Name Origin - Originated from Chryses. Greek for 'Golden'.
Nicknames - Cress, Cressy by select people (she's annoyed by it), Little Malfoy
Age - 28
Birthday - November 11th 1951
Gender & Pronouns - Cis female, she/her pronouns
Sexuality - Bisexual
Relationship Status - Married to Tiberius McLaggen
Patronus - Swan
Boggart - A dead image of her brother and Tiberius
Wand
Occupation - Welcome Witch at St. Mungo's
Affiliation - Neutral
Face Claim - Sydney Sweeney
Key Information / Bio
No one would think that Cressida is only a few minutes older than her twin brother as he towers over her and she's affectionately called 'Little Malfoy' by many.
From young on, the Malfoy knew what was to be expected in life; look pretty and become a mother. And she was okay with that. She would love to be a mother in the future but the fact that her parents would decide who she would marry and who would become the father of her children, was something she did not like.
Cressida knew from very early on that she did not believe in the Pureblood world they lived in. She does not feel comfortable at all. She doesn't want to pick a side, which is why she is neutral in the war that is currently going on.
The secret of her believes leans heavily on her. Her family - especially her twin brother - were the most important people in life but she could not believe in the same things as they did.
Over the years, Cressida had been in an on and off relationship with Tiberius McLaggen. From an early age on she knew that he was the one but he did not fit the rules her family saw for her for the future partner of their Pureblood daughter.
After the wedding of her brother, Cressida finally picked up her things and moved in with Tiberius, after he proposed to her. Despite the fact that it meant leaving her brother behind, she had to follow her heart.
A quick wedding followed with just two witnesses to accompany them at the event, they are now searching their way in their new reality.
Cressida is trying to find a new social circle and started working at St. Mungo's as one of their Welcome Witches.
There was a lot of nostalgia in the air, but also sweets that were caked in sugar, beer sticking to the rims of people's glasses, and the sound of fun laughter. Mary was also happy that it was a great day to do some on-the-ground reporting with a mix of alumni and the community.
"Excuse me, I'm here with the Daily Prophet today. Mind answering a couple of questions?"
Cressida was slightly startled at the voice that started speaking to her. The Daily Prophet. The blonde was hesitant to say 'yes' right away. The last thing she wanted was to get into the public eye herself, she had had enough of it in all of her years.
"I don't mind answering some questions as long as it can be anonymous? I don't need my name in a paper at the moment," the blonde said with a smile to the other woman. "You are interviewing people about the event?"
Tiberius found himself relaxing with the joyous atmosphere around them. Friends chatting and laughing as they wandered about, children chasing each other on the cobblestone streets. It was hard not to be drawn into it. There was a victorious grin on his lips as he won the game he'd just played at the booth they'd stopped at. He considered the prize options before pointing to the bear that was a shocking hue of pink. Prize in hand he turned to Cressida, a grin on his lips as he presented it to her. "Don't say I never gave you anything." He teased, leaning in and kissing her even as he handed her the bear. He pulled back, turning to survey their surroundings. "Alright, where to next?"
It was just nice to relax a little with everything that was going on in life. Finding a rhythm in work, daily life at home, trying to make time for her friends and finding new friends. It was all quite a task sometime so the End of Summer Fayre was perfect.
Cressida just enjoyed watching how Tib was playing the game, appreciating the beauty that was her husband. She hadn't even fully noticed that he had won a game until he turned around with a bright pink teddy bear in his hands. Rather shocked, but with a glint of joy in her eyes, she accepted the bear and kissed him back. "Hmm, I will never ever complain again," she joked back at him. Both her hands were needed for the bear, otherwise she would've grabbed his hands.
"How about Honeydukes? I've been craving sweets all day already."
I kept my wizard a secret as he is a Halfblood and my family did not exactly approve of it, but I don't have to tell you that. But yes, he's been a constant for years now.
Quite. But you are committed. You know how I value such things.
I hear you now work at St Mungo's. I hope it suits you, but you'll forgive me for saying that I also hope I don't encounter you there. The last time I required hospital attention, it did not end well. Horrible place, full of the sick and injured.
The night had finally arrived, a planned double date evening between Anthony and Mira with Tiberius and Cressida. An occasion that had been in the calendar for weeks, and now as he made his way towards the house, stumbling with an opened bottle of wine in hand, Anthony reckoned he should have just cancelled. At least if he cancelled, he wouldn’t have to experience the embarrassment of showing up alone, and detailing the even more embarrassing reason of why. The wine was supposed to be a gift, a thanks for The McClaggen’s hosting, but as Anthony sat on the Night Bus, he reckoned it would work better as his own version of liquid luck.
Finally arriving at the door, Anthony leaned forward to knock, banging slightly into the door with his shoulder as he did so. Muttering an array of swear words as he leant backwards, smoothing out his shirt in a bid to compose himself. Somehow as though he believed that he didn’t already look a mess. Squinting as the light from the McClaggen’s hall flooded around him as the door opened. Warmth flowing out from the door, and sharply nipping at his fingers. “Cress, it’s just me m’afraid.” He explained, the depth of his loneliness burrowing into his stomach as he admitted it. Tucking the bottle of wine against his chest with his forearm, mimicking an explosion with his hand. “Things have went poof…not good.”
The entire day Cress had been moving around to prepare the house for the double date with Anthony and Mira. Not that she was able to cook anything but she had been cleaning and a lot of other things. All to cover up her nerves. The blonde had known about Anthony being Tib's best friend but they hadn't really officially met. And she knew Mira as being a part of the Selwyn family. But a double date was a different story.
When she heard the knocking at the door, she told her husband that she would open up the door. When Cress opened up the door, she had not expected to find a very, very sad young man standing in front of her and a bottle of wine, but without a girlfriend in sight.
And by the way Anthony spoke, he already had a lot of wine - or other alcohol - in his system. "Only you?" The woman repeated before she stepped aside to quickly let him in and she closed the door behind him. She gently nudged him in the direction of the living room before she made her way over to Tib there. "I have no idea what is going on but it is just him and I think he has had quite something to drink already. Do you have any idea what's going on?"
Starter for: @bbcharity
Where: Dinner at 8pm, at the Fountain of Fair Fortune
The letters had come as a surprise to her, but Cressida was very curious by the time dinner had come around with Charity. Why the hell had her husband thought that she would've been the right person to be a friend to Charity in a certain situation? That was the thought that kept spinning through her head all the time. The blonde had arrived too early at the location and was brought to the table already. It was also at that moment in time, Cress realised that she had no idea what Charity looked like. When a young woman approached her table, she got up - hoping that she wasn't going to embarrass herself. "Hi, you have to be Charity? I'm Cressida."
Serra had been in St. Mungos 'for observation' for a few days now and she had grown terribly bored of this room and its decor - or lack thereof, already. It was incredibly bare, white walls, white sheets, white curtains, no decorations except for the many bouquets of flowers Malcolm and others had gotten her. The healers had forcibly removed him from her room saying she needed to rest for at least a few hours, despite the fact that she did not wish to be alone and he had not wanted to leave. Not that she had admitted that she wanted him here out loud, but she figured he already knew. So when her door opened less than an hour after he had stepped out she had assumed it was him, disappointment on her face when she saw that it wasn't, which she quickly schooled into a mask of indifference, looking as put together as one could laying in a hospital bed. She had changed into her own clothes, refusing to wear what everyone else was wearing, her hair smooth and her cheeks flushed. "Can I help you?"
The gossip mill had sarted nearly right away when Serra Borgin had been added to the patients list of the 'curses gone wrong' department, as Cressida had started to call it. It was soon clear what had been the cause; a cursed necklace. Or at least, that was what the rumour mill had created.
It had been a few days before Cressida had finally gathered enough courage to make her way over to the department where Serra was. If the blonde remembered right; there was one with who had a very direct opinion in the society... and that was Serra Borgin. But still she had made her way up to floors during her lunch break.
Softly, Cress pushed the door open and she was indeed met with a direct question. "Hi Serra. It's been a while. I wanted to see how you were doing." The blonde had no idea how this was going to end, but it was going to be an interesting conversation nonetheless.
It certainly would've been fun if you thought I was flirting with you. I've been told you're a beautiful witch so I could have indeed, but as you are saying, it's a friend I need. Your curiosity shall be fulfilled, greatly that is.
Tiberius settled onto the couch beside Cressida with a groan. He'd always thought he had all the energy in the world, but it would seem Nymphadora had bested him. He didn't know how one kid could simply have so much energy, it was like she just kept going. Still he was glad they had agreed to do this for Andromeda and Ted, he was sure they needed a night to enjoy themselves. Besides, it gave him and Cressida a chance at seeing how they fared. He chuckled at her question and turned to look at Dora, watching as her hair transformed colors right before his eyes. "She is, although I would like to know how she has so much energy. I'm ready to sleep and I've only been chasing after her." He chuckled.
His expression softened, his attention returning to Cressida and he smiled. "Yea? You'd be a great mom." He leaned in and kissed her once briefly. "Besides, I think I like the idea of a little you running around. Merlin help us if we end up with a mini version of me." He chuckled.
"I think that's just children in general? I mean, at that age you don't worry about sleep or getting a drink or anything, do you? We had to remind her to slow down for a bit and take a drink earlier in the night." But Tib was definitely right about one thing; it was taking a lot of energy of them. It made Cressida wonder; would it take as much energy when it were your own children? Because she always had the feeling that it was a lot easier to accept things of something of your own.
A smile was plastered on her lips as Tib kissed her and then she chuckled. "I think I would be okay with a mini you as well. Just imagine how he is going to be a heart stealer when older," Cress teased her husband. No matter the gender, she just knew that becoming a mother was what she wanted more than anything in life. "What do you think about when we will be parents? What do you imagine in that way?"
Cressida Malfoy. Or well...McLaggen now, she supposed. What was it like to have everything you could ever want and to just...throw it all away? For love? Please. Davina didn't need love. What she needed was a Gringotts vault overflowing with galleons. It would happen. She was quite sure of it. But she was getting rather impatient.
"Oh, Cressida. It's lovely to see you again," Davina replied. "It's been a very long time, hasn't it? How has married life been?" Was it worth it? Was it easier to walk away from all of it when you had everything that you could ever want? Davina was curious, even if her mother would probably not approve of her talking to Cressida, all things considered. But her mother wasn't here.
Lovely to see you again. Despite the fact that the words were kind, it were those words coming from someone in Pureblood society, it made her doubtful about the truth behind it. A doubt that was just filling her up from time to time. It probably said more about her insecurity than about the person she was talking to.
"Married life has been good." It was exactly what she had needed in her life. To be with the person she loved without the secrecy that they had hidden it in. "I has been quite some time, indeed. How have you been?"
He remained silent as she spoke, paying attention but not daring to interrupt until she was finished, nodding his head slowly as her words fell heavy on his own shoulders. "I didn't mean to pry, I know it must be difficult for you." Peter offered kindly with a shrug of his shoulders. "Does this new weight have to do with those you've left behind? If you don't mind me asking, that is."
Like she had said to him; it was not a subject that she liked to discuss a lot. But avoiding answering questions about it wasn't going to help her either. "It definitely has to do with it. It's my family after all that I've left behind and people I've known all my life. But at the same time... They did cut me out and I am now with the person I love. So in the end it is all perspective on what is most important to you."
Cressida, such a wonderful friend. Hestia felt bad whenever the time seemed to just slip, and days turned into weeks and months with little correspondence in between. The witch blamed a lot of that on herself. After all she had allowed the auror department and her job to become near the guiding light in her life. There was always so much to do, especially with how things were progressing all around them.
“I promise to do better. You know how it is; the ministry is a mess.” She didn’t wish to burden her friend with the reality of what it felt like to be in a place where every second face could potentially be someone ready to tear down the world they were fighting for. “Tea? Coffee?” - @cressxmclaggen
Cressida shook her head for a moment. It wasn't just Hestia's fault that they hadn't seen each other for a long time. It had been her fault too. She hadn't reached out as much as she should have. Despite the fact that she had had a lot of spare time recently. "I know, Tib has been making long days as well." Time together had been getting less, but at the same time... They did appreciate the time that they did have together a lot more. She could only hope that the same would happen with Hestia and her as well.
"I would love to have some tea. Do you need me to help you in getting it?" The blonde asked her friend, getting up from the couch once more. She stretched for a moment and then looked at Hestia. "Please tell me what you've been up to lately!"
Not one to be driven by ambition, Willa Bulstrode was currently quite happy with her career as it stood. In her first year at Hogwarts, Willa had tried to seem interested in courses of study, but her best subject tended to be Potions, where she would rely on having a good partner to coast through the year with. Other colleagues had drive to rise through the ranks of St Mungos, Willa on the other hand, was perfectly content where she was.
Smiling as Cressida approached, Willa furrowed her brow as she glanced at the appointment rota. "Oh I know," She nodded knowingly, "Beck has an attitude, I do this every once in a while to drive him crazy."
Cressida raised her eyebrows in surprise when the other woman admitted that she had double booked the healer simply because of his attitude. Okay... That was a bit too much. For a moment she was at a loss at words before finally speaking up. "You do know that there are different ways to tell him to stop with the attitude instead of booking him double? Because it also means that we are selling our client short?" Her voice was soft. She was only working there for a short while so it just felt wrong to say those words to start with.
Cressida made a lot of sense, and deep down, Pandora knew it. But that didn’t make the feeling any easier to shake. This space had once brought her peace, now, it sometimes left her feeling isolated.
“You’re right,” she said softly. “I know it’s something I have to work through. I’ve been trying, and being somewhere that isn’t directly above the bakery… it’s helping. At least it gives me room to separate, to process.” She nodded, a small smile forming. “I’m ready to start making better memories.”
She paused before continuing, her voice warmer. “What helps the most is knowing I have friends who were never part of that world. When I’m with them, I feel like myself, really myself. On the other side, it was like I was constantly performing.” Her gaze lingered on Cressida, sincerity in her eyes. “It means so much that you’re here. I really do appreciate it. And just so you know, I’m always here for you too, whatever you need.”
"Do you think you will return back to your place above the bakery in the future?" If Cressida remembered right from the time that Alara hadn't been around, her friend was still living there as well. And in the end... Running from her past wasn't going to help. The blonde knew that very well.
She was happy that Alara had friends that weren't part of the world they had left. She herself had found that in Tib and Hestia. And Andromeda eventually as well. But that still meant it were only three people and that was a very small circle. "Thank you Alara, that means a lot." Support was a fickle thing in the end.
