Caviโs smug little smile as he boasted about assigning babysitters with a sense of pride, like perhaps it might earn him some good will to have been so clever to have Rabastan followed wherever he went, just in case, needled at Rabastanโs own pride. Rodolphus, surely, would not have said anything about the increasing frequency of his episodes of late, of the unpredictable tide of his moods and behaviour. He was not such a liability as to need such close supervision, surely. But the idea of Cavalier having noticed and flaunted that information was worse still.
The grip on his shoulder was tightening, like a vice, as Cavi expanded upon his plans for the night ahead with the blissful ignorance of a man who had no idea what the fates had in store for him (there was rather a grand show already in the works, as fate would have it) and Rabastan, who could feel the strings of possibility tugging him insistently this way and that, was kept grounded, firmly in the present, by his brotherโs steadily growing ire. Rolf had never had much patience for the overly-familiar and Cavi had never had the sense to afford the appropriate levels of respect.
Talking his brother down when he felt slighted was an unenviable task, one that required far more focus than Rabastan could reliably muster on a good day โ Beltane, however, wasnโt a regular day.
The sounds of choking echoed off the walls of the stairwell as that ridiculous bowtie of Caviโs shrunk but Rabastan appeared largely unconcerned as he turned his back upon Cavalier, for now, in order to deal with the real concern at hand. His brother demanding questions of a man who could not reply struck a resonant chord inside of him. It had not ended well for the Potters, nor any of their predecessors. If the night was to go ahead as planned heโd need to intervene early. โSince when have we needed invitations, brother?โ Since when have we showed our hands so easily.ย โA Lestrange goes wherever they wish to โ isnโt that what grandpรจre always said?โ One hand closed over the fingers that were determined to ruin his shirt and squeezed down, a reminder of precisely where they were and who Rodolphus was on the knifeโs edge of losing control in front of.
Rabastan had always had a peculiar gift for making people feel singular, feel extraordinary, for focusing his ever-roaming attention in on them with laser precision to the exclusion of all else. He settled the full weight of his attention, for the moment, upon his brother, and peeled the grip slowly from his shoulder. That was going to bruise.ย โCome, Rolf, lets not disrupt the nightโsย grand show just yet,โ he coaxed carefully, smoothing out the fabric of his shirt and locking eyes as if to dare his brother to look away before adding in a lower voice,ย โYou can remind him of his proper place once heโs played his role.โ
There was silence, beyond the strained wheezing noises bouncing off the walls and Rabastan reminded Rodolphus pointedly, fingers dropping to gently tap at the wrist of his brotherโs wand hand, โCavalier canโt breathe.โ
Cavalier opened his mouth to contest Rodolphusโ outlandish claims, but his lips immediately slammed shut. There was a strain, followed by a gasp that was practically inaudible considering the oxygen was being strangled from his lungs. The last trace of it evaporated from his tongue as he dramatically flailed both arms, nervously clawing at his throat and the disorientating pain that followed.
Cavalier canโt breathe.
Rabastanโs words almost seemed taunting, but Cavi reckoned it was just his desperation to live. An anxiety that already pressed on him heavily. He was already coping with a lotโbestowing surprise to even himself that a man with a cold heart and harden shell could also experience such a raw thing as grief. Grief over the life lost and possibility of absolution. It was easier hating someone while they were still alive, and perhaps more forgiving on thyself. Their absence was optional and therefore powerful by Cavalier Averyโs standards. Life always left room for more. Delmore Averyโs death on the other hand was painful and unexpected, detonating off inside him like a bomb. It closed doors Cavi hadnโt even yet realized he was leaving open, pinged by a traumatic moment that would forever be seared into his brain. There were days he was fine, calm like the oceanโs surface and void of all feeling. Other days the tide was too strong brewed by the surpassing storm. Even a man of his stature couldnโt withstand its death grip, drowning him in waves ofโremorse? Guilt? Perhaps the shame of being a horrible son and brother? He didnโt think he was also a horrible friend, but maybe those he considered himself closest to shared an opposing worldview.
Bash wasnโt wrong. In fact, there were seldom times the wizard was wrong. His self-dubbed best friend was unusually aware of his surroundingsโa force of nature and subject of intrigue. It was a trait Cavalier was admittedly jealous of, though none of that was why he tasked an army of trained security professionals to tail him around the party all night. No, that reason was much simplerโthe fact that Bash pushed a Parkinson in the swan pond this early into the night should have told anyone everything they needed to know. Bash was a liability in the best way possible. The wix was full of thrills, and adept at keeping those he was surrounded by on their toes at all times. Cavi loved the excitementโthat was partially the reason why he interjected himself so adamantly at the center of both Rabastan and Rodolphusโ lives. He was drawn to them like a moth addicted to the light despite its potent sting. This was one of those times its sting was tangible, residing in the back of his throat like a caged wild animal clawing to break free.
His desire to breathe was innate, carouseling around in his chest savagely. He thumbed at the bow tie still rapidly shrinking around his neck, unable to loosen it or plead for either of his beloved friends to do so. Instead he fumbled on his feet, shooting pleading glances between the two. If this was how they showed their love and appreciation then it was much more twisted than the Avery Familyโs preferred method of delivery. Then again, he wasnโt exactly on speaking terms with his family either. There were no congratulatory surprises or letters of good luck and good fortune being exchanged. Instead he was left to celebrate his success alone and, though he wasnโt alone in the flesh, he was alone in spirit and namesake. Cavi clung to the Lestranges like a passenger tossed overboard at sea, desperate for another chance at life and the redemption that entailed.
The wizard wheezed again, the sensation his lungs might collapse becoming much more prominent. Cavi, now ignoring Rodolphus out of the sheer will to survive, placed a tentative hand on Bashโs shoulderโhis eyes a softer texture as they silently begged his friend for further assistance. After all, the wizard reckoned it was better to have a hurt ego than whatever fatal alternative this scenario was verging the boundaries of.
Grandpereโs words offered up to him was a pacifying measure Rodolphus did not have the time to acknowledge as he stared upon the face of idiocy straining against the confines of fabric. It was all proof. Blood, lineage, and tradition were pillars of their world but being born into a position of privilege did not mean you did not have to work for your place in life. Cavalier Avery was a weak man. A wizard with half his background would have seen that acting like an unloved child was not the way to ingrain himself into whatever it was about the Lestranges that left the man so desperate.
It was fleeting. Passion. Excitement. All the positive emotions associated with power of will he long thought he had lost the ability to feel. The ghost of amusement taunting him with the gift of a boyย still playing the fool , flailing and wheezing as if this show would make him sympathetic. He could even attempt to look apologetic. Another tick on the list of reasons their lives would be much simpler if Cavalier was removed from the situation.ย
โA Lestrange does what they wish.โ He responded in turn with the next statement in a code repeated throughout their distanced childhoods, letting his hand be removed from the fabric it had been clutching near the point of ruin and bringing his wand hand up until it was leveled at Cavalier. It was right there, the emotion that rarely made itself present in Rodolphusโ life. Delight. His wand barely moved, a flicker in his precise and steady hold to increase the rate of constriction until the lack of oxygen was clear on Cavalierโs reddening face and a smirk more commonly found on the face of his brother was broadcasting from his own lips.ย
If he could see past his fervor, become aware of his brotherโs words more than the unintelligible drone that they had faded into, the familiarity of the situation would be all too startling. An overexcited child flirting with death. A fixation on Rabastan that seemed to surpass all reasoning. Attempting to worm his way into a family unit where he did not belong. Cavalier wasnโt Barty. He didnโt have the skill or charm. His intelligence was lacking. Potential was dangerous enough.
His wand still trained on the outsider, Rodolphusโ head turned toward his brother. His gaze held no shadow of doubt that his actions werenโt the correct path for them to take, pupils blown so wider the blue of his irises were hardly visible. The tension in his jaw clear as spoke with sharp, clipped consonants. โHe doesnโt deserve to.โ His wand arm moved with a decisive slashing moment, silencing the gasping breaths that had been filling the space. โItโs Beltane.โ Teaching respect was far more in line with how he wished to celebrate the evening. Cavalierโs role could begin once he understood his place in life.
Tapping the end of his wand against the fingers clutching onto his brotherโs shoulder, as if Rabastan had the capacity for empathy for him, Rodolphus took in the picture before him once more. He stepped forward, once again ignoring Rabastan and his mutter to grasp the fingers of the leech and bend the joints back until a crackย was heard and they could no longer seek the help the man desperately reached for. โDonโt. Touch.โ
