I fully expected at any moment, Rochester Nott would appear and ruin my world. I woke up in the morning- part of me unsure if last night even actually happened- but the light bruising on my upper arm where the man had dragged me through the halls of his home to see the chaos I had caused told me that every moment of it had been real- including the part where Daphne Greengrass had apparently responded to the threat of magical fireworks with actual water.
Sometimes good things happened to bad people, aka me.
I changed out of my covert operations clothes that I had fallen asleep in and headed down to breakfast. I yawned and stretched my arms over my head, managing to not wince at the pain from the bruises.
"How did you sleep?" Baz asked. I hesitated- did he sound suspicious or was I reading too much into it? I shrugged.
"Fine." It was true- after everything that had happened, I had been exhausted. I managed to get out of the Nott home and back into that damned garden before apparating home and slipping back in as if nothing had happened. I barely made it back to my bed before I passed out.
Apparently, the worry that the head of the Nott family would be knocking down my door wasn't enough to stop me from getting a solid six hours of sleep.
"Good. What they did last night was… not okay."
"What did who do?" We fell silent as our mother walked into the room. She was showered and changed and looked nothing like the woman last night who had wandered down into the kitchen for her sleeping potions with a bottle of wine clutched firmly in her hand.
"Nothing." Baz and I chorused. Genevieve looked suspiciously back and forth between the two of us but let it go.
"What do the two of you have planned today?" she asked.
"Work," Baz answered. He headed to the coffee maker we had sitting on the counter, getting started on making espresso for our drinks.
"Same." I popped a couple of pieces of bread into the toaster and pushed the lever down, going to the pantry to gather peanut butter and then to the fridge for jam. Could we have done this all with magic? Yes. But there was something comforting about doing it by hand
"That is so boring." Genevieve sighed, she apparently didn't have the same feeling about making simple breakfast by hand, as she pulled her wand from a fold of her dress and a moment later, her breakfast appeared. "I don't know why you bothered with a job, Coco, darling. I mean, as soon as we find you a suitable match, you'll have to quit to take care of your husband." She frowned at the spread in front of her and with a small gasp of realization- a mimosa appeared.
"Because, as much fun as laying around the house sounded, I thought two of us doing it was a bit much," I muttered.
Genevieve didn't hear me, as she had picked up her mimosa and was downing it.
"What was that, love?"
"Just- wanted to have something to do between now and when that happens." I lied, looking at Baz, who shrugged.
"We should get going. Can't be late for work." He stood up, and I followed suit, grabbing my toast.
"See you at dinner darlings." Genevieve waved as we headed off to our respective offices.
"We should get her some help," Baz commented when we got to the offices. Baz worked with the minister, I was at the Prophet.
"I mean, we could try, but at this point, I don't know that it's worth it. She's fine except at night." I shrugged. The help she needed wasn't meant to be our problem. It should have already been handled- before Baz and I were old enough to realize her behavior wasn't normal.
"Yeah, but the mimosa this morning-"
"We'll keep an eye on her." I interrupted. "If it keeps getting worse- we'll… do something." Baz sighed.
"Yeah alright," He agreed. "Meet for lunch?"
"Absolutely. See you then." I grinned and headed for my office while Baz headed off for his.
"Selwyn, perfect timing, I need coffee." My boss sing-songed at me as she walked by me.
"Coffee got it." I nodded and headed for the little kitchenette where I could make her a cup.
Work was something I enjoyed. It was often pointed out to me, mostly by my mother, that girls of my status didn't have to get jobs, we married rich men when we were young and started a family- every good pureblood family needed an heir, and then our days were about tea and fundraising events for charities and making sure our children were as impressive as humanly possible.
I knew when I died and went to hell, that would be the life I'd be forced to live for all eternity.
Even now, when my job mostly consisted of note-taking and making coffee- it was better than the life my mother led.
"Coffee." I put the cup on the desk and took a seat at my own much smaller desk-
"Very good, Miss Selwyn." Helene, my boss, picked it up and took a sip as if it hadn't just been poured and was hotter than Satan's asshole.
The morning went by fairly quickly, my boss worked on her article, and I worked on compiling her research for her next article- she did the research- she just had a habit of writing things down on whatever was near her at the time. My job was to put it all together into one document that made some sort of sense- anything she found that she later discovered to be incorrect, I got rid of- and then in the end she had a single document with everything she needed in order to write.
The next thing I knew it was time for lunch and I was going to meet with Baz.
I tapped my heel on the floor, checking my watch as I waited for him to show up. He was five minutes late.
"It's rude to be tardy, Bastian." I chided him.
"I had work." He shrugged and took my arm, leading me to the cafe.
It was the place where just about everyone went to eat. Unless one couldn't afford to pay for lunch- like the Weasleys. Though admittedly it had become far less in style to shit on the Weasleys since they stood on the front lines of the wizarding war.
Baz and I headed for our usual lunch spot. We were in fact creatures of habit when it came to our food. I got a salad and Baz got his sandwich and we headed for our favorite table.
"There they are," Baz commented. I turned to look- it was Pansy and Daphne, they were glaring at us. Baz worked with Daphne- but seeing as he hadn't mentioned my solo escapades from the night before- I assumed she hadn't told him- or she had and he completely denied it because he trusted me far too much.
"Ew." I picked up my glass of water and took a sip. Baz chuckled and took a bite of the sandwich, Lucky for me, the two of them opted to just glare from the other side of the room and didn't make a move to get any closer to us.
The work day ended and I was starting to feel incredibly confident that my choices last night wouldn't actually come with consequences. Baz and I met up in the lobby of the ministry and off we went home.
"Oh good, you're home."
"And you don't have a glass of wine in hand- are you alright?" I asked as our mother swept past us.
"I am, better than ever. Run upstairs and clean up, we are having guests for dinner." Genevieve slipped past us going the other way with a vase of flowers in hand.
"Someone is coming here? For dinner?" Baz looked as confused as I felt. We weren't used to this. I could count on my fingers the number of times our mother had any sort of party that wasn't for a birthday or holiday- and even those sometimes got skipped.
"Yes, Bastian, someone is coming over for dinner, now go clean up." Genevieve hurried out of the room before we could ask her who it was.
"Probably- Um… one of the Travers'?" I guessed. Baz shrugged and we headed up to our rooms.
the Selwyn estate was beautiful, we had a lot of land and a huge gorgeous house- the kind of things kids looked at and dreamed of having to play hide and seek in It had been in our family for ages. Our great great great grandfather had it built or something. It wasn't in the best shape ever- our dwindling house-elf staff and the fact that there were only three of us ensured that.
But the important rooms were kept spotless, And my room was one of them. I closed my large oak door behind me and went to clean up as Genevieve demanded. I quickly freshened up my makeup and I changed from my work clothes into something a little more casual but chic enough to work for a company. I did hope it was Natalie Travers. She would probably bring along her husband- and he was a sight to see.
Honestly, Lucas Travers was proof that God had favorites.
I finished my hair and headed out of the bedroom, I nearly ran directly into the drink Baz had held out for me.
"I bet you did get an O on the damn Divination exam."
We had been given our NEWTs over the summer. We'd had a month to study then had to go to another location to take the test. some people hadn't felt prepared and they were welcome to take another year of school. I had decided I'd rather peel off my skin than spend another year in Hogwarts, so I applied myself and managed to get pretty good scores.
Baz's were better and he was never going to let me forget it. The one score he wouldn't let me see was Divination.
"If you had gotten a better score, you'd know the answer to that," Baz replied, I took the drink from him and sipped. It was strong.
"Is this mine or Genevieve's?" I asked.
"Funny, she wouldn't have one, said she didn't want to be out of her mind in front of our guests."
"Wait so all we had to do to fix her was take up a social life?"
"Apparently, it does feel like a mighty price to pay."
"You're not wrong." I shook my head and sipped the drink anyway, letting it burn its way down my throat.
"Coco, oh good, you're down here- and you wore the red lipstick, lovely." My mother believed looking good mattered better than looking pure. I knew a lot of mothers hated the idea of a girl in red lipstick- my mother had bought me my first tube when I was twelve. Purity culture be damned
"Of course. Who is coming?"
"You'll see, they'll be here- right now." Genevieve brightened as the doorbell rang and she rushed to answer the door herself.
Our mother was, in no uncertain terms, beautiful. She was the same age as the mothers of our peers, but she looked much younger. Her long dark hair was lush and soft and she always made sure she kept it styled- even when she'd been drinking all day. The time she spent at home- I assumed was spent working out because the copious amounts of wine and liquor she consumed didn't seem to have any real effect on her figure. The same hourglass that I had. The one that left full-grown women glaring at me by the time I was fourteen because they thought I was flirting with their husbands.
I didn't start doing that until I was sixteen.
"Come in, come in, you're right on time." Genevieve's heels clicked against the hardwood floors as she made her way back into the sitting room- with Rochester and Theodore Nott on her heels.
"Shit," I whispered. Baz's head whipped around to give me a suspicious look
"What-"
"Cordelia, Bastian, I'm sure you've met Rochester and his son-"
"The Devil." I interrupted.
"Coco-"
"We've met," Theodore interrupted Baz's scolding, narrowing his eyes at me. I had the sudden, very strong urge to stick my tongue out at him- luckily for my dignity, I managed to hold that urge back.
"We have, your lovely daughter snuck into my home last night." Rochester drawled. I straightened, watching my mother and brother's reaction to that.
Anyone who didn't know them wouldn't have noticed much of a change. I, however, saw a million words in the way my bother's knuckles whitened as he gripped his glass a little tighter- the way my mother's throat constricted and relaxed.
"Is that so?" Genevieve asked, her gaze swinging over to me.
"Yes, she released a firework, in my library."
"Cordelia." My mother admonished, flustered
"It was quite destructive."
"I didn't destroy anything," I argued, before taking a sip of my drink. "That was Daphne Greengrass and her inability to use common sense." I glanced over at Theodore to see if he'd say anything. It was common knowledge that he and Daphne would eventually get married, despite his 'not my girlfriend' remarks from the night before. Nothing had been said but the way the girl clung to him- she didn't need a ring, her claw marks were embedded in his arm.
"A result of your actions."
"If we are looking to create a train of blame, Mr. Nott, then I would remind you that I wasn't the one who started the problem. That went to your son, for being- terribly rude and not inviting his peers to his birthday party."
"Is that so?"
"You're not my peer." Theodore shrugged.
"Can I interest either of you in a drink?." Genevieve interrupted. "Dinner should be ready soon, Rochester, I'm very sorry for any trouble my daughter has caused."
"We're still training her," Baz muttered irritably. Theodore apparently heard it, as he snorted out a small laugh.
"Traitor."
"You went to their house, without me?" Baz whispered back- I was ready to fight back, but he sounded actually upset about me going without him. I made a mental note to talk to him about it after dinner.
"A drink would be lovely, thank you," Rochester responded to my mother who quickly swept away to make a drink for the man, leaving the four of us alone.
"So what brings you to the house this evening?" Baz asked, he was on edge, I could see it from how tense his shoulders were they were damn near touching his shoulders.
Instead of replying, Rochester simply looked my brother up and down- then apparently deciding Baz wasn't worth his time, he sniffed and turned away. I could see the pink on the tips of my brother's ears and I straightened, stepping forward, ready to fight this man.
"Coco." Baz gave a sharp shake of the head, indicating that I shouldn't. I clenched my jaw, all I wanted was to give this asshole a piece of my mind, but I kept my mouth shut- embarrassing Baz would just make it worse. So instead, I took a deep- semi-calming breath and repeated the question- kind of.
"Why are you here?" I asked, much more harshly. Rochester sighed as if I had asked him for the world.
"Children these days, not an ounce of patience to be seen." Was all he said before Genevieve swept back into the room with two drinks in her hands. She gave one to Rochester and the other to Theodore.
"Dinner is served." She chirped, leading us into the dining room. It was a room we rarely used- but it was magnificent. The table was a dark oak, I knew the thing weighed eight hundred kilos roughly. The whole thing- chairs included- was hand carved. that was one of the reasons we never used the room. Our mother would rather sell us than risk damaging the one-of-a-kind piece. Baz pulled the chair out for Genevieve and then for me.
"Thank you," I commented,
"Of course." He was still stiff- still angry about the slight from Rochester.
He took the seat next to me and the plates filled with food without us having to do anything- our goblets filled with wine that I knew would pair perfectly with the food in front of us.
"It looks lovely, Genevieve. My compliments to your house elf." Rochester picked up his fork.
I looked back and forth between my mother and the head of the Nott family. Wait-
"You're not trying to date her are you?" I knew they were both single. Rochester's wife had died in childbirth and- everyone knew the story of what happened to our father. Much to our chagrin.
Genivieve's smile fell and her face paled as she looked at me. Rochester on the other hand- chuckled.
"As lovely as Genevieve is, no. That isn't why we are here tonight." somehow that made me feel less comfortable. I looked back and forth between the two as if I might find a clue- a love bite that wasn't well concealed, a piece of jewelry that we hadn't seen before. Any sort of indication that they were lying and my mother was about to become Mrs. Nott.
"However, since the subject has already been- so gently broached, Perhaps now is a good time to announce it." He looked at Genevieve who hesitated but nodded. I could see Theodore in my periphery and he looked just as confused as I felt.
"What?" I asked after the silence carried on for far too long.
"Rochester contacted me this morning with a proposition. And after a lot of back and forth, I think we've come to a proper conclusion." Genevieve started, picking up her goblet and taking a hefty swig of the contents before continuing. "Coco-"
I gripped my own goblet- I could feel the sharp cut crystal as it pressed into my palm.
"Yes?"
"As of- today?" Genevieve looked to Rochester for confirmation and he gave a little nod. "As of today, you are betrothed- to Theodore."
the table went silent for a moment- amplifying the sound of the goblet exploding in my hand
—
"She can't do this to me." I insisted, now hiding away in the bathroom with Baz as he dug shards of crystal from my hand. "Ow! shit!" I gasped out as he pulled a big one out.
"you crushed the goblet- how in the hell did you-"
"Bastian! She is giving me away and all you care about is that stupid-"
"I can't think about that right now, Coco, not when I'm trying to pull all these stupid little pieces from your palm." He snapped.
Bastian rarely snapped- especially not at me. Not truly, he'd get annoyed and whatever but this was different, this was actual anger. I wasn't used to it- I didn't like it.
"Baz-"
"Just- give me a minute." He requested. I nodded and closed my mouth as he got the rest of the little pieces out of my skin.
"Okay." He sighed when he was done, He poured a healing potion over the top and we watched as the skin knit itself back together- any shards left behind were a part of me now.
"I don't want to marry him," I whispered.
"I know," Baz replied, his voice softer now. "But if they filled out the contract-"
"I'm of age- I'm nearly eighteen how are they going to do that?"
"Pretty sure they can. I mean- our families have been doing it for ages. Our parents didn't get a choice." Baz pointed out I couldn't stop the laugh bark of laughter that escaped.
"And look how that went for them."
"Coco."
"Maybe I'll get lucky and Theodore will get himself murdered quickly and I can get an early start on my alcohol and sleeping potion addiction. I'm sure I can beat out our mother by a solid five years."
"Coco." Baz admonished, looking at the door as if the others might be there with drinking glasses up to the door, listening to our every word.
"Let them hear, they've chosen to join the family."
"Okay, that's enough, you need-'
"A drink?"
"To shut the fuck up." Baz finished, pulling me up from where I sat on the sink's counter. "We are going back out there, we are going to eat and when they leave you can have your breakdown."
"Do not schedule my breakdowns for me. I can do that on my own thank you."
"It seems you can't so let's go." He opened the bathroom door and pushed me out, guiding me back to the dining room where the mess from my accident had been cleaned up and my mother was speaking animatedly with Rochester. Her hands going a mile a minute.
"I think that's a brilliant idea." she was saying. Based solely on the look on Theodore's face, a wonderful mix of 'I ate bad oysters' and 'I just walked on two professors doing the horizontal tango' it was not a brilliant idea. It was a terrible one. I quickly looked for another goblet to shatter.
"Oh! you're back!" Genevieve brightened as if we hadn't left on the terms we had. "We were discussing wedding plans-"
"A wonderful activity to partake in when the bride is in another room." Baz nodded.
"How dare you call me that?" I snapped.
"And we are thinking the sooner the better. Genevieve continued as if we hadn't spoken.
"Mother, a rushed wedding is never a good idea it leads to… speculation," Baz argued. everyone knew a rushed wedding would be followed by stories of a shockingly large premature child.
"Yes, and when no child ever appears- I assume-" Rochester eyed my stomach and I crossed my arms over it.
"How dare you-"
"Then it will be disproven." He finished, shrugging. "However, I do worry that our bride, given enough time, might do her best to sabotage the wedding."
"What is the term for murdering one's father-in-law?" I asked. "I know murdering the father is patricide so- patr-in-law-acide?" I guessed.
"Cordelia." Genevieve gasped. Rochester just chuckled and stood.
"I think, Miss Selwyn, this connection will prove to be- at the very least, an interesting one. Theodore." He tilted his head, indicating The man should stand.
"But dinner-"
"Thank you for your hospitality Genevieve, we will host you and yours very soon," Rochester promised, pushing his chair back in and heading out. Theodore gave me a look like I had planned on this before he left, hurrying after his father.
I grabbed Baz's leftover wine and downed it in one go.
"Coco-" My mother started.
"Do not talk to me right now." I held a finger up and walked away, heading for my room. I had to do something to stop this, there was no way I could actually marry Theodore Nott.