put on your war paint

—

The holiday break was always an odd time for Poppy. She would consider returning home, even just for a moment to see the children and offer anything better for even a weekend. Then she was convinced almost instantly by a student who wanted to stay over holiday break or a teacher who promised they would catch up over tea and she was reminded that she left for a reason, and this was exactly what she wanted. An independent life where she was and could be, exactly who she wanted. Which wasn’t a mother to children who weren’t even hers. Hearing her name, Poppy popped her head up in surprise before offering the former student a kind smile. ‘ Penny. ‘ She greeted, turning in her seat. ‘ It’s Poppy. Madam always makes me feel so old. ‘ She gently laughed. The student had found herself in the nurses’ wing several times, but it was never something that she had been bothered by. Penny was kind and appreciative, and if she remembered correctly, had actually gone into the career herself. ‘ Oh you can only spend so much time in that castle before you need some new scenery. And I refuse to ask the elves to do anything outside of normal feeding hours. I always feel bad. ‘ She rambled, not realizing how long she had actually gone on for. ‘ You’re at St. Mungos now right? Gosh how are things there? ‘

~

Penny had loved Hogwarts but she didn’t think that she loved it enough to want to work there, not that she was qualified to teach or anything. Maybe one day she could go for a career day type thing to encourage more students to try out being a mediwitch, but that was some time in the future. And she wasn’t sure that she would want other people to follow in her footsteps either. After the things that she had seen...sometimes she closed her eyes and she still saw some of the scenes that she had responded to. But Penny did know that she was making a difference, which made it all worth it. At least she hoped so. 

“Right, sorry it’s just a habit,” she said apologetically. It was always strange to see a professor outside of Hogwarts, but it was also a reminder that her professors were people too and that they had lives after the students went to sleep. “It’s nice to see you again. How are things?” She asked her. Penny nodded her head. “It must get boring up at the castle this time of year, hm?” She mused. “I miss the food sometimes, it was always nice being able to have whatever I wanted. Now I have to make my own food,” she laughed, unless her mum made dinner, which was pretty frequent. At her question, she nodded her head. “I am, i’m a mediwitch. It’s been... busy. I’m on break right now, I worked a shift and then I’m covering for someone that needed some time off.” 

~

“God, I can only imagine what you might get as requests. A rubber duck might actually be the tamest.” She stifled a chuckle, trying to think how she’d even surprise Arthur with the gift. Not that it’d be hard, she could have always just let the boys distract him while she did what she needed to. It felt like it was hard for her to shop for anyone that wasn’t Arthur or her sons; she had come in here for other people and ended up with another gift for her husband. 

“Ah, right.” Molly nodded, “Yeah, go ahead, I’m sure there’s a lot of things you need to sort out. Ask away, so long as you’re not asking anything too personal.” 

~

Penny smiled, she thought that it was cute that she was looking for something for her husband. “I think that my mum will be able to handle that just fine,” she agreed. “Does your husband have any favorite colors? And are you thinking a realistic rubber duck or maybe something more cartoon-esque?” She questioned, glancing down at the parchment. She had heard of other wizards being intrigued by Muggle culture before, so it certainly wasn’t the most outrageous request that her mother had gotten before.

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s nothing too personal at all!” She replied. “When are you thinking that you want this by? Christmas? And how big of a painting are you thinking?”

Severus sneered slightly, eyeing her carefully before answering. “I believe the phrase is Christmas in July.” He mused, although a month didn’t make it any better in his opinion. Christmas shopping at all was ludicrous, let alone starting six months before the event. “But either way I fail to see the appeal.” He sighed slightly, taking another drag off his cigarette and turning his head so that the smoke would blow away from his current company - an unexpected courtesy.

“You could say that.” He turned his attention back to her, glad to avoid the obvious change in her holiday habits without having to expressly state just how much he didn’t care. There was an obvious question there - exactly the type he tended to avoid. “I’m not one for any holiday.” Then an idea occurred to him, if he were able to swallow his pride for a moment or two. “But since you seem to be the expert,” He was still unable to say the word without at least a hint of sarcasm. “Perhaps I could get your opinion.”

~

“I’m familiar with the phrase,” she retorted, turning to face him. “I’m not talking about celebrating Christmas in July, which i’m fairly sure that’s what Christmas in July is. I’m talking about being out and about and seeing something for someone that you care about and buying it,” she snapped. She knew that people all had different ideas and things that they liked, but she was taken aback by how...rude he was. She shrugged her shoulders. “Some people show how much they care about someone with carefully picked out gifts. Some people show it in other ways. It’s not that deep,” She told him. But she appreciated him blowing his smoke away from her. 

Penny glanced at him, glad that he didn’t ask. She wasn’t interested in crying in Hogsmeade over what was her first Christmas without her best friends. She nodded her head. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more people joining in that sentiment this year.” Things just seemed so much darker than they had in the past. She was hoping that next year it would be better, but she wasn’t convinced. Nothing would bring back Hestia or Wendy regardless but she didn’t want to go through this pain again. Raising an eyebrow, she glanced at him. “Sure, I’ll help, even with that attitude you have.”

-

Daisy was having a difficult time this season. Christmas was always so special for her and her parents and she was having a hard time facing it without them. She had been keeping her distance from the house as much as possible. She thought that decorating for the holiday would make her feel better, but seeing all the pieces she and her mother had picked out together over the years only made it more difficult. So, Daisy had been doing her rounds, checking in on friends to see how their season was going. There was so much happening in the world around them, so much darkness and sadness, it was definitely a hard time of year for everybody.

Penny hadn’t always been her friend. It wasn’t as if the pair of them hadn’t gotten along, they simply didn’t know each other. But Daisy had been friends with Wendy since she was young, the Slinkhards had been close with her own family for a long time, and since Wendy passed, Daisy made sure to keep in touch with Penny. The poor girl had lost her two best friends in the same night, she could only imagine how difficult that was for her. She’d been to the gallery a few times since getting to know Penny, and assumed that would be the best place to look for her.

“Hey, Penny.” Daisy greeted with a smile as she pushed open the door. “I just wanted to come say hi. I’m having a hard time being at home right now, so I thought this might be a nice place to visit.”

~

Penny was ready for the holiday season to be over. She hated that she was in such a bad place, it made her feel guilty that her family had to worry about her which just in turn made her feel much worse. She knew that her parents were trying so hard to make this season not so awful, but there was a huge hole in her chest whenever she thought about how Hestia and Wendy should be there. Last year they had had so much fun decorating their flat for Christmas. It had looked like Christmas had exploded in their living room, and now she didn’t even know where those decorations had gone. She thought that Wendy’s family might have claimed a lot of them, but she couldn’t be certain. 

Looking up as the bell jangled, a small smile formed on her lips when she saw Daisy approaching. Wendy had always spoken so highly of Daisy, but Penny had never made an effort to know the younger girl when Wendy was still alive. She didn’t know why. But ever since Daisy had sought her out after the attack, she didn’t feel so entirely alone. Daisy was feeling the same thing, or some sort of the same thing, and it was nice. Penny knew that it was what Wendy would have wanted, for them to be friends. She only wished that Wendy was there to see them.

“Hi Daisy. It’s always nice to see you,” she said. She nodded her head. “I know the feeling. You’re more than welcome to stay, the company would be nice. It’s been pretty slow today,” She admitted. “How are things?”

-

Abbotts. A family fallen from grace and turned traitor. Disgraceful, to be sure, but unlike his true kin, Evan played the perfect public face, pleasant to all and beloved by all in return. He enjoyed keeping his social circle as wide as possible, all the easier to gain information,  so why not attend a new gallery he’d heard of that just so happened to be run by the once proud Abbotts? He dressed for the occasion, the black leather pants highlighting the musculature of his legs while the black shirt and deep purple waistcoat did the same for his torso; it was a perfect look for a perfect wizard. He stepped into the gallery all charming smiles and, sooner than expected, was greeted by one of the traitor’s themselves. “Well good morning, Penny isn’t it? You’re the middle Abbott?” he deep voice open and oh-friendly.

“I’ve a dear friend who’s had nothing but praise for your family’s latest venture and I couldn’t keep myself away. Oh, where are my manners, Rosier, Evan Rosier.” A true member of the Sacred Twenty Eight and well-known name in many societal circles, “Might I have a look around?”

~

Penny glanced up at the man standing there, furrowing her brow when he said her name. She didn’t think that she had ever seen him before. It was always a bit unsettling when people that she didn’t know knew who she was, but it was just another reminder of what her family had been at one point. She was grateful that her family had made the choices that they had, she couldn’t imagine living like the so called ‘purebloods’. She remembered seeing them at school and thinking that their lives seemed so stuffy. She loved that she had had the freedom to do as she wanted as a child. She had spent most of her childhood running around Godric’s Hollow and playing outside. Her mother had never tried to make them wear dresses that were uncomfortable or make them sit still for hours at tea parties. “Oh, um, yes. That’s me,” she told him with a small smile on her lips. 

When he introduced himself, she nodded her head. “It’s nice to meet you,” she told him, recognizing the last name. “I’m glad to hear that your friend enjoyed our gallery, my mother has put a lot of work in. Feel free to look around, if you have any questions I’m happy to answer them. My mum also does commissions as well.”

He hated Christmas. He hated it more than he hated almost anything, which for a man who didn’t find joy in most things, was saying something. But he had invited Ivy to the castle to spend the holiday with him, which had seemed at the time a good idea. And it was - someone like minded to spend the day with would keep him sane and, dare he say it, in good spirits. But on the other hand, he had to get her something, didn’t he? It would be rude to offer to host her without a gift, wouldn’t it? Even if the premise had been that they both hated the damn day. 

But as he wandered the streets of Hogsmeade on his afternoon off, he was lost. He’d never gotten anyone a present. Ever. He’d rarely received them. He stopped, leaning against the opening to an alley and lighting a cigarette, eyeing the other shoppers’ bags enviously as they passed. “How the hell do people do this every year?” He mused out loud, raising his eyebrow at the closest person to him. 

~

The memories today were a little less painful as she wandered around Hogsmeade. Some of her best memories with Wendy and Hestia had been at Hogsmeade when they would go on weekends. She had her first date to Hogsmeade and afterwards the trio had hid in the Three Broomsticks to gossip about it. She hadn’t been back to Hogsmeade since last year, but her mother was thinking about renting out space in Hogsmeade for a second gallery and she had agreed to come with her. Her mother was talking with one of the shop owners and had told her to wander around. 

Stopping in front of one of the shops, she sighed. She was suddenly confronted with the ghost of the past when things had been easier and happier. Penny nearly jumped when she heard a sudden voice beside her, and she turned to face him. “I used to start Christmas shopping in June,” she mused, a sad smile on her lips. “But this year feels different,” she told him. “Not a Christmas fan, hm?” She asked. 

~

“Ah, sisters, aren’t they just such a double edged blade? Sometimes you can live with them, and other times, you wonder how others are managing to cope with your bloodline.” He’d never want to be rid of his twin; and the reason he hated his parents so much was due to how they treated Alecto. To him, there were no parents in their lives, and he was happier due to it. It was just considered more of a death wish for someone to do anything against Alecto.

Whether it was the threat of her wrath or his that drove it to being a death wish was up in the air. “A pleasure to meet you, Penny. Quite the name, they do tend to offer a penny for ones thoughts, after all.” He shot back another drink, not quite feeling anything. His tolerance was quite high, after all. 

“This club isn’t suited for those that aren’t used to it, though. I do insist you stay by me, hm? I’m a marvelous host and I am a massive fan of having the prettiest ladies on my arm.” He offered his arm out to her, “Come on, now, best to show you around and let the workers know I’d prefer you be kept away from the more devious attendees.” 

~

“True,” she said with a laugh. She didn’t know what she would do without her sisters these days, but they did drive her crazy sometimes. “I love them but sometimes they’re a bit much.” It was pretty ridiculous that they had dragged her out only to ditch her a few moments later. She knew they meant well and that hey wanted her to get out of her own head, but it was hard sometimes. Penny would have to figure it out, how to go on without her best friends. 

“It’s nice to meet you too,” she told him. Penny laughed. “I’ve heard that one plenty over the years,” she agreed. “I guess it goes with the name.” There had been a time when she wished that her mom had given her a flower name like Violet but then Josie had been born and it didn’t matter anymore.

Penny knew that she should have said that she needed to go find her sisters but she found herself wrapped up in Amycus’s charm. “I guess that would be okay,” she finally said after a moment, feeling her cheeks turn pink. “Well, thank you. For um, everything.” 

It was his favorite time of year - he was determined that this year would be no different, although even he was having trouble staying merry and bright. But that’s what whiskey was for, right? He took another sip from his bottle at the thought, sighing happily as he turned back to the tangled strand of lights, cursing himself for putting them away so haphazardly the year before. At least when he plugged them in they’d all lit up. He hadn’t exactly gotten permission to decorate the house, but he couldn’t imagine anyone would mind. 

He caught a movement over his shoulder and tossed an oversized plastic candy cane to whoever it was without really looking. “Put these by the front door, will you?" 

~

Penny had been at home, avoiding her family, when Dumbledore had asked her to deliver a message. She had jumped at the chance to get out of the house and to do something productive for the Order. It was one of the few times when she felt like her old self, when she was doing something to help destroy the people that had taken her best friends from her. So she had quickly thrown on her coat and apparated to Sirius’s place. She was taken aback when she saw all of the Christmas decorations strewn about the lawn and Sirius in the middle of tangled lights. She stood there, unsure of what to say or do when Sirius seemed to realize that she was standing there.

Catching the candy cane, she turned it over in her hands. “Sure,” she said with a shrug, moving to put them where he said to. “I have a message from a mutual friend,” she offered as an explanation for why she was there. 

~

“Ah, right you are, darling. They are selfish–but it’s far more important to know that it’s perfectly healthy to be selfish. But it can be awfully ignorant of them to pretend that they won’t have to face a growing fire, hm?” Amycus grinned, gesturing to the bartender for drinks. He couldn’t place her face, and that was something he wasn’t familiar with at all. Actually, it just wouldn’t be something he’d be fine with at all. “Yes, yes, Amycus Carrow, I own this club with my twin sister, Alecto.”

He held out a hand, one that was rather dangerous if you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into beforehand. “I won’t bite you, darling, not unless you ask me to. Do tell me your name, hm? And why is such a wallflower like yourself here in Delirium? This isn’t usually a club that suits the quiet type, dear.”

~

It was rather nice to have someone actually agree with her. She was surrounded by optimists who saw the good in everyone, and there had been a time that Penny had been the same way. But that part of her had died with Hestia and Wendy and she wasn’t sure that she would ever get it back. “Maybe,” she agreed. “I guess I would rather people own it if they’re being selfish instead of making you think that you’re crazy for thinking that.” Glancing around the club, she looked back at him. “It’s nice. My sister comes here all the time. It’s um, nice to meet you.” 

Penny glanced back at him, hesitating. She knew that her sister wanted her to get out there but she wasn’t sure this was what she had intended. But she reached her hand out for his anyways. “Oh, I’m Penny Abbott,” she introduced. “It was my older sister’s idea. Like I said, she loves coming here. And she’s been bugging me to come with her so I finally gave in.”

~

“Ah…” Molly thought for a moment, honestly at a loss for what on earth she was even thinking. “You know–I might actually want something for my husband.” She said finally, figuring his office could use something that wasn’t just photos of her and the boys. Sure, he loved the photos, but she wanted him to also remember to keep his spirits up. Molly didn’t want to lose the man she fell in love with to a war. “…He really likes muggle culture, you see. He’s a bit of a dork–but he’s my special dork.” 

Molly fiddled with her fingers a bit, “…He mentioned something called a rubber duck? Would it be weird to request a painting of one? It sounds silly but–he needs some cheering up. I think if he had it in his office, he’d be more positive.”

~

Penny could see the uncertainty on the other woman’s face. She felt a little bad that she had been the one to put it on her face but she was just doing her job. These were the questions that her mum had taught her to ask when it came to buying different art pieces. When the other woman changed her mind, Penny nodded her head. “I’m sure that we have something that you could get for him that’s perfect,” Penny encouraged. It was rather cute the way that she talked about her husband, Penny hoped that one day whenever she met ‘the one’ she could talk about him like that.

“No, that’s totally not weird,” Penny replied. “You wouldn’t believe some of the weird requests that we get here, that one is by far not the weirdest thing I’ve heard before,” she reassured. She leaned down under the counter and grabbed the notebook that they took all order requests in. “I am sure that my mum could come up with something. I’m just going to need some information, okay?”

where | leaky cauldron who | poppy + open 

December was Poppy’s always at the top of her list for reasons to be angry. Excluding the impending holiday that was quickly approaching, it was always cold, always gloomy and the sky was never as pretty or colorful as it should’ve been. Granted, it was hard to get color in England at any point, but at least fall and spring gave you bright trees and new flowers. But none-the-less, this was what was running through her head as she wandered through the shops in London. Just down the street from the hidden Leaky Cauldron, she found herself inside a muggle medicine shop and was wandering through the aisles, curious about remedies that didn’t contain odd plants that didn’t exist on this plane.

Finally deciding that she should wander around a wizard shop to at least help her with her job, Poppy tightened the wool coat around her sweater and begged for the wind not to knock her over as she exited- thankfully, it was answered. She hurried into the Leaky Cauldron and was immediately sucked into the warmth and idea of bar food, she slithered out of her coat and into a bar stool. ‘ Butterbeer, please. ‘ she asked of the bartend. She glanced around the inn and just took in the magic of the place for just a second. Completely unaware of the person rambling in her direction.

~

Penny was in between shifts at St. Mungo’s, which was what brought her to the Leaky Cauldron. She had worked a twelve hour shift so far, and she was covering for a coworker for a few hours, but her boss had insisted that she get out of the hospital to get some air and have a change of scenery. It had been a particularly busy shift and she had attended almost a dozen calls for various injuries and accidents across London. There had been a time when she loved her job, and she still did to a point, but it was different now. She had naively believed that she could save every single person and everyone would live happily ever after, but she realized now how wrong she was.

Glancing up from the bar where she was waiting for her dinner, she had figured while she was there she might as well eat dinner, she spotted Poppy Pomfrey. “Hi Madam Pomfrey,” Penny had always liked Poppy, although it was strange to think of her as that. She was so used to her being the Hogwarts matron who had taken care of her numerous times over her years at Hogwarts. Merlin, she had been part of the inspiration for Penny pursuing a career as a mediwitch. She offered her a small smile. “It’s good to see you. What brings you into London?”

HOLIDAY STARTER ; 

It seemed like a ball of hypocrisy to see so many people suddenly pretend like they were having the time of their lives. But, Amycus figured that just meant he had more options to see who would be willing to feign a liking for him in honor of the Christmas Spirit. “Oh, how quaint, it’s almost like there wasn’t a massacre not long ago.” He snorted, tapping fingers along his own arm. “Ah, but what the hell, yes? Let’s all be in this together! One big happy family. Of course, I don’t give family discounts so everyone still has to pay for their alcohol in the club.”

~

Violet and Josie had insisted that they go out clubbing, despite Penny’s reluctance and excuses, their mother had encouraged her to go and said it would be good to be among people. But all Penny wanted was to curl up in her bed and read a book or pretend that Christmas was rapidly approaching. She was taken aback by the sudden voice beside her, and she looked over at him. “People are selfish and don’t care if it doesn’t personally affect them,” Penny said softly, glancing back at all of the happy people. “Oh, do you own this place?” she asked.

Gift buying was never Rabastan’s forté, putting his name under nice gifts was what he excelled at, before he could ask either Rodolphus or Bellatrix to get something for him to give his mother under the excuse he wasn’t even in the country and couldn’t make for the holidays because of work, now? His excuses had run out. So he entered the gallery with his mind set 

“I need something absolutely hideous.” He announced, he was tired and if his requirements felt under deaf ears maybe someone high powered figure from above could hear his plea and strike him for being so unfilial, and then he coul skip the Yuletide due to a coma. “I keep trying to give my mom nice things, but she always hates them. So fuck nice things, right? What do you guys have hidden in some forgotten storage room that would never sell otherwise?”

~

Penny was grateful whenever a potential customer came through the doors. It had taken her mother years to gather the courage to open the gallery and to put her artwork out there. Of course Penny had always known that it was great and that her mother was really talented, but her mother had a tendency of being too critical about herself. 

But his request made her raise an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” She asked, her voice defensive as she glanced around the gallery. Why would someone come in here and make a request like that? “That’s rude,” she informed him, with a frown. When he opened his mouth again she was about to ask him to leave before he explained what he was looking for. Her annoyance quickly turned to some sort of pity, she couldn’t imagine having a mother like that. “Well...” she bit down on her lip. “I don’t think that my mother makes hideous artwork. It’s all beautiful,” she countered to him. “But maybe we can find something that your mother will hate on principal because of what the painting depicts. Does she have any strong dislikes of things?” 

It was an odd experience to say she finally had female friends to buy for. Most of them either were no longer fond of her or weren’t exactly the kind of people to get gifts for. Even so, she didn’t want to look awful for not thinking ahead, and didn’t want that to reflect poorly on Arthur as a result. “Oh, hi– yeah, actually, I’m trying to buy two gifts for some friends? I don’t really think I’m good at this, I have sons and I forgot how to buy for female friends.”

~

Penny felt her heart constrict at the other woman’s words, but she forced herself to nod. “Yeah, of course. I can help with that. Do you know what they like?” She asked. “Like...would they want a nature themed piece of art or something more abstract? We have canvases for sale, but we also have smaller pieces and my mother is always happy to talk about custom orders. She occasionally does portrait sessions as well,” Penny listed off. Focusing on the work and what she knew made it easier to ignore the tinge of grief. 

Penny had been working crazy hours between her work as a mediwitch and shifts at her mother’s gallery in Godric’s Hollow. Anything to keep her mind off of Christmas was good enough for her. There had been a time when Christmas was her favorite time of year, she would start to do her Christmas shopping in June some years, picking up things that made her think about the people in her life. Which was why it was so painful that she had gifts for Hestia and Wendy that she could never give them locked in a box, shoved in the back of her closet. She wanted to forget that they were there but they kept burning a hole in her heart. Her mother had suggested working in the gallery might do her some good, and it had some. But it had been an hour or two without anyone passing through and she was starting to get antsy.

Which was why she perked up when the bell above the door jingled. “Welcome to the gallery can I help you?”