Brightford wasn't a region that Arcturus would visit without some special purpose. At first he'd been eager to see the beach, but he'd been warned off that by a helpful muggle who told him that the bathing costumes were somewhat shorter than what he was used to, and might make him uncomfortable. With that ruled out, he had had no reason to visit a place full of muggle shops and machines before now. The journey in hadn't been particularly encouraging, but he was pleased to see that Narcissa's house itself was pleasantly different. It didn't have the heavy warding spells, magical extensions and visible household charms that cousin Cassiopeia's did, and the style of the place was awfully strange – but there were no horrid muggle machines, nothing that he couldn't recognise, and that reassured him a little.
He didn't flinch away from the touch of her hand on his shoulder. That was what his father did, usually when he felt some sympathy for Arcturus but didn't want to be sentimental or make a fuss over it. It was comforting, even from a young woman who couldn't be much older than his own brother. It reminded him of home.
'I do know,' he said quietly. 'That is, at school there are boys who will try to make a nuisance of themselves that way, and it's the best sort of fun for them if they see that they have troubled you. It is always best to ignore it and then find a way to deter them later. Everyone knows that. Only-' a pause, a small sigh, 'I didn't expect it of grown witches and wizards, and it isn't as if I have any sort of recourse against them.' Then, more briskly, 'It can't be helped, I suppose.' Things weren't always fair, and when adults were involved, there wasn't much that could be done about that.
Arcturus stepped into the dining-room when prompted, and once Narcissa had taken a seat, he followed her lead. 'You're right, it is awfully muggle,' he agreed. 'I have been here for almost three months now. It is my own fault, I expect, for agreeing to it, but I do hope that Papa will find me soon. Everyone at home must be so very worried, and the longer I am here the more difficulty it will cause.' He frowned, staring down at his teacup. 'I've missed so much of school I expect they'll make me repeat the year along with the mudblood failures.' When the thought had first occurred to Arcturus, it had seemed like the worst fate imaginable, but now enough time had passed that he was beginning to think that the shame of it might even be bearable, if it meant that he was home again.
It wouldn't do, however, for him to mope about when he had been invited to tea, and so he made a concerted effort to look up at Narcissa, and give her a small smile. 'Even so, I am quite glad to meet you, and cousin Cassiopeia. And Mr Summerby, and Mr Malfoy.' A few other people, too, but those were the only ones who were respectable enough to mention.