sunflower | vasilia

[gehry benjamin ollivander]

waiting for a minute till the sun's

seen through my eyes

September 1, 2027
vasilia abigail fortescue

Many things had remained consistent in Benny’s life. The other children he had grown up around had been a big part of that. Back home, he had many neighbors, so there was never a dull moment. The Potters in one direction were next to the Bainbridges and the McLaggens on the other. But much of his time had been spent wandering Diagon Alley and then Horizont when he was older. He’d known Nova since he was young and then at school, as well as the Fortescue's and the Malkin’s. Unfortunately, their ages varied, but Benny was the sort to get along with just about anyone.

He remembered when he’d befriended a very young Vasilia Fortescue. They were the same age though he had six months on her. She was friendly, incredibly lovely, and had beautiful red hair. While the whispers began later as it was discovered she was a squib, Benny was far more disappointed that he wouldn’t see her at school. Her magical status never mattered; his older brother was also a squib, and the young boy hadn’t cared as he just wanted to spend time with him. But Frankie had left and reappeared, which Benny was still adjusting to.

He walked into the Violet Hound, smiling amicably at the bartender who recognized him—immediately setting out a menu for him. Benny thanked him as he ordered a beer. The menu hadn’t changed since he was here the week before, but he still liked to scan it and read every line. It was part of his routine, or at least he always made time for this. Eating a meal or pie, having a beer, and catching up with a lifelong friend. But really, Benny had always gravitated toward her. And though he didn’t care what people thought of him, his sole small secret was that he’d harbored a longtime though small crush on her.

So, it was much to his dismay when he’d found out she had finally gotten herself a boyfriend. It was certainly not to his surprise, she was lovely and pretty, and her tattoos were cool. But one day, that man had walked in and taken a spot at the bar—Benny knew him. He was his sister, Nell’s best friend. Benny might not have gotten many OWLs, but he was smart, and yet how did this add up? But he’d noticed she seemed a little down the week before, but it was so busy they hardly had a chance to talk properly. So, he hoped on a far less busy weekday night. He could see if she was all right. And right on cue, she appeared behind the bar. ”Please tell me there is pie. I was heartbroken last week when I’d arrived too late.”

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[vasilia abigail fortescue]

September 1, 2027
gehry benjamin ollivander

Despite owning the pub for almost two years now, Vasilia couldn't help but still be surprised by the knowledge that she owned a pub. A successful one at that. The years learning from her parents at the parlor had instilled strong business skills and work ethic in the young woman, making her successful in an endeavor that few her age could pull off. Of course, she wasn't always the best at managing her personal time but she'd gotten much better at it since the reassembly of her family and her strong headed boyfriend that could carry her out (literally) if she overdid things. Sure, there were still long days and hour but it'd been much more manageable of late.

Of course, what made it all worth it though was seeing how happy the patrons were. People returning and spending their evenings here. And now, what made it even better? Was seeing the people she knew and cared about not coming to support her but because they genuinely wanted to be there. So, when she'd noticed her old friend Benny frequenting the pub she'd been ecstatic. While she wasn't always at the pub, when she was here, she always made sure to take the time to visit if she saw him. Today happened to be one of those days. Surprisingly though, she wasn't feeling her usual self today. Rhys had... well, he'd been struggling with a few things of late. She wanted to help... to support him but there were times when he would just shut everyone out.

Vas had been in the back, dwelling on Rhys, before letting out a sigh. Dwelling on it would do no one any good. So, after lightly slapping her cheeks, she stepped out of the back and into the main room of the pub, taking in the patrons as she moved to the bar. She heard the voice before she saw the owner. When she did see Benny though she immediately grinned. "Talk like that and I'd think you like the pie more than the beer," she teased, though a part of her was quite proud. After all, all the pies were her own creation.

[gehry benjamin ollivander]

waiting for a minute till the sun's

seen through my eyes

September 1, 2027
vasilia abigail fortescue

Benny remembered when Vasilia had taken over ownership of the pub. He’d stopped by the see the place on his way home. Over the years, Benny had watched her help her parents at the ice cream shop where he’d been a regular customer, often sampling every flavor until he was full and full of sugar. But now she was a businesswoman and seemed very happy doing it. But that’s why he noted when she wasn’t. Like that energy radiating from her had lost some of its fuel, her eyes didn’t shine brightly as she smiled.

She was beautiful when she smiled, and her energy was contagious. So, he noted the grin but also what was missing. Something weighed on her, and she’d likely deny it, but Benny had known her for twenty-odd years. ”You’ve discovered my secret!” Benny mused aloud as if he had been caught. But he did hope there was pie as he was starving. For how slim he’d always been, the boy never stopped eating, and now that his frame had filled out a bit, he ate even more. But what to order? Benny placed his hand on his chin as if he was making the most important decision of his life.

”I’ll have….surprise me.” With a large grin, he beamed at Vasilia. ”And dealer’s choice on beer as well.” He had tried almost all the food here, obviously, so he knew there was no such thing as the wrong choice. While Vasilia looked away a moment, Benny scoped the bar area and whatever tables were in his view. There was another thing missing. The brooding figure of Vasilia’s boyfriend—Rhys. Incidentally, he was a very close friend of his sister’s, but he hadn’t asked her about him. But he didn’t bring it up now, either. ”How are you doing?” He asked genuinely hoping she had time to chat with him.

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[vasilia abigail fortescue]

September 1, 2027
gehry benjamin ollivander

The children of Diagon Alley had a bond that was hard for outsiders to understand. These children, like Vasilia and her siblings, the Ollivander siblings, and more, were those raised in a magically rich and diverse environment. It was no wonder that many of them, even into adulthood, still shared strong friendships ands bonds with each other. Benny, of course, was one such individual that Vasilia felt that strong friendship towards. Even moreso after it was revealed she was a squib. While some kids might have taken a step back from the friendship, Benny hadn't.

Vasilia laughed at his words. To be honest, she'd heard (and felt quite a bit of pride because of it) that many patrons now came to the pub not just for the liquor but also the food. She'd wanted to create a comfortable place where you could come and spend time with friends over drinks and food, and she felt like she'd done it. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," she teased, grinning ear to ear.

It was always fun when patrons left the choice to her. Vasilia was someone that prided herself in understanding her customers, so it was a nice challenge to see if she could find something that suited their taste buds. "Ooh, exciting. Let's see." She lightly tapped her chin as she though. What to get Benny. He'd asked for a beer, so at least that ruled out other alcohols. She knew when he didn't go for beer he leaned more towards tequilas, which were on the sweeter side. So perhaps going more towards sweet would be good. She thought for another moment, before nodding as she decided. "Okay, I got it. Don't complain if you don't like!" she teased him once more before moving to the beer tap to pour him a pint. Before bringing him the pint though she made sure to get a personal sized by from the back. THen, she set both in front of him. "Try this. It's Maduro brown ale, and chocolate pie. I used some dark chocolate though, so it'll be a bit more bitter, and bring out the sweetness of the brown ale," she explained. She leaned against the counter with a grin.

Though that was when he asked how she was doing. It really was a loaded question. In many situations you'd just answer good and move on, as was the norm in the english language. But she knew he wasn't just wanting a generic answer that was said out of curtesy. It was a genuine question from a friend. Thankfully the bar was pretty quiet today. For a moment that characteristic bright grin of hers faltered, before fading into a smaller smile. Even when she wasn't masking she still seemed to have a smile. "Oh, you know. Ups and downs. It'll get better though," she answered honestly, almost trying to downplay it by the last sentence.

[gehry benjamin ollivander]

waiting for a minute till the sun's

seen through my eyes

September 1, 2027
vasilia abigail fortescue

Benny smiled in return. It felt like they were running around yesterday, purposefully hiding from Veronica when she was supposed to be watching them, along with her duties at the shop. He found that people changed, but their faces didn’t, like the Potters and some of his neighbors in Godric’s Hollow. James was once this small and gangly boy but was now even taller than Benny. And whatever had happened to Albus had also happened to Frankie as Benny towered over his brother as James did to his.


”I knew it would be.” He responded confidently. At least a little bit of that spark appeared when Benny issued her the challenge of picking a beer and pie for him. It wasn’t as though he wouldn’t literally not eat whatever was placed in front of him, but when the food was good, it made the whole experience even better. When she returned with the beer and pie, Benny rubbed his hands together in anticipation. It already smelled good, and he could tell it was chocolate. His sisters would probably only ever agree on one thing: Benny did not need more sugar. Ever.

First, he took a bite of the pie. Vasilia was right, it wasn’t as sweet as he thought it would be, yet it was still wonderful. And then he drank the beer. Merlin, if she wasn’t right. ”I didn’t doubt you for a second. Who else knows me as well as you do?” The only reason Benny ever thought it was a shame that Vasilia was a squib was only that they could have attended Hogwarts together and with their other friends. But, at least the breaks from school had let them all see one another as if nobody had ever left.

Benny ate more pie and noted how quickly her expression changed at his question. With a light tilt of his head, he thought about asking what Greyback had done this time. But he usually didn’t. ”Want to talk about it?” He offered. It's what friends were for, right? Surely, Rhys had his own friends like Nell, and whoever else put up with either of them. Vasilia had always been one of the more optimistic people Benny knew and hard working. Something weighed on her.

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[vasilia abigail fortescue]

September 1, 2027
gehry benjamin ollivander

Vasilia was someone that prided herself on her culinary skills. As such, the food and drink side of the business came exceptionally easy to her. So, getting the chance to exercise said skills? It was always fun and exciting. As the ale and pie also seemed to say though, she was pretty into pairings. Putting the right foods and drinks together to enhance the flavors and build on each other. Did that mean sometimes stacking sweet on sweet like right now? Absolutely. Was she always right about her combinations though? Absolutely not. Thankfully, this had been a well tested combination. Heaven help the poor souls who tested her wild food ideas because while there had been some real gems in her creations there'd been some horrible failures... In Benny's situation though it was easy to decide what to give him when given the choice. He had a strong sweet tooth. Vasilia grinned proudly and smugly as he tried the beer and pie, knowing before he even spoke that she'd decided right. "Hey, if there's anything I know well, it's food. But especially when it comes to my friends. How else am I going to bribe you to keep hanging out with me?" she teased lightly.

It seemed she didn't hide her hesitation well, Benny catching on quickly and asking if she wanted to talk about it. Not pressuring her to talk if she didn't want to. Vasilia bit her bottom lip, thinking. Did she want to talk about it? Yes, she did actually. But should she? That was the difficult part... She was, most the time, a pretty friendly and cheerful person and an extreme extrovert. The combination made her more... reluctant to talk about other people. She didn't want it to be seen in a negative light, like she was saying something bad about the person. Especially when it came to her boyfriend! But god, he had her head reeling and she felt like she was being beaten by waves on all sides, unable to really move in any direction. After a few moments contemplation though she let out a sigh, almost in resignation. "It's been a rough few weeks. Are you sure you want to hear it?" She knew, after all the struggles of the past two years, bottling it up wouldn't be any good. Talking to someone would be... good.

[gehry benjamin ollivander]

waiting for a minute till the sun's

seen through my eyes

September 1, 2027
vasilia abigail fortescue

There was that smile, albiet smug. But Benny couldn’t argue. Their lifetime friendship surely gave Vasilia the upper hand with these things. But not only that, she would ask him now and then to test whatever she was making, and he’d happily accept. It wasn’t that different than Rue handing him a vial and telling Benny to try it. Life without the worry of these risks was carefree and light. He needed it since running into his mother or brother sometimes weighed down his mood. His mother meant well, but her traditional views clashed with everything Benny believed in.

”I suppose you have a point.” Benny spoke after quickly eating another bite. Drinking more of the beer, he nodded approvingly, a serious expression on his face. ”Yes, this will do.” Benny spoke firmly as if this was a business transaction. ”I’d say that earns you another week.” But he cracked a smile. In Benny’s experience, Vasilia didn’t have to bribe people to hang out with her. Least of all, Benny. He shook his head. ”Please, you know me better than that.” He ate the last bit of his pie. ”Extortion is far too much work.” Benny did not have that kind of workhorse reputation.

And as soon as it had come, it went. Like a cloud letting the sun peek through for a few moments, she didn’t answer immediately, but Benny didn’t press it. He wasn’t the forceful type, in any case, but she trusted him. Benny would never want to jeopardize that. She asked him again, though it felt like some kind of warning. Merlin, he hoped she hadn’t been bottling up too much or that Greyback had done something terrible. He nodded in confirmation. It was easy to mask to the world when something was heavy. Only the trained eye of those closest to you ever saw it.

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