InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "french fried"

Under Narcissa's direction, Dobby had brought lunch to the solarium, where they could enjoy the beautiful spring sunshine. Since they might be discussing important matters, she had dismissed him to deal with other matters. Draco was in her mother's care for the afternoon and for once, Narcissa was going to enjoy herself. She finished pouring the wine, selected from the Malfoy Apothecary vintages to go with the grilled salmon, roasted asparagus, and new potatoes, and handed the glass to Clarissa. "How are things going for you, darling?" Narcissa asked. "I saw you and Rabastan at the CLAMS benefit. Should I be looking for an announcement?"

Clarissa Gamp was, ostensibly, a working woman. She had a job, drew a salary, and had a schedule or at least something very like it. However, the fact that she worked for her father- and that her duties consisted mainly of glad-handing, charming, or outright flirting with the clients- meant that she was afforded quite a bit of leeway. It wasn’t a particularly prestigious position, as such things went, but there were certainly perks beyond the simple fact that it kept her profile low while allowing her to network with the wealthy, and one of those was the freedom to take an extra-long lunch whenever she liked.

The question made her laugh as she took her glass, pleased despite the answer to it. “Rabastan is fond of me, and vice-versa, but I don’t flatter myself that I’ll be the one to tie him down,” she demurred, still smiling. “I really can’t imagine anyone managing that. It was a wonderful party, by the way. I don’t think I’ve complimented you on it yet. Very bad of me.”

"Thank you, darling, it means the world that you said anything at all. And I'm glad that you--and Rabastan--enjoyed yourself. I do worry about the dear boy. He and Rodolphus have both put up with a great deal since the tragedy." Which tragedy Narcissa meant, she left unclear. She took up her silver and began to delicately cut herself a piece of the asparagus.

The look that Clarissa gave the other woman then said that she understood the double meaning perfectly, but she sipped her drink and didn’t comment on it. Let Narcissa lead the conversation in that direction more firmly, if she wanted to; Clarissa knew better than to bring up her Lord and his supposed passing with anyone not Marked even if that someone was as close to the cause as Mrs. Malfoy was. She’d survived all of this time and risen as high as she had by not behaving in as silly a manner as the girl she pretended to be would have when it counted. A delicate tightrope to walk, to be sure, but she had plenty of experience walking it.

“I can’t imagine,” she said when she’d sent her glass down and turned attention to her salmon instead. “They’re both grown men, of course, but still so young to lose a parent, and I think that must be awfully hard at any age. But they’ve both held up so well. I do admire them both!”

"Rodolphus has always been a blessing to Bellatrix. And for all that he has a wild reputation, I like to think that Rabastan has a good heart." Narcissa let e little of her fondness for him creep into her voice. "They've both borne up under their losses manfully. Not to mention all the trouble the Ministry has caused them with the questions about their father's accident. I know it's been terrible for Priscilla and even though her sons aren't the confiding types, I'm sure it's been just as bad for them. How are you holding up in this season, with so much to do, and little of it meaningful?" Her eyebrows arched up a little, punctuating the question with additional freight.

The subject change from the Lestranges to herself wasn’t sudden enough to throw Clarissa, and she inclined her head while holding Narcissa’s gaze, acknowledging the true meaning of the question. “I’d prefer more real activity, for sure,” she allowed before taking a short sip. “But we women are accustomed to waiting when it’s required of us, aren’t we, Narcissa? Patience isn’t my favorite virtue, but I can manage it when I have to. This season won’t last forever, and when it ends there will be more than enough for me to do. I can wait.”

She smiled, sweet and engaging. “How are you and Lucius? I can’t think his duties are satisfying enough for a man like him. It’s harder on them, isn’t it?”

"It's another skill at which we of the fair sex have an advantage. Lucius is occupying himself with some research that has been put off and I've engaged him in reorganising the library, which has been much needed and resulted in some interesting discoveries. However, once a better regime is in place, I suspect we'll all have plenty to do. And so this time I help Lucius to learn patience, as he has helped me in the past. We both believe in partnerships of equals--when those we work with are our equals."

While Clarissa herself might not be of fully pure blood, she was close enough, and not tied to the old men as so many of the younger generation had been. "I understand that certain parties are--distressed--about the lack of action. That in addition to those who are bored and causing trouble, there is disciplinary action brewing if whoever is--" Narcissa took a moment to settle on "--pranking the wizarding world is discovered."

“As there should be!” Clarissa said, quick and guileless, grey eyes wide. It was a put-on, of course, the show of innocence she wore so often that few people realized it was in fact a show, though of course at the moment she was in fact guilty of nothing. “You know that I like a good joke, Narcissa- I wouldn’t get along so well with Rabastan otherwise!- but there are pranks, and then there are things that aren’t frivolous at all.” She paused, and then cocked her head just a touch, thoughtful. “Then again, it’s hard to know the motive without knowing who’s doing it. And just because someone thinks they have the authority to dole out ‘disciplinary action…’”

She took a quick, pointed sip of her drink, meeting Narcissa’s gaze carefully as she did so.

"Where does 'authority' truly lie in the absence of compelling leadership in our world?" Narcissa sighed, and a slight nod conveyed her understanding of the double-meaning. "Whatever action is to be taken, next, I think, must be chosen by the interests of all of those with the interest of our world and its traditions at heart. We have all watched our elders fail at executing the wisest plans under truly great leadership. Now we watch less inspiring leaders fumbling with the Ministry and our other institutions. Perhaps a younger generation with new ideas should be prepared to step up and lead. I mean, if Millicent Bagnold can be Minister, why couldn't you or I do just as well?" Her eyebrows rose as she cut off a bite of asparagus and lifted it delicately to her lips.

At that Clarissa laughed. “I would hardly dare compare you to Bagnold, dear,” she said, eyes sparkling. “Those hats…! But,” she added, sobering just as quickly; this was a perilous conversation if it was meant to test her, and as a halfblood among purists she had even less leeway than most, “I do take your meaning. Certain people stuck in old assumptions have made a botch of things time and again, that’s no secret. But if you can’t inspire awe, it’s easier to inspire fear. And ruling through fear only works if your underlings remain afraid. It’s easy to turn frightened people against each other and come out on top. If the younger generation won’t play along with that plan…” She shrugged almost off-handedly. “Authority is where you put it, isn’t it?”

Narcissa sighed. "If authority is disrespected, it eventually stops being authority, I'm afraid. And it would be a shame if a failure of ... individuals became a failure of a great cause overall. You and I will have to live in the world after the current generation of leadership leaves it. And if they can't manage to put a halt to the ongoing disintegration of society--I mean, really, Dark Marks at the hospital?--I don't know what we'll do. But we shall have to do something." Her exasperation at the ongoing matter of the Dark Marks was genuine. For once, Narcissa had no idea who was doing what. And while she wasn't sorry that someone was shaking things up, it was making things more and more difficult.

“I’ll drink to that,” Clarissa said with a smile, lifting her glass of wine to Narcissa for a moment before sipping it again and then turning her attention, more properly, to her meal. Their Lord knew that she was a woman who preferred action to sitting and waiting until the moment, though of course she had the trick of the latter down pat. A woman had to if she was going to rise in their world

And with allies such as this- and a mess of this scope to help clean up- who knew how far she might rise, in the end?

"Well," said Narcissa, raising her own wineglass to meet Clarissa's, "I'm glad we're of one mind on this, at least." And she smiled, more warmly than she had before.