Night Moves
Chapter 7
1972
Claudette Ines Monroe was an older woman, and because she was older, she would like to think that she was a wise woman. In her life, Claudette had accomplished many things; a wonderful career within the Law branch of the Ministry, a loyal husband, and her status as one of the most influential, living pureblood women. It was odd though, that she'd never considered her only daughter as one of her great accomplishments.
When she'd married the young, orphaned heir of the Monroe family, her parents had expected the couple to immediately conceive a perfect grandchild to carry on their name, just as her brother Abraxas had done. Claudette wouldn't have had any trouble obliging, but it seemed as though the task was nearly impossible. It was a common rumor among witch's sewing circles that people with Monroe blood had trouble, ehm, procreating. This was a rumor that had been regarded by the young Claudette as nonsense until she reached the age of forty without bearing a single child.
Of course, this was most disappointing to the young woman's parents. They'd expected a Monroe grandchild just as precious as their little Lucius. She'd made up excuse after excuse, saying how she wanted to build a career, to fulfill something before becoming a mother. However, her career wasn't enough and her parents died, disappointed in Claudette for being the imperfectious child.
Though a part of her was relieved at her parent's untimely death, her incompetence to fulfill their last wish had ate away at the poor woman until she finally had her one and only daughter, Feliciana Marguerite Monroe. Her pregnancy had been such a joyous time and when the child was born, Claudette felt redeemed. Her debt has finally been repaid and could almost feel her parents smiling down on her, though it seemed as though they began scowling again as soon as their little granddaughter stood on her wobbly legs.
Claudette wasn't sure if her daughter was more peculiar than other children, but she always felt a sense of embarrassment around the child. Felicia was smaller and skinnier than others, grinning with her two front teeth missing and refusing to wear shoes. She loved to hum around the house, skipping with her wild hair bouncing all around until Claudette would yell for her daughter to quiet herself.
Felix so desperately wanted a son; someone to carry on the family name, but no matter how hard they tried, it seemed as though Felicia was the closest thing they would get to an heir. The man grew to love his daughter, excepting that she would be his only child and he ought to raise her properly. Felicia was all him anyways, with skin darker than his wife's and freckles dotting the apples of her cheeks.
So, he read her The Tales of Beedle The Bard, telling her all about the Fountain of Fortune, Babbity Rabbity, and The Hopping Pot, no matter how many times his wife insisted their daughter needn't anymore nonsense in her head! Felix was quite aware of the anxiousness his wife displayed around all things concerning their daughter, and decided that if anyone was to be the calm and comfort to their child, it would have to be him.
It seemed as though all of Claudette's anxiousness had been justified when Walburga Black owled her, telling of how her youngest had admitted to seeing Feliciana in the very muggle town she was forbade from. The woman felt heat rise up in her cheeks, flowing down her neck and covering the rest of her body. Never had she felt so insulted and down right disappointed in her child. The woman didn't even stop to think of a just punishment before running down to her parlor, waiting for the girl's return.
In a way, she felt almost relieved that it was one of the Black boys who had seen Felicia in town and not someone else. Walburga wouldn't dare tell another soul that her boys had stepped foot in the filthy town, let alone seen the Monroe heir flouncing about the streets.
"Just where have you been?" Claudette stood, quickly rounding on the young girl as she entered the home.
"I was out, in the garden."
"Feliciana Marguerite Monroe, don't you dare lie to me!" The child jumped, looking quite terrified as her mothered seethed infront of her.
"I refuse to be lied to any longer," The blonde woman crossed her arms, "tell me where you've been."
"Mother, I would never lie to you." Felicia pleaded, watching as her mother's face stared her down with a frighteningly calm expression.
"Mother, please, I told you I was-"
SMACK!
The young girl was cut off by the sickening sound of flesh meeting flesh and a force causing her to stumble back, her shaking hands grasping her stinging cheek. For a moment, she was clueless as to what had happened but, when she saw her mother poised, holder her hand to twist her ring around to the right side, the girl knew that her mother had struck her.
"How dare you, Feliciana." Claudette said breathlessly, giving her daughter the most intense look, "How dare you lie to me."
"Mother…"
"You will never lie to me again, and you will stay away from that filthy muggle town!" The brunette took a step back for every word her mother yelled, "If you so much as think about speaking word of this while you're at scool… Don't bother coming home."
Feliciana stared wide eyed at the woman until her vision went blurry with tears. Mother had never hit her before, and though she knew the woman was capable of it, she had never said something so cruel; not to her.
The next day, Felicia flooed to Kings Cross alone, and boarded the train with a blossoming bruise on her cheek. When Narcissa saw the girl, the pleasant smile slipped from her elegant features and she wordless pulled the girl into the train's bathroom, uselessly dabbing makeup onto the wound. No matter how many creams and powders the young woman tried, the scar left by her Claudette's ring was still noticeable, and she eventually accepted that there was nothing more she could do for her little friend.
The girl herself had sat wordlessly on the sink, eyes closed, forcing herself not to wince as Narcissa fussed over her. Finally, the prodding on her face stopped, and she opened her eyes to see her oldest friend, looking quite empathetic. Of course, being the proper, delicate lady that she was, the blonde had to force a smile that made her face look like cracked porcelain.
"Thank you for trying, Cissy," Felicia turned to look into the mirror behind her, "you did what you could. It's fine."
Narcissa's brow creased, her lip quivering as though she wanted to tug it between her teeth, though she refrained from doing so, knowing it would ruin her perfectly applied lipstick. Instead, she stared at her little friend's face in the mirror until the girl turned towards her. The older witch then leaned in and placed a small peck on the girl's bruised cheek, pulling back and smiling fully at the girl.
Felicia was mildly confused until she turned and saw the cherry colored lip-print right over her bruise and she couldn't help but grin back at her older friend, in awe of how clever the older girl could two then made their way out of the bathroom, and luckily found an empty compartment overlooking the platform. Felicia was silent, watching the elegant girl- no- woman stare out the window, the light giving her perfectly pale skin a glow.
"How does it feel, Cissy?"
"Excuse me, darling?" The blonde woman snapped out of her daze, giving Feliciana her full attention.
"How does it feel to be be so grown up? This is your last year, isn't it?"
"Mhm," She smiled fondly, "indeed it is."
"Are you going to miss it here?"
"Well," The older witch sighed, "I'll miss the people; I'll miss you, but I won't miss much else, I don't think."
"I understand," Felicia nodded, half-heartedly agreeing, though she nothing but dreaded the though of never returning to Hogwarts again, "though this is the end, your life is just beginning. It's a happy time."
"Indeed," Narcissa smiled warmly, "I've always been amazed by how intelligent you are for your age, Ana, it's quite a gift."
"Who were you watching on the platform?" Felicia asked quite bluntly, deterring the conversation away from Narcissa's constant fawning over the younger girl. Honestly, she seemed to boast about her more than her own mother; it could be quite embarrassing at times.
"Oh," a bit of color rushed to the blonde's cheeks as she glanced back out the window, "no one in particular, really."
"You were watching Lucius, weren't you?" The bushy haired girl followed the girl's eyes out to the blonde man standing on the platform, keeping to himself as he watched the families bustling around him.
"He's your cousin-"
"Lucius graduated last year," Felicia interrupted the older girl with a good bit of humor in her voice, "whatever could he be doing on platform nine and three quarters?" She gave the other girl a catty smirk.
"He, um, he wanted to see me off."
"Ohhh," Her smirk turned into a full grin, "my dear cousin is quite the gentleman, isn't he?"
"Well, uh-" Narcissa was saved from Felicia's teasing by the sound of the compartment door sliding open to reveal none other than Sirius Black, sporting a bruise very similar to the one Felicia had on her own cheek. Only, he seemed less worried about trying to cover it.
"Here," He shoved a shorter boy who almost looked familiar into the compartment, but she didn't look at him for long, as her eyes shifted back to Sirius, "it's not like you'd wanna hang around my mudblood mates anyways." The boy spared Felicia one glance, looking as though he wanted to make a retort until his eyes lingered on her cheek. He swallowed, quickly averting his eyes before slamming the compartment door, hand moving to his own cheek as he slouched down the hallway to find his friends.
Felicia turned her attention towards the young boy her blonde friend had happily pulled down beside her, an overjoyed look on her face as she combed the black mass of hair away from the boy's eyes. By the lack of coloration on his tie, she could decipher that he was a first year, but exactly what he'd been doing with that scum and why he'd been shoved inside the girl's compartment was a completely mystery to the girl.
"Ana, I'm sure you remember Regulus? I've told you so much about him! Isn't he just adorable?" Cissy cooed over the younger boy like a newborn kitten as Feliciana could do nothing to stop the narrowing of her eyes as she stared him down.
This little snot was Regulus Black, younger brother to none other than the pain in her arse. Hazel eyes quickly scrutinized every part of him, recognizing him as the boy she'd seen with Sirius that day in the muggle music shop, just as anxious looking as he'd been before. His pale complexion was free of bruises and scars, letting the wild haired girl know that he was indeed the one who'd ratted her out.
"We've met before," She nodded as the first year squirmed under her gaze, "it's a pleasure to see you again, Regulus."
Pale blue eyes widened at the sickly sweet smile on her face, letting the boy know that she hadn't forgotten him. The haphazardly covered bruise on her cheek made the boy feel nothing but guilt, his brother wore a similar mark and Regulus wasn't daft enough to believe his brother's excuses. Though he did feel sorry, the malicious aura came off the girl in waves and he couldn't help but be afraid of what she'd do to him.
"Likewise…" His voice was quiet, almost a whisper as he sunk down into the cushioned seat.
"Isn't he just too sweet?" The oldest of the three all but squealed, resisting the urge to pinch her cousin's rosey cheeks.
"Mhm," Feliciana's sweet smile seemed to widen, "what a sweet boy he is."
"I'm sure you two will be the best of friends, and you're only a year apart!" Narcissa clasped her hands in front of her, smiling excitedly, "You'll get to spent so much time together, you two!"
"Yes," Felicia seemed to all but purr, her eyes never leaving the pale boy seated across from her, "we'll be the best of friends, don't you think so Regulus?"
The poor boy could only gulp in response.
"Oh, look!" Narcissa all but jumped out of her seat, still bubbling with excitement, "That was Knott! I haven't spoken with him at all since term ended, if you'll excuse me I'd like to go catch up with him!"
Before her two juniors could reply, the witch was bouncing down the hall after the friend neither of the two had seen pass. As soon as the door slid closed, the smile slipped from the girl's face before she stood, towering over the slouching boy. Felicia took her time closing every curtain, blocking out the prying eyes of other students, speaking only when the last window was covered, her back turned to the first year.
"I know you ratted, Black." She turned to give the boy one of the nastiest looks she could muster, making her resemble the older Monroe woman "Don't think there won't be consequences for what you've done."
"I'm sorry…" Wide eyes stared up at the girl, eyes that only reminded her of one's so similar, only fueling her rage.
"Are you really?"
"I-I didn't know-"
"You know damn well how things work!" Felicia drew her wand at the younger student, and though Regulus knew that magic was forbade outside of Hogwarts, he wasn't quite sure how far the enraged girl would go to get revenge.
"Do you know nothing of loyalty? Nothing of fraternity?" She inched closer to him, her wand almost touching his button nose, "You little goody-two-shoes brat!"
The boy kept sliding further and further down into the plush seat of the train, almost hoping it would swallow him whole as she continued berating him with insults, hissing like an angry feline.
"Sniveling, snitching, cowardly scum-!" Felicia's insults were cut short by the train lurching into motion, sending her tumbling onto the floor, Regulus following atop of her with a muffled, 'Oof!' Their face were close, close enough to feel the other's breath on their lips, their noses bumping as wide eyes interlocked in a trance of embarrassment. Of course, that would be the most convenient time for Narcissa and her gossip group to strut into the compartment.
"Oh my," The blonde covered her mouth in shock, "R-Regulus!" She all but yanked her cousin up by the collar, looking quite enraged but no less elegant as she scolded him.
"How dare you harass Feliciana in such a way! You're lucky the train is moving, otherwise, I'd send you moping back home this instance!" The invisible Knott boy seemed to appear out of no where, silently offering a hand to the frazzled Monroe hier as Narcissa continued on her tirade.
"Ana, darling, I'm so sorry!" The older witch hugged the younger girl, smoothing her hair in what was supposed to be a comforting manner, "He's not normally like this! Regulus is usually such a sweet boy! I just don't know what's gotten into him! Had I known he was so smitten with you I would've never left you two alone!"
The brunette sighed, ignoring Cissy's incessant rambling as she watched Avery and Mulciber drag a babbling Regulus off into another compartment. For a moment she regretted not attempting to explain the situation, but then her bruised cheek smushed against the older girl's bosom and the pain reminded her that the little snitch deserved whatever he got.
ohh boy, am I terrible at updating or what?
This chapter is all over the place, and I apologize for that, hopefully the rest of second year is much more exciting!
I've got a lot of cool stuff planned, stay tuned and stay safe! The weather has been crazy lately!
A big thank you to those who reviewed~ Please keep it up, they mean so much to me!
until next time,
love minty
xoxo