Even Aurora’s laughter seemed perfectly placed. Lucius realized why she seemed so familiar in her bearing, now- she carried herself the way Narcissa did. With painstaking awareness of her surroundings, of expectations. She was, in everything, the ideal. Lucius envied her for it; he knew he put up a good show, but something about his performance would always be a bit off. It was part of the reason he was thankful for Narcissa- next to her no-one would pay him any attention, she was society’s darling after all. All he had to do was stand quietly next to her and try not to feel like an impostor.
“Indeed I’ve tried offering,” Lucius said ruefully. “But you’re right, I don’t have much to offer when it comes to color palettes and flower arrangements. I look forward to when it’s all over, and she’ll have the chance to relax like she deserves.”
Lucius watched Aurora look at the new pieces, following her eye and recognizing that she did, indeed, know precisely what she was doing. The ring she chose was perfect. The coloring would compliment Narcissa and her heritage, it was big enough to be noticed for what it was- a statement of wealth and power and love- but not so big as to appear gaudy or overcompensating for something.
At her joke about house loyalties, Cyprus shot her a strained smile. “Right as always, Miss Davis.”
Lucius took the ring and handed it to the jeweler. “It’s perfect. I don’t suppose it has any sister jewels? Narcissa is so fond of a matched set. Miss Davis, I can’t thank you enough. You’ve saved me so much time, please, let me cover your purchases today.”
Something about being among another elitist made Aurora feel more comfortable. Well, that and the fact that she was surrounded by some of the finest jewelry in Diagon Alley. She always carried herself with the utmost confidence, as though she was above everyone else. And when Aurora didn’t quite feel above the population, which was most of the time, she lifted her head just a few degrees higher to remind herself that she was worth it. Occasionally, and refreshingly, situations like these reminded her that sometimes even the elitists had moments of weakness.
The blonde woman cocked an eyebrow. “Oh dear, are you a little lost in the emeralds from the seaweeds to the shamrocks?” Aurora teased with a smirk on her face. “Do not worry. Women know that men are useless when it comes to these things. It is how we can make the wedding of our dreams come true. If Narcissa had wanted true help with the wedding, she would have married a gay man. Or maybe a woman. But the good news is, she picked you instead.”
Upon the request of a matching jewel, Aurora furrowed her brows, racking her brain for ideas. “Hm, well Nova Astaroth is one of my favorite designers. I think she came out with a few selections.” Turning to the jeweler, she continued, “Cyprus, please be a dear and fetch the matching emerald collection from Miss Astaroth.”
When the storekeeper bowed to leave, Aurora turned to Lucius, making sure Cyprus was out of earshot before she continued, “I do not know why Slytherin’s get the bad rep for pride when Gryffindor’s are decidedly worse. And as for my purchases today,” she let out a small laugh, “Do you really want to take up that offer? I haven’t been to this store in a few weeks so I have lots of browsing to do.”
