LWRNC

“Why?” He dodged the question of whether he was still practicing, and skipped straight to dismissing why he would want to, denying his own curiosity of how far he could push himself and the satisfaction of new accomplishment. “I mean, what purpose does it serve? What does it get me to be more powerful than any normal elemental?”

‘‘Have you never thought of combining it? Shooting straight ice. Air that’s impossible to breathe due to temperature. Boiling water. Skilled elementals sometimes can toy with temperature, but it’s never drastic. It’s never conjoined entirely. Oh, my God, you have so much power in you and you’re asking me why. Of course, if you see no appeal to it experimentally speaking or for the love of elemental art, I in no way wish to encourage you down this route, but it would be stupid to lock someone’s potential like that. I don’t know why they feed you potions. I still can’t figure out the mentality behind it.’‘ Something about his speech was a bit theatrical, but that was one of the usual conditions when talking to Lawrence. 

‘‘You’ll ask me what I gain by giving you such ideas. After all, you can suffocate me with this potential fire-air in moments once you figure it out. What do I have to gain, since you owe me nothing and I wouldn’t dream of hypothetically using your powers?’‘ He shot Scorpius a kind and smart look, as if he knew all about those concerns already and was ready to destroy any trace of them. ‘‘You’re not a weapon, Scorpius. Your powers are. I would like you to use your gift. My sister sings beautifully. When she started, I never told her to shut up, as much as now she sings incessantly, which is, more or less, like shooting straight ice right at me.’‘ It served for a good example, though he never minded Rosalie’s singing. ‘‘You know best. If you don’t want to find out more about your powers... and, at the same time, more about you - because you are your powers - then it is your choice. But, if you seek my advice, Scorpius... get to work. Assimilate as much as you can from this universe, because it has so much to give you.’‘

Rosalie was closer to Nerissa in age and Lucille didn’t know where to casually find the youngest Howell these days unless it was on her sporadic visits to the castle, but she wasn’t going to say anything that indicated she might be less than absolutely suited and ready to start on the job. “Of course. All it will take is a little enthusiasm and understanding. She can be a snappy little thing like I said, but it’s just a cover. One smile and a few chosen words and she’ll remember she always looked up to me. We’ll be close companions in a week.”

‘‘I know that. I’m sure of it. That’s why I asked you,’‘ Lawrence encouraged Lucille, suddenly feeling like they had a better perspective on what was happening. Bellamy was back too. Things weren’t looking all that bleak anymore. He gave Lucille a warm simper, like proof of his gratitude of some kind.

“One green eye and one blue,” she repeated it like she was committing it to memory. “Whatever for?” she asked with the casual privilege of someone used to the ease of magic to alter the world.

“Heaven forfend,” she let out a small noise that was half chuckle and half feigned gasp at the idea of living with her parents, “I think I’d rather go back to living with my husband before that, and there were curses fired when I left him.”

She led Victoire by the hand, snaking through the crowd to Lawrence, catching his attention with a small wave from her free hand as they approached to warn him that he was their destination. “Lawrence!” she was carelessly loud with the familiar first name, part smug in the belief nobody was listening and tracking her movements and conversations at this point, and part hoping they were and saw her haphazardly changing minute by minute from startled stranger afraid of the boogie man to comfortable and familiar with Lawrence Frisk and back again as it suited. 

She dropped Victoire’s hand after squeezing it briefly as if to wish her good luck, in favor of a hand on her shoulder while she indicated Lawrence with the other hand. “Lawrence may not need introduction, but it is polite, so, Victoire, this is Lawrence Frisk. Lawrence, this my very good… well what should I call you?” She simpered in Victoire’s direction, as if there were some complex relationship to explain instead of a casual acquaintanceship, only barely leaving off calling her Kitten on purpose. “Friend I would be bold enough to say, but my and Emma’s former roommate at least. Victoire Weasley. She works for the Daily Prophet. I told her you’d love to give an interview and I know she’d love to hear your story. I promise she’s as fair a reporter as she is fair in every other definition of the word.” 

Lucille’s bell-like voice reached him with ease, happy to see they were all feeling at home in the foreign space and that none of his were hostile towards the hosts or the other guests. There it was, the real proof of a civilized behavior, even though they all lost their own battles to the others, just like the rest of the world. He spotted the bolder twin, holding the hand of a glowing woman. Although Lawrence hardly relied on physical beauty, it caught his eye just how beautiful the other blonde was, for a moment smiling blankly - kindly as ever - her way while listening to Lucille.

‘‘I need as much of an introduction as anyone else. Don’t idealize my popularity, Lucille,’‘ he spoke humbly, speaking in a manner as pleasant as he used to, though with the transparent pressure of being watched by a stranger he wanted to make a good impression on, for reasons he didn’t know exactly. It was somewhere between veela blood and his general desire to appear like a gentle, interesting human being. ‘‘It’s quite lovely to meet you, Miss Victoire Weasley.’‘ He didn’t lose eye contact for a second. ‘‘But as lovely as it is, I’m afraid I don’t know how to address your proposal. The concept of an interview would only narrow any word I’d have to say to you. I’m afraid my answers just wouldn’t be up to the standards of your paper.’‘ 

He knew that, technically, he could only gain popularity from expressing his intentions and thoughts openly, where everyone could read, but he knew he preferred Garrett to handle it, if it were the case. Perhaps it had a little to do with Lawrence desperately wanting every word to be in the preferred order, which wasn’t achievable in the spontaneity of an interview. ‘‘I don’t doubt your talent and fairness and I hate to say no, especially to a new friend, but I’m afraid it simply would be too much to say and not enough space. I’ve always been a fan of orality.’‘

“I do worry about them, but I can’t do a damn thing about it.” There wasn’t likely to be any change of heart soon. The conversation was circular at this point, the repeated appreciation both mollifying and making guilt settle in more deeply.

“And I appreciate that.” He suddenly didn’t doubt it was true. “Though at least if I’m caught in fire I know better how to douse it.”

‘‘Are you still practicing?’‘ Another kind of spark lit up the browns of Lawrence’s eyes. He’s forgotten, for a moment, the essential. ‘‘You should. I’ll show you why. Considering how much you progressed in such a short time...’’ He had to change his phrasing and the route. ‘‘With the right amount of practice, you have the ability to surpass any normal elemental in wielding their element. Granted, not all of them at once. You have better skills in some than others, but your skills appear spectacular.’‘

‘‘They love differently and lose differently, but there are still commonalities. In my definition. Let’s not distract from the real discussion.” 

By the time Lawrence had explained his full view toward Nerissa and what role she could play, Lucille was ready to take back every petulant, childish word she had said about him having gone boring. “It’s a beautiful solution, though it would take some time and subtlety. She’s better behaved when she visits us here,”at least as far as Lucille knew, not having eavesdropped on her talking to Lawrence, and largely assuming, “But Charlie’s taught her snarling like a caged animal when the wrong buttons are pressed. How can I help? It’s Aerwynna’s job, by and large how I see it, but I am here to be utilized.”

‘‘It’s a good solution and I believe would be good for Nerissa as well. In the long term, she will grow wiser. She will have better protection. She will have her sister by her side, instead of a... family friend, if I may.’‘ He was building his case as he spoke, and everything seemed to work according to what their best interests were. ‘‘Be her friend. I believe that’s what she’ll miss most, if she were to come live with us old people. You’re young and must have some of the same interests. I’d like you to slowly replace her inferior girl friends she’s so attached to now.’‘

“Charlie wouldn’t put me in danger,” she snapped instinctively, though the doubt showed on her face in the moments after. “And why are you talking about Charlie?” Her frustration became more shrill, more obvious she didn’t believe the stance she was taking as she couldn’t string together a complete sentence. “Charlie wouldn’t….he’s not….You’re wrong.” He couldn’t be saying what it sounded like. “Charlie would help you find Bellamy. He wouldn’t be on the side of anyone who took her, no matter how much he hates you. That has nothing to do with Bellamy.”

‘‘Never on purpose, but you don’t know if what drives him isn’t strong enough to step over anything and anyone,’‘ he sighed, at least knowing that his priority was with the Maytes rather than some absolution plan. That was just a really close second. ‘‘Because I’m convinced that he found a way to tell the others our names. I’m sure we’re - you and Garrett more than any since you still live far from the castle - all exposed.’‘ Lawrence’s smile was just a bit impatient, aside from the usual, suffocating kindness. ‘‘I might be wrong. I hope I am. But I can’t afford to count it out. If he isn’t sided with them, which I hope, he still might have said the wrong thing to the wrong people at some point. It only takes a word, Nerissa. Even if he didn’t know what he was really doing.’‘

. ‘‘Love doesn’t stop. It can warp or hibernate, but it doesn’t stop, Lawrence,’‘ she pitied him like he was being naive. “But you’re right. She doesn’t belong in danger and Charlie’s more likely to charge like a baited manticore than be manipulated.”

‘‘Why not Nerissa?” Lawrence was showing a baffling level of underestimation of every type of love today, unless it was thinking of Aerwynna he didn’t want to involve the youngest Howell, but they had just been discussing another of Aerwynna’s kin. 

Finally she and Lawrence had reached a harmony. She could see the moment he was won over, imagining the same neat guiding of uncontrollable Charlie to being bridled and used against a common enemy of their own picking. It hardly mattered when he decided to tweak the details, denying once again that Astrid McCall was most fitting to die. His reasons made sense and hers were only based in creating a closed circle. What mattered was his recognition that she had the perfect solution. “Who else did you have in mind?” He did make her feel like she should have paid closer attention if he who Charlie would try to kill on sight knew of other weaknesses Charlie possessed than she did.

‘‘You can’t summarize love to just your definition, Lucille. Everyone loves differently. It’s just the feeling I took from his gestures, but I might be wrong. Regardless, we don’t need to bring Shani into it for the ghost of an idea,’‘ he spoke with practicality for once, hoping not to be forced to get into the philosophy of love with Lucille right that second. He would have appreciated a good and cozy talk about the greatest force in the world another time, but he still felt a little overwhelmed with Bellamy coming back with all sorts of information.

‘‘I don’t want to use Nerissa like she is a toy. I don’t want to put her in the middle of open fire. She needs to be protected. She needs to be convinced to come here, where it’s safest for her. We won’t be able to give her a sense of what is truly good for her if we look like we only need her to reach our means.’‘

‘‘It’s a little more complicated than that. We’ll need to win Nerissa’s trust for it. We need her to do it out of pure belief. It will work just right, but not immediately. This sort of action needs to be planned out carefully and to the last detail. Briefly put, I’d really like it if, instead of murdering someone, Nerissa faked her own death. This way, we will surely get Charlie too soon. It’s a bit tangled, but entirely plausible. Think about it. You might like this sort of dramatic situation.’‘

“If I freed it in the tray of quiche and somebody swallows it that’s bad. You could be right otherwise. I know who you are. Your nose isn’t bleeding so I think you’re safe right now. Who is watching the dragons and the castle? It would be funny if someone was claiming Hogwarts back while you talked to me about butterflies.”

‘‘Don’t worry, butterfly. The castle is all safe,’‘ Lawrence spoke with a light expression on his face, as if Oliver was concerned, not indirectly threatening him. He didn’t go into the details of their defense, albeit dared to. ‘’I know who you are too. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I heard you gave a great speech some time ago. It must be truly great if people are still talking about it.’’