@themalcolmparkinson

"It would have been rather embarrassing for you." Serra giggled, her superiority complex obvious. Annoyed that Alara didn't ask she provided the information herself. "I'm here with Antonin."

Alara rolled her eyes at her cousin and glanced around for Evan to come save her from this monster. "Do you think I would have attended if he wasn't with me?" She wouldn't have. This was the world they grew up in, didn't mean she had to be here. Emir and Mira would have been enough for the family appearance.

status: for @willabulstrode location: Rosa Lee's teabags

Standing up from her seat in Rosa Lee's she waved to Willa, motioning her friend over. It was the middle of the day and there were more people around than she had thought, so she wanted to make sure Willa saw her through the crowds. "It 's been too long. I told you, you should've come to Paris to visit.."

"I've talked to her earlier so she's around for sure. Perhaps she met someone and is showing him around the place." She teased with a smirk playing on her lips. "Sounds like a plan."

"Obviously! I haven't seen her yet, but she's got to be around somewhere." In a crowd this big losing people felt easy. She bet Serra would be able to find Willa. "We can find Wils, and then stop by your closet for a new dress?"

She wanted the distraction from all the trouble tonight had put her through. Her birthday party had been more than she had bargained for. When her parents first told her they would organise a big birthday party for her 21st, she thought nothing off it, feeling it fair as they were demanding her to come back from Paris much earlier than she had intended. If only she had known what they were planning, but they chose to leave her in the dark purposefully- so that she could not cause a scene. While she thrived off of attention, she did not want bad attention. So after they'd announced her betrothal, to her surprise, she just needed to get away. Landing right in Evan Rosier's arms. Her eyes blazed with anger, trying to overplay the hurt she felt at this old wound ripping open again. Malcolm and Charity Burbage. Again. She couldn't do this. She wasn't going to do this. She wouldn't be played for a fool by him again. If he could hook up with whoever he wanted, so could she. Anger made one do things they probably shouldn't as was the case right here. Her eyes falling to his lips for a moment before she locked eyes with him again. "I do. Let's get out of here."

He always knew what he was doing, a birthday girl deserved to be complimented and given presents, of the best kind. Evan had plenty to give and something told him that she was eager to find out more. A nonchalant grin dancing along his lips, the wizard used his grasp on her waist to pull her closer to his body, dragging her away from the guests' curious eyes. "It's not gossip if I've seen it with my own eyes." The wizard told her, his voice low and steady, looking into her eyes as he shared what he'd seen recently. "Your ex-boyfriend leaving with a Miss Burbage, not just once, looking all too cozy." He finally stated, eyes holding her gaze to see if it did anything to her, one of his hands leaving her waist to reach the nape of her neck, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. "It's worth plenty." The blonde reassured her, tongue wetting his bottom lip, his gaze settled on hers. "Want me to show you just how much it's worth?" He wondered, voice barely a whisper of hot breath as his hand on his waist slid down to grab a handful of her ass.

Serra loved all kinds of parties, any excuse to put on a pretty dress and have a few drinks was her idea of a good time. The Malfoy wedding was said to be the event of the season, she pitied anyone else having to follow that wedding. Luckily for her, her cousins were both betrothed now which meant they were getting married before her and she was still free to do whatever she wanted. Serra liked the life of having no responsibilities. It was easy and convenient. Smiling as she thanked the handsome wizard she took the glass of champagne from him.

"Thank you very much. I do agree with that sentiment. Weddings are much more enjoyable with a drink in hand."

where: the garden kew, london who: @serraborgin

Thorfinn showed for appearances, and that one of his closest friends was part of the wedding party and married to the sister of the other, and he was not going to turn down free alcohol. A petite witch caugt his attention, attractive, that he found his way over to where she was standing, grabbing two glasses of champagne.

"You are without a drink. That is not allowed at a wedding. Here you go." He holds it out for her.

"I do love dressing up for Halloween as well." Although their reasonings were different they did share a love for the same holiday. Serra didn't see the reason for hiding behind a mask as her face was so beautiful it would be a shame to hide it away. "I do enjoy masquerade balls as well. They have such a sense of grandeur that I've always liked. You know... I do still live on the family estate and we have an excellent ballroom. One of the best ballrooms in all of society." Serra boasted. "The war is going on long enough already. It is incredibly inconvenient. There are too many mudbloods running around, thinking that they are our equals." She shook her head.

He thought about it though he knew the answer if he was honest. “Halloween. A day when monsters and darkness abound, mischief and fun people can let loose without agonizing over it. Also the costumes. People don’t mind if you put on a mask. Masquerade balls are rarer these days, but Halloween parties are annual. I think if I hosted a ball it would be a masquerade around halloween, but I don’t have much reason besides whim. Beyond that, I no longer live on the family estate. It’s expected to have a proper place if you are hosting elaborated balls most times. People are too busy with their weddings and wars for whimsy, a sad thing, but true.

He chuckled at it. “Such a problem to have, that your taste for parties exceeds your grasp. I’ll have to push someone into throwing it for me.”

It was a scary thought, opening up to him again. She'd kept herself and her heart away from him purposefully, for many years now, as she'd worried about the power he had over her. They were like magnets, pulling towards each other, helpless to do anything against it. Was it the same for him? She wondered. Did he feel the same way she did? Still, she was too proud to show him how much he affected her. Of course she wanted him too, she thought a part of her would always want him, it was in her nature. He had only gotten more handsome in their time apart, the dark blue of his suit bringing out his eyes. She had only half listened when he spoke about traitors and nodded her agreement, distracted by how close he was standing. "You want me? Prove it." Her tone was playful, a hint of a challenge in it. She wasn't planning on making it this easy for him, she wanted him to put in the effort to get her back. Him giving her the upper hand in the wedding planning was a good start, she'd always known how she wanted her wedding to look like. The groom in her childhood fantasies had always been him as she grew up and he had broken her heart she had pushed those thoughts away. "I know what I want."

Malcolm couldn't remember what he had for breakfast on a good day so it wasn't a surprise that he couldn't pinpoint the exact timeline of him and Charity. There was a part of him that did remember, but it was all a haze that got lost under a weird thrill. Malcolm knew that Serra meant every word that she said and he would be the fool if he didn't believe her. It wasn't about being careful. He would've wanted this even if there wasn't a contract binding them together. "Trust me, I understand what can happen to a family's reputation. There's traitors making a mess of society and I'm glad none of them are here. I want this, I want you," he says. "I've wanted you and I wouldn't do anything to change that again." Maybe this wasn't the best place to have this conversation, but he had yet to ask if this was what she wanted. She probably had a line of suitors wishing for her hand, but they weren't the ones standing in front of her right now. "Oh, I do not question how green might look on you, but I was referencing the floral arrangements. We can plan whatever you want. I've heard that Emir had little to say in the arrangements here and look how good it turned out."

i agree with my opinion and thats all that matters

"Wonderfully. With lots of champagne." She sighed wistfully, already missing the beautiful city she got to call home for a few short months. It had more charm and elegance than London did. It felt more refined.

"I ran into him on the street as I was going to visit my father at the shop. He said something about me looking much better here than I would in Paris, so I said I would look good everywhere. Because that is a fact." The last bit was said as an afterthought. "He's been begging for forgiveness for years. With all the jewellery and dresses he's been buying me. I have yet to see him on his knees though."

"How did Paris treat you? Too many hours spent at the Avenue des Champs-Elysées" Willa asked intrigued, quietly thanking the waitress as two teapots were sat in front of the pair. Serra understood Willa's love for the finer things in life, and while most would expect their attitudes to clash, in fact it made quite the harmonious balance.

Pouring tea for herself and Serra, Willa's eyebrow quirked in response the the mention of Malcolm Parkinson. Back at Hogwarts, Willa recalled first talking to Serra after the commotion between Serra and Malcolm, and of course, Charity Burbage. She was slightly older, but that didn't stop word from spreading. "What happened?" Setting the teapot back down, she looked back at her friend. "I sure hope that he begged for forgiveness."

"Somewhere where you won't be." She replied as if it was obvious, a sugary sweet smile playing on her lips. "You don't need another address. You can address it to my parents house and the houseleves will get it to me." She did still live there after all, but if he came by and her parents got wind of it they would get the wrong idea. He already ordered the present after all, it would be a shame for a perfectly good pair of shoes to go to waste. And she did like the dress, there was no harm in accepting the presents, it didn't change anything. "I am having a party. Invites have already been sent out. I just don't want you there, so if my parents happened to have sent you one, ignore it. If you want to send me a gift, I need new earrings. Emerald."

Malcolm knew he was playing with fire. Serra was absolutely right. She should turn down his advances as he had thought to buy back her forgiveness rather than have a painful and honest conversation. That didn't seem like him and he needed to ask Agatha about that. Yet, her words, though expected, dug into him and left a mark. "And where will you be? I should need a new address if I am to send you Italian shoes to go with the dress from the other month," Malcolm grinned. "Well, it is a special birthday so I should hope you are having a party in some capacity. Please, if I don't get an invite at least tell me what gift I can send in my absence."