Serra Swallowed, Not Wanting Him To Notice That She Was More Nervous Than She Was Letting On. She Had

@alaraselwyn

"Next time you have to come with me. We can stay at my house, go shopping together, eat french pastries..." It would be a fun thing to do, to show Willa around the town she had enjoyed so much.

"I don't know. Maybe? My parents certainly think it is time. They wanted to invite him to my birthday party, can you believe that?" She scoffed, shaking her head. He had broken her heart, all those years ago. "He did look quite handsome. And I do enjoy the presents..but he embarrassed me terribly back at Hogwarts."

Willa sighed, a slight hint of jealousy as Serra described her experiences in Paris. It was notable to many that while Willa had free reign to avail of the Bulstrode last name, their funds weren't quite as easily accessed. Despite how much Willa would have longed to visit her friend in Paris, it wasn't quite in sight.

At Serra's depiction of her run in with Malcolm, she took a sip of her tea, eyebrows raised ever so slightly. "Are you thinking of forgiving him?" Willa asked, slightly intrigued for Serra's response. "If I were you, I would wait to see him on his knees."

location: flint and vanity wedding status: open for everyone

"Have you seen some of the dresses people came in here with? it is a shame that taste is not something that everyone's been born with." Serra grimaced, her tone pitiying letting her eyes glance over a woman in a black feathered dress. It looked like she wanted to emulate a raven and failed terribly.

Alecto Carrow had always intimidated her, there was just something about her presence, you could not miss her when she entered a room. Especially now that she had snagged one of the most eligible bachelors. She had heard he'd been betrothed to her cousin Mira for a brief stint and she did wonder what happened there for things to end up the way they did. She would be looking forward to the next issue of Rita Skeeter's column. "I agree. Evelyn looked wonderful. Do you know who made her dress? It is gorgeous."

where: fulham palace who: open

This was their first event since their own wedding, and she could feel the eyes on her, not that it mattered. She was quite content with how things had turned out and wouldn't have it any other way, slowly accepting what would be of her life. Rabastan was always there to put her at ease and turning her thoughts into a more logical one.

The witch walked around with a glass of champagne, not having taking a sip, not wanting to draw more attention since she was able to conceal her pregnancy still. "I will say, I'm impressed with how this turned out. Evelyn looked beautiful in her dress." Her head turning to the person beside her.

"I think so too. If anyone deserves a party in their honor, it's me. I am practically perfect." A statement like that couldn't be said with humility and she didn't even bother to feign it. Serra was sure of herself and her qualities, insecurity was an unfamiliar concept. "Depends on if I like how it looks." She shrugged her shoulders softly, her eyes focusing on the present once more. "Do continue talking, I love multiple presents.

His gaze flickering down to their arms as she took hold of his, Evan offered the younger witch a reassuring smile before starting towards one of the balconies. "I think it wise to take any opportunity to be celebrated as you're very much deserving." The wizard's compliment sneaked through his lips with ease, green eyes gleaming with mischief as they met hers. "Not just yet, but I could definitely get my flirt on, long as I get to see you wearing my gift some time soon?" He wondered, coming to a halt as they were out of the main hall, his grin growing wider at her words. "It should, and I could most certainly make it entirely about you. Now that I'm thinking more into it, perhaps there's another gift I could give you."

Knowing how to handle herself in a public setting was something she had been taught at a young age, never losing her cool and keeping a mask of passive indifference even if her enotions were going haywire. She hadn't expected to run into Malcolm, they'd successfully managed to avoid each other for years and now here was right in front of her, thinking he could talk to her like nothing happened. How dare he? Sure the presents were nice and she was currently wearing a bracelet he'd sent to her a couple of months ago, but that didn't mean she'd forgiven him, it was not the jewellery's fault that he was a cheater. "I look good everywhere." She dismissed his compliment. "No one liked her anyways, so they're all over it by now." Serra crossed her arms, having to look up to keep eye contact, but not wavering. "What do you want?"

At first, Malcolm thought that he saw a ghost and when he realized it was really Serra, he opted for a ghost instead. It had been years since he saw her, doing his best to keep his distance and not cross paths. It was a moment of relief when he was told that she went to Paris. Malcolm would have done the same thing if he had a family member who dismantled the family name. He was glad to not have any siblings any only a few well-behaved cousins. Malcolm also thought that the Loire Valley would've been his choice if he were fleeing from domestic disputes. But it was because of Serra being in Paris that he was forced to readdress the first gift there and after that, he sent messages to French boutiques to send her locally designed jewelry and clothes. "Well, you look much better in London than in Paris," he commented, not shying from offering a compliment. It was only an innate reaction. "You're still saying her name? I can't help but feel sorry for the rest of the family. I hope they're well."

"Agreed. I've missed you too." While she was a few years younger than Willa, the other never made her feel listened to, both of them understanding that their value was far superior to other girls at Hogwarts so they bonded quickly.

"Oh absolutely. London would certainly be a bore without you." She was glad to have her friend around as she desperately needed someone to talk to about recent developments. "Malcolm came to see me." It wasn't exactly an answer to the question asked, but in a round about way, it was. "Said he wanted to come by the manor and talk to me."

"It's been far too long, I've missed you." Willa gushed. The woman had no problem leaving her station a little early for her lunch break, with a few other welcome witches on shift, Willa was sure that nobody would even notice her being gone. It was hardly like she was an attentive worker.

Besides, when she heard that Serra was back in London, Willa knew that exceptions could be made. "It would've been a dream to visit you in Paris, but London seemed intent on keeping me around. Things would have gotten dreadfully boring with the two of us gone. How are you?"

"Wonderfully. With lots of champagne." She sighed wistfully, already missing the beautiful city she got to call home for a few short months. It had more charm and elegance than London did. It felt more refined.

"I ran into him on the street as I was going to visit my father at the shop. He said something about me looking much better here than I would in Paris, so I said I would look good everywhere. Because that is a fact." The last bit was said as an afterthought. "He's been begging for forgiveness for years. With all the jewellery and dresses he's been buying me. I have yet to see him on his knees though."

"How did Paris treat you? Too many hours spent at the Avenue des Champs-Elysées" Willa asked intrigued, quietly thanking the waitress as two teapots were sat in front of the pair. Serra understood Willa's love for the finer things in life, and while most would expect their attitudes to clash, in fact it made quite the harmonious balance.

Pouring tea for herself and Serra, Willa's eyebrow quirked in response the the mention of Malcolm Parkinson. Back at Hogwarts, Willa recalled first talking to Serra after the commotion between Serra and Malcolm, and of course, Charity Burbage. She was slightly older, but that didn't stop word from spreading. "What happened?" Setting the teapot back down, she looked back at her friend. "I sure hope that he begged for forgiveness."

Serra had known that her cousin getting married was going to be a big event, what she hadn't expected was to be arriving engaged to Malcolm Parkinson. The last month had gone by in a whirlwind and she had done well to keep distance, after what Evan had told her she had been upset. Malcolm was seeing Charity again-still? She wasn't sure, but either way she hated it. However, she did not want him to know she cared so much. It would give him the upper hand. Right now he didn't know that she knew, but that would soon change. Would he lie to her? Pretend it wasn't true? Or would he own up to it? It took her a moment to think, too caught him in her revenge fantasies against a certain blonde. "More." They weren't poor after all, they could afford a big wedding. It was a status symbol. Plus more guests meant more presents. "I know. I always do." She touched the necklace for a moment. It had been on her pile of birthday presents, once she had opened the box she knew she had to wear it, it was as if she was drawn to it more than normal. Serra wasn't sure if he was the one that got her the necklace, but due to his compliment she assumed. He did know her taste pretty well by now and unfortunately she knew his too. "We should discuss the guest list. I want the final say about it. I'm not letting your mistress get anywhere near the place."

where: agatha and emir's wedding; reception who: @serraborgin

Though they agreed on being engaged, their correspondence was mostly about the wedding planning as it was now a rush. Still, he did his best not to look behind him, but someone could've counted at least two dozen times throughout the night. She looked good even in the bridesmaid color that Agatha had chosen. Malcolm knew which colors looked best on her and this was not even in the top five. One of his favorite colors on her was the warm blush that met her cheeks when he used to give her the finest compliments. Malcolm saw her alone near the bar and took the opportunity to plunge forward. "Should we have more or less people at our ceremony?" Malcolm smiled as he stepped over. "Hi. You look great tonight. I love the necklace." It wasn't one of his, but it still fell over her neck, her collarbones in the best way.

status: for @rsrevan, @miraxselwyn location: borgin manor

Serra was in an excellent mood tonight, tipsy on attention and gifts, as well as several glasses of champagne. It was her birthday and she'd been showered with presents left and right. Her parents were being particularly generous this year, which while she noticed she didn't comment on. Perhaps they wanted to make sure she didn't have any wayward plans of following into her idiotic cousin's footsteps. As if. A cautionary tale more so than a role model she'd always been to Serra. Floating around in her pink dress she smiled when she spotted a familiar face. "Welcome. Have you had the champagne yet? It is quite delicious."