RP: Reception for Lucy Diggory

[shh_cedric]

Date: 8 July, 2005
Characters: Lucretia Diggory, Cedric Diggory, Katie Bell, Ernie MacMillan, Eleanor Branstone, Morag MacDougal, Rabastan Lestrange, Lisa Turpin, Percy Weasley, Su Li, Irma Pince, Rita Skeeter, others as they arrive...
Location: museum
Status: public
Summary: The reception for Lucy at the museum; a chance to meet a real, live

Comments

[shh_ernie]

"Eleanor! Come on! We're going to be late!" Ernie shouted up the stairs. He glanced at his reflection in one of the pictures hanging on the wall of the downstairs corridor and straightened his tie. Again. While he knew that it was highly unlikely that Mrs. Diggory would recognize him (it had been a decade after all), he was nervous that she wouldn't remember him. She'd been so nice to him when they'd met the year of the Triwizard Tournment, taking an interest in a stuffy, know-it-all, pudgy fourth year when she needn't.

Where was Eleanor? Ernie glanced at his watch again. The reception began at four and it was five minutes til. Honestly, what did women do that required such a long time to get ready? Ernie'd asked her to wear the dress that she'd worn to Ron's party at Xanadu. She looked incredible in it, but his motives in doing were less than selfless. Especially now that he knew what she had to wear beneath it. And if every bloke in the place would be wondering how he ended up with such a gorgeous woman, so be it.

However, he wasn't certain that she'd actually wear it.

[shh_eleanor]

"Coming," Eleanor shouted. Merlin, she was nervous, and this dress Ernie had asked her to wear was not helping. It was appropriate for a night club, yes, but she wasn't so certain it was appropriate for a function at a museum.

She eyed the much more modest black dress in her wardrobe, and then looked at the clock. They only had five minutes. Bugger. If she changed, she'd have to fix her hair again, she probably didn't have enough time for that. Besides, Ernie sounded like his patience was wearing a bit thin. She'd have to go in this one.

Grabbing her handbag, Eleanor ran down the stairs. "Sorry. I'm ready."

[shh_ernie]

Ernie was fussing with his hair when he heard Eleanor calling out. Running his hand through it one last time, he turned as she headed down the stairs.

"Uh..." he said when he caught sight of her in the dress. On second thought, perhaps they could be late. No, no. He wanted to see Mrs. Diggory again. And if they didn't leave now, they never would. Before he could make himself say anything coherent, she was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at him. "You look...gorgeous, Elle." They were still going to the reception, but a kiss wouldn't hurt. So he did. Pulling back, he smiled, "Ready to go?"

[shh_eleanor]

She was glad Ernie liked the dress. However, the way he was looking at her wasn't helping her nervousness. That was exactly why she had reservations about it. Too much skin showing.

"Thank you. You do too." Then he was kissing her and Eleanor hoped that he would change his mind altogether, and they could stay home. Or not. This was important to him, so she smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm ready."

Her stomach was squirming terribly by the time Ernie had Apparated them both outside of the museum. It was just a few hours, she would be fine. Eleanor took a few deep breaths. "What's Cedric's mother like?" She asked as they walked inside.

[shh_ernie]

"Mrs. Diggory? She's...nice." That was very descriptive, the little voice groused. "She...well, she spoke to me like she was interested in what I had to say. And she's talented. Although my parents usually grumbled about the immorality of her..." Ernie stopped dead in his tracks in the entryway of the museum.

The mural. It was about...Looking at the images of the Ministry in ruins and Diagon Alley under attack made his stomach turn over. An image of watching a little girl screaming for her mother during the attack on Diagon Alley flashed through his mind. He'd been hit by a hex and knocked unconscious a few moments later, waking up in St. Mungo's.

"Why...why would she do this?" he said, fighting the urge to vomit right there.

[shh_cedric]

Cedric heard the door open as he was bringing a sign out, directing people upstairs to the third floor. It sounded like Ernie.

Setting the Spelled sign down in the door from the foyer to the ground floor he came out. "Hey, Ernie -- Eleanor." He glanced at the cartoon Ernie was studying, face shocked. "My mother is up to her usual."

[shh_eleanor]

Nice? Well, that was a relief. Eleanor looked over and smiled. When Ernie stopped walking she turned her head to see what had caught his attention.

There was the beginnings of a mural on the wall in the entryway. Pencil markings, for the most part. But there was also a... rough draft? Eleanor didn't know what the proper artist term was for it, and she really didn't care at the moment. She stared with her mouth hanging open. Not that she particularly wanted to be, but she couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from the scene of Hogwarts. Which was good, in a way, because she'd probably cry if she looked over at the Ministry.

When Ernie spoke she looked over and shook her head. "I dunno." He didn't look well, which was understandable. She was feeling a bit dizzy herself. Why would Cedric's mother do something like this? The war hadn't even been over a year. Perhaps one day it would be appropriate, necessary even, but not now when people were still trying to heal.

"Um, maybe we should keep going?" She whispered, turning when she heard another voice. "Oh, hello, Cedric."

[shh_cedric]

Cedric nodded back at Eleanor and took her hand in greeting, squeezing gently. She appeared to be trying to get Ernie to move. "The paintings, and the reception, are upstairs," he said, "along with the food. I'm glad you could come; I haven't seen either of you in a while. Ernie, I mentioned to mum that you'd probably be here. You look like you could use some wine," he added wryly.

[shh_ernie]

Ernie turned to look at Cedric. Wine? There wasn't enough wine in the world to make this right. He wanted to shout at Cedric. Or punch him perhaps. Instead, he shook his head. "I...er...I need a minute." Without another word, he walked further into the museum, stopping in front of the sphinx and staring at it. It stared back.

[shh_eleanor]

Eleanor looked at Cedric and shrugged, and then excused herself to follow after Ernie. She found him looking at a sphinx. "Ernie, are you alright?"

Well, no, obviously he wasn't alright, but Eleanor really didn't know what else to say.

[shh_ernie]

"There was a little girl. Couldn't have been more than seven, I reckon. She was screaming for her mother. I tried to...get to her...but there was a hex...and everything went...black. Woke up in St. Mungo's. Again." He chuckled bitterly. "Hate that place. Hate all hospitals really. I tried to find out what happened to her...but no one knew...I should've gotten there..."

He blinked back tears before turning to face Eleanor. "I'm not ready for this, Elle. No one is ready for this. And Cedric's got no idea. He wasn't even here for any of it!" He had a twinge of guilt. Cedric had suffered at Voldemort's hands in ways that Ernie couldn't even imagine. Taking Eleanor's hand in his and a very deep breath, he nodded. "Let's go upstairs. I came to see Mrs. Diggory. And I'm going to see her," he said in a quiet voice.

[shh_eleanor]

Damn, now Eleanor really did wish they'd stayed home. Not that it probably would have mattered. Ernie was bound to see the mural sometime, but she couldn't really say she was pleased with Mrs. Diggory at the moment.

"You're right, no one is ready for it. It's much too soon to be, uh, painting murals about it." She wasn't sure he was right about Cedric, he had died. Sort of. But she wasn't going to argue with him at the moment.

Nodding, Eleanor squeezed his hand and followed him upstairs. She was a bit worried about what Ernie would say when he saw Mrs. Diggory, but the woman had to have known the mural would be... controversial.