HP – Performance and Cocktails
Jul. 27th, 2005 12:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hackthis_archiveI have finally begun trying to get the Zabini house in order.
Harry Potter
Spoilers for HBP
Blaise Gen, Blaise/Draco, Blaise/Theodore
Performance and Cocktails
According to Blaise's sister -- half-sister -- he is the product of a broken home.
She says this makes him dysfunctional.
Blaise finds his half-sister's rationale suspect for innumerable reasons, not the least of which being that one is not the product of a broken home if one's father is dead. That is a not a broken home, that's just a home missing a parent.
A "single-parent home" as the modern terminology would have it.
Blaise does not take Muggle Studies, but Angelina does, and she tells him these things on the few occasions they are forced to be in the same room at the same time. As they are no longer at Hogwarts together, these painful encounters generally only occur when their mother and grandmère have their bi-annual soirees. Blaise loathes these occasions in which everyone comes together to pretend to be something they are not.
That he considers dysfunctional.
Blaise has spent his entire life participating in such functions, smiling and nodding, answering insipid questions from insipid purebloods and people desperate to join the upper echelons of wizarding society. They do not fool him in the slightest. Blaise knows people who are falling apart when he sees them. He knows a dying way of life when he's thrust in the middle of such uncontrollable chaos; he's spent his entire life circulating inside such a vortex.
Blaise has always known how to perform for the masses, though. So, while Angelina sips butterber and scowls in the corners, irritated at interacting with this side of her family, Blaise just gets on with it.
His saving graces at such functions are Draco and Theodore, even though Draco and Theodore do not tend to get on. They make the effort for Blaise when he requires them to do so, because he does not ask for much, as he occasionally is forced to remind them. If they cannot do this simple thing for him, well.
He has never gotten as far as what comes after the "well," but he would not be a Slytherin if he didn't have a large supply of blackmail material at his disposal. He suspects that there are people who don't have this sort of twisted relationship with their "friends," but to each his own.
This is what gets Blaise through his life.
Draco and Theodore cannot always be at his beck and call, unfortunately, and since the mess with Draco's father, Draco and his mother have been "indisposed" more than what would be considered excusable in their social circles. Blaise's family is, thankfully, free of Death Eaters, but everyone knows what "indisposed" means in this day and time.
Blaise's grandmère says nothing when she receives the owls with this message, but Blaise can tell when the letters come, because she calls him into her sitting rooms and gives him tea liberally topped with firewhiskey.
His Grandmère Inés is the sort of witch who drinks sangria in her teacups and sends her house elves to Ibiza to procure all her "relief" needs. She tells him stories of his mother's husbands and admits that she liked Blaise's father the best of all seven. Inés prefers Theodore to Draco, and in a very soothing voice insinuates idly that Draco is an accident waiting to happen to the wrong person.
Blaise's grandmère does not want Draco to happen to Blaise.
She has been saying this for some time without saying a word, so Blaise doesn't tell her it's too late for that; it's not what she wants to hear.
When she tells him that there is no difference between a Nott and a Zabini and a Malfoy underneath, he simply nods and drinks his tea. His grandmère is of the old school, and Blaise knows how to perform when required.
Every family has roles for its members, and it is his role to be an adult, and a man, and a solicitous son who listens avidly and then goes out and does whatever needs to be done. The last thing his grandmère sees when she looks at him is her daughter's son.
His grandmère is not as fond of Angelina as she is of Blaise, but she says that his half-sister has a certain je ne sais quois that makes her a part of their family. Angelina says -- well, Angelina says a great many things, but as her father is dead as well, she's a fine one to talk.
Blaise doesn't listen to her Gryffindor nonsense.
Angelina and Blaise have never seen eye-to-eye on anything, so such things are to be expected. Especially considering that Angelina was raised by her father's mother -- much to the chagrin of Blaise's mother. Blaise learned his first hexes by watching his mother rail against Angelina's grandmother every time she wouldn't let her see Angelina. This is how Blaise learned the fine art of manipulation first hand.
Upon discovering Angelina had been sorted into Gryffindor and was trying out for the Quidditch team, Blaise's entire response was to raise an eyebrow and go back to his Arithmancy primer. His mother bought her a new Cleansweep 1990 when she made the team; Blaise was not surprised when it was returned unopened. His mother and Angelina have always had an acrimonious relationship.
If Blaise were one to place blame, he would say Angelina's idiotic worldview is the fault of her grandmother, but Blaise is above such things as blame. He takes his cues from Grandmère Inés and watches placidly as everyone hangs themselves with their own words.
Blaise has never actually met Angelina's grandmother; he has seen her dropping off Angelina on the first day of term, but he sees no reason to consort with someone who once called his mother 'The Black Widow of Devonshire.'
Blaise knows nothing about Angelina's father, Victor Johnson, apart from the fact that he was married to Blaise mother before she married his father, Lorenzo Zabini.
Blaise's father was his mother's fourth husband, born and raised in Palermo and then Firenze. Blaise still has family in Firenze, and every summer he visits them without question. They have accepted him from birth as one of their own, and while they do not approve of his mother's constant marrying and remarrying, Blaise is a Zabini. He suspects it doesn't hurt that his mother has kept his father's surname through her last three marriages.
The only person who has ever vocally disapproved of Blaise's mother is his father's mother, Alesssandra, who makes no bones of disapproving of everything and everyone quite vocally. She goes through two bottles of nettle wine a day and tells Blaise that his father was her favourite son. Blaise doesn't point out that his father was her only son.
His nonna's selective memory reminds Blaise of Draco, and he suspects that this is why Draco tends to get on so well with this side of his family.
Blaise's great-grandmother likes to remark that Blaise is too dark, Draco is too pale, and that they both are underfed. The Zabinis are forever trying to get them to eat more, and Draco complains that after visiting Blaise's family he can hardly get his fat arse on his broom. Blaise rolls his eyes, because Draco has many allurements and many faults, but he does not have a fat arse. Blaise has spent enough time shagging Draco to know this first hand, and Blaise tells him this whenever they are alone together, which is not as often as Draco would like, but more than enough for Blaise to be satisfied.
If Blaise were "involved" with Draco, he suspects he would be much more mentally unsound, and he prefers to keep all wits about him as much as possible. Angelina says that Blaise has control issues and that he needs a role model. The last time she lectured him on this, he hexed boils inside her mouth to shut her up.
Blaise's mother has does everything possible to give him a united family -- one cannot have one's mother be married seven times and say she is not attempting to provide one with a suitable male role model -- but Blaise does not want, nor does he require, a male role model. In his sixteen years on earth, Blaise's mother has managed to exemplify every possible aspect of romantic entanglements, and this has done much to reassure Blaise that he is much better off on his own.
Theodore does not agree with Blaise's cynical world-view, but Theodore's mother raises her family from a portrait in the front hall of Nott Terrance, so Blaise does not really think Theodore's rational enough to throw any sort of stones. Not that Blaise would take unsolicited advise anyway; he doesn't talk about his family, nor any problems they might or might not have.
He considers such things gauche.
Angelina says he's repressed.
His mother says she just wants him to be happy; she says it's hard to find someone to love you for yourself. Blaise reckons that if anyone should know, it's his mother. She's had seven husbands, from five different countries, resulting in four children, only three of whom still speak to her on a regular basis. Blaise doesn't see much of the twins though, since they live in Lisbon, but they visit occasionally, and they tell him tales of his father.
Blaise's family is not the most common version he's ever come in contact with, and every time his mother tells him she wants nothing but functional relationships for her children, Blaise wonders what sort of delusion she lives under.
Blaise sees people functioning every day: Draco, Theodore, Queenie, even Professor Vector are all functioning by pretending that a war isn't about to ruin their lives forever. Blaise doesn't think this is getting them anywhere. Blaise knows when people are performing; his entire family is about putting on a show, and he knows enough crumbling relationships to know them from the outside in.
Blaise doesn't mind deluding other people, but he draws the line as deluding himself, so he distracts himself by writing out Arimantic equations between the freckles on Theodore's shoulders and yanking out strands of Draco's hair when he gives him blowjobs. He gives his family as much consideration as they give him, and the rest of the time he thinks of himself.
He doesn't need their advice to know he's just as dysfunctional as all the rest.
-end-
All casting can be found here.
Title from the song by Stereophonics.
The Angelina <– > Blaise connection created by the crack-addled-ness that is![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ethrosdemon. And yes, Theodore's mother does raise her family from a portrait in the front hall. It least according to me.
Harry Potter
Spoilers for HBP
Blaise Gen, Blaise/Draco, Blaise/Theodore
According to Blaise's sister -- half-sister -- he is the product of a broken home.
She says this makes him dysfunctional.
Blaise finds his half-sister's rationale suspect for innumerable reasons, not the least of which being that one is not the product of a broken home if one's father is dead. That is a not a broken home, that's just a home missing a parent.
A "single-parent home" as the modern terminology would have it.
Blaise does not take Muggle Studies, but Angelina does, and she tells him these things on the few occasions they are forced to be in the same room at the same time. As they are no longer at Hogwarts together, these painful encounters generally only occur when their mother and grandmère have their bi-annual soirees. Blaise loathes these occasions in which everyone comes together to pretend to be something they are not.
That he considers dysfunctional.
Blaise has spent his entire life participating in such functions, smiling and nodding, answering insipid questions from insipid purebloods and people desperate to join the upper echelons of wizarding society. They do not fool him in the slightest. Blaise knows people who are falling apart when he sees them. He knows a dying way of life when he's thrust in the middle of such uncontrollable chaos; he's spent his entire life circulating inside such a vortex.
Blaise has always known how to perform for the masses, though. So, while Angelina sips butterber and scowls in the corners, irritated at interacting with this side of her family, Blaise just gets on with it.
His saving graces at such functions are Draco and Theodore, even though Draco and Theodore do not tend to get on. They make the effort for Blaise when he requires them to do so, because he does not ask for much, as he occasionally is forced to remind them. If they cannot do this simple thing for him, well.
He has never gotten as far as what comes after the "well," but he would not be a Slytherin if he didn't have a large supply of blackmail material at his disposal. He suspects that there are people who don't have this sort of twisted relationship with their "friends," but to each his own.
This is what gets Blaise through his life.
Draco and Theodore cannot always be at his beck and call, unfortunately, and since the mess with Draco's father, Draco and his mother have been "indisposed" more than what would be considered excusable in their social circles. Blaise's family is, thankfully, free of Death Eaters, but everyone knows what "indisposed" means in this day and time.
Blaise's grandmère says nothing when she receives the owls with this message, but Blaise can tell when the letters come, because she calls him into her sitting rooms and gives him tea liberally topped with firewhiskey.
His Grandmère Inés is the sort of witch who drinks sangria in her teacups and sends her house elves to Ibiza to procure all her "relief" needs. She tells him stories of his mother's husbands and admits that she liked Blaise's father the best of all seven. Inés prefers Theodore to Draco, and in a very soothing voice insinuates idly that Draco is an accident waiting to happen to the wrong person.
Blaise's grandmère does not want Draco to happen to Blaise.
She has been saying this for some time without saying a word, so Blaise doesn't tell her it's too late for that; it's not what she wants to hear.
When she tells him that there is no difference between a Nott and a Zabini and a Malfoy underneath, he simply nods and drinks his tea. His grandmère is of the old school, and Blaise knows how to perform when required.
Every family has roles for its members, and it is his role to be an adult, and a man, and a solicitous son who listens avidly and then goes out and does whatever needs to be done. The last thing his grandmère sees when she looks at him is her daughter's son.
His grandmère is not as fond of Angelina as she is of Blaise, but she says that his half-sister has a certain je ne sais quois that makes her a part of their family. Angelina says -- well, Angelina says a great many things, but as her father is dead as well, she's a fine one to talk.
Blaise doesn't listen to her Gryffindor nonsense.
Angelina and Blaise have never seen eye-to-eye on anything, so such things are to be expected. Especially considering that Angelina was raised by her father's mother -- much to the chagrin of Blaise's mother. Blaise learned his first hexes by watching his mother rail against Angelina's grandmother every time she wouldn't let her see Angelina. This is how Blaise learned the fine art of manipulation first hand.
Upon discovering Angelina had been sorted into Gryffindor and was trying out for the Quidditch team, Blaise's entire response was to raise an eyebrow and go back to his Arithmancy primer. His mother bought her a new Cleansweep 1990 when she made the team; Blaise was not surprised when it was returned unopened. His mother and Angelina have always had an acrimonious relationship.
If Blaise were one to place blame, he would say Angelina's idiotic worldview is the fault of her grandmother, but Blaise is above such things as blame. He takes his cues from Grandmère Inés and watches placidly as everyone hangs themselves with their own words.
Blaise has never actually met Angelina's grandmother; he has seen her dropping off Angelina on the first day of term, but he sees no reason to consort with someone who once called his mother 'The Black Widow of Devonshire.'
Blaise knows nothing about Angelina's father, Victor Johnson, apart from the fact that he was married to Blaise mother before she married his father, Lorenzo Zabini.
Blaise's father was his mother's fourth husband, born and raised in Palermo and then Firenze. Blaise still has family in Firenze, and every summer he visits them without question. They have accepted him from birth as one of their own, and while they do not approve of his mother's constant marrying and remarrying, Blaise is a Zabini. He suspects it doesn't hurt that his mother has kept his father's surname through her last three marriages.
The only person who has ever vocally disapproved of Blaise's mother is his father's mother, Alesssandra, who makes no bones of disapproving of everything and everyone quite vocally. She goes through two bottles of nettle wine a day and tells Blaise that his father was her favourite son. Blaise doesn't point out that his father was her only son.
His nonna's selective memory reminds Blaise of Draco, and he suspects that this is why Draco tends to get on so well with this side of his family.
Blaise's great-grandmother likes to remark that Blaise is too dark, Draco is too pale, and that they both are underfed. The Zabinis are forever trying to get them to eat more, and Draco complains that after visiting Blaise's family he can hardly get his fat arse on his broom. Blaise rolls his eyes, because Draco has many allurements and many faults, but he does not have a fat arse. Blaise has spent enough time shagging Draco to know this first hand, and Blaise tells him this whenever they are alone together, which is not as often as Draco would like, but more than enough for Blaise to be satisfied.
If Blaise were "involved" with Draco, he suspects he would be much more mentally unsound, and he prefers to keep all wits about him as much as possible. Angelina says that Blaise has control issues and that he needs a role model. The last time she lectured him on this, he hexed boils inside her mouth to shut her up.
Blaise's mother has does everything possible to give him a united family -- one cannot have one's mother be married seven times and say she is not attempting to provide one with a suitable male role model -- but Blaise does not want, nor does he require, a male role model. In his sixteen years on earth, Blaise's mother has managed to exemplify every possible aspect of romantic entanglements, and this has done much to reassure Blaise that he is much better off on his own.
Theodore does not agree with Blaise's cynical world-view, but Theodore's mother raises her family from a portrait in the front hall of Nott Terrance, so Blaise does not really think Theodore's rational enough to throw any sort of stones. Not that Blaise would take unsolicited advise anyway; he doesn't talk about his family, nor any problems they might or might not have.
He considers such things gauche.
Angelina says he's repressed.
His mother says she just wants him to be happy; she says it's hard to find someone to love you for yourself. Blaise reckons that if anyone should know, it's his mother. She's had seven husbands, from five different countries, resulting in four children, only three of whom still speak to her on a regular basis. Blaise doesn't see much of the twins though, since they live in Lisbon, but they visit occasionally, and they tell him tales of his father.
Blaise's family is not the most common version he's ever come in contact with, and every time his mother tells him she wants nothing but functional relationships for her children, Blaise wonders what sort of delusion she lives under.
Blaise sees people functioning every day: Draco, Theodore, Queenie, even Professor Vector are all functioning by pretending that a war isn't about to ruin their lives forever. Blaise doesn't think this is getting them anywhere. Blaise knows when people are performing; his entire family is about putting on a show, and he knows enough crumbling relationships to know them from the outside in.
Blaise doesn't mind deluding other people, but he draws the line as deluding himself, so he distracts himself by writing out Arimantic equations between the freckles on Theodore's shoulders and yanking out strands of Draco's hair when he gives him blowjobs. He gives his family as much consideration as they give him, and the rest of the time he thinks of himself.
He doesn't need their advice to know he's just as dysfunctional as all the rest.
-end-
All casting can be found here.
Title from the song by Stereophonics.
The Angelina <– > Blaise connection created by the crack-addled-ness that is
ethrosdemon. And yes, Theodore's mother does raise her family from a portrait in the front hall. It least according to me.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 07:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 08:09 pm (UTC)His Grandmère Inés is the sort of witch who drinks sangria in her teacups and sends her house elves to Ibiza to procure all her "relief" needs
Woo! I wanna be *this* type of gran.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 08:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 09:33 pm (UTC)Pfft. I can beat their record, easy.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 07:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 08:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 08:21 pm (UTC)I very much enjoyed this glimpse into Blaise's universe and the House of Zabini. Beautiful, as always.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 08:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 08:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 08:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 08:44 pm (UTC)His Grandmère Inés is the sort of witch who drinks sangria in her teacups and sends her house elves to Ibiza to procure all her "relief" needs.
Nnnnghh. Just...yes. Perfect.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 08:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-27 10:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 03:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 05:58 am (UTC)That's my kind of gran. And I love your casting choice for her. LOVE.
Theodore does not agree with Blaise's cynical world-view, but Theodore's mother raises her family from a portrait in the front hall of Nott Terrace, so Blaise does not really think Theodore's rational enough to throw any sort of stones.
I love Theodore's presence and weight even when he's offscreen.
The casting of Marsha Thomason as Angelina was great. I just saw her as Angelina while reading this. Any possibilities on the Mason and Rene fronts?
no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 09:45 pm (UTC)I am thinking on it. But I am thinking on everything. Wait until you meet Blaise's Grandpere Hermes (http://pics.livejournal.com/hackthis/pic/0003933q/g7). He disgraced the family by going off to be a musician. Ines divorced him three times.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-29 12:26 am (UTC)I was hoping, hoping so badly....
*squee*
no subject
Date: 2005-09-14 02:14 pm (UTC)Blaise's family is, thankfully, free of Death Eaters,
Hahaha, sure. Toe the party line, Blaise.
but Blaise is above such things as blame.
Maybe OUT LOUD.
His nonna's selective memory reminds Blaise of Draco, and he suspects that this is why Draco tends to get on so well with this side of his family.
It's too bad about what's happened to the Black family, really.
one cannot have one's mother be married seven times and say she is not attempting to provide one with a suitable male role model
Delusion is amusing. Or is that a tongue lodged in a cheek? Either way, I laugh.
Angelina says he's repressed.
Oh, hahaha. !!! What to say? Gryffindor loose morals or that she's right? Ok. I will think about this today as I finish up getting ready to leave.
Blaise doesn't mind deluding other people, but he draws the line as deluding himself
Oh, dear, Blaise. You need a woman in your life you trust to tell your how full of unicorn dung you are.
I don't have any HP icons now. I suppose I should do something about that.