Thicker than Water (Marauders Era)

25 December, 1975 - Christmas Party

Lavinia spent the first several days of her break practically tiptoeing around her mother, waiting for the moment the latter would find out about her Potions mock. It was Christmas day when the moment finally came and Lavinia was in her room, preparing herself for their annual party.

She was sitting in front of her vanity, carefully curling strands of her hair with her wand when her door opened without warning. She turned to see who it was, careful not to move the pieces of hair currently wrapped around her wand. She was unsurprised to see her mother entering the room, but when she closed the door behind her Lavinia felt a little flicker of fear. She forced herself to stay calm, waiting until she had finished with her charm and dropping the curled strand.

"Is it time to go down already?" Lavinia asked lightly, even though the clock right next to her said she had fifteen more minutes before she was expected. She didn't really know how else to start the conversation, at least not in a way that could be misinterpreted as snide or disrespectful.

"Not yet," said Rhea, approaching her daughter slowly. "Are you leaving your hair all down?"

Lavinia blinked, somewhat surprised that this was the chosen topic. "No," she said, deciding it was safe to resume her curling. She only had a few strands left to do anyway. "Half up," she clarified, seeing her mother's questioning gaze in the mirror.

"Lovely. It will frame your face well," Rhea said, squinting slightly, as though envisioning the final effect. "May I?" she asked, gesturing to Lavinia's hair.

Lavinia suppressed a frown of confusion. Her mother hadn't done her hair since she was little and frankly, it wasn't like Rhea to be this motherly. It made her slightly nervous. Rhea wanted something from her, she was certain of it. She just didn't know what. But this didn't feel like a punishment, so Lavinia nodded and lowered her wand from her hair.

Rhea twirled her own wand, curling the last few strands far more quickly than Lavinia had been managing. She then leaned over her daughter, selected a red ribbon from the neat little rack Lavinia kept on the vanity and tied half of her daughter's hair up with it, carefully arranging the curls until she stepped back to admire her work.

"Perfect, darling," she said with a smile. "I'm glad to see you took my suggestion for the dress as well."

Lavinia nodded. Of course she had. The dress was a red button down number with little white polka dots and white cuffs and collar, pulled in at the waist with a wide black belt. It wasn't her favorite - red wasn't exactly a color she'd have picked out - but she also wasn't about to go against a direct request from her mother. And it was a lovely dress, especially for the season.

"Come on then, give me a twirl," Rhea said, motioning for Lavinia to stand up, which she did, spinning once, enjoying the way the skirt flared. Rhea tipped her head to side slightly, lips pursed and then nodded. "It'll do," she said with a little shrug. Lavinia glanced down at herself, slightly self conscious now. What was wrong with it?

"Now Lavinia," Rhea continued and Lavinia looked up, not wanting to be accused of inattention. "The Blacks will be here, of course." Lavinia nodded. "I want you to make an effort to spend time with Regulus Black."

Ah, so this is what she wants, Lavinia thought.

"It's very important that this evening goes well," Rhea added. She smiled and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders, looking her directly in the eye. "The whole world is going to know Regulus Black is yours." The ferocious pride in Rhea's voice made Lavinia smile slightly. It was nice to be reminded sometimes that whatever Rhea did, it was always with the highest ambitions for her family - for her daughter.