s u r v i v i n g

TASK 01.

She began to laugh as she handed him the biscuit. “What a coincidence,” she mused, “It’s pretty rare that I am right.”

brows knit into a furrow at the question, giving a shrug of his shoulders, “i don’t think there’s a specific look to someone who might enjoy a flower.” cheeks were tinted pink, “oh! i mean nothing. i mean you don’t need to take care of it…it’s a self sufficient flower. just…put it by a window or somewhere in your room that could use a little brightening. but i mean…if you don’t want it…seriously just um…let me know.”

“well if there was, i’m sure i don’t have it.” stefan said as he looked down at the flower that was now in his hand. “you’d really take back a gift? that hardly seems polite.”

fred looked up with his eyebrows furrowed. “don’t call me sweetheart and i literally just said, ‘man what a long day.’ blimey, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” the former gryffindor mumbled, sipping on his beer. “you expect to get lots of guests with an attitude that sour, parkinson?” 

“what would you prefer? love? baby? or as the muggles say, bae?” he said as he lent back against the bar and watched the man carefully. stefan chuckled to himself as he wiped a part of the bar in front of him. “my attitude isn’t sour, you just aren’t used to someone being anything other than on their best behavior around you weasley.”

            the former witch wanted to correct him; that he had misinterpreted whatever she had said. her life didn’t suck – it was simply different and she had no bloody clue how to handle it. instead she simply mumbles a thank you, keeping her head low before taking a sip of the water as soon as it’s placed in front of her. “ no need, ” she answers, feeling slightly even more embarrassed, “ except for the fact that i can’t hold my liquor, apparently. ” 

stefan parkinson && greer lockhart ( @ncwitch )

“I suppose you’re right,” she said, reaching over next to her and grabbing a biscuit before shoving it in her mouth, “Would you like one? I only made them about an hour ago so they’re still warm.”

“I disappeared for six weeks without telling anyone. Not brother. Not my parents. Not you. Not even James. I think I win that crown.” Not her proudest moment, but she was done running. Honestly, Greer was just glad Stefan was still there when she came back. She wouldn’t’ve blamed him if that hadn’t been the case. “Thank you….for not leaving me even when I left.”

It was easy to find peace at his side, their bond providing the sense of security she so desperately craved as of late. It seemed she’d relied on her magic for more than just quidditch and spell casting. “And I provided them the perfect story for filling their pockets.” An unfortunate side effect of poor decision making, though nowhere near the worst of it. “Don’t be. You’re not the one who vanished off the face of the earth instead of dealing with her problems.”

“Or I was just not paying attention in the slightest in class,” she laughed, scooting herself over a bit as if her yard was not big enough, “By all means. What do you think that one looks like.”

Was it wrong to find relief in being dragged away from the crowd before she even knew the identity of her savior? Probably, but as her eyes found his face she found solace in familiarity. “Stefan.” Hard to hide emotion from her voice when they seemed to constantly be just below her surface these days. “It wasn’t so bad before I lost my magic. Even at the beginning they were…well not quite kind, but not like this.” She opted to bite her tongue before blaming herself, given the drama her disappearance had certainly granted the tabloids.

          honestly, molly had not realized she had drank as much as she did. the girl hardly ever drank firewhiskey - not understanding how people could swallow it. but she continued to stare down at her empty glasses, the words of the bartender in front of her causing her to jump slightly. she felt embarrassed and like she might be sick any moment - knowing she’d fret over her little sister drinking alone in a pub - and oh no, what had she drunkenly said to him ?  “ i’ll have a butterbeer. ”  molly finally said, eyes glued to the bar and words slightly slurred, knowing she’d likely pay for it and not drink a sip. she just needed to stay long enough to sober enough to get home. “ and a water. ” 

“probably,” he said, and left it at that. the dark lord had long since been defeated, hadn’t been an issue since before ash was born and, despite the mass genocide or perhaps considering it, he was dumb. albus dumbledore had lived to be how old before he died and he was killed. the dark lord himself died at the age of a regular human. what kind of idiot wrought that on himself? “think it’s too early to drink?” the sun was still up, but that had never stopped anyone before.

stefan often talked about things that made others uncomfortable, it was just who he was. sure he wasn’t alive when the dark lord was but he was a big part of his mothers life and majority of the slytherins around. “whats that saying ––– it’s five o’clock somewhere?”

the leaky cauldron was said to have been there since the 1500′s and ash, though he was obsessed with knowing dates, didn’t know exactly when. that alone was enough to stir up curiosity. “you make a fair point. it’s kind of a rite of passage, yeah? every witch or wizard in britain has been here at least once. kind of makes you wonder who else could have sat here once.”

“probably all of the famous ones ranging from harry potter all the way to tom riddle.” he said to the other. stefan was a slytherin, he knew everything about tom that there was to know, he’s become obsessed at one point wanting to know everything about once dark lord. “and i’m sure there will be plenty more to come.”

ash’s own mum had run this place before she got a job at hogwarts, before his parents had him, and it had been a long time since she left. the place surely had seen other owners, other managers and people to care for it. ash was the latest in that long list and the comment grated on his nerves a little, but he didn’t let it show. “it’s an old building, sooner or later, it’ll come full circle and look better.” or tonight, when he went downstairs after close and cleaned everything the muggle way. 

“it sure has seen it’s fair share of witches and wizards as well.” the man said as he looked at the walls and at everything in the room, he’d had some good times here. “i don’t think i’d change anything about it, it has history, i like that.”

   Cora finished her cigarette and put it out, making sure to toss the butt in the near by trash can. She made a face and shrugged. He wasn’t wrong but she had no energy to cover it up with make up. “That’s not even the worst of it.” Her baggy clothes easily covered the bruises underneath and glanced over at him. He looked familiar but then again, she did come to this bar quite often. “I lost my magic in the middle of a fight. I was told that I’m lucky this was all I got.”