Something Good

With Billy and Charlie in tow, Arthur walked into the wand shop, a grin on his face as he excited explained to Billy what happened in the store. “You see, this is where you’ll get your wands one day, boys—” He paused as he looked up, confused for a moment at the emptiness of the counter in front of him. He furrowed his brow, looking around before Charlie tugged at his fingers. Daddy, he’s sleeping! An easy grin spread across Arthur’s features as he walked over and lightly flicked Ted’s ear. “Oi, Ted. If Ollivander catches you sleeping, it’s curtains for you, mate.” 

Gideon sucked in their cheek, their teeth sinking lightly into the tender flesh on the inside of it. It was a nervous habit, something they were trying to break—it was a dead giveaway for whenever they were uncomfortable or anxious. “But is it? Is it enough?” Gideon shrugged. “I don’t know. It feels like I’m sitting on my arse doing nothing most of the time,” he replied. Gideon leaned back in his chair, desperate to change the subject. “Have you thought of Vienna? It’s supposed to be lovely right about now. I bet Andy would love it.”

Ted was certainly right about that – her coffee was not to be trifled with. Once her mother tried to take it away from her entirely and it had not gone over well at all. The withdrawal was felt deeply and it was only a matter of days before it was allowed once more. One of the very few times she actually got her way in that house. As he went on, Andromeda gave the tiniest shake of her head at his final words, the warmth of his lips still lingering on her cheek. “I swear Ted, you could charm even the grumpiest of people.” It was no wonder he did so well selling things. There was always that tiny bit of nervous that came out around him, though, a result of how he hyped her up. More fun than any festival. Andromeda had lived her life under the weight of the expectations of everyone around her, and she didn’t want to add him to the list of those who only ended up disappointed. Swallowing her fear, she unlocked the door for him, stepping aside.

Gianna wrung her hands in front of her as she hurried her steps as the storefront came into view. She was uncharacteristically anxious, and she just wanted to get this over with. She knew it would be okay - but her wand was one of the most important things she had. It had been her mother’s first wand - and her mother’s before that, passed down through the years to the reigning Rosmerta women. And now the unicorn hair was poking through the tip. The bell above the door chimed lightly, but no one came to greet her. Gia furrowed her brow, glancing around when her eyes landed on him, asleep in the corner. She huffed lightly, not annoyed, but not sure what to do, either. There was a multitude of ideas running through her mind on how to wake him, and if she were in a better mood she might have taken herself up on something a bit more fun. But for now, she simply took her wand from her pocket and summoned a whirlwind of small feathers, sending them over to tickle him.

As the feathers began tickling him, he chuckled to himself, rooting around in the chair before suddenly he jumped up and got himself all out of sorts tripping and falling on his face. Suddenly he jumped up to his feet and blinked. “There were nicer ways to go about that, ya know.” He grumbled, furrowing his brow at her. “What’s up Gia?”

there were perks to frequently taking her lunch break later than most of her co-workers   —   diagon alley’s rush was mostly past, leaving alecto with less time spent maneuvering around the crowds and more time to cram in some errands. before her trek back to obscurus books’ offices she ducked into ollivander’s, intent on getting some wand polish. alecto had been in the shop for a few moments before she noticed ted, asleep. as her plans required someone be at least semi-conscious to help her locate the polish, she cleared her throat, once, quietly. maybe too quietly. she pulled out her wand and pointed a vigorous hot-air charm at the bell over the door.  “ is now a bad time? “

As the bell sounded, he found himself jumping. Just a little. “Oh, oh! No. No it’s okay I’m sorry. So sorry.” He muttered rubbing his eyes as he got himself all put together. “My bad. I just needed a second. Is there something that I can get for you? New wand, some repairs? You name it, I’ve got it.”

Gideon looked up and blinked at Ted once. “I have no problem with, uh…intimacy, mate,” they said with a slight smile curving up at the corner of their lips. A sigh passed through their lips and they leaned back. “Sorry, sorry, right, you wanted advice.” He rubbed his hands over his face once. “Everything, bloody everything. People keep telling me their sad stories and there’s nothing I can do to really help them. Sure, I can tell people about what’s happening, but does that matter? It’s not—” Gideon huffed out a breath through their nose. “It’s not enough.” 

Andromeda hummed slightly at his consideration; a little bit more used to it by now. It had always taken her by surprise at first, all the little things he did, none of it seeming contrived or like he was trying to get something. Ted was just nice and thoughtful and the exact opposite of what she was used to in people, and it was one of the things she vowed to never take for granted. “Basically – but it’s a bit hard because, you know, we don’t actually know where their limbs go. Like Xavier Rastrick, he was just never found again. So we try and heal them before it spreads because once their entire body is gone, they just… don’t exist.” The exact outcome they hope to avoid, hence the quarantine and yet another reason why she was glad when her shift ended. He was right, it was an adventure, but no one liked it when their adventure had a bad ending. “Also- and I saw this with nothing but love – nothing can come close to coffee. I’m sorry. It just hits different. But cocoa is in a whole other category and you’re right, it is good - and I just saw Evan before running into you.” Bittersweet interaction, as a lot of theirs were, but she had grown used to that. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to enjoy it more.”

Gratefully taking her drink, Andromeda immediately took a sip of it, not overly bothered by the heat – it was something she’d adjusted to long ago. “Amazing. Thanks, Ted.” Her other hand slipped back into his, fully aware of how it would look to others; and not caring in the slightest. She always had been affectionate with those she cared for, and he returned her gestures ten-fold. Andromeda just… liked being close with Ted. Between that, and her hot chocolate, she was incredibly warm despite the dropping temperature. “Yeah, absolutely. That sounds really nice.” It was always such a contrast to everything else – she had her former life that still nipped at her heels constantly, with her old friends going in the opposite direction and her sisters still freezing her out. She had her job, which was constantly hectic and took its toll in multiple ways. Then she had Ted, who was calm and safe and wanted to make a fire at her flat. Always suggesting exactly what she needed. “-Well. They had to quarantine off a section of the hospital because one patient had vanishing sickness and gave it to three other people. Imagine, lying in a bed and your arm just disappears. Other one lost his legs, took forever to calm them down. They were still trying to figure it out when my shift ended.”

“Oh you’re quite welcome.” Her hand in his was nice, lacing their fingers once more as she began going on about the exploits of her day. When he noticed how chilled her fingers were in comparison, he took the time to bring her hand in his to his lips and gently blew warm air onto the digits as he covered them with his other, hoping to heat her up just a bit before they got back to her flat. “That... sounds hectic. What does one do for Vanishing sickness? Hunt for the missing limbs?” He wondered as they continued on. “Well in any case, that sounds absolutely abysmal. But fun at the same time. Rare diseases like that seem like they’re almost an adventure from beginning to end.” He offered with a pondering look off into the distance. Shaking his head, he came back to her and hummed. He took a sip of his cocoa and hummed, clearly pleased. “Let’s just clarify, there’s nothing on this planet like cocoa, muggle made or otherwise.” He sighed. “Did you do anything else today? I mean you were at the festival for a little, did you run into anyone good? I spent most of my time trying to sort the dragon heart strings and doing wand repairs, I didn’t see anyone terribly fun.”

Andromeda instantly narrowed her eyes at him, wary that anything could ever be better than coffee. It practically fuelled her – most people preferred tea, but it was coffee that got her through her shifts. Coffee that felt like warmth and comfort, something she gravitated towards now more than ever. Perhaps that’s why she felt no opposition in the slightest to his hands in hers. He was… warmth and comfort and everything good embodied in a person. Even if he did think some drinks could be better than coffee. “To be fair, I worked a double – and your shoulder is very easy to rest on. So I make no promises that the same thing won’t happen again, caffeine or not.” Though if she knew him, and she was certain she did, he wouldn’t mind. “But yeah… okay. That’s all right. The cocoa and this,” she remarked, lifting their hands slightly for emphasis. “So long as you get some, too.”

He had to contain his eye roll, sometimes he found it hard to express himself in the way he wished. His words always seemed to fail to convey the feelings &&thoughts he wished shared.  “It’s not that I dislike Snow Ted.” Because he truly didn’t, he wasn’t so boring as to not enjoy the odd snowball fight or building snow goons with his sister && brother. “But having it this early wouldn’t be pleasant for everyone.” Many of his older patients would not welcome the cooler weather.  “You don’t have to shut up, I don’t mind hearing you talk.”

The others clear excitement at the idea would have been an annoyance had Reg not half expected it.  “It would surely be an inconvenience, but you’re right, shouldn’t count anything out anymore.” But surely the organisers wouldn’t have overlooked bribing the weather witches to keep it clear-skied && pleasant for the festivities.  

Ludovic returned an arm around Ted, attempting to stifle a laugh. “You really think I can go all night without attempting to win something? You’re hilarious, Tonks.” Although two Galleons just to control his urges and prove a point? It seemed worth it enough to Ludo. “Alright, pal, you’re on. Best have those Galleons ready by the time the festival ends, I’m gonna prove you right.”

“Well then, sounds like you deserve a raise,” she quipped, smile still on her face as he spoke about his day. It was an accomplishment – not many people would go to a festival with the intention of buying a broom; but he was great at what he did, and it wasn’t surprising. Chin tiling up, Andromeda gazed at the sky for a moment, taking in the chill of the air. “Mmm, snow?” It had never been her favourite, she always preferred warmth and they didn’t get a whole lot of it throughout the year. The first snowfall was beautiful though, and it did have its upsides. Plus, she had never been good at saying no to Ted. “Okay, yeah. A walk would be nice.” Her gaze now back on him, his lit up face with his goofy smile, her own instantly mirrored it. How could she not when he spoke to her in such a way? “On one condition – we grab some coffee, because I haven’t had any in hours,” and at this point in her life it probably made up 95% of her body.