[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Gah.

Just came on after a day or two away. Quite sad now, but I do understand your decision (made a similar one just recently by closing an RP I modded on for personal reasons). Thanks to the admins seriously you guys must have put in so much work to make this happen. 

Personal and twitter. Come talk at me guys! And thanks for making this awesome I really enjoyed my time here. Will miss all of you!

[thetedtonks-blog]

Shattered Diamonds || Alastor and Ted

[thetedtonks-blog]

The door swung towards them, carrying a rich smell that immediately set Ted’s mouth watering in anticipation. Truly, the kitchens had become one of his favorite hubs throughout his years at Hogwarts. Not only was the aroma rich with varying flavors each and every visit, but the House Elves who occupied the vast room catered to Ted’s every fanciful edible desire. He listened as his friend spoke, keen to hear rather than to be heard in this moment. Though Ted was, admittedly, a talker, he also employed the opposite skill in equal amounts. His eyes opened slightly wider at Alastor mentioning his Slytherin company, though Ted continued to allow his fellow Hufflepuff time to explain. It wasn’t really like the students of Salazar and Helga to get along quite so easily, but this year was proving to change that stereotype. Naturally, there were still boundaries that weren’t ready to be crossed, but Ted was a firm believer in inter-house unity, and thus couldn’t fault his friend. 

Ted couldn’t respond before Moody was elaborating on his classes. Though a smile did light up his features. Ted took Alastor’s suddenly talkative mood as a sign of nervousness. Perhaps Ted’s reaction regarding Alastor drinking with Emma was filling the guy with nerves. And then, just as quickly as it had come, the smile faded from Ted’s features. Inter-house comradeship was one thing. However, Narcissa Black was a whole different kind of poison. Ted watched as Alastor snagged a pastry, but still remained quiet for a moment longer while he thought about this new piece of information being brought to light. Throughout his years here, Ted had intentionally steered clear of Narcissa. Though they frequented many of the same underground parties, Ted knew Narcissa wouldn’t give him the time of day. Truthfully, the girl seemed like she was a real snob. On top of that, he had gauged her as a superficial being. Both of these things were attributes Ted was less than fond of, and had thus come to the conclusion he wasn’t meant to ever cross paths with the Blonde Black. 

Ted waved the encouragement to discuss his newfound predicament away for the moment. He’d address Alecto, but Ted needed to make sure he looked out for his friend’s best interest before anything else. “I’ll be truthful,” Not that the fact needed to be reitterated. Ted couldn’t remember the time he hadn’t been all but truthful with Alastor, “I actually have come to enjoy Emma’s company. We’ve played a match of Quidditch and I respect her as a Captain.” Ted’s voice couldn’t maintain seriousness forever, so he continued in a lighter tone, for a moment. “And I expect you to explain more about this whole drinking thing. Anything good happen?” Ted couldn’t help but wink, but then reverted back to his more serious demeanor. “As for Narcissa… well. You know how I feel about that particular Black.” Ted liften one side of his mouth up, almost in an apologetic glance. “Don’t forget her roots. She’s related to Bellatrix.” However, Ted’s mind argued, she was also related to Andromeda. 

He shook the thought to the side for the time being. He didn’t have enough information to report on the middle sister just yet. In time, Ted promised himself. “Anyways,” He continued before Alastor could respond, “speaking of run-ins with Slytherins… I sort of had a few words with Alecto. You know that nutty Carrow girl?” Ted glanced around, making sure the elves were busy doing their own thing, before leaning slightly closer to Alastor and lowering his voice. “I sort of… found out something about her. I think there’s a deeper reason as to why she’s so volatile.” 

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

"Emma is an... interesting girl." Alastor admitted, before promtply choking on his mouthful of warm pastry. "No, no! Nothing happened. We just drank a bit, you know that bottle of firewhiskey we hid last year? Actually I drank a bit too much and we talked and then well...." Alastor gulped, scanning the kitchen surfaces for a pitcher of butterbeer which surely had to be somewhere close by.

"I get the feeling she's on the hunt for a Hufflepuff to add to her collection of shags." Alastor said, lowering his voice unnecessarily, as the only evesdroppers might be houselves, of whom the word shag meant nothing but a rug, probably.  "But I'll be damned if I'm ever a trophy." He added, smiling over another bite. 

Quite suddenly the kitchen felt rather closed in, busy and stuffy and the murmuring of knee-high elves rushing around hectically made it hard for him to try and make sense of his various conversations with Narcissa, and sum them up in a way that'd make sense to Ted. This task was quite hard considering it didn't make any sense to Alastor yet.

"So conversing with Slytherins is fine just not Narcissa?" He didn't mean for it to sound snappy, but it did. He knew this would be a hard one to explain. 

"Sorry... I used to know Narcissa better, back when our parents were friends, perhaps acquaintinces would be a better term, you know, before everything happened and the rumors and the conflict." Alastor bit his lip and leant on the stone counter top, the elf muttered something about 'keeping hands away from the surfaces'.

"She's being... forced into things, because of her family and their expecations." Explained Alastor, picking his words with great delicacy, knowing Narcissa would probably hex him on the spot if she knew he was even having this conversation. "And yes she is related to Bellatrix, god help her, but she's also Sirius's cousin, a Gryffindor for crying out loud, and what about Andromeda? If we're judging based on relatives here, she can't be all bad."

Alastor finished his little defensive speech, not knowing why he was getting so worked up about it, he even felt sweat beading at the top of his brow although he argued that was due to the heat of the kitchen. Another elf had appeared, toppling a huge pitcher of foaming butterbeer that was almost as tall as the elf himself. Alastor snagged it out of the elf's arms as he let out a cry of protest. Luckily a row of mugs were already at hand and Alastor found himself pouring out two cupfuls as he pondered Ted's newest revelations. 

"You talked to a Carrow?" Alastor said with mock impression. His eyebrows shot upwards as he raised the mug to his mouth, taking a long sip before resting it back down, spilling a little by accident. The elf mopped it up amongst what apparently were curse words amongst elves.

"What exactly did you find out?" Alastor asked, suddenly intrigued and quite serious. 

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

The Owlery ll Alastor & Greta

[gretty-catchlove-blog]

She only grinned and nodded her head. “Sure, I believe you.” she made sure to sound as though she didn’t quite believe it herself. Greta was positive that he’d fall back into his old Quidditch training and form soon enough.

She rubbed up and down her arms, the cold becoming much more apparent after he had given her a hug. Merlin, how she could possibly forget to grab a robe on her way out of the dorm completely baffled her. The next time she wanted to send a letter home, she’d be sure to snatch herself some warm outerwear before leaving her cozy common room.

She nodded her head, vaguely understanding where he was coming from. While her parents had relented, they too had been skeptical in the beginning. Eleanor had been especially difficult to convince. Her father had been easier and it only took his final ‘Ellie, allow the girl to have some fun.’ to get her mother on board as well. Michael Catchlove had always been partial to Greta. It didn’t hurt that before the game she had become an adult in the wizarding world. She looked to his face, to see his reaction to her words. “Some parents just don’t understand their children, even if they had been our age at one time. They don’t realize that things change. A new generation means a new breed of style and recreational activites.” She hardly spoke wisdom but there were certain things that she believed to be common sense, even amongst her age group. Adults needed to understand that fluxuations in the likes and dislikes of a generation were going to occur and there was no way to stop it. Also, hardly any way to stay hip to it. The children needed to know that their parents don’t want any harm to fall upon their offspring.

“I’m very forgetful as the days become longer, you know?” she said, attempting to play it off as though the cold didn’t bother her as much as it did. The warm months had passed so quickly that she had hardly registered their passing at all. She often forgot what month or day they were in. Each blurred together as she worked feverishly on her studies. Greta was actually surprised that Alastor had given her his coat. She took it with a small smile. “Thank you. I really shouldn’t be taking this from you but I fear that my lips may turn blue from prolonged exposure to the cold.”

“Clever owl, Cavall is. Almost human like.” she commented as she watched Alastor try to get Cavall to go on. “The game. Hm. It was rather hectic, you know? So much screaming. An awful amount of it actually, but I can hardly be one to speak. I was right along side all the Peru fans. Who were you rooting for?”

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Alastor made agreeing humming noises to Greta's comment about parents. He knew she may not understand what it was like, having parents like his, but he knew she could relate somewhat. He never had become well acquainted with Mr and Mrs Catchlove, he didn't know all that much about Greta's life at all really, strange considering they'd been friends for as long as they'd attended Hogwarts together. Alastor was never really involved in social ciricles outside of school unless it was approved by his parents, and the Cathloves and the Moodys never really crossed, unfortunately. 

He smiled as Greta accepted his coat, slinging it over her shoulders and looking a lot more appreciative than she was letting on.

"It is getting colder." Alastor admitted, glancing over his shoulder at the doorway, where dark ominous clouds could be seen in the distance. "No problem though, wouldn't want you freezing up here or anything." He smiled, beamingly.  He looked up at the girl through his fringe, happy and rather at ease despite his reservations about what he'd wrote in his letter home.

"Uh, Australia." He said with a shrug, "Dunno why. I guess I'd like to go there someday... although I've heard Peru fans can throw one hell of a party." Alastor had to raise his voice on the last few words as a flurry of arriving owls made a racket high above his head. He took a few steps closer so as to be heard more easily above the (down right inconsiderate) noise of owls. "It feels like forever since we talked! Tell me, what new developments have there been in the life of Greta?" Alastor paused. "Actually, shall we walk back together? Never really liked it much up here?" He wrinkled his nose and gestured towards the doorway that led to the dark stone stairway down. 

[narcissa1977]

Narcissa & Alastor || Wednesdays With Moody - Part 2

[narcissa1977]

Narcissa wasn’t sure what Alastor was implying by ‘sacrifice’. Instead of opting to question his motives for saying such a thing, she chose to move along their conversation. Her list of rules for living a memorable life started out as a light-hearted conversation and her internal compartmentalizing skills begged for it to stay that way. She figured if his ‘advice’ really mattered to him, then he would breach the topic of sacrifice at another time. And if he didn’t? Then she knew it wouldn’t be worth addressing. Just like that… she was able to master her emotions.

Narcissa shrugged and drummed her fingers on the table. “You know, I still have one rule left to divulge.” She informed him with a coy smile. Her intentions were obvious in her body language. She had plenty of practice faking complacency.

“My third rule is to accept that nothing lasts forever. I know that sounds like an immature concept, but don’t write off its importance.”

“Take us for example.” She motioned her hand between their bodies. “I will never look like this again. I will never be here again, not in this second, or this moment, ever again. Time is just passing us by and we have no way to get it back.” 

She rolled her eyes, considering they were wizards; so maybe they could turn back time. But it wasn’t of the norm. “Umm, for the most part. I’m breaking this down to regular, every day life.”

“As long as you remember that every breath you take is one second closer to your death, then you’ll stop waiting around for things to happen.”

Narcissa leaned back in her chair, her eyes going up to the ceiling before looking back at Alastor. “Since time is incredibly valuable, you should value yourself and decide who is worthy of your time.” She winked at him, just for fun, not so much to be flirtatious. 

“It’s incredibly foolish to waste time.”  She said ominously and looked out the window as sadness coursed through her for a moment.

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Alastor looked back up when he was reminded of his original intention behind this conversation. Advice, to turn his life around, live a little and enjoy his last year. 

"Yeah? Out with it then." Alastor mirrored her body language, exaggerating his interest in what she was about to reveal, although he truly was learning a lot from her today. He absorbed what she was saying, secretly trying to work out how it effected her actions, and not just how it could influence his own.

"Time." He repeated, mulling the word over. "Well, whilst thats a little morbid thinking with every passing second you're closer to your death bed you... yes. It's true. And perhaps it's something I need to work on." Alastor pondered, humoring her just a little bit. Alastor was well aware he may have already wasted a lot of time, stressing over small things and applying himself to thickly to activities that would never be memorable or exciting. 

Alastor returned her wink with a small smile before looking down and sweeping the hair from his eyes. "So am I worthy of your time?" He joked, laughing and trying not to notice Narcissa's saddened statement and glance sideways. He followed her gaze though, towards the window. 

"I don't think that's an immature concept at all. I think it takes a great deal of maturity to accept that everything ends eventually." Alastor sighed. His gaze again returned to rest on Narcissa, not in a weird way, he just looked curiously as if maybe if he stared long enough he'd finally be able to figure her out. This conversation may have been enlightening, but it offered far more questions than answers in terms of the curious Slytherin girl sitting opposite him. 

[narcissa1977]

Narcissa & Alastor || Wednesdays With Moody - Part 2

[narcissa1977]

Imagining a world where she wasn’t Narcissa Black would be a taboo. She didn’t like think about another life because it would betray her family. The House of Black defined her fundamentals. Her brows furrowed, searching for words to answer the question in a civil manner. She could have lashed out, saying something general about honor, but it would be futile with someone like Alastor. He wasn’t as clueless as others. 

“I’m an opportunist, Alastor.” She declared with the utmost confidence. There was no place for shame, she thought waving a dismissive hand in the air. “Optimists focus too much on ‘what ifs’ while realists tend to be too idle for my disposition.” 

“Here I thought that was obvious.” She said quietly, more to herself, but he heard her.

“I see daydreaming as a frivolous, not very productive activity. What would I dream about anyway?” Narcissa leaned back in her chair. “I have everything I could ever want. …Except true love. But not everyone gets that…”

 Although perplexed by her thoughts, she continued, “I wish Bella and Andy would marry well. The duty would no longer default to me.”

“I don’t get much of a say. I’m the youngest.”

Then for the first time, in a long time, a whimsical expression crossed her face. She was daydreaming against her nature.

“If I could do anything… I’d wander the world with Regulus. Never staying in the same place for too long.” She shared a secret smile, the kind that only her cousin deserved. ”With people like us, our home is where we are not…” She said quoting her favorite book from memory.

“We have enough fortune to do that, of course.” The smile on her face dropped. She turned to ice. “But Regulus and I live public lives. We can’t just drop off the grid.”

“I do not have an ideal future.” Narcissa remained stiff, while internally, a deep depression attacked her. She should have stopped talking yet words continue to spill from her mouth.

“I fear losing him more than I daydream.” She explained. “It would ruin me to live without a single person that understands me. I only need the one.”

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Alastor sat in silence for a few moments, wondering if it was comforting Narcissa needed, or to simply move on from the subject. Knowing her any attempt to 'comfort' would result in something disastrous and painful for Alastor so he kept his mouth shut for a while longer, letting her words settle like dust.

"I've always known you were an opportunist, Narcissa, that part is obvious, but we're all allowed to dream..." He said in a quiet voice, and gulped as the girl seemed to let her hard exterior withdraw for a stolen second or two, as she spoke about travelling and of Regulus. Alastor tried his best to formulate something in his head that sounded both wise yet non condescending. He opted for a small, but genuine smile, leaning in closer than before to meet her eyes.

"Things often have a way of working out, if not always in the way we expect." Alastor half-whispered, he too was quoting a book, although couldn't remember the title. He straightened again. Narcissa was hard to read, disconcertingly hard infact. 

"And I hope it does work out, you know? You deserve it. Just don't..." Alastor cringed as he felt his father's words creeping up inside him as if they'd been planted there for this very moment. "... well, just, don't sacrifice too much of yourself, okay?" 

It wasn't cryptic enough for Narcissa not to understand the meaning behind his words, the rumors of the Black household were known by too many not to be at least a little bit true. And Alastor felt hopelessly torn now, between this girl who sat opposite him, wicked and ruthless but honest and true and he did care about her, and she obviously trusted him at least a little bit to indulge in this sort of conversation. But his father's pre-term warnings to steer clear of the Blacks and everything else that was going on left Moody thoroughly confused and not at all comfortable with the situation. He shifted again in his seat. 

[narcissa1977]

Narcissa & Alastor || Wednesdays With Moody - Part 2

[narcissa1977]

Narcissa wrinkled her nose at the mention of a ‘muggle husband’. Honestly, Alastor could still be so tactless in her presence. Her fury flamed once again when he accused her of having ‘sense’, but she’d remain well-behaved- for now.

“How does anyone know to trust themselves?” Narcissa said flatly with a hard voice. “There isn’t an actual rulebook to life. Even when people try their absolute hardest at something, they can still fail. Is that fair? No, because life shouldn’t be treated with such terms.”

“So… sure you’ll make mistakes. Didn’t I say that? All of your mistakes will amount to experiences.”

“The more experience you gain, the wiser you’ll be in the future because you learned from past mistakes. You’re in school, so I doubt you’ll be making any ‘major’ mistakes. And… when you enter the workplace, you’ll be wise. You’ll know what to do in the future, don’t worry about that now. Your experiences and memories will show you the way.”

Narcissa was a little pissed off at how he was treating her, so she took a breath and crossed her arms. She knew he didn’t mean to offend her - at least she didn’t think he meant to. Her feelings were truly hurt, but she allowed her anger to pass as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Alastor sensed a shift in the mood, and although Narcissa wasn't giving anything away, he couldn't help but feel he'd said something wrong. And she'd pointedly avoided the question about the book. Whilst he could have pursued the topic further, Alastor decided that would do nothing to improve whatever relationship they had right now. 

"You're right. I know, I just..." He rested his elbows back on the desk, finding it difficult to feel comfortable. "... you always seem so confident, sure of yourself. Some people find that harder to do than others." Alastor's gaze travelled sweepingly over the library, coming to rest on the girl's intense and hard, yet somehow warm eyes. 

"Come on then, indulge me, in an ideal future, one without marriages or family or expectations, what would you do with your life?" It was an attempt to lift the mood that probably completely failed, as Alastor managed, yet again, to draw attention to a number of things in Narcissa's life that she clearly wanted to avoid. Still, Moody was curious, and needed a perspecive on things. He often forgot most people don't have their career path enforced upon them from the time they were conceived. Admittedly, he'd find it quite disconcerting if he hadn't had it all laid out for him. His mind darted over things he'd thought about being if he wasn't practically already signed up as an auror. A teacher, maybe, here at Hogwarts, a writer or perhaps a magical historian. None of them seemed to fit, nothing really seemed that compatible. 

Alastor flicked the cover of his book open, trying to make it seem as if he wasn't all that interested, just in case Narcissa didn't want to answer that question either. But the text looked dull and not at all inviting, all cold hard fonts and dreary diagrams. He turned his gaze back up to Narcissa, who looked positively radiant in the soft dusty light of the library. 

[narcissa1977]

Narcissa & Alastor || Wednesdays With Moody - Part 2

[narcissa1977]

“I think the most lost people in existence are those without faith in themselves.”

“I never said falling in love or keeping it was easy.” Narcissa shrugged sadly. “I mean, you’ve heard how Dumbledore talks about it. As if it’s our salvation.” 

Her brows furrowed as she followed that track of thought.

“Hypothetically speaking…” The look on her face was priceless since the conversation was going far past her comfort zone when it came to mushy stuff. “If you fell in love… wouldn’t you be better at your job? You’d be tapping into another source of power.”

She sighed and followed with a fake cough.

“Ahem, so shall we continue before I was so rudely interrupted.” She teased. “Start your first day by pretending that second guessing is nonexistent. It’ll get easier with time. This is the key to living a free life. Second guessing matters so much and you won’t understand this until you cut it out of your life.”

Narcissa explained in a honest, serious tone. “I know what you’re probably thinking… ‘but second guessing is what makes us moral… blah blah blah’. But does it really do any good? If you’re a good person, then you’ll still act good.” 

She raised a single brow in challenge. “Think of second guessing as a restriction on your true self. By removing the option, you will be pointed in the direction of the life that you’re meant to live.” 

“And if you ever start regretting that you didn’t follow your second guess…. umm, that’s an easy one too. Every mistake in your life counts as an experience, and every good thing you’ve done will become a memory. There’s no room for regret that way.”

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

"Falling in love would be a distraction, and a weakness, something for my enemies to use against me." He explained, a little half-heartedly though, as if reciting something somebody had told him. 

Alastor then shut up obediently and listened with genuine interest, nodding at regular intervals as Narccisa actually seemed to be making sense. 

"You make sense, Narcissa, who'd have thought? You could be a life coach, like that, um, that one with the muggle husband and the bestselling novel, take charge of your life and three steps to magical success." Moody thought back to the kinds of books that plastered his mother's coffee table at home. The ones he mentioned definitely being amongst them. 

Alastor shifted in his seat, pondering on what had just been said to him. "But, how do I know to trust myself? I mean, right now it doesn't matter so much, the only consequence I might have is making a huge fool of myself, but out there..." Alastor glanced, unncecesarily at the library window, where afternoon light was filtering through the frosted glass. "... a mistake could be deadly. And then I'd end up second guessing the fact I chose not to second guess myself." 

"By the way... what is that you're reading?" 

[narcissa1977]

Narcissa & Alastor || Wednesdays With Moody - Part 2

[narcissa1977]

It felt as if Narcissa’s heart was trying to escape her throat when Alastor mentioned Lucius and love in the same sentence. Dear Merlin, being married to someone she loved was hard to imagine considering their entire relationship so far had revolved around her serving detention. It was hardly romantic; more patronizing than anything else.

She had a stiff look on her face as she finally managed to squeak back a reply. “Sweet of you to think so, but unfortunately that would never be possible in my station.”

“Actually that reminds me of one of my rules, which I’m not sure I’ll ever get to.” Narcissa cleared her throat and used a mock professor voice. “There’s no such thing as playing it safe when it comes to love. If you’re not scared, then you’re not doing it right. That’s why it’s called falling and not landing in love.”

Narcissa’s eyes went down to her lap and then back up to Alastor’s eyes. “If it feels too ‘safe’, then you can rest assured it’s nothing more than friendship. There’s no point in chasing after someone that’s not meant for you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ok, that was a bit mushy, but I have you know that I am a 15 year old girl. Let’s move on to the good stuff…”

“Start your first day by pretending that second guessing— 

Narcissa paused looking up as Alastor interrupted her…

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

"- Is that how you see it then?" Alastor kicked himself under the table. It was none of his business, nor would he gain any friends by asking these kinds of questions. But he'd began now, he sort of had to follow through.

"I mean, taking a leap of faith, trusting that what you're doing will work out in the end?" Alastor gulped, before trying to brush his question aside, mustering a not very convincing laugh. 

"It is a bit mushy. But I understand what you're saying. Nothing good ever comes from playing it safe, well not usually anyway." He paused. "I don't know- I don't know if I should really be thinking about love right now." Alastor sighed, wondering if he should really be going down this road. "Would it be fair? I've committed myself to... well, to years of hard work, study, I've basically committed my entire life to becoming an auror. I don't know if I can fit anything else into that."

Alastor, what are you doing? "Mum and dad only met through work, and I can't exactly call their relationship ideal. They're hardly ever both home at the same time and..." he trailed off, pretending to brush dust of the cover of his book.

"I'm sorry, I think I interrupted you, something about second guessing?"

[narcissa1977]

Narcissa & Alastor || Wednesdays With Moody - Part 2

[narcissa1977]

A smirk was plastered on Narcissa’s face. She found the Puff endearing. As she thought of the list of ‘rules’ that she had written out in her student planner, her heart started to race madly. It was actually out of control. She was about to share personal details with Alastor and for some reason she never considered that it could make her uncomfortable. 

For Narcissa, any talk about her beliefs would be like revealing a deep, dark secret. Not many on campus could say they knew her well. She’d gotten used to being infamous in the halls, representing all things shallow, superficial, prejudice, what have you. Her infamy had also allowed her to live an anonymous life since no one dared to approach her.

In consideration of everything, Narcissa somehow managed to calm down. What was the worst that could happen from her friendship with Alastor? So what if he told others about her, it’s not like they’d believe him, right? Her reputation was solid and she had nothing to lose.

“I actually wrote them down for you. My rules to living an exciting life.” She laughed. Merlin, was she actually nervous?

“Of course none of these rules will matter once I’m married.” She added quickly to be a proper lady. “My husband will then become my family. I understand the importance of putting family first and relying less on self-made happiness.”

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Narcissa seemed to waver for a moment, which was strange and threw Alastor off just a little bit. His eyes darted from the cover of his own book, to her own, which was obscured by the table as she'd placed it on her lap. Which again, was strange, surely the table was a much better option. 

"Narcissa Black, 101 ways to live an exciting life." Alastor chuckled, making elaborate gestures with his hands in the air. He was having far too much fun with this, until his smile faded at her comment on marriage, and Alastor suddenly felt uncomfortable and just a bit sad. People shouldn't be worrying about marriage at this age, least of all 'putting family first' and 'relying less on self-made happiness'.

Moody sat back in chair, taking his elbows off the book and looking at the girl sitting opposite him. She was beautiful, no doubt, and had an air of confidence, wickedness, and playfulness. She was a little bit scary, yes, but she seemed happy. Could it be that behind all that she was just as appalled at the idea of getting married as Alastor was just thinking about it? 

"If Lucius really loves you..." Alastor began, picking his words very carefully. "Then these rules will apply just as much when you're married, and he'll accept that." It was a tentative but firm statement. 

He cleared his throat. "Now, out with these rules, for the love of pumpkin juice! I don't need your inner most secrets just a few pointers, help an old friend out?" He smiled. 

[narcissa1977]

Narcissa & Alastor || Wednesdays With Moody - Part 2

‘Without proper control of emotions, it is nearly impossible for the Wizard to master the following task. It is of utmost importance that the Wizard is able to escape from their own memories, particularly their own internal sadness…’

Narcissa’s nose was nearly stuck to the page of her Occlumency book. The first in a long series of them. She was able to read through the first few chapters qruite easily, but now things were getting very fascinating to her.

She jumped slightly in place as a loud crash knocked her concentration. In reality, the ‘crash’ was Alastor nonchalantly dropping his books at her table. She looked up slowly with a hard glare, but it instantly melted into a smile seeing the person that interrupted her. She swallowed thickly and closed her book at once. On the edge of her seat literally, she sat the book on her lap, instead of the table, so it would be secure from his prying eyes.

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

"I'm ready to turn my life around." Alastor said, uncharacteristically bold. "You said Wednesday, today is Wednesday, I'm ready for that advice." 

As Narcissa tucked her book away delicately, Alastor pulled the chair opposite out, cringing as it made that scraping sound, like always, cutting like a knife through the silence of the library. Her glare had faded into a smile, reassuring Alastor he hadn't rudely interrupted her or messed up her concentration. He set the first book from his pile infront of him, Magical Theory Through the Ages - Third Edition, resting his elbows on it and leaning in intently. 

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Ditch.

[narcissa1977]

No, you may not ask which student. If I wanted you to know then I would have told you. But you can rest assured that it wasn’t a muggle. {looks away with a shrug}

I think Bella will give me her old book, but thanks for offering. I appreciate it.

I’m well aware that my antics can’t last forever {looks down at the ground with a pout}. I’m just enjoying my youth before it slips away and I turn into my mother.

Care to hear my advice on how to make your last year memorable?

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

/Looks curiously/ Well, whoever it is I feel sorry for them, meeting the wrath of someone like you is probably not a great experience.

/Tries to conjure up a mental image of Narcissa's mother, to compare./ I know the feeling, I'd hate to turn into my father but I fear thats exactly what is destined for me... and as much as it pains me, yes, I would like your advice. 

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Ditch.

[narcissa1977]

{mock curtsey at being called ‘great’} I think a more appropriate question is what hasn’t been going on in my life.

{fake laughs} Let’s see. In just under five days I’ve managed to embarrass my sister at the beauty salon by approaching a cousin I no longer have, accept a marriage proposal, lose my Standard Book of Spells, curse a student… Oh, right, and I’ll be spending Sunday in detention cleaning cauldrons. 

I wish life would slow down. It can be too exciting sometimes, even for a great girl like me.

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Hm well you never were one to stay out of trouble I guess, even back all those years ago. May I ask exactly which student you cursed?

Oh and, if you haven't yet managed to get it back, I happen to have a spare Standard Book of Spells. 

I guess I'm looking for some of that excitement that you possess in excess, I want this last year to be... memorable. Perhaps we could swap? Some of my... averageness for your excitement? 

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Ditch.

[narcissa1977]

Can’t say I care much for Quidditch, but I have a lot of confidence in Emma. We’re good friends, you know?

Sneaking around is an activity I’m fond of, as well. I’d say Regulus and I mastered that skill at a young age {shrugs}.

{awkward pause} I don’t drink. I took the vow of purity for my body. But it doesn’t seem that innocent, so you’re a bit exciting. Just a bit.

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Emma...Vanity? I didn't know, but I assumed. Her and I have became a little more acquainted recently as well.

/Chuckles/ I'm sure a lot of students have mastered the skill of sneaking around, the good thing is people usually don't suspect Hufflepuffs of being up to no good.

The, uh, vow of purity?  Well...good for you? 

Oh and I've been rude - whats goings on have there been in the life of the great Narcissa Black? 

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Ditch.

[narcissa1977]

I’m impressed so far. Tell me, Alastor, what other activities do you enjoy besides not studying with me in the library? 

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Quidditch, thats a simple one. And whilst I do enjoy studying in the library with you, do getting drunk in random rooms in the castle as well as sneaking into the kitchens count as activities? 

Although, I'm really no as exciting as I've make myself out to be. I do spend most of my time studying. 

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Ditch.

[narcissa1977]

That was way too easy. I think Andy severely underestimates Puffs.

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Well, I don't make a habit of walking out of classes, but, um, perhaps just this once. /Glances back in direction of classroom/

Ha, don't worry, most people do. But us puffs can be badass too like it that way, actually. 

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Ditch.

[narcissa1977]

{pops by your classroom window} Then ditch. Hang out with me instead.

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

I don't... /shrugs and glances at Babbling, who's practically asleep/ Well, okay, yes.