I Gave My Consent 
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
Engrave that I gave my consent
The world had a lot of opinions. Too many opinions, if you asked Aly.
The Ravenclaw seventh-year had had a whirlwind of the last six months. It was nearing 2026, the year she would graduate from Hogwarts, and yet she still didn't feel ready to graduate - especially following everything she had been through since June. In fact, Aly felt more like a youth than ever at this point - like she could simply not do anything right, like she was more naïve today than she had ever been. Every person, every member of her family or every one of her friends or every random stranger who decided they were interested in her life, felt entitled to have a say on what she should wear or how she should dance or even the curvature of her smile.
Some of them were kinder than others, of course. As Aly took a seat on the rocky shores of the Great Lake, smoothing her navy blue wool skirt underneath herself and tucking booted feet up to one side, she reached for her expansive satchel and pulled out a host of clippings - articles, letters, and anything else she had found during a good rummage through her dormitory - to read through for what seemed like the billionth time. The topmost clipping came from some sort of art magazine, sent to Aly by her grandmother Darcy Livingston a few days after the exeat weekend in early November. Though the disastrous art exposition and auction seemed to have been ages ago, it had really only been a month since Aly had watched her grandmother paralyse an innocent boy in front of her very green gaze - and done nothing about it. And yet, the note that had been attached to this article - handwritten in her grandmother's typical overly extravagant cursive - seemed to make it as if Aly had done the right thing... all by doing nothing.
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AUCTIONED OR ACTIONED?
ALYSSA LIVINGSTON DAZZLES AT SHOW OF POPULAR FRENCH ARTISTIC EMPIRE
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The Angoulêmes, led by matriarch and prominent sculptor Madame Seraphine Angoulême, have dominated the French artistic scene for decades. It seems that every new addition to this dynamic dynasty only solidifies their hold on the art industry, from son-and-daughter siblings Aurélien and Margaux to the grandson and heir apparent Edouard.
Another well-known sir and madam, Caelum and Darcy Livingston of the Livingston family jewel empire (known for their perfect pearlage and elegant engravings), were in attendance at the Angoulême auction - and many expected the Livingston master and his extravagant wife to bid upon one of the many notable art pieces being offered at the sale. After all, the two families have been known to be close, even providing personal art and jewels to each other without so much as being offered first to the world. Most interestingly, however, neither of the Livingston pair - nor either of their two daughters, Hesper and Cassiopeia, or Keithen Priestly, the father of Darcy Livingston, all of whom were also spotted at the event - bid upon any of the most esteemed art.
Aurélien Angoulême's most exquisitely hand-crafted Floral Crystal Chandelier, which fetched a modest price of twenty-two thousand and three hundred Galleons as it was purchased by Ethiopian art collector Sitota Kaleyesus, was predicted to be a shoo-in purchase by the lady Livingston - known to be a fan of the French glassblower. Similarly, Opulent Whispers of the Gilded Veil - Margaux Angoulême's final painting prior to her retirement in 2002 to focus on the birth of the young master Edouard - would have been another shoo-in for Caelum Livingston to purchase due to his production of the rubies that formulated the inlay of the painting; however, the lack of purchases made by anyone of the jewellery family raised both eyebrows and ears in many circles.
The art on sale was not the only art to be found at such an event, as the new lady Livingston swanned into the musée upon her great-grandfather's arm with all the poise and grace we have come to expect from such a muse.
Dearest Alyssa,
I dare say this article makes up for your many transgressions at your Hogwarts ball last month. Such a silly stunt can be easily overshadowed by rumours of a potential romance between two such influential families. I may agree with this admittedly junior journalist and suggest that you have indeed played your part to perfection.
However, such a thing can easily be reversed should you decide to stray from the family line once more in the future. Please do keep this in mind as you continue throughout your fall semester, and we shall see you in the winter during your Christmas holiday for several other events, each of more importance than the last.
You are an intelligent, resilient, and exquisitely gorgeous child with more talent than the world may realise. We have trained you well, and I expect you will continue to showcase your beauty and grace to the world. But you are also emotional, simple, and, as I have said, a child - who may not understand the necessity of following our regulations. Your success one day may be easily followed by travesty the next, and I implore you to remain on the correct side of events as history progresses on. The fate of your importance, and our family, may very well rest upon your shoulders.
Cordial wishes,
Your grandmother
The article was well-worn by now, only proving how many times Aly had scanned it over since it had arrived by owl post in the week following the art auction. It mentioned nothing of a paralysed servant boy or a request by Darcy that the Madam Seraphine sculpt a bust of bronze featuring Aly's own features, meaning that the conversation behind closed doors to which Aly only had been privy had truly not been captured by any journalists or cameras. Such a thing was a rarity to Aly's life these days.
The other articles she flipped through with a much more hasty speed, her emerald gaze only catching glimpses and phrases of descriptions about her own self as she did so.
The Livingston family has come to be nothing short of predictable with their choices of dress for the heir apparent, Alyssa...
Alyssa Livingston seems to be sweet like honey, a dream girl for the world of the upper crust...
As per what we have come to expect from the Livingston daughters, with Hesper and Cassiopeia coming before her, it seems Alyssa Livingston has been trained to perfection to be the smartest in the room...
We are tired of elite daughters' incessant need to be pathetic and meek, qualities Alyssa Livingston embodies in full force...
Alyssa is everything an heiress should be: successful, soft, stunning, and above all, a star...
Alyssa truly has lucked into everything the public wants to be; she is a winner in her own right, no matter the results of the debutante season.
She is a nice enough girl, if a bit innocent, but can such a young, inexperienced schoolgirl truly be worthy of the title of heir to an empire spanning generations?
The Livingston empire can truss her up all they want, dress her in their finery and drape her in pearls, but the simple fact remains no matter how much they try to hide it: the family may be famous, but Alyssa Salinger is truly a nobody.
The reviews ranged from rave to rotten, calling her every synonym and antonym in the book. Depending on the gossip journalist or page six entertainer you asked, you'd find that Aly was a winner or a loser, kind or terrible, popular or a layman, odd or normal, an old soul or a naïve child. The worst were those which stooped to unpleasantries, calling Aly's entire family... oh, what had it been? Lowbrow, selfish, shite-eating monsters guilty of everything but the bare minimum. Even though that particular columnist (who, oddly enough, hadn't written anything since that article had been released) had been referring to the whole Livingston clan and not just Aly alone, the fact that it hurt made Aly feel as if she did truly belong within the consortium.
There was that much, at least.
Aly set aside the clippings, having well enough revised exactly what the public thought about her at any given time. For interviews - of which she, admittedly, had only done a few, all of which had been in-person at various events and galas - the seventh-year had been trained to smile politely and give answers of little substance. The words of Lady Prudence rang through her head as easily as if the governess and tutor had been sitting right next to her, whispering in one pearl-dripped ear: The less the public knows, the better. Gift them a tidbit only enough to interest them, but do not expose more lest they take from you more than for which you bargained. However, now - staring down at the written interview questions that had been sent to her directly by her grandmother, along with a cursive order request that Aly fill them out and promptly return them to her via owl - the Ravenclaw couldn't just rely on a pretty smile and distracting wit. No, here her answers had to be perfect and planned, both giving enough and also nothing at all.
It was unlike any challenge she had ever faced before.
Shivering as the chilly December breeze swept across the lakeshore, ruffling the pages that Aly had so carefully pinned under one knee so as to not allow them to fly off into the waters of the Great Lake and be lost forever to the merfolk and grindylows within, the curly-haired Quidditch captain pulled out the aforementioned interview questions, as well as a quill and a pot of ink, from her satchel (though the latter two items required quite a bit more of rooting around inside the inside pockets, waiting for the feeling of cool glass or prickly barbs to brush against the soft pads of her fingertips). She pulled her hair up into a messy bun at the back of her head with practiced ease - wearing her hair in such a style, as ordered by the matriarch of the Livingston family, had become something similar to second nature this semester - before beginning to set up her working station, right here on the shore. Setting the parchment atop a textbook in her lap, Aly balanced the inkwell - clear crystal, within which cerulean liquid sloshed about much like the rippling waves of the lake before her - between two nearby rocks, uncorked it, dipped her quill as if she was ready to write... and then puzzled over the interview questions for what was likely another forty minutes before she finally put the nib of the quill to its parchment.
What was most surprising to you upon being introduced to your family, their career, and their empire?The sheer amount of pearls in the world, and yet how few are so flawless as those of the Livingston brand. I have never been so proud to clasp jewelry around my neck or into my ears as I am to wear my family's now!Where will you be going after Hogwarts, and will you be following in your family's footsteps as a jeweler?I am yet unsure of the exact path I will take following my graduation in June, though I know I would be honoured if my family should choose to train me in their chosen field. Merlin knows I enjoy wearing jewelry - I think I should quite like to make it, too!We hear you are a Ravenclaw, quite a break from tradition in a typically Slytherin family. What else makes you different from the rest of your lineage?I may have a different Hogwarts House than the majority of my family members, but I believe it only lends me strength to be a bit unique. I follow after two of the strongest men I have ever known in an eagle path - my father, and my great-grandfather Keithen Priestly, who notably has handled many of the family finances since his daughter married into the Livingstons decades in the past. The way I see it, my House is a strength and a different perspective that I am able to bring to the table.Many rumours have swirled about your romantic life, often including other heirs such as Edouard Angoulême of France or Barnabas Vidal of Spain. What details can you share about any future betrothment plans that your family may be in the works of creating?I am afraid I cannot share any such details, but when my family decides it is best for me to become betrothed or if I should fall in love with someone from another prominent family, you shall be the first to know!What say you to those naysayers who believe you unfit to carry the Livingston title?I humbly find amusing the idea that anyone may be worthy simply by value of one quality or other. What makes me fit to carry the title is that I have worked to learn all that I must in order to do so. I recognise that my path to this family is an unconventional one, but it is the unconditional love and respect that I hold for them that will make me worthy of being the future of the family.
After what seemed like an eternity of scribbling inky answers, then sighing and erasing part of it, Aly finally finished scrawling the last word of the last question. Her journalism background had come in handy when it came to polishing these answers beyond recognition; truly, none of them sounded anything close to her own speech anymore. She picked up the parchment, scrutinising some of her words carefully. I mean, really? 'I know I would be honoured if my family should choose to train me in their chosen field'? Who would ever believe I'd write such drivel when I very clearly have no idea what I want to do after graduation? The answer was plain: only those who truly didn't know her, these readers who gobbled up every detail of her life and regurgitated acclamations or aspersions in equal part, would believe this came from her - and, even then, some of it would likely be changed by Darcy Livingston before the final answers went to print. After all, anything belittling the family's choice of romantic partner or preferred Hogwarts House could never see the light of day. Not when the writer was one of their own.
By being one of the family, by having been welcomed into the fold, Aly had essentially consented to becoming a figurehead - to be anything that anyone wanted of her. To bend to every whimsy and accept every label.
She wondered, as she packed up her things and not for the first time in the last month, if she really did not care about the words that had been forced into her mouth, or if she would have preferred to be able to speak for herself. To be someone she wanted to be. But the breeze picking up swept the thoughts away as the Ravenclaw turned on her heel, her satchel full of papers and drying ink, to walk back up to the castle, every inch of the Livingston the world believed her to be.
to be anything that anyone prefer I be...
gen1 Aly Salinger || gen1 iNPC Manu Macedo || gen2 Kahira Valerian || staff Aulis Vorozheykin