Who: Cassius Warrington and Gabrielle Delacour What: An invitation to tea When: Monday, midday, 31 July 2002 Where: The Home Rating: Low (surprisingly)
How many times had the phrase gone through her head at this point.
Cela n'arrive pas...
Cela n'arrive pas...
This isn’t happening.
Almost an entire year of waiting, of preparing for whatever she’d find in London had done her absolutely no good; in less than a bloody week, everything Gabrielle had gone over in her head, everything she’d dared to hope for, came crashing down- all because she’d been recognized by the wrong person, far too early than could have been anticipated.
Now, she was here. After ‘processing’ and a few unsettlingly calm ‘sessions’ classes since the youngest Delacour had been brought to the Home over the weekend, her nerves were caught in an unhealthy buzz- charged with energy that was both fearful and utterly lost. The speakers and lectures during the sessions had all been so completely opposite of what she swore in her heart was the reality of the British ministry- listening to them was painful as swallowing stale bread, as were the ‘patient’ voices of the Wandholders who heeded them. But besides the actual duel that landed her in custody in the first place, Gabrielle had been treated with feather gloves.
It didn’t fit… Together with the fact that she felt utterly exposed without her beloved wand, she’d been dropped in a world the seventeen year old was wholly unprepared for, with no understanding of how to navigate back to where she belonged.
Gabrielle hadn’t slept the night before, and during ‘chores’ her limbs moved uncooperatively due to fatigue and nerves- nearly toppling a delicate vase from the mantle as she attempted to tidy; she was built as a creature of grace- designed by nature and magic to move smooth as oil in any endeavor, but by the late afternoon, she felt like a fish stranded on a sandbar, shuddering and gasping at the unfamiliar world around her, waiting for the gulls to close in.
**
Cassius pulled out his wand and cast a charm to catch the falling vase before it could hit the floor and shatter into a million pieces. Slowly, he made his way over to the young girl and righted the vase on top of the mantle. He watched her; her shoulders tense and limbs tight. She was anxious, and he could smell the fear rolling off of her. It was a scent he craved.
Cautious… he warned himself. It hadn’t been so long since he had been utterly reprimanded in Lucius Malfoy’s office. A finger traced the scar along his chest that reminded him of that moment. It had been only a week since he had been grievously injured in a battle with the rebels, as well, and the effects he had suffered had only just worn off. Go cautiously… He reminded himself.
He stood with his hand on the vase and within feet of the young woman. New, he noted. Perhaps had only been here a couple days. And she was beautiful. Cassius smirked, imagining her in multiple positions in his office. He quickly turned that smirk into smile he knew would pass for sincere.
“Don’t worry.” He said, his voice soft and welcoming, “It becomes normal after a while.” He paused to let it sink in, “that feeling you have when you first lose your wand. It does become normal. And you’ll get used to this place too. It’s comfortable, and other than helping with the chores and attending sessions we don’t require much of you. You might find you like it here even.”
He looked at her closely, but still with a welcoming look. “I’m Cassius. Why don’t you take a break and come join me for tea. It seems you might need it.” It wasn’t a question, but a formal request for her to join him in his office.
**
The presence of another stopped the breath in Gabrielle’s throat the way his spell caught the vase in midair; she forced herself to exhale, shaky and uncertain- frustrated, as well as afraid. It was a state of existence that would burn her out quickly if she didn’t find a way to cope.
Her eyes tracked the Wandholder as he approached her like a frightened animal, suspicious of his kind voice and gentle face; perhaps it was the last few days of experience and years of built-up disdain for the entire regime for which he worked coloring her perspective, but his eyes didn’t match the rest of the ‘gentle keeper’ persona.
“Je ne veux pas que cela devienne commun-” the young witch huffed in reaction, her voice barely above a breath- but locked in Cassius’s crisp, unwavering gaze, Gabrielle managed not to say anything more damaging- yet. She’d had her wand even longer than most young British witches and wizards; it had been made for her when she was an infant. It may as well have been part of her own flesh and bone. Without it, she wasn’t just inept, she felt wounded- naked.
She also didn’t want to go in his office. She didn’t want to go back to the room where she was supposed to sleep. She just wanted away from this place, but was too wracked by nerves to even begin to figure out how.
“I need to go home.” That was her answer to his ‘kind’ offer, though it wasn’t delivered with force or malicious defiance- Gabrielle’s arms had circled her middle beneath her breasts, pinning down portions of daylight-colored hair; her voice was this close to cracking, thick with her accent.
** Cassius nodded gently and sank down beside her on one knee, his leg up angled towards the young woman. He used this position with women in the home frequently, offering comfort on their level but also protecting himself from their lashes, kicks, and jabs. The first few weeks in the home were always devastating for those who were shuttled through here, but some found it easier to lash out at those in charge instead of accepting it. Ginevera Weasley was one of those who lashed out for quite some time.
He softened his expression even more, offering a sympathetic gaze towards the young woman. “I’m sorry that we can’t send you home, right now. But this place can be just as good as your home, if not better. All of the food you could need, warm water, cool air, a nice bed to sleep in. And you don’t need to be afraid.” He finished with a soft smile. “Come, join me in my office for some tea. I promise it will make you feel just a little better.”
Cassius stood and offered her a hand to help her stand up, “Even better, I’ll say you’re done with chores for today if you join me.”
**
Gabrielle shifted weight on her feet, shuffling back a few inches when he started to move- even if it was simply to lower himself so she wasn’t in his shadow. She was still wand-shy about bolting, considering what happened the last time she gave into that urge, when she was first apprehended. Instead, she continued to watch him the way a hare might watch a wolf, her jaw tense, hardened from nerves, but her eyes were frantic and confused. Desperate.
She scanned his words and his voice for ulterior meanings, but with her lack of life experience, her reference for deception was fairly limited. Cassius seemed gentle and patient, just like everyone she’d been forcibly exposed to since her capture- even Renee had sounded sympathetic- and much to Gabby’s chagrin, full of pity- when she spoke to her in the circus tent, before the wands came out. They all had treated her as if she were some wayward child that had been brought up in lies.
“Just… tea, yes?” Uncertainly, she asked him while searching his face, and his pale eyes that still didn’t seem quite the same as his expression, but she couldn’t be sure what she was seeing, or reading. She didn’t want another lecture about how wonderful the ministry was, or how she’d been lied to by the people she loved, or how misguided she had been. If it was just tea…
***
"Yes," Cassius said softly with a warm smile on his lips and a hand out to help her stand. "Just tea." This time anyway. Cassius wrapped his warm hand around hers and stood to help pull her up. He smiled as she stood. She was a pretty little thing, young and limber. He recognized her from the circus; he had taken his wife over the weekend, and he wondered exactly how the young woman had been captured. He made a point to look at her file later.
He wrapped her arm around his and guided her to the small office on the main floor. "You never mentioned your name." He said softly, peering at her with his piercing blue eyes. When he reached an unassuming door, he pulled out his wand and tapped the knob to let them in.
It was small, of course, but it was big enough for a sizable desk and a couple of chairs sat around a small table. He had a kettle that heated itself, and almost always had two cups set up for himself and a guest, should one arrive. The chairs were comfortable, as was his office. "It's a little small, but it serves it's purposes."
Papers were stacked neatly on the desk. He led her to a chair and encouraged her to sit. "Tell me, what tea do you prefer...." he paused, giving her a chance to share her name.