Zoë Ollivander

He tries to smile but it comes out like a grimace. He hands her the stems fully.

“I know, Z.” 

Benjy hopes he looks as chagrined as he feels.

“It’s….different at work. I dunno. I’m not the best at it instantly, you know? And as much as this will make me sound like an arrogant bastard, I’m not used to that. So when Amelia gets like that with me I get…shitty.”

He sucks on his teeth and shifts on his feet.

“Not an excuse but it’s a reason, you know?”  Benjy swallows hard.

“But I should’ve you know, not at booze at work. Apparently.”

She smiles looking at the stems, appreciating the humor that he had. 

“I get that your work is difficult and I’ve always been proud that you’re an auror. I think I just don’t ever wanna see you mess up or having something happen that ruins your job,” she looks at him concerned.

“I only ever want the best for you, you moron!” 

She opens the door fully and moves aside so he can enter. 

The kiss broke rather naturally and Edgar stared into her eyes as she spoke, almost lost in how beautiful they were.  “What?” he asked, truly shocked by her words.  “You… had a crush on me?”  He let out a small chuckle and placed a soft kiss on her lips.  “You’re so… amazing, I wish I had taken notice to you sooner.”  Of course, Edgar was always off trying to keep up to date on everything.  He didn’t purposely ignore her, he simply wasn’t looking for anyone in a romantic sense.

Hell, he wasn’t looking when Zoe happened.  Sometimes, love just fell into your lap like that.  It was something his mother always told him, that love would happen naturally for him and that it wouldn’t be forced or negative.  Could this be love?  What were they?  Ed honestly wasn’t sure if he was ready for a relationship, but he could be ready for one if it was with Zoe.

He held her close as she laughed and hid her face in his shoulder.  “Merlin, Zoe.  You never cease to bring a smile to my face.”

Zoe’s nose crinkled as she held in an awkward nervous laugh. She didn’t know how to feel at the declaration, that he hadn’t really noticed her at first. It made her feel slightly pushy and forceful. She scooted herself off his lap and sat at the opposite end of the sofa flattening, down her skirt. 

“I’m glad that I can make you smile, everyone deserves to smile.” She looked at him for a few moments, questioning. Was he just being polite in returning her advances or was he generally interested in her. Her head started to spin mainly from the alcohol but also due to the way she was replaying all their encounters in quick succession.

“I should probably get going,” she stood up playing with the hem of her shirt. 

“Oi!”

Sawyer chuckles and retaliates by tickling Zoe’s sides. Their laughter fills the empty shop, a welcomed change to the usual sounds of his swearing and stomping around. It had been a long time since he’d had this much fun. He was happy to make her happy. “Big mistake, Ollivander!”

He wraps his arms around her for a moment and squeezes tight so she can’t get a grip on her weapon of choice - the cushion. Then his eyes lock with hers and he cannot help himself. Sawyer doesn’t think, he just presses his lips against hers. It feels right, natural. But he pulls away, embarrassed that maybe this wasn’t a mutual feeling. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry…”

“Don’t swear,” she murmurs under her breath as her hands run through his hair and she pulls him in for another kiss. She didn’t know what had come over her as she kept this going letting her hands explore his down his back. It felt nice and familiar. 

She pulls her lips away and takes a breathless moment to peer into his eyes. His face was a familiar sight for her and she knew all of the little nuances that made him unique. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” she whispers, letting her hands clasp his shoulder blades not wanting to break the contact. 

“So Scamander, is there anywhere more private we could go?”

Ed continued to trace those patterns, happy to be so close to Zoe.  She was becoming a very important person in his life and he didn’t want to ever lose her.  “Nothing else,” he repeated, his voice a whisper as she placed little kisses along his neck.  He enjoyed the little sign of affection, something he wasn’t quite used to.

“She’s quite the firecracker, that Amelia,” he chuckled as she placed the imaginary crown on his head.  “Thank you, thank you,” he smiled, glad that she didn’t push any other issues.

They made eye contact for a few long moments before she kissed him deeply.  It took him by surprise as he slowly relaxed into the deep and passionate kiss.  He needed this, more than he wanted to let on.  Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and tried to pull her onto his lap.

Zoe let him guide her onto his lap and placed her arms loosely on her shoulders, pulling away from his lips. “Can I make a confession?” she smiled, letting her fingers play with the collar of his shirt. “I have always had a crush on you and never thought you would notice me as I’m just a dorky blonde girl that teaches and makes wands.”

Ed continued to trace those patterns on her arm, enjoying the feeling of the soft fabric against his fingers.  “Agreed.  There’s… almost no way we can anymore.”  He stopped tracing patterns for a moment.  “But for tonight… we can at least try.”  There was so much weight on Edgar’s shoulders that he wasn’t quite sure if he could handle it all for very much longer.

Worrying his lip, Ed thought for a more embarrassing story.  “A long time ago, back when I was like nineteen or something, I went to a bar with my uh- partner.”  He wasn’t quite ready to confess to Zoe that his first real significant other was a man.  “And we got to drinking… a lot.  And I hadn’t eaten all day and you know how that always ends: me shitfaced trying to make sense of everything.”  He paused for a moment.  “I didn’t have my wand on me and he left me at the bar, I dunno where the hell he went.”  He wasn’t even sure where he was going with this rambling story.  “Anyways, I’m pretty sure that I stumbled out of the bar, nearly got hit by a car… woke up in a stranger’s flat.  Turns out that stranger wasn’t really a stranger.  She went to school with Ames and the next thing I knew, Amelia was there, reaming me out in front of this girl I didn’t know.”

He exhaled slowly.  “You’re always so kind, Zoe.  I wish that… that you could see what I see when you smile.”

Zoe rested her head on Ed’s shoulder and took a deep breath in, listening to his breathing as they sat there for a few moments in silence. “Tonight only this room matters nothing else,” she murmured into his neck with little kisses. Everything felt settled and safe, a something she hadn’t known in a while.

A laugh escaped as Ed relayed his story, Zoe could imagine Amelia and the scene playing out in front of her. She lifted her head up from his shoulder and caught his gaze, a smirk working its way onto her lips. “I think you win being told off by a sibling is definitely an embarrassing situation, then when you consider being told off in front of a stranger you take the crown.” She playfully pretended to place a crown on his head and took a bow. 

Zoe looked up at him through her eyelashes, her cheeks heating up as she made eye contact. Leaning in she kissed him deeply not stopping or pulling away.

Ed turned and looked at her when he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.  “Magic… duh…”  He had grown so used to doing things without magic that it was becoming second nature.  He sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her and allowing his hand to rest gently on her shoulder.

“Confess away,” he exhaled, clearly also tipsy as well.  When she admitted to it, he let out a chuckle as his fingers traced patterns along her upper arm.  “It is, isn’t it?” he asked, not taking his eyes off her.  All he wanted to do was kiss her, but was that too forward?

“Ah, yes, I did, didn’t I?”  He thought for a few long moments.  “I was eight and climbing the tree out back that I wasn’t supposed to climb with Amelia.  It wasn’t the sturdiest of trees, and mum hated when we would goof off on it.  But the tree started shaking.  Obviously I got scared and went to hop off, but my foot got caught and I was hanging upside down from the tree for a few minutes until mum finally came out and got me down.”  Pause.  “Did I learn my lesson?  Course not, I was back in that tree the next day.  That bloody tree…”  It wasn’t all that embarrassing, but it was the first story that came to mind.

The man glanced away, but continued to trace those patterns on her arm.  “You look beautiful tonight.”

Zoe rested her hand on his upper thigh, feeling comforted as he traced the patterns across his arms. The night had been more than she expected and she was starting to feel less nervous about rejection. “It is the most precious gift at the moment, being able to forget the outside world,” she inhaled deeply.

“I’m sure it was the trees fault and not the child that insisted on climbing it,” she smirked with an eye-roll. “However, I don’t think that counts as embarrassing, everyone ends up hanging upside down at point as a child!” Zoe turned to him with a smile. “Any embarrassing drunk stories? I once ended up in the wrong shop at Diagon Alley, poor Florean was petrified to find me fast asleep in the backroom!” 

A vivid blush spread across her cheeks. She was use to being complimented but from him it made her feel like a teenager again and she couldn’t help but feel shy. “Thank you, you look handsome tonight although you always do.” 

Sawyer thinks this may have been the greatest idea he’s ever had, as he stares into Zoe’s brown eyes, their lips inches from each others. He watches her dance for awhile, hardly paying attention to his own ridiculous movements. He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed this, being with her. She moved so effortlessly, free of all the problems in the world - in this moment she was in her own, and he was just satisfied to be there to witness it, in awe of her.

When the song ends, Sawyer removes the pin from the record and returns to his seat next to Zoe. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun. While he enjoyed working on getting his new shop up and running, it was still work. It was about time he had some fun. “Please, you know you like my moves.” He feigns yawning and put his arm around her. There was a certain level of comfort with her that he hadn’t experienced with a girl in a long time. 

“I’m really glad you’re here Zoe. You know, I think I may have missed you.” 

Zoe contemplated what had just happened, as she felt his arm wrap around her. She lent slightly into him resting her head on his shoulder, with a sigh. It had been a long time since she felt any connection to her Hogwarts days, most her life now consisted on making sure it ran smoothly and students stayed out of trouble. She felt young for the first time in a while. “I know that I think a drunk ostrich would look slightly more graceful than you,” she smirks at him. 

Sawyer can’t help but to scoff at Zoe’s comment. To think that any of those girls were competition for her was ludicrous. He didn’t remember how soft their lips felt against his, or their fingers running gently through his hair, or them sighing as he trailed kisses down their necks - with Zoe he could account for every moment. “Well, you were quite mistaken.” Sawyer grins into another sip of champagne - trying not to dwell on a missed opportunity, instead remaining hopeful that he’d have another one.

“Speaking of Ravenclaw parties…..” 

Sawyer immediately turns and hurries off out of sight into a storage closet. He rummages through an untidy mountain of knick knacks and doohickies before finally returning with an old Gramophone, a huge smile plastered across his face. “You remember this tune?” Sawyer blows dust off a record, sets it onto the rusty device, and places the pin down. A funky tune begins to play with heavy guitar riffs and pounding drums. He struts over to Zoe and offers her his hand. “As I recall, you used to have some moves, or have you not had enough champagne?” He hardly waits for her to accept his invitation before pulling her up and twirling her around into his arms. Sawyer chuckles as he bobs his head and sways to the music, placing his hands on Zoe’s waist. 

Zoe gasps as she hears the song and before she can even reply she is dragged up off her feet by him. It was her favorite thing to do and she was flattered that Sawyer remembered her dancing days at Hogwarts. She let herself follow the music and sang along the best she could. “You know I don’t need any alcohol to get up and dance like a fool,” she mused at him resting her arms on his shoulders and letting her lips linger dangerously close to his before turning round and dancing by herself.

Ed reached in his pocket and threw a few coins on the counter (far more than enough to cover their drinks).  He felt as though the crowded bar was a little too impersonal at the moment.  He also was worried that people were staring, and that also made him nervous.  

Standing up, he smiled and took her by the hand.  “Hmmm… I don’t think the counter is all that comfy really,” he joked.  “But the couch on the other hand.  Very good for sleeping… and stuff…”  His place wasn’t quite as organized as it was when she came over before, but it still wasn’t messy.

He took a deep breath of the crisp air and couldn’t help but smile again when she kissed his cheek.  “Don’t mind if I do.”  He wrapped his arm around her, keeping a tight hold on her hand before apparating away to his place.  Because she was with him, it allowed her in through the wards.  

“Sorry it’s a bit of a mess.”  It wasn’t that messy.  It looked lived in.  Some of Ella’s things were scattered about, and the couch had a few pillows and a blanket on.  “I uh…”  He let go and immediately went over to start tidying up the couch a bit.  “Let me get this cleared off for you.”

Zoe shook her head as Ed started frantically tidying. “Its fine Ed,” she reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder blade. “Honestly the blankets will help as I’m bound to feel cold at one point!” Deciding to help she took her wand out from her pocket and flicked it causing the blanket folded itself into a perfect square and the pillows to align neatly on the couch, then she proceeded to sit down.

“Can I make a confession,” she turned to him with a relaxed smile. “I haven’t been this tipsy in a long time and it feels quite nice not having to worry about work or a million other things.” It was true normally she had an endless to-do list running through her mind or concerns about her students and order members, for once she was living in the moment. “It’s just nice to be enjoying the moment and the company.” 

She ran her finger through her hair and grinned, mischievously. “So, I do recall you saying that you would tell me an embarrassing story from your childhood?” 

Ed always found himself plagued with illogical thoughts.  He thought it was normal, that everyone dealt with it at some point and that meant it wasn’t a big deal.  But Zoe… Zoe made him feel as though he could believe her and that one day he’d be able to quiet those voices.

The man laughed as she leaned into his hand.  “The word cursed is awfully strong,” he teased.  “I’d say that you’re… blessed with an adorable face.”  With the comment on his hands, he let out an awkward chuckle.  “I remember those days.  It was always so cold in the castle.  That’s nice of the elves to knit you socks… they’re all so… kind.”

Edgar also wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, or something else.  He could sit here in comfortable silence with Zoe, holding her hands and just taking in all the different aspects of her face.  He took another sip of his drink, and looked at her.  “I… uh… you… uh…”  He was never great with his words, but Zoe left him a bit tongue tied.  “Did you.. “  Was he being too eager?  He wanted to go back to his place with her, but was honestly apprehensive that he was moving too fast.  “Did you want to get out of here?”

Zoe had never felt anything like the sensations that were coursing through her body, it was a mixture of excitement and nerves. She didn’t expect him to be thinking the same thing as her and it caused her stomach to swirl as she realized the desire she felt was being reciprocated. Despite the nerves she felt embolden by his words and the alcohol she had consumed.

“Where are you thinking?” she mused with a smile. Gently placing her hand into his and signalling for him to stand with her. “Maybe that really comfy sofa or kitchen counter again?” she smirked as she guided them out of the three broomsticks. Once outside she took a deep breath in of the fresh night air and looked round to Ed.  “Would you like to do the honors?” she whispered taking hold of his free hand and gently kissing his cheek. She had to fight the urge to kiss him on the lips knowing if she did, she wouldn’t be able to control herself. 

Edgar knew that Zoe was making amazing points to combat the nasty voice at the back of his head, but it was still very loud at times and all he ever wanted was for people to like him.  “I know you’re right,” he whispered.  “You make a lot of good points that I can’t logically counter.  But not all thoughts are logical.”

When she made the silly face, he laughed.  “You’re even more adorable when you do that.”  When she held her hand up to her cheek, he reached up and placed a hand over it.  “I could probably heal that for you.”  He didn’t mean for it to come across quite as flirty as it did.

Frowning, he squeezed her hand again.  “That’s good.  It’s important to be happy in what you’re doing.  What good is doing something if it doesn’t bring you joy?  I mean, sometimes you have to, but something like that… I’m just glad you’re happy now.”

Suddenly, she leaned across the table and kissed him gently.  His eyes closed and remained closed for a few moments after the kiss, not realizing he had been holding his breath.  Finally, he exhaled and opened his eyes.  “You… uh…”  He didn’t know how to react because she literally took his breath away with such a simple kiss.  He was treading in dangerous territory with Zoe, and that both scared and excited him.

Zoe nodded with an expression of empathy. She knew what illogical thoughts were like and sometimes they couldn’t be silenced easily. “Well, I’ll keep fighting against them with my amazing logic and one day they’ll be quiet.” 

“Am I cursed with a super adorable face,” she pondered as she lent into his hand on her cheek. It was warm and comforting. “You have really warm hands. I’m forever freezing in the castle and find it hard to keep warm,” she smiled, wondering if she could sneak him in as a human hot water bottle. “I’ve always felt the cold too much, the elves knit me socks to try to help but I always end up shivering.” 

She bit her lower lip, nervous that she was letting the alcohol affect her decisions too much. Everything with him felt exciting and easy, all she wanted to do was kiss him. She finished the last of her wine her, waiting to see if he would make the next move. As what was running through her mind may be too hasty and she didn’t want to risk being over eager. 

“No, just think it would be a good idea to have some reading material in the shop, a small bookshelf or two with a few comfortable chairs nearby. I want them to feel at home. That’s why I’ll also be selling my booze in the cellar.” Sawyer whispers and places a finger over his mouth. He really got a kick out of talking about his new shop, coming up with new ideas, and imagining the fun he was going to have running the place. 

“My alcoholic beverages were a big hit at Hogwarts, remember? Big hit on the streets here too. Can’t disappoint my customers by obeying the rules now, can I?” He watches Ruse climb out of her bag with a pouch full of treasure and scurry away. Sawyer reminded himself to retrieve it for Zoe later.

The next few sentences out of her mouth caused Sawyer’s mind to scramble, his brain was running to process the information but found itself stuck in some kind of mental mud. She fancied him? She’s single? This entire time he was convinced Zoe thought that night was a mistake - that he was the only one with hidden feelings. They hadn’t had a real discussion after the fact. They laughed about how drunk they were and that was that. This was interesting news, indeed. Sawyer ashes out his cigarette and gulps down some champagne, giving himself a bit more time to respond. He needed to control this excitement, not appear too eager. “You fancied me and never told me?” He couldn’t help himself. It was the only question he felt worth asking. Sawyer smiles and raises his eyebrows at Zoe. “How curious, we’re both single then. I’m afraid there are no girls running sprints for the fortune of my company at the moment. You, on the otherhand, wouldn’t have to break a sweat.”

He chuckles, thinking of how uninterested he’d been in girls these past few months. This shop had been his only relationship. His entire energy was geared to making this work. Now that he was sitting in it with Zoe Ollivander, his focus was shifting. 

“That is a smart business plan because the longer you stay the more you want to buy things that you were unsure about,” she smiles, impressed by his ideas. Zoe was glad to see that Sawyer was enthusiastic and forward planning as it meant he had higher chances of being successful. Although, she wasn’t too keen on the hushed tones regarding the alcohol.

“Yes they were always well loved and meant we had the best stocked house parties,” she laughed, turning her pockets back inside her coat. “Quickly made us the most popular house, everyone wanted an invite to a Ravenclaw party!” 

Zoe sat looking at him, gently sipping her wine as he contemplated what she just said. Was he disgusted at the fact she fancied him or shocked. She couldn’t tell and she sat starring into his blank face. Panic started to settle in as she felt her stomach churn and her cheeks being to heat. It was becoming awkward now and she wasn’t sure whether she should be the next to speak or simply just wait for him to say something. When he asked his question, she took a gulp and looked down at the table. “I didn’t think you would appreciate it considering you had quite a few beautiful girls hanging around you anyway,” she muttered as she turned the mason jar round watching the champagne bubbles rise to the top. A smile etched onto her face as he stated he was single to and a sense of relief washed over her. “That is lucky then isn’t it.”