UNCOMMONLY KIND.

“hmm, i don’t doubt that,” said ted, grinning at the other. “yeah, let’s do it! it’d be a good thing, to not do it alone and stuff. i have no clue what kinda money i should ask for most things, so it’d be good to bounce of ideas for prices off of each other. we should get more people included, too, i’m sure there’s plenty who are in need of some extra cash.”

Narcissa hardly had the patience to argue with a muggleborn. Nor was she about to sit where she’d be made to feel uncomfortable. She was a pretty girl, and alone at that, so no, she wouldn’t be sitting on her own in a pub filled with unsavoury characters. “By what? Your raggedy handbag?” She scoffed, icy eyes narrowing at the redhead. “I won’t talk to you. I only want to sit until my friend arrives.”

lily was never usually one to back down, she would scream at the top of her lungs if he meant she would win a fight. however no was not the time nor a place for such confrontation. and, quite honestly, she wasn’t in the mood. with a defeated sigh she gestured towards the empty chair. “ sit then. ” 

“it’s great news” she responded, her smile wide and filled with excitement. she couldn’t help but be excited for this happening. “i’ve been keeping this a secret from everyone, i’m telling gray tonight. i’m a a month pregnant.”

“ now that’s way too hefty for me now, evans. “ james commented, taking her hand in his and giving it the slightest squeeze. “ but maybe, who knows, one day. i’ll give you not only the moon — but along with the sun and the stars and the other planets in the cosmos. “ the bloke announced with a faint chuckle. there was nothing he wouldn’t do for lily, a fact he came to accords many long years ago.

at her further explanation, james froze. he could feel his breath momentarily stop just by hearing those dreaded words. the attacks and the raids were something he cold either only read on the daily prophet or settle with at work, but now it was closer than ever to lily — something that practically terrified him. they were getting closer now, and he couldn’t do anything to stop them. “ they wouldn’t stop, not at this point. merlin knows what they could be up to. “ his thumb caressed ever so slightly the surface atop her hand, “ but hey, we’re going to be okay. we’ll put a stop to all this terror attacks. you & i — we’ll survive, i promise. “ 

“ i’ll suppose i can settle for flowers. ” the former head girl joked, a light smile playing on her lips. in reality she didn’t need anything from james. not chocolates, not flowers, not the moon. all she needed was him, by her side through thick and thin. she just needed him to be there for her at the end of a long day, and so far he hadn’t let her down.

bellatrix bit the inside of her cheek not to laugh at the other’s movements- it seemed amusing to her, how someone like the famous lily evans ; yes, a mudblood even bellatrix heard about, was acting so indifferent. ‘ well, you were rude.’

she shruged. ‘ but, i don’t mind rude. try not to break my heart, will you? i just have one question for you. don’t be too kind with me.’

it was rare that lily didn’t care whether she was being rude or not, but this was one such occasion. she held no respect for the woman in front of her and her behavior reflected that. 

“ all you had to do was ask. “ he nodded accordingly, the slightest hint of a smile playing on his lips. james liked to spend majority of his time with lily, to a point that he practically bothers her in whatever it is she’s doing, but he respected her space as well. he wasn’t the same foolish boy he used to be at hogwarts. the bloke knew exactly when to put a stop to his bothersome ways. “ you know i’m willing to give you anything you want, even if it’s alone time — or the moon. the latter might require tremendous luck. “

at the end of a long day, james also looked forward to talking to lily about how their days unfold. these little stories, he realized, gave him a sense of getting to know lily a bit more. he’s doing so, each and every day. a full minute of silence passed before james found it fitting to respond, “ what happened to them? “ even as a mere listener, he couldn’t help but feel sorry. “ i’m glad they survived. i really am. “ 

there was maybe a time when lily evans wanted nothing more to be rid of james potter, but now it was quite the opposite. she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, to know him better than he knows himself. never in her life did she think she would ever feel this way about a person. and yet here she is, sat opposite a man meant more to her than anything in the world. she reached out, extending her hand for him to take. “ i wouldn’t mind the moon. ”

“Is it now?” Narcissa questioned in a dry tone, her silvery blue eyes surveying the rest of the dreary pub that was completely packed. There were the few odd empty seats, but with much less appealing company attached. She’d prefer the company of Lily Evans over that of the man in the corner who smelled like he’d spent a week in the Black Lake, his toothless smile hardly inviting. 

Her gaze moved back to the empty seat in front of the redhead, tilting her head to the side. “If you can tell me who is actually sitting here, then I might consider elsewhere.”

she listened to the other’s words, concerned- she didn’t show it but she was pass the concerned point. ever since james told her lily is feeling a little under the weather, she’s been worrying about her friend. ‘ oh.’

it was that kind of talk. she pulled the other’s hand and gived it a squeeze.’ unfortunately, it is true. you can’t save anyone. but doesn’t it make you feel better if you did manage to save a life? or at least tried? your best?’

marlene was right, of course. the victims had survived and lily was grateful for that, but it felt it wasn’t enough. magical medicine was so advance, so much more was achievable then in muggle medicine, yet they hadn’t been able to fully heal the couple and their child. none of them would ever make a full recovery. at least, that’s what her senior had told her. 

Alice waved off the apology; she hardly minded at all, understood where Lily was coming from. While she usually thrived of off conversation and interaction, she needed her moments alone, too, and when someone intruded those she could get ( more than ) defensive.

“Don’t even worry about it,” she said, giving the other a reassuring smile and sitting down across of her. Eyes darted around for a moment – a habit she had picked over the years – before meeting Lily’s green ones again. 

A frown creased her forehead. “I get it,” she said, truthfully. Perhaps working as a Healer or an Auror in times of war was just asking for trouble. Not that it wasn’t worth it. “Want to talk about it? Get it out of your system?”

it probably would help lily to talk about it, maybe cry a little in the comfort of her own home, but she felt it somewhat unfair to unload it all on alice. her own job must be hard enough. what she must she in the field as an auror must be nothing compared to the hospital. “ thank you for the offer, ” she offered the woman a warm smile, “ but it might help me more to get me mind off it. talk about something else. ”

rolling her eyes playfully, dark brown eyes looked at the redhead, knowing that if she was about to tell grayson the news, it was time to tell her best friend. “we might just take first place when i tell her the news.”

“That’s actually a rather brilliant idea,” Ted said, thinking the suggestion over for a while. “Could lend my da’s car, sell some other things lyin’ around back at home-home … God knows I could use the extra cash.”

first of all, rita shrugged gently. “ anytime, ” she uttered as she placed the lid back on top of the container, a faint ‘ tk ’ reaching her ears when it turned a little. the decorated can was then tossed into her bag in a way that made it seem as if the woman had no worries at all. her grin widened for a moment, before she motioned at the spot next to the redhead. “ mind if i sit here ? my legs are killing me. ”

  unlike the gryffindor alumnus, rita took her time. answer or no answer, she sat down either way. her sharp eyes caught sight of a drink near them – a hot brew, it seemed – and she indicated to the server that she wished to get one as well. “ your hair is lovely, by the way. i don’t want to trouble you but hopefully you don’t mind me staying for a bit – i was asked to cover some stories around the area but, admittedly, i got a bit … well, scared. i don’t feel safe going out to the streets anymore, let alone someplace like this – ” delicate features fell into somewhat of a concerned expression, and she motioned lightly – “ full of strangers. trusting is hard these days. you were the only one who struck me as kind. ” a lightly supressed sigh left every now and then, the woman trying her very best to appear tense. the conflict around her could go on and she wouldn’t lose a night’s sleep. 

    “ terrible what’s happenin’ as of late, innit ? ” her gaze sunk, now fixed in the smoke emanating from the recently-placed cup before her. 

delicate hands cupped the mug on the table, allowing her palms to soak up the heat. she watched cautiously as the woman took the seat opposite her, not saying a thing. lily had a feeling any protests would fall on deaf ears. for the time being it might be better to go along with whatever rita was up to, while being careful not to give anything away. not that lily really knew anything. she spent most of her days locked up in st. mungo’s, staring at the same four walls and tending to the same elderly patients. and though she loved her job, and her patients, dearly it had started to become somewhat of a bore recently. she longed for something more exciting. 

“ i think you’ll be alright in here. ” lily was a regular at the coffee shop, it was her haunt of choice on lunch breaks. it was safe to say the canteen at st. mungo’s didn’t have the most exciting choice of food. at least one thing was constant across both the worlds she lived in, the hospital food left something to be desired. “ i don’t think old mrs blake, ” she nodded towards an elderly witch sat a stones throw away from them reading a issue of witch weekly, “ is likely to go hexing anyone anytime soon. ” 

“ mm, but then you’re not weak are you? so you’d make them confused, make them let their guard down then open a can of whoop ass, and give them something to remember” amycus laughed, finding the topic of conversation hilarious, and the fact they were talking like this in the first place. “ don’t worry about being in here though, no-one would dare do anything in front of me, i may look like the approachable, cute bar man, but i can be dangerous as well” am winked, before he brought his bottle to his lips and took a gulp, before placing it back down. “ really?” he was shocked to hear that her hair was something people would tease her about back in her world, to him it was a sign of beauty, and something he found very attractive on any person. “ well, i never did quite understand muggles and their weird ways” amycus quickly glanced back over to the bar to make sure no-one was waiting, before locking his gaze back on her again. “ of course we do, it’s what we live for - a good ego stroking” amy grinned, rather enjoying the fact he had an admirer. “ you should let her know i’m the manager, not just a bartender” amycus winked, before offering to get her another drink.

subtlety and tricky had never really been lily’s style. not because she wasn’t capable, nor because she didn’t want to, but she didn’t have the patience. the moment someone did something to anger her or offended her she would go in all guns blazing, absolutely seeing red. many friends and family could attest to that. “that’s a good plan and all, but highly unrealistic.” she took a swig of her butterbeer, placing the bottle carefully back down onto the counter. “i wouldn’t be able to keep up the charade. you might not know this about me, but i have somewhat of an unpredictable temper.” but at least she could admit to it.

though for a while a younger lily did despise her hair, even begged her mum to let her dye it, she grew to love it. as soon as it became clear she wasn’t exactly normal, what with her magical tricks, she came to embrace the unusual part of herself. her hair was part of that. she didn’t blend in with the crowd and she quickly learned that was a good thing. “ some, not all, muggles seem to have an obsession with being normal. anything that’s too bright or stands out is to be ridiculed, such as my hair. ” she let out a dark chuckle. “ the magic world and the muggle world might be completely different, but they both have their prejudices. ” 

❛ it’s fine, lilyflower. i understand the need for a moment of peace & silence, especially with your job — and me. ❜ james assured with a light chuckle. the bloke made it sure to respect lily’s privacy even after a long time of being together. back in their hogwarts years, he noticed how lily liked to spend some time alone – and james respected that. if anything, he wished to himself to learn how to enjoy his time alone as well. ( in the end, he’d give up and look for sirius, remus, or peter and bother them in whatever it is they’re doing. )

❛ how was work? ❜ he asked with a small smile. at the end of the day, james found himself yearning for lily’s mere presence. he could only spend enough time busying himself with work or surrounding himself with peers. it was still lily, who gave him the reassurance everything will be alright with the world and made him hope for better days to come.

“ all i had to do was ask ? ” lily teased lightly, the corners of her mouth upturning in a smile. “ merlin, why didn’t i try that before. ” though it was true lily did enjoy some alone time, especially in moments when she felt down or inferior, she did often ache for the comfort james provided. but in those moments, so often her lowest, she never wished to burden him. some might say that a trouble shared is a troubled halved but she always felt it wouldn’t be unfair of her to do so.

‘ yeah, by me.’ marlene spoke as she took a seat besides the other, her eyebrows narrowing at her sudden cold voice and the way she looked- she knew the one so well and even then it was a mystery why she looked so…down. though marlene had made her job to make sure everything goes smoothly with the other. ‘ so you can tell me why you look so grumpy…or if you don’t want to talk, i’ll just stay here.completely silent and wait until you are ready.’ she offered with a shrug.

a sigh escaped from chapped pink lips, the symptom of a long day. lily, of course, knew that marlene was not going to back down. no, it was better to rip off the band-aid, so to speak, and talk.