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

Do I imply that I'm just beautiful and blessed?

Another holiday, another party. Aly Salinger was beginning to think that all purebloods did was drink expensive champagne and brag to each other about their inordinate wealth, and she mightn't even have been that wrong about it. For the last week she had been horribly disillusioned with her family's lavish lifestyle that hid the seedy underbelly of her grandparents' lack of moral code, and luckily she had been able to spend most of those days in Hogsmeade: after Christmas searching for four hard-to-find golden stockings via the Grand Golden Sock Hunt, and then just yesterday drinking cocoa with a friend, @Piérre Marchonné, in Madam Puddifoot's. Unfortunately, she had been among the many poisoned by the midnight cocoa, which had been laced with moonseed; after having spent some time recovering and being treated by the Healers on-site, Aly had been whisked back to the Livingston Manor by her family, who claimed that they could provide more comfort and healing at home.

She was still weak, still could not so much as produce sparks from her wand - but it had only been a day, and surely her magic would come back soon. The Livingston family's annual New Year's Eve celebration - much smaller than the Christmas one from last week, definitely not a gala, but more of an elite, intimate, and elegant get-together - was "sure to lift her spirits", her mother proclaimed as she laid out Aly's gown on the bed. As per usual, the heiress wasn't to rewear anything in which she had ever been photographed before - oh, no, the horror! Today's new couture creation was a creamy white sheath, strappy and corseted in the back with a floor-length skirt of ruched satin; after Aly changed into it, Hesper and the Lady Prudence began the rest of the usual routine, which involved covering Aly's "distasteful" (according to her tutor) butterfly tattoos in makeup and doing her hair and face as well. The worst part? The Ravenclaw didn't even feel strong enough to protest. She just sat there, allowing it all to happen.

Just as Hesper had finished the preparation of Aly's curls and was pulling pins out from the drawer of the dresser in Aly's guest room (which was technically her bedroom by now, but in which she still felt very much like an intruder, especially after these past few weeks), the door creaked open by a house-elf's snappy magic and in waltzed the matriarch of the house herself. Aly's grandmother Darcy was the be-all and end-all of style decisions around here, including everything from hairstyles to house décor, and the seventh-year was more than used to waiting for her approval before entering the public eye when it came to events such as this. "I don't think we're ready yet, Grandmother," she protested weakly as Hesper gathered up her hair into a curly bun at the top of her head. "I've only just managed to get into my dress."

Normally, Darcy would have spoken straight to her - so the first clue that something was wrong was when she, instead, looked directly over Aly's swimming head and focused her sharp blue gaze on Hesper. "You may forego the usual style, daughter," she ordered, and Aly felt Hesper's capable hands release her curls. In fairness, it did feel better to have her hair down, without the roots pulling at her already-tender scalp - but the foreboding sense of dread that washed over her essentially cancelled it out. Darcy was nothing if not consistent - strict, a rule-follower. The maker of the rules. She had dictated that Aly's hair be worn in the same bun style, either on the crown of her head or at the nape of her neck, as Darcy herself wore since the day the two had met. Never once had Aly attended a family event with her hair down before. Something is wrong.

The dread was confirmed when Darcy's steely gaze shifted to the Lady Prudence. "And you, Prudence - you may also cease. The elf will take you into the hall. I am in need of a discussion with my granddaughter." The last word felt barbed, almost like an insult rather than a tale of relation, and small prickles began to run the length of Aly's spine. Prudence simply nodded, setting down her makeup brushes and following the house-elf out into the corridor; the door slammed, untouched, behind them, and Aly tried her best to brace herself for the brunt of whatever she had done wrong. After the protest last week, she had garnered some anger from the matriarch, but this felt... different, somehow. Worse, almost, because she couldn't think of what she had done to fault her.

Luckily, Darcy wouldn't make Aly wait long. Not a moment after the door had closed, she once again fixed her eyes upon her granddaughter, and the sharp words that passed through her wrinkled thin lips should not have hurt as much as they did. "This shall take but a moment. When I leave, you shall change out of that gown and return both it and your jewelry to the care of the Lady Prudence - the elf is briefing her on the situation in the corridor. You will not be making an attendance at tonight's gathering."

The adrenaline spiked in Aly's brain; she only managed to eke out a trembling "Why not?" before Hesper jumped in. "I assure you that my daughter is strong enough to handle a public appearance, Mother," she defended, rising to her feet from where she had been half-crouching behind Aly to do her hair; Aly's gaze and Darcy's both turned to her, equal parts impressed and nervous, at least on the former's part. She had never seen Hesper stand up to her mother in this way, even though she knew that it must have happened before, back when Hesper had refused to marry Gallus Surrency for fear of losing her beloved Benjamin. Aly's father. And look how well that had turned out the first time. "Alyssa is well-trained, and the Lady Prudence will be there to assist. It will reflect poorly upon the family if she is thought to be too weak to attend, when others have already regained their magic."

Okay, so perhaps not a hundred percent in defence of her. Aly's teeth gnawed at her lip, a single tear pricking hot at her right eye, for it did not help to be reminded that some of the other patients had already recovered from yesterday's incident and yet she was still unable to do so much as summon a Knut from an inch away. The display, however well-intended it was, had no effect on Darcy, though; the blonde matriarch simply pursed her lips further. "It is bad enough that Alyssa was sighted being attended to by a Healer on the site. The last thing this family needs is more publicity about her current inability to perform magic." The next sentence was accompanied by a wave of her hand in Aly's direction, but carelessly, as if the Ravenclaw wasn't even there. "Your daughter is a beautiful creature, and very blessed to not have been as affected as others by the moonseed, but look at her, Hesper. She is weak, and frail as a baby Mooncalf. If a close friend of the family asks her to perform a spell, and she is unable, I will not have rumours of a Squib in the family getting back to the press."

It hit her like a Killing Curse to the chest - that insinuation. A Squib in the family. The suggestion that she may never recover her magic, may never so much as cast another spell. More tears came, wobbling in Aly's eyes, though she did her best not to blink, not to even sniffle, lest her show of weakness come to Darcy's attention. She didn't care that she wouldn't be allowed to go to the event - in fact, it was a blessing in disguise, as she wanted about nothing to do with any of it anymore. And it would be lovely to have an evening of rest. But she wanted to part with this life on her own terms, not be forced out of it for not being good enough.

Whilst she had been crying, the argument was over before Aly could join in. Darcy was already out the door, and Hesper followed dutifully without even a look back at her daughter - as always, picking duty over her. Aly couldn't even really be surprised anymore. Instead, the Lady Prudence came into the room and began plucking the jewelry from Aly's thin body - the dangling diamond and pearl earrings, heavy as a Golden Snidget, from her ears, and the pearl necklace from her neck, and the golden cuff from her arm. She felt as though she was being stripped of everything that had made her worthy. Had made her so beautiful and blessed.

The Ravenclaw couldn't help it, here in this otherwise empty room with only her strict tutor for company, and the fat tears began to roll down her face. She would have to deal with a lecture on strength and elegance from the Lady Prudence, this she knew - and yet, she didn't care, or perhaps she just couldn't hold it in anymore.

But to Aly's surprise no such lecture came. Instead, Prudence untied the strings that had formed a corseting bow in the back of Aly's creamy gown, then came to sit opposite the girl by the dresser, her head cocked to the side. "It is not because of you, you know," she said, in a gentler tone than Aly had ever heard her use in her seven-ish months of knowing the lady. "The madam Livingston is only looking out for the reputation of the family. 'Tis a hard price to pay for one so young, but the unfortunate reality of living so deeply in the public sphere."

Aly was so shocked at her tutor's kind words - she had never once heard Prudence be anything but a teacher, anything but severe - that she did not even speak; she simply hiccuped.

Prudence went on, then. "She is looking out for you, in her own way," the tutor explained, reaching out to tuck a single stray curl behind Aly's ear. It felt odd - foreign, and the lady's fingers were cold, but somehow, the Ravenclaw felt warmed by the gesture. Almost motherly, somehow. "Whether she recognises it or not, she is giving you the gift of rest. When recovering, it is much better to stay in bed with Healing Potions than to attempt to get up and walk in heels for an entire evening, let alone stay up until midnight for the New Year." The Lady Prudence must have seen the gape on Aly's lips, for she smiled slightly - actually smiled, a real smile, for the first ever time, at least of which Aly knew. "My mother was a Healer, you know. Not everyone can come from such a background as yours."

Still surprised beyond words, Aly could only choke out a strained "Thank you."

"I have trained you well. Manners even in the throes of illness." The lady rose, helped Aly to her feet, then turned around so Aly could undress; she fetched her some pajamas into which Aly changed, then helped her get to the bed and lie underneath the warm covers, promising that she would send along an elf with a potion to aid her soon. As Lady Prudence pulled a third blanket over Aly's shoulders, she said, in a low voice, "A bit of sunlight and warmer weather would do you some good, as well. I shall see about convincing your family to allow you to attend that trip to Tenūsa that Hogwarts is allowing in a few days."

Aly's mouth dropped open again. "You know about that?"

This time, a more normal smirk passed Prudence's lips. "I have my sources, dear girl. We shall pitch it to your grandparents as a sort of ambassadorship, a way to be photographed in a place that does not expect you to do magic in case it has not come back by then. You rest now; we can focus on this project together on Friday." And then she was gone, out of the room, and Aly - settling into her blankets and pillows and sleep that was just beginning to overtake her and whisk her into tomorrow's new year - suddenly felt more at home than she had ever felt here, in this room, in this house, and in this family.

Sort of, at least.

I try to care, but just care less...

Somewhere Unplottable in England | December 31^st, 2025 | outfit in banner | #C47DDB