Who tells your story?

-

Lily saw all sorts of people at the apothecary. Sometimes she saw rich, haughty people who only saw her as a means to an end. She saw frustrated people who used her as an outlet for their bad day. She saw harried people who didn’t seem to have the time to be polite or friendly. It could be demoralizing, even to someone as positive as Lily, to have to deal with unpleasant customers, so whenever she saw a friendly face it was always a bright spot in her day. It was an even brighter spot when it was a familiar friendly face.

Lily was quick to count people as friends, but Ava Avery had, in Lily opinion, well and truly earned the title. They’d bonded while at Hogwarts by virtue both of being Gryffindors and being quidditch fanatics. Ava was the person she sat with at games and talked to about plays and scores and rankings. They hadn’t been the closest of girls, there were still plenty of things that they didn’t share, like their family backgrounds for one, but Lily was happy to see Ava nonetheless.

“Ava! I don’t think I’ve seen you since you graduated, how have you been?” Lily gave the older girl a one armed hug, the more professional version of her usual greeting, then remembered that Ava had asked after her. “I’m good. Still getting used to being graduated, definitely don’t feel like an adult yet.” As she spoke, Lily ushered Ava toward the front of the shop. Lily had convinced Morwenna to move some of the most popular items, including hangover cures, to near the door so people who knew what they were looking for could zip in and zip out. 

“We’ve got our ready made hangover cures right here, but if you want something stronger, I can get it made for you by the end of business tomorrow. We also do delivery for custom orders.”

Ava smiled, leaning into the hug. She had always considered herself a person who came alive near other people, always preferring company to solitude. The past few months had changed her slightly in that regard –leaving her some days wanting to just be alone- but at large, her energy still came from others. Walking into a store for a supply and ending up chatting with a friend instead was the best surprise there was. Yes, she decided, she had most definitely chosen the correct errand today.

“I’ve been great!” she said, which was pushing it a little. Well, a lot. But Ava was not about to break down about inner turmoil in a pharmacy, in front of a friend she hadn’t seen for ages. So instead she grinned. “Got my own flat, worked for the Ministry a bit. All that.”

She nodded as she listened. It had been a year now, but Ava could understand the sentiment. Sometimes it felt like she was still getting used to being a graduated adult, instead feeling like she was simply drifting – waiting for school to start back up again. Sometimes she still found it odd that it never would for her. “I can recognise that! It’s still a bit strange sometimes, like I’m play-pretending adult. But it got more real for me once fall came, reckon it’ll be the same for this years graduates too. Have you gotten a place yet? That usually helps too.”

-

“No, this really is my mother’s pet party. She looks forward to it every year.” Safiye smiled to cover the hurt. She had attempted to contribute this year, offering several ideas that she believed would be a fresh and fun update to a somewhat stale event. Each idea had been dismissed out of hand, leaving Safiye feeling incredibly frustrating. “I think the older generations appreciate that this is one event that is the same every year.” Safiye smirked just slightly, letting Ava in on the joke.

The party was going well, of course, it certainly wouldn’t be a disaster. Safiye just felt that it was a little stuffy and formal, then again, she felt that most pureblood events were stuffy and formal. She still thought it would have been improved by a little levity. She’d offered some of her rugs for her mother to put out on the lawn to sit on like a picnic, but Rohesia had insisted it was too casual. She’d had similar objections to Safiye’s suggestions of a mimosa bar and venturing away from finger sandwiches as the only hors d'oeuvre. 

 Safiye decided to steer the conversation in a different direction before they got too bogged down in the banal niceties they were both clearly used to. What she really wanted to hear about was Ava’s life, so different from her own. “I heard that you moved out recently, that must be so exciting. How is it going?” Safiye tried to keep her face politely interested, not betraying just how desperate she was for details.

“I’ll have to give her my compliments when I see her next,” Ava said. Of course, she had followed etiquette and greeted her host upon arrival, following societal rule where she had to and avoiding a fight with her parents. And before leaving, she would circle back and gush about what a lovely party it had been. Ava knew exactly where the lines of high society went, and which ones she could tow.

She dragged a hand through her hair, letting a few loose strands escape the half-bun she had put it up in. Had she been talking to anyone from the older generation, as Safiye put it, Ava would have probably kept still – but somehow, she doubted Saf would gasp at fidgeting. 

Her independent life was a lot more interesting. Most of the time when the topic came up at parties like this, the situation was often described as interesting, with the tone and thin smiles implying that interesting actually meant peculiar and worrisome. Ava enjoyed that Safiye said exciting as actually meaning exciting. She gave a more relaxed smile. 

“It’s been a little while now, but I really enjoy it. A bit strange, after sharing a room with others for so long, but I quite enjoy the freedom that comes with. And it has a fireplace, so I can visit home regularly,” she added, to avoid the next round of gossip being ‘possible Avery heir flees family’. She tilted her head. “Although I am considering moving, now that I don’t have to be near the Ministry. And what about you – where are you residing these days?”

Lazy Mornigns

“Ha,” he said as Ava rummaged through his bag. “I would have thought you would’ve relished in their discomfort at hearing you defend the mighty Earl,” he teased. Still, he pantomimed sealing his lips. 

As he pet her cat, he asked curiously, “Do you actually like it? Earl Grey.” 

Ava’s cat and he had an ever-improving relationship. Little steps, but still steps in the right direction. Evan was glad for it, if he were being honest with himself. Having a furry animal in the house was rather nice. 

The cat walked away from him, so he returned to Ava in the kitchen. “Yes, thank you,” he replied. “It’s never a bad time for tea. I’ll add it to our shopping list - what kinds do you want? I know we need dinner food, but what’s life without caffeine?”

He moved his bag and took a seat. “Shall this be our grand outing for the day?”

“Actually, I changed my mind,” Ava said as she moved to fill the kettle with water. “Tell everyone. Send a letter to Skeeter with this information; maybe I’ll be banned from the season. I’ll never have to suffer a tea-party again, disinvited in fear that I’ll try to bring some common Earl Grey.”

She placed the kettle on the stove, switching the button to turn it on. “Yeah, I do actually. It’s an adjusted taste, but it’s easier than memorising how long different leaves needs to be steeped. It’s quite nice, once you get used to it.”

Anyone else might have had a minor heart attack, or followed up on her request to run for the gossip pages. But if anyone would accept this mild rebellion, it would be Evan. And maybe Archer, if he was still here, but she showed away that thought.

She tilted her head, considering. “Chamomile. Maybe some peppermint, if they have. Whatever kind you prefer – I’m happy as long as I have something to drink.”

“What a depressing idea!” Ava said, turning around to face him. Her words were dramatical, but she was laughing. “It shall be our grand outing – until a party invitation comes along. I’ve heard rumours that people are starting to celebrate getting their first jobs around now.”  

Harper leaned over the bar, meeting the bartender’s eyes and greeting him politely before gesturing towards herself and Ava. Moments later two drinks slid towards her, and with a nod and word of thanks, she picked them up and turned to face Ava again. “I’m done with work for the day” she punctuated her declaration with a freeing exhale and sip of her drink, holding the second glass out to the other woman. “I just figured I’d start my night on the path of least resistance. And besides, I was hoping to run into someone who’d want to join me in doing the same,” she continued, a twinkle in her eyes.

Despite many of her reserved tendencies, Harper really did enjoy just going out and adventuring for a night, hopping between bars and other establishments. Sometimes shops took advantage of the extended summer daylight hours and stayed open longer— a fact that was especially tempting.

Glancing around the bar again, Harper wondered how long Ava had been there. She voiced the question, her curiosity getting the best of her as she added “And have you seen anything interesting go on?” Despite the number of people, things seemed to be relatively uneventful so far. Good for business, Harper thought, but the night was still young, so there was hope for some drama to develop… Though she would highly prefer it not be at one of her hotel bars.

Ava grinned as she took her newly made drink, lifting it up to take a sip to test it out. Not that she was ever picky, and it turned out that being friends with the owner resulted in getting the good stuff. “Thank you kindly,” she told Harper. “Well, now that you’ve been good and worked all day, you most definitely deserve some well-earned fun. I’m happy you chose this path; I was starting to worry I’d have to spend my evening alone.”

Not that Ava was ever stuck alone unless she wanted to be. There were always someone to talk to, someone to drink with. But the bar had seemed boringly tame until Harper had walked in. It was much more fun to party with a drinking buddy than to nod politely as some suit talked about his business. 

"I’ve just been here a little while. Helped a friend of mine meet a bloke. Some blind-date she’d been put up on, wanted some courage – liquid and otherwise,” she explained, taking another sip. Ava looked up at Harper, giving her a friendly grin. “So far it’s been pretty uneventful; no drinks tossed or anyone stripping. But the night is still young! There’s a group of three girls in the corner that’s just ordered their second round of martinis since I got here. If I’d bet on any excitement happening, I’d reckon they are a good choice.” 

The sounds of cupboard doors being opened and closed with some clear intention made him smile. It had been much nicer than expected, crashing at Ava’s, and he had expected it would be fun. Living alone just wasn’t for him anymore - blame it on seven years of dorm living. But living with Ava was better than that. It was a dear friend rather than a random selection of his like-minded peers.

Evan popped his toothbrush out of his mouth. “I might be that I have some in my bag,” he shouted to Ava.

As he continued to brush his teeth, he inspected his face. Shaving wasn’t a daily necessity for him yet. He wasn’t too sure how he felt about that. He had graduated. He was an Adult. The hair on his chin hadn’t quite gotten that memo yet, it seemed. 

He spit, rinsed, and joined Ava in the kitchen. 

“I went to that one library yesterday. They only stock Earl Grey,” he said with some disgust. “Who wants tea that you can’t stand your spoon up in?” The kitty caught his attention, and he went over to pet it. “I am afraid I don’t have any bread stashed somewhere. What else do you want? I’ll pop out.”

One of the things she loved about England, was that it was never completely out of the question to store tea somewhere in case of emergencies. Taking his reply as a go-ahead, Ava simply brought his bag into the kitchen and began rummaging through. 

“Don’t knock Earl Grey too hard,” Ava said, glancing up as he entered the kitchen. Maybe the fact that she had spent seven years living in close cohorts with muggleborns, but she’d really found a soft spot for simple bag-teas. “Promise not to tell our upper class friends I said that; I’d likely get socially rejected and disowned.” 

She found a box, holding it up with a triumphant ‘aha!’. Ava opened the top to give a quick sniff, checking the flavour, before turning around. “Kettle, kettle,” she mused. Turning back towards Evan, she held the box up, as if she wasn’t offering him his own tea. “Do you want some?”

“Oh, and how I appreciate you for that,” Geraldine replied. “I am very much in need of the midday sugar rush. Better than any caffeine fix.” Almost. With how restless she’d been at night these days, how late it’d driven her to stay at the shop or pace the streets of Liverpool when the creaks started sounding more ominous than familiar, she needed any boost she could get.

Good company, it proved, was very much among them. It lessened the edge and gave her something else to think about.

“Quite literally, yes,” Geraldine said, unable to help shooting a pleased look over her shoulder at her quip. “We’ve got centuries of wands through here—parsed down, even. Garrick—my grandpa, that is, is a huge stickler for quality. I can’t imagine it being more cramped than this, though. More supplies, all the cores.” She motioned as she talked to various cases. She leaned her head between two shelves as they walked by. “That’s my spot over there.”

“Roof it is.” For all that was in there, the shop wasn’t that large. The hardest part of getting to the back stairs was absolutely dodging the various piles and weaving through the shelves. She had to make an effort to not pause at the door to the flat, where she had considered staying lately. Sense of security or protection—not that she offered much—was hard to parse. “It’s not much, but it makes for great people watching,” Geraldine said as she opened the door leading out.

They were met with a blast of warmth, and she habitually propped the door open with a rock before turning to take in the view. They weren’t the tallest building, but from here you could absolutely see it—Gringotts, standing out as ever. It was mostly rooftops, showing off the expanse of both Diagon and Knockturn Alleys, the latter far enough off for comfort. Some true stretching even gave way to Muggle London. She always tried to spot it; she loved it up here. She didn’t come enough.

“That’s what I forgot!” Ava exclaimed, snapping her finger in realisation. “Coffee! Or tea- there’s this little coffeeshop down the road that does both brilliantly. Remind me to take you there sometime, when you have time for a lunch date. I think they do High Tea.”

Ava tried to not act like a four year old let loose in a sweet shop, but she couldn’t help her head snapping back and forth as she took in everything Geraldine pointed at. It was truly fascinating. Even more so since she’d never paid the back rooms much mind before today. Like the front room, it had a sort of comforting feeling. It felt lived in, cared for. 

She followed Geraldine up the stairs. Stepping onto the roof, she took a moment to pause and take it all in. Ava had always loved rooftop parties but she had never considered having a luncheon on one. Taking in the view of the winding houses of Diagon Alley, the warm air brining up the sounds from the bustling streets below, Ava decided that roof-lunches was an absolutely brilliant idea that would have to be repeated. And that was before even getting to said lunch. 

It was nice, having some constant company besides her cat. 

Ava hadn’t realised how empty her flat had felt until she was suddenly sharing it. It was amazing, how much at home it felt with just one extra person existing in the space. An entire life of never being alone had made her co-dependent - but there were worse things to be. Ava might not be the most chatty person in the world but it was still nice having someone to talk to. 

Today was a home-day. At least at the moment it was; maybe later a party invitation would come around or the urge to go out, but right now she was content to loafing around. Ava was slamming around the kitchen cupboards -it had already been depressingly empty most of the time when she was on her own, adding in another person had taken it to dire- but food wasn’t her object. Ava frowned as she slammed another door shut. 

“We’re out of tea,” she called over her shoulders. “Unless you’re hoarding something. Bread too, I think.”

He gave a soft little laugh - more of a smile, really - when Ava said her ability to keep track of it all ended with her job. He supposed that really was how it went.  But - what day was it? He frowned and cocked his head.

“You know, I don’t think I know, either.” He shifted his weight and took on en exaggeratedly posh accent. “Who needs calendars when all you have are parties?”

As Ava lit her cigarette, Evan decided that observing his own wand being used was kind of fun.  It wasn’t often he had the chance to view it like this, to see it as others might when he used it. It looked good in Ava’s hand.

He have Ava a look and nodded when she shuddered. He opened his mouth to answer, but then smiled wickedly when she told him not to answer. “Exactly,” he said.

He took out another cigarette to replace the one that had fallen. Taking his wand back from her, he muttered a “thanks” out of instinct.

“No, Ava, that’s not pathetic,” he said softly, turning more towards her. “It’s natural to feel that way.”  

He would have been surprised if she wasn’t feeling lonely. He’d always been a little jealous of the Avery household, if only for the fact that Ava had built-in playmates. He didn’t fully understand what it was like to lose a triplet, and he knew he never would, but he imagined it would make one feel lonely when at the childhood home, and when spending time with the family unit.

“Let’s do it,” he said. “If you’re sure I’m not imposing, that is. I’d really like it, too.”

“Exactly,” Ava agreed, happy that she wasn’t the only one with the same mindset. Even when she had worked, and even back at Hogwarts, she had never really kept track of days besides her free ones. It was the same principle now. “I’ll follow where everyone else is heading. I am certain if I miss something important, someone will come fetch me.” 

Or at the very least let her know how disappointed they were afterwards. Mostly that task fell to her mother when she missed tea parties with the top tiers. Those she didn’t mind missing: there was nothing worse than being mostly sober and listening to how she ought to settle down soon. 

Ava dragged a breath, letting the cigarette calm her. Held a beat before letting the smoke colour the air around her. Maybe she ought to start smoking regularly. What was one more bad habit? 

She just nodded as she glanced at him. Maybe it was the nicotine, or maybe just being around Evan, but Ava felt her restlessness settle a bit. Maybe it was a combination of both. In a world of vipers and gossip, it was nice just having someone who just listened and understood. He thought she was doing him a favour, but right now it felt the other way.