Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored [Rhys]

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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May 26th, 2028

June was almost here. Exam season. Funny how she escaped it for a few years and then was right back in it, prepping her students for NEWTs if they had them, or for her insanely difficult transfiguration and human anatomy exam that she had created. It wasn't her fault that she knew how to write exam questions, having done so for a number of years for the Ministry. At least those that were taking the NEWT one had an inkling about what to expect. The exams changed minimally from year to year, and even though she had been at Witch TV for awhile now, she still felt confident that those in her Advanced class would do better than those that weren't.

There were caveats to this time of year though: she had time for literally nothing else. Thankfully her actual job was good with accommodating her. Most of her scripts were currently being developed or in production already, and her producers knew that this time of year was going to be busy. Had she been a director or show runner instead, everything would be different.

The other issue was that she had made the intelligent decision to start trying to date again at the beginning of the month. Cracking back into that scene after taking almost a year long break (thanks to working two jobs and never having the time to begin with anyways) was rough. So she used the nifty little dating app promoted by Blishwick Matchmaking. She'd never used it before, but had been matched almost instantly with an American girl that was in the UK working as an international liaison of sorts. And the date went well. So well, they had planned a second and then a third almost back to back. Juniper had to convince herself to slow down a bit, knowing that the exams were coming up and impossible to move. They were really the only hitch in all of this. It had been years since she'd clicked this well with someone else. Finally, she had something to look forward to after getting through a long stretch of intense work. That hadn't happened in a long time. She sort of hoped things wouldn't fizzle out in the interim. The time was ripe for that, and since it wasn't more than just a few dates so far, so hesitated to call it anything serious.

Of course, teaching and tests came first. That was her primary goal currently, and she needed a break to stop and stretch her legs. The research papers she had required the anatomy students to do were all in and she was slowly making her way through them. Jumping up from her desk, she gave rolled her neck around a few times before leaving the shared office space. It was later in the afternoon and barely anyone else was around the campus. That was no surprise for this time of year. Who'd want to do that when the academic year was almost over with and the weather was getting nicer?

Aimlessly wandering Hogwarts both as a student and now as a professor seemed to help with clearing her head (and getting a decent work out in). Starting from the General Studies wing where her office was, Juniper made it all the way around the new campus before entering at the far end, where the Ancient History classes and cursebreaker trainees were. They made mostly been out in the field these last few weeks, so the building was empty half of the time. Perfect for speed walking through without any crowds. As she passed by the offices where her colleagues usually worked, she spotted one of the doors open, Rhys sitting inside at his desk. "I thought you'd be out with the trainees," she called out to him as she stopped in the doorway.

rhys alexander greyback ● 640 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

Throw water on electricity

Just to see
if the sparkle'll make us feel

May 26, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

For a moment, Rhys’ empty glass became lost amongst the stacks of paper, rolls of parchment, and books on his desk. This was getting ridiculous. If this was the best-trained class of Cursebreakers Gringotts had ever seen, Rhys was prepared to eat his wand. All the classroom examinations were complete. Tests were taken, papers turned in, and the final field trials were left. For this, traveling was required. But these would take place over the next week or two. Rhys absentmindedly doodled in the margin of his page. He had been in the process of planning out his group’s final trials when his mind began to wander.

But the entire month had passed like that. Rhys had forced his mind to focus on the task at hand through sheer willpower despite the distractions that weighed heavily. Not to mention the new void in his life Vasilia had dumped Rhys earlier in the month. Part of him wasn’t surprised. The way his body had relaxed after that discussion indicated how long he had been bracing for this. But the other part was angry and hurt. Vasilia had always been supportive of Rhys. Never gave him any pity, but Rhys wondered if the girl had really known what she was getting into. Rhys had been in serious relationships before (well, at least one), but Vasilia had not. And suddenly, the running joke that Rhys turned into some docile puppy around her grew old.

Part of him wondered why he wasn’t more upset, or was this just another delayed reaction like other things in his life. His breakups with Juniper and the deaths of close friends and family—there was always a delay. His phone buzzed, and he could see something bright pink out of the corner of his eye. A notification from a phone app. This new mechanism of meeting people made the pub crawl much easier now that Rhys had found that freedom once again in London. He supposed that was the biggest change—while at home, Rhys had behaved since he didn’t need rumors or whispers reaching Vasilia’s ears, but now it didn’t matter.

Of course, his friends wondered what Rhys had done to bungle this up. As if he was the only one ever at fault for these things. So, he’d thrown himself into his work, and aside from his colleagues at Hogwarts, Rhys hadn’t reached out to many friends as he avoided their lectures. Hearing a voice, Rhys looked up and blinked a few times. Juniper. It was late, though Rhys had not realized how late it had gotten. No wonder the building was eerily silent, not that he had noticed the sound of the outside door opening. ”No. They have the weekend off.” Sitting back in his chair, Rhys ran a hand over his face and stretched. At this age, his body told him quickly when he’d been sitting in one spot too long. ”What are you still doing here?” Rhys asked. It was Friday, after all. Exams had put a damper on the usual pub Fridays the staff would gather for, or at least the Cursebreakers. Rhys and Juni seem to run into one another quite often these days.

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Rhys's office looked beyond cluttered. Considering what her own desk looked like here and what her corner desk at Witch TV was like, it was probably a good thing that she didn't have her own office to work out of at Hogwarts. It would be floor to ceiling stacks of books, probably even some spill over from the studio. She had a lot of children's books and early education texts, muggle and magic alike. All on the station's dime, of course. But Rhys looked how she felt (and probably also looked), which was exhausted and ready to be done with all of this. The same sentiment seemed to be agreed upon by all of the professors. Once it was done, she was going to sleep for days. And then start right back up again with the summer term in July.

"Grading papers. Some of my students have made fascinating observations about werewolves." That last part was thick with sarcasm. Anyone with eyes and knowledge of laws regarding lycanthropes in the last two decades could deduce more than all of the papers on werewolves she'd been given earlier in the week. Or at least it was obvious to her because she'd spent almost a third of her life living with one. "I need to get them done before Monday or they'll have my head," Juniper yawned. She rubbed at her eyes as she found the doorframe to lean on.

"I was about to go for a walk through the old part of the castle. If you aren't busy...?" It would be better to have someone with her, if only to help keep her awake through conversation. She had already planned to climb to the Astronomy Tower to get her blood pumping again. Physical exertion would wake her up in the moment, and then help her pass out later. It was perfect.

rhys alexander greyback ● 310 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

Throw water on electricity

Just to see
if the sparkle'll make us feel

May 26, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys shook his head. That made some sense. ”That explains the sudden influx of questions I’ve received this past week.” The students were mostly horrible while attempting to subtly ask Rhys questions regarding life as a werewolf or anything related to the topic. Especially when some of those students had already completed their NEWTs, clearly, they were just messengers for their younger friends who wanted to pass Juniper’s class. Of course, Rhys couldn’t see how Juniper assigning work revolving around lycanthropy might cause students to make some invisible connection. They might as well have walked out of the pub hand in hand.

Rhys initially did not feel like moving, but that was only because the sheer amount of work had melted his brain, and he was stuck in his chair, figuratively. But some air and movement would do him some good. That was another thing with this teaching gig: Rhys wasn’t as active as he would have been with fieldwork. It left too much energy for his normally buzzing mind. ”Sure.” Rhys agreed, standing and stretching again. ”I was thinking of dropping by the kitchens later.” He added, knowing that he would be hungry if he stayed awake longer.

At least some things never changed. Rhys was always eating, snacking, or drinking. Even when he didn’t skip a meal, he supposed it was no wonder the house elves had grown to know him so well over his seven years in school. And Rhys was thankful to know they had all made it out of that day’s terrible events two years ago. Leaving everything on his desk as it was, Rhys met Juniper in the hallway, locking the door behind him.

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Juniper winced when Rhys said he'd been getting questions. The worst part was that he said 'all week'. Not the week before or the month before. But the week in the lead up to when the papers were due. She knew the quality was lacking just by reading some of them, but it appeared that the effort was in the gutter too. Which was a shame, because she had put a ton of time into that class. "Sorry," she apologized. "I told them months ago to get started on their research too. But students will be students I guess." She had personally never pushed off work until the very last moment when she'd been here. Except for one time seventh year where the two of them had spent more time with their tongues down each other's throats and sneaking around than they did doing coursework. Yet they still passed and did well on all of their work! Juniper didn't think her students were doing that, but one could never truly know.

Rhys agreed to go with her, bringing up the fact that he was thinking of stopping by the kitchens too. "Visiting all of the old haunts, eh?" Juniper laughed. Since she'd been back teaching, she hadn't found the time to pop over to the kitchens and say hello to the house elves. Quite a few of them were probably still there from her own school days. "I was thinking of climbing the Astronomy Tower actually. Want to start at the top or the bottom?" Personally, she preferred the kitchens first. That way they could get something for the walk. The house elves had always treated the two of them well, even as annoying students. Despite not being hungry currently, that would absolutely change the second she was down there too. It was impossible to not find the room for food after visiting the kitchens.

rhys alexander greyback ● 315 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

Throw water on electricity

Just to see
if the sparkle'll make us feel

May 26, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys shrugged. It was a tad annoying to receive random questions like that, but at some point, he’d also been too tired to care. At that moment, it really didn’t matter. Just something in the past now. ”Kind of reminded me of all the times I put off assignments.” Sometimes, it was out of his control. A full moon, usually, or a day wasted in the hospital wing healing up from his latest fight with Bagman or someone else. Much like when he missed Potions and allegedly and indirectly caused Juniper’s green mark on her leg. Or the former mark, anyway.

And other times were avoidable. Times spent in quiet parts of the castle playing ‘what’s behind this door?’ Needless to say, very little homework was done during the last Christmas break Rhys spent at Hogwarts. What a simpler time it had been. Fortunately, Rhys still managed high marks, much to the surprise of some. But there had always been that will to prove something in his core. That chip was still on his shoulder, though he now had much more foundation to stand upon. Rhys smiled at Juniper’s comment. She was right. That definitely had been somewhere they had visited often before. ”I guess so.”

Either plan worked, but Rhys didn’t want to risk falling into a hangry mood. ”Kitchens first—I’m starving.” He hadn’t eaten since dinner, which felt like forever ago now. And he had to admit, he missed visiting the house elves. They were genuine in their helpful tasks, and Rhys had to admit that there was something about someone being happy to see you. The kind of thing he hadn’t explicitly recognized until Amelia was old enough to wobble as fast as her little legs could take her to him when he showed up. ”At least it's not too cold.” Speaking of old haunts. Rhys always loved the astronomy tower, but even he felt the chill in winter. ”After you.” Rhys figured Juniper would know the campus better than he would, but also, he was a Cursebreaker—not getting lost was part of his skill set, but he was happy to follow along. It was a turn of events he hadn’t anticipated and a far better idea than the drinking and sulking originally on the schedule.

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Rhys made a good point. While she had rarely delayed her work, he had certainly done it a bit more near the end. Who wouldn’t though, when you already knew you were graduating and had a job to go to? It sort of defeated the purpose. At that point, being able to take the school in and hang out with people you’d probably only see every now and again going forward was more important. For most at least. She still spent a good portion of those last two years only hovering around Rhys, never really venturing much past that. It was what it was at this point in time.

Beginning on their way towards the kitchens, which were conveniently close to where they had been before. Supposedly. Juniper had thought those were some of the first areas to go, between that, and the Slytherin and Hufflepuff common rooms. Apparently, parts had managed to survive though. A testament to Hogwarts’ winding corridors operating as a last safety measure for the school. ”Right? The professors’ lounge in my building has one fireplace. So I froze all winter. My wand basically worked as a hand warmer for months,” Juniper said incredulously. Her poor wand probably hated her now. All it had been used for since she began teaching was paltry levitation charms, warm-air spells, and the occasional low-level Transfiguration. How embarrassing!

”Do you think any of the same house elves are still working there?” she asked as the exited the building and headed in the direction of the central MAGIC building, formerly the Hogwarts castle. ”What was the one’s name that always liked you? Squeaky?” She really wished she remembered but it had been so long since she’d gone into the kitchens. Almost exactly a full decade now. And the naming conventions the house elves were so easily confusable in their cuteness. ”Wait! Reemy!” Juniper exclaimed suddenly as the name came rushing back. She was positive it was that. Hopefully all of them made it out okay during the fire. A sad reality that dawned on her as they neared their destination.

rhys alexander greyback ● 349 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

Throw water on electricity

Just to see
if the sparkle'll make us feel

May 26, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Archer had reminded Rhys early in the term that they were once just like these trainees. Young, brash, and over-confident. Not to mention easily distracted by their career prospects and their peers. Rhys had to agree with his friend. It wasn’t as if his time at Hogwarts was spent only studying, fighting, or in detention. Merlin knew Rhys had his share of distractions, both good and bad. ”I could show you a few spells.” Rhys offered. The consequence of so much time spent in places where the temperate was of some extreme or would change drastically. But staying warm had always been a priority.

Rhys hadn’t thought about the house elves still working at Hogwarts. It made sense. He supposed that was the natural thing to do. And they always seemed happy working there. ”It would make sense.” Plus, Rhys felt optimistic they all survived. Their magic allowed them better access to escape routes and such. He could only imagine how it might have felt otherwise. The thought still made him feel nauseous and unwell. What a thing to experience or see at that age. ”And Tisney.” He added. The elves were always so accommodating. He remembered feeling strange being attended to as such during his first year.

They approached, but the walk didn’t seem as long as Rhys thought it would be. But the campus felt smaller since his first day, perhaps as he familiarized himself with the layout. Also, he was in good company, which affected the passage of time. ”Are they still using the same portrait?” Hogwarts biggest open secret was getting into the kitchens. And yet, there were always the handful of students who did not know. Most of them were happy with that blissful ignorance as, technically, it was against the rules for students. So, others like Juniper and Rhys had proven to be a bit of a bad influence regarding the rules. But nothing beyond sneaking around after curfew to various parts of the castle for privacy.

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”I’d appreciate that actually. If none of the Charms professors are around, the rest of us freeze.” Thank Merlin that the school had moved away from quills and ink, because having her inkwell frozen solid after not being in for a few days would be annoying. Having to alternate the warmth spell between hands was easily the worst way to go about it too. For as competent as she was with transfiguration, looking up anything past that sometimes didn’t happen. ”You would think that when they rebuilt, they would have put in modern heating systems.” Or cooling ones. While Juniper had grown up in the area and the summers weren’t that bad, some of the new school buildings were stifling in the middle of summer. She was not looking forward to the start of the new term in two months.

Right! And Tisney. She knew she was forgetting one. There were probably others too but considering she had started to forget some of her own classmates’ names, it was no surprise that she’d have some lapses in memory on the names of house elves she’d only met once or twice. As much as she hated to admit it, they simply weren’t important enough to remember when she had so many other people she dealt with on a normal basis. ”I do hope they’re all okay after the fiendfyre…” She spoke her thoughts aloud. That hadn’t really crossed her mind too much until right now.

Rhys asked if the kitchens still had the same portrait, and she shrugged in response. That was an excellent question, but also one that she didn’t have the answer to. They were both assuming it was even in the same place as it had been. It made sense to her that it would be. ”I don’t actually know. I imagine if we can’t find it, if we yell loud enough one of them will come out and find us though.” As they got closer, she started to think back on all of the times she had spent walking down into the basement and dungeons of the school. She had lived down there for seven years, after all. To see the building altered slightly after the damage was still jarring to her too.

”I’ve heard they turned the Hufflepuff common room into a lounge of sorts, and the house elves can occasionally be found there,” Juniper added as they started their descent. ”If we can’t find the kitchens, we can just go there I suppose.”

rhys alexander greyback ● 418

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[rhys alexander greyback]

Throw water on electricity

Just to see
if the sparkle'll make us feel

May 26, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

”The magical world has always been slow to change.” Rhys commented idly. He knew that for a fact. Perspectives were different based on where one stood in the world. At one point, this had been a well-hidden point of contention between himself and Juniper. He was a Greyback and a werewolf, while she was part of one of the magical world’s most prestigious families. Rhys never blamed Juniper for such a thing, especially considering all they’d been through. And at least through the Order, Rhys had met others in similar situations. Karkaroffs, with their family history, he could relate to. And others like Potter, who never treated Rhys less than anyone else. He supposed over time, it began to soften Rhys a bit, or at least let him put a bit of his guard down.

”You don’t remember the warming one I taught you?” He recalled their first Christmas Eve spent together in the tower. The winter cold was barely bearable if not for that charm. Not that other events hadn’t added to the heat of the moment. Rhys shared the same sentiment about the house elves. Easily forgotten until they weren’t. ”I’m sure they’re fine. Their magical is pretty powerful.” Just the ability to apparate within Hogwarts magical walls was unique.

”The kitchens are right around the corner, so it’s a good place to start.” Her logic was sound. They approached familiar walls, or what was left, and Rhys felt distracted by how it all appeared. A chill went up his spine along with a strange sense of déjà vu, like he’d walked into ancient runes but had already been there before. Now that this section of the dungeon was not entirely enclosed underground, Rhys could hear the whistle of wind coming through the cracks. The staircase didn’t seem as long as before—but their world had grown much larger as well. Rhys knew from the accounts of Bianca and others that the fire had started in the Chamber of Secrets, which wasn’t far from the Kitchens or Hufflepuff Common room, so it was remarkable that so much of the structure had survived. No doubt the House Elves had something to do with that. People underestimated their abilities easily. But before they knew it, they were at the bottom. A dim torch at the end of the short corridor and the faint outline of a painting.

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Slow to change was an understatement. The fact that they were only using phones with magic integrated into them within the last few years said a lot about the pace of things. On the other hand, that alone was rapidly changing the landscape. Modernization was coming faster than any of them realized. The fact that she could use her phone on the grounds of Hogwarts and utilize the Blishwick Matchmaking app to find dates with other witches and wizards instantly was indicative of that. Somehow, Blishwick hadn’t figured out how to make a delivery app or website for his pizza, but she was sure it would happen eventually. ”Could you imagine how chaotic it would have been if we were allowed phones while here? Merlin…” Thankfully she was a semi-responsible adult now and wasn’t obsessed with her phone too much. There was a point where she had been, but those days were long behind her. Except when she was hungover.

”That’s the one I’ve been using!” she protested. ”But that room we all use is huge, so all of the heat is gone instantly.” If the problem wasn’t fixed before next winter, she was going to lodge a complaint with the higher staff. They seemed to have their heads on correctly. She just didn’t want to make too many waves as a brand-new professor. Rhys also added that the magic house elves had was fairly powerful, and she nodded her head. She figured that they would be play given the situation, but considering where the fire supposedly started and how violently turbulent fiendfyre was…

The basement was eerie. It had never felt this way to her before, and there was a small catch in her throat as the realization set in. There was no going back to the before. When she had graduated, she had hoped to return one day and visit. Not under these circumstances though. Then again, she probably wouldn’t have been given this chance to teach if things hadn’t happened the way they did. Looking up at Rhys, he seemed to notice how different it was too. ”It makes me feel uneasy now. I get that the school changes from time to time, anyone that’s read Hogwarts: A History knows that. But still…” She didn’t like this change. While it was never actively stated where the students who had perished in the fire were located, it didn’t take much imagination to know it was down here.

Turning the last corner to where the kitchens were supposed to be, the familiar painting with the bowl of fruit sat at the end of the hallway. Somehow, it had escaped the damage. Juniper hadn’t realized that she had been slightly holding her breath the whole time they’d been down there, until a long sigh of relief came out. ”Tickle the pear, right?” she reminded herself as she approached the portrait and did just that.

rhys alexander greyback ● 484

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[rhys alexander greyback]

Throw water on electricity

Just to see
if the sparkle'll make us feel

May 26, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys laughed. Oh, Merlin, that would have changed a lot of things. ”I can’t even begin to imagine it.” How different would his friendships have been? Or the actions of his peers? And Dolohov, with instant access to boys like that…Rhys was glad the phones didn’t come along until later. ”It might have made sneaking around easier, though.” Rhys thought aloud. Sending a text message to warn of Prefects or Professors patrolling would have made it easier unless the staff would have found a way to counteract that. Despite all his training and knowledge, Rhys couldn’t say he knew enough about mobile devices and magic to understand how they worked.

He recalled hearing stories in the common room or in the dormitories of students sneaking to find privacy for various reasons. This included sneaking into other common rooms themselves, of course. The risk a Slytherin girl might take to sneak into Ravenclaw Tower was tremendous, considering the distance. And mainly since boys could not enter the girl's dormitories. Rhys had only seriously dated Juniper during school, but their common rooms were both in the dungeons. And before that—well, Rhys had familiarized himself with a Slytherin girl or two, or at least he knew very private spots in the castle.

”Hmm…maybe you’re doing it wrong.” Rhys declared, mostly teasing. It was hard not to smirk after speaking, knowing very well what button he was pushing with his words. Juniper had settled over the years from how she was with people in those days, but Rhys knew she didn’t like being bad at things. These dungeons kept his attention, however. And Rhys was glad he hadn’t let Juniper come here alone. There was a presence here—maybe the natural aftermath of something so cursed, and briefly, the hair on Rhys’ neck stood up much as it did while he was working. This put him on alert, but he didn’t let it show, so Juniper didn’t worry.

But they finally reached the portrait. Despite the area appearing relatively unscathed, it still didn’t feel the same. ”Right…” The painting responded to Juniper’s action and swung open slowly. The hinges sounding their age. But it didn’t take long for Rhys to relax. The view was familiar and warm. House elves scurried around, not bothered by their presence. Rhys went ahead and stepped inside. Merlin—it must have been a decade now since he’d last stepped foot in here. Quickly, he turned back around to offer Juniper a hand as she stepped through the opening in the wall. But he looked forward again, hearing scurrying feet and a high-pitched voice.

’Can Tisney get anything—Sir!’ Rhys couldn’t help but smile broadly at the sight of the house elf. And a deep feeling of relief spread throughout him. ’And miss!’ Despite limited visits, Tisney obviously remembered Juniper. ”Evening Tisney.” Out of habit, Rhys took a few steps forward. From this angle, his boots seemed barely taller than Tisney. He crouched down to speak to her better. ’Can Tisney can help with anything?’ The small house elf offered eagerly. ”Erm—do you still have those biscuits I liked before? The cinnamon ones?” It was the first thing that popped into his head. Tisney nodded happily. She looked about ready to lose her balance as she did so. ’And miss?’ She looked at Juniper.

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Juniper still liked to think that when it came to sneaking around the castle, the two of them had done quite a decent job of that. There had been plenty of well-placed abandoned classrooms or broom closets big enough for two between the Slytherin and Hufflepuff common rooms, and even more darkened areas in the rest of the castle. They never failed to get where they wanted to go. ”I suppose so. But one text and the screen is brighter than any lumos spell I’ve ever seen.” Or maybe that was because she happened to have her brightness set to full regardless of whether she needed it to be or not.

She raised her eyebrows at him when he said that she was probably doing the spell wrong. Her? Even if he was joking, that was easily the most unbelievable thing she had heard all week. Right in front of the student who tried to claim his crup tore up half of his research notes, so that was why his paper was lacking sufficient information. Juniper gave him an unconvinced stare and moved it to the bottom of her essays to read. If she was going to suffer, it was going to be at the end of her grading. ”The only spells I’ve ever done wrong are the ones you’ve never seen me fail at,” she said confidently. If there had been one to keep their relationship stitched together all those years ago, she would have tried. But that was all said and done with now. Rhys had Vasilia, and Juniper was moving onto new people too. Maybe.

Watching the tell-tale wiggle of the pear as she ‘tickled’ it, the portrait swung open and the kitchens lay before them, just as they had been all those years ago. Despite all of the changes in the area, it finally felt like a win to see something so familiar. So many memories rushed back as she followed Rhys through the portrait hole with his assistance, the multitude of food smells hitting her all at once. Now that took her back. The first squeaky voice that arrived to offer help was almost a shock. It was Tisney. Still looking the same a decade later. What were the odds of that?

Juniper watched Rhys talk to the house elf, asking for cinnamon biscuits of some sort. She was fairly certain she remembered the ones, but it had been a while and a multitude of trips to the kitchens since the ones she was thinking of. Wandering away briefly, even she had to duck to avoid several pots and pans that the house elves apparently stored by hooks on the ceiling. She had learned once to watch where she was going, walking out of the kitchens with cookies and a red spot on her forehead from smacking right into a frying fan. ”The biscuits are fine with me,” she turned and smiled at Tisney.

rhys alexander greyback ● 489

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[rhys alexander greyback]

Throw water on electricity

Just to see
if the sparkle'll make us feel

May 26, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Juniper brought up a valid point. Rhys wondered if his eyes were the only ones that needed time to adjust to the screens and their brightness. Not even television screens had bothered him at first. ”Knowing my luck, my ringtone would have gotten me detention.” All it would have taken was forgetting to put his phone on silent at an inopportune time. At least it wasn’t for fighting. Even in the field, Rhys rarely took his mobile phone with him, leaving it in the various lodgings they were assigned near their job. There wasn’t much of a point considering the availability of its services, or lack thereof, in those places.

Rhys fully expected her response, noting how quickly her eyebrow raised and her expression changed. ”Alright.” He began to respond. ”If you say so.” Honestly, he couldn’t help himself. Juniper could have easily turned around and pushed one of his buttons to get an immediate response. But it warmed him to know their banter could return to this comfortable and easy flow after all this time. ”I can show you a better one.” The original one was based on Rhys’ knowledge as a sixth year. His knowledge and skills grew considerably during that time.

’Right away!’ Tisney basically jumped in place before scurrying off. ’And Reemy will help Tisney!’ Rhys’ head turned to the source of the additional squeaky voice, where another house elf appeared to jump out of a pile of newly cleaned pots and pans. Merlin, the sense of relief Rhys felt was indescribable. While the house elves happily worked away, Rhys moved from his crouched position and sat on the floor to wait, letting his arms rest on his raised knees. ”Looks like they all made it…” He muttered to himself as his eyes scanned the unchanged kitchens.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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"Right?" Even if the phones had been around during their time, Juniper doubted that her parents would have gotten her one. During her last two years of school shopping, they still hung over her in Diagon, like she was going to fly off into the night and disappear forever. She supposed that was because she was their youngest and the last bit of 'control' they had as parents. Not that they were ever controlling, but the expectations were definitely there. Anything that would have interfered with school would have been not allowed. Then again, that was assuming they even knew what a cellphone was back then. They probably did, but still...

If Rhys could show her a better heating spell, she needed to learn it. Since they were in the kitchens now, which were perpetually warm and cozy to a sickening degree, they'd have to wait until they got up to the Astronomy Tower. "Okay then. When we get to the top of the tower then." She wanted to see exactly how different this one was from the one she had been using. To be fair, Rhys had way more experience with spells that worked well in exploration and life or death situations. Staying warm was important to cursebreaking. And here she was, whining about her fingers being slightly cold whilst grading papers.

The second house elf they had talked about, Reemy, appeared from somewhere deep within the kitchens to help as well. Juniper had no doubt now that they'd all made it out okay. Rhys seemed to confirm his suspicions as well. "Even though the meals were always great, I've always thought that what they give us down here is better." Juniper rocked back and forth on her heels as they waited for the house elves to return. It really was strange being back down here with Rhys. So much had happened since they last did this.

rhys alexander greyback ● 318

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