what's my age again? | vivian

[james sirius potter]

no one should TAKE THEMSELVES
so seriously

January 20, 2028
Vivian River Jordan

James closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. They felt dry and stung. It always happened when he didn’t get enough sleep. But double shifts at the Ministry would do that. Merlin knew he had the time now. Viv had sent an urgent message instructing him to meet at Number Twelve. Of course, her missive arrived marked as “urgent” and “very important”, but James knew it was not a matter of life and death—but still something equally important. Entering through the front door, James walked absent-mindedly into the kitchen. All these years later, his feet knew where to go. It wasn’t the dim and dark place it once was. His father had changed a few things, but only to a point.

For example, he made it impossible to ring the doorbell and awaken the portrait of Walburga Black. She sometimes didn’t stop for hours, so it was just something to deal with. When James graduated from Hogwarts, his father handed him a key. It wasn’t entirely his, his parents still had their own keys, but they didn’t visit often. And these days, he was never more grateful to have somewhere to go that wasn’t a full house where the walls barely constrained Lily. Opening the fridge, he grabbed a glass bottle of butterbeer, twisting off the top and letting his eyes linger on the bottle of whiskey on the counter. No, it was much too early.

He sat in a chair off to the side where he could prop his feet on the edge of the dining table while precariously leaning back on the chair’s hind legs. One day, out of boredom, he’d managed to charm it not to fall over if he lost his balance. Well, unless Al or one of his cousins decided to sit there. It was quiet while he waited, which left him to his thoughts. Not even a month ago, his girlfriend had dumped him, and aside from the hit his pride took at being dumped, he just felt gloomy. Merlin, he felt worse than he did those few years ago when they’d separated. Suddenly, he heard a noise. Something fell over near the front of the house. James’ eyes widened. ”Watch out for the—“ He lept out of the chair, which fell neatly back upright as he dashed for the front. It was probably Viv, running right into the umbrella stand. And James couldn’t make it in time to stop it completely falling over and waking up Walburga’s painting. With a groan and a sigh, he stood halfway down the hallway but turned and headed back to the kitchen and his chair.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

20 January 2028

A mopey Potter was a dangerous thing, and unfortunately both boys had inherited HP’s talent for sulking around like a depressed ghost. There were important differences, of course – James was only prone to the occasional fit while Albus seemed to make it a way of life. And it wasn’t like the situation didn’t call for at least a little sadness, because a break-up was always depressing but it was even worse when they’d been together a long time. So it was time for a little razzle-dazzle, the typical Viv treatment to cure that sulky Potter syndrome in a day or less! She dove into her little archive of mischief (fashioned after a rolodex because she liked to laugh at Tempe a little but it was still a good idea), dusted off some of her evil plans, and quickly found the answer under A. A for Albus.

Because helloooooo, Valentine’s Day was just around the corner and there was nothing the little squirt was more allergic to than love and the color pink. Viv spent a little time pacing around her and Rose’s shared flat, brainstorming and twirling her metaphorical evil moustache, but it would just be impossible to put any half-decent plan into action by her lonesome. So she’d written up a nice to-the-point note (emergency emergency emergency - short and sweet) and sent it off with her highest urgency rating. Because of course they all ranged from urgent to very urgent to open-this-letter-now-or-it’ll-go-off-by-itself. Back in the old days (like…maybe a couple years ago?) Grimmauld Place had been the hang-out spot for the gang when they wanted to assert their independence and not meet at one of their parents’ places. This seemed like the right time to revive the tradition, even if Viv had bills and all sorts of grown-up responsibilities now.

She Apparated a little too quickly and hopped on one foot to catch her balance as she landed solidly in front of the familiar complex. Getting in was easy-peasy, and Viv felt a strange shiver of déjà vu as she crossed the threshold and shut the door firmly around her. Drizzle peered around suspiciously from her perch on Viv’s shoulder – Merlin, she’d never really forgiven James – and her chirp of warning came too late. Because Viv was distracted and she didn’t notice the umbrella stand until a stream of colorful swears erupted from her as she hopped back. But it was too late – the portrait began to shriek, Drizzle began a frenzied dance of anxiety on her shoulder, and it took Viv a few moments to fish out her wand and hastily point it at the curtains. Rubbing her knee with a wince, Viv continued into the kitchen with her wand hanging loosely from her hand. “Bollocks, can’t we take an axe to her? Or would that ruin the wallpaper, d’you think?” Viv complained as she set Drizzle and her wand on the table. Eyeing James, Viv decided, “Merlin, you look like you lost a fight to a troll, dontcha?”

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

no one should TAKE THEMSELVES
so seriously

January 20, 2028
Vivian River Jordan

James had resumed his seat in the charmed chair. Leaning back, his feet crossed at the table's edge, and his arms crossed loosely. Usually, he’d make jokes about the painting or ask if she’d forgotten how to walk without magic and the like. The thoughts floated through his mind, but his heart wasn’t in it, so there went the will to speak them aloud. ”They’ve been trying to remove that painting since my dad was in school.” James responded rather plainly. ”Or so granny tells it.” Not that Molly Weasley was known for exaggerating or embellishing—at least not when it wasn’t supporting a point.

The eye roll came easily at her comment. James suspected that it wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last. And the way he dropped his feet to sit properly in the chair and let out a small and frustrated sigh was very Potter-like. Or so Viv would likely say and repeat. It was not what James was known for. That was Albus’ claim to fame. At least the family resemblance was abundantly clear now. Not that James would admit he was like his brother in that regard. Ever. ”So, what’s so ’urgent’ that you felt the need to wake up Walburga?” He slouched a bit in the chair, letting the ankle of one leg sit on the knee of the other, arms still loosely crossed for lack of an idea of what to do with them.

”Thank you for that, by the way. I was just thinking this morning—I wonder what she’s been up to. I haven’t heard her lovely voice in ages.” The sarcasm was easy. When he’d received the note and arrived, he hadn’t felt annoyed, but that shrieking might as well have been nails on a chalkboard. Besides, he had planned a very busy day. Throwing himself into work meant that James’ free time was spent sleeping, which was fine since that took the least amount of energy these days. Plus, he didn’t have to talk to anyone or deal with his mother hovering over James as she did to Albus. But he was here, so he waited for Vivian to answer.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

Viv pretended to look around the room as if trying to spot the differences, but really she eyed James cautiously while noting the gradual progress of the cobwebs over the chandelier again. He really did look terrible. Deep bags under his eyes, a little frown on his face, and worst of all – he sidestepped all the opportunities she’d given him to roast her in the last two minutes and went straight for the boring architecture history. It was such an Al move that Viv was almost tempted to tease him for them being the same height or for him having the pasty skin of an underdeveloped vampire. But no, wrong brother for that. And it was rather rude to kick a man while he was down. He deserved at least another week of pity before she went for the jugular.

So instead she just rolled her eyes and popped another Pepper Imp into her mouth – aka the reason she barely noticed spice anymore and why she always smelled like peppermint. She noticed James in the midst of an almost identical eye roll at her sarcastic comment, which caused a mischievous grin to grow on her face. James could be a pain when he was in a mopey mood, but she was still rather fond of her old playmate. “How can you be so flippant when we have so much work to do?” Viv demanded, energetically waving her hands in the air while she paced around the room in thought. James was sat rather mulishly on his chair with his arms crossed, so Viv scooped up Drizzle from the table and tossed her lightly so she’d land square on James’s chest (no worries, puffskeins actually quite liked being thrown). It was a favorite pastime of Viv's when she needed inspiration and Drizzle wanted attention. 

Still, it probably didn’t help that Drizzle settled on his chest only to glare at him rather unblinkingly. Viv rolled her eyes again, this time at her spoiled pet, before unveiling the folded-up flyer she’d been keeping in her robes’ pocket. “Cupid-A-Palooza,” Viv said, enunciating each word carefully while she continued to pace around the table. She didn’t need to see the flyer again, as she’d practically memorized the details while poring over it before Rosie came home. It was every couple's best romantic daydreams, and every bitter single's worst nightmare. As a neutral party, Viv fell somewhere in the middle -- not interested in attending herself, but quite invested in making the most of the opportunity. Because Potterwatch practically demanded that she be there to record the festivities, so she might as well put together a nice V-Day gift for herself too. Finally, she pulled out a chair and sat on it, hands folded expectantly as she looked at James. It seemed so obvious to her what needed to happen next. “So just how are we going to get Albus there and what can we make him do?”

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

no one should TAKE THEMSELVES
so seriously

January 20, 2028
Vivian River Jordan

Any onlooker would have been puzzled by this exchange. It was James and Vivian. Troublemakers since their respective births and especially when both were old enough to create complicated schemes together guest starring any of the Weasley grandchildren or neighborhood kids in Godric’s Hollow. Before they were even sorted into their respective houses, James and Viv had already mastered outmaneuvering Albus and using Lily and/or Benny’s energy and distractable natures to their advantage. And despite James’ standoffish nature, that mischievous grin didn’t leave his friend’s face. Before he could ask her again what she wanted, James hastily uncrossed his arms in response to the puffskein flying through the air. Though Drizzle’s glare was the same as it had been for years.

With a pained smile, he gently scooped up the fur ball and placed her on the table, knowing very well that James’ person was the last place she wanted to be. ”What work?” He flatly asked, looking back to Viv. By this point, she’d produced a flyer and shoved it into his hands. ’Cupid-A-Palooza’ She announced brightly, but James could read just fine. His jaw clenched hard for a moment and unclenched. Was this some kind of joke? ”I’m not going to this.” His response was swift. Anything Valentine’s Day related was the last thing he wanted to think about. Merlin, it hadn’t even been a month, and she was shoving this into his face. Without reading the rest of the flyer, he placed it on the table, unamused.

But Viv continued nonetheless as James recrossed his arms. This was probably something he and Ari would have attended. Not to be one of those obviously brand new couples who had to be glued together for infinite periods of time but just to spend time together. But as his mind wandered that road again, he heard his brother’s name. James’ eyes shifted back. In the dim lighting, his eyes always lacked any green—making them look even more tired and dull than they were. Blinking a few times, it was like a part of his brain was slowly trying to wake up. Nothing immediately came to mind. Not yet, at least. ”You might have to kidnap him.” James responded nonchalantly and with a light shrug, his eyes trained at nothing in particular.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

There was no chance of forcing James to fall back in his chair and take a tumble, but Viv still watched with gratification as he fumbled to catch Drizzle. It wasn’t the same as when they’d been kids and Viv would toss random household objects at him in the spirit of ‘Quidditch practice,’ but it still brought a smile to her face and a reminder of more innocent times. She’d always known that she wouldn’t be a star Quidditch player like her mother, but commentating had at least been a good compromise. And that practice had started as a wee lass, from the moment she could babble and pretend she was talking. Adding James to the fun had been a natural mood, and the other Potters and Weasleys over the years. It added color to her life, brought a smile to her face when circumstances might have otherwise kept her depressed.

But Merlin, he was being thick. It might just be the depressive haze of the break-up, but James stared at the flyer like Viv had asked him to stick his head into a chimaera’s mouth. She tapped her fingers on the table, but stopped when her wand sparked slightly. She thought he might be sore about anything that reminded him of his ex-girlfriend, but Vivian could always count on James for a good laugh. The setting had never much mattered before. Viv didn’t get worked up at his flat declaration that he wasn’t going to go, but instead folded her hands. “If we do it right, you won’t have to go,” she answered calmly. It was a classic rule of the prankster, anyway – never be caught at the scene of the crime if you could help it. By necessity, Viv was going to be at the event. She silently agreed with James that it would probably be better if he didn’t go.

Still, she didn’t like the way he phrased his last sentence to include just her and Viv raised an eyebrow. Still, she decided to answer like it was a serious suggestion and not just James in a mood. “Kidnapping an Auror is a tricky business. And anyway, HP might not like it.” It was strange to think of Al as a fully-fledged Auror these days, but that was the dystopian future they lived in. “We probably have to lure him there. But how? He wouldn’t answer a letter from me, much less follow any instructions. He might not be a Ravenclaw but unfortunately he’s learned better already.” That was the price of years of pranks on the same target. Drizzle wandered back across the table and rolled onto her stomach. Viv scratched idly while she thought.

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

no one should TAKE THEMSELVES
so seriously

January 20, 2028
Vivian River Jordan

He hated to think or even say it, but he wasn’t in the mood for this. Merlin, even James could recognize that wasn’t right. At the mention of this Valentine’s Day event, James felt himself recede further into his shell. What an unfamiliar place for James Potter, the usual epitome of extroversion. Viv had a point. Even his father, with all his grumblings about Al not needing to be coddled, would probably not completely approve of further traumatizing his brother like that. James shrugged lazily. Internally he woke up a bit at the thought of some grand scheme, but the weight of life seemed determined to bury it into the ground.

The bachelor life had been far easier and less of a burden. Why did he ever think differently? Not all risks were worth the reward, not even for the Gryffindor. Sighing, James crossed his arms as he leaned back again. Would nobody just leave him alone? All their lives, James had wondered how someone like Al could live with so many walls up, so guarded and stubborn, but it didn’t seem like a terrible idea. Without those walls, everything was a direct impact. But old habits died hard. Slowly, small thoughts began to form in his brain like the sun creeping through moving clouds.

”Well, he’s not going to listen to me.” James responded, pointing out the obvious. ”Anything from us, Lily, my cousins, Teddy, maybe even my dad, probably my uncles—“ James began to list off the people Albus likely didn’t trust because of history or suspicion. ”—the Ollivanders, the Bainbridges—“ Not to mention their many neighbors in Godric’s Hollow. Dustin had helped them quite a bit, putting suspicion on all children and Benny the same for his family. He continued, pointing at a different finger on one hand as if to count all entries on the list. ”—the only people he blindly obeys is our mum and—“ James suddenly stopped. As he ranted, the frustration had begun to simmer, but now it was completely gone. One might have thought a silent slowing charm might have hit him.

Letting his chair fall forward, the front legs tapped loudly on the floor. ”Hmm.” His gaze focused elsewhere, but he was looking at nothing. ”His boss.” James finally added, but calmly this time. The gears had slowly turned like some machine rebooting. Al was the man’s shadow.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

Murder is okay sometimes, right? Like, you just gotta find a lawyer with a skewed moral compass and younger sibs. Then they’d understand how annoying they are and we’d get off scot-free. Viv kept a straight face as the internal monologue rolled off her metaphorical tongue, but every little sigh and groan from James heightened the temptation to charm his broom into following him around and beating him over the head. Viv crossed her arms and imitated her cousin/not-cousin by leaning back precariously on her chair. Focusing on keeping her balance distracted her from the idle fancy of murder while Drizzle rolled around harmlessly on the table (even if she had nobody fooled – Drizzle was the evil mastermind behind most of Viv’s operations).

James pointed out one of the obvious flaws of her plan and Viv nodded along without really listening – same as when her old Potions prof would begin to list off every potion that included crushed up beetles. Like, it was knowledge you sorta needed to know…but Viv was bored which meant it didn’t really exist. Instead she watched the weak sunlight filter through the windows and cocked her head sideways as her eyes followed the shadows on the floor. Hmm, I wonder if we can use shadows on the Harry Puppet show. Give Moldy Voldy a scary silhouette… The thought began to take shape in her mind and Viv made a mental note to ask Juniper about it later – the magic seemed simple enough in theory, but the question was what it would add to the show. Subliminal messaging was all the rage these days.

But then James said the magic words and Viv straightened in her chair immediately. Even if it gave her spooky vibes of Nova doing the same in class whenever she was ready to give an answer, Viv cleared her throat and tried to keep the evil grin from erupting on her face. And failed, naturally. “How do all the worker drones at the Ministry contact each other?” she asked curiously, trying not to notice the irony of her sudden interest in the Ministry. It’d always seemed funny to her that the Potter boys had joined the Ministry after all of HP’s stories, especially since Viv had always had a healthy distrust of authority since she’d started in diapers. But it seemed like James’s inside information was exactly the key they needed to crack Evil Plan A. “And even more important, d’you think they’d wanna send security to this thing?”

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

no one should TAKE THEMSELVES
so seriously

January 20, 2028
Vivian River Jordan

A chill traveled up James’ spine. The sudden thought and realization activated the dormant part of his brain. As he shook the dust off, it was still a struggle. A resistance of sorts in his mind as if it were determined not to return to its old self. As much as James hated brooding as such, he could see the attraction to it. The simplicity of laying at the bottom of a dark hole because it was far too exhausting to do anything else. James focused on his thought, pushing it to create the elaborate detail he was accustomed to in such situations. And Viv’s question provided him with some direction. It really would be this simple, wouldn't it?

”For us, we are sent a letter or memo—a summons of sorts.” Aurors were about the same if he remembered correctly. Since many of the Ministry of Magic’s best and brightest struggled to use simple phone devices (James included at times), that system was not completely electronic. He thought of the stack of missives on the desk in his bedroom. The by-product of James’ general laziness with his room but also the lack of willpower to put anything in its rightful place these days. It wouldn’t be that difficult to modify one of them and keep whatever charm existed on the letter intact for authenticity.

”Of course.” James responded quickly. ”Typically, they’re told to blend in for these things to attract less attention, but Al wouldn’t dare question his boss.” Seeing his brother so agreeable and obedient was always strange. Traits that he never saw at home unless their mother was involved. Maybe that landed him in Slytherin, unlike the rest of the family, because of the clear advantage of having their mother on his side. James paused again before finally looking back at Viv. ”What are you thinking?”

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[Vivian River Jordan]

The easy thing about this brainstorming was that there was nothing new about it. James and Viv had been torturing Albus since he’d had the misfortune of being born, and even if the plans had gotten more elaborate over the years – well, the end result was still the same. There was a good bit of fun in seeing a mopey Albus positively fuming over the prank and turning his nose up in the air at it. All while threatening to run to mummy, of course. Viv was ashamed to say that it’d been ages since she’d last taken the time to plot a new way to ruin Al’s day, and especially with James. But it was like brushing dust off a trusty broom – you knew it still worked, but just had to give it a little time.

James was still resisting, but his curiosity was so painfully obvious that Viv smirked to herself about it while she tried to play it cool. She nodded along as James explained how the memo system worked, and the plan began to lay itself out in her mind. Really, the tricky part was getting Albus there because there was no way he’d pay any attention to a text from her. And as they’d already covered, kidnapping would simply make too much of a fuss to justify the ends. Viv gave a little chuckle as James confirmed an important little fact that they’d seen in action with Ginny but apparently at work too. “So he’s imprinted on his boss like a baby bird. Aces.” That would make things much easier if James could get his hands on a Ministry memo. They could just charm the ink and write a new message – and presto, stage one complete.

And then he finally asked the question she’d been waiting for, and Viv’s eyes lit up. “It’s a bloody love festival, JP. What couldn’t we do to him? Trap him in the love tunnel, assign him to the kissing booth, maybe a cherub could take a shot at him…” she trailed off as the ideas whizzed through her mind at a breakneck speed. They all sounded interesting, and she knew that Al would explode at any one of them. And that was a reward in and of itself – seeing him all worked up, red in the face and struggling to find a clever response. Poor boy, he did try. “But those are all so ordinary,” Viv said in disappointment, “We have to do something that he’ll hate. Something that would be actual torture.”

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

no one should TAKE THEMSELVES
so seriously

January 20, 2028
Vivian River Jordan

James nodded his head and lightly shrugged. That was about the gist of it. The Head Auror could have repeated a sentence spoken by their father word for word, and Albus would take it as gospel. James didn’t understand it, and under normal circumstances, he would’ve been far more empathetic than he was feeling at the moment. And Vivian brought up the Festival once more. James looked away. The battle between his curious and mischievous nature and his broken heart was fierce. He tried to play it off as he thought, but it was a struggle.

”I dunno where to start—he’ll hate the whole of it.” James declared, pausing once more to think. ”Unless you charm his Auror robes to say ‘PDA Patrol’ or something.” Merlin, wasn’t that a thought. An Auror on duty ensuring couples were ‘behaving’. Not that it would look entirely out of place with Al’s stoic demeanor on what was a happy day. Or at least it was to some. Still, it didn’t feel tedious enough to entirely annoy his little brother. ”He hates those little candy hearts.” Most of Lily’s February sugar high was due to all the sweets Albus attempted to throw away.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

If the Festival wasn’t such a perfect opportunity to take advantage of so they could mess with Albus, Viv would’ve felt guiltier about bringing it up to James. As it was, she did feel a little twinge with guilt at the expression on his face, and a small part of her thought about maybe dropping the subject and sitting quietly with James while he moped. But her inner prankster was quite talented at silencing the parts of her that knew how to be quiet and thoughtful, and the Festival was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Besides, she could see the gears turning in James’s head and he’d already had the brilliant idea about the Ministry. So, there could be a slight change of plans. They could carry out Evil Plan A, have a good laugh, and then go out and get drunk. It was up to James whether he wanted to share about Ariadne or just squash the feelings down. Viv knew which one was more her style.

“PDA Patrol,” Viv burst out laughing and took a moment to imagine how it would look on his Auror robes. “I dunno, I don’t think he’d get it was a prank. He’d just walk around telling people off for having emotions.” If there was anyone who would take that responsibility seriously, it was Al. Even though the typical surly expression on his face was usually enough to kill the mood without him ever having to say a word. Still, writing something on his back was an option and Viv filed away the thought. She and James had long since abused the ‘kick me’ sign, but maybe they could upgrade and choose something else. “How ‘bout a button? Kiss the Auror?” Viv suggested. But Al would notice after the first try.

Candy hearts. Viv played with her braids while she turned the thought over in her head. She knew what James was referring to – Lily could find a sweet even if it was buried six feet deep – but Al would always roll his eyes at the cute little messages too. “There’ll be a candy heart booth there,” Viv pointed out, tapping the flyer she'd snatched that advertised the different kinds of attractions that would be there.

james sirius potter

[james sirius potter]

no one should TAKE THEMSELVES
so seriously

January 20, 2028
Vivian River Jordan

James couldn’t stifle the sudden laugh. If there was ever anything that could lift his spirits, it was plotting to ensure his little brother had a miserable time. One might call it evil in a way, but James was not about to contradict the way of the world where older siblings pestered the younger ones. It was the natural way of life. ”I can picture him—“ James very dramatically put his arms out, palms facing outward. ”—leave room for Merlin!” Though who knew what actual distance Al would put between individuals with his limited arm span.

Bringing his arms back down, James felt as light as he had in weeks. When was the last time he’d really laughed like that? The only difficult part was the eerie calm in his mind when it was over. They threw more ideas around, but James was still trying to find the one that felt like the one. ”We could charm the candy hearts to all use his name somehow?” Merlin—for all his NEWTs and advanced training, he wasn’t even sure how to accomplish that quickly. Mentally, his eyes crossed as his brain searched for that long-lost charm's knowledge.

”I think Benny did something like that once with sprinkles from Fortescue’s.” James recalled some interesting and surprisingly impressive bits of magic from the youngest Ollivander, Lily, and one of the Fortescue children. Crossing his arms, James stared off into a dusty corner of the ceiling while he thought. "You know—we might be overthinking this." This just seemed like the trend in James’ life at the moment. ”What does he hate the most?” A few things came to mind, but one thing stood out—”Not being taken seriously.” James paused, waiting for their combined brilliance to kick in.

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[Vivian River Jordan]

Viv didn’t believe in wasted opportunities. Sure, there might be some value in being patient and quietly observing while you wait for a chance (theoretically speaking, since Viv couldn’t recall ever doing that in living memory). But pranking was in her blood, a torch that she carried on from the previous generation in a solemn promise to never let the mood get too stale. She couldn’t remember a single party, family reunion, or sleepover that hadn’t featured one of her new innovations – some spell, slime or booby-trapped glitter bomb that never failed to make a spectacular mess. Most of it at Al’s expense, of course.

And it was nice to see the glint of mischief in her partner-in-crime’s eyes again. James looked decidedly more cheerful than when Viv had first wandered in, and she snorted at his spot-on impression of Albus doing everything possible to ruin someone else’s day. “Merlin, Morgana and the whole bloody Round Table!” she added in between bursts of breathless laughter. Viv could picture the scene in her mind’s eye, and it had the potential for the making of a brilliant livestream. It’d been ages since she’d done one of those, although it was hard to top ‘Spores or s’mores with celebrity chef Ilene Wickett.’ You didn’t need a spoiler alert to guess how most people reacted when you explained what they’d just put in their mouth.

But she digressed. Viv steepled her fingers and thought deeply about what kinds of magic she’d seen Benny pull off in the past. “There’s got to be some kind of catch, though. What’s to stop him from just storming off after the first trick heart?” That was a potential snag in the plan. Sure, they could technically count it as a prank well done, but Viv wanted to see a little payoff for all their planning. So if Al wasn’t in clear-cut painful suffering for at least an hour, then it was just a wasted opportunity. And that just wasn’t Viv’s style at all. She perked up a little at James’s question, straightening in her chair, and a little devilish smirk began to form. “I’ve got it. Nobody’s going to take him seriously ‘cept the one person who can get him out of it. Okay so, you’ve got to nick a letter from Al’s boss and modify it to get him there. I’ll write the candy heart stall owner and let her know she’s got a volunteer from the Ministry…”

james sirius potter
End post Viv!