In Cipher I Weep [Rhys]

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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October 10th, 2025

One year had passed since Juniper had started at Witch TV. She had found the job on a complete fluke, having quit her previous one at the Ministry the second the dust had settled following the disaster of the Triwizard Tournament. If she really wanted to, she probably could have left earlier, as the chaos within all of the departments had left oversight to be unseen. The back page of the Daily Prophet two weeks into her new unemployment had a full ad on it for Witch TV, indicating that they were hiring. Not knowing what their deal was yet, as she hadn’t even heard of them at the time, she wrote up a resume and walked it in. From the interview she was given the day after, they were more than interested towards her expertise in the education department at the Ministry. And just like that, Juniper was hired and tasked with injecting more educational material into the station’s content.

A whirlwind of a year later and her first show as screenwriter had finally aired. A party of sorts was being thrown, as she had found to be common whenever a colleague managed to do the same. Finally, it was her turn. The only problem was that she’d arrived to the Three Broomsticks about an hour early, with the intention of meeting her ‘boyfriend’, Elliot Chambers, there. That was his label, not hers. She really was starting to question if it was worth it at this point. Four months in and they had only seen one another once per week the entire time. More often than not, she dreaded getting ready to go out, because the conversation always led towards his job as a junior assistant to the Minister. It almost felt like she’d never left the Ministry.

Not to mention the absolutely weird quirk of his where he only called her McGonagall, and basically requested on their first date that she only call him Chambers. Apparently, he was so used to being called by his last name, and calling others by theirs, that it had to be this way. Juniper really should have stopped it there, but she didn’t.

Thankfully, it seemed he was flaking. About every other ‘date’ now, it happened. After tonight, she was going to call it off. It was more exhausting than anything else to keep up this weird charade of dating a Ministry professional. Clearly, she had an issue with being with anyone that took their job more seriously than their relationship. This time, it was on her. At least it didn’t get too far along to where she actually had feelings of some sort for him. That seemed to complicate things immensely.

Sat at the corner of the bar so that she had a direct eyeline on anyone that entered the Three Broomsticks, Juniper sipped carefully on a butterbeer. Knowing her coworkers, this was going to be a long night. She sort of hoped the easier going ones would show up earlier, that way she wouldn’t feel obligated to drink right from the get-go. Lifting her pint up to her mouth, she took another long slow sip. And hopefully Chambers didn’t show up either. It would be easier that way.

rhys alexander greyback ● 538 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

[googlefont="Roboto"]

i'm not looking for salvation

just a little faith in anyone or anything

October 25, 2025
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys had been home for an excessively long period of time. It was a constant reminder of his time home after Saffron had died, a time he thought about with mixed emotions. On one end, he’d been happy and in love, and on the other, dissatisfied and tired. And Rhys dealt with things the only way he knew how—working. The loss of his brother had broken him more than he cared to admit. And had pushed him to leave his relationship and life behind for some time. Rhys returned to London very infrequently, often when the bank demanded. With the number of years under his belt, he was forced to assist with training new Cursebreakers. Even with nearly a year out of the field, his experience with artifacts at the museum still seemed to count all the same.

It was there that Rhys met his sister—another younger half-sister, Dahlia. And it was strange to look into someone’s eyes and see his own. And meet someone who could perhaps understand some of his pain. Fenrir had taken her family as well, while all the same making her part of another. Not to mention someone who liked Whiskey as much as he did. So, the remainder of the year was spent working and training until Rhys returned home for a bank thing, only to get trapped here by this quarantine. Just over a year after Elias had been killed, another incident occurred—the attack during the Quidditch final. Thankfully, Rhys’ siblings who had attended were okay, but other families were not as fortunate.

He cursed that day. It was a full moon, so regardless of this new Aware Wolf potion he was helping test or not, he wasn’t much use after the sun went down. Neither was Dahlia, with her wolfsbane. But when the dust settled, Max was alright, and Rhys could breathe easier. The Aware Wolf trial had helped in more ways than one. Obviously, Rhys was able to open up to Dahlia far more easily than a new friend. But, with his new nightmares with the test potions, he’d eventually come clean to Sienna about things—everything and Rhys couldn’t remember the last time he’d told anyone those things, not since telling Nell, Sarah, and eventually Juniper. Merlin—not even Sage, whose bed he seemed to frequent more often than not these days. A consequence of being home.

Home was relative. Sometimes, Rhys wondered how many days went by before he saw his flat. Not including the times he decided to have a guest stay over. Life in quarantine was dull, though Rhys was caught up with almost all his paperwork at Gringotts for the first time in his career. The monotony seemed to beg him to turn to whiskey and women to pass the time. At least Dahlia and Archer had managed to remain elsewhere, able to work and Archer able to teach. But on his mind lately were matters other than work. Claire had recruited him to help with some sort of cause behind the scenes. Rhys still maintained that Claire seduced him to do so, though only because it made her turn that Gryffindor shaded red with anger—which he found amusing. One day, Rhys supposed, he might get her to admit she was only annoyed because she had a good time.

Earlier in the week, the Prophet printed a story about Hy-Brasil. It wasn’t a place Rhys thought of often. He knew very well to keep his distance as werewolves were not very welcome in the inhabitant’s culture. So, he actually didn’t know all that much about the place. Claire didn’t have much to say on the matter either, but everyone was on their toes following the summer’s events. Still recovering from his recent Aware Wolf dose and full moon, Rhys had opted for a drink nearby. Sage had recently moved to Hogsmeade, so rather than make his way to his new usual barstool at The Violet Hound, Rhys walked to The Three Broomsticks. The place had not changed a bit since his earlier years, and as he recalled, there was always some table in the corner available where he wouldn’t be disturbed.

Walking through the door, Rhys’ eyes immediately glanced around. No familiar faces stood out, though one could hardly tell with the layers of people crowding around the bar. Focused, he pushed through to the bar. ”Whiskey, please.” While he waited, the man to his left finally moved so Rhys wasn’t squished. After a few more minutes, whoever was on his right also returned to their table. There was a whole side of the bar he hadn’t seen, with people crowding just on this side. While Rhys waited, he occupied the newly discovered barstool before scanning the bar once again from left to right, though his eyes and brain all stopped very quickly. Merlin—nearly ten months home, and somehow, the pair had not bumped into one another, not that she didn’t cross Rhys’ mind.

She wasn’t looking at him, and Rhys looked away a moment. Would it be asking too much to say hello after he’d broken up with her before? A year and a half had passed, but he couldn’t ignore how Juniper McGonagall always drew him in. The bartender was still occupied, so Rhys walked around the other side of the bar, slipping into the empty barstool next to her. ”I see they just let anyone into this place.” Rhys remarked coolly. It was a tossup whether she would ignore him, slap him, hex him, etc. But if he didn’t, Rhys would think about this for days or longer.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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The main problem with meeting her colleagues at the Three Broomsticks was that it was buzzing for a Friday, and it was Hogsmeade. Even with Apparition, trying to get people there was like pulling teeth sometimes. The one silver lining was that if it all went bust or she needed an out, she could literally run to her parents’ house down the street. At almost twenty-six years old, that seemed childish, but it was definitely a bonus to meeting everyone in Hogsmeade after work. Even easier would have been the Leaky Cauldron, but no one wanted to get plastered there in front of all of the old people. That was…depressing.

Juniper took another sip of her butterbeer, watching as the crowd inside the bar thickened. This was going to make it extremely difficult to catch coworkers if it got any busier. She started to wonder if it would be easier if she just parked herself on one of the benches out front, and catch them all before they went in. If they needed to, they could always go over the Hog’s Head and suffer the smell. The drinks were cheaper there too…

She almost jumped out of her seat when she heard the stool next to her scrape along the ground and a familiar voice start talking to her. Some of her butterbeer sloshed over the lip of the stein, spilling onto her hands. It was Rhys. ”Clearly,” Juniper answered in return as she started to sop up the spill with the tiny paper napkins the bar had laying around. She was only adding to the stickiness of the place but felt a need to make it less…wet.

When was the last time she’d even seen Rhys? Was it when he abruptly broke up with her and left her flat? Because she was pretty sure it was that. While it was definitely a sore topic, it had also been a year and a half now. Far longer than between their first and second try at it. She didn’t have an inside source within the cursebreakers anymore either. No one had filled the gaping hole that Saffron once held.

”This is more my bar than it is yours,” Juniper countered. Her hometown only had two, after all. She was going to throw her weight if it came to petty squabbling about where one could drink. ”So…the bank not letting you out these days? I read something about that in the Prophet.” She would have killed for that at any point during their relationship. It was almost comical how it had to happen after everything was said and done.

rhys alexander greyback ● 437 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i'm not looking for salvation

just a little faith in anyone or anything

October 25, 2025
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Clearly, she had not seen Rhys. As far as he knew, he didn’t look all that different from a year and a half ago. His hair was still short, but he’d let his beard fill in a bit more than his typically scraggly five o'clock shadow. Butterbeer spilled on the countertop, Rhys was about to comment, but the bartender placed a whiskey in front of him. Perhaps ordering a whiskey in front of her wasn’t the best idea. How many times had she made rather blunt statements about his drinking? He supposed it was safe to say that it had not gotten any worse, not that it had gotten any better.

Quickly, he nodded to the bartender, letting his fingers rest on the rim of the glass. It could wait a moment and perhaps not make him look eager to find his usual buzz. Rhys tried to get a read on her, but it wasn’t the same as before. So much time had passed—who was to say if they were even close to the people they once were. He lightly shrugged, not arguing the point. ”I was in the area.” Which was true. Had Sage gone to his flat in London, he might have walked to The Violet Hound instead.

Now, he went for a sip of whiskey, deciding to pace himself for now. For all he knew, Juniper was expecting someone. The thought was…uncomfortable. ”The Ministry.” Rhys corrected. Given the choice, Gringott’s would’ve sent them all out with Hag’s Fever. But the government had spoken, and so the bank listened. The Cursebreakers who were lucky were working hard while Rhys and others filled out reports and dealt with vault issues in the bank. Who knew how many families kept curse items in their vaults only to randomly attempt to retrieve them one day. The goblins were solely in charge of the charms and magic that protected the vaults. Otherwise. ”Been here since May.” He added. Somehow, his schedule had lined up so he could make a short trip home nearing the anniversary of his brother’s death. It was also a good time to see Max, but he’d been home since then.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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He was in the area? There was nothing here but two bars, a candy shop, and a tea shop that horny teens went to on first dates. Hogsmeade was desolate these days, and desperately needed more than this crowd. Juniper had to mentally calm herself down. Apparently he was generating more of a rise in her than she thought he would. Over the last year or so, she had imagined what she'd say to him if this happened. Because this was different than the first time. Rhys made the choice to leave without giving her a chance. It was different from when she'd done it, when she probably hung on far too long and failed to communicate what she wanted. Even if they weren't different at the base level, Juniper thought they were. Maybe it would have been better if it had never survived as long as it had. There were plenty of good memories, but they were tarnished by the worst of the worst.

She didn't acknowledge his comment about being in Hogsmeade, because quite frankly, she didn't believe it. As for him being locked in since May, now that was more interesting. "What are you doing then? Nothing?" Nothing but drinking, most likely. It probably wasn't that way at first, just like the time when he'd been benched and then with the museum. But he always slipped back into it once he got bored or frustrated. Juniper wasn't stupid.

Picking up her stein again, she drank more to kill time. While a coworker showing up now would be great, what she really didn't need was Chambers stomping in. Rhys would pulverize him if they suddenly kicked off. The two of them would not mix well at all. And if she was being honest, she wouldn't mind watching the smarmy Ministry guy get knocked around. Over the last few minutes, she'd decided she was done with him.

"Because I know you pretty well Rhys. You and boredom? Doesn't work well for you," she added. Her tone was more aggressive than she meant it to be, but how couldn't it be? She'd seen the absolute worst of it. Hopefully he hadn't pulled some other poor girl into it.

rhys alexander greyback ● 368 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i'm not looking for salvation

just a little faith in anyone or anything

October 25, 2025
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Well, that didn’t take long. Rhys’s jaw clenched as he worked to keep his cool. His short temper was well known and practically notorious, and Juniper undoubtedly would never have a problem getting under his skin. She knew him too well and had dealt with the most. To occupy himself, sipping more whiskey seemed to be the best option. At least he knew better than to try to argue with her point, but he didn’t feel it was an accurate summary of it all. Nor was it a fair thing to say, but losing his cool three minutes into a conversation wasn’t the best way to disprove anything, either.

Sure, boredom did nothing for him. Idle hands and all that. But what didn’t work well for Rhys was this sort of response. He was sorely tempted to leave and find a new barstool or table on the other side of the bar. Or maybe drink all his whiskey at once and find a different bar with different company, perhaps interested in spending time with him even if only for a night. And Rhys supposed that he didn’t want to admit that he was hoping for a friendlier response. Many times since he’d left, their last conversation would play out in his mind, and Rhys would wonder if he’d done the right thing, although Juniper made her views very clear on that matter.

”Well.” He began, momentarily looking down at the bar before looking back at Juniper directly. ”Seeing as I’m not suspended, maimed, or dead, I still have plenty of work to do at the bank.” Rhys responded rather matter-of-factly. Still, he felt his temper growing warmer, but another sip of whiskey began to bring it down. Nobody liked to feel attacked, let alone a wolf walking into what felt like enemy territory now. ”I train new Cursebreakers and assist the Ministry with illegally modified magical items.” He added, explaining the work as if he’d repeated it a hundred times. It wasn’t glamorous, but it kept him busy enough. Merlin knew law enforcement, and Interpol were up to their ears with smuggled items, fake potions that “cured” Hag’s fever, and whatever else criminals found to think up during the quarantine. So much for his fairly decent mood and trying to be polite. Keeping his fingers resting on his glass again, Rhys looked elsewhere for the moment.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Ah yes. The option of working at the bank and training. You know, the one she had begged him to potentially transfer into once the danger became more apparent. Of course it would take the country being locked down for this to happen. Scarily, Juniper knew that if they had still been dating right now, the relationship would have been a ticking time bomb. Or maybe it wouldn't have been. She had chilled out a lot over the past year, as being at her new job really showed her what having a great work environment and cool colleagues was all about. The Ministry was soul-sucking work. Hindsight was twenty-twenty though, and she had to be somewhat thankful for her time there. Without it, she doubted she would have gotten hired at Witch TV or started to have an interest in education.

"Hmm..." she hummed at his 'new' position. Whatever. It didn't matter now. She was happy with what she'd done with herself since and didn't need Rhys in her life to dictate that anymore. That had been a hard hill to overcome, especially because she didn't have Saffron around anymore. At the same time, her friend had always kept her in the loop regardless of if Juniper asked or not. She probably knew that the feelings were still there.

"Well, congrats then. I'm sure training is much safer, and you still get to scratch that itch with helping the Ministry out. Merlin knows they need competent people these days." She should have switched to liquor the second he sat down. It would have made everything easier. But then the rest of her night would have been ruined. Shifting gears, Juniper figured being icy the entire time was only going to tick both of them off. "How's Max? She should be a seventh year now, right?"

rhys alexander greyback ● 307 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i'm not looking for salvation

just a little faith in anyone or anything

October 25, 2025
juniper minerva mcgonagall

The ‘congratulations’ hardly felt authentic, but Rhys didn’t mention it. He didn’t feel there was anything to congratulate. It was all by chance, really. The timing of his visit home and the Ministry’s decree. Well, if you asked him, it all felt rather unlucky, actually. Mentally, he could see the looks on Nell's and Sage’s faces, basically asking him, ‘What did he expect?’ Rhys knew the way he’d just left was not ideal. At the time, Rhys felt ready to implode—overwhelmed to numbness to the point that it hadn’t hit him until right before he met Dahlia.

When Juniper had broken up with him, that had given Rhys the upper hand, which was not the case now. ”Hm…” Responding with his own non-committal grunt, Rhys opted not to fuel the flame of their already spurring tempers. As he contemplated leaving Juniper alone, she asked about his sister. Well, the only sister she knew about. Slowly, he nodded. ”Seventeen this past summer.” In his mind, Max was still that eleven-year-old girl he’d first met years ago. Nell had told him—of all people, only because her younger brother was still at Hogwarts at the time. That meant Juniper would remember Max at that age as well.

Rhys remained silent after responding; he wasn’t sure what to say that wouldn’t dig this hole deeper with the ice queen in front of him. He didn’t dare bring up their dead best friend. Just after the Quidditch Final and a meeting with Gringott’s lawyers, an article over the summer told Rhys that his ‘accident’ had not been an accident. The Purifiers had sent agents to the same place to search for gold (to fund their schemes) or any unique magical items they could use. Rhys, Saffron, and Archer had gotten in their way. He supposed his family's presence at the Final, plus Saffron’s death had made it easy for Claire to recruit him into The Order’s activities.

Those thoughts floated around with other questions. Was Juniper still working at the Ministry? It didn’t seem like it. He remembered what that weight on her shoulders looked like. But Rhys was only always acutely aware of what it felt like when he wasn’t wanted. The small talk wasn’t necessary. ”Listen, Juni—I didn’t come over here to upset you.” Rhys’ tunnel vision had forgotten to remind him of the damage he’d left behind. ”I just wanted to say hi, but I’ll leave you alone if you want me to.” Rhys sounded surprisingly calm in contrast to the strange mix of hurt and annoyance in his core.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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And just like that, the final Greyback (for now) would be out of Hogwarts. It was probably easier for Max, and had always seemed that way, not being a werewolf. The name still had baggage but Juniper imagined not becoming a deadly creature on a monthly basis helped with optics. She really did want to reach out to Max at some point. It seemed silly not to, even if she wasn't with Rhys anymore. But she also didn't know if it was worth it. Did she want to be embedded into the Greyback web again? Lately, it was nice not having to think about him. There had finally been peace.

Juniper nodded her head to show she heard him about Max, but turned back to her butterbeer as he continued. Could the two of them be friendly again? Potentially. It would take a lot of work though. Avoiding the hurt again was really the main problem. That was why she figured staying away from him was better. That way neither of them had to suffer and could do what they wanted. And why she didn't even attempt to get him back last year. The unilateral decision had been too final for that.

At least she could tell he was being earnest about approaching her. He was leagues better than having bar flys coming up to her to try and strike up a conversation. She'd give him that. Trying to maintain her inner zen was harder because of the circumstances, but it was what it was. "Sorry, but you have to understand where I'm coming from here. Even if it would have failed because you went back to the bank, you also took that option away from me before I had a chance to decide. So I'm sorry for being frustrated with you still." While it wasn't like ripping open a new, fresh wound, she did still feel like she was being stabbed by it again. She still didn't think their first breakup was as unilateral as it seemed either. He had plenty of chances then. It wasn't the same as this.

rhys alexander greyback ● 351 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i'm not looking for salvation

just a little faith in anyone or anything

October 25, 2025
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Whispers always reached Rhys’ ears over the years of supposed Greyback siblings. One just needed to follow Fenrir’s destructive path to truly find out. From his mother’s home in Wales, Dahlia’s birthplace in France, and even Bulgaria. Max was lucky she was not bitten and, in Rhys’ mind, lucky in many other ways. How many of them could claim a nuclear family? Juniper had tried to give him that as well. She had been his family at one point until Rhys walked away. But he still maintained it was the best choice because he would’ve been as useless if not worse than the first time, and they probably would have hated each other by the end.

At least, that’s how it played out in his mind. And he hated admitting his hurt at how Juniper looked at him. Rhys had not thought this through when he’d spotted her from the other side of the bar. Instead, he just acted from the lingering compartmentalized emotions. And a bit of regret extended even to his fingertips as he realized what this was—a wall. Rhys had never approached Juniper and run into a wall before. He supposed that was his fault, too. She explained her reasoning, and Rhys looked away, thinking about her words and thoroughly ignoring his drink.

At the same time, she’d done the same to him first, right? Of course, after ghosting him for just over a month. Rhys struggled to see the difference, but the frustration was evident in her tone. ”So you’d have rather let it play out like before?” Rhys finally asked. Complaints about his schedule. Choosing if he missed her birthday or Christmas with the risk of both. His time home sometimes overshadowed by the full moon. And the growing anxiety that another accident or attack would occur? He just didn’t see it resulting in some storybook happy ending.

Rhys focused on not getting himself riled up. ”I’m sorry for the way I left, truly. That wasn’t fair to you.” The only reason Rhys could see that was a mix of hindsight and personal experience watching Juniper pack her things. The more time Rhys spent home, the more he spent surrounded by people who were far more blunt than he remembered. Nell would always eventually tell Rhys what she thought. Sage wasn’t exactly looking for commitment or friendship, so she got to the point quickly. Sienna had far more tact but also held very strong opinions, and Claire always had something to say about his choices. Being forced to look in the mirror even a little bit was unsettling. Archer was far more reserved, much like Rhys could be at times.

”It's frustrating to feel like someone just gave up on you—I know.” That first breakup had done a number on him, not that she was around to see it. Rhys forced himself to pause and breathe. As much as it all pushed his buttons, this wasn’t the time nor place for an outburst. Rhys was aware of how she felt about his temper. Opening his mouth to speak, he stopped because otherwise, he’d have to bring up Elias, and he didn’t want to go there. ”Anyway…again, I’m sorry. For what it’s worth.”

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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What a question. To say she hadn't thought about it over and over again in the first few months that followed the break-up would be a lie. Obviously there was no way of telling if it would have played out the same way as the first time. There had been an internal debate over this, on whether or not she could overcome her qualms about cursebreaking, but that had happened early on, right after they started seeing one another again and hot on the heels of Saffron's death. Juniper certainly thought she was thinking clearly enough then and would have definitely put the effort in to try and get over her own problems. But that was said and done with now, and there was no going back to it. "I don't know. Maybe. We'll never know though," she shrugged.

Listening to him apologize and then immediately try to place the first breakup on her was...frustrating. Everything was so much more complicated than he was making it sound. At least the first time was. Unless there was something Rhys wasn't telling her about what happened last year. Once again, none of it mattered anymore. It was said and done. "It is worth something." It felt sincere. He'd never not been, even in the worst of times. Which only made this so much shittier.

What did she say now? Goodbye? Try to make the conversation friendlier? Despite everything, holding any kind of animosity towards him was exhausting, even though she didn't like the way things turned out. The urge to remind him that she didn't purposely give up on him was strong, but she didn't dare say that now. Fiddling with her butterbeer, Juniper glanced over at the door, somewhat hoping a coworker would appear, but none did. "Are you waiting for someone?" she decided to ask. Hoping it would break away from their own shortcomings.

rhys alexander greyback ● 315 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i'm not looking for salvation

just a little faith in anyone or anything

October 25, 2025
juniper minerva mcgonagall

”Guess not…” Rhys muttered in response, returning to his whiskey finally. Talk about a tense few minutes. But who else could make Rhys back himself into a corner so blindly? Some things never changed. Maybe this is what it was supposed to look like after some time. Instead, their first meeting after their first breakup was due to extreme circumstances. Death and grief pushed them closer as they figured out the rest. And Rhys had tried a different path, only for death to shove him over that edge again. So, it was hard for Rhys to say how much was the universe and how much was merely his own poor decisions.

At least his apology was heard. Accepted? He didn’t get his hopes up. At least he knew he meant it, and he’d said it. Short of starting an argument, Rhys knew not to push it further. Even in those final years at school, the pair could hardly back down when unable to see eye to eye, or at least Rhys couldn’t. A brief silence passed between them. Rhys felt frozen in his seat despite the urge to leave, pulling at him. ’She doesn’t want you here.’ His brain repeated until her voice interrupted his thoughts. ”No.” He answered. ”You?”

As much as he hated this awkward tension, he couldn’t leave just yet. However, chances were Juniper had moved on with her life, and here, Rhys was just acting like the typical obstacle. And he could lean on the edge of acting jealous or territorial, although in case he had lost all that right. ”Did you end up leaving the Ministry?” He asked since they were proceeding with the awkward small talk. They’d talked about it the entire school year before, only for Rhys to leave before she went through with it. Just another thought lingering in the back of his mind.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Juniper had two ways that she could answer his question: the terrible, awful way of mentioning Chambers (despite being ready to drop him the first chance she got), or that she was waiting for coworkers. Both were true of course, but it depended on how vindictive she was feeling. For what it was worth, she didn't want to see Chambers again either. That had been a waste of her time and if he walked in right now, she really did not want to deal with whatever came next.

Luckily, he asked a follow-up on whether or not she'd left the Ministry yet. Two birds, one stone. "That's why I'm here, actually. Left last August and started at Witch TV late September. So I'm meeting coworkers for a one year anniversary sort of thing." No more Marina or Department of Education, or angry parents sending Howlers when their perfect little hellspawn failed their Charms OWLs because they spent too much time playing with engorgement charms in the dungeon storage rooms instead of studying. For that specific exam, she absolutely knew it was one of the easier tests she'd help prepare. Only an idiot would completely flunk it. But Mummy knew best always. Thank Merlin those kinds of parents never had the sway to get grades changed. As if that would help their child at all.

"So yeah. Moved on. Finally. I'm sure you've seen some of the fallout. It wasn't pretty." The Ministry was, in polite terms, fucked right now. Juniper was so glad to escape that. Whatever possessed her to work there from the beginning was long forgotten now, overwritten by horrible memories and years of undue stress. Juniper didn't know why she omitted the part about getting a show syndicated. Probably because she didn't want to hear congratulations from him. She knew it would remind her of any successes the two of them had while together, and she didn't want that at all right now.

rhys alexander greyback ● 327 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i'm not looking for salvation

just a little faith in anyone or anything

October 25, 2025
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys noticed she did not immediately answer his question but went with the next one instead. Now, his brain ran rampant with possibilities, one of which was that she was actively seeing someone and did not want to tell him. However, rather than let that anger simmer, Rhys focused on her answer. He recalled talking about other jobs. The Prophet had come up in terms of writing, but he hadn’t thought about Witch TV. ”That’s great.” The corner of his mouth upturned. Maybe that explained some of the shift he saw in her, aside from whatever was his fault. Aside from the tournament, the Ministry had not been anything positive in Juniper’s life. One meeting with Marina had been enough for Rhys, let alone seeing her at least five days a week.

Plus, Juniper was purposefully meeting with coworkers—which was also a shift. Maybe if she had left the Ministry while they were still together, all the loneliness she’d claimed to Rhys might not have been so bad? Saffron’s schedule had been just like Rhys’s schedule at the time. ”Well, you at least have to let me get you a butterbeer for that.” He swallowed hard, having spoken without thinking. But that’s what a friend would do, right? By another drink to celebrate a new job, Rhys just happened to be a year late. That is—if she considered them friends of any sort, Rhys wasn’t sure what to label it either.

”It's probably worse now.” Rhys admitted. Every time he entered those hallways, almost slipping on ash in front of the floo’s, it felt chaotic. Law Enforcement ran amok while endless memos flew through the air. In less than a year, hundreds of students died, including his brother. The American school of magic was attacked, and then there were casualties at the Quidditch Final. It was a tense place to exist. Rhys almost felt grateful he’d been rejected from the Aurors after all. But surely Juniper knew that—the rest of her family still worked at the Ministry. Rhys had seen them all from a distance at some point as he took the scenic route to his next destination.

Rhys cleared his throat. That tension hadn’t left. And sitting here and not speaking meant they only sat there looking at one another. ”Erm—well, I won’t keep you from your friends.” Rhys figured any more attempts at conversation might lead somewhere with one or the other upset. And Juniper was meeting people here, meaning it was easier for Rhys to leave. Half the whiskey still remained in his glass, but he had given up on it. Pulling coins out of his pocket, he placed them on the counter for the bartender, covering his drink and, at minimum, Juniper’s. Though, if she refused, the bartender would have a hell of a tip. Standing up, Rhys hesitated. ”Juni…I—uhm—it was good to see you.” Rhys hoped perhaps they could be friends again one day, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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She so desperately wanted to elaborate on how getting a better fitting job felt unbelievably freeing, and that Rhys should give it a try sometime. But that would be rubbing it in his face and attacking the core problem of their relationship for all those years. Juniper never hated a moment of it, until it became unreasonable. Anyone would be like that if they put in a similar position. It was part of what frustrates her the most last year, since her decision, and ultimately her say on it, had been unilaterally revoked. She kept her mouth shut about it though. It wasn't worth it anymore, a constant reminder of that running through her head. There was nothing wrong with being discontent with how things ended, but still being 'friendly'.

At his offer for another butterbeer, she looked down at her own, which had barely moved despite her constant sipping. Two of those and she'd be spending more time in the bathroom than with her coworkers once they'd showed up. "Another time, maybe," she turned him down. There was a small pang of guilt mixed with sadness, knowing that there probably wouldn't be another time. And if there was, it would be years down the road. Would he even be alive at that point? Cursebreakers had short life expectancies. They both knew that. That had been the cause of all of this in the first place. "Thank you though."

As Rhys seemingly prepared himself to go, she nodded her head at him. Her coworkers were nowhere to be seen yet, but neither of them needed any more of this. A year and a half could only hold back so much after all. She had already been aggressive at the start, and didn't know what would happen if the wrong things were said. A row in the middle of the Three Broomsticks was not how she wanted to start her Friday evening. "Good to see you too," she said in response. "Stay safe."

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