purosangue

who : @raffaellaburke

Fingers twisting the doorknob to Borgin and Burke's shop on Knockturn Alley. Phoebe's heart had sank into her stomach at her father's request to pick up a parcel from the store. The store where Phoebe used to spend her summers with Raffaella Burke. Phoebe and Raff were once intertwined in every aspect of each others lives. What started as dormmates turned to best friends into once starry-eyed lovers.

The pair were inseparable, whispered secrets and jokes in classrooms became kisses snuck in stairwells of the Slytherin Common Room. Adrenaline coursed through Phoebe's veins at even a though of the interactions that only they knew about. Phoebe didn't like to reminisce on when the world weighed a little less on her shoulders, when her stomach experienced butterflies and her lips tender kisses. Happiness always had an expiration date and eventually the last grain of sand slipped from Raff and Phoebe's hourglass in June of their seventh year. The harsh sting of reality had set in, a bleak future of betrothals and schmoozing loomed too close. Snuffing out the flame that once was effervescent.

Her hopes of another clerk crashed and burned at the sight of Raff behind the counter. Phoebe was about to turn on her heel and walk away, when a small item let out a deafening curdling scream sensing the motion of her passing. "Shit," Phoebe muttered to herself, wincing at the sound.

Turning on her heel, Phoebe caught the gaze of Raffaella. Hoping that her face displayed an amiable expression, rather than a depiction of heartbreak. "I have a few errands to run and I believe my father owled in an order."

There were very few people who could see past Raffaella’s carefree persona, and Phoebe Parkinson happened to be at the top of the list. Serra had left only an hour before, leaving Raff alone in the shop. It was happening more often than not, and she was doing what she could to change it.

Jeff would be receiving a bat-bogey hex the next time he came in to work for this one.

Though she saw Parkinson written on the filled orders, Raff had assumed Phoebe’s father would be the one to come in for it. With her luck as of late, she should’ve safely assumed that wouldn’t be the case. It wasn’t like the two had a falling out, either; their own circumstances dealt the final blow. They’d agree to remain friends, as they always had been, but it was difficult. Beyond difficult, really, when they’d accidentally fall into bed together just as they first had in their dorm room. Space was necessary for them to heal, but that came with unbearable pain.

Her expression softened when Raff assured her that she was fine. While they may not have relationships any longer, she still wished all of them well. She had no ill will against any of them. Andromeda was sure the surprise was obvious on her features when asked how she was doing. Raff looked like she may bolt at any moment, but Andi would take advantage of the niceties and the opportunity to perhaps make amends. “I am, yes.” She couldn’t help the smile that brightened her face at the mention of her daughter. “Dora is six…..she’s perfect.” She admitted with a small laugh. “I’m really happy.” She wasn’t sure Raff wanted to hear that, but it felt important to say. “Is there anyone special in your life?”

Unlike many of her peers, Raff took no pleasure in mocking blood traitors. Though she had trouble understanding them and—yes, despised what they did to their family lines, she struggled hating them. To her, most of them were the people she grew up with, the ones featured in her Hogwarts memories, and they were still purebloods. While she knew she’d have to keep her distance, that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt her. Andromeda had an entire life Raffaella knew nothing about. In no way was she even a part of it. Her daughter was still young, she knew, but she wondered if the young girl would grow up without even knowing Raffaella’s name.

Ever since Raffaella had taken over for her father there had been questions directed at her asking when it her turn to join and work in the shop as well. It was called Borgin's & Burke's after all. What was the polite way to say absolutely not? She was way too pretty to work at a place with bad lighting, adding onto the fact of how stuffy it was. Even if the shop was fully renovated, it would have been a firm no. She was too pretty to work in general if you asked her. "Oh Salazar, no. My dad is not making me take over the shop. It's too dusty for me. I couldn't risk my hair to loose its shine and appear dull. It's one of my best features."

“Love, that makes two of us,” Raffaella chuckled as her lifelong friend and stand-in coworker pouted behind the counter. The customer she’d left Serra with was a loyal one who’d been coming there for years; she and her father knew him well, so there was no real harm done. Frankly, she’d only sent her to the front of the shop for her own amusement. “Corvus,” she called to the confused elderly man standing by the cursed silverware. “Your delivery will be in tomorrow,” she reassured him as he lowered his head and took his leave.

"She's my responsibility." Alara was still innocent and saw the good in people, he didn't want her to know what all of them had done, what he had done. He knew she wouldn't understand and he didn't want her innocence to be taken away from her. "I tried that and she wasn't very receptive. Perhaps Miray will get through to her better than I can." He wanted to avoid worrying her unnecessarily, but if there was anyone he trusted in the world it was her. "You would do that?" He was surprised, clearly, but grateful. Believing everything was transactional he continued. "What is in it for you?" If she was doing him a favor he would be in her debt and he didn't like the feeling of owing someone. "She can't know I asked you to keep an eye on her."

"It's hardly an inconvenience," Raff reassured him, not wanting to seem so eager in helping. "The place is nearby, and I'm there often." Grabbing a piece of parchment to her right, she examined it for a moment, letting his works sink in. "What's in it for me, you say?" She gave it a moment, pretending to ponder. The top of the paper fell backward, and she caught his eye over top of it. "You tell me what your father is doing with his Pensieve potion, and I promise Alara will never know I'm watching her."

With her being a few years older than him, Raffaella really shouldn't have been so comfortable around Regulus. Even if they weren't friends at Hogwarts, she'd been friends with his cousins growing up. The Sacred 28 stuck together, frankly, and his shy personality drew her to him. Especially after Sirius and Andromeda's disownment, Raff found it in herself to be there for him when she could. It was a turbulent world, especially for their pureblood circles, and it could eat one of their own alive. If he didn't have right the people and protection around him, Regulus wouldn't stand a chance. As he reminded her, he was the only male heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and he'd have more pressure on him than ever before. "Are you looking for anything in particular? Because I hope you know our item quality puts Cobbs and Webbs," she spat the name of the rival shop with disdain, a smile fighting to overtake her lips, "to shame."

"I'm just worried about her. It's not the kind of crowd that's right for her or would be a good influence, so I want to know what I'm dealing with." If she'd been there more frequently he would have to worry but from what Raffaella said Alara wasn't there that often. Perhaps he was overreacting, taking his big brother schtick too far, but he couldn't help but feel responsible for her.

"It's sweet you're looking after your sister," she admitted. "But..." she stopped, fiddling with a quill on the counter. "Well, I get it," Raff amended, letting her eyes meet his again. "She's younger, and if she's adamant about going there, perhaps you can advise her to never go alone." Thinking for a few moments, she set the quill back down and nodded. "It's close by, obviously. I could keep an eye out, if you look like? Go in with her and keep her company if I see her?"

"A week?" She whined, though she was more than aware of his requested time off. "Thompson, you're so lucky I enjoy looking at you. I'm hoping our next hire will rival you in looks, at the very least." It was a jest, mostly. The Borgins had reached out to Raff's father recently, and they'd decided it was time to hire more staff. Unfortunately, that left her in charge of the hiring process. "You've been working for us for a bit, though. Is there anything you'd like to personally see in a coworker?" Raffaella asked, hoping to convey how genuine she was in her tone. Jeff had been a great worker for years now, and he was more than capable of managing their business. His input was valuable to her, even if she didn't take the management of the place seriously herself. After all, someone needed to be doing the grunt work.

"Alright." Emir allowed, keeping his doubts to himself. It would do no good to voice them when he'd just had her accept his apology a moment earlier. Switching the topic to one she might have insight on. He didn't want to talk to Miray about it and worry her unnecessarily. It was probably just him overreacting, but he would appreciate a second opinion. "I was getting a drink at the White Wyvern and ran into my little sister there. Have you seen her there before?"

Noticing him hesitate a bit, her eyebrows furrowed, and she leaned forward on the counter. "Alara?" She thought about it for a moment, and though she went to the White Wyvern often, she could only count the number of times she'd ran into Alara Selwyn on one hand. "I suppose a couple of times." Raff frowned at his tone. "Why?"

The woman was certainly gorgeous, and she berated herself for not inviting her out sooner. They ran in the same circles, held the same beliefs, it truly was a shame she had waited. No matter, she intended to make up for it now. An amused smile played on her lips as she set her glass aside, sitting forward and closer to Raffaella. "Really? Only your sixteen your old self? What about you currently?" She was teasing, but she was also curious.

She waved off the thanks. "I believe I asked you to join me for a drink, so I think I should be thanking you for such delightful company." She assured her. "Lined up, is it? You know flattery will get you everywhere Raffaella." She flashed her a smile and a wink. "No matter, I only have an interest in spending the evening getting to know you better." Double meaning to her words? Perhaps. But she'd let Raff sort that out herself.

She wondered if Evelyn would read into her line, and her grin morphed into a smirk upon the other woman's question. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. At sixteen, I probably wouldn't have been able to speak to you without stuttering." Letting out a laugh, she continued, "My twenty five year old self has a tad more confidence."

Analyzing her drinking partner, Raff felt a point of pride. While figuring out her sexuality in her teens, she would've killed for an evening drinking with Evelyn Zabini. Here she was, almost a decade later, fulfilling her hormonal teenage fantasies. At her words, she felt her smirk grow, biting her bottom lip in anticipation. "Everywhere, is it? So glad you picked up on my plan," she jested only slightly until Evelyn spoke again. "I believe we should've gotten to know each other better years ago. Wouldn't you say?"

It was how she found herself at Madam Malkin's on one of her only days free from the hospital. Ted was in need of more dress robes for work and even her own hospital robes were in need of some mending and replacement. She could accept spending the money on it, it was one more thing she could cross off her to do list. Freeing time for her to spend with her family without having to worry there were more important things that needed to be done. She had been busy speaking with the employee, not even noticing that someone had come in and come towards her.

She startled at the voice so close behind her, whirling at the sound of her own name. Of course it was ridiculous to believe that someone may come looking for her here, however she couldn't help her paranoia. "Raffaella..." She put her hand to her chest, a sigh slipping past her lips as she relaxed a degree. She was wary of anyone from her past, most hated her for the decisions she had made. She was always prepared for snide or nasty comments, and she wouldn't have expected any less from her former friend. "I didn't hear you..." Her hand dropped back down to her side. "It has been a long time. I hope you're well?"

Asking Raffaella if she was well? After everything that had occurred the last few years, how could that be the first thing she said to her? She wanted to curse the disgraced Black sister and storm out of Madam Malkin's. Why hadn't she just asked her mother to pick up her robe order for her?

"I... uh, I'm fine," she stumbled over her words, cringing at her shaky tone. Merlin, this was pathetic; Raff completely underestimated how difficult it would be standing across from Andromeda again. All of the Death Eater missions she'd been involved in should've easily prepared her for this. Unlike some of her pureblood peers, Raff had never been particularly skilled at schooling her emotions. Though her heart wasn't exactly worn on her sleeve, she tended to be less closed off than some of the others in her circle. It took her extra effort to hide her pain, especially. "And you?" She managed, her nerves running wild as she anxiously shifted her weight from foot to foot. How could she not stick to her aforementioned script? She truly wasn't able to put aside her personal feelings? "I hear you're a mum now."

"I know enough of what I'm talking about, thank you," she snarked back, tilting her head a bit while shooting him a look. "No need for apologies," Raff amended, softening only slightly at his words. "If you don't want to talk about your father's potion necessities, perhaps we can discuss your long day." Raffaella paused for a moment, letting the words sink in between them. "Up to you."