keep your head up.

“I’m great. Things have been going smoothly since the end of school, which I can only be thankful for.” Lily and Petunia didn’t really fight, per se, but there was definitely tension. Lily needed the break from the sitting under the oppressive weight from that tension. “Mostly just spent my time unpacking and laying in bed, getting used to the slower routine again. Oh – and looking for a summer job.” Lily needed something to keep her out of the house. Plus, saving money for moving out after the end of next year. “Wanna grab a seat somewhere and catch up? I know it’s improper party talk, but I’m dying to know how you did on your exams and that paper.” Lily smiles, only half kidding. She knows she can be a bit of a stick in the mud, but when much of your relationship is built around studying with one another, what else are you going to talk about? 

“that’s good to hear,” emmeline smiled, glad that lily was having a good summer so far. it had only just begun, though. “i’ve been doing pretty much the same.” not a lie. emmeline had mostly been laying in bed this week, when she wasn’t at work. “i’m sure you’ll find one soon! i’m working at fortescue’s with alice,” emmeline grinned, glad to talk about summer jobs. she loved hers, so far. it was nice to have the distraction, and she was planning to eat her weight in ice cream before the summer was over. “sure, that sounds really nice,” she agreed, nodding her head. “i would expect nothing less from us, honestly. i’m dying to know how yours went, too! and i need to know what classes you’re taking next year,” emmeline added, eager to find out if they’d be in the same newt-level classes. 

she wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her head on her elbows as she looked towards her friend. she remembers when they were young and childish, caught up in the magic of their world, little breaking into their world to cause them grief. “ we’ve got to make the most of this year. we’ll go to hogsmeade every time and go to every quidditch game — maybe we should join a few more clubs, too. i hear the frog choir is desperate for new members. ” she let out a laugh, her ideas having ranged from plausible to downright silly. “ oh, don’t say it like that. you might have me decide to become a hogwarts professor so i can see at least a dozen more. ”

emmeline smiled softly, sparing alice a glance. her idea of making the most of their last year was a nice thought; were things normal, emmeline would be excited for it. but, in truth, it made her tired. the thought of doing so many things on top of studying, her prefect duties, and trying to find some cure? it sounded exhausting. still, she humored alice. that’s what best friends did, after all. “well, if frog choir is desperate, who are we to deny them our voices?” she laughed, imagining the chaos that would ensue were they actually to join. “we’ll have to go to hogsmeade and quidditch games for sure, though.” she probably could swing that. maybe not every time, but she could go when it mattered. “is that what you want to do? after school, i mean.” emmeline asked, raising an eyebrow at alice. she would make a good professor, honestly. 

“scared,” emmeline answered, the word escaping her before she had a chance to really think about it. it was the truth though - of course it was. that was the whole point of the trick charm, after all. taking a deep breath, emmeline offered the redhead a small smile. “i’ve been stressed about newts and the future.” she shrugged, admitting to a very, very small part of what she had been afraid of. 

It was easy enough to keep to her own. There were more than a few people she was avoiding, most surprisingly from her own house. She couldn’t bear to face Lucius, and she’d give her wand arm to avoid his betrothed. The idea made her chock. “Not at all,” said Alecto, waving off Emmeline with her idle hand. The other gripped a cup of – she gave it a quick sniff – what she thought was firewhiskey. Whatever it was, it tasted good, and it sent a flash of fire down her throat and through her veins. It was a good feeling – it was intense and wild and felt palpably. “Having a good night, Hufflepuff?” She raised a careful brow. “Wouldn’t have thought this was your seen.”

nodding, emmeline reached for a new cup, pouring a bit of firewhiskey in. she was careful not to take too much, and she added a bit of mixer to it to dilute it even more. she took a sip, glancing back at alecto when she asked her a question. “yeah, it’s been a pretty good night,” she said. it was a nice evening, and things were going alright. she had no reason to complain. alecto had a fair point - parties usually weren’t her scene. but how many more of these did they have left? “it sounded fun,” emmeline shrugged, keeping her voice neutral. “are you having fun?”

predictably, the later the night got, the more shenanigans had begun happening. emmeline hadn’t touched the trick charm yet, though she’d seen it passed between some of the others already. she wasn’t sure it was the smartest idea, mixing a charm that only allowed one to tell the truth with alcohol. especially in the hands of teenagers. still, she was fairly certain she would take it at some point. after all, what did she have to hide? a lot. despite her plans to not drink, emmeline had been talked into taking a cup of beer earlier in the night, and had just decided to grab another when she spotted alecto nearby. “sorry, were you waiting?” she asked, nodding towards the table covered in various alcohol, mixers and snacks. 

–– open starter ; nearing dawn.

AMYCUS looked worse for wear ; any semblance of decorum long gone. his hair was a dishevelled mess, his cheeks tinged pink from too much booze, too much laughing, too much everything. but he smirked at the telltale sound of footsteps in the sand, even if his gaze was glued to the bonfire. “ knut for your thoughts? ” the carrow son asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes as he tossed the trick charm into the other’s hands. 

the night had been a lot, and emmeline was drained. her own neatly curled hair hung limp around her face, and her tired brown eyes had bags under them. she was perhaps a bit paler than usual, though the fire was dim enough, she might not show it. trudging towards the fire, she sat down near amycus, too tired to keep her guard up as high as normal. “when i get home, i’m sleeping for an entire day,” she remarked, the trick charm back in her hands once more. thankfully, the truth wasn’t dangerous. not yet, at least. “how’s your night been?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at the slytherin. 

date: june 13, 1977 time: 9:56 pm  @ofvances

The party’s been great so far. Lily’s been sipping on a beer for the better part of an hour, and she’s just been relaxing around the bonfire, watching the antics play out in front of her. She’s spoken to a few people, but mostly she’s just been minding her own business. She’s not great at this whole party thing, always needing someone to help pull her into the chaos and the fun. She spots Emmeline in the crowd though and feels a leap of excitement. She’d been looking for her – curious to know how she’d done on all her tests. They hadn’t had a chance to debrief after exams were over. The chaos of the end of the year had swept Lily up.  “Em!” Lily calls out, jogging over to the woman so as to not lose her in the crowd again. “Em, how are you?” She grins broadly, letting go of the sleeve she’d caught to grab her attention. 

emmeline was great at socializing with adults; she always had been good at playing the charming daughter of a political family. when it came to kids her own age, though, emmeline had always felt a little awkward and out of place. she liked the majority of people here at the party, but she was getting tired of floating from group to group. she just wanted to find someone she knew, someone she felt comfortable around. she was beginning to regret turning down the beer she’d been offered earlier. at the sound of lily’s voice, though, emmeline grinned. “lily!” she replied, smiling at the gryffindor. “i’m good, how are you?” emmeline asked the redhead. 

date: june 13th, 1977 time: 11:03 pm open to: @ofvances​

alice sat on the sand, her toes just barely touching the water. she leaned back on her arms, looking out over the water. she was wondering if this evening would be one of the last of its kind — carefree and easy, and somehow all too fleeting. she looked over to see emmeline nearby, and she called her name out with a wave. “ can you believe we’re here already ? i feel like i was just a first year and i’ve blinked and six years have passed. ” her smile was watery, wavering. “ where did all of our time go, em ? ” 

the sea had always calmed emmeline. the sound of the waves gently crashing upon the shore and the feeling of sand between her toes always did wonders for the stress she seemed to permanently carry around. though she envied those with alcohol, she didn’t dare drink in case it made things worse tomorrow. taking another sip of the water bottle she carried, emmeline perked up at the sound of her name. “alice!” she grinned, walking over to sit next to the girl in the sand. “it certainly did go by quickly.” emmeline agreed, her eyes focusing on the sea. six years were gone in the blink of an eyes. perhaps if she had known at eleven what she knew now, she would have made different choices. “i wish i knew.” she remarked, offering alice a sad smile. “i remember our sorting ceremony so well. it feels strange that this is the last one we’ll see.”

tw: illness, terminal illness, nausea