Monster In Law

Isadora Malfoy-Nott, Alexander's dear wife, had sent Pansy a letter inviting her for lunch at Eli's. It was a restaurant Pansy was never a fan of going: Journalism was banned there for a start meaning if Pansy did overhear any incident or gossip then she was unable to print the article - In her own name of course. That little rule never stopped Pansy from dishing gossip on Quidditch Players and public figures relationships in Witch Weekly. Sadly her Witch Weekly days were over. The death eater, although cared about that trivial gossip, was more into the hardcore stories, stories that could transform a nation and influence a generation. Pansy would no longer stumble across stories of her desire at Eli's, it had lost it's secretive spark it once had to Pansy Parkinson, the newly appointed gossip columnist at Witch Weekly. Witch Weekly was beneath her, she'd evolved as a journalist since those days and Pansy wasn't one for living in nostalgia. Nonetheless the witch had agreed to meet her daughter-in-law for lunch.

The letter from Isadora hadn't stated a purpose for the lunch, it had been short and lacking of any information at all besides the date, time and location. Still, being the Slytherin that Pansy was, she had a few suspicions as to why the Ravenclaw wanted to meet up. For a start Isadora never seemed to show any interest in Pansy's life, nor did she ever seem particular conversational at meal times. Isadora wasn't exactly the social butterfly so there was definitely a motive behind the invitation and Pansy suspected that the motive had to do with Anastasia.

Anastasia had been living with her brother in Hogsmede for two weeks now. Theodore was still disgruntled but Pansy had managed to talk him down, told him to watch his step, warned him that if he acted that way again then the entire pure blood community would end up discovering their secret. As much as Theodore was beginning to rebel against his wife's tyranny he knew Pansy was right. It would be bad for the Nott family. He personally would be ridiculed for being unable to keep his wife satisfied (not that everyone didn't secretly know this owing to Pansy's sexual frustration), the Rookwood family would be judged and Anastasia would be heartbroken. Not that Theodore cared about the latter.

In those two weeks, however, the topic of Anastasia hadn't been brought up since the day their daughter left with Alexander and Isadora. It was a sad truth but Pansy hadn't really noticed her daughters absence. She was so used to her being at Hogwarts that the little time out of the Daily Prophet Office Pansy spent she didn't spend it around the house chasing Ana in hope to braid her hair and quiz her on her holiday homework. She really would need to bring the topic of conversation up once again with her husband at some point. Pansy could always simply collect Anastasia from Hogsmede and bring her home but she felt, out of respect for her husband, although more in fear of how he could blow up given his volatile behavior as of late, it would seem safer to talk it over Theodore first.

Before all of that, however, Pansy had a lunch date with Isadora and so packed up her desk, threw on her oversized sunglasses and took a two minute walk from the Daily Prophet offices to Eli's where the waiter directed her to the reserved table Isadora had booked. Allowing the waiter to pull her chair out for her Pansy took her sunglasses off, ordered a bottle of red wine, and took in her surroundings to see if there was anybody recognizable in the restaurant. No. Even if Pansy wanted to return to her Witch Weekly days there was no material in Eli's today.

Purebloods were a funny breed of wizard. It’s not beyond the realm of sensible thought to suggest that perhaps there is something other-worldly about them entirely. Now that’s not to imply that they are somehow ethereally superior to their non-pureblood counterparts. No, instead it is entirely to suggest that there is something quite strange and bizarre about them – and by extension something wrong. There had to be, otherwise the Malfoy-cum-Nott woman would not have written to her mother-in-law, requesting a lunch in order to extract some sort of verbal agreement that something would be done about the pressing issue of Anastasia.

Determined to safeguard the future of their family, Isadora was intent on making sure all of their bases were covered. She had indirectly informed Alexander of her intentions – indirectly being the operative word, here. She knew that he would probably take exception to her technically going behind his back to do this but she was sick to death of looking at Anastasia and feeling terrified for the girl. Indeed, she was sick to death of sitting down at mealtimes and wondering whether outside, powers beyond her control were conspiring to destroy the Nott family. It was in Isadora’s own self-interest, of course, to preserve their reputation but you couldn’t knock her loyalty.

Lunchtime brought an end to her working day. She had taken up an internship at a company that had been a potions supplier to apothecaries around the country for near enough four hundred years. She was interested in the way the company was run and, moreover, she wanted to absorb some of the wisdom that the family had to offer. It was an illuminating experience, especially when she accidentally stumbled onto the poisons department. Now that was an experience and a half.

After popping home to shower and get dressed once more, Isadora returned to London and headed to Diagon Alley. She arrived at Eli’s just after the red wine arrived and after being shown the way by a waiter she found herself slipping down into a seat opposite her mother-in-law, offering the woman a prim smile as she set down her bag and reached for the menu in front of her.

“How are you, Pansy?” She asked dutifully, eager to get the formalities out of the way.

Whilst waiting for her daughter in law Pansy had caught the eye of an attractive wizard in his mid-thirties. He had dark eyes and his facial hair was slightly patchy giving him a rugged look. A part of Pansy wanted to ignore her meeting with Isadora, send a bottle of wine to his table to attract his attention and have him invite her over upon receiving her gift. You'd think Pansy would have learnt from her recent mistake but if anything the witch only wanted to sleep with another man even more.

Before Pansy could decide whether it would be wise to stand Isadora up her daughter in law had slid into the seat opposite from her and greeted her in the usual formal manner that the Ravenclaw conversed with Pansy in.

'Afternoon, Isadora.' Pansy replied in a similar fashion, ignoring the waiting and reaching straight for her glass that the waiter had partially filled. Taking a sip Pansy swilled the liquid around her mouth her swallowing, cringing slightly at the bitterness. Clearly the waiter had brought the wrong wine.

'Excuse me.' Pansy called out, raising her fingers and giving them a click to attract the waiters attention.

'Yes, Ma'am?' He replied with a bow.

'The wine is too bitter. I specifically ordered Superior red not a standard red. The superior red has a sweeter taste, similar to the rosé. Are you unfamiliar with the superior red or need I talk to your manager?'

Stuttered an apology the waiter retreated behind the bar insisting that the correct bottle be on the house.

Turning to Isadora Pansy said through tight lips.

'I could have settled for the wine but I knew I could get a free bottle if I complained.' Her lips pressed into a tight smile and her chin raising slightly as though to expect applause from Isadora for her cunning. It wasn't as though Pansy couldn't have afforded the bottle, perhaps that's why the pure bloods remained rich: They managed to get everything for free.

'Now. How are you, Isadora?' Pansy continued forgetting to answer Isadora's same question.

There was something a little bit tasteless about the wine debacle, and it wasn’t just in the quality of the bottle. Isadora knew she wasn’t allowed to think quite like that but she couldn’t help but find her mother-in-law’s attitude quite crass. The smile she rose, a cunning, sly smirk, was incongruous in comparison to her thoughts and she was grateful that Pansy couldn’t read those. Isadora suspected that for all of her politeness, her mother-in-law didn’t hold a particularly high opinion of her. She couldn’t blame the woman, either.

“I’m well, thank you,” Isadora decided to go with truth, especially given there wasn’t anything grievous amiss with herself.

Focusing her gaze back on the menu, Isadora decided to stick with a salad. She knew that the food at Eli’s, despite being excellent, was rich and fatty and she liked being trim. She certainly wanted to remain that way and she was hardly going to start on a road in spite of that just as a result of a luncheon with her mother-in-law. But alas, this wasn’t just any old luncheon, was it? This was quite important, indeed. After all, the family’s reputation was at stake.

“Now,” she stated, putting down the menu. “I wanted to ask you about what happened when Alexander and I were last at your home. Needless to say, we are aware,” she raised her eyebrows pointedly, “of the situation with your husband and Anastasia. What I wanted to make sure was that there would be no risks to the family’s reputation. If there is an argument such as that in public and someone overhears …” Isadora bit the inside of her cheek, measuring her words. “I wanted to assess the risk of that happening.”

Pansy didn't respond when Isadora answered her question. It wasn't as though Pansy really cared how her daughter-in-law was feeling it was simply polite, common courtesy to inquire of someones health. Naturally had something been bothering Isadora Pansy would have been a little more interested, more so because there was bound to be some juice around that but the question was stale and Isadora's answer too. Nobody cared about people when they were well, it was only when their life was circling the drain did people really begin to realise that they cared.

Whilst Isadora gazed at the menu the waiter returned and poured a glass of the Superior red for the pair of them, much to Pansy's pleasure as her eyes almost popped out of her face at the size. She shouldn't be drinking on her lunch, especially when she has a busy schedule upon returning to the office but it hadn't stopped the pure blood before, why would it now? After all, Pansy was invincible, nothing could tear her down. Nothing could make her feel the victim. She'd kept secrets hidden, gotten away with all of her mistakes. The world was her oyster.

Pansy almost choked. Isadora knew? Alexander knew? How on earth did the pair of them know about Anastasia's legitimacy? And how did Isadora call it a 'situation' as though Pansy didn't have it under control? Who did the Malfoy girl think she was? Suggesting Pansy couldn't hold her tongue in public, as though she were any better than the great and powerful Pansy Parkinson-Nott. Naturally Pansy had been fond of Draco and it was hard not to be fond of Scorpius with his dashing good looks so like his Father but Isadora and Francesca were two girls Pansy often overlooked. They were only reminders of the fact that they weren't her children. That she hadn't had children with Draco and here one of his children was acting supercilious just like her Father had done during his time at Hogwarts. The only difference being Pansy appeared to be on the receiving end of it.

'I hardly think that is anything for you to worry about, Dear.' Pansy replied tartly as she picked up her menu and hid her face behind it as to hide her sudden humiliation and feeling like a minor in the face of Isadora Malfoy-Nott.

Pansy had wanted to say much more, she had wanted to put the Malfoy girl in her place, tell her to stay out of grown up stuff, that she was a mere child yet Pansy hadn't. Usually Pansy would have shot down remarks like that had they been from anybody else, heck she would have even put Isadora in her place but something unnerved Pansy about the formality Isadora carried. The entitlement that rolled from the blondes tongue.

Isadora was a member of the family and, just as Pansy had done in her days as an early Nott, she hadn't wanted anything to tarnish the name or reputation now that she was affiliated with the family through marriage. Pansy admired that trait in Isadora and it proved her daughter-in-law had been sorted into Ravenclaw for a reason. She was smart. She thought ahead. She knew that one day she would sit on Pansy's throne and be at the arm to the leader of the Nott family. Still, Pansy couldn't help but get a feeling that not too far from now she would be being replaced by a blonde bimbo who was only good for brewing poisons.

'Alexander said that you've been spending more time with your cauldron lately.' Pansy lied, after thinking about how to change the subject for a minute or so whilst she pretended to be too engaged in the menu - not that Pansy even needed to look at the menu anymore.

'You know I could do with a batch of veritaserum myself.' Pansy added.

'There's a few stories I'm working on and I'm short of some information and I think just a drop or two of the stuff should have me well on my way to publishing something groundbreaking.'

Pansy had always thought about using the liquid to get the truth out of someone. It was something Rita Skeeter had suggested she do when training her - jokingly of course. Although Pansy always got the impression that Miss Skeeter wasn't joking completely, especially when her bestseller 'The Life and Lies Of Albus Dumbledore' contained so much secretive information that one could perhaps only divulge under the influence. Poor Bathilda Bagshot.