money talks

“Nah. Mostly just me.” He gave her a bright smile, before nodding when she said he could wait for her and walked on in. “I swear, that girl’s schedule is gonna be the death of her,” James mused, shrugging off his jacket with a shake of his head. “So, what are you working on?” He paused and looked at her. “I’m not totally disrupting you, am I? I can totally wait in another room.”

---

ignus listened to her as she spoke but had to make the joke when she brought the idea of being a bad magician to the subject.  ─ huh? i never said i was a rubbish wizard… ─  he looked over at her with an arched eyebrow for a second before he had to laugh. it was just a tease.  ─ but i get what you’re saying. ─  with a nod he returned his gaze to the plant, trying to see what she saw in them.  

─ maybe i can teach you something you don’t know next time, to make it up to you for the lesson on dittany. ─  he offered, hoping that’d be okay to say. although herbology was not his best subject, he was still pretty good in everything else but potions.  ─ i’m alphen duke, by the way. ─  it was always better to give his face a name when talking to others so he wouldn’t be recognized if anything, and he always seemed to forget it. he offered a hand.

---

Mary’s face went as white as a ghost for a split second when he counter acted her comment. She hadn’t meant anything by it and was just about to start apologizing for everything when he broke out into a laugh. Letting a breath out that she didn’t even realize she was holding, Mary allowed herself to laugh at herself while shaking her head. ‘ That was quite mean, I’m just trying to encourage you! ‘ She laughed out before setting the plant on her hip and handing over the money to the vendor. She thanked them before turning back to the man at her side. 

‘ That would be lovely. You know there are so few oppurtinues to learn after school and frankly I think there should be more options for older witches and wizards if you ask me. ‘ Mary went on, not realizing that she was going on a tangent until she was catching her breath at the end of her sentence. ‘But yes, that sounds like fun. ‘ She nodded, trying to give herself some kind of saving grace. Mary hadn’t even realized they hadn’t exchanged names until he introduced himself. ' Oh my gosh, Mary Macdonald. I’m sorry. ‘ She smiled at him, taking his hand and shaking it. ‘ Its a pleasure, Alphen. ‘ 

Mary walked into the dark bar, her hand clutched around her notebook and the other shaking slightly. She wasn’t worried about where she was, she was in the middle of London, nor who she was meeting because well, it was Nathan, if anyone did anything sketchy she was sure he would put an end to it. No, for some reason whenever she walked in she was always concerned she was going to run into one of her friend’s, she just didn’t need that lecture right now. 

Grabbing a cocktail from the bar, she wandered into a back corner booth and slid into the seat. She set her notebook down and took a sip, waiting for Nathan to walk in. 

ignus listened to what she had to say and just gave it a nod at end, understanding what she’d said completely.  ─ a weird time indeed… ─  he decided to leave it at that. it wasn’t for everyone to talk openly about all that and it definitely wasn’t a good subject for strangers to be talking about with each other; one could never know what the next person had in mind.

─ you must think i’m stupid for the questions i’m asking… ─  he laughed it off with a shake of his head. maybe he was just dumb when it came to herbology and the likes, after all, he’d never been that keen on learning all about that.  ─ but i’m genuinely enjoying the lesson… you seem to like the subject very much. ─

---

Mary appreciated the drop in the subject. She never knew exactly who to trust these days and it hurt her more than she liked to admit when someone disappointed her. There were plenty of people willing to show her just how cruel and evil they could be, but it surprised her how many were willing to hide that from the very people they were so against existing. She would rather be told up front- or just not at all and they fall off the face of the planet. But she guessed beggars couldn’t be choosers. 

Mary’s eyebrows pressed together as he found reasons to say he was stupid, creating a little eleven right above her nose. ‘ Absolutely not. ‘ She said, almost letting that take a hold of him for a moment, but deciding against it. ‘ I’m absolute rubbish at anything transfiguration, but that doesn’t mean I’m a rubbish witch. ‘ She explained, almost convincing herself for once. ‘ It just means your better at something than another. Its only natural. I’m just glad I can share it with you today. ‘ She looked a lot less serious at the end of her sentence, a smile spreading across her face as she finished. ‘ I love plants. ‘ She laughed at herself at that. 

»

♕ —- Lily glanced between the attendant and her best friend. She too was eager to know the answer. It certainly wasn’t there in their herbology studies. Lily glanced away for a moment to take a look at everyone around them. Diagon Alley was filled with all sorts and Lily couldn’t help but to wonder how many of them were hiding their true colors now that Voldemort was gone. Gone for the time being at least, Lily wasn’t sure if she really believed that he was no longer a problem. Not until she saw a body to prove it.

♕ —- And if he was gone, it meant that Dumbledore was too. 

♕ —- Looking back at Mary when she spoke, Lily raised a brow before she nodded. “There is a lot to see,” she agreed. “Not to mention the food. It’s like the food trolley exploded on that end,” she said before she nodded off to their right where all the food vendors were set up. “We’re going to have to bring some of it home if we’re going to try it all.”

---

The merchant had explained that it was a older Galanthus Nivalis plant that had been passed up by several only because of its age, and that was all Mary needed to hear. Her eyes gleamed as he explained why the age made it less usable in the potions like the Potent Exsitmulo but excelled in its counterpart the Exstimulo. A more experienced wizard would want something potent enough to make it worth his while, by Mary just wanted to learn from it, not use it. While she had absolutely no plans to use it for that specific potion, her ingredients cabinet had been growing by the day and this was always something she wanted to get her hands on. ‘ I’ll take it, thank you. ‘ She nodded along and nearly throwing her money at him. ‘ I appreciate your time!! ‘ She said back at him before looking back at Lily. 

‘ I just bought literal snow drop. ‘ She gasped, every emotion written all of her face. She tried to call herself down a bit and took several deep breaths before following Lily’s gaze to the food. ‘ Are you also starving? Or did I just over use every once of energy I had not stealing and running with this plant? ‘ She laughed, wrapping a hand around her friends arm as they moved out of the way.

James decided to head over to his girlfriend’s after practice without checking in, just assuming she’d be there. Which was how he did everything. Not much thought, not much preparation. Just doing it. He ran a hand through his still wind-swept curls and knocked on her door, expecting to see his girlfriend, but coming face-to-face with her roommate instead when he walked inside. He opened his mouth to say something, but she was already fussing with the papers. “No, you’re fine. My place is way worse.” James gave her a small smirk, dropping his hand from his hair when he registered what she said. “Oh, shit. Yeah, she didn’t. I mean, not that it’s a bad thing to see you, you know.” He backtracked with a wince, before scrunching his nose. “Uh. You know what i meant. When’s she getting back?”

---

Mary had always been in awe of those who could do things without a second thought. There was no planning, no overthinking or worrying about what would happen on the other side, they just did it and followed along with whatever happened. She was never like that, even as a child. Everything had to be thought through thoroughly before the idea was even given to another person. ‘ I’m sure, but there are usually more than one of you making a mess. No reason for my papers to be thrown everywhere. ‘ She reasoned, not trying to make him feel bad, just trying to make space. Mary smiled at him as he rambled on about not not wanting to see her but Lily didn’t say anything- if anyone else had gone on like this she might have found a way for her feelings to be hurt, but she also understood how both her best friend and her boyfriend worked enough to know this wasn’t about her at all. ‘ No no , its fine. I’m honestly not sure but you’re obviously welcome to wait for her. ‘ She said, finally finishing with the papers and putting them all in a stack on the table.

»

♕ —- Unable to stop herself, Lily smiled. Mary shared Lily’s love for plants though Lily would go as far to say that her best friend loved plants and knew about them a bit more than Lily did. It was just nice to see Mary in her element, and at something that she enjoyed. It had been a very long time since they had any real chance to enjoy anything and Lily knew that she should just let herself do just that.

♕ — She followed Mary as they made their way to the other stall with Lily keeping up the pace that her friend set. “That’s what I was thinking,” she said. “I was just happy to find this one.” She glanced around them before she continued, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this much plants and herbs in myself. I’m pretty sure there are a few here that we’ve only seen in our textbooks. We might have to charm that closet we have hidden into an even bigger greenhouse.”

---

The longer Mary was spending at the festival, the more and more grateful she became that she even showed up. It was one of those events that everyone was side eyeing- were we ready for this? Is this what we do now, turn a blind eye and pretend nothing happened these last few years and go about our business? She wasn’t sure she liked how this whole ordeal was making her truly take a look at the war they had been thrown into when they were only just graduating. Even all of that being said, she couldn’t help but feel okay with everything. She was surrounded by plants and potions and her best friend was smiling at her and maybe the world would be okay. She let out a huff of air, blowing her hair slightly out of her face before swatting it away from her face and picking up the plant. She held it out in front of the both of them, taking in the small plant and she found herself struggling to place the exact name of it. ‘ What is this? ‘ She asked, partially to Lily and partially to the vendor standing in front of them. ‘ Honestly Im about to charm my bedroom to expand by eighteen yards. ‘ She laughed, looking at her friend. ' I can’t believe how much is here, and we haven’t even gotten to the potions side. ‘

ignus couldn’t agree more with her statement, so he nodded firmly, not seeing it much as dark comment and instead thinking of it as just reality.  ─ well, i think everything will be just great from now on and we’ll be able to have more of these… right? ─  he gave it a shrug. it was an optimistic thought but a good one nonetheless.

─ did i? ─  he asked, honestly a bit surprised she’d take her time to teach a stranger something like that. even so, he followed her to the stall, looking at what she was looking and trying to fake understanding of what was going on until she explained it.  ─ ah, yes… so at this stage it’s just a normal plant? or does it have different properties? ─  he knew some medicinal herbs could be toxic until they were ready to be harvested.

---

Mary tried not to dwell on the idea that she pulled the mood down, and was thankful that he not only agreed, but seemed to be relatively on the same page she was. ‘ I hope so, but its also weird. It almost feels like its still too early. ‘ She started on before shaking her head. ‘ Just a weird time to be in England, I guess. ‘Mary finally finished, looking over at him and giving a half hearted smile. She laughed a little at his doubt and just nodded, not finding a need to elaborate much more from that. Mary was already well aware that her general knowledge of most plants was not comparable to her peers, so she didn’t feel anything specific when he clearly was trying to understand, but frankly didn’t. ‘ They say that the younger ones tend to be a bit weaker and are generally less painful when healing large wounds. I think there are some studies at the moment to see if they would be a nice alternative for children. ‘ She explained.

─ i get it… it’s been a while since i last…- ─  left the house for something not work related? no, that would sound weird, right? maybe he wasn’t the best person at conversations anymore… but was he ever, though?  ─ since i last came to this parts of town. ─  he shrugged. that was true since he’d mainly avoided open crowded spaces such as the diagon alley, afraid he’d be recognized.

the nott’s gaze went down to her elbows as he held back a laugh when she compared them to weapons.  ─ yeah, definitely! i’ll ask the ministry to add them to the list of dangerous devices. ─  he nodded with serious features before he could no longer contain his smile.  ─ i see… that’s awesome… i could never recognize magical plants from this distance… or any plants for that matter… never my best subject. ─  and it was trully impressive to him for someone to be able to understand the differences between those.  ─ must be quite the amazing plant, huh? ─

---

Mary didn’t let herself think too long about the man was rambling about; more so to protect his feelings. She often found herself on the giving end of sentences that ran on without meaning or purpose and it destroyed her more than she would admit when someone would point out that whatever she had said meant absolutely no sense, so, she gave him the satisfaction of not having to hear that. ‘ Its been a while since any of us had seen anything like this. ‘ She did add though, not meaning to come off as dark as she had, but then shrugged. ‘ If the ministry wants to buy me back with plants, then they’ve done a good job. ‘ She laughed, trying to lighten the whole mood again. She couldn’t hold back her laughter at the elbow joke, which was probably cornier than it needed to be but she didn’t mind. She composed herself enough to take a drink of her tea before letting her eyebrows raise into her forehead. ‘ Well you picked the best weekend to learn.’ She quickly decided. She started moving towards the plant, assuming he was just going to bring himself along. ‘ If its what I’m assuming it is, its a small Dittany plant that hasn’t reached its helpful stage yet, but it has beautiful flowers when it does. ‘ She rambled.

» 

♕ —- Lily smile grew as Mary spoke. Honestly, she knew that if the roles had been reversed, she herself would feel exactly the same way as Mary did in that moment. Because Lily knew, deep down, that her and Mary were kindred spirits in a way. “No impaling here, I think I will live,” Lily teased her friend as her gaze shifted to follow where Mary was pointing to. Lily’s brows rose and she quickly nodded out of agreement. “Our place needs it,” she said before she moved with her friend to make sure that no one else would take it.

♕ — Idly, she glanced down at the plant that she already had. “Yeah? I thought so. Mrs. Porter was complaining about the spiders that she was seeing downstairs, so I thought this would help keep them away.”

---

Mary tried not to think of her friendships with Lily and Marlene very hard. Friendships had come easy to the brunette growing up and she never really found herself alone until the doors of Hogwarts opened. She liked to think that the only reason the first few years were so hard was because they were all only children. You don’t know who you are at eleven, especially being away from home and handed an official wand for the first time. Being basically adopted by Lily and Marlene was truly like finding family members you never knew you were missing- but it was like they were never gone. The top of her nose scrunched as her friend seamlessly agreed about the plant and another bright laugh escaped as they started moving towards it, this time walking at a much more average pace. She nodded along as Lily explained that their landlady had been seeing the spiders then tried to offer a bit more. ‘ Maybe if you put it on the window in the kitchen it should seal that entryway? Then we can find a larger standing plant to put by the front door? I bet work has something! ‘ She went on, her words starting to quicken as she scanned her mind for ways to help.

sleep had become an illusive bastard since the war. most of the time, marlene found herself scrubbing the floors or dusting the shelves or washing any leftover dishes to keep herself occupied during the late nights, when she couldn’t get anymore than two hours of rest. the cleaning was productive but managed not to strain her already exhausted mind. once that was accomplished, she would move onto reviewing documents from work, and when that was done she would find something else to do. 

she was mulling over moves on her chest board when she heard a quick rap against the door shortly before it opened, revealing a familiar face. “bribery? to go shopping out in that chaos? you know me well,” marlene mused, her lips twitching. with a half hearted sigh, she raised from her seat and grabbed a discarded jacket as she made her way to the door. “at least make sure it’s worth my time, or you’ll pay.”

---

Mary didn’t like to talk about her coping mechanisms often- as if it hid the fact that she was drowning herself in knowledge. Anyone who asked would simply get a lackluster explanation about how she would need to make herself marketable to her fields since the jobs were becoming few and far between. They wouldn’t hear her tossing and turning all night, unable to stay still without an overwhelming sense of guilt without learning everything she can to possibly prevent something from happening. This war had convinced Mary that she was completely useless to the modern day magic world and she could only give herself one last ditch effort. She took a beat to watch Marlene move pieces on the board before scrunching her nose up and laughing gently as she opened the door wider to reveal herself fully in the door frame. ‘ It's’ really not that bad. Plus we’ll stay away from the festival because I have no more self control. ‘ She joked, trying to make the situation a little better as she started walking away with her friend shortly behind. ‘ Oh how scary, whatever will you make me do! ‘ She gasped, pressing a hand to her forehead in faint.

getting up early was a must in his line of work, unfortunately, and as a  ‘not morning person’  the nott had a grumpy look on his face while he looked down at his cup of coffee. it was only when the other person bumped into him that he actually woke up to everything around him, blinking a few times before realizing she’d hit him by accident. a smile finally showed up on his lips as he sipped on his hot drink. 

ignus looked down at his clothes as if trying to find wounds or bruises just for fun before gazing back at her with a smile.  ─ oh, i’m fine… are  you  alright? ─  he asked. it might’ve been her elbow hitting him but, as alphen, it was a must to be concerned about others, and, in fact, deep down ignus probably would be worried as well but wouldn’t ask.  ─ … or late for something? ─

---

»

♕ —- Lily had been staring at the spring festival flyer for almost a month now. It had been up at St. Mungo’s for almost a month now and every time Lily had passed it, she stopped and looked. She wasn’t sure how she really felt about the world moving on with the fact that world seemed to be moving on from Dumbledore’s disappearance but she guessed that everyone had their distractions. And Coping mechanisms. And how was she going to judge this particular one when in all honesty, she wanted to go. 

♕ —- Enthralled with a particularly fragrant lavender plant, Lily looked up when she felt someone brush past. Her alarm dissipated as soon as she saw who it was and a grin broke out on her freckled features. “No need to be sorry, Mare,” she replied pleasantly before she reached into her crocheted bag to pull out the galleons that she owed the vendor. “Are you alright,” she asked as she picked up the small potted plant. “Where are you off to in a hurry?”

--

There weren’t many things that could pull Mary out of her bed from a book on Sunday morning. She had had a system going since before she left Hogwarts. Wake up usually around 7AM, make a pot of tea and bring it up to her room before anyone could snag the warm water and curl underneath the covers with either a newly released muggle book or an updated magic book that had a groundbreaking new discovery about a plant she was looking to purchase. Today, it was, of course, a plant book. The festival that the Ministry was putting on had lit a fire under Mary again to continue her education and believe that she could slide her way into a Herbology position if she just kept going.