Give Me Ur Money

[Annabelle Scrimgeour]

Bella was undeniably not a fan of the elite class of wealthy purebloods that she was born into and expected to associate with as a young woman. They tended to think they were better than everyone else despite the lack of evidence they had to prove they were better than others, including the wealthiest halfbloods, muggleborns, and muggles. However, desperate times did call for desperate measures, and she was riding on the hope that some wealthy man or woman would pity her and believe she was just going through a - er - rebellious phase at the moment.

It wasn't actually far from the truth. Bella wasn't by nature a wild or rambunctious woman who made impulsive decisions. She was driven to that point by fear and frustration that could only be caused by years of emotional abuse from her family — a family she was finally not forced to associate with.

Wearing a pretty pale dress that was sure to convince the women in question — Mrs. Drusilla Travers — that she was indeed still a respectable young woman, Bella sat down at one of the tables at Fudge & Sons' and proceeded to wait for the woman's arrival. She had plans, but to complete those plans she needed funding.

@'Imogen MacFusty'/@'Drusilla Travers'

  

[Drusilla Travers]

To say that Dru hadn't been rather perplexed by Miss Scrimgeour's - the disowned one, no less - invitation for an afternoon outing, would have been a bit of an understatement. Beyond a familial acquaintance, Dru had never had much to do with the Scrimgeour family (particularly the younger branch, whom were far closer to her brother and sister's ages than her own), but the young woman had seemed in earnest that she had a proposal that Dru would most likely be interested in, and despite her initial misgivings - a young woman who had so recently cut herself off from her family (and thus, her wealth and whatever status she had) only to turn around and seek favor from the very society she had chosen to leave didn't particularly speak of a consistent nature - Dru had decided to hear her out. If not to listen to what she had to say, then to at least assuage her curiosity on this so-called proposal was.

So clad in an elegant, but simple blue-gray gown, Dru had arrived at their agreed upon meeting location, not fully knowing what to expect and equipped with a handy excuse to leave if need be. Spotting Miss Scrimgeour at one of the many tables offered by the establishment, she made her way over, the corners of her lips spread into a polite smile as she approached.

"Miss Scrimgeour," she greeted as she took her seat, "Thank you for waiting for me, I hope you haven't been here long?"

  

[Annabelle Scrimgeour]

The woman began to speak to her, and Bella could already feel the butterflies in her stomach beginning to flutter. Perhaps she should wait until she married to endeavor on such an ambitious project—but then again, would she ever get married? That was yet to be known, and Bella felt the odds weren't in her favor.

"Mrs. Travers," she greeted warmly. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but she did everything within her power to hide her nerves from the older—and therefore more intimidating—woman. "There's no need to fret; I've been here only for a few minutes," she reassured with a smile. "I do hope you stumbled across no troubles on the way here?"

  

[Drusilla Travers]

“Not at all,” Dru answered, taking her seat across from the young woman. “My journey was just fine, thank you.” She noticed that Miss Scrimgeour seemed a little flushed, whether from the chill of the day or from nerves, Drusilla couldn’t tell, but she flashed the brunette a kind smile regardless. Yes, she may have her misgivings about the whole affair, but that was no excuse to be cold.

After a moment or two of additional pleasantries, Dru gestured towards a waiter and began, “Might we have some tea, and begin? I believe from your last letter you mentioned that you have a project you’d like to bring to fruition?”

  

[Annabelle Scrimgeour]

Bella had always considered herself awkward when speaking to men—specifically ones who were older than her and considered eligible—but she'd never considered how awkward she could get around women older than herself who were considered superior to her in the eyes of society. She exchanged pleasantries as best as possible, holding back a sigh of relief as the subject matter changed to the reason she was here.

"Gardening is one of my greatest passions, and I realize Hogsmeade is without a place for the community to enjoy the magical plants that the magical world has to offer," she began nervously. "The Hogwarts greenhouse was my favorite place to spend my free time, and I wish to bring a similar environment to the village—a greenhouse and gardens of some sort."