(1938-12-19) Black Party Blackballed
Details for Black Party Blackballed
Summary: After failing in previous years to get herself invited to Alphard's christmas party, Lucretia tries again, only to get blackballed by a vote of one. Alphard himself.
Date: 1938-12-19
Location: Slytherin Common Room, Hogwarts
Related:
Characters
LucretiaAlphardEdgar

Its early evening, that lull in time between dinner and curfew. The common room is reasonably quiet; knots of students gathered on the sofas or bent in study groups together. Lucretia is in that latter group, seated with three other third-years on one of the couches near the fire. It would appear that the girls, for girls they are, are pouring over a book on charms. "And this one here, what about that? Maybe we should include some of the information given right here." Thus speaks Lucretia, the Black apparently the one in charge of things.

Alphard came trudging in from the sixth year boys' dorms, giving a bit of a yawn and a stretch. Having had both his evening and his morning disturbed, he'd made the effort to catch up on his sleep the last hour or so. It had helped a little bit. Without hesitation he set his path towards the chair infront of the fireplace that he always occupied, even if it meant throwing out the current occupant, a firstie. Though throwing out was perhaps a harsh word. A look was all it really took to get the kid to scatter. Alphard had a certain reputation. With a yawn and a happy sigh, he collapsed.

There's a look of annoyance when Edgar slips in and a first or second year tries to bar his way. After shoving said kid to the side, the Carrow's demeanor is pleasantly casual once again. He heads over to where the coffee, chocolate and tea are served and has a serving of the second, leaving it elsewhere to cool before he greets those in the room, "Black, hello," this to Alphard, As for seating options, he opts for a couch, staring at the fireplace for awhile.

Lucretia spots her cousin enter and quickly slides the heavy book over to one of her study partners. "Be right back," she murmurs to the trio, tidying her hair with a flick of her fingers before unfolding from her own seat. Its not by coincidence that she takes a moment to brush hands down her skirt, tuck her shirt in neatly and straighten her tie before going over to where Alphard sits. "Hello Alphard," she says, a quick clearing of her throat given as eyes glance quickly to Edgar when he comes in and sits closeby. Then back to Alphard. "I was wondering something. Quite a big thing actually." A small sucking in of her breath is made and she knots her hands together behind her back, shoulders squaring a little as she finds his eyes with hers and locks them there.

"Hey Carrow," Alphard responded companionably to the other sixth year. "What're you brooding over?" Though with Lucretia coming over his attention strayed. He gave his little cousin a look over, trying to gauge exactly how big the big thing she wanted was. With a vague eyeroll he waved her to have a seat, as well. "You're going to give me a crank in the neck if you hover, Lulu." Alphard was used to looking down on people, being a rather tall youth, and never got used to actually looking up. "Actually, mind getting me some hot chocolate first? Then I'll be all ears. Promise." He'd probably be all ears anyway, seeing as she was his cousin and he had a soft spot for family, but it didn't hurt to try.

"Some discussion I had with a girl last night. Let's just say it turned … hm, awry. " As in awry enough to be in an infirmary for some reason he refused to disclose, save 'I fell down from a flight of stairs' and almost every fantastical allegation a Hogwarts student can make. He shrugs, distracted, thankfully, from his thoughts. "In retrospect it was a good one, all things considered." Edgar looks back to Lucretia, lifts an eyebrow lightly and nods to her. "How about you?"

"Oh. No. I don't mind. I don't mind at all," Lulu says, flashing Alphard one of her prettiest smiles before turning on one heel to head over and fix him a chocolate. Such a dinky dot of a thing, she has to stand on tiptoe to reach the cupboard where the mugs are kept, but ever the organiser she quickly has things under control to return with not one, but two mugs of the beverage. "Here you are." How sweet, she's managed to get a layer of cream to float on top and into this she's cut the image of a smiley face with the back of a spoon and a dusting of cocoa powder to finish it off. Once handed over, she takes a pew on the chair nearest to Alphard, the girl perching right on the edge of the cushion, both hands wrapping her own drink. Assuming that Edgar's still talking to Alphard and not to her, she waits for her cousin to answer before pressing her own case again.

"A discussion, huh?" Alphard asked with wry tease. "Don't tell me you tried to put your hand down her blouse or something?" From his tone and the laughed in his dark eyes, he wasn't actually serious. "Because that would've made a good dicussion." Chuckling, he beamed one of his more charismatic smiles as Lucretia when she returned. He was capable of it, when he wasn't busy being an arrogant and self involved smug ass. "Thank you." His fingers folded around the cup, and his nostrils flared as he sucked up the flavor. "Mhmm. Me? Not brooding, but I was thinking a little. Apparently I need to give Myrus Lowe a lesson. I don't know what it is, but as soon as I put one person back in their place, someone else always decides they have to get in my face." He shook his head with annoyance.
"So, how can I help you, Lulu?"

"Something like that, maybe, yes" Edgar allows himself to joke along with it, which means it might not have quite gone that way. Now he acknowledges Lucretia with a nod before listening to Alphard. The mention of Myrus Lowe makes him momentarily thoughtful. "Well, I can help you with that. The particulars, of course, are up to you." There is a devious smile across his lips when he says that. He shakes his head at the latter statement, though. "It's always like that, isn't it? Someone is put in their place, then some self-righteous arse comes right along to defend the fallen and not know what exactly they did to be that way."

Lu has a warming mouthful of her own hot chocolate as Edgar speaks, a quick smile given the sixth-year before she, in turn, responds to Alphard. "Its about the party," she says, a slight blush of colour just touching her cheeks. "Simply everyone is talking about 'The Black Christmas Party'. So, you know, I was wondering, well hoping really, that it being a Black party means that I get a pass to come too? I know its not a Black Family bash, but so many people have been asking if I might invite them, that I thought I ought to check with you first that I can come. I'm almost fourteen now, well, will be next year, so its not like I'm a Firstie or anything." Stopping to draw a breath, she squints a look at her older cousin, probably already well aware what his reply will be; its been the same reply since she came to Hogwarts after all. "So. What do you think? Yes?"

Edgar made Alphard chuckle again. "Who was it, anyway?" The girl that the other Slytherin had probably not put his hands down the blouse of. Slowly he sipped from his hot chocolate, with a bit of cream ending up on his upper lip before he licked it away. He'd nodded, too, when it came to Myrus and the general way self righteous heroes always had to try to stand up for themselves.
His eyes had gone back to Lulu when she started talking, though, and he kept his attentions on her the whole time. He sighed, running his fingers through his dark hair. "Listen, Lulu, you're still a third year. The invites are all to sixth and seventh years, and you're just not old enough. Who they in turn invite is up to them, but honestly? What would you even do there? There's not going to be any supervision, and can you even see your dad letting you go? Honestly? I can't see it. And imagine if Uncle Sirius found out I'd let you in to a party where there was drinking and dancing and smoking? Ugh. No! I'm not taking that risk. Sorry."

"Not from our House, but ah, I'll tell you later. I'll need advice on that stuff in general, to be honest." Edgar shrugs, who knows how he feels about disclosing that sort of detail out in the open. When Alphard nods at his offer and the statement on the 'heroes', he nods once, falling silent when the discussion drifts to Lucretia asking for access to the sixth/seventh year party. Reaching out to take his mug of chocolate, he sips from it.

To her credit, Lu doesn't give Alphard the 'evils'; there's no sulking, no pouting, no muttering, no… nothing. There is, however, a small nod of her head given. "Righto." Was that a twitch of her mouth? Possibly. But its so small as to be almost indiscernible as she lifts her mug to take another slurp of her chocolate. "I suppose, when you put it like that, and with grandfather being grandfather, I can't blame you for saying no. I suppose I'll just have to wait until I'm a sixth year and able to throw my own sixth and seventh year parties."

Alphard nodded to Edgar, happy to let it all stay not he downside until they had a moment to talk more privately.
"Exactly. Besides, nobody usually gets invited to a lot of parties until the summer between their fourth and fifth. It's not anything to do with you. If you were a fifthie, I'd make an exception for you. But.." A third year? It was just not going to happen. And again there was the Uncle Sirius angle to consider. The man radiated stern authority. "I'm sure when you reach your sixth year, you'll be throwing the parties everybody talks about."

Lucretia crinkles her nose. "Its not like I mind being a third-year. Or thirteen even. It is hard when you get treated like a baby however. Not that you do that." A pause. "Well actually, you do I guess, just not as much as you did when I was a Firstie. Is the chocolate good?" There's a gesture with her chin to the mug that Alphard holds and her smile relaxes, tension that had built up over having to brace herself the last day or two to ask about the party, melting away. "I dropped a chocolate frog in mine the other day. It was funny. It swam around the top getting smaller and smaller until only its head was left, eyes poking out. I'd have put one in yours just now, 'cept it might have kicked too much and slopped the drink all over you."

"I was going to say you have to at least grow up to be chest high before I take you seriously," Alphard teased. "But I'm starting to suspect that'll never happen. Besides, it could be worse. I could ignore you like I do all the rest of the first, second and third years." And while he might talk to fourth years, he didn't really take anyone who wasn't a fellow sixth year too seriously. The boy had always been all too good at excluding. Mudbloods, half-bloods, blood traitors, idiots, and the sad kids who were just poor. As if that was a crime worthy of derision in itself. "Huh. You know.. That might be a funny prank to pull on someone. Slip it in, and it jumps out and splashes all over the person. We should do that to Walburga," his sister, "at Christmas." The part that they'd spend together, anyway.

Pure mischief flares in Lu's eyes when Alphard suggests pranking Walburga in that way. "Oh yes. She'd be the perfect victim," she nods in agreement, quite happy to do the dastardly deed to her cousin and fellow third-year Slytherin. A cautious glance around the room is given, just in case the dark girl is hiding in the depths of one of armchairs before she continues. "I'll make sure I have some with me. I'm very glad that you don't ignore me though. Seriously. And you know, if you just knelt down in front of me on occasion, I'd be more than chest height."

Alphard might be fond of his little sister, but she did get all so dreadfully serious about things. He gave a lazy stretch in his chair, then peered over at Edgar to see what had turned the other boy so dreadfully quiet. "HahaHAHAHaah. Kneel infront of you?" His head had whipped back to Lucretia with laughed spilling out. "That'll be the day. There will be no kneeling by Alphard Pollux Black this day or any other day. I much prefer it when I'm the one recieving tribute and bowed heads."

"That's the way of cousins," Edgar agrees, because for all that his siblings are up to twelve or sixteen years younger than him, he does have quite enough Carrow rivals in the other branches. "The eldest is owed all the respect, then the second elder, then the third, and so on." And then he sips from his chocolate.

Lucretia giggles when Alphard laughs. "I like it when I make you laugh," she says, pulling her feet up so she's sitting cross-legged on the edge of her chair now. Joined by her huge silver cat that slinks into the gap between her and the rear of the chair, she glances Edgar's way and nods her head. "I'm the oldest in my family; poor Orion. When he comes here he'll have to deal with me being years above him and keeping him in his place. Guess who won't be invited to the Black Christmas party then?"

"Carrow understands how it's meant to be." Alphard gave Edgar a prompt nod of approval. "As an older family member you're duty bound to look after the younger, but at the same time, they're supposed to give you the respect you're owed. Otherwise the whole system falls apart!" Which was what he considered to have happened in Esther's case. The thought made him grimace for a second. "When will Orion join Hogwarts?" He couldn't remember exactly how old her brother was.

Lucretia smiles happily at Alphard's question. "Orion is such a baby still, seven I think. Maybe eight? Its quite sad, I'm pretty sure that I'll be in the seventh-year by the time he sets foot through the door." A pause. "Golly, I hope I haven't left before he starts, that'd be shocking. You'd have thought mother and father would have given me a brother or sister between him and me, if only so that I'd get to do the big sister thing more often. In fact, you'd have thought that they'd have had a whole horde of children, there's only Orion to carry our side of the family's name right now, same as it is with your side." Frowning, she gulps more of her chocolate down, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand before continuing. "I don't think I want to ever be anything than a Black though. I hadn't thought of it before now."

"You're forgetting Cygnus," Alphard told her. That little baby brother who had just been born a couple of months ago. "It's weird having a ltitle brother that I havent' actually seen yet." Since his first oppertunity to go home was this christmas. "Besides, there are a ton of us Blacks." Not all of them had gotten married yet, either. "But even if there wasn't, I plan on carrying the name on." And making them an even greater force in the wizarding world. Little did he know his little sister might one day nuke him from the family tree!

Perhaps the seed of resentment was born with a chocolate frog this christmas..

"Indeed." Edgar, being the eldest of his sibling bunch, has to wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. "I think you're too young to think about these things, Black," he notes to the Third Year. She is, what, thirteen? "Things will happen the way they will, and besides, I can imagine you will be married and with children sooner or later. It is bound to happen, with blood, wealth status as your family has, and the wizarding talent inherent to us Sacred Twenty-Eight."

"Loyalty to family above all else," Lulu says with a smile. Nobody could ever accuse the girl of being anything but that. She's also well aware that if its not a done deal already, her parents will be looking closely at suitable matches for her in the future.

Alphard finished the last of his chocholate, then pushed himself up to his feet with a languid motion. A looooong stretch followed, fingers clawing for the ceiling, spine arching and his whole body rocking up to tip-toe. He let out of a soft moan of luxuriating pleasure. "Aaaahhh." Then collapsed back down again. He peered at the two of them. "Hey, want to have that talk now, Carrow, or take it later? I've got a few things I need to do."

Lucretia takes that as her hint to go. Leave. Scoot. Vamoose. Holding her cup carefully, she slides off the chair and, with a smile to her wonderful older cousin, shoves off back to her study group.

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