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Author: Mullvaney Story: No Devil or Redeemer Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-OotP Status: WIP Reviews: 5 Words: 20,150
The next few weeks proved to be just as busy as Artemisa had predicted they would. It seemed that word of Lucrezia's legacy had spread throughout society, making her a very sought-after guest. Indeed, she found herself with at least one dinner invitation for each evening, and sometimes three or four. Even on the nights she was at home, several guests always joined them for dinner. She no longer had time for the quiet, relaxed afternoons she had spent with her family. She couldn't send a note to Artemisa and expect her to come for lunch the same day. She was far, far behind on her reading. She found, however, that she didn't mind all the luncheons and teas and dinners. She still had mornings with her family, and Artemisa was often at the same engagements as she. They often managed to have a satisfactory private chat strolling around various salons. She could catch up on her reading over the summer. Lucrezia secretly enjoyed observing the social maneuverings of her peers. At the beginning of the season, she would have said that Lucinda Prewitt would be a very desirable dinner guest; she was pretty, intelligent, accomplished, and lively. Yet she never seemed to be included in any but the largest gatherings. Morgana Goyle, however, was invited to everything, and the only grace she could claim was her skill at playing the harp. Lucrezia also noticed that the opposite was true for male guests; the better a man was at conversation, the more demand there was for his company at dinner. No dinner guest was more desirable than Romanus Black. Word of his adventures in the Americas had spread very quickly; everyone wanted him at their dinner table. Thus it was that Lucrezia often found herself listening, as raptly as any other giddy girl, to his exciting tales of his exploits in the New World. In fact, she often found herself seated next to him, and although there were not many opportunities for them to converse privately, they did manage it on occasion. She was sitting next to the window in the Malfoy's salon, watching Bartholemew Crouch teaching his friends a new dance he had learned on his last trip to France. The figures were very complicated, and everyone had consumed much wine at dinner, so all the dancers were having a difficult time with the steps. A great deal of merry laughter pealed from the company as well; Lucrezia couldn't help but laugh herself at some of the more outrageous mistakes. "Good evening, Miss Gaunt. It is a pleasure to see you so amused." Lucrezia had been too absorbed by the dancing to notice that Romanus Black had sat down next to her. "How can you help but be amused?" she said, "They are so inept, it seems they are purposefully making mistakes to make everyone laugh!" She turned back just in time to see Artemisa trip herself and fall backward into Roget Lestrange's arms. "Oh, encore!" she shouted, laughing and clapping. "Would you like to try? I've heard that you are a skillful partner." Romanus was laughing, too. Lucrezia had never seen him laugh before. It made him look very handsome; his eyes crinkled at the corners, and he had dimple in his left cheek! "Oh, no," she gasped, "I'm afraid I would take it too seriously, and ruin everyone's fun. I'd much rather watch!" After a few more attempts, the dancers gave up, stumbling to chairs and collapsing to uproarious applause, hoots, and laughter. "So," said Romanus, when the cheering had subsided, "You are all work, and no play? I've also heard that you were quite a formidable student." His eyes were still crinkled at the corners, and twinkling with mirth. "A formidable student?" Lucrezia said, airily, "Who has been saying such things about me?" She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms in mock sternness. "Oh, it's no secret, you know," he replied, as airily as she, "but if you must know, it was your friend Mademoiselle Malfoy, corroborated by Messieurs Crouch and Lestrange. It seems you earned more O.W.L.'s than any other girl at Hogwarts for many, many centuries." He was still smiling, but his expression had changed. Lucrezia thought it looked like admiration. "I did work hard at school," she said thoughtfully, "I knew I had only five years to learn everything I wanted to learn. So I spent all my time in class or in the library. I read every book that interested me." She smiled sheepishly, "I would positively assault the professors with questions, both in class and whenever I could trap them in the halls. I think that's how I got extended permission to read whatever I wanted from the Restricted Section." "What were you looking for? Anything in particular, or just whatever you could stuff into your head?" Romanus also looked thoughtful: Thoughtful, and sincerely interested in her answer. "Both! The first thing I dug up was a charm to make Muggles stop to talk in the street outside my windows. I would study them, how they moved and dressed." She didn't add that she still did this. "I have researched various things, depending on what took my fancy. The history of the founders of Hogwarts; how to turn children into toads-that didn't work out, my brother and sister are still human," she laughed again, "potions for settling the stomach after one has eaten a whole cake, that sort of childish stuff." She sighed, happily remembering silent days in the library. "Are you still reading and researching?" He seemed so fascinated by the fact that she was well educated and inquisitive. Most of her peers had gently mocked her for it. She hesitated for a moment, and then she decided to tell him. "Actually, yes. In History of Magic last term, professor Binns had mentioned that there was once a group of wizards and witches who experimented with magic far beyond what was accepted. They achieved great things, unassisted flight among them. The methods they used were unorthodox, and some considered them to be very unscrupulous. Eventually their methods were outlawed. I'm trying to see if any of their methods or writings still exist." She held her breath, anxious to see if he would be scandalized by her admission. "It sounds like you're talking about Necromancy," he said slowly. She nodded. " What a rare and interesting subject! Someday, you will have to come see the library at Norcross Hall, our house in Yorkshire. There are books there that haven't been opened in centuries." He smiled that dazzling smile again. Lucrezia breathed a sigh of relief. She had told him her secret longing, and he had taken it with equanimity. She didn't think to wonder why. After , Lucrezia and Romanus took every opportunity to speak privately that they could. They learned that they shared many of the same interests, and that each was more than equal to the other's intellect. They became more and more comfortable together, preferring each other's company to that of any of their peers. Things continued on in this pleasant manner until one night Lucrezia overstepped her bounds. "Mr. Black, you have told us of some astonishing adventures you had in America, but did you find what you were looking for there?" Lucrezia had been wondering this for some time. Although his stories of his travels in America were exciting, it seemed to her that he was holding something back. He never really said what he thought about his adventures; he only told what had happened. "I'm not sure what you mean, Miss Gaunt. You have been present for most of my tales of my travels, and when you weren't, I think I can safely say that my stories were repeated to you, fairly precisely, by one or another of your friends." He gave her a slightly mocking look, "I'm sure that's how ladies spend their time?" He was certainly mocking her now. "Well, when you first spoke of America, that evening at my home, you had said that you went to find out if all the things people said about America were true." She frowned, "For someone who went to see for himself, you have very few opinions. You only seem to have information." She gave him her own mocking look. That should teach him to insinuate that she was a common gossip. Indeed, her words had removed the sly, mocking look from his face. It had been replaced with a hard, considering one. A look which made Lucrezia very uncomfortable. Perhaps she had gone too far . . . "Miss Gaunt," he took a deep breath "sometimes it is not . . . wise . . . to be free with one's opinions. The Americas is a volatile subject; there are people who could be very offended by my opinions. People who I might need to do business with in the future. So, although I am happy to relate my adventures to all who will listen, I keep my thoughts and opinions on these matters to myself. Something you might learn to do." Lucrezia was stunned. She opened her mouth to reply, and then closed it again. She could feel herself turning red, but she refused to look away. He dared to chastise her, as if she were a child! She opened her mouth again to tell him he had no right to do that, but the hostess had risen from her seat. It was time for the ladies to retire to the salon, and she had no choice but to go. The next morning, Lucrezia felt tired and feverish; the feeling swiftly became a severe cold. Her mother lovingly decreed that she was to stay a-bed for at least three days. Thus did Lucrezia find herself with plenty of time for resting, reading, and contemplation; her only responsibility was to receive her mail, and answer what notes she chose. On the second day of her illness, a note from none other than Romanus Black arrived. Insanely curious, she cast aside all her other messages and hastily read it:
Lucrezia sat in her bed, staring at the elegant script of the note. She had not figured Romanus Black to be a man who would ever apologize for his behavior, but she had also figured that he was a man whose behavior was beyond reproach. Here in her hand was proof that he was neither. Lucrezia frowned. Romanus Black was certainly a puzzle; after all the time they had spent together, he could still surprise her. She wondered when they might next see each other; the prospect was strangely exciting to her, as if he were someone she didn't know. ~*~ After two more days in bed, Lucrezia was permitted to get up and sit for a while in a chair by the fire. The day after that, she was well enough to dress and have a short visit with Artemisa Malfoy. The world had continued to turn while Lucrezia was ill; therefore, Artemisa's visit was entirely taken up with her relating news of what Lucrezia had missed while confined to her bed. "Aurore Longbottom Is now officially engaged to William Weasley," Artemisa sipped her tea. "He went into business with his brother George, producing a new kind of flying carpet. They supposedly make those flying on them invisible." Artemisa sniffed. She was not one to believe anything until she saw it herself. "Well! That must be the experimental charm George was working on." The Weasleys had always been clever at inventing things. "They're doing good business with it, then?" Artemisa grinned knowingly, "What do you think caused Aurore to finally decide to marry William? Father says they're making heaps of money." She shrugged, " There is nothing like true love." Lucrezia rolled her eyes, "Perhaps Aurore will be too busy running her new household to gossip. Somehow, I think she'll have plenty of time for both." "She will, especially since Dominick is engaged to Antoinette Nott. They're to be married in two weeks. Then they are going to live in India." Artemisa shuddered, "I can't imagine living so far away. Poor Antoinette, she won't be able to see her family for months at a time." "It was not a secret that Dominick Longbottom intended to go to India to live." Lucrezia sniffed, "He said so many, many times. Everyone knew, so Antoinette must have known she would end up there." She set her empty teacup on the tray. "What about you, darling? What have you been doing? I see you at all these dinners and such, but we haven't had a chance to talk about anything worthwhile, just dinner-fluff." Lucrezia sniffed again. "Ah, you would mention dinner-fluff," Artemisa wore a wicked smile, "I hear you had words with Romanus Black at the Crouch's a few nights back. What about?" "Who told you that?" Lucrezia was shocked; she had thought no one else had heard them. "Why, Aurore, of course!" Artemisa rolled her eyes, "Mother had them to lunch the next day. So, lover's spat? Many people have noticed that he talks to you much, much more than to any other girl." She flashed the sly smile again. Lucrezia was shocked. People were linking her romantically to Romanus Black? Of course they were, she chided herself: they sought each other's company so often others were bound to notice, and draw conclusions. "I said some provocative things to him, and he got angry with me. I don't consider it a lover's spat; we're not lovers." As soon as the words left her mouth, Lucrezia began to wonder if they were true. She was very fond of Romanus, and hadn't they been behaving like lovers? She would have to think about it more, later. "You may not dodge my question, Artemisa Malfoy, by asking one of your own. How are things with you?" They spent the next hour talking about all the things young ladies do. Just as Artemisa was getting up to leave, Mignonette brought Lucrezia her mail. On top of the pile was a fine Vellum scroll tied with dark blue ribbon and sealed with silver. "Oooo, what is that?" Artemisa paused in the doorway, "Open it!" Lucrezia broke the seal, unrolled the Vellum, and read aloud: "Mrs. Idola Black requests the honor of your presence at an evening of music at her home, Number twelve, Grimmauld Place, on Saturday March the thirteenth, at seven o'clock." She raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know Mrs. Black was in town." "Aunt hasn't said anything. She must be just arrived in these last few days," Artemisa mused, " I wonder if I'm invited? Good bye, Lucrezia, I'm off to check my own mail!" Artemisa kissed Lucrezia's cheek and was gone. After she had left, Lucrezia read the hand-written note that was at the bottom of the invitation.
A wonderful young woman with a lovely singing voice . . . Lucrezia wondered what else Romanus black had told his mother about her. She suspected that Mrs. Idola Black would be assessing more than her singing skills on March the thirteenth. She shuddered, feeling ill all over again. It was one thing for her friends to speculate on whether or not she and Romanus Black were lovers; it was quite another for his mother to consider it. She was already beginning to dread this musical evening.
The HP universe belongs to the magnificent JKR. I merely conjecture.
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