#interactions: hazel

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Starter for @thedamsel-ts July first, mid-evening Anniversary party, Lestrange Manor Gardens

He didn’t know exactly why Hazel Fawley had been invited to his five year wedding anniversary soiree with Bellatrix. They went over the guest list and they had a few short discussions about it, such as about inviting Emerson Yaxley, who Rodolphus insisted had to be on the guest list because she was a dear friend. They hadn’t talked about Hazel. Rodolphus assumed that her name wouldn’t have been on the list, but he should have known better. The Fawleys were very high in status and not having them there would look strange. That included Hazel, apparently. Alternatively it could be possible that Hazel herself had decided not to show up, but it turned out that hadn’t been the case either if his eyes weren’t betraying him.

Rodolphus excused himself from conversation and shot a look around to see if he could find Bellatrix, which he couldn’t thankfully, before heading over to the younger woman that he had gotten to know so well over the past year. He had been in some strange situations over the past couple of weeks, such as drinks with Richard Selwyn and being on mission with Rabastan, but this one was probably the strangest one so far. “Miss Fawley,” he greeted her with a smile. “You look lovely tonight. I’m so glad to see that you came to our soiree.“ Briefly, he thought about what would happen if Bellatrix saw them there. There was nothing she could do, though, and if she were to bring it up Rodolphus would just have to point out that Rabastan was attending too. He didn’t care that it was his brother, since neither did Bellatrix when she decided to sleep with him. “Could I interest you in a tour through the manor? Perhaps you would like to have a look at our library?“ The reference to their first kiss at another Lestrange manor library, that of his parents, couldn’t be overlooked.

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@thedamsel-rp a closed starter. Beltane, Stonehedge, May 1st, afternoon.

To Rodolphus, Beltane felt the same every year. He had attended the celebration every year for as long as he could remember and while technically every year was different with another family providing the feast and another family outshining the others, every year it was the same bonfires and the same gossip and intrigue. It was another year, another Beltane, and another opportunity for Rodolphus to remind the other families of the Lestrange’s wealth and status. Yes, it was old hat. Not everything was the same, though, and Rodolphus was reminded of that as he made his way over the terrain. It looked like he was wandering aimlessly, but anyone that knew him must have picked up on the fact that Rodolphus did nothing without any meaning or reason. His suit jacket was discarded over his left arm, sleeves of his format cut shirt rolled up until the elbows - to him, prestige was a matter of blood and family, not of clothes and hairstyles, even if he of course made a point out of wearing heirlooms and an expensive suits made specifically for him. Just because he didn’t believe in showing off prestige didn’t mean he had the luxury to refuse to do it when everyone else was. Checking the time on his watch, he concluded that Bella’s luncheon must have ended by now. Exactly as he expected. Therefore it was no surprise to him that he caught Hazel Fawley heading back to her tent. Knowing that she must have seen him from the corner of her eye, he approached her slowly and joined her as she walked. “Hazel,” he greeted, words soft and only for her to hear. It felt very reminiscent of every time he approached her during a soiree or ball or what not when he had slowly been pursuing her. That had been an interesting time. “Are you having a good time so far?” he queried, the only indicating that there was anything ironic about that statement seen in a slight quirk upwards of the corner of one of his lips. “I would ask how the luncheon was, but I don’t ask what I don’t want to know.” If only everyone lived by that rule. This society would have been a lot easier to be a part of. “Unless you absolutely feel like discussing it, of course.”

[unspeakableisms-blog]

Starter for @thedamsel-ts Date: Christmas Eve 1977 Location: Senior Lestrange Manor

The manor of Rodolphus’ parents looked as festive as ever. Hosting soirees as Christmas Eve was something they had done for as long as Rodolphus could remember. It used to be a chance for him to socialize with high Ministry officials and learn about everyone’s social standing and beliefs. When he got older it was a chance to catch up with his friends, when work got busy and Death Eater missions took up his time as he climbed in the ranks. Once he married Bellatrix it was a chance to show off how good their marriage was and how jealous everyone should be.  All the irony aside, the Christmas Eve soiree was always good for something and this year was no different.

This year, Rodolphus had his eye on Hazel Fawley for most of the year. They bonded over their love of books and judging people that drunk too much when they were both sober. Shortly, they simply got along without any effort to put into. That was why Rodolphus started putting effort into it. Hazel wasn’t just sweet and kind, he found. She was smart and interesting. Oddly, she also seemed to be interested him, as though she wanted to be around him as much as he wanted to be around her.

It was around eleven when Rodolphus excused himself from a conversation with one of his father’s friends and made his way over to Hazel. They had exchanged a couple of glances throughout the evening but he hadn’t talked to her until now. “Do you know what my parents’ manor is known for?” he asked. “The library.  Generations of Lestranges have helped built the collection of books. It’s a true thing of beauty. Could I show you around there?”  

[unspeakableisms-blog]

@thedamsel-rp a closed starter. Location: Flourish and Blotts, Diagon Alley Date: May eleventh

It happened more often that Rodolphus found himself in Flourish and Blotts. While he personally preferred Tomes and Scrolls in Hogsmeade he was not always in the mood to apparate there, so he could be found often in most book stores. The libraries in his own manor and the Department of Mysteries were extensive and the library in his summer residence was focused primarily on his own interests, but yet there was never enough for him to learn. In the department his colleagues sometimes wondered how he wasn’t sorted into Ravenclaw at Hogwarts and Rodolphus just smiled. That they didn’t get an answer should be the answer to that question. His eyes were travelling over rows of books about defending against the Dark Arts. He took the titles in one by one, sometimes smiling to himself when he came across the inevitable pun in book titles. His interest wasn’t in defending against the Dark Arts as such, but he always reasoned it would only be in his favour to know about it anyway. He was also working on this project at work that he obviously couldn’t talk about that revolved around the Unforgivable Curses, a project only the most trusted and discreet employees got to look into. If only the Department had the slightest clue who they were actually dealing with. He caught a small, but familiar figure from the corner of his eye. Turning his head a little as though he was checking yet another shelf he checked if he was right. He was. After a quick look around - Flourish & Blotts was usually quiet at this time of day - he headed over to the young woman slowly and stood still beside her. Novels. Definitely not his genre. “Miss Fawley,” he greeted. “I’d ask if you had anything you’d recommend, but I’d be going home with a novel I don’t care for again.” It was a direct reference to when he addressed her in this same book store, the first time that they truly really spoke with each other. His interest had been piqued. Hers had been too, he thought. “I read you attended Beltane as well. I must have missed you there. Did you have a good time?” It may be a private conversation, but he was well aware they were in a public place.