ofcarrowisms

[ofcarrowisms]

Madelaine Petsch

[ofcarrowisms]

"Crouch." Alecto just raised an eyebrow, a little grin on her face. She didn't really get the need to call people by their surname, but she would match the vibe. The red head did though just shrug at his words. "We do run in the same social circles my darling." She mused, a little grin still on her face. "Also not getting married just yet. You still have time to woo me" Of course, that was mostly a joke. mostly.

If she was really honest Alecto wasn't that fussed about her marriage. With her so called betrothal to Arden it at least kept her mother off her back for now. She was an independent woman, and didn't need to be tied down to anyone that was going to try to control her. "I dunno. Malfoys always strike me as boring fuckers" She laughed, a roll of her eyes at the end of her words. "You've ticked off all the boxes. May as well go home" She added, a grin on her face. "I've been bored since the moment I stepped in here. I hate these things."

“ carrow. ” the greeting rolls off his tongue in his usual tone—casual, almost lazy. a half-smirk tugs at the corners of his mouth as he lifts his glass, taking a slow sip. “ are we seriously going to start running into each other everywhere? and just when you're about to get married? bloody hell, my luck's rotten. ” he grumbles, though there's not a trace of real complaint in his expression—quite the opposite, in fact. he finds the whole thing rather amusing. their dynamic had always been light, effortless, like a game neither took too seriously. “ so then? what do people do for fun around here? because i’ve already exhausted the options—drinking, eating, donating, and making polite conversation. ” he emphasises each word with a slight pout, feigning exasperation.

ft. 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 ( @ofcarrowisms ) 📍MALFOY MANOR

[ofcarrowisms]

To be honest Alecto could've thought of so many better places to spend her evening than at the Malfoys. Whilst she was determined to get the Carrow name out there more, she really could do with less mingling with people that thought they were above everyone else. But, this party was one of those things that she could not avoid. And she supposed at least she had Arden with her tonight. The last time they'd been together they'd had some fun. So she supposed that it was going to make the evening a little more enjoyable.

"I always look stunning babe." The red head mused with a little grin. Her looks had never been something that Alecto had been worried about. She knew she was chaotic, and not everyone liked her, but she was stunning, and she knew it. "You don't look too bad either" She teased, the grin still on her face. He did look great, even she could say that. "I do like causing you some chaos darling. Hopefully you can handle it." She mused, placing her hand on his arm. Though even if he couldn't, she didn't care too much. She would never change for anyone. "I've been great. Life is good." Or well, until she had to get married. Then it wouldn't be so good.

With Alecto @ofcarrowisms,

Arden fancied himself a gentleman in the senses of the word that he actually cared about. Putting aside his active pursuit of his mother's displeasure for his own amusement, Arden had been properly raised. He left his own entertainment at the Wilkes Manor to properly escort Alecto at the party. Before this engagement the place was of terse silence, not much to do besides his projects for the building itself and the extensive research into the basement that was older than the manor itself.

"Missed the opportunity earlier, but you do look stunning tonight." He said once they were at the party, Arden had procured them two flutes of champagne. "Things at home have been interesting, I have to thank you." Interesting was putting it lightly. Arden had been thinking of moving back there, but he had to post pone the move indefinitely because the place was unbearable when he wasn't in the mischievous and petty mood that had brought this arrangement into existence. Most of the time, it was indeed the mood he was in. "How have you been faring?"

[ofcarrowisms]

To be honest Alecto wasn't so sure she was wife material. She wasn't the usual kind of girl to get married. Or at least, that was her opinion on their world. She wasn't one to sit and obey. And she certainly wasn't going to be a a trophy wife. She was independent, and she didn't need a man to make her successful. She had proved that enough. Though, this whole situation was bringing her some awareness of what others thought of the idea of her being married.

"You had plenty of times darling. How many times have we been together?" She pointed out with a grin. She wasn't sure where her father had even been thinking betrothal wise. She hadn't cared then, and she still didn't really care now. "Aww. Hopefully someone will be there to put it back together for you baby." She teased, a little smirk on her lips. She would have offered, but she supposed she shouldn't be flirting as much. "Snooze you lose babe" She mused with a srhug as she poured him a glass of firewhiskey, and pushed it over to him. "Guess it's your loss."

barty had always loved alecto’s bar, and he loved alecto. there had always been a dynamic between them that he found interesting, though he had never dared to take it further. perhaps because the timing had never quite been right; they only saw each other when she was working, and he understood that it wasn’t the most opportune moment. and yes, even barty could grasp that. so, it didn’t really surprise him when he heard the news of her marriage. alecto was exceptional. “ of course you’re wife material—it annoys me that they got there before i did, ” he clicked his tongue, pretending to be genuinely outraged. a playful smile curved on his lips, and he tilted his head slightly, resting the side of his cheek on his palm. “ what are you on about? you didn’t break my heart: you shattered it, ” he nodded with well-acted seriousness. “ but i suppose i can’t complain. i was too slow, wasn’t i? ” and the smile remained on his features. “ care to give me a glass of firewhisky to drown my sorrows, darling? ”

[ofcarrowisms]

         nothing I could title this would do it justice. 

[ofcarrowisms]

"You're never a problem Cissa babe" Alecto pointed out. Things were busy, and not everyone was a bar person. As much as Delirium was her baby, she knew it wasn't everyone's favourite place. To actually have Narcissa here was making her very happy. "Join the club." She murmured with a smile. "We should make more of an effort." And she made a mental note to reach out to her friend more. "Mmm.... maybe I can include that on the menu." She murmured, as she summoned a couple of bottles of alcohol. The cocktails she tended to make usually were fruity, tasted like pop, but with lethal with the amount of alcohol in them. This one would be no different. "I like to treat my favourite people" She mused, as she made the drink. It was true. She shrugged at the next words from Narcissa. "I'm okay." She was. She hadn't really thought about it too much. She was safe right? "Haven't thought about it much." Ignorance was bliss right? "How are you Cissa?"

perhaps it was narcissa that was at fault for not often reaching out to meet. narcissa quite liked their solitude, but she was also lonely because of her own doing. they felt bad, staring at the other. "perhaps i'm the problem," they say with a small sad smile. "i'm sorry i don't reach out more. i'm a bit of a workaholic," she says with a roll of the eyes. it said a lot that they faired more with creatures than people, but that was how it had always been. finding snakes in the grass and befriending them, their grandfather had abraxans that they raised and you would always find narcissa with them when they did visit before they died. "you get to choose," she says with a smirk, leaning on the bar. "i'd love to see an alecto special," she looks over at the patrons before her eyes find their way back to alecto. "the narcissa special? now you're treating me. i'd love a cocktail. anything you'll give me really." she needed it after whatever the hell happened at st. mungos. "how are you doing, darling?" they ask, their voice more gentle this time.

[ofcarrowisms]

This was set to be quite any entertaining night. Alecto was enjoying this mock engagement. Of course, most people thought it was the real deal. And she supposed that was what made her enjoy it even more. At least she didn't have to worry about her father trying to set her up with anyone else. She wondered how long they could push this for. If she could avoid any marriage, she would. She was an independent, and now wealthy woman, she had no need of a husband.

She smiled, a feature that wasn't often found on her lips, as she tucked her arm through his. She supposed Arden was a gentleman. He played the part well. "I'll have you know I'm a respectable lady Arden" She teased, a smirk on her face now as she looked at him. "But I adore your idea. Let's do it."

At first, this engagement, like any other, was supposed to be an immediate 'no' for Arden. He held firm on not bringing anyone into the family under the wrong assumption they had more to gain from doing so. So maybe what made the farse work was that Alecto had no intention of marrying in the first place, there was no need for Arden to come clean about the things his father would never mention to the Carrows.

Arden laughed with her. She was right, after all, his mother had only been threatening to start drinking so far — an empty threat, if one asked Arden. But now that Alecto was there, yeah, that bottle could just as well be dry by the end of the night. It would be amusing. He offered her an arm to keep face "Should we just disappear mid-way through dinner with no warning? Leave them thinking the worse?" He asked low-toned, for only Alecto to hear.

[ofcarrowisms]

[ofcarrowisms]

Alecto didn't think she had ever talked so much about her own name before. Really her first name meant nothing. It was the surname that mattered. And the Carrow surname, whilst sacred 28, wasn't the highest of names. Alecto intended to change that. "Unique but also recognisable." It meant she couldn't hide. Most people knew who she was. A smile came onto her lips at the mention of Amycus. Alecto adored her brother. He was probably the only person she loved nearly as much as she loved herself. "I adore it. My brother is my favorite person in the world" It probably helped that her parents hadn't cared much for her. So, it had been Amycus and Alecto together against the world. "Kinda. I guess."

Polly couldn't help but smile at that, internally swelling in some kind of pride at being called kind. It was such a compliment to them. Kindness was something she strongly felt like the world needed more of, but too often society thought being kind was being weak and no one wanted to be seen as weak. She didn't see it that way though. "It's certainly unique! In the best way. I don't meet a lot of Pauline's but I've got nothing on you or your twin. I've never heard of an Amycus before either. Do you like being a twin? Do you have that twin telepathy thing I always hear about?"

[ofcarrowisms]

Alecto was feeling that she should start to wrap up this conversation. She wasn't really interested in it after all, and she certainly did not want to end up with any plants. "You are a very kind person." And certainly not Alecto's usual go to with people. "Kinder than me anyway" The red head was not very kind in the slightest. She was sure her friends would say that word was not in her vocabulary. "I like being unique." She murmured with a shrug. "But also. No idea. I have a twin called Amycus so guess my Father just wanted another A name."

Pauline often had some trouble making friends, she always had, and it didn't surprise her that ever since moving across the pond, she was having some issues. More often than not, she just had a hard time realizing when conversations were going well or if they were better off ending quickly. "Maybe, but I'm sure they had plenty to do, were in a rush or something. I can't blame them for that." She smiled then, holding their plant closer as she looked around, eyes haltingly settling back on the other. "It's nice to meet you, Alecto. I don't think I've ever heard that name before, is it a family one?"

[ofcarrowisms]

Alecto adored her bar. It was her baby. She had worked hard to make it successful, and was now able to reap the benefits. In the early days it had involved a lot of juggling, both being on the bar, and looking at the accounts. But now that it was a solid money maker, she could spend more time doing the things she enjoyed. Or well, she could most of the time. There were some days when someone phoned in sick and she needed to actually work the bar. It wasn't that much of a hardship. She did enjoy it after all.

"No hello? So rude." The red head mused with a little laugh. She found it quite interesting too actually. Who would have thought she would actually get married? Though, she didn't have much intention of it happening any time soon. "But yes. it's true." She added, a grin on her face this time. "What? Didn't think I was wife material Barty?" Of course, most of the pureblood Mama's probably didn't think she was wife material. She was rather wild after all. "Broke your heart? Didn't know you cared babe." She teased, still grinning.

the delirium bar was probably one of his favourite spots. there was always good music, good food, good drinks, and a bloody good view. oh, yes. alecto always managed to make barty form a mischievous smile on his lips, but it never went beyond that. glances, words, maybe the brush of their hands. somehow, he’d always held back for different reasons, but tonight, the circumstances were entirely different for them both. however, that wasn’t about to stop his usual sarcastic remarks, the flirtations that seemed to come as naturally as breathing to the heir of the crouch name. " so, is it true, then? you're getting married? " a dramatic sigh escaped his lips, his elbows resting on the bar as his hands cradled his face. his pale eyes fixed on her, a pout curling his lips. " what's it like to break half the wizarding world's heart, hmm? including mine, " he asked, a hint of feigned innocence lacing his words while a playful grin danced across his face.

ft. 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 ( @ofcarrowisms ) 📍 DELIRIUM BAR

[ofcarrowisms]

The woman in front of her didn't often come into her bar, and so Alecto was grateful when she did. Despite their differing social statuses, Alecto quite liked the other. She didn't see her as much as she would like. After all the red head did spend a lot of time at her bar. So, there was a smile on her face. This would be a good opportunity to have a actual catch up with Narcissa. "I own a bar darling. Most of the time I'm actually here" She pointed out with a grin. Though, if she was hard to track down, she kind of liked it. She could tell Narcissa had been joking though. "Mmm.....I get to choose? You're treating me." She teased, a smirk on her face as she looked at the other. She liked to surprise people with drinks. She had started her business by mixing cocktails back in school, and she was very good at it. "Fancy a cocktail?" She asked, tilting her head with a grin. "The Narcissa Special we can call it."

it wasn't often that narcissa came to knockturn alley, but after getting a pain potion from a tiny dragon giving them a little burn they didn't see why not get a drink before they went home. it was easy finding alecto's bar and stepping in. it wasn't often that they tried to socialize, but yet, here they were, and they were hoping that alecto would be here. it was hard meeting up with friends, especially with one's like alecto who seemed to live a busy life, and narcissa was out of country more often than not. when she sees the familiar face she smirks, making her way over to the other and sitting down. "you're a hard woman to track." they joke, elbows on the bar in a way that would offend their mother. "hello darling, i'm in need of a drink, but nothing too weak nor too strong." they still needed to apparate home afte rall. "what do you have in mind?" they tilt their head, looking at the other, before giving off all pretences. "truthfully, the last couple of days had been shit," given the recent murder. "how has been business?" it was hard to keep up most of the time.

[ofcarrowisms]

"Hopefully they work." Not that Alecto really had that many cares for the plants fate. But she had a pretty decent poker face, and she could often make people feel she cared when she did not. It was a talent that she highly valued. "You're welcome." A little smile on her lips. It was fake, but she other didn't need to know that right? "That's so sad." And usually how she tended to spend her days. Why she hadn't done that right now she didn't know. At least the conversation hadn't been that bad. "I'm Alecto."

"That is an excellent point. I'll have to set reminders around my flat to remember to water it. Nothing brings down the mood more than dead plants." She'd never really taken care of plants before, she'd had a couple back in the states that had managed to survive but once Polly had been assigned to this job, she'd had to find other homes for them. "I'm Pauline, it's nice to meet you and thank you for indulging my question. Some people completely ignored me as they walked by."

[ofcarrowisms]

Where: Delirium Bar:

Who: Alecto and Narcissa ( @impcrios )

It had been a bit of a slow day. Alecto didn't spend the entire days here. She often went to bad late, got up late, and then mooched around. She sometimes would come to the bar, and work a shift. But most of the time whilst she was around at the bar during the night time hours, she wasn't actually working the bar. It wasn't that she didn't like it, she did like making cocktails after all. But she also liked flirting, and making men spend their money.

Today though, she had been around for most of the day. It sucked really, and she found it a little boring, especially when it was this slow. A smile crept onto the red head's lips though as a familiar face came up to the bar. "Narcissa Black" She greeted, a little grin on her lips. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes"

[ofcarrowisms]

"Mmm. I suppose so." Alecto could probably have been a lot better at a lot of things. She just wasn't very well versed in trying too hard. If she wasn't motivated by it, she didn't really exert much effort in succeeding in the area. It was why she had barely passed any of her NEWTs. How she had graduated from Hogwarts was beyond her. "Clearly." She mused, a little laugh on her lips. She didn't really care about plants. "I guess that would look cute. Hopefully it won't die. That would not be as cute."

"Well, that's alright. Not everyone can be everything, right?" Take Pauline for example. Genius level intellect, especially when it came to languages, but plants were out of her purview. It used to bother her, not knowing everything as well as she did words, but she'd finally come around to accepting that she couldn't know every single thing. "Everyone has their thing and clearly plants are neither of ours. I did want something though, I moved here not too long ago and my flat is quite empty. I thought I cute plant would liven it up."

[ofcarrowisms]

MADELAINE PETSCH via @ marcmen Instagram

[ofcarrowisms]

Alecto didn't want to get married. Of course, she knew it was he duty. Or well, it was supposed to be. But she didn't exactly feel much loyalty to the Carrow name. Her father had never seen her as more than a bargaining chip. A way of making himself more powerful, and getting more money. So, she didn't really care about marrying. She had once upon a time. When she'd been happy. When she'd been with someone she actually wanted to marry. But then Corban had abandoned her. And well, it had all gone south from there.

This betrothal with Arden was different though. And she was actually having some fun with it. Especially when it seemed to be driving both of their mothers crazy. She knew Arden's mother didn't think she was good enough. And honestly, that made it more interesting for the other. Alecto was used to people not thinking she was good enough. But the red head was successful now. She'd made a name for herself, she had money, and well, anyone would be blessed to have her as a daughter in law. Of course, she wouldn't actually make a good daughter in law, after all, she was still chaotic. But still, she was worthy of being someone's wife, even if she didn't want to actually marry anyone

As they arrived, and Arden came over to her, Alecto had a little smile on her lips, though there was a glint in her eye. She was excited to see what fun they could come up with tonight. Otherwise, the thought of the dinner, was very boring to her. "I'm sure just my presence is enough to make her drink." She laughed, leaning up to kiss his cheek, keeping up the pretence. "Let's cause some chaos."

Arden and Alecto @ofcarrowisms SETTING: Wilkes Ancestral Home

With the renovations of the house Arden had been implementing through the past months, all the places for guests had been brought back to a semblance of dignity. The house had seen almost a decade of disrepair, and it had taken its toll. But one thing his parents seemed to forget was that things could be done without spending any money if one had time. Arden got the time, a restless disposition, and a single-mindedness for this project.

It was all enough, and it should've been something to have put Arden into his mother's graces, but that wasn't easily achieved. Bryony was father's favorite, their younger brother was mother's, and Arden was left with the position of heir and all the weight of it. If he paid for his parents to keep face, it would never have been enough. Whatever he did within pureblood expectations wasn't good enough. His posture had much improvement to be done. He could always take up one more language. Play the piano better. Dance more. Pick his food more elegantly. Build a better career path, a less mundane one — If there was even any sort of job that wasn't mundane.

So, when his father had arranged for his marriage to Alecto Carrow without his mother's knowledge, Arden couldn't help himself but be petty about it. He was the Wilkes heir and the de facto provider of the family. What would they do to him if he amused himself at their expense here and there?

Along with the renovations, Arden had warded the house from apparitions even more than it was previously, closing it off for a one-mile radius — With the few exceptions of who would apparate there. So, the fireplace in the sitting room was once again the main entrance of the house. Arden sat in the largest armchair to wait for their guest, to wait for his fiancée. The armchair, like many things in the Wilkes family, had once been his father's and now was being silently taken over by Arden himself.

He passed his mother on the way to the sitting room as soon as he was ready for dinner with the Alecto and the Carrows. She had been staring outside like her death sentence approached, a still-full glass of straight gin accompanying her. He would feel bad if it wasn't for show.

As soon as the Floo roared back to life, Arden stood up with a polite smile slapped across his face. He greeted Alecto's parents and made a beeline towards her, leaning down to whisper to her "Mother just opened the bottle of gin, what would you take if we managed to get her to drain it before the night ends?"