June 16th, 1892 — Fort Lestrange

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Tig had been hoping to find an opportunity to corner Cassius that evening and deliver the 'I told you so' he was owed. She hadn't forgotten the conversation they'd had just over a year ago when her fertility had been called into question. The paranoia she'd felt at the time seemed so distant now - no one would ever doubt her capability ever again even if she never had another. It would look intentional now if she never had another child which just so happened to be her plan. All her son had to do was survive childhood and plenty of lesser beings managed that so he ought to be fine. Not that that stopped her from occasionally succumbing to worry that he'd fall prey to some fickle illness or accident and put her right back to square one again. Would Tiberius kill her if Titus reached adulthood and died without a son of his own so he could find a wife of childbearing age or would he simply admit defeat? On the one hand she would be deeply offended if he did kill her when at that stage his lineage was no longer her responsibility but on the other she'd probably lose some respect for him if he gave up so easily.

However, it seemed Cassius would be depriving her of the chance to gloat at him - where he was she had no idea but it was exceedingly rude of him.

She left the post-dinner gathering to go "powder her nose" and it was on her way back that she just spotted someone slip around a corner at the opposite end of the corridor. Her first thought was that it might be Cassius so she followed after them. Tig walked briskly to the end of the hallway, rounded the corner, and found it wasn't him after all. Oh.

Her dealings with Kristoffer Lestrange were minimal at best, she was sure she'd exchanged a handful of words with him over the years at the very most. Why would she? He was only a few years younger than her but he'd been little more than a child when she'd married his cousin and for lack of any reason to know him better over the years she hadn't moved past her perception of him as a school boy. As she scrutinized him now she supposed he wasn't quite that anymore. The thought then occurred to her that as Lucius Lestrange's other nephew-ward (was nephew correct or was it a different connection?) he could very well present some sort of challenge to Tiberius' place in the family hierarchy on day. Perhaps she ought to take more notice of him.

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Outfit | Tag: Kristoffer Lestrange | Notes:

  

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“‘Oh’, what?” Kristoffer asked carelessly, looking over his shoulder as someone came around the corner after him – at some pace, if the footsteps he’d heard first had signified anything. He’d slowed down to wait for their appearance, since he had no intention of telling anybody anything about his plans for the rest of the evening (which mostly involved a discreet trip out to Borgin & Burke’s).

But it was only Tiberius’ wife, who had never factored much into his contemplation of the Lestrange family at large, because she wasn’t really a Lestrange, and no one ever seemed to have much praise for her, either. (Besides, Kristoffer was much used to being generally ignored by Tiberius and Cassius and his great-uncle and just about everyone else in the family, so it was only fair that he got to disdainfully ignore some people, too.)

But – going nowhere in her view – he leant back against the wall instead, and just eyed the blonde, considering. Maybe she was up to something, nosing about the house alone after dinner, and that was why she’d sounded so caught off guard. A corner of his lip curled up, a fraction sneering, at the idea. “Looking for something, were you?”

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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Tig was momentarily taken aback. She'd expect it from Ellory or someone else she had an established hostile rapport with (of which there were many) but knowing his name was about the full extent of her knowledge of him, what could he possibly have against her? Needless to say she was unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of her own behavior, albeit behavior that she'd managed to quell (in public) for the sake of making better impressions and not alienating herself from society.

Perhaps, but it certainly wasn't you, she snapped back defensively. Are you always so charming to people you barely know or should I be flattered? It occurred to her as he made himself comfortable slouching against the wall that maybe he was just lashing out because he was being furtive and trying to hide some questionable activity or other.

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Outfit | Tag: Kristoffer Lestrange | Notes:

  

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Her reaction was a little exaggerated in indignance, Kris thought, folding his arms defensively. He’d only used the same tone he used for all his sisters – snide and patronising, the sort of disparaging tone he could get away with for all ‘lesser’ family members and inferiors and women he wasn’t generally trying to flatter (although sometimes he did use the same tone for flattery, too).

“Are you sure about that?” he inquired, raising his eyebrows defiantly. She couldn’t be that much older than him, and Tiberius wasn’t here, so he wasn’t worried about provoking her. (She seemed friendly-ish with Cassius, which must mean she was generally useless at best and depressingly boring at worst.) “Because you were the one following me, so maybe I should be flattered,” he pointed out, entirely sardonic.

He had no idea what her usual demeanour was like, either, really... but his brow creased in sudden confusion. Something was weirdly familiar about her, though, wasn’t it? What was it? Her hair? He’d seen her often enough before, though, so that couldn’t be it. Her voice? That annoying cadence of her tone? Where had he heard that before?

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   Ursula Black

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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You should be flattered. I momentarily mistook you for someone of significance - I'm sure that has to be a first for you. This boy was oddly comfortable to insult which was to say that it felt very natural. Perhaps too naturally. Insulting people did, of course, come naturally to Tig but she rarely insulted strangers so wantonly and without thought or care for consequence. Strangers of lower class obviously didn't count. It was more than just a sense that she could make an enemy of this Lestrange without any consequences, she'd slipped into it too easily. It was one thing to be defensive because he'd started it, another to snap back as if it were habit.

Perhaps it was just his overfamiliarity and lack of respect. Ellory could greet her rudely and it would be understandable albeit still unacceptable, but he was another matter. She had an equally close acquaintance with the wallpaper in the Lestrange dining room which was to say she'd probably recognize it if she saw it in someone else's house but she might not remember exactly where from at first because she literally couldn't care any less. As true as this may be it didn't satisfy her fully as an explanation. It had felt too comfortable, too familiar.

Familiar... He was overfamiliar, yes, but that in itself was familiar. Tig knew for a fact she'd never had a conversation with him before, perhaps a few words of small talk in passing which hadn't been worth committing to memory but never a proper conversation. So why were her instincts now screaming at some deeper recognition? Had someone obliviated her and done a poor job of it? That seemed unlikely but it wasn't as though she'd remember if someone had.

He was looking at her funny and she was about to snap at him for it when she realized he was looking at her the way she was probably looking at him now. Was he having the same realization or was he suffering from trapped wind? It was understandable that she might forget him he was a decorative side-character type, did he even truly exist outside of family gatherings? She was a different matter though, she'd been called many things in her life but forgettable had never crossed anyone's lips. For better or worse she had a talent for making impressions and his consternation didn't stand to reason.

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   Kristoffer Lestrange

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Kristoffer opened his mouth to retort to her claim of his insignificance – a sore spot for him, in this family, not that she would know it – but the words never made it to his mouth. Instead, some other phrases had come winding their way uninvited into his brain, inebriated sea lion and something about wrenching spines through navels amongst them. It took a prolonged moment to sink in. He had been very drunk that night – but of course the encounter had been far too memorable to ever forget it.

He wanted to laugh at the absurdity, dismiss it as a passing thought, but – the more he surveyed her, the more sure he was. It had to be. The psycho whore from the Ministry ball who’d threatened to maim him was Tiberius’ wife? A fucking Lestrange? It didn’t make any sense, but it all made sense... And she was looking at him too: did she know? Had she known then? Or was he really so insignificant in manner and voice that she couldn’t tell, even now? (It was probably safer if she didn’t, but Kristoffer chewed the inside of his cheek with a burst of disappointment at the idea –)

He didn’t say anything to tip the conversation either way... although he also didn’t say anything, so his abrupt silence had perhaps made this interaction odd, all the same. All he did was push himself off the wall and take a deliberate pace towards her, watching her experimentally. He’d straightened up, was standing closer and facing her directly, challengingly, just as they’d been the last time when they’d danced and she’d called him a coward and he’d called her insane. He didn’t know what she would do to him if she remembered – so maybe this was akin to putting his hand in the fire – but: Kris raised one eyebrow as if to say guess what? I know something you don’t.

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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Now he was gaping at her like a gormless fish. The strangeness of his behavior struck her as extremely suspicious. Her instincts must be right, she could practically hear the cogs turning inside his dull little brain. He was clearly a specimen of average or below intelligence so it troubled her that he seemed to have figured out what she hadn't already. There was something knowing in the way he was looking at her as he stalked towards her. He knew and she hadn't made whatever link he had. Why would they both be having this weird revelation when they were already acquainted?

She stood her ground and glared back at him, trying to give every impression she wasn't scrambling to remember the key piece of information. Tig raised both of her eyebrows back at him imperiously as if to say, So what? She stared him dead in the eye and then it hit her like a ton of bricks. Her haughty expression almost slipped in her surprise. She could feel the pit of her stomach tense with the stirrings of old rage.

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   Kristoffer Lestrange

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Was it bad if he still felt a frisson of something here?

She was married. (He had known that before.)

She had a screw loose, for sure. Two screws loose, probably. Or every single screw, a door completely off its hinges. (He had known that too.)

She was a Lestrange, and her husband seemed to be in Lucius’ eternal favour, which had to mean something about how dangerous he was. (He hadn’t known that until now – but he had never felt any real fear in the family, either. If he was primarily invisible to them, he was invulnerable, too.)

She had recognised him – just now, he was almost certain of it – and she had threatened to maim him, before. (But he was a Lestrange too: she wouldn’t dare now, would she?) The safest course of action now might be to laugh it off and get out of her way, but try as he might, Kristoffer felt stubbornly fixed to the spot. Besides, she’d called him a coward already – and she had more to apologise for. So. “I see he hasn’t sent you to the madhouse yet,” he commented, with a gently taunting shake of his head, in reference to the last he’d said to her at the masquerade.

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The following 1 user Likes Kristoffer Lestrange's post:1 user Likes Kristoffer Lestrange's post
   Reuben Crouch

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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Him.

How had it taken her so long to connect the dots? Sure it was a year ago but she'd fumed over their encounter for days before the anger finally mellowed into something less urgent and fixating. In fairness it hadn't been him personally she'd been most worked up about but the vulnerable position the vow had put her in and how he had been a fraction of presumptuousness away from killing her. That didn't make his audacity any less revolting and she noted with renewed irritation that he didn't seem repentant in the slightest now that he knew who she was. That she was his cousin's wife should see him scrambling now for the respect she was due, but he was not.

Tiberius? She inclined her eyebrows in an expression that would've been incredulous if her eyes hadn't remained cool and unmoving. I should think not, he likes to keep me close. Of all the things he'd ever threatened her with she didn't think a lunatic asylum had ever been suggested nor crossed her mind. Why would he send her off to rot when killing her would be more beneficial all round? He'd sent her off to finishing school for a spell but that was different, people came back from finishing school. Have you found a backbone yet?

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Yes, Tiberius. He was her husband, wasn’t he? Or was their marriage as wide open as she had made it sound that once, and she actually had all manner of men in her life? Kris almost snorted at the thought. Presumably she wasn’t stupid enough to be as loud about something like that now that her identity wasn’t in the least concealed.

It made him wonder if her husband knew about that little interaction, though, and the way she obviously conducted herself in public. (Never mind that Kristoffer had been comporting himself in much the same manner – no one cared about his public conduct, anyway.) Surely Tiberius didn’t condone her rudeness and insinuations and tirades? He kept her close, did he? Kristoffer narrowed his eyes, unconvinced. He hadn’t been dancing with her then.

(The problem was that he had never paid a whit of attention to Tiberius and Antigone and their relationship before. Maybe he would have to now, just out of morbid curiosity?)

“Why?” Kris replied, with a slow smirk and a glimmer of challenge in his tone. If he let the jibe about not having a backbone slide, it was only because he thought not bristling at it would annoy her more. “What are you going to threaten me with this time, if I have?” It was a good question. Was he going to try anything? They were in private this time – although, quite possibly, being right under the family’s nose was not better, but worse.

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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Threaten you? I don't need to threaten you now, we're not in public. If you're going to provoke me I won't be wasting my breath with a courtesy warning. As much as she meant it and relished the thought of enacting some horror upon him, she hoped he wouldn't push her to it if only because the fact of his being family rather complicated matters. If she thought she could easily get away with mutilating a Lestrange she would've disemboweled Ellory a long time ago. She'd do what she had to if the terms of her vow were under assault but she'd rather scare him off with words not deeds. Tiberius would surely be her loyal defender to the rest of his family once he understood why his cousin was on the receiving end of her wrath, but it would be a whole ordeal.

She wasn't in the mood for dealing with the drama that would follow if she attacked him, she absolutely wasn't. And yet there was still a considerable part of her that was daring him to touch her, let him see what hell she'd rain down upon him if he had the audacity to grab her by the waist again. With a pang of disgust she remembered how he'd reminded her of Tiberius before, had she on some level suspected he was a relation or was it merely a coincidence owing to the fact that he was the only man who'd ever insistently tried to take liberties with her aside from Tiberius?

Well it didn't matter as long as he didn't try it again. He wouldn't actually try again now he knew who she was, surely? Then again she wasn't convinced he was one of the smarter Lestranges, if she had to rank them he would probably rank mid to lower level. Maybe he would be stupid enough to knowingly corner his cousin's wife. The thought sent a thrill through her which she immediately tried to subdue and forget. It was only because she fancied the idea of severing all the fingers of his most offensive hand with a single, sharp wand movement or something else to that effect. Her imagination had certainly not flashed before her a scene where Tiberius discovered her trying to fend off the advances of his cousin and fell victim to a fit of unparalleled and explosive jealousy, and this had certainly not inspired any slight undermining of her legs and their structural integrity. No, it was forgotten, she would block it from her mind completely.

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Outfit | Tag: Kristoffer Lestrange | Notes:

  

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She wasn’t at all abashed by her earlier behaviour, was she? He scanned her face again, painstakingly, searching for some sign of repentance and finding none. She hadn’t even denied the threats of last time; if anything, she was making it sound as though, even now that there was no anonymity to hide behind, she would be worse.

He was bristling a little now, in spite of himself and his intention not to: he knew he wasn’t at the top of the food chain amongst the Lestranges, but he galled him to think that she seemed to think herself above him. She had shown no remorse at all. Hm.

But she was right about something: at least for the moment, they were alone. And Kristoffer simply couldn’t bring himself to be intimidated by her; she could talk the talk, but what were her threats in practice? Last time they’d fallen back on her approaching husband. But there was no sign of Tiberius in this hallway now.

“How could I possibly provoke you?” Kristoffer said with a humourless grin, taking another step closer to her to purposely diminish the space between them, as if he couldn’t think of plenty of ways to try it. If she wanted to step backwards, she’d have to move back up against the wall, or else flee down the hall. Either way, he’d count it a win; for the moment he just insinuated himself into her space, not quite touching her. He gazed at her, all faux-innocence. “We’re not even dancing this time.”

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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This whelp, this boy, was not backing off even now that he knew she was Tiberius'. Was he genuinely unperturbed by the threat of his cousin or was he trapped by his own pride against his better instincts, just as she was? Certainly she would rather he be intimidated by her first seeing as she was the present threat (or at least trying to be) but it was proving difficult to commit to a strong show of intimidation when couldn't trust herself. At least he didn't know how or why he got under her skin. If he knew he'd stumbled upon a weakness he'd have to be an idiot not to exploit it and if he did... There was little doubt in her mind that it would end in someone's death. Preferably his and not hers but Tiberius would probably pick off the survivor anyhow. That thought proved immediately counterproductive so she forced herself to think of her children instead and was pleased to find the repulsion she felt was potent enough to rebalance her.

By wasting my time, by being an obnoxious little child, by being too dense to recognize when you're in serious danger. I'd really rather not have to explain your untimely death to your family but Tiberius will understand why I had to do it, he'll smooth it all over for me and you'll be forgotten before they even finish burying you. She was fairly confident he'd forgive her easily enough for the inconvenience of it, especially when it was really his fault in the first place for essentially holding a gun to her head in the form of the vow. So run away now and it'll be as though this little discovery tonight was never made, I won't spend my evening scrubbing your blood from under my fingernails, Tiberius won't hear about how his little runt of a cousin tried to take liberties with his wife; it's win win for everyone, especially you. As menacing and serious as she thought she sounded, she realized if she was in his position - and she had been in similar situations with Tiberius - she wouldn't be able to help herself, she'd poke the bear. If he touched her now she'd have no alternative but to make good on her threats or else let him escape on purpose without him realizing she'd meant to. Jumping straight to death threats might have been extreme but there was no telling what danger she might be in if he laid his hands on her.

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   Kristoffer Lestrange, Reuben Crouch

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Kristoffer had to guffaw, because as awful and terrible and savage as he was sure the Lestrange family could be, he didn’t expect a familial murder to be on the table tonight. If they were in public again, maybe the consequences later would be more dire – but the only one humiliated at the end of this would be her.

It would have to be, because she was almost too full of herself to bear. He didn’t know why anyone in the Lestrange family had chosen to marry such a prickly, loud-mouthed piece in the first place: surely Lucius’ favourite could have found a wife with half an ounce of dignity, not this yapping, snarling, belligerent bitch? Who did she think she was?

If he hadn’t been aggravated by her confidence, he might have been scared of it – empty bravado was too familiar a tune to mistake, but if he had probed a little further he might have found a bone of conviction beneath it, and begun to think of how best to melt away from his encounter with life, limb and ego intact.

But Kris was a little aggravated now, fuelled by the challenge and her impossible consequences. “I’d think about who you’re calling a little runt, if I were you,” he said, lip curling as he held himself large – so he might be younger than them all, thought a joke or some petty afterthought, but he still wasn’t anyone to be messed with, and he was certainly stronger than her. (And if anyone was the runt in the family, in manner or size – wasn’t it obviously Cassius? Come on.)

All patience gone at her drastic underestimation of him, Kris pressed himself still further into her space and reached a hand up to catch her, none too gently, by the cheek.

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The following 1 user Likes Kristoffer Lestrange's post:1 user Likes Kristoffer Lestrange's post
   Ursula Black

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Twinkle twinkle you can't hide
I'm the devil in disguise

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He dared. He dared.

She was rigid with shock. She hadn't imagined he'd have dared. If Tiberius had struck her it would have been significantly less surprising, less outrageous. It took her a second to recover her wits. Eyes wide with fury, she fixed him with a positively unhinged stare. Her jaw was clenched so tightly she couldn't even speak. Looking at him she could see clearly how very much he wasn't Tiberius but something had clearly short-circuited in her head because despite this she felt an inexplicable urge to kiss him. As soon as she identified the urge, she thought she caught herself on the verge of leaning in to...

Oh god. Before she could even consider what she was doing, her tightly clenched fist was launching itself towards his face with all the force her survival instincts could afford her. Don't TOUCH me!

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Outfit | Tag: Kristoffer Lestrange | Notes:

  

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Her furious look was scorching in a way that didn’t dissuade him at all. Like the terrible temptation to flit a hand through a flame and come out the other side intact – if there was any danger in it, he didn’t care.

He was going to kiss her, and he was sure she wouldn’t stop him. Kristoffer was so sure of this that his eyes had already begun to close when something knocked him about the face.

Her knuckles. Her fist had come barrelling towards him, and had connected, hard. “OW,” Kris declared, more in shock than anything. He was too surprised to retaliate, and just stumbled back over his own feet, lifting a hand to clutch at his nose. It hurt when he touched it; the bone at the bridge of it was so uncomfortably tender that it was all he could think about. His hand came away – bloodied – and for a moment Kristoffer could only stare at it, dumbfounded. Was it broken? “You bitch,” he accused her. (This was obviously all her fault.)

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