& I said to the star - consume me

Shame trickles down Michael’s spine, bitter tasting bile sitting on his tongue. There’s so much he wish he could say, but that wouldn’t change the past. What’s done is done. You live and you learn and Sophie was had been on the unfortunate end of being just another lesson. But that didn’t mean the feelings he had for her hadn’t been there, hadn’t been true, because they had. Michael had spiraled, the tragedies of life clouding his judgement, body and mind constantly in flight or flight mode. He wasn’t proud of that part of him and now was the time for atonement. “I’m sorry–” He says again and it sounds redundant even to his own ears. “I wish I could make it up to you, but I know that won’t change anything.”

her lips press together, tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth as she swallows up her words. there’s only so much more she can say without putting herself out there more than she already felt she had. she nods in acknowledgment and a sort of acceptance. he’s right, there isn’t anything that can undo the past. there isn’t anything she or he could say that would repair any of the damage. “no, i guess not,” she starts. “but maybe you can buy me a coffee some time. or a drink.” it’s a small olive branch she’s willing to give him, heavily disguised by something so small and miniscule. 

Lorcan merely shrugs, “I’m just saying it like it is, darling. You should be happy someone is being honest with you.” They wave a hand as they go to exit the apartment, wringing out the wet bottoms of their flared pants and their once beautiful suede shoes. The vampire frowns at the ruined attire, fetching their want in their jacket pocket, muttering a spell to dry their clothes, though the know the stains surely won’t come out. Lorcan touches Sophie’s shoulders and gives a gentle squeeze, smiling a small sympathetic smile, or at least feigning one. “Don’t worry, love. The place will absolutely grow on you, I just know it. In the meantime, I suppose we can get your pesky apartment situation sorted. Set up a meeting with your landlord for me. I want to have a word.”

her lips come to a pout, head cocking to the side as she watches them leave the vicinity of their apartment. while sophie generally appreciates honesty, it always came off so unexpectedly when it came to lorcan. water sloshes loudly as she follows them, she holds back the shiver of disgust as the drenched bottoms of her jeans stick to her skin. her brows furrow thinking of what could possibly come out of living in lorcan’s place and becoming roommates. something told her that every day would be an interesting one. “if you say so... do you think you could get my security deposit back?”

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) — muggle london ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ) — open ( @startertms​ )

with every single step lavinia took, the sole of her shoes stuck to the ground and when she raised her foot, she heard the release. “do they fucking mop this place up with sugar water or some shit?” the coffee shop smelt fine—the aroma of coffee and syrups and slightly burnt sugar. there wasn’t even a hint of grime on the tables. but the floor. the fucking floor. she’d admit she hadn’t always been to the classiest place, could easily ignore the scent of spoiled or tables that looked like they were home to a small colony of Listeria monocytogenes. it hadn’t killed her yet. but the floor was just annoying. 

sophie was running on fumes at this point. desperate for a cup of coffee she had made her way to one of the few small and less popular coffee shops on her way back from running a couple of errands. it wasn’t her favorite place but they made a good cup for their prices. she hadn’t expected them to be particularly busy but it looks like even this small shop could have rushes. sophie’s arms crossed as she waited in line, holding some reading material she had picked up. she grimaces as she hears the woman behind her. “a couple of people ahead spilled their cup everywhere. it’s not usually this bad,” she tells her. “this place is usually a hidden gem when it comes to the other coffee places around.”

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) — st. mungo’s ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ) — open

strictly speaking, augustine was meant to be in bed. it was early after all—the sun just starting to color the sky orange. she was injured after all—bandaged and arm set in a cast, any magical treatment refused when she was conscious enough to do so. her discharge was intended to be in a few more hours, with instructions to check in with her primary care provider, instructions read off by the nurse with a touch on confusion, and a forged prescription for antibiotics and painkillers. they wanted one more night of observation, the healer assigned to her explained the night before. sleep hadn’t come, only came the nights before when she gave in and accepted the magical sleep aid they offered. she could only take so many hours in her room, staring up at the ceiling, until she left the room. finding a lobby wasn’t hard, and sitting in the uncomfortable chairs and watching the hustle and bustle of st. mungo’s was even easier. “so, who would’ve guessed magic hospitals smell the exact same as a normal one? i was expecting something a bit more… pleasant.”

“no problem,” and more than that, it’s really the least that ginny could do - especially when she’s not entirely confident she can manage any more successfully. this really seemed like a job for someone infinitely more qualified than she was, but they didn’t have a plumber handy and ginny really didn’t want to just leave sophie to deal with this mess on her own. after all : she does seem to have a bit more experience than sophie ( doesn’t say it out loud because that’s setting herself up for failure, but she’d always been best at charms and enjoyed mild academic success at hogwarts ). “i wouldn’t be so sure on that,” she gives a girm little laugh and then shrugs her shoulders, “but trying is better than nothing. on three?”

sophie can’t help but feel very much naked in this moment. not having her wand and having to need any kind of help from anyone else certainly put her in an uncomfortably vulnerable situation. she tries her best to swallow this feeling, giving ginny what she hoped it was a thankful and encouraging smile. “I promise I won’t blame you if this goes horribly wrong.” Sophie clasps her hands together, resting her knuckles on her chin in what could be prayer if she were religious. “one, two, annnd three?” sophie instinctively shuts her eyes, bracing herself as she holds her breath. 

Sophie seems surprised by Lorcan’s honesty. “Okay, maybe the place does look better when dry. But that couch, darling? A complete and total travesty. Where did you get it, the trash?” They in fact know she got from the trash by reading her mind, but that’s something Lorcan isn’t about to admit. The corner of their mouth quirks and they want to laugh. “Oh my dear,” The look on Lorcan’s face is both amused and sympathetic, a hand hovering over their chest where their once-beating heart lies. “I do, in fact. When you become a vampire, you will see.” The word ‘ when ’ is used very loosely–there was no telling when would actually happen. Lorcan has had familiars that had been with them for over ten years before Lorcan turned them. But again, Sophie didn’t need to know that! “Your landlord should be the one helping you in the first place. Their neglections is their own fault. I will also have you know I have a wonderful place. Classic 19th century style, babe. You would not only love it, but appreciate it. But if you’d rather live in this…place, then I can take my leave.” 

Sophie’s sure she must look like some sort of fish the way her mouth keeps gaping at them. “That is so rude!” she huffs out but she can’t exactly argue when it’s true. She can’t help but give her couch a second look. Somehow it looks significantly sadder and she’s not sure if it really is the drenched look that makes it appear so dingy or if it’s lorcan’s opinion that has tainted it even further. Sophie takes a further look at her deteriorating apartment. It’s not exactly as if she has any kind of sentimental attachment the place but somehow losing her sense of privacy didn’t sound amazing. Not having to pay rent certainly did sway her, however. Having to pay for a solo flat was a little straining on her and having roommates would have probably been better for her but that was another challenge she didn’t want to have to bother with. Maybe this was just the universe working itself out. “Well, maybe I could stay for a little while,” she says hesitantly. “At least until I can find something better... ”

“Thank you,” Lorcan replies in exasperation, but it’s quickly diminished by Sophie’s comment. They couldn’t deny that they loved flattery and Sophie always did manage to flatter them so, another thing the vampire liked about her. Perhaps it’s done on purpose, but that didn’t matter. The apartment is in complete disarray, Lorcan’s shoes were most definitely ruined, water seeping into their socks, making sloshing sounds with every step they take. Perhaps this was a mistake. What was Lorcan to do? This is why they have familiars in the first place, so they don’t have to do any of this dirty work. “Okay, new plan,” Lorcan starts, opening their jacket and stowing their wand away. “You don’t need this flat. I mean, look at it!” They wave to the burst pipes which still rains water on them. “Gather your things at once, you will stay with me. I don’t charge rent, but you do need to clean every once and awhile. Oh, and bury some dead animals in the backyard. I don’t like to keep corpses around for too long.” 

sophie follows after them like a lost puppy, peeking over their shoulder to try to get a read on the other’s facial expressions and asses the real damage of the apartment. she, however, was certainly not expecting the new of course of action. you don’t need this flat. her mouth falls open, the girl blinking rapidly to process their words before she looks on at the sad state of her apartment. it hadn’t been a terrible apartment. perhaps a bit on the small side but she had given it some character! her lips pout as she looks at the soaked books and the couch she happened to find on the street that someone had been trying to get rid of. it was certainly ruined now. “I feel like you’re being too hard on it. it’s much better when it’s... dry,” she finishes lamely. “and I signed a lease! what would the landlord say? unless you have some sort of vampire ability to make him forget I signed it?”

“well, i’m not a plumber-” nor is she very well versed with them - ginny stresses the ‘b’ rather than let it go silent, completely oblivious to the fact she’s done anything wrong, “but that does look to be the case.” she isn’t trying to be nosy, but it’s kind of hard to avoid looking at. focus keeps drifting from soaked sophie roper to the water that just keeps on coming, regardless of what she does to try and keep it solely upon the other, though the realisation she might be able to help is a lightbulb moment that can’t come fast enough. “i’ve got mine-” she pulls it from her back pocket, and though she’s quick to cast a quick charm over the other to dry her off, ginny has no idea how to proceed, “uh…- would reparo be enough for the pipe, do you think?”

there’s a pause as sophie questions whether ginny’s pronunciation had been correct. maybe sophie had been saying it wrong all these years? either way, she doesn’t question her. a surge of relief washes over her as her clothes no longer are sticking onto her skin, that added heavy weight of water falls off of her and she’s no longer in danger of shivering from the coldness of it all. “thank you,” she says. “I have not a clue how pipes work. I’d like to think it would be enough... I was always shit at charms. Couldn’t hold my attention.” She looks on at her disaster of an apartment in deep regret. “It couldn’t make it any worse though?” she questions with only a seed of doubt planted in her mind. what would proffessor flitwick say now if he saw the two of them grappling with the issue at hand?

her annoyance felt cruel, almost. but augustine knew very little about magic, knew only what she picked up from watching seraphina and the staff as a child—no one ever setting her down to explain the differences in it all when she showed no magical aptitude, and by the time the tutors started showing up, well, she’d already tuned out. but the muggle way of doing things? she’d brute-forced her way into an understanding of most of the mundane aspects of muggle life—asked stupid questions to the friends she made who semi-regularly questioned what cult she’d been raised in. “calling a plumber is probably your best bet. doing this is sort of their job.”

sophie nods, agreeing as if she had been thinking the exact same thing. "right, right.” the tension sophie felt only kept building at the severity of the situation. it was extremely rare for her to realize how easy magic had made things for her in life. not only that but how truly useless she felt without her wand. a part of her wanted to run back to the shop and grab her wand because somehow making that whole trip just to retrieve it sounded easier than simply calling a plumber. she brought her bottom lip in between her teeth, chewing viciously as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. she blinks blankly at her device before pulling up her search engine. the knot in her stomach only tightens as she scrolls at the overwhelming pages and numbers. “you wouldn’t happen to know how you’re supposed to choose which one?”

( 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) — belby orangery & arboretum ( 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 ) — open

there’d been an issue with the latest shipment of supplies to slug and jiggers—some things were missing and some things had been added in. nothing too drastic but enough to warrant coming on down. and daisy’d drawn the short stick, in part because she had a car and there was too much stuff for magical transportation to be reliable. it’d gotten handled relatively quickly, dionisia apologetic and efficient in making sure it all got fixed. supplies were packed away into boxes and boxes settled into her car, all except one. she held it close to her body as she walked towards the greenhouses exit. maybe she should’ve asked for some help—shoved the box off on dionisia or that hande person dionisia had mentioned a few times. sweat glistened on her forehead and an ache built and built and built in her upper arms. her grip was loose and her arms might give out at any moment. but it was fine. really. it was fine. she’d make it to the car. until a purple blur moved in the edge of her field of vision. she thought nothing of it until a bouncing blub crashed the box, followed by another and another. she felt her grip go slack and the box slip out of her grasp. and she fumbled forward, tried to grab it. but it slammed into the floor, the sound of ceramics shattering echoing throughout the space. “what the fuck?”

when sophie arrived for her shift she was met with several worried paces by her boss. something about an order being wrong and having daisy go on to pick it up by car. patience didn’t seem to come easy and before sophie knew it she was being ordered to apparate over for assistance. sophie didn’t really mind exactly. it was a chance to get some fresh air.

when she arrives she doesn’t expect to watch the end of the catastrophic and tragic event of a slip of a hand. "whoa! llooks like i came a second too late... “ sophie trails off as she stares at the sad box in front of her. she bends over to peek inside the box and assess the overall damage. sophie grimaces as many of the herbs have mixed together.  “i was sent over to help. i think people forget muggle transportation isn’t so instant... you alright?” 

Lorcan rolls their eyes once more ( if they roll their eyes anymore, they will roll to the back of their head ) and an exasperated sigh escapes them, the vampire’s hands on their hips. “A series of unfortunate events,” They repeat, albeit a tad mockingly, “My dear, your whole life is a series of unfortunate events.” What a mess this girl was! What was Lorcan to do with them? The only reason Lorcan had made little Sophie Roper their familiar wasn’t just because she asked them to, wasn’t just because she craved immortal life, but because Lorcan was terribly, terribly lonely. Not to mention they’ve grown fond of her. And now, well… they couldn’t just leave her in this situation, could they? “Ugh,” Lorcan pinches the bridge of their nose, “Fine, I will help you. But first you must reschedule my interview, girl.” Upper lip curled in disgust and wand in hand, Lorcan enters the flat, unprepared for the flood. They shouldn’t have worn their good shoes. Sophie will have to pay for this, Lorcan mentally takes note. “What exactly did you do?”

Sophie opens her mouth to protest, tongue quicker than her brain to rebuttal only to realize he’s quite right. there were certainly more unfortunate events than fortunate ones. or perhaps they simply stood out more. sophie shuts her mouth, head quirking to the side in thought. she should definitely be offended. if it had been anyone else, she’s sure she would have. somehow lorcan makes everything a little more lighthearted. sophie assumed it was their dramatic nature that made everything seem so much smaller and inconsequential. “i’ll reschedule your interview,” she assures him with a roll of her eyes. “it shouldn’t be too hard when they adore you anyway.” sophie laid the flattery on thick as she followed after him, water sloshing against her ankles. “there was an explosion of some kind.... ” sophie started, “it may have been my fault... but that’s besides the point! can you fix it? i think it just burst the pipe or something.” 

— ⋆

“the landlord fucking hates me so no luck there.” augustine said, shrugging her shoulders. she couldn’t remember anything she’d done to piss them off besides the occasionally lapse into french when they talking about rent—occasionally forgetting that not everyone spoke french. “is it a burst pipe?” she looked again at the woman and the water that followed her. “can you stop the water with magic or something?” she felt a little heat rush to her cheeks, that engrained embarrassment she felt whenever her knowledge about magic came up a little lacking. she kept her voice even, stuffed the embarrassment down and limited it only to the red that dusted her cheeks. “or do we need to do this the normal way?”

her shoulders deflate as she looks pitifully up into the air. it felt like a personal attack from the universe to be dealing with something so troublesome.  “i’d assume so. i’m not well versed in... plumbing,” she finishes lamely. she steps away from the growing puddle although it’s not much use when her slippers are already pretty soaked. she would kill for a drying charm at the moment. heat flushes over her cheeks as she avoids the other girl’s gaze. it was too embarrassing to admit aloud she didn’t have her wand on her. it made sophie feel naked to be frank. “i think i’m stuck doing it the normal way this time around. i haven’t a clue on how to go about that though,” she admits flatly. 

𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: weasley’s wizard wheezes 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: open ( @startertms​​ )

a steady flow of customers graced their shop throughout the week, and ron wasn’t unwitting enough to not understand why suddenly half the wizarding world was so enthralled by their joke shop now. it almost felt wrong, selling their wares and passing them along the counters to those who cast pitied and sympathetic glances his way. it was a sure surprise and a pleasure indeed, encountering someone who didn’t seem too keen on treating him as if he were a wounded owl. “… look, it’s ten galleons, if you want something cheaper you can wander on down to honeydukes and find a knockoff there.” he stood firm on their rather egregious pricing, at least in comparison to those shops that slashed their own for the occasion. fred wasn’t a hardened businessman, but hells, he knew of the value in their products. death didn’t change that. “our items are jokes, not our prices.”

normally sophie wouldn’t spend her time in a joke shop. ( most definitely not her scene ) however, her boss at sluggs and jiggers had been pestering her about customers raving about the weasley’s new amortentia line. sophie had a certain disdain for amortentia in general, but she had been ordered to scope out the competition and deconstruct their potion to see what made it so great. it was a task she wasn’t particularly looking forward to but she figured there must be some kind of sale going on as there was everywhere else and what other perfect time to strike. she was wrong of course.  her brow quirks up rather high at the price, jaw twitching before setting down the potion.  "how long did it take you to come up with that line?” she resists a scoff, averting her gaze from the ginger and back to the potion. mentally she listed off ingredients that could hike up the price so much.  “shouldn’t a joke shop be more... “ sophie struggled to find the right words. “economical for their customer base?”

                  location :            diagon     alley  (  unspecified  )                  status :                open !  - @startertms​​            

                            magic   can  certainly   mend   a   broken   heel .   fleur  takes  a  temporary  comfort  in  this  as  she  jolts  to  the  side ,  and  then  forward .  she  is  a  seasoned  professional  in  navigating  the  uneven  cobblestones  of  diagon  alley ,  and  if  asked  she  will  say  as  much  .  it  appears  that  one  of  the  stones  just  cobbled   a  bit  more  than  usual ,  catching  her  soft  blue  heel  in  its  wrath ,  and  sending  her  stumbling .  ❛❛     merde !   ❜❜        after  nearly  falling ,  she  stares  at  the  shoe  &  its  broken  appendage  with  a vengeance ,  as  if  waiting  for  the  object  to  apologize .  ❛❛   va  te  faire  foutre ! ❜❜  its  just  then  that  she  realizes  her  spectacle  is  just  that .

                             eyes  widen ,  a  frustrated  huff  at  the  shoe ,  before  she  turns  her  head  in  the  direction  of  the  other . 

                            ❛❛  we   could  just  pretend  this  didn’t  happen  - -   save  ourselves  the  terribly  awkward  conversation  of  you  pretending  it  wasn’t  terribly  funny  at  my  expense ,  no  ?     ❜❜

there’s a moment where sophie is thrown back into her fourth year of hogwarts, the series of events at the triwizarding tournament flashing before her eyes. it was a difficult year for her in particular where her twin and her had been arguing more than usual and becoming quite strained. sophie had remembered wanting to share everything with him about the spectacular events, the people from the other schools but he hadn’t wanted to hear any of it. the differences in their lives were too drastic at the time, him being a squib and she living the life he should have as well. sophie would have loved to tell him about the half veela in blue, so strong and beautiful.

sophie blinks back to reality, the young woman in front of her looking, of course,  as beautiful and as elegant as ever. even with her very human mishap.  “i don’t know what you’re talking about? i didn’t see anything,” she responds smoothly. “or hear anything.” she adds as an afterthought, a small quirk of her lip.