Defying Gravity

Lydia Muggleborn Babe. Let's Change the World.

[lydiailimitada]

mulcibers‌:

I wish you wouldn’t, Nicholas thought to himself as he took note of the hem of Lydia’s skirt. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” was what he admitted aloud instead.

“It’s dreadful, isn’t it? Then mix it with all the rain and snow, I’ll forever be awed at how you’ve all survived. Never though I’d find myself missing the sun so much.”

[lydiailimitada]

“I’m never ever ever going to be used to cold weather I swear.”

[lydiailimitada]

Aren’t you charming?–––

Drabble –– Mid-August 1977

Lost. That was the only feeling that came to mind. Lydia refused to admit those feelings were border lining overwhelmed. No, there was nothing to be overwhelmed by, it was just new. Unfamiliar faces bustled around her as though they knew the area as well as they knew their homes. She watched as they slid around one another like a practiced dance on a cobblestone stage. She stood mystified at their ease, a wave of slight discomfort settling in her stomach. She was the small fish, and the pond felt more like an ocean.

Lydia glanced down at the list in her hand, many items long since crossed off. Though she’d felt as though she’d explored every inch of the alley around her, store had eluded her no matter how hard she searched. And despite it all, Lydia knew deep down she was going to have to ask for help. No matter how much her pride argued that she was capable of finding the shop on her own. 

“Excuse me,” She called out to a man, passing near by. “I’m sorry to bother you, sir, but I seem to have gotten turned around.” She smiled sweetly, hoping her accent would help make her not appear to be an absolute moron. “I’ve never been to this part of London, you see, and I’m looking for this shop.” She held out the list to him. And though he seemed incredibly reluctant, the man nodded and motioned for Lydia to follow. 

The air between them awkwardly silent for only a moment before he spoke. “What brought you to London then?” “Oh, Hogwarts.” She answered excitedly. “My dad’s family was from London, so Hogwarts seems like a good chance to learn something about where they’re from.” “Hmm, a name we might know then?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so. muggle mostly.” The man paused, motioning her towards the shop across the way. “There’s what you’re looking for. A word of advice though, maybe keep your heritage under your hat.” She’d turned to thank him, but he’d already begun to walk away. And Lydia found herself left with a whole new set of questions swirling through her head.

[jamie-walsh]

Grow As We Go;

[lydiailimitada]

lydiailimitada‌:

dhollingsworthy‌:

Declan chuckled, nodding. “I’m inclined to agree with you; and not just because it’s all I know how to cook.” He mused, settling into his chair and offering her a warm smile. “It wasn’t any trouble at all.” Sure, it took a bit of work to search for the fruit needed for the recipe, but it was all worth it for her. He would go to the end of the earth to make her smile, so finding some papaya was small in comparison. “I’d do just about anything for you, Lyds, the papaya was nothing.”

Eyeing the food in front of them, he hummed before answering, glancing back up to catch her bright hues with his. “It’s all good, in my opinion. You know spaghetti is my go-to, so you’ll have to let me know if I’m any good at cooking anything else.” He teased at his own expense, reaching across the table and refilling their glasses of wine. “No, they haven’t.” A blush flooded to his cheeks as he answered. “Why? Is that what you’re telling me now?” Declan joked with a playful wink.

Lydia rolled her eyes playfully. “That’s where you’re wrong, Hollingsworth. It’s fall in the U.K., papaya is most certainly not nothing.” She looked over the food before them, the tips of her fingers circling her glass absentmindedly. “Spaghetti may be your signature dish, but I’ve got a strong belief in your cooking ability. Or maybe, just maybe, I have high hopes for it.”  

“You know, when you ask it like that it takes all of the fun out of it.” She teased, quickly sticking her tongue out at him. “It is what I’m telling you, but it’s no fun if I have to say it out right you know.”

[lydiailimitada]

churchofviolet‌:

“You discover lots of things working the kind of jobs I always have,” Violet said, pulling a face at the girl’s naivety, “people aren’t that nice.”  

“Many of them aren’t, you’re absolutely right. A shame, really.”

[lydiailimitada]

margaret-skeeter‌:

“Right. Thank you for that validation. It means so much, coming from… who are you, again?”

“Oh, right, I’m Lydia. Frye. It’s nice to meet you, Miss...?”

[lydiailimitada]

rosalindnott‌:

“And under the lake, too,” Rosalind shook her head. “It’s practically unsanitary.”

“I feel like no one considered the possibility of some student fooling around, cracking the glass, and flooding everything. I’d say it’s a miracle no one has yet.”

[jamie-walsh]

Grow As We Go;

[lydiailimitada]

dhollingsworthy‌:

Declan felt his heart beat with an indescribable flutter as her lips made contact with his cheek, a rosy hue flooding to his cheeks at her gentle kiss. He hummed, smiling softly and closing the door behind her once he had handed off her glass of wine. “My pleasure, thank you for coming.” He cooed, pivoting on his heels and following her down the hall of Tremblay Manor until they reached the dining room.

Almost all of the overhead lights were off, the hallway and adjacent rooms lit only by the soft glow of many candles Declan had placed before she arrived, illuminating his handiwork. The gesture felt natural for him to do for Lydia, and she deserved the extra pampering and attention. She was special to him and he wanted to make her feel as special as he could. “I made dinner… Spaghetti- my signature dish.” He laughed as they settled into the dining room, his hands gripping the back of one of the two chairs and pulling it out for her. “And your favourite, Creme de Papaya, for dessert…. l, uh, I learned how to make it just for you.” He explained softly, sitting down across from her once she got situated. 

Lydia walked further into the house, following the soft glow coming from down the hall. The smell that welcomed her the closer to the kitchen was delightful. “Hmm, spaghetti is always a good option though.” She smiled, muttering a small thank you as she took the seat he’d pulled for her. Though her eyes widened when he mentioned dessert. “First of all, I’m flattered you’d learn how to make that. I know Papaya isn’t easy to come across around here, nor is it cheap, so I sincerely hope you didn’t put yourself out too much on account of me.”

“That said, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t ridiculously excited about dessert now.” She laughed. “Has anyone told you lately that you’re entirely too much, but in the best possible way.”

[lydiailimitada]

margaret-skeeter‌:

“Do you always have this much pep, or did someone use a cheering charm on you at breakfast?” she asked, rolling her eyes at the girl’s obvious optimism. “You’re making a lot of assumptions here. Firstly, that I’m incapable of making the patriarchy work for me. And secondly – if you think I’d ever want children… you must’ve really gotten your head knocked in. I’m postponing the inevitable as long as I can, but that’s exactly what marriage is for me: inevitable. And as soon as that ring slides onto my finger, my voice won’t matter no matter how much I want it to. I won’t even have my name anymore.”

“Sons and daughters was more a generational term than assuming anyone was having children, but my apologies none the less.”

“Even if it’s inevitable, as archaic as that sounds, your voice still matters. You’re still a person after marriage.”

[lydiailimitada]

rosalindnott‌:

Rosalind was trying to study. Trying, the key word. For some reason, it felt like the whole house had chosen to venture into the Slytherin common room that afternoon. She’d managed to avoid most, choosing a table in the corner, away from the main bustle of it all. Her mistake had been leaving the seat across from her vacant. A mistake she realised when someone sat in it and began speaking to her. The other girls comment, while it was unwelcome, was something Rosalind agreed with. She certainly wouldn’t have chose to live in somewhere so drab as the dungeons. 

“I don’t disagree.”

“I mean, I’m aware of the cultural impact the founders had, but Merlin’s beard who let Slytherin think the dungeons were a place suitable for anything other than torture?”

[lydiailimitada]

churchofviolet‌:

Violet smirked. “I’ve always wondered why people do that, apologise for other people. You didn’t do it. Is it an ego thing?”

“I don’t think so? I’ve always thought it was more of an empathetic gesture than anything.”

[lydiailimitada]

Which does your character idealize most: happiness or success?

For Lydia the desire for a balance of both is strong. But when it comes down to it, she would rather be successful. She’s lived her entire life aiming towards a career in politics, and to never achieve her dreams of being able to make a difference on the political landscape would be one of her worst nightmares. 

[jamie-walsh]

Grow As We Go;

[lydiailimitada]

dhollingsworthy‌:

Closed starter for: @lydiailimitada

Chivalry was something that came easily to Declan Hollingsworth; women, on the other hand, were a bit more confusing to him. One woman in particular seemed to cause the most perplexity was none other than Lydia Frye. When she first came to Hogwarts, Declan was assigned as an older year student to show her around. It was an easy enough job and he had done it plenty of times before, but what he had never expected was the way this new student from across the pond would make him feel. They had a lot in common–but given that they were both studying World Politics & International Law, it wasn’t very surprising–and she seemed to get him in a way that not everyone at Hogwarts did. She was muggleborn, and that didn’t bother him in the slightest. In fact, maybe it was one of the reasons it was so easy for them to connect. As far as anyone around school knew, Declan was a pureblood, but underneath his charade he hid the fact that his mother was a muggle. He never discriminated against anyone, but he felt safe knowing that if he confided in Lydia about his family tree, that she wouldn’t turn away from him as some of the other students might.

They had grown closer over her year at school and Declan knew he was in too deep when he invited her over to Tremblay Manor, kicking everyone else out for the evening to have the kitchen and common room alone. He chalked such authority to Head Boy privileges and was perfectly fine using his status for such an evening. After all, if anyone deserved a night of pampering, it was Lydia. Hogwarts was a top school for academia and the students were often stressed, so if Declan could help her unwind after a long day, everything would have been all worth it. He had went into town over the weekend to grab a few records he thought she would like–cheesy disco music was one of her favourites–and had the catchy tunes playing over his record player as he put the finishing touches on dinner. He was making his favourite food, spaghetti, from scratch with favourite dish for dessert: Creme de Papaya. It was something he had never heard about before she introduced it to him, much less something he had ever thought about cooking. But she was worth the extra effort.

Upon hearing the knock at the door, Declan ran his fingers through his hair for good measure and grabbed the two wine glasses on the counter. He carelessly threw the rag into the sink after wiping off his hands to ensure no leftover flour was on them. When he reached the front door, he felt his heart skip several beats as he balanced both cups in one hand, swinging the door open for her. “Well hello there; aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He greeted cheerfully, offering Lydia the glass he had poured for her. “For you.” Declan mused, stepping aside and allowing her to slip into the foyer.

Lydia had thought nothing of accepting an invitation to spend the evening with Declan. He’d been one of the first people to make her feel welcome when she arrived at Hogwarts, though at first she’d thought it may have just been a show of hospitality that had been expected as he showed her the grounds. However, she’d long since come to the conclusion that was simply who he was as a person. Welcoming. Charming. There were simply nothing negative that came to mind when she tried to describe him. He was calming, with the sort of aura that gave a radiation of safety, she believed. 

As she neared Tremblay Manor, her steps slowed. Her fingers quickly smoothing over her dress, making sure there were no creases in sight. Catching her reflection in a window, giving herself a small nod of approval as she looked herself over. Climbing the few steps to the front door, Lydia knocked on the door eager to see what he’d planned.

“Oh, hello indeed!” She replied as she gently took the glass of Cabernet, pausing momentarily to place a kiss on his cheek as she moved inside. “Thank you for having me tonight.”

[lydiailimitada]

Lydia walked into the common room with a huff. As beautiful as the common room had been when she had first arrived, she’d long since grown weary of the damp light that came through the windows. The lanterns around the room doing nothing to ease the ominous feeling. 

“You know, for common rooms meant to be welcoming spaces for studying or socializing I have to think, as grand as the rest of the castle is, the architects truly missed the mark with this one. A bit of sunshine could have certainly helped, don’t you think?”

[lydiailimitada]

margaret-skeeter‌:

“It doesn’t matter how it feels. It’s what’s expected, and it’s what’ll happen… eventually. It’s not my responsibility to completely dismantle the patriarchy.”

“Nonsense! Much like any rule, expectations are meant to be broken! Defy the odds. Maybe they didn’t want to see it, but it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be seen.”

“I have to disagree though. If it’s not our responsibility to dismantle the patriarchy, whose is it? Would we not just be passing on all of the same hardships we face to our daughters? Letting our sons get away with the same things we loathe from their fathers, and their fathers before them?”

[lydiailimitada]

churchofviolet‌:

“A lot, if you wanna earn those tips,” Violet replied, twisting her lips into a fake, forced smile.

“I suppose.” She sighed. “None the less, I apologize on behalf of all the patrons who don’t know boundaries.”

[lydiailimitada]

margaret-skeeter‌:

“Yes, well, only certain women are taken seriously at the age of thirty. Married women.”

“Though there may be truth to that, it feels a bit archaic does it not? Women are capable of so much, why limit those who have chosen different paths or who have yet to meet the other part of their soul?”