Space Exploration Disaster [Sarah & Rhys]

[eleanor gwendolen ollivander]

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She hated that Sarah was right. Like absolutely loathed it. Nell was pretty sure she could count on one hand the amount of times her roommate had been correct about something. Having Rhys assist in that didn’t help her at all though, because he seemed to be good at downplaying serious issues. Like his fighting. Which he had managed to get avoid actually talking about because her incessant whining about needing to apologize was taking front and center now. It didn’t really matter to her that Rhys had seen her in the Hospital Wing and she ‘seemed fine’. A lot of people could look fine after a magical accident but not actually be. Merlin, she’d had wands blow up on her while trying to put them together and they left permanent magical burns in her bedroom floor back home. Magic wasn’t something to trifle with, and she and Sarah had just knocked over a full cauldron on the girl’s leg. So whether or not Juniper was ‘fine’ was really up for interpretation.

The worst part was that he added on that the Hufflepuff girl wouldn’t want another apology. That anything Nell tried at this point would just be fueling her. Because she was sort of like that, always angry about little things. She was probably going to take this as a personal slight, especially with Sarah involved. “I mean, the potion was sort of off. I don’t think it was supposed to eat through her uniform and leg the way it did…” Nell said quietly in response. It was still her fault for not watching where the cauldron was on the table and then not attempting to stop it as it fell. If only she had been a little quicker with her wand…

Rhys stated that he was moving onto the next greenhouse, and he seemed to be right in the fact that the three of them had cleaned the first up fairly fast. Weird how teamwork functioned under different circumstances. She still shouldn’t have been in detention though. “If Veronica finds out I attacked the Headmistress’s relative, she’ll never let me hear the end of it…” she said even quieter than her last comment, mostly in disbelief and to herself, but out loud nonetheless. Her shock still hadn’t warn off since it happened.

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[sarah jane oliveira]

September 10, 2016

At least Rhys always had her back. If Nell wouldn't bother listening to her saying that Juniper was fine and that they really hadn't done her any long-lasting harn, then maybe she would listen to him. That was what Sarah had hoped would happen, anyway, but Nell remained just as utterly ridiculous as she had been since they had first received detention.

Rhys had the sense to excuse himself so that he could go to the next greenhouse (and not have to listen to Nell). Sarah wished she could follow him, but she knew that Nell would then think that she needed to follow her, defeating the main purpose of getting out of the greenhouse they were in at the moment. They couldn't be kept there all night, even if they did a terrible job of sweeping up.

"If Veronica finds out I attacked the Headmistress’s relative, she’ll never let me hear the end of it…"

And there was the whining again.

Sarah let out a breath with a huff. "No one attacked her, Nell." If she were stupid enough to tell her sister that she had attacked someone when she hadn't, then anything that might happen as a result would be her own fault. "Just shut up and finish sweeping."

rhys alexander greyback
eleanor gwendolen ollivander

[rhys alexander greyback]

If I had seen my reflection

As something more precious

September 10, 2016
eleanor gwendolen ollivander
sarah jane oliveira

Rhys wasn’t in the mood for this. His day, week, and month had been terrible, to say the least. Receiving detention had been the easiest part of it. But he understood why Nell was upset. She’d spoken about her family, at least some. Not that he understood all these dynamics, but he listened. Without knowledge of the assignment, Rhys couldn’t comment on what could have gone wrong with the batch. Not that it mattered at this point. Walking out of this greenhouse, he stopped before entering the next one. Letting himself take a few breaths. Days like this left him on edge. After dealing with the older boys, his temper was less under control than usual. He still felt that rage lingering beneath the surface.

It wasn’t Nell’s fault. Rhys had honestly forgotten that feeling of one’s first detention. The slight shame of it, but that had happened all the way in first year for Rhys. Just a boy of age eleven wondering why he got all those looks all the time. Since the first greenhouse was just about done, he expected the girls to follow him out after a few minutes. Unless the last few leaves were that difficult to handle or permanently stuck to the floor. With a slight huff, he turned around and walked back into the first greenhouse. Naturally, he walked in just in time for Sarah to snap at Nell. He really should not have left these two completely opposite personalities alone together.

”Did someone cast a permanent sticky charm or something?” Rhys was not clearly in the best of moods. But there had not been enough left behind on the floor for them to take so long. ”I hate it when I have to skip lunch on a Saturday.” Now, he was the one slightly whining but only because he was hungry. It was not the sixteen-year-old’s fault that he had the metabolism he did. He always assumed it was part of being a werewolf. And at this rate, the slim boy didn’t have much left to burn if he didn’t eat. With a sigh, he looked at Sarah. ”You can start ahead, Sarah. I’ll finish up here.” Rhys muttered as he walked to where Sarah had been sweeping. After a quiet moment, he finally spoke again as he gathered the last of a bunch of leaves. ”Your sister won’t find out, Nell. You didn’t do this on purpose.” Rhys spoke quietly before walking to the trash bin.

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[eleanor gwendolen ollivander]

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Merlin, they truly didn't understand what it was like to be related to Veronica. Her sister criticized everything that wasn't Gideon or a wand made by her own hand, so basically her perfect creations. Nell loved her nephew dearly, but there was no coming close when it came to being treated the same way as him. It had always been that way, after all, and when Ronnie's rage shifted off Frankie, it came right at Nell instead. Rhys and Sarah could never get that she was seen as a threat to the inheritance of the wand shop when that wasn't even what she wanted. If her sister found out about this, it would be used as a power play for the rest of their lives. How she was perfect and Nell wasn't, all because of an accident in Potions and potentially permanently disfiguring another student. Someone so careless couldn't be trusted making wands after all. Just thinking about the what-if scenario made her want to crawl into a corner of the dungeon and disappear into it for good. Veronica was relentless and her fellow detention attendees didn't get it.

Trying her best to ignore Sarah's harsh words (which were nothing compared to what could happen down the line with her sister), she swept slowly but methodically. At least she was good at one thing. Rhys had re-entered the greenhouse at this point and directed Sarah to continue on to the next one, saying something about not wanting to skip lunch. She tried to crack a smile at that, because it would honestly suck to miss out on it. Suffering until dinner would fit the punishment though, so maybe they weren't supposed to be done in time. "It doesn't matter if it was on purpose or not," Nell tried to explain. "She's literally a narcissist. Anything she can use against me, she will..." It would take too long to explain it right now, especially if they were trying to get the cleaning done in a timely fashion. Plus, Sarah could rival Veronica on the bitchiness scale and she really didn't want to be hearing it both during and after her detention. "Was she really okay when you saw her in the Hospital Wing? I swear I'll stop going on about it after this..."

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[sarah jane oliveira]

September 10, 2016

Was it possible for detention to be going worse than Sarah had anticipated? It was really feeling that way with Nell's carrying on about how much trouble she was going to be in with her family and how she was certain that Juniper McGonagall had nearly died, even though she would be perfectly fine.

Sarah herself jumped as Rhys came back into the greenhouse that he had only just left, wanting to know if someone had "cast a permanent sticky charm" on the floor in the greenhouse that they were still in. (No, Sarah thought as she gathered up her broomstick and dustpan, Nell was simply more concerned with moaning about the situation that she had gotten herself into than getting herself out of it.)

Although they still had some more work to do, Rhys suggested that she go ahead. Sarah gladly took up that offer and gave him a subtle nod of thanks. Rhys must have been able to tell how close she was to whacking Nell on the head with her broom, so he was saving them all from that mess.

Grateful to be leaving Rhys and Nell for even just a minute or two, Sarah stepped outside of the greenhouse and took in a breath of fresh air.

rhys alexander greyback
eleanor gwendolen ollivander

[rhys alexander greyback]

If I had seen my reflection

As something more precious

September 10, 2016
eleanor gwendolen ollivander
sarah jane oliveira

This wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last time Rhys would hear about Veronica Ollivander. In a way, Rhys could understand. The odds are stacked against you no matter what. Someone just waiting for you to mess up so they can use it against you and ignore everything else. But, Rhys didn’t have siblings t compare with, so his experience was limited. It wasn’t lost on Rhys that Sarah was about ready to sweep Nell into the trash bin along with the leaves. So while he’d come back into the greenhouse to hurry them both along, he supposed if there was anyone that could be a buffer, it was Rhys.

In the grand scheme of things, Rhys knew Sarah wasn’t exactly a welcoming social butterfly, but he also wasn’t intimidated by her as most of his classmates. Or how many people were probably wary of him, if only because of his name? He hadn’t thought of these things much before this past week, but he supposed it didn’t really matter now. Rhys gave Nell a sympathetic look. Her worry and fear were genuine and not just the complaints of a student who’d never gotten detention before. Well, they were a little bit. ”Just blame it on me. It seems to work for everyone else.” Rhys was being half-sarcastic. And Rhys didn’t particularly care what Nell’s older sister thought of him; maybe it just saved her some trouble. As he quickly looked around for anything they may have missed, he answered. ”She’s perfectly fine. She seems to think this is somehow my fault rather than the both of you.” Maybe Rhys wouldn’t mention the part where the burn left behind a mark that would be green, at least not now. ”Lets go.”

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[eleanor gwendolen ollivander]

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"You know I won't do that," Nell said immediately. There was no way any of this was his fault, except for getting detention. To be fair, she still thought her own punishment was pretty harsh considering she was a first time offender. It probably had to do with making it equal for both her and Sarah. It would look a little unfair if the other girl got detention and Nell walked away with a slap on the wrist. If anything, that would be worse for her because there was no telling how Sarah would act around her if it had happened that way. All things considered, her housemate was being relatively decent to her today. Especially after all the whining that had been going on.

Hearing that Juniper was fine was probably the most she could ask for at the moment, and she finally relented on the subject. "If she thinks that, then I'll talk to her about it when I go to apologize again. I don't want her to think any less of you or Sarah, even if it was sort of both of our fault for spilling it..."

With that greenhouse seemingly clean, she exited and started towards the next one, Rhys behind her. Sarah was standing directly outside, and Nell eyed her carefully. Should she apologize for being annoying too? That was probably a good idea, even if Sarah would hate it. "Sorry for being annoying. I won't bring it up again today," she said quietly, trying to avoid eye contact completely. "On to the next one then?" She was positive that Rhys had at least started on it, so that would hopefully make things go a little faster. Especially now that she could get fully invested into sweeping instead of complaining. Otherwise she was sure Sarah wouldn't hold back whatever she had wanted to say earlier.

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[sarah jane oliveira]

September 10, 2016

Since she wasn't being supervised by anyone after she had left the greenhouse that Nell and Rhys were still inside, Sarah briefly considered leaving while she had the opportunity. Running off from detention would be a fast way to get even more detention, though, so she decided against doing that. The thought was a tempting one; she couldn't lie, but even a minute or two without Nell and Rhys (and mostly Nell) was better than nothing.

So that she couldn't be accused of doing anything that she hadn't done, Sarah chose to walk over to the next greenhouse and then wait outside of it for the other two to join her. Knowing Nell, she was probably talking incessantly about something that had no bearing on anything and boring Rhys to tears. At least she wasn't her problem temporarily, Sarah thought to herself, idly nudging a rock on the ground with the toe of her shoe to see how far it might travel.

rhys alexander greyback
eleanor gwendolen ollivander

[rhys alexander greyback]

If I had seen my reflection

As something more precious

September 10, 2016
eleanor gwendolen ollivander
sarah jane oliveira

Nell immediately protested the idea of using Rhys as a scapegoat. In all seriousness, he wouldn’t have cared, but he supposed it was nice she wasn’t so easily willing to. But how typical of Rhys. Someone could show their sincerity and loyalty to him repeatedly for years, yet that doubt never left the pit of his stomach. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried, but his mind would never let him fully let go, much like the insane level of doubt that had fallen on his shoulders during that conversation in the Hospital Wing. It didn’t matter. It was a misunderstanding in the end. However, Rhys suddenly remembered he still had to tell Nell he wouldn’t be able to work with her in Potions anymore.

Maybe she’d use him as a scapegoat, then. Rhys cleared his throat. He didn’t need any expertise in Divination or a crystal ball to know that Juniper would say something regardless of whether Rhys had spoken to Nell yet. He unclenched his jaw, unaware he’d gotten tense, as Nell apologized to Sarah. Sarah seemed indifferent, but that was better than whatever snarky remark she might have thrown otherwise. Soon they were all in the next greenhouse, which Rhys had started before doubling back. There was a bit left to do, but they were making decent progress, much more than if he’d been alone.

This greenhouse mainly contained herbs and small flowers. To the untrained eye, they all looked so innocuous. But out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the purple flowers that would follow him for the rest of his life—wolfsbane. He began to walk toward the back of the greenhouse to start there but then stopped, his eyes landing on something right in front of them. ”Mint…” He mumbled out loud. ”You could have used mint…” In his brain, Rhys had wondered how a simple batch of Never Gone Grease Remover could have turned so volatile and dangerous. Well, that he hadn’t exactly figured out, but something like mint would have decreased it significantly. Whatever they had done in the first place created such oxidation that the potion turned green from the copper cauldrons. He shook his head as he returned to Earth. ”Sorry…I was wondering what you’d done to that potion that day. Juniper didn’t know either.”

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[eleanor gwendolen ollivander]

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Well, Sarah was Sarah. Didn’t even respond to her apology, though who could blame her? Nell knew how she was around people with strong personalities. Her own sister practically steam rolled her in every single conversation they had ever had. She had never once been right about anything, even if she actually was. Definitely a lot to look forward to once she became an apprentice wand maker next summer. Secretly, Nell dreaded it. Why couldn’t her dad still be running the business? Or at least take the time to teach her. Frankie obviously was never going to join the industry (or rather couldn’t), and she sort of doubted that Benny would too. If he did, it wouldn’t be as a lifetime career. There really wasn’t even any hope of her running Ollivander’s either, as Veronica was bound to own it until the day she died and then pass it off to Gideon once he was ready. So that left her with second place, as always. Such a great career choice for her to make. It was also the only thing she was really, really good at.

These were the sorts of thoughts that were constantly running through her head as she worked. Both in class and now. Aimlessly following Rhys into the next greenhouse, she heard him mention something about using mint, though her thoughts and sweeping distracted her from connecting the whole sentence together. Something about mint and then the potion that had caused Juniper’s burn. “I don’t even remember at this point,” she admitted. Nell had been far more worried about the consequences of such a screw up that what she’d actually put into her cauldron had no meaning to her anymore. “Obviously not the right things though. There was no reason it ever should have turned out that way.” The ironic part about magical reactions such as that was that her future career was highly dependent on it. If the wand wood and core matched up – or not – certain reactions could happen because of it. Lacking the foresight to see that happening in Potions was absolutely on her, and poor Juniper was going to suffer because of it.

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[sarah jane oliveira]

September 10, 2016

Nell and Rhys caught up with her after a little while, and they entered the greenhouse. Sarah braced herself for another round of Nell Ollivander's theatrics. She got to work towards the front of the greenhouse, while Rhys seemed to be on his way towards the back before stopping and mentioning something about how they could have used mint in the Potions lesson that had led them to detention. It was too little, too late for that, though.

Sarah started sweeping up, though that greenhouse wasn't too bad, really. Maybe she had just gotten into the rhythm of things by then? That didn't make her enjoy the manual labor any more than she had previously, but it didn't seem to be quite as tedious.

In response to Rhys's having brought up mint, Nell stated that she couldn't remember. Nell also said that obviously they hadn't used the right ingredients. That was good enough for Sarah, too.

"Wait, what? Would mint have neutralized it?" Sarah questioned, calling in Rhys's direction. She guessed that it must have done something beneficial, or Rhys wouldn't have brought it up. If that came up during an assignment or on their exams, it wouldn't be terrible trivia to have stashed away. Personally, she would have expected that mint would have made the potion greener. At least Juniper's leg would have smelled nice temporarily?

rhys alexander greyback
eleanor gwendolen ollivander

[rhys alexander greyback]

If I had seen my reflection

As something more precious

September 10, 2016
eleanor gwendolen ollivander
sarah jane oliveira

It was unfortunate that neither could remember their part in the disastrous potion. Part of Rhys wanted to know as a general bit of knowledge and to confirm that perhaps all of that could’ve been avoided. But what did he expect? Sarah and Nell were just such different people. Somehow, Rhys got along with both just fine. Hearing Sarah ask a question, Rhys turned in his spot. ”Erm—maybe?” Again, he would need to know the exact composition at the time. But going as far as to ask their Potions Professor felt unnecessary. Plus, they should all probably move past it now, especially since Rhys still hadn’t told Nell about new arrangements for Potions.

Suddenly, Rhys felt frustrated. They were bloody seventh-years now. Nell and Sarah had gotten detention for third-year antics, and this was judgment coming from Rhys, who spent every other weekend in detention or fighting. He let out a heavy sigh, ”You two—“ Rhys looked at both of them. ”—need to learn to work together before you blow up the dungeons.” He didn’t know where this annoyance and frustration came from, but perhaps it was just the case that it simply lingered just under the surface. With his mood beginning to sour a bit, Rhys began to sweep.

Or maybe it was because of Juni’s insistence that this was all his fault because Sarah and Nell could not work together without him in the mix. Their babysitter was gone. Therefore she now had a green leg. While Rhys hadn’t figured out how to tell Nell that she’d need a new Potion’s partner, Rhys had also unwittingly begun that conversation.

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[eleanor gwendolen ollivander]

▲

There were times where Nell seriously wondered what the benefits of going to Hogwarts were for her. While she had never been in a position like this before – aka detention – classes like Potions really didn’t do anything for her. One hundred percent of her commitment post-graduation was going to be towards wandmaking. Care of Magical Creatures was more beneficial, strangely enough. Knowing the magical properties of different animals and where they were located would eventually come in handy. She was sure of it. Stressing out over this was ridiculous, and she knew that, but that was how she was. Sarah wasn’t helping her at all.

So when Sarah repeated back Rhys’s comment about mint, Nell honestly didn’t know. She began to tune out the conversation, because what-ifs were only going to drive her up the wall. Being a perfectionist sucked, especially when it came to Potions. These sorts of mistakes had to work their way out of her now though. Once she was making wands professionally, these things couldn’t happen. Her dad had taught her from a young age that incorrectly placing wand cores could lead to explosive results, sometimes unknown until someone picked it up to test it.

Finding a corner to sweep on her own, she heard Rhys start to speak up, chastising both she and Sarah over not working together. Nell was aghast. The two of them wouldn’t have had to work together if it weren’t for him being out. Which wasn’t his fault, but still. She was instantly annoyed with his annoyance. ”Well, just stay out of the hospital wing and we won’t have to,” she shot back. It was only fair for her to say so. ”I don’t have a problem with you Sarah, but I think we can both agree that we shouldn’t be Potions partners.” Literally anyone could see that the two of them didn’t work well together.

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[sarah jane oliveira]

September 10, 2016

It was a mystery to Sarah how Rhys could turn into such a diplomat despite being a regular in the world of Hogwarts detention, yet he had jumped in as a mediator between her and Nell. He told the two of them that they needed to learn to work together before they blew up the school's dungeons. Though it was the greenhouses that they needed to worry about for the duration of their detention, Rhys's point was made. Even if he occasionally annoyed her, too, Sarah found that she couldn't stay angry with him for long. Maybe it was because he didn't whine about getting in trouble; he took it and dealt with it.

Instead of agreeing with him, Nell grew short with Rhys, telling him that he needed to stay out of the Hospital Wing. She also added—while claiming not to have a problem with her—that she and Sarah shouldn't be Potions partners, something with which Sarah didn't disagree.

"Er… Yeah. But we're still in detention for another…" Sarah wasn't sure what time it was offhand, but she was ready for her current stint in detention to be over and done.

As for Potions partners, there were other options, and hopefully their professor had learned a valuable lesson about partnering students in alphabetical order. Sarah looked at Rhys, hoping that her expression conveyed just how badly she needed him as her partner in Potions in the future. The ideal situation, besides Rhys, would have been finding someone who was perfectly content with doing all the work and then letting her take part of the credit for it when it did exactly what it was supposed to do, but that wouldn't work as well in her seventh year as it had years before.

rhys alexander greyback
eleanor gwendolen ollivander

[rhys alexander greyback]

If I had seen my reflection

As something more precious

September 10, 2016
eleanor gwendolen ollivander
sarah jane oliveira

Rhys scoffed before he could stop himself. ”Merlin—do you think I want to visit the Hospital Wing all the time?” He’d forgotten entirely about sweeping, leaning on the broomstick as he stared incredulously at his best friend. Sarah wasn’t helping with her offhand comments. More often than not, Rhys worked with Nell but sometimes would partner with Sarah. Their social circles really were that small, apparently. Which only made Rhys feel a little worse about the rest of the year. ”Not like it matters.” Rhys mumbled. ”I won’t be working with either of you anyway.”

He purposefully avoided eye contact with both the girls while slowly making his way to an untouched corner. Honestly, he didn’t want to hear it, and he didn’t want questions. It was the situation now. The last thing he needed was Juniper McGonagall following him around like some wild doxy with a purpose if he broke his word. By like the sky was certainly blue, Rhys waited for Nell to demand some kind of explanation or answer. So he waited a few seconds before clarifying. ”Your inability to work together is apparently my fault. McGonagall is making me work with her the rest of the year.” Rhys finally looked up, clearly unamused with the entire arrangement.

”Look—can we finish this up already?” Rhys was tired, hungry and annoyed. The Professor had purposely barred magic, knowing Rhys had a knack for charms. Apparently, there was nothing like good ‘ol physical labor to build character, or so they said.

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