The day for Christmas break came around slowly, and Cornelia awoke on the day to a stomach full of fluttering butterflies, her blood seeming to hum in her veins with nerves and anticipation. Finally the day had arrived where she would properly get to meet Rosalind in person and she both couldn't wait and wanted to cancel the whole thing. She didn't really know what to expect, they had had no problem talking via their letters which they had been exchanging all term, but what if it that didn't matter when they were face to face? What if things were awkward? Perhaps things would be easier if she just remained in the castle with Draco.
She forced herself up and pulled open her wardrobe, it was definitely a day for her best clothes. She pulled out a white blouse with a sheer lace high collar that continued in a strip down her arms to the buttoned cuffs, and a double buttoned satin, black dress that fell to her calves. She would pull her hair up and pin it back with the snake hair pin Rosalind had gifted her and wear her knee-high lace up black boots to top the look off.
She packed her case with the remainder of her nicest clothes, before rushing off to get showered and dressed. When she eventually made it to the common room, Theodore, Blaise and Draco were all seated together and they looked up as she made her way over to them.
It seemed that Blaise had joined her in dressing sharp in what were clearly perfectly tailored black trousers, a mustard turtleneck and a long black coat draped over the arm of the sofa he sat in. They appraised each other with mocking eyes before she placed herself carefully beside her.
"You took your time." He said slyly and Cornelia just ignored him, lifting her chin and looking across to Draco instead. She was surprised to see Draco glowered in her direction, his eyes flitting darkly between her and Blaise. Theodore, amongst the first to read the situation as usual, quickly broke the tension.
"You look nice, Cornelia."
Cornelia met his smile with one of her own, glad to have Theodore around. "Thank you, I thought I best make a bit of an effort."
"For me? You shouldn't have." Blaise teased and Cornelia's heart skipped a bit as she sent a slightly panicked look in Draco's direction. Clearly Blaise didn't have Theodore's skill in reading the room.
"Don't be so ridiculous." She snapped, but as was often the case, her irritation only encouraged Blaise.
"And to think you're getting me all to yourself for the entire Christmas break." His cheeky smile would have usually gotten a chuckle out of her, but she didn't have time to react before Draco stood up sharply and stormed away from them. Cornelia glared angrily at Blaise for a moment, who was watching Draco leave with a look of dawning realisation, before stepping quickly after him.
She followed him quietly down into the boys dormitory without thinking twice about it; only when she stepped lightly into the room and was greeted with the sight of unmade beds and dirty laundry spewed across the floor did she freeze. Draco stomped over to his bed, apparently unaware she had followed him and flopped down on to it. Only when she finally unstuck herself, averting her eyes from the clothing that looked suspiciously like underwear on the floor, and started walking slowly towards him, did his head snap up to look at her. His eyes were round like dinner plates and he shot back up to standing.
"What are you-"
"What are you doing running off before I leave?" She cut across him, trying to give the impression that she wasn't in the least bit affected by finding herself in the boys dormitory. Draco had the decency to at least look a little sheepish as he broke eye contact. His eyes fell instead upon an item of clothing on the floor and he made an odd high pitched noise, pink spots appearing on his cheeks.
"You shouldn't be in here!" His voice was significantly higher than before and Cornelia supressed a giggle.
"Oh please, I've been in your room before." She plonked herself down on his bed beside where he stood.
"Nelly! This isn't just my room!" He began desperately scooping clothes off the floor and tipping them in a pile out of her sight, before rushing back over and attempting to make his bed around her.
"Let me help…" She smirked, taking out her wand and levitating an item of clothing he had missed (which happened to be a pair of boxer shorts) right into his face.
She snorted as he scrabbled wildly at them whilst crying "Nelly, stop!" before chucking them at the growing pile by someone else's bed. He was definitely blushing now… and scowling deeply.
"Why are you in here anyway?" He snapped Cornelia gave him a look that clearly said 'isn't it obvious?'.
"I wanted to give you your Christmas present." She said after a pause, reaching into her bag and pulling a small, neatly wrapped parcel.
It was amusing how quickly Draco's fierce expression changed, his mouth making an 'oh' shape, and he sat down beside her on the bed. "What is it?" He asked as he took the parcel from her. She rolled her eyes.
"Why do you ask that every year?"
Draco met her eyes and they smiled gently at each other, both in unspoken agreement that their previous tiff was now over.
"Can I open it now?" He asked and she shrugged.
"If you like."
He began to rip open the edge of the paper when he froze. "Oh wait!" he breathed before diving under the bed and emerging with a very book shaped parcel.
"For me?" Cornelia feigned surprise, and they commenced unwrapping their presents together.
Cornelia had given Draco a bottle of leftover hair dye that her, Theodore and Blaise had brewed for Lockhart, and she could barely contain her giggles as Draco considered the bottle thoughtfully, before uncorking it and sniffing it. When he looked at her questioningly she reached out and stroked his hair with a mock look of concern on her face. "I know you've always wanted to dye these forsaken silver locks of yours." She said seriously, but pulling her hand away quicker than she originally intended and slightly ruining the joke in the process.
"You gave me hair dye?" Draco sounded unimpressed; his eyes narrowed.
"You don't like it?" She pretended to sound shocked.
Draco sighed and gestured at the half-opened gift in her lap. "Just open yours."
Cornelia turned her attention back to her present, unwrapping it to reveal a decadently decorated book with the title in silvery letters 'Hexes to Enlighten'. She frowned, tracing the title with her finger before looking back at Draco, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable about her joke gift.
"This is perfect Draco." She said woodenly, her eyes flitting down to the bottle he had already discarded to his bedside table.
"Do you like it?" Draco was watching her worriedly, her expression and voice clearly not expressing the delight he had expected. She forced herself to smile.
"It looks amazing… I just feel bad about your present now."
He shrugged, a grin growing on his face, obviously satisfied with her happiness. She sighed, before unexpectedly throwing her arms around his shoulders and squeezing him tightly. "Thank you." She murmured, squeezing her eyes shut as his arms snaked around her back to return her hug. She felt overwhelmed with a sudden wash of appreciation for Draco, which was accompanied by an odd sensation of dread. She didn't understand it, but she was filled with renewed determination to protect the sweet and thoughtful Draco, her Draco, at all costs.
Later that day, Cornelia, Blaise and Theodore were sharing a compartment on the Hogwarts Express as they travelled away from the castle for their Christmas break. Cornelia had been quite glum when they had first got on the train, her mind back in the common room where Draco remained, but as they train had picked up speed she had begun to fidget a little with nerves and excitement.
"What's your house like?" She asked Blaise, who was lazily chewing on a liquorice wand, sprawled across the entire row of seats opposite her and Theodore, who were sharing a box of Bertie Botts.
"Filled with naked women." He answered in a deadpan voice, and Cornelia aimed a kick at him. "No really, in case you hadn't noticed, mother loves women."
Cornelia fidgeted again. "Why would I have noticed that?" She hadn't discussed her letters with Rosalind with anybody, as far as they were concerned she had only received two letters from her. However, when Blaise fixed her with a dead eyed stare, she couldn't be so sure about her discretion.
"I do recognise my own house owl you know." He said meaningfully and Cornelia's skin crawled with embarrassment. She didn't know what to say to that and cleared her throat awkwardly. "Anyway, you'll see. I hope you like breasts."
"Blaise!" Cornelia and Theodore's voices both rang high in the compartment and Blaise chuckled.
When they eventually pulled in at Kings Cross Station, Cornelia was practically shaking with nerves. When they exited the train into the crowd on the platform, she singled out Rosalind immediately. She seemed to tower above the rest of the parents and families, relaxed and statuesque amongst the bustle and noise of the station. When their eyes met, Rosalind seemed to glow even brighter as a dazzling smile melted her features. She made her way over to them in the same fluid way that Cornelia had noticed back in September, and Cornelia had to remember to breathe.
"Merry Christmas darlings." She sang in her soothing voice, embracing Blaise immediately before turning to Cornelia and, violet eyes glinting, wrapping her arms around her as well.
She smelt fantastic, a deep musky Oudh with the sharp floral overtone of Ylang Ylang, and despite feeling entirely stunned, Cornelia found herself inhaling deeply.
"It is so wonderful to meet you in the flesh." Rosalind hummed in her ear and all Cornelia could do was nod robotically, her cheeks burning. Rosalind smiled softly at her as she pulled away, then turned her gaze adoringly back to Blaise.
"How are you my dear?" She asked, placing a perfectly manicured hand with deep red, sharp nails, upon his cheek.
"Glad to be back. Hogwarts has been like a prison these past few weeks." He replied, not seeming to mind the loving contact his mother gave him, whereas others his age may have cringed away.
"So I have heard. But perhaps this isn't the best place to discuss such matters. Let's go home shall we?"
It became clear almost immediately that Blaise hadn't been exaggerating as they stepped out of a fireplace into an enormous orangery and were faced with a life-size sculpture of a shapely naked woman draped with vines and winding flowers in the centre of the room, her granite hand raised to the sky as if to shield her eyes from the sun. The theme of glass, plants and naked women ran through the entire mansion which was incredibly elegant and beautiful and every room was filled with a different scent from the flora that occupied it.
As Rosalind guided her into yet another luxurious lounge, the smell that hit her was intoxicating. She inhaled deeply and stared around the busily decorated room, every inch of wall covered with plants, paintings, mirrors and bookshelves, trying to seek out the source of the smell.
"It's jasmine." Rosalind purred, watching Cornelia with a faint smile, before floating to the darker side of the room and gently touching a flower with white pointed petals. "Do you like it?"
Cornelia advanced and nodded. "It smells beautiful."
Rosalind's eyes glittered and she looked very pleased. "How perfectly fitting for you, dear."
"What do you mean?"
Rosalind observed Cornelia, her eyes dancing with some unreadable emotion before she reached out and lifted Cornelia's chin in much the same way she held the jasmine flower. "One day I will tell you."
Something in her tone closed the conversation, much like Uncle Lucius did when discussing adult themes with the children, but when Rosalind did it, it felt entirely different. Cornelia believed that she would tell her when she was ready to hear it.
Rosalind turned and moved across the room to drape herself in a lilac chaise longue smattered with patterned plump cushions and quilted velvet throws, and Cornelia realised that Blaise had left them at some point after they had entered this room. She remained stood awkwardly by the jasmine flowers until Rosalind beckoned her over.
"Come talk with me darling, we have much to discuss."
Cornelia obeyed, gently lowering herself in a plump pastel pink armchair. "Where's Blaise?" She asked nervously.
"This is a very special room where only us women are allowed."
Cornelia's eyes raised in surprise. She had, of course, grown up with Uncle Lucius's study and smoking room being strictly male entry only, but Aunt Cissy had no such spaces where the men weren't allowed. She supposed it made perfect sense that Rosalind had created such a room for herself and her fellow women.
"It's one of the reasons it amuses me that you find the scent of this room the most attractive." Rosalind added, her eyes never leaving Cornelia. Cornelia giggled a little pathetically.
"I can't really believe I'm here." She said eventually after what seemed like a terribly awkward silence between them, although Rosalind seemed perfectly comfortable. Rosalind tilted her head as if to signal her to continue speaking. "It's just that I've never been to anyone else's house, only the Malfoy's and Hogwarts."
"They have held you prisoner." Rosalind's voice lowered slightly, a shadow of quiet fury just noticeable.
"I never thought about it that way before this year."
"Well think on it now." Rosalind's voice was commanding. "I may not be able to free you entirely but I intend to arm you with weapons to find your own freedom with."
"Like how to bargain with men?" Cornelia said with a little smile of her own.
"Precisely. There are many ways to manoeuvre a man, and one is not so different from the next. Once you know how, it is very simple."
"I want to learn."
Rosalind's eyes softened at that and she smiled again. "And you shall. Tell me, what do you think is the most important thing to consider when dealing with men?"
Cornelia thought for a moment but came up completely blank, she didn't really have much experience of 'dealing' with men. Instead she considered the ways she dealt with other students that crossed her, or Blaise, or Theodore, or Draco – she gathered information.
"To find their weaknesses?" She mumbled, nervous to be wrong, she was desperate to show Rosalind that she was as special as she made her feel. So it was to her dismay when Rosalind threw her head back and laughed; her laugh resembling a roar, thunderous and deep.
"Oh my darling girl!" Rosalind eventually gasped, wiping tears from her eyes which crinkled in Cornelia's direction. Cornelia felt like she was blushing from her toes to the top of her head, and she stared at the thick cream carpet at her feet. "Of course you are two steps ahead of where I expected you to be!" At this Cornelia's head snapped back up, her eyes hopeful, perhaps she hadn't said something ridiculous after all.
"What an oversight on my behalf, I must apologise." Rosalind continued, her voice still melodic with laughter. "You are so wonderfully right; to be truly certain of success you must know both the weaknesses and strengths of the man you deal with. I was merely going to suggest but one of the most common weaknesses."
"What's that?" Cornelia's voice had gained a little confidence.
"Beauty." The word rolled off Rosalind's tongue as if it tasted delicious and floated around the room. Cornelia took in Rosalind's long and willowy figure, dark shapely legs that glistened in the light, one crossed over the other, emerging from the deep slit in the billowing fabric of her skirt. Her collarbone and cleavage were enticing shadows below the delicate lace that ran in rivulets across her torso, wide shoulders, and toned arms, forming a deep v of almost transparent material down to her waist. Her braided hair hung loose and long around her, glistening with pearl beads, and her startlingly violet eyes were framed with thick dark lashes. She was the epitome of beauty.
Cornelia swallowed, her breath catching in her throat. Rosalind's beauty was a creature of its own, it was unattainable, impossible to touch. Before Rosalind, Cornelia had never even thought about beauty, but it was impossible to ignore when in her presence. She shrunk before it, painfully aware of her frizzy mane of hair, pointed face and lack of curves.
"I don't know much about that…"
"No." Rosalind interrupted her sharply, her eyes flashing and she seemed to grow, or the room seemed to shrink. Cornelia winced, her words felt like a slap. "I will not hear it, not in my house." She sounded genuinely furious and tears pricked Cornelia's eyes, the last thing she had wanted to do was to annoy her. "Insulting women is forbidden here, do you understand?"
Cornelia nodded quickly, trying to make herself as small as possible. Rosalind heaved a deep sigh and when she next spoke her voice was soft and lulling.
"I have another lesson for you Cornelia, and this one is very important. Do you want to hear it?"
"Yes please Rosalind." She said in a tiny voice, daring to glance up into Rosalind's eyes which were gentle and smiling again, although something like pain flashed through them at her words.
"You have experienced and will continue to experience cruelty at the hands of others, it will be the same way your entire life. But there is one person that you can turn to for comfort, one person who can protect you, who will be there for you when no one else can. It is you, darling, you are that person. Do not betray yourself, do not put yourself through unnecessary cruelty."
"O-okay." Cornelia responded timidly, but truthfully, it wouldn't be until much later when she would understand these words; at that moment she simply felt very small and would agree to almost anything Rosalind said.
Rosalind gracefully extended her arms, palms turned upwards towards Cornelia, her smile inviting. Cornelia scrabbled forward and her heart raced as she placed her cool fingers against Rosalind's warmth.
"You have beauty in abundance dear, and by this evening you shall see it for yourself." Rosalind said, flipping Cornelia's hand quickly and studying her palms and fingernails. "Disky!" She suddenly added loudly, and Cornelia was about to ask her what she meant when there was a loud crack and a tiny house elf appeared before them.
"Yes Madam?" She asked in a squeaky voice. Cornelia observed her with wide eyes, she was in much, much better shape than Dobby. She wore a sparkling clean, cream toga complete with golden bands, and her ears stood upright and alert on her head.
"A manicure and pedicure for Miss Lestrange, if you would be so kind."
"Of course, Madam." Disky curtseyed sweetly before disappearing with another crack.
"You don't have to do that!" Cornelia started to protest but Rosalind shook her words away with a wave of her hand and rose smoothly to her feet.
"Oh we must, and after that I will show you how to wash your hair…"
"I know how to wash my hair!" Cornelia was blushing again now.
"Your curls require special attention, my dear. In the meantime, please stand." She gestured for Cornelia to join her, and when she did a long fabric tape measurer unravelled from her hands. "Arms out to the side please."
Later that evening, Cornelia didn't feel like the same girl that had stepped nervously from the train just hours earlier. Her skin felt silky to touch with her beautifully manicured fingers, it shone in the same way as Rosalind's and she couldn't stop sniffing her arms – she smelt like jasmine and honey. Whatever elixir Rosalind had pointed out to her around the enormous bathtub she had bathed in earlier, had tamed her curls into tight ringlets that bounced softly around her face and gleamed in the light.
Rosalind disappeared whilst Cornelia had been tended to by Disky, returning with a long clothes bag, the contents of which Cornelia now wore. It was a beautifully soft, black velvet dress – strapless with a matching velvet choker that was the length of her neck. The dress was a perfect hourglass shape, cinching in at the waist and curving out at her hips to fall softly to the floor. Rosalind had gently tied her hair up so it piled on her head, leaving escaped tendrils to frame her face, and glossed her lips lightly in a rose shade.
Cornelia observed herself with wide eyes in the room made of mirrors that Rosalind had eventually led her into. She looked lovely, elegant and delicate, and yet her eyes held that same sharp glimmer in them that she often saw in Rosalind's.
"You look powerful." Rosalind had murmured, obviously very pleased with her creation, and Cornelia had to agree.
Rosalind and Cornelia are CURLY GIRLS! Yes, yes, Cornelia will be learning how to avoid sulfates and silicones and to scrunch product into her hair and how to avoid a hairbrush... but how much easier will it be with MAGIC to speed things up?
So... Rosalind? She's stolen the show again! I absolutely adore her, she just spills onto the page with such ease and elegance, she really takes the reigns with writing. And I hope you don't mind the makeover chapter (it's THAT K-drama episode) but I think this is something Rosalind has been itching to do since she first laid eyes on Cornelia.
Also, I have been finding enormous amounts of inspiration in my fashion pinterest board. I have outfits planned for Cornelia for years to come! I would love to post a link for the outfits she and Rosalind have been wearing so you can get a real image in your mind, but unfortunately fanfic won't let me post links! If you are desperate to see (and why wouldn't you be, they are masterpieces) then you can find me posting the same story over on A03 where I believe that I am able to include links in the notes section.
And how cute is it that we've got the Christmas chapter being released at Christmas? It's almost like I planned it (I didn't)!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! Until next time.