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Post by Cara Ferrera on Feb 8, 2009 14:22:45 GMT -5
Cara had been busy all day long preparing the food and the pies and all the dishes she had promised various people. There felt like there was added pressure this year with the Malfoys coming... this was the first year that they said they would, and while Cara was glad that Mathieu would get to see his sister and nephews, they were still Malfoys and that meant everything had to be perfect.
And then there was Mara... Cara had mixed feelings. The girl was her first grandchild, but she still didn't want to admit that Mara was really Cyrus'.
She used a charm to enlarge their dining room and the table within, and it was docorated with green and red with the nice china, just waiting for the meal.
There were plenty of extra chairs in the living room, and she had drinks out and ready.
Everything was set, but she was standing in the kitchen, hands on her hips, and wondering what she was forgetting, if anything.
"Mathieu," She called. "Everyone will start arriving soon... what else do I need to do?"
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Feb 8, 2009 16:34:19 GMT -5
Mathieu had been putting the finishing touches on the decorations around the house, but he turned at the sound of his wife's voice. He straightened up to take a look around at everything. The whole house was decorated with red and green and silver and gold. Holly and mistletoe hung down from doorways, tinsel was draped everywhere. The whole place looked like a winter wonderland. The tree was a towering Douglas Fir, trimmed with brightly colored lights and various decorations, some of which dated back to when Roland was still a baby. Mathieu loved looking at the old decorations... they were almost like a visual history of the family.
"Everything looks beautiful, darling," he said, walking over and wrapping his arms around her waist. "I can't think of anything left to do. It's going to be perfect."
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Post by Cara Ferrera on Feb 8, 2009 22:12:27 GMT -5
Cara bit her lip, one hand on her hip where she could manage, where he wasn't holding her. "Your sister and her family are coming. And Riley, and Jamie's friend from school... I want to make a good impression and I just feel like I'm missing something. There's nothing you can think of?" She asked, listening for the doorbell because she knew it would ring soon.
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Feb 8, 2009 22:56:49 GMT -5
Mathieu kissed her softly. "I know you're nervous, but you don't have to be. Everything is going to be wonderful. You've always been a perfect hostess."
In fact, Cara came alive during events such as these. It was almost a thing of beauty, to watch her prepare for and host a huge family gathering. This one was bigger than usual, of course, due to the fact that Emelia and her family were finally coming after so many years. Mathieu also knew that she was excited about seeing Roland and Riley together, although he hoped she wouldn't try too hard to push them together. Roland didn't take well to being pushed... he tended to push back.
And of course, there was the possibility of baby Mara's arrival. Cyrus hadn't confirmed whether he would be bringing the baby, but Mathieu knew that was another reason why his wife was nervous. They had delayed seeing the baby for so long, but even Mathieu knew that once Cara got one look at the baby, she would love and accept the child unconditionally.
Taking one last look around, Mathieu noticed that the fireplace was dark. "Oh, I should make a fire," he said. "And maybe we could get some music going? That would make it festive."
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Post by Amandine Ferrera on Feb 9, 2009 0:24:49 GMT -5
Ama skipped through the front door, clad in a red Holiday dress. "Mom?" she called out. "Daddy?" It seemed she was the first one there. Good. "Anyone home?"
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Feb 9, 2009 0:50:10 GMT -5
At the sound of his daughter's voice, Mathieu was distracted from his plan to work on the fire. Instead, he smiled at his wife. "And so it begins," he teased, before heading into the living room to greet Amandine.
"Ama! There you are, princess. I'm glad to see that the portkey we set up worked." He scooped his daughter up into his arms as if she were still a little girl.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 11, 2009 1:31:43 GMT -5
Back at his apartment, Roland was already in a mood. As much as he loved his family, he really was dreading the holiday celebration this year. He tried to tell himself it was not just because Riley would be attending. There were many factors that were causing him to dread the event.
He had never really done well in crowds; at least ones where he was expected to interact with the people. If he could sort of blend into the background and be ignored, that was fine. But at a family celebration, it would be diffcult to get away with that.
In addition to his own family and Uncle Judah's family, his mother had invited her sister's family, the Montgomerys. That meant, among other things, that Geoffrey would be there. And, for the first time in 15 years, his Aunt Emelia and her family would be there. It had been so long since he'd seen the Malfoys that he didn't think he remembered what they looked like.
And of course, he had to bring Riley. Jamie was also apparently bringing a guest. And Lina was planning to make a surprise visit with baby Mara. It seemed like everyone was coming. And the prospect of so many guests had Roland feeling a little more tense than usual. At least, that was what he told himself. It had nothing to do with Riley.
Things between them had been chilly since the night she'd made him dinner. Most of it was on his end, of course. He'd made a mistake with her, and was eager to keep it from happening again. So he treated her coldly, shutting her out and attempting to be as professional as possible. For her part, she seemed unable to determine how to speak to him at all, as if afraid to set him off again.
So the fact that they had to go to Christmas dinner together pretty much sounded like torture. But it was too late to back out now, so Roland had resigned himself to his fate.
He dressed fairly well; casual but neat, in muggle clothes topped off with a simple, well-tailored black robe. Once he was ready, he took a deep breath and left his apartment to go next door to Riley's. He hesitated for a moment, then finally knocked on the door.
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Post by Amandine Ferrera on Feb 11, 2009 1:55:37 GMT -5
"Ama! There you are, princess. I'm glad to see that the portkey we set up worked." He scooped his daughter up into his arms as if she were still a little girl. "Daddy!" Amandine squealed running to her father and giggling as he scooped her into his arms. She kissed him on the cheek and smiled. "Merry Christmas Daddy, am I the first one here?" |
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Post by Cara Ferrera on Feb 11, 2009 4:32:19 GMT -5
Cara smiled at her husband, ready to put on some music when she heard Ama's voice.
She followed Mathieu out front, realizing that one of the reasons she fell in love with him was how he treated children. He never lost the touch.
With a flick of her wand, she put on some music. "Yes, Ama, darling. You're the first home. You look beautiful, as well."
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 11, 2009 4:40:40 GMT -5
Riley wasn't particularly looking forward to the dinner, either. Why on earth she thought saying yes to Cara had been a good idea for any reason, she couldn't fathom now.
But it was too late to beg off, and she sighed, getting ready, thinking about how long the night was going to be. Roland has been cold since that night she tried to make peace... the whole night had backfired on her. It wasn't so much that she didn't know how to deal with Roland anymore, which was, in part, true. But the bigger issue was that she was too tired of trying everything that she almost didn't care anymore. She had been spending more and more time with Fabian, and found herself wishing she could spend Christmas with him.
Nonetheless, she held to her commitments. When Roland knocked, Riley opened the door, the wine bottle in her hand. She was in a black pair of pants and a red blouse that accentuated her curves. A black jacket was draped over her arm, and her hair was down, falling in loose curls around her face. It was probably the first time Roland had seen her hair down.
She gave him a smile. "I hope your family won't mind the muggle clothes," she said, seeing his nice, tailored robe. She stepped out of her apartment and locked the door, sighing softly.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 11, 2009 10:12:32 GMT -5
For a second, he couldn't breathe. She looked stunning in red. And the robes she usually wore to work had concealed her figure, so that now he was surprised to notice her curves and her long legs. He also couldn't help but notice the way her hair framed her face.
"No, not at all," he said, recovering his voice. "It'll be fine. You look... nice."
"Nice" was an understatement, but he wasn't about to tell her what he really thought. He took a deep breath and held out his hand. Since she hadn't been to his parents' house before, it probably would be better if they apparated together.
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Christine Montgomery
 
Seventh Year[M:10]
In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.
Posts: 925
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Post by Christine Montgomery on Feb 11, 2009 14:04:07 GMT -5
Christine was feeling less her usual self these days much of which had to do with the Attack and her cousins being injured so badly. There were others too that Christine had just been making friends with that were now either hurt or worse and the whole matter just made her completely depressed. She was a bit lackluster for anything and it seemed no one could cheer her up.
Not only that, but Christine was angry, there was a deep seated anger in her at the death eaters had dared to hurt her family she wanted to spit kick and hurl vicious insults at something or someone, unfortunately it came out on her family when they pressed too hard.
Tonight she didn't know how she felt about Christmas dinner. The Montgomerys always had a quiet family celebration that dated back many years, and then of course they had some extravagant affair where the females of the family got to show of their party planning abilities. Christine sighed again thinking about Sam, she had put a lot of effort into their Christmas gathering and now it was going to be canceled because of what happened.
She glanced at the dress that hung on the wall, it was beautiful, bold like she was but tasteful of course. She was still in her pjs. Getting up she tossed another look at the dress and went to her brother's room to talk.
"Geoff...can I come in?"
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Post by Lillian Montgomery on Feb 11, 2009 14:15:45 GMT -5
Lillian studied her face in the mirror, but her thoughts were far away. She was nearly finished all that was left was putting on her dress, but her makeup and hair was done and now she was lost in thought. She was of course thinking of Christine, the girl who had caused the worry lines on her face, but none moreso than now. Even when Christine was darting off in the jungles of who knows where Lillian didn't worry about her daughter more than she was right now perhaps it had to do with Sam's injuries and Cyrus' getting attacked, perhaps it was how her daughter had been walking around like a shell of the girl she used to be, it all worried the already worry-o-holic.
She sighed shaking off her nerves, she was happy about tonight, she hadn't seen her sister in a long while, slipping into her dress she called out for her husband.
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Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on Feb 11, 2009 16:05:13 GMT -5
Geoffrey had stayed the night in his old bedroom. It felt important to be close to the family right now, and not just because it was Christmas. The Hogsmeade attack had done a bit of damage to the family. Sam and Cyrus had nearly been killed, and Jamie was hurt, too. Christine, meanwhile, had been unhurt physically, but emotionally... well, that was another story. It clearly had freaked her out to see Sam get hurt so badly, and she was not behaving like her usual outspoken self.
It worried him, to say the least. He had inherited his mother's worry-wort tendencies, after all. And he'd never known Christine to be so... quiet.
He was already dressed and ready to go to the Ferreras' Christmas party when he heard the knock on his bedroom door, followed by Christine's voice asking to come in. "Yeah, of course," he answered. "Come in."
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Christine Montgomery
Seventh Year[M:10]
In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.
Posts: 925
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Post by Christine Montgomery on Feb 11, 2009 18:38:45 GMT -5
She shuffled inside but when she got first sight of him she paused, he was already dressed nicely and she froze forgetting that indeed there was somewhere to go tonight and she should have been getting ready herself, "You look nice." she complimented him, but that was nothing new Montgomery genes enabled them all to look exceptional.
She sighed and came in the room she didn't know why she came over but she did and now she wasn't sure what to say.
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Post by Geoffrey Montgomery on Feb 11, 2009 22:37:33 GMT -5
Geoffrey sat up a little straighter when she came in. "Thanks," he said, smiling softly at her. He looked her over worriedly. Of course he noticed that she wasn't ready yet. She wasn't even dressed. It was still early, but it was unusual for her to be so far behind in getting ready.
"You're not dressed," he observed. "Are you feeling OK? You know, after everything that happened, I'm sure Mum would understand if you wanted to stay home. I could stay with you."
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Post by Amandine Ferrera on Feb 12, 2009 0:49:41 GMT -5
Cara smiled at her husband, ready to put on some music when she heard Ama's voice. She followed Mathieu out front, realizing that one of the reasons she fell in love with him was how he treated children. He never lost the touch. With a flick of her wand, she put on some music. "Yes, Ama, darling. You're the first home. You look beautiful, as well." Ama looked around as the music began to play, meaing her mother was in the room. "Mom!" Ama smiled, running from her father to her mother and hugging her tight. "Merry Christmas, everything looks great." she said. Her mother always did have a talent for throwing parties. "Is there anything I can help with?" Ama asked. |
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Post by Mathieu Ferrera on Feb 12, 2009 1:51:28 GMT -5
Mathieu smiled. "You can help me with the fire," he said, kissing her on the top of her head. "I'll build the fire and you can hand me the logs. Meanwhile, you can tell us all about this girl Jamie is bringing over for dinner. Have you met her at all?"
While Cara was interested in seeing Roland with Riley, Mathieu was more interested to see how Jamie was going to handle this new relationship. Would he be like Cyrus, or like Roland, when it came to a relationship? Roland had never brought a girl home before, with the exception of tonight, which wasn't exactly his choice. But Cyrus had brought Lina over before. The pattern worried Mathieu... he didn't want to see Jamie repeating Cyrus's mistake. He would have to have a talk with his youngest son.
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Post by Riley Neves on Feb 12, 2009 3:15:44 GMT -5
For a second, he couldn't breathe. She looked stunning in red. And the robes she usually wore to work had concealed her figure, so that now he was surprised to notice her curves and her long legs. He also couldn't help but notice the way her hair framed her face. "No, not at all," he said, recovering his voice. "It'll be fine. You look... nice." "Nice" was an understatement, but he wasn't about to tell her what he really thought. He took a deep breath and held out his hand. Since she hadn't been to his parents' house before, it probably would be better if they apparated together. Good, Riley thought. She didn't want to have to change. She had deliberated enough over how she looked, and to have to go through that again... "Thank you," she said, smiling softly because who knew what would set him off these days? "You do, too." She looked at his hand, wishing things weren't so awkward between them. She was sorry now that she ever tried to make peace with him. Maybe it was just better when they were arguing and at each other's throats. At least then she knew what to do to set him off. She took his hand. It was going to be such an awfully long night. |
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Feb 12, 2009 13:50:26 GMT -5
"Thanks," he murmured. When she put her hand in his, he stared down at their interlocked hands for a second. He hadn't realized how small her hand was compared to his, and it surprised him.
For a moment, he was distracted and unable to concentrate well enough to apparate. He didn't know how he was going to get through the evening.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, forcing his mind to focus on his parents' house. Finally, he was able to apparate, and they disappeared and reappeared on his parents' front porch. He opened his eyes and looked at her seriously. "Are you ready for this?"
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