night followed day

   John rolled his eyes, indicating his disagreement with Brian’s assessment of his own clothing. But he declined to comment further on that. “Might be a little on the nose with the stars and stuff. But honestly, not entirely off-base.” The students at Hogwarts would probably enjoy it at any rate. But John knew it’d be a long shot to get Brian to change his outfit preferences.

   His eyebrows hiked up an inch. “You’re looking at me right now, aren’t you?” As Brian took a covert look around, John laughed. And then laughed harder whn confronted with Brian’s accusation. “I really haven’t been here that long, but you know I’m more than capable of finding someone, regardless of the circumstances.” Still, it was John’s turn to shift in his seat and at least peak at the rest of the bar. “Y’know what’d be more interesting? If you snuck me into Hogwarts so I could see where you live. I always wanted to know what the professors’ quarters were like.”

      “I like the stars! Everyone’s got to have something, don’t they?” He didn’t think it was that bad of an idea. Even if it was something like cuff-links. Could be really nice. Much better with some gold embroidery-- but he’s not some fashion star like John apparently is. What would he know?

      And he lead her through the halls. Should she be there? Probably not. He was never told not to bring guests into the castle, but then again maybe it was just an unspoken obvious rule. Besides, Gretchen wasn’t going to fuck up things too much, right?

      Besides, he was just excited. He had his office set up so nice, so many different trinkets and big tools to do... god knows what. But the most important thing that he brought her up here for, was the chest he had kept in the back of the room. With some mumbled word and the flick of his wand, the chest clicked, and he opened it to show her a pretty decent amount of liquors. All tucked away nice a neat, sorted by color, brand, what have you. Like a true nerd.

.

Severus hummed. “It’s what my father said as well. Of course, his words were perhaps more coarse in choice.” Tobias Snape had always been resentful of the limitations of magic, and had never particularly cared to learn about the world his wife had come from. That had been the least of their problems.

The star chart made little sense to him, but that was to be expected. “What is this showing? Those are the planets, yes?” Severus asked, a finger tapping at a line of circles on the chart. “Get familiar with your surroundings… yes, the solar system is immediately what springs to mind when I think about my surroundings.” He sneered, his eyes rolling. It was a totally logical conclusion. 

“Jealous, are we?” A dark brow raised. “I wouldn’t describe us as friends.” Though what John would describe them as was anyone’s guess. “Co-workers, yes. He’s my boss if you want to be pedantic over it. No,” he replied idly, “we’ve been testing some new ideas.” There was a hint of sympathy felt by Severus - he couldn’t imagine anything worse than having to listen to family woes.

--

      Well.... at least they had that in common, right? Regardless of how Severus felt now, they both had... well, kind of had that. Then again, it seemed like it was probably a little more damaging for Severus. A shame, really.

      “Planets and stars, yes,” he said, immedietly smiling about it. What a nerd, honestly. “Well, not so much anymore, but- but we used to use these things to travel. It’s why they’re maps. Now we have literal road maps, but I just-- I think it’s neat to be able to look up at the sky, and figure out how to get anywhere just from that. You could never truly be lost, then.”

      Perhaps that was a little too romantic. At the end of the day, they really were useless. but he liked them. A lot. However, at the suggestion of jealousy, his smile vanished again and he just laughed. “Jealous is a bit of an overstatement-- more-so just that he knows his friends don’t necessarily agree with my existence, let alone our friendship.” He shrugged then. It’s not really any of his business what he was doing. Then again, maybe he should keep things friendly. “Yeah? They going well for you?”

—

Again: jittery. Mags raised an eyebrow at him and stared for a moment, debating whether she wanted to mess with him ( it was insanely boring at the moment ) or have mercy on the poor soul. Her quiet probably wasn’t helping matters for the poor guy, and she glanced around the area to see if her boss was around before sitting down at the table beside the guy’s own, putting the spray bottle and cleaner aside and resting her ankle on her knee.

“Astronomy, huh? Fancy. I went to a public school, so all that shit was just lumped together into one big science class.” Well, she could’ve taken an elective for it specifically, but there was no point, was there? She’d just been going through the motions at school, much like she was now. “Don’t stop on my account. Hell, you can talk my ear off if you’d like – it’s not exactly busy at the moment, anyway.”

      “I went to a public school for awhile,” he said smiling. “ ‘till I hit about eleven. Honestly, I learned more on my own in libraries and such back then, and even after that.” Which was completely true. Hogwarts could only do so much. He’s always learned much more on his own, anyways.

❖- Who would you most like to send to jail?

      Truthfully, he doesn’t have any enemies. Not any direct ones, anyways. It’d be nice if the hardened death eaters went, though, since they probably want him dead anyways.

✌- Who would you most like to go to jail with?

   answered here ! 

♤- Who has the best butt out of everyone you know?

      Just know, right? Even in passing? Because, honestly, Remus does have a pretty nice butt--

✌- Who would you most like to go to jail with?

      Well, John would be a nice one to go with. Gretchen being second, but wouldn’t they be separated? So probably John.

     But he’d really rather not go at all, obviously.

he stills , taking a moment to assess the other . lucius recognizes the man  :  an old housemate , a muggle born , a thorn  —  to be more precise . recognition soon colors his gaze , followed by a scowl that disappears just as quickly as it’s appeared . he weighs his options , a sigh soon fluttering past his lips , walking around and sitting before the other .

‘ i’m kind enough not to let you move , seeing as the place is quite full up . and i don’t mind sharing with an old housemate , ’ comes his explanation , eyes boring onto the other for a moment , before turning away to rummage through his bookbag . 

‘ though i’m surprised  —  not many are aware of this nook . ’ he pulls out a book on magical law , fingers already quick and flipping through pages . ‘ been here often , rodgers ? ’

      he should go, right? just from being house mates, let alone dorm mates, he knew not to cross lucius. knew not to cross anyone in the house, really, given his delicate position there. but, despite everything in him telling him to run, he stayed. and slowly opened his book again.

     “i uh-- yeah. thanks.” he says quietly, and returns his full attention to the book after he pulls all his loose parchments more towards him. lucius would probably like the majority of the space, if he can’t have all of it, at least.

      “ no, no, i just-- wanted some new scenery,” he responds to the question, shaking his head as he said it. “hogwarts gets to be looking the same after awhile, and this seemed like a nice spot. i assume you have, though? ”

.

“I didn’t take divination.” He replied bluntly. “Never saw much logic in staring at tea leaves or crystal balls and hoping for answers. Only a fool would believe that would work.” Severus had believed prophecies to be little more than lofty tales until he had heard the one uttered by that Trelawney woman. He had been a fool to take stock in it and relay it to the Dark Lord, but there was little that he could do about it now. 

His lip curled in distaste. “I’ve never understood why anyone would want to go into teaching.” His own years at school had been terribly unhappy, and he couldn’t imagine willingly returning. “Research?” Now that was something more interesting. As much as Severus enjoyed a sleepless night staring up at the sky, he had never particularly excelled at astronomy. 

London could wait for a little while, at least. “And just what are you doing for fun?” He asked idly. “I’m sure John’s told you all about our latest endeavours.”

.

     “That’s what they’d say about magic, back where I come from,” he said with a small shrug. While he wasn’t totally sure how he felt about astrology itself, but he didn’t think seers were too far of a stretch out here. Hell, they had half-human half-horse people out in the woods, so why not?

    He didn’t respond to the teacher comment. Probably wasn’t his best bet to try and have some philosophical discussion about that- but even so, he was only really doing it because he just... liked what he studied. Maybe other kids might as well.

     “Well, not sure you’re qualify it as fun,” he said with a small, nervous laugh.  But he did pull out one of the star charts to show him. “I think it’s fun to get familiar with your surroundings. Reevaluate them every so often to see if you’ve found anything different from last time. But uh--” he frowned a little. “John doesn’t really tell me about his friends, no. Mostly complains about his parents-- don’t think he really thinks telling me his little plans with his friends would make me very happy, eh?”

“do you mind?” andromeda gestured to the empty chair, though she didn’t wait for a response as she flashed him a warm smile and sat down, “it sounds to me like you’re not giving yourself enough credit, these look more complex than any maps i’ve seen,” she hummed, gaze on the rolls of parchment as she leaned forward, trailing her eyes across the carefully placed ink.

   John laughed. “They must save the clothes for when they’re not around their parents anymore.” In a brief pause, John massaged his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe you oughta take a page out of their book. I think….a nice, bright purple’d suit you.” He looked Brian up and down from across the table, considering the idea. “Yeah, I think that’d work.”

   “I dunno how often they see you out of your robes, but that’d be one way to win some respect - maybe get noticed for once in your life.” Turning his attention away from Brian, John glanced around at the other patrons of the bar. “As your constant wing-man, you know I’ve gotta ask - is there anybody here tonight worth a second glance?” This was the kind of thing that always occurred between them - normally a few drinks in, but John was getting ahead start. It was really about getting Brian to talk more to people his own age. Sometimes John was mildly worried Brian would end up like Professor Binns if he didn’t make enough effort not to. He’d cocked an eyebrow quizzically when he finally looked back at Brian. “Is there anyone not here worth mentioning?”

     “You say that as if I don’t already dress with the highest of fashion,” he says, leaning back to gesture to himself. He’s literally only wearing sand colored robes-- not embellishments or anything. They just... worked. And that’s all he really needed them to do. “Purple... is a lot. Very rich color... Maybe if it was a darker hue of purple. Could get little gold stars to decorate it.”

—

Mags wasn’t sure why someone would pick a casino to do some reading ( none of it exactly light ), but she wasn’t about to judge – at least, not out loud. The place had just opened up and was incredibly slow for once, so she supposed the relative quiet had an appeal. She was content to just ignore him, cleaning down counters and serving the odd drink when someone came up to order one, but eventually she started cleaning the same spots over and over, and honestly? Screw that. She grabbed her cleaning supplies and walked over to the table, wiping down the one next to it and looking over when he spoke.

Huh. He was jittery.

“I’m not kicking you out, relax,” she said, spraying the table and wiping it down again. “Though I’ve gotta know why you chose here of all places to do your studying.”

--

     Alright, maybe she had a point. It was a little weird to set up shop in a casino, of all places-- but it was nice! People actually went out of their way to not bother him, so it worked out. And it wasn’t crawling with other wizards (that he could blatantly see), so it worked out well for him. A nice, clean environment where he didn’t have to worry about much. Sans getting kicked by the resident bartender-- since this wasn’t a study spot, and he may have been overstaying his welcome at this point.

shaking her head the brunette immediately protested. “oh no, this is just me being far too curious, i’m sorry it’s really not polite,” andromeda apologized,  she had been the one to infringe on his space after all. though despite her words she kept glancing at the scribbles across the rolls of parchment. one could say not being able to mind her own business was a trait she had gotten from her mother, it was a statement however andromeda was sure no one would survive saying outloud to druella black. “would it be too much if i asked what you’re working on?” she inquired cautiously, hands folded together in front of her.

   John ignored the joke the second time, although he couldn’t suppress a slight wrinkling of his nose. That was one thing that was never going to happen - him and Gretchen. When two kids essentially grew up together, John supposed there were two options; they’d end up together or consider each other siblings. John considered Gretchen a sister, though he couldn’t begrudge Brian the opportunity for teasing that clearly got under his skin.

   He laughed. “No, you’re right. It’s best to leave the messiest versions of ourselves for Gretchen to scoop off the floor.” And they did both have jobs - of course, John’s job was full of remedies for hangovers, but Brian’s was full of the opposite (read: children).

   Brian’s next words sobered John slightly. His smile drooped at the comment, knowing it was true, although he certainly wouldn’t have opted to think it organically. Still, he managed a small, sly grin. “Unfortunately, purity of blood doesn’t automatically make a person good company.” He rolled his eyes, just as flippant about it as Brian. His brow furrowed. “They are really odd, aren’t they? Every year before school starts, hoards of them drop by the shop to get their ingredients and cauldrons, and I swear to Merlin they get more alien by the minute. The things they say make no sense, and sometimes I can tell their mums and dads haven’t got a clue either.”

     “While I’d argue that you’re not exactly making you’re I’m not pining after good ol’ Gretchen case, I have to agree. Besides, it’s no fun without her here, anyways.” And he certainly doesn’t mind being cared for every once in awhile. Being miserable with friends sure beats being miserable by yourself as well.

emmeline  didn’t  often  have  papers  to  grade,  defense  against  the  dark  arts  work  was  very  much  in  person  and  it  happily  left  her  time  to  herself.  something  she  also  tried  to  extend  to  her  students.  she  did  enjoy  wandering  by  herself,  though,  it  beat  going  home  to  an  empty  flat  where  she  drank  and  thought  a  bit  too  much.  so  instead,  she  drank  and  thought  slightly  less  in  the  presence  of  nature.  it  was  always  the  same  path,  though  a  new  obstacle  made  itself  known  in  it’s  way  —  a  person.  

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ʿ  no,  no  —  sorry.  i’ve  just  never  seen  anyone  else  down  here,  ʾ  she  coughed,  sliding  her  flask  into  the  pocket  of  her  overcoat.  ʿ  i  don’t  really  own  it  here,  y’know?  so,  don’t  worry  about  it.  ʾ 

     he did pretend he didn’t see the flask- it was none of his business. it could have been anything in there, anyways, so no need to spend too much time thinking about it. besides, he’s pretty sure this could be a good time to actually et to know the people he works with -- because he’s pretty sure he works with her. right? pretty sure.

-

Days off for Severus were few and far between, and when they came Severus tried to spend as much time as possible out of his house. Shrinking his purchases and slipping them into his pocket, he exited Tomes and Scrolls. He had always preferred the Hogsmeade bookseller to Flourish and Blotts, finding the rickety shelves in Hogsmeade to be better filled with rarities. He was at a loss on how to spend the rest of his day, debating on if he should apparate down to muggle London for a few hours. There was that record stall in Camden Market that he liked to visit when he got the chance.

As he made his way down towards the apparation point, he spotted a once-familiar face. The man had been a few years above him in Slytherin, and Severus was fairly certain that he was a friend of John’s - not that he particularly cared about the personal life of his co-worker. Slowing to a stop, he eyed the stacks of books and parchment curiously. What was his name again? Roberts….

“Rodgers.” He greeted. “What’s all this? Looking for portents in the heavens?”

-

     Oh, he knew that voice. Not that he ever spent a lot of time with the other, only ever in passing during school, or now work. But he’d heard and seen enough to be cautious around the other. Choose his words carefully, don’t get in too deep. You know, the usual.

     He nodded a little at the acknowledgment, but was already moving to put his stuff away. Far be it from him to fight for a spot, but he knew better than to fight Severus for it. Maybe he should just head back to his own little room-- less chance to be bothered there, or bother anyone else.

     “Well, no-- that’s more divination, isn’t it?” he said slowly, picking through the parchments and books. “I’m just-- just mapping some stuff out. Kind of doing the homework before I make the kids do it. But I’m-- also just some fun stuff, really. For me, anyways.”