Weidman Sitting Room
Afternoon Tea

Livi had been home for three whole days and felt utterly spoiled. Dinora made her favorites for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dom humored her and wore the dreadfully ugly sweaters she had gotten him and the hat! He'd even let her put up a few fairy lights in his room, which she still insisted needed more sprucing but he would have none of. She enjoyed being home, feeling a part of this world that she so desperately missed when she was at Hogwarts. She liked wearing her hair in a messy bun and only bothering to get out of her pajamas to put on a new pair. It wasn't like school, she didn't have to present a polished front before she even thought about breakfast. She could lounge around reading or listening to music, she could hide away in her father's study and spend hours writing, she could even sit on the veranda and contemplate her relationship with Ezra over a cup of tea whilst talking to her sister.

Of course after three solid days of being the absolute center of attention Livi felt the need to actually do  something. The state of the Monarchy was, in her estimation, total shambles. There had been a rift for some time, everyone knew that Kitty and Livi didn't particularly like one another but it went deeper than that, Slytherin was changing. You had people like Gigi and Waverly who gave little thought to house politics at all, and the younger years seemed hell bent on destroying one another over Merlin knew what. Liv had felt increasingly disconnected from her housemates and frankly it was lonely. She loved spending time with Ezra and Carys but there had been a time that she'd had to carry a day planner to be sure she didn't double book social engagements. Now? Now she hadn't even been able to pin down a good time to give the girls their Christmas gifts before getting off the train.

House unity had always been of the utmost importance to Liviana. It came before her pride, it came before her personal tastes. It was important, this year more than any other, that Slytherin be seen as a force to be reckoned with. They were running with the big dogs now. There was a certain way that she felt the house should be perceived, it could only be seen that way if everyone got along. So, two nights prior she had decided to bury the hatch with Kitty, and not in the other girl's head. It was high time they stopped acting like children. Besides, Kitty was a devil she knew, tactics that were familiar though not Liv's personal tastes. If they were going to outsmart the Siberian Queens and French Damsels they'd have to work on the same side, and they had to outsmart them. It was home turf pride on the line!

So she'd crafted a very eloquently cordial invitation to tea and sent it off to Kitty. She'd also had her father pick up a particularly lovely little trinket for the other girl. She was stealing a play from Dolly's book, trying to imagine her former nemesis more complexly. Casually filing her nails as their house elf Bonkzie laid out a small feast for the two of them; just the two of them. If they could get on the same page then maybe they could start cultivating sway with the non-Monarchy members, the younger years. In reality much of this was Liv's way of nipping any salacious gossip about her family (specifically her brother) reflecting back upon her in a negative light. She had managed to skirt too much scrutiny after his arrest in October but she had a feeling he wasn't done trying to undo the name of Wiedman. She needed Kitty on her side when the next bout of blow back came. Besides all of that she was just tired of fighting, they had a year and a half left together, they might as well try to be friends.

Now if only the other girl would show up.

Kitty had raised an eyebrow at the invitation. Liviana Wiedman, inviting her round for tea? She'd immediately sworn it off as a cheap and dirty trick, some sort of designed ambush that was even lower than her own strategies. It was one thing to embarrass your nemesis through rumour mills and suggestion, but deceit in the public eye of the Monarchy? Well, that was just hellish.

Christmas had been largely uneventful. In between the family meals and group applause of her foul successful sister, Violet, she'd found herself going back to the invitation. It was a time for caring, sharing and forgiveness, but what was her real intention? Why was Liviana going out of her way to organise such an event? It was unfortunate timing, and Kitty hadn't the chance to get in contact with Strellie for some best friend advice. This was a decision she'd have to make alone. Standing in front of the mirror as she buckled up her coat, it looked like she'd already made that decision. Maybe it was worth hearing what she had to say.

Nimble feet slipped into dangerously high heels, and Kitty had made the extra effort to look as sharp and uncompromising as possible. If this was the final summit then appearance meant everything. Experienced fingers touched up her lipstick as Violet sauntered into her room. "Where are you going?" she asked, more accusatory than curious.

"None of your business." Kitty's flat reply made her elder sister frown and leave the general vicinity. Trotting down the wide staircase of the Li family home, the Slytherin princess was quickly on her way to Liviana's home. It would be the meeting of all meetings, the queens of both sides coming together for the first time since their initial year at Hogwarts. Times were indeed a-changing. The Monarchy's grip on power had waned as of late, with the golden elite breaking off or losing influence. The Slytherin youngsters were less scared, less in awe of the beautiful sixth year girls, instead turning their attention to the foreign exoticism of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons goddesses. It was crisis time.

Kitty rapped on the large Wiedman door, brushing a hand through her perfectly tousled hair for good luck. There wasn't a chance she'd turn up looking anything but a vault-worth at Gringotts. She recognised everything about the house as the elf let her in; back in their younger years, their arch-rivalry hadn't been anywhere near as intense. Some even said the two girls were on good terms, but as with everything else surrounding the Monarchy, that was just hearsay. Passing her coat to the house elf without a please or thankyou, Kitty was directed into the Wiedman drawing room - and what a lavish affair.

Kitty surmised that Liviana had organised such a feast, and there she sat, looking perfect and preened and beautiful. Standing in the doorway, the Korean pixie tilted her head in greeting. "Well, aren't I surprised to hear from you." Kitty smirked and took a seat as her hands swept her loose curls over one shoulder. "I'm not sure what your intentions are but I've been dying to find out. I was half expecting this to be some sort of social assassination but I know that both of us are above such a ploy." Kitty spoke absent-mindedly, as if the whole exchange was completely normal and required minimal effort. Inside, she felt terribly awkward and hid such nerves behind a face of nonchalance. "Nice Christmas?"

Had it been anyone else Liviana would have stood and gone through the motions of cheek kissing and sweet compliments. Given their history she felt that such a farce would be an insult to them both, so seated she stayed as the other girl made herself at home. If it had been one thing that always bothered her about Kitty it was, well, her lack of social graces. Yes, Bonkzie was a house elf, and yes Livi had treated her more like a pet than a being most of her life, but manners were important! Saying please and thank you, appearing gracious, not tossing around a blatant sense of entitlement; Kitty ruled with an iron fist, there was no subtly or grace to most of her actions. Liviana liked working behind the scenes, she liked offering people opportunities to give her what she wanted before strong arming them into doing it.

"Are you really? I thought even you would be well aware of how dire the house situation had become," she took was wearing a front of indifference, though she knew she'd have to drop it soon enough. Slipping her file back into her purse she shifted in her chair and stood, "Shall I pour us a cup then? I couldn't remember which of the treats were your favorite from that newer little bakery in Hogsmeade so I asked Mum to pick up a little bit of everything. I think she might have been a bit too enthusiastic," there was a touch of bemusement to the sixteen year old's voice as she filled two cups (her mother's wedding China of course) and looked to Kitty expectantly, "one lump or two"? In the back of her mind she was grateful for all those times she'd made Dominik play tea party with her, she was an excellent hostess. It was a skill that would come in handy one day, she was sure.

Seating herself again she folded her fingers together and eyed Kitty, expression thoughtful, "We used to be friends didn't we? I mean, a long time ago, before Maeve and the idea of being the undisputed leader of the Monarchy - which, to be perfectly clear, I never wanted in the first place and was all Meave's doing," she paused leaning forward a little, "those girls we used to be, I miss them and that's... that's the spirit in which I've asked you here today. I'm tired of fighting with you and worrying that you're going to pounce at any moment at the first sign of perceived weakness. It's exhausting and we both have bigger problems". Until that moment she hadn't been totally sure how she was going to approach this, if she were going to try to manipulate Kitty or just lay everything out before her, apparently it was the latter.

Kitty's look of concentration and analysis quickly softened at the mention of her favourite treats. Liviana had made an effort - a real effort. What was all of this in aid of? And what did it mean? Crossing one leg over the other, Kitty ran a hand through her hair as she watched her companion for tea. Liviana was incredibly elegant, and though she suspected her Slytherin rival was false, her smiles were in all the correct places, her t's and h's always properly pronounced, and her manners were second to none. That was where they really differed. Kitty didn't see the point in humouring lesser beings unless there was something in the long run.

"Two, please," she replied, taking a cup as a couple of sugar limps dissolved. "We know being sweet doesn't come naturally, so I have to take all the help I can get." Kitty smirked over the edge of her tea, for once sharing a moment of amusement with Liviana as opposed to one of contempt.

And soon enough, the reasons for such a meeting came clear. Placing her teacup delicately on the table, Kitty listened intently: there were no frowns, no sneers, no backhanded compliments. It was the first time that the two girls had participated in democratic dialogue for as long as Kitty could remember. It was true. They were once friends. Long ago, before Maeve set the standard and everything became a competition. In a very rare instance, Kitty smiled. It wasn't smug, nor menacing, but genuine.

"We've been battling for long enough now, Livi," she quietly reasoned as her hands clasped together neatly on her lap. "And I think all of the confrontation and canvassing aside, we were friends - we got on and we laughed and it's not something we do anymore. A little bit of Slytherin solidarity wouldn't go amiss, no?"

Kitty paused for another sip of tea. It was delicious - she expected nothing less from Liviana. "Maybe it's time for us to put everything behind. I'll admit, I've been rather treacherous in recent years and you've outflanked me at every turn. It's impressive. I'd rather have us both on the same page, and I don't think it's doing anybody any good." Kitty was even shocked at her own reasonableness.

Getting to her feet, Kitty trotted over to Liviana and took the seat beside her. She unpinned a brooch, a small but elegant golden snake wrapped around a wand, and placed it flat in her palm before the other Slytherin girl. "We did stuff like this all the time back in the day." Offering it towards Livi, Kitty smiled. "A truce?"

It had been a long time since Liviana had felt any warmth toward the other girl, but there was a little bit peeking out at the softly spoken mildly self deprecating joke. That was the girl that Livi had been friends with, the one who had made her laugh endlessly at sleepovers with the other girls. Though they both should have been far to young for it Liviana couldn't help but feel a small pang of regret mingled with nostalgia. Had she know that Kitty would be so...amiable about a cease fire she'd have done this ages ago. It'd have taken so much off her plate! Oh they wouldn't be best friends over night, it would take time...and possibly some gentle prodding about how Kitty handled so-called inferiors but there was a seed of hope, a chance for something new to grow.

When the other girl came and sat next to her offering up a very classically elegant pin, Liv's lips upticked with a small secretive smile, "You know, it's mind blogging how different we can be and yet how terribly similar we are, just a moment," she sounded almost a little giddy as she hopped up from her chair and scurried toward the little writing desk that shared the sitting room, reaching into one of the drawers and withdrawing a neatly wrapped package. "You get your present before the other girls because I didn't even have time on the train to find out when we were going to do a gift exchange. I saw it a few months ago in London and I remembered thinking 'Absolutely no one but Kitty could pull that off'. I think my heart might have possibly wanted a ceasefire before my brain realized we needed one".

She sat down with a little flourish, offering the box to the other tiny mischevious pixie, she waited expectantly for the other girl to discover what was inside[1]. One thing Kitty and Liviana both shared was an immense sense of house pride. She couldn't think of a single outfit she had seen the other girl wear in recent memory that hadn't contained some small flourish or sparkle of green. Only a truly detail oriented person might notice - but that was another thing the two shared in common, and a love for classic antique pieces of jewelry. She was rather surprised at Kitty's own admittance of tenacious treachery, but simply gave a small nod in agreement, "It was a system devised by my very darling cousin because she was bored". Liviana loved Maeve but they were very different sorts of girls.

"I think without rivals of her own the only thrill she got in life was watching us try to cut one another off at the knees. D'you know if we'd all just put our heads together ages ago and set ego's aside we could have overthrown her in a week flat? I don't know why we thought she had such absolute dominance over us," she rolled her eyes a little, slipping the pin on through the soft material of her blouse. It felt good to just get things out into the open, there was some trepidation that anything she said to Kitty could be used against her... but Kitty seemed to understand that to get through the Tournament and 7th year it would be better if they were working together rather than trying to undo one another. When she looked to Kitty, her smile was genuine and her voice earnest, "I really am glad you came today. I think with the both of us working on the same side with a game plan in place we might just be able to get through this year".

1.	This broach

Kitty unwrapped the package slowly, looking down as her tresses of dark brown, painfully curled hair fell over her face momentarily. It really was a beautiful brooch. She glanced up, twisting her wicked little mouth into a smirk as she pinned it to her lapel. "You always did kill me with you jewelry. Turning up at breakfast with some gorgeous earrings and you could never remember where you bought them and I'd be stabbing my porridge with a wooden spoon." Kitty rarely spoke about her envy out loud, but Liviana was deserving of the truth. It was a compliment if anything."

The mention of the other girls made Kitty feel a little more optimistic. Perhaps there never would be one true Queen, perhaps they didn't need one anymore. Maeve had indoctrinated them all with a dangerously competitive streak, as if one dictator was far better than a collective oligarchy. There would be rifts and there would be arguments, but if they truly wanted to make change and take down their European rivals, it would be an all-witches on brooms situation. Kitty had a deep, minute feeling that this was all a hoax, some deliberate ploy to trick her - but something said this was only genuine. The food, the effort, the gift. Besides, if the brooch was cursed or hexed to teach Kitty a lesson then it was a genius idea; an underhand tactic would keep her on her toes. Casting these thoughts aside, she gazed at Liviana for a moment, then sighed in relief. This really was a ceasefire.

No more dirty looks. No more backhanded compliments. No hour-long rants to Strellie about how subordinate Liviana should/would become. They were on the same team. They were Slytherins after all.

"Maybe we just wanted a leader when none of us were brave enough to stand up to her ourselves," Kitty shrugged, frowning a little as she remembered her old theories on Maeve. She did adore her, that was true enough, but there was an element of fear in that friendship. They all looked up to Maeve as if she were some goddess on a pedestal, allowing her word to become law. Maybe the up-and-coming Slytherin girls were different; maybe it was time for a change.

"We will get through this year," Kitty muttered Liviana, placing her hands over her fellow Slytherin's in reassurance. "And we'll look a hell of a lot better than any foreign loudmouths that turn up at our doorstep trying to change our rules. We need to pull something off to let everybody know that this is our territory and nobody will be better than us."

Kitty smirked. It felt instantaneously better to be on the same side.

It was refreshing to have an honest exchange of ideas for once. It surprised her that Kitty had thought about how Maeve operated, she had always just assumed her rival had followed orders in hopes of being enough like their former leader to land her spot without much argument. It occurred to her, rather abstractly, that she had failed to see Kitty as she actually was. She had spent so much time picturing her as a villain (a not completely undeserving title), she had never stopped to consider that maybe she had been as scared of upsetting Maeve as Livi, herself, had been. It was a strange notion, the idea of Kitty fearing anyone, it humanized her and some how made her more likable.

Squeezing the other girl's fingers she grinned a little, "I hereby promise to tell you where I find all my jewelry," she paused, wrinkling her nose, "at least the pieces I don't borrow from Dolly and conviently forget to give back". If she were honest with herself, and Livi was leaning to be, she knew she had baited Kitty as much as it was the other way around. It was easy to feign innocence but she knew how to push buttons without looking like she was trying to upset people. Hadn't she and Ezra had a fight about that very thing not a week into their relationship? She was good at getting reactions out of people, it was a finely honed skill; and Kitty had been her practice dummy for years.

Pursing her lips to one side she gave a small nod, "I think we have to be subtle about it. I don't know how Landis- I mean Mister Morgan would feel about it, but I am sure McGonagall would have our hides if we seem anything less than hospitable. I don't know about you but that glare of hers terrifies me a little," the note of amusement belied how seriously she took the Headmistresses potential anger. "You know what they say, kill them with kindness. People will expect the Monarchy to attack in some obvious way, we have to be more subversive than that. I haven't got any ideas yet, but I don't think we want to go brute force on this one - or have it easily traced back to us. We have to be crafty. We should have a PowPow with the girls when we get back to school," she gave a decisive nod to her head, though she was braced for the other girl to argue.