blue monday | juniper

[ewan caelus mcgonagall]

i'm quite sure that you'll tell me

just how I should feel today

Summer 2022
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Ewan chewed on the inside of his lip, a bad habit when he was annoyed. A whole month. A whole bloody month and not a word from his younger sister. Even though she had calmed over the years, it didn’t mean she was ever completely speechless. On the day that occurred, Merlin himself would walk through the doors alive and well, eating his own shoe. What perturbed him the most was there. He hadn’t heard a word even outside the Ministry’s channels. This is what had Ewan nervous. Where in the world was Juniper? With the clock ticking loudly in the background, Ewan rose from his desk and walked to the lift. Perhaps one of her coworkers would have an update.

His older sister and parents hardly seemed worried. The youngest always had free reign to do as she pleased, which meant falling off the face of the Earth from time to time. In these moments, he pitied that shabby boyfriend of hers. The ‘werewolf’ as he so endearingly referred to him, though when he was in a good mood, ‘cursebreaker’ sufficed. The lift doors opened, and Ewan stepped out, hands neatly behind his back as he strode through the doors. The secretary looked up from her work, blinked a few times, and smiled at him. ’Good Morning, sir.’ They were accustomed to Ewan making an appearance from time to time.

Ewan grinned warmly. ”Good Morning Edith.” Unlike the Department of Law Enforcement, Mysteries, or Human Resources, the secretary did not serve as the first line of defense for visitors. Ewan walked past the desks, he didn’t see Juniper at her desk, but out of his eye, he spotted large glass frames in one of the workrooms. He made his way over but stopped in the doorway. She didn’t notice him immediately. She looked well and not confunded in any way. ”In most civilized societies, such as our own, it is considered rude to ignore letters for four straight weeks.” Ewan never had to hide his displeasure when it arose. Otherwise, the point seemed to fly over her head faster than an urgent office memo. ”What have you been up to this time, Juni?”

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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A month and change to become an animagus. Not many were able to complete it the first time they tried, let alone get lucky enough to have all of the required steps line up in the way they did for her. From the research she conducted prior to attempting the feat, the lightning storm was easily the most difficult, though having the moon beam for the Mandrake leaf portion was equally based on chance. Telling her family, or anyone for that matter, would have invited a million and one questions. Mostly on why she felt the need to do it. Her answer would have been because she could. And she did.

The summer months were exceptionally slow with school on break, and her department usually took a long holiday anyways. Adding on her own vacation time meant she could get the animagus training done in the minimum amount of time. Renting a charmed tent and a hidden plot of land in the Galloway Forest Park, Juniper was set to get things done. By the time she returned, it was impossible to wipe the smug look off her face. Another McGonagall became an animagus, and a cat too! The only bit that felt weird was having to register herself, like she was some sort of newly adopted dog from the pound. But once that painless task was over with, it was back to work.

She should have realized disappearing off the face of the Earth would confuse some people. Notably her family. The pile of letters in her mailbox (which was pointless because she clearly wasn't home) was astounding - envelopes crammed and bent into positions that seemed inhumanly possible to achieve. Word also traveled fast within the Ministry, because her brother came calling almost the second she was back to her desk. She'd find the mole that gave her return up some day. For now, she had to deal with his attempt at parenting her.

"I was on vacation," she answered, refusing to look up from the first draft of the next year's Potions NEWT exam. There were so many grammatical errors on it that she was on her second read of the fourth question. "Became an animagus. Usual summer holiday. How was yours?"

ewan caelus mcgonagall ● 374 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[ewan caelus mcgonagall]

i'm quite sure that you'll tell me

just how I should feel today

Summer 2022
juniper minerva mcgonagall

His sister didn’t seem deterred by his presence. She hardly looked up from whatever she was editing, which also annoyed him. Manners appeared to be the greatest lost art of the day. Perhaps she could get her werewolf—Cursebreaker to find it for her. But then, he was taken aback. Truly a feat since Ewan was acutely aware of most things that went on around him. Observing had been a lifelong skill. People were predictable, and it didn’t take long to pick up. Unfortunately, he struggled to figure out Juniper sometimes while their older sister’s predictable patterns ran as true as the sun rose in the east and set in the west.

But after blinking a few times, the words registered. ”An animagus?” well, that was quite the feat but wasn’t that so cliché for a McGonagall? Still, even he had to admit that was impressive. ”Do I need to ask what your animagus form is?” Ewan asked flatly. Anything that was not in alignment with his Aunt Minerva seemed blasphemous, and he simply assumed Juniper would also be a cat—fitting since she was named after their Aunt. Over the years (or at least since Juniper graduated), he learned to be proud of her accomplishments rather than resent them. That is as long as Juniper wasn’t throwing it in his face. But how he showed that varied. On a scale of one to his older sister, he might max at five. His responses were about as orderly as he was. But their older sister was the excitable one—the living embodiment of a firecracker. Dir Filibuster would be proud.

”You’ve been planning this for a while?” Ewan wasn’t annoyed with Juniper, not really. He was more annoyed at himself that he missed this. No tidbit of information had come his way regarding changes to the Animagus registry. It took preparation to attempt such a task. It was complicated and required discipline. At least he knew Juniper wasn’t lacking in that. But she still had a very independent way of doing things. Ewan always warned that it wasn’t the best approach in all parts of her life.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Ewan's shock - if it could be called that because his tone remained as neutral as usual - was hilarious. Part of her disappearing act was because she didn't want to be found and to have a month on her own without any disturbances. There had been very few times that had occurred in her life, let alone since she graduated from school, and the silence of the camping trip had been pure bliss. No work to worry about, no Rhys, and certainly no family. Lots of great books though, and she had gone through al of them so quickly that the first few got a second read before she returned. Never during that month did she get cold feet about what she was doing; it was quite the opposite as the days passed by, each one solidifying this was something she wanted to do. Being taken seriously as a witch with total control over her magic and abilities with Transfigurstion meant becoming an animagus was necessary. So she did it.

"Yeah, an animagus," she repeated louder. The month by herself had made her question whether or not she was speaking loud enough for others since getting back. She didn't even want to start in about not talking to herself, because that was definitely a thing now. "A black cat," she added proudly. Juniper knew what her brother was getting at, and while there was no choosing one's form, the fact that it was very close to their Aunt Minerva made it that much better. In her own understanding, her aunt had done the same thing when it came to becoming an animagus - choosing to undergo the training because she simply could. Apparently it ran in the family.

Juniper tried not to roll her eyes when asked if she'd been planning this the whole time. Of course she had. That was the whole schtick with becoming an animagus. One couldn't just do it all willy-nilly. "For the last six months or so. Renting the tent and campsite took the longest, to be honest." Which was sort of funny when she thought back on it. Everything else required, such as ingredients and general supplies, was a simple purchase. Proving she wasn't going to throw some moonlit swinger's orgy in nothing but the nude was much more difficult. Old Mr. Dodson in the Broom Regulatory Control department absolutely thought that's what she was doing. Because in his words 'Kids these days don't just go camping without getting up to nasty business' To be fair, he wasn't completely wrong. Keeping a Mandrake leaf in her mouth for an entire month was pretty gross.

ewan caelus mcgonagall ● 441 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[ewan caelus mcgonagall]

i'm quite sure that you'll tell me

just how I should feel today

Summer 2022
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Leave it to Juniper to make such a feat sound so casual. Completing the process of becoming an Animagus was no small feat, yet she made it sound like a simple report had been completed. Even with his Transfiguration prowess, Ewan hadn’t been interested in the whole process. Plus, how could he ever disappear for a month without people noticing? Not to mention what would slip through the cracks if he wasn’t on constant guard. So much had already slipped through, and so many had suffered for it. It wasn’t worth the sacrifice for his own personal gain.

The cat form wasn’t a surprise though their Aunt Minerva had not been a black cat. Still, it seemed fitting somehow. Six months, however, was quite a while to plan something and not tell him. ”I would have left you alone.” Ewan insisted. There was about a seven in ten chance he would have stuck to that, but as an older brother who participated in subversive activities, Ewan was quite aware of hidden dangers in the world she had no idea about. Ewan looked at her, he could have helped if she needed to expedite something, but surely, she knew that already.

”I’m assuming you told the werewolf.” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement. But Ewan knew Rhys had been working that entire month and hadn’t returned to London yet. While it was not a priority or matter of the people’s security, he still kept tabs on her little sister’s boyfriend. Much as he did whomever, his older sister was currently dating at the time. At least Juniper made it easier by dating the same person for this long. Crossing his arms, Ewan leaned against the door frame. ”Mum will want to hear from you. You know she pesters me if you don’t write her back as if I can keep track of what you’re doing.”

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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There was bound to be a range of opinions from her family over her newly acquired ability. Going from indifference to congratulations. The latter from her parents, even if they didn't truly care. Over the last few years she learned about how she was treated compared to her siblings. Achieving something like this - easily becoming an animagus - was bound to make them want to celebrate though. Thinking about it was exhausting. Especially after spending a month of conducting an intensive magical experiment. "I made that decision for everyone, I guess," she shrugged as her brother stated he would have left her alone. Knowing her sister though...she would have tried to treat it as her own vacation and tag along. Merlin that would've been annoying...

But not nearly as annoying as hearing Ewan call Rhys 'the werewolf'. "Use his name, Ewan," she demanded. It didn't matter that things were a bit off between the two of them right now, still to be determined. A fight was a fight. It had happened before, though not as explosive as this last one had been. Her relationship problems didn't need to be discussed with her brother though. If he thought so little of Rhys already, bringing in everything else wouldn't help at all. At the end of the day, Ewan knew better than to call him that.

Holding back the glare she reserved for situations like this was impossible even in the current situation, but Juniper kept her mouth shut from going any further about the Rhys problem. Turning into a conversation about their mother was perfect. The word perfect coming across in her conscience in about as sarcastic of a manner as her inner voice would allow. "She gets worried if I don't write her twice a week," Juniper answered, annoyed. "I'll get around to her by the weekend. So if she keeps bothering you, just tell her to cool off a bit." She wanted to use slightly fierier language than what she used, but it would do for now. The last thing she needed was Ewan running off and quoting her verbatim, causing hell to freeze over on that front as well. "Or just tell her that to begin with. You're not our courier."

ewan caelus mcgonagall ● 374 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[ewan caelus mcgonagall]

i'm quite sure that you'll tell me

just how I should feel today

Summer 2022
juniper minerva mcgonagall

She seemed rather nonchalant about the whole thing, which Ewan didn’t find amusing. It was only polite to let people, especially a slightly overprotective older brother, that you would not be reachable for an entire month. But launching into a lecture on manners and the like would do no good. Juniper seemed set on focusing on her work and waiting how Ewan’s visit. Perhaps all that time alone had reset over five years of social skills. Merlin, he certainly hoped it did not. ”You certainly did…” Ewan muttered, mainly to himself. His eyes scanned the room. It wasn’t particularly tidy but not the worst he’d seen.

A stack of papers on the corner of her table contained pages that were not facing the same direction. Such a thing did not exist in Ewan’s offices. While a knack for Transfiguration ran in his blood, his charms work was excellent for these sorts of things—his mother was grateful at least one of her children had picked up these spells. For now, however, he focused on the matter at hand. While Ewan had worried as any sibling would, he found over the years that dropping by for a visit did help them get along a little better. And they had floors in between them—a healthy amount of space.

Like now, Ewan raised an eyebrow as he hit a nerve rather quickly. ”My apologies—habit.” Naturally, the first thing that had registered in Ewan’s brain all those years ago was ‘Greyback,’ which prompted the next natural question—was he a werewolf? And while upon meeting the boy, it was clear he was nothing like his namesake. It didn’t mean Ewan would not be wary. Their sister was less so, of course. Then again, Juniper could have been dating a Potter, and he would have called them “glasses” or something like that. Still, he supposed there was something there if the lad had known her in the height of her arrogance. ”Where is Rhys these days? Egypt, I presume.” Ewan would have liked to know more about how far that field extended, but his reach for information was still so limited. Egypt was always a safe bet.

One thing Ewan and his sisters could agree on was how their mother could not fathom that her children were adults and had their own lives. Not just a month ago, when Ewan had been overloaded with work in the office and recruiting—his mother had owled asking if Ewan was upset with her because he had not written all week. Though Juniper was the youngest, perhaps she got the worst of it. ”Yes, well—you know how she is.” The last thing he needed was a Howler exploding in the Ministry of Magic. But he supposed it was merely his brotherly duty to pass along the message, as much as it was to check in on his little sister. Clearing his throat after a beat, he spoke again, though, without that biting edge of annoyance, he entered with. ”How are you? Aside from being an Animagus and all.”

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Great, Ewan was unintentionally delving deeper into her relationship problems by asking perfectly normal questions about it. Considering she'd achieved something neither of her siblings had so far - a committed, long-term partner - whatever came from this was bound to be a shocker to her family. She thought she would be a lot more uncomfortable with the line of questioning, and she sort of was to a degree, but it was better than when it had taken her almost a year to tell them she and Rhys were dating to begin with. Her issues were hers alone, not theirs. Not like her sister. Merlin she was a great lesson on what not to do in life...

"I suppose he could be," she answered carefully. What had sparked this current disagreement was the fact that he was always gone longer than he was supposed to be, and apparently it wasn't cool that she disappeared for a month without saying anything. They were the same thing in her mind. But this was just another problem stacked up on top of the last, which was on the last dozen or so. All unresolved and pushed into a corner. She didn't know how to fix it at this point without it going nuclear. Maybe it didn't need to be fixed.

The inevitable, harmless question of how she was currently certainly brought out a mix of feelings. Proud that she'd managed the become an animagus, worried about where things were going with Rhys. There had been conflict from the start from his friends, who still could barely stand her. It wasn't like she ever kept him on a leash. If that had been the case, she would've fought tooth and nail for him to not become a cursebreaker. "I'm fine," Juniper lied. She couldn't even convince herself with it though.

ewan caelus mcgonagall ● 309 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[ewan caelus mcgonagall]

i'm quite sure that you'll tell me

just how I should feel today

Summer 2022
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Merlin, a month away from people and society, had taken away his sister’s urge to speak. While Ewan was the least talkative of his siblings—that wasn’t saying much compared to other people outside their family. But calling Rhys ‘there werewolf’ was a bit of a bad habit. Ewan supposed he should be a little more supportive of Juniper’s choices, considering the alternative was that she lived her life as a hot mess as their older sister. She could learn a thing or two from the youngest—such as how to survive a relationship longer than three to four weeks and not bring them to every family holiday.

Ewan’s dating history was far less scattered—or rather far less public. He was a man who knew what he was interested in but finding time for such a social life was tedious. Thankfully all he had to do was make an appearance from time to time with friends, grab a drink and smile to prove he wasn’t a total hermit and workaholic. Her answer was brief and short of details of what Rhys was doing. It was easy enough for Ewan to find out, but it was still curious to him.

”Fine?” Ewan gave Juniper a look that suggested she either had something on her face or had grown another eyebrow suddenly. ”Juni, I can’t remember the last time you used fine to describe anything.” Well, now he wasn’t leaving unless she threw him out. She was welcome to try, but Ewan had a foot on her, though she could also attack him as a cat. The three of them had been distant and close in varying degrees over the years, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t read one another to a point. ”I’d think you’d be more excited, given what you’ve accomplished.” As she should be, though, Ewan had grown out of the habit of praising his already very proud little sister when they were younger.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Talk about having that lie destroyed in a matter of milliseconds. She couldn't get away with it. Knowing Ewan, he probably already had an idea that something was off, month-long disappearance aside. Because no one that was fine just up and left everything for that period of time. It simply didn't happen, outside of chapters in history books on famous witches and wizards that had to go train to wrestle a centaur, or something silly like that. Becoming an animagus wasn't nearly as interesting, even if it was to her. Ultimately, he'd blown right past her terrible cover and now wanted answers. Another lie wouldn't hurt but she knew he'd be skeptical about whatever she said. Dumping her relationship problems on him in the middle of her department also wasn't going to happen, and he'd never leave until she gave in.

"I am excited about it...it just came with some caveats." Like the potential destruction of her already imploding relationship that no one else knew was happening because the two of them pushed it to the side so much. They were equally at fault for it, yet she'd started the check-out process already when she ran off on her camping trip. Though how that was any different from Egypt or Peru or wherever Rhys went off to, was beyond her. Calling those problems caveats of her trip only proved that it had hit the fan and was now wildly spinning out of control. But she really didn't know how to tell Ewan about it. They'd spent years laughing at their sister for how stupid she was for moving on to new partners over and over again. Juniper didn't want to be subjected to the same thing, even if this was different. Five and a half years wasn't the same as staring at one another from across the bar for five minutes at a Knockturn night club. She was pretty sure that guy was part-troll too, by smell alone...

Looking around her brother to see if there were any coworkers within earshot, Juniper let out the last of her hesitation with a long sigh. "Things aren't going well with Rhys and I," she said quietly, despite no one else being around them to hear. "He's gone all the time for work and I don't think he was too happy with me running off to do this animagus thing..." Complaining to Ewan about it solved nothing at the end of the day. The short of her whining was that their communication sucked. But if she had the forethought to bring that up, maybe they'd be able to fix a few things. Maybe.

ewan caelus mcgonagall ● 440 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[ewan caelus mcgonagall]

i'm quite sure that you'll tell me

just how I should feel today

Summer 2022
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Ewan would always wonder how his sisters would easily forget that they were siblings and knew each other well. Even during the times when they didn’t particularly like one another, they still could see what was right in front of them. Ewan was observant, and anything outside of the pattern stood out fairly easily. Which is why he hadn’t gone back to his office already especially knowing he had quite the stack of files to review on his desk. He had gotten his answer about her disappearance, but that had only opened the door to something else, clearly.

He frowned slightly, brow furrowing. What did ‘caveats’ mean? Juniper didn’t seem eager to explain, so Ewan didn’t speak right away. One didn’t spend a decade working in Human Resources without learning a thing or two about people. People underestimated the work and how powerful of a position it was. Fortunately, Juniper’s coworkers had not lingered around or were focused on their work at their desks. And she seemed relieved by the way her eyes scoped the area around them. And then she explained. Ewan’s expression softened. The uncharacteristically quiet tone of his sister’s voice was unsettling because it was uncommon.

Their older sister was the dramatic one. Her usual hysterics after a failed relationship were as commonplace as the sun rising in the east. ”Sorry to hear that.” Ewan wasn’t sure if he should be elated or more concerned. But he kept his comments to himself for now. His brain immediately went to his notes on the Greyback, including how often the Cursebreaker got himself into bar fights or some local girl approached him. Someone needed to look out for Juniper while she was here. ”The life of a Cursebreaker is not an easy one.” Ewan spoke factually. It was dangerous and time-consuming and required a bit of an iron will, or at least one in those situations. What Ewan had observed with the pair was that Juniper was the more assertive personality.

But despite the words brewing in Ewan’s mind, he stopped himself. It was a habit now to launch into some lecture aimed at his older sister, but she was so different from Juniper. It bothered Ewan that Juniper wasn’t proudly boasting about her achievements as she normally would have, forgetting that little bit of modesty she had learned all those years ago. ”Well, regardless of what The—Rhys thinks…” Ewan very quickly corrected himself. Some habits stuck like sticky trainers from Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. ”You should be proud.” Ewan added. ”The process is no easy feat. You’re the first in the family since Aunt Minerva.” Surely that was something and hopefully more important than what some rowdy and apparently absent Cursebreaker thought.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Juniper didn't need to be told how difficult cursebreaking was. She literally saw what it did to Rhys every time he came back from a trip. Beat up, bruised, somehow still with all of his limbs and alive. Stress was fairly common for her because of how wound up she could get over simple things, but this was a completely different kind that she wished she'd been warned about. Like a class for significant others of cursebreakers would not be the worst idea in the world. Learning how to navigate the worries in the time he was gone would be great. She couldn't just throw herself into her work over and over and over again, pretending that she was fine and dandy. And then when it came time for her to do the same thing - running off for a month to practice her own magic and achieve a long standing goal of her own - it felt like she was suddenly wrong for doing so. Because her being gone for that length of time was any different with the roles as they normally were. Maybe she was sort of petty with how she went about her trip...but she didn't think it was wrong to be excited. There were definitely other issues at play that were much deeper than this stupid surface level stuff. She just didn't know what they were yet, and whether it was her or Rhys. Or both of them.

"I know that..." she responded to Ewan after a brief moment of silence. He didn't need to be yelled at over it, even though his comment unknowingly dug deep into one of the main problems. Obviously she was worried for good reason, because she didn't want it to end. But there was also no fixing it currently. And without that, there wasn't a relationship left to salvage. Instead of bailing out the sinking ship, they were tossing the water at each other. It was so incredibly stupid and below them. Five years for this? "And I am happy about being an animagus. It's so cool. But I also feel like if I hadn't done it right now, I could have put some of that energy into something that matters more." Like her relationship, maybe.

ewan caelus mcgonagall ● 377 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[ewan caelus mcgonagall]

i'm quite sure that you'll tell me

just how I should feel today

Summer 2022
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Ewan stopped himself from raising an eyebrow incredulously. Something mattering more than showing off what you’d accomplished? And advanced transfiguration, no less. And at such a young age. He couldn’t recall at what age their Aunt Minerva had accomplished her animagus transformation, but she had also been young. Most went a lifetime without success if they even bothered to try. Ewan was convinced his older sister was also capable if only she’d applied herself, and he was far too busy to attempt it himself, though he knew he was also very capable.

He would never claim to know the dynamics or the ins and outs of his younger sister’s relationship with Rhys Greyback. Though surely it meant something that they’d been together this long. Since Ewan had never prioritized relationships such as this, he had very little to offer in terms of experience. It was fortunate he somewhat observant, or he wouldn’t have a clue what to do or say at this moment. Anectodes of fleeting affairs were hardly helpful here. ”Would it have changed anything?” Ewan asked frankly after a moment. But he left the bite out of his tone.

The ’something’ didn’t need to be spelled out. And at the end of the day, Ewan was simply a brother who wanted his sisters to be happy and safe. Hence his quick appearance in Juniper’s office the moment he’d heard she had rejoined civilization. But that train of thought was a slippery slope that quickly led to a dangerous type of tunnel vision. Ewan had strayed down that path far too many times. He’d hate to see her do it as well. Pausing again, he was acutely aware of how little they spoke of such things. But Ewan knew at least a few things to be true in his experiences. ”And is there ever a good time for such things?” You could plan as much as you wanted, but that didn’t always guarantee results. Ewan had learned that very quickly in his other line of work.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Would waiting on her animagus training have changed anything? Fuck no it wouldn't have. This was merely the result of months of poor communication and the procrastination of solving their problems. Which she absolutely hated because she knew how it looked. She was starting to check-out, and she'd read enough about trying to salvage relationships that once that stage was reached, there was little that could be done. Even if she hadn't prior to leaving on her trip, she had by the time she got back. It hurt when she realized she only thought about Rhys a few times while she was sitting in her tent alone, mandrake leaf wedged under her tongue. If she had asked him to go with her, he probably would have. There was no way to know if that series of events would change what was going on now, but it would have been more forethought from her and shown she was thinking about him. What she had done was different than him packing his bags and heading off to some new country for work.

"I don't know...I guess I just...I don't know..." Juniper didn't know how to respond. This could have just been the inevitable outcome of the last year's strain slowly crushing them to death. The final nail in the coffin, if you will. The time and the place didn't matter at this point because any little thing that could tip it over the edge would. Preparing for the worst would only sink it faster. She liked to have a sliver of hope that it wouldn't end up in the gutter, years spent building something tossed to the side because they were too dumb to talk it out. At this point it was too late to try that, the root of the problem persisting for much longer than the current bout. Attempting to take control to try and fix it all would either come across as a final act of desperation or controlling. And while she was both of those currently, she didn't want Rhys to view her poorly. Merlin this was difficult...

A couple coworkers were getting closer, not that they knew what was going on. She looked between them and Ewan before letting out a long, overdue exhale. "I need coffee and fresh air. I'd rather not air out my dirty laundry around this lot." Because despite being the ones that created the high-level school exams every year, they were totally drenched in all the gossip. Becoming their next story passed amongst themselves wasn't how she wanted this to go at all.

ewan caelus mcgonagall ● 431 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[ewan caelus mcgonagall]

i'm quite sure that you'll tell me

just how I should feel today

Summer 2022
juniper minerva mcgonagall

The uncertainty in her tone was unlike her. Ewan wasn’t so far under a rock that he didn’t know how relationships could affect a person. It would take individuals of the strongest wills and bring them to their knees. This whole thing weighed on her, only dampening the pride in her achievement. Ewan had not interacted much with Rhys, but it wasn’t his fault. The timing of Rhys’ work, his work, and other family events never lined up. Now whether The Werewolf had done that on purpose? Well, Ewan couldn’t be sure. But underneath that brooding façade, Ewan saw how he looked at Juniper.

Juniper stopped, and Ewan followed where she looked. Her coworkers were chatting away as they worked. Nobody ever gave them a second look. It was just a brother visiting his sister. He nodded to acknowledge, and they walked out of the offices. ”Don’t tell me actually drink the coffee here?” Honestly, Ewan had tried it once as an intern and never repeated that mistake. Rumor was it helped clean ink spills on one’s desk—not that Ewan had tried it himself. The day he spilled an inkpot on his desk was the day he would need a St. Mungo’s psychiatrist because something was clearly wrong. ”Tea is far better for you.”

Fresh air and the outdoors would allow them a little privacy and a break from the mundane cycle of their work day. For a man that always seemed to know the happenings of everything, especially in the Ministry, he tried not to pry into his little sister’s life. Well, at least not a lot. Keeping tabs on Rhys even casually was good enough. Merlin knew he found nothing on him years ago when Ewan found out they were dating. Now keeping tabs on his other sister was another story.

[ end ewan ]

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