( cis woman | she/her | ester exposito ) —— isn’t that OPHÉLIE “ELLIE” ALLAIRE? yeah that is them, sitting there at the RAVENCLAW table with those other SEVENTH years. when sybill looks into that crystal ball of hers, she sees clenched fists & split lips; bruised knuckles; blood red wine in a cracked glass; a ruined painting with it’s canvas slashed which seems about right for that NINETEEN year old. anyway i’ve heard they’re pretty VINDICTIVE, BELIGERENT, and VOLATILE. apparently they’re a MEMBER of VENIT TEMPESTAS and PUREBLOOD but i’m sure that’s not related…
CHARACTER INSPO: lady macbeth (macbeth), gwendolen fairfax (the importance of being earnest), eleanor shellstrop (the good place), anne boleyn (six), sera (dragon age: inqusition), yennefer of vengerberg (the witcher & witcher 3)
❛ 𝑢𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦, what this woman is asking for is impossible . ❜
❝ i really don’t get why you’re so shocked about it , i told you what my mother is like . she wasn't about to be any nicer just because we're in france ❞
❝ did you already forget that i said i would pay earlier ? you can buy next time , i promise . ❞
❝ maybe i was feeling bad about it ? ❞ a pause for a beat . ❝ or more realistically : mon père just found out ma mère had cut me off , again , and now my allowance has been back paid ❞
𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑠 barty imagines have ellie feeling puppeteered , he’ll admit to the shock of it being so literal . he forgoes the subtlety then , tensing to wait on more , ❛ from who , ❜ it’s barely posed like a question ; the words grating through his frown , imposed in the narrowing of his eyes . it implodes in something that retracts quickly in his chest , a not - too - unfamiliar emotion boiling red in him . it isn’t too difficult to press past it to further answer her . he’s only surprised to feel it simmer as he goes on , unwithstanding his usual asphyxiation , despite the gentleness he exudes in bringing a hand under ellie’s jaw after he thinks it over , trying to coax her over for the answer , ❛ you’re unyielding , ❜ he explains . ❛ unapologetically whatever you decide . ❜ because it’s different from unapologetically one’s self . he knows ellie does too much in nothing more than the name of pettiness . of proof . coercion . and likely more . ❛ i can’t say it’s common to find that , let alone where it would turn an interest to me , as well . most would read disinterest on my part . but you didn’t . i’m fairly sure the only consensus i’ve gotten is that we’re not the same . nearly opposites , ❜ a foil to myself , his mind supplies . without the clash that should usually come with it , on spectrums much like the parts he plays himself . smoke to his mirror , as if pushing all that he isn’t to the forefront would hide much of what he is . but how does he say that there’s the mirror of it in her without revealing too much ? that she chases , knowingly or not , for every aspect of him , relishes in it — without confirming it outright . it’s all another game to play , but a new one . a breath from the boredom , without having to forgo any of it . ❛ but i don’t think you got that from me at all , ❜ he settles on the hint of it instead , eyes fully boring into hers for it , before softening again . ❛ and i’m more than interested in seeing how you came to that conclusion . just as i am interested in every conclusion you come to , should it be grating my nerves or not . ❜ he supplies with an added gleam in his eye . it’s true , in the end , that he’s only ever so easy on the forgiving end of ellie by way of her mind . what she chooses to latch to surprising him to no end , and honestly — it’s refreshing , to be so abruptly taken aback without it necessarily being entirely inane .
letting the first bit of information slip , the biggest , did not , as so often was the case , help the rest come easier ; rather ellie found herself freezing up having let it slip , the absence of the secret she held so close , had done so most her life , leaving her feeling almost as hollow as she did when the curse possessed her mind . but it was once again how barty prompted her that stopped the slow stream that was her confession from drying up , how he didn’t question , her or her story , merely showed he was listening , waiting for the rest . and never pushing . as antagonistic as she could be towards him at times , toying with the feelings she knew now they both had for each other , she was finding something new to crave after in quiet moments such as this . the feeling of being known by someone , really and truly known , body and soul . and so she continued her tale , the story of how she became just who she was ; cracked and broken , the fragmented shell of a girl who pretended vulgarity and volatility was an apt substitute for being anything close to a person . picking up not where she had left of , nor from the question that wasn’t a question barty had posed but rather from a place where the scattering ribbons of her recollection had tangled into a knot she was just barely starting to unravel . ❝ i was so young when it started , just ten i think ? its all a mess . but we’d barely moved over here when she’d had enough of me , enough of me acting up and acting out . i thought it such a game , to refuse to speak a word of english , somehow it made sense to me then that they’d have to send me home then . it only angered her , my mother . i don’t think my father even noticed it . it didn’t do anything . just got me locked in rooms , got me yelled at , had her resorting to using magic to force me to speak in the tongue of the land . didn’t take long for her to start using it to solve most of her problems , and i always was one . she wanted me to speak and then when i did ? she wanted me to be quiet . i think that was the worst of it . i could open my mouth and yell and yell and yell and YELL and yet not a sound . wails and screeches and all i had for it was an aching face and silent tears ❞
and at some point while she’d been speaking tears had come to her eyes , the continuous outpouring of words only stopping when a sob took her by surprise , racking through her frame as ellie blinked through the tears to meet barty’s eyes . she needed to see how he took it , needed to see if he saw her as weak for it , she needed him to know she wasn’t . ❝ but i fought it ! i fought her , fought her magic . last summer ? i was finally able to break it . but she’d already decided to mix in a few other spells in her efforts to get me to behave . sometimes decided magic was too much bother too . but the only unforgivable i haven’t felt the effects of is the one you can’t come back from ❞
his words brought the traces of a smile to her face , despite the tears still drying on her face , other people could see it in her too : that despite everything she was only ever exactly what she chose to be . ❝ we’re not , but we’re a lot more similar than others would think , so much more . but i think it’s in a way you have to someway already be in order to see it in someone else ? and i could tell that about you from the start . i think we’re alike in two very different ways but there’s a reason i even entertained the idea of even speaking to you after i found out about the set up . you’re not quite how you seem , not quite how you present , but i think you know that ❞ and to say this felt a little like a test would be the wrong word for it , challenge was a closer fit but even that wasn’t quite it . whatever word was best for summing it up didn’t matter though . ellie was sure in her assessment of the situation . sure in herself . ❝ i think you do it on purpose . and i could see it from the start . saw it and liked what i saw ❞
he wracked his brain around who ellie could’ve possibly gone to that she would know — but then it dawned on him, why is ellie going around asking people about him in that manor ? not that it didn’t inflate his ego a bit, but it sure was a weird confession. ❝ god, ellie — no, i don’t think you want to fuck my father. you’re so vulgar you know, someone outta clean out that filthy little mouth of yours. ❞ he should stop, especially after she already initiated the conversation that now made his question to barty make sense. gold digger ellie. ❝ ahh, yes, ❞ best friends, merlins sake. ❝ and even so, you’re still fucking my brother so i have to deal with your presence no matter who i marry. ❞ and how on earth did narcissa get along with the ellie he knew ? maybe he doesn’t know either of them as well as he thinks.
she never could just make life easy for herself , no there was always some game , some little toying thing she was working on even when there was no rhyme or reason to it . ❝ really ? you think i wouldn’t if i had the chance ? i’ve seen him before , he looks good for his age . i can see where barty gets it from … you ? less so . someone really should … i ought to mention that to your brother . get up to all sorts of fun ❞ a little wink and a laugh , this was all too much fun ! ❝ oh yes , but barty and i was the obvious part . you won’t be escaping me so we might as well get comfortable with each other ❞
❝ oh, from what you’ve heard ? didn’t realize you were to type to follow the opinions of others. ophélie allaire — a follower. ❞ rikard was curious, just yet another flaw in his nature, but he wasn’t going to let the words of ellie get to him. not when he didn’t even have the slightest clue who could be gossiping about something so … false. ❝ because i take after my father, more than anyone else. ❞ that wasn’t entirely true — not even being sorted into the same house could make that a solid comment. ❝ i am plenty of fun — too bad you’re too preoccupied to know fully. ❞
❝ can’t a lady listen to peer reviews ? i wouldn’t want to waste my time if i could just ask someone else if it would be worth it ❞ it was a nasty little habit ellie had , speaking like she knew something when she knew nothing at all — lying — and that had been just what she had done . she’d heard nothing of the sort about rikard but it seemed rather fun to pretend she had . ❝ and that matters because … oh ! you think i want to fuck him , don’t you ? and i’m just after the next best thing ? and you think that’s you . well i’m sorry to say you’re wrong but i won’t tell you where ❞ and it was another case of ellie just speaking words to provoke , words with no basis in facts . ❝ give it time dear , soon enough you’ll be married to one of my best friends . we’ll be in each other’s lives for a while yet ❞
❝ hilarious. — you want the real answer ? dump barty and date me. ❞ rikard shrugged, playing coy and walking along a dangerous line. he didn’t actually want to date ellie, but knowing she belonged to his brother made everything entertaining. ❝ henrika likes me best, and senior, well. . . ❞ he trailed off, looking around before his eyes fell back and his lips turned into a grin. ❝ i am a slytherin. ❞
❝ oh how sweet . you think you’re enough for me ? from what i’ve heard you’re not enough to keep one girl entertained for long , it’s … ambitious you think you can manage two ❞ truly how did it reflect on ellie that what was stopping her more from having a bit of fun was her closeness to cissa rather than the fact rikard was barty’s brother . ❝ and i’m a ravenclaw , what of it ? ❞ just as coy as he had been . ❝ but i’ll tell you what , rik , you seem plenty of fun ❞
“have you considered what you’ll be doing after this year? running off with barty, settling in with some apprenticeship, taking a trip to the moon?”
❝ oh not in the slightest ! isn’t that grand ? at least not any plans i think anyone else would count as plans . look pretty , fuck often , and do little else beyond that ❞
ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 hesitation in her tone , the check of his choice in them , covered in something like disappoint . even so , ❛ almost , ❜ he says again , a confirmation on his lips . he won’t act like they’re any more similar than they need to be ; after all . for a moment , he hesitates on this decision . it does seem that ellie was looking for it to be another way . for that connection . but her own explanation crumples it again in his mind . comfort or not , two loose canons would make nothing short of a blast . and there’s little to do with melted scraps . he stands his ground , only humming in acknowledgement of her words , lips pulling together . ❛ i see , ❜ he says , then : ❛ again ? ❜ whether or not he should prod for the seeds that planted her act , as he’s sure there’s more — is irrelevant . he makes it clear he’d want to hear it . that he’d want to listen , understand , whenever she wishes to however much of share it . and he does , of course . context is always helpful . it’s how he shapes it that matters . what reaction he gives out of it , and when . her thanks comes as a relief of barely - present tension ; little more than light tightening in his muscles . even with the dig of their very first fight ( he hopes their quick coupling would explain that , and not that she’s truly going to be upset by it so long . but he supposes if they’d never had it , they wouldn’t be here ) . barty sees no use of explaining himself again . instead , he snorts in a sort of exhale , eyes falling off in a moment of collection before darting back up to ellie’s , reaffirming instead : ❛ there was , ❜ he echoes , consonants exaggerated . they soften on emphasis again as he holds a palm against her cheek . ❛ i’m trying as well . ❜
it was the fact he wouldn’t lie to her , no empty little words to make her feel better , that made her sure in this . made her sure in them . because what was anything that was built on a lie , even if the lie was beautiful or meant to comfort , nothing but false . nothing that wasn’t about ready to crumble when the winds picked up . a final echo of ❝ almost ❞ gracing her lips one final time , the fifth time the word was spoken , as she sighed and nestled in against him . it was a thought as scary as the realisation from the start of the summer , that she loved him , that she was facing up to now : that she felt safe here . safe with him . such a wild , floating and reckless thing as she was , she still found safety in someone’s arms . but it was still so much to say it . still felt like it could almost be too much . one word . one little question . but such a large weight for just two syllables to hold . again . a - gain . he was asking , he wanted to know . but he wasn’t pushing . and so ellie found the truth eking free . ❝ the imperius curse , barty . she and i are old friends . far too old friends ❞ because that was the truth , wasn’t it ? because even if there had been some justification behind what her mother had done , in just what she’d sunk too , ten had been much too young for what ellie had gone through . ten had been much too young for what she’d gone through to be ignored . and for once she let things die , for one she wasn’t the bitch who wouldn’t give up a bone . she could move past the fight they’d had , move past and learn . there had been a problem then but wasn’t now proof they were moving past it ? eyes continuing to hold his gaze as his hand came to settle on her face , glancing down before they fell shut , feeling almost whole in that moment . ❝ why am i worth it ? ❞ she had so much now , so much with him . and she couldn’t quite believe it .
I’ve made my mind about the Senate. But I still want to know what you think I should do. You won the war, made your fortune and brought honour to your family. You have nothing left to prove to me or anyone else. We have everything we’ll ever need. Step back. Live life. And make history as the Roman who restored the Republic. The Republic was corrupt, and lazy…and complacent. We can achieve so much more.
❛ 𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 , ❜ he answers this time . barty has never had trouble waking from his nightmares . he can spot the telltale signs of a dream like a clue ; the strange behaviours , vivid colours — and snap his subconscious awake . this , however … ❛ i would want the strings in my hands . they can stay all they like , but i want them wrapped around my own fingers , stirring them away as i please . ❜ having turned fully to face ellie now — mind completely awake — he makes to move his own hands around her just as easily . he holds her gaze where she doesn’t . and he realises , only then , that he'd need to be faced with quite the dilemma to ever foot himself against ellie . he fails to even think of an example . maybe because she simply doesn't align herself too strongly on much at all that opposes him , but the result is there nonetheless . he can't much think of what that means for him . whether it rests layered but untouching over his skin or passes right into him ; soft and vulnerable , like he knows ellie must mean . maybe he doesn't want to know . as either a now or a later question . either answer would leave him restless . ❛ you can trust me , ❜ he tells her , hand coming up to brush back her hair , trying to find her eyes again . ❛ i hope i've never made you think you couldn't , ❜ he smiles a little , soft thing , and lets it hang a moment before affirming , barely prompted : ❛ and i trust you . ❜
❝ almost ? ❞ she echoed , a question she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted the answer to but that she asked none the less . what did almost mean ? not quite . but also very nearly … so which one was it ? strings . so there was her answer . he only got half of what she said and in his answers she saw just how surface level his understanding of her had been . but it wasn’t his fault , nor was it hers , it was too tall an ask to expect anyone else to know just what she spoke about . would require something so horrible to have happened to him that even in her darkest moments ellie would not wish it on anyone ( other than her sister viviane ) so maybe it was all a small comfort . to know that barty had not lived through what she had but was here with her nonetheless . ❝ i don’t think i’d want that , i think i’d make myself choke . i’d rather be lost to the winds that let anyone take control of me . not again , i couldn’t cope with it again ❞ but she’d been right about control and barty ; he’d never lacked control quite as she had but he valued having it of himself so much that having a little less of it ? it was as distressing to him as ellie having none was to her . and knowing that , and with his hands around her , for the first time in what maybe could be a long time ellie felt safe . she felt protected by someone who could act . ❝ thank you ❞ eyes daring to glance up to his again as his hand oh so gently brushed back her hair , holding his gaze now and smiling , a small little thing . ❝ there was a time , when i felt like i couldn’t because you didn’t trust me . when you didn’t tell me things and i — i’m trying to do that now ❞
ℎ𝑒'𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 settled into his new place , and hadn’t even thought twice , now , before bringing ellie . they laid by each other’s sides the same night , and he remained still in catching their breaths — nearly meditative . when ellie’s voice fills the air again , he assumes he could easily make with feigning sleep . instead , he gives a light pause , waiting for the punchline that never comes . ❛ i do , ❜ he answers . he doesn’t say which part . he doesn’t specify the whys or the hows . he opens his eyes and blinks , turning their tired attention to ellie . his voice is deep with fatigue , and he lets it soften , attention stilled to her gaze . ❛ as a puppet , or in a dream , perhaps , ❜ he fills the void closer in echoes , but there’s still no lie to be had there . he only assumes , from the last half , that it must mean more to ellie . he hears it in the slight tremor to her words , in the trepidation of her touch ; or lack of it . he steadies on the study of her expression , unsure what’s lead to it passing through . ❛ why mention this now ? ❜
what had she even been expecting of this ? of saying any of it ? speaking words into the darkness and expecting no response evidently as hearing even just those first two short words from barty startled her . managing not to jump or give any audible show of her surprise ; maybe it was just nerves , but by the way her shoulders tensed it was obvious his words had had some impact . even more obvious to one who lay so close to her now , who knew her ( and her body ) so well . and that wasn’t even to get into how what he said took her off guard too , so ready to be shot down so instantly , to be told she was just being silly if she was even being heard to be heard and understood was something else . i do , but if there was one thing ellie had come to associate with him it would be control , it’d been what she’d seen simmering away beneath it that had caught ellie’s attention about him . ❝ less a dream and more a nightmare you can’t even hope to wake up from ? and you just want someone to come by and cut your strings ? ❞ she couldn’t bring herself to hold his gaze for more than a second or two now , vulnerability had never come easily to her , avoiding his eyes still and settling instead to rest her head on his chest : a trepidatious hand coming up to cradle his face , thumb stroking idle patterns on his cheek . ❝ we can trust each other , right barty ? i can trust you ? ❞
