trembling hands .

WHILE MARCUS WOULD’VE BEEN PERFECTLY CONTENT AT DAMOCLES’ BOOTH ALL DAY, ADONIS HAD OTHER PLANS. Of course, his son instantly adapted to the nature pavilion, where animals ran amuck and he could run with them. It wasn’t long before his son had roped him into going into the polar section of the pavilion, and they were bundled up in huge coats. Adonis hadn’t needed them, he knew, but he wasn’t ready to be so different from the rest. He wasn’t ready to admit that his heart stopped. 

rabastan stopped short of allowing a sigh of relief to escape from his lips when adonis didn’t outright dismiss him. he wouldn’t have blamed adonis if he had brushed him off, it wasn’t as if they were friends, and then there were the rumors that would follow anyone caught associating with a lestrange. but he wouldn’t allow himself to worry about that, at least not today. 

“if this potions career doesn’t work out, perhaps i’ll have fortune telling to fall back on,” he responded with a joke, allowing himself to smile as he took ahold of marcus’ hand. he realized it was a bit strange to be accompanying the duo, but it was in a good sense. until, adonis mentioned his brother, causing his smile to briefly falter. adonis not worrying about being seen with him was one thing, he wasn’t sure a relative would have the same view. still, he was determined not to worry. “i guess i am,” he laughed, “are you telling me, he doesn’t already have one?” he asked, an eyebrow arched, “i had my first cauldron when i was his age.”

A SMALL SNORT FOLLOWED AT RABASTAN’S JOKE. Although, a part of him knew just how dangerous it was to be a seer right now; how both sides needing something from you could be the worst possible scenario. Adonis allowed himself to continue smiling, though, and not to think about what might happen if Rabastan were a Seer. After all, he wasn’t sure why he cared so much. He was a vampire after all. Luckily, the potion that Damos had made had helped enormously, and his cravings were almost gone at this point. Still, he came back to Rabastan’s shop, week after week. For Marcus, of course. That smile on his face was enough to keep him going. “Well, you seem to be quite talented,” he said, raising a brow. “Besides, you’ve got your first pupil right here.”

location: the summer solstice festival participants: rabastan lestrange & adonis belby ( @adonisbelby )​

“i was wondering if i’d see you here,” rabastan spoke with a smile as he came to a stop next to adonis. what he didn’t say was that he hadn’t just wondered, that he’d actually spent the better part of an hour looking for the pair. because that would mean he felt something, and that was not something he was ready to admit. especially since he wasn’t sure there was anything there, he wasn’t even sure if they were friends.

so instead he shifted his focus to marcus, squatting down to be at the boy’s eye level. “hello marcus,” he smiled, “are you having fun? i hear that one of the booths is having potions demonstrations. maybe they’ll need some volunteers.”

IT WAS STRANGE, REALLY, HOW FRIENDSHIPS FORMED. Never in his right mind did Adonis think he’d become friends with a Lestrange brother, let alone the one who worked in the potions shop. Still, it was nice, being around Rabastan. It felt easy, and these days Adonis craved easy. He needed ease like an addict might crave a sleeping draught. So, when Rabastan smiled, a small smile appeared on his face too, especially when Marcus ran up to him as if he were an old friend. 

where: a beach when: saturday @ sunset who: open

A salty breeze caressed his cheeks and ruffled his hair. Alyosha’s eyes cracked open, greeted by the last rays of a setting sun. It was a surprisingly nice day and he’d had the luck of calling on an expert who lived in a mixed magical-muggle beach town. When the meeting ended, he’d chosen to delay his return to London and head to wix-only section of the beach. He’d slipped off his shoes and padded barefoot into the sand. The beach was a luxury he rarely indulged in. These days, children grew up with annual vacations to the sand and sea. He hadn’t, and then when he finally had the ability to go, there was a bit of an issue with it. Primarily: the sun. Not much of an issue right now.

Alyosha closed his eyes again; he didn’t need to see to notice the person approaching from behind. He could hear, feel the sand shifting beneath their feet. “I suppose I can’t hog this beach forever,” he said, still facing away from them. “Nice evening, isn’t it?”

Truthfully, Adonis was nervous to be here. He was never really one for the ocean, especially not due to his childhood, but he couldn’t help but feel drawn to it. The way the waves rolled; the way the crashing made his heart feel more open. Or at the very least, not quite so broken; not quite so stopped. Alyosha wasn’t exactly the first person he’d expected to have been here, but it didn’t really matter. Here they were, two vampires, standing side by side on the beach.  

Pim nodded slowly. He didn’t fully accept Adonis’ answer but he hadn’t expected him to say whatever this was was catching, either. He just wondered why all of them were so terrible at asking for help when their dads had always offered them all the help in the world. “I know I wasn’t really an option that long ago, but if you need a babysitter at all, or even just someone to pick him up from nursery if you’re not up to leaving the house… it’s not like I’m working during the day at the moment.” It would be good to have more than just the Order to take his mind off not working and to make it feel like his time was still worthwhile.

“Sugar?” Pim asked, as he took the cup. He didn’t mention Penelope either, but nodded knowing that had he stayed in the same house he and Amelia had lived in together, he probably would have wanted to redecorate, as well. Using it as an opportunity to let Marcus choose his own decor now that he was old enough to express what he wanted was a good way of going about it. “That sounds fun. What would really set the scene is if you got him his own Tinkerbell. I know where to find a colony of fairies. Or was Tinkerbell a pixie?” He really couldn’t remember the story that well, apart from the references to pixie dust although he knew which one he would prefer to have in his house. Fairies were unintelligent and vain enough to be happy to be used as decorations. Pixies were menaces and Pim was looking forward to seeing how Don reacted to the idea of him getting one for Marcus.

Adonis had purposefully never been close to his brothers. His fathers were full of family values, but for Don, it felt like more people he could lose. Having people to care about; having those people ripped away from you. When he’d met Penelope, she’d changed his mind about all that. He’d begun to see differently, but figured it was too late. Still, Pim was in his kitchen. Damos hadn’t called him lawyer a few weeks ago. Maybe he was mending things; maybe being a vampire wasn’t all bad. Adonis met his brothers’ eyes and nodded. “If you... if you need a place to stay right now,” he said, looking at him. “You’re welcome.”  It wasn’t much, maybe, but it was a start.

Damos have called Don many names over the years. A knob. A dunderhead. A pain in the arse. The worse ones he kept to himself. But not once, did he ever think that his brother was a monster. Not then, when he didn’t support Damocles for going after his dreams. Not now, even though he’s been afflicted with a curse that could push him out of control and harm Damocles. Even kill him. ”No,” Damocles replied sternly. “You aren’t. You aren’t any more dangerous than you were with your wand, Don. You’re no monster.”

“He’s a member of the Wizengamot and he looks after his own kind. He’s a generous sponsor too. He’s helping me with the potion and together, hopefully, we can mass produce it by the end of the year’s second quarter.” The potioneer shook his head at the mention of another vampire. That was another story for another day. They can discuss it later. “No. You’re right. I think… it’s better to ask for help from people we can rely on.” Damocles didn’t press on about Don’s living arrangements. If he thinks that staying with this Celeste would be better then so be it. “I don’t know her but… it sounds like you trust her. Does she know? About you?”

Damocles exhaled as if he’s been holding his breath ever since he told Adonis that he wanted to become a potioneer. This. This was the brother he wanted to have. The brother that he thought he deserved. The brother Don could be. “Okay. That’s all I need to know.”

...

Don expected the worse from his brother when he’d asked the question. He’d expected fear, as he would have given him in days past. Truth be told, he should have expected the kindness, but Don was so blinded by his own self-hatred at this point that he couldn’t expect anyone to give it to him. And so, when Damos replied with a solid no, Don’s shoulders slumped. His eyes met the floor, and if he were still human, if he weren’t whatever the bite had made him, he might have cried. He blinked away imaginary tears and nodded, unable to say the words, but he hoped his brother knew. He hoped Damos could feel the thank you written in the simple gesture. 

The thought of another vampire, one who might be able to help him, made hope appear in his stomach. Maybe, if there was someone else out there who could understand what was happening, he might be able to get through the cravings easier. “Do you think he’d be willing... I mean if I could ask him a few questions,” Don met his brother’s eyes, and then smiled softly.  “Celeste is a good one, but no, no one knows but you. Not even Marcus. I... I don’t know how to tell him. Or if he’d even understand.” Still, that was a problem for another day, and he rubbed his eyes, trying not to show the exhaustion there.

Damos’ simple words caused relief to flood through him, and he nodded ever so slightly. “I should go,” he said, standing a bit quickly. But he reached out and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, ignoring the sharp scent that came into his nose for the time being. It seemed being here was already helping. “But thank you. For being there.”

Damocles’ instinct was to remain as professional as he does with sponsors, donors, or any other people asking for his help. But this was his brother. Every word he uttered seemed to leave pinpricks on his chest. “Good heavens, Adonis,” he couldn’t help but interject as his brother explained. Somehow, he managed to keep his wits with him. “Well, our first priority is finding you a supply, all right? Something safe and legal. So you no longer have to go to woods and hunt like…” Damocles didn’t want to finish that sentence. He couldn’t. “I’m certain I can help with that.” The funeral. A coldness seemed to wash over Damocles. How did he not notice it then? Adonis has been in so much anguish since then.

The potioneer didn’t want to give his brother false hope, and yet, seeing Don look at him like that… Damocles found himself wanting to give his older brother as much hope as he could. “You can help me by helping yourself.” That was the truth. “I already have a sponsor. Another vampire actually. Alyosha Talinov. Surely, you know him?” Or maybe not. Damocles’ just felt like he had to know him because the vampire had the power to affect causes of his. “At least, make sure that you and Marcus are going to be okay. Do you need a place to stay? I… I have a spare room back in my place. It’s there for you and Marcus if you need it.”

If someone told him a decade ago that Don would one day offer his help so that Damocles could invent a potion, he would have called them a fat liar. Well, he might not say it, but he would definitely think it. Now, their world couldn’t have turned more upside down if it tried. Damos shook his head reassuringly. “That is… really sweet of you, Don. But I’m actually quite well funded. And I already have people here helping me and more. Frankly, all I need is a little time.” Damos offered a sad smile. Here Don was, finally offering help and yet, Damocles didn’t know how to accept it. “I guess all you can give me is your support.” All he ever needed was his brother’s support. Maybe it’s not too late for that after all.

...

Damocles didn’t have to finish his sentence for Don to know exactly what he was going to say. His jaw clenched and he looked down, trying to keep the words in his mouth, before he looked back up at his brother. “Am I?” he asked quietly. “Am I a monster now?” The question was two fold. If he were a monster, maybe there were some kind of rules he could follow. Maybe he could figure out how to be a good monster, just like he’d figured out how to be a good lawyer. He doubted it was that simple, but Adonis wished it was. He both wanted that, and didn’t. He both wanted to be a monster because at least he had a name for it, and didn’t because he couldn’t be a monster. Not with Marcus. Not now.

“I don’t know of him,” he said, shaking his head. “I dated a vampire back at Harvard but she... She isn’t an option.” Don rubbed his eyes looking down into his lap and then back up at his brother. A laugh broke out at his offer, the first real laugh he’d had during the conversation and he looked up his brother with gratitude in his eyes. Damocles cared so much, and Adonis had pushed it away for so long. Not now. “I will take you up on that if I need it,” he said, softly. “For now, we’re okay. Celeste... I don’t know if you know her, but she’s been helping out a bit. She was good friends with Pen.”

The mention of her name made him look back down, and he didn’t look up again until Damos asked him if he could give him his support. Don knew that it was something Damos had always wanted. Something he’d never been able to provide. Maybe, just maybe, something good could come out of this whole thing. He reached out tentatively, still not used to touching people; still scared. But he did it anyways, gently clapping a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t have to ask me to do that,” he said, nodding. “I should have done it a long time ago.”

Melaina winced as she nodded. “I told the Auror who responded to my firecall that he had been there. I didn’t want to be answering questions about why I didn’t call straight away so I told her upfront that I had to get him away from the body. And she was so nice about it. She’s a mother herself and said it shouldn’t be necessary to stress him further by putting him through an interview so it wasn’t until later, when they came back in full force the next day and one of the other Aurors insisted on him being questioned that I thought… maybe I shouldn’t have told them he was there.” Was that something she should admit to considering? It was an admittance of wanting to withhold evidence in a way, after all. It was his warning that really worried her, however. She was loyal to her father, through and through, but at the end of the day if she had to choose between him and Theodore, she would throw her father to the dementors without a second thought.

“Nobody,” she said, then paused before correcting herself. “Well. The house-elves, although not until… after. When I told them to stay out of the drawing room so that the Aurors could work. I’m… sure others at work would be able to say I left late. But I’m not the one on trial.” She wanted to get her father off, but not by implicating herself in anyway. “How does it work if a house-elf is asked to testify? With them bound not to speak any ill of their families, does that mean their testimony will not hold up, either?” she asked, curiously. After all, she had told them to say her father hadn’t been home when the Aurors asked but she didn’t know if that meant they could stand up in court and commit perjury just because they were ordered to.

...

Adonis nodded, taking in this information. He knew that they would want to question her child, and now, with Marcus in the back of his mind, he wanted nothing more than to make sure they did not do that. He could tell, too, that was what she really wanted. That was why she was here. Of course, getting her father out of prison would be helpful, but keeping her son safe; making sure that he wasn’t implicated in this mess, was her priority. Adonis should have known she was a parent the moment she walked in the door. Her protectiveness was written all over her face. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “You did the right thing. Especially because I can draft up some paperwork to make sure he doesn’t have to be questioned in private again. He’s much too young. No child should have to go through that. I’ll warn you, in court he most likely will be called to the stand. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he doesn’t have to be up there long.”

He was good with kids, surprisingly. Being a dad had naturally come to him, and he had to put that on his own parents. They were caring, despite the fact that Don had never quite thought of himself as such. With Marcus, he was a different person. “The reason I’m asking is if no one actually saw anything, we have a case,” he said shrugging. “As of now, House Elves usually aren’t involved in these matters. They couldn’t tell the truth. Even under a spell.” Adonis leaned forward, lacing his fingers together. “If no one saw who killed your step-mother, how would they know who did it? Why are they only pinning it on your father?” He paused, raising a brow. “You see what I’m saying. If there’s anyone else that might have had some grudge against her... or if she had any ailments? It very well could have been an accident.”

Adonis wasn’t certain, but he’d seen his brother and Alastor Moody hanging out more lately. Of course, that could mean nothing, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t curious. The two of them had been having their lunch breaks together, and while Don wasn’t much for company, Alastor didn’t talk much. It was nice, though, to have someone to talk to. It was nice to have someone to talk to, who understood for the most part, what he had been going through these days. 

So, when Moody walked past, he couldn’t help but grin up at the man, nodding at the tray of food he’d already gotten. “Care to join me?” he asked. “I’ve got a few good stories this morning from the office. It turns out, that murders aren’t murders. They’re really just accidents, depending upon how you shape them.”

rabastan had never cared about the customer service aspect of his job, in fact, he’d been known to go out of his way to avoid being polite towards the patrons of the apothecary. it was a wonder he hadn’t been fired, but perhaps he was just that talented of a potioneer. yet, he couldn’t help but regret his method of delivering the warning to the father. or maybe he could just tell how angry the older male seemed to be, and he wanted to avoid an altercation. but whatever the reason, he apologized.

“i’m sorry- it’s just store policy that children have to be accompanied by adults,” rabastan explained, pausing to think over his choice in words. “we don’t want any accidental ingestion of potions,” he added, this time accompanied by a nervous laugh. “your son seems smart, i’m sure he knows better,” he continued, before adding “i’ll go check on the rose oil.” having brought their conversation to a rather abrupt end, rabastan quickly ducked behind the curtain, scowling at an amused coworker as he moved to check the stock. 

it didn’t take long for rabastan to locate the rose oil, but he took his time returning to the front of the store. he was in no real hurry to come face to face with the older male, though he knew he had to do it sooner or later. “we only had one vial,” he explained, setting it down on the counter. “and i couldn’t help but notice this isn’t the first time you’ve been in,” he continued, surprising even himself for remembering such a detail. “have you thought about placing an order? that way we can make sure to have plenty in stock-”

Adonis softened, a bit, at Rabastan’s apology. While he didn’t know exactly what the other man was playing at, he did know that many people didn’t trust children. It was fair, although Marcus had always been more behaved than most. “Like I said, he won’t go out of my sight. I promise.” Even as he said the words, his son always stayed within eye distance, eyes scanning row after row of flowers. A part of him wondered if Marcus would grow up with a passion for potioneering, like his uncle. A part of him wondered why he’d held back for so long on seeing the merits in this business. Adonis felt guilty that he hadn’t seen it until he needed it. Until he relied on it. 

“Thank you,” he said, watching as the man disappeared behind the curtain, and he turned around to watch Marcus, who was running up to him with a flower. It looked like an Iris, but Adonis had never been quite sure. The return of his voice voice shook Adonis from his thoughts, though, and he returned to the counter, a bit shocked that the other man recognized him. “Oh... yes, I’ve been having some, um, health issues,” he said, managing a small toothless smile. Adonis barely knew the shop-keeper, after all, and he wasn’t about to scare him off with a flash of his fangs. 

She couldn’t believe how easily he took it in his stride. Melaina was used to looks of shock that someone like her could lie with such ease, and this was not only admitting to lying, but admitting that someone in her family had gone so far as to take another person’s life and she, a Healer, bound by the Hippocratic Oath, had known and said nothing.

Her eyes fell on the notepad before she could answer him but when Adonis offered to burn the notes afterwards she nodded slightly. “My… Theodore,” she said in barely a whisper. If Melaina was promising not to lie to him, then that included not calling her son her brother. “But as such a young child suffering from the trauma of witnessing… that, his memories are a little muddled, now.” With Freya’s help, but Melaina didn’t feel it her place to involve anybody else unnecessarily with the lawyer. “I finished work a little late, as we had been busy. The Welcome Witch will testify to seeing me Floo home at around twenty past eight in the evening, although that clock often runs a little fast.” It had been more like quarter past but those five minutes meant everything. I got home, I—” She swallowed and shook her head. He had very conspicuously not asked her what she had seen so she chose to skip over that point. “After Fauna— I couldn’t leave Theo there with her, so I took him up to bed, but that was all I did before contacting the Aurors. They seemed to understand that when I told them. It could have been no later than eight thirty when I made the call.”

...

A gentle nod of his head followed her words, and he was looking at the notepad, making sure that the quill crossed out my. Adonis knew that it must have taken a lot for her to say that word, that one simple word that would give away a secret she must have been keeping for ages. He could hear it in the way she whispered it, and while he was not in the mood for kindnesses these days, in this room he couldn’t help but feel as though she needed one. He would want one, after all, after an admission like that. Adonis refused to show surprise; refused to make her feel different after that admission.

“That’s... well, for lack of a better word, useful,” he said, leaning forward. “If someone else can say you weren’t there, and the only other witness is a child, we have no witnesses.” Adonis tilted his head ever so slightly, meeting her eyes. “Does anyone else know that Theodore was there? I don’t want to sugar coat it with you. The Prosecution will try to use the fact that he’s part of your family as bait, if they know. I can come up with counters, especially since he’s so young. Fortunately for us, the testimony of a small child doesn’t exactly hold up well in court.” And, at least, if it were to come up in a court room, Adonis would be ready. He wouldn’t let another child suffer from a family trauma. “Is there anything else we know from that day? Anyone else that might have been in the house? Might have seen your whereabouts?” He paused for a moment, leaning forward. “To be completely candid, I’m merely trying to poke holes in their case. Enough holes... well... The ship will sink.”

Seeing Don how he is now was heartbreaking. This wasn’t the strong Belby brother he liked to project himself as during their shared years in Hogwarts. This wasn’t the Don who didn’t leave for America without giving Damocles his thoughts about the path he wanted to take. No. This was Don, all broken and hurting. This was the side of Don that Damos never got to see.

“Leaky Cauldron,” Damocles muttered. It was not a place that suits a vampire well. And most certainly not his brother. After his brother admitted his cravings, it was clear to the potioneer what their priorities should be. “You’re not…” Damocles had to clear his throat to be able to continue. “You’re not going to hurt anyone. Especially not your son. We won’t let that happen, okay? But first, tell me. How have you been feeding?” Damocles asked as straightforward as he could. There was no fear nor judgment. He asked it just like how a Healer would during a routine check-up.

Damocles couldn’t believe it but despite their current situation, there was actually a reason to feel relieved. Like how you made the wolfsbane for the… Don’s reason for visiting him suddenly became crystal clear. His brother’s tragic news distracted him from the horribly opportune fact that Damocles might already have the answer to his brother’s problem.

He took a deep breath as well as he worked out how to bring it up. “Wow. As a matter of fact… I have actually been brewing something since June last year. It’s nothing like Wolfsbane. It doesn’t revert your mental state as if you weren’t… afflicted. But in theory, it’s meant to be a substitute for blood. So that vampires no longer need animals or humans to feed.”

...

His brother’s kindness made him want to break down, but instead he stared at his knuckles, watching as his fingers weaved in and out, trying to tell a story, but finding difficulty as they were stuck in between the ridges. Adonis closed his eyes as Damos asked that question and he shook his head. “I go to a nearby wood,” he said, quietly. “Mostly animals. I... I... I don’t think I’ve fed on a human, yet.” The words came out gruff, as Adonis had a heard time saying them; had a hard time admitting that he might’ve, that first night, hurt someone. “I can’t remember the first few days well. I had written to our babysitter after everything and she’d taken in Marcus for a few days. I honestly still don’t know how I made it to the funeral.”

Adonis looked down at his hands, watching as the story tried to continue. However, at his brother’s next words, he was looking up, surprised written on his features. And, for the first time since Penelope had passed, something like hope bubbled in his stomach. “Brother,” he said softly. “How can I... How can I help?” Really, what he meant was how can I repay you? It wasn’t as if Damos was doing this for him, he knew, but nonetheless it might bring back a semblance of his normal life; it might bring him back to Earth again.

“Obviously I’m quite rubbish at potioneering,” he said. As the words settled, Don couldn’t help but smile a little. He hadn’t meant it as a joke, but it had come out that way, almost naturally, and he rubbed his eyes to try and get the pain out of them. “But if you need funding... Or extra hands. I’m happy to be there.” For once, he was offering his assistance. And maybe it was far too late, but he hoped Damos would take it. 

Melaina felt a lot calmer once he had detailed what would happen to him if he broke the agreement. She wanted to trust him, after all. As a Healer, she knew how much easier it was to do her job when people gave her the whole truth upfront and she was sure his job was very much the same. It was a scary concept, some of the things she would likely have to reveal to him but hopefully he wouldn’t change his mind when he knew what a lost cause the Notts were. Melaina reached over for the quill and dipped it in the ink without further hesitation, signing the contract with a delicate hand.

It was a little anticlimactic after signing. Melaina might have just signed her life away but it was as easy as putting shopping transactions against her Gringotts account. “I’m not sure where to start,” she admitted. “I— I may not have been wholly truthful when I said I saw nothing. Though, I just want to make sure my brother grows up without any of his family in prison…” She didn’t want to say outright that she had witnessed her father kill her step-mother but it was by far the most important thing for him to know if he was going to look for holes in the Aurors’ case against Cyrus. That he had done it, so the holes might not be there.

As the woman signed the piece of paper, Adonis felt a bit proud to know he would be representing such a high level case. Whether or not it was morally sound was another story, but he didn’t become a lawyer for the ethics. He liked the game; liked knowing he could lose, and that he could lose fairly, depending on the rules. Still, he thought he had a fairly decent shot of winning the case, especially if she’d actually seen what happened. When she admitted that she had seen more than she had let on, Adonis nodded. He’d already known that, but he of course didn’t say.

“Let’s start with the basics,” he said. “Did anyone else see what happened but you?” Pulling out a notepad, he flicked his wrist and a quill was poised and at the ready. Then, he paused, because he knew she was already nervous. “Is it alright if I take notes? I’ll burn them later, if that makes it more comfortable for you.” He didn’t want to bombard her with questions right away, but he had many, especially since she knew. They could build the case around that fact, making it easier. “And, if not, do you have someone who could give you an alibi for that time? Someone who, say, might have seen you at their shop around the time of death.”

“She’s definitely complicated,” Adonis said, mulling over her thoughts about the woman for a second. “I appreciate that she’s willing to fight for her family. Fight for her nephew. I know that feeling well, and I resonate with it. Then again, she does have a murky sense of right and wrong. These days, I find myself in that situation as well, so I suppose I really can’t fault her for it.”

"I was an orphan,” Adonis said, the very words taking him back to the ocean. While it hadn’t been long before his parents found him, Adonis could remember those days. Barely. The roil of the ocean’s waves. The insistence of the nuns who took care of them. The fear in their eyes when they found out he could do magic. “My biological parents were lost in a ship-wreck which I suppose wasn’t a true abandoning. They didn’t have much a choice, although they didn’t have to get on the ship, after all.” 

Still, Adonis had never minded much. He knew he was abandoned, in theory, but he’d been found so quickly that he never thought much of it. His parents hadn’t abandoned him of their own will, anyways. They’d been lost to an ocean; he’d been found at one later on.”My parents... they found me quickly. I’ve never thought much about being left behind because they were my... they are my home.”

Thinking about Charlotte made his stomach churn. He still hoped there was good in the woman; good in the person that he’d used to love. But that was the very thing, wasn’t it? She wasn’t a person at all. Not anymore. Neither was he. “Charlotte is a vampire. I don’t know how to feel about that now. Then, it was exciting. Now... Now it makes my skin crawl because she believes herself better for it. This, I can assure you, is not better.” He could feel the anger growing, and he tried to calm himself.

"I loved her once,” he said, shaking his head. “She’s almost a memory, and I would like to keep her that way.” After all, he’d received no help from the woman in recent days. Her cruelty was something he’d experienced back when they were at Harvard, but not something that he taken note of. Still, now that he was a vampire himself, he wondered if he could be that cruel. He hoped not. He hoped he could keep what was remaining of his humanity and hold onto it. 

[ seduce ] for your muse to touch mine sexually

The shop was quiet except for the careful bubbling of the potion.

The pair had been almost pushed together, by what some might call fate but that Adonis called necessity. He’d needed the rose oil, and Rabastan had been the best he could find at making it. While his brother was working on a potion that would eventually rid him of his hunger, Rabastan had helped him in the interim. Don would never truly know why; never would really understand why a Lestrange brother was being kind. Still, they were drawn together, over a cauldron, Marcus sitting with a biscuit in hand, munching away happily.

It was strange, how quickly the two bonded. Don wasn’t shocked on Marcus’ end; his son could get along with anyone. A talent that he inherited from his mother, no doubt. Adonis was far more prickly; far less likely to trust. And yet, he realized as they stood over the cauldron and Rabastan spoke of his day at the shop, Rabastan was earning it. 

Nothing was different tonight, except maybe the potion was taking longer to brew than normal. Without even thinking, Adonis started breaking off the correct amount of rose petals to place inside. When he looked up, Rabastan’s eyes were on him, a sly smile on his lips, and if he’d had the ability to feel embarrassment, Don was certain his face would be flushed. Instead, he smiled and passed them to Rabastan, who’s fingers brushed his own when he placed them into the cauldron, carefully.

It was such a simple gesture, but neither of them had looked away, and Adonis felt slightly out of place. Guilt wasn’t the right word, maybe, but it was close, as Penelope’s face sprung to his mind and he was looking back down at the rose in front of him. He knew she wouldn’t want him to live in the past; knew that she was good enough to want more for him than a life in solitude. And what a long life it would be, if he chose that. What a long life he would lead, if he decided to be alone for it.