Threads of Unknowing [Rhys]

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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July 29th, 2028

Three weeks had passed since Juniper’s drunken hook-up with Rhys in the Hogwarts library and the subsequent never-ending night. In the moment, she had felt fine about it. Things like this happened, and it wasn’t like there was any denying that the two of them had chemistry with the history they had with one another. But a few days later, she absolutely freaked out about the events of that night. An existential crisis of sorts.

She stayed up all night the following Wednesday, pacing back and forth in her flat as she processed everything that had happened. Starting all the way back to when she helped Archie get Rhys the job until now. At the time, there hadn’t been any underlying reason for offering up his name besides knowing he’d be decent in the position. Now it felt like she had subconsciously done it in the off chance that things would end up this way. And that freaked her out. Was doing this the cause of Rhys’s last relationship falling apart? The two of them had never discussed that prior to drunkenly sticking their tongues down one another’s throats again. Not that it mattered now. She just didn’t want to be considered a homewrecker if it came out that he and Vasilia broke up because she entered the picture again. That had never been her intention.

Exhausted and sleep-deprived the following morning, Juniper called out from work and continued her overthinking. What did this mean for her now? And what about Rhea, who she had seemingly been exclusively dating for a few months. Guilt piling on top of guilt made her feel ill. Was she wrong for doing this? Then, of course, the conflicted feelings came. Even though Rhys had just gotten out of a relationship, was he looking for another one so soon? Juniper couldn’t help but think that if they continued on with their escapades that eventually it would end up like it had after the accident all those years ago. Proximity to one another seemed to always cause this. The scary part was that she didn’t feel like she was opposed to the possibility at all.

That was how the next several weeks went for her. She didn’t avoid Rhys while at Hogwarts because that felt like it would be disingenuous and she wanted to act like everything was normal, even though they’d completely sullied a corner of the library. Thankfully no one approached her about that because she didn’t think she could handle it. Slinking away in her cat form had been her plan of action if it ever did come to light.

With the end of July approaching and halfway through the summer semester, Juniper received a call from Rhea, stating she was leaving London and the Ministry and heading back to her post at MACUSA. Thus, that chapter was over. Juniper hadn’t expected to feel relief over it, and while sad that nothing truly ever came from it, the last few months had been fun. That also meant there was a clear path open on what could happen next, but she really needed to talk to Rhys about it first. Confirming whether or not it was a happenstance one-night stand or if there actually was something more once again.

Her pacing hadn’t stopped once all day as she waited in the front entrance of her flat for Rhys to arrive. He had never been to this one, a move that had happened after their last break-up, but it was laid out in a very similar fashion thanks to several charms she had used to make it slightly bigger to accommodate all of her stuff. She was beyond nervous, afraid that she was overthinking one silly night and getting in over her head. Chewing on her thumbnail, she heard a knock on her door and whipped it open immediately.

rhys alexander greyback ● 644

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[rhys alexander greyback]

You know I'm tired

of living like a ghost

July 29, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

That night was not ignored, per se, but not brought up. But Rhys didn’t think much of it. They both knew it had happened and continued on as friends. So far, Rhys’ fear that somehow they couldn’t be friends had not come true, but he knew well enough not to let his guard down on such things. How many times had he burned himself doing just that? In the back of his mind, however, Rhys wondered what would happen next. The last time they spent as much time in proximity, it renewed their relationship with another breakup. Things with Vasilia had gone terribly that year, and Rhys did his best to push aside whatever lingering pain he carried. Much like he did everything else. It was easier to focus on work and his daughter, in any case, or to look forward to seeing Juniper. Even if it was just to talk.

But whether Rhys wanted to walk that path again? His brain was stuck between two answers. At the end of the summer term, he would resume his regular Cursebreaker work. At least it was the weekend. Rhys had taken the opportunity to sleep in after a night out at the pub with Archer. Both had good nights, although Rhys still couldn’t get a straight answer from his longtime friend on where he would disappear. That evening, Juni invited him over, and without other plans, he accepted. For a moment, Rhys forgot that the building housing her old flat was now a business—ironically owned by Nell. Not that he ever mentioned that to her.

There was an initial thought as to their plans, perhaps a repeat of those few weeks back. It was difficult to deny their physical connection, which is why Rhys had failed to not shamelessly flirt with her all these months. A need to know, however, lingered. Which was strange because Rhys would have been happy to live blissfully for as long as possible in that ignorance in the past. Fatherhood had certainly done something to him, and every day, he felt like he was still figuring out how things had changed for him. Rhys approached the door, knocking. Although it had not been for his height, Rhys might have knocked on Juniper’s forehead because of how quickly the door opened. ”Oh—hey.” She looked a little frazzled and tired, but Rhys probably looked tired himself.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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She should have given herself a moment to compose herself. Gather up the remaining nervousness and try to breathe it out before opening the door. Being impulsive when it came to getting straight to the point had never served her well, and this was only an extension of that. Much to her own hindrance too. Juniper stared at Rhys, feeling completely unhinged for a moment, her eyes exhausted and hair definitely sticking out wildly in numerous places. Merlin, this made it seem like she was standing right at the peephole, waiting for him to arrive. Technically not untrue, as the path she had worn into the runner in her front entrance was probably visible under the right circumstances.

"Hi. Come in," she said briskly, stepping aside to let Rhys in before leaving him at the door and heading further into her apartment. She needed something to drink to calm her nerves, but didn't want to do that when she wanted to have a clear, concise conversation about everything. Running her hands through her hair, Juniper made it halfway to her kitchen to fetch said drink before she remembered that she had a plan. Devolving into drinking again - which she knew Rhys wouldn't object to - would probably instantly lead to her jumping him. She had to be serious here.

Turning around and returning to her living room, she took a seat on her couch and waited for Rhys to do the same. "Thanks for coming...umm," she began, knowing she looked frazzled. "I just thought that we should talk about what happened and sort of, I don't know, figure things out for the future?" It sounded right coming out of her mouth, but she wasn't sure if Rhys would hear it the same way. Talking about feelings and plans sort of felt odd at their age. Juniper liked to think it was a mature way of going about it, considering she didn't know what Rhys wanted, or what she wanted for that matter.

rhys alexander greyback ● 337

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[rhys alexander greyback]

You know I'm tired

of living like a ghost

July 29, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys felt a shift in the air. That light and fun feeling usually floating around them was heavier. While Rhys couldn’t name it, his body was already reacting. His heart beat a little faster, and he already felt tense. Entering the flat, Rhys followed Juniper into the living room. For now, he busied himself and quickly inspected his surroundings. It was a nice flat, similarly decorated to his last one, with déjà vu of how his flat used to look when they lived together. Now, his flat had devolved into a bachelor pad with kid’s items everywhere. Vasilia hadn’t changed it much. She wanted Rhys to have his space.

He took a seat. Juniper seemed incredibly bothered by something. He had a flashback to their initial breakup, which wasn’t helping his internal reaction. At the same time, Juniper wasn’t the only person he’d had conversations with on similar terms. Vasilia when she broke up with Rhys and Sage when she informed Rhys she was pregnant with his child. ”You mean…in the library?” He clarified. That was really the only incident to speak of. And the rest of the night and day after, of course. Still, he was a little confused. Why did she want to talk about this?

”Erm—okay…” Juni was usually far more direct than this, as had been Vasilia and Sage. Well, Sage was very direct, never mincing her words with Rhys on anything, especially regarding their daughter. As his mind went into overdrive, calculating different possibilities, he felt like he was on the job and trying to make a quick decision on what to do next. Sometimes, it was life or death, even if they didn’t know it. Naturally, his mind landed on an option, but he didn’t want to consider it. Seer and her words had seared into his brain, and Amelia was never far from his mind. Speaking it out loud would only produce that possibility for the universe. ”Is…is something going on?” At this point, his heart beat faster and nervously. Merlin, that would be his luck if he’d gotten his ex-girlfriend knocked up because of a drunken tryst. Not that they didn’t date for seven years in the past, which included plenty of spontaneous moments when they weren’t as careful as they should’ve been. Not to mention, most of their last year of school was spent sneaking around the castle alone. A tiny hint of panic began to build in his stomach.

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Merlin, unless she'd gotten black out drunk more recently and had several days of amnesia, she hoped it was just the library that they were going to be discussing today. The mere thought of something like that happening actually horrified her. At least she remembered everything that had happened and was able to reflect back on it now. "Err yeah. The library," Juniper confirmed. Her fingers were interlocked tightly in front of her as she stared down at her hands, trying to figure out what the best way to broach the topic was. Had she looked up at Rhys through any of this, she would have seen that he was equally worried about what she was trying to put into words.

The problem was that she wanted a proper game plan here, not a literal fuck around and find out again. The first time had worked up until the end, the second, with a lot of hindsight, was doomed to fail once the cracks were revealed. At that time, nothing had truly changed with the two of them, aside from their mutual loss of Saffron. Who, had she still been alive, would have been hitting Juniper over the head with a book or something right about now for even thinking of doing this. All out of love, of course.

Rhys continued though, and asked if something was wrong, and she finally looked up and shook her head 'no'. The reality was that it was a sort of, but also not really. Juniper hesitated briefly, trying to think of what the most concise way to put it all into words was. Rhys looked like he was preparing for some sort of bomb to be dropped on him, and she realized that with the way she had phrased everything, she made it seem like the reason for meeting like this was worse than it actually was. "Nothing's wrong," she stated quickly, hoping to diffuse whatever it was he was bracing for. "I've just been thinking a lot about what happened that night, and think we should have a talk about what that means going forward. I don't...I don't know what your thoughts are on it, and wanted to clear the air on whether or not it was because we were drinking or...yeah..."

rhys alexander greyback ● 379

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

You know I'm tired

of living like a ghost

July 29, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys wasn’t sure how he felt about her response to their shared night at that moment. Not that he expected her to jump up with glee about it, but he wondered if she regretted it entirely. Maybe he had somehow pushed her to something she hadn’t wanted because of the whiskey. A wave of guilt passed over him at the thought simply because Rhys would be horrified if that was the case. Somewhere between the morally grey nature of his actions—that was something he stood firm on. The bottom line was that Rhys never wanted to put anyone in a situation anywhere near where his mother had been. Nervously, he began to pick at the side of a fingernail.

With that in mind, he wondered. What this talk was concerning. The more time Juniper spent not clarifying, the more he spiraled into worst-case scenarios that were terrible faults of his own. Finally, she insisted that nothing was wrong; perhaps she had seen whatever look had appeared in Rhys’s eyes or recognized his fear. When it came to situations like this, they knew how to read one another pretty well, which was good and bad. Still, Rhys didn’t see the weight lift from her shoulders.

With a slow and a little unsteady exhale, Rhys nodded in acknowledgment. Not that it made the topic any less serious. Sitting back and relaxing a little, Rhys tried to take that moment to think about it. ”I mean…whiskey was definitely part of it, right?” It felt silly to discount that factor, even for Rhys. The way it had emboldened him would have made his seventeen-year-old self blush. Logic told Rhys that what transpired wouldn’t have transpired if it hadn’t been on their mind already, right? Another thought came to mind as well. ”You—uh—mentioned you were seeing someone…?” Surely that would heavily factor in what Juniper wanted, right? And it hadn’t been Rhys’ intention to insert himself in that relationship, not that they could take that night back. Had Juniper cheated on someone because of him? The thought made him feel a little bad, only because he wanted her to be happy, which meant Rhys not ruining it. His intention wasn’t to keep his cards so close to the chest on purpose, but fear of losing her made it hard to know which way to step.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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”It was. It most definitely was.” While the hangover the next morning hadn’t been horrid, saved by Rhys’s stock of hangover cure potions, the initial headache and cottonmouth she had upon waking had sucked. Definitely indicative of too much whiskey and whatever else they drank when they stumbled back into his apartment, before promptly tearing one another’s clothes off again. Thinking about it all again right now made her blush slightly. Which was funny considering it was nothing new to either of them.

Juniper had forgotten that she’d briefly mentioned she’d been seeing Rhea. The details of it had been vague, incredibly so, really, and all she had actually said was a brief sentence about going on a date or two. Elaborating any further a couple of weeks ago seemed silly, but now it didn’t matter. She was gone, back to America. ”I was. Sort of,” she answered slowly. ”It was only a couple of dates over the last few months. She was only here temporarily as a MACUSA liaison.” Also known as not meant to last. It felt sort of strange about herself like this to Rhys for some reason. She wondered then if it was the same for him a few months back when they’d talk about Vasilia. She figured it was only like this because of how recent everything had been, with very little time to think in between.

But she knew she really needed to get to the point now. While it looked like Rhys understood that the world wasn’t about to end, and she was going try and pretend that what had happened, hadn’t actually happened. Taking a deep breath, Juniper composed herself again, or at least tried to. ”I guess what I’m trying to say about all of this is that I don’t think of it as a drunken accident. And I umm…” Juniper paused as she realized that she was close to repeating what she had just said. All of her thoughts were jumbled up. She hated being like this. ”I’m afraid of ruining things again because I’m not communicating things to you properly. I kind of freaked out a few days after and realized that I wasn’t sure if I was leading you on or even if continuing like this was a good idea considering you’re just out of a relationship and I thought I might have one…” It all came out as a stream of thoughts, but it sounded sort of coherent to her. At least it was finally coming out of her instead of being bottled up still.

rhys alexander greyback ● 428

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

You know I'm tired

of living like a ghost

July 29, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys had always struggled with what he wanted and what he should do. He supposed it was the ultimate human challenge. So, hearing about Juniper’s short-lived relationship ending…well, Rhys couldn’t say he was disappointed. He was definitely relieved, considering it didn’t sound like something long-term. And he could tell those years of space for the pair had been good for them. Rhys could only imagine what jealousy at this information would have looked like a few years before. Fueled by his infamous temper, no doubt even Rhys wanted to avoid feeling jealous at any point in time.

And then, finally, the true reason for this meeting. Rhys didn’t think of this as some one-night stand either, and he’d never claim that any of the women he picked up at a pub would ever be on her level to him. How could they be? Not even Vasilia had met that standard—it took some time, but Rhys knew this now. Slowly, Rhys leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees while sighing thoughtfully. They had jumped back together so easily that second time around. It was no wonder both were cautious. And Rhys wasn’t ready to give up his career either.

It felt like a crossroads, but Rhys didn’t blame his career or time away from home anymore. The fact was, it hadn’t worked either way, right? It didn’t matter where on Earth Rhys was. The same things haunted him night and day. Before answering, Rhys took a moment to collect his thoughts. Knowing his penchant for screwing up what he wanted to say, he wasn’t in a rush. ”You’re not leading me on, Juni.” Rhys clarified. There wasn’t that sense of a carrot dangling in front of him while he pined away. Rather, it felt like two close friends having a good time together and enjoying one another’s company. That good time just happened to include sex that night.

”Maybe it's just me, but…seems like it was going to happen eventually.” Rhys chuckled. If he was being honest, his physical injuries and the grieving process had kept them behaving for as long as they did last time. In this case, the whiskey merely helped it along. ”My—um—relationship with Vasilia was over before the end…” Deep thoughts while sobering up on his couch, waiting for the ceiling to stop spinning, had been insightful. That hope of Rhys spending more time at home had been some vain last-ditch effort for Rhys so he wouldn’t be alone. Sitting solemnly for a minute, Rhys wasn’t sure how to approach the next part.

”I’m always afraid I’ll push someone I care about into something they don’t want.” Rhys admitted. Almost nothing would hurt him more. His life was full of choices others made for him with long-lasting effects. It always stayed on his mind, much like his determination that Amelia would never feel as he had as a child growing up in a world that didn’t want him. ”And…I return to work soon. So, I suppose I’m asking what you want?” His work had always been this thing that hovered over them. Would that change, or would Rhys’ changes for fatherhood be enough? Rhys just wanted Juniper in his life one way or another. Those were his terms, but she had yet to share hers.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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There was a wave of relief that came over her when Rhys agreed that she wasn't leading him on or stringing him along. She knew that, deep down, but the worry had still manifested multiple times in her weeks of intense thinking. Hell, he'd been fairly open with his flirting and she had reciprocated because, well, it was him. It had always been that way and Juniper knew exactly what she would be getting if things progressed. That had been another part that scared her, mostly because she wasn't sure how much had actually changed with Rhys. Sure, he was a father now and had a child that was dependent on him, but had his views on work changed at all? The Hogwarts gig was always going to be short-lived despite her secretly hoping it would become permanent over the last few months. That had been why she entertained the amount of time they spent together, especially after his relationship ended. She didn't know if that made her a horrible person or not.

Everything seemed to be processing easier now that it looked like the majority of her concerns regarding Rhys were nonexistent. He added that he thought this sort of thing was bound to happen eventually and she nodded her head in agreement. It was inevitable with them. It always had been. And they were sort of having a more honest and open discussion than they'd ever had while together. Not that they never did, but she thought that this had so far been more constructive than how they'd spoken to one another at the end of both relationships.

The quaffle was back in her hands though, as he stated he'd be heading back into cursebreaker work soon and that it was up to her to decide. Which was sort of the big question here, wasn't it? On one hand, she knew he was going to be more responsible due to Amelia, but on the other, could she deal with all of the time spent away? And obviously there were going to be points where he would only be with his daughter and Sage. That had been the root of all of her worry after all. Committing to that was a gigantic ask of herself. It sort of went against everything that she'd disagreed with in the past. But she also knew what she'd be getting in a relationship with Rhys. She'd never disliked any of it, except when the hard decisions had to be made. And who liked those anyways?

She didn't know if she could make a final decision here and now even through she had invited Rhys here for that express purpose. Figuring things out was so unbelievably tough, especially when it came to him. Because it did matter a lot to her to get it right. "If it's okay with you, I don't want to rush things," she said slowly. "I like the way everything has been over the last few months, and I think keeping it casual like that would be the best for us...but I'm not against it turning long term again at some point either." Merlin, that was a hell of a way to lay it all out.

rhys alexander greyback ● 537

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[rhys alexander greyback]

You know I'm tired

of living like a ghost

July 29, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

So much of this situation felt familiar, and Rhys wasn’t sure he liked that. All their fighting in the past—the words said, doors slammed, and things were thrown. Rhys didn’t want to remember those times, especially if he somehow instigated it. Sometimes, getting startled still rattled him. Other times, it was nothing of note. Considering how blatantly he'd flirted with her, Juniper’s concern of stringing him a long felt like a stretch. While with Vasilia, Rhys did his best not to, but that was hard to control around her. After re-entering the world as a bachelor, it didn’t matter as much aside from doing their best not to give the students and trainees more to gossip about than they already had.

The inevitability of them hooking up when both could smile was merely a given. Other times, they had seen one another, things were less cordial, or they weren’t on the best terms, not that it stopped them from speaking. Rhys remembered seeing her at the Three Broomsticks years ago and the icy reception he received. All his logic and common sense told him to leave her alone, but he couldn’t stop himself. But a lot of factors had not changed. Rhys still worked full-time as a Cursebreaker, consisting of much traveling and whiskey always by his side. For a long time, Juniper was the person who brought him home, and now he has a daughter. Rhys even wondered what would change by following the same road.

Juniper didn’t answer immediately, and Rhys expected that his question would be heavy for such few words. Fatherhood had shifted somebody else into the center of Rhys’s universe aside from himself. Would he even have asked Juniper what she wanted if not for that? Rhys thought through her words. At first, listen, it seemed fine, so he very lightly nodded. ”Alright.” He felt at ease, especially compared to when he first arrived. Leaning forward, Rhys gently grabbed her hand a decade later, and he still marveled how her hand was so much smaller than his own. ”We’ll just keep it casual, then.” Glancing up, he smiled. Truthfully, Juniper could have set a very strict platonic boundary, and Rhys would have found a way to respect that boundary. Just as long as she remained in his life. Possibly getting back together was another thought that crossed Rhys’ mind. His heart did a weird thing when he thought about it, reminding him of what she had and still meant to him. But, as Juniper mentioned, things were good, right now and why ruin a good thing?

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She started to feel better now that she had finally put everything into words. Earlier in the week, Juniper had attempted to write it down so as to get her thoughts straight but it was still all jumbled up. Sometimes it was better to do it all in person like this. Force herself to say what she really wanted to say, instead of bouncing off of bullet points on a scrap sheet of paper. That didn't seem totally disingenuous to her but it ended up working out better this way.

Keeping it casual for now would be for the best. Juniper wanted to make sure she was one-hundred percent all in before jumping in again. She knew that being this close to him in proximity was bound to lead to it eventually, the only barrier earlier in the year being Vasilia. That was a scary thought, now that she went back to it. Rhys took her hand and she gave it a reassuring squeeze, mostly for herself. It was a relief that he seemed to be fine with it being this way too.

"Merlin..." Juniper finally said after a moment. "I need a drink. You want anything?" she asked as she got up from the couch and moved towards the kitchen. Even though her nerves no longer felt like they were about to pull themselves out of her body, she still needed something to ground her. "I've got uhh...whatever this is," she held out a bottle of scotch that had aged even further since coming into her possession. She couldn't even remember who it came from or when. It had suddenly appeared in her kitchen and she hadn't touched it since, even through the last move. Apparently it's time to be drunk was here and now.

Juniper returned with the bottle and two glasses, and set them down gently on her coffee table. She poured both of them a healthy amount of scotch and then leaned back into her couch, sipping it. The bite it had was a lot stronger than she expected, but that was exactly what she wanted to get her nerves straightened out.

rhys alexander greyback ● 357

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[rhys alexander greyback]

You know I'm tired

of living like a ghost

July 29, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

The tension in the air began to clear, and Rhys felt about as relieved as Juniper looked. That entire conversation could have gone many ways. Juniper could have benched the idea of anything past just friends or, in contrast, come up with some list of demands for Rhys based on their previous experiences. In this case, Rhys probably would have responded less than kindly, and then some argument ensued, and they didn’t speak to one another for a few years. Or maybe not. Maybe Rhys would have accepted those demands because, deep down, he never truly let go of her.

It was cliché to call it a ‘first love’ thing, but Rhys knew of his difficulty connecting and trusting. He let few in regardless of his intentions. Much like the handful of young Cursebreakers he personally trained. They didn’t always agree on things nor share the kindest of words, but there wasn’t a doubt in his team that Rhys would have their back. And Rhys didn’t doubt their abilities or loyalty. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have passed them through. Somehow, these kids held a special place for Rhys, regardless of whether he wanted them to or not. And some people always snuck into those spots.

”Please.” Rhys mumbled, relaxing on the couch. He stretched his arms on top, letting the tension leave him. She returned with a bottle of something and two glasses, knowing very well her question was rhetorical. Rhys would never turn down a drink, whatever hour of the day, and not after a surprisingly tense exchange. After she poured the drinks, Rhys picked up the bottle out of curiosity and nodded in recognition. ”This is what your dad drinks, right?” Finally, picking up his glass, Rhys first sipped like some refined whisky connoisseur. It sure was like the drinks Juniper’s father would pour Rhys anytime he would visit and share stories from his work. He then took a hearty drink, just about finishing the glass at that point.

Juniper’s parents had always been kind and warm to Rhys, which had been a shock to the system at first as if someone had thrown him into the North Atlantic while he was as if someone had thrown him into the North Atlantic while in a dead sleep. He remembered feeling off for a day or two after that first Christmas; at the time, Rhys blamed it on the timing of the full moon, but recently, he realized it was his way of processing it all, dealing with the jealousy of someone having what seemed like a wonderful father, while Rhys had none. Merlin, Rhys wouldn’t have minded an insane older sibling at that point. Ewan appeared to have a good head on his shoulders despite the way he cautiously glared at Rhys, but that was simply the action of a protective sibling. Fatherhood had pushed a few things to click for Rhys, including his resentment at those general pieces of his life.

”Feel better?” Rhys asked, finishing his glass and placing it back on the table. Juniper lived in her mind as much as Rhys did, though. ”You’ll want to pace yourself with this.” He warned, again referencing the bourbon the other night. But this was good stuff, so it was not something to blitz through, in his opinion. Even Rhys wouldn’t; there were other drinks for such purposes.

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”You know…” she started as she realized he was onto something. Rhys had instantly solved the puzzle of where the bottle of scotch had come from. She had bought it as a Christmas gift for her dad, absent-mindedly put it in the back of her bottles of wine and liquor to hide it in case he came round, and then proceeded to forget about it entirely. How long had it been back there now? ”It is. And I just remembered that it was supposed to be a Christmas gift like, three years ago..” At least it was finally being put to good use now, regardless of who was drinking it. ”I doubt he’ll mind. If he sees it open the next time he’s here, he’ll probably get excited. Think he’s finally won me over to it.”

That also said a lot about her own habits and lack of guests. So much of her time was spent at both of her jobs and their respective offices, that her apartment had essentially become a place to sleep and that was it. Anyone she considered a friend she saw five days a week already, and then she spent her weekends either sleeping or on the Hogwarts campus grading papers and doing her own research. It was kind of sad.

Not drinking her glass nearly as fast as Rhys had, lest she get shitfaced off unbelievably strong scotch, Juniper still finished her own quicker than she normally would. She needed it. ”Much better,” she made a face and coughed as her throat started to warm from it. Rhys wasn’t kidding. This stuff could kill a small dragon. And she wasn’t really trying to wake up the following morning unaware of where her Saturday went. ”That’s not hard to do with this,” she coughed again to clear her throat. Merlin, it was strong. No wonder her dad usually sipped on it all afternoon.

She was satisfied with how all of this turned out. There was so much worry involved that she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to express what she wanted. Rhys had been patient and listened, and that was exactly how she had needed today to go. That felt like such a huge win to her, especially with how their last discussion on any sort of relationship between them had ended. Third time’s a charm?

rhys alexander greyback ● 392

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[rhys alexander greyback]

You know I'm tired

of living like a ghost

July 29, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys shook his head. Of course, she forgot. Alcohol had never remained at the forefront of her mind for long. That probably had something to do with Rhys’ ability to drink enough to annoy her. However, these past few months have been different in that respect. Much like those years after they left school, it was common to find them in some pub when he was not training. They would go themselves or spend time with Saffron and Archer. Rhys felt nostalgic again, remembering those times. ”I remember your mum reminding him, again, that she didn’t like scotch.” Watching Juniper’s parents interact had piqued Rhys’ interest only because he’d never really been in that type of environment, and it was sort of playful.

It was sort of heartwarming until Holly’s boyfriend at the time said something stupid. It didn’t seem like Juniper drank scotch very often either; perhaps it was just her father and brother. ”We’ll definitely need some food if you want to drink this.” Rhys commented. Scotch even hit him pretty hard. ”You up for a bite?” No need to blackout and suffer the next day after agreeing to this casual thing. That reminded him of a memory since he was feeling nostalgic.

Trying not to laugh, Rhys recalled a party at the McGonagall’s. ”Do you remember—what was his name?” Rhys sighed, trying to remember the poor chap’s name. Some guy Holly brought around that summer who had difficulty keeping up with the rest of the men’s drinks. Though, to be fair, he assumed their father was going through scotch, but really, he nursed the same glass most of the evening. ”That guy your sister brought for your father’s birthday—um—after my first year of training.” Rhys concentrated, that sounded right. Or maybe it was the year after? Rhys didn’t want to focus on the timeline too much as it referenced times they broke up, which he didn’t want to think about.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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The secret behind her father's drinking was that he nursed his glass for hours. Many times she'd heard comments from her mum asking him how much he'd had, and it was always the same old answer: 'same glass'. In a world of alcoholics, it apparently wasn't easy being a casual drinker. One time, when she was much younger, there was a party with the whole extended family visiting, and he'd snuck a second glass. Only Juniper had seen it, and had her silence bought with two extra cookies that she wasn't supposed to be eating right before dinner. They were thick as thieves at times, and she wouldn't change anything to keep it that way. "I don't think she's ever meant to complain about it, but everything in their life is so normal that she has to find something I guess." And they very well couldn't whine about Holly in front of guests.

Rhys mentioned getting food, and she realized then that she actually could eat right now. It'd be an early dinner for sure, but after expending so much energy worrying, she needed to rebuild it a bit. And any more alcohol on a semi-empty stomach would not sit well with her. "Yeah, I could go for something," Juniper agreed as she finished off her glass and stood back up. She left everything where it was, not sure if they'd both be back later or not.

Starting to collect her things to head out, Rhys continued talking, bringing up some former boyfriend of Holly's. The only specifics he could give on who it may have been was that it had been whomever her sister was seeing right when Rhys finished his first year of training. She thought for a moment, and then a name popped into her head even though it didn't sound quite right, "Howard? No..." Her brow furrowed as she continued to think back on it. "Either way, he was a stick in the mud. For as many partners as she goes through, there have definitely been clear winners and losers." Juniper found the shoes she was looking for as she said this, the name of that particular guy not coming back at all. Oh well. None of that really mattered now though. Juniper was just glad she'd gotten everything sorted out with Rhys now. "There's a good muggle pub nearby, we should start there."

[The End]

rhys alexander greyback ● 399

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