Love, and be Silent

four.

Cordelia felt numb for days. She could barely look at her father, and ignored her brother entirely. They knew why- and they thought it was ridiculous.

"You don't know anything about the world, girl!" Lucius had roared at her over dinner one night, but Cordelia had simply stood from the table and walked off, plate untouched.

"Don't you get that we're on the good side, here. We're the good guys, Cordelia." Draco had pleaded one night after cornering her in the library, but Cordelia had kept her gaze unfocused and distant until he let her pass.

She was angry.

No, she was beyond angry.

She couldn't even put into words how she felt.

How could her father be so stupid? He surely wasn't a stupid man. And her brother- the git- surely wouldn't blindly follow her father off this cliff, would he?

Amber met her over a cup of coffee after a few worrying owls back and forth.

"Are you sure it was him?" Amber was saying, stubbing her cigarette out in the ashtray on the table. They were in Knockturn Alley- they always went here when they wanted to talk about something really juicy. The place was more of a bar, really, a place where a lot of ex Death Eaters were known to hang out, but Amber and Cordelia having the names that they did meant that nobody really gave them a second glance.

"Of course I was sure it was him." Cordelia grumbled back, taking a long draught of coffee. Amber leaned forward.

"But like, did you see him? Like see his face?"

Cordelia paused for a moment, then sighed.

"No, Amber, I didn't. But Draco was so smug looking and- and he was so- so weird, you know?" She shook her head, swirling the coffee in her cup idly. "I could feel it. I could feel it was him. I saw the group and I just- well, I just knew. I don't know how."

"You sound pretty nutter, babes." Amber deadpanned after a moment of silence, and Cordelia let out a sharp laugh, pushing her head back and squaring her shoulders.

"You're right. Maybe I aughtta shake this whole thing off. Just-" She shook dramatically, which made Amber laugh as well, "-just get it all out and off my chest."

"Well, what're you going to do, anyway?"

Cordelia paused.

"What am I going to do?"

Amber hummed, tilting her head a little to the right- the way she did when she was thinking of something devious.

"You always talk about defying your parents- really showing them that you aren't a part of their crowd- but well, you never really do anything worthwhile, do you? Just kinda party and muck around in muggle towns and all that."

Cordelia sat back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap and stretching her legs out beneath the table.

"Suppose that's true." She muttered after a moment. "Whaddya thinking I should do?"

"Well-" Amber's eyes flashed, "I dunno, something really against their ideals."

"What, like join a muggle-wizard comms society?" Cordelia suggested with a snort. Amber shrugged, sipping her coffee slyly. "Oh- you can't be serious." Cordelia scoffed, but Amber merely shrugged again.

"Bet Roman knows of some we could get involved with."

"I'm not- nah that's-" Cordelia shook her head, "That's so boring."