My Power's Turned On

Starting right now I'll be strong Alice Longbottom | 23 | Auror | Hufflepuff

[longbottomxalicej]

ofaurors​:

Parties of this nature were definitely not Frank’s scene but he was a good sport about it. Alice had gone off to mingle and Frank had made a beeline for what was, in his opinion, the most important part of a party, the food table. And that was where he now stood, basically trying to avoid having awkward conversations with people.

After what felt like an appropriate amount of socializing, Alice had gone in search of her husband. She still wore her heels, although she was leaning toward kicking them off again - next time, she was wearing flats no matter what her mum thought of that. When she finally spotted him, Alice made a beeline for Frank and slipped up beside him, tucking her hand into his arm. “Have we put in enough time, do you think?”

[longbottomxalicej]

nvrcissasm​:

Generally running in very different circles, Narcissa couldn’t say that she knew either of the Longbottom’s very well, but being just a year younger than her, she at least recognised Alice to see her. 

“Oh, I can’t say that I’ve seen him, I’m afraid.” Narcissa replied with an apologetic smile, as she turned to glance over at the other witch. “He can’t have gone that far though, I’m sure.”

The answer didn’t surprise Alice; she would have been surprised to hear that her husband had been anywhere near Narcissa Malfoy. Despite the fact that they were currently at a party, Alice herself was a little surprised to be here. She would think Narcissa would prefer to be away from people like Alice. “I’m sure I’ll find him sooner or later. He’s probably found someone to talk to.” He wasn’t a fan of parties - neither was she - but they did have a few friends here tonight. “Are you going to bid on anything?”

[longbottomxalicej]

mollsweaslxy​:

“at least they’re good conversation starters,” she said, of course joking. even if she did bring her twins, it was still nice to be able to go out, especially when she only had to look after two of her five kids. “the older boys have been great. bill’s used to it by now, i think,” she said, a sof smile on her face. “these two make five.”

“That’s true - I’m sure you won’t lack for conversation tonight!” Whether or not that conversation would be friendly was a different matter entirely, but Alice doubted anyone would be outright rude to Molly. Hopefully not. She smiled at Molly’s expression; no one would be able to doubt how much she loved her boys after seeing that look. “He does have a lot of practice, with four younger brothers.” Alice had grown up in a large family, although she didn’t want one quite so big herself. “You’re almost at a full Quidditch team.”

[longbottomxalicej]

nvrcissasm​:

where: the ministry summer gala when: early evening  status: open to all

Ministry organised events were never something that Narcissa was overly fond of. They were always too loud, too crowded, and she couldn’t help but feel they were used as a way to take the focus off of everything else that was going on in the wizarding world. She still attended though, because that’s what was expected of her. Even if it was just for a few hours, she would smile and nod and be polite, just as her mother taught her.

Out of everything that had been organised for the gala, the one thing that Narcissa could say she was interested in was the live auction that was due to start any time now. A small crowd had gathered in area cordoned off specifically for it, and Narcissa had found herself a spot quite near the back where she could get a good view of the proceedings. 

“It should be starting shortly” she automatically said when she felt someone come up and take the spot next to her. 

With the assistance of a charm, Alice had - regretfully - put her shoes back on to rejoin the party appropriately attired. Looking for Frank, she meandered through the crowd but he was either hiding very well or in a different part of the event because she had no luck. She spotted the assembling crowd and moved in that direction, gently pushing through  until she found a spot where she had a better view. But she still didn’t see him, and turned with a frown at the comment. “Oh, it’s fine.” She recognized Narcissa Malfoy, of course; the Black family was practically royalty among the pureblood society. 

“I’m just looking for my husband,” she added, with a polite smile.

[longbottomxalicej]

s-ectumsempras​:

Severus enjoyed his solitude. He was almost always alone and that was how he always liked it. There was something calming, to him, about being alone but Severus could not figure out what made it so calming. Being alone with his thoughts wasn’t exactly ideal. They seemed to be betraying him as of late, so Severus shut them out. He was rather good at shutting things out and that made his living situation bearable. Severus couldn’t stand his mother and father. They fought almost every day and he never understood why they were together in the first place. Perhaps they were afraid of being alone? Afraid of not having anyone to love. To Severus, they were weak and he was not going to turn out like them because he was stronger than they will ever be.

As he waited patiently for his drink, he heard a voice, a voice that sounded like it was directed at him. Before he could even answer the question, the woman sat down beside him. Why did she have to choose the seat next to him? He could have sworn there were other seats available. Severus sighed, “What was the point of asking if I minded when you were going to sit down anyway?” He asked a little bit harshly. Severus thought about getting up and leaving but there was nowhere else for him to go, so he decided to stay in his place.

Ooh, tetchy. Alice glanced over, raising her eyebrows, although she tried to hide the amusement in her expression. “It’s the polite thing to do - but I’d like to see you stay on your feet a second longer than absolutely necessary in death traps like these.” She pulled her shoes off and waggled one in his direction before dropping it again and wiggling her toes gratefully. “I’m sorry if I’m interrupting anything. I just needed to sit for a few minutes.” It was a party though, so he could hardly expect to monopolize a stool at the bar forever. 

[longbottomxalicej]

mollsweaslxy​:

“it’s definitely something that gets honed. i can certainly relate to that,” molly said as she laughed, understanding that completely. when you were used to having children around, it seemed to molly that it never really went away, even if there weren’t any around. once alice had the baby, she bent down and picked up his brother, cradling him so he would stop fussing. “we thought about leaving them with my parents, but they’re still so little and i think me more than my husband didn’t really feel all too comfortable leaving them for too long.”

“I’m sure you can!” Alice grinned, gently patting the twin on the back and hoping that he was settling. “I’m sure I’m going to be the same way when it’s my turn with babies.” It would be hard to leave babies as small the twins at home, Alice was sure. “Well, I’m happy to have the chance to see them. Have you been managing all right with the others - how many do you have now?” 

[bxllatrixlestrangc]

Open starter

The fact that in her short time at the Gala, Bellatrix had already bumped into both her sister and her cousin, was another confirmation to her that she regretted going to this thing in the first place. She had found a rather quiet spot in the garden and she had lit a cigarette, playing with the thing between her fingers and a glass of wine in the other hand. And while she had hoped she had found some kind of peace from the busy night, a sound gave away that it was not the case. “If you want to come over her, just do so instead of peeking around the bush.”

[longbottomxalicej]

“I’m just looking for a bench,” Alice said, shifting her posture slightly to try and hide the fact that she had given up and taken her shoes off. There was a fairly smooth path, and she’d run about barefoot until well after her Hogwarts years so it didn’t bother her that much anyway. “I didn’t come out here on purpose to bother you.”

[diego-cortez]

It was clear to Severus that he did want to be here. Big crowds were never really his thing. People noticing hm were never really his thing and what if someone he actually knew saw him? This was the reason why he kept his head down as he walked through the crowds of people. Severus wasn’t a fan of formal events but his mother insisted that he go and make the Prince family proud. He never understood why he needed to make a family he never met proud but Severus always listened to his mother, even if she was infuriating.

Severus needed to find a place to stay for the whole evening, a place where no one would bother him. The seat all the way at the end of the bar seemed like the best option. Everyone always went to the center, not the end, and Severus could enjoy his solitude while having a drink, something he needed since he arrived. Severus quickly made his way to the end and took a seat at the last chair. After ordering a drink, he sat there hoping that no one would notice him.

[longbottomxalicej]

Alice’s feet were killing her. She hated wearing heels but they were basically a requirement for events like this, so she suffered through it. But she did find herself searching for a place to sit to give herself a break. Excusing herself from her conversation, she took slow strides toward the bar, where there were seats, thankfully, and she even spotted an open one. It was beside a young man she didn’t think she recognized - although she really wasn’t the best with names and faces now - and she took the risk of being kicked out of the seat. Something about his posture made her think that wasn’t really a problem though. 

“Do you mind?” She asked, the question merely a formality as she dropped into the seat before he could really answer her either way. 

[longbottomxalicej]

wallflower-lils‌:

Lily had sent James on his way, insisting that he locate his friends before the lot of them could cause too much trouble, but was pleased that she wasn’t alone for too long. She had always looked up to Alice, and admired how the woman was always so confidently herself. Perhaps some of it could rub off on her, Lily thought. “Alice!” She exclaimed as she came closer, wrapping her in a huge, before shaking her head. “Thank you, but it’s nothing, really. Half of it is charms, and it might fall apart at any given moment…” Her voice trailed and she laughed a bit at the thought. “Look at you! How are you doing?”

Alice gave Lily a pointed look. “First, no matter how many charms are on it, the dress is still beautiful. And second, if you did put in all that work on it, you have even less right to be dismissive. I never mastered that sort of spell, and I grew up in a magical house.” The housework charms didn’t come easily to Alice the way they did to her mother, although she wasn’t at all upset about that. “Anyway, I’m doing quite well. I’ll be better when I can go home and take these shoes off but I can’t complain. How are you?”

[longbottomxalicej]

mollsweaslxy‌:

just as she had suspected, when the twin she was holding started to fuss, it started off the other one. she internally groaned at the thought that arthur had just walked away when she heard alice’s voice ask if she needed help. alice had known alice ever so slightly during their years at hogwarts, but she knew the other woman more post-hogwarts. while she wasn’t an official member of the order, she worked close enough with the members to know them. “you’ve got great timing,” she said as she laughed and passed the baby she was holding, fred, she had noticed at a quick glance. he had calmed down at being held by his mother and now it was his brother’s turn. 

“My internal radar has been honed from years of watching my own siblings,” Alice said, chuckling as she took the baby carefully. It really did take her right back to her younger years, when she almost always had a kid in her arms or underfoot; she had been happy to help her family, although she was glad for the opportunity to work right now, instead of starting her family immediately. “I have to admit, I think you’re the first mum I’ve seen bringing babies to an event like this.”

[mollsweaslxy]

having just given birth to her set of twins, molly didn’t often get out of the house. the twins were only a few months and with two of them, it was twice the work (on top of the three older boys she had to take care of). she also wasn’t all too comfortable taking them out very often, as they were still so little. and with that came not being comfortable leaving them home alone with their brothers and her parents while her and her husband made an appearance at the gala. they were only a few months old and while she trusted her parents more than anyone, it was more to make herself comfortable.

when the weasley couple made their entrance at the gala, a twin with each parent, molly transfigured a bassinet for their twins, both parents putting them down in it. arthur walked off to get a drink for them while molly took a glance around the room. one of the twins started to fuss, so she picked him up before the other one started to fuss as well. the last thing she needed was to be in public with two fussing babies.

[longbottomxalicej]

That red hair was impossible to overlook, and Alice - who did not have baby fever, just a little baby interest - couldn’t stay away when she realized Molly had the babies with her. There was only a year between them in age, but Alice had always felt like Molly was such a grown-up, with the gaggle of children surrounding her at all times. “Do you need any help?” She tried not to appear too eager as she glanced at the twins; Alice really wasn’t ready for children of her own yet, not when the world was such a mess, but she did so love them. It came of helping look after the many younger siblings she had at home. 

[alecttos]

THERE WAS SOMETHING PARTICULARLY boring about ministry events. nothing but polite small talk with people she did not care about, pouring in some money to whatever harold’s cause du jour was for that particular event ( which, as his assistant, she frequently provided suggestions for ), but mostly just a lot of smiling on her part. she had to at least pretend to take her job seriously, even when her cheeks hurt after.

STILL, THE ALCOHOL FLOWED RICHLY and that was something she could appreciate. about two glasses of champagne in, alecto noticed a commotion near the bar, her eyebrows raised in interest. some woman catching her husband cheating — now that she enjoyed. “i swear, that was the first interesting thing to happen all night,” she mused out loud, not particularly caring who she was talking to. “care to wager on how long it will take for the wife to slap him in the face?”

[longbottomxalicej]

Alice didn’t drink much - even at a formal event like this, she wanted to keep her thoughts clear - but one glass wouldn’t hurt anything, and she wasn’t working tonight so she didn’t feel too badly about it. Drink in hand, she prepared to leave but found herself caught up in the drama unfolding nearby. It wasn’t polite, but her curiosity had been stirred and she lingered to see the result. At the voice, she turned her head quickly with a sheepish smile playing about her lips. She recognized Alecto - although the incredibly beautiful dress she was wearing did give Alice pause for a moment, and she felt quite underdressed for the occasion.

“I can’t argue with you there,” she said, thinking that Alecto was right and the party wasn’t very interesting. “But I’d be a little surprised if she slaps him here in public. If they go off somewhere private though, I would be willing to bet that it would happen.”

[longbottomxalicej]

@wallflower-lils​

Alice patted Frank’s arm and stepped away as she spotted James Potter moving away from Lily’s side. As a firm believer in young love, Alice didn’t want to interrupt anything but she did want to see Lily - who, like most of the rest of the participants - looked truly amazing and put Alice’s dress to shame. Not that she was bothered in the slightest; she had never been the sort of girl to enjoy dressing up in frilly frocks, and nothing would ever change about that. She refused to feel badly for that fact about herself. “Lily, you look amazing!” Reaching for a quick hug, she glanced over Lily’s dress and shook her head in disbelief. “That’s a lovely dress. 

[longbottomxalicej]

Event 001: Ministry Summer Gala 

Alice looking into her closet: what the fuck is semi-formal? Does this count? I don’t even care anymore. Alice’s mother later: I tried so hard with her. She did put on high heels for this, and that’s quite an accomplishment.

[olicitylover1]

[longbottomxalicej]

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