InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "...I just hate people."

Family affairs were never something Alice looked forward to. Of course she had the option of just leaving it all behind for the family she’d built with Frank, but she couldn’t bring herself to separate from her siblings -- not even her brother. And she still had that small glimmer of hope that one day their mother might grow a backbone and say what she really thought, even if it wasn’t what Alice agreed with.

Alice and Madison had started the tradition long ago of arriving together, mostly to coordinate on how best to deflect questions about marriage and ‘the family line’. Things had been easier in the past when they were both dating and had no intentions of fulfilling their ‘duty to the family’. But Alice had gotten engaged (to a Pureblood, no less) and her career as an Auror had instilled in her the necessity of remaining respectable in the community regardless of her personal feelings. Basically the spitting image of her mother to all those who weren’t privy to her private life. She would laugh at the irony of it if it didn’t terrify her so much.

She was determined to prove to her parents (and her siblings) that she wasn’t just another purist robot like the rest. Alice just wasn’t sure that they believed her anymore and short of shouting at the top of her lungs that she was fighting against everything they believed in, she was stuck in this holding pattern. Regardless, she put on her bravest face as she knocked on her sister’s door.

“Hang on a mo’!” She yelled over the blasting music. Madison threw back the rest of the glass of wine. It wasn’t that good anyway, and the best to handle all these things was with a very gentle buzzing to help let comments roll off her like water. Still not fully dressed, Madison did at least lower the music before answering the door.

Alice was met with a large hug. “I suppose this means we actually have to go.” Madison made a face, moving aside to let Alice in -- her own glass of wine already waiting. “Can’t like make up some case at the DMLE with criminals and ghosts? Travers sisters kicking arse, taking names, while tragically missing good ol’ dad’s birthday dinner?”

Alice hugged her sister back without a comment on her missing clothes. It took her only a few moments to find the wine and pick it up, shrugging a little. “Well I’ve already skipped at least two with that excuse. If I keep using it, either Mum or Dad will start inquiring with my superiors and I don’t really want to be known as the person whose parent came to check up on her at work.” Being a female Auror could be trouble enough without adding something like that. And one of those times that excuse had been legitimate, so there was that.

“So what about if you had to say bail me out of trouble again?” Madison grinned before ducking back into her bedroom to pull on her leggings. “Then you could be the wonderful heroic daughter that you are!” She popped her head back out, to throw her hands up in the air for emphasis. “Saviour of the family! And the realm.”

“I’m not certain that pretending you’ve gotten yourself into trouble again would paint you in the best light.” She certainly didn’t want to see Madison get raked by their parents for something like that when it wasn’t even true. She took another sip of her wine while idly pulling at the edges of her skirt. She definitely preferred trousers -- or a uniform, for that matter. “And I’m not looking to be the saviour of anything; I just want to survive the evening with my sanity still intact.” A tall order.

Shoes. Madison needed shoes. And probably those ugly ones that mum liked. “Oi! I’ve done worse!” Would continue to do worse probably. Luckily their brother was now more firmly in her corner, and if she could take a few hits? Well, it would give them all something to talk about.

There was no need to test that boundary tonight. Or any night for that matter. Alice didn’t want to see Madison in any more trouble. “Let’s just keep it that way.”

Tugging on her shoes, Madison hopped out of the bedroom. Might also need another glass of wine. “Well, then you could do something absolutely wild. Tell them you’ve eloped. Because you’re preggers. Which also, you can’t have this wine.” Madison carefully pulled the glass from Alice. “Can you imagine their faces? Angry and pleased in the same go. It would be brilliant!”

She couldn’t help giving her sister an annoyed look, especially when she took the wine. Alice reached out to take it back. “Eloping isn’t the worst idea,” she muttered. The very thought of her wedding with her family there gave her heartburn. Though she hadn’t really thought much about the actual wedding since they got engaged. With so many things going on, it was easy to set aside, though she wasn’t sure Frank saw it that way. “As soon as Mum hears that I’m pregnant she will be harping at me to quit my job. No thank you. I’m not even at the stage where children are an option. Or an interest. I don’t have the energy to keep up with that sort of lie anyhow.”

“Spoilsport!” Madison chased the words with some of the wine from Alice’s glass before handing it back. “And better you than me.” Which was about all the Madison was willing to say about that before refilling her own glass. “But if not that, what’s our plan of attack tonight?”

“Better anyone than me,” she commented needlessly, only pouting slightly at Madison drinking from Alice’s glass. She didn’t need much alcohol anyway if she was going to keep her wits about her. Though maybe not keeping her wits would make this easier. “For the love of you, dear sister, we can tell them that Frank and I are living together scandalously out of wedlock.” That wasn’t news to Madison, but she’d certainly kept it from their parents. If it kept Madison out of the fire for a bit, then Alice was willing enough to let the truth out.

“Hmm. That might do.” Madison gracelessly settled sideways into the big chair. “Plan to save that for when mum starts in. About Gibbon. Or Rowle.” Madison, ever the picture of maturity, made a gagging sound. “And all those nice young men. Who would be happy to spend time.” There was a time when she played the game. Where she went on dates at the suggestion of mummy dearest. Not that anything would come of them. Not yet. Only after Marlene died, well, then that wasn’t a game she was so willing to play anymore. Getting wrapped up in that whole death eater business just seemed like a rather convenient excuse. Only that excuse didn’t quite hold as much water anymore.

There were things that Alice could say to that, but she held her tongue. Madison had made it clear in so many words that Marlene wasn’t a topic to be broached anymore and Alice didn’t want to bring tension into their relationship, cowardly as it was. “Of course. The timing is everything.” Alice sat on the arm of the chair her sister had fallen into. “I’m certain Mum will be on about my never-ending engagement for a half hour at the least anyway.” She finished her wine and set the glass on the table. “I haven’t much else to contribute.” Outside of being in the Order. That sort of revelation would stir up some controversy. Alice would be willing to say it, too, if she weren’t bound by an oath.

“We’ll make it work. Worst case I’ll get sick in the middle of dinner. Spoil everything. Maybe let them wonder if I’m preggers.” She grinned raising her wine glass. Madison did not ever see herself in the way of motherhood. For many different reasons, and maybe if the war kept with the ripples there might be a more permanent solution. Morbid as such thoughts were.

Alice gave a wry grin at that. “Somehow I feel like it would be taken as a slight to Mum’s table arrangement before they jumped to pregnant.” She reached out and snatched at Madison’s glass since her sister stole her earlier. “So not a terrible idea, all in all.”

“Oi! I might even be worth more than my wine.” Rather than fight for the glass back, Madison picked up the bottle. There really wasn’t much left. She clinked it against the glass now in Alice’s hand. “For father!”