unintended | juniper

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Lots of green? She sort of hoped it would be a botanical garden of sorts, though knew that would be too much to ask of a museum. She'd see for herself in a moment. "Really? Could've sworn that they just shoved it into empty vaults." Though if the bank did make donations to historical venues, they would probably want their name labeled all over. Nothing was free in the world and she knew that the goblins were cutthroat about getting what belonged to them. Maybe it differed between goblin-made items and stuff found freely in tombs. She supposed these were questions she could have asked Rhys years ago, but hadn't. Too much of her time was spent worrying about when he would be back and not why he was back. Sure, she found hidden treasure and lost artifacts infinitely interesting (maybe not in the same life or death scenario that her boyfriend did), yet their time together during his breaks wasn't spent discussing the big bad scary cursebreaker job. It probably should have been. Because as much as she said she was fine now, she very much wasn't most of the time. Things could be worse though...

Private collectors coming into play certainly made her think about a lot as they stepped into the Greek exhibit. Did the wealthy pay better? Was it legal? Surely someone who had the money to toss around freely for magic artifacts could also fund an expedition like the bank. Juniper knew that she knew the answer (it wasn't legal), but a higher pay day probably meant he'd be home more often. Just things to think about.

Staring at a large vase that supposedly had Medea in it, Juniper leaned in to read the label. Rhys went on to explain that some retirees ended up working here. That made her ears perk up. "It seems pretty relaxing. Plus you'd still get to work with artifacts and not have to almost die to handle them." Too direct? Maybe. That was the name of the game though. If they didn't have to deal with danger, they wouldn't have been called cursebreakers. This vase in particular had caught her attention, the label showing the name of the person who had retrieved it. Not Gringotts. So apparently there was some sort of glory for those that netted big prizes. "What's the scale of a find that gets you credit? Obviously this...Kentucky Smith fellow did a decent job." And what a strange name that was. Definitely American.

rhys alexander greyback ● 417 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'll be there as soon as i can

but i'm busy mending broken
pieces of the life i had before

August 15, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys wondered if they’d changed the Merlin exhibit. Every once in a while, they spruced it up a bit. Which made sense. He could imagine the kids here would get bored if they saw the same Merlin exhibit at ages five and fifteen. Over the past two years, Rhys had learned a lot about Cursebreaking as a career and an industry. There was so much more to it than just running into the first giant sandbox one found and looking for shiny things like a human niffler. The main hub was Gringott’s, of course, and its various branches internationally. Then some Cursebreakers worked more in the private sector, where the pay was better, but so was the risk.

Rhys heard stories from older Cursebreakers of their colleague’s experiences. The risk was in liabilities but also locations. There were plenty of places where Rhys could not legally search for artifacts, or relations with that local government were strained. He didn’t know the ins and outs of it, but he didn’t foresee it as an issue. Working for the bank was just fine. And then the point that Juniper immediately hooked on. Internally, he kicked himself a little bit for mentioning it, but it couldn’t be unsaid now. Rhys had walked a bit past the vase to look at another item, though he looked over his shoulder stiffly for a second. Subtley had never been her strong suit, which he loved when it wasn’t directed toward him.

”I suppose.” He pushed that aside for now. Consciously, Rhys wasn’t looking for a fight, and Merlin knew he had a knack for finding them. At least he could focus on her next question. Rhys slowly turned back and returned to the placard she was reading. Kentucky Smith, he’d heard the name but didn’t know much about them, only that they were American. ”I don’t know if there is one.” It didn’t seem like there was a specific formula. ”I think a rather gruesome curse was removed from this vase, though.” This made sense considering the stories of Medea in mythology. This probably made it worth of exhibition and credit. ”I’m sure the senior Cursebreakers or the Head Cursebreakers have their names on some artifacts. Occasionally, something rare is found that doesn’t end up in some collector’s hands.” Rhys gave a nonchalant shrug. He’d have to ask when he returned to work.

Rhys knew they wouldn’t put him or Saffron on anything, particularly dangerous in their first year. It wasn’t practical nor a good investment on Gringotts's part. But he did have a small hope, like the kind a kid might have, that he could find something worthy of a museum and have his name on it. Or he could elaborate on the types of curses that would land a simple vase here, but Rhys knew that would spook her. Rhys glanced at the next displayed item he’d walked past earlier. ”You could get one of these ‘cursed’ tablets for your coworkers.” Rhys suggested. As the placard stated, for the most part, they were just trinkets for a placebo effect for muggles in those days. But there were definitely some that did exist, although the practice of cursing someone from a distance like that wasn’t a common form of magic. But the thought came to mind as Juniper had mentioned her colleagues and their personalities, or lack thereof.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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So it had more to do with the curse than the actual artifact? Unless there was some secret to this vase where it could be used to teleport objects between it and another, or hold an infinite amount of items in it, she didn't see how it held any magical value. Dangerous of course, according to Rhys. And it did fit the historical factor of the museum. She knew little of Medea and whether or not she pertained to magical history in Greece, having fallen asleep once or twice during that section of class due to Professor Binns's tendency to drown on and on. Giving a ghost tenure was absolutely abusing the students. There was little practicality to the class anyways, and while it helped Rhys with his work, it held very little value for her in hers. The exams she prepped for History of Magic were all so boring too. Reading over them brought her right back to fifth year taking the OWL on it again.

"Like head of the dig site gets all the credit type of deal?" she inquired. Though it probably also had to do with the general difficulty of obtaining the item and disarming whatever curses were on it. Rookies like Rhys and Saffron would obviously never be put on jobs like that, so she knew she could relax a bit. That didn't minimize the danger in the slightest though, and with the way her thought process liked to work, the easier the job, the more likely the injury. Relaxing and underestimating a job meant everything was dangerous in the cursebreaker world. If she did the same, the worst she'd come away with was a paper cut.

They had moved on to the next display, which housed several tablets that had also been cursed. A relatively weak showing according to the placard, but it was still interesting to see how magic was utilized so long ago. "Maybe if I slipped one into Janet's stack of paperwork, she'll finally get a personality," Juniper grumbled. Eventually she was going to have to leave the department. It had started as an internship and turned into a low-paying career. While she did like educational aspect of it...it also felt like a lot was missing. She virtually had zero say on what went on exams despite being the youngest in the department (and therefore the one to have taken the exams most recently), and her bosses never listened to her about what methods would be more effective when it came to test taking. "So something more mundane like this is closer to what you'll be looking for, right?"

rhys alexander greyback ● 438 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'll be there as soon as i can

but i'm busy mending broken
pieces of the life i had before

August 15, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

”Probably.” That was a safe bet. Even if Rhys or Saff managed to retrieve something rare or impressive, it was unlikely that they would’ve been alone at this stage. There was also the possibility that maybe the Cursebreaker worked here and processed the item, ensuring its safety around the general public. It was never discussed with the trainees, but Rhys could only imagine how it would affect the already reckless ones into focusing less on safety. He thought about how instinctively he would stop Saffron by the back of her shirt when out in the field, just as she might do the same when Rhys’ temper flared. She was definitely someone who would love the glory of her name on one of these placards.

Rhys cracked a small grin. If there was such a curse one could direct that improved someone’s personality, he was sure they both had a list of people who could’ve used them. Unless someone’s mind was so dull, it would have no effect, like Dolohov. Not even Rhys’ very honest response under the effects of veratiserum had discouraged her. Hence why Rhys took the scenic route whenever he was at the Ministry. He’d made the mistake of not doing so once, and she’d bumped into him quite purposefully and literally. But his expression neutralized at her comment. It was off-hand, but again, Rhys knew where she was going with this.

”If they’re made of gold or silver, perhaps.” It was lucky Rhys was even remotely in the frame of mind to not respond with the first thing that popped into his head. After a moment, Rhys walked over to a different exhibit. Few things changed over the years, so he’d seen many of these items before, but he wanted to busy himself. The “mundane” items were just as important as the monetarily valuable ones, and there was so much history even just in this room. But not everything appeared ordinary here. Rhys approached a display of various pieces of gold jewelry but with the common theme of Eros and Psyche. Mythology was a lot of storytelling. Maybe that’s why Rhys grew interested as a kid. It had always been a nice escape from his existence.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Juniper felt sort of weird calling non-magical artifacts pointless, but it was sort of true, wasn't it? An object simply cursed, and now free of said curse, was just normal. She had no qualms about looking at these sorts of things in a museum, though would have preferred to have magical artifacts in a magical museum. Obviously they were only ten feet into the first exhibit, she sort of assumed ahead of time that everything would be as ridiculous as the rest of their world. Then again, having such an institution was leagues and bounds ahead of where she'd expect the magical community. They tended to fly fast and loose with their mimicry of muggle life, minus the technological aspect, so it was interesting how closely this place looked to other historical museums she'd been too.

Maybe it was too soon to speak. As Rhys drifted over to the next exhibit, Juniper decided to break off and head to the other side of the room. She frankly didn't care to look at more tablets or vases, though was immediately met by another wall of terracotta pots. Each with a name tag of sorts indicating that once upon a time, the great Kentucky Smith had to deduce which of the pots were real amidst an ancient form of the Geminio spell. According to the placard, the explorer managed to save all of them. Juniper raised an eyebrow at that, highly skeptical that someone could be that effective at dispelling such a nuisance of a spell.

While she read over this selection of work, she felt Rhys approach her from behind. At least she thought it was him because they were the only two inside the exhibit. "Most jobs are just, go look for this necklace or ring and bring it back, right? What happens if you find things like this?" she asked as she pointed at the pots, before turning to look at who she assumed was Rhys. Instead she was met with a rather large statue of a man pondering some unknown, long forgotten thought. Had that been next to her this whole time? She stepped back a few feet, and let out a gasp of surprise by its sudden appearance next to her. It's torso glided stiffly to watch her movement. Great. It was a moving statue. Those had always creeped her out.

rhys alexander greyback ● 394 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i'll be there as soon as i can

but i'm busy mending broken
pieces of the life i had before

August 15, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys had spent so many years in a perpetual state of survival. It was hard to explain when there were always the basic necessities. Maybe that was why when he stood on the edge of a pit whose bottom was just endless darkness, he didn’t get the same adrenaline rush as everybody else. He turned slightly to see where Juniper had gone. There wasn’t much of a crowd or a risk of getting lost, but he’d checked anyway. Rhys’ eyes lingered for a few moments. He hoped by the end of their visit, maybe she’d understand his world a little better. Maybe he would excavate old pots and knick-knacks from the ancients here and there, but the risk was always there. But it seemed she’d already decided on what she thought about it.

Not many kids liked the museum. They found it boring and slow, preferring to run outside or hop on a broom to play Quidditch. Rhys had as well, but then he started reading the different placards and things, and it all felt like one big story. And then he’d entered the Roman exhibit, and seeing all the depictions of wolves froze him in place until he began to read about the symbolism. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a statue, there were a couple around here, and Rhys realized he’d forgotten to mention them entirely.

He began to walk toward her, though the statue closed in harmlessly on her. And then he heard her speak. Who was she talking to? And as he approached, she jumped back a few feet, almost colliding with Rhys. Instinctively, he placed his hands on her upper arms so she didn’t fall into something. The statue turned slowly, pausing before turning back and going on its way. ”I see you made a new friend.” Rhys commented. ”They’re harmless.” He spoke as his eyes followed the statue momentarily. At least it wasn’t a clown. Rhys looked back to Juniper. They were almost done with this exhibit. The last large piece was a tapestry with imagery of the gods, mortals, and various animals and things. The mortals Rhys always figured were animagi. Or transfiguration magic was common, he wasn’t sure.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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If it happened to be appropriate, she would have transfigured the moving statue into a teacup at the drop of a hat. She loathed the way they crept up on unsuspecting victims, just to stare aimlessly before drifting away again. Even gargoyles tended to give her the shivers, though they were at least stuck to their pedestals. As for the rest of the magical, semi-inanimate objects? She could deal with moving portraits and the likes. Merlin, even floating, charmed plates at restaurants were fine. But not these damn statues.

She felt a pair of hands placed on her arms from behind, and heard Rhys say something about meeting a new friend. Sure, if that's what they were calling it. "Harmless, but they're so uncanny." And why were they necessary? Statues were meant to be looked at and have their form studied, were they not? That's what her Muggle Studies professor had said at least. She remembered some of her classmates refusing to believe that normal statues didn't move on their own.

Watching the statue drift away, Juniper's gaze lingered on it. Only now did she realize that the other supposedly normal reliefs were also ones that moved, and two or three had turned their heads as she looked around the exhibit. That was good to know at least. "Is there anything really of note in here?" she asked as she turned to face Rhys. "Not that I think any of this is boring...just that there has to be something more than formerly cursed pots and tablets." Or the giant trireme that was situated near the end of the exhibit. She recalled seeing that marked on the pamphlet. Having a full on ship inside the museum had to mean it was of some importance, especially if it was fully intact still.

rhys alexander greyback ● 300 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'll be there as soon as i can

but i'm busy mending broken
pieces of the life i had before

August 15, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Juniper had a point. Pots weren’t terribly exciting. But it was the museum’s attempt at meshing history with interesting and exciting magic. And there wasn’t much left to see in this hall. Rhys figured they could skip ahead. But he thought for a moment. It all meshed together in his mind because he loved the museum as a whole. ”There’s one last thing.” Rhys grabbed her hand and led her to the end. They passed more items of more significance to the Ancient Greek religion, but his target wasn’t that far. Finally, he stopped in front of a large tapestry. Around the end of the hall were more pots and items with imagery of various animals.

There were the more well-known images of the Minotaur in items from Crete. It was thought that the half-man, half-bull was some failed transfiguration or attempt to become an animagus. Even perhaps a terrible curse on some poor soul. The tapestry itself showed various things. Owls, snakes, dogs, boards, horses. And they were all mixed in with imagery of multiple deities. The horses near Poseidon, and the owls near Athena. ”They practiced a lot of transfiguration magic.” It wasn’t strictly animals either, like the myth of Apollo and Daphne and her transformation into a laurel tree.

Rhys had always found it interesting to think about how much religion and myth were based on actual events. The muggles in those days had to explain what they did not understand, and he supposed the embedded magical communities went along with it. The snakes were always interesting. While gorgons didn’t exist, it was said Medusa’s descendants were related to snakes somehow. Another relief was nearby with Athena and her priestesses, a few of them as owls. Rhys could only imagine what it would have been like to see magic in those days, from animagi to spells or even the clairvoyant at Delphi. Juniper had always bested in him Transfiguration (which had taken him years to admit). And at least this was a little bit more interesting than clay pots. Rhys let go of her hand so she could look. He mentally noted the exhibits he remembered from other parts of the museum like this. Like civilizations made advances in alchemy or potions, although the Greeks also had mathematics and arithmancy. And the runes he was trained on were from even further back in time.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Juniper hadn't realized the scale of the exhibit until after she'd made her complaint and Rhys started to lead her towards something that was more her flavor of interest. She did feel bad: the pots that had bored her so much were in abundance, each brilliantly designed in their own right and containing centuries of history. But they ultimately lacked pizazz. If she had been more of a history buff, she knew she'd be locked away in here for days on end, learning each and every bit of knowledge possible from them. Certainly the Egyptian section would turn out the same way. As horrible as it sounded, once you saw a dozen funerary jars, you'd seen them all. But Rhys seemed fine with her request to move towards something more interesting, and off they went towards the end of the exhibit. When they finally stopped, it took a moment for her process what was on the wall ahead of them.

An elaborate tapestry, something that definitely shouldn't have lasted this long through the passing of time. Magic helped, no doubt. The amount of design work on it was too much to take in all at once, and her eyes had to refocus several times as they bounced from one detail to the next. Hearing Rhys explain how it was representative of their usage of transfiguration immediately had her hooked. "I know the muggles have always had stories about the Greek pantheon, but are you saying they were most likely witches and wizards this whole time?" Merlin, should she had been paying more attention in History of Magic after all? Obviously there was no telling whether this was fact or fiction now, though there was a very good chance some of these gods and goddesses were closer to reality as magical beings than as modes for storytelling. In all likelihood, they were a mix of both.

"I've thought about it, you know," Juniper stated as she leaned in to look at an owl better. "Becoming an animagus. We McGonagalls apparently have a knack for it. The only problem is finding the time." And the planning. If she really wanted to do it, she would. That required star maps and moon cycles, as well as figuring out the appropriate time, location, and weather too. One couldn't just jump in because they felt like it. And even if she wanted to start it now, the month long process meant it would inevitably cut into time when Rhys was home. Not seeing him for weeks on end already was horribly enough. She didn't think it would be fair at all to then not be able to talk to him for a portion of his time back. If a long job ever presented itself and things on her end worked out, maybe then she'd give it a shot. But not now.

rhys alexander greyback ● 476 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i'll be there as soon as i can

but i'm busy mending broken
pieces of the life i had before

August 15, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys hoped this particular exhibit was more interesting to her. He didn’t want her to be bored when there were many interesting things here. It was probably a good thing that Rhys never minded solo visits to the museum. Sometimes it helped him clear his head. But the Tapestry seemed to do the trick. Since Rhys had already started at this piece several times, he let Juniper have her space with it. If Transfiguration hadn’t done the trick, Rhys wasn’t sure what would have. There was so much history here, so many interesting things, but in some way or another, it linked back to his work. And some days, that subject was a minefield.

Even with this time off, he couldn’t escape it. But Juniper said she supported him, so he held on to that. ”Could’ve been.” Rhys responded with a light shrug. ”A lot is missing from this time period.” Rhys could picture mountains of scrolls or other written items with long-lost magical secrets about any subject, but they were all gone. As far as he knew, the muggles lamented similarly. His eyebrow raised up curiously. ”That’s…a whole month, right?” Rhys asked, pausing to dig in the back of his brain for that snippet of information. The idea of a whole month made him feel a little uncomfortable, but he brushed it off.

”Makes sense.” Rhys didn’t know why it hadn’t crossed his mind before. The Headmistress was famously an animagus. ”What form would you take?” Not that it was up to the witch or wizard. Rhys asked, taking a step forward as he scanned the Tapestry. In the corner was Artemis, often associated with animals. Things like the animagi process fell into that bucket of pipe dreams for Rhys. They could talk about it, speculate, and all that. Would it happen? Probably not. It was a complicated and tedious process, and it took an entire month. ”The Japanese believed foxes could shape-shift into humans.” Rhys commented. The folklore went into much more detail than that but he’d always thought it was blatant proof of a fox animagus.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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It would be beyond fascinating if muggle gods and goddesses were simply ancient magical folk. While she personally had a head cannon that most were, there would never be any way to tell. The origins of magic were just as unknown as all of ancient history, so it made sense to her if they happened to be intertwined and lost together. "Essentially," she responded as she leaned in closer to look at one of the animal designs on the tapestry. "Its a month of holding the Mandrake leaf in your mouth from full moon to full moon, and you sort of have to hope it's clear out." There was so much to it than that though, and she disliked the idea of reciting the phrase daily until the proper weather for the thunderstorm to happen. If she were to do it, she was going to plan it out so perfectly that there would be no room for error. Everything always seemed to revolve around full moons in their life, which was sort of interesting as well.

In terms of her form, that was a great question too. She had never actually needed to produce a patronus outside of class, and figured that having a non-corporeal one was so normal that going any further wasn't worth it. There were plenty of theories that a full-body patronus and animagus form could be the same creature, though it wasn't always the case. Based on that, she didn't know. "Probably a cat, if we're going off of what other McGonagalls have become." And if she were to be completely honest, that form for an animagus would be perfect. Juniper liked cats, and they seemed to share that sentiment. Any animal that was practical worked for her. Nothing ridiculous like an exotic creature or a dragon. She'd read of stories about witches or wizards turning into dragons before but decided long ago that such a thing was not only impossible, but so incredibly impractical that anyone that feasibly could do so was stupid. As if a dragon wouldn't immediately be able to tell which one of their kind was a fake, merely a human in magical disguise. They weren't stupid creatures by any means.

"A fox would be cute," she mused at the idea. Though using it during the day would probably make muggles think she was rabid, and the series of unfortunate events that followed would most likely lead to her death certificate reading 'death by misadventure'. "It is quite curious though, now that you've brought it up," Juniper continued. "I never stopped to think of how much history discussed possible animagi." Because what else were they? Virtually every myth or story that muggles seemingly invented had roots in magic. Who was to say that shapeshifters in every culture weren't simply animagi doing their thing. Merlin, even werewolves and vampires were cross-pollinated between the magical and muggle world. "But I really wouldn't mind a cat. I don't think I have the right personality for a dog or anything else warm and friendly." And she already had a killer canine in her life. There didn't need to be two of them.

rhys alexander greyback ● 526 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i'll be there as soon as i can

but i'm busy mending broken
pieces of the life i had before

August 15, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

A month with a leave in your mouth sounded terrible. Rhys kept his thoughts to himself, as he was accustomed to doing. It wasn’t odd to Rhys that Juniper knew all the steps. It was discussed during their Transfiguration lessons, but not to the extent that Hogwarts would have let them practice such magic. They were all probably more than capable, although some were more than others. Rhys felt sure he could keep quiet under the right conditions for a month. But since they’d met, Rhys knew Juniper as opinionated with almost always something to say. Though he had to admit her timing had improved quite a bit, even if the occasional argument still occurred because she brought something to the forefront, and Rhys didn’t want to discuss it.

“There are more aside from your aunt?” It had taken Rhys a long time to stop referring to Juniper’s great-aunt as The Headmistress. Although she would always be in his eyes. He still recalled that first Christmas spent with her family. And while his comfort grew over the years, his nerves would never altogether leave him. But if her father’s attitude toward him was any indication, Rhys didn’t have anything to worry about. As far as he could recall, Rhys didn’t remember Juniper mentioning another animagus in her family, but the topic hadn’t come up before. “Outside of Britain, animagi are more common.” This had surprised Rhys as he began to travel for training and work. Other magical schools, such as Uagadou in Africa, had expanded teachings in Transfiguration, whereas in Britain, it was regulated. Seeing animals in one form or another in so many ancient stories made sense.

Rhys disagreed with her assessment, but he knew what she meant. When one pictured a dog’s happy and jumpy demeanor, it wasn’t likely they thought of Juniper or Rhys. Saffron came to mind, which was fitting as an expectedly loud Gryffindor. A cat did seem to fit but in a good way. “Could always opt for a wolf.” Rhys joked. To nobody’s surprise except for Rhys, his patronus had taken the form of a wolf. But it wasn’t until midway through his training that the charm was required, and it had taken a corporeal form. Rhys waited a bit before leading Juniper to a few other exhibits in other areas he thought might interest her. Since he’d seen everything in here, skipping anything didn’t bother him. In the back of his mind, as long as he was spending time with her as he shared something important to him, all was good.

And last but not least, the Merlin exhibit. It was just as Rhys remembered. Green for the notable Slytherin alumni but a theme of vines as well. There was something enigmatic about it all. Rhys had also pushed anything Egypt to last, although they’d made it without any sand getting on them. And the Egyptians had many animal depictions in their mythology. And each society or culture favored certain animals over others. It was all relevant from the transfiguration and magizoology perspective. There was much more to learn, but everyone had their favorite subjects. It had been a long day, but the sun hadn’t yet set for the day.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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"Ancestors, yeah." And maybe a great-great-great grand uncle that was maybe still alive. No one had heard from old Norbert in almost two decades apparently. So either he was dead or permanently stuck as a cat. From her vague recollection of him, he had already been shriveled and ancient looking at the time. The years had not been kind to him at all. Even her Aunt Minerva looked good for her age, and she was well into the century club by now. Juniper's own personal theory was that Norbert had been friends with the Flamels and managed to sneak a couple vials of Elixir of Life from them. There was no backing to that of course, but one had to wonder once they hit a certain age. He also definitely wasn't a vampire.

Rhys added that animagi were more popular in other parts of the world and she nodded in agreement. Despite her lack of world travel (which was none so far), she had done enough reading about the practice to know that they were all severely behind in the human Transfiguration department here in Britain. Which was honestly disappointing. The ultimate form of Transfiguration magic was to be able to effortlessly change one thing into another, and in this case, a human into an animal and back. In a way, she also felt like a failure for not undergoing the test yet. She had the resolve and the knowledge, but it all came down to the time. That was something she sorely lacked in all the departments of her life.

"If I could choose, sure." What a world it would be if such a thing was possible. She still believed a cat was more practical than a wolf or other large predatory animal, only because then it could be useful in moving around. "Or a dog," she added as they moved on to the next exhibit. Juniper couldn't see herself as a dog though, and feared what breed she'd turn out as. Probably something mildly aggressive. At least if she was a cat, they were all strangely violent and moody.

Finally, after several more exhibits and mindlessly staring at old artifacts, they arrived at Merlin. It was about what she expected of it, and it was easily the most elaborate of the exhibits so far. "Are those his undergarments in that display case?" Juniper asked, simultaneously aghast and intrigued that such a thing was in a museum. She approached the item in question slowly, treating it as if it was about to jump out and attack her. This was Merlin they were talking about, anything was possible with the strange warlock.

rhys alexander greyback ● 442 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'll be there as soon as i can

but i'm busy mending broken
pieces of the life i had before

August 15, 2020
juniper minerva mcgonagall

The more Rhys thought about it, a cat made more sense than a dog. Wolves were more enigmatic than dogs but not as solitary as a cat. Given the lack of control over his monthly transformations, the idea of willingly existing as an animagus made Rhys uncomfortable. He did not want to do it or see why anyone else wanted to. And how much control did one really have over it? Doubts always lingered in his mind as they did about many things. But he shoved that aside, for now, the corner of his mouth turning up in amusement at Juniper’s reaction to the Merln exhibit.

”Yep.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, not knowing what to do with them. Visiting the museum with someone else was an entirely different experience than visiting by oneself. He wouldn’t say it was bad by any means considering the company. They only had a couple more weeks together, including his birthday, before he shipped off for work. The job was only two or three weeks at most, but there was always that adjustment after so much time at home. Rhys remembered when he first shipped off to training the summer after graduating. Up to that point, they’d seen one another just about every day between school and Rhys moving into the flat.

While his workload would increase, there would be some flexibility now that he wasn’t a trainee. So, hopefully, he could make it work that he’d be home for her birthday or at least Christmas, if not both. But time would tell. Plus, he knew he was working with Saffron and another trainee they’d gotten close to, Weiss. There was a balance that could suffer if one of them was not there. ”That’s not even the strangest thing. You have to see these puzzles he allegedly designed.” They were odd, and Rhys was even surprised anyone had found them. Not to mention the lack of proof for these hidden hedge mazes that were spoken about.

While many doubts always floated in his mind, this was not one of them. And his time at home only reinforced that. And Juniper hadn’t expressed anything negative about him being home. Sure, there was a comment or two on how dangerous his career was. Rhys noted these but preferred not to engage. Much as he hadn’t in that first exhibit that day. He knew what he was doing between knowing his abilities and training. Plus, he’d sort of promised she’d never get that call, and he was intent on keeping it. Plus, if she ever did, his career was likely over as well, and Rhys didn’t have a backup plan for his life. But for now, he just focused on the moment. His time home wasn’t up yet.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Maybe this was the part of the museum that was closer to being like normal magical society: weird. Though of all the personal items that were seemingly once Merlin's, the undergarments she had taken note of were easily the strangest. She immediately wondered how many of these objects were confirmed to be real belongings of his, or simply assumed so. That was magical history in general though, and Juniper had learned quite a bit today alone. One could say that she understood history better now than from any of her History of Magic classes she'd taken. Why this museum was never a field trip was beyond her. It would have helped so much with certain time periods. That and the absolutely useless goblin wars or whatever. Those had put her to sleep real fast.

Rhys added that there were puzzles supposedly designed by the warlock as well, and it caused her to look around the exhibit. "Are there some here? Like full on magical ones or just goofy things to stump muggles?" At this point, it seemed like anything was possible. Hopefully they were interactive too. Anything to postpone ending up in the Egypt exhibit, really. She'd seen and heard enough of it throughout the training period and honestly looked forward to Rhys traveling elsewhere for work now. Which was a funny thought to pop into her head, mostly because she typically hated when he first went off. They had a couple more weeks of pretending that wasn't happening though, and this trip was merely the beginning of that.

"I could do with lunch now, to be honest," she stated as she finished her round on all of the weird Merlin items. Nothing inherently magical, like a wand or a staff, or even a stuffed pet owl, but lots of odd things like socks and ink wells. At least they had something Merlin, so that the name of the museum wasn't a complete sham.

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