Edelweiss [Rhys]

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

December 19, 2018

"Remember, no magic." That was more a warning and reminder to herself than to Rhys, as a flick of her wand could decorate the tree in the blink of an eye. the McGonagall family had always had a habit of a parent just getting it said and done with, mostly to prevent any in-fighting amongst the three children about who got to put what ornaments up. In recent years it became more of a challenge to see who had the quickest draw of their wand to charm everything into place, though Juniper had the nice little handicap of illegal underage magic. Not anymore though! She managed to win in the family tree this year, yelled in victory, and then taunted her sister about having yet another different partner this year. She sounded like a Gryffindor for a moment there. It was kind of scary. "Except for the topper. And the upper branches," she quickly added.

Exceptions. The more she made, the more likely she would get complacent and take the easy way out. But this was for Rhys, and she kept reminding herself that this was the first time he'd ever put up a tree or decorations. She'd raided a muggle home goods store the week prior, getting an assortment of odds and ends. Like a funny looking elf that was supposed to sit on a shelf, and a wreath to put on his front door. The muggles had a lot of gaudy Christmas decorations, most of which could be improved by magic, and she knew that at some point she start charming the strand of lights in the tree to twinkle like stars or flicker along to the holiday music playing in the background. She couldn't help herself sometimes.

The next couple of days were going to be busy too; their second anniversary was Christmas Eve, and then obviously Christmas followed. The big gift she had gotten this year was a charmed compass. One that was guaranteed to work in magical zones and could be of use in case it's user lost their wand or couldn't use the 'Point Me' spell. A fail safe for Rhys if he was underground and ended up in a rough spot without his wand. She had asked several Cursebreakers about what was best for a rookie, and that was their suggestion. Anything that could give him a bit of an edge in returning home safely. "You can put the first ornament on," she added, wondering what his choice would be. A standard gold ball? The funny dragon one that spewed 'fire'?

rhys alexander greyback ● 428 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

you knew the hand of the devil

And you kept us awake
with wolf teeth

December 19, 2018
juniper minerva mcgonagall

It began with an innocent question. And Rhys responded with an innocent enough answer. No, he’d never decorated a tree for Christmas. And he thought nothing of it. An empty tree sat waiting in the corner of their living room and, just as with the move-in, Rhys figured Juniper would more or less handle it. But he looked at the decorations she had assembled, he had no idea where to even begin. He looked at her suddenly when she said ‘no magic’. Oh, he’d missed that part when she’d explained a bunch of things the first time around. ”But wouldn’t that save time?” Rhys asked cautiously.

Every once in a while, people forgot Rhys had not grown up in a traditional home. So these ‘typical’ activities like decorating for holidays were new to him. In a good way, he’d say. Rhys had never considered himself creative, but after the initial anxiety of something new, he figured it was just something they could do together. The training had been challenging and exhausting but thrilling at the same time. Still, when he counted the days, Rhys had spent more time away from his flat than living in it. All the trainees were relieved when informed they were going home for Christmas and New Year, much like the Hogwarts holiday break. And he was glad because Christmas Eve would always be a special day for them.

Juniper let Rhys go first, and he looked down at the box of charmed and regular ornaments. He looked into the box but avoided shifting the items around too much since they were fragile. Rhys learned the hard way when he’d accidentally dropped one of the magical ones shaped like a gingerbread man. And unsurprisingly, the gingerbread man let out a deep sigh as if he’d been through this before. ”Okay…” Rhys picked up shaped like a snowman, but it was one of the muggle ones. Carefully he placed it on a branch in front of him, though probably a little high for Juniper. When he was sure it wouldn’t slide off the branch, he took a half step back. ”Does it matter where I begin?” Was there a method to this madness? Maybe he should’ve asked before putting up the snowman.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Yes, magic would save time. Even Juniper found that hard to disagree with. But that was besides the point, and they were doing this the normal, muggle way because Rhys had never had a real tree before. If he ended up not liking the entire process once they finished, then next year they could use magic. Knowing his schedule, it was a miracle that he was actually home for these next couple of days. Should the following year not play out the same way as this year did, employing a little bit of charm work wasn't out of the question. "It would," she shrugged. But they weren't doing that this time.

She really didn't want to be the only one putting everything up but if the alternative was waiting until after Christmas, then it was better than nothing. At this point, she was practically moved in anyways. The not so subtle dumping of personal belongings onto bookshelves and the slow take over of more drawer and closet space. When Rhys was off in Egypt training, she tried to keep the place as neat as possible. The only problem with that she'd grown a little too comfortable with the space. Being able to sprawl all over meant it was like her bedroom at her parents but on steroids. Which was a mess. Something that was never achievable in the dorm rooms at Hogwarts because the house elves kept it in tip-top shape.

And now the entire flat was decked out for the holidays. Or at least was very close to it. Cozy is what she would call it. Rhys was asking about if there was a specific way to start, and she shook her head side to side. "Wait, wait," Juniper held up a finger to get him to pause, before bolting into the bedroom to grab the polaroid camera she'd bought months earlier while moving Rhys in. "I want a picture of the first one!" she yelled back out into the living room as she flipped through the bedroom closet. Where in Merlin's scraggly beard had it gone?

rhys alexander greyback ● 339 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

you knew the hand of the devil

And you kept us awake
with wolf teeth

December 19, 2018
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Even though Juniper agreed with him, she wasn’t ready to let him out of doing this the manual way. It wasn’t a hill Rhys would die on, and she seemed excited to do this so he’d go along with it. After this, he could say that he’d officially decorated for Christmas. And in his own flat, no less. Well, it was his flat technically. Juniper had left a few of her things, but he couldn’t remember what was there before he left for training. There were only a week or two every month and a half or so that he’d be home and then have to travel again.

She’d kept the place nice and neat, and Rhys had to admit it felt odd to sit here in the quiet by himself, so he was glad for the company. Especially hers. One of their training had them travel to South America for two weeks. The shift from cool and wet London to warm and dry Egypt and then to an incredibly humid and warm jungle had been jarring. However, they were not traversing ancient pyramid structures or ruins but merely learning what to look for in these locations outside of the ruins. Traps lay hidden within the trees and undergrowth, and the distraction of how heavy the air felt could get you in trouble. Rhys ran a hand on the back of his neck as he remembered it. His hair was still short from that time. Such weather was not a place for thick, curly hair.

But, it had been interesting. He’d lost count of all the new drinks he’d sampled, though almost all the trainees somehow portkeyed back to Egypt in one piece but hungover. Aside from the alcohol, he’d also tried the food and coffee. Rhys was pretty sure any coffee beans from a country south of Mexico were strong enough to wake the mummies in Egypt from their slumber. So he’d brought some back for Juniper. Mentally he made a note to pick some up from other countries as he’d only managed Colombia and Peru this time. Not that she needed the extra caffeine, they’d only drank tea that morning, and she was already jumping up and down, telling Rhys to wait while she ran for the camera.

Rhys rolled his eyes with a groan, though she was already out of the room and hopefully didn’t hear him. Two years and she’d managed to accumulate a good amount of pictures. Some were for things like Valentine’s Day or graduation, and others were just candid moments. Rhys stood patiently, holding the inanimate snowman by the gold hook on top. He could hear her shuffling things around. ”Didn’t you have it this morning?” Rhys called out. A few photos had been snapped before breakfast to capture their first Christmas here. Rhys had been half-asleep eating his toast. He’d barely slept, so he hoped his tired brain hadn’t made that up. He usually slept fine near her, if not better, but sometimes it wasn’t enough to stop the images that ran through his mind. Maybe she left it in the kitchen? Rhys would have checked, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed to move from this spot at this rate.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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This morning? She had the camera out this morning? Somehow in the few hours that had passed since breakfast, she had completely forgotten about that already, the excitement over watching Rhys decorate the tree and apartment shoving it out of her recent memory. One of these days she was going to need a pensieve in order to keep track of everything. Especially when an abundance of caffeine was involved. Her newly acquired vice was all due to Ministry culture. Chatting in line to get a cup was better than going out for a smoke break though. Apparently that was more of a muggle thing though.

"Right!" she called back just as she had climbed halfway into her half of the closet, a shoe box on the shelf above her teetering precariously on the edge. That's where she usually kept the spare packs of polaroids, though it was recently emptied. Probably because she'd been snapping as many photos of Rhys as humanely possible while he was home. She'd seen some interesting ideas online about what to do with her mass amounts of square pictures, though had no way to access her laptop currently because technology and magic weren't playing nice still. A trip later in the week to her favorite muggle coffee shop for internet would work though.

Shoving the empty box further back into place before slamming her closet door closed - or she tried to rather, as half of her clothes bulged out of it and got caught along the way. She paused momentarily, wondering if she should fix it, but decided it would be a task for another day. Finding the camera was more important. "Don't move," she told Rhys as she rushed back into the living room and past him, straight into the kitchen where the camera was neatly set on the table. "Found it!"

Socks shuffling on the floor as she checked over the camera while getting back into place, she eagerly raised it up to Rhys. "One holding it up, and then I want to get one as you put it on." She felt like she was going a little overboard with the camera today, but it was important to capture these memories!

rhys alexander greyback ● 368 ● Hunter's Moon by Ghost

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

you knew the hand of the devil

And you kept us awake
with wolf teeth

December 19, 2018
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he took the time to visually look at the different ornaments in the box while he waited. There was a mix of regular round ones, with Christmas colors and magical ones. They ranged from the simple, such as the one Rhys had selected to the ornate. One caught his eye. It was a clear round one with snow flying all around. Juniper ran out of the room and into the kitchen. Rhys looked up from the ornaments as he waited for her to return. Was extra caffeine as a present a good idea? He wondered.

Finally, she returned with the camera, and Rhys wondered how she didn’t slide into him, the tree, or the wall with only socks on. But this kind of flurry of activity wasn’t all that unusual. Sometimes Rhys’ patience was a bit hit and miss, but he wasn’t having one of those days, fortunately. Rhys held up the ornament, a slight grin on his face. He felt awkward and waited for the familiar clicking noise from the camera. ”Got it?” Rhys had been scolded for moving too quickly since the picture needed to be retaken, so he waited a second.

”Does it matter where I place it?” He searched for a branch that didn’t look like it would buckle immediately under the ornament's weight. Or maybe he just needed to put it high enough. Either way, he momentarily forgot about the camera as he focused on this instead as his eyebrows knitted together. Rhys had overheard older Cursebreakers talking amongst themselves during his training. A lot of holidays were missed and important days. So being home this time felt…important. His life thus far felt like a handful of ‘firsts’ that never seemed plausible. It was probably why he didn’t feel the need to fight her camera obsession. And then, when Rhys was sure the ornament wouldn’t slide off the branch, he looked at it for a moment. One to make sure it really wouldn’t fall and two because he was just lost in thought for a second. ”Ok.” He took a step back. ”Your turn.”

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Click bzzzzzzzzzzz The polaroid camera went as Juniper lowered it to grab the image as it started to print out the front. She'd gotten pretty good with it over the last several months so she really wasn't worried about the outcome being blurry. Rhys had learned to keep perfectly still throughout, and now that she remembered this morning over breakfast, even at his own expense. "Got it," she repeated back to him. They wouldn't actually know for at least ten more minutes, but that was just part of it. If she knew a spell to speed up the exposure times, she'd use it. Making a mental note of that, she could tell Rhys was rearing to go with putting the ornaments on. Sliding the first picture onto a free space where it wouldn't get lost, she prepped the camera for the next pose she'd commanded him to do. "Nope! Wherever you want," she answered from behind the polaroid. She was basically in the same position, shifted only a few inches to the side and a bit closer so that the ornament could be seen in better detail. A regular old, mundane snowman. Perfect.

"And that one is good too," she added as the camera made its signature buzz again. The second picture was immediately placed with its companion as she went for the box full of ornaments. Rhys had put the snowman fairly high up, which reminded her that they had gotten a rather large tree for some reason. Arms fully held above her head, she could get to the upper branches. There was no way she'd be able to get anything in them though. That real estate was all for Rhys.

Her hand found the charmed gingerbread man one first, carefully making sure it didn't have a second spill this Christmas. It had sort of been funny earlier when it happened, but she was against pissing it off further. Giving the tree a long look to decide on where to put it, she finally ended up with a branch front and center. Another perfect spot. "This is fun," she commented, all while thinking about how long it was going to take them. The box of ornaments was deep.

rhys alexander greyback ● 369 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

you knew the hand of the devil

And you kept us awake
with wolf teeth

December 19, 2018
juniper minerva mcgonagall

A couple of times, Rhys had almost flinched at the sound of the camera’s loud click and buzzing noise only because he hadn’t been paying attention when she’d taken a picture. He wasn’t used to that either. Those were not his favorite, and even if he didn’t say anything after, he was sure his face did. Well, at least with the tree—placing the ornaments wherever he wanted meant he couldn’t do it wrong. But he hoped it didn’t come out weird, either. The simplicity was strange, almost foreign to him. Cursebreaking, at least the training so far, came naturally. His brain was ready for many things to happen at once, so standing here putting up ornaments one by one was the opposite.

Rhys shook his head, amused by the pictures. A couple of classmates and other good friends had similar cameras, so Rhys had a few pictures from various times during his school years. And so did people in his training group. And he had a handful of personal photographs, all very old and from when he was small, and his mother was still alive. But those were kept away somewhere in a box in the closet, he thought so anyway. Unless Juniper had moved them. She went for the gingerbread man that Rhys had accidentally dropped earlier. When she stepped back, Rhys caught the ornament giving him a dirty look before spinning around slowly.

Fun? It wasn’t not fun. Rhys bent down and selected the one that reminded him of a snow globe, but a charmed one. ”You do this every year?” Rhys asked as he reached to place this ornament on a branch below the snowman. They were both snow-related, so it made sense to put them together. Overall, Rhys had felt very calm during his time at home. He just needed to get out of his head long enough to realize he wanted to make the most of their time. Which reminded him…”I heard from the bank today.” Merlin, had he really forgotten to tell her. The letter had arrived that morning. Rhys decided to pick up a blue ornament. It didn’t quite match either of their eyes, but it probably depended on who you asked. ”We’re not expected back until the second.” Rhys knew he had time off for Christmas, but the New Year had been unclear. Well, at least until now. He doubted it happened annually, but he kept that thought to himself.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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"Put up a tree?" Juniper responded as she put up an array of icicles that changed colors every couple of seconds. These were some of her favorites because they had a 'classic' feel to them but were also charmed. "Yeah but we always use magic. I think we only ever did it this way when we were all younger." Back when Santa was fictional and not actually a warlock that lived as a recluse in a secluded magical community that got off on breaking and entering into muggle households once a year. Yeah. That was a great history lesson to learn about. "The last couple of years have been a fight to see who got to put it all together, but I haven't been able to because of underage magic," Juniper continued with her explanation. Doing this meant just as much to her as it did to Rhys, just for different reasons.

She almost dropped one of the icicles when Rhys said he heard from the bank today. Words that she really didn't like, because they were usually accompanied by him being shipped off within a day or two. Apparently that was just how it was during training, which she understood, but it always happened in the most inconvenient of times. Thankfully he clarified immediately, and that he wouldn't have to report back until after the new year. Juniper's eyes widened immediately. "Really?" Merlin, that was better than any Christmas or anniversary gift. An entire two weeks of uninterrupted time spent together. She still had work for the rest of the week, but this was better than nothing! "They aren't going to like, rug pull that from you are they?" The skepticism only came because she knew the way the goblins treated the cursebreakers on occasion. Like they were their dogs fetching for them. Speaking of...

"Do you think you'll be recovered in time after the full moon to go to my parents Christmas Day?" she asked tentatively. It always seemed like it depended on how the night actually went. She was still getting used to seeing it in full view the morning after.

rhys alexander greyback ● 354 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

you knew the hand of the devil

And you kept us awake
with wolf teeth

December 19, 2018
juniper minerva mcgonagall

It sounded like a tradition. Possibly an important one. Rhys really didn’t know what to expect of Juniper’s brother and sister. It seemed they were as competitive as she was. Immediately he pictured three kids climbing over or on one another to place ornaments. It was probably a miracle that any of them stayed on the tree. ”Who usually wins?” Rhys wouldn’t say her comments toward her brother was more favorable over her sister, but her sister was mentioned far more often in a negative way. His mind wandered, wondering how he would have faired. Rhys had been short and scrawny up until he turned sixteen. Putting up ornaments might have been a challenge.

He didn’t often linger on these thoughts. A weird wave of sorrow would come and go as he thought about what he never had. Rhys occupied himself with hanging the blue ornament, but even without looking, it was like he could see her tense up at the statement. Fortunately, it was good news. After he placed the ornament, he turned to look at Juniper. His eyes were hopeful, but he gave a light shrug. These things were never certain. ”Saffron says one of the instructors told her they wouldn’t call us since we’re too new.” So Rhys kept his fingers crossed. The logic made sense but seeing as Saffron spoke at the same windspeed as a hurricane, Rhys had to account for mishearing her.

Rhys gave her a weary smile. The news had even cheered him up, and he pushed through the urge to curl up on the couch and nap. The full moons had been difficult throughout training. It already took so much out of him without the extra work during the day. And one of those full moons had fallen during time off, which had only really given them a couple of days where Rhys had the energy or was in the mood to do anything. He picked up a random ornament, a cat wearing a Santa hat. Rhys wasn’t sure what a cat had to do with Christmas, but it was in the box, so he just continued. However, if he hadn’t already been a little pale, he would have been now at the mention of Juniper’s parents.

Three days until the full moon, and two days he could rest before Christmas day. Rhys hoped he could be on his feet for Christmas Eve since it was their anniversary. The idea of this step in their relationship, however, felt about as terrifying as being told he had to walk into some tomb tomorrow all by himself. It wasn’t a case of manners or decorum. Rhys and the other children had those drilled into them. Nobody wanted to adopt kids that weren’t well-behaved and polite. But what would they say or think about him dating their daughter? Rhys swallowed. His throat felt dry. ”I should be okay.” He responded, perhaps not as confidently as he would have liked. Overall, Rhys had about a hundred questions and no idea which one to ask first.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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"Ewan. He's faster on the draw. I swear he goes out of his way to get under our sister's skin," she rolled her eyes at the events of a previous year as it came back into memory. Juniper had been allowed to put a few up because she literally couldn't compete with them, and then it was done in a flash. She only knew her sister lost because the whining started instantly. It stopped once her phone pinged and whatever boy toy she was talking to at the time took her attention away. The whole thing was kind of ridiculous. That was also why she didn't feel too bad about staying at Hogwarts for Christmas the past two years. Rhys was better company than whatever poor sod her sister dragged in to show off. "I like it this way better," Juniper added as she placed the last of the icicles up. When spaced out, they looked fantastic. Especially when they became somewhat of a wave of color across the tree.

She hid her face by grabbing more ornaments to place one after the other as Rhys mentioned Saffron. Juniper was still trying to figure what the other woman was about, not really remembering what she was like in school in the slightest. Then again, that wasn't entirely strange for the McGonagall girl. The only person she really got close to was Rhys, and not until school was practically done. And Nell didn't exactly count. The two of them weren't 'friends'. They hung out when Rhys was around but that was about the extent of it. Ollivander wasn't a bad person though. Just weak-willed at times.

"Its not like there's anything time sensitive in cursebreaking...I don't see why you wouldn't always have Christmas off." Like...they went through ancient tombs and cities. If the bank knew of something that could be poached, they could just guard it until everyone was back from the holidays. Maybe that was too logical of her to think that way. She really didn't understand why the goblins needed treasure or how they legally could lay claim to such things, but that didn't seem to stop them.

As for Rhys's condition during Christmas, it was still sort of worrying. They wouldn't know until Sunday, and then it depended still on the recovery period. "If you aren't, we could always just go for dinner. All the attention is going to be on my sister anyways..." Whoever she brought along would be a million times worse than a grouchy, post-full moon Rhys. She would bet her entire Gringotts vault on that.

rhys alexander greyback ● 431 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

you knew the hand of the devil

And you kept us awake
with wolf teeth

December 19, 2018
juniper minerva mcgonagall

The recurring theme of her family, or at least the children, involved provoking one another in some creative way. Ewan sounded far more grounded than the oldest, but Rhys was still nervous about meeting him. There was probably some leeway with the oldest, but Ewan appeared to have his house in order. As they spoke, he almost didn’t think about putting the ornaments on the tree. It kept his hands busy, and Rhys had to admit it was better than letting his mind spiral on whether her family would like him. She commented that the manual way was far better, Rhys didn’t have an opinion yet, but so far, it wasn’t negative.

Rhys held up an ornament that seemed…incomplete? A candy cane square with glass in the middle. And then it clicked, probably a second longer than it should have, that it was a small picture frame. Maybe the provided picture was missing. ”I think this one is missing the picture…” Rhys muttered, extending his arm out to hand it to Juniper. She had just finished putting up the icicles. He shrugged at her response. Logically, it made sense, but he wouldn’t get his hopes up. This trainee class included many former classmates he didn’t know well or even forgot about. It was interesting making these new connections so many years later. But half the time, they all trained together, but other times they were taken in groups, and time off alternated, so the instructors weren’t overloaded.

”Maybe I’ll get lucky.” Rhys picked up a string of lights but quickly realized it was a small tangled ball of Christmas lights. Just his luck. And just like these lights, consecutive holiday vacation time felt impossible. Usually, Rhys felt either very lucky or very unlucky. Which bucket would his schedule fall into? And speaking of…”They wouldn’t mind?” Would he look bad already? Their daughter is dating a werewolf that can’t even get off the couch. Or was he fortunate that Juniper’s sister enjoyed the spotlight, and as far as Rhys was concerned, she could have it. His hands began to try and pull apart the cable. What were the chances the guy Juniper’s sister brought over worked for the Beast Division in the Ministry?

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The picture frame ornament! Juniper had forgotten about that one, having purchased it with the rest of the normal, muggle ones. She picked it for one reason, and one reason only: to put a picture in it, of course! With the power of a shrinking charm, she could easily have something in there this instant, which got some gears turning. "Yeah, I was thinking we could take a photo in front of the tree once it was finished, and then put it in there?" More like she came up with that on the spot, but it would work. Really, they could probably do it right now. It wasn't like anyone was going to ever notice that the tree was only half decorated, especially once it was shrunk down. "Or now if you want?" Juniper voiced her thoughts. A couple spells to get the camera to take a picture of them was all she'd need to do. No tripod necessary. And she wasn't going to stoop to selfie levels. That was for basic muggles.

"You'll be fine." Her parents literally didn't care. Werewolf discourse had changed drastically over the years, and the fact that Rhys had been allowed at Hogwarts as one was a positive sign. Not to mention that their careers in Accidental Magical Reversal led to far more dangerous outcomes than living with a werewolf did. As long as he drank his potions the week prior and was safely locked up on the full moon, there would never be an issue with it. "They were a little concerned at the beginning," she stated honestly. She'd said this before, though it had mainly been because they didn't know how to deal with a child that actually had a stable, healthy relationship that lasted longer than a month. "My sister will control most of the conversation anyways. She never shuts up..." Juniper almost looked forward to it this year, having missed out for the previous two Christmases. Whatever turmoil her dear, older sister was going through currently was bound to be headache inducing, yet mildly hilarious. She couldn't wait to see what the big problem was this time.

Holding up the picture-less frame ornament, she turned back to Rhys, "I think I could get one of the polaroids shrunk down to fit." Really she just wanted another excuse to take more pictures of the two of them. A reminder that she'd made strides over the last couple of years.

rhys alexander greyback ● 408 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

you knew the hand of the devil

And you kept us awake
with wolf teeth

December 19, 2018
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys shrugged as he began with the tangled lights. When they took the picture didn’t matter to him. ”Either is fine.” For a short time Rhys refused to take pictures, especially candid ones. But that hadn’t lasted long. At least, Juniper had broken through that wall very quickly and Rhys learned it was easier to simply roll with it when she asked. It was less trouble and they didn’t end up bickering about it. Rhys hadn’t kept count but he was sure Juniper had a good stack of pictures somewhere. Unlike the summer break, the school year provided them with an opportunity to spend a lot of time together.

Maybe that’s why the past six months were a little bit of a struggle. Rhys had a schedule but it was tentative at best. And a chunk of his time home was spent resting as he recovered from a full moon or grueling training. Sometimes there wasn’t much time left between Juniper working through her own training and the short stints of time Rhys was home. But they managed. Plus they were able to spend Christmas and New Years together. And Rhys would finally spend time with her family. His nerves left him anything but relaxed but aside from knowing he couldn’t get out of it, Juniper seemed excited about it.

Juniper reminded him that her sister would take over the day, in any case. Rhys wondered how much leeway that gave him, it wasn’t as if he’d done this before. ”Right…” He cleared his throat, resuming the detangle of the cable. Rhys was making progress and the more he focused on this the less he thought about how he might say the wrong thing or her older brother would oppose the whole thing. Rhys had learned not even a couple of months ago that he had a sibling. A half-one, but still a sibling nonetheless. Nell had heard through her younger brother who still attended Hogwarts, but Rhys had yet to meet them. And had Juniper not been standing right there when he learned the news, he might not have told her yet. Much like when Gringotts wrote him back in the Spring.

”So what you’re saying is…it doesn’t matter what I do because of your sister?” Rhys asked, looking at her quickly before finally untangling the rest of the lights. He draped one end on a high branch and began to place the length of the cable around the tree, careful with the ornaments already in place. ”It’ll take you forever to pick one.” He added flatly, conveniently escaping to a farther side of the tree for a moment. She took so many polaroids in general, including the new ones today that Rhys couldn't imagine how she could pick just one for the ornament. 

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Juniper knew that she probably should have helped with the light string detanglement, but the gears were turning too fast in her head to notice. What charm would work best to shrink down the picture? Was it better that it was a normal polaroid and not one of the magical moving ones? Should she invest in a magic camera? And then there was how she could set this whole thing up. Making it more complicated than it needed to be was her specialty after all. The seriousness hindering common sense like it usually did. Her new coworkers liked her because of that, always wanting to make the education of their world as strict as possible. She really didn't know what to think yet about the education department. Helping create exams certainly sounded cool. If that meant being able to learn more about advanced topics, she figured staying there for awhile would be a good idea. Maybe even help her find a good charm for her current problem...

"You'll be the highlight, is what I'm saying," she answered as she put the picture frame ornament down and went to grab the bottom portion of the light strand. Rhys had decided to start at the top, which would be difficult for her without magic or a step stool. "It'll play out in your favor no matter what happens. And keep me sane." Juniper lifted her end of the string of lights up to make it easier for Rhys's next loop around the tree. Now that she thought about it, they should have done this first, before the ornaments went on. She supposed it was too late for that without a spell to neatly like everything up. "I swear it won't. Just one and that's it." Or two. Most likely two now that she really thought about it.

rhys alexander greyback ● 305 ● Song by Artist

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