bon appetit ((burke family + invite))

After months of discussion and arrangement, Millicent and the family elves had gotten the manor in order and prepared to host a rather formal feast. Other than having her mother-in-law joining them, their future in-laws from Hector's arrangement were also slated to attend. She wasn't sure of the exact time yet, but she made sure there was plenty of time allotted time before and afterwards for chatting and leisure.

Millicent was sitting in the drawing room sipping a relaxing cup of Earl Grey. Surrounding her on the walls and throughout the room were various artifacts the Burkes had possessed for generations ranging from taxidermy dioramas, ancient vases with dried flowers, a magnificent harp that was playing a light tune, some family portraits, and one of the many libraries scattered throughout the property that tied the room together.

@Hector Burke @Melanthius Burke @Cecelia Burke @Minnie Bulstrode @Bellona Lestrange

After trying various potions to disguise his fatigue and alleviate the symptoms of overwork, Hector had given up at the wash basin and surrendered to the fact he was looking wearier than usual. As they were hosting, he would have preferred to at least look wide awake. The last few weeks had taken their toll, but at least he wasn't expected to put on all the wishy-washy charm that Ptolemy was capable of.

He could have used some of Ptolemy's abilities right now... he could probably morph all the eye bags away...

Now dressed suitably and as ready as he could be, Hector lingered outside of the drawing room where he knew his mother was situated. He mulled over what Cecelia had said. It was still very fresh in his mind, and still very much distracting him from getting anything bloody done. He still wondered whether she was serious, and if she was, what he should do about it. Reporting the matter straight away to his parents should be his priority, but he couldn't quite find the confidence to do it.

Now he was standing outside the room like a naughty child who knew he was going to be scolded. It was rotten. All of it.

As if she hadn't been to the manor a million times, Minnie was like a kid in the candy store. Every time she has gone there, it was like she's noticed something new that didn't catch her attention before. She reached her hand out towards one of the Jenny Haniver displays before promptly being shocked before making physical contact. Melanthius wasn't around, so it couldn't have possibly been him!

"Millie, Millie! Why can't I touch these cute little creatures?"

It was hard to believe that she was a full-grown adult with a job at a Ministry if you didn't know her.

In his bathroom, Thius was examining himself in the mirror as he worked on both making himself suitable for the occasion and appealing particularly to Bellona, his now-girlfriend, with some of the new clothes he had acquired recently. Instead of his typical solid-color ensembles, he was sporting a pinstripe pattern with a couple of chains that ornamented his vest and slacks.

He slicked his hair back and adjusted his tie, smirking to himself as he took in his appearance. Merlin, this was quite a flattering look on him. Never had he worn something and immediately felt so confident in himself ever in his life...

This occasion was especially important to him as, for the first time, Bellona would be meeting both of his parents and his grandmother in a more serious manner. Although he was most nervous about his grandmother's thoughts, Thius was certain that she'd gain their approval so that he could eventually marry her. That would be wonderful...

He sprayed on a few spritz of cologne before walking out to join the rest of his family. Noticing his brother outside of the drawing room, Thius decided to join him as he waited for Bellona to arrive.

"Brother?" he questioned quietly, "Have you gotten any sleep lately?"

And then there was the elephant that would come stomping in the room when their sister would show up...

For now, he was ignoring the elephant that was approaching from the horizon.

@Hector Burke

"Minnie! Will you ever learn to not touch anything in this household without explicit permission? You're fortunate that none of them have chopped your hands off yet."

She loved her sister-cousin as she was family, but Millicent barely had enough patience to put up with her. Her muscles tensed up despite the tea she was drinking to calm whatever nerves she had. Looking towards the grandfather clock, Millicent nervously sipped down more of her tea. She hoped her husband would keep it under control as he had personally interacted with the future in-laws more...

"Wully! Can you please prepare and bring down a tray of light appetizers?"

Wully ran in from the dining room and nodded. "Yes, I will, Madam Bulstrode Burke! You can count on me!"

Then the house elf rushed out of the drawing room, brushing by the boys. "Sorry!"

Acheflow trailed down one of the staircases wearing one of her favorite dressing robes that left plenty to the imagination; as always, she was quite conservative with what she wore. At most, it gave hints of her svelte physique. One wouldn't think she was in her 60s at first glance. Some reparative treatments and spa days in the years following the second war did quite the job at making her look no-older than her children and her daughter-in-law.

Ever since her husband, Petros, had been locked away from society, Acheflow had been dedicating herself to keeping the family together and viewed positively by their peers and society in general. She had seen the signs of potential insanity early on in their arranged marriage, but she didn't once think it'd get as bad as it had gotten. Now, she was sort of taking on the role of both family matriarch and patriarch for his immediate descendants. She hadn't seen some of her sibling-in-laws in ages as a few had moved out of Britain before and following the war to escape potential imprisonment and to expand the family further out.

Now... She had to focus on the now. Some of her grandchildren were coming of age, and she had to be absolutely sure that they were keeping the Burke name dignified and honorable. One grandson was betrothed, another grandson was apparently courting, and her granddaughter hadn't reached that point yet.

Acheflow looked around the manor and stopped in front the portrait taken of her and her husband shortly after their nuptials. Beside it was a portrait of her son and his wife at their wedding. Soon enough, there would be at least one more portrait joining them.

Her heart fluttered in pride; her input in their upbringing was working as she hoped it would. The Burke name was in good hands...

Taking a deep breath, Acheflow stepped away from the portraits before finally joining her daughter-in-law and one of her relatives in the drawing room. She took a seat across from them and crossed her ankles, waiting expectantly for a proper conversation to be initiated.

"No, I haven't," he snapped quietly.

He looked at Melanthius. Of course he was all spruced up to the nines and had a particularly glossy, overconfident sheen to him. The scent was a little overpowering too. This was all because of Bellona Lestrange was coming over, and he knew that was all his brother was concerned about right now. If he could give him a good smacking around the back of head he would have, but he daren't; not when there were relatives bound to turn the corner at any moment.

He continued to whisper desperately to him: "You seem awfully calm given our situation, Melanthius. Have you forgotten about our sister's confession? Doesn't anything concern you about that?! I won't be able to keep quiet about it. I can't keep quiet about it. Not with her floating around..."

He nodded inside the drawing room, past a pane of glass, where their grandmother had taken a seat.

@Melanthius Burke

"Can't you just hire people to help so you can get some bloody sleep, brother?"

Ugh, that elderly Mr. Borgin... He knew he wasn't the smartest, but Thius didn't realize just how bad the situation was. It was a good thing he personally wasn't the one who wanted to inherit the store. Thius wouldn't exactly consider himself fit to run a business.

Thius glanced at his brother as he moved slightly further away from the drawing room to keep this information out of earshot from them as much as possible. "I haven't bloody forgotten it, Hector," Thius whispered after making sure their grandmother hadn't noticed their presence. "I'm trying to bloody ignore it while she isn't down here!"

It was arduous enough trying to get their own housemates to stop calling his girlfriend a whore or a slut just because her family didn't have a traditional structure. Now, they had to deal with their sister having premarital sex with some bloke she definitely wouldn't marry.

"What are we supposed to do? Make the entire table lose their appetite by mentioning that out sister decided to do the deed while intoxicated?"

Agh! Why did Cecelia have to do such a thing? Why couldn't she have been less impulsive?

@Hector Burke

"I would rather that than withhold the information. If Cecelia were to say she revealed this insipid scandal to us, then she will drag us down with her! We shall be as much to blame for concealing it, and be mistaken as empathetic. Which we are not."

All he was thinking of was the reputation of the family, and his position as the eldest child. Of course he had a dash of empathy for her, she was his sister after all, but it wasn't enough to keep him quiet.

"I have a horrible feeling that she will continue with this little stunt until the entire family is hanging on by a thread. I think she wishes to ruin us, and humiliate me, and defile everything that I have worked so hard for!"

He really was tired. It all came gushing out from him: feelings that were too ugly to have. This was the sort of thing Ptolemy did, not he. He needed to get ahold of himself!

@Melanthius Burke

"And she managed to keep it a secret from us for how long? Cecelia better count her lucky stars and thank Merlin that it never became the talk of Hogwarts!"

Merlin, Thius had never expected to encounter that sort of conduct from his own sister! Was she desperate to become the new Alayna? Was she trying to stoop down to Mackenzie's level? What was going on with her?

Rubbing his temples, Thius sighed unsure exactly what to do about it. Of course, preserving the family's reputation was important, but was there a right time to bring it up?

"And it wouldn't just be our family's reputation she'll be bringing down. She said the boy she slept with was also a pureblood. His family's reputation will also be damaged. They were both being reckless. And to just play it off as a 'one time thing'? How can the most intimate action one could take just be a 'one time thing'? I could understand it slightly if she and the boy thought about courting, but it sounded as if that was never up for consideration!"

It took him a while to even feel as if he could hold Bellona's hand without wondering if he was rushing things or coming onto her, and there was his sister freely giving herself away!

@Hector Burke

How could it be a one time thing?

"I don't know, Melanthius..."

It was... inconceivable. He still couldn't entirely believe it.

A fleck of hair escaped the molded style on his head, and quivered irritatingly in front of his eyes. Correcting it with a swift flick of a pocket comb and a turn to the mirror, he sighed and straightened himself.

"Perhaps I should speak with Mother about it. Just her. For now."

Damn Cecelia... she didn't care one jot for the reputation of the family!

@Melanthius Burke

"Maybe that's best to do so at least she won't be completely blind-sided..."

Now that he thought about it, Thius now had a new headache to worry about as Head Boy: having to deal with Cecelia acting out. He didn't want to think about the possibility of his sister getting disowned if she continued partaking in such acts...

"Perhaps I could entertain our grandmother so you can find an excuse to talk to her elsewhere?"

Plus there needed to be at least two sets of eyes on Minnie...

@Hector Burke

Having one of her older siblings side-apparate alongside her, it wasn't long before they disapparated and Bellona was quite alone, facing the imposing fortress that was home to the Bulstrode-Burkes. She had heard snippets of what his family was like, although it seemed like her biggest critic would be his Grandmother: the woman whose husband was driven to insanity. To say she was nervous was an understatement. She just had to keep her ice in check and be herself.

Sort of.

Her dress looked like something a muggle would immediately point at and cry: "that's a witch!", and that was indeed intentional. She wanted to look the most traditional she could manage without giving up her personal style and tastes: landing on this black velvet number with a high neck, she thought she'd done fairly well.

Approaching the door, she knocked using the knocker. She hoped the first she'd see would be Melanthius.

@Melanthius Burke

Hector nodded, swallowing the tightened dryness in his throat.

"Capital idea."

When there was a knock at the door, he looked at his brother.

"You go - I'm going to collect myself a moment anyway."

@Melanthius Burke

Hearing a knock at the door, Thius smiled. It had to be his lady!

"Very well, brother."

He nodded to him before heading to the entrance of the manor, passing through his mother, grandmother, and Minnie who were sitting around, waiting. Good, good, they haven't heard his and Hector's conversation...

Answering the door, Thius' neutral face immediately turned into a wide grin as he bowed down and reached out for Bellona's hand to plant a kiss on it. "Evening, Bellona! I'm so glad you're here!"

@Bellona Lestrange

Between the three of them, the drawing room had its usual amount of tension. Minnie was trying to pocket expensive antiques, Acheflow was sitting around waiting for her to break the ice, and Millicent's nerves were getting to her. She was going to have to treat herself to a small glass of wine over dinner. Yes, that'd be enough to soothe her worries.

"Madam Bulstrode Burke!" yelled Wully, returning to the drawing room with a tray of Hors d'Oeuvres. "I got your appetizers! Hello, Madam Burke! I'm here at your service!"

Once the elf was pleased to receive some sort of acknowledgment and thanks from both, he ran off to rejoin the rest of the elves.

Millicent turned towards the door before refocusing on her mother-in-law.

"Oh, these look scrumptious, Wully!" Picking up one of the cucumber slices, Acheflow slowly stuck it in her mouth and began to savor it.

Looking towards Minnie, she shook her head at the woman's foolish behavior. "Millicent, you should consider my plan to have Minnie sent elsewhere. I know quite well enough that we're both embarrassed by her buffoonery..." It was a relief that that scourge was never going to be a Burke. In fact, she pitied Millicent and the rest of the Bulstrodes for having to share the same blood as that thing.

"Do you know when they'll be arriving, Millicent?"

Her mouth was watering as she glanced down at the food tray; that tray would look really good in her kitchen! She could use it for all of her meals!

But how could she keep it for herself?

Everyone in the room would stop her!

"Hey, Chefloo! Can I touch your dress, can I? Can I? It lookey so silky and I wanna touch it!"

"Evening, Melanthius," she breathed, glad to be greeted by him and in such a sauve, charming way as well. He looked very good, shining right up like a new coin. It wasn't just his appearance as well: there was a brightness in his eyes and confidence in his step that was all the more alluring, a real transformation from the sweat-drenched wreck he seemed to her a year ago. "Thank you for inviting me."

A smile crossed her mouth as she stepped in through the threshold and into a house that very much resembled a lot of other pureblood families'. It wasn't so much welcoming in itself, but their homes were never supposed to be that way. They were austere and intimidating - always.

"I have something for your parents - I hope at least one of them enjoys Cognac."

Sliding inside, she closed the door behind her.

@Melanthius Burke

Merlin, she was the most stunning woman he's ever seen... The way the black velvet draped her silhouette, how her hair framed her face as if she was the subject of a painting, the beautifulest of them all...

"Of course, Bellona. I wouldn't want you to miss it for the world."

Although there was the complication involving his sister. Was it possible his girlfriend was left in the dark as well? He wouldn't be surprised as Cecelia somehow didn't hear of their courtship. Well, that would be dealt with when it was dealt with. Cecelia still hadn't come down, the elephant in the room was hidden.

"Both of my parents would enjoy such a thoughtful gift," he replied softly, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Right this way."

Thius led her into the drawing room. Hm, where was his father actually? Oh well, he was always good about making an appearance by dinner. It was like he was always carrying out some sort of business-related matter no matter the time of day. "Evening, grandmother, mother, and Minnie. I would like the three of you to formally meet my girlfriend, Bellona."

He briefly glanced through the glass pane to see if his brother had returned from collecting himself.

@Bellona Lestrange

Tight-lipped and as focused as always, there was no indication of the ripple of anxiety clawing up from her chest to her throat. This was it, she thought, following Melanthius. When she entered the drawing room after him, her eyes landed on each in turn as they were referred to: luckily for her she knew which was which, having already met his Mother at the spring formal and by process of elimination. His Grandmother was a lot more glamourous than what she expected.

"Good evening, everyone. It's such a pleasure to meet you all," she said politely, giving a small curtsey. "Thank you for inviting me to your home - I have a gift for you all to show my appreciation." Holding out the bottle of fifty-something-year-old distilled Cognac, she didn't realise just how tightly she was grasping the glass. When she placed it onto a serving mat on the table, her fingerprints left behind a touch of frost that she was unaware of. Her eyes were securely on his family.

Standing straight again, she fixed her expression to a small, demure sort of smile.

@Minnie Bulstrode @Millicent Bulstrode Burke @Melanthius Burke

"Ah - good evening, Bellona."

Hector had 'collected himself', and had done so very well. There was no sign of concern in his expression and he appeared as calm and as debonair as always, standing in the entranceway to the hall while everyone collectively looked to Bellona Lestrange. She looked well presented... enough. At least her make-up was lighter, but she had still styled her hair asymmetrically with those childish little plaits. He wouldn't voice his thoughts though.

He glanced over to Melanthius casually, but made sure to hold his gaze.

@Melanthius Burke

Although it wasn't outwardly seen, Millicent was relieved that her sister-cousin was no longer the topic of discussion. It was one of those things she struggled to talk about with her mother-in-law. It was much easier dealing with her when she was with the rest of the Bulstrodes.

"Evening, Bellona," Millicent greeted, getting up from where she was seated to shake her hand. "That is a lovely gift, thank you." She had met her briefly during the formal, and so far, she was quite pleased with Thius' choice of partner as she was also from a prominent pureblood family, and she didn't seem to have gotten herself into any scandal.

She was going to need that once the stress of the night had passed... Perhaps her husband wouldn't mind having a drink or two of it as well now that he would be home for a bit.

Noticing her eldest son had joined them, Millicent then crossed the drawing room over to him. "Evening, Hector. Have you or Melanthius seen Cecelia? I thought she would've joined us by now."

@Bellona Lestrange @Hector Burke

"Melanthius, this is your girlfriiiiiiiiiiiend?! Hi, hi, I'm Minnie! His favorite cousin!"

As she excitedly introduced herself, Thius was grimacing and shaking his head in response to that proclamation. "I'm also his Aunt! Aren't family trees confusing? I find them confusing!" Giggling, she dug through her jacket pocket and pulled out a large umbrella flower seed. "Lookey at what I found! This my gift to you!"

@Bellona Lestrange

There was luck and there was opportunity, and sometimes there were both delivered at once. Hector watched as his Mother raised from her chair and wandered over to him, with a question that could only benefit him by bringing about the topic in question. His lips squirmed fractionally. Although it was exactly the sort of script he wanted to follow, he couldn't help but feel anxious of following with it.

"Actually... there is something, Mother, I wish to discuss with you - relating to our sister."

He spoke these words in an undertone that could only mean he was trying to hold back from present company.

"Shall we take a walk of the halls?" he offered pointedly, moving to the side to allow her through first.

@Millicent Bulstrode Burke