✧ENGAGED✧

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Alphard had managed to entertain the crowd and introduce Rhea to those who hadn't gotten the chance prior, while he also earned a few slaps on the back from his mates—Though his eyes always wandered back to his little fiancee.

Who was currently speaking and laughing with her friends.

He couldn't hold himself back in dreaming of how she would look in a wedding gown, and he drowned the thought into another sip of whiskey.

"You must've spent a fortune on that damned thing...Really Alphard, you couldn't get a smaller cut?" Walburga issued and her brother simply smiled. "Now that you mention it, I should've gotten a bigger one. Do you think it's too late to exchange it?" He teased, and it caused Walburga to turn to look at her husband who sighed.

"Knock it off, the both of you. It's not your concern about Rhea's engagement ring when yours costs the same amount. And Alphard, please stop teasing your sister—It's giving me a migraine." The two hadn't stopped even after Orion's diplomatic words to part them, no, instead Alphard had calmed himself with another drink and enjoyed seeing Rhea socialize with her friends.

In addition to Narcissa.

"This has to be the worst idea the two of you've managed to conjure up in the last year." She deemed and Alphard grinned further. "My worst idea...And I take it we'll just skim past the dozens of gals you threw in my lap over the past say decade or two? That wasn't a sheer sign of desperation?" He bit back, and Walburga could only tut.

"Ah...Narcissa, let me borrow you for a moment." Orion rose a brow to his wife and greeted his niece, not knowing where on earth this was going.

"Hello, Uncle. Congratulations—I just spoke with Rhea, she's just positively glowing." Cissy deemed and Alphard nodded along, adoring the fact that Rhea was still enjoying her time out.

"Perhaps you can tell your Aunt about Rhea, as she seems to have the wrong idea about my future wife."
"I didn't say that, Alphard, stop putting words in my mouth." Narcissa's eyes widened, not wanting to get in the middle of an argument as she was.

"No? Then what is it that you don't like about my fiancee?"
"She isn't of Black standards." She spat out, and Cissy shook her head in disagreement.
"Bella can marry Rodolphous just fine? Come now Auntie, is this truly better than Uncle Alphard being alone?" She questioned, the devious bit of a fresh voice wracked her system.

Alphard had been sincerely pleased, and so when Walburga stocked off—Cissy turned rather grim. "That best not bite me later, Uncle."
"No, it won't. I swear to it. I don't know what my sister thought when I claimed I wanted to get married...Nor do I want to know her expectations."
"I've heard grand things all around, there's no need to worry. Enjoy it, Uncle." She deemed, giving him a polite kiss to the cheek before returning back to the rest of the party.

"Do you think Rhea would mind my coming along with you, I want to meet this generation—Isn't this hilarious?"
"Knock it off, you'll scare them." He claimed, knowing full well that his own presence was going to push their regular habits into a corner.

"Pity, do you take it they're all Ravenclaws?"
 "No, two of them are Slytherin, I know that for sure." He caught his brother's interested and he sighed. "Fine, come in a few minutes if you must. My fiancee's wine glass seems a bit empty." He had parted ways once more and picked up a fresh glass of wine to humor his little goddess, and he breathed lightly knowing that her smile hadn't stopped once this very evening.

"Rhea...Merlin Mr.Black is so handsome." Olivia offered, and Daniella had gushed her own comments about Atlas. Though the only witch in the group that hadn't been all that excited was Evelyn once more. Grumbling things of 'some of us aren't so lucky in that regard,' and things of that nature.

It had come to Rhea's attention that Evelyn was in a similar situation as she had been in. Though her parents let her have much more control in managing a betrothed.

"If I had known that Mr.Black was searching for a wife, I would've been first in line as well." Rhea shook her head. "He wasn't really searching for a wife Eve, it didn't start out like that at all."

"Yes, missives. And you turning into a seductive and alluring bird. We all can't be as lucky as you." Rhea blinked in confusion at her friend's aggression, it hadn't been at all warranted. Leaving Malia to frown.

"Eve, knock it off. Rhea knows just as well, Dolohov wasn't the kindest bloke either." She truly didn't want to hear that fowl name ever again, but it was her own fault—Not diving into the details.

Evelyn had given her such a distasteful glare, as though Rhea had won Alphard and his affection away from her. So when the gal had excused herself, it was sequenced well with his arrival.

"...Well hello there, I thought I'd introduce myself before the night comes to an end. I believe this is the prime seat in the entire room." The giggles had followed shortly after, it confirmed that Alphard was indeed able to control a room full of witches.

But it caught his notice that there was indeed a Slytherin.

"Alffie, this is Jade Sewlyn, Daniella Haas, Haylee Elwood, Olivia Rivers, and Malia Nott." He greeted them incredibly warmly, though he realized that they weren't all that afraid of him after all.

Curtesy of all the good things that Rhea had spoken of him prior.

"Now then...Is there anything I should know about my little Ravenclaw for the future?" Rhea blushed and eyed her friends in worry, would they out her so easily?

"She has an addiction to chocolate frogs."
"Mythology, Creatures and everything alike."
"And Medical journals—One year she asked for—"

Rhea had clamped her hands over her ear as she shook her head. "Traitors, the lot of you!" She laughed and the gals all joined her, leaving Alphard to understand her just a bit more. Had that been what she asked for Christmas from them?

"Not traitors Rea, he'll just fuel your small addictions." Haylee teased, and Rhea groaned. "They're not addictions!"

As the small talk had ended, Alphard had lead her off and away to grab a small snack—She hadn't eaten much to pair with the amount of wine drunk.

There was a balance that needed to be maintained, thus he piled on the small snacks and Rhea took the first bite of a filled potato.

"I didn't know you had an addiction for chocolate frogs."

"Yes, I suppose I left out that secret...Just like you and your cigars?" He blinked, realizing that he had hit the mark. "Ah, but my dear, you've only experienced one type of chocolate frog. There are dozens of types, Germany has crafter their own—Same with Sweden and Spain—"
"Truly?!" The excitement rallied, how on earth had she managed to hide such detail for so long?

"Yours truly. I'll be sure to keep a stock in the manor at all times." A shy expression had taken over as she nodded. "I've recently finished collecting all the cards...It's what Rabastan and I took up to see who finished their collection first."
"Ah, and you managed before him?" She nodded with a hint of pride glistening in her eyes.

"I didn't take you for being a collector..."
"A rather childish one if that counts, it's nothing like your artwork."
"My artwork is a lifetime of funding artists and their dreams. You could fall in love with a piece at an auction, you need it and it turns into the centerpiece for years. It makes someone very happy with payment and puts food on the table."
"You're much more generous than I realized, it's refreshing."
"I'm refreshing...My dear, speaking with you is like a breath of fresh air." She blushed once more at his direct flirting, it still came as an awe to her that she attracted such a man.

"Now you're starting to sound like Atlas."
"I'd be damned if I lost my touch so early on. I can be romantic, Rhea, but I suppose I can save that sort of thing until March." Thus she choked on her next bite, her eyes watering from the sudden disturbance to her lungs.

Alphard ushered her his glass and she flinched after realizing it was fire whiskey instead— "I've caught you by surprise?"
"How on earth could you get any more romantic?" He rose a brow, looking around to see who was closest to them.

None that would be heard.

"I take it you haven't taken up reading that...novel of yours again?"

"It wasn't erotic! It simply had one scene that held—"

"Hmm, all the same in my ears." By the look on her face, she didn't particularly like this type of open flirtation, but the blush still managed to gain some sort of acceptance.

Meaning that she heard and understood what he was getting at, it was another reason why he wanted Narcissa to speak with Rhea—He doubted that Clarissa had done her daughter an honor of explaining sex.

Other than it being an improper act until marriage.

While he wouldn't have been bothered if she was pure or not, the small inkling of being her first kiss had given him another sense of wonders. He wanted to be the one to explore her fantasies and desires, sexual or not.

Though, in pondering his own sexual habits—It's been quite some time since he had such dominate thoughts tempting him. Yes. It was safe to say that Rhea was certainly a dangerous little bird.

Orion had nearly as much fun as Alphard in speaking to another generation, one of which was more Ravenclaws than Slytherin—Though Malia knew of Regulus quiet well considering she was a prefect for her house.

Though Rhea had tutored Reg every once in a while, as well as Sirius.

Something she wouldn't admit to her own family at all.

Rhea's friends on the other hand had been giddy as could be, the general attention to those that would normally ignore them had opened fairly new doors. Haylee was starting to speak with a familiar face, one that Rhea knew was friends with her brother.

One she would need to investigate.

The young Lestrange daughter didn't hesitate to use her contact of Alphard to make sure that Haylee was safe. But Alfie had chuckled, claiming that the bloke that caught her friend's eyes was very well-mannered.

Granted. That's what the room thought of Dolohov as well, so she would just have to keep an eye and ear out for it.

In returning home that night, Alphard had followed and given her another kiss goodnight. Wanting to know that she arrived home safely, that and she had a fair bit to drink—In her excitement, she hadn't managed to keep track as well as she usually does.

Alphard vowed he'd need to be better in keeping track of his little goddess.

He gave a polite kiss to Clarissa before departing for the night, a much more gentle pressure resting on his shoulders. He would need to have a chat with his accountant in the following days, make the proper preparations for Rhea to have her own funds.

Truthfully, she was going to be given the returns of her dowery as her spending money—And he had a feeling that she'd hardly touch even that.

Clarissa had been utterly wrong, even now she caught at how sweet her former classmate had turned. Nearly into a puddle of puddy, and all because of her daughter!

Her smile had remained only until she caught her husband's dutiful frown.

"You've been glaring the entire night, I'm surprised Rhea hadn't caught on yet."
"And I'm surprised you're alright with this." He said just as firmly as before, and she scoffed.

"Not this again, Merlin—I've accepted that I was wrong, can you not do the same?"
"We weren't wrong, we were deceived. Alphard has no purpose going after our daughter." "Alphard hasn't done anything wrong, and I remember having the same conversation with my own parents when you sought me out."
"That's different, you were pregnant with—" Radolphous Lestrange's face had turned ridges and pale within seconds.

His feet storming towards the grand stairs in the motion of going to speak with Rhea directly.

"Do you truly think Alphard would do that? To Rhea out of everyone?"
"I don't bloody care who he is." Clarissa had taken to running after her husband and latching her arms around his single one, forcing him to evidently turn and take in her gaze.

She was furious and for good reason.

"Rhea is a very good judge of character, and Alphard should have nearly been started into Hufflepuff if it wasn't for his intelligence. If this is truly an issue, speak with him. Not Rhea." It took Clarissa's hands retracting from her tight hold and walking off with a curt goodnight for him to realize that his actions always put the blame on Rhea.

Even when she was screaming to see reason, it still elected some anger with his daughter, and he couldn't understand it for the like of him.

Instead, he sent a quick and forward parcel to Alphard that the two needed to speak.

And with that, the elder Slytherin had began to formulate a plan, one where his mates weren't laughing at his daughter's new caught fame.

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Date Posted: 10/01/2021

Time: 01:27

Words: 2306