Boxing Day Musings (Magi)

[Irina Rose Krum]

It was the day after the ball and Irina woke up feeling amazing. Well, mostly amazing. She still had this weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her night with Daniel had been magical; more than magical. It had been perfect in every way. But Dan was still struggling; she was glad he had given her the best Christmas she could ever remember, but that made her will to want to find a way to help him if she could. She had begun to formulate an idea but she wasn’t quite sure how to move forward just yet.

Luckily today she was visiting Magdalena in Hogsmeade after her shift; Rina had found a special Christmas gift for her and she was exciting to give it to her. And for the distraction; definitely for the distraction. So Irina dressed for the day in a long sleeved green velvet dress and black tights. She brushed her long, dark hair until it shone and then braided it with a gold ribbon. She threw on her winter cloak and set off out of the castle and down the lane, the gold wrapped present under her arm. She picked up two cups of hot chocolate from a stall before she pushed into the Three Broomsticks. She looked around; waiting to spot Magi coming out from behind the kitchen door.

@magdalena

[Deleted]

To be honest, this whole holiday had been a little.... rough. Magdalena had been dealing with a few pregnancy side affects and they were making life pretty miserable. Not only that, it'd been her first Christmas without her family being.... well whole. Today was, thankfully, a better day. At least physically. She hadn't thrown up that morning and she wasn't getting any abdominal pains. So, she' managed to work the entire duration of her shift. It wasn't that great, having to work the day after Christmas but it hadn't been a long shift. She was just finishing up in the back when one of her co-workers mentioned that Irina was out front. Magdalena had known she was going to stop by. So, wrapping up her last job of the day, Magi slipped off her apron and stowed it away in her bag.

Stepping out of the back and into the main space of the Broomsticks Irina was easy to spot with her thick dark hair. Covering a yawn she approached her boyfriend's younger sister. "Happy belated Christmas." She managed after the yawn.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina gave Magi a small smile as she made her way over, stifling a yawn. Irina had slept until near midday that morning but she knew the other girl must have woken up incredibly early for the breakfast shift. “I brought you some hot chocolate, but I’m beginning to wonder if I should have brought you a mocha or coffee instead,” she said with a laugh. She took a sip of her own drink before gesturing for Magi to follow her to a booth near the Christmas tree she and Daniel had decorated. Giving it a fond smile, she sat down and pulled out the gold wrapped package. “After our owl correspondence, I found this in a shop here and thought it’d be perfect for you, so Happy belated Christmas,” she said, pushing it towards Magi. Inside the wrapped package was an old book of wandlore, translated from its’ original Ancient Greek. The Greeks had a different way of making wands than the Ollivander family did, so she hoped Magi would find it interesting.

@magdalena

[Deleted]

Magdalena perked up at the words 'hot chocolate'. Singularly, her favorite thing in the world. Hey, even Nikolai knew not to mess with her when it came to hot chocolate. He'd severely cut back her coffee consumption, but knew there'd be hell to pay if he tried that with hot chocolate. "No. Hot chocolate is perfect." Immediately she took the hot chocolate from Irina and followed her to the booth. "So? Nice ball last night?" She asked before sipping from the cup.

As they sat and Irina explained that she'd found something for Magi, her eyebrows rose. Like... a present? That thought was only confirmed by the appearance by a wrapped present being pushed across the table and towards her. Magdalena's eyes widened just a bit. "For me?" her damn repeating when she didn't believe what she heard. "You didn't have to.." She managed after another moment, completely stunned. She... hadn't gotten Irina anything. The only person she'd gotten a present for was Nikolai, because she'd honestly been in such a funk with this season she hadn't considered it.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina was relieved when Magi said that hot chocolate was perfect.  "Another thing we share then, a love of hot chocolate, she declared with a smile.  That smile widened when Magi asked about the Yule Ball.  "It was a rather excellent, if I do say so myself," she said coyly.  "Daniel surprised me with his skills in the ballroom.  Dancing skills, I mean."  She'd leave it at that for now; there was plenty of time for girl talk now that Magdalena's shift was over.

She waited and looked on expectantly as Magi took the gift in her hands.  The girl was momentarily speechless, and Irina was concerned for a moment that she had been mistaken in getting Magi a gift.  She quickly realized that it was a good kind of stunned at the fact that Irina had even gotten her a gift.  "I hope you like it," she told her, then hesitated.  "Do not feel as though you were required to get us anything; I just saw this and hope you would get some use out of it," she told her, trying to sound reassuring.


@magdalena

[Deleted]

Magdalena took a moment to hold the hot chocolate close to her nose and I balled deeply, just enjoying the smell of it and the steam on her cheeks. Really, hot chocolate was amazing. Absolutely amazing. It took all her will power to focus on Irina's words and not just become absorbed by the presence of her favorite beverage. "What, he hasn't surprised you with any other skills?" she teased mercilessly. Magdalena thoroughly enjoyed teasing the younger girl about her relationship with Daniel. It was fun.

The hot chocolate was completely forgotten by the present. What could it be? She wasn't sure what Irina meant by 'get some use out of it', nor did it help her narrow down the possibilities. "I.... thank you." she almost tried to come up with an argument but immediately decided against it. Smiling just a little she slowly unwrapped the present and that stunned expression became permanent. She didn't recognize the book, but she knew what it was about. Wand lore. It looked... older. Almost an antique. The author's name was unfamiliar. She'd be surprised if she's be familiar with any of the techniques inside. Immediately she looked back up at her boyfriend's sister, a hint of awe behind the shock. "You really didn't have to, Irina..."

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina chuckled. "Less surprise, more...I'm not sure of the word.  Amazed?  Elated?  Both?  Though we both do have a competitive streak really it shouldn't be unexpected," she said, shrugging one shoulder nonchalantly before giggling again.  She was pretty sure if Nikolai ever caught wind of their conversation, he'd drop dead on the spot.  Ripley and Tania....Irina felt that she wasn't ready to talk birds and bees with them, especially when that someone else was with a man they considered their second older brother.  "Thank you by the way; I know you find it rather enjoyable to tease me about it, but you're really the only person I feel comfortable talking to about...all of this," she admited, gesturing to nothing in particular before grabbing the end of her braid out of habit.


Irina watched expectantly as Magi slowly opened the book.  Her smile widened as Magi was rendered speechless and told her she didn't have to get her the gift.  "I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to.  You've come into the Krum family and stirred things up, and in the best way possible.  I wanted you to know that you're a welcome addition," she told her, speaking as honestly as she felt.  She looked away, smiling awkwardly, and took a sip of her hot cocoa.

[Deleted]

Magdalena snickered softly at Irina's answer. "Should I be worried about you two having a better sex life than me and Nikolai?" She teased even more. To be honest that wouldn't really surprise her considering recent developments. Oh, how she wishes Nikolai was here to hear all this. His reaction would be priceless. Maybe someday when she really wanted to fluster him she'd tell her boyfriend about her and Irina's little talks. As Irina went on to thank her both Magi's eyebrows raised before she smiled. "I like teasing everyone, but you Krums are particularly enjoyable. Besides, I sort of owe you for when you and Dan spent the night." she added that last sentence as an after thought and grin.

There was a strange look in Magdalena's eyes as Irina spoke. About her stirring things up. About being a welcome addition. That Irina would say that... "Not always in the best way..." she finally and quietly admitted as she glanced down at the book. "I love your brother, but sometimes I think everything would be so much easier for him if it weren't for me. There's... there some things you don't know. That Nikolai didn't tell you." she started to explain, but stopped short before admitting anything else. Nikolai had trusted Irina with the pregnancy, so shouldn't they be able to trust Irina with the truth about everything else..?

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina laughed out loud at Magi's comment, her cheeks flaming red.  "Oh no, I don't think anyone can match the two of you," she teased, twisting the end of her braid with a small smile.  "Though with the recent circumstances Nikolai's made me privy to, I can imagine keeping that up might be a bit more....difficult," she added, her blue eyes flickering towards Magi's stomach before training back to her again.  "I wouldn't necessarily say we spent the night seeing as we left in the middle of it," she argued, but smiled all the same.  Magdalena had of course not known of Dan's empathy at the time, but Nikolai had.  Irina had been raging mad at her brother; she'd even pushed him out of anger for putting Dan in the position he had.  That was months past now; Nikolai and her were on a strong road back to a great relationship, and Irina knew Magi had to do with some of that.

Irina's smile faded slightly at Magi's next words; her eyebrows scrunched together as a worried look came over her face.  "Magi, why would you say something like that?" she asked the girl.  She brought her hands so they cupped her cup of hot chocoalte, but her eyes never left the other girls face.   "These things... what are you saying?" she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper, so they were not overheard.


@magdalena

[Deleted]

The oddest emotion seemed to bubble up in her chest as the 'recent developments' were mentioned by Irina. Magdalena personally had very few people she wanted to tell about the pregnancy, and she and Nikolai had originally planned on telling his family at the end of the first trimester. Somehow Irina had been told along the way though. But hearing the girl bring it up? It was.... strange. Almost awkward having someone mention the pregnancy. Not just any person though. The baby's future Aunt. Immediately Magdalena shifted just a little, as if to make sure no physical signs of her pregnancy were showing yet. "Uh, yeah. That." Why was it so strange having someone other than Nikolai mention the pregnancy?

Magdalena let out a sigh and leaned forward to fold her arms on the table and rest her chin on them. She wasn't looking at Irina now, just staring at the vacant spot next to her, as if looking at her might make it harder to say what Magi needed to. It made it a little easier, if only because she didn't need to worry about Irina's expression. "Because it's true?" She quietly answered. Really, Nikolai was far too good for her. She was happy to be with him, extremely happy. But he could do so much better than her. Finally she sighed. "I've caused a lot of problems for your brother. Honestly I don't know why he kept coming back." She whispered honestly. Oh, they'd hated each other at first. At yet he hadn't given up on her. Despite his personal feelings he hadn't let her stay on that self destructive path. And somehow along the way... Things had changed. "If it hadn't been for me he never would have gotten hurt. Getting stabbed... I know who hurt him. They'd been regulars of mine... and they tried to take advantage of me, but Nikolai stopped them. They kept coming back though. I didn't even know they were at the club that night. I wouldn't have asked Nikolai to meet me there if I'd known. They hurt him because of me." If she hadn't asked him to come.... He never would have been stabbed. Who knew what would have happened to her, but he would have been safe at least...

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina leaned in a little as Magi shifted in her seat.  "I haven't told anyone, I promise," she said quietly.  She knew that Nikolai hadn't exactly planned on telling her about the baby when they made Christmas cookies a few weeks ago; it had just come out unexpectedly.  Irina had honestly preferred it that way; too much planning and formally telling her would have felt odd and stiff.  This way Nik had just gone with instinct showed that his trust in her was stronger than it had been for a long time now.  Plus, now that both her and Daniel knew, it had brought a little bit of much needed relief in their relationship.

She folded her hands in front of her as Magi began to tell her the story of what happened the night of the stabbing.  How the three men who had jumped Nikolai had been customers of Magi's, how he had saved her the night they tried to...Irina didn't want to think of what would have happened to Magi if her brother hadn't been there.  The details of the night moments coming up to the stabbing though were clear to Irina; she had seen it happen after all.  "I know that the men were looking for you that night, looking for revenge against you.  It was one of my visions," Irina said quietly, looking down at her hot chocolate.  After a moment, she looked back up.  "I saw you dancing with my brother, probably a little more than I'd like to see to be honest," she chuckled a little before continuing.  "I saw the two men grab my brother while the third stabbed....and I heard your screams."  She paused again.  "I tried to tell Nikolai, but it was the day he found out about Daniel and I so he wasn't in the mood to listen to me to say the least."  

Irina sighed, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.  "I never apologized to you by the way for interrogating you so harshly that night.  I just....I recognized you from the vision first and had to know what was going on.  So, I am sorry for that."  She took a sip of her cocoa, still looking over at the older girl.  "I don't believe now though, for one second, that Nikolai would be better off without you.  He and I are rebuilding our relationship, stronger than ever and I know I have you to thank for it," she told Magi firmly.


@magdalena

[Deleted]

Magdalena just nodded when Irina said she hadn't told anyone. Magi would let Nikolai tell his family and those he wanted to know. While Magi... decided who to tell. She still wasn't in contact with any of her own family. Her father tried to write every once in a while but she refused to answer. And she went out of her way to avoid her brother. She just wasn't ready to face that part of her life. Wasn't ready to accept how screwed up everything was.

Her gaze immediately shot to Irina's when she said she knew. What? How? That was impossible. Nikolai wouldn't have told Irina was happened. Her eyes began to widen to the size of saucers as Irina went on to explain. "... visions?" she repeated slowly. As if to verify she'd heard correctly. She couldn't have.

She managed to tear her eyes away as Irina apologized. "To be honest I barely even remember what you said that night. You don't need to apologize." she'd felt so numb and void that she had no idea how she'd managed to make it through that night without doing something completely psychotic and insane to feel something different. Though a smile graced her lips at the idea of irina and Nikolai being able to build a strong relationship and that she'd played a role in it.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina fell silent as she saw Magdalena’s eyes widen at the description of her vision. In all that had happened between then and now, Irina had honestly thought she had told Magi that she was a Seer. Evidently, she had not. “I..I’m a Seer, Magi. I have dreams, nightmares really, about bad things happening, and a good portion of the time they end up coming to pass. This one, plus a few more, almost monthly at this point. The first one was the Kings Cross attacks...that’s when the Divination professor realized what I was dreaming were visions.” Irina stopped talking and took a sip of her hot chocolate. It was a lot to take in she knew; she hadn’t told that many people yet either.  Outside her immediate family, only Daniel and her roommates knew about her visions.  And now Magi knew too.

Irina caught Magi's smile at the mention of Nikolai and her own grin graced her face again.  "So how is my brother anyway?  He's treating you well right?" she asked her.


@magdalena

[Deleted]

Magdalena's eyes had already been wide but they widened even more as Irina explained. Seer. Irina was clairvoyant. She'd seen Nikolai get stabbed. Remember what she'd said, about how Nikolai hadn't been willing to listen to her warning about the stabbing because of her and Daniel... "Thank you... for at least trying..." oh the stubborn fool. He should have listened...

Magdalena found herself nodding next. "He's good, usual I suppose. Over protective of course. He takes the healer's instructions very seriously." she smirked a little. His overprotectiveness was actually adorable. It was easier then ever to torment him. Magdalena intentionally left out the part about her having... unusual pregnancy symptoms. And just how much they were freaking Nikolai out.

Irina Rose Krum

[Irina Rose Krum]

Irina nodded in silence when Magi thanked her for trying. A fat load that had done; perhaps if Nikolai had not been so focused on catching her and Daniel kissing in Hogsmeade he would have been more likely to heed her warning. She couldn’t help but sometimes feel that her clairvoyancy was a curse; she could never stop her visions from happening, even if what she saw wasn’t meant to take place for days, weeks or even months. Either she didn’t know it was happening until it was too late, or she was not believed. “It’s hard sometimes; I wonder if telling people I see in my visions is for their benefit or not, but most of the time it backfires on me,” she said softly. She was now thinking of Andromeda Lestrange, and the horrible vision she’d had of her dorm mate.

She shuddered a little, and closed her eyes. “I usually see things like death, injury or destruction; I’ve only seen one thing that was positive,” she said, a faint tinge of pink creeping onto her cheeks. She wasn’t necessarily sure if she’d call it a vision, but she was still positive that the flash she’d seen a few weeks ago holding a child was her child, and not Niko and Magi’s. She turned her attention back to the other girl as she was told how her brother was very overprotective and she laughed. “That doesn’t surprise me, Nikolai’s always had an interest in healing, so wanting to follow ones’ instructions to a T sounds very like him,” she said, smiling.

@magdalena