Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Thursday, 17th August, 1978

[Euphadora Parkinson]

In her current state, her friends’ gentle support was feeling like an attack. Dora did not want to think about Rabastan. She did not want to have to consider his thoughts and feelings on the matter, nor how he might react to this news she was still struggling to comprehend. Yet the more they pushed her to include him, all Dora could imagine was this burden she was feeling pressing down on her now also smothering her friend. Ruffling feathers, as Cissa put it, was a kind way to say ostracize. Dora knew what people thought of her, of her family. There was a reason her parents had never managed to make friends in high enough places that they couldn’t pull themselves up the social ladder and instead insisted on their children doing the work for them. There were rumors spread around the school in her youth and now even as an adult she had heard people speaking of her unfavorably at the Ministry when they thought she was not listening. A child whom he had not yet met was not enough of a draw for Rabastan to forever link himself to such a lowly witch. Had she only concern for herself, she would have followed her mother’s advice ages ago and used her connection to this powerful family publicly. To force his hand. To secure her future. Now her best friends were encouraging something similar. Was she foolish enough to disregard them?

Her future had always focused on herself. When she was younger, Dora dreamt of being a model. Whatever else was part of her life at that time – men, a family, a lavish home – they were not part of the picture she focused on. She only knew what she wanted for herself. Fame. Adoration. Financial security. She was banking on the only asset her parents had gifted her; her looks. Anything beyond that part of her vision was blurry and not worth focusing on. That was not the case for her friends. They had well-rounded expectations for their futures, and they moved assuredly toward their goals. Dora simply floundered. Perhaps taking their advice now would be the smartest move, and as Dora didn’t have any better alternatives to consider in that moment, she nodded and even gave a faint smile as Narcissa suggested they could be family.

Violet spoke and Dora turned red reddened, puffy eyes to her. Her attempts to save Rabastan’s dignity by casting doubt on his involvement had clearly not been effective, and Dora only had herself to blame for that. She had been mostly open with her friends about her dalliances, whomever they involved, and these weekly drinks were typically the place to regale them with tales of her naughty adventures. Being respectful of Cissa’s familial connection with Rabastan, she rarely went into much detail about her time with him, but it had clearly been evident over these last few months that he was the only bloke she’d spoken about in some time. A pained and somehow equally amused look appeared on the brunette’s face as Vi once again threatened Rab on her behalf. She wanted to laugh lovingly at the unwavering support her friend showed her, but a quick caution of secrecy prompted a more solemn response. “Oh Merlin. Ender. No, he mustn’t find out about this until I’ve gotten it all sorted.” The additional stressor of now hiding such news from her brother caused tears to well up once more and Dora struggled to keep them in. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she whimpered, looking at each witch in turn.

[Narcissa Malfoy]

Even if it's not Rabastan's, surely the child will bear him enough resemblance through what she gives it.

She inelegantly finished her drink and quieted as Violet spoke, grateful for her endorsement of the plan and giving a quiet nod in affirmation of keeping such things from Ender, for now. As if from afar, Narcissa observed their friend's face, teary and distressed and still illuminated by the golden sunset. It was a great possibility that the child would have dark hair, and with any luck, so would it have the light eyes of the Lestrange boys. Big eyes and full lips were a given, one only had to look at Ender to confirm the strength of those particular Parkinson inheritances, and with a little luck - or if she was right, and it was Rabastan's anyway - there never needed to be any question on the child's parentage. Their wedding announcement would be the natural culmination of a years-long friendship that grew into romance, one that flourished once his betrothal to the Greengrass girl was abandoned, and the first recognized child from a family member in her generation was something to be celebrated. And there would be celebrations, ones so loud and full of frivolity that none would be the wiser, and soon the details of this dinner would fade from the memory of their little trio, replaced by the story they decided on, and they would laugh as they secretly recalled it from time to time, oh how worried they had been back then...

In Narcissa's mind, the deal was done. Euphadora would tell Rabastan, he would do the honorable thing, and their lives would truly - finally - come together. He would be a gentleman - not cold and cruel as their father had raised them to be, but the decent man he was more than capable of being - and, in time, she had no doubt that he would be grateful for the change. He had not allowed anyone beyond family to become a regular fixture in his life as Euphadora had, and Narcissa had to believe that it meant something, even if he would struggle to admit it. You'll have to be quick, if he fails. You could tell him. Prepare him... What threats could she levy that would make him change his mind, if he made the wrong decision? There had to be something - and even then, he would come around, in time...

"Lucky for you, that's something you will never have to worry about," Narcissa assured with a sugar-sweet smile, leaning in protectively to smooth the younger witch's lovely hair. Had the poor thing eaten anything today, so driven to distraction? "This has been such a difficult day for you, I can't imagine how difficult," she whispered, "but for what it's worth, darling, I believe you'd be splendid. This shock will pass, and you'll feel it soon enough. If that's what you want, of course." She hadn't meant for it to sound like the afterthought it was - after all, following through with the plan would leave Dora wanting for nothing, Narcissa had already sunk her teeth into it, and the idea of taking a potion and forgetting all about this was unthinkable to her - and felt her smile tighten. She placed a kiss on her forehead and rose, taking the pitcher from the cart to refill their glasses and levitating the tray of peachy nibbles to their little table.