lazy eye | juniper

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been waiting for this silence all night long

it's just a matter of time

April 14, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys felt like he’d woken up, and it had suddenly dawned on him that it was now the Month of April. He had to admit teaching wasn’t so bad. The second-year trainees had bolted out of their classrooms like shaken-up potion bottles. The new facilities proved helpful, with additional Hogwarts staff assisting to save time. Rhys realized how transfiguration was not often used in his field compared to various charms, counter-courses, and whatnot. So, he saw Juniper far more frequently than he anticipated. Not that he was complaining. Since years had passed, it wasn’t some awkward event he dreaded by any means. They spoke often, actually.

They finished their training for the day. Somehow, Fridays had become an early day, but Rhys and the rest of the staff didn’t mind. Working with trainees was as physically draining as their normal work. Rhys, for one, was constantly on his toes to make sure the transfigured large brick wall didn’t actually fall on a trainee who either froze or didn’t notice it. Aside from the work, Rhys was exhausted from the constant insomnia. He made it worse every time he argued or fought with Vasilia. She’d been working quite a bit as well, but that hadn’t changed since they met.

The positives outweighed the negatives, he supposed. Sage often visited the school with Amelia in tow. The first time the trainees saw Rhys with his toddler daughter, they were amazed that such a vibrant, energetic, and social child could ever be related to Rhys. Naturally, these visits were only during break times; otherwise, it would be very unsafe to have a curious eighteen-month-old running around. Rhys couldn’t explain the emotion that immediately formed in his chest when he saw trainees and his colleagues interacting with his daughter. Archer once asked loudly if Amelia remembered her ‘favorite uncle’ (him), had almost caused Rhys to lose his poker face entirely.

So, after the trainees had dubbed Amelia their ‘little sister’ Rhys forced them to get back to work. Spending more time seeing his daughter felt like one of the few things keeping Rhys above water these days. The pub buzzed with activity. Again, he watched the trainees out of the corner of his eye in their booths, sharing a drink and laughing. There was no bond like those made in these stressful times. This week, he had focused intently on defensive charms. Forcing the kids to dig deep and find that true will to survive was tough. The glares and looks he received afterward were consistently negative, but Rhys didn’t care if they all hated him as long as they used that energy to protect themselves and their team. The true strength of some magic like this was dependent on the caster. He supposed he was walking in the footsteps of his old mentor, telling him things he did not want to hear at 18, but in the end, served him well.

Late that afternoon, one of the more patient trainees had finally had enough of Rhys’ tough love. Rhys, a little amused, finally told the trainees to imagine their friend there one day and gone the next—forever. Their little duel, after the argument, had left the kid in a headlock with his own arms and Rhys asking if anyone else had any objections. This happened at least once a week with at least one of the trainers. So far, none had come close to even touching a thread on anyone’s dragon skin jackets. Rhys still recalled how one arrogant student boldly challenged Cas Karkaroff regarding dark artifacts and ended up briefly trapped in a small vase for a half hour. In this regard, Rhys was happy Archie was a member of the Hogwarts Council, though from his limited interaction with Zabini, Rhys thought he wouldn’t mind this either.

Rhys drank his beer, now halfway through it. Archer had left earlier for some plans. Rhys suspected a girl but didn’t say anything. Anytime Archer had considered seriously dating anyone, he’d tell Rhys, and so far, he hadn’t. But Rhys also didn’t feel the need to pry. People have needs, after all. Merlin knew Archer hadn’t said anything about Rhys’ dubious indiscretions when they were working. Rhys happened to look over more people and walked into the pub. He spotted Juniper, however, and instinctively waved her over to join him. Sometimes, Rhys saw her chatting it up with Vector, but apparently, he was occupied that evening. But Rhys had sent over a group of trainees to help Juniper with some of her work over the week, plus it provided them a chance to practice more advanced transfiguration under her watch. But really, he wanted to see if she saw what he did with one of them.

template by vee

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

The students in her ‘Transfiguration and the Human Anatomy’ class were not happy with her about the research paper she had assigned them to complete by the end of term. She constantly reminded them that all of their work thus far was leading to this and that the essay was not some surprise; it had been on the syllabus since the start of the year. One could say it was night and day comparing her two classes. The students in ‘Advanced Transfiguration’ were all happy, kind children. They came to class prepared and with any assigned work completed. To be fair to them, the subject matter in that one was drastically easier. One look at NEWT exams over the last decade and one could figure out what was awaiting them at the end of their next year. The funny part about that was that she had prepared most of those and knew exactly what the students were looking for when they started asking leading questions about the exams. More than one of them must have had parents or older siblings within the Ministry, because they found out where she had worked extremely fast. But her Human Anatomy students were incredulous, and extremely pissed that she was reminding them once again about their papers. Juniper honestly expected to see first drafts by now, or at the very least, well thought out outlines that contained all of the important data of their research. Only two of her dozen students had done either of those so far. They were going to have a rough time in a few months if they didn’t get started now.

So because of that, she was at the student-ran pub. Maybe it was a tad narcissistic of her to proudly sit at the bar as some of her students sat nearby staring daggers into her back. She also had a slew of new ‘students’ in the form of a handful of cursebreaker trainees that weren’t up to snuff on their transfiguration mastery. It really came down to showing them how to obviously detect when it was in use, and also how to whittle down relatively harmful objects into dainty teacups, if they chose to do so. She felt like they were faster learners than any of her regular students and they seemed to catch on to harder concepts at a speed that was far above normal witches and wizards. Because of that, she put them to work helping to disassemble the weeks’ worth of transfigured objects. She spent the most time doing that, and having a couple extra wands around was more than useful.

Plus it sort of gave her a reason to wander around the cursebreaker wing. Juniper knew she had to be careful. There were a lot of different parties involved now, and the last thing she wanted to do was cause a full out war amongst those closest to Rhys. She just figured that with the way things had been going since he started teaching, they could go back to being friends again. It was nothing more than that and never would be. Which she had to remind herself of constantly. And anyways, half of the students thought she was seeing Archie Vector. All because they happened to get along well. They were wrong, of course, but it was still funny.

Glancing around the pub as she took a sip of her drink, she spotted Rhys waving at her. There wasn’t even a second wasted thinking about ignoring him. Even if she was pushing her luck, it was just a friendly gesture between old friends and now colleagues. The fact that they dated on two separate occasions meant nothing in how quickly she moved from her seat to join him.

”To another week done,” she held her drink out to his for a cheer. ”I might be dead by the end of next week if some of my students have it their way. They are not happy that they have a paper to do.” Juniper blew out a long, annoyed exhale from her nose. She wasn’t quiet saying it either. If the ones the next table overheard her, she really didn’t care. They were all adults now. If they had any issue with her, she hoped they’d bring it up. That was how things were handled in the working world and they needed to get used to it.

rhys alexander greyback ● 733 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been waiting for this silence all night long

it's just a matter of time

April 14, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys finished his remaining beer, a whiskey placed before him just as Juniper walked over. Rhys found it easy to ignore the students and others around them. Long ago were the years when eyes boring into his back would have taken over his mind. While he still felt the sensation when people were looking or watching him, Rhys tuned it out for the most part. Or at least alcohol helped. And it didn’t escape him how the students watched Juniper occasionally when she would converse with Archie for a few moments. Then again, Archie seemed as amiable with anyone he spoke to—Rhys included.

While Vector focused on arithmancy and runes, he also oversaw the entire training program, including the fast-approaching exit examinations for the Cursebreakers. At least that part had not changed. They would still take them to an unfamiliar tomb and let them lead. Much as Rhys had done with Dahlia in the past. Rhys clinked his glass against hers. ”At least you aren’t purposefully launching dangerous objects at them.” He responded. This was part of his training. And the more a trainee annoyed him that day, the easier it felt to launch a considerable number of bricks at them with intent.

”Archer has them pretty terrified of poison at this point.” Rhys chuckled. Especially considering Archer’s specialty was in healing and supportive types of potions. However, countering poisons or certain curses required a skilled hand at the cauldron. ”He disappeared not long after we dismissed everyone.” Rhys added before Juniper could ask for his whereabouts. As far as he knew, Juniper hadn’t been that close to Archer, mainly maintaining enough of a connection only because of Rhys and Saffron. But since they were all here.

Drinking generously from his glass, Rhys spoke again. ”The trainees I sent you aren’t giving you too much trouble, I hope.” He did mean that mentally preparing possible punishments had they not maintained some semblance of discipline. ”They’ve been training with me since they left Hogwarts.” While the previous year meant many hours in the classroom, occasionally, they were let out to get some sun and touch some sand, which is when Rhys would take them along a simpler job. After their examinations, they would work on simpler jobs as teams and more challenging ones with Rhys or another more experienced Cursebreaker. But these three Rhys had sent along to Juniper had so far made the cut from the larger group they all began with.

template by vee

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

”You don’t know that,” she said wryly. She never once thought about doing it, except to the one cursebreaker trainee that had been sent to help her. What was his name again? Buford? ”I’m not allowed to transfigure students, but if you ever want to volunteer to scare them a bit, I could do a couple of things…” Now that she thought about it more, how much could she transfigure a werewolf? That was an involuntary transformation based on an advanced, disease-like curse. Her brain started to move a mile a minute, fueled by the alcohol loosening all of the stressed out thoughts up. If she taught the Human Anatomy class again, this was definitely a question she was going to pose to her class. It really was a fascinating idea the more she thought about it.

Rhys mentioned that Archer had put the fear of Potions into the trainees, and Juniper snorted into her drink. ”He doesn’t have to try that hard, does he?” Always stiff and seemingly a rule-follower, Juniper wasn’t sure she’d ever spoken to him more than a few times outside of a group setting. He was always off doing his own thing it seemed. Even when they were in school. ”He probably has a whole family that we don’t even know exists,” she mused as she took a long sip of her drink. ”Like, half a dozen kids. We won’t even know about them until they enter Hogwarts.” She was joking of course, but when it came to being mysterious, Archer had always had a habit of disappearing. Saffron had joked about it a lot over the years.

The conversation shifted back towards the trainees, and Juniper shook her head side to side. ”Not at all. I almost feel bad for the work I’ve been giving them. It’s not complicated at all for anyone that’s competent.” Just mundane crap that she didn’t want to deal with at all at the end of the week or on her weekend. The only positive to having to come in on the weekend, and there was one somehow, was that she could have dinner with her parents after. It was also far easier to focus on grading work while at the school than at home. Not that she had any distractions there. She unfortunately had a habit of wallowing in the silence while home. ”Oh, there is the one though. Buford? He’s a bit, I don’t know…comes on strong, I guess? He’s a nice boy but he talks a lot.” Juniper didn’t want him to get in trouble, but if there was a pattern of behavior, it was better if Rhys and the other professors in the program knew. Outward appearances were just as important in cursebreaking as the actual tomb diving was.

rhys alexander greyback ● 464 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been waiting for this silence all night long

it's just a matter of time

April 14, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys gave Juniper a look as if she or other professors would ever be allowed to instruct their students in that fashion. But, perhaps what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them either. ”I’ll take a hard pass.” Rhys responded. He didn’t need or want to be on the receiving end of an ex-girlfriend’s dangerous incantations. The subconscious was powerful in regard to magic. In his mind, it wasn’t worth the risk. They both chucked on the topic of Archer. ”No.” Rhys agreed. ”He always flew under the radar in class. Otherwise, Dolohov would’ve never left him alone.” Unlike Rhys, whom she chased until the day they graduated.

But the man was a genius, also having a knack for herbology. Naturally, he excelled in Charms as was needed for their field, but aside from Sienna or Rob, there wasn’t anyone he trusted more in that field. Rhys nearly inhaled whiskey. ”I suppose I can’t even defend the man, can I?” He had no evidence of the contrary. Best friends and yet with hidden pieces of themselves. ”Saf had a hunch he was seeing someone, especially when we’d come back to London.” The mention of Saffron warmed him—the positive memories always did. ”You know how her hunches were.” Rhys was fairly sure Saffron had some hidden Divination-related ability she had never shared.

”It's good practice for them.” Plus, it taught them to slow down. Not all of their work was like the stories all the time. Some jobs were quite boring, especially in the earlier years. But it all mattered. The mention of Buford, however, almost brought Rhys glee. ”He’s….he’s something.” Rhys didn’t quite know the word. It wasn’t annoying, not entirely, since Buford could handle himself well. But the group was quite an array of characters. ”And the others?” Rhys felt good about this group, not only because he trained them. And they were better than the idiot who’d gotten Rhys injured the last time—whatever his name was.

template by vee

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

”I’m quite good at it, you know?” Juniper added after Rhys said he didn’t want to become her test subject. She’d never permanently altered anyone but herself with transfiguration, and hers was an animagus so it really didn’t count. There was one time where she didn’t have any writing utensils available to her and she turned her index finger into a pencil, but she managed to transfigure it back. She only almost poked her eye out with it twice, so quite the success really.

Juniper rolled her eyes at the memory of Dolohov hunting down every boy that breathed in their year. Her reputation was somehow untarnished after all these years, enough to the point that Juniper still heard rumors of men falling to her ploys. Whatever suited them, she supposed. As long as they knew what they were getting into. It did beg an excellent question: how much crossover was there between who Dolohov and Holly bedded? There had to be a Venn diagram that accurately showed it. Thinking about it almost made her gag. ”Yes well, he’s always had a good head on his shoulders. I think simply not acknowledging her for seven straight years really shows how uninterested he was in her.” Though to be fair, Juniper barely remembered much about Archer in school. While she wasn’t known to be the friendliest individual, or outgoing, it was almost like he hadn’t existed until he teamed up with Rhys and Saffron.

”She was probably right. Assuming it wasn’t her.” Now that was a thought! Saff had always been fairly independent, but Juniper couldn’t think of any long-term relationships that her friend had. Knowing Saffron, she saw the writing on the wall with Rhys and Juniper and decided it wasn’t a good idea until she got out of the cursebreaking game. And look how that turned out…

Shifting to the group of trainees, Juniper almost laughed at the reaction to Buford. Apparently, these were well known antics then! ”The rest were fine. Incredibly independent and headstrong. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less of them though.” There was one girl that stuck out more than the rest, but she wasn’t sure if that was what Rhys wanted to discuss right now. Juniper wasn’t their teacher, and more than likely that group thought they were free from any sort of chit-chat about them outside of class. The trick was that all of the professors spoke to one another about their students. She had learned about that day one. ”I think they’re a good crew. Hopefully they’ll remember that it isn’t all fun and games when they’re on the job though. I’d hate to see any more, you know…” She really didn’t need to say it. Instead, she polished off the rest of her drink and waved for another one to be brought over.

rhys alexander greyback ● 474 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been waiting for this silence all night long

it's just a matter of time

April 14, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

”Oh—I know. I wasn’t doubting that.” Rhys wasn’t interested in volunteering as a target for an ex-girlfriend. It seemed simple enough an explanation in his mind. Not that he would volunteer for anyone, given the chance. He supposed that if forced to choose, Juniper would be his pick. All those years together, he had faith in her abilities. ”But, you know, it's like I wouldn’t put it past Archer to slip me something in a potion, so I have a terrible day.” He explained. Archer would never stoop so low to pull something while they worked in the field, but training was a different story. Not that Rhys hadn’t enacted his own revenge.

Juniper made a fair point, not that it stopped the girl from preying on her targets. ”He’s a good man. I’ll have to remind him how lucky he is that I distracted her for all of NEWT potions.” Rhys responded flatly. But Archer was a good man—and nobody Rhys trusted more aside from his sister to have his back in the field. Rhys paused mid-drink, suddenly putting his glass down. Whiskey now forgotten. He turned slightly in his seat to better face Juniper, opening his mouth to speak but closing it again. ”I—no—“ Denial was a default for him. ”I mean…” Rhys stopped again, thinking about it. ”You really think they…” He trailed off. The rest of the sentence was obvious on its own. ”No…” But then again, he supposed who else made sense?

”Headstrong for sure.” Rhys agreed, finishing his glass. He waited for one of the bartenders to look in his direction. One tall blonde guy was busy chatting—no flirting with another young blonde girl at the other end of the bar. She looked familiar, but Rhys couldn’t place her immediately. ”O’Dalaigh talk your ear off?” Headstrong didn’t feel like the proper word for her. She wanted to run into every tomb, and Rhys had to grab her by the collar each time. But she was quick on her feet, thought fast, and looked out for her team. ”Right…” On that note, the bartender finally noticed them. Bringing fresh drinks for Rhys and Juniper. The blonde girl returned to her booth in the far corner with the aforementioned red-headed Cursebreaker trainee, where Rhys finally remembered her. Slater. ”Well, that makes more sense…” Rhys muttered to himself. No doubt Claire ensured this girl would get assigned to his training roster to annoy him by proxy. Figures.

template by vee

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

Admittedly, Juniper's lack of knowledge on Archer's personal life made this conversation slightly harder. Especially in recent years. Only when he was brought on at Hogwarts did they start talking again. He was always Rhys's friend after all. So hearing Rhys admit that he thought Archer would slip him something in a potion was somewhat surprising. Had it always been like that? She was starting to feel like Saffron was the glue that was keeping these two together. "I was the one distracting her," Juniper reminded him. Because she suddenly had a very large target on her back that she hadn't known was a thing until then.

She seemed to have caught him off guard with her observation about Archer and Saff. Which was hilarious. "They could have. You never know. Perpetually being the third and fourth wheels does funny stuff to people," Juniper shrugged. "She never said anything about it, so that's purely conjecture on my part. But I also wouldn't be surprised." All these years later and there were still things she wondered about her friend. What she would have done to have her back, even for just a little longer. None what had happened had been fair. While all the cursebreakers knew the dangers, the way that specific 'accident' unfolded wasn't something they could have avoided.

As for the trainees, she almost laughed at the comment of the O'Dalaigh girl. She was the exact one Juniper had been thinking of. "She's scarily similar to Saff," she said quietly. Like to a degree that if there had been more of an age gap, Juniper would have believed this was a divine reincarnation of some sort. There seemed to be a lot of reminiscing tonight. It had been happening more often now that she was finding herself around Rhys a lot again.

Her drink arrived and Juniper asked for two shots of whiskey. They were quickly delivered and she held hers up to Rhys, "To Saffron. She managed to beat us one last time." Knocking it back, the burn was quickly washed away with a long sip from her beer. Saff would have approved.

rhys alexander greyback ● 355 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been waiting for this silence all night long

it's just a matter of time

April 14, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys laughed a little, unable to help it at the memories that came to mind. ”Merlin—I was waiting for you and Dolohov to duel it out at some point.” He supposed they were both correct. They had eyes on Rhys, who suddenly was noticeable during their sixth year, and the daggers their eyes attempted to throw at Juniper for daring to date him. ”Not even the Veritaserum fazed her…” Rhys thought aloud. The alcohol in his body let him not linger on the events before that—when he tried his best to fight off prying questions, he wasn’t ready to answer.

Juniper was right—he supposed it was possible. And there was always that thing about a boy and girl spending that much time together. He supposed something was bound to happen. And Saffron wouldn’t have dared with Rhys while he was with Juniper, even if she wanted to. Ironic that her sister was the mother of his child. ”Remind me to ask Nell. I think she was friends with him in school.” Rhys paused to think. ” Yeah, she was because of potions.” That seemed right. But then again, Rhys and memory had a complicated relationship since the previous summer. Something he was still working through.

He was glad that Juniper had immediately picked up on what he saw. ”I know.” Rhys nodded. ”The summer before last, I was tempted to leave her in a tomb.” Rhys admitted. Albeit the training tomb, but still. The way she got on his nerves immediately. ”And then it clicked.” It made sense why Rhys pushed her more than the others to keep her safe. Looking past Juniper to where the redhead sat with her friends, including the blonde Rhys recognized earlier. ”You see the blonde with her?” He asked Juniper. The other ones Rhys didn’t recognize. ”A Slater. She’s friends with O’Dalaigh. So Claire made sure I got the trainee that would talk the most.”

It really was a small world sometimes. The trainee who reminded Rhys of his late best friend was somehow connected to another friend—Claire. The redhead and Slater junior were also best friends. He supposed it was a bit of a compliment, knowing Rhys would train her well but also annoy him simultaneously. Juniper handed Rhys a whiskey shot, and it was a bit of a moment since she would have never willingly handed him whiskey in the past. ”To Saffron.” Easily, he threw back the drink. It felt good to laugh and remember their friends and the good times. The bartender returned, and Rhys immediately ordered two more whiskey shots. The week after a full moon meant Rhys did not want to be sober. ”Here—you have some catching up to do.” Rhys declared. He’d arrived at the bar first, after all.

template by vee

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

Juniper laughed. Hard. Her? Dueling Dolohov? The only wand that girl knew got to use were the ones she pulled out and worked herself. Juniper supposed there were some spells involved with that, but there came a point where Dolohov's reputation preceded herself. The rumors that she'd sleep with anyone started fairly early at school too. Long before they'd learned how love potions were made. "I would have beat her in a duel no problem back then. As for the Veritaserum...it's not uncommon for people with a lot of willpower to overcome it. I guess she just wanted you that badly." It made her feel gross posing it that way, but it was sort of true, right? Juniper loathed public displays of affection, but she had been forced to resort to it to get that slag off of Rhys's scent.

Would Nell actually know these sorts of things? If there was anyone that had been absorbed by school and then work, it was Ollivander. Nothing had really changed over the last two decades except she was seemingly less nervous. Juniper didn't say anything to that, except acknowledge the request with a head nod.

"Who?" she asked as Rhys mentioned a Claire. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but nothing more than that. She was probably a classmate, which remembering every last one of them had started to become a struggle. So many new faces and names had come in and replaced the old, especially those that disappeared or barely mattered to her to begin with. Juniper expected the same to be done with her. There was nothing that important about her that some of her classmates should remember who she was.

Two more shots arrived after their toast, and Juniper immediately knocked hers back. She hadn't had this much to drink in...years? There had been mistakes made after the last time, and with the way her work schedule was, the opportunity never really presented itself again. But she was at the school and could easily stumble back to her parents house if she needed to. Or find a quiet corner of the library and post herself up with a waste basket. She raised her hand to the bartender for a third set of shots.

rhys alexander greyback ● 373 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been waiting for this silence all night long

it's just a matter of time

April 14, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

The scene played out ridiculously in Rhys’ mind, causing him to laugh alongside Juniper. That would not have been a fair match at all. At least in a scenario like that, nobody could jump in and do the work for her as she did in her other NEWT classes—however few they were. ”I suppose that was her truth.” Rhys responded, shrugging it off. But it wasn’t Rhys Dolohov wanted, it didn’t make any sense. They didn’t know one another. Rhys caught up to his peers in terms of height and all that. And she had not been the only one in that regard. But at the time, Rhys had Juniper, and even before that, others had noticed, so it wasn’t as if his dating life had ever suffered at Hogwarts.

Nearly inhaling his beer, Rhys suppressed his laugh. Merlin, how could he forget? Claire was a longtime friend of Rhys, as much as Juniper was, but the pair never saw eye to eye. He remembered hearing about their conversation on the train early seventh year and Rhys needing to assure Claire that nothing had changed. He would still help her with her courses, and they were friends. The whole thing was far too dramatic for his taste, but he expected nothing less from Claire Slater. ”Nevermind.” Rhys resumed his drink, finishing the glass just as a new shot appeared in front of him. ”Before I forget—“ Rhys took the shot quickly, hardly wincing at the burn anymore. ”Vector gave me a book for you, left it in my office. I don’t remember what it was, but in case you need it this weekend.” Rhys offered.

Might as well get it now, he figured. Plus, that sparked an idea. Waving down the bartender he ordered another two shots. ”But first, another one for the road.” The bartenders were pushing out drinks in a hurry with the increasing pub crowd. He pushed the small glass in front of Juniper. Before drinking, Rhys leaned in, as if he had something somewhat secret to share. ”I have better whiskey in my desk.” Traveling the world meant Rhys didn’t have to settle when it came to his drinks. Taking the last shot, Rhys pulled out various coins and handed them to the bartender to cover both their drinks. Plus a little extra for his speedy service.

---

As luck would have it, the Cursebreaker’s offices were near the pub. Rhys wondered if Vector organized it in that way on purpose. As a former Cursebreaker, he supposed Archie was exposed to all their habits—good and bad. Dropping himself into his chair, Rhys reached into the center drawer for a book with some papers stuffed into the middle. ”The book.” Then he reached into the bottom drawer for some higher-end whiskey he had often saved for those brutal days. It wasn’t uncommon for Rhys to sleep between training courses, especially if he hadn’t been able to sleep the night before or hadn’t gotten a chance to go home.

”Picked this up in the States.” Every once in a blue moon, Rhys was sent to help in America. More often than not, it was a training experience for Cursebreakers who are not normally based there. The archaeology was different but no less fascinating. And gave Rhys a chance to try bourbon for the first time years ago. It wasn’t whiskey, actually, but related in a way. Rhys preferred the flavors but kept it for himself and those invited since his stash was limited. But he looked around for wherever he left the glasses.

template by vee

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

Even though things had long since ended between the two of them, thinking of Dolohov's animalistic staring during Potions made Juniper shiver. The woman was a wild, and Rhys had been her prey for a long time. That almost made it that much more worth it to stick it to her, and win out in the end. Juniper knew that if Dolohov ever came onto any future partners, there would be words and wands. They were too old for that sort of thing now and she hoped her former classmate would know better than trying to be a homewrecker.

Rhys worked around her confusion on the Claire person, though the more she thought about the name, it did sound familiar. Was that the annoying little girl who pestered her on the train all those years ago? She'd hardly been worth the space in Juniper's long-term memories. That whole encounter had been hilarious. Instead, the conversation shifted to a book that Archie had left for her, with Rhys. There had been a few she'd loaned out over the last few weeks, so it could have been any of those really.

Another shot arrived and down it went. She stood to her feet as Rhys mentioned he had better whiskey at his desk. None of it had hit her head yet, but she could feel the warm bubbling of it starting to work its magic. No wonder he drank it all the time. It made everything momentarily easier. "Lets go see what that book is then," she said rather loudly as she gathered her bag and followed him. She didn't think anything of the optics - the two of them drinking together and then wandering off into the castle.

---

"I wish my department had the space to provide me with an office..." Juniper sighed as she stared at map on one of the walls. What would she even put up? Diagrams of anatomy whilst mid-transfiguration? They existed, as she had them rolled up in poster tubes and shoved into the back of one of her closets at home. Rhys was sifting through his desk drawers. As he said book, she turned back around and saw it. "Ah. That's a fun one." 'Insight, Transfiguration of the Brain'. It was more of an introspective book, as written by an animagus that had spent a decade in her animal form. Not something Juniper would ever do, but there were decent passages inside it.

He also pulled out a bottle of whiskey that he'd picked up in America. Now that was interesting. "You've traveled a lot more these last few years then?" More than just the usuals, she supposed. There had to be a point where the regular spots grew boring and picked over. In their conversations over the last few months, she'd tried her best not to bring up his work. They had spent so much time arguing over it, that anything outside of the current teaching curriculum or the trainees felt annoying to her. "And I've been stuck...here!" Juniper stated as she found a spare chair and took a seat. The shots were starting to catch up to her.

rhys alexander greyback ● 521 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been waiting for this silence all night long

it's just a matter of time

April 14, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys was surprised to hear, still, that other departments didn’t provide their staff with offices. Perhaps it was based on how much time a staff member spent at the school? Juni had mentioned that she still worked at Witch TV, so maybe that was the reason why. Even if he didn’t spend that much time here, having a central place for his things was helpful. Notes, books, and equipment so he wouldn’t lose items. Many of them brought old notes from earlier in their careers and other items of importance. Plus, it gave him a place to escape, even less populated than the staff breakroom.

”I guess I’ve always traveled a lot.” Rhys responded. ”Definitely some new places, though.” Maybe it was a seniority thing. After a decade of acting like Gringotts personal nifflers, Rhys was allowed to visit places like Eastern Europe or the United States. Often, he stuck to South and Central America with the occasional job on the African Continent or in the Mediterranean. Juniper dropped herself into the one extra chair in his office. Not spotting his usual glasses, Rhys returned to the bottom drawer, where he retrieved two plastic cups. It was better than nothing, and there wasn’t anyone to judge them in a private office.

”You want to travel?” Rhys asked. Surprised by her exclamation. He couldn’t recall Juniper ever expressing the desire to travel in all their years. Then again, had he even bothered to ask? Sage’s voice popped into his head with one of her comments on how Rhys acted (allegedly) inconsiderately of others. Rhys didn’t see it. He was here teaching and spending more time with Amelia than he ever had in the past, wasn’t he? And Rhys wasn’t putting himself in eminent danger unless you counted some idiot trainee doing something stupid. He poured a bit for himself by handing one of the plastic cups to Juniper. The cup was giant compared to the ounce or two he poured, but there wasn’t a need to go through the whole bottle just yet.

Rhys’ face began to feel a bit warm, and his brain was fuzzy. But otherwise, he felt quite relaxed, which was the goal in the end. And before he knew it, his plastic cup was empty. Whatever few seconds had passed were a mystery to him. Oh well, it simply meant time for a refill.

template by vee

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

▲

They could both agree that Rhys traveled a lot. She knew. She was the one that had always been left behind, wondering if he would ever come back alive. The shots they had taken at the pub were mixing all sorts of memories and emotions together right now, none of which she really should have cared about anymore. They were done and over with. Both of them had clearly moved on and gone their own ways in life. It had been fun at the best of times, and she had been more than grateful as the years went on that, aside from Rhys’s drinking, travel, and general inability to see his work was driving everyone that loved him away, he had been a great partner. There were always going to be some aspects that were unavoidable, something she had since learned with others, and trying to control every part of the relationship wasn’t healthy either. She knew all of that now.

He asked if she wanted to travel, and she made a humming noise as she yawned. That last shot was already starting to make her sleepy. ”I’m going to Calan Mai in two weeks for May Day. Spending the whole time there living in a yurt. Supposedly they’ll put me with random people.” All she was bringing was one bag, and not the magical kind either. Realistically, Juniper wanted to get out and go to Europe. Every time she even thought about doing so, she was slapped with something by work. The last time had been right before the Triwizard Tournament, and then she was saddled with sticking around after the fact until she could quit. Then she found her current job at Witch TV, and that proceeded to suck the next several years away from her. Despite enjoying her job, there were times where she wished she had more freedom to leave and go on a trip. ”It’ll be nice to unplug from it all for a few days.”

Rhys had found what looked to be plastic cups to drink out of and filled them with an amount that was dangerous to her. She stared into her own after she retrieved it, before taking a small sip. Now was the time to slow down. Taking a pepper-up potion first thing in the morning was not how she liked to start her weekend off. For whatever reason, thinking about potions reminded her of her recent change to her green splotch on her leg. That had kicked all of this off, after all. Without saying anything to Rhys about what she was doing, and also sort of forgetting that she probably should, Juniper started to roll up her pant leg to show off the Common Welsh Green dragon that now sat permanently over her old Potions accident, wobbling as she struggled to do so.

rhys alexander greyback ● 474 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

i've been waiting for this silence all night long

it's just a matter of time

April 14, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys nodded while he listened to Juniper explain her future plans. Calan Mai, Rhys had overheard people discussing it. But it wasn’t something he was particularly interested in. At least not anymore. Vasilia worked as much as Rhys did, or at least she somehow picked up more work at the pub and family businesses lately. But, he was already on the fence for a druid event—where he was hardly welcome in any case. ”Sounds like fun.” Sort of, minus the random people. But getting off the grid—that sort of thing did appeal to Rhys.

”It's…peaceful when you can disconnect like that.” Rhys thought out loud. He stared off to another part of the room while his thoughts floated around in their drunken state. Merlin knew that part of the job had let Rhys keep some of his sanity. And visiting new places with interesting histories and sites. These were places where nobody knew of Fenrir Greyback or Rhys’s family, and he was just a regular person in the crowd. Nobody looked at him with curiosity beyond that of a tourist or with the pity Rhys hated to see in people’s eyes. Before he completely disconnected from the current conversation, Rhys looked at Juniper softly. ”I’m sorry I never took you anywhere.” Rhys wasn’t sure where that came from. Perhaps the combination of whiskey, nostalgia, and his compartmentalized feelings pushed the words out of his mouth before he could overthink them. Juniper in his life, even as just a friend, was more than he could have ever hoped.

Suddenly, Juniper began to pull up her pant leg. Rhys looked at her, confused, but not before taking the plastic cup out of her hand so she didn’t launch its contents anywhere. Plus, he didn’t want to waste good bourbon. ”Juni—what are you doing?” She continued to struggle, almost falling over completely. Rhys stood and grabbed one of her arms before she launched herself into the sharp corner of the desk. ”Is there something wrong with your leg?” Concerned, he continued to hold her arm, almost fighting her from whatever she was trying to do with her leg or foot or whatever. Maybe if Rhys could stand her up straight, he could see. ”—sit down, will you.” If not the chair, then at least the desk—Rhys really didn’t need her drunkenly cracking her head open in his office.

template by vee