Pandora

where: around the booths when: Summer Solstice Festival who: Ambrose Kennedy and Pandora Pembroke ( @pembrokesbox​ )

One thing that Ambrose noticed about Wizarding London was that it surely loved its events. And they’re all so… communal. Back in the States, certain events were only meant for certain people. But here, everyone was practically invited as evidenced by the diverse crowd filled with people coming from all walks of life. Ambrose wasn’t a fan of the practice but when in London…

He was just browsing through the various offerings of the different booths when one caught his eye. There were various trinkets that could definitely be souvenirs. Ambrose stepped closer and eyed a handheld mirror. He flagged down the booth’s attendant and raised his hand to get her attention. “Excuse me. Is this one safe to hold? What does it do exactly?”

Pandora couldn’t have been more delighted to have ended up with her own booth at the Summer Solstice Festival. It had been an interesting few months, falling somewhere between fulltime parenthood and fruitless attempts to get a freelance spell inventing business off the ground but a few of the right people taking her up on some commissioned work to charm some objects to their needs and she had found herself with this opportunity. She had delighted in inventing a few things to sell on the booth, including teapots which sang how strong the brew was and self-inking quills that wrote in glitter and a number of objects geared towards toddlers that she had been taking advantage of since having so much free time alone with Luna. All of that, however, was merely a way to draw people in so that she could make her pitch of being hireable for commissions.

where: a beach when: saturday @ sunset who: open

A salty breeze caressed his cheeks and ruffled his hair. Alyosha’s eyes cracked open, greeted by the last rays of a setting sun. It was a surprisingly nice day and he’d had the luck of calling on an expert who lived in a mixed magical-muggle beach town. When the meeting ended, he’d chosen to delay his return to London and head to wix-only section of the beach. He’d slipped off his shoes and padded barefoot into the sand. The beach was a luxury he rarely indulged in. These days, children grew up with annual vacations to the sand and sea. He hadn’t, and then when he finally had the ability to go, there was a bit of an issue with it. Primarily: the sun. Not much of an issue right now.

Alyosha closed his eyes again; he didn’t need to see to notice the person approaching from behind. He could hear, feel the sand shifting beneath their feet. “I suppose I can’t hog this beach forever,” he said, still facing away from them. “Nice evening, isn’t it?”

Pandora had always loved the beach. Whether it was as a carefree child in those years before her parents started to put worrying about Effie above the happiness of their children, or as a teenager escaping for a taste of liberation; as a young adult running all over the world to find somewhere she felt like herself, or as a mother sharing her favourite place with her favourite person. Nothing could compare to the smell of the sea and the feel of sand between her toes and the warmth of sun on her skin.

As much as she loved going with Luna, though, it was also a place that was nice to go for a bit of peace. Things had got all a little overwhelming with worries about the recent focus on Seers combined with Luna once again speaking in a way that implied she saw more to the world than a regular two year old, and confusion over what she wanted from her ever-complicated relationship with Xenophilius that had her thinking again of Percy’s tangle of a love life. So, giving father and daughter a night to themselves, Panda made her way down to the beach just in time to watch the prism of colours from the setting sun reflecting off the waters.

Antonin could see early on that his companion was very different than him. He had to reign his normal demeanor in slightly. He wondered if she felt the same towards him. “Theatrical spells?” he asked, trying to hide his obvious disgust. He did his fair share of spells for show, but theater felt like it was pushing it. “Friends mostly. People I met in school. Their families. Ministry. Folks who trusted me because of the last name.” He paused. It probably would have been easier if he had still been speaking to his father, but he had done fairly well for himself. “I suppose the papers could work.”

Percy was lucky he had a stable job. But they had stability in different ways. Pandora with Luna and Percy with his career. Though Percy guessed that a toddler didn’t always seem the most stable. Percy wasn’t sure what the proper milestones were for children, but regardless he was happy to hear of Luna’s accomplishments. “Going to have to child proof the house soon,” he said. “You know how you used to get into everything as a kid.”

He knew Pandora would be taken aback, he was still getting used to it himself, but her reaction was much more extreme than he had been anticipating. He thought that she would at least be supportive. He hadn’t prepared for a conversation where she wasn’t. Then it clicked when she said it and he shook his head quickly to move them on. “No,” he said, matching the surprised tone she had taken on. He meant what he said to Aleia, that he didn’t think he could be tied down to one person, but he wouldn’t cheat. “I’m dating them both. They’re dating each other. We’re all…” He trailed off. “Merlin, it took a lot of talking to get there, but I think we figured it out.”

Pandora laughed and shook her head. “You’re about eighteen months too late on that, I had to child-proof things when all she could do was shuffle about on her tummy and grab at anything in reach. All this means is now she’ll be trying to cause mischief when we aren’t there to see but at least anything dangerous is already covered. Or it is until she starts doing accidental magic.” Hopefully that was still a long way off. Panda didn’t think she could cope with that just yet.

“I’ll have to take you sometime,” Aleia said, smiling softly. And for a second, she wondered why she was so invested in Pandora’s life. Was it because of Percy? Because she wanted to believe that she could fit into his family well? It was maybe that, at least partly, but Pandora had drawn her in; had made her feel welcome during a time where she couldn’t have felt more like an outsider if she had tried. The least she could do was buy Luna dresses. It wasn’t like she had anyone else to spoil, at least not in that age range. “We can paint the town with Luna. I mean, you don’t think I’m letting you out of there without trying something on.”

A wink followed her words, but she nodded along to Pandora’s musings about the school. “It’s not perfect by any means,” she said, with a sigh. “But sometimes I think I might have been better off. Beauxbatons was a majority women but we still had… well I’m sure you know.” Her smile was soft, but she could feel Alexander’s gaze on her even now. Even in death. He was a ghost that didn’t seem to want to haunt her; a ghost that only showed up when it was convenient for him. A wave of her hand followed, though, and she was grinning at Pandora’s definition of the word fun. “Oh come off it,” she laughed. “You know exactly what I meant. It doesn’t have to be scandalous.” In fact, Aleia was growing tired of scandal these days. She wanted something simple. “The beach?” Her ears perked at the words, and she tilted her head ever so slightly. “The beach can be fun, you know, if you let it.”

“A girls’ shopping trip?” she mused. “That sounds like fun. I’m not sure I remember the last time I had one of those where it wasn’t just Luna and I. You should probably be warned, though, all little angels start to lose their patience shopping. I’m not sure it’s something any two year old could manage through without at least one tantrum.” For the most part, Luna was a good child, but she was by no means perfect and she was just as prone to feelings of frustration and sudden tiredness as any other child of that age. Anyone who wasn’t used to children would be surprised how such a normally well-mannered girl could switch emotions so abruptly. “I’ll try things on, because that’s part of the fun but I don’t need any more clothes for myself so you’re not letting me buy any of them.”

Pandora tilted her head, honestly not at all sure what to make of Aleia’s comment about Beauxbatons. She hadn’t even known the school was majority women. When it came to her adventures into other cultures, learning about their education systems was far from her mind. “I can’t say I know much about it at all. Did you not like it there, then?” Why else would Aleia think she would be better off somewhere else? It was a strange thought.

“Well, no,” she conceded. Scandal had grown less interesting in the years since leaving school, in all honesty. “It’s never quite the same with a young child, though. She has a wonderful time and I’m happy for that and it makes my life happy and fulfilling but it’s rarely the sort of fun that most adults are interested in hearing about in great detail. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beach. I practically live there.” Not just because of how close her house was to the coast, but in time spent on the same. “Again, it’s just a little different with a young child.” Becoming a parent did a wonderful job of making her aware of just how many dangers there actually were at the seaside, however keen she was to make sure Luna loved the place just as much as Panda always had.

Even though Percy’s life had been quite exciting lately - there was that threesome with Prewett and his boyfriend, the night at Brenton’s birthday, and many many confessions - he much preferred a day with his sister. A small part of him wondered if they would bring up Persephone at any point. He hadn’t seen her in quite some time and with the death of Sybill he supposed he should at least check about her health.

“Okay, fair enough,” he said. “I guess I was just hoping there’d be some juicy gossip anyway. I didn’t want to drop straight into my life story.” He took a sip of his drink, trying to figure out exactly what he was going to tell Pandora and how much. They knew quite a lot about each other and she’d gotten some of the basics, but he’d spare her the more intimate details. “She climbed down the stairs by herself?” He smiled, thinking that maybe his niece had some of his rebelliousness. Maybe he could get her a broom soon. “I know this is not the point of that story, but I think that’s great.”

Even though he wished he and his sister could have more wild times together like they used to when they were younger, he was at the very least glad that they were on speaking terms and that they could spend some time together. “While peas and fish fingers touching are certainly a hot button item, I do have to say my drama is at least a little more intense.” He took another sip of his drink. He was going to need it. “I think I’m dating two people.”

Panda smiled and shook her head. “It’s for the best. I don’t want those sorts of dramas in my life at the moment. More stable work would be nice but I know I can hardly complain about that when I quit the last one. I’m happy. It’s nice to just focus on Luna.” It was the truth, even though a voice in the back of her mind chose that moment to remind her that their parents’ sole focus on Effie had been the cause of so many of their issues growing up. “She did. On Wednesday. I went into the sitting room to find her playing with her mermaid dolls. Now we just need to be certain she can climb back up them again if she needs one of us.” Her smile showed she wasn’t really upset that Luna had done that. It was part of growing up, after all, and her curiosity was what helped her learn so fast. 

Antonin needed to stop spending time with people because it only led to more people seeking him out. He wanted to ignore the letter - he ignored plenty of letters - but he was feeling a bit more benevolent lately it seemed. He didn’t know Pandora Pembroke well, certainly not as well as he knew her brother, but he didn’t completely hate Perseus so perhaps this meeting wouldn’t be totally painful. 

He already ordered a drink before she got there. She wasn’t late, but she wasn’t on time either and that already grated on him. He’d be civil of course, but he wouldn’t enjoy this. “No problem,” he said evenly. Her letter had been vague and he almost wondered if she was here about her brother. He was relieved when she asked about work. “What kind of work? Or does that not matter?” He could sympathise with not wanted to work with the Ministry. “It’s about who you know in the beginning. But eventually you build up a reputation for yourself.”

with @pembrokesseeker

Who: @pembrokesbox​

Where: A beach in Ibiza

When: March 31, 1983

It was only two in the afternoon and Percy was pretty sure he was already drunk. He couldn’t remember the last time Panda and he had a day like this where they could just be on their own without curfews or a child around. Before Luna was born perhaps, and while he loved Luna with his whole heart, he was excited to get his sister alone. He had been going through his own personal drama lately and he was glad to catch up with Panda and see what was new with as well.

He wanted for them to be away forever, but it was only a short true, which was more than he should ask for. He was being selfish and he knew it. “Okay,” he said. “One more drink and then I’ll bring you into all the recent drama in my life.” He stretched slightly. “Do you want to start us off?” 

She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this drunk but Pandora was glad she had taken Celeste up on her offer to have Luna for a couple of days so that she could sit on a beach with some cocktails and her brother. It felt heartless to say she had needed a break from being a mother but it was good to get away for a little bit. “With my drama?” she clarified with a laugh. “Percy, I have a two year old. Every day is a drama but not the sort you want to hear about. Only tantrums because which vegetables she likes changes on a daily basis and getting downstairs to find out that she’s climbed down the stairs by herself when she knows she’s supposed to wait until one of us is there to help her.”

Pandora hadn’t thought much of Antonin Dolohov in the past. Not beyond their being a year apart at Hogwarts (in polar opposite Houses) and later having similar careers. For a short time. Until Panda got cold feet, as she was wont to do. When she had been pushed to think of him, she considered him rather grumpy and closed off. She might even have suspected worse, though based on what she couldn’t say exactly. All those speculations, however, seemed misattributed when she found out that Antonin was friendly with Celeste. Celeste was the personification of the Sun and Pandora couldn’t believe she would ever be friends with someone less than good. Between that, her growing friendship with Aleia Dolohov, and the hankering that had recently been bouncing around her mind, she felt drawn to contact him.