silver tongued suits [ophelia]

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

Late September 2027

Jack couldn't remember there having been so many beautiful people at Hogwarts. They must have multiplied after the fire - for it was truly shocking the number of times Jack found himself craning his neck to check out the fine ass of a bird, or the sharp cut of a jaw. It would come as no surprise then that Jack had taken to cold showers, despite autumn descending on them as quickly as Mal bedded lasses. Working at the student bar did Jack no favours, if looked at in this light. But on the other hand, he had plenty of opportunities to bury himself in anything other than school work. And Jack was nothing if not an opportunist.

It was one of the rare evenings that Jack wasn't on the rota for the Flobberworm and Lettuce. As much as he wanted to spend it indulging in one of his many vices, Jack had an assignment due for a frightening Bianca Rivera at the end of the week that he needed to do well on. Which meant his nose was buried in a book rather than between someone's legs, and his wrist was tired from scribbling out notes for an essay. Jack knew that Bianca was the head of the department for Law Enforcement, and therefore his potential future employer. He'd fucked around enough as a youth, and though there was still the residual petty theft here and there, Jack had mostly straightened out his act. His rough upbringing had become fodder for his songwriting, which was already turning him on the right road.

Jack leaned back in the straight backed chair, cracking his neck to the side as he stretched. He hadn't realised how late it had gotten - the candles burned low in their sconces. He had two paragraphs left to write... surely he could manage that in the morning? But he was on a roll now... Jack hummed, tapping his fingers against the desk as he twirled the quill in his hand. What a shame it was that writing essays did nothing for the creative bones in his body.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia’s new schedule had been a bit difficult to adjust to, but not by much. She had after all managed to balance two jobs at once. Plus when this was done in two years time, she would finally be able to become a mediwitch. A dream which felt like it started in a different life, one where Dakota was alive and their baby kicked within her. But in this life, both were gone and Ophelia had floundered. With the help of her friends and brother however, she was finally able to center herself and go after the dream. Still, she was in the library far more often than not in her spare time; she found it more quiet than her apartment and though she loved her roommate dearly, she knew this space separation was best for them.

Sighing a little, Ophelia checked her watch and did a double take at the time. It was far later than she had imagined, and she had brunch plans with a friend the next day. Rubbing the bridge between her eyes tiredly, she closed the book with a snap and looked up. Unsurprisingly, there were very few people currently in the space, except for one fellow who looked like he was struggling with a paper. She smiled, always willing to be friendly. “Seems I’m not the only one burning the midnight oil,” she quipped, then nodded to the papers in front of them. “Who’s that for?” She asked, curious as to what department this man was studying in.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

Jack hadn't realised that he wasn't alone in the library. The past five minutes had been a mixture of humming to himself, tapping his desk, and scratching out random notes as he tried to pull together a report on muggle defence techniques. He nearly leaped out of his chair when a voice sounded from beside him. Jack had no idea how long she'd been sat there - if it had been hours or merely seconds. "Christ," he exclaimed, his brows knitting together with concern.

The girl nodded to the papers in front of him, and he glanced between her and the papers. There was a soft sort of innocence to her face, but a deep sadness to her eyes. She smiled at him and somehow it felt pained. A fabricated smile so wide it hurt, composure so brittle. Jack offered a tight lipped grin back. "Er, yeah. It's for Rivera," said Jack tentatively. "I haven't seen you in classes though. You're not hitwitch." It was an assessment rather than a question. Her open face sought a more noble trade. "Healing?" asked Jack, tilting his head in question.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia blushed as the young man jumped and swore. “Sorry!” she said again. She seemed to have broken him out of a deep concentration, and she wondered if she should have just kept silent. There was no going back now though, she supposed. He mentioned the name Rivera, and Ophelia’s brain wracked as a familiar sense washed over her. He must be speaking of Bianca Rivera, the Department Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Felix had mentioned her more than once, though Ophie had a suspecting hunch they were more than mere colleagues, at least for a time. They were also of a similar age, though Ophelia knew very well she was several years older than the average student at LIFE. The creation of such an institution after the final destruction of the Hogwarts she knew and loved provided a silver lining; a natural way for herself to fulfill her promise to Dakota of going into Healing. She hoped wherever he was, he was proud.

At Jack’s question, she shook her head with a small smile. “No, I wouldn’t consider myself suited to becoming a Hitwitch,” she told him. She was pleasantly surprised when he guessed Healing however. “Mediwitch, to be more precise,” she confirmed. “I’m a bit older than the rest of the students, it’s true. But I am fulfilling a promise to an old friend,” she added, smiling a little sadly. “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” she told him, turning to walk away.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[JOHN ELLIOT CLARK]

The girl before him wore her emotions on her sleeve. It was evident from every twitch of her lips, the sadness in her eyes. She wasn't the fighting sort, and Jack hadn't seen her in classes before. He guessed she was part of the healing programme, and he was correct. A self-satisfied smirk crossed his lips and he nodded. "Aye, bet you'd be suited to it," said Jack after a moment, before realising he came off as condescending. "You look nice," he added quickly.

Jack grinned, a genuine one this time. "Me too," he said. "Most of the people in my programme can hardly tell their wands from their arses, but I can't say that I can either," he added. But as the girl went on, the sadness washed over her again. Jack wondered why she was so sad, and thoughts came to his mind. Heartbreak? Loss? A combination of the two? "No, stay," said Jack, indicating the seat across from him. "Maybe you have some ideas on defensive spells to have in a hit wizard's arsenal and why?" he added, shooting a questioning look in her direction. "I'm Jack," he added after a moment.

Ophelia Mae Teller

[Ophelia Mae Teller]

Ophelia gave him a quizzical look but smiled at his compliment. Perhaps he had thought she looked like a Healing type? She had been told she was the epitome of Helga Hufflepuff’s values, so perhaps there was truth to that after all. He had asked her to stay, and she supposed it would be rude to refuse the offer. She had already finished her studying anyway, and she could still manage to be chipper for brunch tomorrow. So she took a seat across from him, placing her bag down on the empty chair beside her.

“Rivera’s head of Magical Law Enforcement, right? My brothers an Unspeakable, Head of his department actually, so he’s mentioned her a fair few times,” she commented. “I’m Ophelia Teller, Felix Teller is my older brother,” she added, noting that he had already said his name. “It’s nice to meet you Jack.” She pulled out a bottle of water and took a drink from it. “So, Hitwizard? Any particular reason for that career choice?” she asked him. She realized it could be construed as a personal question, but something told her Jack wouldn’t mind her asking.  "Erm, I'd assume you'd want Protego in your arsenal?  Expelliarmus is a good one too, and Impedimenta - I suppose it's both an offensive and defensive spell, but it DOES stop your attacker from attacking so fast," she added in response to his question with a little shrug of her shoulders.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK