   but  a  man   ,   though  much  smarter  in  his  not  so  humble  opinion   .    his  slight  addiction  to  booze  aside  ,   rabastan  had  very  little  reason  to  be  sad  that  evening   .   he  considered  the  anonymity  a  drug   ,   and  he  was  high  off  of  it   .  as  a  result   ,   the  edges  of  his  lips  curled  upward  in  a  subtle  smile  as  he  glanced  around   ,   shoulder  nonchalantly  resting  against  a  wall   .

The sun was out and the weather was cool, not cold, not hot, perfect in her opinion. She had decided to take advantage of this and go hang out with the thestrals. She liked to ride them before their meals, but when it got too cold she wouldn’t be able to come out here nearly as much. Now she was sitting on the back of one with a book laid across her lap. To the average eye, it looked like she was simply levitating but she wasn’t…  She could hear the footsteps coming from behind, but she didn’t even look up. Not until they were close enough that the thestral had looked up. “I wouldn’t step there if I were you. Markus can be very temperamental and he does bite…” She said simply, not actually looking to see who the person was that had approached. 

“i swear if i cannot be calm in the great hall without having to stick by garden rumors, i will loose it one of these days.” amos says taking a long sip of his boiling tea. “so are you coming with me too see what the issue is or not? i still get awkward with these things.” amos says a bit truthfully with a shrug

-

“i’d like to see them try,” she rolled her eyes dismissively, snatching the letter back and tearing it definitively in half. “she can talk about marrying me off all she likes but we’re both well aware there’s nothing she could do to make me.” even a strong will could be broken, and druella black was certainly up to the task, but bella was not simply stubborn. she was immovable. “she can accio all she likes but i don’t think it’ll work from all the way over here,” she crowed, showing her sister her new necklace that looked all too familiar. “don’t look at me like that- it’s all ours anyways. or it will be one day. same enough.” 

andromeda  presses  her  lips  together,  attempting  to  control  the  slight  panic  coursing  through  her. if  their  mother  was  trying  to  push  a  betrothal  onto  bellatrix. . . that  could  only  mean  hers  wasn’t  too  far  off  in  the  future. and  the  thought  alone  terrified  her. “  i’m  sure  she’s  just  scheming,  as  per  usual. maybe  she’s  just  trying  to  get  a  rise  out  of  you. you  know  how  she  can  be  sometimes. ”  she  pauses,  shifting  closer  to  inspect  the  necklace. “  i  thought  you  said  you  wouldn’t  wear  anything  of  hers.”  brows  raise  in  question  before  she  shrugs. “  suits  you,  though. ”