@zachariashsmith | continued from this. LOCATION: The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley DATE: Shortly after the wedding of Draco Malfoy & Astoria Greengrass (2002~2003)

It takes Draco a few seconds to process exactly what Smith means by that statement -- what would his dear wife think. When he does sort it out, he barks a laugh. “You,” Draco says, speaking with slow clarity, his voice hovering on the edge between drawl and slur, “have been spending too much time with blood-traitors and mu...and mud...muh...bloody hell what are they called? Not Mudblood. You know. The nice word for that, what is it again?”

It’s frustrating. He’s made such an effort of switching his vocabulary over theses past five years, but for some reason he just can’t call the word to mind right now. It’s as though his senses are all fuzzed, befuddled -- perhaps he’s been struck with a Confundus Charm, he thinks absently, but then the rest of Zacharias’s words meander their languid way past his senses and Draco looks down at the empty glass in the arm that isn’t currently dangling off Smith’s shoulders, and realizes that the more likely explanation is that he’s drunk.

That’s annoying. He hadn’t intended to get drunk, not here -- not out in public. It isn’t safe here. Why is he here, anyway? He should be home in the manor, secure behind his home’s high walls and sturdy wrought-iron gates and generational layers of wards and spellwork. But he was hoping to meet someone here, that was it -- a meeting on neutral ground. An old friend, one who hadn’t come to the wedding -- hadn’t sent regrets, or had those regrets just been too transparent to be viable? Draco can’t remember; he just remembers sitting here, alone and sad, and drinking yet another glass of wine to pass the time because the alternative was giving up...

That thought shakes Draco back to the topic at hand and he continues, “You’ve lost your grip on proper behavior, Smith. A scandal, really? What kind of uncivilized half-blood nonsense is this, implying it would be a scandal...pfft.” He waves his hand dismissively, the motion enough to make him wobble so that he has to tighten his grip on Zacharias’s shoulder lest he fall. He’s not sure exactly when he ended up over by Smith’s table -- or was it the other way around? -- but he’s here now, and walking anywhere else unaided seems like more effort than it’s worth, so he might as well keep the conversation going. No one else is here to talk to him, after all...

Harry’s been avoiding, but that’s no surprise to people who know him. These things aren’t really his favorite thing - he doesn’t enjoy the way eyes casually move towards him, following his every move. Most of the time, people are respectful or downright just don’t care anymore. The war having been so many years ago, so far passed them, it’s not something he really has to think about as much as he used to. Ginny, in fact, has become the more famous one of the Potters - especially to the younger crowd of witches and wizards. While their parents’ eyes tick to Harry’s scar, the young people of the world are falling over themselves for an autograph from his wife. It’s definitely the way Harry would prefer it.

It’s these events - Ministry or Hogwarts - that he suddenly gains the attention again. With the reminders of just what they went through as children, it’s like a newfound spark renews itself each and every time. But he couldn’t not come. He’s the head of the Auror department, for one. And he loves Hogwarts - wants to honor the place where he’d finally found home.

He just wishes it were easier to mesh into the crowd. 

Which is why, when he sees someone from far away lock eyes with him and suddenly make a beeline his way, Harry quickly turns to the closest person he knows. “Zacharias!” he says, with much more enthusiasm than he typically would towards the man. The wizard wouldn’t be Harry’s first choice in distraction, but it’s a distraction none-the-less. He grabs Zacharias’ shoulder amicably, forcing him to walk. “How have you been, mate?” Are they mates? Not really - but it’s better than an awkward conversation that he can’t get away from. At least with Smith, they both have a sort of understanding that they should only talk for so long before someone thinks about hexing the other.

9. best thing in their life?

Her success with Sacred Designs is the best thing in Pansy’s life. The work itself is rewarding - Pansy loves designing and crafting her designs and she pours a lot of herself into her work - but it is the success and wealth that has sprung from her business that makes it possible for her to live the life she does. Basically if Sacred hadn’t taken off or failed to bring the financial stability, and then some, that it did then Pansy would have been back to plan A which was, of course, to seek out an advantageous, which does not necessarily mean happy, marriage which would have likely led to her spending more time supporting her husband in his endeavors and raising a family than being able to focus on her own art and business. Sacred’s success and the wealth/status it brought in its wake transformed Pansy’s life by giving her the freedom to truly put herself first. Which isn’t to say that Pansy’s joy in that success has been entirely selfish- her wealth makes it so that she can shower her close friends with gifts and be there for them if anything goes wrong. It means that she can give her daughter the life that she herself longed for as a child - living in utter luxury and wanting for nothing (well except perhaps for her parents’ love but Pansy hasn’t quite gotten to the point where she realizes how much the loss/lack of that impacted her childhood as much as her family’s financial struggles). 

31. are they a morning person or night person?

Both? I guess technically she’s a night person more than a day person. When Pansy is particularly upset or inspired she doesn’t really sleep at night and will be up through the early morning hours either wandering about listlessly or working frantically depending on her mood. Once she finally crashes, usually not too long after the sun rises, woe to those who would wake her. 

33. who is their ride or die friend?

“You know, you aren’t the only one who can notice things, Smith,” she said mysteriously when he had come to take the drinks and plates off the table Lavender was still sitting at. She had just been done meeting with someone and Zachary didn’t have that usual lie he would bother her about, last time it was about how she said she had the chicken here last time and it was just okay and Zachary had bothered her about that for too long. Why it would matter if she told a tiny white lie? 

“Oh yeah, What are you noticing Brown?” he asked not looking at her as he placed the plates on top of each other. 

“Just that whenever a girl is near you, it’s always a different girl, don’t you do things that aren’t one night stands?” she marveled. 

“Why, want to be added to my list of girls, hm?” he said, chuckling as he put the cups on top of the plates. 

“No, I would never have a one night stand,” she said quite seriously. “Still, I think it would do you some good to have someone to come home too..” she mused, “Someone who can make you some nice meals, help you keep warm at night... someone you can tell all your secrets too,” she said, smiling at him. “Or something fun! Some one who shares your sense of humor, who you can give flowers too and make you feel special and...” she trailed off thinking. 

Zachary didn’t respond, leaving Lavender in the dark of what he actually thought of it but Lavender continued. 

“I had something like that, back at Hogwarts,” she said wistfully. 

Zachary snorted, “We all knew about Ron,” finally moving some of the things off her table. 

“No!” Lavender said, frowning, “Not him, someone else. I love my husband, he’s amazing but our relationship is very serious and practically... I had a boyfriend for a whole summer during school time, he was from Beauxbatons we met during the triwizard fiasco and after the summer ended, we would letters all the time!” She smiled, “I actually still remember some french from him. He was something. Have you ever had something like that?” 

Lavender was really drunk in a way she couldn’t remember being in a while and she looked at her bartender in a different way, a smiling sort of hopeless look. 

Zachary probably didn’t notice anything was that different when he went up to her, he just took her empty glass and after looking her over, laughing slightly. “Do you want another? Because I think I’m going to cut you off,” he said looking at Lavender swaying on the stool. 

“OOooh no do not cut me off!” she said, laughing herself. “I need to just have some firewhiskey it’s um its um very good and I need some!” she said, trying to say everything evenly but failing. 

Zachary laughed and because no one else needed him he leaned on the bar going closer to Lavender, whose tried to look at him without swaying. “I think you have had some already, I think if you had another one it would qualify as ‘a shit ton’ of whiskey.” 

Lavender barked out a laugh, letting her hand smack the bar and nodded. “Oh come on, just one more! I was having a bad time and now I’m not!” she said, pouting slightly. 

Zachary nodded, “Okay if you can solve this I’ll let you have another one... ready?” 

Lavender nodded as he pulled out a galleon and showed it off specifically at her. “Okay keep your eye very close on this galleon.” He let it rest in the palm of his left hand and closed both his fists as he shook his fists, put them behind his back and waved them around confusingly while Lavender tried to follow his left hand with her eyes and failing. 

He put both palms in front of her, the galleon still in his left palm. “Okay, which hand is the galleon in Lav?” 

Lavender looked at both curiously and then picked the right palm, “That one, I know it!” 

Zachary laughed, showing that nothing was in his right hand and Lavender shrieked. “What? That was witchcraft!” she said, giggling. 

Zachary couldn’t believe how out of it she must have been. 

“No this wasn’t fair! I really... really want another go!” she said, pouting, “I don’t even know how you did that! Remarkable...” Lavender said, looking at her own palms and closing them and opening them again. 

“Okay kid, I know what you could do. Tell me a secret and I MIGHT give you another firewhiskey,” he said, eyeing her smirking. 

Lavender gave a big grin and tilted her head letting her hair fall over her arm, “Oh oh okay, I’ll tell you the truth...” She said, pointing at him and saying quietly, “You are so annoying. How about that for some truth?” 

Zachary grinned but shook his head, “Everyone knows that... You’re going to have to do better then that...” he said pretend he was going to walk away from her by turning slightly. 

Lavender grabbed his shirt very slightly and said a “Wait,” before giggling. 

Zachary turned at her expectantly. “Well?” 

“Okay... Okay Ill tell you a secret but you have to not tell- anyone! Okay!” 

Zachary nodded, obviously not going to put much weight into any of this. 

Lavender giggled before putting her hands over her eyes for a moment and then peeking out through her fingers. “I just- well, If I wasn’t married I’d... Well! I just think you’re ... You are pretty attractive!” she said, still giggling. “You are attractive but sadly a huge tosser... but attractive still!” 

Zachary couldn’t help but laugh and his eyebrows raising at her admission. “Well I mean... everyone knows that too.” 

Lavender snorted, “Well- everyone doesn’t know I thought you were dreamy when we knew each other in DA-” she said, looking up at him, “But I just wish you’d close your mouth! You’re really obnoxious.” She began laughing as if she told the funniest joke. 

Zachary hadn’t known that and laughed, liking Lavender much more like this then when she’s prissy about him knowing she is lying to clients. “Okay you win, you win- here is some more firewhiskey...” He said, filling a glass with water and handing it to her. 

Nonverbal starters || @zachariashsmith || Accepting

It wasn’t often Violet had found herself doing this. Yet, she found herself realising that the palm of her hand made contact with the others face she knew he deserved it. There would be no apologising. He deserved it plain and simple. “Do you often talk to women like this?” Violet felt herself fuming. Perhaps she was always still afraid that someone would come for her due to her name, but it didn’t matter. She had built her own reputation, and she wasn’t planning on having that stepped on. 

Nonverbal starters || @imperiasviktor || Accepting

LOCATION: Hogsmeade Village DATE: October 31, 2020 @zachariashsmith​

Astoria was delighted that the annual celebration of “Harry Potter Day” took place in Hogsmeade now -- not because she had a particular fondness for the place, nor for the holiday, but because the students of Hogwarts were permitted to join the festivities as well and Astoria missed her son desperately while he was away at school. Getting to see him, even only for a few hours, between his September departure and December holidays was a balm to her soul -- even if she did have to remember to share him with his friends.

Fortunately for her, Scorpius has always been a sweet boy and adolescence had not taken that from him, so he was willing to indulge his mother and was currently walking down the street whose decorations they were eyeing with mutual uncertainty over their steaming mugs of hot butterbeer. The aesthetics of combining a celebration of Hallowe’en with that of the erstwhile Chosen One who had defeated the Dark Lord not once but twice was often questionable and this year’s décor, in Astoria’s opinion anyway, was no exception.

Scorpius clearly agreed. “Who do you think decided carving lightning bolts over the eyes of all the jack-o-lanterns was a good idea?” he drawled, smirking as they passed another plump orange pumpkin. “Because whomever they are, they ought to be sent to grandfather for fashion lessons.”

Astoria laughed mid-sip of her warm butterbeer and giggled harder as the bubbles went up her nose. “Scorpius!” she protested, not meaning her outrage at all. “That’s not very nice!”

Scorpius shrugged, unabashed. “Honest, though,” he pointed-out, and Astoria couldn’t argue -- not that she often tried. Her precious son was practically perfect, after all, so what would be the point in arguing about him on almost anything? He continued, warming to the topic: “You can’t deny that it’s tacky at best and -- look,” Scorpius interrupted himself to point to the next row of pumpkins, where a blonde wizard stood staring down at them. “Somebody else looks less than impressed, too.”

“It’s not polite to point,” Astoria said without censure, “nor to assume.” Although she had to agree that the unknown wizard did seem less than impressed -- but he wasn’t unknown at all, she realized belatedly, and found herself smiling at him as they approached. “Zacharias Smith,” Astoria said, extending her free hand in greeting. “What a pleasure to see you again. And this is my son, Scorpius. Say hello, darling.”