Attached to the augmented mahogany and golden-plated grandfather clock was the gentle swaying pendulum looming overhead, but her brown gaze could have sworn it was the sword of Damocles otherwise.
The cessation of friend and familial folly was a welcomed reprieve from the snake who easily had become overwhelmed amid the occasion, yet their absence would leave space for Remedy's thoughts to occupy the deep recesses of her mind. And occupy, they did, for the Slytherin pondered her father's and grandmother's rationale of selling her childhood home.
It wasn't as though the Norden's were vying or in desperation for money, but as all decisions from Derrick Norden were, it was a lucrative and undoubtedly purposeful choice. Remedy couldn't fathom head from toe of it, but recognized in advance that it would be hard to blame anyone at all should they find themselves awed by the grand estate itself and the prospect of its sale. The Norden's were quite well off and boasted many estates across Europe and the Americas, yet none held a candle to their beloved Rhinelander Manor. Every facet of the manor, from the grand mahogany staircase to the floor-to-ceiling carved marble columns, showcased the family's wealth and extraordinary taste.
Prominence aside, of all of the houses the Norden-clan possessed collectively, Rhinelander uniquely felt truly a home to the auspicious girl; thus, the dwindling duration of time remaining in the silent auction would be her only enemy tonight. Each second was a step closer to her own doom─one step closer to saying a farewell to the memories created in this haven.
Unable to stop the turning of time, the shadows that elongated across the ballroom's marbled floors and carved stone walls as the sun dipped below the horizon would be an additional mockery to the Vipress' increasing melancholy, yet all this misery would be concealed behind a practiced and picturesque smile. Each of the Nordens, no matter the subtle separations between the relatives, understood their role amid these occasions and the requirement to remain extraordinary as to not allow the illusion of elation to corrode and reveal the saddening innerworkings within.
Had the girl a backbone, Remedy would have already departed the chamber to saunter the empty halls in an attempt to imprint everything to memory, and yet, her legs and mind acted otherwise avoid consequence. Her gaze, however, tended to wander amid engagements of the growing entourage that Norden Matriarch, Ordelia, accumulated. By her side stood her son, a proud Derrick, who shared words with the house elf in private. Remedy couldn't help but observe in silence this a brief exchange as she sipped on a glass of water, then nearly choked when her father proceeded to tap a fork against the crystal glass of champagne to congratulate the Alptraum's who would be the new owners of the Rhinelander Manor. Her gaze searched for the only familiar being who held such a name, Xailah, the numinous and alluring Prefect of Gryffindor.
—— notes. and it begins 
—— tags. @Xailah Alptraum-Leveret 
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