| Details for What It Means to Be A Malfoy |
| Summary: | After a moderately disastrous attempt to introduce Cassius to her beau, Edwarlinda comes to her brother's office to hash things out. |
| Date: | 9 October, 1937 |
| Location: | Ministry of Magic |
| Related: | People Come and Go So Quickly Here |
| Characters |
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Cassius sits at his desk, in his little dungeon office. The most recent stack in the endless deluge of files needing his eye has accumulated, perhaps higher than usual given how his political efforts have taken up more of his time recently. But he diligently pores over each one, looking for legal loopholes to be closed or exploited. But he does keep coming back to one particular file that he hasn't put into the "done" pile yet. Every time he cracks it open, his eyes go to the name of the arresting Auror: Sloan MacDubsithe. Every time, he rakes through the case file with a fine-toothed comb, gleaning all that he can about the man's style and methods.
While Eddie can apparate to just outside the ministry offices, and does, there is no familiar crack near to his office as security simply doesn't allow that. It's the sound of Eddie's high heels on marble flooring that probably announces her before her voice actually cracks into the room. And the scent of one of her bitch stick cigarettes, since she's pretty much been chain smoking since she summarily paid for and then abandoned their dinner at the Tasseo. She knocks on the outside of his office, but doesn't actually let him summon her in, she just pushes it open and walks into his office, dragging off her cigarette. "You didn't have to be like that." Eddie states flatly, staring over to her younger brother.
Cassius doesn't lift his eyes to Edwarlinda right away, keeping them on the case file when he replies. "Oh, I think I did. Your paramour needs a lesson in manners, and I do not consider it my responsibility to suffer his barbs in order to teach him." Finally he closes the folder, setting it aside and rising. He comes around to greet her properly, more a formality than a warm welcome. But neither is he entirely cold…more saddened, if his expression can be trusted.
The sadness is shared between them, for what it's worth. Eddie wanted her brother to see what she saw in Sloan, it didn't happen. She loves both the men, and it's clearly going to be a disaster. It doesn't mean she's going to start hating either of them, even if she's angry and hurt. She stands before him, accepting the squeeze of fingertips and pressing a brief, formal kiss to his cheek before immediately pulling back and going back to her cigarette. "…He… he's not like us, Cassius. He's got a different background. We can't expect him to be perfect and proper all the time… If I wanted that, I'd have married whoever the hell mum and dad wanted me to by now."
Cassius sighs, sliding a chair over for her, and taking another just opposite it, both on the visitor's side of the desk. Whatever tension there is, he won't have a professonial barrier between them. "So you choose the one man most likely to earn their wroth? Lin, you said it yourself. He isn't like us, and he will be eaten alive. You know this. If you truly care about him, let him go and spare him from that."
The offer of the chair to her makes Eddie sigh slightly, but she nods. She sinks down into the offered seat and crosses her legs, stretching a hand over to grab an ashtray off his desk, if he keeps one, that is. Eddie looks up to his eyes, listening to his words without cutting him off, though her expression darkens just a hint more. "…I chose the one who actually does take care of me. Who'd lay down his life for me, or our children, and I feel safe with. I chose happiness, Cassius. Though, I've probably bloody well fucked that up too. And he's stronger than you realize. He'd be able to manage."
Cassius does keep an ashtray, but it sits squarely on the visitor's side of the desk, and seems largely unused. "Your children, indeed. Would you subject them to this double-sided life, as well? Or will they simply never be allowed to know their grandparents, aunts, and uncles? Lin, you are a Malfoy, whether you like it or not. Your decisions affect many people…and can hurt many people, including those you love."
The woman's back straightens just a bit more, showing her intense Malfoy heritage in a single, proper gesture. She can be as proud and lovely as any of the family. Sometimes lovelier. She was truly gifted with ever last physical trait any Malfoy woman could ever want. "Cass. Don't be silly. He would get used to our family and they to him, eventually. He is still a wizard. It's not like I'm bringing home some idiot muggle. It would be fine! It'd… it'd just take time. He'll be fine. Let… let's just stop worrying about this and move on. It'll be what it is. Tell me how you are, truly?" Eddie does her best to dovetail into another subject before this whole discussion gets messier than it already is. She presses a warmer, more perfect smile to her lips as she's doing it as well.
Cassius sighs, pressing two fingers to his temple, and shakes his head. "You cannot simply ignore this. Problems don't go away simply because you walk away from them. What is his heritage? Truly? Is he pure-blooded?" That he even has to ask suggests that he doesn't believe it.
"I am not going to sit here and pick apart my love life because you don't entirely approve. I came…" Well, Eddie came to yell at him for being rude, but apparently Cassius has managed to turn the whole conversation on it's head already. "I wanted to talk to you tonight about the rally, and about how I can help you. Not my private life. So we can discuss that or I can just leave." The blonde huffs just a little bit, getting up from her chair and stalking around the office to find where he keeps any of his booze. She needs something hard to drink now. "He's half blooded, I do believe. So what? He's a wizard and that is what matters."
Cassius seems to sense her desire for a drink (or did he pluck it from her mind?), and gestures to a cabinet along one wall. "What matters is that we are a pure-blood family. What matters is that his crude manner will only drive a wedge between him and the rest of us, leaving you trying to balance atop it." He stands, taking in a heavy draught of air as he walks up behind her. His voice gets softer as he nears. "Sister…I understand the loyalty. He's been with you, fighting at your side. That engenders strong feelings of camaraderie. But romance…marriage…children. These are matters not to be taken so lightly as to trust in emotion to guide one's decisions."
Without looking back at him, Eddie pulls out a bottle of one of his preferred drinks, pulling down two glasses also so she can pour them both a few fingers. It's that kind of conversation. Her jaw tightens ash e continues on about her chosen suitor instead of politics, which she'd suddenly rather discuss. She turns upon him abruptly at the very end of that statement. "Romance and marriage? I think that's exactly where we should trust in emotions to guide our decisions. There IS no romance without emotions, bloody hell, Cass! That's what romance is! That's what love is! I am not going to… to give myself to some pure-blooded wizard just so I can be some… baby making factory of little pure blooded children. That… that'd just be wrong." She stares at him incredulously, waiting for him to see just how backwards his assumptions might be.
Cassius remains calm in the face of her retort, listening patiently and waiting for her finish. "You are willfully ignoring the rational side of my argument. Let us say that you marry Sloan and have his children. Do you truly believe they will be accepted by the family? Half-bloods? Lin…that's naive." He reaches for the drink poured for him, but doesn't touch it to his lips. "Love is splendid, and I hope you find it with someone that is worthy of you. But basing your entire future on something as capricious and intoxicating as love is a sure path toward disaster."
He might hesitate on drinking, but she sure as hell doesn't. Eddie knocks back a good gulp of the booze, letting it burn down her throat with barely a wince. Her back stiffens and eyes level hard in his direction, "That will be their loss if they'd dare disregard their grand children simply because of a… a blip on a family tree. Cass, we are not discussing this any longer. We will have to agree to disagree. You are acting like I'm trying to bring home a muggle when I'm not! So, drop it and we can move on, yes?" Her ice blue eyes strongly set upon his gaze, standing up to him as best she can after a night like this. But he always did have a slightly better way with words than her. She's the fighter with a wand, not with her mouth.
Cassius remains undeterred, and fixes his gaze on hers with that stern quality he inherited from their father. "Lin, listen to me. I am telling you this for your own good. You know very well what sort of origins you come from, and you've spent your entire life trying to forget. But you can't. Not if you wish to be a part of this family. It would be a dagger to my heart to lose you." He sets the drink on his desk, reaching for her free hand to clasp it between both of his. His voice turns from the authoritative to the pleading. "Please, see reason. If you want to romp with this fellow, by all means. Enjoy yourself. Take your potions and have a jolly time. But…you must realize that to bind yourself to him hurts you, him, your children, and your entire family. Please…don't throw all of that away."
After taking another hard shot of her drink, Eddie sets down her glass and lets him take her palm instead. She doesn't pull away from him or stalk out the door in a fit, even though she's tempted. It's a testament to just how much she does love him that she hasn't let her anger get the better of her. She wraps thin fingertips overtop of his palm, giving a tender little squeeze as she exhales quietly, "Hell, Cass, really?…This is a moot point. I always take my potions. I'm thirty six. Realistically? I'm not going to have children. That will be up to you and the others. I've given that part of my life to the Ministry and I don't mind it. We don't all need children. You'll give mum and dad proper grand kids from a proper pure blood, I have no doubt. So… so we argue over nothing. I'm not throwing anything away. Yes, I love Sloan. Yes, I may… I can hope, marry him… But that's all there will ever be. We're Aurors. It would be an unfair life to children anyway."
Cassius maintains his tender tone, giving her hand a squeeze, as if trying to massage the tension away. "Nevertheless, you know that he'll never been accepted by the family. I don't especially care for him, and let's face it, I'm much more tolerant than Father and Mother. Lin…I beg of you, don't go down this road."
Perfect, red lips press into a tighter line as she stares up into her brother's handsome eyes, knowing the truth behind his words no matter how much she despises it. "That's why… why I want you on my side with this, Cassius. I need your support, to… to help show mother and father he is worthy. And he is. A bit rough around the edges, but a good man. He… he was just nervous tonight, not feeling well. We… we'll all get lunch some day. Something more relaxing and less formal. You'll see what I see in him… Please, Cass. For me."
Cassius is not a man easily swayed when he's set his mind. He tends to think things through thoroughly before making a decision, and so it is rare that an argument can be made that he hasn't already considered and moved beyond. But in spite of his cold rationality in regard to matters of emotion, he is not immune to it, and his love for his sister shows in his pained look. "Lin…" he gives a relenting sigh. "I'll meet with him again…when he is feeling better."
For a moment, Eddie looks a decade younger. Happy and relieved, heart jumping in her chest, she exhales a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Cassius. I… I know he's not our style, but I couldn't find a better man, I promise you that. He's a good, good man. You'll see it, if you take the time." Eddie squeezes his fingertips tenderly, rather thankfully, exhaling that breath of relief that she'd been holding the whole conversation once again. "Now… tell me how I can help with your work? You are going to drive yourself sick between this campaign and your regular duties."
Cassius lifts her hand to his lips for a kiss. "I make no promises, though. I mean what I said. I am not prone to tolerating uncivilised behaviour. I will make the effort, but so must he, and he had best understand that I am going to look out for you, even if that means I disagree with what you want." He finally releases her hand, looking a bit deflated. "So…yes…the campaign. I have help. Eden Eibon has been a dream, and I understand that we have strong support from the Blacks. I've been invited to a dinner at their home on Thursday. You should come."
"Oh. Reggie actually invited me already. It is in the plans and on my calendar. I'd love to bring Keenan or Sloan but… now I'm wondering if that would be the wisest idea. Either way, I will be there, ready to go. And I'm glad Eden is helping you, but don't forget your earliest supporters who have watched you since before you were walking, dear brother." Eddie winks at him teasingly, squeezing his hand one more time and then letting go so she can reach for her drink and another cigarette. She could use the relaxation after the odd conversation, which she's now quite happy to put behind them.
Cassius smirks at her. "I know, Lin…and I'm so happy that we've reconnected over this. I do want your help, in any way possible. Though…indeed, I think your friends might not find the dinner to their liking." He finally picks up his drink and takes a sip, and then returns to his seat. "The biggest obstacle we face is that doddering old fool, Dumbledore, has gone and stirred people up into thinking Grindelwald a Dark wizard. Obviously, we must now distance ourselves from Grindelwald. It's just as well, though. We need to focus our efforts on Britain."
"Indeed… unless you can call Grindelwald a personal friend, Cass, we shouldn't rely on his support or his sanity. Who knows what he's really planning. If our goals turn out to be complimentary? Then wonderful, we can all work together down the line. But just incase they aren't, we should be able and already standing on our own. We can't change the world without starting in our own back yards. So… we look at the repealing that damned law and go from there. Oh. I'm going to be having dinner with that Hadrian, the Quidditch player? I'm trying to see if we can get his endorsement. And the big brooms shop in Diagon seems interested in using me for modeling or design inspirations. It'd be good to get our faces and ideas out among the common man, don't you think?" Eddie settles back down into that seat on the outside of his desk, setting her glass down there and pulling the ashtray nearer so she can light that second cigarette.
Cassius lifts his brow in interest at her suggestions. "Yes, exactly. We are seen as the high and mighty Malfoys. It's fine to have the support of people like the Eibons and Blacks, but we need the common touch. I fear I will likely never achieve that. We need someone that the average witch and wizard can empathize with. Your Quidditch player could be just the trick."
"If not him, I've run into that Valencia girl a few times now and she seems most eager to please. I'll do everything I can to get at least one of them to the cause. Once I sit down and really talk with him, I don't see how they can't realize this is really what's best for everyone." Eddie picks up her glass and lofts it in his direction. "Well, dear brother…here is to getting the rest of the world to see common sense, yes?"
Cassius tilts his head. "Valencia…Huntley, yes? Another Quidditch player? Well, it couldn't hurt to recruit a few heroes of the people." He sighs, letting his exhaustion show for a moment — something he would never do in front of anyone else. He lifts his glass to her toast. "Here's to the future."
When she sees the exhaustion behind his eyes, a touch of pinched worry crosses her face. Eddie clinks glasses with him and then moves to stand. "Come on… let's get you home. I insist. You'll be no good to anyone collapsing on your feet. One good night's sleep, for me?" Eddie asks gently. And as long as there are no protests, she will escort him home and give him a proper kiss on the cheek good night before attending to her own life again.