Necessary Gifts
Title: Necessary Gifts
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,305
Characters: Esmeralda Selwynn, Augustus Rookwood, Druella Black, Rostislav Lestrange, Marishka Lestrange
Prompt: 023. First.
Summary: Druella is watching the twins while their parents are off on a mission when Augustus and Esmeralda come by for a visit.
Warnings: Alternative Universe of lumos_founders. Set just before Voldemort's fall, so the twins are going on roughly three.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to J.K. Rowling. Except for the little Lestranges... I blame poetic_depths and xxjinxxx for the names and my brain for the rest.
Esmeralda made sure that her hair was very firmly in place, she had been around enough children to know what could happen if one wore their hair loose, before ringing the bell. She turned to her companion and motioned at his cloak, which was bulging strangely in places. "You just couldn't resist, could you?" she asked as they waited for their hostess to open the door.
"Children like presents," Augustus replied. "Besides, they're from both of us and you know that I'd never pick out anything distasteful." There was the sound of a crash from inside the house followed by a child's laughter and a woman's sharp reprimand. Augustus's eyebrow raised and he exchanged a look with Esmeralda before the door opened to reveal a perfectly composed and smiling blonde woman. "Diamond, darling, you look as beautiful as always." He took her hands and kissed her on the forehead before stepping aside so that the two women could embrace, eyes drawn to the small child standing off to the left of the entrance. His outfit looked as though he had poured juice all over it, his blonde hair looked sticky and his silver-gray eyes were glinting with a sort of mischief that Augustus had seen before. "You must be Rostislav." He held out the larger package from underneath his robe, it was roughly the size of his arm. "I have something for you."
Druella stepped up beside her grandson, hand hovering a little over his head as though she did not quite want to touch the mess that was his hair. "This is Mr. Rookwood, Rostislav," she said. "And Ms. Selwynn. They're very good acquaintances of the family and it's alright to take gifts from them." In fact, not taking the gifts could create more problems than accepting them ever would. Augustus may have smiled easily but Druella had known him long enough to realize how he reacted to what he perceived as slights to his honor.
Augustus laid the box on the ground for Rostislav to open, which he did with a murmured thank you. His face lit up when the top came off and he glanced up at Augustus with huge eyes. "Augustus," Druella said, eyes nearly as wide as the boy's. "You got him a broom? He's not even three yet!"
"It's a toy broom," Augustus replied, kneeling down to show the toddler how it worked. "Only flies about a foot off the ground and it doesn't go very fast, so it'll be hard for him to hurt himself with it. You know that his parents would approve, world-class Beaters the both of them." As he tried to explain the broom to the eager child Esmeralda turned to Druella, who still looked slightly upset.
"I had no idea that he got him that," Esmeralda assured Druella. "But you know Aug, he can't resist the change to buy people things. Especially when they're children." She laid a hand on the blonde woman's shoulder. "It could have been much worse, he could have gotten one of them a toy Potions set."
"I considered it, but decided against it seeing as how these are Bella's children." Augustus smiled at them before turning to help Rostislav onto his new toy broom.
Druella pressed a finger to her forehead and sighed. "He managed to break a vase that Cygnus's aunt gave to us for our wedding already without a broom... I cannot imagine what will happen now. But I cannot very well tell him no, not when he looks that happy. I just wish Augustus would think before he bought things like this, or consult with me."
"His parents would approve and you know it very well, Diamond." Augustus was not looking at them and his voice was quite nonchalant. "I'm sure he has far more dangerous things than a toy broom at home.
"I do," Rostislav agreed.
"See?"
"Is his sister here as well?" Esmeralda asked, looking around for the girl child.
"She's here somewhere... I lost track of her when Rostislav broke the vase right before you arrived." Druella peered up the staircase. "Marishka! There are people here to meet you." When there was no response after a moment she added. "There's a present involved."
Esmeralda smiled. "Bribery, Druella?"
"She's very like her mother," Druella explained as a small shape came darting down the steps. "Ah, here we are. Marishka, these our are guests and very good friends of the family. Mr. Rookwood and Ms. Selwynn."
The girl peered up at Esmeralda with eyes the same color as her brother's, though the ringlets that tumbled from her head were as black as Bellatrix's had been. She gave a perfect curtsy and glanced at her brother as he started off down the hall on his broom, the hint of a pout forming on her lips. Esmeralda could not deny that she was quite adorable, but she had that same glint to her eyes as her twin and that alone would have revealed her parentage.
"Little darling," Augustus said. "You look quite like your mother did at that age, except for the eyes, you and your brother have your father's eyes. Has anyone ever told you that?" Marishka nodded, studying Augustus with open curiosity. "Come here, little Raven, I have a gift for you as well." Marishka's pout changed into a smile and she skipped over to Augustus without waiting for her grandmother to say it was alright. She was more trusting than her brother.
Druella held a hand up to her mouth. "You will never stop giving girls nicknames, will you, Aug?"
"Never," the man agreed as he presented a box that was smaller than the one he had given Rostislav. He reached up to touch one of Marishka's curls as she opened the box. "With the color of her hair, Raven fits too perfectly." He looked as though he had meant to say something else, but Marishka let out a very childish squeal and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Augustus chuckled and stroked her smooth hair, looking quite pleased with himself.
"What did he give you, darling?" Druella asked, trying to peer into the box.
Marishka released Augustus's neck and held the box up, beaming. "Uncle Rook gave me a kitten!" she declared as the small kitten inside the box meowed. And it was a very, very small kitten who looked almost exactly like Esmeralda's Selene, only on a much smaller scale.
Esmeralda smiled. "I wondered what you and Antonin had been doing with her, seeing as how you would never hurt my cat."
Druella smiled and reached in to scratch the small kitten. "What are you going to name her?"
Marishka looked very serious then as she looked between the kitten and Augustus. "You name her, Uncle Rook."
Augustus looked as though he was thinking, but both Druella and Esmeralda knew that he had already picked a name out. "I think that you should name her Artemis, little Raven. It would be fitting."
"Okay." Marishka picked the kitten out of the box and hugged her carefully - far more carefully than Druella had thought she would. Then she leaned up to kiss Augustus on the cheek before dashing off after her brother.
"Of course, we brought you something too, Druella," Esmeralda said, nodding to Augustus. She hooked her arm around her friend's. "Come on, Aug, give it to her."
"Very well." Augustus stood up and drew a sparkling necklace out of his pocket. "A necklace to match the bracelet that I gave you when we were in Hogwarts, Diamond. It was Strawberry's idea, she didn't want you to feel left out even though I think that you've gotten gifts enough with these grandchildren of yours. Raven is absolutely precious." He laughed again. "Uncle Rook... ah, from the mouths of babes."
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,305
Characters: Esmeralda Selwynn, Augustus Rookwood, Druella Black, Rostislav Lestrange, Marishka Lestrange
Prompt: 023. First.
Summary: Druella is watching the twins while their parents are off on a mission when Augustus and Esmeralda come by for a visit.
Warnings: Alternative Universe of lumos_founders. Set just before Voldemort's fall, so the twins are going on roughly three.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to J.K. Rowling. Except for the little Lestranges... I blame poetic_depths and xxjinxxx for the names and my brain for the rest.
Esmeralda made sure that her hair was very firmly in place, she had been around enough children to know what could happen if one wore their hair loose, before ringing the bell. She turned to her companion and motioned at his cloak, which was bulging strangely in places. "You just couldn't resist, could you?" she asked as they waited for their hostess to open the door.
"Children like presents," Augustus replied. "Besides, they're from both of us and you know that I'd never pick out anything distasteful." There was the sound of a crash from inside the house followed by a child's laughter and a woman's sharp reprimand. Augustus's eyebrow raised and he exchanged a look with Esmeralda before the door opened to reveal a perfectly composed and smiling blonde woman. "Diamond, darling, you look as beautiful as always." He took her hands and kissed her on the forehead before stepping aside so that the two women could embrace, eyes drawn to the small child standing off to the left of the entrance. His outfit looked as though he had poured juice all over it, his blonde hair looked sticky and his silver-gray eyes were glinting with a sort of mischief that Augustus had seen before. "You must be Rostislav." He held out the larger package from underneath his robe, it was roughly the size of his arm. "I have something for you."
Druella stepped up beside her grandson, hand hovering a little over his head as though she did not quite want to touch the mess that was his hair. "This is Mr. Rookwood, Rostislav," she said. "And Ms. Selwynn. They're very good acquaintances of the family and it's alright to take gifts from them." In fact, not taking the gifts could create more problems than accepting them ever would. Augustus may have smiled easily but Druella had known him long enough to realize how he reacted to what he perceived as slights to his honor.
Augustus laid the box on the ground for Rostislav to open, which he did with a murmured thank you. His face lit up when the top came off and he glanced up at Augustus with huge eyes. "Augustus," Druella said, eyes nearly as wide as the boy's. "You got him a broom? He's not even three yet!"
"It's a toy broom," Augustus replied, kneeling down to show the toddler how it worked. "Only flies about a foot off the ground and it doesn't go very fast, so it'll be hard for him to hurt himself with it. You know that his parents would approve, world-class Beaters the both of them." As he tried to explain the broom to the eager child Esmeralda turned to Druella, who still looked slightly upset.
"I had no idea that he got him that," Esmeralda assured Druella. "But you know Aug, he can't resist the change to buy people things. Especially when they're children." She laid a hand on the blonde woman's shoulder. "It could have been much worse, he could have gotten one of them a toy Potions set."
"I considered it, but decided against it seeing as how these are Bella's children." Augustus smiled at them before turning to help Rostislav onto his new toy broom.
Druella pressed a finger to her forehead and sighed. "He managed to break a vase that Cygnus's aunt gave to us for our wedding already without a broom... I cannot imagine what will happen now. But I cannot very well tell him no, not when he looks that happy. I just wish Augustus would think before he bought things like this, or consult with me."
"His parents would approve and you know it very well, Diamond." Augustus was not looking at them and his voice was quite nonchalant. "I'm sure he has far more dangerous things than a toy broom at home.
"I do," Rostislav agreed.
"See?"
"Is his sister here as well?" Esmeralda asked, looking around for the girl child.
"She's here somewhere... I lost track of her when Rostislav broke the vase right before you arrived." Druella peered up the staircase. "Marishka! There are people here to meet you." When there was no response after a moment she added. "There's a present involved."
Esmeralda smiled. "Bribery, Druella?"
"She's very like her mother," Druella explained as a small shape came darting down the steps. "Ah, here we are. Marishka, these our are guests and very good friends of the family. Mr. Rookwood and Ms. Selwynn."
The girl peered up at Esmeralda with eyes the same color as her brother's, though the ringlets that tumbled from her head were as black as Bellatrix's had been. She gave a perfect curtsy and glanced at her brother as he started off down the hall on his broom, the hint of a pout forming on her lips. Esmeralda could not deny that she was quite adorable, but she had that same glint to her eyes as her twin and that alone would have revealed her parentage.
"Little darling," Augustus said. "You look quite like your mother did at that age, except for the eyes, you and your brother have your father's eyes. Has anyone ever told you that?" Marishka nodded, studying Augustus with open curiosity. "Come here, little Raven, I have a gift for you as well." Marishka's pout changed into a smile and she skipped over to Augustus without waiting for her grandmother to say it was alright. She was more trusting than her brother.
Druella held a hand up to her mouth. "You will never stop giving girls nicknames, will you, Aug?"
"Never," the man agreed as he presented a box that was smaller than the one he had given Rostislav. He reached up to touch one of Marishka's curls as she opened the box. "With the color of her hair, Raven fits too perfectly." He looked as though he had meant to say something else, but Marishka let out a very childish squeal and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Augustus chuckled and stroked her smooth hair, looking quite pleased with himself.
"What did he give you, darling?" Druella asked, trying to peer into the box.
Marishka released Augustus's neck and held the box up, beaming. "Uncle Rook gave me a kitten!" she declared as the small kitten inside the box meowed. And it was a very, very small kitten who looked almost exactly like Esmeralda's Selene, only on a much smaller scale.
Esmeralda smiled. "I wondered what you and Antonin had been doing with her, seeing as how you would never hurt my cat."
Druella smiled and reached in to scratch the small kitten. "What are you going to name her?"
Marishka looked very serious then as she looked between the kitten and Augustus. "You name her, Uncle Rook."
Augustus looked as though he was thinking, but both Druella and Esmeralda knew that he had already picked a name out. "I think that you should name her Artemis, little Raven. It would be fitting."
"Okay." Marishka picked the kitten out of the box and hugged her carefully - far more carefully than Druella had thought she would. Then she leaned up to kiss Augustus on the cheek before dashing off after her brother.
"Of course, we brought you something too, Druella," Esmeralda said, nodding to Augustus. She hooked her arm around her friend's. "Come on, Aug, give it to her."
"Very well." Augustus stood up and drew a sparkling necklace out of his pocket. "A necklace to match the bracelet that I gave you when we were in Hogwarts, Diamond. It was Strawberry's idea, she didn't want you to feel left out even though I think that you've gotten gifts enough with these grandchildren of yours. Raven is absolutely precious." He laughed again. "Uncle Rook... ah, from the mouths of babes."