SuperMelt [Rhys]

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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July 17th, 2020

Hogsmeade was unseasonably warm. A tiny heat wave had hit the day prior and was still holding over well into the evening. It wasn't that late, but summer Fridays in Hogsmeade left a lot to be desired. The fact that it still barely scraped by with the help of the school year was surprising. Plenty of businesses called the community home, yet they never seemed to be able to draw people to the town. Her parents seemed to like it though, and she found the solitude it provided to be peaceful. But when it was sweltering like this? No thanks. The obvious way to solve her problem of the heat was to apparate home, but there was a reason she was here: to celebrate her dad's sixtieth birthday. The old man had been saying all day about how they didn't really need to all stay the weekend, which her sister took as an offer to leave immediately. So now Juniper felt absolutely obligated to stay. Plus Rhys was here too, which made it better.

They were seated in the back garden, her parents probably already asleep and Ewan who knows where. It really didn't matter if he had gone back to his own place at this point. Neither of them had checked out in the incredibly rude fashion that their sister had earlier. Sticking around until after dinner more than showed that they cared. "I still can't believe she did that..." Juniper muttered for at least the dozenth time since her sister ran off. There must've been a new intern whose pants she was trying to get into, otherwise she probably would have stayed the entire day. She took a long sip of the beer that was sat on the patio table in front of them, the drips of condensation running down her arm feeling refreshing in this oppressive heat. It was too hot to sit inside, and she really didn't feel like conjuring up cold air charms just to be comfortable. Being outside was the next best thing. "Its too bad Fortescue's doesn't have a shop here. It'd be perfect right now." Assuming they would even be open this late to begin with. If Hogsmeade had a night life, they surely would.

rhys alexander greyback ● 376 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

even when the night changes

it will never change me and you

July 17, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Before his certification, Rhys had stubbornly let his hair grow out a bit. But on this oddly hot day, he was glad he’d cut it off. The heat of the Egyptian deserts was different than in Scotland. First off, when was the last time it had reached this temperature here? In the desert, it was dry, but that was manageable with shade. This reminded him of his trips to South and Central America, where the air was so thick you struggled to breathe. But if it was the price for his extended break, he was willing to pay it.

Those last couple of months before the start of summer were grueling. The Trainers drilled them, but it made sense. This wasn’t a job with a lot of room for error. And some bumps, bruises, cuts, and a knock to the head later—Rhys was now a full-fledged Cursebreaker. The urge to head straight home had been strong, but he’d gotten himself cleaned up by a Healer first. This weekend had been interesting, however. Juniper’s family knew Rhys by now from seeing him during the holidays, but this time it was a weekend sort of thing. His body would tense now and then with nerves. Rhys wanted to ensure he did the right things. After all, it was her father’s birthday and a weekend with her whole family. Well, Juniper’s sister had already left, which even surprised Rhys. He only knew her from limited interactions, but Juni and Ewan also seemed shocked.

Rhys nodded in agreement, his eyes trained forward. This weather reminded him how he naturally ran warmer—a side effect of his lycanthropy. It was nice in the winter, but not so much now. ”They’d do well during the school year.” Once a month visits by all those students? They’d make a killing. But what he wouldn’t give to just stick his head inside one of those coolers that held the ice cream. Slouching in his chair just a bit, Rhys had his beer bottle to the side of his face for a moment. It felt nice. But he removed it before his beer went completely warm. ”Your sister probably ran off to Fortescue’s.” Rhys speculated, drinking from the bottle and placing it on the table. Sighing, he felt more relaxed now and let his arm hang freely on the side. Lazily, he looked over at Juniper. Rhys tried to remember the last time they’d had this much uninterrupted time together. He reached out, his fingers brushing hers and loosely grabbing her hand.

The adjustment of consistently being home in their small flat had followed their usual pattern of a week or two of what one might call a “honeymoon” period. And then something to bicker about eventually made its way to the surface. The severity always varied, but after that, things settled down. Rhys felt restless, albeit slightly burned out from the last two years. And he wanted to enjoy this time before his life became hectic again.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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At least the line of persistent sweat on her forehead had finally stopped with the setting of the sun. To make matters worse, her glasses had refused to stay on her face all day, constantly sliding down the bridge of her nose. She contemplated using a sticking charm on them, but didn't know how safe it was to point that directly at her face. The last thing she needed to be was a hot, sweaty mess and stuck at St. Mungo's in the Spell Damage ward. Assuming they were the ones that would handle such a thing. Being the child of two members of the accidental magic reversal squad, a magical mishap like that would be incredibly embarrassing. And she'd never hear the end of it from her sister who somehow had never done anything that stupid before, aside from her choice in partners.

"They really would," she agreed, taking another sip of her drink. Merlin that helped take away the soggy feeling she'd had all day. "Really all they'd need is a tiny stand. They'd make a killing." Even just a place in Diagon that was open late would be nice. With the power of magic, the two of them could have skipped over there, gotten ice cream, and then come back to her parents in the span of fifteen minutes. Thinking about that when it was this hot only made it worse though. She let Rhys take her hand, only because skin on skin contact all day had felt like a slimy, abrasive mess. Sleeping tonight was going to be horrible, and she already knew it was going to be constant tossing and turning. Not to mention that her parents had kept her incredibly small double-sized bed. At least they didn't have puritanical views like she'd heard from a few colleagues that worked for MACUSA's educational department. That would have been absolutely maddening on top of this heat.

Rhys brought up the idea that her sister may have run off to get ice cream, and honestly? She could believe that. The woman had zero tact and would dip if she wasn't the star of the day. "I believe it. I honestly have no idea what she does aside from work and tricking interns into sleeping with her." It was incredibly gross at this point. Juniper was pretty sure that the last one she'd heard about had just graduated from Hogwarts the year prior. Thankfully she hadn't sunk her teeth into the newest batch yet.

rhys alexander greyback ● 416 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

even when the night changes

it will never change me and you

July 17, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

It was hard not to cringe at the antics of the oldest McGonagall. Rhys didn’t really understand it. But it had always touched a nerve to see someone so fragrantly take things for granted as she did. And Rhys could understand competitiveness, Merlin knew it caused Rhys and Juniper to bump heads from time to time. But if Juniper’s sister was trying to prove something, Rhys wasn’t sure what it was. Ewan didn’t seem like that at all. Ewan always appeared very strait-laced, but a comment or two from him was not uncommon. It was a little fascinating to see the variety and differences in all their personalities.

For the most part, Rhys kept his opinions to himself. He felt weird saying anything about her, as she was still Juniper’s sibling in the end. The intern thing was cringeworthy. If he recalled correctly, she was on the other side of twenty-five when most of these interns were near Rhys and Juniper’s age. ”Reminds me of Dolohov...” Rhys said under his breath. Those moments from his last couple of years didn’t come up often, since the pair didn’t matter to him at all. But on the rare occasion Rhys had walked through the ministry to see Juniper, he had taken the scenic route to the lift to avoid one or both. His height gave him an advantage but if he was not quick enough, he’d be easy to spot as well.

And it hadn’t stopped with them, though normal people were far less aggressive. Rhys had traveled all sorts of places while training, but easily kept people an arm’s length away at minimum. Juniper didn’t protest when Rhys loosely grabbed her hands. In this heat, nobody was thinking about physical contact let alone Rhys who sometimes felt like a walking furnace. Rhys already had an inconsistent time getting a good night’s sleep, let alone in this heat. A few nights since he’d come home, Rhys had slept on the couch rather than tossing and turning so much it didn’t let Juniper sleep. This heat wasn’t helping. ”Can you transfigure something into a fan?” Rhys leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

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"Incessantly predatory?" Juniper tacked on about Dolohov. She'd seen her old classmate a few times at the Ministry and always tried to avoid any sort of potential conversation. The few times she'd been forced to interact, Rhys was always brought up. Dolohov was conniving, always looking for some sort of angle to wiggle her way back in. Juniper was pretty sure that her 'opponent' (it felt strange to call her that because it wasn't a competition at all) seemed to view Rhys as the one that got away. The woman needed to move on with her life.

"I'm constantly amazed she's still employed by the Ministry. Suppose interns are too scared to make harassment reports." That went for both Dolohov and her sister, if she were to be completely honest. Birds of a feather, those two. The only difference between them, and there really was one, happened to be that her sister was a codependent fool who ultimately meant well, personality quirks aside. That didn't take away the fact that she had the maturity of a fifth year though. The partners she brought around over the years all seemed blissfully unaware at the time, or they were simply fine with the attention they got. Love bombing or love potions? Same difference.

Rhys asked if she'd be able to transfigure a fan into existence, and that thought had definitely crossed her mind a few times already today. The problem was that all it would accomplish was pushing the warm air around. Which was better than nothing, she supposed. "Probably could," she let out an exhausted sigh. "I tried looking for an old rotating one we used to have, but couldn't find it. Last I saw, it was in the attic." It'd been years since the McGonagalls had needed it, and she was sure it was either gone by now, or broken beyond magical repair. Years of layered automation charms wore down on the integrity of the fan, making such a thing nigh impossible. Plus, Rhys had a good point: she could probably transfigure one. She definitely wasn't about to start banging around in the attic in the middle of the night. Noise-muffling spells be damned, her parents would definitely know and think something else was up. She didn't need those looks over tomorrow's breakfast.

rhys alexander greyback ● 383 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

even when the night changes

it will never change me and you

July 17, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys didn’t verbally agree, but surely his face showed what he thought. That was a pretty high bar, in his opinion. Dolohov and her shadow, Rosier, had relentlessly followed him around their seventh year after that brief encounter at the Apothecary the previous summer. They had never spoken outside of the occasional encounter in class. Somehow they’d scraped their way into NEWT-level potions, but Rhys had never even said hello or good morning. And it made him uncomfortable to think that as a target, he was some kind of prize, but not in the place a person on a pedestal kind of way. They were hunters in a way, and Rhys wouldn’t sit around and become prey. Merlin knew he’d already spent years as a target.

But things had definitely drastically changed on that front. His name still raised eyebrows, but Rhys was trying to find a way to embrace it. Realizing that others were in similar predicaments was eye-opening, especially as he worked alongside them. His name didn’t matter among their ranks, only that he knew what he was doing and would have their back. A small part of Rhys was itching to get back out there, but in some rare show of benevolence, the goblins wouldn’t let them until the end of summer nearing into fall. The rumor was that trainees in the past had figurately or even literally crashed and burned without that break. And with one wack of an Ancient Runes textbook, Saffron also reminded Rhys that he had someone at home to probably go get flowers or something for.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten. His mind had just gotten ahead of itself. ”Its not too late to find an ocean to jump into…” The weather was always much better near the coast. Some bits and pieces he genuinely remembered as a child were near the coast. Where his mother had grown up, and Rhys was born wasn’t that far of a drive to the beach. It had been some time since he’d returned. But the idea of peacefully floating in the middle of the English Channel didn’t sound so bad in this sweltering heat. Rhys finished his beer, putting the empty bottle on the table. And he leaned forward, his elbows sitting on his knees as he yawned. ”Remind me to look into weather-modifying charms when we get home.”

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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The idea alone of feeling hot made her sweat more. There had to be a jinx on that, triggering an invisible warmth spell that attacked the thinker whenever it was conjured up in the mind. Because despite it being ‘cooler’ out now than it was earlier, Juniper certainly still felt overheated. What did the muggles call this again? Global warming? She typically didn’t listen to too much of their stuff, only because there were magical fixes for a lot of it. That and they didn’t even know how to handle the crisis they were all in the middle of currently. Magickind had the illness sorted out in a matter of days. She was perfectly content to sticking to the Ministry and Diagon if it meant not catching their icky little muggle germs. Dragon pox was scarier if she were to be completely honest. “If only we had aircon…” she mused, fanning herself with her free hand. The beer wasn’t even cold anymore, having dripped all of that off onto her arm and leg by now. Lukewarm alcohol was the worst too.

She watched Rhys as he yawned, and added that he’d like to work on spells that could affect the weather. It was honestly a good idea for the future. If the muggles were to be believed about this change in temperature, this would hardly be the last summer where they’d be melting faster than a levitating chocolate frog over a cauldron. “Tired?” she asked, a yawn escaping her as well. Incredible how contagious they were. “I feel like it’ll be worse trying to sleep through it than staying up all night…I don’t know.” There was hardly anything interesting they could do when it was like this. Even going back to their flat would be pointless. It had been closed up all day, and was most likely like a furnace by now. At least Hogsmeade had the benefit of a warm mountain breeze that sort of took the edge off. Just thinking of how to kill time was exhausting. Another yawn came out unexpectedly. Merlin, this sucked.

rhys alexander greyback ● 347 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

even when the night changes

it will never change me and you

July 17, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

The places Rhys had trained never had the nicest accommodations. There was no natural airflow in an open tomb in Egypt. Or if they were above ground, other weather affected them. Cold, heat, humidity, rain, Rhys was certain the trainees were forced to experience it on purpose. ”Yea…” Rhys muttered a response. The heat had the tendency to slowly drain away your energy. He probably hadn’t drunk enough water, leaving him feeling foggy. Not that a tired Rhys was rare. Sometimes he didn’t know why. Other times, it was linked to the moon or work.

Rhys considered freezing his empty beer bottle, so he had something cold at least, but chances were the glass would react quickly and shatter. His focus wasn’t there to cast it as precisely as needed. Floating in the ocean still crossed his mind. As a boy, he recalled his mother’s favorite spot on the coast near their home. Rhys remembered the breeze and the cold water. But the rest was bits and pieces. The orphanage was farther from the spot in a neighboring magical town, but Rhys would find a way there occasionally. Lately, he’d been so busy that rocky beach hadn’t crossed his mind for several years. ”Did we take jumping in the ocean off the table?” Rhys half-joked. The water was frigid and better than tossing and turning in this weather.

Rubbing his eyes with one hand, Rhys was careful not to let sweat get in his eyes. ”Saff and her sister went off to….” Rhys trailed off as his brain froze on the location. It started with an ‘M’. Malta? Mexico? Miami? Maybe it was Greece? ”Erm—Malta or Mexico or somewhere.” The answer would eventually pop into his head. ”Probably not a bad idea if the heat doesn’t let up.” And after the weekend, of course. Six weeks home was a long time for Rhys, and sometimes he felt a little stir-crazy. Their flat was small. There wasn’t exactly a corner he could have to himself. But after the shoulder incident and a few other times where Rhys had needed that verbal knock back to reality—he’d willingly come along.

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Rhys brought up going to the ocean again, and she a noise of acknowledgement. Not for nothing, but she’d never been before. Family vacations had happened when she was really young, stopping once her siblings started Hogwarts. She wasn’t sure if she even remembered how to swim, though she had never been good at it to begin with. Floating in place was about as good as she got. While getting swept out to sea sounded like a horrible way to die, she was pretty sure that she could simply apparate back to land if that happened…maybe. But Rhys was sort of right: anything was better than continuing to deal with this heat. Another week of this and she was pretty sure she was going to melt and become the next flavor of Fortescue ice cream.

“Those aren’t even close,” she laughed at his comment about the Grimstone twins. With a break this long, who could blame anyone for taking a lengthy vacation? She really needed one as well. Visiting her parents like this was great and all, but it wasn’t a vacation, as much as she tried to convince herself that it was. “I could get the time off,” Juniper added, tipping her head over the back of the chair to look up at the night sky. The one thing she had missed about Hogsmeade was having the ability to see the stars. No light pollution meant every clear night was one to take note of. If her career at the Ministry ever went afoul, transitioning into an astronomer would be the perfect alternative. She was pretty sure she could convince Rhys to live here. It was so peaceful all year round, minus Hogsmeade weekends. Plus it wasn’t like they were restricted from traveling to Diagon or London. Snap of the fingers and one could basically be anywhere they wanted. “Did you have somewhere in mind?”

rhys alexander greyback ● 316 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

even when the night changes

it will never change me and you

July 17, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys shrugged. Juniper was right. Those were not even in the same hemisphere. ”You know how Saff’s words all mesh together after a while.” Exciteable was putting it lightly. And Rhys wasn’t built to tolerate such energy for an extended period of time, but he did. Maybe it was exposure therapy or whatever it was called, not that he believed in all that nonsense. Rhys grinned slightly at the thought. It had been the end of training. They’d gotten their little scrolls certifying they could legally be sent into danger by the bank. ”I don’t think Sage knew the destination either.” Saffron spoke enough for the both of them, but if her identical twin didn’t understand her—what chances did the rest of them have?

Getting away sounded nice. Even while at Hogwarts, Rhys had felt a bit twitchy. Things sometimes felt so mundane and stagnant that it weighed on him and left him in an awful mood. Not that he noticed until Nell would finally snap at him. And she could put up with quite a lot. Juniper had shaken things up for him because this was all genuine. ”I’ll write to her tomorrow. Figure out where they went.” Rhys would bet a galleon their destination had not even been a consideration in his mind or didn’t even start with the letter ‘M’. Rhys glanced over as he leaned back in his chair, eyes lingering a moment before following Juniper’s gaze. The sky was so clear here, which made Rhys’ time in astronomy class easier in those days. And the view in various parts of the world changed another perk.

That small beach on that coastline popped into his head again. It wasn’t the only spot Rhys knew but the one most personal to him. That pull in his chest from his stomach was just the familiar hesitation. Sometimes he could push it aside. Sometimes, he hardly felt it, and other times that door wasn’t ready to be opened. After a moment or two of consideration, Rhys leaned forward so he could stand. ”I think I know a place.” Sitting for that long, this heat had stiffened his muscles, which he felt when on his feet. Rhys held out his hand, his wand in the other, and the image of their destination vivid in his mind. ”Ready?”

Rhys apparated them, and they appeared near the edge of a car park. At this time of night, it was empty. To their right sat two buildings. One was a café his mother had liked. And he wasn’t worried about waking any residents as this part of Wales was densely populated by the magical community. It might have something to do with the epicenter of Arthurian legends nearby. The air felt cooler and crisp here, and that heat's suffocation left them. The moon gave them a bit of light, but they were merely days from a new moon. The stars were still visible.

With Juniper’s hand still in his, Rhys glanced around quickly (as was his habit now going anywhere) and began to walk. ”This way.” He spoke. Rhys led them around some large rocks and down a slight incline to a beach. ”Watch your step.” He cautioned, though firmly holding her hand. It was more rocks than sand, not that it stopped the tide or the power of the Severn Sea. Juniper would probably know it as the Bristol Channel. With the low tide, they could stand right at the edge of where the pebbles began and not risk getting swept away. But what Rhys liked the most were the sounds. Just the sound of water splashing on rocks further down the coast or a bird here and there. Rhys already began to feel himself relax, and his brain didn’t feel like it was melting anymore. ”My mother used to bring me here.” Rhys explained as his eyes scanned the coastline. His hand squeezed Juniper’s just slightly. It wasn’t often he spoke about these things.

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Saffron was something else altogether. There was a little bit of Juniper that died every time she realized that they probably could have been friends in school, if she had ever given the Gryffindor the time of day. It had become abundantly clear that she was a great rock to have around whenever Rhys was in training and she wasn’t, and Juniper had been working towards being on friendlier terms with Sage as well. The twin wasn’t nearly as outgoing, which honestly made sense once you took the time to really observe both of them together. “Nothing like a spontaneous trip, right?” That seemed rather apt for the Grimstones. “Hopefully they’ll take pictures. Of Malta, or Mexico…or wherever they are.” The one downside of living fully in magic was that none of them had phones. She’d toyed with the idea, but what was the point when they wouldn’t work in Diagon or at the office? That was one of the reasons why it drove her made waiting for owls from Rhys whilst he was abroad for work. Absolutely maddening until an owl was pecking on the flat window…

When he was talking about seeing the ocean, she hadn’t realized that he meant going there right now. It took her a moment to comprehend what he was saying, and even after standing and taking his hand for the side-along still had her wondering where exactly they were going. “Right now? Sure…” she responded, slightly flustered. Though that was probably heat-induced and from finally moving out of her melting position in the chair.

A pop and a second later, her eyes started to readjust to the new surroundings. It had been ages since she’d done side-along apparation, and the wobbliness that came with it always sucked. The process of being pulled by someone else always threw her equilibrium off momentarily. Two dark buildings sat at the edge of an empty lot, and she could hear the gentle crash of a tide somewhere nearby. The cooler breeze alone already felt like a relief, and the horrible heat of Hogsmeade was already left behind. She let Rhys guide her silently down towards what she assumed was the beach, following his warnings as she felt her sandals bend uncomfortably between the soles of her feet and the rocky surface. Still, this was preferable over burning alive back home.

Tide seemed to be low, meaning they could go further out than she would have expected at this hour. It was always strange to think that this was possible at the drop of a hat. Silently letting the air hit her face, she looked up at Rhys as he spoke. He rarely talked about his mum, as well as a portion of his childhood. To have him share such an important memory as this with her...it always felt incredibly significant to her. “Thank you for sharing it with me,” she said quietly, letting her head fall against his shoulder as they stood there.

rhys alexander greyback ● 496 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

even when the night changes

it will never change me and you

July 17, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys wasn’t blind to his tendency to remain private, even to those close to him. And it wasn’t for lack of trying, but sometimes he opened his mouth to share something, and nothing came out. Certain things had been easier to share with Sarah because the judgment wasn’t there. They were both werewolves because of Fenrir Greyback, as was her older brother. It was rare to find someone who could empathize so closely. Rhys trusted Nell, but he didn’t want to send her spiraling over something that couldn’t be changed. And Juniper didn’t really pry or push if Rhys chose to avoid or ignore a question in this area.

And there was the fact that Rhys didn’t know how to slowly open this pressurized can where he stuffed so much away. It was overwhelming. Juniper had seen Rhys happy, gloomy, angry, and even scared. But sad? Definitely not. Sharing that he had recurring nightmares of his father had felt easier than diving into this topic. For a moment, he wondered if this was a good idea. Rhys hadn’t expected so much under the surface, but he’d never brought anyone here before that wasn’t already familiar. Rhys cleared his throat, pushing it down. “I grew up not far from here.” It wasn’t exactly within walking distance, but children were surprisingly resilient to side-along apparition up to a certain age. Rhys grinned slightly at a memory, “Sir Cadogan always liked me because I was born in Caerleon.” It was safe to say Rhys learned early about all that history.

A chill had gone up his spine, but he wasn’t cold. It always felt natural not to think about these things. The last two years of training had taught him to stay in the present. Feeling Juniper’s head on his shoulder reminded him of the present. What was and what was real. So much sat on the tip of Rhys’ tongue, but saying it was another thing. ”I don’t remember a lot. I was pretty young.” Whether it was due to age or something repressed, Rhys just knew there were gaps. Unfortunately, his brain had held on to the bad things. But, had there been more, Rhys would have eventually shared. With another light sigh, he moved his hand to put an arm around her shoulders. It was a drastic temperature difference, which Rhys didn’t notice as much, but Juniper might have. ”It’s a nice escape from the surface of the sun.” Rhys said on a lighter note.

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This was the most she’d been given in a while. Prying wasn’t her thing, and she had learned over the last few years that if Rhys wanted to talk about his past, he would. While it certainly made him who he was today, that didn’t actively cause any issues in their relationship. Contrary to what many seemed to think, the little tidbit about him being a werewolf was about the last thing on her mind most of the time. Sure, the week leading up to the full moon tended to suck. There was no denying that. But that didn’t change him at all. He was still Rhys. To be frank, she really was more worried about the cursebreaker stuff anyways. That was more real and present than anything else.

Listening to him talk about himself was always a nice change of pace though. There were times where she felt like she dominated every conversation (and every waking moment), and would later feel bad about it. Learning to take a step back and listen was easily as important as talking about whatever ridiculous object she’d managed to transfigure that day, or work. Nobody truly liked hearing her whine about creating exam questions for OWLs and NEWTs. She didn’t even like hearing herself talk about it after a while.

As for his memories…well, there were incredibly intrusive ways to get those back. At least that was what she had overheard from someone who had a cousin that was an Obliviator. Apparently they could pull whatever they wanted out of a person’s memory bank. Which was honestly freaky. Juniper had contemplated telling Rhys about this before, but always held it back. Maybe it was a good thing that there were bits and pieces that he didn’t remember. Obviously it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows like her childhood was. She didn’t want to be the one to force him to open all of that back up, especially if it was going to hurt him all over again. She hated that this was the sort of thing she was immediately thinking of when he was opening up to her, but there was no way to prevent her brain from doing it.

“There doesn’t happen to be an inn in town, do you think?” she asked, looking back over her shoulder at the bright bubble of light that was off in the distance. She sort of felt bad for leaving her parents, but they really wouldn’t care. She’d be seeing them again soon anyways, always trying to have one last visit before Hogwarts started back up and things in town got hectic. “Would you ever move back here?” Juniper added, looking up at him.

rhys alexander greyback ● 448 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

even when the night changes

it will never change me and you

July 17, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

People were curious about him. Rhys hadn’t understood it until he was older. One hears about these famous and infamous figures and to meet some extension of them? It created curiosity. And he wasn’t exactly shy about when he didn’t like the attention. Rhys still had his temper and his moods. And you didn’t date someone for almost four years without pushing some buttons along the way. But so far, Rhys felt like he’d left that blinding rage behind. Or so he hoped. That wasn’t the man he wanted to be. In all the images of Fenrir in his mind from the stories and from memory, the last thing Rhys wanted to be was as untamed or savage as Fenrir.

If he was being honest, he liked to listen to Juniper talk about her work or complain about her sister because it filled in a lot of the blanks created by his work and traveling. Like the peace he felt when standing on this open beach, Rhys didn’t like feeling stuck or trapped. Not that anyone in his life did, but Rhys had felt like that living at the orphanage. Especially knowing he would never leave until they kicked him out. Rhys nodded. ”There’s a few. The one next to the Museum is nice.” Rhys hadn’t stayed there before, but he’d seen what it was like. As a teenager, his only reason for visiting Caerleon was the cemetery or Merlin’s Mystical Museum of Magic.

He stopped to think, staring off at a horizon he couldn’t see. Rhys hadn’t thought about it. It wasn’t a terrible idea. And he could apparate to Hogsmeade or London to see his siblings if he wanted. But he still hesitated. ”I dunno.” Rhys recalled a misguided attempt as a boy by some guardian to have him remember things. Answers they thought were hidden in his memories and an attempt to help with the trauma of it all. In the end, it had probably been as traumatic as the first time around. Rhys didn’t trust those things despite the nagging feeling he had to fill in the blanks. There were a lot of families in these smaller towns, and a werewolf nearby might not sit well. Rhys couldn’t decide. He loved the area and the memories of his mother, but then there was the rest that haunted him. If Rhys ever shared the rest with Juniper, perhaps she’d understand.

”It doesn’t feel like home.” Rhys added. He sort of hated admitting that, but he saw Juniper’s connection to Hogsmeade and her family, and Rhys never had those kinds of roots. Surely, one would know if they did. At the risk of sounding as ridiculous as Percival Pratt’s portrait at Hogwarts, Rhys knew his home was in London. Stepping away, Rhys took a few steps toward the pebbles, stopping near a divot in the sand. He needed a moment, but the question had not made him uncomfortable. At least it was nothing he couldn’t shake off. Squatting, Rhys began to push wet sand aside with his hand. There was a flat-like rock stuck in there. His mother had shown him how the sand changed around items stuck in it. ”I stayed away from Caerleon until I was about thirteen.” Rhys admitted. ”It was where he turned me.” He added, more grimly than he’d intended.

Finally, he pulled out the rock running his thumbs over its surface for any patterns. This coast was littered with fossils. Sometimes, you got lucky and found one. ”But I hadn’t been to the Museum in ages.” The one securely, happy memory from his youth, the Museum. And his overwhelming curiosity pushed him to go. ”Have you been there?” Rhys wondered, looking up at Juniper. Most people had, or so Rhys thought. It wasn’t exactly small, and many of the staff were former Cursebreakers, Rhys learned when he was older.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Right…MMMM was located in Caerleon. She’d forgotten that it existed, having never really taken an interest in Merlin not the sort of historical happenings that typically surrounded the warlock. That sort of research had always seemed obsessive to her, with historians trying to chase down anything and everything about the man. There were far greater witches and wizards that existed before and after him as well. Ultimately, the museum didn’t matter as it was merely a marker to help her understand that there was more to the city than a muggle watching destination. And it happened to be where Rhys had grown up. Juniper supposed that it was much more important because of that connection, than because Merlin used to trapeze around the area in his long underwear several centuries ago.

She let him go as he wandered over to an area to look at the rocks, though it was fairly apparent that he needed the space as he spoke. Maybe asking if he’d come back was a sore spot after all. Immediately, Juniper felt like she’d overstepped a bit. It always felt like that when he started talking about his past, at least with something that was a tougher topic to get through. She had known about the brief details surrounding the turning, his mother’s death, and then the subsequent stay at the orphanage, but not that it had actually happened in Caerleon. Of course he wouldn’t want to live there again, with such a life altering event having taken place there. How foolish of her to even entertain the idea.

By this point, Juniper was hovering above where he was digging around in the rocks, feeling guilty for something that was completely out of her control. Every time this happened, she felt the same way. Even though he was the one willingly sharing the information. She wasn’t an overly empathetic person either and never had been. Just with him. “I haven’t,” she answered. Obviously museums had left some sort of impact on him, enough to make him want to risk his life to travel the world and find lost artifacts. “I’d love to go though.” To overwrite the bad memories with new, better ones. That was the very least she could do.

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