Andromeda knew Alecto’s convictions, but part of her always thought the Amycus could be different, that they could remaining friends, but maybe it was too much to ask. Did Amycus really hate everyone that wasn’t a pureblood that much? “You mean a blood traitor healer?” she replied, not linking his comment about her husband, she didn’t talk badly about the people that used to be part of her life, she expected the minimum of respect. 

She pulled his arm a little harder than intended, she wasn’t going to hurt him, but the commend did made her upset. “I’ve been exhausted since my friends and family decided the muggle borns, and half bloods” she said this with intent, “were not enough and started a war, and I lost the people I love because they have convictions that would get human beings killed.” she moved her wand over his arm, “My lovely husband is fine, he is at work, you ought to stop using that word if you want to leave here with your tongue, I’m sure the staff won’t appreciate the name calling. This is going to hurt a bit.” she warned him, professionally as she could, before setting the bone into place.

there was still a bitter taste in his mouth when it came to her, and ted. he couldn’t help but feel betrayed that she had chosen him over everything else. amycus groaned as she pulled his arm, the pain was something he was used to, yet he couldnt hide the fact he was uncomfortable. “ you know this life isn’t simple, andy. it doesn’t matter what i may think , i have been brought up to think a certain way” amycus sighed, he wished she could see his side of things, after all she had been a part of it. amycus tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling, trying to breathe through the pain as she set the bone back in place. once it was over, he flexed his arm slowly, finally smiling as things felt more normal. “ thank you” he told her, his eyes searching hers. “ look...this has never been easy, losing you, it broke my heart andy.  not only that, but i lost you to ... well ... to one of them” this time he didn’t use the word mudblood. 

“firewhiskey it is then, barkeep.” the reporter claps her hands together as she ushers the bartender off to fetch the man’s drink, her body relaxing against the bartop as she lets the exhaustion of the day release from her shoulders and down her spine. “a good deed makes the day, granny sykes would be proud of me.” she mutters before sipping her wine, savouring the taste of the elderflower, the familiar liquid warming her body as she turned to face the man a bit better on her seat. “really? i’ve tried to pull away from bias work, but i suppose i have my mother’s opinions and they leak into my writing … any pointers?”

amycus pondered a moment over her question, he had not bothered to read a lot of her pieces, as he assumed it would contain bad information about people like him. “ i wouldn’t dare give you pointers, you are the expert in this field, not me” amycus flashed her a somewhat cheeky grin, before he took another swig of his drink, smacking his lips together in contentment,. “  tell me about your gran you speak of?” amycus asked, genuinely interested. it was nice to have some proper company. 

Andromeda looked at her friend, where they still that? the war made things just so much more complicated and she knew that Amycus wasn’t an innocent bystander but she still have some difficulty separating the man in front of her from her childhood friend. “And I thought you would be happy to see me.” she replied looking at the break, she moved her wand over the wound to see if there was any residual magic that would affect the healing. “If I wanted to get rid of you I would have done it where there wouldn’t be so many witnesses, don’t you agree?” she tried joking.

amycus allowed a smile to cross his face at her comment. of course he had missed her, he missed her more than she could ever know. and that was just that... she could never know how much. he winced a few times as he moved his arm out to her, trying to make it easier for her to inspect. sure he had been in plenty of positions like this before, but crikey did this one hurt. “ perhaps, but i have no doubt they would take your side if you did. i mean who would care about a former death eater, compared to a prestigious healer, hmm?” amy asked her, flashing her a wink. “ you look well though, if not exhausted.  how is that mudblood you’re with anyway?” although the name was harsh, it was just common language for him, and he said it without thinking too much about her reaction. 

Charlotte was attempting to live under the musings of her grandmother, to be kind and do at least one good thing a day  -  Nanny Jocunda used to say it would freshen the soul and ensure a good reputation, which was certainly something Charlotte was needing right now. Her reports since the war have been both positive and stomach churning, leaving many of her readers needing a break for a week from her writing. Even now, as she eyes the man at the bar, she forces on a polite smile to build up a less exhausted facade. Nanny would be proud.

“I get yelled at in Diagon Alley and berated in the streets, I think a little gossip by drunks will be the last of my issues today,” she chuckles as she takes her glass of wine, “not to mention I came to the Leaky Cauldron to order elderflower wine, I’m sure my inner fire-whiskey-addicted teenager is cringing at the thought, nevermind what they think.” The reporter gestures to the occupants of the bar before gesturing to him. “so what are you having?”

keeping his gaze on her for a moment longer, listening to her justify her actions, he merely shrugged his shoulders. if she wanted to buy him a drink then he certainly wasn’t going to complain, but it did make him wonder whether she knew who he was, and what he had done.  “ a fire-whiskey, actually” amycus chuckled, . “ cheers, for the drink “ amycus could still sense some eyes on him, he knew there were people in the shadows who would be waiting for him to leave so they could try to attack him in one of the alleys, it was that kind of thrill that he looked forward to, but for now he was content keeping her company. “ i’ve read some of your work,  it is rather biased” 

Andromeda had been working a long shift, a lot of people came through the ER doors and all she wanted to do was go home to Ted and rest for the rest of the evening, but the night had other plans. “You would think that after all this time you would say hello first, you eejit.” she sighed and moved closer to the bed looking at the arm, “Spell, fall, curse? I just don’t want to use anything to make it worse”

“ andy, andy, andy” amycus mused, shaking his head as he watched her fussing. “ a curse, i don’t know which, but just sort it out quickly so i can get out of here, i never did like this place” truth was he was afraid of these places, he had this irrational fear that if he stayed too long he’d never get out. “ unless of course your plan is to finish me off here? at least you could finally get rid of me once and for all” 

-

Peter slumped into the first available chair, fresh from his not-so-friendly check up with Dorcas. His long, messy hair and beard served to obscure his face and he hunched forward a little bit; it was enough to jostle the man beside beside him into speaking. “Not my area m’afraid.” he said, his voice a breathy whisper, almost swallowed up by the din of the St. Mungo’s.  

amycus ignored the sound of the male beside him, not really wanting to converse much, but at the same time he was bored, and it wasn’t as if he had anywhere else better to be at the moment. the figure beside him caused him to frown, he looked more like he should be in amycus’s funeral parlous than here. “ thank merlin for that , i mean you hardly look like you could cut up a mandrake, let alone a man” 

•

Wally felt himself perk up at his answer. Now that was interesting, and he let his mind wander to what exactly his darkest desires would be. Maybe the ability to learn to use magic, considering he’d been around around it for his entire life without being able to actually do it himself. “Wicked.” Wally said simply, keeping his eyes on the strange little object for another moment before glancing up to the other man, a slightly hopeful look in his eyes. “Are you gonna use it?”

nik tilted his head as he looked from the object to the man beside him, another twisted smirk easing over his lips. “ you wouldn’t want me to use it , because if i did, then it wouldn’t be good news for folk like yourselves” he spoke truthfully, before indicating to the barman for another drink. “ don’t you ever feel like you’re wasting your time around here? i mean, what’s the point of you walking around in our world, eh?”

~

Mary didn’t notice him at first. She was too busy trying to get out of the rain that didn’t seem to have any sign of stopping. But then she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and she froze for a moment, before her hand hovered where her wand was stored. “Nicolai,” Mary said, her voice even, not betraying the way that her heart seemed to beat a little faster in his presence. “I’m just going to go.”

seeing her was almost like seeing a ghost, he couldn’t explain this sadistic, twisted hold she had on his mind, but the grin on his lips made it obvious that he was pleased to see her. “ well look who we have here, my favourite little mudblood” nik stepped forwards, his head tilting to one side as he looked her up and down. “ haven’t you grown into quite something” he bit down on his lip, gazing at her as tho lost in his own thoughts, before he snapped back out of it. “ now, now don’t be rude, we haven’t seen each other in such a long time” 

–

“You’re red,” Lyanna whispers in an exhale. Why are men always red? Her eyes blink rapidly for a moment, head twitching as she relives the meltdown in Emmeline’s office. She breathes again, steadying herself. The long pendant around her neck wriggles of it’s own accord, the black liquid inside a vial sloshing. ‘Interesting.’ She studies the man for a quiet moment, eyes wide after his implied threat. She knows him, “did you hurt someone Nikolai? Will you hurt me?” Her hand reaches out, hovering above the blood on his skin. Her pupils are blown and while she’s there she’s not entirely present. 

“ well aren’t you an observant little bird” nik’s tongue slithered over his bottom lip as he eyed up the female, he loved how fragile she looked, as if he could break her in the palm of his hand. of course he knew who she was, he knew her brother well, which was why he was not turning her into his prey right now. as she reached out , a slight growl escaped his lips, more like a warning to her not to get too close. “ depends, how much did you see, sweetheart?”

where - st mungos

amycus had managed to break his arm, and against his will was now sitting in st mungos. he had wanted to try to fix it himself, but he’d remembered a similar incident when he was younger, and that didn’t end well. staring up at the ceiling, groaning in boredom, he could sense some eyes on him. “ what is it? are you here to put me out of my misery yet?” 

where - down some alleyway on an evening

“ what are you looking at?” nic chuckled, almost crazily, a hand sweeping through his wet hair. it was pouring down with rain, but that hadn’t yet wiped away the evidence on his face. it looked as though he had been in a fight , but the reality was a lot worse than that. “ perhaps you shouldn’t have made that turn down here after all” 

“What the hell is that?” Wally questioned, eyes growing wide at the mysterious object in their hands. While he had been around magical items for his entire life, there was still a lot that he didn’t know about. The worst part of being a Squib was not being allowed to attend school and learn about all of the interesting items that wizards use. “Please tell me it’s something interesting.”

a deep scowl crossed his way at the other’s annoying question. was it too much to ask to get some time to himself? eventually mulciber placed the object back on the table before him, a small smirk finding his lips. “ it can grant your darkest desires” he lied. “ at a cost though, after all everything comes at some kind of cost” 

Dorcas busted out of her office, throwing her bag over her shoulder as she nearly ran through the hallways. Normally she was never too excited for the weekend, sitting still and not having anything to do were not things she enjoyed, but after working sixteen days in a row, the thought of doing nothing felt rather appealing. Leaving the hospital and stepping out onto the streets of London, Dorcas took in a deep breath of fresh air, deciding to walk over to the Leaky Cauldron for a quick bite to eat before heading home for the night. It was a short walk and all the tension in her shoulders seemed to leave as the door came into view.

Reaching out for the handle, her eyes grew slightly wide as her hand landed atop someone else’s, and she quickly pulled away. “Shit, sorry.” Dorcas laughed, glancing to the person next to her, “I didn’t see you there.”

mulciber had been hoping to spend the rest of the evening in one of the rooms upstairs, with a bottle of firewhiskey, and some girl he’d picked up from the bar. the itch to go out there and return to his old ways was getting too much to bare, he missed the thrill of the torturing, he missed serving the dark lord, and getting to fulfil all of his darkest desires. now, he was stuck in the aftermath, and had to pretend like he was a changed man. 

the touch of another as he went to open the door, had him scowling almost instantly. “ watch it” was all he growled, not pulling back himself, and instead he opened the door and went to head inside. making his way to the bar, he slammed his hand down on the surface to alert the bartender to his presence, and as always, they had the bottle waiting for him. glancing back at the girl he’d ‘bumped’ into before. “ thanks for the drink” he told her, informing her that she would be the one paying for his drink tonight as he took hold of the bottle. 

who?:  charlotte + anyone

where?:  diagon alley, leaky cauldron interior

when?: evening

finally having organised the notes and files on her latest story, the reporter found time to be free from the prophet’s office and gain some form of social interaction outside of her dog and colleagues. stepping into the cauldron, charlotte takes a moment to breathe in the musty and familiar air, letting the warmth of the fireplace settle over her skin as she shrugs off her coat  -  although the three broomsticks was a favourite growing up, the leaky cauldron has become a frequent friend to her since staying in london. 

perching herself at the bar, charlotte waves to the bartender and offers a smile - though tired, she still manages a sweetness to her lips - before speaking. “an elderflower wine if you have it,” turning to find herself not alone at the bar, she gestures to the other seat occupant, “and whatever they’re having.”

amycus was still attempting to get used to normal society, at least try to look as if he enjoyed being around people, and sure sometimes he did, but this new life was a world away from his days as a death eater. after a day of wandering around diagon alley, and knockturn alley - treating himself to a few bits and bobs to decorate his funeral parlour with, and his home, he had settled in the leaky cauldron for a drink. there was a very good chance that he would end up staying here for quite a while, it was also a good opportunity to see what trouble he’d find. it didn’t take much for him to give in to the temptations of a fight. before he had chance to make his order, it seemed someone had got in there first. that was certainly not something he was used to... glancing sideways at the blonde, he raised an eyebrow. “ you don’t need to buy me a drink, love, you don’t want that attention” amy chuckled under his breath, knowing a few of the regulars were already looking his way.