it's who you know | grey

[Ondina Nell Weasley]

i dare you.

THE CAFE WAS NOT TO ONDINA'S USUAL TASTE but she was not there for the food. It was a little hole in the wall on Diagon Alley, not at all the extravagant eateries she was partial to. Having finished early at the Ministry, Ondina had other plans for the rest of the night. She'd been thinking about this particular venture for some time now. Especially now that she was living in London, under Renard Goyle's roof. Her fiance. It didn't make sense to most, but perhaps that was why Ondina was enjoying the union. It certainly wasn't for his sunny personality.

Near the back of the cafe, with a head full of messy hair and a little scruff on his sculpted chin, was a boy Ondina knew a little too well. He ate like a pig, and her nose scrunched slightly, but she did not slow her approach until she was sliding in to the empty chair opposite from Grey Slater. As boring a name as a boy, although once upon a time she had coveted his attention enough to trick him in to loving her. She'd enjoyed that ploy a little too much. Her lips quirking in to a knowing smile as their history filled the space between them, pregnant with a bitterness that Ondina had always fed in.

"Hello, lover boy." Ondina drawled, a hand reaching across the table to take the drink that sat in front of him. She leaned back and sipped it delicately, water. "I didn't know you were going dry this summer." She pouted, tongue darting across her red painted bottom lip. "I was hoping this was vodka." She wasn't, but it was funny to think of the uptight teenager drinking something a little risky. But, then again, he'd never seemed like much of the risk taking type before she'd shaken him up.

grey xavier slater

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[grey xavier slater]

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Within a few months of being hired on as a full-time reporter for the Prophet, Grey realized that he absolutely could not do substantial amounts of work in the office. Writing out his actual pieces for the paper was one thing – that had to be done there in case he needed to drop off a draft for editing at the end of the day. But when it came to organizing his notes or blocking out an article? That had to be conducted away from his desk and preferably in a semi-loud environment. The Prophet offices were open concept desks and a million and one distractions going on at the same time: charmed papers flying around, stacks of paper levitating a few feet off the floor, and the constant hum of phones ringing with the promise of new scoops. None of those were conducive to writing about Quidditch matches, so he found a new spot.

There was a small café across the street from the Prophet that had a hectic lunch period and was perfect for cranking work out at. There was just enough buzz around the place that it let him get his job done with little distraction, and if his editor needed him, they knew where he was. Getting back to his desk or out on an assignment was almost equidistant from the café as it was from the office anyways. Today was no different, and he was finishing the final touches on an interview he had completed the day before and was planned to go into the tomorrow’s afternoon edition, as well as the last few bites of a late lunch. The café had killer sandwiches, which helped immensely with keeping his stomach fueled throughout the day.

Except it almost came back up when the flash of red hair and daggered nails owned by Ondina Weasley sat themselves across from him at the table. The sheer joy of working out of the office and his lunch was now ruined by her presence. Everything always was. Having to force himself to swallow the last bite of his sandwich as she preyed on his glass of water, Grey had no idea what to say in response to her. He probably looked like a deer in the headlights right now, and he really didn’t care. She scared the hell out of him due to the stunt she had pulled on him seventh year. Being drugged up on a love potion for a month straight wasn’t exactly his cup of tea anymore, and he still had the habit of testing all food and drink not prepared by himself for traces of love potions or other contaminants. He had become beyond paranoid about it following the ordeal, and even the glass of water she had helped herself too had been tested earlier. “That’s how I get my day started. Come back tomorrow morning if you want some,” he tried to brush her off, already starting to gather his notes together and haphazardly tossing them into his work bag so he could make his escape.

Ondina Nell Weasley ● 511 ● I Just Want To Make Love To You by Muddy Waters

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Ondina Nell Weasley]

i dare you.

IF ONDINA HAD BEEN JUST A COUPLE YEARS younger, she might have been offended by the display in front of her. The hasty collection of flyaway papers, how tense he had become by the mere sound of her voice. But, time and experience and made her relish it. When had his discomfort become to delicious to her. She leaned back in her seat, a funny little smile on her face as she slid one hand forward and clamped it over the finally stack of papers, nails curling in to it.

"Steady, baby." She drawled, tilting her chair back and dragging the parchment with her. She would hold it hostage as long as necessary. Until he wept, if needs be. Her ring gleamed on her finger, like the final gleaming nail in Grey's own personalised coffin. Let him notice it, she thought. Let me notice him noticing it so we can talk about it. Such a childish sentiment, cruel in its delivery, but she simply couldn't help herself. "I'm not finished with you yet." And her head tilted, nostrils flaring as if in search of a single whiff of blood. "This is business, not pleasure." As if to reassure him. 

grey xavier slater

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[grey xavier slater]

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He hadn’t been fast enough. The more important documents and statistics pages on recent Quidditch matches had already found their way into his bag, including his personal notes from interviews. What Ondina had managed to sneak away from him were the results of the League Cup for the last decade, showing trends in attendance and average game lengths. Literally none of which was important to what he was working on currently, but would be later. If she ended up destroying them, like he assumed she would now that she had them, he could just print off more. He still gritted his teeth when she dragged them away from the rest of his work though, because printing a stack that big would take ages to do again. Even if it was the slightest inconvenience, it was still annoying.

Unfortunately she tried to make a show of her grab, the garish, overdone ring on her left hand flashing itself all over the place. Grey hated that he understood what she wanted. He swore that was still an after effect of being love potioned for so long by her. A month straight of fawning for her had him second guessing a lot. The one thing he did know was that she didn’t say or do things without putting a ridiculous amount of forethought into it. Either the ring meant something or she was using it to distract him. And seeing as she was already refusing to give the stack of papers back, he knew what came next.

Trying his best to relax in his chair, Grey slid the rest of his work into his bag and buckled it up, going as far as to sling it over his shoulder. He could leave whenever he felt like it, sacrificing the paper, but decided to stay sitting. “You mean it’ll be my business for your pleasure,” Grey corrected her, already feeling defeated by the whole thing. He let out a deep exhale as he started to regret asking the next question, “What do you want?”

Ondina Nell Weasley ● 340 ● Rebel Yell by Black Veil Brides

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Ondina Nell Weasley]

i dare you.

THOUGH HE TRIED TO APPEAR COOL AND composed, Ondina knew better. She hadn't manipulated him for weeks to not learn a thing or two about Grey Xavier. His mannerisms and quirks. That part was easy, he was tense and uncomfortable, just the way she liked him. Leaning back in his chair under the guise of ease, but in reality it was just an excuse to put some space between them. At one point, deep under the love potions spell, she couldn't rid herself of him. She flattened her clawed hands over the papers, her smile undeniable.

"I mean..." She tilted her head endearingly, lifting her delicate brows. "Isn't it always?" She practically purred. He hadn't immediately refused, as she had initially anticipated. Disappointing, really. She'd been geared up for a fight. She settled back in to her chair. One hand on the papers, the other drumming a beat, nails clacking against the wood. She crossed her leg and sighed, shaking out that flaming red hair. "I want a spread on your stupid little paper." She declared succinctly, lifting that same drumming hand to flash her ring, fingers wiggling like pale, haunted bones. "No expense spared." She enunciated, tongue lingering on the roof of her mouth before her mouth settled shut. 

grey xavier slater

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[grey xavier slater]

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Merlin, he hated Ondina Weasley with a burning passion. He disliked loads of people, and he wasn’t afraid of stating that anymore, but he only hated one person, and that was the redhead sitting across from him. The fact that he rolled over the way he just had for her said a lot about how he wanted to get whatever this was done quick. She wanted the fight, and he was fine being the lazy Gryffindor he once was again. Arguing and raising hell with her would only make whatever it was ten times worse, and full of spite and spittle. He still had no idea how she ended up like this, and he had been meaning to ask her relatives about it. Unfortunately that would probably only create more questions than answers, and he wasn’t willing to go into an unwinnable fight drowning in things he didn’t understand. Looking desperate would actually make him an idiot, while right now he only sort of looked like one.

Ondina finally explained what she wanted, making a show of it by digging her claws into the table forcefully as she tapped on it. He laughed out loud at her request. “If you want a paper that’s stupid, and little, I’d suggest the Quibbler. You could fill up an entire issue with whatever drivel and lies you want and nobody would bat an eye,” he shot back in defense of the Prophet. Calling it names was pointless, because it was a reliable news source these days. Maybe it wasn’t always like that, but it certainly was the most read newspaper in magical England, and it had hard-hitting stories in each edition to boot.

Crossing his arms in front of him, Grey rocked back and forth in his chair, shaking his head at her. “But if all you want is a spread, I’m sure I can have someone in advertising contact you. Nobody reads those bits, but they also don’t say no to paying customers.” Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a small rolodex that had business cards for different divisions of the Prophet. Thumbing through them, he pulled out the appropriate contact, and tossed the card across the table at Ondina. “That’s the guy you’ll want to owl. Or you could scream your head off in the front lobby for him. Their offices are on the first floor, so I’m sure someone will come running.” Somehow, this seemed like a win for him so far, or at most, a really big lead. There was literally nothing he could do in his current position as a Quidditch beat writer. Advertising simply wasn’t his job.

Ondina Nell Weasley ● 441 ● Dans la nuit by Coeur de Pirate

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Ondina Nell Weasley]

i dare you.

WHAT ONDINA HAD NOT PREPAPRED FOR WAS Grey's newly acquired spine. His words biting and unfazed, as if he were discussing this with any old coot. Ondina leaned back slightly, her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits as she watched his awful little mouth chew around his awful little words. "Excuse me?" He asked carefully, those fingers still splayed out on the table, tempted to reach over and grab his collar. "Who taught you how to bite?" Head tilted, a sharp smirk on her face.

The engagement was, of course, a farce. Renard's pursuit for his inheritance matched Ondina's pursuit for exposure. However, Grey did not know this. She drew in a steadying breath, it did nothing for her. "I'm getting engaged." She said evenly, her expression deceptively flat. "I want to celebrate that in the Daily Prophet." She articulated, emphasising that it had to be Grey's paper. Not the Quibbler. "I will not have my photograph next to an imaginary creature or astrological drivel."

As he leaned back in his chair, Ondina envisioned herself kicking her heeled foot forward and sending him to the floor. All sorts of painful scenarios that ended with Grey on the ground looking up at her. She did neither, smiling beatifically instead. Her red lips stretching in a way that was almost unfamiliar to them. "I want an acknowledgement on the front page." She said succinctly, no room for negotiations. "Doesn't need to be much, but enough to get them looking for it." Ondina crossed her own arms, brows raised in preparation of a challenge.

Hand snapping down swiftly, Ondina caught the card flat on the table when he sent it towards her callously. It burned under her palm, a slither of disrespect. She wanted to use the edge against his throat, or some place just as vulnerable. "I don't need to scream my head off." Ondina growled  with manufactured composure. She slide that flattened hand across the table, leaning with it as she lifted herself almost off her seat. Long red hair dragging across the silverware and eventually, dangling over Grey's plate as she reached forward and made to flick a piece of lint from his grotty shirt.

"I'll simply have you fired." She whispered to him intimately, her words as sharp as any blade. "You're unreliable, you left your auror training for what?" Her tongue dashed out over her bottom lip, chin tilting up with a small, derogatory smile. Leaning back in to her chair very slowly, Ondina gestured with one hand carelessly. "You're... girlfriend is a regulated, dangerous species." Tutting, she drew in a breath and sighed. As if she felt sorry for him, one leg crossing over the other delicately as she straightened the hem of her dress. "I don't know, Grey, is this how you speak to a potential customer." She blinked large, dark rimmed eyes. Pupils blown. "Have you learned nothing?"

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NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[grey xavier slater]

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If it had been the right moment to laugh at Ondina, this would have been it. She wanted to know who had taught him to bite? Obviously it was her. It hadn’t taken long, in those last few months of school, but it gave him the push that he had needed during the beginning stages of auror training and then jumping ship to the Prophet. But with that newfound confidence was also the knowhow of when he had to keep his mouth shut. This was one of those times. Grey didn’t cower from her words though – he simply refused to react to them.

Her announcement of her engagement only created hundreds of questions, like who the poor soul was that she had slipped a love potion to this time. The only way he could see this being anywhere remotely real was if her new fiancé had an equally horrid personality to match hers. He already knew that she wasn’t beyond manipulation and drugging, so if it wasn’t that, only a few unsavory characters were left for her to shack up with. He begged it to be the latter, because it meant that she had sort of learned her lesson with him. But this was Ondina, after all. There was no telling what she was truly up to until it was too late.

Apparently his offer to take her dealings to the advertisement team wasn’t enough for her, and Grey responded to her fervid jump over the table by crossing his arms in front of him. He was already starting to mentally kick himself for not starting a voice recording on the player in his bag. The tool had been specifically charmed so that he could use it in stadiums and other magical areas, similar to how the phones were being charmed lately. It was superior to having to rely on a charmed quill, and being able to go back to grab quotes from the tape was beyond exceptional. If he had the forethought to click it on, he’d go back immediately and do so. Having Ondina’s threats recorded and turned on her would have been sweet justice, in case she ever came after him again.

Despite her warnings about getting him fired, and exposing Cecelia as a vampire, he kept his composure and leaned forward, closer to the table. “Unless you have information about Quidditch, you aren’t my customer. Your engagement announcement does not fall under my jurisdiction, and while I can’t speak for the editors, it frankly doesn’t come within the purview of the Prophet anymore either, and news like that hasn’t in years. If you want to try your luck, go to the advertisement department. I’m sure if you pay enough, they may be able to swing some sort of spread in an evening edition, or a small ad on the front weekend page.” He stood up loudly from his seat, letting it drag noisily across the ground so it cut through the low murmur of voices around them. Sliding the rest of his work into his bag, he slung it over his shoulder. As far as he was concerned, he was done here. If she wanted to make more of a scene, she was going to have to do it in front of the entire café now, and he knew Ondina wouldn’t go that far. “Congratulations, by the way,” he added gruffly as he picked up his plate and started towards a drop off spot in the café.

Ondina Nell Weasley ● 581 ● Heaven's Calling by Black Veil Brides

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Ondina Nell Weasley]

i dare you.

TO ONDINA'S CONTINUED SURPRISE GREY SAT back in his chair. His arms crossed, creating a firm barrier between them in a instant. Without a shred of hesitation. Where had the timid, malleable boy gone? The one that had been almost too easy to manipulate. Ondina missed that boy when she sat back, her nostrils flaring as she fought to keep the outrage from her face. Hand still flat on the table, the tips curling as if to dig in to the wooden top. He didn't say much to begin with, but that was worse than an insulting slew.

"Man of few words," She commented with a sniff, tilting her chin slightly, to change her perspective. Grey had always looked better when she was looking down her nose at him. "I didn't ask about your jurisdiction." She interrupted, but Grey did not stop once he had opened his mouth. As if he hadn't heard her at all, her mouth moving at a stiff, professional speed. Like he was reciting words off of a slip of paper. It was quietly infuriating. And maybe, if it hadn't been directed towards her, Ondina might have found this newfound 'growth' an attractive fit. Alas, it disgusted her instead.

She leaned back in her seat when he stood abruptly, his chair making a god awful screech across the wooden flooring. Ondina froze, an anger building in to malice in her chest. She had not come to fight with him, more like batting around a live mouse. He had made it in to something sinister, or he had pulled it clean from her chest. When he walked away, it was with a marching deliberateness. Ondina watched it for only a second, the clatter of his plate at the drop off station ringing in her ears. She stood without thinking, her coat pulled across her shoulders as she intercepted him on his way towards the door. Close enough to the exit that he must have thought she had stayed behind. Her arm sliding across his lower abdomen in a single movement, making a home under his jacket.

Leaning her entire, small frame in to his side for the briefest moment as she dug her nails in to the meat of his hip and brushed her lips against the hollow of his scruffy cheek. "Thank you for all of your advice," She whispered, like lovers exchanging secrets. She kissed him there, leaving a dirty red stain that he could admire later, retracting her snake like arm before he could remove it himself. "I missed this." She was grinning now, spinning in front of him to back out of the restaurant's front door, her eyes catching his with as she beat him on to the street. Her red fingernails flashing as she fluttered her fingers in goodbye, the card wedged between her two fingers, before it disappeared with a whisper of non verbal magic, the air charged. "Bye, lover boy." And then she turned and left. 

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NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[grey xavier slater]

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Despite what Ondina seemed to think, he really didn’t care whether she asked about his specific position at the Prophet or what it was that he did and did not do for the newspaper. She had asked a question regarding advertisements, and he gave her the exact information she needed. Maybe even more than that. Obviously anything he offered up would never be good enough for her. He had learned that the hard way during their school years. Luckily there was very little she could do to get him in trouble in this instance, aside from making up a ludicrous lie about their interaction, in which he had a couple dozen witnesses that would most certainly be on his side. The fact that his thought process went straight to defending himself over one of her potential fabrications only reinforced how much he truly disliked her. Disgust didn’t even come close to what he felt towards her (or himself during his love potion inoculation). Leaving her behind at the table without so much as a protest was easily the best outcome for this situation, and he was immediately going to head back to the office. If he had to sprint there to avoid her potential screechy outrage, he would. It was only across the street after all, and he was essentially safe the second he stepped inside. Even the Prophet wouldn’t put up with the wheezing redhead if she decided to blow-out her vocal chords on him today in the middle of the visitor lobby.

And he almost escaped too. He felt her arm wrapping around him first, and then the pinch of her nails as she drove them deeper into his shirt. The worst part was easily the kiss she planted on his neck. It sent a shiver through his body, his jaw immediately clenching as he stopped himself from saying anything else to her. Reacting was what she wanted. That was what got her off. As long as he considered the entire interaction as his victory, like the day of the Yule Ball when he told her he had broken the love potion, he would be fine. But at the same time, it was so difficult to keep his composure. Even after she made the business card disappear and left him behind in the entrance of the café, Grey stayed planted in place. It took a few people stepping around him to leave before he realized he was blocking the way, and he then very quickly turned around and walked towards the restroom, where he spent the next ten minutes scrubbing the lipstick stain off of his neck until the skin was redder than the smudge had been to begin with.

[The End]

Ondina Nell Weasley ● 452 ● Half moon Lane by Violetta Zironi

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0