dinner & diatribes | juniper

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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The concept of a group chat with the others was actually kind of funny. If Saffron was still alive, she could see it happening. She didn’t have Nell or Sage’s numbers saved, but she still had her best friend’s last messages to her. All of the voicemails and pictures too. She managed to save and back them up onto a computer, as well as get prints made just in case. There was no forgetting the short period of time Saff existed in her life. Days like today were where Juniper missed her the most. Because she should have been here. The missing puzzle piece that was gone forever, never to be replaced. ’Thanks for keeping me in business,’ Nell said sarcastically to some comment Rhys was making about wands. That was enough to break Juniper out of her spell. He then managed to switch it back to his sister, and the supposed infatuation the one trainee, Buford, had with her. Juniper tried not to laugh at the scoff that came out of the other Greyback. ’Like I said before, he is a nice boy. But no.’ There always seemed to be a second life that the cursebreakers held. They were all wrapped up in their own world, only occasionally spilling back into the one inhabited by everyone else.

Juniper hadn’t actually heard her name called, but still turned to look when Rhys asked. It took a moment of scanning the room until she saw the familiar, jovial (but plain) face of Elliot Chambers. She officially ended things with him almost three years ago, too much protest on his end. Which was sort of silly, because they had never really gone out enough to be anything more than casually dating. ”Oh for Merlin’s sake…not him,” she groaned. ”I swear, he probably still doesn’t know what my first name is.” There was nothing attractive about the fact that he was still calling her McGonagall after sleeping together a few times. She still didn’t know why she put herself through that. He was the worst rebound ever.

For a moment, she contemplated disappearing then and there into her cat form. Poofing into a ball of black fur and whiskers and then hiding underneath the table until he passed. But with the way he was so insistent about meaningless conversation, he would have still found his way over to the table and never left. How was she supposed to avoid this? What she really didn’t want to do was the entire charade of introducing everyone at the table to him. It was pointless, annoying banter. Especially with Chambers. Unfortunately, she froze to her chair. She didn’t want to get up and make him think he was invited over, but also didn’t want to be stuck to whatever group he was with. That lot of Ministry officials was so painfully boring. Offering him a small wave and weak smile, Juniper turned back around to face the rest of her table again. Hopefully that was enough to keep him away.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'd suffer hell if you'd tell me

what you'd do to me tonight

August 25, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Had Buford not brought Dahlia flowers, Rhys likely would have never mentioned him again. But, since he had, it was a fun topic to bring up now and then. And Buford happened to require a new wand now. Every Cursebreaker would replace their wand at least once, very rarely did it not occur. By Rhys’ observations, a replacement was due either early in one’s career or late. For Rhys, the latter. Archer had gotten a replacement after the accident—or attack, rather, that took Saffron from them. Thinking of her was a heavy process for Rhys, even knowing more of the facts of that day—well, it didn’t help as much as he thought it would. And thinking of her now made him eager for those pitchers of whatever Dahlia ordered.

Juniper hadn’t seemed to hear her name called, but Rhys wasn’t surprised. It was loud in the vicinity, and he always caught these things first. But suddenly, she sunk in her seat, and Rhys curiously looked where she’d just looked. Someone—a guy waved in their direction. He looked like the Ministry type, but nobody Rhys recognized. ”Someone you know?” Perhaps an old coworker, but Rhys’ mind jumped to other conclusions first. The knot that formed in his gut at said conclusions was uncomfortable and strong enough to risk kicking Rhys out of his good mood.

The Three Broomsticks was the perfect place to run into old friends, acquaintances, or perhaps people you were trying to avoid. The risk of an all-wizarding village, he supposed. Diagon and Horizont Alley, with proximity to London, drew a different crowd. Rhys let his eyes linger on this mystery fellow for a few seconds longer before letting his attention return to the table. Fortunately, a few pitchers floated their way—finally. The perfect distraction, really. ”Finally.” Everybody seemed relieved. They were here to drink after all—or at least Rhys was. He took a pitcher and poured it into glasses, pushing one in front of Juniper and then Dahlia. As he was about to push one in front of Nell, Rhys saw she already had one…courtesy of Archer, so Rhys kept the glass for himself, which he quickly drank heartily from.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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”Yeah. We uhh…” Why did she pause? Everyone had one or two relationship horror stories if they were in the game long enough. Especially after getting out of one that was comfortable and trying to find an equivalent one to follow up with. That had been where her mistake was when it came to Chambers. Thinking a Ministry politician would be easier to handle than Rhys was her first mistake. Not correcting the name quirk was her second. ”We dated. Very briefly.” Juniper tried to put an emphasis on it, because she wanted it known that she was not happy with how that had turned out. Being embarrassed by it wasn’t the worst thing in the world either. She had learned from her mistakes and grown from it. She was sure Rhys would understand that. Chambers had been the worst kind of rebound she could have found. It did eventually lead her into a series of one-off dates and years of disappointment until recently though, but that was mostly because of her busy schedule and that no one else she tried dating seemed to get her.

The welcome distraction of booze finally arrived, pitchers floating down to their table from above. She had completely forgotten that the goal tonight, aside from celebrating Rhys’s birthday, was to watch Nell and Archer. Her own glass was filled, and by the time she turned to see what the two of them were doing, they already had their own. They were sneaky. Juniper stared at Nell over the froth of her own beer as she sipped, trying to figure it out. Assuming she was right, when had it started? Why did they feel the need to be quiet about it? Who initiated it? Normally, she wouldn’t care in the slightest what Nell Ollivander did in her life. Juniper liked the occasional apology for the spilled potion all those years ago, internally giggling at the thought that it kept Nell awake at night to this day. ”Have you told Nell about the tattoo yet?” she asked Rhys, trying to make sure the others didn’t hear her. That would only make more questions arise. Like how Rhys had seen it already. While it was probably quiet enough for the mysterious lovebirds across the table, she was afraid that the discerning ears of Dahlia had caught the question. Because Juniper could feel the other werewolf’s eyes boring into her.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'd suffer hell if you'd tell me

what you'd do to me tonight

August 25, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys knew the answer when he asked the question and even before she completed her sentence. Whether or not he wanted to admit it was an entirely different matter. Feeling his body tense, Rhys forced himself to relax. It had been, what? Four years since they last dated? That was plenty of time for another relationship or two or whatever one wanted to do. They were adults. Merlin, even Rhys, had a two-year-old relationship himself. But, it didn’t stop that wave of jealousy passing over him. Even with the logical conclusions one might make regarding her additional comments.

”Really?” Rhys couldn’t help himself, so he glanced back at this mystery man. There was something…boring about him. Or he reminded Rhys of their few classmates who fit that very plain bill. Finally, he looked back to Juni, trying to seem unimpressed. ”Think he’ll come over and say hello?” Part of Rhys hoped he let them be and avoid a possibly awkward situation but the other half wanted to meet him. Call it curiosity, plus Rhys was, at minimum, a head taller than him. But at least they could focus on the beer arriving, out of the corner of his eye Rhys noted Juniper staring at the other pair at the table.

Drinking half his glass, he felt Juni lean in and ask him a question. Rather than answer, he shook his head ‘no’. It wasn’t on purpose, such things just never came up in their conversations. Just as Rhys hadn’t shared their little library escapade with Nell or any other close moments on campus. But the topic gave him an idea. ”Hey, Archer—what was that tattoo Saff made you get when you lost that bet?” Truth be told, Rhys’ memory was fuzzy that night. They’d had quite a bit to drink the week after celebrating the completion of their training. Plus, it was something specific and on Archer’s back, so he couldn’t glance at it quickly.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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"I really hope not," she said, trying not to slink too deep into her chair. Elliot Chambers was about as boring as the end slice of a cheap loaf of white bread. No flavor, no flair, mind always on the Ministry. She couldn't even remember what she had first thought about him now, as everything had been completely overwritten by the negatives of that 'relationship'. Juniper hated calling it that, as the majority of her time spent with him was listening to him talk and pretending she cared. It was mostly him showing her off to his coworkers, who were also all identical to him in ideology and mannerisms. If someone told her that they had perfected a human Gemini spell and that their test subject was Chambers or his colleagues, she'd believe it. "It'll be impossible to get rid of him if he does," Juniper added quickly. She hoped he had some poor new girl latched onto him, equally as boring and mundane as he was. That would be the perfect life for him too.

While Juniper was about a dozen shots light of fully pulling her pants down to show Nell her tattooed green splotch in the middle of the Three Broomsticks, the conversation had sort of moved in that direction anyways. Apparently Archer had one from a lost bet to Saffron years ago. Somehow, Juniper had never heard of this. That sounded like the sort of thing her friend would have bragged about endlessly. If she had to guess, it must have happened following the first break-up. When she didn't want to hear anything about Rhys and by extension, Archer and cursebreaking).

Nell didn't react to Rhys's question though, so maybe that was a giveaway that they were wrong. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, but Dahlia looked interested. Upon their first meeting, Juniper had taken note of the other woman's many tattoos, mostly centered on her hands and arms. 'Where are you hiding it?' she asked almost immediately after her brother had. At least they knew now that Dahlia hadn't slept with Archer yet?

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'd suffer hell if you'd tell me

what you'd do to me tonight

August 25, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Internally, Rhys felt the boost to his ego. The idea of Juniper with anyone, ex-boyfriend or not, left him feeling territorial, although Rhys was sane enough to see it was ridiculous. Juniper’s reaction, however, to this ex-boyfriend helped him feel better. In the back of his mind, Rhys prepared for the event that the man might come over. What would he do? Maybe throw his arm around her, puff his chest out a little, and not slouch when he stood. That would hopefully ward him off, and then Juniper would owe him one. But the first thought that popped into my mind was definitely, ‘She could do better.’

Archer rolled his eyes, quickly refilling his stein while staring intently at the table. He seemed determined not to answer or acknowledge the question. This only amused Rhys further, especially with Dahlia jumping in. ”C’mon Archer—“ Rhys finished his drink, refilling it immediately. He figured these few pitchers sent to the table would hardly be adequate. ”—if this were me, you’d be all over it.” And damn near ripping Rhys’ shirt off to prove the point. Saffron actually denied that bet, but then again, they’d all been pretty tanked that night. And Nell didn’t quite seem to be chiming in—proving Rhys’ point.

The ale helped his buzz, but Rhys never felt complete without something stronger in his hand. Either way, nature was calling. ”Back in a minute.” Although on the way to the loo, Rhys used the crowd as an opportunity to take the scenic route, walking just past the group with Juniper’s ex-boyfriend. The conversation seemed polite from the pieces he heard, with needless chatter. Just like at the Ministry whenever Rhys was summoned. Merlin, that seemed dull. This path also took him past the bar, where he caught the attention of a young bartender whose eyelashes were too long for her face. Rhys ordered whisky for himself and shots for the table while pointing to his lot’s table near the back. She nodded and began to work. Finally, he reached the men’s room on the other side, but not before he pulled out his phone. Either he’d gotten a message, or it was one of those phantom vibrations people spoke about. How muggles dealt with that was beyond him.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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Juniper didn’t really think that discussing Archer’s tattoo would lead to either of them giving it away that they were in a relationship. While there was a non-zero chance that Nell had seen this supposed tattoo, maybe the guy liked to keep his shirt on or there was never a chance with the lights on. She didn’t know. That seemed like a silly way to try and make them both fold. Still, it didn’t stop her from watching them. The fact that they barely acknowledged one another, yet entered the pub and sat next to each other, was suspicious enough to her. That screamed that they had a secret. Dahlia seemed oblivious to it as she continued to pester Archer about where and what the tattoo was. If they really wanted to settle the bet, all she or Rhys would have to do was briefly give their thoughts on it, and the other Greyback would probably outright ask them. They all knew Nell would crack under the pressure if everyone at the table turned to her. But Juniper couldn’t ask that, and Rhys would never threaten his friendship with her by trying to dig.

Thinking about all of this, Rhys had decided to get up and excuse himself. Even if she had wanted to see where he was going, she’d never be able to see over the crowd between the table and the bar. It only took a second for Dahlia to be out of her chair and ending up behind Archer, continuously pestering him on where his tattoo was. She had become indignant about it, saying something about ‘wanting to compare sizes’ with hers. Juniper nearly spit out her beer at that, knowing full well that the French witch probably didn’t understand what she had just said. Or maybe she did and was just trying to rial her colleague up. That seemed very cursebreaker-ish.

The curious part about that was the way Nell averted her eyes following the comment. Juniper nearly jumped out of her chair and pointed at her, wanting to scream how she knew it, but kept herself glued to her chair. She hid the grin behind her glass and pulled out her phone to text Rhys. ’she just reacted to a penis joke Dahlia made about him’. That seemed fair enough, though whether or not Rhys would believe her was a whole different story. Of course it had to happen when he stepped away.

rhys alexander greyback ● 408

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'd suffer hell if you'd tell me

what you'd do to me tonight

August 25, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys exited the men’s room, stepping aside for others to walk or hobble in as he felt his phone vibrate. Standing to the side and out of the way, Rhys read the message from Juniper. One of those rare little smiles appeared on his face, whether he knew it or not. But it was human nature for one’s poker face to fall when receiving messages from certain people. ’hm. I dunno’ Nell might have been shy, but Rhys would never call her overly modest either. Then again, Cursebreaker talk was perhaps less than appropriate for the average person. Juniper had probably grown used to it with so many years with him and around his friends and Saff.

He paused before sending another message. While he was curious to find out if there was truth to Juniper’s theory, at the same time, Rhys wasn’t one to pry. With all that he and Archer had gone through, they had always shared plenty over time without forcing it. A sober Rhys would have probably stopped this, but it was far too late for that. Walking back up to the bar, Rhys smiled at a different bartender, and she smiled in return. For the moment, he felt fortunate that he knew this one. She was a pretty blonde with blue eyes, and suffice it to say that she and Rhys had run into one another from time to time. But Rhys knew he could ask a favor with the next round of drinks coming—to leave the bottle.

Finally, he returned to the table, not paying much notice to how Dahlia just about had Archer in a headlock. It wasn’t a new sight for him. ”What’s going on here?” He asked, looking between Nell and Juniper. A few moments later, the blonde bartender arrived casually, floating a tray with Rhys’ drink and shots for the table and the requested bottle to save them the trouble of returning to the bar. She approached the table closest to Rhys, leaning into his space very purposefully despite not needing to. ’Happy Birthday, Rhys.’ She smiled and winked at Rhys before returning to the bar. ”Thanks, Maria.” Rhys cleared his throat and went for his shot. ”Now, if you two are done—here.” Rhys pushed shots toward the other Cursebreakers.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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The sibling like banter between Dahlia and Archer was sort of surprising, though Juniper supposed it made sense the more she thought about it. With how close Rhys and Archer had been over the years, it was logical that spending an extended prior of time with his best friend would lead to a similar type of relationship for her as well. It just seemed like things went from zero to a hundred almost instantly once the tidbit of info about a hidden tattoo was revealed. The normal solemn looking Dahlia seemed to have a renewed energy. Considering her recent injury, that was most likely a good sign.

She felt her phone buzz again but didn't check it. There really wasn't much to add after that, and Nell had disappeared into her drink, barely acknowledging what was going on right next to her. It was so weird that it made Juniper want to outright ask her if the two of them were sleeping together. She couldn't let it go, her brain telling her over and over that it was definitely a thing and now she was completely convinced by it. Every little action was going to create some kind of narrative for her story too.

Rhys had returned by then, asking what was going on, and Dahlia grunted something about wanting to see the tattoo, repeating her line about 'comparing sizes' again, which elicited another giggle out of Juniper. Nell happened to cover her face at that. "I think she wants to see his tattoo," Juniper translated. She spoke cursebreaker fluently.

It didn't take long from when Rhys returned for one of the bartenders to arrive with shots and a bottle. She leaned in incredibly close to him, enough so that Juniper could see it all in 3D. "Yes, Happy Birthday, Rhys," she said immediately after, once again trying to throw her weight around at the other woman. There was no way she hadn't seen Juniper's interference play earlier at the bar. It had been unbelievably obvious to everyone within the vicinity.

The shots were a solid distraction, Dahlia releasing a now struggling to breathe Archer, Nell shaking her head at the entire interaction. The best part was that these weren't going to slow down the shenanigans. She had decided then and there to get Nell as drunk as possible, and hope to get her to spill her deepest, darkest secrets. A little push from the old Potions accident would probably work well too...

rhys alexander greyback ● 413

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'd suffer hell if you'd tell me

what you'd do to me tonight

August 25, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys shook his head, amused. ”Maybe—she does this all the time.” At some point, when Rhys was locked down in Britain due to Hag’s Fever, the pair acted like they had grown up together. Maybe it was just Archer—who Rhys knew had many siblings. Despite Rhys and Dahlia individually growing up virtually alone, he often forgot they had only met four years prior. The waitress arrived, and Rhys forced himself not to watch her leave as he already felt Juni’s eyes on him. ”Don’t start.” He warned her, though not seriously. They weren’t dating. Things were good and on a foundation that didn’t feel like eggshells.

Plus, this sort of thing would happen before—most notably Dolohov trying to find her way into Rhys’ physical space whenever possible as if his Veritaserum-induced confession that he would never be with her wasn’t enough to ward her off. They all took their shots, and someone immediately grabbed the bottle to refill their glasses. The pitchers were almost empty—Rhys poured more while waiting for another shot. Mixing all this was probably not in his best interest—but he was in a good—no great mood, and it was his birthday.

With his birthday outside of the school year, Rhys only saw his friends that day once he left school. And then, when his training and work began, most of those birthdays were spent uncomfortably with some whisky somewhere. Still feeling too sober, Rhys downed his ale. A familiar feeling began to flow through him. He felt lighter, more relaxed and well on his way to drunk. Years spent forgetting his own birthday until his friends’ letters would arrive. That meant more to him than he ever told them or knew how to express. They were probably all somewhere in his flat with his old-school things. Feeling nostalgic and sentimental, Rhys sighed and relaxed in his chair before picking up his second shot.

”Thank you all for being here.” A simple six words, and somehow it was probably more than Rhys was used to expressing or them hearing, but he focused on consuming the whisky quickly. Getting older, and fatherhood was making him soft. ”Now—“ This time, Rhys looked at the fellow Cursebreaker with renewed focus. ”Archer. Are you going to tell me where you’ve been disappearing all term—terms?” As far as Rhys knew, he'd never been like this. So there had to be something going on, and had it been a family member not doing well, Archer would have shared it with Rhys immediately, but it was certainly not that.

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[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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She shrugged off his comment about no starting in on him. Even if things 'weren't complicated' officially, they most certainly were and there was no way Rhys could deny that. Coming to the realization that he had been much more liberal with his loins over the last few years than she had definitely irked her. They were adults though, and he sort of had a point that she was starting to edge closer towards jealous teenager than almost-thirty. Juniper liked to think she had changed a lot since school, particularly in the personality department, yet this brought her right back down. There was no hiding her thoughts or feelings now, assuming she was ever good at that to begin with.

The shot went back rather quickly, influenced by her other drinks and the need to move herself on from her apparent jealousy. There were important things at play right now, like getting to the bottom of the Archer and Nell situation. She was glad to have the extra boost from the whiskey, chasing it down with another long sip (for her) of her beer.

Rhys wasted no time, also apparently rejuvenated by his own drink, and asked Archer directly about where he'd been going throughout the school year. Juniper placed all of her focus on Nell, hoping to see another one of those slight facial movements. How in Merlin's name was she staying so composed? The girl she remembered was twitchier than a Whomping Willow, always on the verge of having a mental breakdown. A scrape on the floor drew her attention away for a fraction of a second as Dahlia stood, mentioning she wanted to order food, before disappearing in the throng of bodies at the front of pub. Apparently she was bored by all this, when she couldn't manhandle another person.

"You know," Juniper started, giving Rhys a quick glance before continuing, "I noticed that as well. You're almost never in your office." It may have given away that she stopped by that wing of the school frequently, more often than not to see Rhys, but who were they kidding. If the other two didn't already have a clue that something was going on, then they were idiots.

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'd suffer hell if you'd tell me

what you'd do to me tonight

August 25, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Surprisingly, Juniper didn’t have some quip about how Rhys could ‘do better’ in the dating department. It's not that Rhys dated much in terms of what others might expect; he simply never had an issue finding a good time. Rhys didn’t press the issue. It would be silly to fall into that type of conflict headfirst. And as he kept his eyes on Archer, who fidgeted endlessly while trying to remain composed and unbothered. ’What’s it to you, mate? I didn’t know I had to tell you every time I visit my mum.’ Defensive. Rhys noted. Although Archer had a very valid point.

Sitting back, Rhys poured the next round of shots just as Dahlia stood up and marched over to order food. Eating something was probably a good idea, but now, Rhys was a dog with a bone. While he’d never been as competitive as Juniper in that sense, that was definitely a behavior they had bonded over in the past. ”Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.” Taking the next shot, Rhys shook his head unconvinced. ”Except your Mum always messages me when you visit asking why you didn’t bring me.” Rhys rebutted matter-of-factly.

When Rhys began training, he’d had the opportunity to meet Archer’s family. His older and younger siblings, plus his parents and they had welcomed Rhys very warmly. Such things were still new for Rhys at the time, much like when he’d met Juniper’s family for the first time and spent Christmas with them. And the invitations to return had been heartwarming, especially as he considered Archer, a brother of sorts. So whenever Archer visited, Rhys was always inquired about. Over time, Rhys realized it was just a thing mothers did with their children’s friends and close ones. But he sat back and waited for Archer’s response.

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The coolness in which Archer responded to Rhys’s line of questioning would have been good enough, had it not been for the way he automatically defended himself by saying it was a family thing. Rhys seemed to have pointed that out as well. Obviously, Juniper liked her family just as much and probably spent a little too much time with her parents now that she was working so close to their house. The difference with her was that if she was asked where she was sneaking off to (or disappearing as they were posing it), she would have no problem telling the person then and there. Archer just straight up vanished most of the time. She sort of wished she knew a little more about Nell, as that would at least give her some insight on all of this. From the horror stories she had heard about the eldest Ollivander, Juniper wasn’t all that surprised if personal relationships were kept secret. One less thing to have ruined…

Rhys had gone on to explain that Archer’s mother apparently always messaged him whenever such an occasion occurred, causing Juniper to raise her eyebrows at the other cursebreaker. He definitely wasn’t used to be questioned like this. She downed her second shot and got up from her chair in an attempt to take over where Dahlia had been seated next to Nell. As she did so, the other Greyback returned from the bar. ’That silly girl at the bar could not understand me, so I don’t know what I ordered,’ Dahlia complained as she reclaimed her chair. Juniper moved closer to her as the grumbling continued, hovering right over her shoulder. ’It does not take a genius to know that asking for chips and frites is the same thing.’ The assumption on Juniper’s end being that she must have tried to order a basket of chips, but in French.

Leaning down, she explained what Dahlia had missed, ”We were just asking Archer where he disappears to all the time. What about you Nell? Any ideas?” she asked, placing a firm grip on Dahlia’s shoulder as she straightened up again. There was no hiding her tone at all, and she really wanted the French cursebreaker to understand what was being implied here. Nell’s eyes widened at the question…

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[rhys alexander greyback]

i'd suffer hell if you'd tell me

what you'd do to me tonight

August 25, 2028
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys just knew there was something now. Drinking more whisky, Rhys continued to pour into any available glass he saw before him. Since Juni had planted this seed in his brain earlier that evening, he could not let it go. Archer didn't seem annoyed but kept rolling his eyes and avoiding Rhys's gaze. "Fine! Don't tell me." Rhys dramatically threw his hands up and crossed his arms. "It's not like we haven't almost died together—how many times now? I tell you everything." Which was probably about ninety-eight percent true. Rhys was fairly sure he hadn't told Archer he was sleeping with Juniper all over again.

Archer laughed loudly. ' You're a bloody liar, and you know it.' Finally, the man locked eyes with Rhys. There was a knowing expression on his face and a smirk Rhys didn't like. But all Archer had to do was glance to the side where Juni was now standing between Dahlia and Nell and back at Rhys. Well, apparently, Rhys didn't have to tell Archer anything. At least he did Rhys the favor of not announcing it to the table and the whole pub. "Fine. Fine. You'll tell me when you'll tell me, I guess." Rhys poured another shot for himself and Archer.

He didn't catch what the girls were speaking about and barely caught what Dahlia had said about food. His face felt warm. There was definitely a lot of alcohol in his system. And looking at the bottle, he saw how much remained—or didn't remain, rather. And then suddenly, Rhys was mildly startled by the loud sound of a chair moving. Nell stood up, announcing she was going to the lady's room. Rhys blinked a few times at her and returned to what was left of the beer.

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The old 'we almost died together' trick didn't seem to phase Archer in the slightest. That did make her wonder: how many more times had the two of them flirted with death since Saffron's death? Juniper wasn't sure she was ready to hear that answer, hoping they were currently embellishing it because of the company they were in. She obviously knew that it was incredibly easy for a cursebreaker to be snuffed out of existence before they even knew it, poor Dahlia here almost being the most recent casualty. The lack of caring about all of that was really what had rubbed her wrong for all those years. Not even Saff could give her an honest answer on why they continued to do it, travel and treasure aside. Juniper had created her own theory, that it was an addiction of sorts, and continuing to take jobs was a way for the truly broken ones to keep their minds at ease. She knew Rhys had his demons and suspected the same could be said about Dahlia. Archer though? He was a tough one to crack, and their own interactions had been limited even when she and Rhys were dating.

Directing her question at Nell seemed to work, almost too perfectly, and it caused her to stand up and excuse herself to the bathroom. That was awful timing to do so, definitely not for the way she and Rhys were seeing things. 'She is so strange,' Juniper heard Dahlia mutter from below her. And to that, she absolutely agreed. In the brief silence that followed, there seemed to be some introspection on the situation, and Dahlia pointed her almost empty stein at Archer, 'Are you two fucking?' she asked bluntly. Juniper had to cover her mouth like an immature teenager to hide the stupid look on her face. Apparently it was a lot more obvious than she or Rhys realized.

Patting Dahlia's shoulder to signify she'd done good work, Juniper returned to her seat and nudged Rhys with her elbow. "Get your wallet out," she grinned. Easiest ten galleons she'd ever made.

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