#stellarpstarter

As the crowd slowly started to leave, Lily could feel herself growing more and more exhausted by the minute. She lost count of all the people that had come up to wish her condolences, and despite the fact that she was sure most of them were incredibly sincere, the emotional aspect took it’s toll. The looks of pity were by far the worst, and Lily had to stop herself from snapping a couple of times, knowing that now wasn’t the time nor the place to lose her composure. The ceremony itself had gone off without a hitch, and Lily had held it together, save for a few silent tears. 

Regulus felt numb. James had been like a brother to him. He’d taken them all in without a second thought and accepted Regulus. To think he could be here one minute and gone the next just... didn’t feel real. When he’d heard the news - when he saw James’ body, he hadn’t been able to stop crying. But now he just felt numb, as though he couldn’t cry anymore. He stared blankly ahead, barely registering anything around him except the dull ache in his heart. It was only when he heard a voice he shook himself out of it “Sorry, I didn’t hear you. What did you say?”

When she could, Helena took her lunch breaks out of the office. Helena found that if she stayed in the office during her break, it was never properly respected. People barged in and demanded her time when she was meant to be eating, and frankly, Helena gave them enough of her time. So she went to the cafe in Diagon Alley, a place that was close enough for her to not waste time with traveling, but also lowkey enough to not get a ton of foot traffic. Still, as she went to take her seat, lunch ordered and drink in hand, she heard her name. Putting her drink down on the table, Helena turned with a warm smile and greet, “Yes? What can I do you for?”

Numb. After her initial outburst that came with finding his body, every nerve in Lily’s body turned numb. Autopilot had taken over, and with James’ parents gone, the weight of his death fell to her. As his fiancee ( they were supposed to have been married ), there were thing she needed to get sorted out. Lily was a fixer at heart; when her parents distanced themselves from her she found a new family, when her friends lost their own parents she became their family, when the Order collapsed she pulled it together, and when James died she started meticulously planning the funeral that would be the last thing to honor him. That was why Lily found herself in a flower shop in Diagon Alley. Having been ordered time off of work, which she understood even if she despised it, she had been filling her time with nothing but planning; flower arrangements, funeral homes, casket decisions ( open or closed ), program designs, vengeance. As head of the Order, her duties didn’t get put on hold just because her world ended. It sounded dramatic when she thought of it that way, but James had been her world, and he was gone. 

Sitting in her office, Helena set the newspaper down and leaned back in her chair. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Helena let out a long breath, and willed herself not to get emotional while at the Ministry. Any other time, she could have gotten the time off for this, but Helena knew that with the loss of the Minister last month, the responsibilities fell to her. When she had original ran for the Undersecretary position, she had done so to be a balancing force should the Death Eater’s win the next election. She hadn’t counted on the current Minister to have a heart attack (if it truly was that) and have to temporarily step into the role. However, Helena knew she also couldn’t afford to show how much James’ death was effecting her. James was like a brother in law to her, so to speak, and losing him caused a grief she had never experienced. Seeing how it affected Regulus and several other people she loved dearly, only made it hurt worse. 

Sitting in the pub, Lily raised her hand to motion for another drink. There were days that going back to an empty home felt wrong. Most of the time she could settle that feeling by going to visit a friend, but there were times that it also felt wrong to do that. She knew that they would be there for her, of course they would, but Lily hated the feeling of being unsettle. The grief that had latched to her James shaped whole sometimes threatened to consume her. On those days, she went out to get dinner, and sometimes a drink. Lily took the time to unwind, or at least attempt to. She still had to work tomorrow, and there was no way she was showing up to the office with a hangover. It’d taken a lot of time and energy for her to get into the position that she held, and the people in her section and team respected her. Lily wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that. So she took a slow sip of her second drink when it came, and turned back to the food that was sitting in front of her. However, her attention was caught by the person that sat down next to her. Without looking up she greeted, “So, what are we drinking to?”

Sitting at the park, she found herself leaning back against the tree a little more firmly. Helena couldn’t remember the last time she had a day off to herself, though she had to admit, she didn’t mind the company. Still, it had been ages since she’d been able to just sit down and read for a while. Oddly enough, murder mysteries had always been her favourite and sitting down with The Name of the Rose was undoubtably one of the best ways to spend her time. It was beautiful outside, and she found herself turning the pages as quickly as she could possibly read them. Italian was the second language she learned, and she found that reading it was as natural as it was to read English. She was lost in the pages and it took her a moment to realize that someone was trying to get her attention. Putting her finger where she left off, Helena looked up and replied, “Sorry, I was a bit distracted, what did you say?”

Feeling the thrum of music in his bones, Edgar let himself get lost in the crowd of people. Despite being an adult with a plethora of responsibilities, he knew how to have balance and how to have fun when he wanted to. A couple drinks in, and he was operating at a comfortable buzz. In many respects, clubs were neutral grounds, and there was a level of anonymity. He could dance with whoever he wanted and forget about all of the difficulties in his life, even if it’s just for a moment. Dancing was a comfort, and something that always came naturally to the eldest Bones child. Hearing a familiar voice, Edgar turned with a grin, “Are we dancing?” he asked.