you should see me in a crown

⟢

Evan shrugged at the raised eyebrow from Wila, all too used to receiving an identical look from Theodosia when it came to receiving the hint to quickly think over the consequences of what he planned on doing or saying next. The thank you was more than sufficient but it still left him feeling uneasy.

“That or whoever’s looking out for me decided it best for me to stop dragging my feet on things,” He chuckled. It didn’t help him with feeling any more lighthearted about the situation as a whole. At least the laugh hadn’t come out forced. “I feel like there is too much to sort out and not nearly enough time.”

Evan nodded when Wila spoke again. “Makes me wish my Mother would convince Father to visit family back in the Philippines,” He added. “Although I would bet he could do just as much damage from there as he does here. It would give my sisters a well earned break from his whims though.”

~

Wila didn’t pity the position that Evan was in. She was very much aware of what was at stake here, and truthfully she thought that Theo and Evan should have been more careful. But what was done was done, and there was no point in harping on it. Not when the two of them were already dealing with so much.

“Perhaps,” she agreed with a nod. “Theo seems to be dealing with everything as best as she can. I have told her that I will be of a support when I can be,” she paused. “The offer goes to you as well. If you need to talk to someone that’s not Theo, you know where to find me,” Wila told him. “Time has a way of doing that, doesn’t it?”

“Sometimes it’s more of a hassle when they leave the country. But sometimes it’s nice to have the break. I can only imagine that your sisters are probably looking forward to having a bit of a deserved break.” She glanced at Evan. “Family is complicated,” she mused.

—

“Darling. As much as I love wine. It does not make up for not actually eating my love. I’m just worried about you” Theo murmured, smiling at her friend. “You’re my sister. And…. I want to take care of you.” She had no actual sisters. Alice, and Wila had been as close as actual sisters to her. As selfish as she was, she wanted to protect those she loved. And that included moaning at Wila to make sure she ate properly. Theo just smiled at her friend. She did feel lucky to have Evan. She didn’t quite know when she had fallen in love with him. But she had, and she could not imagine her life without him. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.” And that was the simple truth.

Theo had been around enough of the purebloods over the last decade to know what they were like. It was funny, because 10 years ago it was where she wanted to be. But now she was not as sure. Some of them were great, but being in the death eaters had made her learn that she really did not like all of them. But now she was too deep in, and she didn’t really know what to do. Knowing she was having a baby was going to change everything, and it terrified her. “I can relate….” She mused with a little laugh. “I’m half-blood too remember.” But her grandparents tried to gloss over that most of the time. Once upon a time she had thought that was all that mattered, but she was starting to realise that it was not. And that, maybe just maybe, there was more to life than the things she’d been doing right now. “Kinda hard to stay away when I’m intimately involved with the heir of the Rosier family.” She mused, a little grimace on her face. She would never regret anything she did with Evan, but she was a little scared of the trouble she knew it was going to bring.

“Like Andromeda is gonna give me any friendly advice.” Wila murmured with a bitchy tone. It was frustrating because she wished that she could ask Andromeda all the questions. But she knew Andy probably wouldn’t be up for that. And she really didn’t know anyone else that had a baby. “Maybe I’ll just get a book.” She needed to get her act together. They were already three months down the line, and they needed to get ready. Theo was determined that they would be ready. There was not a lot that they could control right now, but this was one of them.

“Just because I can’t help doesn’t mean I won’t worry about it.” She spent her entire life worrying about Evan. What they were doing, the spying, it was hard, and she never wanted anything to be too much for him. Add on top of that a serious relationship with someone who was technically a blood traitor, and it could easily be too much. “They’ll say I trapped him. That he was never going to be truly serious with me…..” She trailed off, and just struggled. She knew none of that was true, but she knew it was exactly what most of the purebloods would say.

“If only everyone would feel the same way you did.” Because she knew that a lot of them would not be feeling this way. She was worried about the next Order meeting, and that was without even thinking about having to mention the baby. Theo bit her lip, watching her friend gently. “I’m sorry about Sarai. I know that won’t bring her back. But…. I can learn from her mistakes.”

~

Sisters. There was a painful jolt to her heart whenever someone brought up sisters. Wila didn’t think that it was ever going to get easy, thinking about sisters and how her sister was gone. There was nothing that could ever fix that hole in her heart. But Theo was right. They were sisters. Maybe not blood sisters, but the closest thing that she had to a sister now. “I really appreciate you. I will try to be better,” Wila promised.  She knew that Theo meant well, which was the only reason that she agreed to try to be better. Usually she just bristled whenever someone told her how she should live her life, especially her mother and aunts in Thailand. But it was different with Theo. 

Wila had always thought of the Purebloods and their society as a means to an end. They had the wealth and connections that Wila’s company needed, so they were a necessary evil. They were the people that she dealt with the most, and staying on their good side was important. It meant looking the other way sometimes, it meant not asking too many questions when they came in with money that they procured through questionable means. It meant going to society parties in beautiful dresses and smiling as men asked her to dance and treated her like she was somehow less then because she was a half-blood woman. But Sarai’s death had changed things for her. She no longer could just smile through the stupid comments that they made. Now she was looking for a way to bring them down, to punish the lot of them for what they had done to her sister. Even if it was to the detriment of her business. “I know,” Wila sighed. “It’s hard to stay away but dangerous to keep staying around them,” she mused. “It’s an impossible situation, I’m afraid. The best you can do is keep a low profile for now until things settle.” 

She shrugged her shoulders. “Perhaps she will surprise you. Evan’s her cousin, isn’t he?” She pointed out. “Are the two of them close?” Wila had never been close to Andromeda, and she didn’t ever see that changing. But perhaps for Theo’s sake, the other woman would be willing to look beyond the drama and help Theo out. “Books are a good place to start. I’m sure Flourish and Blotts have plenty of baby books you could read. If you want I can pop in tomorrow on my lunch break to see if I can find any,” she offered with a shrug. 

“Of course not. I’m not saying not to worry about it. I’m just saying don’t let it drive you crazy.” It was advice that Wila herself should consider taking. She was driving herself crazy thinking about Sarai and the ways that she could have changed that outcome. “Things are going to be as they are, and there’s nothing more that you can do. They are going to say what they want and they are going to think what they think. Why does it matter to you? You know that Evan loves you and doesn’t think like that, so who gives a fuck what the likes of Narcissa Malfoy thinks about you?” 

Wila hadn’t gotten to this point by worrying about what people thought of her. She just went forward and proved all of the people that doubted her wrong. 

*

“Oh please,” Regulus declared, resting his fingers against his temples as if to stave off the headache that thinking of the Prewett’s home would inevitably give him, “don’t mention that chair. I consider it a minor miracle that it is still… Recognizable as a chair at all, never mind the loyalty it seems to inspire.” Shaking his head once, Regulus briefly marveled at the human ability to form an attachment to anything that seemed sufficiently worn down. Even if, or perhaps especially if, it was something that should not have seen the light of day in the first place. “The entire place is a death trap and just waiting to take someone down with it.” Sipping his drink before placing back down, Regulus hummed. It was a considering hum, one suited to considering the idea he just had. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the plan, you know. It seems to be one of the only logical conclusions.”

Inclining his head in agreement with Wila’s assessment, Regulus smiled. There was an expectation in having a certain gravitas of name and of family in the world, and while most were all too happy to discard it of late, Regulus intended to do nothing of the sort. He had been raised better than that, much to the chagrin of the ones responsible for such a task. “The benefit,” he declared with all the dry gravitas he could muster, “is twofold. One, you and everyone else would no longer be spending hours at a time in a crumbling stain upon the Prewett name. Two, other people would no longer associate you with that horrible stain. Assuming, of course,” Regulus added as he tapped the bottom of his glass, “you had any such responsibilities to the place. This is more of a theoretical exercise, a what-if, if you will.”

Regulus smiled again at the mention of Paris, though it was lighter than the last one. Indeed, it was a lighter expression than almost any he’d made in the country yet. It no doubt had something to do with the two shots worth of high-brow Irish whiskey that were slowly moving through his system, but it also had something to do with that city. “The Parisians,” Regulus agreed, “are on a different level entirely, yes.” Gesturing with a wrist to the idea of Paris, Regulus continued. “They do take class to another level, and the boutiques are a practical case study of it. I truly cannot recommend it enough.”

Rolling his eyes, Regulus scoffed. “The situation with the Prewetts is proof as to why such things matter,” Regulus argued. “If things are falling apart, having things like your family’s house in order would allow the family a degree of distance, allowing them to get ahead of it and by the time anyone would notice, there would be enough time to produce a different story and deny the entire thing. But no, forgetting the basics has ensured a disaster. I imagine,” he sighed, “we are going to have to assist with it eventually, partially, no doubt, because of your brilliance. I refuse to let it go to waste. You’ll get your duel, of course. These things always end up with spells being flung.”

Nodding, Regulus couldn’t help but add an observation of his own. “You’re one of the driving forces of the Order. They are lucky to have your assistance.”

~

Wila didn’t try to rationalize some of the decisions that members of the Order made in terms of the Estate. To her, the Estate was just a building that they operated out of. It worked so well as headquarters because it was rather concealed from the public, and nobody came looking for them. That was the purpose of the building. There was no sense in making it nice when it was being used as an infirmary and as a meeting place of sorts. The less people thought about it, the better. “I think that you underestimate it. It may look run down by our standards but that’s what makes it a rather brilliant place to meet. Nobody is expecting us there, so nobody comes calling on it. It keeps the mission safe. That is the most important thing. If we are outed to the public then we can’t operate the way that we do. And that would be a shame.”

Because then she wouldn’t be able to get her revenge. At least not as easily. Under the guise of the Order, taking out Malfoy and the other bastards could be written off as a heat of the battle, as a casualty of war. Without the Order? Well...that was murder. And Wila wasn’t a murderer. Wila wasn’t surprised that Regulus was thinking like a Black. He was still thoroughly a Black, even if he had turned over a new leaf. She understood that it was difficult to take yourself out of that world after being in it for so long. “Well, the good thing for us is that nobody that matters sees us in the Estate,” Wila shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me, though. I have more important things at hand then worrying about a hypothetical situation of someone that matters seeing me there.” If someone of importance saw her there, it would be all over anyways.

Wila wasn’t sure that she would ever be able to go to Paris and not think about her sister. The entire time she would be thinking about what could have been, and what she should have done. What if she had taken her sister up on the idea, and she just...took Sarai to Paris? What if that would have saved her? Maybe in Paris, her sister would have told her about her life with the Death Eaters, maybe she would...maybe she would still be alive. It was a thought that tormented her. But she didn’t let that pain show on her face as she listened to Regulus. It was hard to care about Paris and their class when her sister was dead, but a practiced smile formed on her lips. “The Parisians have always been known for their class,” she agreed. “Especially the Purebloods.” 

“The Prewetts are just...a part of the Purebloods that don’t care. I think some of it has to do with what Gideon went through. It was rather horrible,” she admitted ,her voice hushed. She could understand to an extent. It was hard to care about things after her sister died, and she was sure that the Prewetts felt similarly, all things considered. “None of them came back right, you know? Of course the estate was already in disrepair before it happened, but going thought that certainly didn’t help matters.” Wila shrugged her shoulders. “I will do what has to be done, of course. I don’t always agree with the decisions made, but I will go along with it.” 

“I appreciate your confidence in me. I’m not always so sure that they can see it, but I think that they are finally coming around. The other day certainly helped matters, I think.”

There was a moment where Evan was sorely tempted to shush Wila even though she had used a hushed tone. It was a weird adjustment of accepting peoples’ well wishes when he would have preferred nothing being said on the matter. “Thank you,” Evan sighed. There was no attempt at a smile since it would have been a wasted attempt.

“Fine,” The answer was accompanied by a shrug, his voice sticking to a low murmur. “Would have preferred not having a time constraint on attempting to smooth things out but can’t complain otherwise.” He knew what he was getting into well before the pregnancy came into the picture and had been toying with the best approach in speaking to his parents for several weeks before things became more serious than anticipated.

“What about you?” He asked, fighting back a grimace at the slow moving line ahead of them. He had no reason for rushing past acknowledging he needed caffeine to avoid being moody for the rest of the day.

~

Wila raised an eyebrow at the look that passed Evan’s face, quietly challenging him to have an issue with her congratulations. She knew how to be discreet, and if she thought that there was possibly any kind of danger she wouldn’t have said anything. She wasn’t looking to get Evan or Theo into trouble. “Of course,” she acknowledged his thanks. 

She was under the impression that having a baby was never a particularly easy task, but given the circumstances, Wila was sure that it was even more difficult. And while Theo was struggling with her own feelings, she was sure that Evan was struggling even more. The weight of the Rosier name and all of that. “I think that they say that you can’t always plan for everything in life,” Wila mused, looking at him. “Sometimes unexpected things happen for a reason.” 

“I’m alright,” she shrugged her shoulders. “Busy as usual with my Father in Thailand. I almost prefer it this way, truthfully, but he wants to be just as involved so it’s just an added layer of bullshit I’m dealing with.” 

—

“One meal? Sooo healthy Wila” Theo teased, a smirk on her face. She loved how easy it was between them. But, after her fight with Alice yesterday it was making her feel a little guilty. She was technically lying to them. And clearly Wila had been through so much. It was embarrassing that it had taken her this long to work out what really was the right side to be on. She supposed it was better than never realising it though. Not that she intended on the Order finding out. She needed them right now. “He does…” She mused with a laugh. “He can be pretty adorable at times. He just wants to make sure I eat.” It was a nice quality really. She certainly had good taste in men, and she never intended on letting go.

“Family is complicated.” And she really wished that it wasn’t as complicated. She knew her own family history was complex, and messy, and she just tried to not think about it. The Sewlyn history was messy, and she just ignored it for now. She just hoped that it would not come to bite her in the behind. “Especially you purebloods.” She mused with a laugh, shaking her head. “I might be involved with one, but I honestly want nothing to do with any of the messes.” She mused, grinning. As much as she had tried to involve herself in the pureblood world, she still really didn’t understand it. “The pureblood society would rather I didn’t exist so you know…. I don’t care too much about it.” She only really cared about the friends she had made.

“I know fuck all about babies” Theo murmured, shaking her head. She was hiding it, but she really was scared. She knew nothing about babies. She’d been an only child. She supposed maybe Evan knew more. He had 3 sisters after all. But she really had no experience in looking after kids. Maybe she should have volunteered to babysit Dora Tonks more. She supposed it was a little too late now. She and Evan were going to be thrown in at the deep end, and the mere thought just terrified her. “Guess I’m about to find out. Maybe I should get some parenting books.” She joked, trying to keep the mood light. She didn’t want to be too serious, otherwise she was going to continue to freak out. 

“I just wish Evan wasn’t probably going to lose his family because of it….” She knew he’d made up his mind, but she just couldn’t stop feeling guilty about it. Part of her had thought about just running, but she knew that would not make it easier for either of them. Theo just sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “I appreciate it Wila….” She murmured, a genuine smile on her face. “After…. the whole dark mark thing, I know a lot of the Order aren’t going to be too keen on me anymore, so it’s nice to know Evan and I can still rely on at least one person.”

~

Wila shrugged her shoulders. “It’s fine,” she insisted with a laugh. “You forget how much wine I drink, I’m sure that makes up for it,” she teased. Maybe it was not healthy but Wila had always been like that. With the business and all of the things that she was juggling, there was very little time for the other things. She was always looking forward, looking to the future and how she could improve it. Living alone didn’t help things either. But she liked living alone, liked having her own space and being in charge. Hogwarts had been near hell for her, she hated sharing a room with the other girls, she had always just wanted her own space. “He’s a good one, Theo. I’m glad that you have him and he has you,” Wila told her, sincerity in her voice. It was high praise from her, but she did mean it.

Raising an eyebrow at her mention of ‘you purebloods’, she knew that it was easy to forget that the Travers family was not. They certainly acted like it, and had the connections of a pureblood, but it was just a reminder that she had a privilege that few other half-bloods had. It was probably why that bastard had overlooked that Sarai wasn’t ‘pure’ by his standards. “My mother would be so pleased to hear that you forgot that we’re half-bloods too,” Wila shook her head. “I’ve spent enough time among them to know how they are, and my mother instilled in me the way that we should hold ourselves in public. Impossibly high standards and traditionalism isn’t just a pureblood belief. My family has relied on them and their money to make our own wealth and some of those families are our best clients. I want nothing to do with the likes of some of them, but unfortunately business is business.” She fell silent as she thought of Lucius Malfoy, and how he had ruined everything. Had taken Sarai from her. He would pay, one day. “It’s best that you stay as far away from them,” Wila finally said, glancing up at Theo. “They bring nothing but trouble. And with everything that you are going through...you don’t need trouble.”

“They sell books,” she pointed out. But Wila could understand Theo’s fears. She had no desire to have children, had no idea how to act around them. She hadn’t been around Andromeda and Ted’s daughter as an infant, and she was a full grown child now. They were very different. “I hear that babies just need diapers, milk, and a safe place to sleep. I’m sure it’ll work out. Ted and Andromeda and tons of other people manage it, so it can’t be impossible,” she mused. She glanced at Theo. “I’m sure the Tonks’ would probably have some decent advice. Their daughter seems to have turned out rather okay. And there’s plenty of books to read. You have time, Theo,” she reminded her.

Even though it was a Sunday, she had popped into the office to grab a few things to send off to her father in Thailand. Her parents had been spending more time in Thailand since Sarai’s funeral, but he still expected her to keep him up to date on the going ons in the company. It was rather annoying, it wasn’t like she wasn’t busy herself. But her father was still the head of their company so she needed to play her cards right. Wila’s mother kept suggesting that she make the trip to be with family, but she had far too much work to do in England. And besides, she wasn’t convinced that if she stepped foot in Thailand that she wouldn’t get roped up in some arranged marriage that her mother and aunts came up with. So no thank you. She would stay in London.

Wila had decided to get coffee and run some errands in Diagon Alley before she returned home. She needed to pick up some of her skincare potions and she wanted to browse Madame Malkin’s new selection. Sarai had been on her mind the last few days, ever since her dinner with Regulus, really, and she thought that shopping might distract her from the constant grief. She kept thinking that she heard Sarai’s voice when she was at home, and kept thinking that she saw her out of the corner of her eye. She knew that it was all in her head, her grief and guilt intermingling, but it didn’t stop it from being so damned unsettling every time it happened.

Walking into the coffee shop, she spotted a very familiar person standing at the back of the line. Evan. A smirk formed on her lips before she went over to him. “Evan! What a surprise,” She greeted him. “I heard your news. Congratulations,” she told him, her voice hushed. You never know who was listening. “How are you?”

*

It was pleasant, perhaps even reassuring, to have found something Regulus recognized, and he gave the waiter a curt nod as they arrived with his drink. It was a fine blend, with a burn that brought a small smirk to Regulus’ face from the sheer familiarity of the drink in a place that tickled a part of him he expected to have been left behind in Paris. Life was, for perhaps this moment only and in this place only, if not good, than certainly passable. The lack of any familiar faces besides Wila’s was an equally welcome positive, given the people Regulus now was interacting with regularly. There was simply a limit to his patience. He had reached it weeks ago.

“I can assure you Wila,” Regulus said, setting his glass onto the table and bringing his bad leg to rest up over the knee of the good one, “that even in the midst of great personal tragedy, one can always find someone willing to maintain a manor, especially one as old as the Prewett’s. Lacking any of the appropriate staff, one can always hire.” Regulus had done so himself after a period during his years abroad. 

“The Parisians had the right of it there, you know. Entire boutiques, filled with charmed supplies and tools that could do everything from rebuild roofs to polish the silver. And all in the most delightful metals imaginable. Gold and silver were truly just the beginning. There are always options in these matters, but I suppose one must acknowledge individual priorities.”

It was the kind of backhanded discussion Regulus had thrived on for years, mastering it long before he mastered a broom or Apparition. It was also something nearly no one in his current circle spoke fluently. The ability to talk like this again, where every word was not only chosen for its meaning, but the meaning of the words beside it, was almost like a game. It nearly brought a grin to his face, as common as that would be.

Waving away her thanks, Regulus did allow the smile to overtake his face, though it was a toned-down version of the grin his cheeks were so desperate for. “Think nothing of it,” he declared. “It was a task that needed to be done, and I was honored to come to your aid.” A slight inclination of his head brought to mind a self-assured nod. “I did know you would end up in command. Call it a gut feeling or a hint of premonition, but I assure you, it was truly my honor.”

He nodded again, a real one this time. “There are those that assign work from dreams, and those that must make those dreams a reality. I am not surprised you are the latter.”

~

“I don’t think the question is whether they can’t do it but whether they want to. They clearly aren’t interested in fixing up the place. I mean look at the bloody chair they insist on keeping,” Wila took a sip of her wine and rolled her eyes. It was unsanitary, that damned chair, but none of them wanted to get rid of the thing. And Merlin forbid if you suggest putting it somewhere else if they insist on keeping the thing. Although she wasn’t entirely sure that it was done by choice of Gideon and Fabian or if it was a larger Order related thing. It had already been there when she had joined. 

“What can I say, Regulus, not all people think like you and I do,” she pointed out. Wila might not have been a Pureblood, but her mother and father had certainly made sure that she could hold her own amongst them. Her family had spent more time in that world then anywhere else, what with the family business and her father’s schmoozing. “Sure, they can hire someone to redo the place, but what would the benefit be?” 

At the mention of Paris, Sarai’s voice came to her, telling her that they should take a trip to Paris. Now whenever she went to the city for business or pleasure, all she could think of was Sarai. “It’s not a surprise that the Parisians have it all figured out,” Wila agreed. “I’ve been to the boutiques, of course, and it’s always fun to pick out a new roof color, but I have a hard time imagining the Prewett’s in Paris, picking out new furniture. I think they are rather preoccupied at the moment.” What with the whole Gideon situation. 

Thinking about that last day with Sarai again, she had to wonder why Sarai had picked Paris out of all the places in the world. Had she had an inkling that Regulus was there? Had Regulus told her? There was so much that she didn’t know about her sister’s relationship with Regulus. Why hadn’t Sarai told her? Had she tried and Wila hadn’t been listening? It was a painful reminder that there were things that she would never be able to know. 

“You did,” Wila agreed with a smile. “It was about time, really, that they realized my brilliance. Sometimes I think it’s going to waste,” she admitted with a sigh. “I’m just relieved that the mission was successful, despite everything going wrong. And I’m glad that Evans is going to be okay.” Wila needed to check in with the witch at some point. Wila was hopeful that going forward, they would utilize her more then they had before. “The only disappointment was that the cowards didn’t show their faces. I was really looking forward to a good duel.”

Wila took a sip from her glass of wine and smirked. “You’re not wrong. I take what I want and I don’t take no for an answer. It’s gotten me this far, and I suspect it will continue to push me along.”

—-

“And what about for the next however hours? You gotta eat babe” Theo mused with a laugh. She supposed that she was lucky that her boyfriend was such a good cook. It meant she never went hungry. Of course it meant she couldn’t skip meals either. Evan always went mad when she did, to the point that he’d started making her packed lunches lately. She did appreciate it though, because she adored his food. “If you keep doing this I’ll have to get Evan to make you packed lunches too.” She teased, a grin on her face. 

“No idea.” She mused with a laugh. She supposed some of it was because she used to be a death eater, and so Andromeda quite rightly didn’t trust her. “I don’t exactly describe a good family as one that so easily throws away their children.” She felt this more now than ever before, knowing that Evan’s family were going to do just that. She just didn’t get how a family could do that so easily though. It was one of the things she struggled with her grandparents, and how they’d only cared about her when she’d seemed to be on their side. “Families are weird.”

“Maybe.” She still didn’t know how she felt about it. Alice had been in life for so long. But, she wasn’t going to let her walk all over her. It was going to be awkward in the Order now, but she could manage awkward. She was sure that Alice was not going to be the only one that didn’t want to know Theo. And she could deal with it. Really, losing Alice, was the least of her concerns right now. 

“Auntie Wila. I like it.” And she was grateful that she had at least had one friend on her side. Whilst she knew she had Evan who would always stand at her side, it as nice to know she had a friend too. “I know….but I think even if Evan wasn’t staying I’d keep the baby anyway. They are innocent.” And so the baby didn’t deserve to be thrown away. At least that was how Theo felt about it.

“I know. What a idiot.” She murmured, shaking her head. She was still embarrassed by that. She couldn’t believe that she hadn’t seen the signs in her own body. But she’d figured there was no point in worrying about that now. “I have a town house if needed.” She mused with a shrug. Her grandparents had gifted it to her. “I just worry…. I know they’ll try something, even if they end up disowning Evan. They won’t give up so easily”

~

“That’s why I’m eating now,” she retorted with a smirk, as she took another bite from her takeout container. Wila appreciated the concern, even if she wouldn’t admit it out loud. It had been a long time since someone had fussed over her and her habits. She was very much aware that she could be on the dysfunctional side of things, but she had so much on her shoulders between her vengeance mission and her company that she didn’t usually have much headspace for other things like getting a decent nights sleep, or remembering to eat her lunch. A smirk formed on her lips, however, at Theo’s next words. “Evan packs you a lunch? How adorable. Don’t worry, I won’t tease him too much about it,” Wila laughed. “And please, that man has far too much on his plate, let’s not add anything else.”

It had been a long time since she had thought of her own brother, banished from the family for wanting to be an actor rather then head the family company. Selfishly, Wila was glad that it had happened--she was only in the position that she was in because Silas wanted nothing to do with it. It helped that he had been at Hogwarts for most of her upbringing so they weren’t particularly close, which made it easier. “Family’s aren’t always that easy,” Wila finally said with a shrug. “I’m not sure I’ve ever told you, but I have an older brother, Silas. He’s a half brother, my father was married once before my mother. I used to hide in the cupboard listening to my father instruct him on the family business for hours. My mother used to be so angry that i was skipping out on a ballet lesson, and nobody could ever find me. When Silas graduated from Hogwarts, he decided he would rather be an actor then head the family company. My father was understandably not happy about his decision, and well, I haven’t seen Silas since. I was eleven. I hear he’s living in Italy now with his boyfriend, and my father pretends that he never had a son, and I became his heir. Family is messy and complicated and sometimes we deal with the hurt that we feel by not talking about it or sending the hurt away. Maybe what the Black’s are doing to Andromeda is wrong, maybe she did nothing wrong. But in this society? We are all just trying to save face, and people are always willing to do whatever they have to to do that.”

“Good,” Wila smiled. “What do you know about babies? I don’t recall ever holding one, so I think that some books are in order,” Wila admitted with a laugh. Babies and children were something that she usually avoided, she took her conceptive potions religiously and refused to risk a pregnancy derailing her very carefully crafted life. But for Theo, she supposed she would have to work on being around babies. “True,” she agreed. “But I’m not here to judge the choices that other people have made when it comes to that. So long as you are comfortable with the decision, and Evan is as well, that’s the important thing.”

Frank nodded back, hoping she had some time of peace ahead if she was that used to things being spur-of-the-moment and not allowing much rest. “They aren’t perfect by any means, but at least usually things can happen pretty quickly when it’s a big issue, even when that occasionally can be a bit inconvenient for us.” He shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets. 

“That might be giving too much credit, especially when I’m sure certain pockets are being lined to try and keep that from happening.” Frank sighed. The whole Ministry was corrupt at this point, and he wondered if there was any saving it left. Probably best not to say that part aloud, though. “Well, I should probably let you go to get a little sleep before tomorrow then.”

~

Wila nodded her head in agreement. She could accept that the scale of the explosion was far beyond their capabilities. She was just rather glad that they had still gone undetected, despite the Ministry being there. “Exactly what I was thinking,” she agreed. “Thankfully it wasn’t too inconvenient this time, and their presence let us take care of the original mission, which is what really matters.”

She sometimes wondered if people in the Ministry were just purposefully being obtuse when it came to what was happening around them. Or if they were in agreement with the Death Eaters. Whatever the reason, she didn’t often have much faith in them. “Oh, I’m sure you’re right,” she agreed. She nodded her head. “I should get going,” she agreed, offering him a small smile. “I’ll see you around, I’m sure. Try to get some rest too,” Wila said, before she turned around and walked out of the door and headed home.

x

Talking about Nymphadora would always be easy. Andromeda had never shied away from talking about her biggest accomplishment in life – even if said accomplishment would drive her completely mad, half the time. “She’s already twelve, actually. So not so little anymore,” she corrected her own previous statement, fondness in her voice as she chuckled. Dora would likely find it in her to be pissed off if she heard her mom still treating her like a little kid. She was all about independence these days. It was alarming how much she took after her own mother. “I’m sure she’ll be taller than me in no time.”

It was always funny, how people who were hardly ever close to the Tonks could say she must be getting big, as if they were ever present for Dora’s earlier years. It’s funny, in the way that it’s ironic, because Andromeda and Ted had to deal with an eerily empty house once they moved out; just a bunch of ghost stories and no friends who stuck around to help them when they needed it most. But everyone still felt like they knew them, because they knew of them. Perhaps she should start collecting stories to make a memoir– where were you when you learned Andromeda Tonks was pregnant and disowned?

The silence after the book question almost made Andromeda backtrack, but when the response finally came, it made sense. Her eyes turned kind, lips pressing into a thin line for a moment. “My apologies. I…” She trailed off, pausing. It was difficult to figure out which woul doffer more comfort, to draw the parallel between their situations, or to point out the ways in which they differ. She tried to fall somewhere in between. “It must be hard. I know.”

~

Wila had no concept of how old Nymphadora was. Her age was entirely irrelevent to her life, she had only ever seen the kid in passing at the estate when she was with her parents. But it still came as a bit of a shock when Andromeda told her that the girl was twelve. It hadn’t seemed like so long since Andromeda had left her family for Ted, but she supposed that she had been a teenager at the time, and she was closer to thirty now. That was a scary thought. “My mother always says that our childhoods go by so quickly. I’m sure that must be a strange feeling.” Wila had no motherly instincts, but she supposed Andromeda must, being a mother and all. “How is she enjoying Hogwarts?”

With each passing day, Wila was becoming more convinced that whoever said that grief got easier over time was a liar. It was only getting harder. Sarai was going to be forever twenty-three, and their age gap that had once seemed so big as children, when Wila was the unbothered older sister that sent her sister away, had grown smaller after their subsequent graduation from Hogwarts. But now it was only going to grow large again, as Wila continued on, and Sarai remained as she was that final day in Wila’s flat.

She was prepared for the usual look of sympathy that people gave her whenever Sarai came up, and the quick way that they found some excuse to leave the conversation. People weren’t comfortable with grief. “It’s alright,” Wila said automatically, when Andromeda began to apologize. But then she spoke, and for once, Wila felt like she was being sincere. “It’s...been difficult,” she admitted, uncomfortable, but not walking away. “I keep expecting her to walk into my flat, the hurricane that she was. I should have made more time for her.”

—

“So am I. and yet I still make time for lunch.” Theo pointed out, shaking her head. If it got any worse she was going to have to make a point of finding Wila each day to make sure that she did have lunch. She was just looking out for her friend. And she supposed by doing this it would at least mean she would actually see her friend. She was proud of Wila for all the good boss bitch work she was doing, but she did miss hanging out with her. “Ugh. I hate that. They are the very same people that think us Women can’t possibly be better at it than him.” She dealt with that on a daily basis.

Theo just laughed, shaking her head. “I don’t think Andromeda likes me.” She mused with a laugh. And she really did not know what she’d done, apart from the join the death eaters. Which she supposed was pretty bad. “But…..” She paused, thinking of how to word it. “What she’s done isn’t that bad? She fell in love. What’s so wrong with that?”

“I dunno. Alice seemed pretty done.” And part of Theo couldn’t blame her. But she missed her friend already. Alice had been one of her people. One of the only ones she had been able to truly trust. It hurt to know she’d fucked that up too. She was just praying she wasn’t going to lose Evan and Wila too. Theo sighed, biting on her lip as she was quiet for a few moments. “Yes.” Her answer came straight away.  A few days ago she wouldn’t have said that. “If you’d aked me that last week, it might not have been the same. But….. I can’t get rid of my baby.” IT was an innocent life. And she wasn’t getting rid of it.

“He does.” She confirmed with a nod. “He was the one that found out. It was when he was doing a diagnostic charm after I got hurt..” Theo explained with a nod. She sighed. “This changes everything…..Evan’s family are going to disown him….. or kill me…..” And she was terrified. 

~

“Yeah, okay, I know,” Wila replied, sighing. It was just how she was, unfortunately, she got sidetracked and caught up in her job and she forgot to eat. “I always eat breakfast though, so don’t worry too much,” Wila teased. She appreciated the worry, though, and it reminded her that she still had people to ground her. She sometimes felt lost in her grief and those days where the hardest to get up and try to be herself. She hated them. But...Wila just had to continue pushing through. “He tries to talk down to me because I’m a woman but I enjoy putting him back into his place,” she smirked. “It’s the only reason I keep him around, truthfully. Nothing is better then reminding him that I access his finances and I know he has a mistress in Paris,” she rolled her eyes.

The things that she knew about peoples lives through years of cultivating relationships and watching their finances. “No? Because of Evan?” Wila asked, confused. She couldn’t think of a reason why Andromeda wouldn’t like her. Wila sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, she fell in love, there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. My mother used to tell me stories about her and Ted, about how Ted stole her away from a good family. My mother can be so old fashioned, she still hopes that I will ‘marry up’ one day,” she rolled her eyes. “So maybe she didn’t do anything bad but that’s not the way that her family sees it.”

“Then it’s her loss,” Wila reminded Theo. Things were much more serious then Wila had expected. A baby. That was going to change things for Theo and for Evan, and she wasn’t sure that they were ready for that. They had so much on their plates already, a baby would complicate them. “Then I guess I’m going to be an aunt then,” Wila teased lightly. If Theo wanted this baby then there would be no questions asked. “That’s okay, you should make the decision that is right for you. I’m not here to judge you, or anything. I just wanted you to know that there are always options. But you’ve made your choice and I’ll support that choice,” Wila promised. 

Frank nodded. Clearly he and Wila were coming at this from a different perspective, but he supposed that was as close to a compromise as they were going to get on the subject. 

He grimaced as she brought up meetings. “That’s unfortunate, but at least you can take the morning. I hate to keep you too much longer if that’s the case.” He shrugged. “I have one more day because of the injury leave, but I’ll go back Tuesday. I’m sure the office will be crazy with all of this. I’m hoping that we managed not to get the Order connected to things directly in any of these locations, but somehow I doubt we’ll get that lucky.” It seemed like they never did. Even when things were started by the Death Eaters, they seemed to end up fingered by at least a few people at the Ministry. Now those tended to be people Frank himself was suspicious of, but that was neither here nor there. “I wish you the best on a smooth day tomorrow.”

~

Wila knew that the moment she crawled into her bed, she was going to fall right asleep. The adrenaline of the day was starting to wear off, and she hoped that she would get a few hours of sleep before she headed into the office. Sleepless nights weren’t a new thing for Wila, she had spent many nights doing Order work, but she was exhausted. 

*

Getting out of the Prewett Estate was a relief. There were only so many rooms of peeling wallpaper and crooked floors that someone could take. That number was quite a bit lower for someone of Regulus’ tastes and he was starting to truly regret not having a place to stay beyond what he considered a crumbling old dump of a once-grand place. The invitation from Wila had been a welcome one when it arrived and it was a relief, one Regulus feared he would never be able to express without sounding like the arse so many in the Order thought he was, to return to the finer parts of life. 

Regulus Black was capable of surviving many things. One thing he could not seem to manage, however, was making do without some luxury. He wasn’t afraid to admit that, at least to himself.

“Hello Wila,” he greeted, pulling out the chair and sitting in it with all the decorum he’d been trained to do since he was a child. “I really do appreciate you inviting me out. I fear I was starting to smell of the decay of that estate we all spend entirely too much time in.” Waving off the explanations, Regulus declared that no explanations were needed. “You’re your own person and there’s no need to answer to me for things like that. I did find it easily enough, though. I was fortunate enough to come here a few times. It does stick in the memory, after all.”

Getting more comfortable and ordering an Irish whiskey for himself, Regulus felt as if a bit of laughter was appropriate. “I am perpetually amazed at the group. Though that comes not at all from the group itself and my own amazement that it had made it as long as it has with that appears to be nothing but luck and incompetence on the other side. You said it was a hard week. Did anything… Happen? Beyond the disaster that was the twenty-fifth, of course.” Asking after another was unusual for Regulus. The words felt strange in his mouth but that didn’t stop him from saying them.

~

This was the life that she had been promised from birth, a life of luxury surrounded by like minded individuals. Regulus was one of those people. While she had learned to appreciate the... particular brand of chaos that was the Order of the Phoenix, she was still most at ease at a place like this. Of course she loved The Flaming Dragon in all of it’s...old charm, but it had a very specific purpose in her mind. And this dinner with Regulus did not fit that particular venue. She doubted any Order members frequented this place, which was a plus in her mind. There was only so much that she could take. If they weren’t working towards the eradication of Voldemort and his Death Eaters then she wasn’t going to be found at the estate.

“I’ve never quite understood why the Prewetts have allowed the estate to fall into such a state of disrepair. I know that Fabian had other things on his mind, what with Gideon, and everything. But put a little bit of pride into your home,” Wila shook her head. The Prewetts were people that she didn’t quite understand. “Have you been staying at the estate?” She questioned, glancing around to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. It didn’t seem like it. “Well, I’m just glad that you could make it and meet me tonight. I’ve been wanting to do this for a few days now. This is one of my favorite places in Diagon Alley.”

“They certainly have their...own brand of charm,” She agreed. She wasn’t quite willing to say anything that negative about them. Even if she wasn’t there to make friends, they were helping her with her mission and for that, she could be grateful. “I’ve had the same thoughts. You would think that things would be easier, but unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case.” Wila shrugged her shoulders. “Just a busy week with work,” she explained. “The twenty-fifth was a shit show, but I appreciate that you came to our aid. I hope that it wasn’t too difficult for you,” Wila sighed. “It sometimes feels like I am working two very demanding jobs, but I will rest when the job has been completed.” 

—

Theo appreciated her friends. She struggled with trust. And she supposed some of that was due to the fact that she was not really a person that could be trusted. But, she really did appreciate her friends. That was why she was really struggling with the argument with Alice. She didn’t want to act like she was bothered, but sometimes it was hard to pretend. And she felt that she could at least be real with Wila. Anyway, Theo was pretty sure that her friend would be able to see right through her act anyway. There was a reason why they were friends after all.

“You really need to stop doing that.” She mused, a grin on her face. She didn’t do that. She liked food too much to skip lunch. And Evan would really be making her lunches every day if he found out that she was skipping lunch. Theo sighed with a smile as she opened the take out box, and took a mouthful. “Yeah… I guess….” She mused with a shrug. “My grandparents used to say that she was trouble with a capital T.” But she didn’t really know her that well.  

“I’d like to say that I’m not impacted by my fight with Alice. But you know how close we were….. it hurts.” Theo murmured, biting her lip as she looked at the other woman. “But it’s not that.” A fight with someone she’d considered a friend was not going to be enough to make her hide away. She was quiet for a few minutes, eating her dinner as she spoke. Then she looked up at her friend, a look of worry on her face. “I’m pregnant”

~

Wila rolled her eyes. “I’m busy,” she retorted. She knew that it wasn’t good and that it was a habit that she needed to work on, but it was what it was. Wila was a workaholic, and she could give herself a longer lunch break, but she wanted to lead by example. Everyone was already expecting her to fail because they were all sexist, and Wila wasn’t about to give them a reason to question her, or question how she was running the company. “I had a meeting with that asshole client I was telling you about last week. He’s so irritating, if I didn’t want the money from him I’d send him elsewhere. He has no clue what he’s talking about but he thinks that he does. It’s the worst kind of stupidity.”

She hoped that she could distract Theo from whatever was on her mind. “That’s what my mother would say too. Everything was, you don’t want to end up like Andromeda,” Wila rolled her eyes. “Please. Like I was going to be distracted from what needed to be done by some guy.” Wila shook her head. 

Frank cleared his throat. “I’m glad you were able to handle it, but apology not retracted. I shouldn’t have put you in that situation, even if it wasn’t intentional.” Figuring out if someone was ready for leadership took time. Being the best of a bunch that contained far too many rookies wasn’t a good way to determined who that should be. It took practice missions and other opportunities to gear up, to prove readiness. Frank was glad Wila had been ready, but no one would change his mind on how foolish the choice was.

“I am glad things worked out.” His face softened. “Do you have the opportunity to sleep tonight? I remember my first lead. I wanted to sleep for a week after, but alas, work calls. Is your tomorrow more merciful?”

~

Wila didn’t know why she was surprised. Frank had always been rather moral, she was sure that he would hold not being there as some sort of measure of failure for the rest of time. That sounded utterly exhausting, but she supposed that it wasn’t her life, so whatever Frank wanted to do was his choice. Wila wasn’t going to hold it against him, however. “Well, your apology, although not needed is accepted,” she finally settled on. “I’m sure that you will be there for whatever comes next.” 

—

Theo hadn’t really seen many people in the Order since the 24th. She hadn’t really wanted too. She had no doubt that most of them had found out about her fight with Alice. The pair hadn’t exactly been quiet, and their had been others in the room. She knew how fast rumours spread, and she had kind of been hiding away. Of course, she also had the excuse that she was recovering from her injuries. But, she had been grateful that Wila was coming around. She was pretty confident that she wasn’t going to have many friends left now, and well, she would appreciate at least one friendly face right now. Evan was great, but she did need more than just him.

“Cocky as always my dear” Theo teased, a little smirk on her lips. They were pretty similar, which she supposed as why they were good friends. Right now, she did just appreciate that she was here. Theo had a feeling her life was about to get pretty lonely, and she was not really ready for that. So, she did appreciate Wila finding time to come round.

“I’m just glad I’ve been able to be off sick. Means I’ve not had to explain anything.” Although she would have to when she got back. But at least she could use the pregnancy as the reason, and not the real reason why she’d had to be off sick. “I’ve recovered okay actually…..” She mused, biting on her lip. She was wondering how much Wila might already know. “It’s….not the actual injuries from the night that have been the reason why I’ve been hiding away…..”

~

Unlike a lot of the other Order members, Wila didn’t spend all of her waking time at the estate or doing Order work. She had a very busy full time job and there were days that went by where she didn’t find herself at the estate. So while she had heard the barest of details about Theo and Alice’s falling out when she had gone to The Flaming Dragon for a business meeting last night, she still wasn’t entirely sure what had gone down. If she wasn’t friends with Theo, she wouldn’t have cared in the slightest about the falling out. She wasn’t in the Order to make friends, after all. 

“Would it be me if I wasn’t?” She teased. She leaned over and grabbed the takeout containers before handing Theo’s to her. “I’m starving, I skipped lunch.” Wila paused. ‘I ran into Andromeda when I was waiting to pick up dinner. It’s always so weird, running into her, don’t you think?” Since joining the Order and finding out that Andromeda was a part of it, she had just thought that it was strange. She never would have expected it from her.