A cold treat on a hot day

[Delilah Bradford]

Delilah walked into the Ice Cream Parlour, holding a grey cat in her arms. She walked over to a table and sat down. Placing Aislin, the cat, beside her. She would get into the line when it died a little. For right now, she just looked out the window into the street. She felt a storm brewing, not of the literal kind of course, but of the magical kind. Right now, a nice cold sundae would hit the spot and take away some of her apprehension.

[Gabriella Lestrange]

For once the woman walked into the ice cream shop, not laden with shopping bags, after all the recent happenings, she hadn't had the heart for meaningless spending and had instead visited Gringotts for some 'secret business' her Aunt had required her to. Now as she quickly searched the parlour, she looked tired, still her pretty self, but somehow withdrawn. It had annoyed her, but she had gotten little sleep last night, and everything had become too stressful, she feared for her baby.

Rasing a hand up she rubbed an eye wearily before twining it in her hair, at least that comfort still remained. For the first time since the previous evening, a smile spread her lips at the sight of her cousin. "Hey Lilah," she made her way over as she spoke, her bag knocking into a few people, though she hardly cared at the moment.

[Delilah Bradford]

She'd notice Delilah had gone back to her blonde ambition roots, Aiden seemed to like that, and when she wasn't spending time supporting Maj, she was supporting her husband, leaving little free time to people like Gabby. It wasn't like they had fallen out, she just didn't see her hardly anymore. Maybe it was all part of growing up, who knows. Looking up, the window she smiled to her cousin

"Hey how are you? Busy I bet"

[Gabriella Lestrange]

Drawing the chair out she sat down, wincing slightly at the sound the metal had made, everything shot through her nowadays. Her head seemed to be continuously pounding. Setting her bag on the back of the chair she took a deep breath and forced another bright smile at her cousin, though she felt upset looking at her, that their dream hadn't come true, Delilah had been like a sister to her, until she had practically chosen Maj over her, she knew it was childish of her to think it.. but she was allowed to be childish sometimes.

"Yep, busy, that's me," giving another small smile she rested her hands on the table, wringing them slightly and hating the fact that she couldn't pour her heart out to her cousin anymore, it made it worse that she wasn't really allowed to share much about the current situation with her, seen as she had chosen to deny Enyo was much of a threat to anyone but Bella. Scratching her neck slightly in a habbit she had stolen from her fiancee she met her cousins eyes. "How about you?"

[Delilah Bradford]

"Why do you all do that? You and Corbin, my brother and his wife. Nervous lot you all are. Always rubbing your necks

She laughed, looking down at the cat that was curling about her leg. It wasn't the same as having Tabitha around, she really did miss that one, smart little devil that she was. She looked back up to Gabby and smiled

"Things are good. Work's been hell of course. You have no idea how hard it is to cover up Maj's excesses. I swear, it's less like managing, and more like babysitting a very loud child"

[Gabriella Lestrange]

The words gave her a smile, in her opinion she had a reason to be nervous, there was someone out to kill her step daughters, who would probably have some new flipped opinion of Gabby, so no doubt wants to get her too, and on top of it all, she was finding it hard to keep calm and stress free for the child inside her. That was not even mentioning the fact that there could be a new 'Dark Lady' who was killing god knows how many people with her followers.

As her cousin told her about Maj, she smiled again, remembering how hard Maj had tried to cover up her alcoholism last time Gabriella had met her, mostly because there had been a reporter following her around. "I can imagine," after all she had the twins to look after and they acted out as much as anyone. "How's Aiden?"

[Delilah Bradford]

"Aiden's doing great. He's had more time then me to spruce up our apartment. I think it is guest worthy now, you should drop by sometime." Truth was, things were going amazing between them. Ask ten years ago, and she couldn't be sure, but their bond had grown into love, so it all worked out in the end. She was glad nobody brought that up anymore, or her crazy rants about him rising to power, though in a round-about sort of way you could say he had, just on the other side of the fence

"I guess if Bellatrix has her way, I will be seeing a lot less of him though. We are having a, conflict of interest I guess you could call it"

[Gabriella Lestrange]

The news that her cousins relationship, though born from the ashes of madness, was indeed going well, cheered her up slightly, even if she barely saw them, she still cared about them. Looking up she saw a waiter walk past, one of those that were just here for drinks and she reached up and plucked a lemonade from his tray, she would have gotten one for Delilah, but the only other thing on the tray was a strange grey colour, and didn't look too nice. The waiter merely looked at her, his eyes flashing with something that looked like wariness. Perks of being a Lestrange, she had come to accept it in the big wide world.

The words abotu Bellatrix made her laugh bitterly, "It seems even though we're fighting some new 'Dark Lady' she's managed to make it about herself, her order.." she trailed off here, remembering Delilah was not exactly sold on the idea, though Aiden was, that must have been the conflict.

[Delilah Bradford]

She noticed the way Gabby trailed off and put a finger to her lips... "Don't worry, I know your not allowed to talk about all that official Order stuff and all. Just for the record, between you and I, it's not that I don't believe that she could be a threat...I mean, of all people, I know a thing or two about her. I read that book once upon a time after all, but I have to keep Maj's head on straight. The Harpies are in a position to make it to the finals this year, and we can't have her Weasley pride getting the better of her. It's just good business, nothing personal"

[Gabriella Lestrange]

In the entire scheme of things, Gabriella thought that keeping Maj from making a fool of herself was way down near the bottom, it was meaningless and trivial, it was the womans life, she was arrogant and annoying, why should she get someone to run around after her and clean up her messes? Gabriella didn't, neither did anyone else, it was called growing up.

"It's not just business Delilah," she tried to keep any annoyance or feeling from her voice. "It's people's lives, you could make all that difference, but you are more interested in some Quidditch player who can't look after herself because she still acts like she's 16 years old!" Pausing briefly, she tried for another angle. "How would you feel if it was your family who was under threat? Wait scratch that, we are family, what if it was someone you cared about, like a little Potter or Weasley that could die?"

[Delilah Bradford]

She looked absolutely incredulous, taking a her butterbeer float as the waiter came back around, and letting the coolness of it sooth her boiling blood. She couldn't ever remember being angry at Gabby, truly angry, but that had hurt like a slap in the face

"Are you suggesting that I don't care about what happens to my own family?"

She shook her head again, and repeated her previous assertion

"It's just business. And a Weasley has already been hurt possibly. Maj's grandmother went missing a few days ago, I've been working double overtime to keep her from going home and finding out about that let me tell you. There really are a lot of people in that family, the letters I have had to throw away...."

[Gabriella Lestrange]

The contradicting rely annoyed her even more. "There you go, you're working to protect your friend against finding her grandmother has gone missing, who has probably just fallen down the toilet or something," she knew it was ridiculous but she wasn't thinking strickly logically, she was drawing on all the jealousy and sadness she had felt when Delilah had psuhed her out of her life. "But you're not protecting us, my step kids are being targetting by Cassandra, and you won't even help," no doubt the reply would be something about the girl not caring about the kids, but it wouldn't matter, Gabby cared about them, and Delilah should care about her.

[Delilah Bradford]

"Fallen down a toilet? Do you any idea what your on about? We are talking about Molly Weasley here. She may be a fragile old bat, but she is still a very strong willed woman. Reminds me kind of my own grandmother. It kills me not to tell her what is going on, but it will have to wait until after the finals"

She took a sip of her float through the straw, visibly wincing at Gabby's next words. She wasn't sure what to say about all that, so she said the simplest thing she could, though she knew it didn't even begin to cover the way she was betraying all of them, people who would of never of turned their back on her

"Sorry..."

[Gabriella Lestrange]

"Of course I know who she is, she nearly killed my Mother," she practically hissed these words, of all people Delilah knew how much Gabriella hated being accused of not being quick on the uptake, after all she had graduated Hogwarts at the top of her year and just because she didn't hold a high ranking job at the Minsitry people seemed to think she was a pretty little housewife. She cared nothing about any of the Weasleys frankly, and it annoyed her that Delilah compared Molly Weasley to her Aunt, they were nothing alike, just because Draco was civil with the family, and his children had decided to adopt them, didn't mean the rest of their family held any liking for them. "You're own grandmother that you barely see? I'm sure you spent more time looking after the elderly Weaslye woman than you did Aunt Narcissa." That job was left to her, as no one else seemed to care.

Taking a deep breath she leant against the back of her chair, visibly crumpling at Delilah's apology, she had nothing to say to this either. She didn't have the energy to scold the girl again or even accept it.

[Delilah Bradford]

"They care about me Gabriella. It was akward at first, but I've done my best to keep my best friend from screwing up the great hand she has been dealt in life, and they appreciate it. I don't have to put on false pretenses around them, or anything. I'm practically a sister to her now"

She used that line she once reserved only for Gabriella, and as soon as it flew out of her mouth she regretted it, looking out the window

"What am I supposed to say Gabby? What would you have me do?"