This is part of Aly's Cast the Bronze storyline. You can find other portions here: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Nobody warned me we'd get sick of centerfolds...

In the days following Aly's debutante ball, the young Ravenclaw could not decide if she missed the hustle and bustle of it all or if she was relieved to finally have a quiet house - a too-quiet house, she decided in the end, without her trusty house-elf Becca there any longer. Since meeting her mother's estranged family at Gringotts earlier in the month, her life had been a whirlwind of elegance training, disastrous weddings, and the far less disastrous ball... and with her snappy, but useful, tutor Lady Prudence on a well-deserved break, and her mother off at work or with her family planning Aly's next social event of the season, Aly had mostly had the two-story manor in Welwyn Garden City all to herself. It was an odd feeling, truly. She'd grown up lonelier than most children her age, sure, but she had always had someone - one of her house-elves, for instance, or her father - to bother when she was bored. Now, the house-elves that Hesper had picked out from Aly's grandparents' manor - four quiet little things, each with a specific task every day - were barely visible, let alone ever spoke to her. She didn't even know their names.

And so Aly felt very alone, whether she truly was or not.

She spent her days mostly silent, only speaking in the dawns and dusks when she needed to go out-of-doors to complete her Animagus ritual spells. One day she managed to leave - it wasn't really sneaking out anymore, as the new elves barely cared what she did and Hesper wasn't around to catch her - to head to the nearby Muggle part of Welwyn Garden City for some shopping, one of her favourite pastimes, but even that didn't feel like much when she had experienced the terrifying thrill of wizarding high society. Though she was probably more brainwashed than anything, it felt as though she'd dipped her toe into something everyone had raved about around her for years - and, instead of hating it like she had been determined to do, Aly had actually liked it. There was so much work involved, and the rules were far stricter than anything she had had growing up, but there was something charming buried deep within, and Aly - ever the charmer - was determined to dig it out.

Right when she had finally become more used to the silence, the still air, of course Hesper had to come barging in and uproot it. Aly was curled up in one of the ornate, plush chairs in the sitting room, rich maroon velvet brushing against her arm as she flipped pages in the latest edition of Transfiguration Today - she'd subscribed to the magazine in preparation for her upcoming Animagus ritual - when suddenly the low, flickering flames in the fireplace flashed a brilliant emerald green and out stepped Aly's mother. Dressed even fancier than normal in one of her most striking velvet pantsuits and the pearl necklace that had become fairly standard for the both of them over these last few weeks, seeing as how the Livingston family were apparently the epitome of the pearl and jewel trade amongst the wizarding world, Hesper's face wasn't quite the picture of calm and poise that it normally was. Instead, without so much as saying hello, she rushed over to Aly and slammed something down on her daughter's lap, knocking Transfiguration Today right out of her hands. "Alyssa, you must read this immediately."

"Wha-" Aly sputtered, shoving the leaf in her mouth up into the corner between jaw and tooth where she could not accidentally spit it out. "Hello to you too, Mother!"

Hesper pushed the thing in her hand, which was upon slightly closer inspection a different magazine of some kind, into Aly's face. "Read it!"

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ALYSSA LIVINGSTON
THE LIVINGSTON FAMILY'S LONG-AWAITED COMEBACK STORY
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F x ollowing the longest debut draught in the Livingston family's most distinguished history, the Wizarding World's most prominent purveyors of pearls and fine jewels are back on the social scene. Over two decades have passed since the Livingston family, best known for having served wizards and witches worldwide for centuries with the highest quality of gemstones, treasures, and accessories, debuted their last eligible bachelorette—and they did so in double, recognising twins Hesper and Cassiopeia Livingston back in the summer of 2001. Before diving into their new, splashy re-entrance to the scene, however, let us briefly recap why it has been so long since the Livingstons introduced any recent ingénues. Many expected the twins' elder brother and heir to the family fortune, Anatoly, to debut his daughter Verity when she turned seventeen in 2019; however, the heir's decision to uproot his family in 2010 and move everyone to the United States for his children to attend Ilvermorny shocked high society and made Verity's debut a non-issue. Of course, her later passing from dragon pox made it so that not even an American debut could occur. The younger and, by all accounts, lesser twin of the pair, Cassiopeia, was the only twin to marry to her status, wedding casino heir Gallus Surrency in July 2005. Cassiopeia has even been spotted serving as an assistant to her father, Livingston patriarch and expert jeweler Caelum Livingston, in her elder brother's stead. Before Surrency's untimely passing in 2014, however, the couple bore no children, sparking many rumours of infertility or infidelity amongst the upper crust—though no such information was ever confirmed. As such, the vast responsibility of bearing an up-and-coming heiress fell to elder twin Hesper Livingston, despite her fall from societal grace in October of 2006 when she married Ministry of Magic employee Benjamin Salinger (who later passed in 2022). The daughter in question, named Alyssa Livingston, was borne the ninth of May in 2008. Although Alyssa was reputedly raised outside of the Livingston family fold, she has allegedly lived up to her family name—in her talent, intelligence, and beauty combined.

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The Livingston family matriarch, Darcy Livingston (née Priestly, of the London bookkeeping Priestly ancestry), announced that the debut of her only surviving granddaughter was to be held the 19th of July just two weeks prior. A former model, she has always enjoyed keeping the journalism world on its toes, a habit she has not lost with graceful age. Whilst many scrambled to acquire an invitation—each weighing in at a stunning ten thousand Galleons in price—we at Enchanté magazine were extended a personal invitation by the lady of the house. As such, we were able to interview several members of the Livingston family—though, sadly, not the famed debutante herself—surrounding Alyssa's nebulous past, as she is still, despite the flashy party, rather unknown. Miss Alyssa Livingston—though her legal name is Salinger, the matriarch insisted we refer to her by her proper lineage—will be entering her seventh year at Hogwarts this fall. A Ravenclaw in House—the first one in Livingston history—Miss Livingston has accumulated various awards and accomplishments throughout her six years at the prestigious magical academy, including but not limited to the Quidditch captaincy for her House, several match wins and a Quidditch Cup under her belt, and a full sweep of Outstandings on her ten Ordinary Wizarding Levels. She is a fellow journalist, acting as the writers' team leader for the Hogwarts Headliner, and took home the winners' trophy of last year's international Wizarding Schools Potions Championship with a pair of her classmates. The lady Livingston also insisted that her granddaughter has inherited the family fashion sense, particularly for pearls—something we were able to see firsthand at her debutante ball. Clad in a bespoke Gianella Gonzaga gown of black silk and cream tulle, complete with matching elbow-length gloves and the iconic Livingston debutante pearls, as can be seen in the photograph to the left, Miss Salinger fit the social scene of the highest caliber as easily as if she had lived it for decades—no doubt having benefited from the tutelage of the Lady Prudence Byrne, elegance's most desired tutor. Flitting from one conversation to the next, always accessorised with a glass of the finest champagne and a smile lovelier than the rest of the room combined, the newly crowned Livingston lady seemed to entertain almost effortlessly. Able to make even the dullest of conversations seem exciting simply with her presence, she was practically buzzing with life—a welcome respite from the muted reputation of the jewel empire. Those who had the privilege of speaking with her bloomed under her light and withered when she left—the mark of a true socialite. Though Miss Livingston was not raised in high society, it is clear she was born for it. We also had the honour of speaking to the debutante's mentor herself, Lady Prudence Byrne of Dalkey, to ask her just how she managed this enormous task of training someone with little to no history of proper education. Lady Byrne called the task "the least challenging" of all her former mentees, praising Miss Livingston's natural elegance, wisdom, beauty, and charm... (continued on page 6)

Halfway through the article, Aly looked up at her mother, one eyebrow cocked. "Why do they keep calling me-" But Hesper simply raised the article again, higher still, so that Aly was forced to keep reading. And read she did - about her purported beauty, elegance, and charm, her intelligence and accomplishments, her whole family's sordid history splashed across the page. Like the ball itself, she couldn't decide whether this was a great thing or a bad thing - her whole life in publication. Suddenly, she had been thrust into the limelight, and while it currently sang her praises, the Ravenclaw knew - just based off of how the author described her aunt - that such a spotlight could turn against her in an instant.

Hesper, on the other hand, seemed no less than absolutely thrilled. "Enchanté is Mother's favourite magazine. They simply always tell it as it is, with nary a hold barred," Aly's mother positively gushed, flumping into the equally ornate maroon chair beside her. "She trusts their word more than any other publication, for they will tear you apart or solidify your reputation in a heartbeat. And they loved you!" Aly had genuinely never seen Hesper smile so widely. "Called you born for society, no less. That is simply the highest praise. Mother will be thrilled; I'm sure she'll want to plan your next outing in no time. And you'll have to start dressing like part of the family - none of this denim business, and certainly always with your pearls... I shall teach you some proper hairstyles so that you look less disheveled than you do now..."

"Mm. Yes, my next outing," Aly murmured under her breath as Hesper chattered on, eyes scanning the article once more. Alyssa's nebulous past... rather unknown... we refer to her by her proper lineage... practically buzzing with life... a true socialite. "Can't wait..."

It was partially true. But the fear was back, roiling in the pit of her stomach, for nobody had warned her that as quickly as she had entered the upper crust's positive favour, so too could she fall from it.

I'm getting bored or getting old...

the Salinger home, Welwyn Garden City | July 23^rd, 2025 | outfit/hair | #C47DDB