Nott A Secret One Wants Heard

Did this constitute as a normal sibling relationship? In truth, Isadora had no idea. Her relationship with her siblings was fraught enough as it was, never mind any additional scandal. Yet, she looked up to Scorpius. She had loved him passionately and would never hear a bad word said against him. Then, when she’d needed him the most, he’d not been there. So, like that, their relationship had withered away. This was different, the situation with the Notts. Whether Anastasia knew it or not, this was the time when she needed her brother most and, while it was not by his own volition necessarily, Alexander was there.

Isadora watched, the wine glass loose in her fingers, as the Gryffindor began to roughly cut the cheese. It was mystifying to the Ravenclaw why they had so much cheese in the house but she half-blamed the fact that the Ministry’s go-to ‘congratulations you’ve been great’ gifts were wine and cheese. And, in fairness, they did drink an awful lot of wine which meant cheese followed. There was a method in the madness – however not in the way Anastasia was butchering the cheddar. She abandoned it, too, not a moment later, and Isadora couldn’t help but smile, though it was hardly visible on her face.

She lifted her wand and flicked it at the knife which dried itself with a shake and resumed cutting the cheese. Crackers followed and the meal assembled itself slowly while Anastasia spoke. Isadora was quite happy to stay out of the conversation in truth but when the question was levelled at her, she opened her mouth and found no words were escaping. She hastily brought the wine to her lips and considered what she was going to say. Finally, she nodded, committing herself to no verbal agreement.

“Your brother may be right, though,” she considered smoothly, setting down the glass. “However, you didn’t deserve that. Would you like something to drink?”

Isadora wasn’t going to begrudge the young Gryffindor anything tonight. She didn’t deserve any further unnecessary hardship and Isadora in truth felt too weary to start being belligerent. A headache was beginning to knot by her temples, the night’s events finally seemingly catching up with her. It was without complaint that she relinquished half a glass of wine for Anastasia – if only because it was in good taste to eat cheese and drink wine. She handed it over and stepped back, folding her arms over her chest as she flicked her eyes to Alexander.

Wanting. Wanting. Isadora wanted a lot of things. Initially, she had desperately wanted not to be married to Alexander. Throughout her life she had wanted the esteem of the Malfoys returned and all of the manorial privileges that entailed. She’d had none of that. Life was bitterly unfair to the blonde in that she never ever got what she want when it came to depending on others. She now had to depend only on herself if she wanted to get what she wanted. She could lean on her husband, of course, but he would not be the key to her success or her happiness. She would do it herself.

“I suppose it would not necessarily be impractical for you to remain here until Hogwarts begins again,” Isadora considered diplomatically, glancing at Alexander to try and see what he thought of the extended stay of his sister. It would be a problem really, Isadora didn’t think. She could have her room and her privacy and be free to come and go as she pleased. Isadora doubted that she and Alexander would pay any undue attention to what Anastasia got up to so perhaps … perhaps it would be good for her.

“I’m not opposed,” she prompted her husband, raising her eyebrows at him.

(OOC: Sorry for the large font on the previous posts, I had copy and pasted them from the notes in my phone).

Alexander was wishing that the evening would end prematurely. The last thing he wanted to hear were Anastasia's remarks about being adopted. Not that this was true, only in part it seemed. Seeing as Theodore wasn't her biological Father, yet had raised her as a daughter (arguably), one could say she was partly adopted. That said Anastasia didn't deserve to know the truth just yet. In fact, upon reflection, Alexander was hoping his sister would never discover her illegitimacy.  

Alexander's eyebrow quirked as Isadora suggested Anastasia stay with them until she returned to Hogwarts. What was his wife thinking? Only a moment or so his favourite Ravenclaw had been talking so much sense and now she was acting like a blundering Hufflepuff willing to take everybody in. Heck she may as well invite the homeless man outside of The Three Broomsticks to stay for a week or two.

'I don't think that you staying here for that long a time is a good idea.' Alexander interjected, speaking a lot more firmly than he had during his discussion with Isadora.

'Not that we don't want you hear.' He added as Anastasia opened her mouth to backchat, 'But you really should head home within the next week. The longer you stay the more awkward it'll be between you and Father and-'

'It's too late for that.'

'That it may be, but the last thing you want is for there to be some sort of silent divide between the pair of-'

'It's too late for that as well.' Anastasia interrupted again. 

'Well you may as well give up forming any bridge with Father hadn't you.' Alexander replied, assuming the voice of a parent who had just about given up with their childs backchat. Secretly he was really beginning to understand how Theodore felt having to communicate with such a troublesome teenager. 

'What, that's not what-'

'No, Anastasia. If you want to behave like it will be forever awkward between yourself and Father than that is no skin off my nose. I just don't want to see you mopping around the house, acting like the world owes you everything because, Frankly, you haven't done anything worth awarding yet. Isadora and I have only just started our lives together, we were good enough to invite you into our home-'

'Oh please, Alexander. You can hardly call this an invitation Mother practically threw me at you.' 

She had a point. 

'Even so we could have turned you away.'

'You wouldn't have. You'd do anything for precious Pansy.' 

'Don't talk about your Mother that way.'

'Why not? It's the truth.' 

Anastasia kicked her chair back, pushed herself up from the table. Downed the glass of wine and then headed towards the kitchen door. 

'Where are you going?' Alexander asked, 'Anastasia Nott don't ignore-'

'I'm going to the bathroom.' She replied, turning to face her brother, an arm supporting herself against the door frame. 'Unless you want me to pee all over the kitchen floor.' 

And with that Anastasia left the kitchen and the sound of her footsteps making their way up the stairs confirmed that she was in fact going to the bathroom. 

Allowing the built up air to escape through his reddened face Alexander poured himself a lass of wine, making an effort to drain each last droplet the bottle held. 

'I hope you like bratty teenagers.' Alexander muttered to Isadora before taking the largest gulp of wine he had done in a fair amount of time. 'I can't be doing with her attitude like this. I'm half thinking that maybe telling her wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. At least then she would be able to have closure on why Theodore doesn't seem to give a rats ass about her.' 

'Pardon the language...' He added taking another gulp of the elf-made wine.

That evening had sufficed to confirm for Isadora that if she and Alexander ever reproduced then the children would be raised by House Elves until such times as they were rational human beings. Isadora had been optimistic, perhaps naively, of how Anastasia would behave. Certainly she had her fair share of temper tantrums at fifteen going on sixteen but she’d aged since then and a few added levels of bigotry prevented her from admitting to ever having had them. A part of her still felt sorry for Anastasia.

When Alexander spoke, it took all of the power in the world to prevent Isadora from rolling her eyes. When he tried to backtrack, her eyes did turn and she picked up her wine glass to hide the unimpressed grimace that had turned down her lips at the sides. She pressed her mouth into a thin line when she set the glass back down and watched the exchange between brother and sister, all the while imagining the horror that would be her life when pressed for heirs and left to entertain them.

Perhaps she’d give them sweets and feign a headache and go to bed, leaving them with Alexander. Yes, perfect.

Anastasia departed with all of the trappings of, indeed, a bratty teenager. Isadora sat back in her chair, watching Alexander as he poured out some more wine. The glugging filled the silence in the room. She got to her feet herself and picked up her glass. She set it down in the sink and decided that the evening had finally lost its appeal.

“She asked for one thing, Alexander,” Isadora said simply. “She asked for one thing from you as a brother. She’s got one Theodore. She doesn’t need a poor imitation in her life, too. You are her brother and at the very least she is owed your protection. If you tell her now then it’s not for closure at all. It’s out of spite because of the way you are feeling. You need to actually think about the way she feels about this and make provisions so that she is not banded back and forth from here to the manor when you’ve had enough or Theodore’s thrown his toys out of the pram.”

“She wants one thing from you, Alexander. To stay. For a modicum of stability, I should think, and to be around people who can do a little bit more than just suffer her presence. But so I now do not have to suffer yours, I am going to bed.”