June 24th, 1890 — Fort Lestrange

Thankfully, the billywig sting's effects hadn't revisited her at the ball. Just to be sure that she wouldn't start floating in the middle of the ballroom, Ellory had turned down all the dance offers she had received. She made sure to stay in the sidelines, so if she started to randomly float again, people wouldn't notice as easily.

However, when she saw Antigone Lestrange from a distance, Ellory just had to approach her.

Claude had done none of the terrible things Antigone had suggested he would do to her. He had been nice and courteous and the two had had great fun in Australia. Ellory could bet that Tiberius wasn't half as good of a husband as Claude was. And she was going to rub this to Antigone's face, even if Claude had told her to avoid Antigone and Tiberius if they upset her so much, as a mature person would.

"Antigone," Ellory greeted, unable to contain her smug smile.

Antigone Lestrange

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   Antigone Lestrange, Rosalind Pendergast

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SET BY MJ

Ever since Smellory's dumb wedding Tig had been in competitive overdrive. It suddenly seemed as though all five years of her marriage thus far had been squandered, even if she had started to ease into society of late. Not that she needed a head-start on Ellory, Ellory was a foolish little girl who couldn't even dress herself, let alone host the sort of events that would elevate her in society. Last night, in Tig's opinion, only proved it. She was also acutely aware that she hadn't done anything since Christmastime and she could no longer let the grass grow beneath her feet if she wanted to keep Ellory in her proper place beneath her.

At least this wedding wasn't anything to do with Ellory and she didn't have to think about her as much.

Why the hell was Ellory walking towards her and why did she look so pleased with herself? Tig violently scanned the crowd for Tiberius who would surely have to understand why her eyes were boring into him with the intensity of a thousand suns when Ellory was right there for context. If he had any damn sense he'd immediately drag her away before she lost her temper and caused a scene. Get her away from me. Where was he and what was the point of him if he wasn't going to be useful?! She gave up and turned her stare down a few hundred degrees to something more frosty. "Ellory."

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   Aldous Crouch, Ellory Lestrange

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An impish giggle was fighting to escape her mouth but Ellory kept herself composed. This was going to be so much fun. She could already sense that Antigone wasn't pleased to see her. And why would she? She didn't have the upper hand on her anymore. She could no longer scare her and feed her lies about Claude!

"How are you, cousin?" Ellory asked. Before Antigone could answer, she continued. "I am in such a good mood! Weddings are lovely affairs, don't you think? The grandest celebration of love!"

  

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SET BY MJ

Tig wrinkled nose slightly as Ellory launched into what was clearly going to be something highly obnoxious. And it was. Incredibly so. "If that's what you think this is you're more mentally deficient than I thought you were." What did Ellory take her for? She probably hadn't been rattled about her wedding night in the end, or at the very least she'd realized she'd been lied to. This was just Ellory overcompensating. She was probably stupid enough to think herself in love with someone because they said something nice to her once but Tig doubted Ellory had suddenly grown misty-eyed over her cousin.

Perhaps this would just be tedious and she wouldn't want to publicly shank her with a broken champagne flute after all.

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Ellory's smug smile went nowhere. Antigone could insult her all she wanted, it was all coming from a place of jealousy and lack. She had wanted to ruin her first wedding night because she was jealous that Ellory was getting married to a kind man like Claude, whereas she got the creepy Lestrange.

"Sounds like something someone who has never felt loved would say," Ellory replied. As if a person who could love Antigone existed! Ironically, Tiberius was probably one of the few people who could love someone as terrible as Antigone and Antigone had confessed to her being a bad husband. There was a part of Ellory who felt somewhat bad for Antigone, for having someone so horrible as a husband, who seemed to be treating her poorly. However, they had bad blood, Antigone had put her through the Cruciatus Curse and Ellory wasn't a saint. She was sinfully satisfied with having a better married life than Antigone's.

Ellory leaned in closer to the blonde and said in a very quiet tone: "My husband has been great to me, you know." She drew back, her smug smile was practically hurting her cheeks at this point.

  

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SET BY MJ

"Sounds like something someone would say to convince themselves something is true when it's not." Had she ever felt loved? She wasn't sure, but she was sure that she didn't want someone coddling and fawning over her. "As if you've ever been loved yourself - even my mother didn't have someone else use an unforgivable curse on me. Your sister pawned you off onto your own cousin because she realized what a spinster risk you were. You must be drowning in all that love."

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Ellory was supposed to have the high ground in this. She hadn't expected for Antigone to mention her mother. Or, rather, she hadn't expected for that mention to affect her.

It was a painful memory, that her own mother would allow for Antigone to put her through the worst possible torture. It had been painful and humiliating and thinking about it filled Ellory with anger. "Uncle Lucius would never pick someone unworthy for his firstborn's wife," Ellory reminded Antigone. Frankly, she had been surprised when she first learned of the match. Someone like Rosalind would have been a much better choice as the wife of the Lestrange's patriarch's son.

"You, on the other hand, got the son of a murderer, so don't act like you're in any way superiour to me."

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   Acacia Darlington, Antigone Lestrange

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SET BY MJ

Tig's miraculous composure deserted her in an instant. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched. "Watch your mouth or you won't have it for much longer." She snarled, wishing she could raise her voice but thankfully in control enough still that she could stop herself. "You will never be better than me, get used to it. You're a stupid little girl and nothing more." It was probably a bit rich coming from Tig considering she was actually younger than Ellory but she certainly felt a lifetime more mature than the redhead.

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"What have you done that is so noteworthy, huh?" Ellory provoked Antigone and her eyes narrowed. Antigone always act as though she was by miles superior to her but she hadn't really done anything to speak for it. She wasn't a renowned socialite, or the head of a Department, or anything of that sort. Even Auntie Mariana, who was considered an odd woman by the family, was more accomplished than Antigone was!

"You haven't even given your husband a son yet! Perhaps it is for the best, the line that has put the whole family to shame will die with the murderer's son!" she whispered.

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   Cassius Lestrange, Melody Crouch, Ursula Black

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SET BY MJ

"I told you to shut up!" Her voice was still hushed but only just. Where was Tiberius?! She could feel herself treading the thin line between propriety and physically assaulting the groom's sister with her bare hands in a ballgown. The only thought keeping her sane was the thought of how much worse it'd be if she allowed herself to give in. That and the possibility of delaying her rage for a few minutes and then letting it loose.

Tig suddenly seized Ellory's hand in hers and held it in a vice-like grip. "Let's go for a little walk." Her jaw clenched tightly as she imagined being strong enough to completely crush Ellory's hand into a bloody pulp.

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   Ellory Lestrange

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Ellory bit her lower lip to keep herself from laughing. Antigone couldn't say anything against that, because it was the truth! She was married to a mass murderer's son and she had failed the one task of giving birth to a boy.

It was all fun and games, until Antigone grabbed her by the hand and started dragging her away. At first, Ellory felt alarmed, the sensation rung too close to home to that time she used the Cruciatus Curse on her. Then, adrenaline kicked in and Ellory suddenly felt ready to fight, if need be.

"Yes," Ellory replied. Her other hand slid in the pocket where she kept her wand. She didn't take her wand out yet, but she would be ready if Antigone tried anything. "Do you want me to show you around, Antigone? I did grow up here, with my cousins." Why was she saying that? Oh, to further provoke Antigone, of course.

  

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SET BY MJ

For some dumb reason Ellory was being compliant rather than trying to pull away as would've made more sense. For all her talk of murderers though, perhaps Ellory couldn't sense the grievous bodily harm Tig wanted to visit upon her. Every other time she'd lost her temper with Ellory and tried to hurt her she'd been careless and sloppy, this time she'd do it right. "That won't be necessary," she muttered, giving a slight yank on Ellory's arm as she made a beeline for the nearest door.

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   Ellory Lestrange

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Ellory's fingers were caressing her wand. Whatever Antigone tried to do, she would be ready. It didn't even occur to her to try and break it off and get away from Antigone. At the back of her mind, she knew that it wasn't the best thing for Claude Lestrange's wife to get in a duel with his cousin's wife, but she wanted to, oh Merlin how much she wanted to hex Antigone!

"Where are we going?" Ellory asked Antigone. "We could go to the room where Tiberius found out that he's an orphan." That thing probably never happened, Ellory had no idea where Tiberius had been when they had informed him that his father had murdered a bunch of people. But Merlin if she was going to stop saying provoking things to Antigone.

  

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SET BY MJ

Tig started to dig her nails in to Ellory's hand in response to her provocations. If she could just wait until they were out of sight.

They finally made it to the door. She wrenched it open and pulled Ellory through. Where was she taking her? Where was guaranteed to be safe? "Close the door." Maybe she was already going to do it but it wouldn't be stupidest thing Ellory did that day leaving it open.

Probably the best place would be one of the guest rooms, it was entirely possible that people were in the downstairs rooms but a vacant bedroom would probably be nice and private. "This way." Tig started on the stairs, pausing for a moment to shoot Ellory a filthy look before resuming her progress.

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"Ah!" Ellory exclaimed at Antigone's nails digging into her flesh and shook her hand a bit, though it wasn't strong enough to break free of Antigone's grip. Not that she wanted to get away from Antigone per se, Ellory was ready for whatever would follow. A duel, probably. It was uncomfortable that Antigone had grabbed her left hand, which was the one Ellory felt most comfortable using, but she could manage with the right one as well. As any left-handed person, she had been forced to learn how to use it.

She closed the door behind her, which forced her to remove her hand from her wand pocket to do so. Once the deed was done, she strategically placed her hand nearby, so she would be in the ready if Antigone tried anything. Which she would.

"People might think we are having an affair," Ellory teased as Antigone pulled her upstairs, to the guest bedroom area. She had read a book about two women having an affair, once. It was a very scandalous novel and that was what had drawn Ellory to read it. Nothing particularly scandalous happened, really, it was just two unhappy wives who sought the pleasure their husbands deprived them off from each other. As the author tried to portray it, they tried to pretend that the other woman was a man. The most 'spicy' thing they did in the novel, was kiss. It was quite obvious that it was written by a man.

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   Ursula Black

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SET BY MJ

An affair?! That seemed outlandish even for Ellory. "Only because you have mannish features!" What sort of remark was that? It was pure silliness, it wasn't even possible to have an affair with a woman as another woman! Unless Ellory was speaking from experience. No wonder she was married off hastily.

The arrived at a door which Tig flung open. "Get in!" She snatched her hand from Ellory's and placed it on her shoulder instead so she could give her a helpful push into the room. Tig followed and closed the door behind them.

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