DURAND, linette

[Linette Durand]

{I CANT BELIEVE THE NEWS TODAY}

hi, my name is v-la and i joined because lills made it, and she's awesome, and i'm hungry.

{AND THE BATTLES JUST BEGUN}

FULL NAME: Linette Isabeau Durand
AGE: 17
YEAR or OCCUPATION: 7th Year
BIRTHDAY: March 26
SCHOOL/FORMER SCHOOL: Hogwarts
HOUSE/FORMER HOUSE: Ravenclaw
FAMILY:
Philippe Durand - 50
Ursa Durand (nee Selwyn) - 48
ANYTHING ELSE:

* Parents are together because they're a smart match, pooling money and political power while maintaining their blood status
* They feel no real affection for each other or their daughter
* Expected to sit still and behave like a perfect little lady at every event she was taken to
* Came to resent her high-society peers and their parents
* Wished she had the nerve to act out instead of being dressed up and brought out at every party like a toy
* Also hates people telling her she's a darling, because that's what the parents called her
* Though very good at sitting still and being quiet, she secretly longs for adventure
* Started setting fires - it makes her feel like she has some power over her life
* It also helps soothe her restless spirit to light things on fire
* A better leader than follower, her natural instinct is to take charge
* Can hold a grudge for a very long time if she feels it's justified
* Caught trying to set fire to the broom shed last year by Sabine Montgomery
* Became friends with Sabine when she agreed to keep it a secret, sort of.
* Often clashes with the younger Gryffindor, her instinct is to lead the way when she can, and she's not good as a follower

{WE EAT AND DRINK WHILE TOMORROW THEY DIE}

"I told you Maia, I'm going out. No, it's not an assignment. And no, you can't come." She slammed the heavy door in Maia's face, cutting her off mid-protest. That had been a rather mean thing, it wasn't like Mai knew what she was blundering into, that she was only telling her to keep out for her own good. Reine sighed and opened the door again. "Look, normally if it wasn't an assignment I'd take you." Maia could barely handle seeing death, and since a rash of poison-related death had sprung up around France, she had opted to stay back rather than team up with her. most of the time. But this was different. It wasn't just some shopping trip that she was being dragged out to for appearance's sake, wanting nothing more than to just curl up in a dark corner and never come out again. Incredibly confusing emotions coursed through her at the reminder of what she was doing. Sneaking out, disobeying orders, apolizing for murder, risking her life, risking the lives of others...the list went on, as did the melodrama.

She sighed, but sent Maia on her way with a few more firm reprimands and promises to make it up to her later. Being a social little creature, her friend was having issues being cooped up in this castle. Elaine had more appearances to keep up, her social life in the outside world fairly untouched by the changes happening behind the scenes of her home country. Reine and Maia were pretty much Lacy's personal attack dogs, sent out to do her dirty work but never allowed off the choke chain. She smiled slightly as she exchanged her long dress for a long-sleeved white blouse and a plain gray pencil skirt. It was a very good analogy, considering she was generally not good with words. A pair of knee-high gray boots were added to the ensemble, and she tucked her wand into the right boot, just in case.

After seeing the conditions in which Lacy kept her own parents, it didn't hurt to be paranoid. The way she had taken to staring at them lately, it was like her eyes were skewering her brain. She got the distinct impression that their blonde leader might have been taken some legilimency lessons, which was definitely not good news for her. Seeing as Reine apparated out to Italy after grabbing her purse, going to meet the man she was technically supposed to have killed months ago. John Pritchard had killed two members of Ignis Floris and when Lacy had realized that, she'd wanted him dead. But the photograph had also shown his brother, Nathan. She had been able to convince the furious Lacy that it was really the older brother they were after.

Sadly, she was able to process the fact that he was a killer much better than a lot of other things about him. Hell, she was in no position to judge him on that. Sure, he'd not really had any particular reason or need to kill them, but had she, really? Poisoning people because someone had told her to probably wouldn't be a high flying defense in any court. And she'd gotten his brother killed as well. Okay, so Aislinn had done the actual killing, but she had convinced Lacy that Nathan Pritchard was the one that needed to die out of her irrational desire to save John from her freakish distant relation. Not that she had exactly told John about that. It would only make him more unhappy anyway, he had already realized that his brother had been killed because of what he had done, she didn't need to attach her own personal responsibility and guilt to that whole mess.

And yet, Reine could feel guilt and excitement all at war in the pit of her stomach, duking it out to see which would have their turn at twisting her internal organs into unnatural positions. What was the expression? Bundles of nerves? The fact that she had to even think about things like that proved that her life had gone straight into soap opera land. When did my life get so screw-loose? There was the general antagonist in the form of Lacy, with her subordinate Aislinn for an extra dose of fear. And then there was the confused and rejected best friend, Maia. All pitted against the most confusing thing to ever happen in her head, which was normally so organized and orderly: John. Her face was impassive as ever as she sidestepped locals and tourists alike, but the war went on inside. She was trained too well to reveal her nerves, but they were there all the same.

She was being ridiculous, acting like a first year with their first crush. At the time she had mocked those starry-eyed idiots. Now she wanted to go back and smack some sense into them, try to save them from the confusion and tension before it was too late. Of course, without the aforementioned antagonist, they might be better off. They had been raised to be people rather than lackeys. She spotted John leaning against the wall in front of a nearby cafe, surrounded by couples. The sight of their affection, so out and free, made her want to pull the knife out of her purse. Her jealousy was a slow boil in her twisted insides, simmering away at how free and relaxed they look. Normal people from average backgrounds who would go on to be nothing and no one, and yet they were free to express their emotions in public, free to show the world exactly how they felt. No one was going to hit them later if they didn't cooperate.

"Hello." Her quiet footsteps had carried her over to the wall, next to John. Reine's green eyes were distant, still jealous of the people around them and their public affection. But in a moment she returned her attention to the present, focus resuming in her blank expression.