Just playthings for me {Peyton)

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September

Lydia was R.E.A.D.Y. to show Peyton her engagement ring. Yes, she was betrothed, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to be the biggest flirt ever like she always was. In fact, she could even flirt more now because it wasn't going to go anywhere, so where was the fear of rejection? It didn't matter.

Lydia had been waiting for a betrothal for... well, basically her entire life. Now that she finally had it, she wasn't sure what else there was to work towards! Sure, there was her archery and her fashion and her philanthropy, but those all paired in comparison to finally having her future set in stone. A future that would preserve wizardkind and the pure blood in her veins. She was going to do great things.

But, today was about finding Peyton, and telling her the news. "Pey!" she called when she finally spotted her friend up ahead, near the Owlery.

@peytonbainbridge

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SEPTEMBER 2024

Peyton seemed to spend a bunch of time at the Owlery, both to send letters to her parents and Cara. It was still only September, early enough in the year that things hadn’t gotten rolling yet – though Peyton made the most out of it. She worked hard for her good grades and studied well in advance before things even came to pass. She was an overachiever, but she didn’t care what people thought of her – she needed confidence in herself and her abilities.

She had just left the Owlery, the sound of the owls speaking nearby just as someone yelled her name. Her attention snapped towards the familiar feminine voice, and a smile slowly grew on her face. She hadn’t seen nor spoken to Lydia since the last term had ended, she made her way towards the girl and when they met in the middle, wrapped her arms around the girl frame. “Ly, it’s so good to see you. How was your summer?” she questioned, pulling away seconds later.

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TAG @lydia

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The girls hugged and Peyton asked the question Lydia expected her too. Lydia grinned, pulling back to reveal the giant black and gold ring on her left hand. "I'm betrothed! I was match-made through Blishwick matchmaking this summer," she explained with giddy glee. She was so excited that she was bouncing on her toes a little as she held her hand out, inviting Peyton to examine the ring.

Lydia was all about extravagance, so a ring this size was perfect for her. She wasn't sure about the black diamonds, at first, but paired with the gold it was actually incredibly unique and fashionable - Blair had good taste.

@peytonbainbridge

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[attr="class","next"] The two girls hugged, and Peyton could practically feel the excitement radiating from her younger friend. The moment she questioned her about her summer, she pulled back from the hug and thrust her hand towards her face, showing off a giant black and blond ring that laid right on her ring finger. Her eyes widened, her mouth agape in both awe and surprise. She knew that Lydia’s family was all into the betrothed pureblood thing, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so early for someone so young. She took the hand, looking at the ring closely and she smiled brightly at her friend, hiding the envious nature within her. While she was jealous at the fact that Lydia was engaged, she was not so when it came to the manner in which it happened. This wasn't loved, wasn’t something Peyton would want – but to each their own.

“Oh Lyd! This is amazing! Who’s the lucky guy? Do I know him?” she questioned with a huge smile on her face, allowing the hand to drop from within her grasp. “And please tell me I’m invited to the wedding,” she said, giddy with her own excitement for her dear friend.

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TAG @lydia

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Peyton asked if she knew the guy and Lydias grin didn't drop, and neither did her hand when her friend let go. Nope, she just kept holding it out in case Pey needed another look. She asked if she was invited to the wedding and Lydia waved her other hand. "Pfft, of course you're invited! And it's Blair Pucey, from Ravenclaw? He's a seventh year," Lydia said his year as if she was saying he was a supermodel or something, her eyes all wide and full of wonder.

"It's going to be a huge wedding. Everyone I know will be there, and everyone my parents know so that I can get some more gifts - of course," she explained.

@peytonbainbridge

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[attr="class","next"] Peyton was both glad for her friend and a little concerned, but she didn’t seem to care about the whole betrothal thing—she seemed to relish in the idea. Peyton’s smile never fell as she said she was invited and revealed the name of the suitor, and it sounded familiar but yet, it didn’t. He was a seventh year, and her eyes widened slightly. “A seventh year? I’ve heard the name, but I can’t picture his face—you got yourself a catch there. Did he pick out the ring or did you help?” she questioned, once more grabbing the girls hand to look at it, not like she had put it down anyways, and looked it over. It seemed like something that Lydia would wear and pick out herself, but she couldn’t be sure – her dear friend was always full of surprises.

Peyton let out a giggle, what else was she supposed to do, when her friend said that she was inviting a lot of people to make her list of presents bigger. “Do you have a date? A dress? Or is it too early to ask that?” she questioned, curiosity in her bright eyes.

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TAG @lydia

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"He chose it," she sighed, bringing her hand back with a sigh to look at it herself. "He's got dark hair, tall, kind of brooding," really people had described her fiance as 'creepy', but Lydia really liked him. He was mysterious and intense... there was some thing about him not identifying as entirely male but she was a little confused about it so she didn't want to use the term and mess it up. So, for now he was just a he in conversation.

Then Pey asked about a date and a dress and Lydia shook her head. "Neither," then her eyes widened, "Do you want to go dress shopping with me!?" she squealed the question in such a high pitch that it may have been a frequency only Pey could understand.

@peytonbainbridge

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[attr="class","next"] Peyton listened as Lydia both told her that he picked at the ring and what he looked like, but she couldn’t recall him. If she got to see him face-to-face, she surely would know who he was. She was better with appearances than descriptions or names. Her friend looked lost in thought for a moment as if dreaming about her wedding while just standing there giddy. And then, she seemed to snap back to earth with wide eyes and a squeal of a question to her own. If Peyton weren’t used to the high pitch sound that Lydia made, she surely wouldn’t have understood a word she was saying, but luckily—she spoke Lydia Fudge. She smiled brightly, letting out a soft laugh and nodded her head excitedly, “Yes—oooh you are going to look so pretty in a white dress,” she breathed out, bringing her hands to her face as if she were about to cry. She was happy for her friend, surely, she was, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to go through life like this—she wanted to marry for love, not because of a blood status that the family wanted to keep. “You are keeping the white dress idea?” she questioned softly, she was sure that many people these days went with like very light pinks or yellows, or even cream.

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TAG @lydia

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Lydia just adored the fact that Peyton adored her which made her adore Peyton even more. It was a cycle. Still, talk of weddings made Lydias mind flash to the fact that Lydia was going out of her way to break up Kinsey, Peys big sister, and her brother Riley. What would her dear friend think if she made that known? There was a difference to Lydia between being friends with a Bainbridge and marrying one.

Though saying that to Peyton may sound... rude.

It was complicated.

At Peys questions, though, Lydia pursed her lips in thought before answering. "You know, I may go with white and black. Blair likes black, so," she waved a hand dismissively, as an older wife would about her husbands annoying habits. Gods, she couldn't wait!

@peytonbainbridge

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[attr="class","next"] While Peyton already knew about Kinsey and Riley’s break up from her sister, due to a arrange marriage that his parents had set him up with. Lydia had gone through the same way, and she was sure that their older brother would meet the same fate. But at the same time, Peyton had hoped that Riley would have fought for her sister, but she wasn’t sure just how purebloods worked. She was friends with a few, yes, but she had never dated one – dated anyone – so what did she know. She also didn’t realize just how Lydia felt about her family nor what she felt about tainted blood mixing with her pureblood – was she like her parents? Like the rest of the pureblood elite? A part of her didn’t believe it, but what did Peyton genuinely know. Peyton’s eyes lit up, and she smiled, “Oh that would be pretty? Like a black and white mixture? Or like a white dress with a black overlay with designs?” she questioned, giddy with excitement for her friend.

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TAG @lydia

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Lydia liked the attention, she always did, and she was sure Peyton knew that. But her friend didn't seem to mind. "I was actually thinking something white with maybe a cut down the center of the back and black ruffles coming out like a waterfall. And probably black gloves as well, depending on how they look with the ring ..." She glanced down at her ring and wiggled her ring finger along with it as she imagined the dress in her mind. She giggled, "It's a good thing I don't care about nationality, because he's Irish!"

She lowered her hand and raised her eyes back to her friend. "Have you thought at all about your future wedding? What will that be like!?" In all honesty, due to their friendship, she would have liked to ask Peyton to be her bridesmaid, but due to her blood status she knew that would not be an impossibility. She would deal with the awkwardness of that later.

@peytonbainbridge

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WE'RE BRIGHTER THAN FIREFLIES LIGHTING THE SKY

[attr="class","next"] Peyton listened to her friend to discuss the dream wedding dress that she wanted, and it sounded amazing. She could picture it, and she was sure that Lydia would look good in it - seeing as the young girl looked good in anything. Peyton laughed a little before a question was thrown in her direction, and she shrugged her shoulders, "I like traditional. I've always thought of summer colors, maybe on the beach...white dress, stuff like that," she said with a small giggle. Sure, it maybe sounded boring and mundane, but she was still young.

The girls continued their discussion of weddings and the future, mostly just sticking to ideas that Lydia had for her wedding, for a bit before the two were forced to go their separate ways. All in all, a pretty good discussion with Lydia, if she did say so herself.

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LE END

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