Raw. Do mention any mistakes. This is a small chapter to get me back into the groove of things!
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The difference was rather staggering if he was honest.
It was somewhat difficult to keep his jaw from falling as he tentatively took a few steps into the Manor. Daphne and the accompanying house-elf that had brought them here, going in with practised ease, while he found himself almost marvelling at the sheer splendour before him.
Idly gazing backwards for a few moments, he took in the open land that spread before the giant manor, filled with intricate pathways that swept through differing flower paths- Each section filled with its own magical decoration. From the small pond at the far end of the pathway that seemed to have far too big sea creatures of varying kinds jumping out of it, to the silver fountain that stood in the middle of it, which seemed to have literal small rainbows flowing out along with its water, to the large moving statues of an unknown witch and wizard that stood right before the door to the manor itself, both of them bowing before him and Daphne as they welcomed him to the manor itself.
The backdrop of said manor was a rather entrancing view all on its own, a near-open sea that filled the bottom of the... Cliff? The manor had been built on.
"Rodrick?" Daphne's voice broke him out of his stupor as he focused his gaze back ahead, finding a... Rather prideful expression on the girl's face as he walked further into the manor, his gaze falling on the lavishly decorated greeting hall- Which was what Daphne had called it. Intricate moving paintings of several time periods lined up the walls, all of them decorated with what he looked to be emerald linings. There were two sets of curving staircases on both sides of the hall that started and met at the same destination on a higher floor, with another large door set between them- A door that didn't seem to have any locks and yet sparked with magic the moment the House-elf disappeared from sight.
The girl quickly swept up beside him, grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him further in.
"Come on! They're inside waiting you know?" The girl remarked cheekily with a shake of her head. "Honestly, I hope our second year has a course on etiquette!"
The difference really was like night and day. Between him and Daphne, that was.
Sure he'd expected her to be wealthy, but he hadn't planned on walking into what amounted to a palace of all things!
With an uncertain nod, one that was followed by a vast feeling of not belonging- He found himself wondering just what he was actually doing here-
When the two of them reached the start of the curved staircases, he stiffened the slightest bit as he watched them, and the giant door in between, along with most of the decorations around, promptly vanish. The walls of the hall quite literally changed shape as he watched an entirely different view come into place.
"Pretty cool huh?" Daphne asked, excited. "The first one's usually for guests- The stairs always lead to wherever they need to go," The girl let go of his arm as his jaw dropped the slightest bit, before she spread both arms out to the side and grinned. "This is what it's supposed to look like!" She blinked once, a hint of embarrassment visibly filling her as she let out a cough into a hand. "Um, uh, right, welcome to Greengrass Manor!" She fidgeted with her hands the slightest bit, as he simply stared at her and the changing landscape.
His gaze swivelled around, taking in the smaller staircase set at the end, colourful markings and drawings with arrows sprawled all over them, each with written directions, the last one with a squiggly line down the middle-
-Big Sis's Room!- -My Room!- -Crazy Friend's Room!-
Having noticed his gaze, the embarrassment on Daphne's gaze seemed to grow in the process.
"Uh, that's Astoria's handiwork... Not mine." The girl remarked sullenly. "Oh! Crazy friend is what Astoria calls Tracey, though she usually just shares my room with me whenever she visits!" A beat passed. "It's not for you don't worry!"
He turned a blank stare towards her.
"...Does... Does that mean I have to share with you as well?" He questioned, a tad uncomfortable, and watched as the girl's embarrassment skyrocketed before she sputtered out that her mother had one of the guest rooms prepared for him, though it'd be on the same upper floor.
He nodded at that, slightly relieved.
"How many guest rooms do you have anyway?" He questioned idly as he walked further in, now noticing the rather... Homely decorations- From pictures of the family, he'd met, each one showcased throughout differing ages, to pictures of strangers whom he presumed were either their extended family or the past Greengrass witches and wizards. The greeting hall had more or less shifted to a smaller entrance hall that connected to a few closed doors, most of them with the same cartoonish style writing or outright pictures as done on the staircase- likely meant to dictate what each room represented.
The chef's hat was arguably the only one he could guess at.
He wasn't sure what the angry..? Face with a box hairstyle was supposed to represent.
Or what the one with a monocle meant.
The one with the broken wand was arguably the most confusing though- Particularly because it had flowers drawn all around it.
All around the entrance hall, besides the comfortable-looking furniture that filled it, were giant plushy toys that littered all around the floor- Though seemingly in a decorated manner as opposed to an oblivious child's doing.
Perhaps the oddest thing about it all was the fact that, despite being inside, the literal air itself smelt and felt almost eerily fresh.
"Hm? Oh, I dunno, like nine or ten?" Daphne shrugged. "Most of them are used for storing away old clothes, toys and stuff so I don't think they really count right now."
He blinked at that one, stopping on his feet once again, as he turned to stare at her in judgement.
She stared back, utterly confused.
"What?"
Night and freaking day.
He let out a sigh, shaking his head in the process.
"Lead the way princess." He deadpanned.
She sputtered at that, frowning quickly.
"P-Princess?"
He nodded.
The frown persisted as she idly gazed around for a moment before locking eyes with him again placing both arms on her hips.
"Are you calling me spoiled?"
He rolled his eyes.
"Daphne, if any of the orphans from my home came here, they'd burn it down out of spite." A beat passed. "Trust me, spoiled doesn't even begin to describe it."
For some reason, indignation or offence wasn't the reaction he got with that.
Instead, it was... He blinked at the resigned look that took over her face.
He raised both of his hands up in a placating manner.
"I think it's great!" He remarked genuinely. "Just... Wasn't really prepared for this." He chuckled, shuffling on his feet.
She didn't budge.
He rolled his eyes at her.
"Daphne there's nothing wrong with being spoiled." A bet passed. "I imagine it's rather fun, really."
She blinked a few times at that, tilting her head the slightest bit.
"...You're so confusing to understand sometimes, you know that?"
He nodded at that one.
"It's 'cos I am not-" She cut him off with a hand plastered over his mouth, the girl's twitching face clearly unamused.
"Okay, I felt bad at first, but now I know you're just messing with me."
When she removed her hand, he opened his mouth to give off a retort before thinking better of it on account of it having a chance to hurt her feelings.
It was probably in bad taste to accidentally insult someone in their own home after they'd invited you to it.
So he settled for a shrug and calmly asked the 'princess' to lead the way.
Judging by the twitching expression, he had a feeling she would've preferred the joke.
Of course, that was the moment they were both unceremoniously interrupted as a shadow crashed into the girl's chest, wrapping its hands around her.
It took him less than a second to notice the offending party was none other than Astoria Greengrass.
Still, he stood back and just waited- He'd figured this was just how the two sisters greeted each other. At least until he took in the sheer confusion that swept through Daphne's face, even as she returned the hug, as well as the uttered apology that came out of the younger sibling currently hiding her face from him, and effectively using her sister as a shield.
Daphne let out an amused sigh as she patted at the girl's head, her hand ruffling her hair in the process.
"It's not me you shoul-"
"It's fine, honestly," He calmly cut off whatever the other girl was about to say, earning a sigh from the elder Greengrass, the girl giving him a look of admonishment for presumably giving her younger sister an easy way out. "Don't worry about it."
He watched idly as the girl let go of Daphne and idly peeked her head around her towards him. The girl stared at him for a tentative moment before a smile broke on her face as she fully let go of her exasperated sibling, and walked up towards him before she extended out a hand.
"Astoria Greengrass!"
Truth be told he didn't hold anything against the girl, to begin with. There was no need to make her any more uncomfortable than she apparently already was, in her own home. Idly letting out a snort, he took the hand and introduced himself for the second, or probably third time at this rate.
"Rodrick." A beat passed. "Just Rodrick."
She blinked in confusion at that.
"Oh right, orphans don't have second names." A beat passed, and before he could even respond to that, Daphne's expression turning into dread in the background, Astoria followed it on with something else. "That's okay! You can have our one when Daphne marries you!"
Calmly, he let go of the younger, smiling, girl's hand and gave a very embarrassed Daphne a pointed look.
"What did I say about marriage contracts?" He questioned, very amused, while the red on Daphne's face grew more vibrant.
"Oh, oh, which blood are you?" Astoria's question filled the sudden silence.
"Astoria, that's enough!" Daphne promptly wrapped her arms around her sibling's neck, her hands covering the giggling girl's mouth quickly.
"Pureblood." He answered with a grin. Earning an 'ooh' out of the younger girl, the girl believing him without a missed beat.
"Stop encouraging her!" Daphne called out, the red hue of embarrassment still covering her expression, while he barely held himself back from chuckling out loud.
"Pureblood?" Another female voice cut through, quickly quilling his need to hold his laughter as he felt himself stiffen the slightest. Daphne's embarrassment, for some reason, turned into dread once again in the process as her gaze swivelled away from him directly. Idly turning around in the same direction, he found an amused Roxanne Greengrass staring at the three of them. "Pity that, though I suppose I can wait a generation to get some real drama."
"Mother!"
He blinked at that.
He'd made the marriage contract comment as a joke.
He was starting to worry it wasn't been taken as one.
Remembering his manners, he ignored his impending sense of doom and stopped slouching his body, even if it was only slightly, as he... Wondered how normal people were supposed to greet a friend's parents.
His grandfather's only word of advice, when it came to social norms, was to make sure he had the high ground.
Whatever that meant.
Failing to come up with something himself, he chose to copy the statues outside and let out a bow and greeted the woman formally. When he received no words in response, he turned his gaze back up a tad slowly and took in her expression-
The woman blinked at him, slightly taken back before whispering out- "...Adorable. That was adorable..."
...He could live with that.
At which point Daphne's mother, amusement dancing through her expression, copied his own actions.
He didn't need to turn his gaze around to know Daphne was desperately trying to hold her laughter, given Astoria hadn't bothered to hide her giggles.
...He wasn't going to live this down.
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