darkbeater (darkbeater) wrote in unforgivenrpg, @ 2010-08-20 20:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, 2000-08, c: alexander bole, c: hannah abbott, type: log |
Hannah finally meets Alex
Who: Alex and Hannah
Where: Bole Estate
When: Thursday, Aug 19th
What: Hannah's just arriving
Rating: Low
Alex
To say that he was less than pleased was an understatement. No, this entire arrangement didn’t amuse Alex one little bit He had always figured that he was going to have an arranged marriage at some point in his life, it was the tradition of his family to do such things, but this was something that he just didn’t quite find the logic in. He was being married to a Hufflepuff of all things. Couldn’t be a Slytherin, or Merlin forbid another Death Eater. No, it had to be a little Hufflepuff that they had picked up somewhere.
He just shook his head as he waited out on the balcony of his home. It really was his parents home, though since they had died in the war it had gone to him. His brother and sister had moved out to little homes of their own, which was a bonus and yet wasn’t. The estate seemed so empty without anyone else around. That part at least was accepted. With the little Puff in the house, at least it wouldn’t seem as empty as it had been these past few weeks. But, he still couldn’t shake the whole Hufflepuff part. That House in school hadn’t impressed him at all in any regard anywhere, and now he was going to end up married to one.
He had his two house elves running around making sure the mansion was clean and taken care of. None of those were chores he particularly enjoyed, so in this case he was more than willing to let the two creatures do all that work for him. Made his life that much easier. When the news that she had arrived had come, Alex sent the creatures off to do what they were supposed to do. And he could tell from the smell that somehow always wafted through the halls of the mansion that dinner was almost ready. He always suspected the had a hand in that to lure him into the kitchen, but he wasn’t going to argue that bit.
Hannah
Hannah knew she should be thrilled to be leaving Azkaban, but as she was led from her cell and told she was being 'presented' to her new fiancé (a Slytherin boy she'd never heard of) she couldn't bring herself to be excited about it. As far as she was concerned, she was simply being transferred from one prison to another.
She arrived still wearing her prisoner's guard and she felt like a shabby trespasser as she stood in the oppulant foyer of Bole's home. HER home. A house elf greeted her and she was led to a room where she could freshen up and prepare to meet 'the Master.'
The washroom was on the second floor, and though the window wasn't bolted, escape would be impossible. Not that Hannah would have tried it: her location was being monitored, and if her family WAS still alive, they would surely be the first to suffer for her disobedience. She left the window open anyway, enjoying the fresh air.
She washed quickly and changed into the only clothes she had: the floral housedress she'd been arrested in weeks - was it months? - before. She watched her reflection as she brushed out her long blonde hair, but althougt she practiced her smile for a few moments, she couldn't bring herself to look herself in the eyes.
No one was waiting to lead her away, so she made her own way down towards the foyer. Her footsteps echoed loudly in the empty space and she slowed as she approached the bottom of the stairs. She had no idea where the kitchen or dining room might be and resolved to wait there until one of the elves - or Bole - came to collect her.
Alex
Escape on foot away from the Bole estate wasn't something that most people without wands could do. His family wasn't as rich as the Malfoy's, but they were pretty close to it. The mansion itself covered acres and acres of land, more than couple of square miles. Though, someone could easily hide themselves within the mansion itself, as it had at least ten rooms to it. All of which were decorated in the same old style, extravagent, but definitely not something that would seem to have been from Bole himself. Half of them would need to go someplace else, though that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.
One thing that might have been unexpected, however, was that the House Elf who answered the door was rather cheerful. This wasn't a creature that seemed to be abused in the least, and instead seemed quite happy to be serving this particular family. Once she was ready, the elf would pop in at the base of the stairs. "This way, this way. Dinner is ready. Master says you would be hungry. Good food." And it would lead her toward the dining room.
Once there, the first thing that would be obvious would be the smell. The scent of pasta and sauce would fill the room and the adjoining chambers. And the table would definitely be set for a meal. Two plates already laid out, one at the end of the dinning table, and the other to the side of it one place down. "Sit sit." the elf would say as it motions her toward the table. "Master be down in a moment." And it would stay there, off to the side as it watched her, almost as if it was waiting to see just where she would sit.
A few moments later, Alex appeared at the same door way, his hands linked together behind his back as he considered the scene before him. "You must be Hannah." he said as he looked her over. Oh, Bole had absolutely no shyness in him at all as he regarded her, his gaze quite bold in its appraising. At least she's cute, he thought to himself. That at least made up for a few things.
Hannah
Hannah smiled at the House Elf and gave a mute nod. It wasn't that she was trying to be rude - she just had no idea how to behave around House Elves. Her father had grown up with one, but it passed to his older brother and not to him and Hannah had only stories to go by. "Thank you," she managed as she made her way to the dining room. Mention of good food made her stomach growl in anticipation. She worried that she'd forgotten what actual food would even taste like after so much time with nothing but prison rations.
She wasn't too taken aback by the rich decor - she'd become a little desensitized to it by the time she reached the dining room. The enormous table looked almost comical with its two place settings, however. Hannah made her way to the seat next to the seat at the head of the table. The master of the house clearly sat there, after all: even at home, her father had sat at the head of the table with her mother at the other. As she draped her napkin over her lap, Hannah was quite impressed by the quality of the china and silverware - which she guessed was actual silver - but she was also a little intimidated by the number of forks and spoons before her.
Of course, all thoughts of etiquette were completely obliterated when she spotted a bowl heaped with dinner rolls. Acting on pure instinct, Hannah reached out and grabbed one roll in each hand, and she hid one on her lap beneath the edge of the table, as though afraid someone would take it from her otherwise. The other roll was brought straight to her mouth, and she didn't even stop to savor the delicious aroma of fresh baked bread before she bit off nearly half of it and started chewing. Her eyes closed and she let out an appreciative, "Mmmmm," as she savored her first bite of real food in months.
She had about three seconds to enjoy her food before a voice behind her made her jump right out of her seat, nudging it noisily back about half a foot. She turned to face Bole, one hand holding the roll, the other hand holding her napkin (and another roll) and her eyes were comically large - as were her cheeks as she struggled to manage the too-large bite of bread that was still in her mouth. It was clear that she was stuck for a few seconds, not sure what she should do in this situation. She didn't notice Bole eyeing her because she turned her face away so he wouldn't watch as she did her best to chew and swallow as quickly and politely as possible.
The bread went down hard and she coughed once as she quickly wiped her hands with the napkin to remove any crumbs. Her first words to her future husband were a rushed, "I'm so sorry," followed quickly by a,"They didn't feed me this morning," which made her feel like even more like livestock than she already had. She cleared her throat and straightened, holding her head high and proving that she also had good posture. "Yes, I'm Hannah," she said. Not sure if a handshake would seem out of place, she instead dropped to a quick curtsy and gave him the smile she'd been practicing earlier: it looked equal parts forced and embarrassed.
Alex
He watched her for another moment, almost as if considering things. But, if anything, her reaction only earned her a smirk from Bole. He had never been one to really care much about formalities if he didn’t need to. He grew up on them sure, but he was far happier in a downtown pub brawl than sipping wine and doing the waltz at one of his parents friend’s house.
“I doubt they fed any of you guys well, though you would think they would.” Alex said with a shake of his head as he motioned toward the table. “Don’t mind me, Moogie likely started grinning from ear to floppy ear the moment you dove into its table.” He then glanced back toward the elves before he gave a dismissive wave of his hands. “You can clean up later, shoo.” He mumbled toward them. He would wait for her to sit back down again before he moved to his own seat.
He paused for a moment to look at the empty chairs before he turned his attention back toward her. “Eat, don’t worry about me. I’ve never been one to just sit back and make a hungry young lady even hungry.” He said with a chuckle. “Moogie’s a fine chef, long as one keeps an eye on it. Otherwise, it gets far too creative for its own good. But, this is an easy enough meal. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it well enough.”
Hannah
Now that she was recovering somewhat from the horrible first impression she must have made, she had a chance to take Bole in for the first time. He was taller than she thought he'd be, though now that she'd seen his face, she recognized him as being a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Beater, possibly. Hannah followed Quidditch in school, though she was basically rubbish at flying.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she missed part of what he said. "Moggie?" she echoed, though it became clear that he was referring to one of the elves. There was a bit of awkward silence as Bole waited for Hannah to take her seat - because she was waiting for him to sit before she took her seat. Luckily she realized her error quickly, otherwise dinner would have been even more awkward. Hannah took her place at the table and draped the napkin back on her lap. She eyed her half-eaten roll and opted to tear a piece off and stick it furtively in her mouth while avoiding eye contact. Future husband or no, the bread was good and Merlin, was she hungry.
When he told her to eat, she let out a sigh of gratitude and began digging into the food in earnest. She made sure to chew with her mouth closed and she was still fairly ladylike about it, but it was clear that she couldn't get enough of the food into her stomach at a quick enough rate. Conversation would be entirely one sided until she'd gotten at least halfway through the contents of her plate. When she'd eaten enough that she thought she could risk conversation, she eyed Bole for a moment before she asked, "What's the other one's name? In case I need to call for,,, it." She didn't much like the idea of calling a living thing an 'it' but she was doing her best not to make any waves. She also hoped that the topic of names might prompt him to offer his own - she hoped at least to learn whether he was an Alex or an Alexander.
Alex
“Mooooogie.” Alex said with a shake of his head as he settled himself into the seat and leaned forward on the table. He rested his elbows on its edge and his chin in his hands as he watched her. “Like the sound a cow makes. My sister named it, what can I say.” He just smirked a little at the thought, even as his gaze went over to make sure the elves had disappeared.
After a few moments, however, he decided that he was too hungry just to sit there and so turned his attention to his own plate and began to eat from it. Though, his actions were far more measured than hers. He had breakfast, and a lunch after all. Being free had its advantages. Then, her question came toward him and he gave a soft chuckle. “Just hollar out ‘elf!’ and one or the other will come calling. But if you need to tell them apart, one is Moogie, the other is Fekkie.” He said simply enough.
He watched her for another moment, the amused thought that she was going to make herself sick later at the rate she was eating entered his mind. But that wasn’t for now. Instead, he ate for another few moments. Only once about half of his plate was done, did he lean back into his chair, his hand going to encircle the glass of wine that had been brought out sometime during their eating, so that he could sip from it. “How much did they tell you?” No, it didn’t look like he was going to offer up his choice of names just yet at any rate.
Hannah
"Moogie and Fekkie," Hannah repeated, getting the names clear in her mind. If she thought they were ridiculous, she hid it well. Her pace had slowed, but she still seemed quite intent on her food, taking wine only to help her wash it down. She wasn't sure if the starvation was to blame, but this was easily the best food she'd ever eaten.
She was about to ask Bole if his sister was here as well. To be honest, she wasn't sure if that would make things better or worse for her: having another person in the empty house might be nice, but she wasn't sure she could stand living with more than one Death Eater. Alex asked his question first, however, and as the topic turned towards her present situation and what she knew (and didn't know) about it, she found her appetite finally waning. Hannah set down her fork and dabbed her mouth with a corner of her napkin.
"Not much," she said, looking not at Bole but at her wine glass. She gripped it by the stem and turned it absently on the tablecloth, watching the wine in it. "When they... arrested me, I wasn't told anything. I don't think they knew what to do with me right away: I was in there for... a few days I think, before someone came in and told me about the Program." The one where she was married off to someone she'd never met with no choice in the matter.
"Someone came in this morning and told me I was being released and sent to my Fiancé," she said, doing her best to keep her tone neutral and light, though it was difficult. "I learned your name on the way over, but that's about it." She glanced at him, which turned out to be a mistake. It was a quick look, but unguarded: if he was at all astute, he would be able to easily see the resentment in her eyes. She looked away quickly and took a long pull from her glass. She tried to remind herself that this wasn't, strictly speaking, his fault - he was probably just as unhappy with the idea as she was. More importantly, she shouldn't let him know how much she disapproved of the idea: she didn't want word getting back to You-Know-Who.
Alex
House elf names were all too often ridiculous. Least in his opinion, but that didn’t matter in the long run. They were named, and they did their jobs, and he couldn’t imagine life without them to be honest. Much as it would pain him to say that outloud to someone, he had grown used to their presence in keeping things clean and tidy and the owner fed.
He listened to her speak about what they told her about the program, before he nodded his head. “That sounds about right.” He said in a simple voice. Alex took a long slow sip from his glass of wine as he considered it, and then her. If he noticed the look in her eyes, he didn’t seem to react on it at first. Instead, he merely began to speak again. “They’re created a program that we’re both part of. Eventually, they’re going to announce a wedding date for us, and you and I will become husband and wife, regardless of our own opinion about the pairing.” Did that mean he wasn’t thrilled about it himself?
“I’m supposed to teach you how to be a proper Pureblooded wife and lady apparently, though that in and of itself is laughable as I’ve never really been a proper man in upper society. Much to my parents annoyance about such things.” Alex managed to crack a smile at the thought of that. He really had annoyed his mother with his antics, but he was always proper when it was necessary. “But we’ll see how things go in that regard. Just don’t do anything that would get us both in trouble, hmm?”
Alex then tilted his head slightly as he regarded her for another moment. “You have the run of the house and the lands outside of it, though you’re not supposed to go beyond that without permission. That would be one of those things that get us into trouble.” He said with a smirk. “Fekkie has put together one of the guest rooms, since somehow I doubt you’d be willing to join me in my bed tonight.” Or any time soon, but that was something he was looking forward to, to be honest about it. He had this thing about challenges.
“You have any questions about things?”
Hannah
When he mentioned that the wedding would happen regardless of 'our' opinion about the pairing, Hannah looked at him again, and this look was a lot more at ease. It had never occurred to her that he might be just as upset over this as she was. She had a dizzying moment of hope when she thought that maybe they would be able to do something about it - maybe they could simply refuse to be married or he could turn her out of the house or let her go or-
She squashed these hopes quickly: she knew he was as bound to this arrangement as she was, and there was really no hope of getting out of it. All she could do was hope that somehow the Death Eaters were defeated and the law was repealed. Although it seemed impossible: Harry was dead and it seemed that all hope had died with him.
She was still lost in unhappy thoughts, so she merely nodded when he talked about being a Proper Pureblood Lady and about not doing things that would get them into trouble. His comment about sharing his bed earned him another look, though this one was a bit withering. He was smirking, but she still wasn't willing to let his remark pass as being simply a joke. And she had no intention of slipping into bed with a man she'd known for less than an hour, no matter how good dinner was.
Her gaze dropped to the food on her plate and she speared some of the remaining pasta absently with the fork. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask about things: why was this happening, how could Voldemort be so cruel, why did her mother have to die, why did any of this have to happen... Ultimately, she didn't ask any of those questions, though: she knew he couldn't answer them. She looked his way and asked, "I was wondering if you'd maybe heard about my family? I... have a father and-" There was an unexpected lump in her throat and she dropped her gaze. "And a brother and my aunt. I don't know what happened to them after I was arrested and no one would tell me anything." There were tears but she was fighting them harder than she'd fought anything before. She wasn't about to let a Slytherin see her cry - not if she could help it.
Alex
The laws might someday get repealed, but he doubted they would happen in any amount of time to save either of them from getting married. And none of the others were an option for him. He had his orders, and so he was going to follow them. He had always expected to have a marriage arranged for him, it was the tradition of his family. His father was like that, as was his grandfather, and so on up the family tree for as long as anyone could remember. Only in this case, instead of an influential family, it was a political arrangement he was willing to accept to further his position within the current Ministry.
Her withering stare only got her an amused smirk in return. Even if she had a wand still, Alex would have given her the same look. He had no doubt she would fight tooth and nail against him, but he also had no doubt that he would succeed and she would find herself in his bed. If it was one thing that Alex didn’t lack, it was confidence, especially when it came to women. He liked to consider himself an expert there, whether or not it was true was open for debate.
Then, her question came, and he arched an eyebrow at her as he considered the question. He was silent for a long moment as he thought about what he had been told when he was told who he was getting. But, then he just shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I was only told about your mother, and what she was. I can ask about the rest of your family if you want, but I wasn’t given that information, so I don’t know what happened to them.” Could’ve been anything in truth, though it could’ve also have been something more complex.
Hannah
"What she was," Hannah repeated, her indignation apparent. Her fork was set down with a clatter on her plate and she glared at Bole, no longer caring if he saw how close she was to tears. Part of her mind was telling her that she should hold her temper and her tongue and keep quiet. The rest of her, however, was blinded by fury.
"My mother worked for the Ministry and that was all," Hannah said. "She wanted nothing to do with this war, all she cared about was keeping her family safe. She wasn't a spy, she wasn't a soldier - she was just my mum and she never did anything to hurt anyone and now she's dead!" Her voice was shrill and the tears were hot on her face as she glared at him.
Realizing that she'd made a spectacle of herself, Hannah wiped her mouth with her napkin and then set it down rather forcefully beside her plate. "May I be excused," she asked curtly, "I've lost my appetite."
Alex
He was taken aback for a moment. Not so much because she was threatening to him, he was too arrogant to think any woman smaller than him could be a threat, but because of what was happening. He was being yelled at by a Hufflepuff. The thought was almost too amusing for him, and after that initial moment, the amused expression would return.
“A lot of people in the Ministry died.” Alex said simply as he arched an eyebrow at her. “It was a war, and those sort of things happened.” His own father worked for the Ministry, and he was dead too, but he wasn’t going to say that part. Instead, he just kept his gaze on her as if to test just how far she was willing to push herself at the moment. “I suspect if she died, than she was much more than what you are saying. Are you sure you even knew her?” Oh, he was more than willing to provoke, it was half the fun.
He then smirked a bit, and a half snort came out of him as he tilted his head and watched her for another moment. “And if I refuse to excuse you?” he asked, his voice still calm, but definitely with a challenge to it. Just how brave was the little Hufflepuff he wondered.
Hannah
It was possible that if Hannah still had her wand, Bole would be suffering from a number of uncomfortable hexes after asking Hannah if she knew her own mother. The very thought that this Slytherin - this Death Eater - was saying she didn't know her mother, and all but calling her mother a rebel was too much for her to bear.
Hannah rose to her feet and watched him evenly, head held high. When he asked what would happen if he refused to excuse her, she just met his gaze with a challenge in her eyes. "Then you're going to have to physically hold me here," she told him. "Or else hex me while my back is turned." And with that, she turned from the table so abruptly that her blonde hair fanned out behind her before she began to stride purposefully towards the door, head still held high.
She knew it was a stupid move to make and that she may be beaten for it, but she didn't care. Death Eater or no, Bole didn't own her. She may have to play the part of Pureblood Wife when they were married or in public, but no one - not even Voldemort himself - had the power to make her live the role in her heart. They hadn't taken that away from her yet, and she'd be damned if she was going to give Bole the satisfaction of breaking her the first night she was in his home.
Alex
No, he knew her mother wasn’t a rebel. She died long before the Ministry actually fell. There were no rebels at that time. Though, he would call her an unbeliever. Someone who had stood against the Death Eaters and what the Dark Lord was preaching to his followers. Something she didn’t go along with, which is likely the reason she had died. Not that he had been there, nor was it any of his concern, but that would have been his opinion all along.
He tilted his head at her comment, one brow arched slightly as he returned her gaze. He didn’t say anything at first, though he just waited to see if she’d actually go through on her words. When she spun and began to leave, his lips curled into an amused smirk. No, he’d likely be yelled at if any of the Elders knew or saw what had happened. But you couldn’t twist something or turn someone to your beliefs until you knew just what you were dealing with.
Once she was out of the kitchen, and she might have caught some of it, but Alex began to laugh. Not a little chuckle, but an highly amused laugh that started in his stomach and just rolled out of his chest. “Least the little thing has spirit.” He said toward the elves that had appeared. He waved his hand toward the elf that had appeared. “If you liked her, feel free to take her what’s left of dinner before you clean up. If nothing else for the spirit. She amused me.” He grinned at the elf, before he rose from the table and went to walk outside into the night air to enjoy a few more hours of fresh air before the night ended.